Starship Troopers: Extermination is a 16-player co-op FPS where you fight waves of Arachnid bugs on hostile alien planets, build fortifications, and extract before being overwhelmed. Based on the cult classic film franchise, it captures the desperate, outnumbered feeling of infantry combat against an alien swarm. The base building mid-mission creates a unique loop where you gather resources, construct walls and bunkers, then defend against increasingly massive bug assaults. The game left Early Access in late 2024 with five classes, multiple maps, and the full extraction gameplay loop.
Starting Starship Troopers: Extermination can feel overwhelming. This guide tells you exactly what to focus on during your first hours so you don't waste time on things that don't matter yet.
What Kind of Game Is This?
Starship Troopers: Extermination is a fps game built around base building and horde defense. The core loop involves mastering these systems to progress through increasingly challenging content.
What to expect: Time investment in learning mechanics, experimentation, and gradual mastery. The game rewards patience and knowledge.
Choosing Your First Role
| Role | Beginner Rating | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Hunter | Good (but demanding) | Rush to bug holes while team provides cover, plant charges, seal holes to reduce wave intensity. |
| Bastion | Excellent for beginners | Set up at chokepoints, deploy shields during heavy waves, use Siege Mode during extraction defense. |
| Operator | Excellent for beginners | Stay near the team, deploy supplies proactively at defense positions, prioritize repairing walls during waves. |
| Demolisher | Excellent for beginners | Save explosives for Tiger and Tanker spawns, use grenades to clear dense Warrior packs at chokepoints. |
| Sniper | Situational | Maintain distance, prioritize Gunner bugs threatening the team, switch to backup weapon during extraction. |
Our recommendation: Start with Bastion. The defensive anchor deploying portable shields and heavy weapon emplacements. The Bastion's shield dome protects the team during extraction and creates safe zones for reviving. Siege Mode locks them in place but doubles damage output.
Avoid Sniper as your first pick. Long-range specialist effective against Gunner bugs and priority targets but less useful during close-range extraction defense.
First Session Step-by-Step
Step 1: Learn base building
During missions, you gather ore to construct walls, bunkers, towers, and ammo stations using a blueprint placement system. Walls snap to a grid and can be reinforced with steel plating. Chokepoint design matters — bugs path around solid walls, so leaving controlled kill zones with overlapping turret coverage is the optimal strategy. Building costs scale based on structure tier.
This is the foundation. Spend your first 15-30 minutes getting comfortable with how base building works before worrying about anything else.
Step 2: Head to Valaka
The first planet with open desert terrain and moderate bug density. Good sightlines for snipers and clear building terrain for bases. The standard learning map where most players experience their first successful extraction.
Clear the main content here before moving on. Everything teaches fundamentals you'll need later.
Step 3: Get Your First Upgrade
Look for Morita Mk3 SAW — it's the most accessible early upgrade. Belt-fed light machine gun with 200 rounds and sustained fire capability. Accuracy decreases during sustained fire but the volume of bullets compensates against dense swarms. Best deployed in Siege Mode for maximum effectiveness.
Step 4: Understand horde defense
Bug waves escalate in size and composition as the mission timer progresses. Early waves send Warriors (basic melee bugs), mid waves introduce Gunner bugs (ranged acid), and late waves add Tigers (heavy chargers) and Tankers (massive HP pools). The final extraction wave is the largest, and defending the dropship landing zone for 3 minutes determines mission success or failure.
This is the system most new players overlook. Invest time here early — it pays off throughout the entire game.
Step 5: Push to Agni Prime
A volcanic planet with limited visibility due to ash clouds and narrow canyon passages. Forces close-quarters combat and makes base building critical for creating safe zones. Bug density is significantly higher than Valaka.
Essential Mechanics Explained
base building
During missions, you gather ore to construct walls, bunkers, towers, and ammo stations using a blueprint placement system. Walls snap to a grid and can be reinforced with steel plating. Chokepoint design matters — bugs path around solid walls, so leaving controlled kill zones with overlapping turret coverage is the optimal strategy. Building costs scale based on structure tier.
horde defense
Bug waves escalate in size and composition as the mission timer progresses. Early waves send Warriors (basic melee bugs), mid waves introduce Gunner bugs (ranged acid), and late waves add Tigers (heavy chargers) and Tankers (massive HP pools). The final extraction wave is the largest, and defending the dropship landing zone for 3 minutes determines mission success or failure.
class roles
Five classes serve distinct combat roles. Hunters close bug holes (spawners), Bastions deploy heavy weapons and shields, Operators place ammo/health stations, Demolishers handle heavy targets with explosives, and Snipers provide long-range support. A balanced team needs at least one of each role — pure DPS teams fail at extraction.
extraction gameplay
After completing objectives, you must call a dropship and defend the landing zone. The dropship takes 3 minutes to arrive, during which the heaviest bug wave attacks. All 16 players must reach the extraction zone — anyone left behind fails the mission. Carrying wounded teammates slows you but saves their rewards.
bug types
Each bug type requires different tactics. Warriors swarm in packs and are best handled with automatic weapons. Gunners spit acid at range and must be sniped. Tigers charge through walls and require explosives or concentrated fire. Tankers have armor plating that must be shot off before dealing body damage. Inferno bugs explode on death.
Common Beginner Mistakes
1. Building elaborate bases at the objective instead of the extraction zone
The objective area is temporary — extraction is where defenses actually matter.
2. Every player going Sniper or Demolisher for DPS
Teams without Hunters, Operators, and Bastions consistently fail extraction due to endless spawns and supply shortages.
3. Running ahead of the team to solo objectives
Isolated players get overwhelmed by bug packs and waste team resources on revives.
4. Ignoring Gunner bugs to focus on Warriors
Gunners spit acid that deals massive damage over time and can hit you behind low walls.
5. Wasting Demolisher explosives on Warrior packs
Save grenades and C4 for Tigers and Tankers — use your rifle for Warriors.
First 5 Hours Checklist
- Understand base building and horde defense
- Choose Bastion as starting role
- Clear Valaka main content
- Acquire Morita Mk3 SAW or equivalent upgrade
- Reach Agni Prime
- Always have at least one Hunter in your squad. Without someone closing bug holes, waves never stop escalating regardless of how many bugs you kill.
- Build walls with gaps, not solid lines. Bugs path around walls but funnel through gaps, creating kill zones where the whole team can concentrate fire.
Tips for New Players
- Always have at least one Hunter in your squad. Without someone closing bug holes, waves never stop escalating regardless of how many bugs you kill.
- Build walls with gaps, not solid lines. Bugs path around walls but funnel through gaps, creating kill zones where the whole team can concentrate fire.
- Operators should drop ammo crates at the extraction zone BEFORE calling the dropship. Running out of ammo during the final wave is the most common cause of failed extractions.
- Tankers have armor plating on their front. Flank them to hit exposed flesh, or use the Chi-Hong grenade launcher to strip plating from any angle.
- Tiger bugs can be heard charging from far away — a deep rumbling sound. Position behind walls so their charge hits the wall instead of you.
- Demolisher C4 on walls creates a trap. When bugs breach the wall, detonate for massive AoE damage to the clumped breach wave.
- Reviving teammates is faster than respawning. Always prioritize revives during lulls between waves — a dead teammate weakens the whole team.
- Inferno bugs explode on death. Do NOT melee them. Shoot from distance and warn teammates when Inferno bugs are in the wave.
- Pre-build the extraction zone defenses before completing the main objective. You control when extraction starts — use that time wisely.
- Stick to one class and master it rather than switching between all five. Class leveling unlocks essential upgrades that make each class dramatically more effective.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many players is Starship Troopers: Extermination?
16-player co-op PvE. Missions support squads of 4 within the 16-player team. You can also play with smaller groups, but missions are balanced for 16 and significantly harder with fewer players.
Is Starship Troopers: Extermination like Helldivers 2?
They share the co-op PvE bug-shooting premise but play differently. STE has base building, 16-player teams, and extraction-focused missions. Helldivers 2 has 4-player squads, friendly fire emphasis, and procedural objectives. STE is more strategic, Helldivers is more chaotic.
Can you play Starship Troopers: Extermination solo?
Technically yes, but it's not recommended. Missions are designed for 16 players and the bug scaling doesn't fully adjust for solo play. Join public matchmaking for the intended experience.
What to Read Next
- Starship Troopers: Extermination Builds — Optimize your role once you've learned the basics
- Starship Troopers: Extermination Walkthrough — Full progression path
- Starship Troopers: Extermination Tips — Advanced strategies for when you're ready
