That strange gurgling noise you can hear somewhere off to your left is the sound of me swallowing my pride.
So I finally got around to buying Enemy Within and resuming my tumultuous love-hate relationship with XCOM. And it's kinda kicking my arse. I managed to muscle my way through ironman classic in Enemy Unknown a couple of times, but Enemy Within seems to have stepped up the difficulty a little on classic, while simultaneously making normal even easier.
So here I am, hat in hand, seeking advice from any of the Escapist's resident keyboard generals.
Specific questions:
- Any particular recommendations for build orders? EU taught me to rush satellite coverage first and foremost. Is that still a good idea?
- Any new early game upgrades that I should prioritize? My old preference was to get carapace armour ASAP before weapons or foundry upgrades.
- I'm used to skipping laser weapons entirely by capturing a plasma rifle and researching straight to plasma weapons from there. Is that still viable?
Any other general tips welcome.
PS. Yes, I know about the squadsight-sniper/assault-scout tactic. I refuse to use it because it's cheap as hell.
Saving the world ain't easy. It takes strategy, preparation, determination and more than a little luck. So don't be thinking you can just fire up XCOM: Enemy Unknown and see alien corpses pile up at your feet. Go in with that attitude and the only corpses you'll see are those of your trusted and highly personalised XCOM soldiers.
Instead, you might want to think about adopting a few of the strategies that got us safely through the game last week. They may not be the best for you, but they worked for us, so they're at least worth considering!
XCOM: Enemy Unknown: The Kotaku Review
XCOM: Enemy Unknown should have been a disaster. It's a turn-based strategy title, a style of…
Read more ReadTRY AND KEEP EVERYONE ALIVE
This can't be emphasised enough. As your troops kill aliens and complete missions, they'll level up in rank, unlocking new abilities and perks that become essential later in the game to bringing down more difficult opponents. Let too many of your best men and women die and you'll be stuck with a bunch of rookies, and you don't want that when the really tough guys show up.
This can't be emphasised enough. As your troops kill aliens and complete missions, they'll level up in rank, unlocking new abilities and perks that become essential later in the game to bringing down more difficult opponents. Let too many of your best men and women die and you'll be stuck with a bunch of rookies, and you don't want that when the really tough guys show up.
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You don't need to frantically save your game every turn and keep everyone alive, but you should aim to have at least 10-12 experienced soldiers on-hand at all times.
Xcom Enemy Within Trainer
CAMPING FOR VICTORY
Take extra special care of your snipers, because the abilities they unlock can alter the shape of an entire battle. An experienced sniper with a good rifle and elevated vantage point will dominate, to the extent they'll easily rack up twice the number of kills compared to your more intimate troops. There's even an ability where they can take two shots per turn (everyone else only gets one), and those shots are usually insta-kills. Handy, that.
Take extra special care of your snipers, because the abilities they unlock can alter the shape of an entire battle. An experienced sniper with a good rifle and elevated vantage point will dominate, to the extent they'll easily rack up twice the number of kills compared to your more intimate troops. There's even an ability where they can take two shots per turn (everyone else only gets one), and those shots are usually insta-kills. Handy, that.
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So always take a sniper. And make sure it's a good one.
MEDIC!
Support classes, with their high range of motion and (eventual) ability to carry more than one medikit, are crucial. Especially for some of the longer story missions. You'll frequently need to regroup and heal your soldiers, and you don't want to be sweating your health as you draw in to the final few encounters. Bring a medic, or better, bring two.
Support classes, with their high range of motion and (eventual) ability to carry more than one medikit, are crucial. Especially for some of the longer story missions. You'll frequently need to regroup and heal your soldiers, and you don't want to be sweating your health as you draw in to the final few encounters. Bring a medic, or better, bring two.
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THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR
After playing through part of a campaign on preview code with the default randomly generated names, I (Kirk) started naming my characters after friends and co-workers, and even customizing them to look a bit like my friends. That has caused me to become hugely attached to my characters, but in a good way—even if they die in combat, their sacrifice is always noble and heroic, and I do love to tell the actual people all about their exploits in my game afterwards. (The world will remember Luke and Owen for their selfless deeds.) Twitter can be great fun for this—I suspect that over the coming weeks, more and more people will be hearing of their last-second grenade tosses and snap-shot pistol rescues in 140 characters or less.
After playing through part of a campaign on preview code with the default randomly generated names, I (Kirk) started naming my characters after friends and co-workers, and even customizing them to look a bit like my friends. That has caused me to become hugely attached to my characters, but in a good way—even if they die in combat, their sacrifice is always noble and heroic, and I do love to tell the actual people all about their exploits in my game afterwards. (The world will remember Luke and Owen for their selfless deeds.) Twitter can be great fun for this—I suspect that over the coming weeks, more and more people will be hearing of their last-second grenade tosses and snap-shot pistol rescues in 140 characters or less.
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PRIORITY RESEARCH
Unless you're racing to finish the story, you'll continually have options as to what to focus your research on. Luke's recommendation: focus on armour and plasma weapons. If you're not rocking Titan Armour and plasma rifles by 2/3 of the way through the game, you'd better have a whole bunch of coffins standing by at XCOM HQ. Indeed, it's not even worth bridging your ballistic weapons with laser gear. Fallout 4 war mod. Just shoot straight for the more powerful plasma. (Damn, I wish I'd read this one before I spent so much time researching laser weapons. -K)
Unless you're racing to finish the story, you'll continually have options as to what to focus your research on. Luke's recommendation: focus on armour and plasma weapons. If you're not rocking Titan Armour and plasma rifles by 2/3 of the way through the game, you'd better have a whole bunch of coffins standing by at XCOM HQ. Indeed, it's not even worth bridging your ballistic weapons with laser gear. Fallout 4 war mod. Just shoot straight for the more powerful plasma. (Damn, I wish I'd read this one before I spent so much time researching laser weapons. -K)
SAVE OFTEN, BUT NOT TOO OFTEN
It is possible to obsessively save your way through missions, perfecting your strategy and working every encounter to your advantage. And while of course, you should play with whatever style works for you, as you get better at the game, it can be enjoyable to dial back the number if mid-mission saves you allow yourself, and to live with the consequences of your bad decisions a little bit. And remember: It doesn't appear to be possible to game the system by reloading just before a shot until the percentages work out in your favor. Once the game has decided you'll miss a shot, you'll always miss it. Of course, I (Kirk) have only heard that and have never tried it because I WOULD NEVER DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
It is possible to obsessively save your way through missions, perfecting your strategy and working every encounter to your advantage. And while of course, you should play with whatever style works for you, as you get better at the game, it can be enjoyable to dial back the number if mid-mission saves you allow yourself, and to live with the consequences of your bad decisions a little bit. And remember: It doesn't appear to be possible to game the system by reloading just before a shot until the percentages work out in your favor. Once the game has decided you'll miss a shot, you'll always miss it. Of course, I (Kirk) have only heard that and have never tried it because I WOULD NEVER DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
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DOG COMPANY
You'll quickly have the space to take six soldiers on a single mission, leaving you with the question: which soldiers to take? While some situations call for certain combinations, for most battles - those taking place outdoors and asking you to do nothing but kill a bunch of aliens - your best bet is one sniper, two support (both packing med kits), two assault and a heavy. The sniper observes and supports, the assaults kick the doors down and do the dirty work, the supports stay behind for mop-up shots and healing and the heavy..can do whatever they want. Which is usually putting a rocket in the middle of a room full of aliens.
You'll quickly have the space to take six soldiers on a single mission, leaving you with the question: which soldiers to take? While some situations call for certain combinations, for most battles - those taking place outdoors and asking you to do nothing but kill a bunch of aliens - your best bet is one sniper, two support (both packing med kits), two assault and a heavy. The sniper observes and supports, the assaults kick the doors down and do the dirty work, the supports stay behind for mop-up shots and healing and the heavy..can do whatever they want. Which is usually putting a rocket in the middle of a room full of aliens.
DON'T HOARD YOUR POWERS
When you're in combat, don't hoard your abilities, ammo, explosives, or special moves. Use them early and often. Especially on the standard abduction, terror and UFO crash missions; most of them involve only 8-12 enemies, and you'll almost always end up with a bunch of leftover grenades, rockets and medkits. They'll save your ass more than once. Longer story missions are the only times when you'll want to think about pacing yourself, and even then, a live heavy with no rockets is much more useful than a dead heavy with two.
When you're in combat, don't hoard your abilities, ammo, explosives, or special moves. Use them early and often. Especially on the standard abduction, terror and UFO crash missions; most of them involve only 8-12 enemies, and you'll almost always end up with a bunch of leftover grenades, rockets and medkits. They'll save your ass more than once. Longer story missions are the only times when you'll want to think about pacing yourself, and even then, a live heavy with no rockets is much more useful than a dead heavy with two.
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OVERWATCH
The simplest and most effective tip for battles is to use the 'Overwatch' ability. Every. Single. Turn. Unless it's a timed mission (of which there are a few), you can afford to move at a snail's pace, because the defence and covering firepower you get from the ability is the most effective way to keep your squad safe. And remember, you really, really need to keep your soldiers safe! (Yes. This. Overwatch is key. -K)
The simplest and most effective tip for battles is to use the 'Overwatch' ability. Every. Single. Turn. Unless it's a timed mission (of which there are a few), you can afford to move at a snail's pace, because the defence and covering firepower you get from the ability is the most effective way to keep your squad safe. And remember, you really, really need to keep your soldiers safe! (Yes. This. Overwatch is key. -K)
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THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS
When you first encounter psi training, it would be easy to write it off as a gamble, or a highly-specialised ability that's rarely used. Nope. While more complicated abilities are a little hit and miss, the basic psi attack does nothing but cause damage, and does so with 100% accuracy. This makes it the perfect clean-up weapon for those enemies who are stuck with half their HP left but who are in a position to hurt your troops.
When you first encounter psi training, it would be easy to write it off as a gamble, or a highly-specialised ability that's rarely used. Nope. While more complicated abilities are a little hit and miss, the basic psi attack does nothing but cause damage, and does so with 100% accuracy. This makes it the perfect clean-up weapon for those enemies who are stuck with half their HP left but who are in a position to hurt your troops.
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PLAN YOUR FLOORPLAN
While some aspects of the base management are a bit bare-bones, your base's layout can still be easily maximized to your advantage. Vasco rossi sito ufficiale. Leave room to build at least two of everything—laboratory, workshop, power generator, satellite uplink—and remember that vertical and horizontal adjacency give a bonus. Don't dig deeper than you have to at first—use all of your lateral space before spending money expanding downwards. Try to keep ahead of the curve by building labs and workshops before their respective delegates start nagging you to expand.
While some aspects of the base management are a bit bare-bones, your base's layout can still be easily maximized to your advantage. Vasco rossi sito ufficiale. Leave room to build at least two of everything—laboratory, workshop, power generator, satellite uplink—and remember that vertical and horizontal adjacency give a bonus. Don't dig deeper than you have to at first—use all of your lateral space before spending money expanding downwards. Try to keep ahead of the curve by building labs and workshops before their respective delegates start nagging you to expand.
HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE
You'll lose soldiers in this game, and you'll probably lose council members, too. Don't sweat this. You can afford to lose a lot of them before it's game over, so just focus on keeping the wealthy ones (each nation pays you a different monthly amount, so make note of this) happy. You'll survive if Nigeria pulls out, but if the USA leaves XCOM, you have problems.
You'll lose soldiers in this game, and you'll probably lose council members, too. Don't sweat this. You can afford to lose a lot of them before it's game over, so just focus on keeping the wealthy ones (each nation pays you a different monthly amount, so make note of this) happy. You'll survive if Nigeria pulls out, but if the USA leaves XCOM, you have problems.
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DON'T FORGET THE LONG GAME
Related to that last tip, don't forget the long game. It's easy to put all of your money into developing sweet kit for your commando squad, but it's all for naught if your coalition falls apart. Remember to build and deploy satellites, planes, and other resources around the world, and when you're given the option between three abduction sites, pick the one with the highest panic rating, unless they're all high, then pick the wealthiest country. But remember: It sucks to make it 25 hours into the game only to realize that while your squad is nearly unstoppable, you're woefully underprepared to fight the long war necessary to win the game.
Related to that last tip, don't forget the long game. It's easy to put all of your money into developing sweet kit for your commando squad, but it's all for naught if your coalition falls apart. Remember to build and deploy satellites, planes, and other resources around the world, and when you're given the option between three abduction sites, pick the one with the highest panic rating, unless they're all high, then pick the wealthiest country. But remember: It sucks to make it 25 hours into the game only to realize that while your squad is nearly unstoppable, you're woefully underprepared to fight the long war necessary to win the game.
RUN FOR YOUR LIFE
Remember, this is a turn-based strategy game in which most missions are without time limits! So when you find yourself in a tight spot, or up against one of the super-tough bad guys near the end of the game, don't be afraid to cut and run. Moving around corners will generally get you out of their sights, and a full-blown retreat can be useful either to get enough space to heal wounded soldiers or, even better, to lure aggressive enemies into a trap. Preferably one full of snipers and heavies with rocket launchers.
Remember, this is a turn-based strategy game in which most missions are without time limits! So when you find yourself in a tight spot, or up against one of the super-tough bad guys near the end of the game, don't be afraid to cut and run. Moving around corners will generally get you out of their sights, and a full-blown retreat can be useful either to get enough space to heal wounded soldiers or, even better, to lure aggressive enemies into a trap. Preferably one full of snipers and heavies with rocket launchers.
Carefully planning your base's layout will lead to significant savings and bonuses. What goal should I have in mind when expanding my base? A perfect layout would be the one that wastes as little as possible and creates as many bonuses as possible.
kotekzot
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2 Answers
I would recommend dedicated the entire right side of your base to laboratories and workshops, save for 1 or 2 rooms, which you will need for facilities that get no adjacency bonuses.
You will need to build 6 facilities that get no adjacency bonuses (Officer Training, Alien Containment, Foundry, Psionic Labs and 2 plot facilities which cannot later be removed or moved), and 2 square blocks of 4: 2 Satellite Uplink + 2 Satellite Nexus for a total of 16 satellites (which is exactly the number of satellites you need) + 2 Power Generator + Steam Generator + Elerium Generator to power the whole thing (a base with such a layout will produce 107 power and draw 102 power; you can replace the Thermo Generator with an Elerium generator if no steam block is in a suitable location, allowing you to drop 1 Power Generator and placing one of the non-adjacent facilities there, freeing up a slot in the right wing for another lab/workshop).
As you can see, 6 + 2 * 4 = 14, the number of rooms in one side of your base + 2. The 2 extra facilities will overflow into the right corner of the base, as so:
You can shuffle the blocks around, what's important is that you don't put facilities that get no adjacency bonuses in such a place that it will block bonuses for facilities that do
Should you ever become rich like Scrooge, you can remove 1 Power and 1 Thermo Generators and build a second Elerium Generator, allowing you to move 1 facility that get no adjacency bonuses from the right side to the left side.
Note that the laboratories have been replaced with workshops - by this point you will likely have researched everything there is to research. You may also wish to demolish Alien Containment after interrogating every type of enemy, as doing so will turn surplus live aliens into useful corpses, allowing you to stun aliens for their enemies without sacrificing the body count, as well as free up a slot for a facility that doesn't have adjacency bonuses.
Proof of concept screenshot. Note my improper placement of plot facility 2 - it should be in a corner. Also note how blocks have been shuffled around to accommodate various demands over the base's lifetime.
Enemy Within addendum
The expansion introduces some new factors, but the situation remains largely unchanged: The Genetics Lab counts as a laboratory and the Cybernetics Lab counts as a workshop for adjacency bonuses, so you can build them as you would build laboratories and workshops above (make sure to fit the Gene lab in a corner if you're going to replace the laboratories with workshops later). The foundry has also been given workshop adjacency bonuses, so you can move it out of the laboratory block to the workshop block for some increased efficiency.
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First things first: The number and location of steam vents and pre-excavated spaces will be random each game, and the optimal building strategy will depend on that, to a degree. If you can reach a large area of already excavated spaces by extending the lift down, this can save you valuable time and credits early on. If the only steam vent is next to your satellite uplink, you should forget about it, etc.
If you want to make full use of the adjacency bonuses provided by the new Genetics Lab and Cybernetics Lab facilities, you will have to prioritize between them, the Officer Training School, Foundry and Alien Containment as you won't have the space to build all of these facilities early on, while leaving enough room to make full use of the adjacency bonuses. There is no one right answer here, as it depends on how you want to approach the combat layer.
There are four types of adjacency bonuses, in descending importance: Additional satellite capacity from Satellite Uplinks and Nexuses build next to each other, Money and resource refunds from Workshops, the Foundry and the Cybernetics Lab, increased research speed from Laboratories and the Genetics Lab, and extra power from the three Generator facilities.
Uplink adjacency is absolutely essential, to the degree that you need to designate a 2x2 grid on the left side of your base for them. In order to not lock yourself out of Abduction missions completely, you should leave two countries on your starting continent without satellite coverage. If you don't lose any countries, the best way to provide nearly full coverage (14) is with three Uplinks and one Nexus. If you lose two or more countries, you can cover the remaining ones with four Uplinks.
The refund bonus from Workshops et al. is not essential, but very helpful. If you want to build more than one satellite in the first month, you usually have to construct a Workshop on the right side of the access lift for the additional engineers. With Enemy Within, you can now construct either the Cybernetics Lab or the Foundry in the next space, providing you with your first refund bonus, while leaving room to expand downward for a 2x2 or 2x3 grid. Since the refund bonus has been increased (from 7% to 10%) in EW, you could max it out with a 2x4 grid, but you're well beyond necessity at that point.
Research takes longer in EW, which makes the research bonus from Lab adjacency more helpful, but it is still possible to skip Labs entirely if you make a priority of fully covering South America with satellites and capturing aliens for the research credit. Eventually, weapon fragments will become the research bottle-neck, as usual. However, as you will want the Genetics Lab anyway, building one or two Laboratories next to it won't go to waste. You can do this in the far left or far right columns, extending the adjacency downward. If you wanted to construct a 2x2 grid, you either would have to wait until you excavate the bottom two levels, or delay constructing Workshops on the right side of the base, neither of which I recommended. Once you have researched everything, you can safely remove any Laboratories you have built, but you should be able to finish the game at will at this point.
Unless you get lucky with your steam vent placement, you will have to build quite a few regular Power Generators as you expand your base. I tend to build three or four on the right side of the base, and maybe some more on the third level beneath the Satellite Uplink, depending on how early I can get an Elerium Generator. The Adjacency bonus is quite necessary as regular generators don't produce much power on their own. A well-placed steam vent can save you a lot of time here. Once your first Elerium Generator is in place, you can start replacing the Power Generators with Workshops or other facilities.
It is possible to make do with only two Elerium Generators for your final base if you're frugal: only build one Laboratory, and remove the Alien Containment before you build the Gollop Chamber, once you've interrogated all aliens.
Below is a sample base layout, at 91/92 power:
And just for kicks, this is the really minimalist version, at 80/80 power:
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