This game is so punishing… and awesome.
XCOM 2 is shaping up to be one of my favorite games of all time. Since I have spent the past week playing it while I work on my second novel, I thought I would take the time to share some strategic information for all the new Commanders out there that may or may not have played Enemy Unknown. If you are getting frustrated about the difficulty, I believe that these tips will go a long way towards saving your ass. So, let’s begin.
1. Refine Your Build Order.
Remember that the center squares are easier to excavate once you go deeper into the ship as well… for some reason.
One of the biggest issues that people will have with this game is how to develop a refined build order for the Avenger. The goal here is to save lives on the tactical layer and provide the tools that you need to stop the Avatar Project as soon as possible. In the early months, recruiting scientists and engineers are crucial for your plans unless you have emergency issues with your soldier roster, especially since XCOM will need to focus on surviving alien encounters and dealing damage. On the world map, you should try to focus on gathering supplies or recruiting a team that can give you tier two weapons and armor before the month of May (or your second retaliation mission).
But what about constructing facilities? Since you are limited by technology at the beginning, you will have to develop a set order that can open up new strategic options later on. Typically, you will start with one site excavated in the corners of the top layer. The top layer of the Avenger will always have a Guerrilla Tactics School, Advanced Warfare Center, and Power Relay, but be sure to put the Center in the middle of your build to prime it for a Workshop directly below it. These three buildings open up the lower layers, give you needed upgrades like Squad Size, and will reduce manpower problems over time.
2. If You Rely On One Shot, You’re Doing It Wrong.
I couldn’t have said it better myself.
One of the biggest problems that people might face in a mission is the failure to kit their squad correctly, position them, and build up a way to have multiple backup plans. XCOM is like chess on steroids. Each piece of the Advent and Alien Armada has a critical role to play in killing you, but so do your soldiers when it is the other way around. Still, you need to be prepared for every eventuality because you will lose protracted firefights with the enemy. They have better aim than your soldiers in the early months, so you will need to focus on taking calculated risks to achieve a flank and take them down.
However, you will need to focus on kitting your soldiers properly because the danger is elevated and you can miss at point blank range. As in Enemy Unknown, some of the missions will allow you to overwatch your way to victory, especially at the Alien Blacksites or the Supply Raids. However, a huge portion of the missions are timed, which requires a different approach. In the case of the former, shots from extreme range will go a long way toward preserving the lives of your troops with the help of a Phantom Ranger or two. In the latter, you need more explosives and mobility because you cannot afford a lengthy firefight.
And by the way, don’t be afraid to evac or risk overwatch fire if your soldiers are on the verge of being overwhelmed. When you have to extract a VIP, you may have to risk sacrificing a soldier to stop a squad wipe from ruining the overall campaign. If you have a data hack in the bag, you may be forced to evac your ops team to stop the dark event and keep your campaign going at the cost of losing all of the corpses and loot.
3. Kill All Of The Ayys, MECs, And Stun Lancers With Fire.
This Ayy will drink your tears. Make sure it eats your grenades first.
Nothing will give you more grief than these three categories of enemies, as they are the ones that are most likely to lead to a squad wipe and a ruined campaign. In particular, Sectoids are extremely dangerous early on unless you can build yourself up to mindshield against their psionic attacks. Stun Lancers are a little less dangerous, but they will rush your positions and zap your team to death if you are not careful. In my opinion, the most dangerous of all of the aliens that I have encountered thus far are the Mutons, Faceless, and Advent MECs.
Mutons and MECs tank damage like a champ and can toss grenades at you from a distance, which will require you to spread your soldiers out if you find them in a pod. Do not let them get close and prioritize your fire on them, especially if you are in an elevated position. You do not want either one of them to lob a grenade that will have your soldiers fall to their deaths.
With the exception of certain Dark Events, the Faceless will be a problem from the first retaliation mission. When you have Tier 1 Armor, you will need to focus on them because they can kill your soldiers in one hit. Predator Armor can let your ops team take a hit from them, but it is better to evade and get as many shots as you can, especially when you are going to be facing more than one later on.
4. Build Towards The Ayy Facilities First. Worry About Bonuses Later.
I started in New India and had a facility spawn right next door in East Asia. Your mileage may vary. Plan accordingly.
Back on the strategic layer, your ultimate goal is to stop the Avatar Project at all costs. Therefore, you will need to focus all of your energy on building the resistance towards their location, rather than on continental bonuses. Sometimes, the facilities will be just out of reach, but the upgrading of Resistance Communications will help you to get there until you need a second one. If you do not move fast enough, you may get to a place where you will be forced into a do-or-die mission to blow up one of the facilities. Be sure to avoid it at all costs unless you want to risk restarting the game.
Timing is key here, especially since you will spend between three to five days and at least 120 Intel to make contact with two regions. You can mitigate this cost with radio relays, but that will depend upon whether you have time and have saved up enough Intel from your operations. Make the call that you deem appropriate.
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