Achievements guide

Welcome to this guide, concerning Alien Swarm, which I played in 2010. I did an achievement guide because some of them need some explanations. Like I've said, it is not a strategy guide: so don't ask me how to do speedruns. But I recommend you to see videos or even the wiki[alienswarm.wikia.com].

• Objective: Complete the Jacob's Rest campaign on Easy difficulty or harder.

You have to complete all the missions (in any order you want, you don't have to do the campaign in one playthrough) in any difficulty you want, you'll get that one. For example, you do the campaign in Normal, you'll get the achievement for the Normal difficulty AND the one for the Easy difficulty, even if you never played in Easy.

• Objective: Complete the Jacob's Rest campaign on Normal difficulty or harder.

Same as for Easy Campaign, you get it at the end of Jacob's Rest. If you didn't play in Easy or missing some of the missions, you'll get the achievement about this difficulty in the same time.

• Objective: Complete the Jacob's Rest campaign on Hard difficulty or harder.

Same as for Easy/Normal Campaign, you get it at the end of Jacob's Rest. If you didn't play in Easy/Normal or missing some of the missions, you'll get the achievement about these difficulties in the same time.

• Objective: Awarded for finishing the Jacob campaign on Insane difficulty.

If you're really fan of the parasites appearing in Alien Swarm, you can still play in Insane because they're appearing in each level (in Easy/Normal/Hard, they're only present in levels 5-6-7). Getting that achievement means a good team, the best weapons unlocked and one or two good Medics (or Technicians).

• Objective: Complete the Jacob's Rest campaign on Brutal difficulty.

Brutal difficulty was added in the first real update of the game. If you thought that Insane was already hellish, Brutal will go far beyond that. In other words, you'll prefer to play with a full inventory unlocked and with veterans of the Insane/Brutal campaigns.

• Objective: Complete a campaign on Normal difficulty or harder without any marines dying.

Well, if it sounds easy, it's not if you're playing with unknown people: you have those who tend to rush, you have the newbies that will be probably running into parasites far away from Faith or Bastille, you have the great Timor Station and well, the Swarms that are trying to kill you. My advice is to play with friends knowing well the game and that aren't letting you behind.

Just have two medics in your team and it should be easier.

The Speed Run is something very hard to do unless you're with friends knowing how to play. Being on a public game isn't really the best option: you may want to do the run in Normal for avoiding parasites or any other Swarm, with people having at least Adrenaline and Chainsaw and a Tech who knows his job.

• Objective: Complete Landing Bay within 1:25 on Normal difficulty or harder without any marines dying.

The chainsaw is really useful for opening closed doors without having to hack them, adrenaline is slowing time, slowing Swarms while you're a little faster than them and is making the final hack easiers. The Tech should begin his hack while the others are setting the sentries, tripmines or any other weapons for protecting him.

• Objective: Complete Cargo Elevator within 2:50 on Normal difficulty or harder without any marines dying.

Unfortunately for you, you have a time constraint: the elevator: you can't make it go faster or slower. You'll need some adrenaline if you want to be sure that your team can avoid Swarms. In the first part of the run, you can't stop for killing enemies, as a lot are used to. Use the grenade launcher for the waves, Hornet Barrages or Smart Bomb. Make sure that everyone isn't stopping.

When you have to make explodes some barrels for the cylinder to roll, don't wait until the bridge is made, just follow the movement.

If you need ammo during the elevator ride, make sure that someone equips boxes, so you can save a few seconds before entering the elevator. Don't forget also that you have time to put a sentry before Swarms's arrival.

Just at the end of the ride, make sure everyone is standing near the door, for not loosing time to reach the exit.

• Objective: Complete Deima Surface Bridge within 2:30 on Normal difficulty or harder without any marines dying.

Deima is also having somewhere a constraint: the ship at the end. But you can make a good run if you have two Techs: one will take Assault Jets you can find at North of the first wielded door (near the pipe in the dark) and the others, along with the team can unweld that door - Vegas is apparently the most effective there -. The first tech should use the Assault Jets while being close of the corner in the right where he found them for passing the building and arrives close to the building with the hack for the fence.

Apparently, it is possible to jump over the fence, so, if you're the Tech with Assault Jets, use them for getting over it and reach the fastest you can the panel for activating the bridge. The second Tech has to hack during that time and escapes with the team after he's done (and not staying until no Swarm is coming).

During that, the first Tech can blow the pipeline, avoid the Shieldbug and run (or jump) towards the second hack panel. Don't forget that if you're alone there, you're still being attacked, so it's better to have a fast team that can delay the Shieldbug and protect you.

For the final run, you can or stay with Bloodhound or use any Smartbomb or Hornet Barrage for clearing the path. Once you've crossed the ship, you know that it's better to run towards the exit than trying to kill every Swarm (the day people will understand "come here" instead of fighting without ammo, I will be glad).

• Objective: Complete Rydberg Reactor within 3:10 on Normal difficulty or harder without any marines dying.

You have to count with the time needing for opening at least two doors and to activate the reactor, so, the best to do is to slipt the team for buying time. Have the Tech and a bodyguard to go to the reactor and have the rest near the first door, so that it can be open as soon as possible. Then, if you can avoid to loose time by extinguishing the fire, head to the upper part of the crashed chopper (near the fire), there is no wall, no collision, in other words, you're free to walk.

Once you're arriving at the final door, keep in mind that Boomers and Rangers will be your main enemies, so have Tesla Coils and/or sentries in order to kill them quickly. Once the door opens, you'll be swarmed again, so use powerful weapons like Grenade Launcher to kill them. Don't stay too long, once they're out of the room, you can run to it.

• Objective: Complete SynTek Residential within 2:30 on Normal difficulty or harder without any marines dying.

Splitting the team in half is the best strategy here: one can take care of the eggs on the left part of the map and the other on the right part of the map (conducts mainly). If you're really fearing parasites, make sure to have two medics (one in each part), flamers and chainsaws (or Smart Bomb for the three eggs behind the closed door). You can also split in four: one taking care of the first half of the conduct, the other of the second for the right team, one of the lab and another of the mall area for the right team. Just have the Electrified Armor if you're really afraid of the parasites (yeah, I'm wearing it when parasites are in sight).

• Objective: Complete Sewer Junction within 1:30 on Normal difficulty or harder without any marines dying.

This level can be done quickly if you don't stay near Swarms in the first part of the mission. Be sure to explode the barrels as soon as you can and avoid the four-five Shieldbugs ahead by slaloming between them. One of you should throw a grenade in the barrels near them for sealing the tunnel then you should slip in two for destroying eggs, making explode the barrels and kill parasites. Then just avoid the final Shieldbugs and you should have made it.

• Objective: Complete Timor Station within 4:25 on Normal difficulty or harder without any marines dying.

For anyone having completed this map, you know that 4:25 is a real exploit. For doing it, you can still wear Hornet Barrage or Smart Bomb, for the terminal mainly, with all the eggs.

You can also take the Blink Pack and the Assault Jets on this map (the Blink Map is near the first three eggs, in the beginning, after activating the bomb and passing the door - the Assault Jets are next to the panel activating the bridge). If you're a Tech, you can use these for getting faster near the terminal while your team is clearing the path until the biomass.

Grenade Launcher makes wonders for destroying eggs and chainsaws are advised for the closed door and the rocks. Make sure to destroy any parasites and make sure one of your team takes the Blink Pack to put it near the Biomass when you're coming back from the hack. Use of adrenaline can help also for it.

• Objective: Complete any mission on Brutal difficulty with Onslaught and Hardcore Friendly Fire enabled.

The goal here is to at least survive (whether it's you or someone else) in a Brutal game, with Onslaught and Hardcore FF enabled. In other words, play a mission in the hardest difficulty, with enabling a Director AI that will trigger hordes of Swarms or appearance of unusual ennemies in a level (mainly on lowest difficulties) and with enabling powerful friendly fire (one or two shots and you're dead).

• Objective: Complete 2 co-op missions online. Earns a Team Fortress 2 parasite hat.

This one is simple: just ask friends to play with you or just join a public game. Join a lobby with Landing Bay in Easy, play it and the next mission, Cargo Elevatori. You'll get your hat in TF2 if you were there only for that. For getting your hat, wait until an item drops and you'll get it.

• Objective: Complete a mission on Normal difficulty or harder without receiving any damage.

Do that achievement and you'll get a piece of cake, as depicted in the icon. Technically, you don't have any Glados in the game but still, Valve recycling that one...

But you know that being surrounded by Swarms (swarmed) is frequent in the game, so you may want to bring enough firepower with you and... friends that can aim. Indeed, if you play Wildcat, which is the best in terms of weapon and speed, you will not to have worry about being hit, especially if you take Hornet Barrage. Your only worry is the friendly fire. I recommend not to play with newbies or they will happily shoot you and you can say bye bye to your achievement.

For once I managed to get in the half of Landing Bay without damage, an idiot just shoot at the swarm in front of me (but far away), resulting in an important lost of health (we have done it at least one time - or several times like me when lagging -).

• Objective: Complete a mission on Normal difficulty or harder without any marines dying.

It's pretty easy to do it in Landing Bay or Cargo Elevator, if your team has at least a medic. Just play a mission on Normal (in Hard, I'm pretty sure that you're gonna shoot people or be killed if you're new) and be sure not to have newbies if you've played an Easy Campaign before. You know that some are just walking where you're shooting AT LOW HEALTH and the result will be their death.

• Objective: Finish a mission without the tech getting killed.

This achievement is easy if you play on Easy/Normal Landing Bay. Just be the Tech or just protect your tech (after his objective done). If he dies before even touching what he's required to do, the mission will restart.

Cargo Elevator(2), Syntek Residential(5) and Sewer Junction(6) are the only missions where a Tech isn't required (you can blow the door in mission 5 for destroying the eggs).

• Objective: Complete a mission with better than 90% accuracy.

Play as a Special Weapons Specialist (Wildcat or Wolfe) or as a Tech (Crash or Vegas) with Autogun or Prototype Assault Rifle - they have auto-aim - and you should be lucky enough to get that accuracy of 90%. Don't forget that it's unlocked at the end of the mission.

• Objective: Complete a mission with no friendly fire incidents. Four marines must be present in the mission.

You'll get that achievement once you've finished a mission with four players. For getting it, you need to have a weapon that can make friendly fire. Also, pay attention to your environment and keep in mind that it's you that have to do 0/100 on friendly fire and not the others.

• Objective: Destroy all Swarm Eggs in a mission without allowing any to hatch.

The goal here is to destroy Swarm Eggs (appearing at level 5/6/7) without them releasing a parasite. If in Syntek Residential, it's hard to do (because some are going close to the eggs without destroying them or because of the three behind the closed door), in Sewer Junction, it's pretty easy to do as they're always in the same place and are hatching rarely (unless your team doesn't understand not to go ahead of the medic because of parasites). In Timor Station, it's nearly impossible. But the achievement itself is hard to obtain despite playing in Easy and on Sewer Junction.

• Objective: Kill 5 Swarm with explosive barrels in a single mission.

You'll find a lot of explosive barrels in the game. But the best level for it is Sewer Junction. You'll find more Swarms around the explosives than in Landing Bay, Cargo Elevator, Deima or Rydberg.

• Objective: Kill 25 drones without friendly fire. Four marines must be present in the mission.

Be sure to kill Swarms without doing any friendly fire during the mission. You get it once you've sent to death the 25th alien. Don't forget that your team has to be complete.

• Objective: Kill 20 Swarm with melee attacks in a single mission.

Just kill Swarms with your melee attack (don't do it when you're the target of a dozen of aliens) and make sure to get 20. For your information, the melee attack is the right button of the mouse.

• Objective: Kill 1 000 Swarm.

That achievement sounds easy but you know what it means: a lot of Alien Swarm missions. You can kill them by any means, even meleeing. Besides, any type of enemies are counting.

• Objective: Kill 5 000 Swarm.

As for the previous achievement, this one should be quick if you're playing on Normal. Think that in a campaign you're killing more or less 100-150 Swarms...

• Objective: Kill 25 000 Swarm.

Well this one is much longer than the two previous ones. Just play a lot and you'll get it.

• Objective: Kill 100 000 Swarm.

Consider it as your ultimate goal in the game. Or how to mess up your life. Or how to learn to be patient. You know Valve. You know their long achievements. Well here, it's the same. Apart that you don't have yet an achievement server with Swarms that you can kill on a line. Just play a long time on Alien Swarm.

• Objective: Kill 15 Swarm with all four marines under the effects of a Damage Amp in a single mission

You need the Damage Amp to do this one, the class isn't mattering but if you want a tip, use it during Cargo Elevator, it should be easy to get it during the elevator ride. Don't forget that four marines must be present.

• Objective: Kill 500 Swarm with deployable Sentry Guns.

Just deploy a sentry (the normal one is the only available when beginning to level 1) and make kills. Don't forget that you have better chances to get it if you're placing your sentry during a assault then to defend yourself where you aren't attacked.

• Objective: Kill 250 Swarm with the Assault Rifle.

The Assault rifle is available for everyone, so, just play with it and you should get it quickly. Note also that you have frag grenades as secondary fire.

• Objective: Kill 250 Swarm with a Shotgun.

The shotgun is the first weapon you can unlock when leveling up. Though it's not really as good as it should, it can kill quickly a Swarm. Use it and make your kills.

• Objective: Kill 250 Swarm with Twin Pistols.

The Twin Pistols aren't so great to use, they're generally sufficient for the first or second level, but once you're beginning to play Deima, it will be more a disadvantage to you than anything else. Recommanded to use it only on Easy on Landing Bay and Cargo Elevator.

• Objective: Kill 250 Swarm with PDWs

The PDWs are sort of Uzis but as the Twin Pistols, it's consuming two clips at once. More useful than them, these weapons are still less efficient as the single weapons. Use them as backup.

• Objective: Kill 250 Swarm with a Tesla Cannon.

Before its update, the Tesla Cannon was a great weapon. Now, well that everything is reduced, it's not a weapon I would recommend. Still, there is no friendly fire with it, you can make a link of Swarms being slowed down and killed.

• Objective: Kill 250 Swarm with a Rail Rifle.

The Rail Rifle needs to be reloaded after each shot but you can kill at least two Swarms that are on the same line.

• Objective: Kill 250 Swarm with a Flamethrower.

Once you get a Flamethrower, you can burn everything that will attack you. And if you're being impatient, play Residential Area where the weapon is available for all even if you aren't at level 13 or higher.

• Objective: Kill 250 Swarm with a Marksman Rifle.

That weapon is powerful if you're using it like me, without scoping an enemy. Else, if you're used to accuracy in that view (if you're played The Sum of All Fears or Rogue Spear on GBA), you can kill easily Swarms.

• Objective: Kill 250 Swarm with a Chainsaw.

Chainsaw is powerful, it can destroy a door in no time but it's also a nightmare for Swarms (and eventually Shieldbugs). But if making a remake of a well-known movie can be great, just keep that weapon out of range of your teammates if you don't want them dead in no time.

• Objective: Kill 250 Swarm with a Grenade Launcher.

The Grenade Launcher is the last weapon you can unlock. It can take multiple enemies with one grenade but it can hurt you or your team if you're using in short-range. However, if you're speedrunning in Timor Station for example, it can take nearly all final eggs.

• Objective: Kill 100 Swarm with Hornet Barrages.

Just equip the rockets and launch them when you're swarmed. You can do it three times per level, knowing at least 8 missiles are released in each use. As that weapon is one of the most usefuls, you'll get the achievement quickly.

• Objective: Kill 100 Swarm with Laser Tripmines.

Tripmines are available since the beginning and can be useful until the Hornet Barrages are unlocked. Just throw them when you know that you'll have Swarms hordes (during a hack for example).

• Objective: Kill 6 Swarm with a single Grenade.

Throw a grenade in a horde and you may get it. You can throw a normal grenade, use the Grenade Launcher or use grenades in the basic rifle.

• Objective: Freeze 6 Swarm with a single Freeze Grenade.

Once you have the Freeze Grenades, equip it and launch it on Swarms attacking you. The best level to do it is Deima Bridge.

• Objective: Kill 100 Swarm Grubs.

The grubs can be only killed during Syntek Residential, they're more like larva than anything else - or they can be mistaken for the leeches in Half-Life. They're everywhere in the level and are easy to kill: walk on us.

• Objective: Kill a Swarm Parasite with a melee attack.

Well, unless you're playing on Insane, you'll get parasites only for the last three missions (Syntek, Sewer, Timor). Just use the melee key when you see the little green guy trying to jump on you.

• Objective: Deliver the finishing blow to a Swarm Shieldbug.

The Shieldbug can't be attacked from the front (apart when its legs are apart). You have to kill it from behind and, so run in circle around or use a Freeze Grenade (or the Stun Grenade if you're a Tech) and concentrate your fire on the white part of the alien.

• Objective: Kill a Swarm Boomer before it inflates

The Swarm Boomer, bearing a similar look as the Gornach from Half-Life, can be killed BEFORE inflating and exploding, sending yellow grenades around. Be also aware that you need to deliver the finishing blow (and not your teammates).

• Objective: Roll under a Swarm Ranger projectile.

The Ranger is the Swarm with a yellow mark on his head. He's throwing three balls for attacking you, so, use the Roll key for going under them.

• Objective: Complete 10 wire hacks without access being logged.

This achievement is applying to the common hack: the pipeline game. You have to reconstitue a path from the beginning to the end (for two or three lines) by turning elements. You have your time to solve the puzzle but not if you're doing Circuit Breaker: you have the upper line with a red dot. If that red dot reaches the end of the line, you can say bye to a fast hack. Don't forget that it's a Tech achievement.

• Objective: Complete 10 computer hacks without access being logged.

If this achievement is also requiring you to be Tech and if it's still an hack, the goal here is to align the 1 on the same line and going in the same direction by switching it with the arrows under the columns. As for the pipeline game, you have a time limit... only in Timor Station. In other words, hacking the bay terminal in the first mission isn't counting towards this achievement. So, grab your best equipement, make sure your team know what they do because Timor Station isn't as easy as you can think, even in the lowest difficulty.

• Objective: Kill 250 Swarm with a Prototype Rifle.

The Prototype Rifle is a Tech weapon, so, if you need this achievement, play Tech, equip the rifle and begin to kill. This weapon is equiped with auto-aim, so use that fact to get a lot of aliens. It's also the only gun with stun grenades.

• Objective: Stun 6 Swarm with a single Stun Grenade.

It's the secondary fire of the Prototype Rifle. So, as that weapon is only for Techs, you have to play that class and throw a stun grenade into a mass of aliens in order to get it. Deima is probably one of the best levels to do it due a never-ending income of Swarms in the first part and an army of them on the bridge.

• Objective: Heal 300 points of damage in a single mission without dealing any non-melee damage to the Swarm.

For being efficient at this achievement, it's strongly advised to unlock first the medigun. Once you have it, equip it as primary weapon and use Heal Beacons. Stay close to your team and use your melee skills if a Swarm is coming. Being in a team of low levels is also good but you're being exposed to friendly fire or to people not knowing the mission.

• Objective: Heal all 4 marines with a single Heal Beacon.

It's easy to get that achievement: put a Heal Beacon when you need health or if your team is in bad shape and they'll come. Or put a Heal Beacon in a critical passage and you'll see your team use of the fact that they're healed to stay instead of running away or behind.

• Objective: Cure an Infested marine.

Once again, this is really easy to do. Just heal someone being infested (if they're not running away - while you're chasing them for saving them), whether with medigun or Heal Beacon.

• Objective: Kill 250 Swarm with a Vindicator.

The Vindicator is a sort of shotgun only available for Sarge and Jaeger. So play with them, do yours kills with the weapon and you'll be a winner. You have also incendiary grenades as alternate fire.

• Objective: Kill 100 Swarm with Incendiary Mines.

You can only wear them as Officer. That weapon is a firewall literally. Once a Swarm is nearing it, the flames appears and set in fire every living creature passing through it, including you and your teammates. Like the tripmines, it can be used during hordes events.

• Objective: Kill 250 Swarm with an Autogun.

The Autogun is a sort of minigun but in better. Having auto-aim and being powerful when guarding the others's asses, the main problem of this thing is that you'll be out of ammo quickly if you don't pay attention to it. You're carrying only one spare magazine and if you're out of ammo, if no Autogun Ammo Box is around, you need to take 100% of a normal ammo box.

• Objective: Kill 250 Swarm with a Minigun.

The Minigun, despite needing some time to start firing, is as powerful as the Autogun, if not more. Just pay attention to friendly fire. You can get easily the achievement if you're killing during hordes.

• Objective: Guard the squad's tech so that he takes no damage during the hack.

If the Tech can hack a lot, there are a few moments where this achievement can be done, mainly when the hack is triggering an attack, like in the end of Landing Bay or the beginning of Deima. Protect him while he's "blind", make sure no Swarm hit him else you'll not get the achievement. Note that if you're the Tech, you'll get it also.

• Objective: Seal a door with the welder.

Just equip a welder and seal one of the doors in the first mission. Look at which key the command is binded to, wait until a door is closed and use your tool for reinforcing it.

• Objective: Unlock all the available weapons.

You just need to level until the level 27 to get the last weapon and the achievement. After that, you can promote.

• Objective: Deploy 10 ammo stashes that are used by other marines.

Everybody can carry them but generally, the Medic isn't taking any ammo for the sake of his/her team, so, prefer to be anything else. Deploy the stash when a teammate needs it and you'll advance in the achievement.

• Objective: Successfully perform a fast reload.

For performing a fast reload, you need to wait until you're out of an ammo clip (unless you're ready to waste them), when you're reloading, you have a little cursor going from left to right near your character icon. When it's on the white area in the bar, press R and you should do a fast reload.

• Objective: Successfully perform 5 fast reloads in a row

See Quick Load for it. But there, you have to do it five times in a row. A missing try and you fail.

The content of the guide is mine, don't steal it and claim it's yours. You can publish the guide but you have to mention my name. If you're publishing it, don't change anything in it. Don't edit and add your own stuff. But you can correct my spelling or grammar mistakes, given the fact English isn't my native language.

• Author: Vic=HKC= aka Vicrabb aka Arkena
  
• Written in 2010 - Steam Guide version: 2013
  
• Already published on GameFaqs, Neoseeker and Supercheats in 2010