Your soldiers' actions on the battlefield can influenced by their individual abilities, which are given by their rank, class, equipment and/or perks purchased through the Officer Training School.
Class & Rank Abilities
These are special perks available to each class and rank. Up reaching a certain rank a soldier has to choose exclusively between two abilities. Click on each column to sort contents alphabetically.
Assault Abilties
| Ability |
Rank Required |
Description
|
| Run & Gun |
Squaddie |
Allows firing or Overwatch after Dashing on the turn Run & Gun is activated. 3 turn cooldown.
|
| Aggression |
Corporal A |
Confers +10% critical chance per enemy in sight (max +30%).
|
| Tactical Sense |
Corporal B |
Confers +5 Defense per enemy in sight (max +20).
|
| Close & Personal |
Sergeant A |
Confers +30% critical chance against adjacent targets. The bonus declines with distance from the target.
|
| Lightning Reflexes |
Sergeant B |
Forces the first reaction shot against this unit each turn to miss.
|
| Flush |
Lieutenant A |
Fire a shot that causes enemies to run out of cover. The shot is easy to hit with, but does reduced damage.
|
| Rapid Fire |
Lieutenant B |
Take two shots against a single target in quick succession. Each shot carries a ??? penalty to Aim.
|
| Bring 'Em On |
Captain A |
Adds ??? damage on critical hits for each enemy the squad can see (up to ???).
|
| Close Combat Specialist |
Captain B |
Confers a reaction shot against any enemy who closes to within 4 tiles. Does not require overwatch.
|
| Extra Conditioning |
Major |
Confers bonus health based on which type of armor is equipped. Heavier armor increases the bonus.
|
| Killer Instinct |
Colonel A |
Activating Run & Gun now also grants +???% critical damage for the rest of the turn.
|
| Resilience |
Colonel B |
Confers immunity to critical hits.
|
| Ready For Anything |
Disabled |
Allows Overwatch after shooting, even if no actions remain. - Appears listed with the rest of the Heavy perks, but it's disabled on the demo.
|
Heavy Abilities
| Ability |
Rank Required |
Description
|
| Fire Rocket |
Squaddie |
Fire a rocket using an equipped launcher. This ability can not be used after moving, nor more than once per mission.
|
| Bullet Swarm |
Corporal A |
Firing the primary weapon as the first action no longer ends the turn.
|
| HEAT Ammo |
Corporal B |
+100% to damage against robotic enemies.
|
| HEAT Ammo |
Corporal B |
All attacks do double damage against robotic enemies. Rocket upgrade
|
| Suppression |
Sergeant A |
Can fire a special shot that grants reaction fire at a single target. The target also suffers a -30 Aim penalty. a.k.a. Focused Supression in the demo files. It's possible that there are 2 perks using the same text, but with different percentages.
|
| Shredder Rocket |
Sergeant B |
Fire a rocket that causes all enemies hit to take +33% damage from all sources for the next 4 turns. The rocket's blast is weaker than a standard rocket's.
|
| Rapid Reaction |
Lieutenant A |
Confers a second reaction shot, if on Overwatch and the first reaction shot is a hit.
|
| Grenadier |
Lieutenant B |
Allows to carry 2 grenades in a single inventory slot.
|
| Danger Zone |
Captain A |
Increases hit area of rockets and suppression by 2 tiles.
|
| Holo-Targeting |
Captain B |
Shooting at or suppressing enemies also confers a +10 Aim to any allies' attacks on those enemies. a.k.a. Tracer Beam in the demo's files.
|
| Will to Survive |
Major |
Reduces all normal damage taken by ??? if in cover and not flanked.
|
| Rocketeer |
Colonel A |
Allows a second use of Fire Rocket in each mission. - Also contains the name First Blood on the code. a.k.a. First Blood on the demo files.
|
| Mayhem |
Colonel B |
Confers additional damage based on weapon tech level to Suppression and all area-effect abilities.
|
| Rocketeer |
Hero? |
Allows ??? additional standard rocket to be fired per battle. - Almost the same but above one uses a different ingame name, possibly allowing for even more rockets. A different perk? Or could it be meant for Support?
|
| Improved Suppression |
Hero? |
Can fire a special shot that grants reaction fire at a single target. The target also suffers a -65 Aim penalty. It's possible that there's an upgrade to the suppression perk with different percentages.
|
Sniper Abilities
| Ability |
Rank Required |
Description
|
| Headshot |
Squaddie |
Fire a shot with +30% critical chance and extra damage on critical hits based on the tech level of the sniper rifle. 2 turn cooldown. a.k.a. Precision Shot.
|
| Squad Sight |
Corporal A |
Allows firing at targets in any ally's sight radius.
|
| Gunslinger |
Corporal B |
Confers 2 bonus damage with pistols.
|
| Damn Good Ground |
Sergeant B |
+10 Aim and +10 Defense against enemies at lower elevation in addition to the usual elevation bonuses.
|
| Snap Shot |
Sergeant A |
Removes the sniper rifle's restriction on firing and Overwatch after moving. Any shots taken suffer a -20 Aim penalty.
|
| Disabling Round |
Lieutenant A |
Allows the Sniper to fire a shot that causes the target's main weapon to malfunction. The target may use Reload to fix the weapon. The shot cannot inflict a critical hit. ??? turn cooldown.
|
| Battle Scanner |
Lieutenant B |
Scanning device, when thrown creates a new source of vision for 2 turns. Can only be used 2 times per battle.
|
| Opportunist |
Captain B |
Eliminates the Aim penalty on reaction shots, and allows reaction shots to cause critical hits.
|
| Executioner |
Captain A |
+10% Aim against targets with less than 50% Health.
|
| Low Profile |
Major |
Makes partial cover count as full.
|
| Double Tap |
Colonel A |
Both actions can be used for Standard/Precision/Disabling Shot. 2 turn cool down.
|
| In The Zone |
Colonel B |
Killing a flanked or uncovered target with the sniper rifle does not cost an action.
|
| Too Close For Comfort |
Hero? |
Aim penalty for close proximity is halved. - appears grouped with the rest of the Sniper class.
|
Support Abilities
| Ability |
Rank Required |
Description
|
| Smoke Grenade |
Squaddie |
Deploy a smoke grenade once per mission. The smoke confers +20 defense to all units, not just allies, and lasts during the enemy turn.
|
| Sprinter |
Corporal A |
Allows the support to move 3 additional tiles.
|
| Smoke and Mirrors |
Corporal B |
Allows ??? additional use of Smoke Grenade each mission.
|
| Covering Fire |
Sergeant A |
Allows reaction shot to trigger on enemy attacks, not just movement.
|
| Field Medic |
Sergeant B |
Allows medikits to be used 3 times per battle instead of once.
|
| Revive |
Lieutenant A |
Allows Medikits to revive critically wounded Soldiers at 33% of maximum health instead of just stabilizing them.
|
| Rifle Suppression |
Lieutenant B |
Fires a barrage that pins down a target, granting reaction fire against it and imposing a 30 penalty to aim.
|
| Combat Drugs |
Captain A |
Smoke Grenades now contain powerful stimulants that grant +??? Will and +???% critical chance for all units in the cloud.
|
| Dense Smoke |
Captain B |
Smoke Grenades have increased area of effect and further increase units' Defense by ???.
|
| Deep Pockets |
Major |
Confers an additional item slot in inventory.
|
| Savior |
Colonel A? |
Medikits restore ??? more health per use.
|
| Sentinel |
Colonel B? |
Allows two reaction shots during Overwatch, instead of only one.
|
| Improved Suppression |
Hero? |
Fires a barrage that pins down a target, granting reaction fire against it and imposing a ??? penalty to aim. - Speculation.
|
Psionic Abilities
| Ability |
Rank Required |
Description
|
| Mind Merge |
Trainee? |
Psionically assisting an ally, granting the ally an array of stat bonuses. - Very likely an ability restricted to aliens.
|
| Mindfray |
Specialist? |
Use psi abilities in combat to unlock further psi training. Causes the target to lose grip on reality, inflicting penalties to Aim, Will, and mobility, and doing ??? base damage. Robotic units are immune. Lasts ??? turns. ??? turn cooldown.
|
| Telekinetic Field |
Specialist? |
Create an immobile telekinetic field that lasts through the enemy turn. The field distorts and deflects incoming attacks, granting ??? Defense to both allies and enemies within the field. ??? turn cooldown.
|
| Psi Inspiration |
Operative? |
Removes Mindfray and panic from all allies within 3 tiles, and strengthen their Will by ??? for ??? turns. ??? turn cooldown.
|
| Psi Panic |
Operative? |
Cause target to panic on its following turn, if the target's Will is overcome. Robotic enemies are immune. ??? turn cooldown.
|
| Mind Control |
Volunteer? |
Very difficult psi technique that, if successful, grants control of the target for 5 turns. Robotic enemies are immune. ??? turn cooldown.
|
| Rift |
Volunteer? |
Devastate an area with a storm of psi energy. The rift does more damage against targets with low Will, and reduced damage against targets with high Will. ??? turn cooldown.
|
Race Abilities
Unknown Abilities (likely Alien)
| Ability |
Race |
Description
|
| Vengeance |
Panic? |
If an enemy does damage to you or another nearby soldier, you get a reaction shot (with pistol, if you have a flamethrower) against it.You get a reaction shot against any targetable enemy that does damage to you or another soldier -- including cases where the damage kills you.
|
| Elevated Ground |
All |
All units receive offensive bonuses against enemies on lower ground.
|
| Airborne |
|
Flying units can bypass ground obstacles. They can remain in flight if they have sufficient fuel.
|
| Greater Mind Merge |
Sectoid Commander |
Merge minds with all lesser allies of the same species nearby, granting them +??? critical chance and +??? health.
|
| Heat Wave |
Sectopod? |
Can fire a devastating long-range wave that scorches and destroys virtually anything in its path. Takes one turn to warm up.
|
| Cluster Bomb |
Sectopod? |
Mark a large area, and after one turn, saturate it with a barrage of explosive mini-bombs.
|
| Psi Lance |
Elder? |
Project a bolt of pure psi force at an enemy.
|
| Overload |
Cyberdisc? |
Overload the unit's own power source, destroying the unit but causing explosive damage similar to a grenade's.
|
| Psi Drain |
|
Drain health from an ally.
|
| Mind Control |
|
Very difficult psi technique that, if successful, grants control of the target for 3 turns. Does not work on robotic enemies.
|
| Repair |
Drone? |
Repairs robotic units.
|
| Cannon Fire |
Cyberdisc? |
Beam attack that causes high damage and grants free Overwatch. If the Sectopod does not move, Cannon Fire can be used twice (against different enemies).
|
| Blood Call |
|
Unleash a bestial roar that inspires nearby allies of the same species to greater speed, focus, and resolve for ??? turns. ??? turn cooldown.
|
| Evasion |
|
Enemies targeting this unit when it is airborne suffer a -??? Aim penalty.
|
| Intimidate |
|
Reacts unpredictably when wounded, provoking panic in enemies.
|
| Bloodlust |
Bezerker |
Allows the Berserker to charge an enemy that wounds it.
|
| Bull Rush |
Bezerker |
Charge in a straight line through cover to unleash a devastating melee attack
|
| Death Blossom |
|
Project an intense energy field from Closed position, damaging all nearby enemies.
|
| Launch |
Floater? |
Move anywhere on the battlefield in a single turn. Launch cannot be used indoors.
|
| Bombard |
Cyberdisc? |
Throw or launch grenades over exceptionally long distances.
|
| Leap |
Thin Man? |
Allows vertical leaps onto elevated surfaces during movement.
|
| Poison Spit |
Thin Man? |
Spit poison at long range, causing a noxious cloud to remain briefly on the battlefield.
|
| Poisonous Claws |
Chryssalid |
Poison enemies wounded with melee attacks.
|
| Implant |
Chryssalid |
Victims are implanted with a Chryssalid egg if they are killed by a Chryssalid's attack (not from poison caused by Poisonous Claws).
|
| Blitz |
Panic? |
If you kill an enemy during your action phase, then immediately after it ends you may take a regular shot.
|
| Modern Foxhole |
|
You can use a gadget to create a force shield that blocks movement and provides partial cover. It expires after 3 turns, or can be turned off. It can be destroyed by enemy weapon fire.
|
| Head Down |
Civilian |
Civilians can duck their heads and crouch for a small Defense bonus, even when not in cover.
|
| Torch |
|
?????
|
| Mark |
|
?????
|
| Command |
|
Give a free move to any squadmate that has ended their turn.
|
| Aim |
|
Increase Aim by ? for 2 turns
|
| ' |
|
'
|
(ingame descriptions appear on Italic text)
Officer Training School Abilities
These abilities can be obtained/purchased through building an Officer Training School. They have a monetary cost and require specific ranks to be purchased/activated.
| Ability | Rank Required | Description |
|---|
| Wet Work | Sergeant | +25% experience gained from kills |
| Squad Size I | Sergeant | Squad size increased to 5 soldiers |
| Rapid Recovery | Lieutenant | Soldiers heal twice as fast from wounds taken in combat |
| Squad Size II | Captain | Squad size increased to 6 soldiers. |
| Iron Will | Major | Soldiers receive a larger Will bonus each time they are promoted |
| New Guy | Major | New soldiers are automatically promoted to the "Squaddie" rank |
| Don't Die On Me | Colonel | The higher the rank, the more likely the soldier will be critically wounded instead of killed |
Equipment Abilities
These are specific abilities provided by the presence or use of selected equipment.
Stabilize
| Ability | Equipment Required | Description |
|---|
| Heal Wound | Medikit | Use the Medikit to heal up to 4 Health Points or 8 points if the soldier is Support class |
| Stabilize | Medikit | Prevents a critically injured soldier from bleeding out. |
| Grapple Hook | Skeleton Suit
Ghost Armor | Use the grappling hook to reach high locations |
| Stealth? | Ghost Armor
| The Ghost Armor's stealth systems can be activated up to 4 times per battle. Activating Ghost Mode does not cost an action or end the wearer's turn. The wearer becomes invisible to enemies, but must re-activate Ghost Mode each turn to remain so. Firing from stealth confers a large bonus to critical hit chance. |
| Stun | Arc Thrower
| Can incapacitate enemy targets. Higher chance if the target's health is at 3 HP or below. |
See Also
Soldiers
Soldier Classes
Equipment