The Final Stand: Understanding the Last Mission of XCOM: Enemy Within

The last mission of XCOM: Enemy Within is Temple Ship Assault, a grueling and climactic battle that will test everything you’ve learned throughout the campaign. It’s a multi-stage engagement where you must infiltrate and neutralize the alien’s massive temple ship to prevent them from using their technology to achieve their goals for Earth. Unlike many other missions, there are no rewards for completing the Temple Ship Assault. It’s a winner-takes-all scenario; you either succeed in stopping the alien threat or fail to save Earth, and that’s the end of the game. This mission truly serves as the final challenge to the player’s tactical and strategic skills in XCOM: Enemy Within.

Preparing for the Inevitable: What to Expect

Before diving into the assault, it’s crucial to understand the nature of the mission. Temple Ship Assault is a lengthy operation, and it’s essentially a point of no return. Once initiated, there is no going back, no further research to do, no bases to defend and no funding to worry about – the fate of Earth rests entirely on this mission. The game allows you to bring any soldier, even those who are injured, though they will deploy with the health they finished the previous mission with, emphasizing the importance of proper soldier management throughout the entire game. This implies an element of risk. Bring your best, but do so knowingly.

You will face the most difficult battles of the game here. Expect to go up against a myriad of aliens, including Ethereals, Mutons, Sectoids, Floaters, Chryssalids and all the other aliens you faced throughout the game. The Uber Ethereal, the primary antagonist and the final boss, will be encountered on the bridge of the Temple Ship. This isn’t just your run-of-the-mill Ethereal; it boasts improved projectile and energy deflection, immunity to mind control and increased hit points. The level design of the Temple Ship is also complex, forcing you to carefully plan your tactical approaches. The different areas of the ship, including hallways and open rooms, provide unique challenges that need to be addressed with a mix of different tactics and skills.

Navigating the Temple Ship: Tactical Considerations

Approaching Temple Ship Assault requires careful thought and planning. Given the mission’s length and the sheer quantity and quality of the opposition, rushing in is typically ill-advised and often suicidal. It’s imperative that you take your time, carefully check your flanks, and use cover to your advantage.

Key Strategies

• Squad Composition: Bring a balanced team with a variety of specializations. Having a mix of soldiers equipped with different abilities such as offensive, defensive, and support based abilities will be invaluable.
• Overwatch: Use Overwatch to lock down areas and punish enemies moving into your sightlines. You will be outnumbered, so do what you can to reduce the risk in each engagement.
• Flanking: Position your soldiers to gain flanking shots to maximize damage output. You should try to avoid exposing your soldiers too much while attempting to do so.
• Focus Fire: Coordinate your attacks to eliminate the most dangerous enemies quickly. Prioritize taking out enemies that threaten your soldiers’ flanks and those that can deal high amounts of damage.
• Utilize Abilities: Make sure that you leverage all of your soldier’s abilities to their fullest potential. Support abilities such as healing and buffs will be just as important as offensive abilities.
• Patience: Don’t feel pressured to move faster than you are comfortable with. Rushing your forces will put them in more danger than necessary.

The Uber Ethereal fight is the pinnacle of the mission, and one of the hardest battles in the entire game. The Uber Ethereal’s enhanced defenses make it difficult to damage, forcing you to adapt your tactics. It is wise to spread out your forces to avoid any large area-of-effect attacks that it could unleash, such as psionic attacks. Also, be prepared to quickly react to whatever the Uber Ethereal throws at you, and if all else fails, utilize any consumable items that could give your team the edge they need.

The End Game: A Fought for Victory

Once the Uber Ethereal is defeated, the mission is technically complete. However, in the aftermath, you will be shown a series of cutscenes that highlight the ending of the game, wrapping up the story of XCOM: Enemy Within. Beating the Temple Ship Assault concludes the campaign. There is no post-game play or free roam after the final cutscenes.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are some frequently asked questions about the last mission of XCOM: Enemy Within and the game itself, aiming to provide a deeper understanding of this challenging title:

1. Is there a point of no return in XCOM: Enemy Within?

Yes. Initiating the Temple Ship Assault is the point of no return. Once you start this mission, you cannot go back to the Geoscape, research, or conduct other base management activities.

2. What is the final boss of XCOM: Enemy Within?

The final boss is the Uber Ethereal, an enhanced version of the standard Ethereal alien, encountered on the bridge of the Temple Ship. It is a formidable foe with high damage output, and a variety of challenging psionic abilities.

3. Are there any rewards for completing the final mission?

No, there are no explicit mission rewards. The reward is the satisfaction of completing the game and saving humanity from the alien threat.

4. Can injured soldiers be used in the final mission?

Yes, you can bring any soldier, even those injured, but they will enter the mission with the same health they had at the end of the previous mission.

5. Are there multiple endings in XCOM: Enemy Within?

No, there is only one ending. The outcome of the final mission determines whether you are successful or fail at completing the game.

6. Can you continue playing after the final mission?

No. After the completion of the final mission, you will see the end game cutscenes and the game will end. There is no post-game gameplay.

7. How do you unlock the final mission in XCOM: Enemy Within?

The final mission, Temple Ship Assault, becomes available once you have completed all necessary research and have acquired the key necessary items to allow your team to attack the Temple Ship.

8. Can you fail the final mission?

Yes, you can fail the final mission, resulting in the game ending with a loss. This also ends the game, but there will be a different set of cutscenes to signify your defeat.

9. Is there any advantage to capturing the Uber Ethereal alive?

No, capturing the Uber Ethereal alive will not change the final ending or result in any bonus unlocks or rewards.

10. How does Long War affect the final mission?

Long War, a major mod for XCOM: Enemy Within, significantly alters gameplay, including changes to the final mission. It typically makes the final mission and enemies within it much more difficult.

11. Are there any specific soldier builds that are recommended for the final mission?

While it depends on your personal preferences and playstyle, a balanced squad with high damage output, psionic abilities, and support capabilities is generally recommended for the final mission.

12. Is XCOM: Enemy Within a standalone game?

No, XCOM: Enemy Within is an expansion pack to XCOM: Enemy Unknown. It adds new content to the base game rather than being a completely separate title.

13. How many “Must Complete” missions are in XCOM: Enemy Within?

There are four “Must Complete” missions, all of which are Council Requests: Portent, Deluge, Furies, and Newfoundland. Failing these will hinder your game progress.

14. What is the difference between XCOM and XCOM: Enemy Within?

XCOM: Enemy Within adds new gameplay elements to the base game, including new enemies, abilities, maps, missions and themes such as transhumanism via gene therapy, giving the game new depth.

15. What is the overall goal of the final mission?

The overall goal is to neutralize the alien temple ship and defeat the Uber Ethereal, thus preventing the aliens from using the ship’s technology to conquer Earth, and ultimately winning the game.

Temple Ship Assault is a culmination of all your efforts in XCOM: Enemy Within. It’s a challenging but ultimately rewarding experience for the fans of the strategy genre. The strategies and information detailed above will give you the advantage in overcoming the final challenge that the game has to offer. Good luck, commander.