This mode is unique in Combat Arms for the fact that it pits a team of up to eight human players against a team of A.I. controlled bots. It is a five-stage mission that involves a hostage rescue. Players spawn with no extra lives, and are healed by reaching the next stage of the mission. Players can pick up ammo and health throughout the stage. The only known map that can be played on this mode is an enlarged version of Sand Hog called Desert Thunder.
Enemies in Fireteam Mode include regular scouts (which have very low amounts of health but come in large mobs and at some areas they may respawn for several waves), the Sand Hog Royal Guards (significantly more dangerous than the scouts), and other dangers such as grenades, Booby Traps, and armored tanks.
If one dies in Fireteam Mode, they will not respawn until the stage/checkpoint is cleared by at least one teammate. As soon as this happens, everybody respawns with full health and ammo for the next round. If everybody dies, the mission is failed and the game ends.
Fireteam Mode is significantly different from the other game modes. One will almost certainly do poorly until he or she gains knowledge of the scenario process.
The A.I. can be set at three difficulties: Normal, Hard, and Extreme. Rewards are given out for winning in Hard and Extreme modes.
Stages
- Stage 1
All players are dropped into a corner with enemies around the bend. Sneak around and defeat the scouts. Do not rush immediately, although the scouts have low HP and can be killed easily, you will be surrounded and hopelessly outnumbered. Instead, stay back and use your scope if you have one, just tap shots if you don't. A set number of more scouts will spawn when some are killed.
Use the obstacles around the area for cover. When the scouts are gone, open the double doors to the temple.
- Stage 2
Before rushing into the courtyard, kill all the enemies you can see from the anteroom. Locate the two gates on each side of the courtyard. One will be locked, and the other will be open (it is not always the same). Attempting to open the locked gate may spawn more enemies. Beyond the unlocked gate, there is a staircase to the second floor, flooded with enemies.
Do not rush into the staircase, most enemies will drop grenades. Stay on the bottom floor and kill the staircase enemies as they slowly poor out. Also, many scouts will attempt to snipe your from the second floor. Take your time to aim and get a headshot on them, because they have bad aim.
When all enemies are taken care of, go up the staircase to the second floor. There will be a set of lasers. Walking into the lasers will cause 4 bombs to explode, destroying that corner and anyone standing near it. Instead, shoot (from a safe distance) one of the bombs on wall that are projecting the laser to blow up the entire corner. Any players standing near the lasers as they explode, or standing in the courtyard beneath the laser area as the rubble falls, will be killed instantly. There is a glitch where if the destroyable crate isn't destroyed by the explosion, and someone walks into it, it causes a death glitch.
Approach the door on the opposide side of the rubble to trigger the attention of the Sand Hog Royal Guards. They will pour out of the doors. You can use the metal sheets as cover while sniping them, but be aware that they may and will shoot a LAW at you. When the enemies are dead, make your way into the room, kill the few remaining enemies inside, and open the door.
If this stage is not cleared in five minutes (four minutes for Hard and three for Extreme), the hostage will already be dead. Whatever happens, a wall in the room will be blown up. Jump through the hole to enter the next stage.
- Stage 3
Ahead in the distance, there is a large open area guarded by a tank and scouts in a bus. If you have a sniper rifle or accurate gun, go ahead and snipe down all the enemies in the bus. Do not advance directly into the open area, you will be instantly blown up by the tank. There are two options on how to approach the tank.
You can take the side alley, which contains a large number of enemies that you'll have to take out first. Then go up the steps on the right, kill some more enemies, and enter the house. Be very careful in the house, there is a swarm of scouts that drop grenades. You can then exit the house on the other side and end up behind the tank.
Another option that uses less ammo is to rush through the open area while hugging the wall. There is a pretty good chance that the tank won't blow you up, but it's not 100% safe. Also, some enemies will try to snipe you from high towers.
If you did not kill the enemies in the bus at the beginning, you will have to do so now. Then, jump on top of the bus and start shooting at the tank's engine cover. The tank will go up in flames when it is defeated. Then trigger the barbed wire ahead to explode, and a horde of Sand Hog Royal Guards will come. You can use the bus as cover while killing them. Proceed through the area where the barbed wire was to secure the stage.
- Stage 4
Stage 4 has three possible missions, called Mission A, B, and C. All involve the same process, but at different locations. One of the locations will contain a laptop on which a player must upload information (process shown by bars, like planting or defusing a bomb). Along the way to the laptop there will be many enemies.
Two of the mission sites will not have a laptop. If the hostage in stage 2 survived, or if stage 3 was completed in 6 minutes, the correct mission target will be shown on the minimap, so that you don't have to try each one. Once the information is uploaded, the exit stage is initiated.
- Final Stage
This stage is the escape stage. Players who have died in stage 4 do not respawn upon reaching stage 5. Fight through the city, which is full of newly spawned scouts and royal guards, until you get to the evacuation point. When the enemies are gone, plant the bomb on the evacuation point to complete the game.
Power-Ups
There are four power-ups throughout the mission.
- Yellow Ammo Crates: Resupplies ammo for the AR, SMG or pistol you are currently holding only. Will not resupply other weapon types. These are the most common power-ups.
- Red Ammo Crates: Refill ammo for all of your guns (including grenades, LAWs, sniper rifles, and machine guns). It is highly recommended that if you have a teammate with a LAW, that you spare these for him/her when possible/needed. These are moderately rare.
- Green Health Packs: Refill all of your health and armor points. These are the rarest power-ups.
- Recover Points: These are scored when a teammate clears a stage (not including transition from stage 4 to 5). They recover all ammo, health, and armor for living teammates. They also provide dead teammates with a spawn.
Enemies
- Scouts: These are the most common enemies, and are seen throughout the mission. They have low health, and can be taken out in two shots by weapons with 30+ damage. Scouts are equipped with, in order of most common to least common: AK-47, M60, UZI, and M24 sniper rifles (50 damage).
- Royal Guards: These are significantly stronger than the Scouts, have nearly the same health as human players, but can be taken out in three shots by four shot kill weapons. These also include RPG soldiers. Royal Guards only spawn in three locations: Stage 2b, Stage 3b, and the end of Stage 5. They are equipped with AK47s, UZIs, M60 (only one, very end of stage 2b), UZIs, and LAWs.
- Tank: Only one in the whole mission is at Stage 3a. Its cannon can take players out in one hit if they are standing still, or against a wall. It can only be destroyed by shooting its open engine.