The Aliens: Fireteam Elite Pathogen Expansion Is Available Now

Pathogen expansion Aliens: Fireteam EliteAvailable now!

The Endeavor crew will explore a strange pathogen that is wreaking havoc in LV-895. This new threat is threatening not only Xenomorphs, but also other species. Your fireteam and you must explore unknown lands to confront new threats and terrifying enemies in order to find out the origin of this strange new threat.

But that’s not all. If you want to make it out of the hive alive, you’ll have to face the toughest foe yet: a Pathogen Queen.

AFE’s history is unique in that this will be the first chance for players to defeat an opponent of such stature. For an inside look at the Pathogen Queen and what it was like bringing her to life, we’ve brought along two members of the Cold Iron Studios development team.

The first is Sr. Character Artist Ashley Stegon:

“With PathogenWe wanted to offer players a unique experience with the Xenomorphs that they love and we knew. How could we give this experience to players in this forgotten, lost, yonder place? As our senior ‘sculpt gross stuff’ artist, I especially love putting details into some of our most fearsome creatures. She needed to appear infected, but not be sickly. The Pathogen Queen had to feel strong despite the Pathogen infecting. This asymmetrical layout gives the feeling that she is infected. It pushes this narrative even further. This gives her more personality. She also had me trying out different textures. Pale skin can be very hard to make look natural and as an artist I don’t get to rely on patterns or color. In order to make the skin look more real and intriguing, I must be subtle with adding color to it..”

TThe beauty of the Pathogen Queen’s face is just half the battle. Our understanding of her mechanics meant that they had to be challenging but also engaging. Tony Marasco is our Systems Designer.

“The design of the Pathogen Queen was challenging and fun. A few early prototypes showed the queen just killing people. This seemed at first like a problem. But, we quickly realized that fighting the Queen more often made it easier for everyone. This allowed us to fine-tune the experience and make it feel perfect. That being said, there’s some key mechanics players will need to keep in mind when facing the Queen. It is important to watch her movements, be ready for any attacks and identify her weaknesses. But, it may be that knowing when you should run is your best technique. And when you’re in the fight, you should always make sure to keep an eye on the Queen. You definitely don’t want to get caught off guard by her!”

It is the hardest encounter Endeavor’s crew has ever had. You’ll need cunning, strategy and plenty of firepower if you want to take her down. Luckily, you don’t need to wait another minute to jump back into the action. Aliens: Fireteam EliteIt is now available. All the best, Marines!