XCOM 2

[sherbz]

Finally achieved victory. I actually found the run up to the finale more difficult than the finale. Got wrecked by an acid bomb and didnt have that many medi kits. Its tough trying to deal as much damage as you can on legend. And that pack was 4 mutons and 2 andrommedons. The pack of two gatekeepers and 2 codex's was also pretty nasty. Thank god for capacitator discharge - that ruined their AOE attack and disoriented them, enabling me to finish them off.

So how much did i save scum? I think in total probably about 5 or 6 times. And usually it was because i lost a soldier, so i didnt actually lose the mission. This makes me think with slightly better/lucky play I might be able to ironman it on legend.

The beginning is tough though. You need to luck out basically, otherwise you will lose soldiers. the game feels more about luck than skill. You need to hit a string of 90% shots, and you are bound to miss a couple. You absolutely cannot fall behind in tech either. If you start hitting mechs with conventional weapons you are going to have a rough time. Andrommedons are also nasty without beam and a psi soldier. And psi soldiers take a long time to train. Most standard perks take 13 days to learn, so you can forget about having an uber powered psi soldier right away.

Another thing to watch out for is do not wait until you dug out your power core before getting a generator. I waited and it ended up hurting me. You need a proving grounds as when supplys are short the bonus ammo and grenades really do help.

And some of the continent bonus's are really really good, especially on legend. Instant grenades, ammo or armour (including exo and skeleton) is a really nice bonus.

And it seems as though the stats are working now. As per screenshot.

Spoiler :

 

[PhilBowles]

Failed another effort at Classic Ironman, this one the furthest I'd yet got - was punished by being slow to Plated Armor, then conceded following a VIP mission that saw my rupturing Ranger killed and half my remaining team stranded by the timer (including the one carrying the VIP, so a mission failure to boot). The Avatar timer was a pip away from countdown, so I had no prospect of rebuilding a squad in time.

 

[sherbz]

Failed another effort at Classic Ironman, this one the furthest I'd yet got - was punished by being slow to Plated Armor, then conceded following a VIP mission that saw my rupturing Ranger killed and half my remaining team stranded by the timer (including the one carrying the VIP, so a mission failure to boot). The Avatar timer was a pip away from countdown, so I had no prospect of rebuilding a squad in time.

I would suggest that if you face running out of time, it is far better to dump and run. Call the sky ranger and evac. And fail the mission. Much better than the alternative of losing 6 soldiers. I had to evac 2 missions on my classic ironman game.

It is surprisingly easy to rebuild your squad. You can visit the HQ and get a soldier of equal rank to your highest rank for supplies. You can get the same from the black market for intel. And you can also take them as rewards in missions.

I was constantly dipping into a full avatar clock, as the game doesnt end. But i also had a stack of facility missions i could just complete if i needed to to reduce it. Advancing the story is another way.

 

[SupremacyKing2]

I'm curious, what is the most actions that a single soldier can take in the same turn? For example, if you combine "serial" with "lightning hands", a free reload, and throw in a bonus action from a psi op, you could potentially rack up quite a lot of actions. If you are lucky, a single sharpshooter can probably rack up quite a lot of kills all by themselves. There is even a video from a player who scored 9 kills just with face off.

 

[PhilBowles]

I would suggest that if you face running out of time, it is far better to dump and run.

It was a VIP mission - I didn't have the luxury of calling in a particular evac point, I had to use the preset one. I made a mistake in trying to go for the skulljack mission (in part to get rid of an ADVENT officer in a threatening position, reasoning that the Codex would be less of an issue immediately since it defaults to using its area attack instead of dealing damage on its first appearance), which ultimately left me out of position and a turn late.

It is surprisingly easy to rebuild your squad. You can visit the HQ and get a soldier of equal rank to your highest rank for supplies. You can get the same from the black market for intel. And you can also take them as rewards in missions.

Not in good time - I already had the month's soldier and didn't have enough intel as I'd been aggressive about expanding my contact network (having lost a previous playthrough when I ran out of accessible facility and story missions and couldn't stop the timer).

The core mistake I made was miscounting my ADVENT troopers and selling a couple too many to the black market. That was what left me unable to get Predator armour, at a point in the game when Troopers don't turn up in numbers - and I had previously had to evac from a mission and so didn't get any corpses. Another reason I needed to complete the VIP mission - I'd needed the area clear so I could carry the necessary corpses out.

 

[Barathor]

The core mistake I made was miscounting my ADVENT troopers and selling a couple too many to the black market. That was what left me unable to get Predator armour, at a point in the game when Troopers don't turn up in numbers - and I had previously had to evac from a mission and so didn't get any corpses. Another reason I needed to complete the VIP mission - I'd needed the area clear so I could carry the necessary corpses out.

That's one of the things that I dislike, and if I ever start modding XCOM2, I'd remove the corpse costs on things and just add more supplies and such instead. This way, you just sell them to the black market worry-free or you hold on to them to get the instant autopsy. So, in a way, they're just a flavorful way of giving you supplies on successful missions where you can collect the corpses.

Regarding corpses and autopsies, I think it would neat for each corpse collected to reduced the autopsy research cost by a certain % until it reaches 100%, making it instant. This way, it's always a consideration when choosing research instead of not being one when you're close to just getting the instant. Also, in a real pinch, you'd be able to sell some corpses for some extra supplies before starting the autopsy, and you'll still receive some bonus to the autopsy if you need to start it before achieving the instant.

 

[sherbz]

That's one of the things that I dislike, and if I ever start modding XCOM2, I'd remove the corpse costs on things and just add more supplies and such instead. This way, you just sell them to the black market worry-free or you hold on to them to get the instant autopsy. So, in a way, they're just a flavorful way of giving you supplies on successful missions where you can collect the corpses.

Regarding corpses and autopsies, I think it would neat for each corpse collected to reduced the autopsy research cost by a certain % until it reaches 100%, making it instant. This way, it's always a consideration when choosing research instead of not being one when you're close to just getting the instant. Also, in a real pinch, you'd be able to sell some corpses for some extra supplies before starting the autopsy, and you'll still receive some bonus to the autopsy if you need to start it before achieving the instant.

I actually prefer there being a use for the corpses. For ages in xcom, the corpses beyond the first were basically just a useless currency you sold off every now and then. Having them as a requirement for certain items offers you a choice - sell them for cash or save them for items. If anything it should be expanded. I expect if there is a new long war mod in development then this is something they would do.

 

[PhilBowles]

Playing with the recent patch (not the cosmetic pack - ugh. Might have been worth it if it had also added extra languages and nationalities. Language selection is a little worse than in XCOM 1, since Russian isn't an option this time round). Looks as though AWC promotions are substantially more frequent.

Also just saw odd behaviour I never have before, but was presumably there before the patch - a wounded Berserker in a 'blind rage' knocked a Shieldbearer unconscious. Sadly a living Shieldbearer was not among the recovered specimens at the end of the mission - surely they should at least be available to interrogate for intel?

 

[SupremacyKing2]

Also just saw odd behaviour I never have before, but was presumably there before the patch - a wounded Berserker in a 'blind rage' knocked a Shieldbearer unconscious.

Yeah, that happened to me too. It surprised me a little when it happened. Presumably, it is an intended feature, not a bug.

 

[PhilBowles]

Yeah, that happened to me too. It surprised me a little when it happened. Presumably, it is an intended feature, not a bug.

I'd presume so, though it led to some odd graphical effects (the Shieldbearer still appeared to be standing, and at one point threw the dead Berserker that had fallen in the same spot off it). I'm just sad that this doesn't offer up an interrogation tech, even if all that does is add intel, or even count among collected loot (what, did the team just leave it unconscious in the middle of a resistance camp while making the effort to collect all of the things that were already dead? They didn't even kill it and bring in a Shieldbearer corpse).

Another patch change worth commenting on, the mimic beacon change. To me it seems pretty much as good as ever - it will usually survive 2 hits and attract a third until the game's latest stages, and by a strange coincidence most newly-activated mobs get 3 attacks all told. So you can still activate two mobs (the usual situation where you want a beacon as a get-out-of-jail-free card), kill one and use the beacon to draw off the survivors.

 

[SupremacyKing2]

Another patch change worth commenting on, the mimic beacon change. To me it seems pretty much as good as ever - it will usually survive 2 hits and attract a third until the game's latest stages, and by a strange coincidence most newly-activated mobs get 3 attacks all told. So you can still activate two mobs (the usual situation where you want a beacon as a get-out-of-jail-free card), kill one and use the beacon to draw off the survivors.

I agree. The beacon is still good. I think I might use the beacon a little differently. I often use it when I accidentally trigger too many aliens for my squad to handle with the remaining actions I have. So the beacon absorbs some attacks and thereby helps my squad survive to their next turn where I can use all my actions again. Pre-patch this worked too well as the beacon would absorb all alien attacks and so it was basically giving me an extra free turn. Now, it absorbs most attacks so still useful in reducing the attacks my squad will face but not quite the "extra free turn".

Different topic:
In my last game, I just noticed that I was allowed to take a psi op soldier on a mission even though the soldier was in the middle of psi training. Is that normal? I just assumed that if a soldier is in psi training that they would be unavailable for missions but apparently not so. Weird.

 

[Sal]

"In my last game, I just noticed that I was allowed to take a psi op soldier on a mission even though the soldier was in the middle of psi training. Is that normal? I just assumed that if a soldier is in psi training that they would be unavailable for missions but apparently not so. Weird."

Yes, you can interrupt training and so long as they are not injured there is no delay.

Anyone know when you are safe to start selling corpses? For example, after predator armour is there ever a need for troopers again or can you just offload them all?

 

[SupremacyKing2]

Yes, you can interrupt training and so long as they are not injured there is no delay.

That is very good to know. Thanks.

 

[Barathor]

"In my last game, I just noticed that I was allowed to take a psi op soldier on a mission even though the soldier was in the middle of psi training. Is that normal? I just assumed that if a soldier is in psi training that they would be unavailable for missions but apparently not so. Weird."

Yes, you can interrupt training and so long as they are not injured there is no delay.

Anyone know when you are safe to start selling corpses? For example, after predator armour is there ever a need for troopers again or can you just offload them all?

Check out:
\Steam\steamapps\common\XCOM 2\XComGame\Config\DefaultStrategyTuning.ini

Corpses (Commander):

Trooper x 2 = Hybrid Materials (Research) *
Trooper x 2 = Nanoscale Vest
Trooper x 6 = Predator Armor *
Trooper x 2 = E.X.O. Suit
Stun Lancer x 2 = Spider Suit
Sectoid x 1 = Mindshield
Sectoid x 2 = Advanced Psi Amp *
Viper x 2 = Battlefield Medicine (Project) *
Viper x 1 = NanoMedkit
Faceless x 2 = Mimic Beacon
Chryssalid x 2 = Hellweave Vest
Berserker x 2 = Overdrive Serum
Gatekeeper x 1 = Alien Psi Amp *

* one-time purchase

Instant Autopsies (Commander):

Trooper x 15
Officer x 10
Sectoid x 6
Stun Lancer x 6
Shield Bearer x 4
MEC x 4
Turret x 3
Viper x 5
Faceless x 4
Chryssalid x 15
Archon x 5
Muton x 6
Berserker x 6
Andromedon x 5
Gatekeeper x 6
Sectopod x 6

 

[SupremacyKing2]

This looks pretty cool. Tri Force is making a full scale replica of the beam pistol:
http://www.projecttriforce.com/index.php?p=product&id=72

 

[sherbz]

This looks pretty cool. Tri Force is making a full scale replica of the beam pistol:
http://www.projecttriforce.com/index.php?p=product&id=72

I wonder if you could stick up a shop with it

Im on what should hopefully be my final playthrough (which is the third incidentally). Im on legendary ironman. The beginning was rough - really rough. Had to abandon the first supply raid which really hurt as it delayed me purchasing magnetic weapons and starting armour research. I had to wait for the black market and then blow a load of intel on alloys. I also lost a lot of soldiers early game. About 12 of them. But, once i got predator armour and magnetic weapons, things calmed down a bit. Now i have psi soldiers and just starting plasma. But im facing andrommedons and codex's now. Its a weird sort of pace on legendary. It sort of goes like this:

Very hard (early game)
Hard (when you have magnetic weapons)
Medium (when you have magnetic and predator armour)
Hard (when you start facing heavy mechs and andrommedons without beam weapons or psi soldiers)
Medium (end game)

Still, dont be complacent. On ironman one big mistake or bad mission and its all over. I have had to evac a few missions. Will be interesting to see the carnage if i manage to complete it.

 

[ls612]

Tip from my current L/I campaign: Rush plated armor. Mag weapons can wait a bit but plated armor early on will almost ensure that you won't have soldiers die, which is the primary cause of campaign failure. I lost 3 people before getting Predator armor in May but have only lost two since then through mid August (due to a couple missions where everything went wrong).

 

[sherbz]

Tip from my current L/I campaign: Rush plated armor. Mag weapons can wait a bit but plated armor early on will almost ensure that you won't have soldiers die, which is the primary cause of campaign failure. I lost 3 people before getting Predator armor in May but have only lost two since then through mid August (due to a couple missions where everything went tits up).

I'm starting to think the best thing might actually be to build a GTS and then proving ground straight away for special ammo. Then power, resistance coms, awc. Doing that you could go for predator armour first. And you can also make use of the additional item slot. The special ammo is more useful early as well.

On my run I couldn't go for predator as I failed the first supply run, so no alloys. I had to wait till black market so I could purchase the alloys instead.

Thing is you need some sort of damage boost. Mechs and lancers are a real pain with conventional weaponry. But dragon, venom, tachyon or tracer would all be very useful. If I try again after this run I might give it a shot anyway. But I'm quietly hopeful of victory, but we shall see.

 

[SupremacyKing2]

Does anyone have any "rage quit" stories where either because of a game breaking bug, extreme bad luck or human error, you rage quit the game?

 

[sherbz]

Does anyone have any "rage quit" stories where either because of a game breaking bug, extreme bad luck or human error, you rage quit the game?

1 springs to mind:

1) The first was on my first Ironman Legendary run. It was the first supply raid mission and i had not lost a single soldier up till that point, in the second month. Things were going well. I scouted out a bit and came across a pod that was awkwardly placed. There was a mech on top of the train with 2 stun lancers, which on legend difficulty is about as difficult a group as you can get early doors. I placed my squad (2 sharpshooters, 1 Grenadier and 1 ranger) on a roof of a building and led off with my shadowstrike ranger with a 92% hit chance on the mech and a 45% crit chance. He missed his shot. But both my sharp shooters shot before the grenadier, and i missed out on the kill by one health. The mech went first, ran forwards, launched grenades on my squad, who then fell through the floor, killing all of them in one fell swoop. Then i rage quitted.