Into The Hive Loadouts Guide

Loadouts turn tier theory into missions you can finish. Into The Hive gives you Guns, Sentries, Throwables, and Augments purchased with Equipment Tokens; the caves punish mirrored, hungry kits that look cool in the lobby and fold on extract. This page publishes three practical recipes—starter, duo, and full squad—using the S–C frameworks from the weapons and augments lists. Read Getting Started first if you have not finished the intro mission, and grab free tokens from codes when they are live.

Design rules for every recipe

1. Gun first — Someone must own reliable swarm clear before fancy tools.
2. Sentry before extra throwables — Automated cover saves reloads and extract holds.
3. Augments multiply finished pieces — Do not decorate a kit you will replace tonight.
4. Plan the exit — Every loadout must still function on the run described in extract.
5. Name roles aloud — Especially in fours; see squad roles.

Recipe A — Starter (solo or first hours)

Goal: Survive random caves, learn terrain breaks, complete objectives, and extract without depending on perfect teammates.

Core kit

• Gun: Best S/A clear profile you can afford. Ignore novelty spreads until this slot is stable.
• Sentry: First durable A/S turret. Place it facing the route you will retreat along, not only the nest.
• Throwables: Zero to one cheap option. Save them for extract emergencies or a stuck doorway.
• Augments: Single gun-focused S/A Augment after the sentry exists. Skip throwable mods.

Token spend order: Gun → Sentry → Gun Augment → optional Throwable.

Play pattern: Clear entry rooms with the gun, plant the sentry before loud objectives, carve a wall only when the main tunnel is worse than the breach time, then collapse back through the turret’s cone toward extract. Practice the objective flow on destroy nest once the kit feels comfortable.

Starter failure modes: Buying two throwables before a sentry; Augmenting the tutorial gun after you already unlocked a better barrel; fighting in rooms with no retreat lane.

Recipe B — Duo (two-player coordinated)

Goal: Split jobs so one player never has to both melt swarms and babysit the turret.

Player 1 — Clear lead

• Gun: highest swarm-clear S/A profile
• Throwable: one A/S burst tool for nest ignition
• Augment: gun handling or efficiency

Player 2 — Anchor

• Gun: stable A-tier that works mid-range while watching flanks
• Sentry: best durability/uptime turret available
• Augment: sentry HP, acquire speed, or extract-defense style mod
• Throwable: optional breach tool for wall shortcuts

Token spend order (team purse mindset): P1 gun → shared sentry on P2 → P1 throwable → Augments on gun then sentry → luxury picks.

Callouts that matter

• “Sentry down on retreat cone.”
• “Breaching left wall—shift turret after.”
• “Saving throwables for extract.”

Duo play shines when you refuse to mirror. Two hungry magazines and zero turret is how promising runs die in the last chamber. Use squad roles language even with one partner so habits transfer to fours.

Recipe C — Full squad (three to four players)

Goal: Cover swarm clear, wall break, nest burst, and extract defense simultaneously.

Seat 1 — Pathfinder

• Gun strong at mid-range while moving
• Throwable or tool bias toward opening destructible shortcuts
• Light Augment on mobility/gun handling

Seat 2 — Swarm flex

• Highest clear gun in the shop tier you can fund
• Minimal throwables; your job is continuous lead
• Gun Augments first

Seat 3 — Anchor

• Owns the primary sentry
• Gun that can hold a choke without the flex player
• Sentry Augments mandatory

Seat 4 — Utility (or second flex in trios)

• Throwables for nest detonation windows
• Backup gun at least A-tier so you are not helpless after explosives
• Flexible Augment—often extract defense or ammo help

Squad token priority: One excellent gun on Seat 2 → sentry package on Seat 3 → Seat 1 breach capability → Seat 4 explosives → Augments in the same seat order → cosmetics last.

Objective script

1. Pathfinder scouts and marks wall options.
2. Anchor plants sentry before the loud pull.
3. Flex opens fire; utility holds throwables until the nest aggro spikes (destroy nest).
4. On completion, collapse through the sentry cone and execute extract without looting side tunnels.

If you only have three players, merge Seat 4 into Seat 1 or 2—never drop the Anchor.

Comparing the three recipes

Need	Starter	Duo	Full squad
First token	Gun	P1 gun	Flex gun
Second beat	Sentry	Anchor sentry	Anchor sentry
Augment focus	Gun	Gun + sentry split	Seat order above
Throwables	Emergency only	Nest + extract	Timed nest volleys
Risk	Overbuying toys	Mirroring kits	Role silence

Translating tiers into shopping

Use weapons profiles when the shop renames gear: pick S/A guns for Flex and Clear lead, S/A sentries for Anchor, S/A throwables only on Utility. Use augments to reinforce those seats instead of spreading half-buffs across four mediocre tools. Revisit the Tier List Hub after patches to see whether a former B profile now deserves a recipe slot.

Ammo and terrain notes that save runs

• Destructible walls are loadout multipliers. A mid gun plus a smart breach often beats a greedy DPS gun stuck in a flooded hallway.
• Sentries hate being walled off by your own debris—reclear sightlines after big breaks.
• Throwables friendly-fire your own extract timing; announce before cooking.
• Solo starters should treat the sentry as a second teammate and play around its cone like a duo Anchor would.

Progression roadmap

1. Redeem codes after mission one.
2. Build Recipe A; complete clean extracts.
3. Add a friend and graduate to Recipe B.
4. Fill seats with Recipe C discipline; review squad roles between sessions.
5. Only then chase luxury Augments or novelty throwables.

Loadouts are promises you make to your future extract. Keep the promise simple: gun that clears, sentry that holds, Augments that multiply those two, throwables that finish nests on call. Everything else is noise the hive is happy to punish.