Is XCOM War of the Chosen Harder? A Deep Dive into the Enhanced Difficulty
Yes, XCOM 2: War of the Chosen (WotC) is generally considered harder than the base game, particularly for new players. This isn’t a simple matter of cranking up enemy health and damage; instead, WotC introduces new mechanics, enemies, and systems that dramatically impact the player’s experience. While the vanilla game provides a relatively streamlined approach to turn-based tactics, WotC throws a plethora of challenges your way, forcing players to adapt to a constantly evolving battlefield.
Why War of the Chosen is More Challenging
The increased difficulty in WotC stems from a variety of factors:
The Chosen
The most significant addition in WotC is the introduction of the Chosen, three powerful and persistent enemies who each have unique abilities and personalities. These villains stalk your campaign, showing up randomly on missions, and quickly learning your tactics. They possess strengths that can counter your favorite strategies, and their weaknesses are initially unknown, forcing you to engage them carefully and often with trial and error. Early encounters with a Chosen can be especially brutal and are a key reason why the game feels significantly harder at the beginning.
New Enemy Types
Alongside the Chosen, WotC adds a variety of new enemy types, including the Lost and the Specter. The Lost are a horde of zombie-like enemies that are weak individually but overwhelming in numbers. They can swarm your position and distract you from the main threat. The Specter, on the other hand, poses a different kind of challenge. They can swap places with your soldiers, creating chaotic situations, and are not easy to take down, requiring specific strategies and awareness.
Fatigue and Soldier Bond Systems
WotC adds new strategic layers that add to the challenge. The Fatigue system forces you to rotate your soldiers more frequently, preventing you from relying on a single squad of super soldiers. This system forces players to consider their entire roster, adding an element of personnel management that was not present in the vanilla game. Additionally, the Soldier Bonding system introduces potential drawbacks if bonds are broken or a bonded soldier is killed, which can negatively impact your team morale and efficiency.
Resistance Ring
While the Resistance Ring is not inherently a difficulty mechanic, it can add an extra challenge to manage. It gives you more tactical options and potential rewards but also more systems to manage and strategize. Without proper engagement with this system, it can leave you behind and further complicate the overall difficulty.
Early to Mid-Game Spike
Most players find that the early to mid-game is significantly harder in WotC due to the aforementioned factors. The introduction of the Chosen and the Lost, along with the increased strategic layers, often catch new players off guard. However, as you begin to understand the game mechanics, gain access to new equipment (specifically from taking down the Chosen), and build more powerful squads, the game arguably becomes easier, but not in the early game. This also gives a different flavour to mid to late games where you are more likely to be able to overpower your opponents.
How WotC Can Feel Easier
Interestingly, as you learn and adapt to WotC’s mechanics, many players find that the game can become easier in the late game. This is partly due to the aforementioned Chosen gear. As you defeat the Chosen you gain access to their unique and powerful weapons and armor, significantly boosting your combat effectiveness. Additionally, the Reaper, Skirmisher, and Templar hero classes offer new tactical possibilities, which can give you an edge in combat. Mastering the use of these classes alongside traditional soldiers is key to success in WotC.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Should I play War of the Chosen if I’m new to XCOM?
It is generally recommended that new players start with the base XCOM 2 game first. This allows you to understand the core mechanics without being overwhelmed by the additional complexities that WotC introduces. The vanilla game offers a smoother learning curve, making it easier to grasp the fundamentals of squad management, tactical combat, and strategic planning. WotC, while a great expansion, is much more challenging, particularly for newcomers to the series.
2. What is the difference between the base game and War of the Chosen?
War of the Chosen significantly expands upon the base XCOM 2 game by adding a plethora of new content, including the Chosen, new enemy types like the Lost and the Specter, the Resistance Ring, hero classes, the fatigue system, and the soldier bonding system. It also alters the pacing of the campaign and introduces new story elements.
3. What are the “Chosen” in War of the Chosen?
The Chosen are the primary antagonists introduced in WotC. They are powerful, persistent adversaries that hunt your soldiers and actively interfere with your campaign. Each Chosen has unique strengths, weaknesses, and abilities, requiring players to adapt their tactics and strategies each time you face them. They also have their own agendas, which can add unexpected challenges to your campaign.
4. Which XCOM is the hardest?
XCOM 2: War of the Chosen on Legendary difficulty is generally considered to be the most challenging XCOM experience. The game’s mix of tactical combat, strategic management, and high stakes combines to create a tough and rewarding challenge. While older games like XCOM: Enemy Unknown on Impossible are difficult, the depth and scope of WotC make it a formidable challenge.
5. Is XCOM Long War harder than War of the Chosen?
XCOM: Long War is generally considered harder than vanilla War of the Chosen. While Long War adds a great deal of content and complexity, WotC adds a lot more of it in terms of strategic management, making for a more strategic challenge with more decisions to consider. Long War also has a reputation for being significantly longer and more punishing, often requiring the player to engage in more grinding-type missions.
6. What are the new hero classes in War of the Chosen?
WotC introduces three new hero classes: the Reaper, the Skirmisher, and the Templar. Reapers are stealth-focused infiltrators; Skirmishers are mobile, aggressive skirmishers; and Templars are powerful psionic warriors. These classes each bring a unique playstyle to combat, expanding the tactical options available to the player.
7. How does soldier fatigue work in War of the Chosen?
The Fatigue system in WotC forces players to rest their soldiers after combat missions, preventing them from being used repeatedly. Tired soldiers suffer from reduced combat effectiveness, encouraging players to build a larger and more diverse squad to cope with fatigue and maintain a consistent level of readiness.
8. What is the Resistance Ring?
The Resistance Ring is a new facility in WotC that allows players to undertake covert actions, gain resources, and develop better relationships with other factions. Managing the Resistance Ring is a crucial aspect of the game, as it allows you to influence enemy activity and also acquire essential resources and new intel.
9. Is XCOM 2 easier than XCOM: Enemy Within?
While XCOM 2 can be easier on the lower difficulties (Veteran and Commander), it can be significantly harder on Legendary compared to XCOM: Enemy Within’s Impossible mode. This primarily comes down to the game’s emphasis on timed missions and the increased lethality of enemies in the later game.
10. Can you play XCOM 2 without War of the Chosen?
Yes, you can play XCOM 2 without War of the Chosen. However, if you own WotC, there’s no significant reason not to play it unless you are specifically aiming to experience the base game without its added mechanics and content. WotC expands the base game in almost every aspect, creating an overall more challenging and rewarding experience.
11. What is the best weapon in War of the Chosen?
The Darkclaw pistol, exclusive to the Sharpshooter class in the War of the Chosen DLC, is considered by many to be the best weapon in the game. Its ability to ignore up to five points of armor gives it exceptional damage output, particularly in the late game when enemies often have significant armor.
12. How do I beat the Assassin Chosen in War of the Chosen?
To defeat the Assassin, avoid grouping your soldiers too closely to minimize the impact of their AOE psionic attacks, and focus your efforts on quickly exploiting her weaknesses. Each Chosen has a randomly assigned weakness, and discovering and exploiting those is crucial to defeating them.
13. Is XCOM 2 truly random?
While XCOM 2 has a degree of randomization with things such as hit/miss chance, enemy spawn locations, and even what types of missions might become available, it’s more of a pseudorandom system. The game uses a seed number, meaning that a specific scenario will always play out the same way. This can make it more consistent than people tend to think.
14. How much storage space does War of the Chosen require?
XCOM War of the Chosen requires around 65 GB of storage space and is recommended to have a high performance PC to run at optimal settings.
15. Is War of the Chosen DLC worth it?
Yes, War of the Chosen is definitely worth it. It offers a huge increase in content and complexity, greatly enhancing the gameplay experience of XCOM 2. Many veterans would argue that it makes XCOM 2 feel like a whole new game with new challenges that keeps them hooked.