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

[agris]

Grunker can you expand on what makes some of the WotC content "the best"?

The new soldiers types are very fun and feel like they complete the game. The additional mission variety is sorely needed, as is the additional enemy variety, especially with ADVENT.

I absolutely love templars. They have the potential to be the most broken class type in the game.
If you luck out and get one that has access to ranger abilities through the training school or whatever it is called, you can create a soldier that is basically immune to most attacks and can just solo entire encounters.

Reapers are pretty filthy too. They actually make stealth gameplay viable and you can troll the enemy with their traps and environment destruction.

sounds highly tactical!

I know you're being sarcastic, but as tactical games go Firaxcom isn't it. Yes, there are supposed to be tactics in the form of flanking, but due to how maps are designed and how the pod mechanic works, it's more efficient to just destroy cover with grenades and use your soldiers' gear and abilities to win fights. Which, funnily enough, is sort of strategic in itself as you have to work out various synergies and combos. I guess its more like a card based game without the cards, in that respect?

If you're looking for a deep squad based tactical game this isn't it. If it weren't for the perma death it would be a pretty casual foray into tactics games.

my brother in Christ I’m just trying to play a 2 action nuXcom game without having my brain raped by anime and eyes gored on whatever the hell abominations they unleashed in those DLC gear packs

 

[mediocrepoet]

it's more efficient to just destroy cover with grenades and use your soldiers' gear and abilities to win fights. Which, funnily enough, is sort of strategic in itself as you have to work out various synergies and combos. I guess its more like a card based game without the cards, in that respect?

I find this statement interesting in that it could imply a clear connection and progression between XC2 and Midnight Suns. Did you play MS?

 

[CthuluIsSpy]

it's more efficient to just destroy cover with grenades and use your soldiers' gear and abilities to win fights. Which, funnily enough, is sort of strategic in itself as you have to work out various synergies and combos. I guess its more like a card based game without the cards, in that respect?

I find this statement interesting in that it could imply a clear connection and progression between XC2 and Midnight Suns. Did you play MS?

No, it looked too cringe to me.

 

[CthuluIsSpy]

Grunker can you expand on what makes some of the WotC content "the best"?

The new soldiers types are very fun and feel like they complete the game. The additional mission variety is sorely needed, as is the additional enemy variety, especially with ADVENT.

I absolutely love templars. They have the potential to be the most broken class type in the game.
If you luck out and get one that has access to ranger abilities through the training school or whatever it is called, you can create a soldier that is basically immune to most attacks and can just solo entire encounters.

Reapers are pretty filthy too. They actually make stealth gameplay viable and you can troll the enemy with their traps and environment destruction.

sounds highly tactical!

I know you're being sarcastic, but as tactical games go Firaxcom isn't it. Yes, there are supposed to be tactics in the form of flanking, but due to how maps are designed and how the pod mechanic works, it's more efficient to just destroy cover with grenades and use your soldiers' gear and abilities to win fights. Which, funnily enough, is sort of strategic in itself as you have to work out various synergies and combos. I guess its more like a card based game without the cards, in that respect?

If you're looking for a deep squad based tactical game this isn't it. If it weren't for the perma death it would be a pretty casual foray into tactics games.

my brother in Christ I’m just trying to play a 2 action nuXcom game without having my brain raped by anime and eyes gored on whatever the hell abominations they unleashed in those DLC gear packs

Anime nonsense is in the base game too though. WoTC did not

Spoiler

introduce super saiyans who can use kamehamehas. No, I'm not joking. The late game is silly

 

[mediocrepoet]

it's more efficient to just destroy cover with grenades and use your soldiers' gear and abilities to win fights. Which, funnily enough, is sort of strategic in itself as you have to work out various synergies and combos. I guess its more like a card based game without the cards, in that respect?

I find this statement interesting in that it could imply a clear connection and progression between XC2 and Midnight Suns. Did you play MS?

No, it looked too cringe to me.

Well, it's definitely that. The card battles are fun though. It's sort of like a gourmet meal that someone took a giant shit on before it was served to you.

 

[mastroego]

If you want a more "grounded" game, go for XCOM 1 + Long War mod + Long War Rebalance modmod *.
If you want more craziness and mindless fun, then XCOM 2 + WotC + handpicked selection of mods.

Thanks, this wasn’t evident to me. I thought base X2 was plenty grounded.

XC1 + LW + LWR is where it's at, imho.
LW Rebalance's devs have been delving deeper and deeper into the codebase of the game, it's unbelievable how much the game has evolved even from LW, which was already a "modding event" in itself.
(I mean the byproduct of it was a new game studio).

XCOM2 can be fun too, but it's bound to be a less "structured" experience.
There's a reason why a similar "complete" mod setup isn't available for it.
This is why I wouldn't understand the removal of WotC, engine fixes aside. What I mean is, if you're there, you might as well embrace it. I and I do mean to play XCOM2 again, sometime.
But LWR is the (modern) XCOM game.

 

[CthuluIsSpy]

Didn't Longwar introduce silly things like bigger 'lids though?

 

[mastroego]

Didn't Longwar introduce silly things like bigger 'lids though?

I don't think the gargantuan versions are in LWR anymore.
But yes, there were issues with LW, even though it was a fantastic mod already for what it brought to the table.

But tust me, everything has been reworked, and for the better, in LWR. By now LW is but a distant memory.
Even Air Combat can be fun in LWR.

 

[Tuco Benedicto Pacifico]

I'd say the only WotC downside is that it's you know, a tiny little ONEME.

I have no idea of what's supposed to mean, but generally speaking I would say that the only real downside of WOTC is how it's more than a bit on the "cheesy" side when it comes to narrative and overall tone/mood.
The over-the-top "chatty villains who send you hatemails" have a saturday morning cartoon vibe more than anything.

But given that frankly speaking the franchise was always garish as fuck and only petulant wankers cry about "muh narrative depth" in a tactical game, I feel completely justified in saying that one has to be a top tier retard to buy the full package and then avoid the DLC/expansion that on a mechanical level makes the entire game orders of magnitude better.

WOTC includes:

- A lot more visual assets, types of maps and types of missions
- Some significant improvements in your base-building, with few very impactful changes and additions.
- The zombies/lost, that add a very enjoyable variable to the way you can (and should) approach combat when they show up.
- Two new EXCELLENT classes, not just powerful (and boy, they are) but a good vehicle for entirely new playstiles... and a vaguely serviceable one (sorry Skirmisher, all things considered you suck).
- Some of the best equipment in the game.
- Interesting elements of randomization to the soldiers (they all come with an unique and randomly generated skill tree and some variations in the base stats, now. That makes each one to some degree unique).
- last but not least, the game changer that is the Fatigue mechanic, something that actively forces the player to rotate different teams rather than encouraging you to stick just with your best one. This also pairs tremendously well with the new "Covert missions" and other multiple ways to level up all the other generally-inactive soldiers.

 

[Cyberarmy]

I'll just parrot that you need to play with WotC, it really upgrades the game on all fronts. Especially on a techincal level.

Or you can play Troubleshooter: Abandoned Children instead :D

 

[ArchAngel]

I'd say the only WotC downside is that it's you know, a tiny little ONEME.

I have no idea of what's supposed to mean, but generally speaking I would say that the only real downside of WOTC is how it's more than a bit on the "cheesy" side when it comes to narrative and overall tone/mood.
The over-the-top "chatty villains who send you hatemails" have a saturday morning cartoon vibe more than anything.

But given that frankly speaking the franchise was always garish as fuck and only petulant wankers cry about "muh narrative depth" in a tactical game, I feel completely justified in saying that one has to be a top tier retard to buy the full package and then avoid the DLC/expansion that on a mechanical level makes the entire game orders of magnitude better.

WOTC includes:

- A lot more visual assets, types of maps and types of missions
- Some significant improvements in your base-building, with few very impactful changes and additions.
- The zombies/lost, that add a very enjoyable variable to the way you can (and should) approach combat when they show up.
- Two new EXCELLENT classes, not just powerful (and boy, they are) but a good vehicle for entirely new playstiles... and a vaguely serviceable one (sorry Skirmisher, all things considered you suck).
- Some of the best equipment in the game.
- Interesting elements of randomization to the soldiers (they all come with an unique and randomly generated skill tree and some variations in the base stats, now. That makes each one to some degree unique).
- last but not least, the game changer that is the Fatigue mechanic, something that actively forces the player to rotate different teams rather than encouraging you to stick just with your best one. This also pairs tremendously well with the new "Covert missions" and other multiple ways to level up all the other generally-inactive soldiers.

I will accept Fatigue is good but at the time WotC came out I was playing LW2 for vanilla Xcom2 which was superior in every way except engine fixes.
If engine fixes were given to vanilla, LW2 would remain the way to play.
Maybe that was what Firaxis was afraid of..

 

[Hellraiser]

sorry Skirmisher, all things considered you suck

TBH I always liked using skirmishers more than reapers, they better meshed with how I liked to play. Yes they overlap with rangers too much in terms of what they bring to a mission, but the "get over here" ability is a very useful tool.

 

[Grunker]

I also haven't played the DLC. What are these Chosen exactly?

3 henchmen of the ethereals who act as continent bosses who you collect "intel" resources on on the strategy level to uncover and kill, until then on the tactical level they'll they keep randomly popping in during missions in their territory, good fun
one's a bladed assasin type with ninjutsu, one's a dickass thief type with a sniper rifle, third's a wizard
rooting them out rewards you with their swag and puts an end to them constantly sending you hateful videomail

do these new enemies and the way they're portrayed / rolled out feel like a children cartoon or anime-ish to you?

A lot of the problems you seem to think you'll have with WotC you will almost certainly have with the base XCOM2 game as well.

 

[Grunker]

And yes, as I previously said, Fatigue is just pure incline and the fact that agris' review complains about it at all is almost enough reason to dismiss it outright

 

[ERYFKRAD]

There's no mod that lets me have melee weapons on Xcom1 though right? Other than the discount mechapilots.

 

[agris]

I may just scrap X2 and give X1 LWR a shot.

 

[Zombra]

I may just scrap X2 and give X1 LWR a shot.

Did you start your playthrough yet or are you still theorycrafting?

 

[agris]

I may just scrap X2 and give X1 LWR a shot.

Did you start your playthrough yet or are you still theorycrafting?

Started X2 with that mod list I posted last page. Very early, out of tutorial and done a few missions. Not getting an anime feel at all at this point.

 

[ArchAngel]

I may just scrap X2 and give X1 LWR a shot.

Did you start your playthrough yet or are you still theorycrafting?

Started X2 with that mod list I posted last page. Very early, out of tutorial and done a few missions. Not getting an anime feel at all at this point.

Only "anime" are some Pysker powers.

 

[mastroego]

I may just scrap X2 and give X1 LWR a shot.

If you do, avoid the higher difficulties at first.
Some knowledge of the mechanics is required in order not to be totally owned by the aliens on brutal and such.

There's a dedicated LWR discord channel too.
People will discuss tactics there, which can be useful.

 

[ArchAngel]

Yea LWR is pretty brutal. Prepare to be anally raped on any difficulty at first.
No difficulty will protect your in your first "I activated all enemies on map on this small map".
That was also the least fun part of the mod for me. Also the vs human faction missions felt unfair a lot of the time. But I have not played it for at least 2 years so maybe some of this is better balanced now.

The most fun parts of LWR was everything about your Mech units.

 

[Zombra]

I may just scrap X2 and give X1 LWR a shot.

Did you start your playthrough yet or are you still theorycrafting?

Started X2 with that mod list I posted last page. Very early, out of tutorial and done a few missions. Not getting an anime feel at all at this point.

'Spoiler' on anime-style content: There is one enemy type in the game that has a somewhat anime looking haircut. That's it.

 

[mastroego]

Yea LWR is pretty brutal. Prepare to be anally raped on any difficulty at first.
No difficulty will protect your in your first "I activated all enemies on map on this small map".
That was also the least fun part of the mod for me. Also the vs human faction missions felt unfair a lot of the time. But I have not played it for at least 2 years so maybe some of this is better balanced now.

Yeah, it's more balanced now.
Yes, aliens can hear each other if they're close (and if you're loud) but they may also be caught off guard.
I have no complaints about pods activation with the more recent versions of the mod.
Sometimes, of course, things can still go awry. That is, indeed, the game. You must be prepared for it, even if it comes down to fleeing.

The most fun parts of LWR was everything about your Mech units.

In "regular" Long War they still felt somewhat "adjusted" to each assigned role.
Now they FEEL like they belong in their slot.
But all roles have been greatly improved (on average)

 

[Hellraiser]

Only "anime" are some Pysker powers.

The Assasin chosen in WOTC is a full on katana-weilding ninja-larping weeb/narutard.

 

[ArchAngel]

Only "anime" are some Pysker powers.

The Assasin chosen in WOTC is a full on katana-weilding ninja-larping weeb/narutard.

I was talking about X2 vanilla.