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

[oldmanpaco]

Yeah the infiltration deal seems like a pain so far. If you need to adjust squad size/makeup every mission to get an adequate infiltration what is the point of having preassigned squads?

Anyway Team Paco got hit pretty hard in mission #2 due to DA2 style enemy drops so I might need to rethink this shit.

 

[sser]

I'm sending 4-rookies into a 100% infiltrated area -- I'm also not sure how the infiltration numbers work so I'll see how this goes as a sort of test.

BTW, how does the cloaked stuff work anyhow. Sometimes they'll walk up and have their red squares on me, but haven't technically seen me yet. When this happens I just put everyone on overwatch and throw a nade to insta-wipe them (usually). However, if you just do nothing will they just walk off, not having seen you at all?

Edit: rookies completely annihilated. Wasn't even close. Pods walked into me, promptly moved around, and shot me on the same turn, then simultaneously set up an overwatch field of fire.

 

[ArchAngel]

I'm sending 4-rookies into a 100% infiltrated area -- I'm also not sure how the infiltration numbers work so I'll see how this goes as a sort of test.

BTW, how does the cloaked stuff work anyhow. Sometimes they'll walk up and have their red squares on me, but haven't technically seen me yet. When this happens I just put everyone on overwatch and throw a nade to insta-wipe them (usually). However, if you just do nothing will they just walk off, not having seen you at all?

Edit: rookies completely annihilated. Wasn't even close. Pods walked into me, promptly moved around, and shot me on the same turn, then simultaneously set up an overwatch field of fire.

You can be in red area if you are not flanked by any enemies. You cannot walk into red area.
100% infiltration means standard mission. Less than 100% means more enemies, more than 100% means less enemies. Doing missions with rookies only led to deaths in all version of Xcom since 1994.

 

[ArchAngel]

I called evac which took longer to appear than it did for the actual mission timer to end (because that makes sense I guess).

And then, while retreating, enemies randomly spawned quite literally right on top of me, magically appearing out of the sky to slap me in the face with that lovely Fake Difficulty Bullshit backhand.

Oh, and I forgot to mention. I spent 50 Intel to boost the infiltration by like 20% (I thought it'd do 50%, but apparently it's 50% of your finished infiltration rating). The mission objective was to retrieve an item that would give 26 Intel. So I literally put myself into a -24 Intel hole for nothing. I exited and restarted the campaign.

They have drops ships to drop troops. You get a warning in top left corner that at end of your turn, their reinforcements will come. On Veteran and above difficulty you are not shown the exact spot they are going to be dropped off at.

 

[baturinsky]

So, Long War 2 is unplayable so far? Or just riddled with fool's traps?

 

[Grunker]

This all sounds suspiciously like that thing Grunker was talking about

 

[ArchAngel]

So, Long War 2 is unplayable so far? Or just riddled with fool's traps?

No, this is just noobs whining.

 

[sser]

I'm sending 4-rookies into a 100% infiltrated area -- I'm also not sure how the infiltration numbers work so I'll see how this goes as a sort of test.

BTW, how does the cloaked stuff work anyhow. Sometimes they'll walk up and have their red squares on me, but haven't technically seen me yet. When this happens I just put everyone on overwatch and throw a nade to insta-wipe them (usually). However, if you just do nothing will they just walk off, not having seen you at all?

Edit: rookies completely annihilated. Wasn't even close. Pods walked into me, promptly moved around, and shot me on the same turn, then simultaneously set up an overwatch field of fire.

You can be in red area if you are not flanked by any enemies. You cannot walk into red area.
100% infiltration means standard mission. Less than 100% means more enemies, more than 100% means less enemies. Doing missions with rookies only led to deaths in all version of Xcom since 1994.

True, but I use 4-rookies as my baseline test. I've completed Impossible/Ironman Terror missions in XCOM with such a squad as you can more or less gameify things way too easily.

I think the big fuckaradoo aren't the aliens, but the little drones that scoot around zapping, stunning, and disorienting your guys.

 

[ArchAngel]

I'm sending 4-rookies into a 100% infiltrated area -- I'm also not sure how the infiltration numbers work so I'll see how this goes as a sort of test.

BTW, how does the cloaked stuff work anyhow. Sometimes they'll walk up and have their red squares on me, but haven't technically seen me yet. When this happens I just put everyone on overwatch and throw a nade to insta-wipe them (usually). However, if you just do nothing will they just walk off, not having seen you at all?

Edit: rookies completely annihilated. Wasn't even close. Pods walked into me, promptly moved around, and shot me on the same turn, then simultaneously set up an overwatch field of fire.

You can be in red area if you are not flanked by any enemies. You cannot walk into red area.
100% infiltration means standard mission. Less than 100% means more enemies, more than 100% means less enemies. Doing missions with rookies only led to deaths in all version of Xcom since 1994.

True, but I use 4-rookies as my baseline test. I've completed Impossible/Ironman Terror missions in XCOM with such a squad as you can more or less gameify things way too easily.

I think the big fuckaradoo aren't the aliens, but the little drones that scoot around zapping, stunning, and disorienting your guys.

This is not standard Xcom. It has a new mechanic Infiltration that you need to take into account for every mission. It is not designed to play whatever and hope for the best. That is how Firaxis version is played and why people bash them for years.

 

[MediantSamuel]

This is not standard Xcom. It has a new mechanic Infiltration that you need to take into account for every mission. It is not designed to play whatever and hope for the best. That is how Firaxis version is played and why people bash them for years.

I can attest to this - threw a couple of guys into my first mission with no infiltration and ended up in a mass shootout I couldn't win.

I'm wondering if it might be possible to sneak as far as possible, hit the objective and then leave. Does anyone know if all the pods on the map converge on you or could I safely avoid some?

 

[belated]

I think they have a chance to destroy cover depending on the distance from center of the explosion. Also, there's probably a late game grenadier perk that makes them work like in vanilla, as it was in Long War 1.

I think I saw a perk like that among the first perks grenadiers can choose from. Along with one that makes grenades avoid destroying loot and whatever the third was.

I'm wondering if it might be possible to sneak as far as possible, hit the objective and then leave. Does anyone know if all the pods on the map converge on you or could I safely avoid some?

When I was to rescue a few resistance fighters I'd almost made it to the cells with my 5 people unseen when I was tempted to grenade a clustered advent group. One of the visible advent groups was moving away from me as well, so I might have been able to make it all the way to the cells without anyone noticing. I expect they converge when you break the prisoners out though?

 

[sser]

I'm sending 4-rookies into a 100% infiltrated area -- I'm also not sure how the infiltration numbers work so I'll see how this goes as a sort of test.

BTW, how does the cloaked stuff work anyhow. Sometimes they'll walk up and have their red squares on me, but haven't technically seen me yet. When this happens I just put everyone on overwatch and throw a nade to insta-wipe them (usually). However, if you just do nothing will they just walk off, not having seen you at all?

Edit: rookies completely annihilated. Wasn't even close. Pods walked into me, promptly moved around, and shot me on the same turn, then simultaneously set up an overwatch field of fire.

You can be in red area if you are not flanked by any enemies. You cannot walk into red area.
100% infiltration means standard mission. Less than 100% means more enemies, more than 100% means less enemies. Doing missions with rookies only led to deaths in all version of Xcom since 1994.

True, but I use 4-rookies as my baseline test. I've completed Impossible/Ironman Terror missions in XCOM with such a squad as you can more or less gameify things way too easily.

I think the big fuckaradoo aren't the aliens, but the little drones that scoot around zapping, stunning, and disorienting your guys.

This is not standard Xcom. It has a new mechanic Infiltration that you need to take into account for every mission. It is not designed to play whatever and hope for the best. That is how Firaxis version is played and why people bash them for years.

Well yeah, I get that. But it's a new LW so things are still worth testing/poking/prodding.

 

[LizardWizard]

So, Long War 2 is unplayable so far? Or just riddled with fool's traps?

Nah, just the filthy casuals need to get gud.

I'm wondering if it might be possible to sneak as far as possible, hit the objective and then leave. Does anyone know if all the pods on the map converge on you or could I safely avoid some?

Yeah, I've done a few VIP extractions with just 1-2 Shinobi

 

[ArchAngel]

I'm sending 4-rookies into a 100% infiltrated area -- I'm also not sure how the infiltration numbers work so I'll see how this goes as a sort of test.

BTW, how does the cloaked stuff work anyhow. Sometimes they'll walk up and have their red squares on me, but haven't technically seen me yet. When this happens I just put everyone on overwatch and throw a nade to insta-wipe them (usually). However, if you just do nothing will they just walk off, not having seen you at all?

Edit: rookies completely annihilated. Wasn't even close. Pods walked into me, promptly moved around, and shot me on the same turn, then simultaneously set up an overwatch field of fire.

You can be in red area if you are not flanked by any enemies. You cannot walk into red area.
100% infiltration means standard mission. Less than 100% means more enemies, more than 100% means less enemies. Doing missions with rookies only led to deaths in all version of Xcom since 1994.

True, but I use 4-rookies as my baseline test. I've completed Impossible/Ironman Terror missions in XCOM with such a squad as you can more or less gameify things way too easily.

I think the big fuckaradoo aren't the aliens, but the little drones that scoot around zapping, stunning, and disorienting your guys.

This is not standard Xcom. It has a new mechanic Infiltration that you need to take into account for every mission. It is not designed to play whatever and hope for the best. That is how Firaxis version is played and why people bash them for years.

Well yeah, I get that. But it's a new LW so things are still worth testing/poking/prodding.

Oh I agree. Test and prod away. Just that I got an impression you were complaining about it, and some other people here already started screeming bloody murder because of posts like yours.
If you are just testing everything and reporting back finding, that is cool.

 

[sser]

So, Long War 2 is unplayable so far? Or just riddled with fool's traps?

Nah, just the filthy casuals need to get gud.

I'm wondering if it might be possible to sneak as far as possible, hit the objective and then leave. Does anyone know if all the pods on the map converge on you or could I safely avoid some?

Yeah, I've done a few VIP extractions with just 1-2 Shinobi

So pure stealth runs are feasible?

 

[Raghar]

120 missions per campaign is...a lot. A lot lot. Otherwise it looks awesome.

Original UFO:EU could have even 200.

Especially when you count interception as a mission. There were so many missions that shooting UFO over water to have only one ground mission per week, or landing with wounded soldiers look around if all alliens are dead by damage in air, and when not evacuate and receive less negative points because of at least trying, were necessary for finishing it before your beard was too long.

 

[ArchAngel]

So, Long War 2 is unplayable so far? Or just riddled with fool's traps?

Nah, just the filthy casuals need to get gud.

I'm wondering if it might be possible to sneak as far as possible, hit the objective and then leave. Does anyone know if all the pods on the map converge on you or could I safely avoid some?

Yeah, I've done a few VIP extractions with just 1-2 Shinobi

So pure stealth runs are feasible?

Not in All Kill missions :D

 

[Zeriel]

I've just played the first mission on Veteran and my 8 squad team got wiped hard. :-\ (i finished vanilla on commander and found it quite easy)

They added some stuff to maps, there are a lot of cover spots and more cover to cover firefights, grenades are useless they don't destroy cover anymore, i tried some flanking but triggered many other pods wtf :D

I don't know how you finished Commander and found it "easy" if you are not used to pod management. I guess grenades carried you? So far I haven't found it particularly hard, just different with cover destruction being so rare.

 

[Mazisky]

I've just played the first mission on Veteran and my 8 squad team got wiped hard. :-\ (i finished vanilla on commander and found it quite easy)

They added some stuff to maps, there are a lot of cover spots and more cover to cover firefights, grenades are useless they don't destroy cover anymore, i tried some flanking but triggered many other pods wtf :D

I don't know how you finished Commander and found it "easy" if you are not used to pod management. I guess grenades carried you? So far I haven't found it particularly hard, just different with cover destruction being so rare.

Always used lot of explosives and also i had 2 OP frost grenades every mission.

I found it easy expecially after the first\2nd month, where i started snowballing without control

Only mod i used was Alien pack and A bettter AI, so i had vanilla perks but better enemies

Of course i reloaded many saves, but i only saved on geoscape between missions (had 30 different saves end game)

If the game stayed like early (in terms of difficulty) till the end, it would be perfect for me

 

[Raghar]

Always used lot of explosives and also i had 2 OP frost grenades every mission.

I found it easy expecially after the first\2nd month, where i started snowballing without control

Only mod i used was Alien pack and A bettter AI, so i had vanilla perks but better enemies

Of course i reloaded many saves, but i only saved on geoscape between missions (had 30 different saves end game)

If the game stayed like early (in terms of difficulty) till the end, it would be perfect for me

Alien hunter pack also means these 2 frost grenades.

I played veteran ironman and finished in on first playthrough. Higher difficulties are more about luck and early missions. If you go into it without knowing details, tech tree, decisions and other stuff, it's quite hard and more enjoyable on veteran.

 

[Zero Credibility]

Well shit, True Concealment is not yet compatible with LW2. Did they put something similar into LW2 and if not, why not?

 

[Mazisky]

Well shit, True Concealment is not yet compatible with LW2. Did they put something similar into LW2 and if not, why not?

They create some abilities and options to freeze timers a bit

 

[vmar]

It seems like the LW2 timers are a little more generous than vanilla but it's been so long since I played unmodded Xcom 2 I can't really remember. I do wish True Concealment was compatible though.

 

[Mazisky]

I wonder if they gave up with the expansion and this is the end of Xcom 2

 

[baturinsky]

So, in LW you have to craft each gun individually, but then they are nailed to one soldier which refuses to share?