Expanding Your Reach: Mastering Contact Capacity in XCOM 2
In XCOM 2, expanding your global influence is paramount to your success. The ability to make contact with new regions unlocks vital resources, strategic opportunities, and ultimately, the path to victory. Your initial contact capacity, however, is limited, which is why understanding how to increase it is critical. In essence, your contact capacity in XCOM 2 is primarily expanded by building and upgrading Resistance Comms facilities on the Avenger. Let’s delve deeper into the mechanics and strategies of maximizing your contact capacity.
Understanding Resistance Comms
The Resistance Comms facility is the key to unlocking more of the world map. Initially, your capacity is quite low, restricting you to your starting region and a couple of nearby territories. This limits your ability to gain intel, resources, and recruit soldiers. The game explicitly states that each Comms facility raises the contact cap by 1, and this increases to 3 if staffed with an Engineer.
Building Your Comms Network
The first step is to construct a Resistance Comms facility on the Avenger. This requires resources like Supplies and Power. Once built, it will immediately allow you to expand to one more region beyond the initial limitations. However, one facility is not enough if you intend to make contact with all regions of the world.
Upgrading and Staffing for Maximum Output
Beyond the basic facility, it’s also important to understand how to upgrade the Resistance Comms. Upgrading it adds more contact capacity. To upgrade, find the small green “Upgrade” button in the lower left of the facility’s interface. The button appears after the Comms room is built and staffed. The upgrade requires additional resources, usually around 125-190 Supplies and 4 Power.
Additionally, staffing the comms with an Engineer boosts its effectiveness dramatically. With an engineer in the Comm, the contact cap is increased by two, and another one, in total three when added to the base of one. This highlights the importance of acquiring and effectively utilizing Engineers in your campaign.
The Need for Multiple Facilities
As the game progresses, the need to connect with all the available regions will require a second Resistance Comms facility. Two upgraded facilities, when staffed by Engineers, provide enough capacity to expand across the entire globe (assuming no contact capacity bonuses are gained from rumor locations). One facility, even when fully upgraded and staffed, is not sufficient to cover all regions. This means you will need to build it at least one more time to unlock full map potential.
Strategic Planning for Contacts
Maximizing your contact capacity isn’t just about building and upgrading facilities; it’s also about strategic planning. Here are a few points to consider:
- Prioritize Expansion: Focus on unlocking key regions early in the game, especially those with vital resources or strategic locations.
- Engineer Allocation: Ensure you prioritize an Engineer to each upgraded comm facility to get maximum coverage.
- Dark Events: Be mindful of Dark Events that may hinder your expansion efforts and prioritize completing missions that counter such events.
- Continent Bonuses: Watch for continent bonuses that may reduce power costs of such facilities. If you can acquire one that works, you won’t need to build extra power generating facilities, giving you more room to build other facilities on Avenger.
By understanding how to build, upgrade, and strategically plan your contacts, you will be better prepared to face the challenges in XCOM 2. It’s a long campaign that requires meticulous planning, but with a strong comm network, the resistance can win!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some frequently asked questions related to expanding your contact capacity in XCOM 2:
1. How many Resistance Comms do I need for full map coverage?
You need two Resistance Comms facilities, both upgraded and staffed with Engineers to make full contact with the entire world map, assuming you receive no bonuses from rumor locations.
2. What is the base contact capacity of a Resistance Comms facility?
A base Resistance Comms facility adds 1 to your total contact capacity.
3. How many additional contacts does an Engineer add to a Resistance Comms facility?
An Engineer staffed in a Resistance Comms facility adds 2 additional contact capacity, making the total provided by that facility 3.
4. How do I upgrade a Resistance Comms facility?
You can upgrade a Resistance Comms facility by clicking on the small green upgrade button in the bottom-left of the facility interface, provided you have the necessary supplies and power.
5. What resources are required to build a Resistance Comms facility?
Building a Resistance Comms facility requires a combination of Supplies and Power.
6. Can I staff a Resistance Comms facility with any soldier?
No, only an Engineer can provide the additional bonus contact capacity when staffed at the Resistance Comms facility.
7. What happens if I lose contact with a region?
If you fail or ignore a Retaliation Strike, the contact with that region will be lost. You will need to reestablish contact and any radio relays in the region will be destroyed. This also decreases the income of the region.
8. What is the maximum number of contact regions in the game?
The maximum number of contact regions available depends on how you play the game, but two maxed Resistance Comms facilities should allow you to make contact with all regions.
9. Are there other ways to increase contact capacity besides building facilities?
Yes, you can sometimes gain a small amount of contact capacity by researching and completing rumor locations found on the Geoscape.
10. Is there a way to permanently lose regions?
Yes, if a region’s citizens completely lose hope, you cannot gain it back, so watch out for the dark events that may increase citizen panic.
11. What is the difference between contact capacity and squad size?
Contact capacity is the number of regions you can make contact with on the geoscape. Squad size is the number of soldiers you can bring to a combat mission. They are two completely different mechanics.
12. What is the impact of Dark Events on contact capacity?
Some Dark Events may hinder your contact expansion efforts, making it more difficult to connect with new regions. They can slow you down or raise the price of facilities, so be mindful of them.
13. Should I prioritize Resistance Comms early in the game?
Yes, building a Resistance Comms facility should be a high priority early in the game as it is essential to your ability to gain more Intel and make contact with additional regions.
14. Do continents affect contact expansion?
Yes, certain continent bonuses may affect power costs of the comms facility, reducing the power consumption.
15. Can I play the game without expanding to every region?
Yes, while expanding to every region allows you to gain the maximum income of the game, you can still complete the game without making contact with every region, however, it is best to unlock as much of the world as you can to give you access to all resources available.
By understanding how to effectively expand your contact capacity, you can ensure you have the best chance of winning the war against the alien invaders in XCOM 2. Good luck, Commander!