This is a guide to a playstyle I like to do sometimes especially when we roll trijent. In this off-meta guide, I will go over preferred equipment as well as how to use it effectively. If used correctly it can have a big impact on the round, however it is difficult to pull off especially depending on the map. Be advised, this is a Rifleman only strat since your role is less important to the operation and to the other marines, and therefore more flexible.
What is the Backliner marine?
The Backliner marine is a playstyle that depends on range both in view and in weaponry. Stealth is also a good part of it but it also heavily depends on the terrain and the situation. As the name suggests, the Backliner marine is a marine that stays in the rear of the front, using ranged instruments like binos and scopes to scan the backline. Their purpose is to prevent backliners from being effective by harassing them from range but also prevent flanks, rescue wounded marines and even calling effective fire support. The Backliner marine is that angel that come to your aid after seeing you getting ass fucked by a lurker from 2 screens away. The marine that rallies a bunch of others to come to your aid. The marine that will drag you to the medic. A marine that will mostly act alone but will use that flexibility to the entire force’s advantage.
Essential and preferred equipment
There are a few things that you will need in order to be able to utilize that playstyle.
- M4RA with suppressor, bipod and x4 scope, essential! Without it you can simply not perform as a backliner marine. It has both the range and accuracy you need to ward off those pesky runners. Or even better, snipe that unsuspecting hugger main that lurks in the shadows.
- Radio telephone pack, essential. If comms go down and you see something you feel command needs to know, this is the only way to convey it.
- Mag belt, essential. You simply need the mags for the M4RA. And you also need your storage space for other supplies.
- Autoinjector pouch and mag pouch, essential. Though autoinjectors take some time to use they take effect immediately and they also provide you with the emergency autoinjector which can mean the difference between life and your exit from the round. You are also packing an M4RA so the mag belt will not cut it on its own.
- basic medical HUD, essential. The means to tell whether a marine is gone or in need of rescue.
- M4RA AP mags, preferred. Since you won’t have to shoot through crowds of marines (not recommended) and you could use the extra damage.
- M4 pattern marine armour, preferred. Mostly for the slots and its mobility.
- shoulder hostel, preferred. I like to use it along the M4 armour since it more or less replaces the slots a webbing vest would give you. Plus you need means to defend yourself at close range.
- 88 mod, preferred. The point is to have a fast firing sidearm in your shoulder hostel in case the enemy manages to come up close. The 88 mod has both steady damage via AP rounds and high capacity, making it suitable for you. It will not save you most of the time but it may buy you time or even alert nearby marines that you are in trouble. Unlike the M4RA this one should be loud.
- MRE, mini extinguisher, crowbar and any lethal nade, preferred. These will be put into your M4. The nade is meant to be used as a last resort should you get overwhelmed. If you can get your hand on that nade do it. It may mean one less larvae for the hive.
- flare pack, oxy autoinjector, gauge and ointment, preferred. Since you base your game in range you need to be able to see what’s out there. As for the oxy be sure to pop it prior to a close up fight if you can.
There’s also the option to use that range and space to act as an efficient Jtac operator.
In that case your kit should also include:
- Laser designator/range finder, essential. In case you decide to go for it put it in the M4 in the place of the crowbar, which will go into the radio pack.
- Jtac key, essential.
- Jtac pamphlet, essential.
- Marking flares, recommended. If you have the space.
This entire playstyle synergises very well with the spotter kit so if you can and want to, ask the sniper for it. The NVGs alone can make a difference but I recommend you get the entire kit.
Now that we covered the basic and preferred equipment to have let's move on to the playstyle
As I described at the start the Backliner marine uses range to prevent the xenos from harassing the marine backline, however there are many ways one can go about this depending not only in preference but in the situation at hand. The general idea is that you do not seek out combat, but you engage in it if you have to and on your own terms. Your goal is to preserve the marines rather than destroying the enemy. However that does not mean you will be running around alone, gunning down xenos like you are doomslayer or try to sneak around like splinter cell. 9.9/10 times you will be with marines or die. This playstyle requires decent aim, sharp situational awareness, constant change of positions and angles, and most importantly a brain. However your effectiveness will be limited by the terrain in certain maps, or by the location of the front. Hence it is difficult to pull off. Some times you may need to settle for holding a hallway or even be forced to fight alongside the other marines since all good positions nearby are likely crawling with backliners. The best maps to do this are maps with a lot of open space like Trijent Dam and Shivas snowball but still tight enough for the xenos to feel comfortable backlining. You are basically looking out for marines wherever you may think you need to. One more thing that will help you do that besides all else is the tac map. Radio command and ask for an update. You never know, there may be a marine down nearby that you could get to. You can scan around to see if any lone marines are attacked or if they are down and in need of rescue. You can stick with the medics in the rear and watch their back while at the same time guarding the flanks and keeping any backliners and flankers at bay with your range. Giving info on the rear of the front to command can play as crucial of a role as alerting marines near you to a flank. You may as well save the day. However to do all those things and survive, you need to know when to engage and when not. Helping others for example, has been my demise more than once. Be it getting dragged off by a warrior or mauled by a lurker. When it comes to saving lone marines you should always bring help with you. Since your gun is not suited for close range you are best off getting help rather than dying as well. And if you can’t save them as they get dragged off into the depths at least deny the hive the cap. Shoot them dead. You may even get to recover them afterwards. Since you see further be sure to alert your teammates for lurking xenos. When you act as rear guard you should always keep eyes on the flanks at every possible direction. That way you will spot a backliner or a flank in time. Shooting a hugger that made its way all the way to you from the hive just to die to a jumpscare is probably my biggest satisfaction from this game. Now if you see a backliner you should always shoot it even if you miss, so long you have a line of fire of course. Even if you miss you will surprise it and that surprise alone may cause it to retreat even entirely from that area. Some may try to close the gap between you but some will panic when they still don’t see you as you shoot them. If you hit them well they will need to stay out of the fight longer to heal. If however they are mobile like a runner and experienced enough, they may manage to dodge and get close enough to see you. That is your que to back off. Because next time they will be coming for you. They will need to risk getting shot again in order to find you and not all are willing to do that especially if you injure them.
How to integrate Jtac equipment and the spotter kit into your playstyle
Now if you decide to also get Jtac equipment you will need to occasionally and when you see fit move closer to the front, just behind the forward marines. That way you can coordinate rappels, air strikes, mortar fire and OBs. However you should consider doing that only if you see a chance worthy to get out of your way to snatch it. That includes many downed marines in a single area. An effective incend mortar strike for example could allow the marines to recover them. If you constantly seek to coordinate fire support you are best off just getting a regular Jtac loadout since the aim of the playstyle is to preserve the marines rather than destroy the xenos. As for the spotter kit, it makes everything I mentioned above easier. The NVGs allow you to see anywhere your scope can reach and you get Jtac skills and a designator by standard. The prepare position ability can also be useful at preventing the xeno from spotting you. If you are daring enough and the situation allows you to you may even set up at the flank of the xenos. I still remember that time I was shooting acid traps from the side of the resins in Shivas. The NVGs can also be used to get the drop on healing xenos, delaying their healing or even killing them if you get lucky. I once during hijack would not leave a defender alone from across briefing until I eventually flanked and killed it. You can choose to sometimes accompany the sniper especially when the queen or multiple T3s are pushing. One good aimed flak shot can slow a queen or a T3 long enough for it to be turned into mush. Again it is best to do that only when it is necessary for the survival of the marines. If you wanna frontline as a spotter there’s no need to do any of the above. You can just grab the kit.
This is the way I like to play when doing the Backliner marine. This is a guide made based on my experience as well as my desire for more calculated and realistic/special forces like gameplay. These are just a few of my ways for preserving the marines. This gamestyle has a lot of room for improvisation and a really high skill cap, especially if you can do most of the above at the same time. I hope you enjoyed this guide if you managed to read this far and let me know if you have any ideas that I could include or improve on. I also hope that there’ll be someone to steal my hugger kill from across 2 screens 
