Crash course in XCom: Enemy Unknown?

[Seatbelt]

I really like starting in Asia because of the cheaper Academy bonuses. Tactical combat drives the game. Anything that makes tactical combat easier (more d00ds plz) will spill over in to other segments of the game. Plus it's harder to secure. So you don't have to worry about controlling it anymore.

I also recommend using the move + overwatch. Pick one guy, that person is your point man. NOBODY moves further than he does for any reason ever. Spread the rest of your team out just a little bit as cover allows. But nobody should ever be further than one move from anybody else. Once everybody has moved and you haven't triggered a spawn then put them on overwatch.


Grenades. If you can kill more than one enemy with an explosive it is always worth it. You can always murder more guys and take their stuff. But you can't level up a solider as fast as you can loot stuff. I'd rather have 2 dead aliens and no weapons fragments than 2 dead aliens and weapons fragments and a dead soldier.

The exception is on a UFO. That crap is valuable. Try not to explode it.

Snipers and Heavies have feat taxes. Snipers always take squadsight, and heavies always take heat ammo. Even if your heavy picks up heat ammo way before you fight anything that needs it. Nothing feels better than a Cyberdisc floating in to your heavy who bought Heat Ammo 3 hours ago and then turning it in to goo.

I really like crippling shot on Snipers. I don't always take it. But I really really like it. Two cyberdiscs suddenly show up and you can't kill them both in one round? Well *pow* Now one of them doesn't get to play this turn.

Berserker ping-pong is fun. Especially when you manage to ping them in to the Shotty Assault soldier. He shoots with his shotgun, triggers the berserk charge, which triggers a free shotgun blast and the berserker falls dead at his feet. LIKE A BOSS.

For squad composition I really like 1 sniper, 1 heavy, 1 assault, and TWO supports. I really like the midrange firepower afforded by the rifle. I also really love the extra flexibility provided by the "extra move speed" power. I use my supports to zip back and forth between squadmates to provide flanks, supporting fire, emergency medpack support, smoke grenades, whatever. They are, in my opinion, the most flexible unit in the game. Also what do you do when someone shoots your medic in the face early in the mission? You have a dead medic. UNLESS YOU HAVE ANOTHER MEDIC!!!!! (who can revive the first one if you're lucky) :D

For that 6th slot, do whatever seems cool. Double Heavy? Rocks are cool. More rocks are even cooler: Now you can play all crazy fast and loose with the meat shields exploding things all day. Double Assault? Great for boarding UFOs and some of those really terrible Terror missions that happen inside buildings. Double Sniper? You'll be glad you have those supports to scout because now you are playing on Easy Mode.

If your sniper doesn't have anything to do on his turn consider moving him towards the team. I've followed the "put your sniper in a corner and kill all the things" advice. But they don't tell you that the AI does patrol the map and they WILL stumble on your lone sniper. God help you if you neglected the speed upgrade on your supports. Because that sniper is going to die.


As an addendum I like better guns before better armor. It is IMO better to kill aliens faster take less hits than it is to put out less damage but absorb slightly more. If you burn a hole through the alien's head with a laser rifle before he has a chance to shoot you then you probably didn't need the armor.

But better guns are expensive to research. So I try and shoot for the capture mission ASAP to interrogate that stupid alien and unlock fast plasma. But thats just my personal thing.