Anonymous XCOM Enemy appears in the face as a game about leading a rag-tag group of hardnuts as they battle wave after wave of attackers, but in reality, underneath all of that, it was a game that manages to fail. It was about fighting unlimited violence with resources, and by doing the best in war when all losses were incessant and expensive.
XCOM 2 offers a lot in common – and that's good news, especially since it's available on consoles and PCs. If anything, Firaxis has sweetened the deal by making everything less forgiving. Turn-based battles your self-contained team have now been timed, and played with system-generated maps, while the story sees your enemies immersed and evolved, with new units to surprise you on the battlefield, and new ways we bring your carefully crafted tactics.
All of this means that the pleasures that were there in turning the tides are never fun, even if you tend to win your first victory by tightening or tying together the right foundation for your advanced technology production. This is a difficult game, in other words, but you wouldn't want it otherwise. And there are many things you can do to soften the odds.
To help you along the way, we've put together a guide that should look appealing, whether you're a newcomer to the series or a veteran of the previous battles.
XCOM 2 Tips and Tips
XCOM 2 gives you the ability to do many beautiful and wonderful things with military delivery, battlefield tactics, base building, customization and many of its complex and interactive systems. The key to success lies in testing. Finding a new functional strategy or lethal combination of Soldier Ability is one of the many joys of the game and you will undoubtedly find your own favorites during gaming.
However, to put you on the road to setting up the Avatar Project – or at least to avoid being overwhelmed by outside forces during the first hour of play – view these tips as a guide to early survival.
Beware of Sectoids
More dangerous than ever on XCOM: Enemy Unknown, the new Sectoids have benefited from human / personal interactions, by giving them a spectacular form and far greater points than they used to. The destructive psychological effects of the Sectoids can either make your soldiers turn or, worse, take over their minds completely, turning an important ally into a deadly enemy. To make matters worse, it can also recapture previously disconnected enemies as powerful Psi Zombies. In all cases, focus on your Sectoid attack, rather than consuming their Psionic broth, as removing the alien will quickly end their hold on their victims.
Use the environment for defense and offense
Replacing a protective cover is essential for survival, but in many cases the environment can also be used to your benefit from an abuse strategy. Look at the destruction of cars, turrets and electrical generators that those outside forces may use as their cover. After enough damage has been done, these dangerous cover options will immediately explode – or in the next turn – to the injury of making any uninvolved alien in the vicinity of their dense cover.
Stay on top of developer performance
Your professional and working colleague, Chief Engineer Shen, will often tell you that you have unassigned engineering staff that can be used properly. Assigning developers to workplaces, building materials or removing waste within the Avenger is really important to expanding your startup resources.
Also important, but immediately apparent, is that having engineers assigned to less productive institutions is currently a waste. If you are lucky enough not to have soldiers integrating into the Advanced Warfare Center, then you don't need to put an engineer there to increase the cooling rate, for example. This developer can be used well elsewhere, especially in the early stages of the game where you have limited resources. Good battlefield management starts with good base management.
Play aggressively but don't overdo it
Good basic stuff, but suitable for XCOM returning veterans and newcomers alike. Many of the machines in XCOM 2 have some turnaround time modes, such as instructing a Windows to install an open data point, or removing valuable citizen assets, for example. This brings a level of urgency that was not present in XCOM: Enemy Unknown, and sometimes means that it is necessary to upgrade to a target level sooner than you feel comfortable.
Make sure, however, that you stay alert and do not overpower your army, especially when you move to a war zone, otherwise you may find yourself immediately besieged. Maximize the beauty of the formation – a short time at the beginning of many missions where your presence cannot be detected by enemy soldiers – by setting up an ambush or successfully setting up your team. Be sure to also make good use of Battle Scanners and Soldier Ability that expose the environment, as well as hidden enemies. As has happened with XCOM, it has been warned in advance.
Visit the Black Market
When it is unveiled, Black Market is the place to go where you can earn the most money by selling unwanted goods and services – just be careful not to leave them short. Hot goods are constantly changing, so check back now to see what sells at a premium as the months of the game are released.
The Black Market is also a great resource for finding various elements that can accelerate research projects, especially useful when you want to reach what Dr. Tygan tells you will take a few weeks of research.
Amazing Avatar Project
As you enter the flesh of the XCOM 2 campaign, your action on the world map is dominated by a large red progress bar at the top of the screen. You will need to interrupt the alien's progress towards their Avatar Project by completing story objectives, or destroying locations. If you don't even want the bar full, the game is over.
Well, actually, that's not true. Once the progress line is complete, you are given an additional 20 days to slow down the Avatar speed, as the progress bar is replaced with a more threatening timer. If this expires, you lose the game, but if you can hit the spot, the timer will stop and everything goes back. The next time the development bar is filled, the same thing will happen.
This means that it's entirely possible to take advantage of this opportunity, to give yourself more breathing room in the campaign. Let the progress line complete and hold down to hit the spot until the time is up and you can get weeks of extra research / construction time. Very useful in high hardness settings.
How to get closer to Alien Hunters DLC
The thing you need to know about Alien Hunters DLC is that it will lead your campaign much easier and harder to complete.
When you start a new game with this DLC enabled, you will be given the option of exploring the broken ranger on the world map, at the beginning of your campaign. Do this, and you'll get a cache of different weapons that you'll want to quickly equip your first gear. This is a good thing: a super powerful caster, one-shot bolt, axes and an ice bomb. You will want to use this to your advantage.
However, once you get your hands on this gear, you'll be prompted to launch a new mission, to track down XCOM's old friend: Enemy Unknown. From this point on, you can expect up to three foreign managers to appear at any time during your campaign. Killing them allows you to upgrade your unique weapons and unlock powerful sets of weapons, but oh my goodness, that's just some tough parts to fight.
Not only can they arise, out of place, while you're already fighting a bunch of aliens, but they'll also respond to all the actions you take. This is important to understand. After all the individual movements that they make, they will respond to their action. It is very important that you make good use of the snow bomb to buy yourself extra time and to use any free items (like throwing an ax) you have.
These bosses will be some of the hardest battles you encounter during your campaign, but if you use them, you'll be well equipped for whatever else comes your way.
Thanks to Chris Bratt for more reporting on this guide.
