With this material, we open a series of guides for beginners. In this part we will cover tips for playing the basic five classes of our fighters. Experienced players already know most of them, but someone may discover something new for themselves. And newcomers (who only became more with the release of the game on consoles) will learn a lot of useful information that will help them survive - and win.
Specialist
In the game, Specialists are very useful support units. The range of their skills - treatment, hacking / attacking mechanical opponents, combat readiness; almost all of the Specialists' abilities are geared towards this in one way or another. In theory, these are the most "peace-loving" of your soldiers, if not for two points. With the appearance of the Skull Drill, the Specialist turns into an evil melee for ADVENT soldiers, killing them in melee with one hit. In addition, the arrow launcher that appeared in the "Alien Hunters" add-on, which belongs to the "assault rifle" class, usually goes to the Specialist - and turns him into a not weak damage dealer.
Ranger
Rangers specialize in two XCOM2 innovations at once (compared to the EU): actions "in stealth" and in close combat.
Stealth- a special state, until the enemies "found" your fighters. Their overview at this time is small and is indicated by red cells with an eye symbol and an exclamation mark. On the first hit, stealth disappears and combat continues as normal, but Phantom Scout Rangers remain hidden. This is especially valuable on missions where stealth is not initially given (evacuation, terror missions).
Close combat was already in the EU (from enemies), and in EW it appeared among our fighters - MEK possessed a melee "Kinetic strike". In XCOM2, a whole branch of ranger development is dedicated to close combat, and the number of enemies using it has also increased.
Sniper
In EU, snipers, especially at the end of the game, were sort of demigods - they hovered in the air above the map and shot whoever they liked using the "General view". The trend continued in XCOM2 - only with the amendment that it is no longer possible to hover in the air, and the General View receives distance penalties. Otherwise, these are the same guys with long-range rifles and pistols with endless cartridges. However, in XCOM2, you can turn a sniper into a real cowboy if you wish!
Grenadier
Compared to the EU, the main difference between Grenadiers and Heavy Marines is in the type of grenade launcher. If the "heavy" could shoot from his RPG one or two times per mission with a special rocket, then the Grenadier uses ordinary grenades - he just throws them further and with greater effect than ordinary soldiers. In this case, the grenades can be very different, and they fly in a canopy (which makes it possible to throw them up or over the wall). Well, the use of the minigun knocking down the armor turns the grenadier into a kind of "boss hunter" - the specialization of this branch involves a fight against a single well-armored target.
Psi agent
In XCOM2, psionics stood out as a separate class, which stands a little apart from the others - it has a special way of gaining experience and abilities, and the psi-agent does not appear in the game from the very beginning ... By the way, almost before the release of the game, the class was "secret". Compared to EU psionics, XCOM2 psi agents have many times more abilities, allowing them to be both supports and damage dealer's.
This is one of the few modern turn-based strategies that will take more than a dozen hours to figure out. Even if you think you've got to the bottom of the game, in the end it turns out that this is not the case at all and you haven't really seen much yet. The game constantly hides many details, thereby forcing players to seek and solve problems / solutions. I would also like to note that procedural generation of locations was implemented, which makes the tasks not only exciting, but also difficult in many aspects of the genre. In addition, the number of classes has been increased, new and deeper customization has been added, and much more in fact.
That is why the large gaming portal "" has a list of the most useful recommendations. Walkthrough tips will help you decide on many questions, decisions and situations. The game tips were always useful, because they helped to understand all the intricacies of the game and answered the most interesting questions. And do not forget that we are always ready to answer your questions below in the comments and in our official group in contact!
And this is actually the case. You never know how the battle will end, when your fighter misses, or even how the operation will end. Due to the fact that in XCOM 2 any of your actions entails a number of negative and positive consequences, you can always put yourself in a position where you want to go back in time and replay this or that moment of the game. It is for such moments that you need to save. After all, what if you lose a valuable soldier? Or what if you accidentally or even unconsciously allow your opponent to study some technology? Or you will not be ready for the next battle! In addition, we are all not immune from elementary mistakes, for example, when we studied the wrong project that was needed. Anything can happen, so you better save more often and don't make serious mistakes.
Have you already heard about the devastating project "Avatar"? If not, then I inform you: Project Avatar is a secret alien weapon that can turn the tide of the battle for Earth in the direction of the invaders and, in the end, break the resistance. But there is good news - the project is under development. That is why you will have to slow down its development with all your might. Unfortunately, the project cannot be destroyed immediately or immediately completely disrupted, so you have to commit mini-sabotage. Factories will appear on the global map from time to time, factories - they need to be destroyed. By destroying these buildings, you can say that you extend your life by 1 one, and, without destroying, you behave yourself and all of humanity into complete oblivion. You won't have to do this the whole game, because sooner or later you will find a place where Project Avatar is being investigated, so then you will strike a crushing blow. But for now, get busy with the factories.
You need to build the "Partisan School" as quickly as possible. Why? It's that simple! First, the number of your group will increase to six. Secondly, you will be able to learn skills that will help you survive in battles. Thirdly, you will finally be able to train recruits up to the rank of "Private". "Guerrilla School" gives a lot of bonuses that help to conduct successful battles at the start of the game.
We are talking about another no less important building - "Communication Station". If the "Guerrilla School" gave you an advantage in battle, then the "Communication Station" will allow you to destroy the plans of the Advent coalition on the other side of the planet. And this is very important if you are going to dominate the enemy, and not just get confused under his feet. In addition, communication allows you to carry out other equally important actions, for example, to maintain contact with one or another detachment of the "Resistance", which is again important for all sorts of operations.
As you already understood, XCOM 2 is, one might say, an all-out arms race. Moreover, in which you are the weak link. So, first of all, I recommend striving to improve weapons to "Magnetic" and "Plasma". At the same time, try not to forget to buy acceleration for the same technologies on the black market. Do not even be confused by the long enough research time. After studying these projects, life becomes much easier than if you were with what you were exploring in less time. Do not doubt. With such weapons your fighters will become much stronger. There are a lot of "fat" enemies in the game, so for timely destruction you need to give out a lot of damage, so the above technologies will definitely help you.
Perhaps this will be one of the main problems in XCOM 2. Because we are all human and we forget about corny simple things, for example, about reloading. It would seem, what's wrong with that? After all, in video games, this has never been a problem. But not in XCOM 2. At the most critical moment, you may find that you forgot to reload. Remember: nothing prevents you from reloading first, and then shooting, or moving. And moreover, it will be so right.
Avenger- your mobile base in XCOM 2, and you will do the same in it as in the previous one: improve units, buy weapons, discover new technologies, and so on. We have collected a little information on each item and are ready to help you in improving the "Avenger" Mobile Base. This guide is designed for those who want to quickly and efficiently develop their base in the first couples of the XCOM 2 game.
Primarily Resistance Communications Station
By default, you can only get 3 contacts (regions) on the global map. This is not as good as we would like, because it will limit your ability to get the profit we need. By researching and building a Communication Station with the Resistance, you will be able to communicate and discover new regions, as well as spread your influence to other territories. In the beginning, the building is not very beneficial, but in the future you will receive a financial benefit that will pay off the time spent.
Researching the Resistance communications will allow you to unlock regions with unique artifacts. You can get them after clearing each location within a given continent. Some of them are so powerful that the questions that appear at first glance regarding the study of a less important technology immediately disappear. The construction of one Communication Station will take 8-16 days.
Laboratories and workshops
In the previous XCOM, there were no problems with the improvement and construction of additional laboratories and workshops with which you could research and produce the resources you need. In XCOM 2, you no longer need this, however, the construction of additional laboratories and workshops will directly depend on the difficulty you choose.
For those people who prefer to pass the game on an easy level of difficulty and forget about it - you can completely do without additional buildings. The time required for the clearing and construction of objects goes beyond 10-15 days, but it can be reduced, with the help of engineers, up to 5 days. Instead, you'd better spend resources on building a Psi Laboratory or Hall of Shadows, since the number of slots for buildings in the Avenger Mobile Base is limited.
However, at high complexity, these buildings cannot be done without. The sooner you build them, the better. Try to do this as soon as you have the opportunity. Workshops will allow you to quickly build "Gremlin" drones, which will free Engineers from excavation.
Difficulty choices in XCOM 2 and the impact on the Avenger Mobile Base
The difficulty you play on is the determining factor for early exploration and base building. If it is normal or low difficulty, you will be able to use workshops and laboratories to a minimum and start immediately building the Resistance Communication Station, Guerrilla Schools or other upgraded buildings to strengthen your squads. This will help you quickly gain an early advantage so you can use the best units in your sorties later on.
However, if your choice fell on higher levels of difficulty, such as a veteran or a legend, then you should pay attention to the construction of defensive structures that will help you withstand massive alien attacks. Here, the building of the Expanded Command Center is perfect. This building will help your wounded soldiers quickly recover. After that, the game will change significantly, and you will be able to use your best squads on almost every landing. But no one says that it will be easy, and resources will not be spent on it - be careful.
Resistance Commodity Bonuses
At the end of each month, you will be able to purchase a scan bonus: medical aid or quick construction. In addition to this, they may offer you to recruit one of the specialists or resource fighter. Of course, you have the right to refuse and spend resources on something more useful.
Relay power will not be superfluous
Not a bad boost to placement bonuses. By creating them, you can receive a power bonus to your "Avenger" mobile base. Remember that you need a building slot for it!
Engineers are important to us ... we need engineers ...
You can't live without them. There should be a lot of engineers, as you will constantly need them. They are a vital part of The Avenger, so try to get hold of them whenever possible. They can be purchased on the Resistance Market, on the Black Market, or received as a reward for completing side missions.
Why do we need them in such quantities? The fact is that the creation of most objects will take a long time, their presence will significantly reduce the time for building and freeing cells. You can distribute and leave several engineers for the construction and cleansing of the Avenger, simply by placing them in the desired slot.
Don't forget to dig ...
It is always profitable, you dig, which means you get materials. Materials are a currency that will help you build, hire engineers, fighters, buy upgrades, and collect new equipment. You will not only be rewarded with the necessary resource, but you will also receive a cell for construction. Some of the later excavations may take longer, but even with one engineer, you will gradually free the cell. A small bonus can be a reward in the form of rare alloys.
Don't be afraid to use the Resistance Bases
The Resistance Bases have many useful advantages, when you are there, you get impressive bonuses to construction and research. And this is a very powerful "weapon" and it will be especially useful at the end of the game, when the assembly time can reach up to several months.
Remember, you don't have to sit at headquarters all the time, but taking advantage of the treatment and research respite is definitely worth taking advantage of. All this will only play into your hands.
Don't worry, we'll be sure to update the guide as soon as we have more information. Stay tuned for updates in the group in contact.
- Use abilities or items that deal damage in an area to deal damage to more opponents. If a strong enemy is close to exploding objects, then blow it up with a shot, ability or object - this way you will inflict damage on the latter and you can set it on fire (if the enemy is an organic creature).
- Destroy the shelters behind which the enemies are located - this way you will increase the percentage of hits on the enemy and leave him unprotected. If the enemies are on unstable heights, then they can be destroyed with an explosion. So the enemy will receive damage not only from the explosion, but also from the fall.
- Do not place the fighters too close to each other - this way you can provoke the enemy to use objects or abilities in the area, causing damage or imposing negative effects. These include - Avatar, Codex, Andromedon, Archon, Faceless, Gatekeeper, Mouton, Viper, MEC "Advent", Officer and Soldier of "Advent", Sectopod.
- If enemies with armor are playing against you, especially if they have a large amount of health, then first of all destroy it, and then open fire. Grenades, heavy weapons and some abilities of XCOM fighters will help you with this. Thus, you will inflict full damage on the enemy. There is a type of ammo that ignores the enemy's armor (AR ammo).
- Do not leave unfinished enemies - taking extra damage can negatively affect your fighters.
You can find more detailed information about all enemies in sections and.
- Save as often as possible. I recommend making at least one save at the base, one at the very beginning of the mission (as soon as you are on enemy territory) and each after successfully destroying enemy groups. Thus, you can replay one or another segment of the mission. Also, if you are going to hack enemy units (MEK, Sectopoid, Turrets and other inorganic) then save too - randomly and here it can play a cruel joke with you.
- Before starting the operation, pay attention to the upper right corner when reporting the upcoming mission - the number of enemies and their types will be indicated there. Unidentified enemies will be those that you have not met before. This function will be available only after the construction of the Hall of Shadows on the Avenger. Therefore, relying on this data, assemble a squad that can effectively resist the impending threat. Equip everything you need to help you on a mission.
- It is not necessary to stretch the squad too much, so that the situation does not turn out that one of your fighters was left alone and without cover. This way you can easily lose it.
- Squeeze everything out of the camouflage effect: arrange ambushes to destroy a group of enemies and in no case let go of the lonely ones who have not been killed - they will go to another group and will conduct actions against you together.
- Use battle scanners for terrain reconnaissance or the "Scan Protocol" ability of a specialist. So you can find hidden or camouflaged enemies, which will help you in developing a strategy for fighting.
- After you complete several missions, you will be notified of a project called "Avatar", which is designed to destroy humanity and nullify all your efforts to destroy aliens and save the Earth. In other words, if you do not act against this project, you will have a bad end to the game.
- When you switch to the global map of the world, you will see a red scale called "Project Avatar" ". This is the current progress of the same project. Buildings that increase the project progress rate will appear all over the world. Therefore, you need to establish contacts with the regions where these objects are located and destroy them, thereby slowing down the Avatar project. There are missions related to the plot of the game and at the completion of which the progress will also decrease. There are also event missions, by completing which you can again reduce progress or suspend the construction of these objects for several weeks.
- I recommend performing all of the above actions as soon as progress exceeds 50%. But even if the scale is full, then you will be given 20 days to take action against the same objects and reset the counter to an acceptable state.
- In the second part of the game, the role of the base will be played by a captured alien ship called "The Avenger". The construction system is similar to the previous part. You will not get to the lower compartments until you clear everything above the compartment you want. Try to clear them all - at any time you may need to build this or that building. The lower the compartment, the longer it will take to clear.
- Build the Power Relay on shielded compartments - so you can supply power to the entire base with several buildings (provided that the buildings will be improved).
- Upgrade all buildings and involve engineers in their work - this will greatly increase the efficiency of buildings.
- First of all, in addition to the plot, build the Partisan School, and then the energy sources and the Center for Communication with the Resistance. The partisan school will allow you to purchase improvements for your fighters and increase the number of fighters in a squad up to 6 people. The Resistance Liaison Center will help you increase the number of allowed contacts with regions and complete missions related to Project Avatar. After that, you can build a Military Technology Center and additional laboratories and workshops.
Continent bonuses
After you establish contact with all regions on a particular continent and install all repeaters on it, you will be given one or another bonus. All bonuses and descriptions to them are listed below.
- Battle of the future- all actions in the partisan school cost 50% less.
- Hidden reserves- + 5% to the output power of the Avenger.
- In the service of humanity- recruits cost 10% of materials.
- All in- an increase in the supply of materials from the Resistance by 20%.
- Ultimate weapon- all main weapons receive an additional slot for upgrades.
- Spare parts- all Proving Grounds projects cost 50% less.
- In pursuit of knowledge - each laboratory speeds up research by 20%.
- Spy network- 25% increase in all intelligence received as a reward.
- Take care of your health- in the Test Zone, all projects for the production of armor and body armor are completed instantly.
- One good turn deserves another- Black market goods cost 33% less data.
- Strict economy- all personal combat modules and weapon upgrades can be reused.
- Arms baron- All projects in the Test Zone regarding experimental ammunition, grenades and weapons are instant.
But those who played in the previous part do not mind studying the theory before starting practice.
The main thing that you need to do, no matter how trite it may sound, is to try not to die. If your entire main group is killed, this is not the end. If your backup strike group dies, it's time to think hard. If you lose the third group, which was not the main one, but is forced to become it, then you have very little chances to go through, albeit not a very long game (less than 60 hours of gameplay).
Council number 1. Start on the Beginner difficulty.
It is clear that no one wants to look weak. But you better trust us right away: XCOM 2 is hard. Unreasonably difficult. The developers have endowed this with a system of random events, which pretty much abuses its powers, and sudden misses at 95% hits are not the worst thing that will await you. Therefore, in order to understand the gameplay features, and in order not to start replaying from the beginning, after spending a dozen or two hours on the passage, we advise you to start with the Newbie. This is not at all shameful, as the developers themselves have warned even those who have already played XCOM. On this difficulty, it will be easier for you to learn all the gameplay subtleties, among which, I must say, there are a lot of those that will infuriate you, so approach the test prepared by playing 2-3 hours on a beginner.
Council number 2. Learn to ambush and disguise.
The gameplay of XCOM 2, as we said, is not as different as they pretend to be in Firaxis, but, nevertheless, there are some changes. In particular, you now need to learn the ambush and stealth algorithm. In other words, you need to learn how to be invisible. The main feature of stealth is that if at least one fighter is spotted at you, the game immediately switches to combat mode, even if everyone else is far out of sight of opponents. Therefore, be prepared for this state of affairs. But, at the same time, if the opponents are divided into groups, then there is a possibility that only one group will notice you, and the other may be indifferent to your firefight, unless, of course, you get close to the distance necessary for the reaction. Therefore, if you see this, try to pay attention only to the group that has entered the battle mode. And attack the one that remains neutral when the opportunity arises. The main thing to do during an ambush is to neutralize the most powerful opponents first. Also go around the watchtowers. Stay out of their field of vision, which is marked with red squares. Towers can be hacked with Gremlins drones, but be prepared for the fact that hacking may be unsuccessful, so it is better not to risk it and choose the hacking option that has the highest probability of successful completion.
The enemy does not sleep. Don't waste your entire turn running at once.
Council number 3. Run only as a last resort.
In XCOM 2, there are two zones for movement: near and far. After running within the first zone, you can have time to do another useful action (if you are not a sniper, of course), namely: shoot, reload, heal, or something else. One of the main mistakes beginners make is that in moments of relaxation, when the enemy has not yet been detected, they immediately move the fighters to the maximum or close to such a distance, after which the fighter can no longer do anything. Therefore, no matter how you would like, always move according to the rules: within the near zone. But this rule, of course, does not apply to those moments when you need to urgently and far away from enemies, when you need, on the contrary, to quickly run to the thick of the battle, or when you need to manage to reach point X in order to meet the deadline, allotted by an annoying timer. It is in the latter situations that you will find yourself most often. In other cases, when there are still many moves, do not rush forward at breakneck speed. This can be unhealthy.
Council number 4. Study your fighters.
In XCOM 2, the characteristics of the fighters have become slightly wider. Moreover, it became possible to improve the weapon. For example, if in Enemy Unknown a sniper was practically helpless when using a pistol, now this same sniper can, with your help, improve the effectiveness of pistol shooting in this way. Among the rest of the fighters, as a rule, there are also similar secret talents that you may have guessed about, but which you did not encounter in practice. For example, if you were a fiasco on a mission, then the next time you might decide that it would not hurt to slightly change the composition of the team. And in order to know who to exchange for whom, you need to be aware of the combat characteristics of your fighters. Sometimes, for example, it is much more useful to take a rookie sniper than a pumped veteran with a shotgun. And sometimes an elite sniper will be useless, and it is better to resort to the services of someone who feels better in close combat.
Council number 5. Study your enemies.
This advice is even more banal than the previous one, but without it, nowhere. Study your enemies, their habits and skills. That is why we immediately advised to play first on the Novice. After 3-4 hours of playing, you will have studied 70% of all your enemies, and even with a real playthrough on Veteran, it will be easier in the future. For example, the same Viper, strangling your fighters, is harmless if the fighters are in a heap, and can hedge each other. Or, for example, a Berserker with enviable health and strong melee damage. Seeing this, you need to pay all your attention to him, not allowing him to run to your soldiers. If you run into the same Archon, then it is better, on the contrary, to immediately disperse, because this enemy knows how to send massive attacks that work across the squares and hit several of your soldiers at once. In general, learn the habits of your enemies, since in XCOM 2 their intellect seems even more stupid than in the previous part.
Every enemy has weaknesses. Study them.
Council number 6. Respect the recruits.
The trademark of Enemy Unknown was that, having hooked a team from the very beginning, you will bring half of it to the final, unless, of course, you play on high difficulty. As a result, the need for a stormy stream of recruits disappears, and your fighters, who started pumping from the very start, are upgraded to extra class. In XCOM 2, the situation is different: your soldiers will die with enviable regularity, so take care of the reserve. As soon as some soldier has pumped almost to the maximum level, remove him, and give the rookie the opportunity to pump. It is especially useful to do this in non-storyline, ordinary, random missions.
Council number 7. Know when to back off.
Sometimes it happens that there is no way to win. You will reboot from the closest save, and try again. Then again and again. It is possible that from the third or fourth attempt you will realize that it is almost impossible to complete the mission without significant losses. Therefore, you have two choices: sacrifice soldiers to achieve the goal, or simply retreat. The first option is good in cases where you can throw one or two less valuable from your point of view fighters to perish, who will distract and delay the aliens, allowing the most valuable fighters to complete the mission. Better, in our opinion, to simply retreat. Yes, the aliens will get some superiority, yes it will be a blow to your pride, but this is nothing compared to the time it will take you to restore the previous effectiveness of your battle group.
The wider the influence on the map, the higher the future "salary".
Council number 8. Expand your influence.
When operating on the global map of XCOM 2, the main thing that is required of you is to constantly expand. The faster you expand your zones of influence by establishing contact with militia groups, the higher your efficiency will be, and most importantly, you will start earning more. The size of the monthly "salary" is the factor that has the most direct impact on the progress of the game. Well, in addition to personal enrichment, when expanding, you will gain access to new bases of aliens, by damaging them, you will weaken their overall influence on the planet.
Council number 9. Do not hurry.
This advice may seem the most absurd. How can you not rush here if the whole game is literally crammed with counters from top to bottom. However, if you rush, then you will have even fewer opportunities to realize your tactical potential. The fact is that almost every second mission, regardless of its purpose, has several solutions. Don't let the counters scare you, because this is, after all, a turn-based game, so plan each new move taking into account the skills of your fighters and the characteristics of your current enemies.
Council number 10. Don't mess with psionics.
Well, as a final tip, we recommend not messing with psionic talents, which have now been placed in a separate class. In our, and not only, opinion, psionics are extremely useless soldiers, and if at the initial difficulty they can still do something, then on the same Veteran, their effectiveness decreases noticeably, as well as it decreases from mission to mission, as advancing your team to the finals.
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