XCOM 2

There were no plans for a Long War 2 initially either. At the very least I'm guessing Firaxis doesn't want a Long War 2 update right away, so there isn't an "improved" version of WotC right after release.

Finished my first WotC run, starting a Beta run now, such a simple difference really changes the feel of the game substantially, really liking it thusfar. Kind of amazing how tactics need to be adjusted to provide more damage output but also are a little less painful for errors when you've got the HP changes.

Was a little nervous going into the first Lost mission thinking how rough they were going to be with adjusted HP - but the Lost get normal game HP, so there's no insane swamping going on there.

a_skeleton_00 said:

So anyone have any idea where the new recruit from advanced options starting faction is found?

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I think if you take the "Lost and whatever" mission at the beginning it overrides it and gives you a Reaper. (I just took Templar start for my Beta run, but left Lost & Whatever on and got a Reaper after it like normal with no sign of Templars - shame since I wanted the faster healing benefit with Beta)

Trying to decide whether to start a new run or wait for the writer of A Better Advent to finish updating it for WotC.

Gavinmad said:

Trying to decide whether to start a new run or wait for the writer of A Better Advent to finish updating it for WotC.

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You tried a Beta run yet? It feels like a largely different game.

Vaclav said:

You tried a Beta run yet? It feels like a largely different game.

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Seems like recheaters would be even more broken.

Gavinmad said:

Seems like recheaters would be even more broken.

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I think the trigger rate for them is nerfed in Beta - not that deep in yet, only have L1 Repeaters thusfar, but not had one trigger yet using two on most missions. Probably 4 missions with them so far, and remember, longer fights so more shots. I'd have expected at least two triggers by now in normal.

How do you get back soldiers that get captured? It keeps saying you can recover them somehow, but I've never seen a mission or covert op to do so?

ronne said:

How do you get back soldiers that get captured? It keeps saying you can recover them somehow, but I've never seen a mission or covert op to do so?

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New Covert Ops missions are offered each month, and eventually you'll just get an Op randomly that allows you to recover your one of your captured guys. My general rule with Covert Ops is to not spend intel or supplies trying to reduce the risk of a mission, unless it specifically removes the capture risk from the Op. I generally dislike risking my guys on those missions - I'm ok if they get injured or ambushed, but captured means that soldier can be MIA for a month or more

Huh, I wonder if there is some story progression trigger that makes those ops appear. My team is in like full plasma weapons and I have two of the chosen dead and I've never once seen a recovery mission.

I'm not even sure I'd bother at this point, those guys have been missing for months now and would basically just be like training up new rookies.

Actually if I had to guess, I'd bet that you can't rescue soldiers that were captured by a chosen you've already defeated.

Also, apparently you can only have 4 resistance soldiers, the one extra soldier you get a covert op to recruit will always be from whatever faction you contacted first, which I guess is always the Reapers unless you turn off the mission that introduces the lost and the factions? Reapers are the only resistance soldier you'd want two of anyway, for double banish on rulers and chosen. Tons of damage with an expanded mag even if you aren't using recheaters.

Banishment is uhhh, a pretty questionable skill to exist. Being able to slap +3 capacity and 15% instant kill on 15% instant kill on the reaper gun is so stupid with it.

ronne said:

Banishment is uhhh, a pretty questionable skill to exist. Being able to slap +3 capacity and 15% instant kill on 15% instant kill on the reaper gun is so stupid with it.

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Yeah I actually didn't take it on either one of my Reapers lol

Beta Strike is the name of that particular second wave option. And from what I'm reading, it's really horribly balanced. On top of it making recheaters even more broken, retaliation missions become an absolute meatgrinder. Double hp chrysallids and berserkers will just wade through a storm of weapon fire to butcher civilians, and that's if you're lucky and they aren't charging at you.

Most troublesome stuff like sectoids and priests can be handled with flashbangs. Unless you can set a berserker on fire or execute it, they're going to fuck someone up.

Gavinmad said:

Beta Strike is the name of that particular second wave option. And from what I'm reading, it's really horribly balanced. On top of it making recheaters even more broken, retaliation missions become an absolute meatgrinder. Double hp chrysallids and berserkers will just wade through a storm of weapon fire to butcher civilians, and that's if you're lucky and they aren't charging at you.

Most troublesome stuff like sectoids and priests can be handled with flashbangs. Unless you can set a berserker on fire or execute it, they're going to fuck someone up.

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Berserkers aren't too bad - not gotten to Chrysalids yet though. I like the balance to it myself, but it's a completely different game - in most of my WotC normal run I could go Flawless on almost every mission - I think I've had two Flawless missions thusfar on Beta.

And retaliation missions thusfar haven't been problematic at all, especially the one's with Resistance help those were laughably easy. It's interesting that it changes the value to a ton of abilities too versus the normal methods - Skirmishers actually are quickly becoming my favorite faction in Beta simply because they can yank Priests and Officers out of cover to allow them to be executed easily by the rest of the squad since they're actually bullet sponges that require multiple attacks to take down. And the value to stealth abuse drops astronomically because you can't just activate one pod and rape it with overwatch before it gets a chance to react.

(Although do note, I did the timer extension as well - so my timers are VERY liberal to handle the extended firefights)

Vaclav said:

And retaliation missions thusfar haven't been problematic at all, especially the one's with Resistance help those were laughably easy.

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Most difficult (for a while) missions are the random resistance missions. The first few retaliation strikes basically seem like a showcase for the new AI resistance. As you say, they make them really easy. However, the retaliation strikes become worse with the chryssalid spawning pods with tons of HP that spawns chryssalids every turn until you kill them. Chryssalids also being able to kill multiple civilians per turn.

Droigan said:

Most difficult (for a while) missions are the random resistance missions. The first few retaliation strikes basically seem like a showcase for the new AI resistance. As you say, they make them really easy. However, the retaliation strikes become worse with the chryssalid spawning pods with tons of HP that spawns chryssalids every turn until you kill them. Chryssalids also being able to kill multiple civilians per turn.

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Are you talking about on Beta? Because Berserkers felt more like they had +50% vs. the +100% that the lower tier stuff got - although I've not done a direct comparison, I know Lost don't have modified HP at all. But I'd not be surprised to see that Chrysalids don't get +100% either.

For all the Chrysalids on my normal WotC run the pods didn't give me much trouble at all - I think I had one spawn ever and I trashed it before it even popped a single one.