XCOM 2 thread of the game

[MrPopo]

I was referring to the huggy ladies (if you don't get it, do the autopsy before you restart).

[Exhuminator]

I just wanted to stop by and say I love this game's cover art:



Extremely well designed artwork that says everything you need to know with a very simple and striking image.

[flash1987]

Yeah the design and art throughout is exceptional.

Played half of the last mission through break. No big surprises yet. There's a lot of enemies but loads of cover and space for ambushes. Having a 7th man really rules too

[noiseredux]

started a 2nd game in haste. This time Ironman, for you popo (since I felt I was starting to get myself together). But not really. I just wiped out my whole lot of soldiers. Literally, not enough to start a mission. So I guess I'm gonna recruit instead of crybaby rage-quit.

But real talk: Can I get some base management tips here? Cuz shit feels way deeper than EU/EW and I'm sort struggling.

[MrPopo]

So base management, you will need two power plants (at least one on a coil) and two resistance comms but everything else you can only build one of. One or two of them I'd put in the optional camp; laboratories and one other one that'll be obvious (I just don't want to spoil the surprise around it). Laboratories can be staffed with a scientist and effectively double that scientist's output. However, you don't really need many scientists to get your research done. Engineers are going to be your most limiting factor.

Some buildings can be upgraded, such as power plants, resistance comms, and workshops. Workshops you want to place centrally; a fully upgraded workshop can staff two engineers and each staffed engineer will generate two Gremlins, which are essentially an engineer that can only staff adjacent cells.

Building out resistance comms is less critical than the satellite blitz of XCOM. Continent bonuses are nice, but I'd recommend at the beginning of the game to leave slots open so you can work your way towards a dark site. Those missions aren't too bad and can set back the Avatar Project a good deal.

But really, the main focus is to get engineers. I'd focus on guerilla missions that give engineers and buy ones from the monthly staffing and the black market when you can. They drive down construction and excavation time and most structures can be staffed with an engineer to increase production speed of the associated item.

[flash1987]

The building that allows you expand your squad and add squad bonuses (Guerilla tactics something something?) is pretty essential and definitely something I'll be trying to build asap in my 2nd run.

Saying that I haven't had a chance to finish the final mission. Working, friends visiting and house hunting are all taking up my time.

[noiseredux]

so looks like I'll be starting my 3rd campaign soon. Fucked up too much and the Avatar Project got too big.

[MrPopo]

so looks like I'll be starting my 3rd campaign soon. Fucked up too much and the Avatar Project got too big.

The Avatar Project doesn't instantly game over when the bar fills; instead you get a countdown timer (which varies based on difficulty, it's 15 days on Commander) until the game ends. You still have time to get the counter down. You can do so by assaulting a random blacksite or by doing one of the main story missions (the Objectives in the upper left corner).

[noiseredux]

3rd campaign has gotten off to a much better start. I prioritized it so that I could unlock a fifth soldier as soon as possible, and that's already made a big difference.

[MrPopo]

What sort of class balance do you like using, and how have you been speccing your soldiers? I've found that there is no consensus on "this is the best" aside from the fact that fully trained psionic soldiers are ridiculously powerful. So it's fun to see what tactics other people use.