Conquering Earth: What to Focus on in XCOM 2

The world has fallen, and humanity’s last hope rests on your shoulders in XCOM 2. But amidst the alien occupation and desperate resistance, what should you prioritize to turn the tide? The short answer: balance, efficiency, and strategic foresight. To elaborate, your primary focus should be on a trifecta of interconnected elements: developing a powerful squad, expanding your base effectively, and mastering the strategic research & global map management. This requires a careful blend of tactical combat prowess and long-term strategic thinking. Neglecting any of these areas can lead to setbacks, and ultimately, failure.

Building a Dominant Squad

Your soldiers are your most valuable asset. Without a capable team, no amount of research or base building will matter. Therefore, focus on the following:

Soldier Development & Class Specialization

• The Guerrilla Tactics School (GTS): Build this facility first, and prioritize training new recruits. The GTS allows you to purchase crucial abilities, increase squad size, and even accelerates leveling with Combat Tactics. The larger your squad, the more firepower you can deploy and the more tactical flexibility you have.
• Class Understanding: Each class in XCOM 2 plays a crucial role. Reapers excel at stealth and scouting; Grenadiers offer crowd control and explosives; Rangers dominate close combat; Specialists provide support and hacking; and Sharpshooters deliver long-range devastation. Understanding each class’s strengths and weaknesses is essential for effective squad composition.
• Rank & Ability Management: Pay close attention to your soldier’s progression and unlock the right abilities. The War of the Chosen DLC adds Combat Intelligence, allowing soldiers to earn Ability Points more rapidly, making strategic ability picks even more important.

Prioritizing Weapon & Gear Upgrades

• Weaponry Over Armor: Early on, focus on researching and acquiring weapon upgrades to increase your squad’s damage output. While armor is important, the faster you can eliminate enemies, the less damage you will take.
• Scopes: Prioritize the Weapon Fragments research to unlock scopes. This is a cheap but powerful boost to accuracy, especially crucial for rookies.
• Chosen Weapons: If playing with the War of the Chosen DLC, be aware that Chosen Weapons are unique and can be permanently lost if the soldier equipped with it dies and is not evacuated from a mission.

Strategic Base Expansion

Your base is your engine for success. Prioritize facilities that provide essential resources and upgrades:

Critical Facilities

• Advanced Warfare Center (AWC): Build this early. It allows soldiers to recover from injuries faster and adds additional perks.
• Power Relay: Ensure sufficient power for your base facilities by constructing Power Relays. Lack of power can halt base development.
• Resistance Communications: This is vital for making contact with new regions, providing access to resources, and intel.
• Proving Grounds: Unlock this early on to produce experimental gear like armor, weapons, and ammunition upgrades.

Resource Management & Staff

• Engineers and Scientists: These are critical resources. Focus on acquiring them, as they speed up base construction, research, and development, respectively.
• Intel: Prioritize acquiring Intel. This can be used to purchase upgrades from the Black Market, reveal Dark Events, and expand your global network.

Mastering Research & the Global Map

XCOM 2 is just as much a game of strategic planning as tactical combat. Don’t neglect these areas:

Research Priorities

• Resistance Comms/Radio: Your first research should focus on Resistance Comms and Resistance Radio. This allows you to expand the number of regions you have contact with, a crucial step for gathering resources and combating the alien presence.
• Muton Autopsy: Perform the Muton Autopsy as soon as possible. This unlocks critical strategic information and resources.
• Weapon Fragments: As noted before, this allows you to unlock useful early-game upgrades like the scope.

Global Strategy

• Dark Events: Use Intel to reveal and then, ideally, neutralize Dark Events.
• Avatar Project: Be aware of the alien’s Avatar Project, which serves as a soft time limit. Track its progression and conduct missions that reduce it.
• Retaliation Missions: Although you can skip some missions, be cautious about ignoring Retaliation Missions. Doing so can cause you to lose contact with a region.
• Balancing Missions: Assess the risk and reward for each mission before committing to it. Sometimes it’s better to skip a mission than to sacrifice your team.

FAQs: XCOM 2 Deep Dive

Here are some frequently asked questions to further enhance your understanding of key strategies in XCOM 2:

1. What is the “balanced build order” for facilities?

A good balanced build order is: Advanced Warfare Center > Guerrilla Training School > Power Relay > Resistance Comms > Proving Grounds > Psi Lab. This setup provides a well-rounded approach to improving soldiers and base capabilities.

2. Which research should I prioritize early game?

Besides Resistance Comms/Radio, prioritize weapon fragments for scopes, followed by alien alloys for armor. Also, do the Muton Autopsy as soon as it is available.

3. What is the most powerful weapon in the game?

The Plasma Bolt Caster does the most damage per shot but requires reloading after each shot.

4. Is there a time limit in XCOM 2?

Yes, there’s a soft time limit driven by the alien’s Avatar Project. Failing to stop its progress will trigger the game over.

5. What is the most powerful class in XCOM 2?

The Reaper is often considered the most powerful class due to its stealth capabilities and scouting abilities.

6. What is the strongest enemy I will encounter?

The Berserker has the strongest melee attack, and can become enraged to increase its range and damage.

7. Can I ignore missions in XCOM 2?

While you can skip missions, avoid skipping Retaliation Missions as they can cause you to lose contact with a region. Also, ignoring council missions means you lose the contact.

8. Can I play XCOM 2 forever?

Yes, once the Avatar Project is complete, you can continue to play side missions forever if you decide not to launch the final mission.

9. What happens if I fail a retaliation mission?

Failing or ignoring a Retaliation Strike will scatter the Resistance in that region, and you will lose contact, any radio relays in that region, and the region’s income.

10. Which is the hardest alien ruler?

The Archon King is the most challenging Alien Ruler to defeat.

11. What is Combat Intelligence?

This is a mechanic introduced in the War of the Chosen DLC that allows your soldiers to earn Ability Points faster in combat, leading to faster skill upgrades.

12. Is the Wraith Suit worth it?

Yes, especially for Phantom-path Rangers, as it greatly improves mobility and allows for flanking.

13. Which is the best alien to mind control?

Mutons, Heavy Floaters, and Muton Elites make good targets due to their low Will and high damage output.

14. What are some ways to make the game easier?

You can adjust the difficulty by using options like “Lengthy Scheme,” which doubles the Avatar Project timer, or “Time Turner,” which doubles mission timers.

15. Is it better to start with the United States or Europe as a base?

It depends on your playstyle. The US is better if you want aircraft early on, whereas Europe is better for those who want research and engineering bonuses.

Final Thoughts

Success in XCOM 2 hinges on a delicate balance of proactive tactical management, strategic base development, and long-term planning. Focus on building a strong, versatile squad, developing an efficient base, and prioritizing your research appropriately. By mastering these areas, you’ll be well-equipped to take the fight back to the aliens and liberate Earth. Don’t be afraid to learn from your mistakes, adapt your strategy, and above all, never give up. The fate of humanity depends on it.