Crash course in XCom: Enemy Unknown?

[shadow_archmagi]

It's almost certainly already been said, but explosives are one of the best tools in your arsenal. They provide two valuable services:

First off, they deal damage, and they're ten times more accurate than bullets. With a gun, you're at like, 10% chance to hit most of the time. Grenade/Rocket is a nice, cool, 90%. Your goal is always to make enemies dead, so if an enemy has less than 3 hp left, make sure to save one soldier's action for a grenade, just to deny him the chance to cause problems next round. (The loss of weapon fragments is tragic, but ultimately not a problem. In the long run, you'll get plenty, since there are always more enemies than grenades and rockets).

Second off, they break things. Those two mutons behind heavy cover? Now they're two mutons with NO cover, and your to-hit chance tripled, which means it might actually be safe to use a gun.

Also, your research order should be Carapace Armor>Laser Guns>Whatever. Carapace Armor has to come first because your men need to be able to survive hits, and standard weaponry is functional enough against sectoids. You only really need lasers when bigger stuff shows up. Also, plasma is nice, but not necessary; I'd suggest prioritizing superior armor over it. Also, those SCOPE enhancements are really nice once you get soldiers who can hit anything at all ever- I suggest giving rookies grenades so they can explode sectoids for xp, and then giving scopes to your high-level people.

Also, give all your heavies the HEAT ammo. It's worth it because of the late-game giant robots.

[Silfir]

Grenades have 100% accuracy, though getting them at just the right spot can take a lot of fiddling about. Rockets always have a 10% chance to veer off course, regardless of the heavy's Aim, so avoid firing a rocket from the back of the line, where it might sway in a friendly's neck.

I usually get Carapace first, too. The only snag there is Chryssalids: they don't care. Laser rifles will help kill them fast, as well as the 10 HP zombies that usually shamble onto the scene at the most inopportune moments. There's also something to be said for being able to off floaters and thin men in one shot instead of sometimes two in the early game. Hell, even sectoids occasionally have the audacity to get away alive from a rifle hit, especially mind-merged ones.

[Cikomyr]

By the way, do anybody think like me and only bother with Skeleton Armor?

It makes your soldiers better overall, provide 3d mobility for unlimited number of time and provide an emergency "get out of trouble" switch that can save any.soldier's. Not to forget protects you even if you need to move quickly across a large field while under ennemy firr or overwatch.

Flying armor is a cute, but restricting gimmick in my opinion.

[Zevox]

By the way, do anybody think like me and only bother with Skeleton Armor?

It makes your soldiers better overall, provide 3d mobility for unlimited number of time and provide an emergency "get out of trouble" switch that can save any.soldier's. Not to forget protects you even if you need to move quickly across a large field while under ennemy firr or overwatch.

Flying armor is a cute, but restricting gimmick in my opinion.

Heck no. For one, Skeleton Armor is a strictly inferior version of Ghost Armor. Ghost Armor gives you everything Skeleton does, plus three-use invisibility. I do use Skeleton Armor on my Snipers for a little while, since there's a period where it's the only armor you have that makes getting up to rooftops easier, but that's it.

But Archangel Armor is a personal favorite. It provides far better, more flexible mobility than a mere grappling hook does, and flying provides its own +20 defense bonus, equivalent to having half cover - if you don't have actual cover, that's better than Skeleton/Ghost Armor's +10 bonus. I find it to be amazing for both Snipers (line of sight to all the aliens!) and Supports (who can suddenly ignore terrain as they head off to heal those wounded units). Not to mention it gives more hp.

I do put Ghost armor on my assaults, though. Invisibility helps them make maximum use of run-n-gun, and free crits with shotguns means immense damage.

[Cikomyr]

I feel stupid now.

Replace everything I said for "ghost". That's what I meant. I think it's the catch-all superior armors.

[NEO|Phyte]

But Archangel Armor is a personal favorite. It provides far better, more flexible mobility than a mere grappling hook does, and flying provides its own +20 defense bonus, equivalent to having half cover - if you don't have actual cover, that's better than Skeleton/Ghost Armor's +10 bonus.

Ghost armor is +20 defense, not +10.

[Hiro Protagonest]

Archangel is the best armor for Snipers, no contest.

Unless, of course, you took Snap Shot, in which case it's Ghost, but why would you do that?

[Cikomyr]

Archangel is the best armor for Snipers, no contest.

Unless, of course, you took Snap Shot, in which case it's Ghost, but why would you do that?

I don't see the need for Flyingm, especially since its a rather limited time period. I like to be methodical, and when I perch my sniper, I'd rather I don't have to worry about how long he'll stay there.

Grapple hook, and an invisibility spell to run away when he's cornered or surprised by ennemies.

[shadow_archmagi]

I usually get Carapace first, too. The only snag there is Chryssalids: they don't care.

Actually, it's possible (but not always probable) to survive a bite from a Lid if you've got carapace (At least on Classic, which is my favorite difficulty).


I prefer Titan over Ghost- biggest HP is best HP.

[Hiro Protagonest]

I don't see the need for Flyingm, especially since its a rather limited time period. I like to be methodical, and when I perch my sniper, I'd rather I don't have to worry about how long he'll stay there.

Grapple hook, and an invisibility spell to run away when he's cornered or surprised by ennemies.

Archangel Armor hovers indefinitely. It only takes up fuel when you actually move around (including landing, I think).

[Cikomyr]

Archangel Armor hovers indefinitely. It only takes up fuel when you actually move around (including landing, I think).

Darn...

.... okay, maybe an Archangel Sniper Overwatch is worth it...

[Zevox]

Ghost armor is +20 defense, not +10.

You sure about that? I'd have sworn it was +10, same as Skeleton Armor.

[Cikomyr]

You sure about that? I'd have sworn it was +10, same as Skeleton Armor.

No, I think he's right. Ghost is better than Skeleton in every possible way

[SlyGuyMcFly]

Darn...

.... okay, maybe an Archangel Sniper Overwatch is worth it...

In my playthroughs, Squad Sight, Opportunist, Double Tap Snipers in Archangel Armor get lovingly unironic nicknames such as "Orbital Death" and "Killsat".

[shadow_archmagi]

If I recall correctly though, don't hovering troopers take a penalty to accuracy, and not get the bonuses for higher ground? Admittedly, the super line of sight is nice, but there's something to be said for having ground beneath your feet, right?

[Zevox]

If I recall correctly though, don't hovering troopers take a penalty to accuracy, and not get the bonuses for higher ground? Admittedly, the super line of sight is nice, but there's something to be said for having ground beneath your feet, right?

Just the opposite - there is no penalty, and they do get a higher ground bonus, assuming they're actually on a level above their target.

[Anarion]

I'm a strong proponent of lasers first. They make early terror missions go from horrible to easy. They also allow your soldiers to be guaranteed to off the thin men during otherwise difficult bomb and extraction missions.

Archangel is the best armor for Snipers, no contest.

Unless, of course, you took Snap Shot, in which case it's Ghost, but why would you do that?

Just the opposite - there is no penalty, and they do get a higher ground bonus, assuming they're actually on a level above their target.

These. Plus if you take the sniper perk that gives them extra accuracy from higher ground (which, admittedly is a tough choice because that pistol damage is a sweet, sweet thing) then having them fly with archangel will allow them to rain death on all things.

I do also think there's a place for psionic armor. It's not as good as ghost, but having one person with it to have that guaranteed chance of mind-controlling an enemy can be pretty useful.

[shadow_archmagi]

Since the other XCOM thread is pretty dead, I'll ask here.

Does anyone know of a mod that removes the mechanic where every time you see an alien, a little cinematic plays and they all take move actions?

I'm unclear as to what that system adds in terms of fun, and it seems to be directly responsible for making "everyone walks in a single file line and overwatches" the optimal movement pattern, which is unfortunate, because it's also an incredibly unfun movement pattern.

[Zevox]

I do also think there's a place for psionic armor. It's not as good as ghost, but having one person with it to have that guaranteed chance of mind-controlling an enemy can be pretty useful.

Oh definitely, I always give Psi Armor to a unit or two. Nigh-guaranteed power success is a great thing, especially for Mind Control.

[Anarion]

Since the other XCOM thread is pretty dead, I'll ask here.

Does anyone know of a mod that removes the mechanic where every time you see an alien, a little cinematic plays and they all take move actions?

I'm unclear as to what that system adds in terms of fun, and it seems to be directly responsible for making "everyone walks in a single file line and overwatches" the optimal movement pattern, which is unfortunate, because it's also an incredibly unfun movement pattern.

I'm not aware of any such mod, but I think it would require a pretty significant change in mechanics. The cinematic plus move action is because you can't be shot at until you see a group of aliens for the first time. So, unlike the original X-COM, there won't be shots flying out of the darkness killing your small team of elite troopers. The move action is so that the game isn't stupidly easy, since stumbling onto a group that couldn't have shot you beforehand and has no chance to move would involve you shooting all of them out of cover without any challenge.

[shadow_archmagi]

I'm not aware of any such mod, but I think it would require a pretty significant change in mechanics. The cinematic plus move action is because you can't be shot at until you see a group of aliens for the first time. So, unlike the original X-COM, there won't be shots flying out of the darkness killing your small team of elite troopers. The move action is so that the game isn't stupidly easy, since stumbling onto a group that couldn't have shot you beforehand and has no chance to move would involve you shooting all of them out of cover without any challenge.

Shots flying out of the darkness would be fun, though! It'd encourage troops spreading out and using cover at all times.

[Anarion]

Shots flying out of the darkness would be fun, though! It'd encourage troops spreading out and using cover at all times.

I'm not one to talk, since I've run like 20 ironman impossible plays at this point, but I've never seen games encourage as much masochism as the XCOM/X-COM series.

[Gamerlord]

I'm not one to talk, since I've run like 20 ironman impossible plays at this point, but I've never seen games encourage as much masochism as the XCOM/X-COM series.

Oh man, you've never played Dwarf Fortress/some of the more vicious roguelikes /some of those really hardcore Eastern European games I'm forgetting the names of, have you?

[Tanuki Tales]

Is there an easy way to capture the Commanders? I tend to run into them in trios or with other nasty heavy units (like Mutons), so I tend to just crack out both rockets and rain death on the small room.

[NEO|Phyte]

These. Plus if you take the sniper perk that gives them extra accuracy from higher ground (which, admittedly is a tough choice because that pistol damage is a sweet, sweet thing) then having them fly with archangel will allow them to rain death on all things.

It's been a while since I've XCom'd, but I seem to recall that flying doesn't count as having high ground, but is its own "you are flying" bonus.

[shadow_archmagi]

Is there an easy way to capture the Commanders? I tend to run into them in trios or with other nasty heavy units (like Mutons), so I tend to just crack out both rockets and rain death on the small room.

There's always a Commander in the Alien Base, and he's always just hanging out with sectoid buddies, so he's a pretty easy catch.

[Gamerlord]

Is there an easy way to capture the Commanders? I tend to run into them in trios or with other nasty heavy units (like Mutons), so I tend to just crack out both rockets and rain death on the small room.

I haven't played the game in a while due to my desktop dying, but I'm pretty sure the big supply ships usually have them alone.

[Tanuki Tales]

There's always a Commander in the Alien Base, and he's always just hanging out with sectoid buddies, so he's a pretty easy catch.

Already killed him unfortunately. And I don't have the upgraded Arcs yet.

[JKTrickster]

I disagree with laser weapons:

Honestly laser weapons are worse than plasma weapons in every single way.

Instead I play super safe and take my time (even on impossible, ballistic weapons only take one or two more men, or an extra turn).

I don't mind spending more time on each mission and being super slow and safe - that's just my style.

I do mind wasting resources on weapons that I'll replace anyway.

Besides on Impossible, without the Armor you'll be one shotted no matter what....how is that not a first priority?

[Hiro Protagonest]

Already killed him unfortunately. And I don't have the upgraded Arcs yet.

Why do you need the capture?