Options (Natural Selection 2)

Introduction

The Options of the Main Menu of Natural Selection 2.

NS2Plus

NS2+ was a Mod that ran on every ranked servers but was integrated into the base game with the update 336 and most of its settings are now in the Advanced Options Tab.

Main Menu

Main Menu
1: Left Side-Bar 2: Patchnotes & News	3: Right Side-Bar 4: Play	5: Options 6: Skins	7: Credits 8: Wiki	9: Discord 10: Balance Mod

1: Opens the Customization Screen
2: Opens the Patchnotes and News Screen
3: Opens the Matched Play Rewards Screen
4: Opens the Play Menu
5: Opens the Options Window
6: Opens the Customization Screen (same as 1)
7: Opens the Credits Screen
8: Opens a Browser Window with this Wiki
9: Links to the official NS2 Discord
10: Opens the Matched Play Balance Mod Changelog

Customization

The Customization Screen can be reached via the left side-bar or Skin button in the Main Menu. Here you can both select and buy different Skins for both Alien and Marine Teams. You can also select your Calling Card after unlocking the feature in Matched Play.

• Frontiersmen
• Weapons
• Armors
• Shoulder Patches
• Exosuits
• Structures
• Kharaa
• Lifeforms
• Structures
• Tunnels

Frontiersmen

Weapons

Armors

Shoulder Patches

Exosuits

Structures

Kharaa

Lifeforms

Structures

Tunnels

Options

Legend of settings:

• default
• quality - for improved visuals
• performance - for a better frame rate
• advised - setting that give you an advantage compared to the other settings

• General
• Field Player Bindings
• Commander Bindings
• Graphics
• Sound

General

Options	Parameters	Description
Show Hints	On / Off	Enables hints in game.
Show Damage Numbers	On / Off	Displays Damage done when attacking.
Physics Multithreading	On / Off	Use more CPU do increase FPS in heavy combat. Experimental - turn off in case of trouble.
Language	English / ...	Selects the game language.
Use alternate Nickname	On / Off	Nickname shown by other players.
Team Specific FOV	On / Off	Lets you have different FOVs for Marines and Aliens
FOV Adjustment	0 < 10 < 20	Increase for a wider-angle view of the battlefield!
Minimap Zoom	0 < 0.75 < 1	Adjust the zoom of the top-left corner Minimap (Marines only).
HUD Detail	Minimal / Low / High	Toggles how much is Displayed within the HUD. Therefore High shows more UI Elements.
Menu Background	Default / Random / Metro / Summit / Descent / Unearthed / Eclipse / Tram / Biodome / Veil / Docking / Tanith / Derelict / Origin / Mineshaft / Kodiak / Caged / Refinery	Changes the Background of the Main Menu.
Menu Music	Random / Eclipse Remix / Frontiersmen / Natural Selection 1 / Exo / Beta	Changes the Music of the Main Menu.

Field Player Bindings

Options	default Bind	Description
Invert Mouse	Yes / No	Reverse the vertical movement of the mouse.
Mouse acceleration	On / Off	Take into account how fast the mouse is moved when calculating how far to move the mouse.
Team Specific Sensitivities	On / Off	Lets you have different sensitivities for Aliens and Marines.
Lifeform Specific Sensitivities	On / Off	Lets you have different sensitivities for each Alien Lifeform. Overrides the Alien Team sensitivity option.
Mouse Sensitivity	1 < 2.5 < 20	Set the ingame mouse sensitivity
Move Forward	W
Move Left	A
Move Backward	S
Move Right	D
Jump	Space	Jump or queue your next Jump
Movement Special	Shift	Activates the Movement Special depending on your Equipment or Lifeform
Crouch	LeftControl
Primary Attack	Mouse0
Secondary Attack	Mouse1
Tertiary Attack	B
Reload	R
Use	E
Flashlight / Alien Vision	F
Drop Weapon / Eject	G
Next Weapon	MouseWheelUp
Previous Weapon	MouseWheelDown
Weapon #1 #2 #3 #4 #5	1 2 3 4 5	Change to weapon slot
Switch to last Weapon	V
Buy / Evolve Menu	B	Opens the Buy Menu or Evolve Menu
Evolve Last Upgrades	none	Evoles the last Upgrades
Request Healing / Medpack	Q
Request Enzyme / Ammo	Y / Z
Request Order	H
Show Map	C
Ping Location	Mouse 2
Scoreboard	Tab	Shows the Scoreboard
Push to Talk	LeftAlt
Everybody Text Chat	Return
Team Only Text Chat	Z / Y
Show Tech Tree	J	Shows the Alien Tech Tree or Marine Tech Tree
Taunt	T
Toggle Minimap Names	none
Voicover Menu	X
Request Weld	none
(Marine) "Covering You"	none
(Marine) "Follow Me"	none
(Marine) "Hostiles"	none
"Acknowledged/Chuckle"	none
Toggle Console	~
Go to Ready Room	F4
Join Marines	F5
Join Aliens	F6
Spectate	F7
Vote Yes	F1
Vote No	F2
Help Screen	K
Toggle Profiler Pause	Space	Used for debugging in conjunction with the profile Console Command

Commander Bindings

Options	Parameters	Description
Grid Spot1	Q
Grid Spot2	W
Grid Spot3	E
Grid Spot4	A
Grid Spot5	S
Grid Spot6	D
Grid Spot7	F
Grid Spot8	Y / Z
Grid Spot9	X
Grid Spot10	G
Grid Spot11	V
Go to Previous Location	Space
Increase Overhead Zoom	MouseWheelUp
Decrease Overhead Zoom	MouseWheelDown
Reset Overhead Zoom	none
Movement Override	LeftShift	Allows the Commander to use W , A , S and D to move the camera.
Show Map	C	Shows the Map
Use Microphone	LeftAlt
Everybody Text Chat	Return
Team Only Text Chat	Y

Graphics

Options	Parameters	Description
Shadows	Off / On
Bloom	Off / On
Anisotropic Filtering	Off / On	Improves clarity and crispness
Reflections	Off / On
Ambient Occlusion	Off / On
Display	Default / Display 1 / Display 2	Defines on what screen you play Natural Selection 2 Note: If you have several screens it is suspected that this makes issues while using Alt + Tab .
Resolution	640x480 / 720x480 / 720x576 / 800x600 / 1024x768 / 1152x864 / 1280x720* / 1280x768 / 1280x800 / 1280x960 / 1280x1024 / 1360x768 / 1366x768 / 1440x900 / 1600x900* / 1600x1024* / 1680x1050 / 1920x1080*	* Matching aspect ratio. Default is native resolution.
Window Mode	Windowed / Fullscreen / Fullscreen Windowed	Fullscreen and Windowed Fullscreen act similar on the frontend.
Wait for Vertical Sync	Disabled / Double Buffered / Tripple Buffered
Max FPS	30 < 240 < 1000
Texture Quality	Low / Medium / High
GPU Memory	Off / 0.5GB / 1GB/ 1.5GB / 2GB+	Pick the approx amount of VRAM your GPU has.
Anti-Aliasing	Off / FAA / FXAA}	Smooths out the edges.
Particle Quality	Low / High
Light Quality	Minimal / Low / High	Increases performance by reducing the amounts of lights.
Refraction Quality	Low / High
Atmospherics	Off / On
Atmospherics Density	0 < 0.15 < 1
Atmospherics Quality	Low / High / Extreme
Decal Lifetime	0 < 0.2 < 1
Infestation	Rich / Minimal	Minimal Infestation helps to increase your Frame Rate and makes it easier to track targets.
Fog	Off / Low / High
Gamma Correction (Brightness)	1.7 < 2.2 < 2.5
Colorblind Mode	Off / Protanopia / Deuteranopia / Tritanopia	Visual adjustments for no / red / green / blue color blindness

Sound

Options	Parameters	Description
Output Device	Default	Set the input device for your Microphone
Sound Volume	0 < 90 < 100
Ambient Volume	20-100
Music Volume	0 < 80 < 100
Hit Sound Volume	0 < 0.25 < 1
Hit Sound Pitch	-2 < 0 < 2
Input Device	Default	Set the output device for the sound you hear
Voice Volume	0 < 90 < 100
Microphone Release Delay	0 < 0.15 < 1
Microphone Gain	0 < 0.5 < 1
Microphone Level

Advanced Options

Formerly NS2+

NS2+ or NS2Plus was a mod (originally named Custom HUD), initially developed by Mendasp and later purchased by Unknown Worlds (UWE) in 2016, that aims to improve, fix and expand NS2 in order to bring players a better experience. It contains extra customization options and quality of life improvements. NS2+ also brings more players' information when you die and at the end of a round (see Stats UI in the Stats category below to enable or disable it). Near the end of the cursed year of 2020 (Build 336) most options provided by NS2+ were integrated into the base game. Most of these Options are found under the new Advanced button in the Options Window.

Press the next to the option you want to manually reset, it isn't displayed when the option is already the default one.

Click on to reset all the options.

Legend of settings:

• default
• quality - for improved visuals
• performance - for a better frame rate
• advised - setting that give you an advantage compared to the other settings

• UI
• HUD
• Damage
• Map
• Stats
• Graphics
• Crosshair
• Misc

UI

Options	Parameters	Description
Objective Banners	On / Off	Enables or disables the banners in the center of the screen ("Commander needed", "Power node under attack", "Evolution lost", etc.).
Research Notifications	On / Off	Enables or disables the research completed notifications on the right side of the screen.
Inventory	Default / Hide / Show ammo / Always on / Always on + ammo	Lets you customize the functionality of the inventory.
Alien Hive Status	On / Off	Enables or disables the Hive status display in the top left of the alien HUD.
Marine Health Bars	On / Off	Enables or disables the health bars from the bottom left of the marine HUD and only leaves the numbers.
Classic Ammo Counter	On / Off	Enables or disables a classic ammo counter on the bottom right of the marine HUD, above the personal resources text.
Low Ammo Warning	Enabled / Disabled	Enables or disables the low ammo warning in the weapon displays.
Initial Alienvision State	On / Off	Sets the state the Alien Vision will be in when you respawn.
Instant Alien Health Bar	On / Off	The alien health circle displays the current value instead of using animations when health changes.
UI Scaling	0.05 < 1 < 2	Changes the scaling for the UI. Note that not everything will adapt to this as not everything is using the same scaling function and some elements might break. Use at your own risk. This option isn't displayed if the UI Scaling Version is set to Old.

HUD

Options	Parameters	Description
HUD Bars (Marine)	Disabled / Centralized / NS1 Style	HL2 Style displays health/armor and ammo next to the Crosshair. NS1 Style puts big bars at the bottom on each side.
HUD Bars (Alien)	Disabled / Centralized / NS1 Style	HL2 Style displays health/armor and energy next to the Crosshair. NS1 Style puts big bars at the bottom on each side.
Alien Top-Bar Visibility	Show Always / Player Only / Commander Only / Hidden	Choose when to show the top-bar when on the Alien team.
Marine Top-Bar Visibility	Show Always / Player Only / Commander Only / Hidden	Choose when to show the top-bar when on the Marine team.
Killfeed Highlight	Enabled / Disabled	Enables or disables the border for your player kills in the killfeed.
Custom Killfeed Highlight Color	Enabled / Disabled	Lets you choose the color of the highlight border for your kills in the killfeeds.
Killfeed Highlight Color	R:255 G:0 B:0	If the previous option is set on Enabled, allows you to choose the color of the highlight border for your kills in the killfeed.
Killfeed Scale	1 < 2	Lets you scale the killfeed.
Nameplate Style	Default / Percentages / Bars Only / Percentages + Bars	Changes building names and health/armor bars for teammates and structures.
Small Nameplates	On / Off	Makes fonts in the nameplates smaller.
Score Popup	On / Off	Disables or enables Score popup (+5).
Score Popup Color	R:25 G:255 B:25	If the previous option is set on On, allows you to change the color of the Score popup.
Assist Score Popup	On / Off	Disables or enables the assists Score popup.
Assists Popup Color	R:191 G:191 B:25	If the previous option is set on On, allows you to change the color of the assists popup.
Waypoints	On / Off	Disables or enables all waypoints except Attack orders (waypoints can still be seen on the minimap).
Pickup Expiration Bar	All pickupables / Disabled / Equipment Only	Adds a bar indicating the time left for the pickupable to disappear.
Dynamically Colored Expiration Bar	Enabled / Disabled	Makes the expire bar colored depending on time left.
Dynamically Colors Repair Icon	Enabled / Disabled	Makes the wrench on the marine HUD be color coded with the amount of damage received.

Damage

Options	Parameters	Description
Server-side Blood Hits	Predicted / Server confirmed	Disables predicted blood on the client and turns it into server-confirmed blood.
Damage Number Fade Time	0 < 1 < 3	Controls how long damage numbers are on screen.
Damage Numbers Scale	0.5 < 1 < 2	Lets you scale the damage numbers.
Marine Damage Numbers Color	R: 0.30     G: 0.86     B: 1.00	Changes the color of the Marine damage numbers.
Alien Damage Numbers Color	R: 1.00     G: 0.79     B: 0.23	Changes the color of the Alien damage numbers.
Boneshield Damage Numbers Color	R: 1.00     G: 0.71     B: 0.25	Changes the color of the Alien damage numbers.

Map

Options	Parameters	Description
Marine Minimap	On / Off	Enables or disables the minimap and location name.
Map Background Opacity	0 | 0.3 | 0.6 < 1	Sets the transparency of the map overview.
Location Text Opacity	0 < 0.65 < 1	Sets the transparency of the location text on the minimap.
Friends Highlighting	On / Off	Enables or disables the friend highlighting on the minimap.
Phase Gate Lines	Animated Arrows / Solid Line / Static Arrows / Animated Lines	Customizes the look of the Phase Gate (Natural Selection 2) lines on the Map.
Map Key Behavior	Hold / Toggle	Lets you make the minimap map key a toggle instead of a holding.
Player Arrow Color	Enabled / Disabled	Lets you set the color of the arrow indicating your position on the minimap. Default is white.
Tech Point / Res Node Map Color	R:0 G:255 B:128	Sets the color for the empty Tech Points and Resource Nodes on the minimap.
Map Marines Player Color	R:0 G:216 B:255	Sets the color of marine players on the minimap different from the structures.
Map Alien Player Color	R:255 G:138 B:0	Sets the color of alien players on the minimap different from the structures.
(Comm) Building Highlight	On / Off	Highlights the buildings of the same type that you're about to drop in the minimap in a different color.
(Comm) Building Highlight Color	R:255 G:255 B:0	The previous option needs to be set on On. Selects the color of the building highlight.

Stats

Options	Parameters	Description
Stats UI	Enabled / Fully Disabled / Only Voiceover menu	Enables or disables the stats you get after you die and at the end of the round. Also visible on voiceover menu.

Graphics

Options	Parameters	Description
Map Particles	On / Off	Enables or disables particles, holograms and other map specific effects.
Minimal Particles	On / Off	Toggles between default and less vision obscuring particles.
Weapon Tracers	On / Off	Enables or disables weapon tracers.

Crosshair

Options	Parameters	Description
Hit Indicator Fade Time	0 < 0.25 < 1	Controls how long the Crosshair hit indicator will last after hitting a target.
Crosshair Scale	0.01 < 1 < 2	Lets you inscrease or decrease the size of your Crosshair.
Reload and Cooldown Indicator	Only hidden viewmodels / On / Off	Enables or disables a reload indicator around your crosshair. It also displays the cooldown status of some alien movement abilities. Useful for hidden viewmodels.
Reload Indicator Color	R:0 G:160 B:255	Sets the color for the reload indicator.

Misc

Options	Parameters	Description
Streamer Mode	On / Off	Makes NS2+ use all the default values without overwriting your current config.
Alien Ability Select Method	Default / Use Weapon Slots	Lets you choose the way you select/activate alien abilities.
Weapon Autopickup	On / Off	Picks up weapons automatically as long as the slot they belong to is empty.
Autopickup Better Weapon	On / Off	Picks up better weapons in the primary slot automatically.
(Comm) Marine Click Selection	On / Off	Lets you disable click selecting for Marines.
(Comm) Alert Spacebar Filter	All Alerts / Only Player Alerts	Allows the spacebar alert queue to only respond to player requests.
(Comm) Research Time Tooltip	On / Off	Displays the time remaining when hovering over the research icon.
Draw Viewmodel	Display All / Hide All / Custom	Enables or disables showing the viewmodel. Custom opens new options and allows you to enable or disable to your liking the Marine, Alien (specific lifeform viewmodels can also be disabled) or Exo viewmodels. This needs to be manually allowed by the server-operator

NS2 Advanced Options Showcase

Mephilles also uploaded a Video onto YouTube explaining the Advanced options.

Sanji Player Example (GreenRex)

This is an example of "Sanji settings" provided by GreenRex.

• General
• Graphics
• Adv.UI
• Adv.HUD
• Adv.Damage
• Adv.Map
• Adv.Stats
• Adv.Graphics
• Adv.Crosshair
• Adv.Misc

Player Controls

Marine Controls

Marine Player Controls
Movement		Abilities		Inventory		Contextual
W	Forward	Mouse 1	Attack	1	Assault Rifle Shotgun Grenade Launcher Flamethrower Machine Gun	E	Build Tool / Welder (when purchased) Buy Menu (at Armory or Prototype Lab) Log In (to vacant Command Station)
A	Left	Mouse 2	Bash (with Rifle equipped)	2	Pistol
S	Backward	R	Reload Weapon	3	Switch-Axe Welder
D	Right	G	Drop or Pick Up Weapon	4	Mines
Space	Jump Activate Jetpack	V	Last Weapon	5	Cluster-Grenade Nerve-Gas Grenade Pulse Grenade
Shift	Sprint	C	Map
Ctrl	Crouch

Alien Controls

Tip: All Alien Lifeforms require you to learn advanced movement techniques. For those see Movement Guides or Movement Techniques.

Skulk

Main article: Skulk

Skulk Player Controls
Movement		Abilities		Contextual
W	Forward	Mouse 1	Attack	E	Use
A	Left	Mouse 2	Leap	F	Alien Vision
S	Backward	1	Bite	B	Evolve Menu
D	Right	2	Parasite	C	Map
Space	Jump	3	Xenocide	X	Voice Overs Menu
Shift	Sneak	V	Last Weapon
Ctrl	Detach

Gorge

Main article: Gorge

Gorge Player Controls
Movement		Abilities		Contextual
W	Forward	Mouse 1	Attack	E	Use
A	Left	Mouse 2	Heal Spray	F	Alien Vision
S	Backward	1	Spit	B	Evolve Menu
D	Right	2	Build Menu	C	Map
Space	Jump	3	Bile Bomb	X	Voice Overs Menu
Shift	Belly Slide	4	Babbler Bait
Ctrl	Crouch	V	Last Weapon

Lerk

Main article: Lerk

Lerk Player Controls
Movement		Abilities		Contextual
W	Forward	Mouse 1	Attack	E	Use
A	Left	Mouse 2	Spikes	F	Alien Vision
S	Backward	1	Poison Bite	B	Evolve Menu
D	Right	2	Umbra	C	Map
Space	Flight (tap), Glide (hold)	3	Spores	X	Voice Overs Menu
Shift	Roost	V	Last Weapon
Ctrl	Crouch Diving

Fade

Main article: Fade

Fade Player Controls
Movement		Abilities		Contextual
W	Forward	Mouse 1	Attack	E	Use
A	Left	Mouse 2	Blink	F	Alien Vision
S	Backward	1	Swipe	B	Evolve Menu
D	Right	2	Metabolize	C	Map
Space	Jump	3	Stab	X	Voice Overs Menu
Shift	Metabolize	V	Last Weapon
Ctrl	Crouch

Onos

Main article: Onos

Onos Player Controls
Movement		Abilities		Contextual
W	Forward	Mouse 1	Attack	E	Use
A	Left	Mouse 2	Stomp	F	Alien Vision
S	Backward	1	Gore	B	Evolve Menu
D	Right	2	Bone Shield	C	Map
Space	Jump	V	Last Weapon	X	Voice Overs Menu
Shift	Charge
Ctrl	Crouch

Kharaa

• Lifeforms
• Abilities
• Evolutions
• Commander
• Units / Structures
• Miscellaneous

Classes - Skulk  •  Gorge  •  Lerk  •  Fade  •  Onos

Mechanics - Alien Vision  •  Evolve Menu  •  Hive Sight

Base Abilities
Skulk - (Sneak  •  Wall Walking  •  Bite  •  Parasite)  •  Gorge - (Belly Slide  •  Spit  •  Heal Spray  •  Build Menu)  •  Lerk - (Flight  •  Roost  •  Poison Bite  •  Spikes)  • 
Fade - (Swipe  •  Blink)  •  Onos - (Gore)

Unlockable Abilities
Skulk - (Leap  • Xenocide)  •  Gorge - (Bile Bomb)  •  Lerk - (Spores  •  Umbra)  •  Fade - (Metabolize •  Advanced Metabolize •  Stab) •  Onos - (Charge  •  Bone Shield  •  Stomp)

Shift Hive - (Adrenaline  •  Celerity  •  Crush)
Shade Hive - (Aura  •  Camouflage  •  Focus)
Crag Hive - (Carapace  •  Regeneration  •  Vampirism)

Removed - Frenzy  •  Swarm  •  Phantom  •  Silence  •  Feign Death  •  Hyper-mutation

Mechanics - Alien Commander  •  Biomass  •  Infestation  •  Maturation  •  Consume  •  Resource Model

Abilities - Heal Wave  •  Ink  •  Echo  •  Nutrient Mist  •  Rupture  •  Bone Wall  •  Contamination  •  Enzyme Cloud  •  Hallucination Cloud  •  Mucous Membrane

Gorge - Babbler  •  Hydra  •  Clog  •  Webs
Build - Cyst  •  Harvester  •  Drifter  •  Tunnel  •  Hive (Egg)  •  Pheromones

Advanced - Crag  •  Shade  •  Shift  •  Whip  •  Shell  •  Veil  •  Spur

Game Information - Options  •  Maps  •  Console Commands  •  Patches
In Game - Damage Types •  Status Icons  •  Ranking System  •  Badges

Other - Skins  •  DLC  •  Mapping  •  Matched Play

Frontiersmen

• Marine
• Commander
• Units / Structures
• Miscellaneous

Player - Marine (Assault Rifle  •  Pistol  •  Switch-Axe)

Purchases - Mine  •  Shotgun  •  Welder  •  Hand Grenades  •  Grenade Launcher  •  Flamethrower  •  Machine Gun  •  Jetpack  •  Exosuit

Mechanics - Marine Commander  •  Power Nodes  •  Resource Model

Abilities - Ammo Pack  •  Med Pack  •  Scan  •  Nano Shield  •  Power Surge  •  Catalyst Pack  •  Distress Beacon  •  Recycle

Build - Command Station  •  Extractor  •  Infantry Portal  •  Armory  •  Robotics Factory (ARC  •  MAC)  •  Arms Lab

Advanced - Sentry  •  Sentry Battery  •  Observatory  •  Phase Gate  •  Prototype Lab

Game Information - Options  •  Maps  •  Console Commands  •  Patches
In Game - Damage Types •  Status Icons  •  Ranking System  •  Badges

Other - Skins  •  DLC  •  Mapping  •  Matched Play