UFOpaedia - User contributions [en]

User:PartisanGerm

2013-07-31T00:50:17Z

PartisanGerm:

'''''Please don't edit this page. That's what the Discussion / Talk page is for.'''''

__ToC__

==About Me==
'''I'm a hardcore gamer.'''

I have, currently, and will play many ass-loads of games of all platforms and genres. I may not have played the original X-COM much, but I am certainly impressed by its legacy.... and I think I love everything by Microprose. I played Magic: The Gathering when I was a kid (before they started coming out with expansions) and nothing will compare to the original PC game (buggy or not). I appreciate the power of elegant game concepts applied to strategy.

This is the first wiki I have found which I felt to give half a crap about. Cult classic PC game series, and the born again version. Since I'm of the latest, younger generation, I'll do what I can to create wiki justice in X-COMs name.

== My Adopted Children==

'''Don't hurt my baby!''' ''Think of the children!''

* [[Multiplayer (EU2012) | Multiplayer]]

User talk:PartisanGerm

2013-07-31T00:38:18Z

PartisanGerm:

__ToC__

If you would like to leave a message for me, or start a conversation, this is where to put it.

Multiplayer (EU2012)

2013-07-31T00:30:05Z

PartisanGerm: Typos, sorting, more links.

__ToC__

Multiplayer games in '''XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012)''' are played online over the internet or through a Local Area Network (LAN).

Multiplayer does not need to be unlocked, nor is it affected in any way by Single Player game progress or save files.

However, it is advisable to complete at least one Single Player game on Normal difficulty before attempting Multiplayer, so as to have at least fundamental game knowledge.

Multiplayer games are single battles of one vs. one (1v1) players. They are not saved, nor is there a campaign.

Each player may select a Squad of one to six Units, mixing XCOM Soldiers and Aliens, each with associated points costs according to potential battle value.

Squads may be selected before connecting to another player or in the game lobby, where you can see the number of points your opponent has selected.

== '''Multiplayer Menu''' ==
* '''Ranked Match'''
:: Attempts to match you with another player searching for a '''Ranked Match'''.
:: -- ''Ranked Matches are limited to: '''10,000 Points, 90s Turn Time, with random map.'''''
:: -- ''Ranked Matches count towards your position on the Leaderboards.''

* '''Quick Match'''
:: Attempts to match you with another player looking for a '''Quick Match''' and connects you.
:: If no one else is searching, it creates a Custom Game with 10,000 Points, 120s Turn Time, Bar map.

* '''Custom Match'''
:: Choose to '''Create Game''' or '''Search''' for a hosted '''Custom Match'''.
:: ''If you choose to create a game, these are the options:''
::: -- '''Match Type:''' Public, Private, or LAN.
::: -- '''Points:''' 7500, 10000, 20000, or ''No Point Limit''.
::: -- '''Turn Time:''' 45 seconds, 90s, 120s, or ''No Time Limit''.
::: -- '''Map:''' [[Bar (EU2012) | Bar]], [[CemeteryGrand (EU2012) | Grand Cemetery]], [[PoliceStation (EU2012) | Police Station]], [[Trainyard (EU2012) | Trainyard]], or [[Boulevard (EU2012) | Boulevard]].
::::: ''*These are currently the only five maps available for Multiplayer.''

* '''Leaderboards'''
:: From here you may view the ''Top Players'', ''Your Rank'', and ''Friend Ranks''.
::: -- ''The lists show Rank (number and name), Wins, Losses, and Disconnects.''

* '''Edit Squad'''
:: Opens the '''Offline Squad Editing''' menu screen.
::: -- ''If you choose a squad with points over 10000 total, a prompt will say "Loadout Changes Detected: Your loadout has too many points to play in a Ranked match, would you still like to save?"''

* '''View Invites'''
:: Brings up the Steam overlay to view game invites, messages, etc.

== '''Squad Editor Menu''' ==

There are six boxes with Add buttons you can click to add Units to your squad.

If you are connected to another player in the Multiplayer game lobby you will see your opponents currently selected points total, even if it overpasses the game restriction.

If connected, there is also a Ready button on the bottom right of the screen. If you are the host, the Ready button will change to Start after both players are Ready.

* Your Squad may consist of any '''XCOM Soldier''' Class (including ''Rookie'') and most '''Aliens''' in the game.
* You may choose to have '''1 - 6 Units''' in your Squad.
* Multiplayer Units are essentially the same as units on '''Normal''' difficulty. With the exception of '''Thin Man'''.
* '''Types''' are XCOM Soldier Classes with preset Abilities and Ranks. You are unable to customize them.
* '''''Units unavailable for Multiplayer Squads:'''''
:: '''XCOM:''' [[Civilian (EU2012)| Civilians]], [[Classes_(EU2012)#Psionic | Psionic]] [[Classes_(EU2012)#Heavy | Heavy]] Soldiers, or any kind of [[SHIV (EU2012) | S.H.I.V.]].
:: '''Alien:''' [[Outsider (EU2012) | Outsiders]], [[Sectopod (EU2012) | Sectopods]], [[Uber_Ethereal_(EU2012) | Uber Ethereals]], or [[Zombie_(EU2012) | Zombies]] (Chryssalids can create them from XCOM Soldiers, though).

'''XCOM Soldiers Menu:'''
:: -- '''[[Classes (EU2012) | Class]]'''
:: -- '''Type'''
:: -- '''Primary Weapon'''
:: -- '''Secondary Weapon'''
:: -- '''Armor'''
:: -- '''Item 1'''
:: -- '''Item 2''' ''(Support Imperator / Psi Guardian Types)''
:: -- '''Customize''' ''(Rename unit, options like appearance / nationality / gender are unavailable)''

== [[Soldiers (EU2012) | XCOM Soldier Types]] ==
<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="15%" | Class / Type ''(Rank)''
! width="6%" | Points
! width="6%" | Health
! width="6%" | Aim
! width="6%" | Defense
! width="6%" | Will
! width="55%" | [[Abilities_(EU2012)#Class_.26_Rank_Abilities | Ability]]
|-
| '''- Rookie -'''
|800
|6
|65
|0
|40
| ''None''
|-
|'''- [[Classes_(EU2012)#Support | Support]] -'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|-
| Smokejumper ''(Squaddie)''
|900
|7
|70
|0
|45
| Smoke Grenade
|-
| Medic ''(Captain)''
|1550
|9
|82
|0
|65
| Smoke Grenade - Sprinter - Field Medic - Revive - Dense Smoke
|-
| Tac Officer ''(Captain)''
|1800
|9
|82
|0
|65
| Smoke Grenade - Smoke and Mirrors - Covering Fire - Rifle Suppression - Combat Drugs
|-
| Imperator ''(Colonel)''
|2800
|10
|90
|0
|75
| Smoke Grenade - Sprinter - Smoke and Mirrors - Rifle Suppression - Combat Drugs - Deep Pockets - Sentinel
|-
| Psi Guardian ''(Major)''
|3300
|9
|85
|0
|70
| Smoke Grenade - Sprinter - Field Medic - Revive - Dense Smoke - Deep Pockets
'''Psionic:''' Mindfray - Psi Inspiration - Telekinetic Field
|-
|'''- [[Classes_(EU2012)#Sniper | Sniper]] -'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|-
| Marksman ''(Squaddie)''
|950
|6
|75
|0
|45
| Headshot
|-
| Hunter ''(Captain)''
|1800
|8
|88
|0
|65
| Headshot - Snap Shot - Gunslinger - Battle Scanner - Executioner
|-
| Dead Eye ''(Captain)''
|2800
|8
|88
|0
|65
| Headshot - Squadsight - Damn Good Ground - Battle Scanner - Opportunist
|-
| Agent ''(Colonel)''
|2800
|9
|105
|0
|75
| Headshot - Snap Shot - Gunslinger - Disabling Shot - Executioner - Low Profile - Double Tap
|-
| Psi Assassin ''(Major)''
|5550
|9
|95
|0
|70
| Headshot - Squadsight - Damn Good Ground - Battle Scanner - Executioner - Low Profile
'''Psionic:''' Mindfray - Psi Panic - Mind Control
|-
|'''- [[Classes_(EU2012)#Assault | Assault]] -'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|-
| Recon ''(Squaddie)''
|1400
|7
|67
|0
|45
| Run & Gun
|-
| Gunner ''(Captain)''
|3050
|9
|79
|0
|65
| Run & Gun - Aggression - Lightning Reflexes - Rapid Fire - Bring 'Em On
|-
| Commando ''(Colonel)''
|3800
|10
|85
|0
|75
| Run & Gun - Aggression - Lightning Reflexes - Rapid Fire - Bring 'Em On - Extra Conditioning - Resilience
|-
| Psi Warrior ''(Major)''
|5550
|9
|81
|0
|70
| Run & Gun - Tactical Sense - Lightning Reflexes - Rapid Fire - Close Combat Specialist - Extra Conditioning
'''Psionic:''' Mindfray - Psi Panic - Mind Control
|-
|'''- [[Classes_(EU2012)#Heavy | Heavy]] -'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|-
| Rocketman ''(Squaddie)''
| 2600
| 7
| 67
| 0
| 45
| Fire Rocket
|-
| Machine Gunner ''(Captain)''
|3150
|9
|71
|0
|65
| Fire Rocket - Bullet Swarm - Suppression - Rapid Reaction - Danger Zone
|-
| Demolitionist ''(Captain)''
|4950
|9
|71
|0
|65
| Fire Rocket - Holo-Targeting - Shredder Rocket - HEAT Ammo - Grenadier
|-
| Juggernaut ''(Colonel)''
|5700
|10
|75
|0
|75
| Fire Rocket - Bullet Swarm - Suppression - Rapid Reaction - Grenadier - Will to Survive - Mayhem
|-

|}
</div>

* Stats shown include Default Equipment Loadouts: Primary / Secondary Weapons; '''Body Armor'''; no Items.
* XCOM Soldiers do not benefit from '''[[OTS_(EU2012) | Officer Training School]]''' upgrades. That's Single Player only.

== [[Alien Life Forms (EU2012) | Alien Life Forms]] ==
<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="15%" | Alien Type
! width="6%" | Points
! width="6%" | Health
! width="6%" | Aim
! width="6%" | Defense
! width="6%" | Will
! width="8%" | Movement
! width="47%" | [[Abilities_(EU2012)#Unique_Alien_Abilities | Ability]]
|-
|'''''- Tier One -'''''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|-
| [[Sectoid (EU2012) | Sectoid]]
|400
|3
|65
|0
|10
|12
| '''Psionic:''' Mind Merge
|-
| [[Drone (EU2012) | Drone]]
|1100
|3
|60
|10
|'''Robotic'''
|12
| Overload - Repair - Flight
|-
| [[Floater (EU2012) | Floater]]
|1300
|4
|50
|0
|10
|12
| Evasion - Launch - Flight
|-
| [[Thin Man (EU2012) | Thin Man]]
|1400
|4
|65
|0
|15
|15
| Leap - Poison Spit
|-
|'''''- Tier Two -'''''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|-
| [[Muton (EU2012) | Muton]]
|2850
|8
|70
|10
|10
|12
| Intimidate - Suppression - Alien Grenade - Blood Call
|-
| [[Chryssalid (EU2012) | Chryssalid]]
|3000
|8
|'''Melee'''
|10
|120
|20
| Hardened - Implant - Leap - Poisonous Claws - ''Poison Immunity''
|-
| [[Sectoid_Commander_(EU2012) | Sectoid Commander]]
|3200
|10
|85
|20
|90
|12
| '''Psionic:''' Mindfray - Psi Panic - Mind Control - Greater Mind Merge
|-
|'''''- Tier Three -'''''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|-
| [[Heavy_Floater_(EU2012) | Heavy Floater]]
|3750
|12
|70
|10
|25
|12
| Bombard - Evasion - Launch - Alien Grenade - Flight
|-
| [[Elite_Muton_(EU2012) | Muton Elite]]
|3800
|14
|80
|20
|20
|12
| Suppression - Bombard - Alien Grenade
|-
| [[Berserker_(EU2012) | Muton Berserker]]
|4000
|20
|'''Melee'''
|20
|80
|17
| Bloodlust - Hardened - Intimidate - Bull Rush
|-
| [[Cyberdisc (EU2012) | Cyberdisc]]
|5500
|16
|70
|10
| '''Robotic'''
|18
| Open (free) / Close (action) - '''Open:''' Bombard - Alien Grenade - Flight
'''Closed:''' Death Blossom - Hardened
|-
| [[Ethereal (EU2012) | Ethereal]]
|10500
|20
| ''' Psionic '''
|40
|120
|12
| Hardened
'''Psionic:''' Mindfray - Mind Control - Psi Drain - Psi Lance - Rift
|-
| [[Zombie_(EU2012) | Zombie]]
| '''No buy'''
|10
|'''Melee'''
|0
|120
|8
| ''Created from Chryssalids kills of XCOM Soldiers.''
|-
|}
</div>

* '''Melee''' attacks hit automatically, ignoring Aim and Defense stats.
* '''Robotic''' Units with '''0 Will''' do not Panic and are immune to Psionic effects from ''Mindfray'', ''Psi Panic'', and ''Mind Control''. However, they receive maximum damage from ''Psi Lance'' and ''Rift''.
* '''Thin Man''' has 4 HP and no damage penalty like the Classic difficulty version. Other stats follow Normal difficulty settings.
* '''Ethereals''' are the only Unit too expensive for ''Ranked Matches''; their use is thus restricted to ''Custom Games'' with 20000 Points or ''No Point Limit''.
* '''Ethereals''' are unarmed. But with their Psionic abilities, who cares?
* Aliens can be renamed with the only option available to them: '''Customize'''.

== '''Equipment''' ==
* '''''Mostly concerning [[#XCOM Soldiers | XCOM Soldiers]]. Aliens are unable to have their equipment loadouts modified.'''''
* '''Note:''' No Weapons or Items benefit from '''Foundry''' upgrades. That's Single Player only.
* Alien weapons are named after the species arming them, but are identical to the XCOM equivalents.

=== '''[[Weapons (EU2012) | Primary Weapons]]''' ===
<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="20%" | Weapon
! width="10%" | Points
! width="10%" | Range
! width="10%" | Damage
! width="12%" | Crit % / Dam
! width="38%" | Notes
|-
|'''- Standard * -'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|-
| [[Assault Rifle (EU2012) | Assault Rifle]]
| 0
| Medium
| 3
| 10% / 4
| ''Default''
|-
| [[Laser Rifle (EU2012) | Laser Rifle]]
| 200
| Medium
| 5
| 10% / 7
|
|-
| [[Light Plasma Rifle (EU2012) | Light Plasma Rifle]]
| 250
| Medium
| 5
| 10% / 7
| '''+10 Aim''' - Floater - Thin Man
|-
| [[Plasma Rifle (EU2012) | Plasma Rifle]]
| 900
| Medium
| 7
| 10% / 10
| Muton
|-
|'''- Heavy -'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|-
| [[LMG (EU2012) | LMG]]
| 0
| Medium
| 4
| 0% / 6
| ''Default''
|-
| [[Heavy Laser (EU2012) | Heavy Laser]]
| 200
| Medium
| 6
| 0% / 9
|
|-
| [[Heavy Plasma (EU2012) | Heavy Plasma]]
| 900
| Medium
| 9
| 0% / 13
| Heavy Floater - Elite Muton
|-
|'''- Assault -'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|-
| [[Shotgun (EU2012) | Shotgun]]
| 0
| Close
| 4
| 20% / 6
| ''Default''
|-
| [[Scatter Laser (EU2012) | Scatter Laser]]
| 250
| Close
| 6
| 20% / 9
|
|-
| [[Alloy Cannon (EU2012) | Alloy Cannon]]
| 950
| Close
| 9
| 20% / 13
|
|-
|'''- Sniper -'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|-
| [[Sniper Rifle (EU2012) | Sniper Rifle]]
| 0
| Long
| 4
| 25% / 6
| ''Default''
|-
| [[Laser Sniper Rifle (EU2012) | Laser Sniper Rifle]]
| 250
| Long
| 6
| 30% / 9
|
|-
| [[Plasma Sniper Rifle (EU2012) | Plasma Sniper Rifle]]
| 1000
| Long
| 9
| 35% / 13
|
|-
|}
</div>
* '''* Standard''' = Usable by Rookie, Support, and Assault Classes.

=== '''[[Weapons (EU2012) | Secondary Weapons]]''' ===
<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="15%" | Weapon
! width="10%" | Points
! width="10%" | Range
! width="10%" | Damage
! width="10%" | Crit % / Dam
! width="=45%" | Notes
|-
| [[Pistol (EU2012) | Pistol]]
| 0
| Medium
| 1
| 0% / 1
| ''Default'' - Soldier (except Heavy)
|-
| [[Laser Pistol (EU2012) | Laser Pistol]]
| 100
| Medium
| 2
| 10% / 3
| Soldier (except Heavy)
|-
| [[Plasma Pistol (EU2012) | Plasma Pistol]]
| 225
| Medium
| 3
| 0% / 4
| Soldier (except Heavy) - Sectoid - Sectoid Commander
|-
| [[Rocket Launcher (EU2012) | Rocket Launcher]]
| 0
| Medium
| 6
| 0% / 9
| ''Default'' - Heavy Soldier - '''90% chance to hit'''
|-
|}
</div>

* '''NOTE:''' There is no '''[[Blaster Launcher (EU2012) | Blaster Launcher]]''' in Multiplayer. Don't make that face, it would have probably cost 2500 points.

=== '''[[Armor (EU2012) | Armor]]''' ===
<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="20%" | Type
! width="10%" | Points
! width="10%" | Health
! width="10%" | Defense
! width="10%" | Move
! width="40%" | Ability - Notes
|-
| [[Body Armor (EU2012) | Body Armor]]
| 0
| +1
| --
| --
| ''Light - Default''
|-
| [[Carapace Armor (EU2012) | Carapace Armor]]
| 600
| +4
| --
| --
| ''Medium''
|-
| [[Skeleton Suit (EU2012) | Skeleton Suit]]
| 600
| +3
| +10
| +3
| ''Medium'' - Grapple
|-
| [[Titan Armor (EU2012) | Titan Armor]]
| 1700
| +10
| --
| --
| ''Heavy'' - ''Fire and Poison Immunity''
|-
| [[Archangel Armor (EU2012) | Archangel Armor]]
| 2400
| +8
| --
| --
| ''Heavy'' - Flight
|-
| [[Psi Armor (EU2012) | Psi Armor]]
| 3000
| +6
| +10
| +2
| ''Medium'' - '''+20 Will'''
|-
| [[Ghost Armor (EU2012) | Ghost Armor]]
| 4200
| +6
| +20
| +3
| ''Medium'' - Grapple - Ghost Mode
|-
|}
</div>

=== '''[[Equipment (EU2012) | Items]]''' ===
<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="25%" | Item Name
! width="10%" | Points
! width="65%" | Notes
|-
| [[Medikit (EU2012) | Medikit]]
| 100
| Heal 4 HP (Cure Poison) - Stabilize - ''Poison Immunity''
|-
| [[S.C.O.P.E. (EU2012) | S.C.O.P.E.]]
| 100
| '''+10 Aim'''
|-
| [[Nano-Fiber Vest (EU2012) | Nano-Fiber Vest]]
| 200
| '''+2 HP'''
|-
| [[Chitin Plating (EU2012) | Chitin Plating]]
| 300
| '''+4 HP''' - ''50% less Melee Damage''
|-
| [[Mind Shield (EU2012) | Mind Shield]]
| 300
| '''+30 Will'''
|-
| [[Combat Stims (EU2012) | Combat Stims]]
| 400
| '''+3 Move''' - +Will vs. Panic - ''50% less Damage''
|-
| [[Frag Grenade (EU2012) | Frag Grenade]]
| 900
| Damage: 3 - Radius: 2 tiles
|-
| [[Alien Grenade (EU2012) | Alien Grenade]]
| 1500
| Damage: 5 - Radius: 2 tiles
|-
|}
</div>

* '''Note:''' [[#XCOM Soldiers | XCOM Soldiers]] are ''NOT'' automatically given ''Frag Grenades'', like they are in Single Player. It is possible for Soldiers to carry no Items.
* '''Demolitionist''' and '''Juggernaut Heavy Types''' could certainly use ''Grenades'', to take advantage of their ability: ''Grenadier''.
* '''Imperator''' and '''Psi Guardian Support Types''' get '''Item Slot 2''' from ''Deep Pockets''.
* '''Muton, Sectoid Commander, Heavy Floater, Muton Elite,''' and '''Cyberdisc''' have one ''Alien Grenade'' each.
* No ''[[Arc Thrower (EU2012) | Arc Thrower]]'' for you! Lethal takedowns only. What would you do with their unconscious body anyway?

[[Category: Enemy Unknown (2012)]]

Multiplayer (EU2012)

2013-07-30T03:02:36Z

PartisanGerm: Checking up on my baby. Descriptions, links, etc.

__ToC__

Multiplayer games in XCOM: Enemy Unknown are played online over the internet or through a Local Area Network (LAN).
Multiplayer does not need to be unlocked, nor is it affected in any way by Single Player game progress or save files.
However, it is advisable to complete at least one Single Player game on Normal difficulty before attempting Multiplayer, so as to have at least fundamental game experience.

Multiplayer games are single battles of one vs. one (1v1) players. They are not saved, nor is there a campaign.
Each player may select a Squad of one to six Units, mixing XCOM Soldiers and Aliens, each with associated points costs according to potential battle value.
Squads may be selected before connecting to another player or in the game lobby, where you can see the number of points your opponent has selected.

== '''Multiplayer Menu''' ==
* '''Ranked Match'''
:: Attempts to match you with another player searching / hosting a '''Ranked Match'''.
:: -- ''Ranked Matches are limited to: '''10,000 Points, 90s Turn Time, with random map.'''''
:: -- ''Ranked Matches count towards your position on the Leaderboards.''

* '''Quick Match'''
:: Attempts to match you with another player looking for a '''Quick Match''' and connects you.
:: If no one else is searching, it creates a Custom Game with 10,000 Points, 120s Turn Time, Bar map.

* '''Custom Match'''
:: Choose to '''Create Game''' or '''Search''' for a hosted '''Custom Match'''.
:: ''If you choose to create a game, these are the options:''
::: -- '''Match Type:''' Public, Private, or LAN.
::: -- '''Points:''' 7500, 10000, 20000, or ''No Point Limit''.
::: -- '''Turn Time:''' 45 seconds, 90s, 120s, or ''No Time Limit''.
::: -- '''Map:''' Bar, Grand Cemetery, Police Station, Trainyard, or Boulevard.
::::: ''*These are currently the only five maps available for Multiplayer.''

* '''Leaderboards'''
:: From here you may view the ''Top Players'', ''Your Rank'', and ''Friend Ranks''.
::: -- ''The lists show Rank (number and name), Wins, Losses, and Disconnects.''

* '''Edit Squad'''
:: Opens the '''Offline Squad Editing''' menu screen.
::: -- ''If you choose a squad with points over 10000 total, a prompt will say "Loadout Changes Detected: Your loadout has too many points to play in a Ranked match, would you still like to save?"''

* '''View Invites'''
:: Brings up the Steam overlay to view game invites, messages, etc.

== '''Squad Editor Menu''' ==

There are six boxes you can click to add Units.
If you are connected to another player in the Multiplayer game lobby you will see your opponents currently selected points total, even if it overpasses the game restriction.
If connected, there is also a Ready button on the bottom right of the screen. If you are the host, the Ready button will change to Start after both players are Ready.

* Your Squad may consist of any '''XCOM Soldier''' Class (including ''Rookie'') and most '''Aliens''' in the game.
* You may choose to have '''1 - 6 Units''' in your Squad.
* Multiplayer Units are essentially the same as units on '''Normal''' difficulty.
* '''Types''' are XCOM Soldier Classes with preset Abilities and Ranks. You are unable to customize them.
* '''Ethereals''' are the only Unit too expensive for ''Ranked Matches''; their use restricted to ''Custom Games'' with 20000 Points or ''No Point Limit''.
* '''''Units unavailable for Multiplayer Squads:'''''
:: '''XCOM:''' [[Civilian (EU2012)| Civilians]], [[Classes_(EU2012)#Psionic | Psionic]] [[Classes_(EU2012)#Heavy | Heavy]] Soldiers, or any kind of [[SHIV (EU2012) | S.H.I.V.]].
:: '''Alien:''' [[Outsider (EU2012) | Outsiders]], [[Sectopod (EU2012) | Sectopods]], [[Ethereal (EU2012)#Uber Ethereal | Uber Ethereals]], or [[Chryssalid (EU2012)#Zombie | Zombies]] (Chryssalids can create them though).

----

'''XCOM Soldiers Menu:'''
:: -- '''[[Classes (EU2012) | Class]]'''
:: -- '''Type'''
:: -- '''Primary Weapon'''
:: -- '''Secondary Weapon'''
:: -- '''Armor'''
:: -- '''Item 1'''
:: -- '''Item 2''' ''(Support Imperator / Psi Guardian Types)''
:: -- '''Customize''' ''(Rename unit, options like appearance / nationality / gender are unavailable)''

== [[Soldiers (EU2012) | XCOM Soldier Types]] ==
<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="12%" | Class / Type ''(Rank)''
! width="6%" | Points
! width="6%" | Health
! width="6%" | Aim
! width="6%" | Defense
! width="6%" | Will
! width="58%" | [[Abilities_(EU2012)#Class_.26_Rank_Abilities | Ability]]
|-
| '''- Rookie -'''
|800
|6
|65
|0
|40
| ''None''
|-
|'''- [[Classes_(EU2012)#Support | Support]] -'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|-
| Smokejumper ''(Squaddie)''
|900
|7
|70
|0
|45
| Smoke Grenade
|-
| Medic ''(Captain)''
|1550
|9
|82
|0
|65
| Smoke Grenade - Sprinter - Field Medic - Revive - Dense Smoke
|-
| Tac Officer ''(Captain)''
|1800
|9
|82
|0
|65
| Smoke Grenade - Smoke and Mirrors - Covering Fire - Rifle Suppression - Combat Drugs
|-
| Imperator ''(Colonel)''
|2800
|10
|90
|0
|75
| Smoke Grenade - Sprinter - Smoke and Mirrors - Rifle Suppression - Combat Drugs - Deep Pockets - Sentinel
|-
| Psi Guardian ''(Major)''
|3300
|9
|85
|0
|70
| Smoke Grenade - Sprinter - Field Medic - Revive - Dense Smoke - Deep Pockets
'''Psionic''': Mindfray - Psi Inspiration - Telekinetic Field
|-
|'''- [[Classes_(EU2012)#Sniper | Sniper]] -'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|-
| Marksman ''(Squaddie)''
|950
|6
|75
|0
|45
| Headshot
|-
| Hunter ''(Captain)''
|1800
|8
|88
|0
|65
| Headshot - Snap Shot - Gunslinger - Battle Scanner - Executioner
|-
| Dead Eye ''(Captain)''
|2800
|8
|88
|0
|65
| Headshot - Squadsight - Damn Good Ground - Battle Scanner - Opportunist
|-
| Agent ''(Colonel)''
|2800
|9
|105
|0
|75
| Headshot - Snap Shot - Gunslinger - Disabling Shot - Executioner - Low Profile - Double Tap
|-
| Psi Assassin ''(Major)''
|5550
|9
|95
|0
|70
| Headshot - Squadsight - Damn Good Ground - Battle Scanner - Executioner - Low Profile
'''Psionic''': Mindfray - Psi Panic - Mind Control
|-
|'''- [[Classes_(EU2012)#Assault | Assault]] -'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|-
| Recon ''(Squaddie)''
|1400
|7
|67
|0
|45
| Run & Gun
|-
| Gunner ''(Captain)''
|3050
|9
|79
|0
|65
| Run & Gun - Aggression - Lightning Reflexes - Rapid Fire - Bring 'Em On
|-
| Commando ''(Colonel)''
|3800
|10
|85
|0
|75
| Run & Gun - Aggression - Lightning Reflexes - Rapid Fire - Bring 'Em On - Extra Conditioning - Resilience
|-
| Psi Warrior ''(Major)''
|5550
|9
|81
|0
|70
| Run & Gun - Tactical Sense - Lightning Reflexes - Rapid Fire - Close Combat Specialist - Extra Conditioning
'''Psionic''': Mindfray - Psi Panic - Mind Control
|-
|'''- [[Classes_(EU2012)#Heavy | Heavy]] -'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|-
| Rocketman ''(Squaddie)''
|2600
|7
|67
|0
|45
| Fire Rocket
|-
| Machine Gunner ''(Captain)''
|3150
|9
|71
|0
|65
| Fire Rocket - Bullet Swarm - Suppression - Rapid Reaction - Danger Zone
|-
| Demolitionist ''(Captain)''
|4950
|9
|71
|0
|65
| Fire Rocket - Holo-Targeting - Shredder Rocket - HEAT Ammo - Grenadier
|-
| Juggernaut ''(Colonel)''
|5700
|10
|75
|0
|75
| Fire Rocket - Bullet Swarm - Suppression - Rapid Reaction - Grenadier - Will to Survive - Mayhem
|-

|}
</div>
* Stats shown are include Default Equipment Loadouts: Primary / Secondary Weapons; '''Body Armor'''; no Items.
* XCOM Soldiers do not benefit from '''[[OTS_(EU2012) | Officer Training School]]''' upgrades. That's Single Player only.

== [[Alien Life Forms (EU2012) | Alien Life Forms]] ==
<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="12%" | Alien Type
! width="6%" | Points
! width="6%" | Health
! width="6%" | Aim
! width="6%" | Defense
! width="6%" | Will
! width="8%" | Movement
! width="50%" | [[Abilities_(EU2012)#Unique_Alien_Abilities | Ability]]
|-
|'''''- Tier One -'''''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|-
| [[Sectoid (EU2012) | Sectoid]]
|400
|3
|65
|0
|10
|12
| Mind Merge
|-
| [[Drone (EU2012) | Drone]]
|1100
|3
|60
|10
|'''Robotic'''
|12
|Overload - Repair - Flight
|-
| [[Floater (EU2012) | Floater]]
|1300
|4
|50
|0
|10
|12
| Evasion - Launch - Flight
|-
| [[Thin Man (EU2012) | Thin Man]]
|1400
|4
|65
|0
|15
|15
| Leap - Poison Spit
|-
|'''''- Tier Two -'''''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|-
| [[Muton (EU2012)#Muton Soldier | Muton]]
|2850
|8
|70
|10
|10
|12
| Suppression - Blood Call - Intimidate - Alien Grenade
|-
| [[Chryssalid (EU2012) | Chryssalid]]
|3000
|8
|'''Melee'''
|10
|120
|20
| Leap - Poisonous Claws - Implant - Hardened - ''Fastest Unit - Poison Immunity''
|-
| [[Sectoid (EU2012)#Sectoid Commander | Sectoid Commander]]
|3200
|10
|85
|20
|90
|12
| Greater Mind Merge
'''Psionic''': Mindfray - Psi Panic - Mind Control
|-
|'''''- Tier Three -'''''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|'''--'''
|-
| [[Floater (EU2012)#Heavy Floater | Heavy Floater]]
|3750
|12
|70
|10
|25
|12
| Bombard - Evasion - Launch - Alien Grenade - Flight
|-
| [[Muton (EU2012)#Muton Elite | Muton Elite]]
|3800
|14
|80
|20
|20
|12
| Suppression - Bombard - Alien Grenade
|-
| [[Muton (EU2012)#Muton Berserker | Muton Berserker]]
|4000
|20
|'''Melee'''
|20
|80
|17
| Bull Rush - Bloodlust - Hardened
|-
| [[Cyberdisc (EU2012) | Cyberdisc]]
|5500
|16
|70
|10
|'''Robotic'''
|18
| Open (free) / Close (action) - Bombard - Alien Grenade - Flight
'''Closed''': Death Blossom + Hardened
|-
| [[Ethereal (EU2012) | Ethereal]]
|10500
|20
|''' Psionic '''
|40
|120
|12
| Hardened
'''Psionic''': Mindfray - Mind Control - Psi Drain - Psi Lance - Rift
|-
| [[Chryssalid (EU2012)#Zombie | Zombie]]
|''No buy''
|10
|'''Melee'''
|0
|120
|8
| ''Created from Chryssalids kills of XCOM Soldiers.''
|-
|}
</div>
* '''Melee''' attacks hit automatically, ignoring Aim and Defense stats.
* '''Robotic''' Units with '''0 Will''' do not Panic and are immune to Psionic effects from ''Mindfray'', ''Psi Panic'', and ''Mind Control''. However, they receive maximum damage from ''Psi Lance'' and ''Rift''.
* '''Thin Man''' has 4 HP and no damage penalty like the Classic difficulty version. Other stats follow Normal difficulty settings.
* '''Ethereals''' are unarmed. But with their Psionic abilities, who cares?

== '''Equipment''' ==
* '''''Mostly concerning [[#XCOM Soldiers | XCOM Soldiers]]. Aliens are unable to have their equipment loadouts modified.'''''
* '''Note:''' No Weapons or Items benefit from '''Foundry''' upgrades. That's Single Player only.
* Alien weapons are named after the species arming them, but are identical to the XCOM equivalents.

=== '''[[Weapons (EU2012) | Primary Weapons]]''' ===
<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="20%" | Weapon
! width="10%" | Points
! width="10%" | Range
! width="10%" | Damage
! width="10%" | Crit % / Dam
! width="40%" | Notes
|-
| [[Assault Rifle (EU2012) | Assault Rifle]]
| 0
| Medium
| 3
| 10% / 4
| ''Default'' - Standard'''*'''
|-
| [[Laser Rifle (EU2012) | Laser Rifle]]
| 200
| Medium
| 5
| 10% / 7
| Standard'''*'''
|-
| [[Light Plasma Rifle (EU2012) | Light Plasma Rifle]]
| 250
| Medium
| 5
| 10% / 7
| '''+10 Aim''' - Standard'''*''' - Floater - Thin Man
|-
| [[Plasma Rifle (EU2012) | Plasma Rifle]]
| 900
| Medium
| 7
| 10% / 10
| Standard* - ''Muton''
|-
| [[LMG (EU2012) | LMG]]
| 0
| Medium
| 4
| 0% / 6
| ''Default'' - Heavy
|-
| [[Heavy Laser (EU2012) | Heavy Laser]]
| 200
| Medium
| 6
| 0% / 9
| Heavy
|-
| [[Heavy Plasma (EU2012) | Heavy Plasma]]
| 900
| Medium
| 9
| 0% / 13
| Heavy - Heavy Floater - Elite Muton
|-
| [[Shotgun (EU2012) | Shotgun]]
| 0
| Close
| 4
| 20% / 6
| ''Default'' - Assault
|-
| [[Scatter Laser (EU2012) | Scatter Laser]]
| 250
| Close
| 6
| 20% / 9
| Assault
|-
| [[Alloy Cannon (EU2012) | Alloy Cannon]]
| 950
| Close
| 9
| 20% / 13
| Assault
|-
| [[Sniper Rifle (EU2012) | Sniper Rifle]]
| 0
| Long
| 4
| 25% / 6
| ''Default'' - Sniper
|-
| [[Laser Sniper Rifle (EU2012) | Laser Sniper Rifle]]
| 250
| Long
| 6
| 30% / 9
| Sniper
|-
| [[Plasma Sniper Rifle (EU2012) | Plasma Sniper Rifle]]
| 1000
| Long
| 9
| 35% / 13
| Sniper
|-
|}
</div>
* '''* Standard''' = Rookie, Assault, and Support Classes.

=== '''[[Weapons (EU2012) | Secondary Weapons]]''' ===
<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="15%" | Weapon
! width="10%" | Points
! width="10%" | Range
! width="10%" | Damage
! width="10%" | Crit % / Dam
! width="=45%" | Notes
|-
| [[Pistol (EU2012) | Pistol]]
| 0
| Medium
| 1
| 0% / 1
| ''Default'' - XCOM Soldier (except Heavy)
|-
| [[Laser Pistol (EU2012) | Laser Pistol]]
| 100
| Medium
| 2
| 10% / 3
| XCOM Soldier (except Heavy)
|-
| [[Plasma Pistol (EU2012) | Plasma Pistol]]
| 225
| Medium
| 3
| 0% / 4
| XCOM Soldier (except Heavy) - Sectoid - Sectoid Commander
|-
| [[Rocket Launcher (EU2012) | Rocket Launcher]]
| 0
| Medium
| 6
| 0% / 9
| ''Default'' - Heavy Class Only - 90% chance to hit
|-
|}
</div>

* '''NOTE:''' There is no '''[[Blaster Launcher (EU2012) | Blaster Launcher]]''' in Multiplayer. Don't make that face, it would have probably cost 2500 points.

=== '''[[Armor (EU2012) | Armor]]''' ===
<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="20%" | Type
! width="10%" | Points
! width="10%" | Health
! width="10%" | Defense
! width="10%" | Move
! width="40%" | Ability - Notes
|-
| [[Body Armor (EU2012) | Body Armor]]
| 0
| +1
| --
| --
| ''Light - Default''
|-
| [[Carapace Armor (EU2012) | Carapace Armor]]
| 600
| +4
| --
| --
| ''Medium''
|-
| [[Skeleton Suit (EU2012) | Skeleton Suit]]
| 600
| +3
| +10
| +3
| ''Medium'' - Grapple
|-
| [[Titan Armor (EU2012) | Titan Armor]]
| 1700
| +10
| --
| --
| ''Heavy'' - Fire and Poison Immunity
|-
| [[Archangel Armor (EU2012) | Archangel Armor]]
| 2400
| +8
| --
| --
| ''Heavy'' - Flight
|-
| [[Psi Armor (EU2012) | Psi Armor]]
| 3000
| +6
| +10
| +2
| ''Medium'' - '''+20 Will'''
|-
| [[Ghost Armor (EU2012) | Ghost Armor]]
| 4200
| +6
| +20
| +3
| ''Medium'' - Grapple - Stealth
|-
|}
</div>

=== '''[[Equipment (EU2012) | Items]]''' ===
<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="25%" | Item Name
! width="10%" | Points
! width="65%" | Notes
|-
| [[Medikit (EU2012) | Medikit]]
| 100
| Heal 4 Health (Cures Poison) - Stabilize - Poison Immunity
|-
| [[S.C.O.P.E. (EU2012) | S.C.O.P.E.]]
| 100
| +10 Aim
|-
| [[Nano-Fiber Vest (EU2012) | Nano-Fiber Vest]]
| 200
| +2 Health
|-
| [[Chitin Plating (EU2012) | Chitin Plating]]
| 300
| +4 Health - 50% less Melee Damage
|-
| [[Mind Shield (EU2012) | Mind Shield]]
| 300
| +30 Will
|-
| [[Combat Stims (EU2012) | Combat Stims]]
| 400
| +Will (Panic) - +3 Movement - 50% less Damage
|-
| [[Frag Grenade (EU2012) | Frag Grenade]]
| 900
| Damage: 3 - Radius: 2 tiles
|-
| [[Alien Grenade (EU2012) | Alien Grenade]]
| 1500
| Damage: 5 - Radius: 2 tiles
|-
|}
</div>

* '''Note:''' [[#XCOM Soldiers | XCOM Soldiers]] are ''NOT'' automatically given ''Frag Grenades'', like they are in Single Player.
* '''Demolitionist''' and '''Juggernaut Heavies''' could certainly use ''Grenades'', to take advantage of their ability: ''Grenadier''.
* '''Imperator''' and '''Psi Guardian Supports''' get '''Item Slot 2''' from ''Deep Pockets''.
* '''Sectoid Commander, Muton, Heavy Floater, Elite Muton,''' and '''Cyberdisc''' have one ''Alien Grenade'' each.
* No ''[[Arc Thrower (EU2012) | Arc Thrower]]'' for you!

[[Category: Enemy Unknown (2012)]]

User:PartisanGerm

2012-11-17T18:31:03Z

PartisanGerm:

'''''Please don't edit this page. That's what the Discussion / Talk page is for.'''''

__ToC__

==About Me==
'''I'm a hardcore gamer.''' I have, do, and will play(ed) many ass-loads of games of all mediums and genres. I may not have played the original X-COM much, but I am certainly impressed by its legacy.... and I love anything by Microprose. I played Magic: The Gathering when I was a kid (back when the card game wasn't stupid broken) and nothing will compare to the original PC game (buggy or not). I appreciate the power of relatively basic game concepts applied .

This is the first wiki I have found which I feel I should give half a crap about. Cult classic PC game series, and the born again version. Since I'm of the newer, younger generation, I'll do what I can to create wiki justice in X-COMs name.

== My Babies ==

'''Don't touch my baby!''' ''Think of the children!''

* [[Multiplayer (EU2012) | Multiplayer]]
* [[Soldier Skills & Equipment Guide (EU2012) | Soldier Skills & Equipment Guide]]

Talk:Multiplayer (EU2012)

2012-11-17T01:15:23Z

PartisanGerm:

I wanted to make the wording a bit more accurate, and organize the first part of the page some more. Might as well state what anyone can find out easily, but simply.

Tried to put sections in the items, but it got buggy.--[[User:PartisanGerm|PartisanGerm]] 22:42, 14 November 2012 (EST)

I reorganized all the tables in Points cost order. I think that's a lot better for use than holding strictly to the order that's in game. Some abilities are out of Rank order in game as well.--[[User:PartisanGerm|PartisanGerm]] 20:15, 16 November 2012 (EST)

Multiplayer (EU2012)

2012-11-17T01:11:37Z

PartisanGerm: Final corrections. Seriously, I think I'm done now.

Technically, it should be called Biplayer or Duel Player. You're only ever playing with one other person.

__ToC__

== '''Multiplayer Menu''' ==
* '''Ranked Match'''
:: Automatically matches you up with someone else searching / hosting a '''Ranked Match'''.
:: --- ''Ranked Matches are limited to: '''10,000 Points, 90s Turn Time, with random map.'''''
:: --- ''Ranked Matches count towards your position on the Leaderboards.''

* '''Quick Match'''
:: Attempts to match you up with someone else looking for a '''Quick Match''' and connects you. If no one else is searching, it creates a Custom Game with 10,000 Points, 120s Turn Time, Bar map.

* '''Custom Match'''
:: Choose to '''Create Game''' or '''Search''' for a hosted '''Custom Match'''.
:: ''If you choose to create a game, these are the options:''
::: --- '''Match Type:''' Public, Private, or LAN.
::: --- '''Points:''' 7500, 10000, 20000, or ''No Point Limit''.
::: --- '''Turn Time:''' 45 seconds, 90s, 120s, or ''No Time Limit''.
::: --- '''Map:''' Bar, Grand Cemetery, Police Station, Trainyard, or Boulevard.
::::: ''*These are currently the only five maps available for Multiplayer.''

* '''Leaderboards'''
:: From here you may view the ''Top Players'', ''Your Rank'', and ''Friend Ranks''.
::: --- ''The lists show Rank (number and name), Wins, Losses, and Disconnects.''

* '''Edit Squad'''
:: Opens the '''Offline Squad Editing''' page.
::: --- ''If you choose a squad with points over 10000 total, a prompt will say "Loadout Changes Detected: Your loadout has too many points to play in a Ranked match, would you still like to save?"''

* '''View Invites'''
:: Brings up the Steam overlay (or what have you), to see if you have any game invites, messages, etc.

== '''Squad Editing Menu''' ==
* Your Squad may consist of any '''XCOM Soldier''' Class (including ''Rookie'') and most '''Aliens''' in the game.
* You may choose to have '''1 - 6 individual Units''' in your Squad.
* Multiplayer Units are essentially the same as units on '''Normal''' difficulty.
* '''Types''' are '''XCOM Soldier Class''' presets for Abilities and Ranks. You are unable to create your own.
* '''Ethereals''' are the only Unit too expensive for ''Ranked Matches''; their use restricted to ''Custom Games'' with 20000 Points or ''No Point Limit''.
* '''''Units you can't put in your Multiplayer Squad:'''''
:: '''XCOM:''' [[Civilian (EU2012)| Civilians]], Heavy Psionic Soldiers, or [[SHIV (EU2012) | S.H.I.V.s]].
:: '''Aliens:''' [[Outsider (EU2012) | Outsiders]], [[Sectopod (EU2012) | Sectopods]], [[Ethereal (EU2012)#Uber Ethereal | Uber Ethereals]], or Zombies (Chryssalids can create them though).

----

'''XCOM Soldiers Menu:'''
:: --- '''[[Classes (EU2012) | Class]]'''
:: --- '''Type'''
:: --- '''Primary Weapon'''
:: --- '''Secondary Weapon'''
:: --- '''Armor'''
:: --- '''Item 1'''
:: --- '''Item 2''' ''(Support Imperator / Psi Guardian)''
:: --- '''Customize''' ''(rename unit, only option for Aliens)''

== [[Soldiers (EU2012) | XCOM Soldier Stats]] ==
<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="12%" | Class / Type ''(Rank)''
! width="6%" | Points
! width="6%" | Health
! width="6%" | Aim
! width="6%" | Defense
! width="6%" | Will
! width="58%" | Abilities
|-
|'''- Rookie Class -'''
|800
|7
|65
|0
|40
| ''None''
|-
|'''- [[Classes_(EU2012)#Support | Support Class]] -'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|-
| Smokejumper ''(Squaddie)''
|900
|8
|70
|0
|45
| Smoke Grenade
|-
| Medic ''(Captain)''
|1550
|10
|82
|0
|65
| Smoke Grenade - Sprinter - Field Medic - Revive - Dense Smoke
|-
| Tac Officer ''(Captain)''
|1800
|10
|82
|0
|65
| Smoke Grenade - Smoke and Mirrors - Covering Fire - Rifle Suppression - Combat Drugs
|-
| Imperator ''(Colonel)''
|2800
|11
|90
|0
|75
| Smoke Grenade - Sprinter - Smoke and Mirrors - Rifle Suppression - Combat Drugs - Deep Pockets - Sentinel
|-
| Psi Guardian ''(Major)''
|3300
|10
|85
|0
|70
| Smoke Grenade - Sprinter - Field Medic - Revive - Dense Smoke - Deep Pockets
[[Classes_(EU2012)#Psionic | '''Psionic''']]: Mindfray - Psi Inspiration - Telekinetic Field
|-
|'''- [[Classes_(EU2012)#Sniper | Sniper Class]] -'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|-
| Marksman ''(Squaddie)''
|950
|7
|75
|0
|45
| Headshot
|-
| Hunter ''(Captain)''
|1800
|9
|88
|0
|65
| Headshot - Snap Shot - Gunslinger - Battle Scanner - Executioner
|-
| Dead Eye ''(Captain)''
|2800
|9
|88
|0
|65
| Headshot - Squadsight - Damn Good Ground - Battle Scanner - Opportunist
|-
| Agent ''(Colonel)''
|2800
|10
|105
|0
|75
| Headshot - Snap Shot - Gunslinger - Disabling Shot - Executioner - Low Profile - Double Tap
|-
| Psi Assassin ''(Major)''
|5550
|10
|95
|0
|70
| Headshot - Squadsight - Damn Good Ground - Battle Scanner - Executioner - Low Profile
'''Psionic''': Mindfray - Psi Panic - Mind Control
|-
|'''- [[Classes_(EU2012)#Assault | Assault Class]] -'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|-
| Recon ''(Squaddie)''
|1400
|8
|67
|0
|45
| Run & Gun
|-
| Gunner ''(Captain)''
|3050
|10
|79
|0
|65
| Run & Gun - Aggression - Lightning Reflexes - Rapid Fire - Bring 'Em On
|-
| Commando ''(Colonel)''
|3800
|11
|85
|0
|75
| Run & Gun - Aggression - Lightning Reflexes - Rapid Fire - Bring 'Em On - Extra Conditioning - Resilience
|-
| Psi Warrior ''(Major)''
|5550
|10
|81
|0
|70
| Run & Gun - Tactical Sense - Lightning Reflexes - Rapid Fire - Close Combat Specialist - Extra Conditioning
'''Psionic''': Mindfray - Psi Panic - Mind Control
|-
|'''- [[Classes_(EU2012)#Heavy | Heavy Class]] -'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|-
| Rocketman ''(Squaddie)''
|2600
|8
|67
|0
|45
| Fire Rocket
|-
| Machine Gunner ''(Captain)''
|3150
|10
|71
|0
|65
| Fire Rocket - Bullet Swarm - Suppression - Rapid Reaction - Danger Zone
|-
| Demolitionist ''(Captain)''
|4950
|10
|71
|0
|65
| Fire Rocket - Holo-Targeting - Shredder Rocket - HEAT Ammo - Grenadier
|-
| Juggernaut ''(Colonel)''
|5700
|11
|75
|0
|75
| Fire Rocket - Bullet Swarm - Suppression - Rapid Reaction - Grenadier - Will to Survive - Mayhem
|-

|}
</div>
* '''Point costs are for Default Equipment: Primary and Secondary Weapons; Body Armor; no Items.'''

== [[Alien Life Forms (EU2012) | Alien Stats]] ==
<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="12%" | Alien Type
! width="6%" | Points
! width="6%" | Health
! width="6%" | Aim
! width="6%" | Defense
! width="6%" | Will
! width="8%" | Movement
! width="50%" | Abilities
|-
|'''''- Tier One -'''''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|-
| [[Sectoid (EU2012) | Sectoid]]
|400
|3
|65
|0
|10
|12
| Mind Merge
|-
| [[Drone (EU2012) | Drone]]
|1100
|3
|60
|10
|'''Robotic'''
|12
|Overload - Repair - Flight
|-
| [[Floater (EU2012) | Floater]]
|1300
|4
|50
|0
|10
|12
| Evasion - Launch - Flight
|-
| [[Thin Man (EU2012) | Thin Man]]
|1400
|3
|65
|0
|15
|15
| Leap - Poison Spit
|-
|'''''- Tier Two -'''''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|-
| [[Muton (EU2012)#Muton Soldier | Muton]]
|2850
|8
|70
|10
|10
|12
| Suppression - Blood Call - Intimidate - Alien Grenade
|-
| [[Chryssalid (EU2012) | Chryssalid]]
|3000
|8
|'''Melee'''
|10
|120
|20
| Leap - Poisonous Claws - Implant - Hardened - ''Fastest Unit - Poison Immunity''
|-
| [[Sectoid (EU2012)#Sectoid Commander | Sectoid Commander]]
|3200
|10
|85
|20
|90
|12
| Greater Mind Merge
'''Psionic''': Mindfray - Psi Panic - Mind Control
|-
|'''''- Tier Three -'''''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|-
| [[Floater (EU2012)#Heavy Floater | Heavy Floater]]
|3750
|12
|70
|10
|25
|12
| Bombard - Evasion - Launch - Alien Grenade - Flight
|-
| [[Muton (EU2012)#Muton Elite | Muton Elite]]
|3800
|14
|80
|20
|20
|12
| Suppression - Bombard - Alien Grenade
|-
| [[Muton (EU2012)#Muton Berserker | Muton Berserker]]
|4000
|20
|'''Melee'''
|20
|80
|17
| Bull Rush - Bloodlust - Hardened
|-
| [[Cyberdisc (EU2012) | Cyberdisc]]
|5500
|16
|70
|10
|'''Robotic'''
|18
| Open (free) / Close (action) - Bombard - Alien Grenade - Flight
'''Closed''': Death Blossom + Hardened
|-
| [[Ethereal (EU2012) | Ethereal]]
|10500
|20
|''' Psionic '''
|40
|120
|12
| Psi Lance - Rift - Psi Drain - Hardened
'''Psionic''': Mindfray - Mind Control
|-
| [[Chryssalid (EU2012)#Zombie | Zombie]]
|''No buy''
|10
|'''Melee'''
|0
|120
|8
| ''Created by Chryssalids killing XCOM Soldiers '''only'''.''
|-
|}
</div>
* '''Melee''' attacks ignore Aim and Defense, hitting automatically.
* '''Robotic''' units with '''0 Will''' are immune to ''Psi Panic'', ''Mind Control'' and ''Mindfray''. However, they receive maximum damage from ''Psi Lance'' and ''Rift''.
* '''Ethereal''' is unarmed. Mind over matter!

== '''Equipment''' ==
* '''''Mostly concerning [[#XCOM Soldiers | XCOM Soldiers]].'''''
* '''Note:''' No Weapons or Items benefit from ''Foundry'' research upgrades. That's Single Player only.

=== '''Primary Weapons''' ===
<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="20%" | Weapon
! width="10%" | Points
! width="10%" | Range
! width="10%" | Damage
! width="10%" | Crit % / Dam
! width="40%" | Notes
|-
| [[Assault Rifle (EU2012) | Assault Rifle]]
| 0
| Medium
| 3
| 10% / 4
| ''Default'' - Standard*
|-
| [[Laser Rifle (EU2012) | Laser Rifle]]
| 200
| Medium
| 5
| 10% / 7
| Standard*
|-
| [[Light Plasma Rifle (EU2012) | Light Plasma Rifle]]
| 250
| Medium
| 5
| 10% / 7
| '''+10 Aim''' - Standard* - Floater - Thin Man - ''Muton?''
|-
| [[Plasma Rifle (EU2012) | Plasma Rifle]]
| 900
| Medium
| 7
| 10% / 10
| Standard* - ''Muton?''
|-
| [[LMG (EU2012) | LMG]]
| 0
| Medium
| 4
| 0% / 6
| ''Default'' - Heavy
|-
| [[Heavy Laser (EU2012) | Heavy Laser]]
| 200
| Medium
| 6
| 0% / 9
| Heavy
|-
| [[Heavy Plasma (EU2012) | Heavy Plasma]]
| 900
| Medium
| 9
| 0% / 13
| Heavy - Heavy Floater - Elite Muton
|-
| [[Shotgun (EU2012) | Shotgun]]
| 0
| Close
| 4
| 20% / 6
| ''Default'' - Assault
|-
| [[Scatter Laser (EU2012) | Scatter Laser]]
| 250
| Close
| 6
| 20% / 9
| Assault
|-
| [[Alloy Cannon (EU2012) | Alloy Cannon]]
| 950
| Close
| 9
| 20% / 13
| Assault
|-
| [[Sniper Rifle (EU2012) | Sniper Rifle]]
| 0
| Long
| 4
| 25% / 6
| ''Default'' - Sniper
|-
| [[Laser Sniper Rifle (EU2012) | Laser Sniper Rifle]]
| 250
| Long
| 6
| 30% / 9
| Sniper
|-
| [[Plasma Sniper Rifle (EU2012) | Plasma Sniper Rifle]]
| 1000
| Long
| 9
| 35% / 13
| Sniper
|-
|}
</div>
* *Standard = Rookie, Assault, and Support classes.
* See also: [[Weapons (EU2012) | Weapons]]

=== '''Secondary Weapons''' ===
<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="15%" | Weapon
! width="10%" | Points
! width="10%" | Range
! width="10%" | Damage
! width="10%" | Crit % / Dam
! width="=45%" | Notes
|-
| [[Pistol (EU2012) | Pistol]]
| 0
| Medium
| 1
| 0% / 1
| ''Default'' - XCOM Soldiers, except Heavy
|-
| [[Laser Pistol (EU2012) | Laser Pistol]]
| 100
| Medium
| 2
| 10% / 3
| XCOM Soldiers, except Heavy
|-
| [[Plasma Pistol (EU2012) | Plasma Pistol]]
| 225
| Medium
| 3
| 0% / 4
| XCOM Soldiers, except Heavy - Sectoid - Sectoid Commander
|-
| [[Rocket Launcher (EU2012) | Rocket Launcher]]
| 0
| Medium
| 6
| 0% / 9
| ''Default'' - Heavy - 90% chance to hit
|-
|}
</div>
* '''NOTE:''' You are unable to use a '''[[Blaster Launcher (EU2012) | Blaster Launcher]]''' in Multiplayer. Don't make that face. It would probably cost 2500 points.
* See also: [[Weapons (EU2012) | Weapons]]

=== '''Armors''' ===
<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="20%" | Type
! width="10%" | Points
! width="10%" | Health
! width="10%" | Defense
! width="10%" | Move
! width="40%" | Abilities + Notes
|-
| [[Body Armor (EU2012) | Body Armor]]
| 0
| +1
| ---
| ---
| ''Light - Default''
|-
| [[Carapace Armor (EU2012) | Carapace Armor]]
| 600
| +4
| ---
| ---
| ''Medium''
|-
| [[Skeleton Suit (EU2012) | Skeleton Suit]]
| 600
| +3
| +10
| +3
| ''Medium'' - Grapple
|-
| [[Titan Armor (EU2012) | Titan Armor]]
| 1700
| +10
| ---
| ---
| ''Heavy'' - Fire and Poison Immunity
|-
| [[Archangel Armor (EU2012) | Archangel Armor]]
| 2400
| +8
| ---
| ---
| ''Heavy'' - Flight
|-
| [[Ghost Armor (EU2012) | Ghost Armor]]
| 2700
| +6
| +20
| +3
| ''Medium'' - Grapple - Stealth
|-
| [[Psi Armor (EU2012) | Psi Armor]]
| 3000
| +6
| +10
| +2
| ''Medium'' - +20 Will
|-
|}
</div>
* See also: [[Armor (EU2012) | Armor]]

=== '''Items''' ===
<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="25%" | Item Name
! width="10%" | Points
! width="65%" | Notes
|-
| [[Medikit (EU2012) | Medikit]]
| 100
| Heal 4 Health (Cures Poison) - Stabilize - Poison Immunity
|-
| [[S.C.O.P.E. (EU2012) | S.C.O.P.E.]]
| 100
| +10 Aim
|-
| [[Nano-Fiber Vest (EU2012) | Nano-Fiber Vest]]
| 200
| +2 Health
|-
| [[Chitin Plating (EU2012) | Chitin Plating]]
| 300
| +4 Health - 50% less Melee Damage
|-
| [[Mind Shield (EU2012) | Mind Shield]]
| 300
| +30 Will
|-
| [[Combat Stims (EU2012) | Combat Stims]]
| 400
| +Will (Panic) - +3 Movement - 50% less Damage
|-
| [[Frag Grenade (EU2012) | Frag Grenade]]
| 900
| Damage: 3 - Radius: 2 tiles
|-
| [[Alien Grenade (EU2012) | Alien Grenade]]
| 1500
| Damage: 5 - Radius: 2 tiles
|-
|}
</div>
* '''Note:''' [[#XCOM Soldiers | XCOM Soldiers]] are ''NOT'' automatically given ''Frag Grenades'', like they are in Single Player.
* '''Demolitionist''' and '''Juggernaut Heavies''' could certainly use ''Grenades'', considering the ability ''Grenadier''.
* '''Imperator''' and '''Psi Guardian Supports''' get '''Item Slot 2''' from ''Deep Pockets''.
* '''Sectoid Commander, Muton, Heavy Floater, Elite Muton,''' and '''Cyberdisc''' have one ''Alien Grenade'' each.
* No ''[[Arc Thrower (EU2012) | Arc Thrower]]'' for you!
* See also: [[Equipment (EU2012) | Equipment]]

[[Category: Enemy Unknown (2012)]]

Multiplayer (EU2012)

2012-11-16T04:36:04Z

PartisanGerm: Tidied up, cleaned look. A lot of work this wiki stuff is.

__ToC__

Technically, it should be called Biplayer or Duel Player. You're only ever playing with one other person.

== '''Multiplayer Menu''' ==
* '''Ranked Match'''
: '''''Automatically matches you up with someone else searching / hosting a Ranked Match.'''''
:: - ''Ranked Matches are limited to: '''10,000 Points, 90s Turn Time, with random map.'''''
:: - ''Ranked Matches count towards your position on the Leaderboards.''

* '''Quick Match'''
: - ''Quick Match attempts to match you up with someone else looking for a Quick Match and connects you together. If no one else is searching, it creates a Custom Game with 10,000 Points, 120s Turn Time, Bar map.''

* '''Custom Match'''
: '''''- Choose to Create Game or Search for a hosted Custom Match.'''''
: ''If you choose to create a game, these are the options:''
:: --- '''Match Type:''' Public, Private, or LAN.
:: --- '''Points:''' 7500, 10000, 20000, or ''No Point Limit''.
:: --- '''Turn Time:''' 45 seconds, 90s, 120s, or ''No Time Limit''.
:: --- '''Map:''' Bar, Grand Cemetery, Police Station, Trainyard, or Boulevard.
:::: ''*These are currently the only five maps available for Multiplayer.''

* '''Leaderboards'''
: '''''- From here you may view the Top Players, Your Rank, and Friend Ranks.'''''
:: --- ''The lists show Rank (number and name), Wins, Losses, and Disconnects.''

* '''Edit Squad'''
: '''''- This opens the Offline Squad Editing page.'''''
:: --- ''If you choose a squad with points over 10000 total, a prompt will say "Loadout Changes Detected: Your loadout has too many points to play in a Ranked match, would you still like to save?"''

* '''View Invites'''
: '''''- This will bring up the Steam overlay (or what have you), to see if you have any game invites, messages, etc.'''''

== '''Squad Editing''' ==
* Your squad may have a mix of any XCOM Soldier class, and almost any alien in the game.
* You may choose to have 1 - 6 units in your squad.

: - '''''XCOM Soldiers have the following options:'''''
:: --- '''[[Classes (EU2012) | Class]]'''
:: --- '''Type'''
:: --- '''Primary Weapon'''
:: --- '''Secondary Weapon'''
:: --- '''Armor'''
:: --- '''Item 1'''
:: --- '''Item 2''' ''(Support Imperator / Psi Guardian)''
:: --- '''Customize''' ''(rename unit, only option for Aliens)''

* '''Notes:'''
: - You can't choose specific Abilities or Ranks, instead there are preset options for each Class with varying Abilities, Ranks, and Point totals.
: - '''Ethereals''' are intentionally too expensive, restricting them to Custom games with 20000 Points or ''No Point Limit''. They '''are''' ridiculously powerful, after all.
: - You're unable to put any of these game breaking units in your squad:
:: [[Civilian | Civilians]], Psionic Heavy class Soldiers, [[Outsider (EU2012) | Outsiders]], [[Sectopod (EU2012) | Sectopods]], [[SHIV (EU2012) | S.H.I.V.s]] of any kind, [[Ethereal (EU2012)#Uber Ethereal | Uber Ethereals]] or Zombies (Chryssalids can create them though).

== '''Unit Stats''' ==
* Multiplayer units are essentially the same as units on '''Normal''' difficulty.
* '''Melee''' attacks are automatic hits.
* Robotic units with '''0 Will''' are immune to '''Mind Control''' and '''Mindfray'''. However, they receive maximum damage from '''Rift'''.

=== '''[[Soldiers (EU2012) | XCOM Soldiers]]''' ===
* '''Listed costs only include basic class Primary Weapon, Pistol, and Body Armor; no items given.'''

<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="12%" | Class / Type ''(Rank)''
! width="6%" | Points
! width="6%" | Health
! width="6%" | Aim
! width="6%" | Defense
! width="6%" | Will
! width="58%" | Abilities
|-
|'''- Rookie Class -'''
|800
|7
|65
|0
|40
|None ''*Basically Worthless*''
|-
|'''- [[Classes_(EU2012)#Assault | Assault Class]] -'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|-
| Recon ''(Squaddie)''
|1400
|8
|67
|0
|45
| Run & Gun
|-
| Gunner ''(Captain)''
|3050
|10
|79
|0
|65
| Run & Gun, Aggression, Lightning Reflexes, Rapid Fire, Bring 'Em On
|-
| Commando ''(Colonel)''
|3800
|11
|85
|0
|75
| Run & Gun, Aggression, Lightning Reflexes, Rapid Fire, Bring 'Em On, Extra Conditioning, Resilience
|-
| Psi Warrior ''(Major)''
|5550
|10
|81
|0
|70
|Run & Gun, Tactical Sense, Lightning Reflexes, Rapid Fire, Close Combat Specialist, Extra Conditioning, Mindfray, Psi Panic, Mind Control ''*[[Classes_(EU2012)#Psionic | Psionic]]*''
|-
|'''- [[Classes_(EU2012)#Sniper | Sniper Class]] -'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|-
| Marksman ''(Squaddie)''
|950
|7
|75
|0
|45
| Headshot
|-
| Hunter ''(Captain)''
|1800
|9
|88
|0
|65
| Headshot, Snap Shot, Gunslinger, Battle Scanner, Executioner
|-
| Dead Eye ''(Captain)''
|2800
|9
|88
|0
|65
| Headshot, Squadsight, Damn Good Ground, Battle Scanner, Opportunist
|-
| Agent ''(Colonel)''
|2800
|10
|105
|0
|75
| Headshot, Snap Shot, Gunslinger, Disabling Shot, Executioner, Low Profile, Double Tap
|-
| Psi Assassin ''(Major)''
|5550
|10
|95
|0
|70
| Headshot, Squadsight, Damn Good Ground, Battle Scanner, Executioner, Low Profile, Mindfray, Psi Panic, Mind Control ''*Psionic*''
|-
|'''- [[Classes_(EU2012)#Heavy | Heavy Class]] -'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|-
| Rocketman ''(Squaddie)''
|2600
|8
|67
|0
|45
| Fire Rocket
|-
| Machine Gunner ''(Captain)''
|3150
|10
|71
|0
|65
| Fire Rocket, Bullet Swarm, Suppression, Rapid Reaction, Danger Zone
|-
| Demolitionist ''(Captain)''
|4950
|10
|71
|0
|65
|Fire Rocket, Holo-Targeting, Shredder Rocket, HEAT Ammo, Grenadier
|-
|Juggernaut ''(Colonel)''
|5700
|11
|75
|0
|75
|Fire Rocket, Bullet Swarm, Suppression, Rapid Reaction, Grenadier, Will to Survive, Mayhem
|-
|'''- [[Classes_(EU2012)#Support | Support Class]] -'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|-
| Smokejumper ''(Squaddie)''
|900
|8
|70
|0
|45
|Smoke Grenade
|-
| Medic ''(Captain)''
|1550
|10
|82
|0
|65
| Smoke Grenade, Sprinter, Field Medic, Revive, Dense Smoke
|-
| Tac Officer ''(Captain)''
|1800
|10
|82
|0
|65
|Smoke Grenade, Smoke and Mirrors, Covering Fire, Rifle Suppression, Combat Drugs
|-
| Imperator ''(Colonel)''
|2800
|11
|90
|0
|75
|Smoke Grenade, Sprinter, Smoke and Mirrors, Rifle Suppression, Combat Drugs, Deep Pockets, Sentinel
|-
| Psi Guardian ''(Major)''
|3300
|10
|85
|0
|70
|Smoke Grenade, Sprinter, Field Medic, Revive, Dense Smoke, Deep Pockets, Mindfray, Psi Inspiration, Telekinetic Field ''*Psionic*''
|-
|}
</div>

=== '''[[Alien Life Forms (EU2012) | Aliens]]''' ===
<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="15%" | Alien Type
! width="8%" | Points
! width="6%" | Health
! width="6%" | Aim
! width="8%" | Defense
! width="6%" | Will
! width="8%" | Movement
! width="43%" | Abilities
|-
|'''''- Tier One -'''''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|-
| [[Sectoid (EU2012) | Sectoid]]
|400
|3
|65
|0
|10
|12
|Mind Merge
|-
| [[Drone (EU2012) | Drone]]
|1100
|3
|60
|10
|'''Robotic'''
|12
|Overload, Repair
|-
| [[Floater (EU2012) | Floater]]
|1300
|4
|50
|0
|10
|12
|Evasion, Launch ''*Flight*''
|-
| [[Thin Man (EU2012) | Thin Man]]
|1400
|3
|65
|0
|15
|15
|Leap, Poison Spit
|-
|'''''- Tier Two -'''''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|-
| [[Muton (EU2012)#Muton Soldier | Muton]]
|2850
|8
|70
|10
|10
|12
|Suppression, Blood Call, Intimidate ''*Alien Grenade*''
|-
| [[Chryssalid (EU2012) | Chryssalid]]
|3000
|8
|'''Melee'''
|10
|120
|20
|Leap, Poisonous Claws, Implant ''*Hardened, Fastest Unit, Poison Immunity.*''
|-
| [[Sectoid (EU2012)#Sectoid Commander | Sectoid Commander]]
|3200
|10
|85
|20
|90
|12
|Greater Mind Merge, Mindfray, Psi Panic, Mind Control ''*Psionic*''
|-
|'''''- Tier Three -'''''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|-
| [[Floater (EU2012)#Heavy Floater | Heavy Floater]]
|3750
|12
|70
|10
|25
|12
| Bombard, Evasion, Launch ''*Alien Grenade, Flight*''
|-
| [[Muton (EU2012)#Muton Elite | Muton Elite]]
|3800
|14
|80
|20
|20
|12
| Suppression, Bombard ''*Alien Grenade*''
|-
| [[Muton (EU2012)#Muton Berserker | Muton Berserker]]
|4000
|20
|'''Melee'''
|20
|80
|17
| Bull Rush, Bloodlust ''*Hardened*''
|-
| [[Cyberdisc (EU2012) | Cyberdisc]]
|5500
|16
|70
|10
|'''Robotic'''
|18
| Open (free)/ Close (action), Closed: Death Blossom + Hardened, Bombard ''*Alien Grenade, Flight*''
|-
| [[Ethereal (EU2012) | Ethereal]]
|10500
|20
|''' Psionic '''
|40
|120
|12
| Psi Lance, Rift, Psi Drain, Mindfray, Mind Control ''*Hardened, Psionic, Unarmed*''
|-
| [[Chryssalid (EU2012)#Zombie | Zombie]]
|''No buy''
|10
|'''Melee'''
|0
|120
|8
| ''Created by Chryssalids killing Soldiers '''only'''.''
|-
|}
</div>

== '''Item Costs''' ==
* Concerning [[#XCOM Soldiers | XCOM Soldiers]] only, for the most part
* See also: [[Weapons (EU2012) | Weapons]]

=== '''Primary Weapons''' ===
<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="20%" | Weapon
! width="10%" | Points
! width="10%" | Range
! width="10%" | Damage
! width="10%" | Crit % / Dam
! width="40%" | Notes
|-
| [[Assault Rifle (EU2012) | Assault Rifle]]
| 0
| Medium
| 3
| 10% / 4
| ''Default'', Standard
|-
| [[Laser Rifle (EU2012) | Laser Rifle]]
| 200
| Medium
| 5
| 10% / 7
| Standard
|-
| [[Light Plasma Rifle (EU2012) | Light Plasma Rifle]]
| 250
| Medium
| 5
| 10% / 7
| Standard
|-
| [[Plasma Rifle (EU2012) | Plasma Rifle]]
| 900
| Medium
| 7
| 10% / 10
| Standard
|-
| [[Shotgun (EU2012) | Shotgun]]
| 0
| Close
| 4
| 20% / 6
| Assault class, Default
|-
| [[Scatter Laser (EU2012) | Scatter Laser]]
| 250
| Close
| 6
| 20% / 9
| Assault class
|-
| [[Alloy Cannon (EU2012) | Alloy Cannon]]
| 950
| Close
| 9
| 20% / 13
| Assault class
|-
| [[Sniper Rifle (EU2012) | Sniper Rifle]]
| 0
| Long
| 4
| 25% / 6
| Sniper class, Default
|-
| [[Laser Sniper Rifle (EU2012) | Laser Sniper Rifle]]
| 250
| Long
| 6
| 30% / 9
| Sniper class
|-
| [[Plasma Sniper Rifle (EU2012) | Plasma Sniper Rifle]]
| 1000
| Long
| 9
| 35% / 13
| Sniper class
|-
| [[LMG (EU2012) | LMG]]
| 0
| Medium
| 4
| 0% / 6
| Heavy class, Default
|-
| [[Heavy Laser (EU2012) | Heavy Laser]]
| 200
| Medium
| 6
| 0% / 9
| Heavy class
|-
| [[Heavy Plasma (EU2012) | Heavy Plasma]]
| 900
| Medium
| 9
| 0% / 13
| Heavy class, Elite Mutons
|-
|}
</div>

=== '''Secondary Weapons''' ===
* '''NOTE:''' You are unable to equip a '''[[Fusion Launcher (EU2012) | Fusion Launcher]]''' in Multiplayer. Don't make that face.
<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="25%" | Weapon
! width="10%" | Points
! width="10%" | Range
! width="10%" | Damage
! width="10%" | Crit % / Dam
! width="35%" | Notes
|-
| [[Pistol (EU2012) | Pistol]]
| 0
| Medium
| 1
| 0% / 1
| ''Default'', all classes but Heavy
|-
| [[Laser Pistol (EU2012) | Laser Pistol]]
| 100
| Medium
| 2
| 10% / 3
| ''(Much better than Pistol)''
|-
| [[Plasma Pistol (EU2012) | Plasma Pistol]]
| 225
| Medium
| 3
| 0% / 4
| ''(Worth it?)''
|-
| [[Rocket Launcher (EU2012) | Rocket Launcher]]
| 0
| Medium
| 6
| 0% / 9
| ''Default'', Heavy class ''(Awesome)''
|-
|}
</div>

=== '''Armors''' ===
* See also: [[Armor (EU2012)]]

<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="20%" | Type
! width="10%" | Points
! width="10%" | Health
! width="10%" | Defense
! width="10%" | Move
! width="40%" | Abilities + Notes
|-
| [[Body Armor (EU2012) | Body Armor]]
| 0
| +1
| ---
| ---
| ''Light, Default (Made of paper)''
|-
| [[Carapace Armor (EU2012) | Carapace Armor]]
| 600
| +4
| ---
| ---
| ''Medium (Bad deal)''
|-
| [[Skeleton Suit (EU2012) | Skeleton Suit]]
| 600
| +3
| +10
| +3
| ''Medium'', Grapple
|-
| [[Titan Armor (EU2012) | Titan Armor]]
| 1700
| +10
| ---
| ---
| ''Heavy'', Fire and Poison Immunity
|-
| [[Archangel Armor (EU2012) | Archangel Armor]]
| 2400
| +8
| ---
| ---
| ''Heavy'', Flight
|-
| [[Ghost Armor (EU2012) | Ghost Armor]]
| 2700
| +6
| +20
| +3
| ''Medium'', Grapple, Stealth ''(Awesome)''
|-
| [[Psi Armor (EU2012) | Psi Armor]]
| 3000
| +6
| +10
| +2
| ''Medium'', +20 Will
|-
|}
</div>

=== '''Items''' ===
* '''Demolitionist''' and '''Juggernaut Heavies''' could certainly use '''Grenades'''.
* '''Imperator''' and '''Psi Guardian Supports''' get '''Item Slot 2''' from ''Deep Pockets''.
* No '''[[Arc Thrower (EU2012) | Arc Thrower]]''' for you!
* '''Muton, Heavy Floater, Elite Muton,''' and '''Cyberdisc''' have one Alien Grenade each.
* See also: [[Equipment (EU2012) | Equipment]]

<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="25%" | Item Name
! width="10%" | Points
! width="65%" | Notes
|-
| [[Medikit (EU2012) | Medikit]]
| 100
| Heal 4 Health (cure poison), Poison Immunity
|-
| [[Combat Stims (EU2012) | Combat Stims]]
| 400
| +Will, +Move, -50% damage
|-
| [[Frag Grenade (EU2012) | Frag Grenade]]
| 900
| Radius: 2 tiles, Damage: 3
|-
| [[Alien Grenade (EU2012) | Alien Grenade]]
| 1500
| Radius: 2 tiles, Damage: 5
|-
| [[S.C.O.P.E. (EU2012) | S.C.O.P.E.]]
| 100
| +10 Aim
|-
| [[Nano-Fiber Vest (EU2012) | Nano-Fiber Vest]]
| 200
| +2 Health ''(Made of cardboard)''
|-
| [[Chitin Plating (EU2012) | Chitin Plating]]
| 300
| +4 Health, -50% melee damage ''(Awesome)''
|-
| [[Mind Shield (EU2012) | Mind Shield]]
| 300
| +30 Will
|}
</div>

[[Category: Enemy Unknown (2012)]]

File:XCOM squad.jpg

2012-11-15T08:27:51Z

PartisanGerm: uploaded a new version of "File:XCOM squad.jpg": Higher resolution.

File:Intro screen (EU2012).jpg

2012-11-15T08:23:39Z

PartisanGerm: uploaded a new version of "File:Intro screen (EU2012).jpg": Higher resolution with both Sectoid and welcome message visible.

OMG it's finally here!

Multiplayer (EU2012)

2012-11-15T08:11:27Z

PartisanGerm: More correction. Item information. Links.

__ToC__

Technically it should be called Biplayer or Duel Player. You're only ever playing with one other person.

== '''Multiplayer Menu''' ==
* '''Ranked Match'''
: '''''Automatically matches you up with someone else searching / hosting a Ranked Match.'''''
: - ''Ranked Matches are limited to: '''10,000 Points, 90s Turn Time, with random map.'''''
: - ''Ranked Matches count towards your position on the Leaderboards.''

* '''Quick Match'''
: - ''Quick Match attempts to match you up with someone else looking for a Quick Match and connects you together. If no one else is searching, it creates a Custom Game with 10,000 Points, 120s Turn Time, Bar map.''

* '''Custom Match'''
: '''''Choose to Create Game or Search for a hosted Custom Match.'''''
: ''If you choose to create a game, these are the options:''
:: - '''Match Type:''' Public, Private, or LAN.
:: - '''Points:''' 7500, 10000, 20000, or ''No Point Limit''.
:: - '''Turn Time:''' 45 seconds, 90s, 120s, or ''No Time Limit''.
:: - '''Map:''' Bar, Grand Cemetery, Police Station, Trainyard, or Boulevard.
::: ''*These are currently the only five maps available for Multiplayer.''

* '''Leaderboards'''
: '''''From here you may view the Top Players, Your Rank, and Friend Ranks.'''''
: - ''The lists show Rank (number and name), Wins, Losses, and Disconnects.''

* '''Edit Squad'''
: '''''This opens the Offline Squad Editing page.'''''
: - ''If you choose a squad with points over 10000 total, a prompt will say "Loadout Changes Detected: Your loadout has too many points to play in a Ranked match, would you still like to save?"''

* '''View Invites'''
: '''''This will bring up the Steam overlay (or what have you), to see if you have any game invites, messages, etc.'''''

== '''Squad Editing''' ==
''Your squad may have a mix of any XCOM Soldier class, and almost any alien in the game.''

* '''You may choose to have 1-6 units in your squad.'''
: - '''''XCOM Soldiers have the following options:'''''
: - '''Class''' ''(including Rookie)''
: - '''Type''' ''(none if Rookie)''
: - '''Primary Weapon'''
: - '''Secondary Weapon'''
: - '''Armor'''
: - '''Item 1'''
: - '''Item 2''' ''(for Support Imperator / Psi Guardian)''
: - '''Customize''' ''(rename unit, the only option aliens have)''

* '''Notes:'''
: - ''You can't choose specific Abilities or Ranks, instead there are preset options for each Class with varying Abilities, Ranks, and Point totals.''
: - '''''Ethereals''' are intentionally too expensive, restricting them to Custom games with 20000 Points or No Point Limit. They '''are''' ridiculously powerful, after all.''
: - ''You're unable to use any of these game breaking units in Multiplayer:''
:: ''Civilians, Elite Ethereals, '''Psionic Heavy''' class Soldiers, Outsiders, Sectopods, S.H.I.V.s of any kind, or Zombies (Chryssalids can create them though).''

== '''Unit Stats''' ==
* Multiplayer units are essentially the same as units on '''Normal''' difficulty.
* '''Melee''' attacks are automatic hits.
* Robotic units with '''0 Will''' are immune to '''Mind Control''' and '''Mindfray'''. However, they receive maximum damage from '''Rift'''.

=== '''XCOM Soldiers''' ===
* '''Listed costs only include basic class Primary Weapon, Pistol, and Body Armor; no items given.'''

<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="30%" | Class / Type ''(Rank)''
! width="10%" | Points
! width="5%" | Health
! width="5%" | Aim
! width="5%" | Defense
! width="5%" | Will
! width="40%" | Abilities
|-
|'''- [[Rookie]] Class -'''
|800
|7
|65
|0
|40
|None ''*Basically Worthless*''
|-
|'''- [[Assault]] Class -'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|-
| Recon ''(Squaddie)''
|1400
|8
|67
|0
|45
| Run & Gun
|-
| Gunner ''(Captain)''
|3050
|10
|79
|0
|65
| Run & Gun, Aggression, Lightning Reflexes, Rapid Fire, Bring 'Em On
|-
| Commando ''(Colonel)''
|3800
|11
|85
|0
|75
| Run & Gun, Aggression, Lightning Reflexes, Rapid Fire, Bring 'Em On, Extra Conditioning, Resilience
|-
| Psi Warrior ''(Major)''
|5550
|10
|81
|0
|70
|Run & Gun, Tactical Sense, Lightning Reflexes, Rapid Fire, Close Combat Specialist, Extra Conditioning, Mindfray, Psi Panic, Mind Control ''*[[Psionic]]*''
|-
|'''- [[Sniper]] Class -'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|-
|Marksman ''(Squaddie)''
|950
|7
|75
|0
|45
|Headshot
|-
|Hunter ''(Captain)''
|1800
|9
|88
|0
|65
|Headshot, Snap Shot, Gunslinger, Battle Scanner, Executioner
|-
|Dead Eye ''(Captain)''
|2800
|9
|88
|0
|65
|Headshot, Squadsight, Damn Good Ground, Battle Scanner, Opportunist
|-
|Agent ''(Colonel)''
|2800
|10
|105
|0
|75
|Headshot, Snap Shot, Gunslinger, Disabling Shot, Executioner, Low Profile, Double Tap
|-
|Psi Assassin ''(Major)''
|5550
|10
|95
|0
|70
|Headshot, Squadsight, Damn Good Ground, Battle Scanner, Executioner, Low Profile, Mindfray, Psi Panic, Mind Control ''*Psionic*''
|-
|'''- [[Heavy]] Class -'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|-
|Rocketman ''(Squaddie)''
|2600
|8
|67
|0
|45
|Fire Rocket
|-
|Machine Gunner ''(Captain)''
|3150
|10
|71
|0
|65
|Fire Rocket, Bullet Swarm, Suppression, Rapid Reaction, Danger Zone
|-
|Demolitionist ''(Captain)''
|4950
|10
|71
|0
|65
|Fire Rocket, Holo-Targeting, Shredder Rocket, HEAT Ammo, Grenadier
|-
|Juggernaut ''(Colonel)''
|5700
|11
|75
|0
|75
|Fire Rocket, Bullet Swarm, Suppression, Rapid Reaction, Grenadier, Will to Survive, Mayhem
|-
|'''- [[Support]] Class -'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|-
|Smokejumper ''(Squaddie)''
|900
|8
|70
|0
|45
|Smoke Grenade
|-
|Medic ''(Captain)''
|1550
|10
|82
|0
|65
|Smoke Grenade, Sprinter, Field Medic, Revive, Dense Smoke
|-
|Tac Officer ''(Captain)''
|1800
|10
|82
|0
|65
|Smoke Grenade, Smoke and Mirrors, Covering Fire, Rifle Suppression, Combat Drugs
|-
| Imperator ''(Colonel)''
|2800
|11
|90
|0
|75
|Smoke Grenade, Sprinter, Smoke and Mirrors, Rifle Suppression, Combat Drugs, Deep Pockets, Sentinel
|-
| Psi Guardian ''(Major)''
|3300
|10
|85
|0
|70
|Smoke Grenade, Sprinter, Field Medic, Revive, Dense Smoke, Deep Pockets, Mindfray, Psi Inspiration, Telekinetic Field ''*Psionic*''
|-
|}
</div>

=== '''Aliens''' ===
<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="15%" | Alien Type
! width="10%" | Points
! width="7%" | Health
! width="6%" | Aim
! width="8%" | Defense
! width="5%" | Will
! width="9%" | Movement
! width="40%" | Abilities
|-
|'''''- Tier One -'''''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|-
| [[Sectoid]]
|400
|3
|65
|0
|10
|12
|Mind Merge
|-
| [[Drone]]
|1100
|3
|60
|10
|'''Robotic'''
|12
|Overload, Repair
|-
| [[Floater]]
|1300
|4
|50
|0
|10
|12
|Evasion, Launch ''*Flight*''
|-
| [[Thin Man]]
|1400
|3
|65
|0
|15
|15
|Leap, Poison Spit
|-
|'''''- Tier Two -'''''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|-
| [[Muton]]
|2850
|8
|70
|10
|10
|12
|Suppression, Blood Call, Intimidate ''*Alien Grenade*''
|-
| [[Chryssalid]]
|3000
|8
|'''Melee'''
|10
|120
|20
|Leap, Poisonous Claws, Implant ''*Hardened, Fastest Unit, Poison Immunity.*''
|-
| [[Sectoid Commander]]
|3200
|10
|85
|20
|90
|12
|Greater Mind Merge, Mindfray, Psi Panic, Mind Control ''*Psionic*''
|-
|'''''- Tier Three -'''''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|-
| [[Heavy Floater]]
|3750
|12
|70
|10
|25
|12
|Bombard, Evasion, Launch ''*Alien Grenade, Flight*''
|-
| [[Muton Elite]]
|3800
|14
|80
|20
|20
|12
|Suppression, Bombard ''*Alien Grenade*''
|-
| [[Muton Berserker]]
|4000
|20
|'''Melee'''
|20
|80
|17
|Bull Rush, Bloodlust ''*Hardened*''
|-
| [[Cyberdisc]]
|5500
|16
|70
|10
|'''Robotic'''
|18
|Open (free)/ Close (action), Closed: Death Blossom + Hardened, Bombard ''*Alien Grenade, Flight*''
|-
| [[Ethereal]]
|10500
|20
|''' Psionic '''
|40
|120
|12
|Psi Lance, Rift, Psi Drain, Mindfray, Mind Control ''*Hardened, Psionic, Unarmed*''
|-
| [[Zombie]]
|''No buy''
|10
|'''Melee'''
|0
|120
|8
|''Created by Chryssalid kills '''only'''.''
|-
|}
</div>

== '''Item Costs''' ==
* Concerning [[#XCOM Soldiers]] only, for the most part.
* '''NOTE:''' You are unable to equip a '''[[Fusion Launcher]].''' Don't make that face.
* See also: [[Weapons]]

=== '''Primary Weapons''' ===
<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="15%" | Weapon
! width="10%" | Points
! width="20%" | Range
! width="15%" | Damage
! width="15%" | Crit % / Dam
! width="15%" | Notes
|-
| [[Assault Rifle]]
| 0
| Medium
| 3
| 10% / 4
| Default, Standard
|-
| [[Laser Rifle]]
| 200
| Medium
| 5
| 10% / 7
| Standard
|-
| [[Light Plasma Rifle]]
| 250
| Medium
| 5
| 10% / 7
| Standard
|-
| [[Plasma Rifle]]
| 900
| Medium
| 7
| 10% / 10
| Standard
|-
| [[Shotgun]]
| 0
| Close
| 4
| 20% /
| Assault class, Default
|-
| [[Scatter Laser]]
| 250
| Close
| 6
| 20% / 9
| Assault class
|-
| [[Alloy Cannon]]
| 950
| Close
| 9
| 20% / 13
| Assault class
|-
| [[Sniper Rifle]]
| 0
| Long
| 4
| 25% / 6
| Sniper class, Default
|-
| [[Laser Sniper Rifle]]
| 250
| Long
| 6
| 30% / 9
| Sniper class
|-
| [[Plasma Sniper Rifle]]
| 1000
| Long
| 9
| 35% / 13
| Sniper class
|-
| [[LMG]]
| 0
| Medium
| 4
| 0% / 6
| Heavy class, Default
|-
| [[Heavy Laser]]
| 200
| Medium
| 6
| 0% / 9
| Heavy class
|-
| [[Heavy Plasma]]
| 900
| Medium
| 9
| 0% / 13
| Heavy class, Elite Mutons
|-
|}
</div>

=== '''Secondary Weapons''' ===
<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="25%" | Weapon
! width="10%" | Points
! width="15%" | Range
! width="10%" | Damage
! width="10%" | Crit % / Dam
! width="30%" | Notes
|-
| [[Pistol]]
| 0
| Medium
| 1
| 0% / 1
| Default, all classes but Heavy
|-
| [[Laser Pistol]]
| 100
| Medium
| 2
| 10% / 3
| ''Much better than Pistol''
|-
| [[Plasma Pistol]]
| 225
| Medium
| 3
| 0% / 4
| ''Worth it?''
|-
| [[Rocket Launcher]]
| 0
| Medium
| 6
| 0% / 9
| Default, Heavy class ''*Awesome*''
|-
|}
</div>

=== '''Armors''' ===
* See also: [[Armor]]
<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="20%" | Type
! width="6%" | Points
! width="8%" | Health
! width="10%" | Defense
! width="6%" | Move
! width="50%" | Abilities + Notes
|-
| [[Body Armor]]
| 0
| +1
| ---
| ---
| Light, Default ''*Made of paper*''
|-
| [[Carapace Armor]]
| 600
| +4
| ---
| ---
| Medium ''*Bad deal*''
|-
| [[Skeleton Suit]]
| 600
| +3
| +10
| +3
| Medium, Grapple
|-
| [[Titan Armor]]
| 1700
| +10
| ---
| ---
| Heavy, Fire and Poison Immunity
|-
| [[Archangel Armor]]
| 2400
| +8
| ---
| ---
| Heavy, Flight
|-
| [[Ghost Armor]]
| 2700
| +6
| +20
| +3
| Medium, Grapple, Stealth ''*Awesome*''
|-
| [[Psi Armor]]
| 3000
| +6
| +10
| +2
| Medium, +20 Will
|-
|}
</div>

=== '''Items''' ===
* '''Demolitionist''' and '''Juggernaut Heavies''' could certainly use '''Grenades'''.
* '''Imperator''' and '''Psi Guardian Supports''' get '''Item Slot 2'''.
* No '''[[Arc Thrower]]''' for you!
* '''Muton, Heavy Floater, Elite Muton,''' and '''Cyberdisc''' have one Alien Grenade each.
* See also: [[Equipment]]
<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="25%" | Item Name
! width="10%" | Points
! width="65%" | Notes
|-
| [[Medikit]]
| 100
| Heal 4 Health (cure poison), Poison Immunity
|-
| [[Combat Stims]]
| 400
| +Will, +Move, -50% damage
|-
| [[Frag Grenade]]
| 900
| Radius: 2 tiles, Damage: 3
|-
| [[Alien Grenade]]
| 1500
| Radius: 2 tiles, Damage: 5
|-
| [[S.C.O.P.E.]]
| 100
| +10 Aim
|-
| [[Nano-Fiber Vest]]
| 200
| +2 Health *Made of cardboard*
|-
| [[Chitin Plating]]
| 300
| +4 Health, -50% melee damage *Awesome*
|-
| [[Mind Shield]]
| 300
| +30 Will
|}
</div>

[[Category: Enemy Unknown (2012)]]

Talk:Blaster Launcher (EU2012)

2012-11-15T07:07:33Z

PartisanGerm: Created page with "Is this the right name for it? I thought it was Fusion Launcher.... --~~~~"

Is this the right name for it? I thought it was Fusion Launcher....
--[[User:PartisanGerm|PartisanGerm]] 02:07, 15 November 2012 (EST)

Talk:Scatter Laser (EU2012)

2012-11-15T07:06:57Z

PartisanGerm: Created page with "Is this going to get renamed, or moved to a proper name and deleted? --~~~~"

Is this going to get renamed, or moved to a proper name and deleted?
--[[User:PartisanGerm|PartisanGerm]] 02:06, 15 November 2012 (EST)

Multiplayer (EU2012)

2012-11-15T04:07:55Z

PartisanGerm: Fine tuned a bit more.

__ToC__

Technically it should be called Biplayer or Duel Player. You're only ever playing with one other person.

== Multiplayer Menu ==
* '''Ranked Match'''
: '''''Automatically matches you up with someone else searching / hosting a Ranked Match.'''''
: - ''Ranked Matches are limited to: '''10,000 Points, 90s Turn Time, with random map.'''''
: - ''Ranked Matches count towards your position on the Leaderboards.''

* '''Quick Match'''
: - ''Quick Match attempts to match you up with someone else looking for a Quick Match and connects you together. If no one else is searching, it creates a Custom Game with 10,000 Points, 120s Turn Time, Bar map.''

* '''Custom Match'''
: '''''Choose to Create Game or Search for a hosted Custom Match.'''''
: ''If you choose to create a game, these are the options:''
:: - '''Match Type:''' Public, Private, or LAN.
:: - '''Points:''' 7500, 10000, 20000, or ''No Point Limit''.
:: - '''Turn Time:''' 45 seconds, 90s, 120s, or ''No Time Limit''.
:: - '''Map:''' Bar, Grand Cemetery, Police Station, Trainyard, or Boulevard.
::: ''*These are currently the only five maps available for Multiplayer.''

* '''Leaderboards'''
: '''''From here you may view the Top Players, Your Rank, and Friend Ranks.'''''
: - ''The lists show Rank (number and name), Wins, Losses, and Disconnects.''

* '''Edit Squad'''
: '''''This opens the Offline Squad Editing page.'''''
: - ''If you choose a squad with points over 10000 total, a prompt will say "Loadout Changes Detected: Your loadout has too many points to play in a Ranked match, would you still like to save?"''

* '''View Invites'''
: '''''This will bring up the Steam overlay (or what have you), to see if you have any game invites, messages, etc.'''''

== Squad Editing ==
''Your squad may have a mix of any XCOM Soldier class, and almost any alien in the game.''

* '''You may choose to have 1-6 units in your squad.'''
: - '''''XCOM Soldiers have the following options:'''''
: - '''Class''' ''(including Rookie)''
: - '''Type''' ''(none if Rookie)''
: - '''Primary Weapon'''
: - '''Secondary Weapon'''
: - '''Armor'''
: - '''Item 1'''
: - '''Item 2''' ''(for Support Imperator / Psi Guardian)''
: - '''Customize''' ''(rename unit, the only option aliens have)''

* '''Notes:'''
: - ''You can't choose specific Abilities or Ranks, instead there are preset options for each Class with varying Abilities, Ranks, and Point totals.''
: - '''''Ethereals''' are intentionally too expensive, restricting them to Custom games with 20000 Points or No Point Limit. They '''are''' ridiculously powerful, after all.''
: - ''You're unable to use any of these game breaking units in Multiplayer:''
:: ''Civilians, Elite Ethereals, '''Psionic Heavy''' class Soldiers, Outsiders, Sectopods, S.H.I.V.s of any kind, or Zombies (Chryssalids can create them though).''

== '''Unit Stats''' ==
* Multiplayer units are essentially the same as units on '''Normal''' difficulty.
* '''Melee''' attacks are automatic hits.
* Robotic units with '''0 Will''' are immune to '''Mind Control''' and '''Mindfray'''. However, they receive maximum damage from '''Rift'''.

=== Soldiers ''(XCOM)'' ===
* '''Listed costs only include basic class Primary Weapon, Pistol, and Body Armor; no items given.'''

<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="30%" | ''Class / Type / Rank''
! width="10%" | Points
! width="5%" | Health
! width="5%" | Aim
! width="5%" | Defense
! width="5%" | Will
! width="40%" | Abilities
|-
|'''Rookie'''
|800
|7
|65
|0
|40
|None
|-
|'''Assault'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|-
|Recon ''(Squaddie)''
|1400
|8
|67
|0
|45
|Run & Gun
|-
|Gunner ''(Captain)''
|3050
|10
|79
|0
|65
|Run & Gun, Aggression, Lightning Reflexes, Rapid Fire, Bring 'Em On
|-
|Commando ''(Colonel)''
|3800
|11
|85
|0
|75
|Run & Gun, Aggression, Lightning Reflexes, Rapid Fire, Bring 'Em On, Extra Conditioning, Resilience
|-
|Psi Warrior ''(Major)''
|5550
|10
|81
|0
|70
|Run & Gun, Tactical Sense, Lightning Reflexes, Rapid Fire, Close Combat Specialist, Extra Conditioning, Mindfray, Psi Panic, Mind Control
|-
|'''Sniper'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|-
|Marksman ''(Squaddie)''
|950
|7
|75
|0
|45
|Headshot
|-
|Hunter ''(Captain)''
|1800
|9
|88
|0
|65
|Headshot, Snap Shot, Gunslinger, Battle Scanner, Executioner
|-
|Dead Eye ''(Captain)''
|2800
|9
|88
|0
|65
|Headshot, Squadsight, Damn Good Ground, Battle Scanner, Opportunist
|-
|Agent ''(Colonel)''
|2800
|10
|105
|0
|75
|Headshot, Snap Shot, Gunslinger, Disabling Shot, Executioner, Low Profile, Double Tap
|-
|Psi Assassin ''(Major)''
|5550
|10
|95
|0
|70
|Headshot, Squadsight, Damn Good Ground, Battle Scanner, Executioner, Low Profile, Mindfray, Psi Panic, Mind Control
|-
|'''Heavy'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|-
|Rocketman ''(Squaddie)''
|2600
|8
|67
|0
|45
|Rocket
|-
|Machine Gunner ''(Captain)''
|3150
|10
|71
|0
|65
|Rocket, Bullet Swarm, Suppression, Rapid Reaction, Danger Zone
|-
|Demolitionist ''(Captain)''
|4950
|10
|71
|0
|65
|Rocket, Holo-Targeting, Shredder Rocket, HEAT Ammo, Grenadier
|-
|Juggernaut ''(Colonel)''
|5700
|11
|75
|0
|75
|Rocket, Bullet Swarm, Suppression, Rapid Reaction, Grenadier, Will to Survive, Mayhem
|-
|'''Support'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|-
|Smokejumper ''(Squaddie)''
|900
|8
|70
|0
|45
|Smoke Grenade
|-
|Medic ''(Captain)''
|1550
|10
|82
|0
|65
|Smoke Grenade, Sprinter, Field Medic, Revive, Dense Smoke
|-
|Tac Officer ''(Captain)''
|1800
|10
|82
|0
|65
|Smoke Grenade, Smoke and Mirrors, Covering Fire, Rifle Suppression, Combat Drugs
|-
|Imperator ''(Colonel)''
|2800
|11
|90
|0
|75
|Smoke Grenade, Sprinter, Smoke and Mirrors, Covering Fire, Rifle Suppression, Combat Drugs, Deep Pockets, Sentinel
|-
|Psi Guardian ''(Major)''
|3300
|10
|85
|0
|70
|Smoke Grenade, Sprinter, Field Medic, Revive, Dense Smoke, Deep Pockets, Mindfray, Psi Inspiration, Telekinetic Field
|-
|}
</div>

=== Aliens ===
<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="15%" | Alien Name
! width="10%" | Points
! width="7%" | Health
! width="6%" | Aim
! width="8%" | Defense
! width="5%" | Will
! width="9%" | Movement
! width="40%" | Abilities
|-
|'''Tier One'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|-
|Sectoid
|400
|3
|65
|0
|10
|12
|Mind Merge
|-
|Drone
|1100
|3
|60
|10
|'''0'''
|12
|Repair, Overload
|-
|Floater
|1300
|3
|50
|0
|10
|12
|Evasion, Launch
|-
|Thin Man
|1400
|3
|65
|0
|15
|15
|Leap, Poison Spit
|-
|'''Tier Two'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|-
|Muton
|2850
|8
|70
|10
|10
|12
|Suppression, Blood Call, Intimidate
|-
|Chryssalid
|3000
|8
|'''Melee'''
|10
|120
|20
|Leap, Poison Claws, Implant, Hardened
|-
|Sectoid Commander
|3200
|10
|85
|20
|90
|12
|Greater Mind Merge, Mindfray, Psi Panic, Mind Control
|-
|'''Tier Three'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|'''---'''
|-
|Heavy Floater
|3750
|12
|70
|10
|25
|12
|Bombard, Evasion, Launch
|-
|Muton Elite
|3800
|14
|80
|20
|20
|12
|Suppression, Bombard
|-
|Muton Berserker
|4000
|20
|'''Melee'''
|20
|80
|17
|Bull Rush, Bloodlust, Hardened
|-
|Cyberdisc
|5500
|16
|70
|10
|'''0'''
|18
|Death Blossom (while Closed), Bombard, Hardened (while Closed)
|-
|Ethereal
|10500
|20
|''N/A''
|40
|120
|12
|Psi Lance, Rift, Mind Control, Psi Drain, Mindfray, Hardened
|-
|Zombie
|''N/A''
|10
|'''Melee'''
|0
|120
|8
|''Only created by Chryssalid kills.''
|-
|}
</div>

= Item Costs =
* '''NOTE:''' You are unable to equip a '''Fusion Launcher.'''

== Primary Weapons ==
<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="40%" | Item Name
! width="30%" | Points
! width="30%" | Notes
|-
|-
|Assault Rifle
|0
|
|-
|Laser Rifle
|200
|
|-
|Light Plasma Rifle
|250
|
|-
|Plasma Rifle
|900
|
|-
|-
|Shotgun
|0
|
|-
|Scatter Laser
|250
|
|-
|Alloy Cannon
|950
|
|-
|-
|Sniper Rifle
|0
|
|-
|Laser Sniper Rifle
|250
|
|-
|Plasma Sniper Rifle
|1000
|
|-
|LMG
|0
|
|-
|Heavy Laser
|200
|
|-
|Heavy Plasma
|900
|
|-
|}
</div>

== Secondary Weapons ==
<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="40%" | Item Name
! width="30%" | Points
! width="30%" | Notes
|-
|Pistol
|0
|
|-
|Laser Pistol
|100
|
|-
|Plasma Pistol
|225
|
|-
|Rocket Launcher
|0
|
|-
|}
</div>

== Armors ==
<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="40%" | Item
! width="30%" | Points
! width="30%" | Notes
|-
|Body Armor
|0
|
|-
|Carapace Armor
|600
|
|-
|Skeleton Suit
|600
|
|-
|Titan Armor
|1700
|
|-
|Archangel Armor
|2400
|
|-
|Ghost Armor
|2700
|
|-
|Psi Armor
|3000
|
|-
|}
</div>

== Items ==
<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="40%" | Item Name
! width="30%" | Points
! width="30%" | Notes
|-
|Medikit
|100
|
|-
|Combat Stims
|400
|
|-
|Frag Grenade
|900
|
|-
|Alien Grenade
|1500
|
|-
|S.C.O.P.E.
|100
|
|-
|Nano-fiber Vest
|200
|
|-
|Chitin Plating
|300
|
|-
|Mind Shield
|300
|
|}
</div>

[[Category: Enemy Unknown (2012)]]

Talk:Multiplayer (EU2012)

2012-11-15T03:42:07Z

PartisanGerm: Created page with "I wanted to make the wording a bit more accurate, and organize the first part of the page some more. Might as well state what anyone can find out easily, but simply. Tried to pu..."

Multiplayer (EU2012)

2012-11-15T02:38:22Z

PartisanGerm: Cleaned up some. Organized the rest.

== Multiplayer Menu ==
* '''Ranked Match'''
: - '''Ranked Matches are: 10,000 Points, 90s Turn Time, on a random map.'''
: - ''Ranked Matches count towards your position on the Leaderboards.''
* '''Quick Match'''
: - Quick Match attempts to match you up with someone else looking for a Quick Match and connects you together. If no one else is searching, it creates a Custom Game with 10,000 Points, 120s Turn Time, Bar map.
* '''Custom Match'''
:* '''Choose to Create Game or Search for a hosted Custom Match.'''
: - If you choose to create one, you have the following options:
::* '''Match Type:''' Public, Private, or LAN.
::* '''Points:''' 7500, 10000, 20000, or ''No Point Limit''.
::* '''Turn Time:''' 45 seconds, 90s, 120s, or ''No Time Limit''.
::* '''Map:''' Bar, Grand Cemetery, Police Station, Trainyard, or Boulevard. ''*These are currently the only five maps available for Multiplayer.*''
* '''Leaderboards'''
:* '''From here you may view the Top Players, Your Rank, and Friend Ranks.'''
: ''The lists show Rank (number and name), Wins, Losses, and Disconnects.''
* '''Edit Squad'''
:* '''This opens the Offline Squad Editing page.'''
: - ''If you choose a squad with points over 10000 total, a prompt will say "Loadout Changes Detected: Your loadout has too many points to play in a Ranked match, would you still like to save?''
* '''View Invites'''
:* '''This will bring up the Steam overlay (or what have you), to see if you have any game invites, messages, etc.'''

== Squad Editing ==
Your squad may have a mix of any human Soldier class, and almost any alien in the game.

* You may choose to have 1-6 units in your squad.
* Soldiers have the following options:
: - Class ''(including Rookie)''
: - Type ''(if not Rookie)'', primary weapon, secondary weapon, armor, and item(s). You don't get to choose specific ranks and abilities, instead there are a few options for each class with varying ranks, points, and suite of abilities.
* Aliens only have the Customize option to be named.

: '''''NOTE:''' Ethereals are intentionally expensive enough in points that they can only be used in Custom games with 20000 or ''No Point Limit''. They '''are''' ridiculously powerful, after all.''
: '''NOTE:''' You're unable to use any of these game breaking units in Multiplayer:
: ''Civilians, Elite Ethereals, '''Psionic Heavy''' class Soldiers, Outsiders, Sectopods, S.H.I.V.s of any kind, or Zombies (Chryssalids create them though).''

== Unit Stats ==
* Multiplayer units are essentially the same as units on Normal difficulty.
* '''Melee''' attacks are automatic hits.
* Robotic units with 0 Will are immune to '''Mind Control''' and '''Mindfray'''. However, they receive maximum damage from '''Rift'''.

=== Soldiers ''(XCOM)'' ===
* '''''Listed costs only include basic class Primary Weapon, Pistol, and Body Armor; no items given.'''''

<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="30%" | '''''Class''''' / Type / ''Rank''
! width="10%" | Points
! width="5%" | Health
! width="5%" | Aim
! width="5%" | Defense
! width="5%" | Will
! width="40%" | Abilities
|-
|'''''Rookie'''''
|800
|7
|65
|0
|40
|None
|-
|'''''Assault'''''
| '''---'''
| '''---'''
| '''---'''
| '''---'''
| '''---'''
| '''---'''
|-
|Recon ''(Squaddie)''
|1400
|8
|67
|0
|45
|Run & Gun
|-
|Gunner ''(Captain)''
|3050
|10
|79
|0
|65
|Run & Gun, Aggression, Lightning Reflexes, Rapid Fire, Bring 'Em On
|-
|Commando ''(Colonel)''
|3800
|11
|85
|0
|75
|Run & Gun, Aggression, Lightning Reflexes, Rapid Fire, Bring 'Em On, Extra Conditioning, Resilience
|-
|Psi Warrior ''(Major)''
|5550
|10
|81
|0
|70
|Run & Gun, Tactical Sense, Lightning Reflexes, Rapid Fire, Close Combat Specialist, Extra Conditioning, Mindfray, Psi Panic, Mind Control
|-
|'''''Sniper'''''
| '''---'''
| '''---'''
| '''---'''
| '''---'''
| '''---'''
| '''---'''
|-
|Marksman ''(Squaddie)''
|950
|7
|75
|0
|45
|Headshot
|-
|Hunter ''(Captain)''
|1800
|9
|88
|0
|65
|Headshot, Snap Shot, Gunslinger, Battle Scanner, Executioner
|-
|Dead Eye ''(Captain)''
|2800
|9
|88
|0
|65
|Headshot, Squadsight, Damn Good Ground, Battle Scanner, Opportunist
|-
|Agent ''(Colonel)''
|2800
|10
|105
|0
|75
|Headshot, Snap Shot, Gunslinger, Disabling Shot, Executioner, Low Profile, Double Tap
|-
|Psi Assassin ''(Major)''
|5550
|10
|95
|0
|70
|Headshot, Squadsight, Damn Good Ground, Battle Scanner, Executioner, Low Profile, Mindfray, Psi Panic, Mind Control
|-
|'''''Heavy'''''
| '''---'''
| '''---'''
| '''---'''
| '''---'''
| '''---'''
| '''---'''
|-
|Rocketman ''(Squaddie)''
|2600
|8
|67
|0
|45
|Rocket
|-
|Machine Gunner ''(Captain)''
|3150
|10
|71
|0
|65
|Rocket, Bullet Swarm, Suppression, Rapid Reaction, Danger Zone
|-
|Demolitionist ''(Captain)''
|4950
|10
|71
|0
|65
|Rocket, Holo-Targeting, Shredder Rocket, HEAT Ammo, Grenadier
|-
|Juggernaut ''(Colonel)''
|5700
|11
|75
|0
|75
|Rocket, Bullet Swarm, Suppression, Rapid Reaction, Grenadier, Will to Survive, Mayhem
|-
|'''''Support'''''
| '''---'''
| '''---'''
| '''---'''
| '''---'''
| '''---'''
| '''---'''
|-
|Smokejumper ''(Squaddie)''
|900
|8
|70
|0
|45
|Smoke Grenade
|-
|Medic ''(Captain)''
|1550
|10
|82
|0
|65
|Smoke Grenade, Sprinter, Field Medic, Revive, Dense Smoke
|-
|Tac Officer ''(Captain)''
|1800
|10
|82
|0
|65
|Smoke Grenade, Smoke and Mirrors, Covering Fire, Rifle Suppression, Combat Drugs
|-
|Imperator ''(Colonel)''
|2800
|11
|90
|0
|75
|Smoke Grenade, Sprinter, Smoke and Mirrors, Covering Fire, Rifle Suppression, Combat Drugs, Deep Pockets, Sentinel
|-
|Psi Guardian ''(Major)''
|3300
|10
|85
|0
|70
|Smoke Grenade, Sprinter, Field Medic, Revive, Dense Smoke, Deep Pockets, Mindfray, Psi Inspiration, Telekinetic Field
|-
|}
</div>

=== Aliens ===
<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="15%" | Alien Name
! width="10%" | Points
! width="7%" | Health
! width="6%" | Aim
! width="8%" | Defense
! width="5%" | Will
! width="9%" | Movement
! width="40%" | Abilities
|-
|Sectoid
|400
|3
|65
|0
|10
|12
|[[Mind Merge]]
|-
|Drone
|1100
|3
|60
|10
|'''''0'''''
|12
|Repair, Overload
|-
|Floater
|1300
|3
|50
|0
|10
|12
|Evasion, Launch
|-
|Thin Man
|1400
|3
|65
|0
|15
|15
|Leap, Poison Spit
|-
|Muton
|2850
|8
|70
|10
|10
|12
|Suppression, Blood Call, Intimidate
|-
|Chryssalid
|3000
|8
|'''''Melee'''''
|10
|120
|20
|Leap, Poison Claws, Implant, Hardened
|-
|Sectoid Commander
|3200
|10
|85
|20
|90
|12
|Greater Mind Merge, Mindfray, Psi Panic, Mind Control
|-
|Heavy Floater
|3750
|12
|70
|10
|25
|12
|Bombard, Evasion, Launch
|-
|Muton Elite
|3800
|14
|80
|20
|20
|12
|Suppression, Bombard
|-
|Muton Berserker
|4000
|20
|'''''Melee'''''
|20
|80
|17
|Bull Rush, Bloodlust, Hardened
|-
|Cyberdisc
|5500
|16
|70
|10
|'''''0'''''
|18
|Death Blossom ''(while Closed)'', Bombard, Hardened ''(while Closed)''
|-
|Ethereal
|10500
|20
|''N/A''
|40
|120
|12
|Psi Lance, Rift, Mind Control, Psi Drain, Mindfray, Hardened
|-
|Zombie
|N/A
|10
|'''''Melee'''''
|0
|120
|8
|''Cannot be purchased. Created by Chryssalid kills.
|-
|}
</div>

= Item Costs =
* You are unable to equip a '''Fusion Launcher.'''

== Primary Weapons ==
<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="40%" | Item Name
! width="30%" | Points
! width="30%" | Notes
|-
|'''''Basic'''''
| -
| -
|-
|Assault Rifle
|0
|
|-
|Laser Rifle
|200
|
|-
|Light Plasma Rifle
|250
|
|-
|Plasma Rifle
|900
|
|-
|Shotgun
|0
|
|-
|Scatter Laser
|250
|
|-
|Alloy Cannon
|950
|
|-
|Sniper Rifle
|0
|
|-
|Laser Sniper Rifle
|250
|
|-
|Plasma Sniper Rifle
|1000
|
|-
|LMG
|0
|
|-
|Heavy Laser
|200
|
|-
|Heavy Plasma
|900
|
|-
|}
</div>

== Secondary Weapons ==
<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="40%" | Item Name
! width="30%" | Points
! width="30%" | Notes
|-
|Pistol
|0
|
|-
|Laser Pistol
|100
|
|-
|Plasma Pistol
|225
|
|-
|Rocket Launcher
|0
|
|-
|}
</div>

== Armors ==
<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="33%" | Item
! width="33%" | Points
! width="34%" | Notes
|-
|Body Armor
|0
|
|-
|Carapace Armor
|600
|
|-
|Skeleton Suit
|600
|
|-
|Titan Armor
|1700
|
|-
|Archangel Armor
|2400
|
|-
|Ghost Armor
|2700
|
|-
|Psi Armor
|3000
|
|-
|}
</div>

== Items ==
<div style="text-align: center;">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! width="40%" | Item Name
! width="30%" | Points
! width="30%" | Notes
|-
|Medikit
|100
|
|-
|Combat Stims
|400
|
|-
|Frag Grenade
|900
|
|-
|Alien Grenade
|1500
|
|-
|S.C.O.P.E.
|100
|
|-
|Nano-fiber Vest
|200
|
|-
|Chitin Plating
|300
|
|-
|Mind Shield
|300
|
|}
</div>

[[Category: Enemy Unknown (2012)]]

User talk:PartisanGerm

2012-11-14T22:38:37Z

PartisanGerm: Page created.

__ToC__

Just making this so that there is a good place for messages to be left etc.

User:PartisanGerm

2012-11-14T22:34:49Z

PartisanGerm: Page created.

__ToC__

==About Me==
'''I'm a hardcore gamer.''' I have, do, and will play(ed) many ass-loads of games of all mediums and genres. I may not have played the original X-COM much, but I am certainly impressed by its legacy.... and I love anything by Microprose. I played Magic: The Gathering when I was a kid (back when the card game wasn't stupid broken) and nothing will compare to the original PC game (buggy or not). I appreciate the power of relatively basic game concepts fleshed out to the point of simulation.

This is the first wiki I have found to give half a crap about.

Soldier Skills & Equipment Guide (EU2012)

2012-11-14T22:20:36Z

PartisanGerm:

__TOC__

==Introduction==

When choosing abilities, there is a debate about how to choose them and a variety of opinions depending on your personal play style and chosen strategy. The fundamental question that must always be asked when making a promotion is one of specialization vs. variety. Does the ability give you a new skill, improve a skill, or assist the squad as a whole?

The Assault class is the most clear cut example of this: nearly all of its choices are between increasing the Offensive or the Defensive capabilities of the unit, either turning it into a frontal assault unit or into a flanking unit. You can mix both, or even give it an unique squad ability by choosing the '''Flush''' perk, which forces the enemy out of cover.

Again, all of these options depend on your style and strategy. Any abilities' effectiveness depends on the map and type of aliens faced. When you're only starting to play, it may be confusing to realize all of the advantages and shortcomings of each class. Take the Heavy, for example. Early on the Heavy can be a major source of damage for your team but, due to the much lower Aim numbers of the class, at higher ranks their ability to be a primary source of direct damage falls off sharply. An inversion would be the Sniper. Early on they are weak and difficult to manage but, once they have some experience under their belt and a good weapon, mid to late game they will carry your squad. The Squaddie abilities and weapon limitations for each class define their general roles

The important thing to remember is that the advice in this guide will fall into two categories. Some of the recommendations are just that, advice that you may choose to ignore if you so wish. There are in fact many successful ways to run a squad that involve wildly divergent tactics. However, there are some points that are not recommendations per se. Some options in the skill tree exist that are clearly false choices. It seems like they may be equivalent or one is slightly better than the other, but in practice one of the two options is so much vastly better than the other that it changes the situation from a choice to a basic calculation. This guide will outline the different points as well as give approximate weights to the talents where it is not 100% a clear cut choice.

==Building an Assault==

Next to the Sniper, the Assault is your big damage dealing class. The critical chance of an Alloy Cannon is lower than a Plasma Sniper Rifle but the damage is the same and the Assault has all sorts of tools to enhance their burst damage and given the correct circumstances they can easily do more damage than any other class. On top of this they are tough and mobile. Also, Assaults are the only class that has a choice between primary weapons and are perhaps the only class that doesn't have a clear cut build path. So without further ado...

===Abilities===
{| border = "1" {{stdTable}}
|-
|[[File:Corporal icon.jpg|30px]] '''Corporal'''
|'''Tactical Sense vs Aggression'''
|}
Here starts the divergent path, Defense or Offense. One offers you a mounting defense bonus per enemy in sight, the other a mounting critical chance. Which one you choose should be dependent on how you are planning to play the Assault. If you choose the shotgun as your primary weapon you should be taking Defense perks. To put it mildly, shotguns do a ton of damage, you don't need to worry about doing more, you need to worry about surviving the stupidity a combination of run and gun and a short short rang weapon produce. As previously mentioned a 20 point defensive shift is stupendously potent. Furthermore defense bonuses become exponentially more effective as they stack. Low Cover, plus Ghost Armor, plus max Tactical Sense, plus a '''Dense Smoke''' Grenade means that the Assault has a 100 point defense shift, making him effectively invulnerable to any aimed attack. Even negating his cover via flanking means that given the Aim numbers of most enemies he is still invulnerable. Aggression should only be taken when you are using an Assault Rifle as a primary weapon, you need to make up the loss of damage that the weapon entails and you also will be in better cover most of the time with less people trying to murder you, thus needing less defending.

{| border = "1" {{stdTable}}
|-
|[[File:Sergeant (EU2012).jpg|30px]] '''Sergeant'''
|'''Lightning Reflexes vs. Close & Personal'''
|}
In a way these skills duplicate each other, and provide one of the only easy choices in the tree. Put simply, Lightning Reflexes is better. Both of them are closing skills. One gives you immunity to an Overwatch shot, which is amazing, the other gives you a 30% critical chance to adjacent foes that degrades with distance. The idea being that with one you can survive to close, with the other you can make the kill once you are there. Needless to say, while combining Aggression and Close & Personal can give you a theoretical 80% critical on basic attacks, the fact is that you are already capable of dealing massive damage with very good critical chance on a basic shotgun (assuming good positioning). '''Not''' getting splattered by a Sectopod Plasma Overwatch is better. Also, since the bonus is contingent on distance you should think twice before getting it for an Assault Rifle build.

{| border = "1" {{stdTable}}
|-
|[[File:Lieutenant (EU2012).jpg|30px]] '''Lieutenant'''
|'''Flush vs. Rapid Fire'''
|}
In XCOM, murder is usually the best solution. The major question that needs be asked is 'will this help me kill?' Of these two skills we have a clear winner in the murder category. Taking a pair of shots, even at a 15% penalty will almost always offer not only a statistically greater chance of a hit but will offer you the chance to knock the damage ball out of the park. If you are running a Scoped up Assault Rifle build focusing on high crit, this is a no brain-er. If you want a reliable way to ding an enemy from range then this might be a good idea. Remember, the chance to hit is much higher on a Flush than a basic attack and you can expect a near 100% chance even at extended range. Home run numbers are great but Flush could be a reliable coup de grâce, especially if you are running a lot of Assaults in a squad. Which isn't a bad idea.

Keep in mind, '''Flush''' carries three flaws that make it nearly unusable in a mission:
# It costs 3 ammo: so you can't use it every turn and will reload more often. Ammo Conservation (Foundry) alleviates this a bit.
# While it drives the target out of its current cover, the enemy could go to different cover, or break sight range completely only to attack you next turn from an unexpected direction. Consider Grenades.
# A guaranteed hit, it might be, but at reduced damage! Sure, it will take out an enemy on its last legs, but it is an easily ignored option for most threats (besides Drones and tier one).

{| border = "1" {{stdTable}}
|-
|[[File:Captain (EU2012).jpg|30px]] '''Captain'''
|'''Close Combat Specialist vs. Bring 'em On'''
|}
This is a choice. If you are planning on a shotgun, Close Combat Specialist is not an ability to skip. It is a godsend against charging melee, the poor fool that wanders through a door you are next to, or any close range engagement. In contrast Bring 'em On has no range requirement but, if you aren't rocking the critical side of the tree, it is a very streak dependent talent. Under ideal circumstances, you can get a 14 damage critical from a Plasma Rifle, or two of them if you hit and crit on both of your rapid fire shots. Much more if you get Killer Instinct at Colonel rank. Needless to say, this is an amazing amount of damage, enough to waste near on anything. Critical rates on an Plasma Rifle with a Scope and the critical hit abilities will still hit a flat 80%, 50% if you choose Lightning Reflexes or if you aren't at point blank range. Higher if you flank a foe. As you can see this isn't a cut and dry situation. Both rifleman and shotgun are viable options.

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|[[File:Colonel (EU2012).jpg|30px]] '''Colonel'''
|'''
'''Resilience vs. Killer Instinct'''
|}
On one hand you have immunity to critical hits, on the other hand you have a 50% damage bonus to your critical hits if you trigger your signature ability. If you have chosen to brawl then grab immunity to crits. It means you can't be take out in one round by any single foe and it takes luck out of the equation. Killer Instinct on the other hand only shines if you have been mining the tree for bonus crit chance. That being said, you can make some very aggressive plays with Killer Instinct. Run at full dash to a good position, open up with Rapid Fire and blow a Sectopod or Ethereal away in one fell blow, or two as the case may be.

===Equipment===
The answer is always Ghost Armor. Statistically it is just plain better. Now I wouldn't hold it against anyone who chooses Titan, but in the end Titan is just not as good for the up and coming Assault trooper. The Extra Conditioning from the Major promotion gives: 2 extra HP when wearing Ghost, Skeleton, and Psi Armor, and 4 when wearing Carapace, Archangel and Titan. The HP totals are as follows. Skeleton gives 5, Ghost , Carapace and Psi give 8, Archangel give 12 and Titan 14. Now the most bang for your buck early game is obviously Carapace, but once you have the money you should be investing in Ghost Armor. Why? Well for all the previously mentioned reasons plus one. In terms of survival Defense beats HP in smaller amounts, mobility is the bread and butter of an Assault trooper and here is the final reason. Ghost Mode gives a +100% chance to crit. This means that a Ghosted Assault can expect to reliably crit against a Hardened target if they are playing the shotgun game, and the rifleman can be sure of a crit. A massive Killer Instinct enhanced Rapid Fire crit that will level any foe you choose.

In terms of your free slot, the best choice is situational. I personally like Chitin Plating for my CQC troopers and Scopes for riflemen. The extra 4 HP offsets the losses that I sustain from not going Titan and gives you virtual immunity to Chryssalids and Berserkers. For riflemen, the Scope gives you +10 Aim and Crit Chance. Which is peachy. Use Mind Shields when appropriate.

==Building a Heavy==

The primary weapon of the Heavy is the LMG, and its Laser / Plasma upgrades. The weapon has a base damage of 5, which puts it in the high damage category along with the Sniper Rifle and Shotgun. It has worse critical chance than either, but it doesn't have the severe accuracy drop off that the Shotgun suffers from at any significant range and it doesn't suffer either the close range penalty or full turn cost of the Sniper Rifle. At first glance it is one of the best weapons in the game and in the early game it really is.

There is, as always, a hitch: in this case it is the Heavy himself. Starting Aim of all soldiers is 65 but, unlike his peers, the Heavy only gets 10 more points over the course of his life, with a Colonel capping out at 75. This means that at mid range and under optimal conditions the best Heavy will hit 75% of the time. If the target is in light cover that chance degrades to 55% and under High Cover there is only a 35% chance to deal damage. With a Scope you can improve a Heavy's aim to 85 but compared to the base Colonel accuracy numbers of an Assault, a Support or a Sniper, which are 89, 90 and 105 respectively you can see why the Heavy suffers.

Over a given hundred shots the percentile hit chance is a equal percentile modifier to Damage, meaning that assuming all enemies are in Low Cover, the base Heavy does on average a little more than half his listed Damage. This means that a Heavy at the top of the tech tree is doing the same as a Sniper at the bottom, less when you factor in the massive critical hit chances that the Sniper rifle enjoys, if they are both using weapons of the same tech level. This is discounting special abilities such as the Heavy's power to fire twice in a round, but suffice it to say that for every ability that the Heavy gets the Sniper of equivalent rank will gain an ever more insurmountable advantage. Now compared to a Support whose best weapon caps at 8 damage and who gets only 1 shot in a round the Heavy certainly does do more adjusted damage, but here in lies the problem. In real combat conditions you don't do an average damage based on your aim. You either hit and deal full damage, or miss and do none. If a Sniper did twice as much damage with half the accuracy its use as a unit would go from 'predictable' to 'coin toss' and its usefulness would drop from 'amazing' to 'marginal'.

Here is the thing. In a turn based game, the fundamental risk comes from uncertainty. If you are sure that an attack or ability will trigger then you can plan accordingly. Calculate exactly how much damage you can expect from all your units and use that to plan out a course of action. When abilities fail to trigger you are forced to make plans that accommodate this, namely, you need to devote more resources to a target than would under ideal conditions be needed, lest you whiff a final shot find yourself staring at a Sectopod with 5 hit points and it is now his turn. The binary nature of success and failure of individual actions maps to to the binary success and failure states of each turn. This is the beauty and the folly of a turn based game. The fact that a Heavy dealing with a standard foe in low cover with a 55% chance to hit cannot be relied on to make the shot means that you'll have to choose, both in game and during promotions on how to increase that accuracy or use the Heavy instead to prepare the Alien for the kill.

This is the paradox of the Heavy, they have amazingly high damage weapons but they require careful planning to make it an useful tool, and to be aware of the shortcomings that some choices can have, specially regarding perk selection.

===Abilities===
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|[[File:Corporal icon.jpg|30px]] '''Corporal'''
|'''Bullet Swarm vs. Holo-Targeting'''
|}
* Bullet Swarm gives you massive tactical flexibility no matter how you choose to build the Heavy, Holo-Targeting a +10 Aim increase ONLY to other units firing at the same alien.
* Bullet Swarm allows for Fire and Move, Fire and Reload or Fire and Fire when high firepower is crucial. The issue, as mentioned above, is the lack of Aim of the Heavy - which makes this ability more useful in close range fights.
* The LMG has only 3 rounds, even if you take Suppression, you need Bullet Swarm to Suppress two rounds in a row.

A Colonel Heavy with a Scope shooting at an enemy in optimal range in Low Cover has as mentioned above a pathetic 65% chance to hit. If you go with Bullet Swarm and spend a full round trying to make the shot you have a 12.25% chance of missing totally a 42.25% chance of hitting twice and a 45.5% chance of tagging them at least once. Meaning that you will an 88.75% chance of hitting something. At lowest rank this would be a 79.75% chance to hit something, with a 30.25% of hitting twice.

Even though you might feel that there is a good choice here, there isn't. Using your Heavy to set up shots might seem like a good idea, but statistically it does not work. The problem is two fold, first, at the lowest levels when Holo-Targeting could most likely be useful, the power of at most 3 small 10 point bonuses does not produce more hits than an extra attack. Take the above situation. Enemy in Low Cover, Heavy takes the first shot, then one of each class chimes in.

4 shots with Heavy with Holo-Targeting taking the first shot. All Rookie Soldiers:

* 7.487% chance of 4 hits
* 27.422% chance of 0 hits

5 shots with Heavy using Bullet Swarm. All Rookie Soldiers:

* 1.845% chance of 5 hits
* 13.325% chance of 4 hits
* 11.603% chance of 0 hits

As you can see, the extra attack is better in every way. Not only are you going to have a higher chance of getting 4 hits, you will have a golden chance to hit with 5. Furthermore, given the fact that the Heavy has one of the better weapons, capable of killing any low level enemy in one hit the hits that a Heavy can make are worth more. Not to mention, this is a scenario skewed heavily in the favor of the Holo-Targeting Heavy. There are almost no early game circumstances where you will have a reason or the opportunity to make 4 attacks on 1 enemy.

I hope that one thing is very clear: '''NEVER take Holo-Targeting.'''

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|[[File:Sergeant (EU2012).jpg|30px]] '''Sergeant'''
|'''Suppression vs. Shredder Rocket'''
|}
This defines your Heavy as either an explosives platform or a Suppression platform. I will make the argument that simply put, Supports are better at Suppression and Heavies should be blowing things up. Yes, Supports can't Suppress an area, yes, they can't use Mayhem to deal damage with Suppression but here is the rub, Supports have higher ammo / lower damage weapons with much greater accuracy. The Reaction Shot movement provokes will much more likely hit, the loss of damage is lower, there is less reloading needed and Supports have much more versatile ability to specialize. A Heavy with a Shredder Rocket has a 4 automatic damage weapon, that will hit exactly where put it (90% of the time, or somewhat close the rest of the time), and will amplify all damage against a target while removing its cover, in a wide area of effect. It is a limited use weapon but it will save you much more consistently than Suppression.

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|[[File:Lieutenant (EU2012).jpg|30px]] '''Lieutenant'''
|'''HEAT Ammo vs. Rapid Reaction'''
|}
A clean cut choice, as well. Many people who go the Suppression route think that this is perfect. Suppress an enemy, use Flush to force a move, let the Heavy get 2 free attacks. This is a failure state. First, reaction shots are made at a 15 point penalty and as we have previously stated Heavies have crap accuracy. Second, the only way you get a second shot is if the first hits, combine this with the aforementioned crap accuracy and you will rarely see this promotion trigger and even if it does trigger you still have to hit with it, at a similar penalty. On the other side of the equation HEAT ammo doubles damage against robotic opponents and affects all Heavy class abilities, including Rockets. Put simply, in XCOM, robots are the devil. The Cyberdisc and the Sectopod are two of the deadliest enemies you will face, anything that hastens them to the grave is awesome. A Cyberdisc is a deadly early game opponent who can deal 7 damage on a normal attack with a high critical chance, or fling a 5 damage Grenade half way across the map. It can and will one shot your mates, no one below major has a reliable chance of living, and only then if they are at full health. A rocket from a HEAT Heavy will deal 14 damage base, and can crit for more. Shredder Rockets will do 10 and allow your Sniper a good shot at a OHKO. Not to mention, you will blow the drones that hover around the disc or the Sectopod sky high. Choose HEAT, a Heavy who can attack twice can one shot a Cyberdisc or wipe a Sectopod if both attacks hit.

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|[[File:Captain (EU2012).jpg|30px]] '''Captain'''
|'''Grenadier vs. Danger Zone'''
|}
Less clear cut. In one hand you're holding two Grenades, in the other you have AoE Suppression and 2 tiles extra area on Rockets. Both are good abilities and the question of which you want depends highly. The benefits are more intangible and are linked to your final choice of what you want your Heavy to be doing. I am going to step back from (semi)objective analysis and offer an opinion. I choose Grenadier because by the time you reach this point, no one else on your team should be carrying Grenades. Your Sniper needs his Scope, your Assault needs armor of some type and even if she doesn't cause you are rocking Titan she should be doing a lot more damage with basic attacks than with a Grenade, Supports might be a good choice to heft a Grenade but they generally are better with Arc Throwers, Medikits, armor, or Scope. Heavies get natural damage ablation and multiple use actions. They have such bad accuracy that you aren't losing much by throwing an attack out the window, and the power that Grenades have to damage terrain and remove cover offers a much more powerful buff to accuracy than a Scope. The final argument for Grenadier is simply that Grenades are amazing breaching tools. You don't want to be using your rockets to breech but grenades can be a worthwhile trade. Danger Zone is lessened in value because you aren't, or shouldn't be, picking up Suppression, 2 extra tiles is nice on your rockets and is certainly worth more than a Grenade if it brings another enemy into range, but rockets are inherently less flexible than Grenades as with their full round cost. Don't feel obligated to get Grenadier, it isn't mandatory.

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|[[File:Colonel (EU2012).jpg|30px]] '''Colonel'''
|'''Flush vs. Rapid Fire'''
|}
To many this is the a tough choice, but it isn't. Mayhem adds max of 3 damage to Suppression which we don't have and adds 2 damage to your rockets, of which you get only 2 (regular and shredder). Rocketeer on the other hand gives you a second rocket. Assuming that you don't even get the blaster launcher upgrade you are still falling behind by 3 damage, and lose the flexibility of a second rocket. Since we have already decided that the Heavy needs to be blowing things up to be reliable thus, anything that offers him more chances to be reliable is good. Thus, more rockets beat better rockets. With double Grenades you have 5 bombs that can reshape the battlefield in your favor.
Alternatively, consider this: a heavy only has so many opportunities to fire rockets during a given mission. It's tough to set up a shot and securely have enough full turns to yourself to fire off all three you get with Shredder and Mayhem, plus throw two grenades. Thus, it may be better taking Danger Zone and Mayhem even if you don't have suppression, because widened range can really make a huge difference, and 2 extra damage becomes 4 against robots due to HEAT Ammo, which becomes even more effective with a Blaster Launcher. It certainly depends on your play style and whether you want to bother setting up for rocket fire.

===Equipment===
More than any other class, the Heavy shouldn't be worrying about their primary weapon. By all means upgrade the LMG if you can spare the resources, but there is a greater return on investment with other classes. Namely your Sniper and then your Assault need their weapons maxed ASAP, these are the classes that will be dealing your damage and the X-Rays drop Plasma Rifles and Light Plasma Rifles like confetti that your Supports or Assaults can use, thus obliterating the need to buy them. Moreover, the damage scaling is not as significant. With a five damage base a Heavy can reliably kill in one hit Sectoids, thin men and floaters on classic. To one shot the next tier of enemies a Heavy needs to upgrade to Plasma.

Armor is the really deceptive choice for a Heavy. Choosing a Heavy armor for your Heavy may seem right to you, but then you would be wrong. The role that we are looking to give to our Heavy is not that of a walking tank. That is you Assault. He needs to be mobile and capable of placing explosives precisely, while not being left behind. While Carapace Armor for everyone is always a wise choice compared to Body Armor, you should be considering Skeleton Suit and Ghost armor as your primary armors. Heavies don't get any inherent bonus from Heavy armor, unlike the Assault, instead they get a flat 2 point reduction in damage, meaning that they don't require a huge HP pool from Titan or Archangel.

Skeleton Suit / Ghost Armor offer your Heavy a couple amazing bonuses. First is that it gives you 3 extra move and the ability to grapple to the top of structures. Mobility powers are GREAT. Second they give you Defense bonuses, +10 health /+20 defense respectively. A clean miss is much better than more HP. Late game, in low cover, you can get a 40 point defensive shift if you are wearing Ghost Armor. All late game enemies do more than 10 damage a shot, and the 4 lost HP vs Titan or 2 hp vs Archangel or 1 in the case of Skeleton vs Carapace, is compensated by the clean misses. 20% off a 100% attack doing 10 damage is an average 2 HP gain. This makes Ghost even under the worst case scenario better than Archangel flat out and much closer to Titan than it seems. A Heavy in Ghost or Skeleton is more useful and almost as survivable. Psi Armor when appropriate.

Third, for Ghost Armor, the extra movement and the Ghost's unique ability to cloak allows the Heavy to safely get close or even flank a tough opponent in one turn, and then unleash a short range attack at optimum accuracy on the next. Similarly, this can be used to safely position the Heavy for a rocket launch.

Towards the latter part of the game, when it is available, the devastating Blaster Launcher replacement for the rocket launcher will increase the damage output of the Heavy's rockets and allow them to navigate around walls. The Heavy will no longer have to have direct line of sight to the target, but must be within rocket range.

For the Item slot, a Grenade or Alien Grenade is often a good choice for a Heavy. It provides an extra area-effect weapon (or two) that can be used to destroy cover in lieu of using a rocket.

The SCOPE or Chitin Plating are good general purpose items that help the Heavy shoot better or defend against close range attacks. The Heavy can also use other items depending on the Heavy's build or your needs.

==Building a Sniper==

The Sniper is the primary damage class that you will employ and suffers from a small problem of feast and famine. Snipers depending on the level will either be an unstoppable murder engine snuffing out at least one enemy every round, or they will spend most of the time running around useless trying to get a line of sight. Now building a sniper depends greatly on managing this problem, maximizing the good times and minimizing the bad. Snipers have the best basic aim progression of any class, reaching 105 at Colonel. With a Scope and high ground you can expect at have 98% or greater accuracy against an enemy in high cover and you can make the shot from across the map in a position of perfect safety. How can we assure this? Well lets go into the skills.

===Abilities===
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|[[File:Corporal icon.jpg|30px]] '''Corporal'''
|'''Snap Shot vs. Squadsight'''
|}
DO NOT BE FOOLED! There is almost no circumstance under which you should '''ever''' be taking Snap Shot. To do so is a waste of epic proportions and you might as well be using another class instead of a Sniper. Now this being said, if you are trying some weird 6 Sniper team there is a possibility that this might be okay but lets examine. First, Snap Shot applies a 20 point penalty to any single action shot. Early game, this makes your shots untenable. A Corporal Sniper firing at mid range against an enemy in Low Cover has a 28% chance to hit. A Colonel has 65% chance, but good luck getting there. Second, a Sniper who wishes to have options in terms of close range engagement has other talents that can be used to do so. The gunslinger perk can give you a base damage of 6 with no aim penalties with a Plasma Pistol if you have a terrible need to move and shoot. Squadsight on the other side of the coin essentially defines a Sniper. Sniper rifles have a range cap of 100 which roughly translated is 4 times your vision range, or most of the map. Only thing is that you will never get this range unless you have squad sight. A Squadsight Sniper doesn't need to be right behind to your Assault to cover them. They can do that from the spawn.

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|[[File:Sergeant (EU2012).jpg|30px]] '''Sergeant'''
|'''Gunslinger vs. Damn Good Ground'''
|}
This is a question of enhancing strength vs. minimizing weakness, only I put the order wrong. Gunslinger covers your weakness at close range and inability to scoot and shoot. Damn good ground makes you better at sitting on to of the world sniping the hell out of people. With a Scope and maximum elevation, damn good ground offers perfect chance to hit opponents in high cover. Without this perk you are slightly less than perfect but gunslinger makes it so that you can actually fight at close range and not fail. This is a toss up depending on your style. Just keep in mind that Archangel Armor '''does''' trigger Damn Good Ground, giving you slightly better than Low Cover worth of defense for free and an enhanced chance to hit.

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|[[File:Lieutenant (EU2012).jpg|30px]] '''Lieutenant'''
|'''Disabling Shot vs. Battle Scanner'''
|}
Of all the choices that you will make as a Sniper this matter the least. Disabling Shot is for the most part patently inferior to blowing someones head off. It is harder to make, does less damage and is on a cool down. That being said, it can be very useful in capturing enemies and can once in a blue moon save your butt if you don't have the firepower to kill a Sectopod or a Cyberdisc. Battle Scanner on the other hand gives you intel, which is invaluable, but cannot be thrown far from the Sniper who likely will be in the back. Still, it can find enemies without triggering them thus allowing a sucker punch. Neither one of these perks will define your Sniper and you should feel free to choose them depending on your mood. One notable point however is if for some insane reason you are building a front line Snap Shot Sniper get battle scanner. You don't need squad sight to see through the scanner and it is the only way you can extend your vision. Also you will be close in and will have the proximity to throw it.

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|[[File:Captain (EU2012).jpg|30px]] '''Captain'''
|'''Executioner vs. Opportunist'''
|}
This is another non choice. Executioner is a piddling 10% bonus that only triggers on low HP enemies. Snipers should be one shot-ing high HP enemies and pretty much the only people this will apply to are Sectopods, who already we have ways of dealing with. Opportunist on the other hand means that your Overwatch will do just as much damage at the same hit chance as your normal attacks and given the insane range on Sniper Overwatch allows you to protect soldiers all across the map.

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|[[File:Colonel (EU2012).jpg|30px]] '''Colonel'''
|'''In the Zone vs. Double Tap'''
|}
The Colonel level talent of a Sniper is pretty much godlike no matter what you choose. In the Zone is streaky, and maybe you're able to kill 8 aliens in a turn. But you should be aware of its conditions, to trigger In the Zone you must hit and kill an enemy out of cover or flanked. Practically speaking, your Sniper will never be flanking anyone, he will be well behind your entire line. So you'll have to destroy cover or target exposed aliens, like melee or flying units(flying units looks like to be in cover, but they're exposed units in terms of ITZ). Another way to trigger is Overwatching and killing a alien in move(which is exposed obviously), it'll give you bonus action next turn. As for the other choice, Double Tap is reliable. DT gives you second shot even if you unluckily miss first shot, every other round. And helps killing alien with large HP pool, like Sectopods.

===Equipment===
This is really simple. Give him a Scope, give him Archangel, get him the biggest gun you can get as fast as you can get it. For a Sniper, an upgraded weapon is your first combat priority. If he is above the tech curve the rest of your squad could be carrying pea shooters for all that it matters.

==Building a Support==

If you want to double up on a class, Supports should be your first choice. Sure they aren't as ''sexy'' as some of the others but they bring a lot more to the table than most suspect. First of all, Supports can shoot. They have great base Aim and full HP progression. Even without a Scope, a Support has a 90 aim. Beyond that they get to have 2 Item slots once they hit Major, allowing unparalleled customization. Furthermore they are fast, unless you have a stroke while promoting them and accidentally click the covering fire button they will be the quickest unit on the map. This along with their solid offensive and defensive abilities makes them the most reliable unit that you have. A team of all Supports would be a bit less than optimal, but is entirely possible to play.

===Abilities===
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|[[File:Corporal icon.jpg|30px]] '''Corporal'''
|'''Sprinter vs. Covering Fire'''
|}
Now I know, I said you had to be having a stroke to choose Covering Fire and might be a little harsh, but I stand by the statement. The issue is simply this: Covering fire will '''''never''''' help you. Why? Well, lets look at the ability. It grants you a Reaction Shot any time a unit under your Overwatch or Suppression fire. Sounds good right? No, its '''not'''. You just took a shot against a unit in Cover, that you could have fired on your turn, at a -15% penalty. It is nice if you are Suppressing an enemy, and it is also decent if you have the Sentinel ability, but the truth is that as Genghis Khan proved: '''mobility is victory'''. The ability to choose your ground is vital.

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|[[File:Sergeant (EU2012).jpg|30px]] '''Sergeant'''
|'''Field Medic vs. Smoke and Mirrors'''
|}
I'm not gonna lie here. Smoke is awesome. Once upgraded it has all sorts if nifty perks and even in its base form a free 20 point defense shift is great. Still med kits are great too, and having 3 instead of 1 is also awesome. So this is a choose your awesome moment. As you always should have minimum 2 Supports you can grab one of each. As a personal preference I tend to favor field medic, but a med kit is an inventory slot you have to spend and field medic tends to mandate one. Now having more options is good, but so is having more healing. A pure utility Support can have Chitin Plating and an Arc Thrower, or Nano-Fiber Vest and a Scope. Thus make your choice not based on smoke alone, but on flexibility.

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|[[File:Lieutenant (EU2012).jpg|30px]] '''Lieutenant'''
|'''Revive vs. Rifle Suppression'''
|}
Chances are that you are screwed if you are relying on Revive. Whereas Rifle Suppression can help keep you from being screwed. The choice is elementary, my ''dead'' Watson. If you find yourself favoring Revive, then you might want to have multiple Field Medics instead and keep your soldiers HP topped off at all times. Revive

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|[[File:Captain (EU2012).jpg|30px]] '''Captain'''
|'''Dense Smoke vs. Combat Drugs'''
|}
It is another Defense/Offense choice. Combat Drugs give +20 Aim bonus too (not listed). So in a tough situation will you protect you soldiers with a stunning +40 Defense shift that turns no cover into High Cover, and High Cover into immunity to being shot? Or annihilate X-rays with additional +20 Aim and +10 crit chance? Tough choice, but I prefer not getting hit. One thing to keep in mind is aliens benefit from smoke too, so don't let melee aliens get all up in your smoke business.

While '''Dense Smoke''', maybe combined with '''Smoke and Mirrors''', might seem like a near-immunity to the aliens' Plasma blasts, it carries a catch. Starting from the 3rd month and the appearance of Mutons, aliens will carry Grenades. Every alien that can throw a Grenade (with the sole exception of the regular Muton) also has the '''Bombard''' ability, meaning it can throw it real far and get you nearly everywhere. The thing is, '''Grenades never miss.''' So, when the X-Rays see their chances to hit are too low for their liking (like trying to hit someone standing behind full cover and in Dense Smoke), they will lob Grenades at you. This may not be a problem on Easy or Normal difficulty, as they will rarely do that on those, but on Classic and Impossible, you can expect Grenades flying your way pretty much at every opportunity.

So what, you say, that's just 5 damage, as opposed to taking 10+ from a Heavy Plasma crit? Yeah, sure... but think about this: Mutons and Heavy Floaters come in packs. If one thinks you're too hard to hit, so do the others probably. Well, 5 damage from one Grenade suddenly turns to 10 or 15. Of course they will try to catch as many of your soldiers in the blast radius as possible. Another point is that one Grenade-lobbing alien can set up perfect shots for its pals. Grenades destroy cover. Meaning after the first blast your +80 defense falls to +40, which is a pretty easy shot for any high-tier X-Ray. The only cover elements that an withstand an Alien Grenade blast are some of the objects inside UFOs. The perfect disaster scenario here is when two of you agents have taken cover on the sides of a single doorway, covered with smoke. A Grenade flies in and blam! - they are suddenly out in the open, with only the smoke providing protection, plus they've got 5 fewer HP each. In the mid-game on Classic or Impossible, this can mean assured death from Plasma crits for both of them.

This, by the way, is true for any AoE attack, like the Cyberdisc's Death Blossom, the Ethereal's Rift, or the Sectopod's cluster bomb (at least you can run away from that).

This taken into account, it may be a better idea to take '''Combat Drugs''' instead, and have a better chance of picking the aliens off with increased Aim and crit chance.

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|[[File:Colonel (EU2012).jpg|30px]] '''Colonel'''
|'''Savior vs. Sentinel'''
|}
Do you want to heal or harm? What kind of question is that! This is XCOM. You want to harm those X-Ray scum. Now don't get me wrong, healing 10 points in one charge is awesome, but shooting twice on Overwatch is even better. With Improved Medikits you should be healing 6 per charge anyways, and if you went with the medical route you can still top off the squad without worry. One of the most important things about sentinel is that it solves the problem of Overwatch overkill. The ability triggers a second Overwatch attack only if the first fails to kill the target, thus preventing those embarrassing moments where your squad all open fire on a floater and blow him to the moon, only for a Muton to wander unchecked into High cover and crit your prized soldier in the face.

===Equipment===
Simple enough. Get Skeleton Suit first, then upgrade to Ghost or Psi depending. I have already gone into a lot of detail as to why Ghost Armor is the best armor. A Support wearing it can traverse 13 squares on one move. A dash from another class in Heavy armor is 14. This is silly amounts of mobility. In terms of guns you have the choice of Plasma or Light Plasma. I find that while Light Plasma and a Scope is great early and can be obtained fast, it is offensively too inferior to use. Go for the big numbers and get a Plasma Rifle. Still one thing should be mentioned. Supports get a great return on investment in terms of lasers. The basic Assault Rifle allows them to one shot all the low tier enemies. In terms of secondary items go with what you feel. Medikit, Scope, Chitin Plating, Arc Thrower. The important thing about Supports is that they are flexible and should never be bound to a single setup.

Talk:Soldier Skills & Equipment Guide (EU2012)

2012-11-14T21:45:10Z

PartisanGerm: Hello all! Here are my thoughts....

__ToC__

Very thorough information, but please keep it with a Neutral Point of View, because there's a lot that I disagree with (not the stats or the explanations) like your personal premise that Lethality is the most important issue regarding perk selection, or that you should choose Bullet Swarm over Holo-Targeting at the beginning, when to me Holo-Targeting is crucial to help rookies (and the whole squad) get kills and promotions. Some other things are incorrect/missing (Mayhem also increases damage from explosives) or it's just a matter of personal playstyle - I love Snap Shot snipers because of their ability to move and fire, it works great on the big UFOs and city maps with a lot of buildings but I also have a Sniper with Squad Sight for some maps.
I think it would be much more useful to have a Guide about when/how to use each perk and let the player decide. Otherwise it's just a matter of personal opinion and that won't be much useful. My suggestion would be to have this content either reworked or moved to another page. And there's also the matter of what this Beginner Guide should have besides perk selection. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 07:33, 21 October 2012 (EDT)
: Certainly has room for improvement on the NPOV side, but I think that's fine as starting point for an article. It can be reworked. However, I recommend adding a suffix to the page, otherwise it could be a beginner guide for any one of the many games if you came in here through a Google search or via another page. -[[User:NKF|NKF]] 07:37, 21 October 2012 (EDT)
:: I like the stats analysis very much (I haven't had time to do it myself so it's a great read) I just think it needs a more neutral analysis. Some perks are essential like Field Medic, Revive and Savior to have Support Medic right away, I think that one everybody should agree, but as for the rest it's really a matter of playstyle. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 07:49, 21 October 2012 (EDT)

The one question I have is, what difficulty level(s) were you playing when you came to these conclusions. For me, certain abilities that were previously useless made more sense when switching to Classic and Impossible. ~ [[User:Drakalu|Drakalu]] 13:50, 23 October 2012 (EDT)

== Multiple PoVs ==

While this is a great guide, I feel that this guide is good only for a specific play style-IE, an aggressive one. If you want to be aggressive then that's all well and good, but many people would prefer a more subtle or defensive approach, approaches which are almost completely disregarded in this guide. Perhaps if we had multiple guides, one for each style (I believe this is already in place-isn't there an entire page dedicated to listing all the different guides for the original?) I don't think I would be a good example, but if everyone would like I could make a guide for my style, which is three supports-one a rifleman, two field medics, a heavy, and an assualt (the second field medic can be switched out for a Squadsight sniper) -[[User:Krikit386|Krikit386]]
:That's exactly my point above. Before the game was released I thought that the most important perks were those that expanded your 2 Actions, i.e. Snap Shot allows for Move and Fire with the Sniper Rifle, Bullet Swarm allows the Heavy to shoot twice, etc. After I started playing the game I realized that they are important (the same way that Lethality is) but you need to think about their general effect on the squad's abilities and their uses. Example: lots of people go for Squad Sight instead of Snap Shot. I like to have both, because Snap Shot is great for Abduction missions where most of the time you'll need to move to take the shot. Squad Sight also works for me on those occasions but Snap Shot fits more my style. Another example: UFO missions, I usually take Squad Sight but sometimes I'll switch to the Snap Shot sniper since he's the one more capable of using the Battle Scanner (since you'll usually keep your Squad Sight sniper behind), and you really need the Scanner to avoid unfriendly confrontations. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 10:14, 22 October 2012 (EDT)
::I've started rewriting the content to make it NPOV but I only got to the Heavy and Holo-Targeting/Bullet Swarm analysis. Before I continue can everyone please check the page and give some feedback on the part I've rewritten? [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 11:08, 22 October 2012 (EDT)
:::Great work as ever, Hobbes. Apart from the NPOV improvements, I wonder if the article needs more context at the start though. Or if it needs renaming. It's called a Beginner Guide to the (whole) game but seems to focusing on only one important aspect, how to pick upgrades. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 11:38, 22 October 2012 (EDT)
::::I agree, I think a Beginner's Guide should have more tips for overall game play, rather than focusing on Skill choices. I really like this page, I had already thought of something similar that expanded the text on the Classes page. I think it needs to be renamed and possibly we could move it individual pages for each class to better split up all this information. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 12:16, 22 October 2012 (EDT)
:::::Maybe add in those overall tips. As it stands, this is more of intermediate article rather than a beginner article. It has a lot of analysis which sounds like disputation between experts. So if it's a true beginner article it needs to be simplified I think. Probably just rename it and keep it as it is. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:21, 22 October 2012 (EDT)
::::::Meanwhile the original poster just placed again his personal opinion regarding Holo-Targeting, so I've clarified things (I hope) about what NPOV means. My only problem is the size of this article but I think it could be a great guide to help choosing abilities. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 13:38, 22 October 2012 (EDT)
:::::::Hey everyone, the original author here. Sorry about the NPOV, I have a hard time scrubbing it from my style when I am dealing with something I care about. a couple things though. 1. I wasn't really intending to make a begineers guide, I was making a guide that hopefully could be useful to anyone, the begineers guide just had a big red empty spot that I plopped this into. 2. Matters of opinion I try to be honest about, but alot of things are not opinions even if they might seem like it. For example, the bulletswarm vs. holotargetting. I went back and editted your changes hobbes, sorry, I also threw in the probability curve that I was too lazy to add the first time. Or at least a part of it. Showing why the choice is a false dichotomy. Bullet swarm is more likely in a given sequence to produce more hits, period, at least for all the series I ran. 3. I would love for people to chime in about the less mathematically oriented choice and have a divsification of playstyles. I am working on a team composition guide and a guide to the geoscape, but the geoscape especially is not my specialization, I am a tactics and optimization man, and hopefully y'all can throw in. Ps apologies if I stepped on some toes, I don't have any real wiki experience. -Sodiumazide
::::::::Hey, no problem :) I wasn't not questioning the math, although at the end of the stats part you wrote something like: it's highly unlikely that all 4 soldiers will shoot at the alien, which is correct, but IMO, in that case the stats that show that 5 soldiers firing at the same time have better odds than 4 don't really prove anything. The more gung-ho style of writing isn't really a problem (plenty of articles here are written in a more lighter tone) it's really that people will have different opinions. Bullet vs Holo is one example but I'm sure there are plenty more where the choices will be polarized, like Snap Shot vs Squad Sight, which is very good because then you can contrast arguments. To me the correct NPOV is to think 'explain how it works and give the same space to both arguments' (which is easier said than done). About the guide, as Spike said, right now this is an intermediate guide, which is great to have, although we needed something simpler - it could have suggestions for class builds or an initial strategy, but it should be definitely K.I.S.S.
::::::::Here's one example from this wiki for such a guide: [[Starting_Your_Shadowy_Paramilitary_Organization]] [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 15:16, 22 October 2012 (EDT)
::::::::: I was trying to explain why Holo-Targeting is a false choice and why Bullet Swarm will in similar circumstances perform better. The problem is that an extra roll of the die is worth more than a small bonus and that the heavy himself has more valuable hits on a given probability curve. So while giving space for both sides is certainly important, it is also important to distinguish where there is only one side, despite being two choices. --[[User:Sodiumazide|Sodiumazide]] 15:26, 22 October 2012 (EDT)
:::::::::: Actually- I can think of one case where Holotargetting IS a better choice, despite not having the numbers advantage: When you have to move to your target. In your example, the heavy started with vision on the enemy unit, and was given the choice to fire twice. As mentioned in your support section: "mobility is victory". Since firing rockets also consumes both turns, you have a VERY immobile unit, which doesn't alway play well, doublely so in panic missions. --[[User:Theoselk|Theoselk]] 17:40, 23 October 2012 (EDT)

OK, thanks for explaining where the article came from. Maybe a good idea would be to do what we previously had for EU 1994, where there were multiple strategy guides. Multiple strategy guides gives space for more divergent points of view and means we can slightly relax NPOV on those articles where they are flagged as subjective. They also tend to be more advanced in their thinking and factual argument, like this one is - less Keep It Simple Stupid and more analytical.

So we could add a main page link called Strategy Guides and then make this article the first Strategy Guide listed. The current article is better described as a strategy guide than a beginner guide. So I would suggest

*add Strategy Guides link on the main page, beneath Beginner Guide
*rename this page to something else, perhaps Sodiumazide's Strategy Guide? - without any redirect from Beginner Guide
*create the Strategy Guides page with a link to this first Strategy Guide page

Does that make sense for everyone? [[User:Spike|Spike]] 17:49, 22 October 2012 (EDT)

:::I am cool with that. Probably better that way anyhoo. --[[User:Sodiumazide|Sodiumazide]] 21:41, 22 October 2012 (EDT)

==Points by PartisanGerm==

I'm glad I was able to spur on some activity for this guide! This is the first time I have felt passionate enough about a topic in a wiki where I am compelled to add my two cents. At first, I just wanted to correct all the spelling, grammar, and give some spacing.... but I do wish to defend the arguments made in the guide. I happen to agree completely with ''almost'' everything that Sodiumzide wrote, I either already discovered the efficiency of certain abilities or had a hunch some were more effective than others. There are definitely a few begging for dispute as has been discussed:

* '''The Purpose and Style of the Guide'''
I don't think the guide is really gearing for aggressive action, so much as base tactical viability and efficiency. Quite simply, any skill that needs to be triggered is a skill that is potentially unused and not paying for itself (for some turns, or maps with buildings etc.) However, any skill that can literally be used for almost any situation (such as Rapid Fire and Bullet Swarm) are worth more than just the 'extra action' they effectively give. Sure, there are going to be instances when you miss both shots, but the probability to get at least one shot off

Also, I think the name of the guide should be modified to something more accurate like "Abilities Analyzed" or "Promotions Perused". The guide functions great as both a foundation for new players to play smart without experience and thinking about how abilities are used, as well as

The writing style is personal and informal, and that's another reason why I enjoyed reading it and wanted to enhance it. Yes, I would like to make it a bit more 'official-like', but not because the information appears to be an individual opinion. The end results expressed with this guide have a core in logic and logistics, not simply a preferred game play style.

* '''Heavy: Bullet Swarm vs. Holo-Targeting'''
Both of these abilities are very useful in a wide range of situations. However, I think Bullet Swarm proves to be more versatile and of guaranteed benefit no matter the results of using it.
:* Holo-Targeting is wasted on enemies that are finished with the attack it is targeted with; Bullet Swarm lets you shoot at another enemy or make a move after a kill.
:* Holo-Targeting allows other units a slightly better chance to hit, but it does not help the Heavy himself to hit; Bullet Swarm
:* Holo-Targeting gives the possibility of more reliable hits; Bullet Swarm always gives you the option to move/attack, attack/attack.
:* Late game enemies with a lot of health could benefit from more chance to his as well as more attacks, but usually the other classes already have good Aim.

* '''Sniper: Snap Shot vs. Squadsight'''
There is room for Snap Shot to be useful, when you're looking to be moving forward or into building with your Sniper. However, the aim cost of this ability almost negates the benefit and Sniper is literally the only class that wasn't designed for breaching (with the exception of Battle Scanner). I happen to think that Gunslinger gives Sniper all the mobile power he can reasonably make use of. The Sniper is made to be just that, shooting with high accuracy and power from afar. Getting your Sniper into just the right position so that he has line of sight to his targets is exactly what Squadsight allows for, and is just one of the tactics you're meant to be considering. Pulling enemies into his sight by tactical retreat is the other option.

* '''Support: Medic vs. Smoke Specialization'''
Unlike the other classes, which have a distinct preference for their roles, the Support works perfectly well tricked out as a Medic or a defensive/offensive assistant. The guide already says this, but could do with expansion on developing the two roles of Support.
:* Medic really is a required unit, since you're practically guaranteed to have some of your troops shot at some point or another.
:* Combat Support is certainly useful for preventing damage, but it is no guarantee. Having a second Medic instead of a Combat Support is up to preference.
--[[User:PartisanGerm|PartisanGerm]] 16:45, 14 November 2012 (EST)

Soldier Skills & Equipment Guide (EU2012)

2012-11-14T09:40:03Z

PartisanGerm: Third times a charm. I want to beautify this thing.

__TOC__

==Introduction==
----

When choosing abilities, there is a debate about how to choose them and a variety of opinions depending on your personal play style and chosen strategy. The fundamental question that must always be asked when making a promotion is one of specialization vs. variety. Does the ability give you a new skill, improve a skill, or assist the squad as a whole?

The Assault class is the most clear cut example of this: nearly all of its choices are between increasing the Offensive or the Defensive capabilities of the unit, either turning it into a frontal assault unit or into a flanking unit. You can mix both, or even give it an unique squad ability by choosing the '''Flush''' perk, which forces the enemy out of cover.

Again, all of these options depend on your style and strategy. Any abilities' effectiveness depends on the map and type of aliens faced. When you're only starting to play, it may be confusing to realize all of the advantages and shortcomings of each class. Take the Heavy, for example. Early on the Heavy can be a major source of damage for your team but, due to the much lower Aim numbers of the class, at higher ranks their ability to be a primary source of direct damage falls off sharply. An inversion would be the Sniper. Early on they are weak and difficult to manage but, once they have some experience under their belt and a good weapon, mid to late game they will carry your squad. The Squaddie abilities and weapon limitations for each class define their general roles

The important thing to remember is that the advice in this guide will fall into two categories. Some of the recommendations are just that, advice that you may choose to ignore if you so wish. There are in fact many successful ways to run a squad that involve wildly divergent tactics. However, there are some points that are not recommendations per se. Some options in the skill tree exist that are clearly false choices. It seems like they may be equivalent or one is slightly better than the other, but in practice one of the two options is so much vastly better than the other that it changes the situation from a choice to a basic calculation. This guide will outline the different points as well as give approximate weights to the talents where it is not 100% a clear cut choice.

==Building an Assault==
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Next to the Sniper, the Assault is your big damage dealing class. The critical chance of an Alloy Cannon is lower than a Plasma Sniper Rifle but the damage is the same and the Assault has all sorts of tools to enhance their burst damage and given the correct circumstances they can easily do more damage than any other class. On top of this they are tough and mobile. Also, Assaults are the only class that has a choice between primary weapons and are perhaps the only class that doesn't have a clear cut build path. So without further ado...

'''Tactical Sense vs Aggression'''
''Corporal''
Here starts the divergent path, Defense or Offense. One offers you a mounting defense bonus per enemy in sight, the other a mounting critical chance. Which one you choose should be dependent on how you are planning to play the Assault. If you choose the shotgun as your primary weapon you should be taking Defense perks. To put it mildly, shotguns do a ton of damage, you don't need to worry about doing more, you need to worry about surviving the stupidity a combination of run and gun and a short short rang weapon produce. As previously mentioned a 20 point defensive shift is stupendously potent. Furthermore defense bonuses become exponentially more effective as they stack. Low Cover, plus Ghost Armor, plus max Tactical Sense, plus a '''Dense Smoke''' Grenade means that the Assault has a 100 point defense shift, making him effectively invulnerable to any aimed attack. Even negating his cover via flanking means that given the Aim numbers of most enemies he is still invulnerable. Aggression should only be taken when you are using an Assault Rifle as a primary weapon, you need to make up the loss of damage that the weapon entails and you also will be in better cover most of the time with less people trying to murder you, thus needing less defending.

'''Lightning Reflexes vs. Close & Personal'''
''Sergeant''
In a way these skills duplicate each other, and provide one of the only easy choices in the tree. Put simply, Lightning Reflexes is better. Both of them are closing skills. One gives you immunity to an Overwatch shot, which is amazing, the other gives you a 30% critical chance to adjacent foes that degrades with distance. The idea being that with one you can survive to close, with the other you can make the kill once you are there. Needless to say, while combining Aggression and Close & Personal can give you a theoretical 80% critical on basic attacks, the fact is that you are already capable of dealing massive damage with very good critical chance on a basic shotgun (assuming good positioning). '''Not''' getting splattered by a Sectopod Plasma Overwatch is better. Also, since the bonus is contingent on distance you should think twice before getting it for an Assault Rifle build.

'''Flush vs. Rapid Fire'''
''Lieutenant''
In XCOM, murder is usually the best solution. The major question that needs be asked is 'will this help me kill?' Of these two skills we have a clear winner in the murder category. Taking a pair of shots, even at a 15% penalty will almost always offer not only a statistically greater chance of a hit but will offer you the chance to knock the damage ball out of the park. If you are running a Scoped up Assault Rifle build focusing on high crit, this is a no brain-er. If you want a reliable way to ding an enemy from range then this might be a good idea. Remember, the chance to hit is much higher on a Flush than a basic attack and you can expect a near 100% chance even at extended range. Home run numbers are great but Flush can be a reliable tool, especially if you are running a lot of Assaults in a squad. Which is always a good idea.

Keep in mind,'''Flush''' carries two flaws that make it nearly unusable in a mission. First, it costs you 3 ammo, meaning you can't use it every turn and have to reload more often, especially before Ammo Conservation (Foundry) is researched. Second, while it does drive the target out of its current cover, that doesn't prevent it from running to different cover, or breaking sight range completely, to attack you next turn from an unexpected direction. It may be a better idea to throw a Grenade to destroy the cover completely, or even just use Rapid Fire - even with low chances to hit the target, you will get two opportunities to destroy cover with the misses.

'''Close Combat Specialist vs. Bring 'em On'''
''Captain''
This is a choice. If you are planning on a shotgun, CCS is not a perk to miss. It is a godsend against charging melee, or the poor fool that wanders through a door you are next to. Or just in any close range engagement. In contrast Bring 'em On has no range requirement but, if you aren't rocking the critical side of the tree, it is a very streak dependent talent. Under ideal circumstances, you can get a 14 damage critical from a Plasma Rifle, or two of them if you hit and crit on both of your rapid fire shots. Much more if you get Killer Instinct at Colonel rank. Needless to say, this is an amazing amount of damage, enough to waste near on anything. Critical rates on an Plasma Rifle with a Scope and the critical hit abilities will still hit a flat 80%, 50% if you choose Lightning Reflexes or if you aren't at point blank range. Higher if you flank a foe. As you can see this isn't a cut and dry situation. Both rifleman and shotgun are viable options.

'''Resilience vs. Killer Instinct'''
''Colonel''
On one hand you have immunity to critical hits, on the other hand you have a 50% damage bonus to your critical hits if you trigger your signature ability. If you have chosen to brawl then grab immunity to crits. It means you can't be take out in one round by any single foe and it takes luck out of the equation. Killer Instinct on the other hand only shines if you have been mining the tree for bonus crit chance. That being said, you can do some retarded stuff with Killer Instinct. Run at full dash to a good position, open up with Rapid Fire and blow a Sectopod or Ethereal away in one fell blow, or two as the case may be.

'''Equipping an Assault'''
The answer is always Ghost Armor. Statistically it is just plain better. Now I wouldn't hold it against anyone who chooses Titan, but in the end Titan is just not as good for the up and coming Assault trooper. The Extra Conditioning from the Major promotion gives: 2 extra HP when wearing Ghost, Skeleton, and Psi Armor, and 4 when wearing Carapace, Archangel and Titan. The HP totals are as follows. Skeleton gives 5, Ghost , Carapace and Psi give 8, Archangel give 12 and Titan 14. Now the most bang for your buck early game is obviously Carapace, but once you have the money you should be investing in Ghost Armor. Why? Well for all the previously mentioned reasons plus one. In terms of survival Defense beats HP in smaller amounts, mobility is the bread and butter of an Assault trooper and here is the final reason. Ghost Mode gives a +100% chance to crit. This means that a Ghosted Assault can expect to reliably crit against a Hardened target if they are playing the shotgun game, and the rifleman can be sure of a crit. A massive Killer Instinct enhanced Rapid Fire crit that will level any foe you choose.

In terms of your free slot, the best choice is situational. I personally like Chitin Plating for my CQC troopers and Scopes for riflemen. The extra 4 HP offsets the losses that I sustain from not going Titan and gives you virtual immunity to Chryssalids and Berserkers. For riflemen, the Scope gives you +10 Aim and Crit Chance. Which is peachy. Use Mind Shields when appropriate.

==Building a Heavy==
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The primary weapon of the Heavy is the LMG, and its Laser / Plasma upgrades. The weapon has a base damage of 5, which puts it in the high damage category along with the Sniper Rifle and Shotgun. It has worse critical chance than either, but it doesn't have the severe accuracy drop off that the Shotgun suffers from at any significant range and it doesn't suffer either the close range penalty or full turn cost of the Sniper Rifle. At first glance it is one of the best weapons in the game and in the early game it really is.

There is, as always, a hitch: in this case it is the Heavy himself. Starting Aim of all soldiers is 65 but, unlike his peers, the Heavy only gets 10 more points over the course of his life, with a Colonel capping out at 75. This means that at mid range and under optimal conditions the best Heavy will hit 75% of the time. If the target is in light cover that chance degrades to 55% and under High Cover there is only a 35% chance to deal damage. With a Scope you can improve a Heavy's aim to 85 but compared to the base Colonel accuracy numbers of an Assault, a Support or a Sniper, which are 89, 90 and 105 respectively you can see why the Heavy suffers.

Over a given hundred shots the percentile hit chance is a equal percentile modifier to Damage, meaning that assuming all enemies are in Low Cover, the base Heavy does on average a little more than half his listed Damage. This means that a Heavy at the top of the tech tree is doing the same as a Sniper at the bottom, less when you factor in the massive critical hit chances that the Sniper rifle enjoys, if they are both using weapons of the same tech level. This is discounting special abilities such as the Heavy's power to fire twice in a round, but suffice it to say that for every ability that the Heavy gets the Sniper of equivalent rank will gain an ever more insurmountable advantage. Now compared to a Support whose best weapon caps at 8 damage and who gets only 1 shot in a round the Heavy certainly does do more adjusted damage, but here in lies the problem. In real combat conditions you don't do an average damage based on your aim. You either hit and deal full damage, or miss and do none. If a Sniper did twice as much damage with half the accuracy its use as a unit would go from 'predictable' to 'coin toss' and its usefulness would drop from 'amazing' to 'marginal'.

Here is the thing. In a turn based game, the fundamental risk comes from uncertainty. If you are sure that an attack or ability will trigger then you can plan accordingly. Calculate exactly how much damage you can expect from all your units and use that to plan out a course of action. When abilities fail to trigger you are forced to make plans that accommodate this, namely, you need to devote more resources to a target than would under ideal conditions be needed, lest you whiff a final shot find yourself staring at a Sectopod with 5 hit points and it is now his turn. The binary nature of success and failure of individual actions maps to to the binary success and failure states of each turn. This is the beauty and the folly of a turn based game. The fact that a Heavy dealing with a standard foe in low cover with a 55% chance to hit cannot be relied on to make the shot means that you'll have to choose, both in game and during promotions on how to increase that accuracy or use the Heavy instead to prepare the Alien for the kill.

This is the paradox of the Heavy, they have amazingly high damage weapons but they require careful planning to make it an useful tool, and to be aware of the shortcomings that some choices can have, specially regarding perk selection.

'''Bullet Swarm vs. Holo-Targeting'''
''Corporal''
* Bullet Swarm gives you massive tactical flexibility no matter how you choose to build the Heavy, Holo-Targeting a +10 Aim increase ONLY to other units firing at the same alien.
* Bullet Swarm allows for Fire and Move, Fire and Reload or Fire and Fire when high firepower is crucial. The issue, as mentioned above, is the lack of Aim of the Heavy - which makes this ability more useful in close range fights.
* The LMG has only 3 rounds, even if you take Suppression, you need Bullet Swarm to Suppress two rounds in a row.

A Colonel Heavy with a Scope shooting at an enemy in optimal range in Low Cover has as mentioned above a pathetic 65% chance to hit. If you go with Bullet Swarm and spend a full round trying to make the shot you have a 12.25% chance of missing totally a 42.25% chance of hitting twice and a 45.5% chance of tagging them at least once. Meaning that you will an 88.75% chance of hitting something. At lowest rank this would be a 79.75% chance to hit something, with a 30.25% of hitting twice.

Even though you might feel that there is a good choice here, there isn't. Using your Heavy to set up shots might seem like a good idea, but statistically it does not work. The problem is two fold, first, at the lowest levels when Holo-Targeting could most likely be useful, the power of at most 3 small 10 point bonuses does not produce more hits than an extra attack. Take the above situation. Enemy in Low Cover, Heavy takes the first shot, then one of each class chimes in.

4 shots with Heavy with Holo-Targeting taking the first shot. All Rookie Soldiers:

* 7.487% chance of 4 hits
* 27.422% chance of 0 hits

5 shots with Heavy using Bullet Swarm. All Rookie Soldiers:

* 1.845% chance of 5 hits
* 13.325% chance of 4 hits
* 11.603% chance of 0 hits

As you can see, the extra attack is better in every way. Not only are you going to have a higher chance of getting 4 hits, you will have a golden chance to hit with 5. Furthermore, given the fact that the Heavy has one of the better weapons, capable of killing any low level enemy in one hit the hits that a Heavy can make are worth more. Not to mention, this is a scenario skewed heavily in the favor of the Holo-Targeting Heavy. There are almost no early game circumstances where you will have a reason or the opportunity to make 4 attacks on 1 enemy.

I hope that one thing is very clear: '''NEVER take Holo-Targeting.'''

'''Suppression vs. Shredder Rocket'''
''Sergeant''
This defines your Heavy as either an explosives platform or a Suppression platform. I will make the argument that simply put, Supports are better at Suppression and Heavies should be blowing things up. Yes, Supports can't Suppress an area, yes, they can't use Mayhem to deal damage with Suppression but here is the rub, Supports have higher ammo / lower damage weapons with much greater accuracy. The Reaction Shot movement provokes will much more likely hit, the loss of damage is lower, there is less reloading needed and Supports have much more versatile ability to specialize. A Heavy with a Shredder Rocket has a 4 automatic damage weapon, that will hit exactly where put it (90% of the time, or somewhat close the rest of the time), and will amplify all damage against a target while removing its cover, in a wide area of effect. It is a limited use weapon but it will save you much more consistently than Suppression.

'''HEAT Ammo vs. Rapid Reaction'''
''Lieutenant''
A clean cut choice, as well. Many people who go the Suppression route think that this is perfect. Suppress an enemy, use Flush to force a move, let the Heavy get 2 free attacks. This is a failure state. First, reaction shots are made at a 15 point penalty and as we have previously stated Heavies have crap accuracy. Second, the only way you get a second shot is if the first hits, combine this with the aforementioned crap accuracy and you will rarely see this promotion trigger and even if it does trigger you still have to hit with it, at a similar penalty. On the other side of the equation HEAT ammo doubles damage against robotic opponents and affects all Heavy class abilities, including Rockets. Put simply, in XCOM, robots are the devil. The Cyberdisc and the Sectopod are two of the deadliest enemies you will face, anything that hastens them to the grave is awesome. A Cyberdisc is a deadly early game opponent who can deal 7 damage on a normal attack with a high critical chance, or fling a 5 damage Grenade half way across the map. It can and will one shot your mates, no one below major has a reliable chance of living, and only then if they are at full health. A rocket from a HEAT Heavy will deal 14 damage base, and can crit for more. Shredder Rockets will do 10 and allow your Sniper a good shot at a OHKO. Not to mention, you will blow the drones that hover around the disc or the Sectopod sky high. Choose HEAT, a Heavy who can attack twice can one shot a Cyberdisc or wipe a Sectopod if both attacks hit.

'''Grenadier vs. Danger Zone'''
''Captain''
Less clear cut. In one hand you're holding two Grenades, in the other you have AoE Suppression and 2 tiles extra area on Rockets. Both are good abilities and the question of which you want depends highly. The benefits are more intangible and are linked to your final choice of what you want your Heavy to be doing. I am going to step back from (semi)objective analysis and offer an opinion. I choose Grenadier because by the time you reach this point, no one else on your team should be carrying Grenades. Your Sniper needs his Scope, your Assault needs armor of some type and even if she doesn't cause you are rocking Titan she should be doing a lot more damage with basic attacks than with a Grenade, Supports might be a good choice to heft a Grenade but they generally are better with Arc Throwers, Medikits, armor, or Scope. Heavies get natural damage ablation and multiple use actions. They have such bad accuracy that you aren't losing much by throwing an attack out the window, and the power that Grenades have to damage terrain and remove cover offers a much more powerful buff to accuracy than a Scope. The final argument for Grenadier is simply that Grenades are amazing breaching tools. You don't want to be using your rockets to breech but grenades can be a worthwhile trade. Danger Zone is lessened in value because you aren't, or shouldn't be, picking up Suppression, 2 extra tiles is nice on your rockets and is certainly worth more than a Grenade if it brings another enemy into range, but rockets are inherently less flexible than Grenades as with their full round cost. Don't feel obligated to get Grenadier, it isn't mandatory.

'''Rocketeer vs. Mayhem'''
''Colonel''
To many this is the a tough choice, but it isn't. Mayhem adds max of 3 damage to Suppression which we don't have and adds 2 damage to your rockets, of which you get only 2 (regular and shredder). Rocketeer on the other hand gives you a second rocket. Assuming that you don't even get the blaster launcher upgrade you are still falling behind by 3 damage, and lose the flexibility of a second rocket. Since we have already decided that the Heavy needs to be blowing things up to be reliable thus, anything that offers him more chances to be reliable is good. Thus, more rockets beat better rockets. With double Grenades you have 5 bombs that can reshape the battlefield in your favor.

'''Equipping a Heavy'''
More than any other class, the Heavy shouldn't be worrying about their primary weapon. By all means upgrade the LMG if you can spare the resources, but there is a greater return on investment with other classes. Namely your Sniper and then your Assault need their weapons maxed ASAP, these are the classes that will be dealing your damage and the X-Rays drop Plasma Rifles and Light Plasma Rifles like confetti that your Supports or Assaults can use, thus obliterating the need to buy them. Moreover, the damage scaling is not as significant. With a five damage base a Heavy can reliably kill in one hit Sectoids, thin men and floaters on classic. To one shot the next tier of enemies a Heavy needs to upgrade to Plasma.

Armor is the really deceptive choice for a Heavy. Choosing a Heavy armor for your Heavy may seem right to you, but then you would be wrong. The role that we are looking to give to our Heavy is not that of a walking tank. That is you Assault. He needs to be mobile and capable of placing explosives precisely, while not being left behind. While Carapace Armor for everyone is always a wise choice compared to Body Armor, you should be considering Skeleton Suit and Ghost armor as your primary armors. Heavies don't get any inherent bonus from Heavy armor, unlike the Assault, instead they get a flat 2 point reduction in damage, meaning that they don't require a huge HP pool from Titan or Archangel. Skeleton Suit / Ghost Armor offers your Heavy a couple amazing bonuses. First is that it gives you 3 extra move and the ability to grapple to the top of structures. Mobility powers are GREAT. Second they give you Defense bonuses, 10/20 respectively. A clean miss is much better than more HP. Late game, in low cover, you can get a 40 point defensive shift if you are wearing Ghost Armor. All late game enemies do more than 10 damage a shot, and the 4 lost HP vs Titan or 2 hp vs Archangel or 1 in the case of Skeleton vs Carapace, is compensated by the clean misses. 20% off a 100% attack doing 10 damage is an average 2 HP gain. This makes Ghost even under the worst case scenario better than Archangel flat out and much closer to Titan than it seems. A Heavy in Ghost or Skeleton is more useful and almost as survivable. Psi Armor when appropriate.

Your Item slot should be a Grenade, if you ducked out on Grenadier or if you are going to doing a Terror mission, then feel free to improvise.

==Building a Sniper==
----

The Sniper is the primary damage class that you will employ and suffers from a small problem of feast and famine. Snipers depending on the level will either be an unstoppable murder engine snuffing out at least one enemy every round, or they will spend most of the time running around useless trying to get a line of sight. Now building a sniper depends greatly on managing this problem, maximizing the good times and minimizing the bad. Snipers have the best basic aim progression of any class, reaching 105 at Colonel. With a Scope and high ground you can expect at have 98% or greater accuracy against an enemy in high cover and you can make the shot from across the map in a position of perfect safety. How can we assure this? Well lets go into the skills.

'''Snap Shot vs. Squadsight'''
''Corporal''
DO NOT BE FOOLED! There is almost no circumstance under which you should '''ever''' be taking Snap Shot. To do so is a waste of epic proportions and you might as well be using another class instead of a Sniper. Now this being said, if you are trying some weird 6 Sniper team there is a possibility that this might be okay but lets examine. First, Snap Shot applies a 20 point penalty to any single action shot. Early game, this makes your shots untenable. A Corporal Sniper firing at mid range against an enemy in Low Cover has a 28% chance to hit. A Colonel has 65% chance, but good luck getting there. Second, a Sniper who wishes to have options in terms of close range engagement has other talents that can be used to do so. The gunslinger perk can give you a base damage of 6 with no aim penalties with a Plasma Pistol if you have a terrible need to move and shoot. Squadsight on the other side of the coin essentially defines a Sniper. Sniper rifles have a range cap of 100 which roughly translated is 4 times your vision range, or most of the map. Only thing is that you will never get this range unless you have squad sight. A Squadsight Sniper doesn't need to be right behind to your Assault to cover them. They can do that from the spawn.

'''Gunslinger vs. Damn Good Ground'''
''Sergeant''
This is a question of enhancing strength vs. minimizing weakness, only I put the order wrong. Gunslinger covers your weakness at close range and inability to scoot and shoot. Damn good ground makes you better at sitting on to of the world sniping the hell out of people. With a Scope and maximum elevation, damn good ground offers perfect chance to hit opponents in high cover. Without this perk you are slightly less than perfect but gunslinger makes it so that you can actually fight at close range and not fail. This is a toss up depending on your style. Just keep in mind that Archangel Armor '''does''' trigger Damn Good Ground, giving you slightly better than Low Cover worth of defense for free and an enhanced chance to hit.

'''Disabling Shot vs. Battle Scanner'''
''Lieutenant''
Of all the choices that you will make as a Sniper this matter the least. Disabling Shot is for the most part patently inferior to blowing someones head off. It is harder to make, does less damage and is on a cool down. That being said, it can be very useful in capturing enemies and can once in a blue moon save your butt if you don't have the firepower to kill a Sectopod or a Cyberdisc. Battle Scanner on the other hand gives you intel, which is invaluable, but cannot be thrown far from the Sniper who likely will be in the back. Still, it can find enemies without triggering them thus allowing a sucker punch. Neither one of these perks will define your Sniper and you should feel free to choose them depending on your mood. One notable point however is if for some insane reason you are building a front line Snap Shot Sniper get battle scanner. You don't need squad sight to see through the scanner and it is the only way you can extend your vision. Also you will be close in and will have the proximity to throw it.

'''Executioner vs. Opportunist'''
''Captain''
This is another non choice. Executioner is a piddling 10% bonus that only triggers on low HP enemies. Snipers should be one shot-ing high HP enemies and pretty much the only people this will apply to are Sectopods, who already we have ways of dealing with. Opportunist on the other hand means that your Overwatch will do just as much damage at the same hit chance as your normal attacks and given the insane range on Sniper Overwatch allows you to protect soldiers all across the map.

'''In the Zone vs. Double Tap'''
''Colonel''
The Colonel level talent of a Sniper is pretty much godlike no matter what you choose. In the Zone is streaky, and maybe you're able to kill 8 aliens in a turn. But you should be aware of its conditions, to trigger In the Zone you must hit and kill an enemy out of cover or flanked. Practically speaking, your Sniper will never be flanking anyone, he will be well behind your entire line. So you'll have to destroy cover or target exposed aliens, like melee or flying units(flying units looks like to be in cover, but they're exposed units in terms of ITZ). Another way to trigger is Overwatching and killing a alien in move(which is exposed obviously), it'll give you bonus action next turn. As for the other choice, Double Tap is reliable. DT gives you second shot even if you unluckily miss first shot, every other round. And helps killing alien with large HP pool, like Sectopods.

'''Equipping a Sniper'''
This is really simple. Give him a Scope, give him Archangel, get him the biggest gun you can get as fast as you can get it. For a Sniper, an upgraded weapon is your first combat priority. If he is above the tech curve the rest of your squad could be carrying pea shooters for all that it matters.

==Building a Support==
----

If you want to double up on a class, Supports should be your first choice. Sure they aren't as ''sexy'' as some of the others but they bring a lot more to the table than most suspect. First of all, Supports can shoot. They have great base Aim and full HP progression. Even without a Scope, a Support has a 90 aim. Beyond that they get to have 2 Item slots once they hit Major, allowing unparalleled customization. Furthermore they are fast, unless you have a stroke while promoting them and accidentally click the covering fire button they will be the quickest unit on the map. This along with their solid offensive and defensive abilities makes them the most reliable unit that you have. A team of all Supports would be a bit less than optimal, but is entirely possible to play.

'''Sprinter vs. Covering Fire'''
''Corporal''
Now I know, I said you had to be having a stroke to choose Covering Fire and might be a little harsh, but I stand by the statement. The issue is simply this: Covering fire will '''''never''''' help you. Why? Well, lets look at the ability. It grants you a Reaction Shot any time a unit under your Overwatch or Suppression fire. Sounds good right? No, its '''not'''. You just took a shot against a unit in Cover, that you could have fired on your turn, at a -15% penalty. It is nice if you are Suppressing an enemy, and it is also decent if you have the Sentinel ability, but the truth is that as Genghis Khan proved: ''mobility is victory'''. The ability to choose your ground is vital.

'''Field Medic vs. Smoke and Mirrors'''
''Sergeant''
I'm not gonna lie here. Smoke is awesome. Once upgraded it has all sorts if nifty perks and even in its base form a free 20 point defense shift is great. Still med kits are great too, and having 3 instead of 1 is also awesome. So this is a choose your awesome moment. As you always should have minimum 2 Supports you can grab one of each. As a personal preference I tend to favor field medic, but a med kit is an inventory slot you have to spend and field medic tends to mandate one. Now having more options is good, but so is having more healing. A pure utility Support can have Chitin Plating and an Arc Thrower, or Nano-Fiber Vest and a Scope. Thus make your choice not based on smoke alone, but on flexibility.

'''Revive vs. Rifle Suppression'''
''Lieutenant''
Chances are that you are screwed if you are relying on Revive. Rifle Suppression can keep you from being screwed. The choice is simple and obvious. Of you find yourself favoring revive then you might instead want to have multiple field medics and just keep your soldiers topped off in terms of health.

'''Dense Smoke vs. Combat Drugs'''
''Captain''
It is another Defense/Offense choice. Combat drugs give +20 Aim bonus too(which is not listed). So in tough situation will you protect you soldiers with a stunning 40 point defense shift that turns no cover into High cover, and High cover into immunity to being shot? Or annihilate X-rays with additional 20 aim and 10 critical? Tough choice, but I prefer not getting hit. One thing to keep in mind is aliens benefit from smoke too, so don't let melee aliens get all up in your smoke business.

'''Savior vs. Sentinel'''
''Colonel''
Do you want to heal or harm? What kind of question is that! This is XCOM. You want to harm those X-Ray scum. Now don't get me wrong, healing 10 points in one charge is awesome, but shooting twice on Overwatch is even better. With Improved Medikits you should be healing 6 per charge anyways, and if you went with the medical route you can still top off the squad without worry. One of the most important things about sentinel is that it solves the problem of Overwatch overkill. The ability triggers a second Overwatch attack only if the first fails to kill the target, thus preventing those embarrassing moments where your squad all open fire on a floater and blow him to the moon, only for a Muton to wander unchecked into High cover and crit your prized soldier in the face.

'''Equipping a Support'''
Simple enough. Get Skeleton Suit first, then upgrade to Ghost or Psi depending. I have already gone into a lot of detail as to why Ghost Armor is the best armor. A Support wearing it can traverse 13 squares on one move. A dash from another class in Heavy armor is 14. This is silly amounts of mobility. In terms of guns you have the choice of Plasma or Light Plasma. I find that while Light Plasma and a Scope is great early and can be obtained fast, it is offensively too inferior to use. Go for the big numbers and get a Plasma Rifle. Still one thing should be mentioned. Supports get a great return on investment in terms of lasers. The basic Assault Rifle allows them to one shot all the low tier enemies. In terms of secondary items go with what you feel. Medikit, Scope, Chitin Plating, Arc Thrower. The important thing about Supports is that they are flexible and should never be bound to a single setup.

'''Beware of the Dense Smoke Trap!'''
While '''Dense Smoke''', maybe combined with '''Smoke and Mirrors''', might seem like a near-immunity to the aliens' Plasma blasts, it carries a catch. Starting from the 3rd month and the appearance of Mutons, aliens will carry Grenades. Every alien that can throw a Grenade (with the sole exception of the regular Muton) also has the '''Bombard''' ability, meaning it can throw it real far and get you nearly everywhere. The thing is, Grenades never miss. So, when the X-Rays see their chances to hit are too low for their liking (like trying to hit someone standing behind full cover and in dense smoke), they will lob Grenades at you. This may not be a problem on Easy or Normal difficulty, as they will rarely do that on those, but on Classic and Impossible, you can expect Grenades flying your way pretty much at every opportunity.

So what, you say, that's just 5 damage, as opposed to taking 10+ from a Heavy Plasma crit? Yeah, sure... but think about this: Mutons and Heavy Floaters come in packs. If one thinks you're too hard to hit, so do the others probably. Well, 5 damage from one Grenade suddenly turns to 10 or 15. Of course they will try to catch as many of your soldiers in the blast radius as possible. Another point is that one Grenade-lobbing alien can set up perfect shots for its pals. Grenades destroy cover. Meaning after the first blast your +80 defense falls to +40, which is a pretty easy shot for any high-tier X-Ray. The only cover elements that an withstand an Alien Grenade blast are some of the objects inside UFOs. The perfect disaster scenario here is when two of you agents have taken cover on the sides of a single doorway, covered with smoke. A Grenade flies in and blam! - they are suddenly out in the open, with only the smoke providing protection, plus they've got 5 fewer HP each. In the mid-game on Classic or Impossible, this can mean assured death from Plasma crits for both of them.

This, by the way, is true for any AoE attack, like the Cyberdisc's Death Blossom, the Ethereal's Rift, or the Sectopod's cluster bomb (at least you can run away from that).

This taken into account, it may be a better idea to take '''Combat Drugs''' instead, and have a better chance of picking the aliens off with increased Aim and crit chance.

Soldier Skills & Equipment Guide (EU2012)

2012-11-14T06:30:14Z

PartisanGerm: Further corrections. Added lines, removed sneaky Harry Potter reference. Previous edit was also minor.

=='''A -not so brief- Guide to Class Abilities'''==
----

When choosing perks, there is a big debate about to how to build them and a variety of opinions depending on your personal play style and preferences. The fundamental question that must always be asked when making a promotion is one of specialization vs. variety. Does the ability gives you a new skill or does it enhance the unit/squad current capabilities?

The Assault class is the most clear cut example of this: nearly all of its choices are between increasing the Lethality/Defense of the unit, either turning it into a frontal assault unit or into a flanking unit. You can mix both, or even give it an unique squad ability by choosing the '''Flush''' perk, which forces the enemy out of cover.

Again, all of this options depend on your style and strategy and their effectiveness will also depend on the map and type of aliens faced. But at the beginning it may be confusing to realize all of the advantages and shortcomings of each class. Take for example the Heavy. Early on, the Heavy can be a major source of damage for your team, but due to the much lower accuracy numbers of the class at higher ranks their ability to be a primary source of direct damage falls off sharply. An inversion would be the Sniper. Early on they are weak and difficult to manage but once they have some experience under their belt and a good weapon they will carry your squad.

The important thing to remember is that the advice in this guide will fall into two categories. Some of the recommendations are just that, advice that you may choose to ignore if you so wish. There are in fact many successful ways to run a squad that involve wildly divergent tactics. However, there are some points that are not recommendations per se. Some options in the skill tree exist that are false choices. It seems like they may be equivalent or one is slightly better than the other but in practice one of the two options is so much vastly better than the other that it changes the situation from a choice to a calculation. This guide will attempt to outline the different points as well as give approximate weights to the talents where it is not 100% a clear cut choice.

=='''How to Build a Heavy'''==
----

The primary weapon of the Heavy is the LMG, and its Laser and Plasma upgrades. The weapon has a base damage of 5 which puts it in the high damage category, along with the Sniper Rifle and the Shotgun. It has worse critical chance than either, but it doesn't have the severe accuracy drop off that the Shotgun suffers from at any significant range and it doesn't suffer either the close range penalty or double action cost of the Sniper Rifle. At first glance it is one of the best weapons in the game and in the early game it will be.

There is of course a hitch, in this case it is the Heavy himself. Base Aim of all soldiers is 65 but unlike his peers the Heavy only gets 10 more points over the course of his life, with a Colonel capping out at 75. This means that at mid range and under optimal conditions the best Heavy will hit 75% of the time. If the target is in light cover that chance degrades to 55% and under High cover there is only a 35% chance to deal damage. With a scope you can improve a Heavy's aim to 85 but compared to the base Colonel accuracy numbers of an Assault, a Support or a Sniper, which are 89, 90 and 105 respectively you can see why the Heavy suffers.

Over a given hundred shots the percentile hit chance is a equal percentile modifier to Damage, meaning that assuming all enemies are in Low Cover, the base Heavy does on average a little more than half his listed Damage. This means that a Heavy at the top of the tech tree is doing the same as a Sniper at the bottom, less when you factor in the massive critical hit chances that the Sniper rifle enjoys, if they are both using weapons of the same tech level. This is discounting special abilities such as the Heavy's power to fire twice in a round, but suffice it to say that for every ability that the Heavy gets the Sniper of equivalent rank will gain an ever more insurmountable advantage. Now compared to a Support whose best weapon caps at 8 damage and who gets only 1 shot in a round the Heavy certainly does do more adjusted damage, but here in lies the problem. In real combat conditions you don't do an average damage based on your aim. You either hit and deal full damage, or miss and do none. If a Sniper did twice as much damage with half the accuracy its use as a unit would go from 'predictable' to 'coin toss' and its usefulness would drop from 'amazing' to 'marginal'.

Here is the thing. In a turn based game, the fundamental risk comes from uncertainty. If you are sure that an attack or ability will trigger then you can plan accordingly. Calculate exactly how much damage you can expect from all your units and use that to plan out a course of action. When abilities fail to trigger you are forced to make plans that accommodate this, namely, you need to devote more resources to a target than would under ideal conditions be needed, lest you whiff a final shot find yourself staring at a Sectopod with 5 hit points and it is now his turn. The binary nature of success and failure of individual actions maps to to the binary success and failure states of each turn. This is the beauty and the folly of a turn based game. The fact that a Heavy dealing with a standard foe in low cover with a 55% chance to hit cannot be relied on to make the shot means that you'll have to choose, both in game and during promotions on how to increase that accuracy or use the Heavy instead to prepare the Alien for the kill.

This is the paradox of the Heavy, they have amazingly high damage weapons but they require careful planning to make it an useful tool, and to be aware of the shortcomings that some choices can have, specially regarding perk selection.

==='''Bullet Swarm vs. Holo-Targeting'''===
* Bullet Swarm gives you massive tactical flexibility no matter how you choose to build the Heavy, Holo-Targeting a +10 Aim increase ONLY to other units firing at the same alien.
* Bullet Swarm allows for Fire and Move, Fire and Reload or Fire and Fire when high firepower is crucial. The issue, as mentioned above, is the lack of Aim of the Heavy - which makes this ability more useful in close range fights.
* The LMG has only 3 rounds, even if you take Suppression, you need Bullet Swarm to Suppress two rounds in a row.

A Colonel Heavy with a scope shooting at an enemy in optimal range in low cover has as mentioned above a pathetic 65% chance to hit. If you go with Bullet Swarm and spend a full round trying to make the shot you have a 12.25% chance of missing totally a 42.25% chance of hitting twice and a 45.5% chance of tagging them at least once. Meaning that you will an 88.75% chance of hitting something. At lowest rank this would be a 79.75% chance to hit something, with a 30.25% of hitting twice.

Even though you might feel that there is a good choice here, there isn't. Using your Heavy to set up shots might seem like a good idea, but statistically it does not work. The problem is two fold, first, at the lowest levels when Holo-Targeting could most likely be useful, the power of at most 3 small 10 point bonuses does not produce more hits than an extra attack. Take the above situation. Enemy in light cover, Heavy takes the first shot, then one of each class chimes in.

4 shots with Heavy with Holo-Targeting taking the first shot. All Rookie Soldiers:

-7.487% chance of 4 hits

-27.422% chance of 0 hits

5 shots with Heavy using Bullet Swarm. All Rookie Soldiers:

-1.845% chance of 5 hits

-13.325% chance of 4 hits

-11.603% chance of 0 hits

As you can see, the extra attack is better in every way. Not only are you going to have a higher chance of getting 4 hits you will have a golden chance to hit with 5. Furthermore, given the fact that the Heavy has one of the better weapons, capable of killing any low level enemy in one hit the hits that a Heavy can make are worth more. Not to mention, this is a scenario skewed heavily in the favor of the Holo-Targeting Heavy. There are almost no early game circumstances where you will have a reason or the opportunity to make 4 attacks on 1 enemy.

I hope that one thing becomes very clear. '''NEVER take Holo-Targeting.'''

==='''Suppression vs. Shredder Rocket:'''===
This defines your Heavy as either an explosives platform or a Suppression platform. I will make the argument that simply put, Supports are better at Suppression and heavies should be blowing things up. Yes, Supports can't Suppress an area, yes, they can't use Mayhem to deal damage with Suppression but here is the rub, Supports have higher ammo / lower damage weapons with much greater accuracy. The Reaction Shot movement provokes will much more likely hit, the loss of damage is lower, there is less reloading needed and Supports have much more versatile ability to specialize. A Heavy with a Shredder Rocket has a 5 automatic damage weapon, that will hit exactly where put it almost all the time and close the rest of the time, and will amplify all damage against a target while removing its cover, in a wide area of effect. It is a limited use weapon but it will save you much more consistently than Suppression.

==='''HEAT Ammo vs. Rapid Reaction:'''===
A clean cut choice, as well. Many people who go the Suppression route think that this is perfect. Suppress an enemy, use flush to force a move, let the Heavy get 2 free attacks. This is a failure state. First, reaction shots are made at a 15 point penalty and as we have previously stated heavies have crap accuracy. Second, the only way you get a second shot is if the first hits, combine this with the aforementioned crap accuracy and you will rarely see this promotion trigger and even if it does trigger you still have to hit with it, at a similar penalty. On the other side of the equation HEAT ammo doubles damage against robotic opponents and affects all Heavy class abilities, including Rockets. Put simply, in XCOM, robots are the devil. The Cyberdisc and the Sectopod are two of the deadliest enemies you will face, anything that hastens them to the grave is awesome. A Cyberdisc is a deadly early game opponent who can deal 7 damage on a normal attack with a high critical chance, or fling a 5 damage grenade half way across the map. It can and will one shot your mates, no one below major has a reliable chance of living, and only then if they are at full health. A rocket from a HEAT Heavy will deal 14 damage base, and can crit for more. Shredder Rockets will do 10 and allow your Sniper a good shot at a OHKO. Not to mention, you will blow the drones that hover around the disc or the Sectopod sky high. Choose HEAT, a Heavy who can attack twice can one shot a Cyberdisc or wipe a Sectopod if both attacks hit.

==='''Grenadier vs. Danger Zone:'''===
Less clear cut. In one hand you're holding two Grenades, in the other you have AoE Suppression and 2 tiles extra area on Rockets. Both are good abilities and the question of which you want depends highly. The benefits are more intangible and are linked to your final choice of what you want your Heavy to be doing. I am going to step back from (semi)objective analysis and offer an opinion. I choose Grenadier because by the time you reach this point, no one else on your team should be carrying Grenades. Your Sniper needs his Scope, your Assault needs armor of some type and even if she doesn't cause you are rocking titan she should be doing a lot more damage with basic attacks than with a Grenade, Supports might be a good choice to heft a grenade but they generally are better with arc throwers, medikits or armor/Scope. Heavies get natural damage ablation and multiple use actions. They have such bad accuracy that you aren't losing much by throwing an attack out the window, and the power that grenades have to damage terrain and remove cover offers a much more powerful buff to accuracy than a Scope. The final argument for grenadier is simply that grenades are amazing breaching tools. You don't want to be using your rockets to breech but grenades can be a worthwhile trade. Danger Zone is lessened in value because you aren't or shouldn't be picking up Suppression, 2 extra tiles is nice on your rockets and is certainly worth more than a grenade if it brings another enemy into range, but rockets are inherently less flexible than grenades as with their full round cost. Don't feel obligated to get grenadier, it isn't mandatory.

==='''Rocketeer vs. Mayhem:'''===
To many this is the a tough choice, but it isn't. Mayhem adds max of 3 damage to Suppression which we don't have and adds 2 damage to your rockets, of which you get only 2 (regular and shredder). Rocketeer on the other hand gives you a second rocket. Assuming that you don't even get the blaster launcher upgrade you are still falling behind by 3 damage, and lose the flexibility of a second rocket. Since we have already decided that the Heavy needs to be blowing things up to be reliable thus, anything that offers him more chances to be reliable is good. Thus, more rockets beat better rockets. With double grenades you have 5 bombs that can reshape the battlefield in your favor.

==='''Equipping your Heavy:'''===
More than any other class, the Heavy shouldn't be worrying about their primary weapon. By all means upgrade the LMG if you can spare the resources, but there is a greater return on investment with other classes. Namely your Sniper and then your Assault need their weapons maxed ASAP, these are the classes that will be dealing your damage and the X-Rays drop Plasma Rifles and Light Plasma Rifles like confetti that your Supports or Assaults can use, thus obliterating the need to buy them. Moreover, the damage scaling is not as significant. With a five damage base a Heavy can reliably kill in one hit Sectoids, thin men and floaters on classic. To one shot the next tier of enemies a Heavy needs to upgrade to Plasma.

Armor is the really deceptive choice for a Heavy. Choosing a Heavy armor for your Heavy may seem right to you, but then you would be wrong. The role that we are looking to give to our Heavy is not that of a walking tank. That is you Assault. He needs to be mobile and capable of placing explosives precisely, while not being left behind. While carapace armor for everyone is always a wise choice compared to Body Armor, you should be considering Skeleton Suit and Ghost armor as your primary armors. Heavies don't get any inherent bonus from Heavy armor, unlike the Assault, instead they get a flat 2 point reduction in damage, meaning that they don't require a huge HP pool from Titan or Archangel. Skeleton Suit / Ghost Armor offers your Heavy a couple amazing bonuses. First is that it gives you 3 extra move and the ability to grapple to the top of structures. Mobility powers are GREAT. Second they give you Defense bonuses, 10/20 respectively. A clean miss is much better than more HP. Late game, in low cover, you can get a 40 point defensive shift if you are wearing Ghost Armor. All late game enemies do more than 10 damage a shot, and the 4 lost HP vs titan or 2 hp vs archangel or 1 in the case of skeleton vs carapace, is compensated by the clean misses. 20% off a 100% attack doing 10 damage is an average 2 HP gain. This makes ghost even under the worst case scenario better than archangel flat out and much closer to titan than it seems. A Heavy in Ghost Armor or Skeleton Suit is more useful and almost as survivable. Psi Armor when appropriate.

Your Item slot should be a Grenade, if you ducked out on Grenadier or if you are going to doing a Terror mission, then feel free to improvise.

=='''How to Build a Sniper'''==
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The Sniper is the primary damage class that you will employ and suffers from a small problem of feast and famine. Snipers depending on the level will either be an unstoppable murder engine snuffing out at least one enemy every round, or they will spend most of the time running around useless trying to get a line of sight. Now building a sniper depends greatly on managing this problem, maximizing the good times and minimizing the bad. Snipers have the best basic aim progression of any class, reaching 105 at colonel. With a scope and high ground you can expect at have 98% or greater accuracy against an enemy in high cover and you can make the shot from across the map in a position of perfect safety. How can we assure this? Well lets go into the skills.

==='''Snap Shot vs. Squadsight:'''===
DO NOT BE FOOLED! There is almost no circumstance under which you should ever be taking Snap Shot. To do so is a waste of epic proportions and you might as well be using another class instead of a Sniper. Now this being said, if you are trying some weird 6 Sniper team there is a possibility that this might be okay but lets examine. First, Snap Shot applies a 20 point penalty to any single action shot. Early game, this makes your shots untenable. A Corporal Sniper firing at mid range against an enemy in Low Cover has a 28% chance to hit. A Colonel has 65% chance, but good luck getting there. Second, a Sniper who wishes to have options in terms of close range engagement has other talents that can be used to do so. The gunslinger perk can give you a base damage of 6 with no aim penalties with a Plasma Pistol if you have a terrible need to move and shoot. Squadsight on the other side of the coin essentially defines a Sniper. Sniper rifles have a range cap of 100 which roughly translated is 4 times your vision range, or most of the map. Only thing is that you will never get this range unless you have squad sight. A Squadsight Sniper doesn't need to be right behind to your Assault to cover them. They can do that from the spawn.

==='''Gunslinger vs. Damn Good Ground:'''===
This is a question of enhancing strength vs. minimizing weakness, only I put the order wrong. Gunslinger covers your weakness at close range and inability to scoot and shoot. Damn good ground makes you better at sitting on to of the world sniping the hell out of people. With a scope and maximum elevation, damn good ground offers perfect chance to hit opponents in high cover. Without this perk you are slightly less than perfect but gunslinger makes it so that you can actually fight at close range and not fail. This is a tossup depending on your style. Just keep in mind that Archangel Armor '''does''' trigger Damn Good Ground, giving you slightly better than low cover worth of defense for free and an enhanced chance to hit.

==='''Disabling Shot vs. Battle Scanner:'''===
Of all the choices that you will make as a Sniper this matter the least. Disabling Shot is for the most part patently inferior to blowing someones head off. It is harder to make, does less damage and is on a cooldown. That being said, it can be very useful in capturing enemies and can once in a blue moon save your butt if you don't have the firepower to kill a Sectopod or a Cyberdisc. Battle Scanner on the other hand gives you intel, which is invaluable, but cannot be thrown far from the Sniper who likely will be in the back. Still, it can find enemies without triggering them thus allowing a sucker punch. Neither one of these perks will define your Sniper and you should feel free to choose them depending on your mood. One notable point however is if for some insane reason you are building a front line Snap Shot Sniper get battle scanner. You don't need squad sight to see through the scanner and it is the only way you can extend your vision. Also you will be close in and will have the proximity to throw it.

==='''Executioner vs. Opportunist:'''===
This is another non choice. Executioner is a piddling 10% bonus that only triggers on low HP enemies. Snipers should be one shot-ing high HP enemies and pretty much the only people this will apply to are Sectopods, who already we have ways of dealing with. Opportunist on the other hand means that your Overwatch will do just as much damage at the same hit chance as your normal attacks and given the insane range on Sniper Overwatch allows you to protect soldiers all across the map.

==='''In the Zone vs. Double Tap:'''===
The Colonel level talent of a Sniper is pretty much godlike no matter what you choose. In the Zone is streaky, and maybe you're able to kill 8 aliens in a turn. But you should be aware of its conditions, to trigger In the Zone you must hit and kill an enemy out of cover or flanked. Practically speaking, your Sniper will never be flanking anyone, he will be well behind your entire line. So you'll have to destroy cover or target exposed aliens, like melee or flying units(flying units looks like to be in cover, but they're exposed units in terms of ITZ). Another way to trigger is Overwatching and killing a alien in move(which is exposed obviously), it'll give you bonus action next turn. As for the other choice, Double Tap is reliable. DT gives you second shot even if you unluckily miss first shot, every other round. And helps killing alien with large HP pool, like Sectopods.

===Equipping your Sniper:===
This is really simple. Give him a Scope, give him Archangel, get him the biggest gun you can get as fast as you can get it. For a Sniper, an upgraded weapon is your first combat priority. If he is above the tech curve the rest of your squad could be carrying pea shooters for all that it matters.

=='''How to Build an Assault'''==
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Next to the Sniper, the Assault is your big damage dealing class. The critical chance of an alloy cannon is lower than a Plasma Sniper Rifle but the damage is the same and the Assault has all sorts of tools to enhance their burst damage and given the correct circumstances they can easily do more damage than any other class. On top of this they are tough and mobile. Also, Assaults are the only class that has a choice between primary weapons and are perhaps the only class that doesn't have a clear cut build path. So without further ado...

===''Tactical Sense vs Aggression:'''===
Here starts the divergent path, Defense or Offense. One offers you a mounting defense bonus per enemy in sight, the other a mounting critical chance. Which one you choose should be dependent on how you are planning to play the Assault. If you choose the shotgun as your primary weapon you should be taking Defense perks. To put it mildly, shotguns do a ton of damage, you don't need to worry about doing more, you need to worry about surviving the stupidity a combination of run and gun and a short short rang weapon produce. As previously mentioned a 20 point defensive shift is stupendously potent. Furthermore defense bonuses become exponentially more effective as they stack. Light cover, plus Ghost Armor, plus max tactical sense, plus a '''Dense Smoke''' grenade means that the Assault has a 100 point defense shift, making him effectively invulnerable to any aimed attack. Even negating his cover via flanking means that given the Aim numbers of most enemies he is still invulnerable. Aggression should only be taken when you are using an Assault Rifle as a primary weapon, you need to make up the loss of damage that the weapon entails and you also will be in better cover most of the time with less people trying to murder you, thus needing less defending.

==='''Lightning Reflexes vs. Close & Personal:'''===
In a way these skills duplicate each other, and provide one of the only easy choices in the tree. Put simply, lightning reflexes is better. Both of them are closing skills. One gives you immunity to an Overwatch shot, which is amazing, the other gives you a 30% critical chance to adjacent foes that degrades with distance. The idea being that with one you can survive to close and with the other you can make the kill once you are there. Needless to say while combining aggression and close and personal can give you a theoretical 80% critical on basic attacks the fact that you are already capable of dealing massive damage with good critical chance with a basic shotgun and good positioning should point to why not getting splattered by a Sectopod Plasma Overwatch is better. Also, since the bonus is contingent on distance you should think twice before getting it for an Assault Rifle build.

==='''Flush vs. Rapid fire:'''===
In XCOM, murder is usually the best solution. The major question that need be asked is 'will this help me kill'. Of these two skills we have a clear winner in the murder category. Taking a pair of shots, even at a 15% penalty will almost always offer not only a statistically greater chance of a hit but will offer you the chance to knock the damage ball out of the park. If you are running a scoped up Assault Rifle build focusing on high crit, this is a no brain-er. However, if you want a reliable way to ding an enemy from range then this might be a good idea. Remember, the chance to hit is much higher on a flush than a basic attack and you can expect a near 100% chance even at extended range. Home run numbers are great but flush can be a reliable tool, especially if you are running a lot of Assaults in a squad. Which is always a good idea.

However,'''Flush''' carries two flaws that make it nearly unusable in a mission. First, it costs you 3 ammo, meaning you can't use it every turn and have to reload more often, especially before Ammo Conservation (Foundry) is researched. Second, while it does drive the target out of its current cover, that doesn't prevent it from running to different cover, or breaking sight range completely, to attack you next turn from an unexpected direction. It may be a better idea to throw a grenade to destroy the cover completely, or even just use Rapid Fire - even with low chances to hit the target, you will get two opportunities to destroy cover with the misses.

==='''Close Combat Specialist vs. Bring 'em On:'''===
This is a choice. If you are planning on a shotgun, CCS is not a perk to miss. It is a godsend against charging melee, or the poor fool that wanders through a door you are next to. Or just in any close range engagement. In contrast Bring Em On has no range requirement, but if you aren't rocking the critical side of the tree it is a very streaky talent. Under ideal circumstances, you can get a 14 damage critical from a Plasma Rifle, or two of them if you hit and crit on both of your rapid fire shots. Much more if you get Killer instinct at colonel rank. Needless to say, this is an amazing amount of damage, enough to waste near on anything. Critical rates on an Plasma Rifle with a Scope and the critical hit abilities will still hit a flat 80%, 50% if you choose Lightning Reflexes or if you aren't at point blank range. Higher if you flank a foe. As you can see this isn't a cut and dry situation. Both rifleman and shotgun are viable options.

==='''Resilience vs. Killer Instinct:'''===
On one hand you have immunity to critical hits, on the other hand you have a 50% damage bonus to your critical hits if you trigger your signature ability. If you have chosen to brawl then grab immunity to crits. It means you can't be take out in one round by any single foe and it takes luck out of the equation. Killer instinct on the other hand only shines if you have been mining the tree for bonus crit chance. That being said, you can do some retarded stuff with Killer Instinct. Run at full dash to a good position, open up with rapid fire and blow a Sectopod or an ethereal away in one fell blow, or two as the case may be.

===Equipping your Assault===
More of the same. The answer is always Ghost Armor. Statistically it is just plain better. Now I wouldn't hold it against anyone who chooses Titan, but in the end Titan is just not as good for the up and coming Assault trooper. The conditioning ability that is gained on being promoted to major gives 2 extra HP when wearing Ghost, Skeleton, and Psi Armor, and 4 when wearing carapace, archangel and titan. The HP totals are as follows. Skeleton gives 5, Ghost , Carapace and Psi give 8, archangel give 12 and Titan 14. Now the most bang for your buck early game is obviously carapace, but once you have the money you should be investing in ghost. Why? Well for all the previously mentioned reasons plus one. In terms of survival defense beats HP most of the time, mobility is the bread and butter of an Assault trooper and here is the final reason. Ghost Mode gives a +100% chance to crit. This means that a Ghosted Assault can expect to reliably crit against a Hardened target if they are playing the shotgun game, and the rifleman can be sure of a crit. A massive Killer Instinct enhanced Rapid Fire crit that will level any foe you choose.

In terms of your free slot, the best choice is situational. I personally like Chitin Plating for my CQC troopers and scopes for riflemen. The extra 4 HP offsets the losses that I sustain from not going titan and gives you virtual immunity to Chryssalids and Berserkers. For riflemen the scope gives you accuracy and crit chance. Which is peachy. Use psi shields when appropriate.

=='''How to build a Support'''==
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If you want to double up on a class, Supports should be your first choice. Sure they aren't as ''sexy'' as some of the others but they bring a lot more to the table than most suspect. First of all, Supports can shoot. They have great base Aim and full HP progression. Even without a Scope, a Support has a 90 aim. Beyond that they get to have 2 Item slots once they hit Major, allowing unparalleled customization. Furthermore they are fast, unless you have a stroke while promoting them and accidentally click the covering fire button they will be the quickest unit on the map. This along with their solid offensive and defensive abilities makes them the most reliable unit that you have. A team of all Supports would be a bit less than optimal, but is entirely possible to play.

==='''Sprinter vs. Covering Fire:'''===
Now I know, I said you had to be having a stroke to choose Covering Fire and might be a little harsh, but I stand by the statement. The issue is simply this: Covering fire will '''''never''''' help you. Why? Well, lets look at the ability. It grants you a Reaction Shot any time a unit under your Overwatch or Suppression fire. Sounds good right? No, its '''not'''. You just took a shot against a unit in Cover, that you could have fired on your turn, at a -15% penalty. It is nice if you are Suppressing an enemy, and it is also decent if you have the Sentinel ability, but the truth is that as Genghis Khan proved: '''mobility is victory'''. The ability to choose your ground is vital.

==='''Field Medic vs. Smoke and Mirrors:'''===
I'm not gonna lie here. Smoke is awesome. Once upgraded it has all sorts if nifty perks and even in its base form a free 20 point defense shift is great. Still med kits are great too, and having 3 instead of 1 is also awesome. So this is a choose your awesome moment. As you always should have minimum 2 Supports you can grab one of each. As a personal preference I tend to favor field medic, but a med kit is an inventory slot you have to spend and field medic tends to mandate one. Now having more options is good, but so is having more healing. A pure utility Support can have Chitin Plating and an Arc Thrower, or Nano-Fiber Vest and a Scope. Thus make your choice not based on smoke alone, but on flexibility.

==='''Revive vs. Rifle Suppression:'''===
Chances are that you are screwed if you are relying on Revive. Rifle Suppression can keep you from being screwed. The choice is simple and obvious. Of you find yourself favoring revive then you might instead want to have multiple field medics and just keep your soldiers topped off in terms of health.

==='''Dense Smoke vs. Combat Drugs:'''===
It is another Defense/Offense choice. Combat drugs give +20 Aim bonus too(which is not listed). So in tough situation will you protect you soldiers with a stunning 40 point defense shift that turns no cover into High cover, and High cover into immunity to being shot? Or annihilate X-rays with additional 20 aim and 10 critical? Tough choice, but I prefer not getting hit. One thing to keep in mind is aliens benefit from smoke too, so don't let melee aliens get all up in your smoke business.

==='''Savior vs. Sentinel:'''===
Do you want to heal or harm? What kind of question is that! This is XCOM. You want to harm those X-Ray scum. Now don't get me wrong, healing 10 points in one charge is awesome, but shooting twice on Overwatch is even better. With Improved Medikits you should be healing 6 per charge anyways, and if you went with the medical route you can still top off the squad without worry. One of the most important things about sentinel is that it solves the problem of Overwatch overkill. The ability triggers a second Overwatch attack only if the first fails to kill the target, thus preventing those embarrassing moments where your squad all open fire on a floater and blow him to the moon, only for a Muton to wander unchecked into High cover and crit your prized soldier in the face.

===Equipping your Support===
Simple enough. Get Skeleton Suit first, then upgrade to ghost or psi depending. I have already gone into a lot of detail as to why Ghost Armor is the best armor. A Support wearing it can traverse 13 squares on one move. A dash from another class in Heavy armor is 14. This is silly amounts of mobility. In terms of guns you have the choice of Plasma or Light Plasma. I find that while Light Plasma and a scope is great early and can be obtained fast, it is offensively too inferior to use. Go for the big numbers and get a Plasma Rifle. Still one thing should be mentioned. Supports get a great return on investment in terms of lasers. The basic Assault Rifle allows them to one shot all the low tier enemies. In terms of secondary items go with what you feel. Medikit, Scope, Chitin, arc thrower. The important thing about Supports is that they are flexible and should never be bound to a single setup.

===='''WARNING - The Dense Smoke Trap:'''====
While '''Dense Smoke''', maybe combined with '''Smoke and Mirrors''', might seem like a near-immunity to the aliens' Plasma blasts, it carries a catch. Starting from the 3rd month and the appearance of Mutons, aliens will carry grenades. Every alien that can throw a grenade (with the sole exception of the regular Muton) also has the '''Bombard''' ability, meaning it can throw it real far and get you nearly everywhere. The thing is, grenades never miss. So, when the X-Rays see their chances to hit are too low for their liking (like trying to hit someone standing behind full cover and in dense smoke), they will lob grenades at you. This may not be a problem on Easy or Normal difficulty, as they will rarely do that on those, but on Classic and Impossible, you can expect grenades flying your way pretty much at every opportunity.

So what, you say, that's just 5 damage, as opposed to taking 10+ from a Heavy Plasma crit? Yeah, sure... but think about this: Mutons and Heavy Floaters come in packs. If one thinks you're too hard to hit, so do the others probably. Well, 5 damage from one grenade suddenly turns to 10 or 15. Of course they will try to catch as many of your soldiers in the blast radius as possible. Another point is that one grenade-lobbing alien can set up perfect shots for its pals. Grenades destroy cover. Meaning after the first blast your +80 defense falls to +40, which is a pretty easy shot for any high-tier X-Ray. The only cover elements that an withstand an alien grenade blast are some of the objects inside UFOs. The perfect disaster scenario here is when two of you agents have taken cover on the sides of a single doorway, covered with smoke. A grenade flies in and blam! - they are suddenly out in the open, with only the smoke providing protection, plus they've got 5 fewer HP each. In the mid-game on classic or impossible, this can mean assured death from Plasma crits for both of them.

This, by the way, is true for any AoE attack, like the Cyberdisc's Death Blossom, the Ethereal's Rift, or the Sectopod's cluster bomb (at least you can run away from that).

This taken into account, it may be a better idea to take '''Combat Drugs''' instead, and have a better chance of picking the aliens off with increased Aim and crit chance.

Soldier Skills & Equipment Guide (EU2012)

2012-11-14T04:13:27Z

PartisanGerm: Removing the 'wall of text' effect: spelling errors, capitalization, enhanced grammar, and spacing.

=='''A not so brief guide to class abilities'''==

When choosing perks, there is a big debate about to how to build them and a variety of opinions depending on your personal play style and preferences. The fundamental question that must always be asked when making a promotion is one of specialization vs. variety. Does the ability gives you a new skill or does it enhance the unit/squad current capabilities?

The Assault class is the most clear cut example of this: nearly all of its choices are between increasing the Lethality/Defense of the unit, either turning into to frontal assault unit or into a flanking unit. Or you can mix both or even give it an unique squad ability by choosing the '''Flush''' perk, which forces the enemy out of cover.

Again, all of this options depend on your style and strategy and their effectiveness will also depend on the map and type of aliens faced. But at the beginning it may be confusing to realize all of the advantages and shortcomings of each class. Take for example the Heavy. Early on, the Heavy can be a major source of damage for your team, but due to the much lower accuracy numbers of the class at higher ranks their ability to be a primary source of direct damage falls off sharply. An inversion would be the sniper. Early on they are weak and difficult to manage but once they have some experience under their belt and a good weapon they will carry your squad.

The important thing to remember is that the advice in this guide will fall into two categories. Some of the recommendations are just that, advice that you may choose to ignore if you so wish. There are in fact many successful ways to run a squad that involve wildly divergent tactics. However, there are some points that are not recommendations per se. Some options in the skill tree exist that are false choices. It seems like they may be equivalent or one is slightly better than the other but in practice one of the two options is so much vastly better than the other that it changes the situation from a choice to a calculation. This guide will attempt to outline the different points as well as give approximate weights to the talents where it is not 100% a clear cut choice.

=='''How to Build a Heavy'''==

The primary weapon of the Heavy is the LMG and its laser and plasma evolutions. The weapon has a base damage of 5 which puts it in the high damage category, along with the Sniper Rifle and the Shotgun. It has worse critical chance than either, but it doesn't have the severe accuracy drop off that the Shotgun suffers from at any significant range and it doesn't suffer either the close range penalty or double action cost of the Sniper Rifle. At first glance it is one of the best weapons in the game and in the early game it will be.

There is of course a hitch, in this case is the Heavy himself. Base accuracy of all soldiers is 65 but unlike his peers the Heavy only gets 10 more points over the course of his life, with a Colonel capping out at 75. This means that at mid range and under optimal conditions the best Heavy will hit 75% of the time. If the target is in light cover that chance degrades to 55% and under heavy cover there is only a 35% chance to deal damage. With a scope you can improve a Heavy's aim to 85 but compared to the base Colonel accuracy numbers of an Assault, a Support or a Sniper, which are 89, 90 and 105 respectively you can see why the Heavy suffers.

Over a given hundred shots the percentile hit chance is a equal percentile modifier to Damage meaning that assuming all enemies are in light cover the base Heavy does on average a little more than half his listed Damage. This means that a Heavy at the top of the tech tree is doing the same as a Sniper at the bottom, less when you factor in the massive critical hit chances that the Sniper rifle enjoys, if they are both using weapons of the same tech level. This is discounting special abilities such as the Heavy's power to fire twice in a round, but suffice it to say that for every ability that the Heavy gets the Sniper of equivalent rank will gain an ever more insurmountable advantage. Now compared to a Support whose best weapon caps at 8 damage and who gets only 1 shot in a round the heavy certainly does do more adjusted damage, but here in lies the problem. In real combat conditions you don't do an average damage based on your aim. You either hit and deal full damage, or miss and do none. If a Sniper did twice as much damage with half the accuracy it's use as a unit would go from predictable to a coin toss and it's usefulness would drop from amazing, to marginal.

Here is the thing. In a turn based game the fundamental risk comes from uncertainty. If you are sure that an attack or ability will trigger then you can plan accordingly. Calculate exactly how much damage you can expect from all your units and use that to plan out a course of action. When abilities fail to trigger you are forced to make plans that accommodate this, namely, you need to devote more resources to a target than would under ideal conditions be needed, lest you whiff a final shot find yourself staring at a Sectopod with 5 hit points and it is now his turn. The binary nature of success and failure of individual actions maps to to the binary success and failure states of each turn. This is the beauty and the folly of a turn based game. The fact that a Heavy dealing with a standard foe in low cover with a 55% chance to hit cannot be relied on to make the shot means that you'll have to choose, both in game and during promotions on how to increase that accuracy or use the Heavy instead to prepare the Alien for the kill.

This is the paradox of the heavy, they have amazingly high damage weapons but they require careful planning to make it an useful tool, and to be aware of the shortcomings that some choices can have, specially regarding perk selection.

'''Bullet Swarm vs. Holo Targeting'''
* Bullet Swarm gives you massive tactical flexibility no matter how you chose to build the Heavy, Holo-Targetting a +10 Aim increase ONLY to other units firing at the same alien.
* Bullet Swarm allows for Fire and Move, Fire and Reload or Fire and Fire when high firepower is crucial. The issue, as mentioned above, is the lack of Aim of the Heavy - which makes this ability more useful in close range fights.
* The LMG has only 3 rounds, even if you take Suppression, you need bulletswarm to Suppress two rounds in a row.

A Colonel heavy with a scope shooting at an enemy in optimal range in low cover has as mentioned above a pathetic 65% chance to hit. If you go with bulletswarm and spend a full round trying to make the shot you have a 12.25% chance of missing totally a 42.25% chance of hitting twice and a 45.5% chance of tagging them at least once. Meaning that you will an 88.75% chance of hitting something. At lowest rank this woult be a 79.75% chance to hit something, with a 30.25% of hitting twice.

Even though you might feel that there is a good choice here, there isn't. Using your heavy to set up shots might seem like a good idea, but statistically it does not work. The problem is two fold, first, at the lowest levels when holotargetting could most likely be useful, the power of at most 3 small 10 point bonuses does not produce more hits than an extra attack. Take the above situation. Enemy in light cover, heavy takes the first shot, then one of each class chimes in.

4 shots with heavy with holotargetting taking the first shot. All soldiers at recruit level

-7.487% chance of 4 hits

-27.422% chance of 0 hits

5 shots with heavy using bullet swarm. All soldiers at recruit level.

-1.845% chance of 5 hits

-13.325% chance of 4 hits

-11.603% chance of 0 hits

As you can see, the extra attack is better in every way. Not only are you going to have a higher chance of getting 4 hits you will have a golden chance to hit with 5. Futhermore given the fact that the heavy has one of the better weapons, capable of killing any low level enemy in one hit the hits that a heavy can make are worth more. Not to mention, this is a scenario skewed heavily in the favor of the holotargetting heavy. There are almost no early game circumstances where you will have a reason or the opportunity to make 4 attacks on 1 enemy.

I hope that one thing becomes very clear. NEVER take holotargetting.

'''Suppression vs. Shredder Rocket:'''
This defines your heavy as either an explosives platform or a Suppression platform. I will make the argument that simply put, supports are better at Suppression and heavies should be blowing things up. Yes supports can't Suppress an area, yes they can't use mayhem to deal damage with Suppression but here is the rub, supports have a higher ammo lower damage weapon with much greater accuracy. The reaction shot movement provokes will much more likely hit, the loss of damage is lower, there is less reloading needed and supports have much more versatile ability to specialize. A heavy with a Shredder Rocket has a 5 automatic damage weapon, that will hit exactly where put it almost all the time and close the rest of the time, and will amplify all damage against a target while removing its cover, in a wide area of effect. It is a limited use weapon but it will save you much more consistently than Suppression.

'''HEAT vs. Rapid Reaction'''
A clean cut choice, as well. Many people who go the Suppression route think that this is perfect. Suppress an enemy, use flush to force a move, let the heavy get 2 free attacks. This is a failure state. First, reaction shots are made at a 15 point penalty and as we have previously stated heavies have crap accuracy. Second, the only way you get a second shot is if the first hits, combine this with the aforementioned crap accuracy and you will rarely see this promotion trigger and even if it does trigger you still have to hit with it, at a similar penalty. On the other side of the equation HEAT ammo doubles damage against robotic opponents and affects all heavy class abilities, including rockets. Put simply, in XCOM, robots are the devil. The Cyberdisc and the Sectopod are two of the deadliest enemies you will face, anything that hastens them to the grave is awesome. A Cyberdisc is a deadly early game opponent who can deal 7 damage on a normal attack with a high critical chance, or fling a 5 damage grenade half way across the map. It can and will one shot your mates, no one below major has a reliable chance of living, and only then if they are at full health. A rocket from a HEAT heavy will deal 14 damage base, and can crit for more. Shredder rockets will do 10 and allow your sniper a good shot at a OHKO. Not to mention, you will blow the drones that hover around the disc or the Sectopod sky high. Choose HEAT, a heavy who can attack twice can one shot a Cyberdisc or wipe a Sectopod if both attacks hit.

'''Grenadier vs. Danger Zone:'''
Less clear cut. In one hand you're holding two grenades, in the other you have AoE Suppression and 2 tiles extra area on rockets. Both are good abilities and the question of which you want depends highly. The benefits are more intangible and are linked to your final choice of what you want your heavy to be doing. I am going to step back from (semi)objective analysis and offer an opinion. I chose grenadier because by the time you reach this point, no one else on your team should be carrying grenades. Your sniper needs his scope, your Assault needs armor of some type and even if she doesn't cause you are rocking titan she should be doing a lot more damage with basic attacks than with a grenade, supports might be a good choice to heft a grenade but they generally are better with arc throwers, med kits or armor/scope. Heavies get natural damage ablation and multiple use actions. They have such bad accuracy that you aren't losing much by throwing an attack out the window, and the power that grenades have to damage terrain and remove cover offers a much more powerful buff to accuracy than a scope. The final argument for grenadier is simply that grenades are amazing breaching tools. You don't want to be using your rockets to breech but grenades can be a worthwhile trade. Danger Zone is lessened in value because you aren't or shouldn't be picking up Suppression, 2 extra tiles is nice on your rockets and is certainly worth more than a grenade if it brings another enemy into range, but rockets are inherently less flexible than grenades as with their full round cost. Don't feel obligated to get grenadier, it isn't mandatory.

'''Rocketeer vs. Mayhem:'''
To many this is the a tough choice, but it isn't. Mayhem adds max of 3 damage to Suppression which we don't have and adds 2 damage to your rockets, of which you get only 2 (regular and shredder). Rocketeer on the other hand gives you a second rocket. Assuming that you don't even get the blaster launcher upgrade you are still falling behind by 3 damage, and lose the flexibility of a second rocket. Since we have already decided that the heavy needs to be blowing things up to be reliable thus, anything that offers him more chances to be reliable is good. Thus, more rockets beat better rockets. With double grenades you have 5 bombs that can reshape the battlefield in your favor.

'''How to equip a Heavy:'''
More than any other class, the Heavy shouldn't be worrying about their primary weapon. By all means upgrade the LMG if you can spare the resources, but there is a greater return on investment on other classes. Namely your sniper and then your Assault need their weapons maxed ASAP, these are the classes that will be dealing your damage and the X-Rays drop Plasma Rifles and Light Plasma Rifles like confetti that your Supports or Assaults can use, thus obliviating the need to buy them. Moreover the damage scaling is not as significant. With a five damage base a heavy can reliably kill in one hit Sectoids, thin men and floaters on classic. To one shot the next tier of enemies a heavy needs to upgrade to plasma.

Armor is the really deceptive choice for a Heavy. Choosing a heavy armor for your Heavy seems right, but you would be wrong. The role that we are looking to give to our heavy is not that of a walking tank. That is you Assault. He needs to be mobile and capable of placing explosives precisely, while not being left behind. While carapace armor for everyone is always a wise choice compared to basic armor, you should be considering skeleton and ghost as your primary armors. Heavies don't get any inherent bonus from heavy armor, unlike the assault, instead they get a flat 2 point reduction in damage, meaning that they don't require a huge HP pool from titan or archangel. Skeleton/Ghost armor offers your heavy a couple amazing bonuses. First is that it gives you 3 extra move and the ability to grapple to the top of structures. Mobility powers are great. Second they give you defense bonuses, 10/20 respectively. A clean miss is much better than more HP. Late game, in low cover, you can get a 40 point defensive shift if you are wearing ghost armor. All late game enemies do more than 10 damage a shot, and the 4 lost HP vs titan or 2 hp vs archangel or 1 in the case of skeleton vs carapace, is compensated by the clean misses. 20% off a 100% attack doing 10 damage is an average 2 HP gain. This makes ghost even under the worst case scenario better than archangel flat out and much closer to titan than it seems. A heavy in ghost armor or skeleton armor is more useful and almost as survivable. Psi armor when appropriate.

Your final slot should be a grenade, if you ducked out on Grenadier or if you are going to doing a terror mission, then feel free to improvise.

=='''How to build a Sniper'''==

The sniper is the primary damage class that you will employ and suffers from a small problem of feast and famine. Snipers depending on the level will either be an unstoppable murder engine snuffing out at least one enemy every round, or they will spend most of the time running around useless trying to get a line of sight. Now building a sniper depends greatly on managing this problem, maximizing the good times and minimizing the bad. Snipers have the best basic aim progression of any class, reaching 105 at colonel. With a scope and high ground you can expect at have 98% or greater accuracy against an enemy in high cover and you can make the shot from across the map in a position of perfect safety. How can we assure this? Well lets go into the skills.

'''Snap Shot vs. Squad Sight:'''
DO NOT BE FOOLED! There is almost no circumstance under which you should ever be taking snap shot. To do so is a waste of epic proportions and you might as well be using another class instead of a sniper. Now this being said, if you are trying some weird 6 sniper team there is a possibility that this might be okay but lets examine. First snap shot applies a 20 point penalty to any single action shot. Early game, this makes your shots unhittable. A corporal sniper firing at mid range against an enemy in low cover has a 28% chance to hit. A colonel has 65% chance but good luck getting there. Second a sniper who wishes to have options in terms of close range engagement has other talents that can be used to do so. The gunslinger perk can give you a base damage of 6 with no aim penalties with a plasma pistol if you have a terrible need to move and shoot. Squad sight on the other side of the coin essentially defines a sniper. Sniper rifles have a range cap of 100 which roughly translated is 4 times your vision range, or most of the map. Only thing is that you will never get this range unless you have squad sight. A squad sight sniper doesn't need to be right behind to your assault to cover them. They can do that from the spawn.

'''Gunslinger vs. Damn Good Ground:'''
This is a question of enhancing strength vs. coving weakness, only I put the order wrong. Gunslinger covers your weakness at close range and inability to scoot and shoot. Damn good ground makes you better at sitting on to of the world sniping the hell out of people. With a scope and maximum elevation, damn good ground offers perfect chance to hit opponents in high cover. Without this perk you are slightly less than perfect but gunslinger makes it so that you can actually fight at close range and not fail. This is a tossup depending on your style. Just keep in mind that archangel armor does trigger the DGG perk, giving you slightly better than low cover worth of defense for free and an enhanced chance to hit.

'''Disabling Shot vs. Battlescanner:'''
Of all the choices that you will make as a sniper this matter the least. Disabling shot is for the most part patently inferior to blowing someones head off. It is harder to make, does less damage and is on a cooldown. That being said, it can be very useful in capturing enemies and can once in a blue moon save your butt if you don't have the firepower to kill a Sectopod or a Cyberdisc. Battlescanner on the other hand gives you intelligence, which is invaluable, but cannot be thrown far from the sniper who likely will be in the back. Still, it can find enemies without triggering them thus allowing a sucker punch. Neither one of these perks will define your sniper and you should feel free to choose them depending on your mood. One notable point however is if for some insane reason you are building a front line snap shot sniper get battle scanner. You don't need squad sight to see through the scanner and it is the only way you can extend your vision. Also you will be close in and will have the proximity to throw it.

'''Executioner vs. Opportunist:'''
This is another non choice. Executioner is a piddling 10% bonus that only triggers on low HP enemies. Snipers should be one shot-ing high HP enemies and pretty much the only people this will apply to are Sectopods, who already we have ways of dealing with. Opportunist on the other hand means that your Overwatch will do just as much damage at the same hit chance as your normal attacks and given the insane range on sniper Overwatch allows you to protect soldiers all across the map.

'''In the Zone vs. Double Tap:'''
The colonel level talent of a sniper is pretty much godlike no matter what you chose. ITZ is streaky and you maybe able to kill 8 aliens a turn. But you should be aware of its conditions, to trigger ITZ you must hit, and kill an enemy out of cover or flanked. Practically speaking your sniper will never be flanking anyone, he will be well behind your entire line. So you'll have to destroy cover or target exposed aliens, like melee or flying units(flying units looks like to be in cover, but they're exposed units in terms of ITZ). Another way to trigger is Overwatching and killing a alien in move(which is exposed obviously), it'll give you bonus action next turn. As for the other choice, Double Tap is reliable. DT gives you second shot even if you unluckily miss first shot, every other round. And helps killing alien with large HP pool, like Sectopods.

'''Equipping your Sniper:'''
This is really simple. Give him a Scope, give him archangel, get him the biggest gun you can get as fast as you can get it. For a sniper an upgraded weapon is your first combat priority. If he is above the tech curve the rest of your squad could be carrying pea shooters for all that it matters.

=='''How to build an Assault'''==

Next to the Sniper, the Assault is your big damage dealing class. The critical chance of an alloy cannon is lower than a plasma sniper rifle but the damage is the same and the assault has all sorts of tools to enhance their burst damage and given the correct circumstances they can easily do more damage than any other class. On top of this they are tough and mobile. Also Assaults are the only class that has a choice of primary weapons and are perhaps the only class that doesn't have a clear cut build path. So without further ado...

'''Tactical Sense vs Aggression:'''
is the start of the divergent path, defense or offense. One offers you a mounting defense bonus per enemy in sight, the other a mounting critical chance. Which one you chose should be dependent on how you are planning to play the assault. If you chose the shotgun as your primary weapon you should be taking defense perks. To put it mildly, shotguns do a ton of damage, you don't need to worry about doing more, you need to worry about surviving the stupidity a combination of run and gun and a short short rang weapon produce. As previously mentioned a 20 point defensive shift is stupendously potent. Furthermore defense bonuses become exponentially more effective as they stack. Light cover, plus ghost armor, plus max tactical sense, plus a dense smoke grenade means that the Assault has a 100 point defense shift, making him effectively invulnerable to any aimed attack. Even negating his cover via flanking means that given the accuracy numbers of most enemies he is still unhittable. Aggression should only be taken when you are using an Assault rifle as a primary, you need to make up the loss of damage that the weapon entails and you also will be in better cover most of the time with less people trying to murder you, thus needing less defending.

'''Lightning Reflexes vs. Close and Personal:'''
In a way these skills duplicate each other, and provide one of the only easy choices in the tree. Put simply, lightning reflexes is better. Both of them are closing skills. One gives you immunity to an Overwatch shot, which is amazing, the other gives you a 30% critical chance to adjacent foes that degrades with distance. The idea being that with one you can survive to close and with the other you can make the kill once you are there. Needless to say while combining aggression and close and personal can give you a theoretical 80% critical on basic attacks the fact that you are already capable of dealing massive damage with good critical chance with a basic shotgun and good positioning should point to why not getting splattered by a Sectopod plasma Overwatch is better. Also, since the bonus is contingent on distance you should think twice before getting it for an assault rifle build.

'''Flush vs. Rapid fire:'''
In XCOM, murder is usually the best solution. The major question that need be asked is 'will this help me kill'. Of these two skills we have a clear winner in the murder category. Taking a pair of shots, even at a 15% penalty will almost always offer not only a statistically greater chance of a hit but will offer you the chance to knock the damage ball out of the park. If you are running a scoped up assault rifle build focusing on high crit, this is a no brain-er. However, if you want a reliable way to ding an enemy from range then this might be a good idea. Remember, the chance to hit is much higher on a flush than a basic attack and you can expect a near 100% chance even at extended range. Home run numbers are great but flush can be a reliable tool, especially if you are running a lot of assaults in a squad. Which is always a good idea.

However,'''Flush''' carries two flaws that make it nearly unusable in a mission. First, it costs you 3 ammo, meaning you can't use it every turn and have to reload more often, especially before Ammo Conservation (Foundry) is researched. Second, while it does drive the target out of its current cover, that doesn't prevent it from running to different cover, or breaking sight range completely, to attack you next turn from an unexpected direction. It may be a better idea to throw a grenade to destroy the cover completely, or even just use Rapid Fire - even with low chances to hit the target, you will get two opportunities to destroy cover with the misses.

'''Close Combat Specialist vs. Bring 'em On:'''
This is a choice. If you are planning on a shotgunner, CCS is not a perk to miss. It is a godsend against charging melee, or the poor fool that wanders through a door you are next to. Or just in any close range engagement. In contrast Bring Em On has no range requirement, but if you aren't rocking the critical side of the tree it is a very streaky talent. Under ideal circumstances, you can get a 14 damage critical from a plasma rifle, or two of them if you hit and crit on both of your rapid fire shots. Much more if you get Killer instinct at colonel rank. Needless to say, this is an amazing amount of damage, enough to waste near on anything. Critical rates on an plasma rifle with a scope and the critical abilities will still hit a flat 80%, 50% if you chose lightning reflexes or if you aren't at point blank range. Higher if you flank a foe. As you can see this isn't a cut and dry situation. Both rifleman and shotgunner are viable.

'''Resilience vs. Killer Instinct:'''
On one hand you have immunity to critical hits, on the other hand you have a 50% damage bonus to your critical hits if you trigger your signature ability. If you have chosen to brawl then grab immunity to crits. It means you can't be take out in one round by any single foe and it takes luck out of the equation. Killer instinct on the other hand only shines if you have been mining the tree for bonus crit chance. That being said, you can do some retarded stuff with killer instinct. Run at full dash to a good position, open up with rapid fire and blow a Sectopod or an ethereal away in one fell blow, or two as the case may be.

'''Equipping the Assault'''
More of the same. The answer is always ghost armor. Statistically it is just plain better. Now I wouldn't hold it against anyone who chose titan, but in the end Titan is just not as good for the up and coming assault trooper. The conditioning ability that is gained on being promoted to major gives 2 extra HP when wearing Ghost Skeleton and Psi armor, and 4 when wearing carapace, archangel and titan. The HP totals are as follows. Skeleton gives 5, Ghost , Carapace and Psi give 8, archangel give 12 and Titan 14. Now the most bang for your buck early game is obviously carapace, but once you have the money you should be investing in ghost. Why? Well for all the previously mentioned reasons plus one. In terms of survival defense beats HP most of the time, mobility is the bread and butter of an assault trooper and here is the final reason. Cloak gives a +100% chance to crit. This means that a cloaked assault can expect to reliably crit against a hardened target if they are playing the shotgunner game, and the rifleman can be sure of a crit. A massive killer instinct enhanced rapid fire crit that will level any foe you chose.

In terms of your free slot, the best choice is situational. I personally like chitin plating for my CQC troopers and scopes for riflemen. The extra 4 HP offsets the losses that I sustain from not going titan and gives you virtual immunity to chrysalids and berserkers. For riflemen the scope gives you accuracy and crit chance. Which is peachy. Use psi shields when appropriate.

=='''How to build a Support'''==

If you want to double up on a class, supports should be your first choice. Sure they aren't as sexy as some of the others but they bring alot more to the table than most suspect. First of all, supports can shoot. They have great base accuracy and full HP progression. Even without a scope a support has a 90 aim. Beyond that they get to have 2 secondary items once they hit major, allowing unparalelled customization. Furthermore they are fast, unless you have a stroke while promoting them and accidentally click the covering fire button they will be the quickest unit on the map. This along with their solid offensive and defensive abilities makes them the most reliable unit that you have. A team of nothing but supports would be than optimal but would be entirely possible.

'''Sprinter vs. Covering fire:'''
Now I know I said you had to be having a stroke to chose covering fire and that is maybe a bit harsh, but I stand by the statement. The issue is simply this. Covering fire will never help you. Why? Well lets look at the ability. It grants you a reaction shot any time a unit under your Overwatch or Suppression fire. Sounds good right? No its not. You just took a shot against a unit in cover that you could have fired on on your turn at a -15% penalty. It is nice if you are Suppressing an enemy and it is also decent if you have the Sentinel ability but the truth is that as Genghis Khan proved, mobility is victory. The ability to chose your ground is vital.

'''Field Medic vs. Smoke and Mirrors:'''
I ain't gonna lie. Smoke is awesome. Once upgraded it has all sorts if nifty perks and even in its base form a free 20 point defense shift is great. Still med kits are great too, and having 3 instead of 1 is also awesome. So this is a choose your awesome moment. As you always should have minimum 2 supports you can grab one of each. As a personal preference I tend to favor field medic, but a med kit is an inventory slot you have to spend and field medic tends to mandate one. Now having more options is good, but so is having more healing. A pure utility support can have chitin plating and an arc thrower or Nanofiber and a scope. Thus make your choice not based on smoke alone, but on flexibility.

'''Revive vs. Rifle Suppression:'''
Chances are that you are screwed if you are relying on revive. Rifle Suppression can keep you from being screwed. The choice is simple and obvious. Of you find yourself favoring revive then you might instead want to have multiple field medics and just keep your soldiers topped off in terms of health.

'''Dense Smoke vs. Combat Drugs:'''
It is another defense/offense choice. Combat drugs give +20 aim bonus too.(which is not listed) So in tough situation will you protect you soldiers with a stunning 40 point defense shift that turns no cover into heavy cover and heavy cover into immunity to being shot? Or annihilate X-rays with additional 20 aim and 10 critical? Hard choice, but I prefer not getting hit. One thing to keep in mind is aliens benefit from smoke too, so don't let melee aliens to get in your smoke.

'''Savior vs. Sentinel:'''
Do you want to heal or harm? What kind of question is that! This is XCOM. You want to harm those X-Ray scum. Now don't get me wrong, healing 10 points in one charge is awesome, but shooting twice on Overwatch is even better. With Improved Medikits you should be healing 6 per charge anyways, and if you went with the medical route you can still top off the squad without worry. One of the most important things about sentinel is that it solves the problem of Overwatch overkill. The ability triggers a second Overwatch attack only if the first fails to kill the target, thus preventing those embarrassing moments where your squad all open fire on a floater and blow him to the moon, only for a Muton to wander unchecked into heavy cover and crit your prized soldier in the face.

'''Equipping your Support'''
Simple enough. Get Skeleton armor first, then upgrade to ghost or psi depending. I have already gone into a lot of detail as to why ghost armor is the best armor. A Support wearing it can traverse 13 squares on one move. A dash from another class in heavy armor is 14. This is silly amounts of mobility. In terms of guns you have the choice of plasma or light plasma. I find that while light plasma and a scope is great early and can be obtained fast, it is offensively too inferior to use. Go for the big numbers and get a plasma rifle. Still one thing should be mentioned. Supports get a great return on investment in terms of lasers. The basic rifle allows them to one shot all the low tier enemies. In terms of secondary items go with what you feel. Medikit, Scope, Chitin, arc thrower. The important thing about supports is that they are flexible and should never be bound to a single setup.

'''WARNING - The Dense Smoke Trap:'''
While '''Dense Smoke''', maybe combined with '''Smoke and Mirrors''', might seem like a near-immunity to the aliens' plasma blasts, it carries a catch. Starting from the 3rd month and the appearance of Mutons, aliens will carry grenades. Every alien that can throw a grenade (with the sole exception of the regular Muton) also has the '''Bombard''' ability, meaning it can throw it real far and get you nearly everywhere. The thing is, grenades never miss. So, when the X-Rays see their chances to hit are too low for their liking (like trying to hit someone standing behind full cover and in dense smoke), they will lob grenades at you. This may not be a problem on Easy or Normal difficulty, as they will rarely do that on those, but on Classic and Impossible, you can expect grenades flying your way pretty much at every opportunity.

So what, you say, that's just 5 damage, as opposed to taking 10+ from a Heavy Plasma crit? Yeah, sure... but think about this: Mutons and Heavy Floaters come in packs. If one thinks you're too hard to hit, so do the others probably. Well, 5 damage from one grenade suddenly turns to 10 or 15. Of course they will try to catch as many of your soldiers in the blast radius as possible. Another point is that one grenade-lobbing alien can set up perfect shots for its pals. Grenades destroy cover. Meaning after the first blast your +80 defense falls to +40, which is a pretty easy shot for any high-tier X-Ray. The only cover elements that an withstand an alien grenade blast are some of the objects inside UFOs. The perfect disaster scenario here is when two of you agents have taken cover on the sides of a single doorway, covered with smoke. A grenade flies in and blam! - they are suddenly out in the open, with only the smoke providing protection, plus they've got 5 fewer HP each. In the mid-game on classic or impossible, this can mean assured death from plasma crits for both of them.

This, by the way, is true for any AoE attack, like the Cyberdisc's Death Blossom, the Ethereal's Rift, or the Sectopod's cluster bomb (at least you can run away from that).

This taken into account, it may be a better idea to take '''Combat Drugs''' instead, and have a better chance of picking the aliens off with increased Aim and crit chance.