Dick Justice
Banned
Is enemy progression (unit types/quantity, health, damage, etc) tied to the passage of time? Or story progression?
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XCOM 2 |OT| Be Aggressive! Be Be Aggressive!
- Thread starter Sober
- Start date
Both. Enemies will show up as time passes, but advancing the story might make some show up faster.
Atraveller
Banned
The end mission difficulty spike is real! It all turned into
.
mad dashes towards the avatars and hope for the best, long range heavy weapon snipes and null lances won me the game
Grenades, Mimic beacons, grenades, limited savescumming, grenades.
It's not that bad!
Except when it pulls two berserkers against your B-team and you don't even know how the hell you made it out of that.
yanipheonu
Member
It really is the difference between "Maybe I can handle this alright" to "HELP I'M ACTUALLY OVERWHELMED".
My first time with the game starting on Commander on the first mission (after GateKeeper) I was on a roof and activated a pod.
My squad missed 3 overwatch shots in a row, a Rookie got hit and paniced, threw a grenade killing the other 3 squadmates (Thanks to fall damage), then activated a pod that gained vision from the hole in the ceiling, then died to a Critical from the pod they just activated.
I'm extremely sad I wasn't recording.
CarbonatedFalcon
Member
I wish this ran better on my 750 Ti. Dunno how much I really want to play when it kinda runs poopy. Might hold off some until I can upgrade/build a computer.
Though I MAYYYYY be a little salty about a couple missions. At least I'm not on Ironman right now.
Though I MAYYYYY be a little salty about a couple missions. At least I'm not on Ironman right now.
Glitchesarecool
Member
Has anyone played around with any custom class mods that are worth trying out?
yanipheonu
Member
I've been pretty mod crazy so I tried a few.
I liked the Officer class mod, where they trade personal ability to grant other squad members Tactical buffs. At higher levels you can get a Conceal All ability which, while certainly a bit hax, was actually fun to play with. I'd like to see a mod where you get concealment if you defeat an enemy and there are no otters who can see you,
And there was an interesting attempt a Ninja which focused on dodge and stronger melee which was fun to play around with. Trooper seems the most popular one, but it didn't seem to special to me.
Honestly though, those core classes play off each other the best. I'd find my wishing I had a Ranger or Grenadier than a custom class, and eventually took most of them off.
Rentahamster
Rodent Whores
For those of you who are good at math: Rapid Fire vs. Chain Shot.
I got both on a ranger.
Chain Shot:
-15% aim penalty on the first shot.
If first shot hits, the second shot is guaranteed to hit. Never mind I remembered it wrong
If the first shot misses, the second shot doesn't fire.
Rapid Fire:
-15% aim penalty on both shots.
If the first shot hits, the second shot takes its own individual roll to hit.
If the first shot misses, the second shot still fires.
Now, it seems that Rapid Fire is usually better since both chances to fire will always occur. However, my gut says that at above a certain percentage to hit, Chain Shot might be better statistically, since the second shot is always guaranteed to hit if the first shot hits. Or am I just thinking nonsense?
I wouldn't know what equations to use to calculate the odds right now.
I got both on a ranger.
Chain Shot:
-15% aim penalty on the first shot.
If the first shot misses, the second shot doesn't fire.
Rapid Fire:
-15% aim penalty on both shots.
If the first shot hits, the second shot takes its own individual roll to hit.
If the first shot misses, the second shot still fires.
Now, it seems that Rapid Fire is usually better since both chances to fire will always occur. However, my gut says that at above a certain percentage to hit, Chain Shot might be better statistically, since the second shot is always guaranteed to hit if the first shot hits. Or am I just thinking nonsense?
I wouldn't know what equations to use to calculate the odds right now.
LurkerPrime
Member
I've not once had a good opportunity to actually use chain shot. It feels like a complete waste, because in moments where I need to take down a target, a better chance to hit is superior to 2x damage every single time.
Even Deadeye has been more useful (even though I've missed plenty of times). A squadsight sniper just has many more opportunities to take advantage of such skills. And this is keeping in mind the monstrous Squadsight penalties, too.
Even Deadeye has been more useful (even though I've missed plenty of times). A squadsight sniper just has many more opportunities to take advantage of such skills. And this is keeping in mind the monstrous Squadsight penalties, too.
Rentahamster
Rodent Whores
I've stacked scopes and aim PCS on a Grenadier, which gave Chain Shot pretty good utility as an armor killer and semi-reliable one hit KO. Still debating if it's worth the effort though. I can shred armor with explosives, and my damage dealers are the rangers, anyway.
Chain shot is guaranteed to hit on the second shot? The hit % mod I have shows an actual hit % on the second shot of chain (equal to the first I might add, and increased by holo targeting if I have that), but I can't remember any particular instance of it missing, probably because I only fire it when it's 90+ after maluses.
Edit: I take that back, I specifically remember missing with the second shot once and that is why it's cemented in my head that rapid fire is always better.
Edit: I take that back, I specifically remember missing with the second shot once and that is why it's cemented in my head that rapid fire is always better.
Glitchesarecool
Member
Doesn't Rapid Fire also have no cooldown in this game? If you wanted to make the numbers even more complex, you'd have to take into consideration the average turn count versus Chain Shot's cooldown.
Second shot can miss. So matter of fact is that Chain Shot is straight up worse.
Second shot can miss. So matter of fact is that Chain Shot is straight up worse.
Rentahamster
Rodent Whores
I thought that's what the description said? lol I might be wrong, then.
edit:
I think I might have had Hail of Bullets blend in there in my memories, hahaha. I guess Rapid Fire is always better.
LurkerPrime
Member
These revelations make me wonder why Chain Shot is even there. Seems horribly redundant.
Hail of Bullets is a GOAT-tier skill.
Armor shredding changes things a bit, hrm. I still wouldn't risk it, personally, because if I shred an enemy once I can at focus them down with the others, vs. missing and being unable to harm them.
That said, I've only played on Veteran so far, so my armor-shredding needs are rather limited.
Hail of Bullets is a GOAT-tier skill.
Armor shredding changes things a bit, hrm. I still wouldn't risk it, personally, because if I shred an enemy once I can at focus them down with the others, vs. missing and being unable to harm them.
That said, I've only played on Veteran so far, so my armor-shredding needs are rather limited.
Glitchesarecool
Member
Well you're not usually going to have to worry about the two coming together like that very often. Chain Shot, while worse, is available... But then you weigh it against Volatile Mix (Grenades gain +1 tile to their radius and deal +2 damage. Does not increase environment damage) and you're wondering why anyone would ever think to pick it.
Also Salvo can't be easily ignored. Hail is nice but being able to chuck a grenade and gun down the exposed enemy with one unit is godlike in clutch situations.
Rentahamster
Rodent Whores
Yeah, getting two attacks in one turn with Salvo is just too good.
Most of the top-tier skills in this game deal with being able to do multiple attacks in one turn. (Serial, Kill Zone, Rapid Fire, Salvo, Guardian)
Most of the top-tier skills in this game deal with being able to do multiple attacks in one turn. (Serial, Kill Zone, Rapid Fire, Salvo, Guardian)
PastorOfMuppets
Banned
Chain Shot can be useful in a pinch if you have a high percentage shot on an enemy with high hitpoints and a lot of armor. It's gotten me out of several jams vs Gatekeepers and Sectopods. Plus if you have the execution weapon upgrade installed, it doubles your chances of an insta kill.
marvelharvey
Member
I was just playing Civ5 and airdropped an XCOM unit behind enemy lines, right next to the enemy's capital. Upon landing, the once hidden surrounding tiles were revealed and there were vast swathes of Greek artillery and infantry units, as far as the eye could see. Moments later, my XCOM unit was killed by a dozen or so artillery strikes and an achievement popped up "That's XCOM baby!" lol
Rentahamster
Rodent Whores
According to this post, it seems like there isn't a cap on the amount of exp you get on a mission, so feel free to kill as much as you like without fear of it going to waste.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Xcom/comme..._gains_a_promotion_during_a/d0db2uu?context=3
This puts the Avenger defense in a whole new light. Rack up dem kills!
https://www.reddit.com/r/Xcom/comme..._gains_a_promotion_during_a/d0db2uu?context=3
This puts the Avenger defense in a whole new light. Rack up dem kills!
Haha, that's awesome.
Loving this game more than I did the last one. After listening to Jeff talk about it on the bombcast I was worried that I wouldn't like it as much but after a couple hours into it I don't agree with him. I much rather play 2.
Really wish my rangers would stop dying though. I can't seem to keep one alive longer than a mission. They are always getting fucked by stupid mistakes I make.
Really wish my rangers would stop dying though. I can't seem to keep one alive longer than a mission. They are always getting fucked by stupid mistakes I make.
RandomSeed
Member
Chain shot seems to be there if you are going all in on AIM, with a superior scope and PCS. A heavy gunner can really chew up a Gatekeeper and Sectopod with Bluescreen Rounds. With aim around 100, Chain Shot can be a high percentage shot for close to medium range, while HoB is there if you need to guarantee a hit and the accompanying armor shred, while at the edge of shooting distance.
Something I don't think I asked about before. What's the deal with wound times when a soldier bleeds out, versus getting a scratch? I've stabilized a couple of soldiers, healed them up, and they receive NO injury.
Something I don't think I asked about before. What's the deal with wound times when a soldier bleeds out, versus getting a scratch? I've stabilized a couple of soldiers, healed them up, and they receive NO injury.
L/I Blacksite:
WHAT THE FUCK.
My first pull was FOUR pods. Got through it with two mimic beacons (.ini nerfed to 3hp) and three wounded.
11 aliens on screen. What the fuck.
Alloy padding event is up, too. 4-armor shieldbearers with a bad habit are OBSCENE.
And i have two shredders on me...
WHAT THE FUCK.
My first pull was FOUR pods. Got through it with two mimic beacons (.ini nerfed to 3hp) and three wounded.
11 aliens on screen. What the fuck.
Alloy padding event is up, too. 4-armor shieldbearers with a bad habit are OBSCENE.
And i have two shredders on me...
You should have a scope on your ranger to negate that aim penalty and rangers tend to be much closer so aim is better already and shotguns have a higher crit chance. They aren't even comparable to me.
They do randomly ignore it sometimes. I've never understood why, but I've lost soldiers to face punches from Andromedans because of this.
Rentahamster
Rodent Whores
Scope? Nah, laser sight is where it's at!
Glitchesarecool
Member
If it is not on the enemy specific los, he will ignore it.
Glitchesarecool
Member
Ah what an amazing start to another legendary run. High ground, full cover, nope advent officer don't give no fucks about your defenses. Crit kill from across the way. Then two members of the squad panic.
I want to try out that Remove Operation Gatecrasher mod but apparently it causes wicked stuttering.
I want to try out that Remove Operation Gatecrasher mod but apparently it causes wicked stuttering.
Oh, hey glitches, you are my psi op this campaign!
Oh, by the way, you died on your first mission.
Glitchesarecool
Member
#yolo
I mean it's your fault. You told me to do the thing that ended up getting me killed.
ZQQLANDER
Member
Almost beat the campaign on Veteran difficulty and it definitely started to snowball after I got Warden armor. Between proximity mines, emp grenades/amo, mimic beacons, and psi abilities like stasis or domination it isn't even fair anymore. I miss the tension of the first couple months. Sounds like I need to finish up this run so I can graduate to Commander difficulty.
I also feel like snipers are more of a hindrance in this version of XCOM compared to EU. They simply don't deal enough damage to off set their low shooting mobility, particularly with the turn sensitive missions. I would much rather have an extra Heavy. Do snipers gain a more important role as squad members in higher difficulty settings?
I also feel like snipers are more of a hindrance in this version of XCOM compared to EU. They simply don't deal enough damage to off set their low shooting mobility, particularly with the turn sensitive missions. I would much rather have an extra Heavy. Do snipers gain a more important role as squad members in higher difficulty settings?
Glitchesarecool
Member
With the grapple armors available (as grapple doesn't cost you an action and immediately gets your sniper to a height advantage position) and smart positioning, a sniper can basically take a shot at any enemy unit on the map. Negate the aim penalties and give a sniper some extra crit chance alongside AP rounds and those heavier units just drop. Killzone with extended mags can give let a sniper single handedly wipe an enemy pod on activation.
ZQQLANDER
Member
I guess I would have to play more with a sniper with grapple armor to realize the full benefits. What are the specifics of Killzone? The unit can fire at any enemy who moves or shoots from a designated "v" shaped zone? It sounds like a kick-ass ability, but I've never been able to use it really effectively. Maybe I should work on that too.....
Glitchesarecool
Member
Yeah, everything that takes action in the cone gets shot at. It's a great way to end an entire pod in the early and mid game for ambushing, and put a dent in a lot of things for the late game. It's also a good defensive tool to lay down over the general area of enemies mid-mission. Also it will activate on every enemy movement, so if an enemy takes two different positions or if they position and fire, you're taking two shots at them. Finally, it seems to have infinite range as far as I can tell, though it's reliant on squadsight so you will get diminishing returns the further out things are.
Basically with my sniper I'll grapple and park their butt for a few turns. Grapple has a two turn recharge and you can actually use it to swing from point to point like a less inventive spiderman. It doesn't use a movement point and you can fire your sniper right after.
ZQQLANDER
Member
Damn....when you put it that way it sounds like a grapple sniper is a must for harder difficulties.
Glitchesarecool
Member
Hm... I mean, I always run with one in my group because of the long range engagement potential and AP rounds in the late game to really put dents in targets (my sniper becomes a designated Turret wrecker a lot of the time, since they have relatively low health but high armor), but I don't think it's any more or less a "must" than other classes. They have a high damage potential, especially when coupled with a Phantom Ranger who can squadsight an unactivated pod. But there are also bad map tile rolls where you don't get height advantage in a good spot; a sniper isn't going to do well if there isn't LOS.
Also sniper mileage may vary with their AWC perks. As I've posted before, my Untouchable Sniper became a god of death in my runs. I imagine Covering Fire would also significantly improve a sniper.
RandomSeed
Member
Worst part about snipers is figuring out which spec to take on most missions. Gunslinger just destroys high health targets with the right ammo equipped, while a more traditional sniper gives you all sorts of height and overwatch advantages. Kill zone also makes saturation fire a nice ability to trigger with, and anything that actually makes saturation fire OK is nice in my book. Getting kill zone on a different class so you can do it twice is something else, too.
I do both. Long watch, Lightning hands, quick draw, killzone, steady hands and the one where you shoot the pistol 3 times.
TemplaerDude
Member
God damn pistol is for wimps. My sniper shoots his rifle and shit dies. I just got serial on my boy Hector Cocaine and it's so fucking OP. First mission out and he just cleans up all the fucking trash, bip bip bip.
Pistol. Ha. I used my pistol once when my rifle was out of ammo, but I thought really hard about just reloading.
Pistol. Ha. I used my pistol once when my rifle was out of ammo, but I thought really hard about just reloading.
Glitchesarecool
Member
Yep, this is my usual build for snipers too.