X-COM XCOM 2 + War of the Chosen Expansion Thread

[Monocause]

Just to notice that in Commander it's 11 days after the counter is full, not 21. You don't have so much time and especially if you don't have contacts/a facility ready to attack, you're more or less fucked.

You're right. Just googled it and it seems like it's 4 weeks on easy, 3 weeks on Vet, 2 weeks on commander and 1 week on legendary? At least that's what some guy posted somewhere.

 

[Stompa]

Holy shit. Is that from one bomb?

Yep. There were three or four enemies with those bombs on that particular mission, along with a bunch of assorted shooting men, Celatids and Chryssalids (who apparently can survive a nuclear explosion).

Because you are not supposed to be in 100% control of everything in the game.

No shit. I'm not arguing that you need to have tools to remove dodge completely, full control is what ruins the difficulty in the endgame. But some way to mitigate it a bit would be really helpful.

 

[veevoir]

I had 4 people in that mission. And by that mission you should have one full trained PSI and he takes care of it all.

And counterplay is blow them up or PSI them. You lower their hp to levels where even a dodge does not help.

Out of curiosity - what difficulty? I remember that on Commander I had only 3 people, took PSI, grenadier and phantom ranger.

 

[ArchAngel]

Dodge drives me up the fucking wall because there's no proper counterplay to it. I have no idea why Firaxis thought that adding this kind of RNG was a good idea.

Because you are not supposed to be in 100% control of everything in the game.

This. I rather have this dodge mechanic than how rockets worked in Xcom EU/EW. That 10% miss chance happened too often in important situations (and using rockets was always saved for those important situations).

You're right. Just googled it and it seems like it's 4 weeks on easy, 3 weeks on Vet, 2 weeks on commander and 1 week on legendary? At least that's what some guy posted somewhere.

I think it is 4 weeks on legendary as well. because on legendary everything builds and researches slower for the end game counter is also slower.

 

[Bliblablubb]

I have a few questions regarding mechanics.
Since I didn't have enough time to properly play a mission, I just had my ranger run around a little to see what fancy building the story mission was offering me. She triggered a bunch of Chryslerids, but all 3 attacks missed and got riposted by bladestorms. The burn effect killed 2 of them and the 3rd got voidlanced by Andhaira, the porkistani djinn, before I could test it more.

So:
a) Is an attack against a bladestorm ranger an automatic miss, or did I just get really lucky here?
b) Does an enemy killed by the burn effect count as "killed" for unstoppable to trigger?
c) Does bladestorm only trigger if somefag moves into/inside your melee range, or for every melee attack against the ranger?

I still struggle with doom clock. I don't know how to buy myself time as everytime I feel AVATAR progression is too fast for my taste to experience everything this game has to offer. Not to mention this game's RNG gave me middle finger and rolled a facility which is located 6 regions away from my starting position and 4 regions have only one connection nods so there is no way I will hit that facility. It is located in West America which connects only with East America which then connects only with Mexico which connects again only with Colombia, and I have starting position in Asia and only got access to India and I am on my way to establish connection and build radio relay in Middle East. Is there anyway to reduce the progress other than destroying facilites, hitting blacksite and killing first codex? I don't want spoilers but can I reduce the heat with Shadow Chamber or get a mission to reduce the counter like in Blacksite?

Starting positions are randomized? Heh, I started in KWA in both games.
Anyway, at first I too thought progress would be too fast to be fun. However, it usually only increases once per month, so it would only be a problem if you ignore every story missions, facilities and dork events with breakthroughs for half a year.
Like Menopause Monocause said, there are 2 types of avaturd progress: displayed below the "statue" and those below a facility. The facility ones stay there until you destroy it and then all of their pips are removed from the progress, no need to hurry towards those. Also destroying a facility stalls progress for a while, so it's probably better not to blow up more than one per month, in case that effect doesn't stack.
The progress below the statue can only be removed by (lucky) events, or story missions (1 or even 2 pips). Skullfucking a commander removes 1 I think, doing the blacksite as well. Folllowing the research into Codex and Blacksite vial should even remove 2, skullfucking a 'dex most likely too. I've read killing an Avaturd also removes 2, but cannot confirm that, and it's quiet a while before you see those anyway.
Also, researching an alien datapad (the ones that REQUIRE intel), should reveal a facility. However, both times I tried it just centred on one I already know, so it might be buggy?

Edit: despoiler'd

 

[veevoir]

a) lucky
b) surprisingly, from what I experienced and kinda remember that's a 85% yes!
c) moves in the range, doesn't need to attack

Also destroying a facility stalls progress for a while, so it's probably better not to blow up more than one per month, in case that effect doesn't stack

It does stack. It is better to save them all and then go on a tour around the world, ensuring you wont be bothered by facilities for next few months :D

The only shitty things are avaturd progress dark events, dunno if those go on facilities or directly on main base.

 

[Bliblablubb]

c) moves in the range, doesn't need to attack

No, I meant if the enemy already triggered BS from entering the last turn, then attacks the next turn, does the ATTACK trigger it again if he hasn't moved?

The only shitty things are avaturd progress dark events, dunno if those go on facilities or directly on main base.

Main base I would guess, since there was no facility left when I got offered that gorilla mission. Prioritizing that one is a nobrainer anyway, so nobody should even experience that dork event.

 

[veevoir]

It shouldn't trigger again, the ability description seems wrong. Doesn't trigger on attack, but on movement within range.

As of events - sometimes it is not a clear-cut choice, especially on higher difficulties where events selection is nastier.

 

[Bliblablubb]

So far I always got to counter two (might not be the case at higher difficulties), and the effects so far were higher recruiting costs, intel costs, UFO hunting me, reinforcmentes (those cost me an extra turn and therefore a mission), less time till civ attack and avaturd progress. Nothing that really made my breathing heavier. Of course, I am still at midgame at best, so the real fun may be still lurking in the shadows...

 

[ArchAngel]

I didn't get to counter two most of the time on commander difficulty. I had most problems with Faceless on each mission.

 

[veevoir]

I didn't get to counter two most of the time on commander difficulty. I had most problems with Faceless on each mission.

Free meme beacons!

On the other hand, playing on legendary now - extra troops of any kind,escpecially faceless or chryssalids - NOPE.

 

[Jimmious]

In my Commander campaign the choice is always between 3 dark events, usually the one hidden behind an Intel wall.

Also a fun moment with Bladestorm:
Assault guy with concealment is sneaking in UFO to disable that beacon shit while the rest are finishing off an archon and a heavy mec. He does it and is in overwatch but during alien turn a new pod pops almost on top of him, a Codex and 2 sectoids. To my amazement, he overwatch shoots the Codex and then slashes it dead when it runs past him. Awesome stuff.

 

[Bliblablubb]

3 events with one hidden is the same on my angsty noob veteran difficulty as well, but the game gracefully gives me the chance to counter 2 with gorilla ops. Since I have now conquered every province on earth, intel is only used for buying a sup precision implant every month. Supplies are plenty, recruits not needed, so only reinforcements or avaturd progress are triggering me.
Sadly, I didn't get to pillage an UFO yet. Not even defending against one, because they are apparently piloted by the Bro-hood of Steel again. My beautiful turrets are collecting dust and rust without ever seeing action.

Unless the game throws some dickmoves into my direction, I think I am ready for a higher difficulty. At least on the strategy level. Do you get fewer turns on higher difficulties? That would be my biggest problem, if I don't start ignoring pods instead being a steamroll...

 

[Jimmious]

You counter two of them? Nice.. In Commander it's one. Sometimes hard to decide which one.

 

[Bliblablubb]

I used to just counter the one that gave an engineer, shows how "difficult" veteran really is after you aren't intimidated by the Avaturd progress anymore. So yeah, Veteran is more of a "learning the ropes and remembering the tech tree", instead of something you should brag about.
But I think it's "fair" enough without making you feel like a consoletard.
Tho I am still a little impressed when I see people having so many flawless (no injuries) missions on Legendary, when sometimes my dakka/luck is just not enough to completely take out everything at once, ending with a big daddy vomitting at me.

 

[veevoir]

The jump between Veteran and Commander is much bigger than jump between Commander and Legend.

 

[Ivan]

I found Commander Iron to be ez after mastering Veteran...

 

[Zeriel]

I used to just counter the one that gave an engineer, shows how "difficult" veteran really is after you aren't intimidated by the Avaturd progress anymore. So yeah, Veteran is more of a "learning the ropes and remembering the tech tree", instead of something you should brag about.
But I think it's "fair" enough without making you feel like a consoletard.
Tho I am still a little impressed when I see people having so many flawless (no injuries) missions on Legendary, when sometimes my dakka/luck is just not enough to completely take out everything at once, ending with a big daddy vomitting at me.

The key is never letting your luck or chance play into it. Hence why people use tons of grenadiers, mimic beacons and (later) psi ops.

It's one of the reasons I find the game very boring after one playthrough, but the optimal way to play XCOM 2 is never allowing the enemy to act, or manipulate them to act in ways that are guaranteed to do nothing.

 

[Ironmonk]

There is a bug in the SDK that makes some mods be like 80mb+ bigger than the necessary.

I always thought some mods were way too big for its features... for example, there is some vests mods that had around 100mb in size and after cleaned by the mod author the mod dropped below 1mb in size.

Various mod author's have been updating their mods recently on steam, but if you use some mod that you think its too big and that probably the mod author is unaware of this bug, you can pass the info along.

More info: https://www.reddit.com/r/xcom2mods/...cks_and_other_mods_to_a_lesser_extent/d0j0ueo

 

[typical user]

Ok, so regarding that facility in West America which is pretty much isolated... The game fucking decided it should increase doomclock by two blocks. How am I supposed to destroy that bitch? Colombia is also isolated and can be accessed only from West Africa which I can contact now but - fuck you XCOM, fuck you. To contact West Africa I need 80 Intel, to get to West America I will need 760 Intel total unless I construct Radio Relays along the way. What the fuck?

So:
a) Is an attack against a bladestorm ranger an automatic miss, or did I just get really lucky here?
b) Does an enemy killed by the burn effect count as "killed" for unstoppable to trigger?
c) Does bladestorm only trigger if somefag moves into/inside your melee range, or for every melee attack against the ranger?

a) You got lucky or you hunkered down/aid protocol'd him or did something else to reduce chance to hit even when flanked.
b) If the person caused burn effect then yes. At least I think it works this way.
c) Unless this game has vague description like for scope mods then no, if someone enters or leaves range of Bladestorm and only then will your Ranger attack.

Thanks for reply regarding doomclock. About Datapads - I haven't found yet anything which requires intel to unlock anything. I already cracked some and have two more ready for Tygan but those probably only offer Intel. I suppose it is a stuff designed for Shadow Chamber.

It shouldn't trigger again, the ability description seems wrong. Doesn't trigger on attack, but on movement within range.

As of events - sometimes it is not a clear-cut choice, especially on higher difficulties where events selection is nastier.

You are right. I got quicker facility construction, viper round and reinforcements. I decided that I do want to have next facility constructed because that is a lead for next mission to reduce aliens progress. Viper rounds I can handle because after all you don't want your soldiers be hit by anything actually. So I went and countered reinforcements, facility popped up in Australia which is 2 regions away (easy to reach as I expected). RNG can still screw players over though with nasty combos and useless rewards like soldiers when you have everyone buffed up. Scientists also drop in value over time.

 

[Zeriel]

The placement of Facilities is the way it is to promote the value of Facility Leads, I'd imagine. If they were easy to reach Facility Leads would be next to worthless.

 

[Thane Solus]

hmm...

 

[Bliblablubb]

Welcome to the wonderful world of Firaxis RNG tradition, where not even the coder probably knows what the fuck is happening. I missed a shot like that at ~85%. With a shotgun. Volourn earned his pink armor through that. Classic Xcom experience.
Brings back fond memories of the old Xcom, where I didn't bother naming troopers until they earned a few promotions. Because all they did before was forming a spaceork-style firing line and hoping to brute force the RNG. I had reserves.

About Datapads - I haven't found yet anything which requires intel to unlock anything. I already cracked some and have two more ready for Tygan but those probably only offer Intel. I suppose it is a stuff designed for Shadow Chamber.

Datapads are for the normal lab, only plot stuff goes into the shadowchamber (and holds progress for lab AND workshop during that time). I checked the internets and apparently the "facility lead" is aquired by skullfucking an advent. Researching it (50 intel) allows you to attack a facility WITHOUT having to contact the region first. Sounds pretty useful for you, so start fingering those enemy brains! If there is no facility on the map you cannot research it until one spawns.

 

[veevoir]

Skullfucking and sometimes from hacking objective.

 

[ArchAngel]

Welcome to the wonderful world of Firaxis RNG tradition, where not even the coder probably knows what the fuck is happening. I missed a shot like that at ~85%. With a shotgun. Volourn earned his pink armor through that. Classic Xcom experience.
Brings back fond memories of the old Xcom, where I didn't bother naming troopers until they earned a few promotions. Because all they did before was forming a spaceork-style firing line and hoping to brute force the RNG. I had reserves.

I guess you were too close and enemy managed to dodge the barrel. I find it funny that even people on Codex don't understand how turn based combat works. Or pretend to thinking it makes them anything but equal to 99% of idiots outside Codex that make fun of situations like this one.