Alien Life Forms (LWR)

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All stats shown on this page are without difficulty modifiers or perk effects, so values may differ in the actual game.

A note about the scaling attributes with AL: values shown in here as fractionals (such as 0.5 dmg per upgrade for Sectoids) are shown as averages. Ingame these values are integers: the stat increases by 1 on first upgrade and then alternates between 0 and 1 on the following upgrades (with the exception of Exalt Vanguard, Seeker and Sectoid's DMG upgrades and Outsider's HP Regen, these instead start as +0 on their first upgrade and alternate between 1 and 0 on the following upgrades).

Sectoid

Appears	Level 1
Ammo: 3

Skills

Standard Shot

Overwatch

Hunker Down

Psi Panic

Mind Merge

Mind Fray

Psychic Storm

Sectoids have low mobility, HP, and aim. They have access to Mind Fray, Psi Panic, and Mind Merge. All Sectoids have the Plasma Ranger perk so they have no aim penalty when shooting with their plasma pistols at a distance.

Their signature Mind Merge ability is significantly more powerful, now granting the target +25 to aim, crit, and will, but has a long cooldown.

Bounty: 2 Elerium

Armor: Sectoids have no armor.

	Mobility	HP	Damage	Pen	Aim	Crit	Will	Defense	Base DR	Perks
Attributes	8.0	6	5	0	55	0	50	0	0	Plasma Ranger  Psi Fade

Attribute Increases occur on each Alien Level increase (starting at AL 2):

1.5 HP, 0.25 damage, 2 aim, 5 will

At Alien Level 15 (max) they gain 8x those stats, plus 30 Pen.

Leaders:

Prodigy

Executioner

Shadow

Reticulan

Sectoid leaders often get Psi Mastery, allowing them to use an action after a psionic ability, and complement this with extra will to better use their psionics. The exception is the Executioner, who, as the name implies, has Executioner and the aim to take advantage of it.

All Sectoid leaders gain Gunslinger, which allow them to fire a pistol for only 1 AP.

Gunslinger

Gunslinger
Standard shots from pistols cost only 1 AP.

Leader Name	Leader Level	Bonus Damage	Bonus HP	Bonus Aim	Bonus Will	Additional Perks
Prodigy	1	+1	-	-	+30	Psi Mastery  Countercharge
Executioner	3	+3	+10	+30	-	Executioner
Shadow	6	+5	+30	+30	+50	Psi Mastery  Tactical Mobility  Awareness
Reticulan	9	+10	+50	+40	+40	Psi Mastery  Countercharge  Tactical Mobility

Drone

Appears	Level 1
Ammo: 3

Skills

Standard Shot

Overwatch

Flight

Repair

Orbital Ray

Drones can be encountered right from the beginning of the game. They can come in groups of their own or attached to Sectoid squads, and later they will accompany more powerful mechanized units like Cyberdiscs, Mechtoids and Sectopods.

Their holo rounds are effective at making your units easier to hit and they can be quite deadly against early game SHIVs due to their anti-mechanical perks.

Drones, like all mechanized units, have some damage reduction and are hardened. Their constant defense from flying with damage reduction and ability to repair the pod leader can make them difficult to kill.

Bounty: 2 Alloys

Armor: Drones have 50% armor converted from their health

	Mobility	HP	Damage	Pen	Aim	Crit	Will	Defense	Base DR	Perks
Attributes	6.6	4	4	10	70	0	0	0	10	Reconstruction Protocol  Robotic  Hardened  Holo Rounds  Sentinel  Opportunist  Critical System Targeting

Attribute Increases occur on each Alien Level increase (starting at AL 2):

1.5 HP, 0.5 damage, 1.5 aim

At Alien Level 15 (max) they gain 8x those stats, plus 30 Pen and 30 Base DR.

Leaders:

Assault Drone

Battle Drone

Orbital Drone

Ultra Drone

Drone leaders universally have significantly higher firepower. Later leaders also become quite tanky with massive health gains.

Leader Name	Leader Level	Bonus Damage	Bonus HP	Bonus Aim	Bonus Will	Additional Perks
Assault Drone	1	+2	+5	+10	-
Battle Drone	3	+5	+10	+10	-	Light 'Em Up
Orbital Drone	6	+10	+40	+40	-	Squadsight  Hive Mind
Ultra Drone	9	+12	+50	+30	-	Light 'Em Up

Thin Man

Appears	Level 1
Ammo: 3

Skills

Standard Shot

Overwatch

Acid Spit

Hunker Down

Thin Men have high mobility and good stats all-around. They can also jump to any height making them extremely dangerous when fighting at varying elevations. They can spit acid clouds at your units, leading to a corrosion effect.

Thin Men also have the Shadowshot ability, making Overwatch ineffective against their shots and allowing them to chip down any heavily armored targets with ease. While Overwatch is still triggered by their spit, movement and overwatching, it is often best to steady and/or shoot at them instead.

Some early game council missions tend to have disproportionally high numbers of Thin Men -- it is advised to bring engineers and medikits on these missions to help remove corrosion from your units.

As the game goes on, Thin Men prove quite competent foes; their large crit growth and high mobility can easily punish a soldier that's out of position.

Bounty: 2 Weapon Fragments

Armor: Thin Men have no armor

	Mobility	HP	Damage	Pen	Aim	Crit	Will	Defense	Base DR	Perks
Attributes	10.0	7	6	0	60	10	20	0	0	Shadowshot  Acid Immune  Cloak Screen  Low Profile  Leap

Attribute Increases occur on each Alien Level increase (starting at AL 2):

1.5 HP, 0.5 damage, 4 aim, 4 crit, 5 def

At Alien Level 15 (max) they gain 8x those stats (except defense which stays at +5), plus 30 Pen.

Leaders:

Duelist

Sidewinder

Whisper

Typhon

Thin Man leaders all have Acid Tech, making their spit attack even more deadly and giving a chance to corrode on hit. Beyond that, most Thin Man leaders are harder targets to hit with Awareness besides the Sidewinder which is much tankier instead.

Acid Tech

Acid Tech

Acid grenades/spit damage armor on impact equal to 25% of armor HP (max 5, bypasses DR). Shots gain a 35% chance (100% if steadied) to apply corrosion.

Leader Name	Leader Level	Bonus Damage	Bonus HP	Bonus Aim	Bonus Will	Additional Perks
Duelist	1	+2	+10	+10	+10	Awareness
Sidewinder	3	+4	+30	+10	+30	Sentinel  Opportunist  Ready For Anything
Whisper	6	+10	+20	+20	+10	Awareness  Squadsight  Hive Mind
Typhon	9	+10	+40	+30	+50	Awareness  Sentinel  Opportunist  Ready For Anything

Floater

Appears	Level 1
Ammo: 3

Skills

Standard Shot

Overwatch

Flight

Launch

Hunker Down

Floaters tend to fly (granting +30 defense) and gain the Tactical Mobility perk, granting them extra defense while in flight or in cover until they take damage or become preoccupied. This makes them quite elusive. They also get some bonus aim when at an elevation meaning their aim can be quite high. In combination they can be quite deadly as accurate and difficult to hit enemies.

When engaging floaters at a distance, steadying your weapons can make it easier to hit them when they are flying high. Another effective counter is using rockets as none of the floater's defense will help it against explosives, unlike being in cover, flying does not give any DR as well.

Bounty: 2 Meld

Armor: Floaters have 30% armor converted from their health

	Mobility	HP	Damage	Pen	Aim	Crit	Will	Defense	Base DR	Perks
Attributes	7.3	10	6	0	60	30	10	0	0	Cloak Screen  Tactical Mobility

Attribute Increases occur on each Alien Level increase (starting at AL 2):

1.5 HP, 0.5 damage, 2 aim, 2 crit

At Alien Level 15 (max) they gain 8x those stats, plus 30 Pen and 30 Base DR.

Leaders:

Ace

Harrier

Reaver

Warlord

Floater leaders universally have much more threatening weapons with extra damage and either multiple shots from Light 'Em Up or extra damage on Overwatch shots from Sentry. They also tend to get pretty tanky at later leader levels, with the exception of the Reaver.

Leader Name	Leader Level	Bonus Damage	Bonus HP	Bonus Aim	Bonus Will	Additional Perks
Ace	1	-	+5	+10	+10	Light 'Em Up
Harrier	3	+1	+30	+10	+50	Sentry  Ready For Anything
Reaver	6	+10	+20	+20	+20	Light 'Em Up  Critical System Targeting
Warlord	9	+15	+70	+30	+40	Light 'Em Up  Sentry  Ready For Anything  Critical System Targeting  Alien Shred

Outsider

Appears	Level 1
Ammo: 3

Skills

Standard Shot

Overwatch

Hunker Down

Outsiders are quite dangerous. They have passive HP regeneration, high aim, and decent HP. You'll first encounter them shepherding their UFOs, waiting inside for you to approach (unless you play on Brutal or Impossible difficulties where they will also be present on the first mission). Their DR, HP pool, and regeneration means that it will take a concerted effort from the whole squad to take them down early game. Be careful though, they all have Close Combat Specialist, meaning moving too close to them can be extremely dangerous.

Their Growth ability causes them to gain increased stats as the mission goes on (per turn growth chance is based on difficulty), beginning from the start of mission. Leaving them alone until the end of the mission is ill-advised as they can become too strong to fight. On larger UFOs, Outsiders will appear in much larger groups. They will also occasionally might not be found in the command room, but somewhere else instead.

When you first meet them, fighting Outsiders in a war of attrition across cover is a bad idea, since their HP regen, relatively high damage, and accuracy with their Alien Carbines means they may well win. Neutralizing the Outsider with concussion grenades and suppression while you move your troops up to set up for a one turn kill is more effective.

Bounty: 2 Elerium

Armor: Outsiders have 20% armor converted from their health

	Mobility	HP	Damage	Pen	Aim	Crit	Will	Defense	Base DR	Perks
Attributes	6.0	6	7	0	70	0	0	0	50 2 HP Regen	Dampening Shield  Close Combat Specialist  Growth  Muscle Amp  Regenesis

Attribute Increases occur on each Alien Level increase (starting at AL 2):

1 HP, 0.5 damage, 2 aim, +0.25 HP Regen

At Alien Level 15 (max) they gain 8x those stats, plus 30 Pen and 30 Base DR.

Leaders:

Navigator

Mechanist

Old Guard

Pioneer

Gladius

Outsider leaders are capable of using Fractal Spawn (at Brutal and above difficulties) and they effectively act as mini-bosses with a potential plethora of bonus stats from a stronger Growth ability. Beyond the bonus to Growth, the Outsider leaders' enhancements are entirely through perks (with the exception of the Pioneer and Gladius), with a strong focus on offensive perks.

Fractal Spawn

Fractal Spawn
This unit can spend 50% of it's HP to spawn a duplicate of itself with no ammo. Will only occur at max base HP, if this unit can see an enemy, and when this unit is idle and active.

Leader Name	Leader Level	Bonus Damage	Bonus HP	Bonus Aim	Bonus Will	Additional Perks
Navigator	1	-	-	-	-	Lock N' Load
Mechanist	3	-	-	-	-	Holo Rounds  Critical System Targeting
Old Guard	5	-	-	-	-	Lock N' Load  Sentinel  Opportunist  Ready For Anything  Alien Shred
Pioneer	7	+3	+30	+30	+30	Squadsight  Hive Mind  Vital Point Targeting  Penetrator  Bring 'Em On  Aggression
Gladius	9	+8	+50	+50	+50	Lock N' Load  Holo Rounds  Critical System Targeting  Sentinel  Opportunist  Ready For Anything  Alien Shred

Chryssalid

Appears	Level 1
Ammo: unlimited

Skills

Melee Attack

Chryssalids have great mobility and defense, and gain the Hardened ability, making them extremely agile armored threats. They also have significant penetration and will corrode units on movement or hit, meaning you should attempt to kill them before they can get too close.

Since their attacks will penetrate all DR, high DR units are not effective in negating their attacks.

Pursuit will, as the name implies, allow Chryssalids to pursue soldiers if they attempt to move away from them. A clever commander may be able to use this to their advantage, but otherwise it will be difficult to keep Chryssalids away once they've closed the distance.

Damaging them can drastically reduce their lethality, once you eliminate their armor, thanks to Red Fog lowering their mobility and melee damage.

Bounty: 2 Alloys

Armor: Chryssalids have 50% armor converted from their health

	Mobility	HP	Damage	Pen	Aim	Crit	Will	Defense	Base DR	Perks
Attributes	10.6	6	4	100	Auto	0	20	0	0	Hardened  Stun Immune  Acidic  Leap  Agile  Pursuit

Attribute Increases occur on each Alien Level increase (starting at AL 2):

2 HP, 0.5 damage

At Alien Level 15 (max) they gain 8x those stats, plus 30 Base DR.

Leaders:

Charger

Warrior

Hive Queen

Empress

Chryssalid leaders do more damage but also become much harder to take down at later leader levels due to great HP gains and defensive perks. All chryssalid leaders have the Skitter perk which lets them attempt to dodge incoming AoE abilities like grenades, rockets, flashbangs, flamethrowers and so on, as long as they have direct line of sight to the unit performing the action (not in smoke or stealthed).

Skitter

Skitter
This unit will move away from incoming area of effect abilities using a quarter of its mobility (immune to reaction fire during this move) if it can see the user.

Leader Name	Leader Level	Bonus Damage	Bonus HP	Bonus Aim	Bonus Will	Additional Perks
Charger	1	+3	+5	-	+5
Warrior	3	+1	+10	-	+10	Grit
Hive Queen	6	+3	+30	-	+40	Iron Skin
Empress	9	+8	+30	-	+50	Grit  Iron Skin

Zombie

Appears	Level 1
Ammo: unlimited

Skills

Melee Attack

Zombies are melee units with a large health pool. However, they are not hardened and do not take cover so you can usually crit them for high amounts of damage. They can occasionally spawn as a member of Chryssalid pods on any mission, and it is also be possible to encounter them as a special pod spawn during Terror missions.

Unlike in LW 1.0 and EU/EW, Zombies in Long War Rebalance do not transform into Chryssalids at the beginning of some turns.

Damaging them can drastically reduce their lethality thanks to Red Fog lowering their mobility and melee damage. At the beginning of the campaign zombies deal very low damage with their punches, but as the war drags on, they will eventually outscale the damage dealt by chryssalid melee attacks. Unlike other melee enemies, zombie punches have no penetration so high DR units can withstand part of their damage.

Bounty: No bounty

Armor: Zombies have no armor

	Mobility	HP	Damage	Pen	Aim	Crit	Will	Defense	Base DR	Perks
Attributes	8	12	4	0	Auto	0	0	0	0	Stun Immune

Attribute Increases occur on each Alien Level increase (starting at AL 2):

4 HP, 1.5 damage

At Alien Level 15 (max) they gain 8x those stats.

Muton

Appears	Level 2
Ammo: 3

Skills

Standard Shot

Suppression

Overwatch

Alien Grenade

Hunker Down

Blood Call

Mutons are sturdy aliens that gain a lot of DR and crit resistance when protected by cover.

Mutons have a Deflection Shield ability which activates when they end their turn on a move or with AP remaining, granting them huge defense against ranged attacks that scales with distance. They have access to the Blood Call ability which will grant various stat increases to allies of the same species in range as well as remove most of the debuffs they are affected by, it also heals a small portion of HP which can stop bleeding.

Overall, Mutons create resilient roadblocks in the enemy formations that are best dealt with by flanking or removing their cover.

Unlike some of the other aliens, Muton intelligence is low and can lead to poor strategies like: running out into the open, performing poor attacks, or retreating early if some of their squad mates have been killed.

Bounty: 2 Weapon Fragments

Armor: Mutons have 50% armor converted from their health

	Mobility	HP	Damage	Pen	Aim	Crit	Will	Defense	Base DR	Perks
Attributes	7.3	16	6	0	60	0	10	0	10	Will to Survive  Tenacious Defense  Mayhem  Deflection Shield  Suppression Tactics

Attribute Increases occur on each Alien Level increase (starting at AL 3):

3 HP, 0.5 damage, 3 aim, 3 base DR

At Alien Level 15 (max) they gain 8x those stats, plus 30 Pen and 30 Base DR.

Leaders:

Optio

Hoplite

Decanus

Secutor

Muton leaders are especially dangerous due to Taunt, which makes retreating difficult. This combines well with their overall resilience making them effective units at pinning XCOM units in an engagement.

Muton leaders focus on becoming offensive powerhouses with a variety of perks that enable them to fire more often (and often with Shredder). They also gain large amounts of HP at later leader levels, which will be especially rough if Will to Survive is able to provide DR.

Taunt

Taunt
If idle, the closest enemy in sight will feel an irrational desire to stay in the fight. They will panic if they move and break sight with this unit (unless they move closer) and will refuse to use Grapple. Does not affect SHIVs, units that have moved this turn, units with panic immunity, or units that have been Commanded. Inactivated if this unit has taken damage this turn.

Leader Name	Leader Level	Bonus Damage	Bonus HP	Bonus Aim	Bonus Will	Additional Perks
Optio	1	+1	+10	+10	+10	Alien Shred
Hoplite	3	-	+30	+10	+40	Sentinel  Opportunist  Ready For Anything
Decanus	6	+8	+20	+30	+20	Alien Shred  Light 'Em Up  Lock N' Load
Secutor	9	+10	+45	+30	+60	Alien Shred  Lock N' Load  Sentinel  Opportunist  Ready For Anything

Seeker

Appears	Level 3
Ammo: 3

Skills

Standard Shot

Overwatch

Strangle

Flight

Stealth

Seekers can be found both in pods made up entirely of Seekers, and accompanying squads of other aliens. This makes them dangerous, since a Seeker itself isn't much threat, but a Seeker supporting other aliens can be a deadly distraction. As mechanized units they have some damage reduction and are hardened. However, if they happen to get close to your units they may strangle them, incapacitating them and dealing significant damage and causing bleeding. As well, they form a protective cocoon when strangling making them difficult to dislodge. Seekers will only stop strangling once they take damage to their base HP and incur red fog.

The Proximity Sensor item can detect and uncloak nearby Seekers, providing an early counters to Seekers. If not proximity sensor is available, XCOM units can use Combat Readiness to reveal any invisible seekers with a short range. Holo Rounds prevents Seekers from cloaking again, usually forcing them to resort to their pistols. Seekers can only stay cloaked for up to 3 turns before revealing themselves. Any explosive/area effect attacks (bar the MEC Flamethrower; Seekers are fireproof - though an 'IMMUNE' popup will still appear) that catch an invisible Seeker in their area will force them to decloak.

Due to their significant crit malus they are not as deadly when flanking compared to many other alien units, but their base penetration means they can still deal reasonable damage from afar.

Bounty: 2 Alloys

Armor: Seekers have 50% armor converted from their health.

	Mobility	HP	Damage	Pen	Aim	Crit	Will	Defense	Base DR	Perks
Attributes	7.3	10	5	20	70	-50	0	0	10	Robotic  Hardened  Plasma Ranger

Attribute Increases occur on each Alien Level increase (starting at AL 4):

2 HP, 0.25 damage, 1 aim

At Alien Level 15 (max) they gain 8x those stats, plus 30 Pen and 30 Base DR.

Leaders:

Stalker

Wraith

Hydra

Kraken

Seeker leaders possess much more threatening weapons, and gain primarily offensive perks alongside high HP growth for later leader levels. Their high level leaders notably gain a lot of defense and the deadly Close Encounters perk that can lead to multiple attacks at close range. It is important to note that seeker strangle damage equals 25% of the seeker's HP, so strangles by high level leaders can lead to very quick (if not instant) deaths.

Leader Name	Leader Level	Bonus Damage	Bonus HP	Bonus Aim	Bonus Will	Additional Perks
Stalker	1	+2	+5	-	-	Vital Point Targeting
Wraith	3	+6	+20	+20	-	Sentinel  Opportunist
Hydra	6	+9	+30	+30	-	Sentinel  Opportunist  Tactical Mobility  Close Encounters
Kraken	9	+12	+40	+50	-	Sentinel  Opportunist  Tactical Mobility  Close Encounters  Awareness  Alien Shred

Cyberdisc

Appears	Level 4
Ammo: 5

Skills

Standard Shot

Overwatch

Alien Grenade

Flight

Transform

Cyberdiscs are usually accompanied by Drones and Seekers, and usually prefer to shoot rather than throwing their grenade.

Cyberdiscs pose a significant threat throughout the game due to high aim and high damage (further bolstered by their high crit chance, especially as the game goes on). They can transform between open and closed states: their open state is required to do any action besides movement and their closed state will grant them hardened, crit immunity, and +20 defense. If they take damage in their open state that exceeds 10% of their max HP, they will automatically close. However, they must open in order to act (though Overwatching units will fire before they open up, and they can go into overwatch while being closed). Thus, they are best dealt with through high damage single attacks (e.g. a Magnum sniper or units with Critical System Targeting) when open.

As well, their shots are explosive and damage units near their target so spreading out is ideal.

If they're not dealt with quickly or retreated from, they are very likely to flank and hit you with raw firepower or simply toss explosives at you.

The Drones escorting a Cyberdisc are quite dangerous as well, for two reasons. First, they can tag a target with Holo Rounds, making it easier for the parent Cyberdisc (and any other enemies, for that matter) to hit the victim. Second, they can fix any damage and corrosion you have done to the Cyberdisc with their Repair ability.

Bounty: 20 Alloys

Armor: Cyberdisks have 50% converted armor from their health

	Mobility	HP	Damage	Pen	Aim	Crit	Will	Defense	Base DR	Perks
Attributes	8.0	28	10	10	80	30	0	0	15	Transform  Robotic  Death Explosion  Explosive Shots  Sentinel  Opportunist

Attribute Increases occur on each Alien Level increase (starting at AL 5):

3 HP, 1 damage, 3 aim, 5 crit, 5 pen

At Alien Level 15 (max) they gain 8x those stats, plus 30 Pen and 30 Base DR.

Leaders:

Rover

Gunship

Dreadnought

Cyberdisc leaders turn an already scary enemy into an even scarier one. Most of their perks are meager defensive ones, but the stat increases still make for a threatening opponent.

Leader Name	Leader Level	Bonus Damage	Bonus HP	Bonus Aim	Bonus Will	Additional Perks
Rover	1	+2	+5	+5	-	Repair Servos
Gunship	5	+4	+10	+10	-	Awareness
Dreadnought	9	+6	+15	+15	-	Repair Servos  Awareness  Ready For Anything

Mechtoid

Appears	Level 5
Ammo: 5

Skills

Standard Shot

Overwatch

Mortar Barrage

Mechtoids will appear with Sectoid and Drone escorts. They are very resilient units that deal high damage and have moderate aim. All mechtoids also have Lock'n Load, which can catch an unaware commander by surprise.

Mechtoids are one of the few "big" units vulnerable to psionics - Mind Fray will restrict their movement and prevent them from charging to flank as well as reducing their accuracy. Psi Panic will completely disable a Mechtoid. Their will is a little higher than regular troops, but not stellar, so they are excellent targets for psionic abilities. Acid Grenades are also useful as Mechtoids have a significant amount of base DR and the corrosion will lower their accuracy and mobility.

The Psi Shield granted to Mechtoids by Mind Merge grants a massive amount of temporary health, in addition to mind merge's 50% graze chance, crit, mobility and aim. As a result, it is almost imperative that you find and kill the Sectoid that set up the link (helpfully indicated by the psionic streams) before targeting the Mechtoid.

Like cyberdiscs their shots are explosive and damage units near their target.

While Mechtoids do not explode for damage, a Mechtoid that falls backwards in a fight it will crush cover it lands on. Be careful not to destroy your own cover in close quarters combat.

Bounty: 20 Meld, 20 Alloys

Armor: Mechtoids have 80% armor converted from health

	Mobility	HP	Damage	Pen	Aim	Crit	Will	Defense	Base DR	Perks
Attributes	7.3	36	12	0	80	0	50	0	40	Robotic  Hardened  Damage Control  Light 'Em Up  Sentry  Absorption Fields  Explosive Shots  Lock N' Load

Attribute Increases occur on each Alien Level increase (starting at AL 6):

3 HP, 1 damage, 3 aim

At Alien Level 15 (max) they gain 8x those stats, plus 30 Pen and 30 Base DR.

Leaders:

Vulcan

Leviathan

Colossus

The Vulcan leader can be scary if it decides to flank given that it has Close Encounters, but at least has meager stat increases. The Leviathan is incredibly difficult to take down with lots of extra defensive stats and Grit + Repair Servos, not to mention its higher damage per shot. The Colossus is a terrifying fusion of both.

Leader Name	Leader Level	Bonus Damage	Bonus HP	Bonus Aim	Bonus Will	Additional Perks
Vulcan	1	-	+10	-	+10	Close Encounters
Leviathan	5	+2	+30	-	+80	Repair Servos  Grit
Colossus	9	+10	+30	+30	+40	Close Encounters  Repair Servos  Reactive Targeting Sensors

Berserker

Appears	Level 5
Ammo: unlimited

Skills

Melee Attack

Berserkers commonly appear accompanied by mutons early on, their blood call synergy can turn encounters with them very dangerous.

Like Chryssalids and Zombies, anything you can do to slow down a Berserker will greatly reduce its threat. They are Hardened and as such, will have a reasonable amount of DR. They are particularly weak to psionics due to their low will (though the leader Berserkers are not so susceptible). Disorienting a Berserker will reduce its movement range to well below Concussion throw range, while also crippling its melee damage, so is a good way to neutralize a Berserker you're not ready to kill. Acid Grenades can achieve a weaker but situationally useful reduction to their mobility. Beware any Mutons near a Berserker: their Blood call ability not only buffs and heals them, but it also removes many of the usual debuffs that counter Berserkers.

Like Chryssalids, their attacks will penetrate all DR so high DR units are not effective in negating their attacks.

Bounty: 2 Meld

Armor: Berserkers have 30% armor converted from their health.

	Mobility	HP	Damage	Pen	Aim	Crit	Will	Defense	Base DR	Perks
Attributes	9.3	24	8	100	Auto	0	30	0	20	Bloodlust  Brute  Hardened  Muscle Amp

Attribute Increases occur on each Alien Level increase (starting at AL 6):

4 HP, 0.5 damage

At Alien Level 15 (max) they gain 8x those stats, plus 30 Pen and 30 Base DR.

Leaders:

Behemoth

Juggernaut

Mongo

Berserker leaders possess Taunt, which can be difficult to work around at times given that the Berserker is liable to chase anyone who damages them to break it. They also become much harder to take down, either with Deflection Shield or the combination of Iron Skin + Grit. The Mongo is a fusion of both of these, while also having much more will to make them resistant to psionics.

Taunt

Taunt
If idle, the closest enemy in sight will feel an irrational desire to stay in the fight. They will panic if they move and break sight with this unit (unless they move closer) and will refuse to use Grapple. Does not affect SHIVs, units that have moved this turn, units with panic immunity, or units that have been Commanded. Inactivated if this unit has taken damage this turn.

Leader Name	Leader Level	Bonus Damage	Bonus HP	Bonus Aim	Bonus Will	Additional Perks
Behemoth	1	+6	+5	-	+10	Deflection Shield
Juggernaut	5	+2	+20	-	+10	Iron Skin  Grit
Mongo	9	+10	+20	-	+70	Deflection Shield  Iron Skin  Grit

Muton Elite

Appears	Level 6
Ammo: 5

Skills

Standard Shot

Suppression

Overwatch

Alien Grenade

Hunker Down

Muton Elites are similar-looking to Mutons, but with red armor/helmet and carrying a heavy plasma weapon.

They have a lot of firepower at their disposal. Their heavy plasma weapons are both destructive and highly damaging, and they still benefit from Blood Call, though they cannot activate the ability themselves. All muton elites have danger zone so their suppression can paralyze clustered xcom units.

They are even sturdier then their regular and berserker counterparts as they have more defensive perks, more hp and more innate DR.

Bounty: 10 Meld

Armor: Muton Elites have 60% armor converted from their health.

	Mobility	HP	Damage	Pen	Aim	Crit	Will	Defense	Base DR	Perks
Attributes	8.6	22	12	10	80	0	20	0	20	Will to Survive  Tenacious Defense  Mayhem  Deflection Shield  Danger Zone  Suppression Tactics

Attribute Increases occur on each Alien Level increase (starting at AL 7):

3 HP, 0.5 damage, 4 aim, 4 base DR

At Alien Level 15 (max) they gain 8x those stats, plus 30 Pen and 30 Base DR.

Leaders:

Centurion

Praetorian

Legate

Leader Muton Elites are much like their regular counterparts, but never have their reaction fire modified. Like their regular counterparts, they also gain extra will to resist psionic attacks as well as Taunt.

Taunt

Taunt
If idle, the closest enemy in sight will feel an irrational desire to stay in the fight. They will panic if they move and break sight with this unit (unless they move closer) and will refuse to use Grapple. Does not affect SHIVs, units that have moved this turn, units with panic immunity, or units that have been Commanded. Inactivated if this unit has taken damage this turn.

Leader Name	Leader Level	Bonus Damage	Bonus HP	Bonus Aim	Bonus Will	Additional Perks
Centurion	1	+5	+20	+10	+20	Alien Shred
Praetorian	5	+3	+30	+30	+60	Light 'Em Up  Lock N' Load  Penetrator
Legate	9	+10	+40	+20	+80	Alien Shred  Light 'Em Up  Lock N' Load

Sectoid Commander

Appears	Level 6
Ammo: 3

Skills

Standard Shot

Overwatch

Hunker Down

Greater Mind Merge

Enthrall

Psi Panic

Mind Fray

Psychic Storm

Telekinetic Field

Sectoid Commanders represent a substantial step up from their early game counterparts in terms of difficulty. An unprepared commander could easily have their entire squad decimated by a Sectoid Commander.

They carry new psionic abilities as well as much better statistics. Sectoid Commanders are brave, and greatly prefer using psionic abilities over shooting. They have the Psi Mastery ability, and will be able to use multiple psionic abilities each turn. When not using their psionic abilities they will resort to their regular sectoid pistols though with far better aim and solid penetration.

Their Distortion ability makes them very difficult to take down as your damage against them will be significantly reduced and split among other aliens within 8 tiles.

Their Greater Mind Merge is now quite powerful, granting any sectoids and mechtoids in vision various bonuses as well as activating Telekinetic Field for free. They can also use 2AP at the start of the alien turn to attempt Enthrall which can pull your soldiers out of cover on your next turn and do significant damage unless stopped by reaction fire or prevented with suppression.

All things considered, these will likely be the most difficult aliens you fight when they are first revealed.

Bounty: 20 Elerium

Armor: Sectoid Commanders have no armor

	Mobility	HP	Damage	Pen	Aim	Crit	Will	Defense	Base DR	Perks
Attributes	8.0	16	4	20	90	0	110	0	0	Low Profile  Plasma Ranger  Psi Mastery  Psi Fade  Distortion

Attribute Increases occur on each Alien Level increase (starting at AL 7):

2 HP, 0.5 damage, 3 aim, 10 will

At Alien Level 15 (max) they gain 8x those stats, plus 30 Pen.

Leaders:

Magus

Lord

Synarch

All Sectoid Commander leaders gain Overdrive, greatly amplifying their psionic potential, and also become more threatening with their pistol as well at later leader levels. With Overdrive doubling the chances of Countercharge triggering and the Commander's high will, it is nearly guaranteed to trigger when its conditions are met in all but the lowest difficulties (except for Sectoid Lords, which don't have Countercharge at all). Like Sectoids, Sectoid Commander leaders also gain 'Gunslinger'.

Overdrive

Overdrive
All psionic abilities have their cooldown reduced to 1 turn. Countercharge triggers twice as often and deals double damage.

Gunslinger

Gunslinger
Standard shots from pistols cost only 1 AP.

Leader Name	Leader Level	Bonus Damage	Bonus HP	Bonus Aim	Bonus Will	Additional Perks
Magus	1	+1	+10	+10	+30	Countercharge
Lord	5	+5	+10	+30	+10	Tactical Mobility  Executioner  Bring 'Em On
Synarch	9	+5	+30	+20	+40	Countercharge  Tactical Mobility

Heavy Floater

Appears	Level 7
Ammo: 3

Skills

Standard Shot

Overwatch

Alien Grenade

Flight

Launch

Hunker Down

The Heavy Floater is a significant improvement over the original Floater. Unlike regular Floaters, Heavy Floaters can throw grenades.

The Heavy Floater is a versatile full-package enemy. It has strength in almost every area with high penetration, crit, aim, and damage as well as high defense and damage resistance, their will is notably lacking however. Large groups of Heavy Floaters will be some of the most difficult encounters of a campaign.

Bounty: 10 Meld

Armor: Heavy Floaters have 50% armor converted from their health.

	Mobility	HP	Damage	Pen	Aim	Crit	Will	Defense	Base DR	Perks
Attributes	8.0	22	10	10	80	50	20	0	20	Sentry  Iron Skin  Cloak Screen  Critical System Targeting  Tactical Mobility

Attribute Increases occur on each Alien Level increase (starting at AL 8):

2 HP, 0.5 damage, 3 aim, 3 crit

At Alien Level 15 (max) they gain 8x those stats, plus 30 Pen and 30 Base DR.

Leaders:

Heavy Ace

Cobra

Archon

Like regular Floaters, the leader variants gain a mix of offensive perks, but also gain a very large amount of health at later leader levels. Notably, Aircobras and Archons have Shadowstep, so Overwatch is going to be a lot less reliable against them, and especially Pistolero when combined with Close Encounters.

Leader Name	Leader Level	Bonus Damage	Bonus HP	Bonus Aim	Bonus Will	Additional Perks
Heavy Ace	1	-	+10	+20	+30	Light 'Em Up
Cobra	5	+5	+30	+10	+60	Close Encounters  Shadowstep  Alien Shred
Archon	9	+5	+40	+20	+90	Light 'Em Up  Close Encounters  Shadowstep  Alien Shred

Sectopod

Appears	Level 8
Ammo: 5

Skills

Cannon Fire

Overwatch

Mortar Barrage

Sectopods are massive mechanical war machines. They represent one of the two late game enemies that are extremely dangerous. Taking them down without suffering casualties may not be possible. As with all aliens, their strength and power progresses with time, making them even more dangerous as the war drags on. Often, entering a mission with multiple Sectopods is an indication to retreat.

They have 3 main attacks: their chest cannon (Cannon Fire), their green turret cannon, and their Mortar Barrage.

Their Cannon Fire ability grants an additional +40 penetration (on top of their innate 20 penetration) when there is only 1 target in sight. However, if you have multiple targets in sight the Cannon Fire ability will often fire twice (at different targets). Which is more dangerous will depend on the situation you are in.

The green turret cannon does -50% weapon damage and will activate for reaction shots.

Sectopods are not inhibited by terrain. As such, they can and will break down walls and terrain as they move. This makes it difficult to use cover to try to block line of sight as they will often just walk through the cover.

Sectopods have extremely high damage and aim. Tanking their shots should only be done by resilient units, and those may still lose the majority of their HP.

Not only do they output incredible offensive power, their HP and base DR is extremely high. It is almost mandatory to bring some form of corrosion when fighting them in order to crack through their armor.

Bounty: 80 Alloys

Armor: Sectopods have 80% armor converted from their health

	Mobility	HP	Damage	Pen	Aim	Crit	Will	Defense	Base DR	Perks
Attributes	8.0	40	18	20	100	50	0	0	70	Robotic  Death Explosion  Hardened  Absorption Fields  Fortified  Damage Control  Critical System Targeting  Reactive Targeting Sensors  Vertical Drive  Explosive Shots

Attribute Increases occur on each Alien Level increase (starting at AL 9):

4 HP, 1.5 damage, 5 aim

At Alien Level 15 (max) they gain 8x those stats, plus 30 Pen and 30 Base DR.

Leaders:

Destroyer

Titan

Atlas

As one would imagine, Sectopod leaders are even scarier than their base form, either dealing much more damage or being much tankier (with the Atlas being the ultimate in both).

Leader Name	Leader Level	Bonus Damage	Bonus HP	Bonus Aim	Bonus Will	Additional Perks
Destroyer	1	+8	-	+10	-	Opportunist
Titan	5	-	+20	+30	-	Repair Servos
Atlas	9	+8	+30	+40	-	Opportunist  Repair Servos  Alien Shred

Ethereal

Appears	Level 9
Ammo: unlimited

Skills

Psi Lance

Enthrall

Chain Panic

Mind Rend

Rift

Psychic Storm

Telekinetic Field

The Ethereals are the floating psionic leaders of the alien race -- they represent the highest threat a Commander will encounter. Using a Psionic Lance attack that does damage based on will and hit chance based on aim, as well as the feared Enthrall and Rift abilities, Ethereals represent the pinnacle of psionic deadliness. Moreover, they have Psi Mastery which can let them perform 2 attacks each turn. Those attacks can include upgraded psionic abilities in the form of Chain Panic and Mind Rend.

Just like Sectoid Commanders, they have the Distortion ability, reducing any damage dealt to them. They also regenerate health, have high innate defense, and the Psychic Tether ability. Overall, this makes them extremely resilient.

They are the other late game enemy that is extremely dangerous and likely to cause fatalities and/or full squad defeats. Fighting an ethereal often results in a pyrrhic victory, if a victory at all. Take great care when engaging one as there are few aliens more deadly.

Bounty: 40 Elerium

Armor: Ethereals have no armor.

	Mobility	HP	Damage	Pen	Aim	Crit	Will	Defense	Base DR	Perks
Attributes	9.3	30	0	0	100	0	120	70	3 HP Regen	Psi Mastery  Insentient Crush  Psychic Wave  Distortion  Psychic Tether  Regenesis

Attribute Increases occur on each Alien Level increase (starting at AL 10):

2 HP, 10 aim, 10 will, 0.5 HP Regen

At Alien Level 15 (max) they gain 8x those stats (except regen which stays at +1).

Leaders:

Primus

Overmind

Unlike all other leaders in the game, Ethereal Leaders gain no extra perks aside from the generic leader ones, but the massive stats they gain makes their psionics and toughness some of the strongest you will come across in your campaign.

Leader Name	Leader Level	Bonus Damage	Bonus HP	Bonus Aim	Bonus Will	Additional Perks
Primus	1	-	+10	+20	+20
Overmind	9	-	+10	+30	+30

Uber Ethereal

Appears	Level 1
Ammo: unlimited

Skills

Psi Lance

Mind Control

Psi Panic

Mind Fray

Rift

Psychic Storm

Telekinetic Field

The Uber Ethereal is the ultimate threat of every campaign. As one would expect, they are essentially an uber-powerful version of a regular Ethereal.

The Uber Ethereal has the Uber perk, which upgrades Distortion to disperse 100% of the damage with allies within 200 tiles, including those not in vision; you will have trouble hurting the Uber Ethereal until all of its allies are gone across the entire map. It also caps shred at 50%, prevents acid, and allows the Uber to use an unresistable psychic storm for 0 AP.

They also have access to the devastating ability Mind Control to really turn the tides against you. Finally, the Uber Ethereal is able to more freely use Psychic Storm, even before it has seen you; therefore, once you get close, engaging quickly would be wise.

The Uber Ethereal is accompanied by four random high-level leaders (which will never include sectopods, outsiders or ethereals).

Good luck Commander; you'll need it.

Bounty: Campaign victory

Armor: The Uber Ethereal has no armor.

	Mobility	HP	Damage	Pen	Aim	Crit	Will	Defense	Base DR	Perks
Attributes	12.0	70	0	0	110	0	140	70	8 Regen	Uber  Insentient Crush  Psychic Wave  Distortion  Psychic Tether  Regenesis  Psi Mastery  Sprinter  Plasma Shield

Attribute Increases occur on each Alien Level increase (starting at AL 9):

10 HP, 10 aim, 20 will, 1 HP Regen

At Alien Level 15 (max) it gains 4x those stats.

Exalt

Most Exalt units share a few key traits:

• They have Lock N' Load, which primarily reduces the power of relay hacks, but also lets them put on continuous pressure in a long firefight. SHIVs only have this perk from MKIII onwards.
• They feel a strong urge to move towards the objective, often to the point of staying out of cover to get closer. Usually one Exalt soldier at a time will exhibit this behavior while the rest of the troops back them up.
• Their human units can panic in a similar manner to XCOM's soldiers. Operative leaders, Vanguard Exalt leaders, and all Elite Exalt soldiers have Steadfast preventing the effect on themselves however.
  • 30% chance if they are hit for more than 30% of their remaining health (20 will test)
  • 30% chance if a squad mate in vision dies (20 will test)
  • 30% chance if a squad leader in vision dies (40 will test)

Because of their tendency to move towards the objective, Overwatch is a very powerful tool against most Exalt soldiers. Additionally, while they do all possess Lock N' Load, if they're out of ammo they still aren't willing to remain where they are if they're flanked (unless it's a mutual flank); exploiting this with aggressive positioning can make your relay hacks much more useful.

Exalt Operative

Appears	Level 1
Ammo: 3

Skills

Standard Shot

Overwatch

Hunker Down

Exalt Operatives are regular frontline soldiers that fill the ranks of Exalt. Like XCOM's Assaults, Close Encounters makes them particularly dangerous and difficult to kill in close combat. Operatives tend to be solid reinforcements, as their Opportunist-enhanced Overwatches pack a decent punch and Repulsor often makes a single Operative require multiple actions to deal with where most other Exalt soldiers would die in a single flank shot.

Bounty: 2 Meld

Armor: Exalt Operatives have 20% armor converted from their health.

	Mobility	HP	Damage	Pen	Aim	Crit	Will	Defense	Base DR	Perks
Attributes	7.3	5	4	0	60	20	20	0	0	Lock N' Load  Close Encounters  Repulsor  Opportunist

Attribute Increases occur on each Alien Level increase (starting at AL 3):

0.25 HP, 0.25 damage, 3 aim, 3 crit

At Alien Level 15 (max) they gain 8x those stats, plus 30 Pen and 30 Base DR.

Leaders:

Operative Spec Ops

Operative Mechanic

Operative Striker

Exalt Operative leaders gain a modest amount of stats as well as large damage increases through Critical System Targeting and Aggression.

Leader Name	Leader Level	Bonus Damage	Bonus HP	Bonus Aim	Bonus Will	Additional Perks
Operative Spec Ops	1	+2	+5	+5	+20	Steadfast
Operative Mechanic	3	+3	+10	+15	+40	Critical System Targeting
Operative Striker	6	+4	+20	+25	+60	Aggression

Exalt Marksman

Appears	Level 1
Ammo: 3

Skills

Standard Shot

Overwatch

Hunker Down

Exalt Marksmen are pure glass cannons just like XCOM's Snipers; they boast the lowest health, will, and mobility of any enemy in the game, but can pelt away at you from Squadsight range with high-damage strike rifles that can very easily wound or kill an unprepared soldier. If you can directly attack them in almost any way, they'll die quite quickly, but the longer they sit in the backlines, the more likely it is that they'll get that critical shot they need to kill a soldier. Just like XCOM soldiers using long rifles, Exalt Marksmen have poor aim at close range, so if you can close the distance they'll be unlikely to have a good chance to hit you, even after moving.

Bounty: 2 Meld

Armor: Exalt Marksmen have no armor.

	Mobility	HP	Damage	Pen	Aim	Crit	Will	Defense	Base DR	Perks
Attributes	6	3	5	15	70	20	5	0	0	Lock N' Load  Squadsight  Eagle Eye  Executioner  Holo Rounds  Predictive Tracking

Attribute Increases occur on each Alien Level increase (starting at AL 3):

0.5 damage, 4 aim, 4 crit

At Alien Level 15 (max) they gain 8x those stats, plus 30 Pen and 30 Base DR.

Leaders:

Marksman Scout

Marksman Deadeye

Marksman Assassin

Exalt Marksman leaders gain a modest amount of stats (primarily offensive), as well as large situational damage increases.

Leader Name	Leader Level	Bonus Damage	Bonus HP	Bonus Aim	Bonus Will	Additional Perks
Marksman Scout	1	+1	+3	+10	+20
Marksman Deadeye	3	+2	+6	+20	+40	Bring 'Em On
Marksman Assassin	6	+3	+9	+30	+60	Vital Point Targeting

Exalt Heavy

Appears	Level 1
Ammo: 4

Skills

Standard Shot

Suppression

Overwatch

Hunker Down

Exalt Heavies are very similar to XCOM's own Tank Gunners. Will to Survive makes them difficult to take down through cover, and the combination of Suppression, Danger Zone, and Holo Rounds offers incredible offensive support. They also have Bulletstorm from the LMG they're carrying, so even misses have a chance of dealing chip damage and applying holo in an AOE. If flanks aren't an option, psionics can exploit their low will and supports can buy you time until you can push aggressively behind their cover.

Bounty: 2 Meld

Armor: Exalt Heavies have 50% armor converted from their health.

	Mobility	HP	Damage	Pen	Aim	Crit	Will	Defense	Base DR	Perks
Attributes	4.6	8	6	0	45	0	10	0	0	Lock N' Load  Will to Survive  Danger Zone  Sentry  Holo Rounds  Suppression Tactics

Attribute Increases occur on each Alien Level increase (starting at AL 3):

1 HP, 0.25 damage, 2 aim

At Alien Level 15 (max) they gain 8x those stats, plus 30 Pen and 30 Base DR.

Leaders:

Heavy Breaker

Heavy Bulwark

Heavy Demolisher

Exalt Heavy leaders gain a modest amount of stats (mostly defensive) while becoming more effective versus armored units and/or mechanical units with Shredder or Critical System Targeting.

Leader Name	Leader Level	Bonus Damage	Bonus HP	Bonus Aim	Bonus Will	Additional Perks
Heavy Breaker	1	+1	+7	+5	+20	Alien Shred
Heavy Bulwark	3	+2	+14	+10	+40	Tenacious Defense
Heavy Demolisher	6	+3	+20	+20	+60	Critical System Targeting

Exalt Vanguard

Appears	Level 1
Ammo: 3

Skills

Standard Shot

Overwatch

Hunker Down

Medikit Heal

Smoke Grenade

Exalt Vanguards are tanky support units. They have high defensive bulk and Deflection Shield to allow them to get into position and are difficult to take down once entrenched; they have Savior medikits, smoke grenades, high base DR, and Brawler to keep them alive in a variety of situations. Offensively they're the weakest of Exalt's forces with unaugmented Assault Rifles, but can still be a nuisance when pelting you turn after turn with small shots.

Bounty: 2 Meld

Armor: Exalt Vanguards have 60% armor converted from their health.

	Mobility	HP	Damage	Pen	Aim	Crit	Will	Defense	Base DR	Perks
Attributes	8	10	4	0	60	20	40	0	20	Lock N' Load  Field Medic  Smoke and Mirrors  Grit  Brawler  Savior  Deflection Shield

Attribute Increases occur on each Alien Level increase (starting at AL 3):

1.5 HP, 0.25 damage, 3 aim

At Alien Level 15 (max) they gain 8x those stats, plus 30 Pen and 30 Base DR.

Leaders:

Vanguard Officer

Vanguard Spearhead

Vanguard Warden

Exalt Vanguard leaders gain a modest amount of stats as well as gaining extra defensive prowess in the form of Shadowstep and Awareness.

Leader Name	Leader Level	Bonus Damage	Bonus HP	Bonus Aim	Bonus Will	Additional Perks
Vanguard Officer	1	+1	+4	+5	+20	Steadfast
Vanguard Spearhead	3	+2	+8	+10	+40	Shadowstep
Vanguard Warden	6	+3	+12	+30	+60	Awareness

Exalt SHIV

Appears	Level 1
Ammo: 2

Skills

Standard Shot

Overwatch

Exalt SHIVs act much the same as their XCOM counterparts, even gaining many of the same perks that modules and SHIV Advancements normally provide. Just like XCOM's variant, they can be used as cover by both Exalt and XCOM alike, although that cover won't benefit you from the shots that the SHIV itself takes at you.

Exalt SHIVs are the only mechanical enemies that show up on Exalt missions, so it may be worth carrying a spare Arc Rifle or Arc Pistol to manage them. Exalt SHIVs will prove to be very tanky if the squad lacks a clear anti-mechanical solution, and they output much more damage compared to regular Exalt soldiers, especially the leader variants.

It's also worth noting that Exalt SHIVs are just as immobile as XCOM's, and cannot access high ground in any way besides a ramp, stairs, or small ledges (unless they happen to already be there at mission start). As you might expect, they also cannot panic, but can trigger panic in other Exalt soldiers upon destruction. Unlike other exalt units, SHIVs do not have Lock N' Load unless they are a Mk III leader or above, which can make relay hacks a reliable way to stall their damage in earlier ALs.

Bounty: Shiv Chassis

Armor: Exalt SHIVs have 50% armor converted from their health.

	Mobility	HP	Damage	Pen	Aim	Crit	Will	Defense	Base DR	Perks
Attributes	7.3	24	6	0	55	0	0	25	30	Hardened  Repair Servos

Attribute Increases occur on each Alien Level increase (starting at AL 3):

1 HP, 0.5 damage, 1.5 aim

At Alien Level 15 (max) they gain 8x those stats, plus 30 Pen and 30 Base DR.

Leaders:

SHIV Mk II-IV

UHIV

Exalt SHIV leaders are unlike other leaders and carry over all perks from previous leader ranks, with the initial leader starting with Holo Rounds. They gain a suite of both offensive and defensive perks, letting them shoot more frequently and with greater effect while also being much tankier. They're likely to be the biggest individual threat you come across on your typical Exalt mission. The UHIV is a special leader which can (and will) only spawn on the EXALT Base Assault.

Holo Rounds

Holo Rounds

Firing at a target holos them for 3 turns [Prevents stealth, incoming shots gain +10 aim and +10 penetration].

Leader Name	Leader Level	Bonus Damage	Bonus HP	Bonus Aim	Bonus Will	Additional Perks
SHIV Mk II	1	+1	+2	+10	-
SHIV Mk III	3	+2	+2	+15	-	Alien Shred  Lock N' Load
SHIV Mk IV	6	+4	+2	+20	-	Alien Shred  Lock N' Load  Reactive Targeting Sensors  Damage Control
UHIV	9	+8	+19	+40	-	Alien Shred  Lock N' Load  Reactive Targeting Sensors  Damage Control  Absorption Fields  Light 'Em Up  Sentry  Opportunist  Fortified

Exalt Elite Operative

Appears	Level 6
Ammo: 3

Skills

Standard Shot

Overwatch

Hunker Down

Exalt Elite Operatives are much like their regular counterparts, but with improved stats all-around and the addition of Enhanced Metabolism. This makes them significantly more deadly and difficult to finish off without sources of guaranteed damage or large accuracy bonuses if they can't be killed from above half health in a single shot. Additionally, all Elite Exalt also possess Steadfast, so they won't panic in any way.

Bounty: 2 Meld

Armor: Exalt Elite Operatives have 40% armor converted from their health.

	Mobility	HP	Damage	Pen	Aim	Crit	Will	Defense	Base DR	Perks
Attributes	8	10	6	0	70	20	30	0	10	Steadfast  Lock N' Load  Close Encounters  Repulsor  Opportunist  Enhanced Metabolism

Attribute Increases occur on each Alien Level increase (starting at AL 7):

0.5 HP, 0.25 damage, 4 aim, 4 crit

At Alien Level 15 (max) they gain 8x those stats, plus 30 Pen and 30 Base DR.

Leaders:

Elite Operative Spec Ops

Elite Operative Mechanic

Elite Operative Striker

Exalt Commander Iago Van Doorn

Much like their regular counterpart, Elite Operative leaders gain a modest amount of stats as well as large crit damage increases through Critical System Targeting and Aggression.

Exalt Commander Iago Van Doorn deserves a special mention here, as he serves as the boss of the Exalt Base Assault and exclusively shows up there. Packing immensely increased stats, most gene mods, Overwatch immunity on shooting and movement, and his own powerful Overwatches, Iago is a menace for any squad, prepared or not. Concussion Grenades are invaluable for locking him down, and a strong tank will be necessary to mitigate his damage. Like other champions, the Plasma Shield will ensure that he gets a chance to act, especially given that the Exalt HQ often forces players to fight from the helipad with little room for retreat. Enhanced Metabolism is even more concerning here, given the sheer durability of Iago; activating this at the wrong time can spell death for your squad. Iago is likely to be one of the strongest, if not the strongest individual enemy you encounter before the final mission, so be careful Commander.

Leader Name	Leader Level	Bonus Damage	Bonus HP	Bonus Aim	Bonus Will	Additional Perks
Elite Operative Spec Ops	1	+1	+5	+5	+20
Elite Operative Mechanic	3	+2	+10	+10	+40	Critical System Targeting
Elite Operative Striker	6	+3	+20	+20	+60	Aggression
Exalt Commander Iago Van Doorn	9	+12	+40	+40	+120	Deflection Shield  Ready For Anything  Sentinel  Shadowstep  Snapshot  Grit  Iron Skin  Neural Damping  Smart Macrophages  Regenesis  Advanced Perception  Muscle Amp  Critical System Targeting  Aggression

Exalt Elite Marksman

Appears	Level 6
Ammo: 3

Skills

Standard Shot

Overwatch

Hunker Down

Exalt Elite Marksmen are much the same as their non-elite counterparts, with improved stats and the addition of Muscle Fiber Density genemod allowing for more high-ground use and more flanks. Very few soldiers can survive a flank shot from an Elite Marksman, so be on the lookout!

Bounty: 2 Meld

Armor: Exalt Elite Marksmen have 10% armor converted from their health.

	Mobility	HP	Damage	Pen	Aim	Crit	Will	Defense	Base DR	Perks
Attributes	6.6	6	7	15	80	35	15	0	0	Steadfast  Lock N' Load  Squadsight  Eagle Eye  Executioner  Holo Rounds  Muscle Amp  Predictive Tracking

Attribute Increases occur on each Alien Level increase (starting at AL 7):

0.5 HP, 0.5 damage, 5 aim, 5 crit

At Alien Level 15 (max) they gain 8x those stats, plus 30 Pen and 30 Base DR.

Leaders:

Elite Marksman Scout

Elite Marksman Deadeye

Elite Marksman Assassin

Elite Marksman Eliminator

Much like their regular counterpart, Elite Marksman leaders gain a modest amount of stats (primarily offensive), Low Profile, as well as large situational damage increases. Eliminators become much more offensively threatening due to Light 'Em Up allowing two shots per turn.

Leader Name	Leader Level	Bonus Damage	Bonus HP	Bonus Aim	Bonus Will	Additional Perks
Elite Marksman Scout	1	+1	+3	+10	+20	Low Profile
Elite Marksman Deadeye	3	+2	+6	+20	+40	Bring 'Em On
Elite Marksman Assassin	6	+3	+9	+30	+60	Vital Point Targeting
Elite Marksman Eliminator	8	+8	+12	+40	+80	Light 'Em Up

Exalt Elite Heavy

Appears	Level 6
Ammo: 4

Skills

Standard Shot

Suppression

Overwatch

Hunker Down

Exalt Elite Heavies are like the other elites, in that they're an improvement on their regular form but not all that much different. Heavies are blessed with Iron Skin which makes them significantly tankier, even against flanks. A bit of penetration on your weapons will go a long way, as well as crit chance increases.

Bounty: 2 Meld

Armor: Exalt Elite Heavies have 60% armor converted from their health.

	Mobility	HP	Damage	Pen	Aim	Crit	Will	Defense	Base DR	Perks
Attributes	5.3	16	9	0	55	0	20	0	10	Steadfast  Lock N' Load  Will to Survive  Danger Zone  Sentry  Holo Rounds  Iron Skin  Suppression Tactics

Attribute Increases occur on each Alien Level increase (starting at AL 7):

1.5 HP, 0.25 damage, 3 aim

At Alien Level 15 (max) they gain 8x those stats, plus 30 Pen and 30 Base DR.

Leaders:

Elite Heavy Breaker

Elite Heavy Bulwark

Elite Heavy Demolisher

Elite Heavy Enforcer

Much like their regular counterpart, Elite Heavy leaders gain a modest amount of stats (mostly defensive) as well as becoming more threatening overall with Shredder and eventually Critical System Targeting, and are even bulkier in cover.

Leader Name	Leader Level	Bonus Damage	Bonus HP	Bonus Aim	Bonus Will	Additional Perks
Elite Heavy Breaker	1	+1	+7	+5	+20	Alien Shred
Elite Heavy Bulwark	3	+2	+14	+10	+40	Tenacious Defense
Elite Heavy Demolisher	6	+3	+20	+15	+60	Critical System Targeting
Elite Heavy Enforcer	8	+8	+30	+20	+80	Sentry

Exalt Elite Vanguard

Appears	Level 6
Ammo: 3

Skills

Standard Shot

Overwatch

Hunker Down

Medikit Heal

Smoke Grenade

Exalt Elite Vanguards follow the same pattern as the other elites, being a stat improvement and the addition of a gene mod. In the Elite Vanguard's case, this takes the form of Smart Macrophages, making shred and corrosion useless against them. When combined with Grit, this can make finishing off Elite Vanguards difficult; make sure to have a plan for when they get low, or burst them from full health to begin with!

Bounty: 2 Meld

Armor: Exalt Elite Vanguards have 80% armor converted from their health.

	Mobility	HP	Damage	Pen	Aim	Crit	Will	Defense	Base DR	Perks
Attributes	8.6	20	6	0	70	20	60	0	40	Steadfast  Lock N' Load  Field Medic  Smoke and Mirrors  Grit  Brawler  Deflection Shield  Savior  Smart Macrophages

Attribute Increases occur on each Alien Level increase (starting at AL 3):

2 HP, 0.25 damage, 3.5 aim

At Alien Level 15 (max) they gain 8x those stats, plus 30 Pen and 30 Base DR.

Leaders:

Elite Vanguard Officer

Elite Vanguard Spearhead

Elite Vanguard Warden

Elite Vanguard Sentinel

Much like their regular counterpart, Elite Vanguard leaders gain a modest amount of stats as well as gaining extra defensive prowess in the form of Shadowstep and Awareness. Sentinels become a much more relevant offensive threat due to the addition of Sentinel and Opportunist to suddenly turn Ready For Anything from a nuisance to a huge threat.

Leader Name	Leader Level	Bonus Damage	Bonus HP	Bonus Aim	Bonus Will	Additional Perks
Elite Vanguard Officer	1	+1	+4	+5	+20
Elite Vanguard Spearhead	3	+2	+7	+10	+40	Shadowstep
Elite Vanguard Warden	6	+3	+10	+30	+60	Awareness
Elite Vanguard Sentinel	8	+7	+15	+40	+80	Sentinel  Opportunist