In the Field

Once you’re ready to go, the only thing left to do is actually get on with your assignments.

The enemy is hell-bent on putting you and your team down for good, and they’ve got the numbers and firepower to do it.

Each battle consists of 11 waves that you must survive to get full credit for the battle. Losing takes away special completion bonuses that make up a good chunk of your payout in experience and credits, but don’t be discouraged!

Even making it partway through any battle can earn you some rewards that can go toward improving your character and your gear.

Special Assignments

During each mission, on specific waves (3, 6, 10, and 11), your commander will radio in new orders, starting an objective-based mode that you must complete before time runs out; otherwise the whole mission is considered a failure and you’re booted back to the Score screen to contemplate what you could have done better.

Each of these objective modes are simple in premise but make things difficult during that specific wave for one good reason: until you complete your objectives, the enemy will continue to send in reinforcements.

On higher waves and difficulties, certain objective modes become small nightmares that will have you wishing you didn’t blow certain items earlier in the fight.

Once an objective wave begins, players should endeavor to complete it as quickly as possible, as a cash bonus is awarded if the objective is achieved with time to spare.

Assassination

The idea behind Assassination is quite simple: kill the target marked on your HUD. The target can be anything.

You might luck out and your target will be the lowest-level enemies of a given force, or you might get four of the toughest units in a row.

In most cases, the designated target is a bit more evasive, more prone to retreating once you get close.

If it is a particularly hard target, it might stand its ground and fight. All targeted hostiles are tougher than others of their kind, enjoying a boost in stats across the board.

Work with other players and try to cut off any avenues of escape, and unless the enemy becomes particularly annoying, try to ignore them in favor of taking down the targets.

You start with limited time to kill the first target, but killing it will grant you a time bonus that will help you hunt the next victim.

Hacking

Hacking mode requires players to stand within a certain distance of a marked objective, allowing information to be uploaded to or downloaded from a server.

The more players are inside the marked area, the faster the bar indicator fills.

You have a limited amount of time to complete this objective, so try to keep the whole team inside the marked radius.

The problem with this is that with every teammate in the same area, you can find yourself in a bad spot, especially in later waves when tougher threats make an appearance.

It’s possible to lose a four-man team in seconds if Cerberus Phantoms break through your defenses.

Enable/Disable Devices

Enable/Disable Devices places four targets around the map in random locations, with only one accessible at any time.

The squad needs to reach each target and access it, and there’s a time limit in play that restricts how long you can fool around between objectives.

Only one person can actually hack the device. Other teammates need to watch over their very vulnerable comrade as they go to work.

This mode is less frantic than Hacking or Assassination, and the devices themselves don’t take very long to deal with, but the problems from Hacking are still present here.

The team must be at set locations to do this objective, and this means you are vulnerable to getting pinned down in positions that are not easily defensible.

Extraction

This is the final objective in any battle. On the 11th wave, Command radios in that an evac transport is on the way and will arrive in two minutes.

All squad members must be at the designated landing zone (LZ) by the time it arrives, or they will be left behind, costing the group a hefty bonus.

There are many ways to accomplish this objective, and they apply to every map. Some squads may prefer to stand and fight at the LZ; this is a risky but profitable solution, as the enemy will continue to rush the squad no matter where it goes.

Others might prefer to fight as far away from the LZ as possible, making a desperate run in the last minute (or less), therefore drawing heavier and slower threats away from the objective and making the final seconds of the last stand considerably easier.

For the full bonus award, all squadmates must be standing; nobody can be dead or incapacitated.

Bonus Medals

In addition to the extra cash you can earn for completing objectives swiftly, there are medals players can earn during regular gameplay to boost the total experience they earn at the end of a round, on top of the universal squad experience total.

Many of the awards come from a certain number of kills, either through melee attacks, Biotics or Techs, or with any of the five gun types. Others still reward headshots, assists, or revivals of squadmates.

As you grow more skilled and earn more powerful weapons and equipment, you can earn medals at a faster rate, making it possible to build up soldiers more quickly so that they can be promoted into War Assets for the single-player campaign.

Individual Medals

There are a total of 39 medals players can earn for individual exploits across 13 different categories.

Each medal category has three levels: bronze, silver, and gold, all worth a designated amount of experience points.

Kills

	25 Kills: 500 points
	50 Kills: 1,000 points
	75 Kills: 2,000 points

Melee Kills

	5 Melee Kills: 500 points
	10 Melee Kills: 1,000 points
	15 Melee Kills: 1,500 points

Headshots

	5 Headshots: 500 points
	10 Headshots: 1,000 points
	20 Headshots: 2,000 points

Assault Rifle Kills

	25 Assault Rifle Kills: 500 points
	50 Assault Rifle Kills: 1,000 points
	75 Assault Rifle Kills: 2,000 points

Sniper Rifle Kills

	25 Sniper Rifle Kills: 500 points
	50 Sniper Rifle Kills: 1,000 points
	75 Sniper Rifle Kills: 2,000 points

Shotgun Kills

	25 Shotgun Kills: 500 points
	50 Assault Rifle Kills: 1,000 points
	75 Assault Rifle Kills: 2,000 points

Pistol Kills

	25 Pistol Kills: 500 points
	50 Pistol Kills: 1,000 points
	75 Pistol Kills: 2,000 points

Submachine Gun Kills

	25 Submachine Gun Kills: 500 points
	50 Submachine Gun Kills: 1,000 points
	75 Submachine Gun Kills: 2,000 points

Biotic Kills

	10 Biotic Kills: 500 points
	25 Biotic Kills: 1,000 points
	50 Biotic Kills: 2,000 points

Tech Kills

	10 Tech Kills: 500 points
	25 Tech Kills: 1,000 points
	50 Tech Kills: 2,000 points

Revives

	5 Revives: 500 points
	10 Revives: 1,000 points
	15 Revives: 2,000 points

Assists

	10 Assists: 500 points
	25 Assists: 1,000 points
	50 Assists: 1,500 points

Grabs

	1 Grab: 500 points
	3 Grabs: 1,000 points
	5 Grabs: 1,500 points

Squad Medals

In addition to the Individual medals, Squad Medals are awarded to all players in a match if they meet certain conditions.

Killstreaks

Killstreaks are when the player squad kills five enemies within one second.

	1 Killstreak: 2,500 points
	2 Killstreaks: 5,000 points
	3 Killstreaks: 10,000 points

Waves Survived

To earn a medal in this category, no players must be executed by hostile forces or be allowed to bleed out for the prerequisite number of waves in a row.

	3 Waves Survived: 2,500 points
	5 Waves Survived: 5,000 points
	10 Waves Survived: 15,000 points

Difficulty Challenges

These medals are a bonus for completing a full game in any of the three difficulties.

	Bronze Challenge: 2,500 points
	Silver Challenge: 5,000 points
	Gold Challenge: 10,000 points

Extraction

The 11th wave of any match is the Extraction phase. There are bonuses for full team survival and partial survival.

	Partial Extraction: 5,000 points
	Full Extraction: 15,000 points

Unknown Variable

To earn these medals, the lobby must set the map and enemy forces to “Unknown,” which will randomize these options.

	Unknown Map: 2,500 points
	Unknown Enemy: 5,000 points