XCOM Long War vs. Long War of the Chosen: A Comprehensive Comparison
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The world of XCOM modding is vast and transformative, and two names stand out prominently: Long War and Long War of the Chosen. While both aim to overhaul the XCOM experience, they target different base games and offer distinctly different takes on the core gameplay. Understanding these differences is key for any XCOM enthusiast looking to dive into the deep end of challenging strategic gameplay. In essence, Long War is a total conversion mod for XCOM: Enemy Unknown (and its expansion, Enemy Within), while Long War of the Chosen (LWOTC) is a similar total conversion mod for XCOM 2: War of the Chosen. They are not interchangeable, nor are they simply updates of each other. They are fundamentally different experiences built on different game engines with significantly different mechanics. The primary distinction lies in the base game and the overall design philosophy, resulting in unique approaches to campaign length, soldier progression, and tactical combat.
Base Game Differences: The Foundation of the Divergence
XCOM: Enemy Within and Long War
The original Long War mod is built upon the framework of XCOM: Enemy Unknown and its Enemy Within expansion. It completely reimagines the vanilla game, emphasizing a much longer campaign, intricate soldier progression, and a significantly more difficult experience. This mod adds an enormous number of new soldier classes, abilities, weapons, and items. Crucially, it introduces concepts like soldier fatigue, requiring careful management of your roster, and significantly ramps up alien unit variety and power. This makes it a much more strategic game of long term planning.
XCOM 2: War of the Chosen and Long War of the Chosen (LWOTC)
Long War of the Chosen (LWOTC), on the other hand, is built upon the framework of XCOM 2: War of the Chosen. This means it inherits all the new mechanics introduced by the expansion, such as the Chosen themselves, the Resistance Ring, covert actions, the fatigue system, and the new hero classes like the Reaper, Templar, and Skirmisher. LWOTC further amplifies this, providing an even greater emphasis on a strategic global war against the aliens. LWOTC retains much of the complexity of original Long War, but with a distinctly modern XCOM 2 feel. It focuses on a long and involved campaign with a greater number of variables to manage and plan around.
Key Gameplay Differences
Campaign Structure and Length
- Long War: The original Long War dramatically increases the campaign length, shifting from a sprint to a marathon. The strategic layer is much more complex, requiring constant monitoring of satellite coverage, resource management, research projects, and the training of a large roster of soldiers. The original game can be completed in about 20-30 hours, whereas Long War can easily go past 100+ hours.
- Long War of the Chosen: LWOTC also lengthens the campaign significantly, but integrates it with the new mechanics of War of the Chosen. It expands on the resistance management, provides a multitude of different types of missions, and makes the strategic layer even more critical. The introduction of the Chosen as recurring minibosses changes the campaign in a significant way. The length of this one can also easily stretch past 100+ hours.
Soldier Progression and Classes
- Long War: The original Long War introduces a multitude of new soldier classes, each with unique ability trees, creating a highly varied roster. Soldiers can also fatigue and require recovery time. This system forces players to develop several capable soldiers in a variety of classes.
- Long War of the Chosen: LWOTC retains the class system of War of the Chosen and adds many more custom class builds and options. Hero classes are expanded and their progression is intertwined with many new class based skills. It focuses less on fatigue in a direct way, and more on using multiple squads in different regions which means using a wide array of soldiers.
Combat and Enemy Encounters
- Long War: The original Long War significantly increases the number and variety of enemies on the battlefield, making encounters much more challenging. Alien AI is much more intelligent and aggressive, and players need to be much more careful in their decision making.
- Long War of the Chosen: LWOTC also amplifies the enemy presence and difficulty, incorporating new enemy types and behaviors. The Chosen themselves add another layer of complexity, forcing players to adjust their tactics on the fly. This version of Long War also rebalances some enemy encounters from the vanilla War of the Chosen game.
Modding Support and Community
- Long War: The original Long War has a significant community with many submods and guides, but is no longer actively being developed.
- Long War of the Chosen: LWOTC has a vibrant and active community, and the project continues to be developed with new features and bug fixes. This means it is easier to find new tools and resources as well as community support.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Can I use Long War mods on XCOM 2 or War of the Chosen?
No, the original Long War mod is only compatible with XCOM: Enemy Unknown and Enemy Within. You cannot use it with XCOM 2 or War of the Chosen. Long War of the Chosen (LWOTC) is a separate mod specifically designed for XCOM 2: War of the Chosen.
2. Which is harder, the original Long War or LWOTC?
Both mods are notoriously difficult, but in different ways. The original Long War has a more unforgiving, traditional strategic layer, while LWOTC focuses on a more dynamic, multi-front war. Generally, most players consider LWOTC to have more of an uphill challenge due to the complexity of enemy encounters and systems introduced.
3. Does LWOTC include all the features of the original Long War?
LWOTC is inspired by the original Long War but is not a direct port. It reimplements many core mechanics in the framework of XCOM 2, adding and modifying systems in the process. It has been designed to be a better game built upon the base game.
4. Is LWOTC available on Steam Workshop?
Yes, Long War of the Chosen is available on Steam Workshop making it easily accessible for installation. The original Long War is usually downloaded outside of Steam.
5. Do I need any specific DLC for LWOTC?
You must have XCOM 2 and the War of the Chosen expansion to play LWOTC. The other smaller DLC packs like “Shen’s Last Gift” and “Alien Hunters” are not required but will have their content incorporated into the LWOTC experience if installed.
6. Can I revert back to vanilla XCOM 2 or WotC after playing LWOTC?
Yes, you can revert to vanilla at any time by disabling the LWOTC mod. However, save files made while using mods are generally not compatible with the vanilla game.
7. How long does a typical LWOTC campaign last?
Like the original Long War, expect a LWOTC campaign to last well over 100 hours, depending on your difficulty settings and play style.
8. Does LWOTC include new soldier classes?
Yes, LWOTC greatly expands the existing soldier classes with new class build options, and introduces new classes, all with unique progression paths and abilities. The class system is a large part of the game.
9. How does LWOTC change the Chosen mechanic?
LWOTC incorporates the Chosen in new and interesting ways. They will level up with you and become stronger, and you will need to plan around their specific weaknesses. They appear as mini bosses in a lot of missions throughout the game.
10. Is it recommended to play vanilla XCOM 2 or War of the Chosen before LWOTC?
It is highly recommended that you play at least a few campaigns of vanilla XCOM 2 or War of the Chosen before diving into LWOTC. This will allow you to learn the core mechanics of the game before tackling the added complexity of the mod.
11. Does LWOTC include all the new enemies from War of the Chosen?
Yes, LWOTC includes all the new enemies from the War of the Chosen expansion, as well as additional unique enemies.
12. Can I play LWOTC on console?
No, Long War of the Chosen is currently only available on PC and will require a strong gaming PC to play smoothly.
13. Does LWOTC change the Geoscape interface?
Yes, LWOTC introduces a more complex and in-depth strategic Geoscape interface, allowing players more control of their long-term strategy and goals.
14. Is LWOTC still being actively developed?
Yes, the development team is still actively working on Long War of the Chosen, releasing updates and bug fixes.
15. Where can I find guides and resources for LWOTC?
You can find a wealth of information on the Steam Workshop page for the mod, as well as numerous community forums and websites dedicated to the Long War series. The official Discord is also an excellent place to seek community help.