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Missions (LWR)

2021-08-02T02:25:58Z

Pa2016: /* Abductions */

[[Long_War_Rebalance|Back to Main Page]]

= In General =

When a mission appears in the Mission Control room you have a certain amount of time to deploy to it before it disappears. Noting that you can only engage in one mission at a time and it takes time to travel to and from missions.

Any soldier lost will have a 10% chance to lose each piece of equipment (from 40% in LW 1.0).

= Squad Sizes =

[[File: Soldiers_M-F.png|left|256px|]]

'''Squad sizes''' in Long War Rebalance vary depending on the mission type. Unlike, LW 1.0, they can not be increased through Officer Training School upgrades.

The '''We are Legion (#25)''' Second Wave option allows bringing 2 additional soldiers on all Covert Op missions.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+
|-
! style="padding: 5px;" | Mission Type
! style="padding: 5px;" | Squad Size
|-
| style="padding: 0 15px;" | UFO Sites, DLC Missions, and Base Assaults
|| 8
|-
| style="padding: 0 15px;" | Abduction, Council, Terror, and Covert Op Data Recovery Missions
|| 6
|-
| style="padding: 0 15px;" | Covert Op Extractions
|| 3
|-
| style="padding: 0 15px;" | Temple Assault
|| 9-11*
|}
<nowiki>*</nowiki> ''1 additional soldier can be brought for every 5 council nations still supporting XCOM.''
<br/>

= Rewards =

All missions reward bounties for most aliens killed and usually some form of panic reduction for a successful mission. Most missions will have meld canisters that yield meld if collected. UFO Missions and Alien Base Assaults reward extra scavenged resources of alloy (based on the type of UFO) and elerium (based on recovered UFO Power Cylinders). Council missions will have set rewards that can include scientists, engineers, credits, panic reduction, and reward soldiers.

Any abduction, terror, or council mission that is completed in under 10 turns has a chance (10% per turn under 10) to have the council offer a 50-100 credit bonus (double on council missions).

All of these rewards will increase in value by 5% per month of the campaign and are modified based on the campaign length.

=Abductions=
<div style="max-width:1600px;">
<div style="width:520px;float:right;">[[File:LWRabduction.jpg|right|500px]]</div>

'''Reward for Succeeding:''' credits/scientists/engineers/soldiers (see below), -1 panic in country, and -1 panic in continent (modified by Campaign Length)

'''Penalty for Failure:''' +2 [[Alien_Level_(LWR)|alien research]], +2 country panic, and +1 continent panic (modified by current country panic) (modified by Campaign Length)

'''Expiration Time:''' 1.5 hours

Alien Abductions are generated by an Abductor and are an [[Alien_Missions_(LWR)#Abduction|Alien Mission]] that occurs a few times a month (depending on Campaign Length) but decreases in frequency by 10% (multiplicatively) each month that passes.

Each time the aliens successfully land an abductor on an abduction mission XCOM will be notified, regardless of where in the world they land. The aliens will attempt 2 sets of 2 abductions spaced a day apart (upped to 2 sets of 3 at 6 months in). Due to flight time, XCOM may only be able to respond to 1 of the abductions before the time runs out, so a commander must choose wisely.

The maps for each abduction will be chosen randomly, but smaller maps will be filtered out of more dense abductions.

The density of the abduction is determined on the Light(0) -> Moderate(1) -> Heavy(2) -> Swarming(3) scale as follows:

<div style="max-width: 700px;">
Density = 3 - ''Rand''(5) + Country Panic(out of 100)/33
</div>
<div style="max-width: 1000px;">
If density is Light(0) or Swarming(3), 75% of the time push the density back to Moderate(1) or Heavy(2), respectively.
Highest density is capped at Moderate(1) for the first month and Heavy(2) for the 2nd month
</div>

The number of aliens at the abduction site depends on the density of the abduction and other factors:

<div style="width:640px;float:right;">[[File:LWRAbductionOption.png|right|600px]]</div>

{| class="wikitable" cellpadding="15" style="text-align:center;"
|+
|-
! style="padding: 5px 10px;" | Condition
! style="padding: 0 15px;" | Number of Aliens
|-
|| Light || 7-9
|-
|| Moderate || 9-11
|-
|| Heavy || 11-13
|-
|| Swarming || 13-15
|-
| style="padding: 0 15px;" | Alien Resources exceeds (50|80)%
|| +1 | +2
|-
|| Months Passed || +1 every 4 months
|}

Under the '''alien activity''' display (see image on right) it will list the density of the abduction, the current level of the aliens, as well as give 1 or 2 '''+''' signs. One '''+''' sign means that there is either increased aliens due to alien resources being high, increased alien leader levels due to alien aggression being high, or increased aliens due to Incursion Strength being high. Two '''+''' signs means two of the previous items, three means all three.

An abduction which is not stopped by XCOM causes panic in the target country and continent, and provides the aliens with additional research. The panic increase is higher if the abduction was conducted in a country with less panic.

{| class="wikitable" cellpadding="15" style="text-align:center;"
|+
|-
! style="padding: 5px 15px;" | Panic in Abduction Country
! style="padding: 0 15px;" | Country and Continent Panic Amount
|-
|| 0-20
|| +9
|-
|| 21-40
|| +6
|-
|| 41-100
|| +3
|-
|| Campaign Length
|| x4 / x2 / x1 / x0.5
|}

'''Rewards'''

Completing an abduction mission has a chance to grant a reward of credits, scientists, engineers, or a soldier, each with the following amounts:

{| class="wikitable" cellpadding="15" style="text-align:center;"
|+
|-
! style="padding: 5px 15px;" | Reward
! Amount
|-
|| Credits
|| (40 + ''Rand''(20)) * (1 + month/10) * Abduction Density (1.0/1.2/1.5/1.9) * Campaign Length (4/2/1/0.5)
|-
|| Scientists
|| '''''Light or Denser''''': a 20% chance for 1-3 plus a 2nd 20% chance for 1-3<br>'''''Moderate or Denser''''': another 20% chance for +1-3<br>'''''Heavy or Denser''''': another 20% chance for +1-3<br>'''Swarming''': another 20% chance for +1-3<br>Chances multiplied by Campaign Length (4/2/1/0.5)<br>Final Result increased by 5% per month<br>Minimum of 1
|-
|| Engineers
|| '''''Light or Denser''''': a 20% chance for 1-3 plus a 2nd 20% chance for 1-3<br>'''''Moderate or Denser''''': another 20% chance for +1-3<br>'''''Heavy or Denser''''': another 20% chance for +1-3<br>'''Swarming''': another 20% chance for +1-3<br>Chances multiplied by Campaign Length (4/2/1/0.5)<br>Final Result increased by 5% per month<br>Minimum of 1
|-
|| Soldier
| style="padding: 0 15px;" | Soldier Rank = Month/3 + ''Rand''[2 * Abduction Density (1/2/3/4)]<br>Clamped between 0 and the lower of the # of months that have passed or your highest ranked soldier (0-7), and then set to at least 1 (Specialist)
|}

Note that soldier rewards are NOT modified by campaign length to accommodate for more soldiers lost on longer campaigns.
</div>

=Terror Sites=

'''Reward for Succeeding:''' 10 credits per civilian saved (modified by Campaign Length) (+5% per month), reduced country and continent panic (possibly increased panic if not enough civilians saved) (modified by Campaign Length)

'''Penalty for Failure:''' Loss of Country and 10 panic across the continent (modified by Campaign Length)

'''Expiration Time:''' 8 hours

During Terror Missions you are required to eliminate all hostiles and save as many of the 18 civilians that you can. Aliens, who are active, but can see no XCOM soldiers, will target civilians. As well, each inactivated pod will have a chance to kill multiple civilians every turn that passes. This means that XCOM should try to engage all pods quickly and stay within sight of active aliens as much as possible if they want to minimize casualties. This can lead to some unwinnable situations though, so the balance between being aggressive and saving civilians vs being cautious and saving XCOM will likely vary mission to mission.

Terror missions will automatically generate 15 panic in the target country, and 4 panic across the same continent. However, each civilian saved will decrease the panic generated by the mission by 1 in the target country and 0.3 across the continent. Additionally, each civilian saved in a country that has NOT left the Council of Nations will award 20 credits. Both the panic alterations and bonus credits are modified by campaign length (2.0/1.0/0.5/0.33). The credit reward increases by 10% each month.

A Terror Site which is not stopped by XCOM causes the target country to immediately leave the Council of Nations and generates 10 continental panic (modified by Campaign Length).

Terror Sites are generated by a UFO, so you can prevent a terror mission by shooting down the incoming UFO before it can create the terror site.

The number of Terror Site missions decrease in frequency by 5% (multiplicatively) each month that passes.

All pods on terror missions will have a guaranteed leader and the leader levels are increased by 2 during terror missions.

The first Terror Site will contain:
<div style="max-width: 800px;">
2 Chryssalids, 3 Zombies, and a pod of: 4-6 Floaters, 4-6 Thinmen, 4-6 Sectoids or 4-6 Mutons. 9-11 enemies total. (The number of aliens in the random enemy pod may be related to the month in which the first terror mission occurs.)
</div>

The number of aliens at subsequent Terror Sites is:

{| class="wikitable" cellpadding="15" style="text-align:center;"
|+
|-
! style="padding: 5px 10px;" | Condition
! Number of Aliens
|-
|| Base Amount
| style="padding: 0 15px;" | 2-3 Chryssalids plus either 2-3 Chryssalids or 3-5 Zombies
|-
|| Extra Aliens
|| +6
|-
| style="padding: 0 15px;" | Alien Resources exceeds (50|80)%
|| +1 | +2
|-
| style="padding: 0 15px;" | Months Passed
|| +1 every 4 months
|}

=UFO Sites=

UFO sites are unique missions in that they will always have a command pod consisting of one or more outsiders. These outsiders have the '''growth''' perk meaning waiting to engage them can result in them becoming very strong. As well, any activated outsiders will call all other enemies on the map to their location, making dealing with multiple pods quite common. The choice of whether to engage the outsiders early when they are weak or to clear out the rest of the map first is up to the commander.

After a UFO mission the player has the option to send additional salvage teams (at a cost). They will yield additional alloy and elerium with a random cost proportional to the size of the resource haul.

== UFO Class ==

[[File:Ufoinfo.png|right]]

The '''UFO Class''' (see image on right) will list the type of UFO (unknown will show a ?), current level of the aliens, boosted level of the aliens, as well as give 1 or 2 '''+''' signs.

The boosted level of the aliens (number in brackets beside the current alien level) will only increase the attribute boosts from level upgrades that aliens receive. This means you will still fight the same enemies, but they may have increased attributes. The boosted level does not affect what types of enemies will be present or the leader levels (though a larger UFO class will lead to higher level aliens).

Leader levels of aliens on UFOs are independently increased based on UFO class as described here: [[Alien_Life_Forms_(LWR)#Leaders_and_Leader_Levels|Leader Levels]].

One '''+''' sign means that there is either increased aliens due to alien resources being high or increased alien leader levels due to alien aggression being high. Two '''+''' signs means both.

==UFO Crash Site==

'''Reward for Succeeding:''' UFO equipment and resources (with damage), -1 panic in country

'''Penalty for Failure:''' 2 panic in country

'''Expiration Time:''' 36 hours

When a UFO is shot down and not destroyed, a UFO Crash Site mission becomes available. Completion of a UFO Crash Site mission rewards the player with the possibility of recovering valuable components from the UFO; however, a crashed UFO is now even more likely to have destroyed artifacts.

Enemies on crashed UFOs will sometimes die on the crash or receive a wound. The amount of aliens killed or wounded on a crash is random, with an average of 25% dying and 33% becoming wounded. However, it's possible none are dead or wounded or almost all are dead or wounded. Wounds will randomly leave enemies with anywhere between 1 to full HP. An exception to this is Outsiders, Sectopods, and Ethereals cannot be wounded or killed during a crash.

==UFO Landing Site==

<div style="width:330px;float:right;">[[File:Outsider600.jpg|right|300px]]</div>

'''Reward for Succeeding:''' UFO equipment and resources (pristine), -1 panic in country

'''Penalty for Failure:''' 2 panic in country, UFO mission completion

'''Expiration Time:''' 16 hours

Some UFO missions will involve a landing. Whether or not this will be the case can often be determined by looking at the UFO's altitude (NOE altitude often means it will land). If you allow the UFO to land it will either generate a terror mission, an abduction, or simply a landing site. It may actually be in your interests to ''let'' NOE-flying UFOs land, as (a) it will save your interceptor craft some damage, and (b) it will net you a lot more salvage, including intact flight computers and power sources. On the other hand, it may be on a bombing mission. Successfully assaulting a landed UFO will also stop the alien mission from being completed.

The command pod may not be on the bridge. This is so you won't know exactly where this pod is, and thus won't be able to prepare a blitzkrieg to take it out.

Landed UFOs are both more difficult and more rewarding than crashed UFOs. This is because there are no enemies killed or wounded and none of the alien artifacts on the UFO will start damaged. Undamaged UFO power source cylinders are one of the best sources of elerium.

=Council Missions=

Council missions have also been modified, mostly to the tune of larger numbers of enemies, both seeded and airdropped. Airdrop spawns may be random, and include enemies other than Thin Men.

Drop-in aliens will increase based on difficulty and for each month that has passed.

==Site Recon==

'''Condition for Succeeding:''' Trigger the air strike and reach the EVAC zone

'''Reward for Succeeding:''' Variable, bonus +100 mission xp

'''Penalty for Failure:''' ?

'''Expiration Time:''' 2 hours

The Chryssalid Hive is not exclusively populated by Shark-lids and free-roaming Chryssalids anymore. You may find other aliens have been invited to the party too. Keep an eye on your ammo and move your troops carefully. Unlike vanilla, think twice before skipping this mission lest you be punished for your negligence.

Note that you cannot recover any corpses from the mission.

==Target Extraction==

'''Condition for Succeeding:''' VIP reaches the EVAC zone

'''Reward for Succeeding:''' Variable, Van Doorn, Friendly, Watson, Green

'''Penalty for Failure:''' ?

'''Expiration Time:''' 2 hours

Rescuing Peter Van Doorn will now add him to your roster. Just remember that it's not fair if he has all the fun.

==Target Escort==

'''Condition for Succeeding:''' VIP reaches the EVAC zone

'''Reward for Succeeding:''' Scientists, Engineers, Credits, possibly Carlock, possibly reduced panic

'''Penalty for Failure:''' ?

'''Expiration Time:''' 2 hours

Escort Dr. Marazuki, Sgt. Carlock or Mr. Thorne to the Skyranger, while killing all hostiles.

==Asset Recovery==

'''Condition for Succeeding:''' Kill all aliens

'''Reward for Succeeding:''' Scientists, Engineers, Significant Credits

'''Penalty for Failure:''' ?

'''Expiration Time:''' 2 hours

Eliminate all hostiles and secure the asset.

==Bomb Disposal==

'''Condition for Succeeding:''' Defuse the bomb

'''Reward for Succeeding:''' Scientists, Engineers, Significant Credits, -10 country panic

'''Penalty for Failure:''' ?

'''Expiration Time:''' 2 hours

With the help of power nodes to gain time, find the Bomb and deactivate it.

=DLC Missions=

The DLC missions include the Slingshot and Progeny missions. Each DLC consists of a set of 3 missions which require success on each previous mission in order for the next to spawn.

The date for the DLC missions to occur in LWR is somewhat randomized and not predictable.

==Slingshot==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|[[Image:Zhang_Face2.png|180px]]
! style="width:100px; padding: 6px 18px;" |Friends in Low Places
| style="padding: 6px 18px;" |[[Shaojie_Zhang_(EU2012)|Shaojie Zhang]], a Triad operative from China, has decided to defect to XCOM and is requesting pickup. He brings with him a mysterious briefcase containing alien technology.

Zhang must be [[Missions_(EU2012)#Escort|escorted]] to the extraction zone through a graveyard. Completing this mission sees Zhang join [[XCOM_(EU2012)|XCOM]]. The opposition consists mostly of Thin Men, but may also contain Sectoids, Chryssalids, and Seekers.

'''Condition for Succeeding:''' Zhang reaches the EVAC zone and all aliens are eliminated

|-
|[[Image:Confounding_Light.png|180px]]
!Confounding Light
| style="padding: 6px 18px;" |The equipment provided by Zhang proves to be navigational aids for an alien battleship approaching China. XCOM must plant these beacons on a train to send it off-course.

This mission plays similar to a bomb disposal, in that your units must "activate" transponders on the train before finally heading to the engine cabin and having it leave the station. There is a time limit of 10 turns (which is ''not'' extended as you proceed). Opposition can vary, but mostly consists of Thin Men and Mutons. Note that with all transponders activated, reaching the engine cabin controls on the train immediately ends the mission.

'''Condition for Succeeding:''' A soldier reaches the engine cabin controls with all transponders activated

|-
|[[Image:Gangplank.png|180px]]
!Gangplank
| style="padding: 6px 18px;" |The alien battleship has been brought low, and XCOM plans to capture the whole thing from the air. Your squad must move through the ship, disabling its engines to bring it to the ground with minimal damage. This can either be done in a manner similar to bomb diffusing or via the use of explosives.

This mission rewards XCOM with 2 Fusion Cores required for certain advanced technology. Opposition mostly consists of mostly Mutons, Cyberdiscs, and Thinmen, some of which will drop from behind XCOM as they progress through the ship.

'''Condition for Succeeding:''' All aliens are eliminated

|-
|}

==Progeny==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|[[Image:PortentOverhead.png|180px]]
! style="width:100px; padding: 6px 18px;" |Portent
| style="padding: 10px 18px;" |The Council has been monitoring unusual reports about a hijack attempt on an unauthorized French military convoy. Although the alleged perpetrators were human, our intel indicates the aliens may also have been in the area. If true, this raises a number of questions about the ''cargo'' being moved. We'll need a squad to investigate; Central should have our complete report momentarily.

A French military convoy was caught in an ambush. The convoy's current status is unknown. Be prepared for anything.

Success on this mission has Anton Smits join XCOM.

'''Condition for Succeeding:''' Anton Smits reaches the EVAC zone and all aliens are eliminated

|-
|[[Image:XCOM EW ProgenyCharacter.png|180px]]
!Deluge
| style="padding: 10px 18px;" |The surviving EXALT operative has provided additional intel on the location of our missing transport vehicle, and not a moment too soon. It appears the aliens have cornered the truck on a dam in eastern France. If we're going to recover the cargo, we'll need to act fast.

The transport is stopped on a dam in France; it's likely the aliens have sabotaged the structure. They clearly consider this transport to be high value. Expect substantial opposition.

Success on this mission has Annette Durand join XCOM.

'''Condition for Succeeding:''' A soldier reaches the convoy where Annette Durand awaits

|-
|[[Image:Furiestanks.png|180px]]
!Furies
| style="padding: 10px 18px;" |The intelligence provided by Annette indicates the aliens are attempting to transfer at least three other captives in a remote area near the Alps. If each of these abductees harbors the same potential that Annette has demonstrated, it is imperative we do not allow the aliens to keep them captive.

The aliens are holding Annette's fellow abductees on their ship and will not easily let them go. Secure the captives as quickly as possible.

Success on this mission has the Furies join XCOM (depending upon who was saved).

'''Condition for Succeeding:''' All aliens are eliminated

|-
|}

=Exalt Missions=

Exalt missions will be unique in that they will consist almost entirely of Exalt soldiers. These soldiers are more similar to XCOM in their strength and weaknesses. As well, they will often require a covert operative to be planted on the mission before the missions begins.

Covert Operatives are restricted to:
Scouts, Infantry, Medics, and Engineers

Covert Operatives temporarily gain the perk:
Quick Draw

==Exalt Covert Op Data Recovery==

'''Condition for Succeeding:''' Transmitter is not destroyed and all Exalt are eliminated

'''Reward for Succeeding:''' 200 credits, 40 meld

'''Penalty for Failure:''' x country panic, y continent panic

'''Expiration Time:''' 48 hours

These missions are similar to their vanilla equivalent. You field a squad of six and defend an encoder and transmitter. Exalt Comm arrays are available for your covert operative to hack which will disable all exalt on the map, for at least 1 turn. Reinforcements will continue throughout the mission so be prepared to fight from all flanks.

Due to the constant reinforcements and Exalts desire to rush the encoder and transmitter, an ideal squad for this mission should involve units that can deal a lot of damage (especially to flanked units). This is because if you fail to deal enough damage, the reinforcements may quickly result in you facing unsurmountable numbers of Exalt, forcing you to retreat or die.

==Exalt Covert Op Extraction==

<div style="width:420px;float:right;">[[File:Security Breach Trailer 2 (EU2012).png|right|400px]]</div>

'''Condition for Succeeding:''' Covert Op reaches the EVAC zone with all towers hacked

'''Reward for Succeeding:''' 100 credits, 30 meld

'''Penalty for Failure:''' x country panic, y continent panic

'''Expiration Time:''' 48 hours

In this mission type you are limited to only 3 soldiers and your Covert Operative. As such, you want to avoid getting in to a pitched battle with EXALT, so if you can, try to get your Covert Operative to the arrays, hack them and get out fast.

You must acquire 2 sets of data from the relays, which will always requiring the hacking of 3 arrays (the 2nd array will always contain no data).

It is advisable to bring units that can help the Covert Operative hack the relays, such as officers or soldiers who have the smoke and mirrors perk and equipped concussion grenades.

Exalt reinforcements to secure the Covert Operative will begin on later on lower difficulties and last until 30.

There are 5 sets of reinforcements. Each set, when active will have a chance to spawn more Exalt reinforcements every turn. Sets of reinforcements will activate throughout the missions. However, if the covert operative activates an array, it will automatically start a set of reinforcements at that relay 2 turns later (so as early as turn 3).

Due to the sheer number of possible reinforcements, it is advised to NOT try to fight all of the reinforcements, but simply activate the relays and retreat.

==Exalt Base Assault==

<div style="width:430px;float:right;">[[File:Exalt Base Raid (EU2012).png|right|400px]]</div>

'''Condition for Succeeding:''' All enemies eliminated

'''Reward for Succeeding:''' 1250 credits, Illuminator Gunsight, Cognitive Enchancer, Neuroregulator, 400 meld, -5 Worldwide Panic

'''Penalty for Failure:''' x country panic, y continent panic

'''Expiration Time:''' Does not expire

The Exalt base is crawling with randomly generated elite EXALT squads. In addition you may find some elite aliens here as well.

The EXALT base is in a large cubic map, in an office/residence atop a Skyscraper. You are dropped off near a Helipad. Inside consists of a foyer, that splits to a library/sitting room and a sparse Situation Room (where Annette's photo is visible) (rooms and floor plan are symmetrical), and to a large sunken central room (with surrounding high hallways) with EXALT's own bootleg Hologlobe. There are paths that reach around on the outside of the building on the perimeter. The roof is accessible. You may have some success firing down through the skylights for the elevated bonus, but the line of sight from the skylights to ground level is quite restrictive.

There are no airdropped EXALT squads.

Expect several squads of EXALT Elite units inside.

Falsely accusing a country of harboring the exalt base will cause a massive spike in panic as well as a significant gain in alien research, so it is unadvised to "guess" where the exalt base is until you know for sure.

= XCOM Defense Missions =

Under certain situations, the aliens will launch attacks against XCOM.

==XCOM Base Defense==

<div style="width:430px; float:right;">[[File:Base Defense 2 (EU2012).png|right|400px]]</div>

'''Reward for Succeeding:''' None

'''Penalty for Failure:''' -500 credits, all alien captives released, 20% of scientists and engineers slaughtered

'''Expiration Time:''' Immediate

This mission is always called: Operation Ashes and Temples.

When the aliens have high resources AND high aggression they will come for your base. Your base is assaulted by a UFO - typically a NOE altitude [[UFOs (LWR)#Assault Carrier|Assault Carrier]], but it may have ''backup'' from other craft - which you can see coming and can shoot down, but it's extremely difficult: when the UFO alert/interception prompt appears, it will say "Warning! Warning! UFO vectoring to XCOM HQ!" on the lesser notifications on the lower-left of the screen. Shooting down that UFO will prevent the assault.

Like vanilla, you will get the chance to select and equip a squad for this mission. You select and equip 8 soldiers, of which a random 5 will be selected at the start. Additional soldiers from this pool will arrive as reinforcements, one automatically and further soldiers can arrive to replace losses. You'll also get a complement of Blueshirts (new Rookie soldiers). The reinforcements you get do not vary with Blueshirt casualties, only XCOM casualties.

The aliens will drop in to the command center, followed by flyers in the back and drops in to the MEC bay and two waves in the forward access tunnels. Expect this mission to be difficult, though the forces deployed can vary wildly based on RNG. However, always look around and check for the falling dirt to see if any waves are about to drop in the MEC Bay, particularly the upper areas at all four corners.

Failing this mission does not mean the end of XCOM, however it is damaging. The aliens will ransack your base, killing engineers and scientists and destroying credits before regular military arrive and bail you out. This mission will generally only happen once during a campaign, can only occur after September, and will always occur in the first year. Rarely, the aliens will send multiple base invasion missions within a short period of time, but again, this 'set' of invasions will only occur once during a campaign.

If you succeed, any surviving Blueshirts will join your roster, retaining any XP they gained during the base defense.

==XCOM Air Base Defense==

<div style="width:430px;float:right;">[[File:Base Defense 3 (EU2012).png|400px|right]]</div>

'''Reward for Succeeding:''' None

'''Penalty for Failure:''' severe damage and/or destruction of multiple interceptors

'''Expiration Time:''' Immediate

In addition to assaulting your base, aliens can now go after your interceptor stations. These missions will only be launched after your air game becomes significantly strong (a Firestorm is built). It will generate similar to an abduction mission, with XCOM soldiers outfitting in the Skyranger as per usual. The map takes place in the previously multiplayer only [[XCOM_HQ_Multiplayer_(EU2012)|Interceptor bay]]. This mission must be completed to avoid severe damage or destruction of your interceptors.

If the Hyperwave Relay is built, the mission notice on the approaching UFO will say "Retaliation". Be aware you will enter the area through one of the side tunnels in the center of the map, so odds are that there will be aliens in both wings, and can easily be flanked by a wandering pod due to this.

Unlike the XCOM Base Defense, the Air Base Defense mission will not only happen frequently (especially after the player has started fielding plasma weapons) but it is also MUCH easier than the standard Base Defense.

=Storyline Missions=

These missions are required to progress and pass the game. They are significantly easier than their counterparts in LW 1.0 in order to make them less of a roadblock. The exception is the Temple Ship Assault which is significantly harder than LW 1.0 and may be the most difficult mission of a campaign.

==Alien Base Assault==

'''Reward for Succeeding:''' 1 Hyperwave Beacon, -10 Alien Research, Alien Aggression to 100%, Incursion Strength to 110%, Recover Country at 55 Panic, -5 Continent Panic, 1 Fusion Core, 4 Alien Surgeries, 15 Alien Stasis Tanks, 10 Alien Foods, 2 Alien Entertainments

'''Penalty for Failure:''' No specific penalty -- though you will lose the entire squad as you cannot retreat from this mission

'''Expiration Time:''' Does not expire

The 1st alien base is auto-generated when you lose a country in the first month. You need to develop a Skeleton Key, and then place a satellite over an alien occupied country to locate and assault the alien base. With that in mind, you may want to do your first Alien Base Assault as soon as possible, as to face weaker aliens. That way, even if you do lose more countries, but don't want to risk soldiers attacking another Base, at least you can still progress with the storyline. For the first alien base assault, the most difficult enemy to face will be a sectoid commander (or if it's really late in the game an ethereal).

Like with UFOs, the commander will not necessarily be in the last room with the Hyperwave Beacon.

All pods will contain a leader alien and certain alien types will have bonus leader levels. As well, each time you successfully raid an alien base the next alien base will be more fortified with extra aliens.

{| class="wikitable" cellpadding="15" style="text-align:center;"
|+
|-
! style="padding: 5px 15px;" | Previously Successful ABAs
! Additional Aliens<br>(Not Cumulative)
|-
|| 0 (First Attempt)
|| None
|-
|| 1
|| Chryssalid pod + Sectoid Commander pod
|-
|| 2
|| Muton Elite pod + Heavy Floater pod
|-
|| 3+
|| Sectopod pod + Ethereal pod
|}

{| class="wikitable" cellpadding="15" style="text-align:center;"
|+
|-
! style="padding: 5px 15px;" | Alien Type
! Extra Leader Levels
|-
|| Chryssalids and Sectoid Commanders
|| +2
|-
|| Muton Elites and Heavy Floaters
|| +5
|-
|| Sectopods and Ethereals
|| +8
|}

==Overseer Crash Site==

'''Reward for Succeeding:''' Ethereal Device, UFO equipment and resources

'''Penalty for Failure:''' None

'''Expiration Time:''' 36 hours

The Overseer contains a significant crew that, while hurt from the crash, will still pack quite a punch.

The enemies you fight will be:
<div style="max-width: 250px;">
1 Ethereal pod
1 Sectopod pod
1 Heavy Floater pod
1 Muton Elite pod
1 Outsider pod
1 Cyberdisc pod
1 Sectoid Commander pod
</div>

If you fail, more overseers will spawn allowing you to attempt one again, so do not feel bad about retreating if you get overwhelmed on a first attempt.

==Temple Ship Assault==

<div style="width:620px;float:right;">[[File:TempleShip.png|right|600px]]</div>

'''Reward for Succeeding:''' Win the game!

'''Penalty for Failure:''' Lose the game!

'''Expiration Time:''' ~2 hours

Depending upon how many council nations are still supporting you, your soldiers will receive a significant morale/attribute boost for the final mission:

<div style="max-width: 1000px;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" width="100%"
|+
|-
! style="padding: 5px;" colspan="3" | # of Council Nations Supporting XCOM and Soldier Boosts
|- style="font-size: 12px; background-color: #eee;"
| style="width: 33%" | '''1''' || style="width: 33%" | '''2''' || style="width: 33%" | '''3'''
|-
|| '''''Squadsize set to 9'''''<br>'''''All soldiers gain +0-8 will'''''
|| '''''All soldiers gain +0-4 aim'''''<br>All soldiers gain +0-8 will<br>
|| '''''All soldiers gain +0-2 HP'''''<br>All soldiers gain +0-4 aim<br>All soldiers gain +0-8 will
|- style="font-size: 12px; background-color: #eee;"
| '''4''' || '''5''' || '''6'''
|-
|| '''''All soldiers gain +0-0.6 mobility'''''<br>All soldiers gain +0-2 HP<br>All soldiers gain +0-4 aim<br>All soldiers gain +0-8 will
|| '''''Squadsize increased to 10'''''<br>All soldiers gain +0-0.6 mobility<br>All soldiers gain +0-2 HP<br>All soldiers gain +0-4 aim<br>All soldiers gain +0-8 will
|| Squadsize increased to 10<br>All soldiers gain +0-0.6 mobility<br>All soldiers gain +0-2 HP<br>All soldiers gain +0-4 aim<br>'''''All soldiers gain +0-16 will'''''
|- style="font-size: 12px; background-color: #eee;"
| '''7''' || '''8''' || '''9'''
|-
|| Squadsize increased to 10<br>All soldiers gain +0-0.6 mobility<br>All soldiers gain +0-2 HP<br>'''''All soldiers gain +0-8 aim'''''<br>All soldiers gain +0-16 will
|| Squadsize increased to 10<br>All soldiers gain +0-0.6 mobility<br>'''''All soldiers gain +0-4 HP'''''<br>All soldiers gain +0-8 aim<br>All soldiers gain +0-16 will
|| Squadsize increased to 10<br>'''''All soldiers gain +0-1.2 mobility'''''<br>All soldiers gain +0-4 HP<br>All soldiers gain +0-8 aim<br>All soldiers gain +0-16 will
|- style="font-size: 12px; background-color: #eee;"
| || '''10-16''' ||
|-
|| || '''''Squadsize increased to 11'''''<br>All soldiers gain +0-1.2 mobility<br>All soldiers gain +0-4 HP<br>All soldiers gain +0-8 aim<br>All soldiers gain +0-16 will ||

|}
</div>

The volunteer on this mission will gain access to every single psionic ability except psychokinetic strike, including '''Rift''', making quite a formidable psionic soldier.

The Temple Ship will contain some of the strongest alien leaders in the game. Go in heavy, hit hard, and let nothing stand in your way. This may be the most difficult mission in your campaign.

At the end of the brutal road, in the Ethereal Cathedral awaits the '''Uber Ethereal''', Lord of the Alien Collective. Rushing the Uber Ethereal is not advised, as he will have 100% DR until all the Muton Elites and Ethereals around him have been killed.

Good luck, Commander.

[[Category: Long War Rebalance]]
[[Category: Missions (LWR)]]

Alien Missions (LWR)

2021-08-02T02:19:45Z

Pa2016: /* Infiltrate */

[[Long_War_Rebalance|Back To Main Page]]

==In General==

During the long war against the alien threat, the skies are also part of the battlespace. Aliens will dispatch sorties of UFOs to further their goals during the war, and XCOM may respond in kind by sending out interceptors and the Skyranger to foil their missions in the air or on the ground. In other words, an '''alien mission''' always starts with an UFO sortie.

There are eight types of regular alien missions scheduled on the fly. The type of each mission is determined by the [[Alien_Resources_(LWR)|resources the aliens have]], and how [[Alien_Aggression_(LWR)|threatening XCOM is perceived to be]]. There are also two special mission types that occur irregularly. All ten mission types are listed and discussed below.

The aliens' choice of UFOs is limited by their level and resources, with the actual ship sent on a mission being chosen randomly - with equal probability for each - from the available pool. For example, if the aliens are weak then they will randomly send either a Scout or Raider for research; if they are strong however, then the large Abductor and Terror Ship will be added to the pool for the same mission.

Conversely, any damage and casualties sustained by the UFOs will [[Alien_Resources_(LWR)#Cost_of_Repairing_.2F_Replacing_UFOs|cut into the aliens’ resources]], likely limiting their options.

The aliens have a strategy in Long War, and tend to focus on geographic locations. Expect to fight them the most in the continent where they build their first base.

<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Resource Costs==

Missions themselves do not require [[Alien_Resources_(LWR)|Alien Resources]] to run if left unchallenged, but shooting down or damaging the UFOs conducting them ''does'' cost the aliens resources. Crucially, though, which UFOs are deployed depend indirectly on the [[Alien_Resources_(LWR)|alien resources]] as well as the [[Alien_Level_(LWR)|Alien Level]] at the time the mission is scheduled. Specifically, Aliens add stronger UFOs to a pool if they have sufficient resources, choosing randomly from the pool when the mission is scheduled (with equal probability for each UFO type); Alien Level reduces the amount of resources the Aliens must have for the stronger UFOs to be added to the pool.

* If Alien Level 1-7, new types require <span style="color:green">100-73%</span> of their base required resources.
* If Alien Level 8-14, new types are possible at <span style="color:orange">72-41%</span> of required resources.
* If Alien Level 15+, new types are possible at <span style="color:red">40%</span> of required resources.

XCOM satellite coverage will increase the resources the aliens have when deciding which UFO to send out:

* 1 Continent Covered: No Increase
* 2 Continents Covered: +10% Resources
* 3 Continents Covered: +20% Resources
* 4 Continents Covered: +30% Resources
* 5 Continents Covered: +40% Resources

==Mission Types==

===Scout===

A UFO will fly '''low''' and around the target country, attempting to confirm the existence of XCOM satellites there. Successful scouting missions will be '''followed up''' by a new sortie to [[Alien_Missions_(LWR)#Hunt|hunt]] the compromised satellite. It is possible that the hunting UFO will be stronger or weaker than the scouting one, so the priority to intercept this mission can vary.

A scout mission can fail in four ways: 1) the UFO is shot down, 2) the UFO could botch the mission due to sustained damaged > 50%, 3) the target country could fend off the mission by itself, or, if all else fails, 4) the UFO could simply get unlucky. The odds of these failures happening are as follows:

* Downed: ''100% chance of failure'' - if it's shot down they will always get nothing.
* Damaged: ''(2 × (100 - RemainingUFOHP%))% chance of failure'' - this means XCOM can commit less and gamble on merely damaging the UFO.
* Defended: ''(CountryDefense/2)% chance of failure'' - the shield representing a country's defense is shown in the Situation Room and is improved by fulfilling their requests; maximum chance is 50% with 100% CountryDefense.
* Damned: ''(60 - AlienResearch/15)% chance of failure'' - this means when the aliens have 900 research points, an unfettered scouting mission will always succeed.

The aliens will generally send 3-6 six sorties per month. As the game progresses the number of sorties sent decreases per 5% per month. As Alien Resources increase the number of sorties sent increases.

UFO Pool:

* [[UFOs_(LWR)#Scout|Scout]]: Always in pool
* [[UFOs_(LWR)#Raider|Raider]]: Aliens must have > <span style="color:green">17%</span> / <span style="color:orange">12%</span> / <span style="color:red">7%</span> resources & Alien Level > 3
* [[UFOs_(LWR)#Destroyer|Destroyer]]: Aliens must have > <span style="color:green">75%</span> / <span style="color:orange">54%</span> / <span style="color:red">30%</span> resources
* [[UFOs_(LWR)#Battleship|Battleship]]: Aliens must have > <span style="color:green">100%</span> / <span style="color:orange">72%</span> / <span style="color:red">40%</span> resources

===Hunt===

A UFO will fly at '''high''' altitude over a previously scouted satellite-covered country, seeking to destroy the satellite.

The aliens will prioritize getting rid of satellites over withdrawn '''ex-council-members''', as they have bases in such countries and without a satellite over them XCOM cannot assault it. Next, the aliens prefer satellites that protect '''panicking nations''', and in doing so potentially forcing said nations to withdraw XCOM support, and to be controlled by them.

Successful hunts will destroy the satellite in question. The base chance of success is 60%, or 90% on the second pass (30%/50% respectively if Stealth Satellites is researched. Damage sustained by the UFO will reduce this chance further, with 50% or less HP leading to an automatic failure.

Pertinent to this specific mission type, a 50% HP UFO will start '''flaring up''' in the aerial combat screen, as if it was being hit by multiple missiles continuously. When this happens, XCOM can order their interceptor to disengage, preventing further risks while stopping the hunt mission.

The aliens will send out hunt missions proportional to the number of continents that XCOM has coverage on. This means a campaign with coverage on 6 continents will have 6x the number of hunt missions compared to a campaign with only 1 continent covered.

As well, the more coverage XCOM has the more likely the aliens are to send out stronger UFOs to challenge XCOM's coverage of the planet.

Note that the aliens can dispatch hunt missions directly, without needing to scout first; although this will only occur if alien aggression is high. The more aggression and resources the aliens have, the more direct hunt missions are sent.

UFO Pool:

* [[UFOs_(LWR)#Fighter|Fighter]]: Always in pool
* [[UFOs_(LWR)#Destroyer|Destroyer]]: Aliens must have > <span style="color:green">33%</span> / <span style="color:orange">24%</span> / <span style="color:red">13%</span> resources
* [[UFOs_(LWR)#Battleship|Battleship]]: Aliens must have > <span style="color:green">75%</span> / <span style="color:orange">54%</span> / <span style="color:red">30%</span> resources

===Research===

A UFO will fly '''NOE''', '''land''' for a while, and then fly off. This mission will grant the aliens [[Alien_Level_(LWR)|research]] if successful, increasing their level. This will slowly but '''permanently''' increase the capabilities of their ground troops and UFOs.

If the aliens have no resource (0% resources), the aliens will never undertake research missions; conversely, if they have many resources (100% resources), then the maximum amount of research missions will be performed. Otherwise, the aliens will adjust the amount of research mission attempts depending Alien Aggression and the amount their resources. If the aliens are not being very aggressive towards XCOM, they will be content with the tech they are currently fielding, thus will not carry out research missions; but as alien aggression increases, the aliens will try to keep up via research as much as they can afford it.

As the months progress, the number of research missions send will decrease by 5% per month.

UFO Pool:

* [[UFOs_(LWR)#Scout|Scout]]: Always in pool
* [[UFOs_(LWR)#Raider|Raider]]: Aliens must have > <span style="color:green">25%</span> / <span style="color:orange">18%</span> / <span style="color:red">10%</span> resources
* [[UFOs_(LWR)#Abductor|Abductor]]: Aliens must have > <span style="color:green">42%</span> / <span style="color:orange">30%</span> / <span style="color:red">17%</span> resources
* [[UFOs_(LWR)#Terror_Ship|Terror Ship]]: Aliens must have > <span style="color:green">83%</span> / <span style="color:orange">60%</span> / <span style="color:red">33%</span> resources
* [[UFOs_(LWR)#Assault_Carrier|Assault Carrier]]: Aliens must have > <span style="color:green">100%</span> / <span style="color:orange">72%</span> / <span style="color:red">40%</span> resources

===Harvest===

A UFO will fly '''NOE and land''' in a randomly selected country. An unimpeded harvest grants the aliens [[Alien_Resources_(Long_War)|resources]], which will allow the aliens to field UFOs in ''greater quantity and quality''.

If the targeted country has a satellite, there is a Alien Aggression / 2 chance that the aliens will re-roll its target once and will pay a price in the process. This represents the power projected by a strong XCOM forcing the aliens to settle for sub-optimal harvests. As the aliens' first choice for harvest is randomized, more satellite coverage means a higher chance that the aliens need to waste resource to even start a harvest mission.

The aliens' tendency to perform harvest missions is the exact reverse to their tendencies to send out research missions. If the aliens have minimal resources (0%), then a maximum amount of harvest mission is attempted (three per month); if they have too many resources (100%), then no harvest will occur. Otherwise, the aliens will harvest more when they are shorter on resource.
Additionally, the aliens also prefer doing harvests when they are not being aggressive; in the presence of a strong XCOM they prefer more aggressive missions instead.

UFO Pool:

* [[UFOs_(LWR)#Transport|Transport]]: always in pool
* [[UFOs_(LWR)#Harvester|Harvester]]: Aliens must have > 25% resources
* [[UFOs_(LWR)#Raider|Raider]]: Aliens must have > 42% resources
* [[UFOs_(LWR)#Scout|Scout]]: Aliens must have > 75% resources

Note that the UFO pool for harvest missions becomes ''less'' threatening the more resources the aliens have, and isn't affected by higher [[Alien_Research_(Long_War)|Alien Research]] as others do.

===Bomb===

A UFO will fly '''NOE''' and around the target area bombing civilians. This mission will cause a lot of panic if successful. This is one of the few NOE mission types that never lands, and the '''only''' way to completely foil its panic increase is to damage the bombing UFO by at least 50%. However, damaging the UFO at all will still reduce the amount of panic created at the end of its mission. A successful bombing mission generates 9 panic in the country raided (reduced proportionally by amount of damage received down to 0 panic at 50% health) plus an additional 1 panic if the UFO has received no damage.

The aliens will send out more bombing missions if they have spare resources and a higher aggression level. With maximum resource and aggression level they will conduct multiple bombing missions per month.

UFO Pool:

* [[UFOs_(LWR)#Fighter|Fighter]]: Always in pool
* [[UFOs_(LWR)#Destroyer|Destroyer]]: Aliens must have > <span style="color:green">25%</span> / <span style="color:orange">18%</span> / <span style="color:red">10%</span> resources
* [[UFOs_(LWR)#Battleship|Battleship]]: Aliens must have > <span style="color:green">58%</span> / <span style="color:orange">42%</span> / <span style="color:red">23%</span> resources

===Abduction===

Multiple [[UFOs_(LWR)#Abductor|Abductors]] (3-4, +1 for every 3 months passed) will fly '''NOE''' to the multiple target areas and generate [[Missions (LWR)#Alien Abductions|Abduction sites]]. A successful abduction will increase panic in the country and across the continent. Thwarting the abduction will decrease panic in the country and continent, but by a lesser degree.

Since abductions only provide a 9 hour response time, reaching more than 2 might not be possible so the commander must choose carefully.

Each successful abduction (a failed abduction for XCOM) grants alien research which leads to an increase in Alien Level. The council will offer rewards to XCOM for successfully completing an abduction which include: credits, scientists, engineers, and new soldiers. The difficulty of the abduction will increase the quantity or quality of the reward.

In many ways abduction is the least aggressive mission type; perhaps due to this, the aliens will scale back on abduction attempts if they are being aggressive. But the aliens still dispatch more abduction missions if they have more resources when they are not being aggressive with max resources. Conversely, if the aliens are short on resources, and are being highly aggressive (high aggression level), fewer abductions per month is attempted.

As the months progress, the number of abductions decreases by 5% per month, but there will always be at least 1.

===Terrorize Populace===

This is a double sortie mission: At first, a [[UFOs_(LWR)#Terror_Ship|Terror Ship]] will fly '''NOE''' and hover over the target nation scouting and planning for the actual mission. After a week or two an [[UFOs_(LWR)#Assault_Carrier|Assault Carrier]] will fly '''NOE''' to the target area and finally generate a [[Missions (LWR)#Terror Site|Terror site]]. This means anyone with satellite coverage and interested in stopping the mission will have plenty of time to set up, though actually executing that is a different matter entirely.

The aliens will terrorize the most panicked nation adjacent to an alien base roughly 85% of the time, seeking to push them over the edge. Terror missions increase panic in the targeted country and continent per civilian killed.
<div style="max-width: 1600px;">
Saving the vast majority of the civilians can actually lead to a decrease in panic.
Losing or ignoring the mission will cause immediate country defection and an increase in panic continent-wide.
Each civilian saved in a country that has not left the council will grant XCOM a 20 credit reward from the affected country (Modified by ''Campaign Length'') (Increases by 5% per month).
</div>
There are only two ways to completely foil this kind of terrorism: by saving the vast majority of civilians during the engagement, or by shooting down the [[UFOs_(LWR)#Assault_Carrier|Assault Carrier]] before it could even deploy. Neither of these scenarios are predictable, and will probably be cost prohibitive to even try the latter. Only an exceptionally advanced and exceedingly experienced XCOM can pull either option off consistently. Otherwise the best a commander can do is to minimize the damage and make up for it elsewhere.

Nonetheless, terror missions are quite costly for the aliens as well. In fact, they cannot even afford it when they have the minimal level of resources. When Alien Aggression is higher, the aliens will try to launch more terror missions each month. One can prevent such an onslaught by depriving the aliens of resources which they desperately need for this kind of strategy.

Shooting down the forward scouting [[UFOs_(LWR)#Terror_Ship|Terror Ship]] doesn't actually hinder the scheduled mission in any way. However, it's a lot easier to achieve, and it forces the aliens to pay dearly in resource cost for each such Terror attack they perform. In addition, it will grant XCOM a lot of looted resource and battlefield experience if the downed terror ship is successfully raided. It may not stop the looming terror attack, but it may very well help in the future.

As the months progress, the number of terror missions decreases by 5% per month and there will sometimes be none.

===Infiltrate===

A [[UFOs_(LWR)#Battleship|Battleship]] or [[UFOs_(LWR)#Transport|Transport]] will fly around the target area, followed by an [[UFOs_(LWR)#Overseer|Overseer]] inserting in to the target city. This mission will cause the target country to leave XCOM immediately if successful. Note that the final Overseer can only be detected if XCOM has the Hyperwave Decoder, so without one the country will appear to leave for no reason.

This is a very expensive option for the aliens, and as such they can only afford it with Surplus of Resources level of [[Alien_Resources_(LWR)|Alien Resources]] available. And even then, the aliens won't yet try if they are being very aggressive, being too focused on hunting down XCOM satellites instead.

===Retaliate===

This is a special mission. A UFO will fly to your main base or to one of your interceptor bases and immediately start an [[Missions (LWR)#XCOM Base Defense|XCOM Base Defense]] mission or an [[Missions (LWR)#XCOM Air Base Defense|Air Base Defense]] mission.

Aliens usually send an [[UFOs_(LWR)#Assault_Carrier|Assault Carrier]] to main base assaults. The aliens can only field [[Missions (LWR)#XCOM Base Defense|XCOM Base Defenses]] if they have a lot of resources and high aggression; specifically, for every 3 months (not necessarily in a row) that the aliens are at maximum aggression level (100%) and a high resource level (>66%), an [[Missions (LWR)#XCOM Base Defense|XCOM Base Defense]] will spawn.

If the aliens win a base defense it will damage resources and kill personnel - but it is not the end of the game, and can be recovered from.

For Air Base assaults, aliens will send an [[UFOs_(LWR)#Overseer|Overseer]]. The cost of failure of these missions is the destruction and/or severe damage of all stationed interceptors. [[Missions (LWR)#XCOM Air Base Defense|Air Base Defenses]] are much cheaper, and have a chance to trigger every month that Aliens have an aggression level of >75% and resource level >50%. Air Defenses missions only begin spawning after XCOM constructs its first [[Air_Combat_(LWR)#Aircraft|Firestorm]] interceptor.

===Command Overwatch===

This is a special mission. An [[UFOs_(LWR)#Overseer|Overseer]] will fly '''low''' around the target area. This mission is how the aliens communicate and coordinate their activities and is normally hidden to XCOM.

Before XCOM has successfully raided an overseer, overseers will spawn preferentially over countries with satellite coverage to aid in coordinating their activities. However, if an overseer is successfully raided, the aliens will conduct future overseer missions exclusively in countries with alien bases in order to minimize exposure and risk.

The aliens have many Overseers and shooting 1 down has no special strategic value.

==See also==
{{Aliens (LWR) Navbar}}
[[Category: Aliens (LWR)]]
[[Category: Long War Rebalance]]

Difficulty (LWR)

2021-08-02T02:08:55Z

Pa2016:

[[Long_War_Rebalance|Back To Main Page]]

== Expectations ==

'''LWR Normal''' is easier than '''Long War 1.0 Normal'''.

'''LWR Classic''' is similar to '''Long War 1.0 Classic'''.

'''LWR Brutal''' is around as hard as '''Long War 1.0 Impossible'''.

'''LWR Impossible''' is really tough, unforgiving, and will sometimes feel literally '''Impossible'''.

Playing '''Ironman''' is like jumping all the difficulties up another notch.

It's probably best to start out a little easier if you've never played LWR before.

Larger UFOs and swarming abductions are quite challenging -- treat them with respect and do not rule out retreating.

Expect to have satellites shot down, to not be able to stop a lot of UFOs, to lose soldiers, to lose missions, and to lose around 1 country per month (give or take).

If you are wondering how your campaign is faring (especially after a few squad wipes), use the grade the council gives you at the end of the month as a good indicator. This grade reflects how well you are doing in your campaign and how likely you are to pass it. C or higher is a good grade.

Last, ''if you feel like being masochistic and decide to play on impossible'': please expect to lose many (literally many) times before you even come close to winning. Expect the game to feel unfair and punishing. I'd recommend treating impossible as more of a "How far can you get?" rather then a "Can you beat the game?". Impossible in Long War Rebalance is much harder than that difficulty was in Long War 1.0.

== Regarding the First Mission ==

The first mission is very challenging. It is intended to act as a litmus test to guide you in selecting a difficulty. If you fail the first mission you may consider dropping the difficulty a notch. If you pass the first mission with ease you may consider upping the difficulty a notch. Injuries and even deaths on the first mission are not unreasonable as it is intended to mimic the difficulty you would experience in some of the toughest battles in the mid-late game.

==Difficulty Levels==

In Long War Rebalance, difficulty levels scale many different aspects of the game. Unlike Long War, UFO HP and alien stat bonuses from leader levels and research are scaled down on lower difficulties. Difficulty level also affects perks like the effectiveness of the Outsiders' Growth ability, as well as the chance for aliens to use Overwatch when dropping into missions or after using Launch.
<br/><br/>
{| class="wikitable" style="max-width: 1480px;"
|-
|+
|- align="center"
! colspan="13" style="padding: 7px;" | <div style="display:inline-block; position:relative; top: -2px;">[[Image:Vigilo_Confido_shield.png|24px]]</div> '''Strategic Changes'''
|- align="center"
! Difficulty
| style="background-color: #eaecf0; padding: 8px 5px 5px 5px; vertical-align: top;" | <div align=center style="display:table-cell; background:#333333; height:32px; width:32px; vertical-align:middle">[[File:Event Research.png|28px|link=Research (LWR)|Research required]]</div>'''XCOM Research Speed'''
| style="background-color: #eaecf0; padding: 8px 5px 5px 5px; vertical-align: top;" | [[File:ABILITY LEAD BY EXAMPLE (EU2012).png|32px]]<br>'''Alien Research Speed'''
| style="background-color: #eaecf0; padding: 8px 5px 5px 5px; vertical-align: top;" | [[File:PENALTY PANICKED.png|33px]]<br>'''Initial Panic'''
| style="background-color: #eaecf0; padding: 8px 5px 5px 5px; vertical-align: top;" | [[File:PENALTY PANICKED.png|33px]]<br>'''Monthly Panic per Defector'''
| style="background-color: #eaecf0; padding: 8px 5px 5px 5px; vertical-align: top;" | {{AA Icon}}<br>'''UFO Alloy Yield'''
| style="background-color: #eaecf0; padding: 8px 5px 5px 5px; vertical-align: top;" | {{Elerium Icon}}<br>'''UFO Elerium Yield'''
| style="background-color: #eaecf0; padding: 8px 5px 5px 5px; vertical-align: top;" | {{Weapon Fragments Icon}}<br>'''Fragment Yields'''
| style="background-color: #eaecf0; padding: 8px 5px 5px 5px; vertical-align: top;" | {{Meld Icon}}<br>'''Meld Yields'''
| style="background-color: #eaecf0; padding: 8px 5px 5px 5px; vertical-align: top;" | [[File:Health_Long_War.png|31px]]<br>'''UFO HP'''
| style="background-color: #eaecf0; padding: 8px 5px 5px 5px; vertical-align: top;" | [[File:Damage Long War.png|31px]]<br/>'''Injury and Fatigue Times'''
| style="background-color: #eaecf0; padding: 8px 5px 5px 5px; vertical-align: top;" | [[File:RANK_SQUADDIE.png|31px]]<br>'''Monthly Bonus Soldiers'''
| style="background-color: #eaecf0; padding: 8px 5px 5px 5px; vertical-align: top;" | [[File:Fire_In_The_Hole.png|31px]]<br>'''Number of Starting SHIVs'''
|- align="center"
| style="width: 7%;" | Normal
| style="width: 7%;" | 150%
| style="width: 6%;" | 75%
| style="width: 6%;" | 500
| style="width: 6%;" | -6
| style="width: 6%;" | 100%
| style="width: 7%;" | 100%
| style="width: 7%;" | 100%
| style="width: 7%;" | 100%
| style="width: 7%;" | 50%
| style="width: 7%;" | 85%
| style="width: 6%;" | 3
| style="width: 6%;" | 4
|- align="center"
|Classic || 133% || 80% || 600 || -5 || 80% || 80% || 83% || 83% || 60% || 90% || 2 || 3
|- align="center"
|Brutal || 117% || 85% || 700 || -4 || 60% || 60% || 77% || 67% || 80% || 95% || 1 || 2
|- align="center"
|Impossible || 100% || 90% || 800 || -3 || 50% || 50% || 67% || 50% || 100% || 100% || 0 || 1
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="max-width: 1380px;"
|-
|+
|- align="center"
! colspan="11" style="padding: 7px;" | <div style="display:inline-block; position:relative; top: -2px;">[[Image:Head red 2.png|20px]]</div>  '''Alien Changes'''
|- align="center"
! Difficulty
| style="background-color: #eaecf0; padding: 8px 5px 5px 5px; vertical-align: top;" | [[File:Damage Long War.png|31px]]<br/>'''Base Damage'''
| style="background-color: #eaecf0; padding: 8px 5px 5px 5px; vertical-align: top;" | [[File:Health_Long_War.png|31px]]<br/>'''HP'''
| style="background-color: #eaecf0; padding: 8px 5px 5px 5px; vertical-align: top;" | [[File:Aim_Long_War.png|31px]]<br/>'''Aim'''
| style="background-color: #eaecf0; padding: 8px 5px 5px 5px; vertical-align: top;" | [[File:Will_Long_War.png|31px]]<br/>'''Will'''
| style="background-color: #eaecf0; padding: 8px 5px 5px 5px; vertical-align: top;" | [[File:ABILITY LEAD BY EXAMPLE (EU2012).png|32px]]<br/>'''Level Up Attribute Gains'''
| style="background-color: #eaecf0; padding: 8px 5px 5px 5px; vertical-align: top;" | [[File:Defenders Medal 2 (EU2012).png|32px]]<br/>'''Outsider Growth Chance'''
| style="background-color: #eaecf0; padding: 8px 5px 5px 5px; vertical-align: top;" | [[File:SUPPORT_COVERINGFIRE.png|32px]]<br/>'''Deflection Shield Trigger Chance'''
| style="background-color: #eaecf0; padding: 8px 5px 5px 5px; vertical-align: top;" | [[File:ALIEN_LAUNCH.png|32px]]<br/>'''Drop-in/Launch Overwatch Chance'''
|- align="center"
| style="width: 14%;" | Normal
| style="width: 10%;" | -2
| style="width: 10%;" | 50%
| style="width: 10%;" | -10
| style="width: 10%;" | -10
| style="width: 10%;" | 50%
| style="width: 10%;" | 13%
| style="width: 10%;" | 25%
| style="width: 10%;" | 0%
|- align="center"
|Classic || -1 || 75% || -5 || -5 || 67% || 25% || 50% || 0%
|- align="center"
|Brutal || 0 || 90% || 0 || 0 || 83% || 38% || 75% || 50%
|- align="center"
|Impossible || +1 || 100% || +5 || +5 || 100% || 50% || 100% || 100%
|}

''Note: Outsider growth is disabled when using Second Wave option: '''(#26) Defective Outsiders'''''

{| class="wikitable" style="width: 400px"
|-
|+
|- align="center"
! colspan="8" style="padding: 6px;" | '''First Mission Alien Count'''
|- align="center"
! style="padding: 4px;" | Difficulty !! style="padding: 4px;" | Sectoids !! style="padding: 4px;" | Outsiders
|- align="center"
| style="width: 150px;" | Ease Into It (2nd Wave) || 5 || -
|- align="center"
|Normal || 7 || -
|- align="center"
|Classic || 8 || -
|- align="center"
|Brutal || 9 || 1
|- align="center"
|Impossible || 10 || 2
|}

== Difficulty Curve ==

'''Long War Rebalance''' is designed for players of all skill levels, offering a greater range of difficulties and even more Second Wave options to customize your experience.

In general, Normal difficulty is easier and Impossible is harder (vs Long War 1.0). Veteran Long War players who are new to this mod should seriously consider dropping their difficulty a level or two as the mod can take some experience to get used to.

The difficulty curve is also adjusted so that the game starts off easier and gets significantly harder as the game progresses.

While the curve looks smooth, it is only an average and an approximation. The actual difficulty of the game varies a lot. Two missions in the same campaign can feel like completely different difficulties.

{|
|-
| style="padding-left: 10px;" |
[[File:LW_Rebalance_Difficulty.png]]
|}

Incursion Strength (LWR)

2021-08-02T02:06:10Z

Pa2016: /* Increasing and Decreasing Incursion Strength */

[[Long_War_Rebalance|Back to Main Page]]
== In General ==

'''Incursion Strength''' is a measure of the number of aliens that will be sent to each mission. Higher incursion strengths means more aliens on missions.

Incursion Strength increases as XCOM performs well and decreases if they perform poorly.

==Increasing and Decreasing Incursion Strength==

Incursion Strength starts at 100% and can be modified as follows:
{| class="wikitable" cellpadding="15" style="text-align:center;"
|+
|-
! style="padding: 5px;" | Event
! Incursion Strength modification
|-
|| XCOM successfully completes a mission
|| +1% (modified by campaign length)
|-
|| A soldier dies with a rank greater than either the number of months passed or 5 (SGT)
|| -4% (modified by campaign length)
|-
|| A country is lost to the aliens
|| -12%
|-
|| A successful Alien Base Assault
|| Maxed
|}

* Incursion Strength is capped between a minimum of 80% and a maximum of 130%
* Incursion Strength at 130% will be denoted with an additional + sign on landed UFO, terror, and abduction missions

== Effect of Incursion Strength ==

The effect of Incursion Strength is directly increasing the number of aliens on all non-scripted missions.
Number of Aliens = Base Number * Incursion Strength

==See also==
{{Aliens (LWR) Navbar}}
[[Category: Aliens (LWR)]]
[[Category: Long War Rebalance]]