XCOM 2 Game Starting Guide

XCOM 2 Game Starting Guide

XCOM 2 is a turn-based tactical strategy video game where you fight aliens who has invaded the Earth and now working on taking over everything. The game serves as a sequel to universally acclaimed and award winning video game XCOM: Enemy Unknown. This game has many elements similar to those in the previous game but also got plenty of new features and differences. XCOM 2 Game Starting Guide will help you in your campaign to effectively use every squad member, using environment to your advantage and how you can easily defeat these alien creatures and win your battles.

XCOM 2 – The Avatar Project:

If you have played the XCOM: Enemy Unknown, you know that “Doom Ticker” represented the Panic level for all Earth’s countries. When the bar is full and panic level rise to maximum it’s game over for you. In this game XCOM 2, we have “Avatar Project”. When the bar for Avatar project fills you will not lose, instead a time will start and when that timer hits zero then the game is over for you.

The count down timer has around 20 days and it stops as soon as you disrupts its progress. When you destroy any enemy facility, or completing your campaign objectives definitely reduce Project Avatar progress. There’s one more thing to it, when the timer stops it won’t just stop it will reset to starting values giving you more time to build up your power. As you know now that the timer gives you 20 days or so, it means you can wait a little longer before disrupting and assaulting enemy facilities to build up your own power and then when you hit a timer for few days then attack. This strategy will give you more breathing space and you can focus on other parts of the world and expand your reach.

XCOM 2 – Choose Your Priorities:

If you really want an upper hand in your battles then you have to prioritize your things, such as what to build and what to research first. If you have just started the game there’s few thing that may require your attention. In the start, focus on Modular Weapon research, it will allow your guns to have looted upgrades which increase their power. Next thing is Alien Biotech; this gives you access Officer Autopsy through construction of Advanced Warfare Center. When you complete this, it will then allow you to build “Proving Grounds” another critical facility.

After that build Resistance Communications which allow you to increase your reach in new regions and also increase your income by activating resistance. After doing all the above things, you are down for two roads Hybrid Materials and Magnetic Weapons and after that Plated Armor. If you do not know which option to chose, I recommend you go with the Magnetic Weapons.

As far the buildings are concerned, start with Guerrilla training School, this will increase you squad size by allowing you to purchase different upgrades. The Advanced Warfare Center that you build above will let your troops a bonus perk which will result in amazing power boost. Next is Proving Ground, this facility allow you to have new types of grenades and ammo. But for all this to work you need power plant and money so you should keep earning various supplies in your missions and use black market to its fullest. And at last you need a Resistance Comms to expand your operations world wide.

XCOM 2 – Line of Sight Indicator:

One of the best and friendliest feature in XCOM 2 is Line of Sight (LoS) indicator, which will indicate you that your soldiers will be able see the enemy if you move them to certain tile you are selecting. This feature can be used in many ways to your advantage, the best way to use this feature is that move your soldiers in such a way that the enemy can’t spot you. Use your environment such as walls and pillars to move your squad so that enemy can’t see you. You can land a squad member 1 tile inside the overwatch of your enemy if they can’t see you.

Another way to use this feature brilliantly is by using it with Ranger’s Phantom Perk. This perk allow your squad member to remain hidden even if your whole squad is revealed. You can use your Phantom and scout the area ahead of you and then use that intel to lay a perfect plan to take out your enemies.

XCOM 2 – Don’t Sneak:

XCOM 2 soldiers has amazing stealth ability but you got to be careful using this because it can bite you. When you sneak past an enemy you should be aware of that fact that those enemies will come back for you and eat you alive from behind. You do not want an enemy at your back when in a tough fight. If you still want to use this ability just be careful and have one thing clear that these enemies will come for you.

This can be used when you are doing hit and run missions such as completing a n objective and then extraction. But as you know in mostly all of the missions killing every enemy is an objective so kill every alien monster you find as soon as possible. Use this sneak ability to set traps and ambushes.

XCOM 2 – Intel, Contacts and Engineers:

In XCOM 2, you will discover many supplies, equipment and bonus mission and other events on your Geoscape screen. But if you’re starting your campaign you can focus on intel, contacts and engineers. Grab engineers when you can as they speed construction and your income. They will build and construct many facilities for you too. You can buy them from black market or Resistance Headquarters.

Intel is of secondary resource value but with intel you can buy different artifacts and items from black market. grab every chance when the game gives you intel. Resistance contacts will allow you to expand your territory by contacting to new regions. You can get contacts by constructing communication buildings but you can also get free contacts from different random events.

XCOM 2 – Black Market:

XCOM 2 has this black market for you to buy and sell different stuff. But we are here for buying different items for intel because the things you will find in here are pretty awesome. You can buy different things here such as weapon upgrades, supplies, engineers, scientists, soldiers and other awesome stuff. Black market regularly refreshes inventory so keep checking the black market for new weapons and gears. One thing to remember is that don’t use all of your intel on buying different stuff in the market save some intel to progress in your campaign.

XCOM 2 – Aim:

The most important thing in XCOM 2 is aim, if you can hit your target you won’t be able to kill them. Your soldiers will gain this naturally after promotion but there are ways you can increase and develop aim of your soldier to new heights. Scopes will improve the aim and accuracy of the weapon to which they are attach to. But “Perception” will grant aim to everything no matter which weapon your soldier use. Perception Sims are very important you have to improve their accuracy and effectiveness if you want the most out of them.

XCOM 2 – Corpses:

Dead Soldiers are as important as alive ones, no matter that these corpses were your soldiers or enemy’s, you need them both. You can get may valuable things scavenging these corpses. You need ADVENT plates scavenged form enemy corpses to build your first plated armor. When your squad member dies and you do not extract his/her body all the gears that soldier is carrying will be gone for nothing so every time your soldier dies extract that dead body if you want to keep all that expensive gears that soldier is carrying.

XCOM 2 EVAC:

If you want to evac a mission your soldiers can call for Skyranger for immediate extraction. This means you can get out of any heat up zone or tight spot without dying. If your squad member is unconscious and bleeding to death it is recommended to pick that solder and call for EVAC before they die to stop damage. But be careful when you pick up an unconscious soldier and call for extraction that soldier who picked up the unconscious one will also leave the mission area and leaving you behind with one more less squad member.