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[Fragamemnon]

My current plans for generally more challenge and a more balanced late game:

- I like the length of Commander and think Legendary would be too long so I'll stick with that
- A Better AI: WotC for less stupid AI
- Beta Strike for less alpha striking
- Alien Hunters disabled in steam for fewer overpowered weapons and armors
- I won't permanently kill the Chosen so they can still annoy me and I won't get their OP weapons

Is that enough?

I'm playing Legend/Ironman right now with the Grim Horizon second wave feature turned on (permanent dark events), and honestly wouldn't want to play any form of XCOM 2 without it. It puts a LOT of heat under your seat to close out the campaign as soon as possible.

Perma dark events start building up as the campaign goes on and by the time you really start to hit the cruise control button you have a LOT of permanent negative modifiers to your game built up.

 

[Sad Affleck]

I'll ask again in case someone knows. Does difficulty affect timer length? Are timers shorter on Legend?

 

[Gothos]

I'll ask again in case someone knows. Does difficulty affect timer length? Are timers shorter on Legend?

Nope.

 

[Sad Affleck]

Nope.

Thanks!

 

[Kaffeemann]

I'm playing Legend/Ironman right now with the Grim Horizon second wave feature turned on (permanent dark events), and honestly wouldn't want to play any form of XCOM 2 without it. It puts a LOT of heat under your seat to close out the campaign as soon as possible.

Perma dark events start building up as the campaign goes on and by the time you really start to hit the cruise control button you have a LOT of permanent negative modifiers to your game built up.

I thought quite a bit about the Grim Horizon option. But permanent dark events like the ones that close the black market or double intel costs for new contacts don't seem really balanced to me.

 

[Trickster]

Are there some negative traits you can't remove in the infirmary? I have several soldiers with negative traits, yet they don't appear when I try to access them in the infirmary

 

[Grimsen]

Are there some negative traits you can't remove in the infirmary? I have several soldiers with negative traits, yet they don't appear when I try to access them in the infirmary

I think you can't remove traits when they're wounded.

 

[Kaffeemann]

Are there some negative traits you can't remove in the infirmary? I have several soldiers with negative traits, yet they don't appear when I try to access them in the infirmary

They are probably tired or wounded.

 

[AWizardDidIt]

I'm playing Legend/Ironman right now with the Grim Horizon second wave feature turned on (permanent dark events), and honestly wouldn't want to play any form of XCOM 2 without it. It puts a LOT of heat under your seat to close out the campaign as soon as possible.

Perma dark events start building up as the campaign goes on and by the time you really start to hit the cruise control button you have a LOT of permanent negative modifiers to your game built up.

TBH I think if a mod were to come out that balanced the dark events properly around being potentially permanent, this would be the only way to play the game. As is a few dark events can stop a game dead if you get them early in your campaign. But stacking dark events really does help the mid to end game from becoming too much of a cake walk and adds an urgency to finish the game quickly far better than the Avatar timer does.

 

[Trickster]

They are probably tired or wounded.

Aha, yeah that's it

 

[Fragamemnon]

TBH I think if a mod were to come out that balanced the dark events properly around being potentially permanent, this would be the only way to play the game. As is a few dark events can stop a game dead if you get them early in your campaign. But stacking dark events really does help the mid to end game from becoming too much of a cake walk and adds an urgency to finish the game quickly far better than the Avatar timer does.

I mean, I got High Alert as my 2nd perma dark event (it was hidden, and I didn't pay the intel) and I just had the black market cut out from under me because I had to stop force of strength (so I didn't have to fight bigger pods for the rest of the campaign). It's OK. I'm still winning the campaign, on L/I.

It's meant that I've had to build squads and soldiers out differently to compensate, and there's a sense of impending doom to finish up the campaign.

Dark Events really don't start rolling out until about month three, so by then you're getting your mag weapons and working your way to predator armor, which are usually the two things that the aliens never come back from in a normal campaign.

edit: someone joked that this game should have been called XCOM 2: Enemy Won't Get Off the Phone and I can't agree more. Commander REALLY needs to put his skype on dnd.

 

[mr teaspoon]

I can't wait for the console release. Just a few more days...

Can someone help me understand in terms of the lost, do they only appear on particular missions? Do you know before landing that they're going to be there? Or are they just a completely random element that can appear at any point, on any map?

Basically I just don't like the idea of anything scripted being in my XCOM. Not crazy about the hero characters and am much more interested in changes to the base game experience.

 

[TC McQueen]

I can't wait for the console release. Just a few more days...

Can someone help me understand in terms of the lost, do they only appear on particular missions? Do you know before landing that they're going to be there? Or are they just a completely random element that can appear at any point, on any map?

Basically I just don't like the idea of anything scripted being in my XCOM. Not crazy about the hero characters and am much more interested in changes to the base game experience.[/quote
The Lost show up for sure on the story mission "Lost and Abandoned," and any missions with the "The Lost" and "The Horde" sitreps, as well as the Rescue the Expedition missions.

 

[mr teaspoon]

So then I guess that leads to a question about sitreps -- do those appear before every mission? Because I freakin' love the idea of every single mission having a random qualifier to it.

 

[Bigboss242]

No real boosts to the robots #robotslivesmatyers.

 

[TC McQueen]

So then I guess that leads to a question about sitreps -- do those appear before every mission? Because I freakin' love the idea of every single mission having a random qualifier to it.

Once you get past the Lost and Abandoned mission, yes.

 

[Fragamemnon]

So then I guess that leads to a question about sitreps -- do those appear before every mission? Because I freakin' love the idea of every single mission having a random qualifier to it.

Sitreps aren't always there. There are tons of fun ones though. The best being the one where you get to take three troops and bang your head against tier 2 archons and andromendons.

No real boosts to the robots #robotslivesmatyers.

You can get weapon attachments on them and if you have the continent bonus that boosts attachments you can overdrive them and use cover destruction to annihilate things. Generally though SPARKs aren't worth the cost in resources, especially on Legend.

 

[ohyescoolgreat]

Are there builds with Rabbid Yoshi that are competitive with RLuigi, Luigi, RMario? I have found he tends to be lackluster after he's popped his abilities and done a couple of dashes. The dashes are great but it's very situational where you'd be able to use it on more than 2 enemies.

 

[Shake Appeal]

Are there builds with Rabbid Yoshi that are competitive with RLuigi, Luigi, RMario? I have found he tends to be lackluster after he's popped his abilities and done a couple of dashes. The dashes are great but it's very situational where you'd be able to use it on more than 2 enemies.

You need to manage pod reveals better.

 

[Onivulk]

Are there builds with Rabbid Yoshi that are competitive with RLuigi, Luigi, RMario? I have found he tends to be lackluster after he's popped his abilities and done a couple of dashes. The dashes are great but it's very situational where you'd be able to use it on more than 2 enemies.

Just need to take Run n Gun

 

[Grimsen]

No real boosts to the robots #robotslivesmatyers.

They're much better than in vanilla (can't get tired, access to mods), but they need something broken ( I dunno, a block ability like the Templar? free at the end of every turn) to keep up with every other broken class in this game.

 

[Poodlestrike]

You can get weapon attachments on them and if you have the continent bonus that boosts attachments you can overdrive them and use cover destruction to annihilate things. Generally though SPARKs aren't worth the cost in resources, especially on Legend.

This was my sense, even on Veteran. The resource cost is just HUGE, and then you have to invest in the tech upgrades to keep them competitive... just not worth it, IMO. Especially when you can train Rookies to Sergeants in the GTS with that Resistance order, which massively cuts down on your casualty rates.

Are there builds with Rabbid Yoshi that are competitive with RLuigi, Luigi, RMario? I have found he tends to be lackluster after he's popped his abilities and done a couple of dashes. The dashes are great but it's very situational where you'd be able to use it on more than 2 enemies.

You need to focus on killing the Chosen Assassin so you can give him her stuff. Katana is a gamechanger.

 

[BlackJace]

Y'all play too much

 

[ohyescoolgreat]

You need to manage pod reveals better.

That took me a few moments of staring at your response to figure out my goof. I blame the self references in the OT titles of both XCOM and M+R.

 

[Shake Appeal]

That took me a few moments of staring at your response to figure out my goof. I blame the self references in the OT titles of both XCOM and M+R.

You are not the first. You will not be the last.

 

[drhankmccoyphd]

Is Green Man Gaming the cheapest option for the PS4 at 10% off?

 

[King Tubby]

I don't agree with this. Your reaper won't be able to go on every mission, due to injuries and fatigue. You only get the opportunity to have a few reapers through an entire campaign, so you could very possibly be without a reaper if shit goes south. The reaper and a phantom ranger can work very well together, especially in timer based missions where you can stealth close to the objective. Ranger can back up reaper on flanking shots, run and gun, and the connection becomes even more powerful if you bond a ranger and reaper - bond level 2+ you can remove negative mental effects just by standing in an adjacent tile.

Fair enough, I did have ONE other Ranger who I gave Phantom instead of Blademaster, but I only used him when my Reaper was fatigued and otherwise felt a lot better off going with Blademaster for the rest of my Rangers. I don't like running a Reaper and Phantom Ranger together just because I don't like devoting more than 1 member of the squad to concealed scouting. Stealth also isn't quite as vital to have on all the missions anymore either, between missions against the Lost and the increase in untimed missions where you can move cautiously and set overwatch traps.

 

[Jintor]

That took me a few moments of staring at your response to figure out my goof. I blame the self references in the OT titles of both XCOM and M+R.

You are not the first. You will not be the last.

*Cackles evilly*

 

[Joey Ravn]

Finally killed the third Chosen. Both the Hunter and the Warlock are immensely easier than the Assassin, if you ask me. I think it's a combination of 1. my squad being better and 2. them not having such hard to counter abilities as the Assassin.

I guess it's time for me to focus on advancing the story. The Advent Project's progress is really low right now, so I have plenty of time to take on the different story mission. I still haven't unlocked Yoshi, though.

 

[Jintor]

xcom is always hardest in the beginning because your options are limited to 'shoot that guy' or 'grenade'.

even SPECs aren't as useful as they used to be tbh, it takes until CPL to get some good shit going. Still better than rooks though.

 

[TC McQueen]

Man, Firaxis was working on WOTC back in May 2016?
https://twitter.com/SolomonJake/status/906331188167626753

 

[Jintor]

uh, yeah?

how long do you think games take to make man? That was probably primarily planning stages but these things take ages to gear up to

 

[Basileus777]

Man, Firaxis was working on WOTC back in May 2016?
https://twitter.com/SolomonJake/status/906331188167626753

Why would you think that surprising? What do you think they moved onto after the main game shipped?

 

[TC McQueen]

uh, yeah?

how long do you think games take to make man? That was probably primarily planning stages but these things take ages to gear up to

I figured they spent May to August 2016 or so just hammering out how to improve performance, since that was the biggest problem with XCOM 2, then started figuring out gameplay for the classes once they were sure things wouldn't break.

 

[Basileus777]

I figured they spent May to August 2016 or so just hammering out how to improve performance, since that was the biggest problem with XCOM 2, then started figuring out gameplay for the classes once they were sure things wouldn't break.

Designers aren't squashing bugs or improving performance.

 

[TC McQueen]

Designers aren't squashing bugs or improving performance.

True, but you'd think he'd take a little extra time off to relax.

Then again, wasn't Mark Natua the lead designer on Shen's Last Gift? Maybe he took his vacation then, assuming that was a few months.

 

[Jintor]

I figured they spent May to August 2016 or so just hammering out how to improve performance, since that was the biggest problem with XCOM 2, then started figuring out gameplay for the classes once they were sure things wouldn't break.

nah that's a tech side job. designers are doing the mechanics work, not the codework.

 

[Poodlestrike]

Pretty sure I've read that Firaxis designers are expected to be able to code, too. Not saying they necessary had Solomon on performance tweaks, but it's more likely that the XCOM team was working on different projects or taking time off than continuously plugging away at WOTC en masse since last May.

 

[LurkerPrime]

XCOM 2 can be weird sometimes.

Like, I had a disastrous Blacksite vial mission where everyone died except the vial carrier. He only escaped because my grenadier, poisoned and with 1 HP left, blasted an escape hole along the rear of the building. And then it is only by the grace of ADVENT that this impromptu escape route worked--ADVENT reinforcements dropped in at the same spot as my soldier, pointed at him, and walked past him to lower ground for cover, spaces away from evac.

Then the very next mission is probably the most difficult SITREP in the game--Surgical Strike (3 soldiers only). Even with reduced enemy deployment it is an extremely difficult mission. It goes more or less OK until the last turn, where I lose one of the soldiers. It is at this point that the survivor of the blacksite mission goes berserk and kills the final enemy where they stand, ending the mission.

I lost some great soldiers in those two missions, but... it could have been so much worse. Couldn't have been more memorable, though.


Now interesting facts from this experience:

• Did you know Berserk status lets soldiers attack more than once in a turn?
• Additionally, that Spectres can be disoriented?
• Thirdly, that turrets never count as enemies (in terms of "eliminate enemies to complete mission") even when they're in sight of soldiers?

Well, now I do.

 

[Jintor]

I... forgot that Mutons counter melee.

My Templar's first move ever was to run straight up to a muton and get critted in the face and bleed to death.

 

[Sullichin]

Well my only reaper died in a mission along with everyone else but my sniper and VIP.

How can I get more soldiers in the new classes from the factions?

 

[LurkerPrime]

The Warlock can... mind control multiple people at once!

Ahhh I hate that guy.

Well my only reaper died in a mission along with everyone else but my sniper and VIP.

How can I get more soldiers in the new classes from the factions?

Covert actions to recruit them will pop up from time to time, be on the lookout for 'em. Also be aware, I think you need Medium influence or w/e to undertake those missions.

I... forgot that Mutons counter melee.

My Templar's first move ever was to run straight up to a muton and get critted in the face and bleed to death.

That's only a slightly less noble KO than my Templar. The purifier he killed exploded and took him out for, like, a month.

...After he recovered, he died in his next combat mission to a priest's attack. The priest was on fire (literally) and burned up the next turn.

 

[Sinh_Magnus]

I think the % chance for a muton's counter isn't 100 though. There was a time my templar hit a muton when I was trying new things and that was one of them. It must be really low because most times the guys do counter you.

 

[Metroidvania]

I really do feel the templar is the weakest of the 3 hero classes.

Even with the auto 'run away' move after striking, they need some pretty specific later-game enemies to unlock their T3 upgrade for their sword, and IMO normal psionic troopers get way more versatile powers - at least until the templar starts to come into their own come major/Colonel

Admittedly, I haven't fooled around too much with stuff like char/enemy swap or making cover, and I only got my templar to colonel right before the final mission series so I couldn't really try out the duplicate strat (though Lightning storm is really good), but reapers seem to provide far better utility/scouting, and skirmishers are versatile, get bonus actions, and can grapple/stun/get many moves.

Templars are slightly better than baseline melee rangers, but don't scale as well damage-wise compared to shotgun rangers, especially when you get a laser sight and maybe talon rounds.

 

[TheThunder]

Man if someone could combine Numeric Health Display and Additional Icons it would be so useful, but for now I will live without the extra icons since I hate the default health squares.

 

[Sblargh]

I really do feel the templar is the weakest of the 3 hero classes.

Even with the auto 'run away' move after striking, they need some pretty specific later-game enemies to unlock their T3 upgrade for their sword, and IMO normal psionic troopers get way more versatile powers - at least until the templar starts to come into their own come major/Colonel

Admittedly, I haven't fooled around too much with stuff like char/enemy swap or making cover, and I only got my templar to colonel right before the final mission series so I couldn't really try out the duplicate strat (though Lightning storm is really good), but reapers seem to provide far better utility/scouting, and skirmishers are versatile, get bonus actions, and can grapple/stun/get many moves.

Templars are slightly better than baseline melee rangers, but don't scale as well damage-wise compared to shotgun rangers, especially when you get a laser sight and maybe talon rounds.

Templar upgrades his sword with armor research, whatever sense does that make. So you don't need enemies for this.

I feel very ambivalent about them. Like, when you are scared of running into the pod for fear (or knowledge) that you will activate other pods, they just stand there being literally worst than a rookie, but when you can lash out, he's so good and so satisfying. guaranteed damage, stand there like a human mimic beacon.
Unless the chosen in question is immune to melee, he's also a beast against them. Since the chosen like to run away and hide, the templar's ability to keep chasing them down is great.

Guaranteed damage from across the map with parry to stay there as bait is somewhat situational, but when the situation does require, it's amazing.
For example, can't deal with a berseker this turn? Just send your templar there to poke him and parry the hit.

 

[Sinh_Magnus]

Templar were the sweepers of the team for me. Garanteed damage + a mobility pcs and the ability to act like a mimic beacon and take no damage made them extremely useful for me. If you are lucky and get good extra abilities from their pool you can have a lot of fun with them, endgame specially.

Granted, they weren't in the front lines for me most of the times. I had almost no use for their mags or whatever extra equipment they had so I usually used every action point of my units before I actually made use of the templar.

They were basically the "grenades" of my team to put it buntly, since I had checked the option to tweak granade damage and radious output, making them unreliable.

 

[hidys]

Quick question:

I've played through the original XCOM twice (once with the expansion) but I never got around to the sequal.

Should I play XCOM 2 vanilla or should I play this new expansion?

 

[Gamer @ Heart]

I am so fucking excited about this.

Yall talking about making mid to late game more tense with mods I can never understand.

That late game power fantasy beat down is what olive for.

 

[Tokubetsu]

tfw your xcom squad finna drop the hottest mixtape of 2017