Missions (LWR)
In General
When a mission appears in the Mission Control room you have a certain amount of time to deploy to it before it disappears. You can only engage in one mission at a time and it takes time to travel to and from missions.
Any soldier lost will have a 10% chance to lose each piece of equipment.
Squad Sizes
Squad sizes in Long War Rebalance vary depending on the mission type.
| Mission Type | Squad Size |
|---|---|
| Crashed/Landed UFO Missions, DLC Missions, and Base Assaults | 8 |
| Abductions, Terror Missions, and Council Missions | 6 |
| Scuttle Rush Missions | 4 |
| Covert Op Data Recovery Missions | 5 + 1 Covert Op |
| Covert Op Extractions | 3 + 1 Covert Op |
| Temple Assault | 12/10/8/6/6 (based on Difficulty) |
Deploying less than the maximum number of soldiers grants each soldier that participates in a successful mission a flat xp bonus. For more information click here: Mission Experience.
Rewards
All missions reward bounties for most aliens killed and usually some form of panic reduction for a successful mission. Most missions have meld canisters present which can be manually collected to get their meld immediately or automatically collected if the mission is completed before they expire. UFO Missions and Alien Base Assaults reward extra scavenged resources of alloy (based on the type of UFO) and elerium (based on recovered UFO Power Cylinders). Council missions will have set rewards that can include scientists, engineers, credits or other resources, and reward soldiers.
The rewards will increase in value by 10% per month of the campaign and are modified based on the campaign length.
Fast Completion
Any abduction, terror, or council mission that is completed quickly has a chance to have the council offer a 100-200 credit bonus.
The percent chance is:
2 x (2 x Num_Aliens - Turns_Passed)
The Turns_Passed for Fast Completion rewards on abduction missions and terror missions are decreased by 6 (made harder by requiring less turns) but then increased by 1 for every 2 hours remaining when arriving at a mission.
The bonus increases in value by 5% per month of the campaign and is modified based on the campaign length.
Meld
The yield of meld canisters follows approximately this formula:
Base Meld Reward = 4 * (4 + Alien Level) * (Difficulty Modifier)
Difficulty Modifier is (1.2/1.1/1.0/0.9/0.8) for Easy/.../Pain
The meld is modified based on the campaign length.
All meld canisters slowly leak so their reward is also modified based on how fresh they are:
Meld Reward = Base Meld Reward * (0.5 + (Turns Remaining / 5.0))
Note: If an abduction or UFO mission has fewer than 3 meld canisters (by design), quick completions will result in obtaining extra canisters of meld at the end of the mission.
Abductions
Reward for Succeeding: credits/scientists/engineers/soldiers (see below), -4 panic in country, and -2 panic in continent (both modified by Campaign Length)
Penalty for Failure: +4 alien research, +14 country panic (modified by current country panic), and +4 continent panic (both modified by Campaign Length)
Expiration Time: 12 hours
Alien Abductions are generated by an Abductor and are an Alien Mission that occurs a few times a month (depending on Campaign Length).
For every 3 hours the abduction is active the aliens have a 20% chance to generate +4 panic in that country
Each time the aliens successfully land an abductor on an abduction mission XCOM will be notified, regardless of where in the world they land. The aliens will attempt 2 sets of 2 abductions spaced a day apart (upped to 2 sets of 3 abductions at 6 months in). XCOM will only have time to respond to 1 of the abductions from each set as the others from that set will expire after one is attempted, so a commander must choose wisely.
The maps for each abduction will be chosen randomly, but smaller maps will be filtered out of more dense abductions.
The density of the abduction can be Light(0) -> Moderate(1) -> Heavy(2) -> Swarming(3). Having high panic makes it easier for the aliens to mount denser abduction missions.
Some abductions will be a Pack Missions. The chance is the density(0-3) x 10%. These abductions will contain primarily a single type of alien and will have the rewards of heavy missions.
The number of aliens at the abduction site depends on the density of the abduction and other factors:
| Condition | Base Number of Aliens |
|---|---|
| Light | 6-7 |
| Moderate | 8-10 |
| Heavy | 11-13 |
| Pack | 11-16 |
| Swarming | 14-16 |
Abductions usually have their aliens split into 2 pods, but high Incursion Strength can lead to them being split into 3 pods.
Under the alien activity display (see image on right) it will list the density of the abduction, the current level of the aliens, and possibly 1 or 2 + signs. One + sign means that there is either increased aliens due to alien resources being high, or increased alien leader levels due to alien aggression being high. Two + signs means both of those.
An abduction which is not stopped by XCOM causes panic in the target country and continent, and provides the aliens with additional research. The panic increase is higher if the abduction was conducted in a country with less panic.
| Panic in Abduction Country | Country/Continent Panic Amount |
|---|---|
| 0-20 | +22 / +4 |
| 21-40 | +18 / +4 |
| 41-100 | +14 / +4 |
| Campaign Length | x2 / x1 / x0.5 / x0.25 |
Note that the country panic will increase by the amount of the country panic and continent panic combined as the country is always in the continent
All abduction maps that don't have 3 meld canisters will receive additional meld up to a possible 3 canisters if finished in quickly. The result is that on average, all maps have a similar meld yield.
Rewards
Completing an abduction mission has a chance to grant a reward of credits, scientists, engineers, or a soldier, each with the following amounts:
| Reward | Amount |
|---|---|
| Credits | (80 + Rand(40)) * Abduction Density (0.25/0.75/2.0/4.0) Final Result increased by 10% per month |
| Scientists | 1 Moderate or Denser: a 10% chance for another +1 Heavy/Pack or Denser: +2 and a 30% chance for another +1 Swarming: +2 and a 50% chance for another +1 Final Result increased by 10% per month |
| Engineers | 1 Moderate or Denser: a 10% chance for another +1 Heavy/Pack or Denser: +2 and a 30% chance for another +1 Swarming: +2 and a 50% chance for another +1 Final Result increased by 10% per month |
| Soldier (Only Heavy or Denser) |
Soldier Rank = 1 + Month/3 + Rand[2 * Abduction Density (3/4)] (The rank cannot exceed your highest ranked soldier (0-7)) |
Note that all rewards (or chances for rewards) are modified by campaign lengths except soldier rewards (accommodates for more soldiers lost on longer campaigns)
Terror Sites
Reward for Succeeding: 20 credits per civilian saved (modified by Campaign Length) (+5% per month), reduced country and continent panic (possibly increased panic if not enough civilians saved) (modified by Campaign Length)
Penalty for Failure: Loss of Country
Expiration Time: 12 hours
During Terror Missions you are required to eliminate all hostiles and save as many of the 18 civilians that you can. Aliens, who are active, but can see no XCOM soldiers, will target civilians. As well, each alien out of line of sight will have a chance to kill multiple civilians every turn that passes. This means that XCOM should try to engage all pods quickly and stay within sight of active aliens as much as possible if they want to minimize casualties. This can lead to some unwinnable situations though, so the balance between being aggressive and saving civilians vs being cautious and saving XCOM will likely vary mission to mission.
For every 3 hours the terror site is active the aliens have a 20% chance to generate +4 panic in that country
Terror missions will start with 1 civilian dead if the aliens at the terror site are given 2 hours before XCOM arrives. Additionally, another civilian will be found dead for every hour after that, these deaths are mentioned in the log as well (press L ingame).
Terror missions will automatically generate 30 panic in the target country, and 8 panic across the same continent. However, each civilian saved will decrease the panic generated by the mission by 2 in the target country and 0.6 across the continent. Additionally, each civilian saved in a country will award 20 credits. Both the panic alterations and bonus credits are modified by campaign length (2.0/1.0/0.5/0.25). The credit reward increases by 10% each month.
A Terror Site which is not stopped by XCOM causes the target country to immediately leave the Council of Nations and generates 20 continental panic (modified by Campaign Length).
Terror Sites are generated by a very large assault carrier UFO landing, preceded by a large terror ship scouting the target country. Each time the AL increases, the rate that terror missions appear increases by 10% (stacking geometrically).
All leader levels are increased by 1 during terror missions, and every pod on terror missions will have a guaranteed leader: if a leader fails to spawn due to rng (check Alien Leaders), the game will force it to be a level 1 leader regardless.
Aliens at Terror Sites:
| Pod | Details |
|---|---|
| Chryssalid | 2-3 + 1 on july, increasing every 4 months |
| Chryssalid | 1-2 |
| Zombie | 50% chance to appear, contains 2-3 zombies |
| Extra Aliens | 5 + 1 for each previous terror mission (up to a max of 6/7/8/9/10 based on difficulty) |
| If extra aliens are numerous enough, they can be split into multiple pods | |
UFO Sites
UFO sites are unique missions in that they will always have a command pod consisting of two or more outsiders. These outsiders have the Growth perk meaning waiting to engage them can result in them becoming very strong. As well, any activated outsiders will call all other enemies on the map to their location, making dealing with multiple pods quite common. The choice of whether to engage the outsiders early when they are weak or to clear out the rest of the map first is up to the commander.
After getting the Advanced Scavenging foundry project, the player has the option to send additional salvage teams (at a cost) at the end of the mission. They will yield additional fragments, alloys, elerium and with a random cost proportional to the size of the resource haul.
Starting in July, UFO missions will have guaranteed enemies:
- Jul/Aug = Cyberdisc
- Sep/Oct = Mechtoid
- Nov/Dec = Sectoid Commander + Muton Elite
- Jan+ = Ethereal + Muton Elite
The UFO Class (see image on right) will list the type of UFO (unknown will show a ?), current Alien Level, boosted Alien Level, as well as give 1 or 2 + signs.
The boosted Alien Level (number in brackets beside the current alien level) grants the units the Attribute Increases from a higher Alien Level. The boosted Alien Level does not affect what types of enemies will be present.
As an example, if the listing is 4(7) the boosted Alien Level is 7 which is 3 higher than 4 (the actual Alien Level). Thus, the aliens will have Attribute Increases as if they were Alien Level 7'.
The result is that large increases in a boosted Alien Level can be very dangerous and difficult missions.
One + sign means that there is either increased aliens due to incursion strength being high or increased alien leader levels due to alien aggression being high. Two + signs means both.
UFO Crash Site
Reward for Succeeding: UFO equipment and resources (with damage), -2 panic in country
Penalty for Failure: 4 panic in country
Expiration Time: 36 hours
When a UFO is shot down and not destroyed, a UFO Crash Site mission becomes available. Completion of a UFO Crash Site mission rewards the player with the possibility of recovering valuable components from the UFO; however, a crashed UFO may have some of it's precious artifacts destroyed or damaged.
Enemies on crashed UFOs will sometimes receive a wound. The amount of aliens wounded on a crash is random, with 50% of units rolling to be wounded by 25-75% of their HP. The longer XCOM delays deployment, the fewer aliens will be wounded, and injured units will lose less HP on average.
UFO Scuttle Rush
Reward for Succeeding: UFO equipment and resources (with damage), -2 panic in country
Penalty for Failure: 4 panic in country
Expiration Time: 2 hours
Later in the game, when a UFO is shot down and not destroyed, there is a chance a Scuttle Rush mission becomes available. This is similar to a UFO Crash Mission but the aliens are now severely injured are are attempting to scuttle the UFO to prevent XCOM from gaining any resources. This will not occur for Overseer UFOs.
The chance a shot down UFO becomes a Scuttle Rush mission is: (Alien Level - 4) * 10%
In order to succeed, XCOM must engage the aliens attempting to scuttle the UFO (Outsiders) within a certain number of turns. The base number of turns are 5/7/10 for small/medium/large UFOs with +1 turn for every 2 Alien Levels.
If XCOM fails to engage them within the time limit, the UFO will detonate, destroying nearby aliens (and XCOM) and destroying any resources from the UFO. XCOM can still finish the mission by eliminating the remaining aliens but it will count as a failed mission.
Enemies on Scuttle Rush missions will be severely wounded. The amount of aliens wounded on a crash is somewhat random, with all units losing 70-80% of their HP. As well, all enemies on a Scuttle Rush mission will be unable to be Prepared. Last, aliens on Scuttle Rushes start with 6 stacks of heal fatigue to prevent them from actively healing quickly.
UFO Landing Site
Reward for Succeeding: UFO equipment and resources (pristine), -2 panic in country
Penalty for Failure: 4 panic in country, UFO mission completion
Expiration Time: 16 hours
Some UFO missions will involve a landing. Whether or not this will be the case can often be determined by looking at the UFO's altitude (NOE altitude often means it will land). If you allow the UFO to land it will either generate a terror mission, an abduction, or simply a landing site. It may actually be in your interests to let NOE-flying UFOs land, as (a) it will save your interceptor craft some damage, and (b) it will net you a lot more salvage, including intact flight computers and power sources. On the other hand, it may be on a bombing mission. Successfully assaulting a landed UFO will also stop the alien mission from being completed.
For every 3 hours the mission is active the aliens have a 20% chance to generate +4 panic in that country
The command pod may not be on the bridge. This is so you won't know exactly where this pod is, and thus won't be able to prepare a blitzkrieg to take it out.
Landed UFOs are both more difficult and more rewarding than crashed UFOs. This is because there are no enemies killed or wounded and none of the alien artifacts on the UFO will start damaged. Undamaged UFO power source cylinders are one of the best sources of elerium.
Council Missions
Council missions have also been modified, mostly to the tune of larger numbers of enemies, both seeded and airdropped. Airdrop spawns may be random, and include enemies other than Thin Men.
Council missions will occur every 15-30 days (modified by campaign length).
Drop-in aliens will increase based on difficulty and for each month that has passed.
Site Recon
Condition for Succeeding: Trigger the air strike and reach the EVAC zone
Reward for Succeeding: Variable, bonus +200 mission xp for each surviving unit
Penalty for Failure: +15 country panic, +5 continent panic (modified by campaign length)
Expiration Time: 3 hours
The Chryssalid Hive is not exclusively populated by Shark-lids and free-roaming Chryssalids anymore. You may find other aliens have been invited to the party too. Keep an eye on your ammo and move your troops carefully. Unlike vanilla, think twice before skipping this mission lest you be punished for your negligence.
Note that you cannot recover any corpses from the mission.
Target Extraction
Condition for Succeeding: VIP reaches the EVAC zone
Reward for Succeeding: Variable, Van Doorn, Friendly, Watson, Green
Penalty for Failure: +15 country panic, +5 continent panic (modified by campaign length)
Expiration Time: 3 hours
Rescuing Peter Van Doorn will now add him to your roster. Just remember that it's not fair if he has all the fun.
Target Escort
Condition for Succeeding: VIP reaches the EVAC zone
Reward for Succeeding: Scientists, Engineers, Credits, possibly Carlock
Penalty for Failure: +15 country panic, +5 continent panic (modified by campaign length)
Expiration Time: 3 hours
Escort Dr. Marazuki, Sgt. Carlock or Mr. Thorne to the Skyranger, while killing all hostiles.
Asset Recovery
Condition for Succeeding: Kill all aliens
Reward for Succeeding: Scientists, Engineers, Significant Credits, Cache of Alloys or Elerium
Penalty for Failure: +15 country panic, +5 continent panic (modified by campaign length)
Expiration Time: 3 hours
Eliminate all hostiles and secure the asset.
Bomb Disposal
Condition for Succeeding: Defuse the bomb
Reward for Succeeding: Scientists, Engineers, Significant Credits, -4 continent panic (modified by campaign length), 1 UFO Power Source (modified by campaign length; requires killing all enemies)
Penalty for Failure: +15 country panic, +5 continent panic (modified by campaign length)
Expiration Time: 3 hours
With the help of power nodes to gain time (+2 turns per power node), find the Bomb and deactivate it.
DLC Missions
The DLC missions include the Slingshot and Progeny missions. Each DLC consists of a set of 3 missions which require success on each previous mission in order for the next to spawn.
The date for the DLC missions to occur in LWR is somewhat randomized and not predictable.
Slingshot
|
Friends in Low Places | Shaojie Zhang, a Triad operative from China, has decided to defect to XCOM and is requesting pickup. He brings with him a mysterious briefcase containing alien technology.
Zhang must be escorted to the extraction zone through a graveyard. Completing this mission sees Zhang join XCOM. The airdrops roll normally, including Chryssalids. Condition for Succeeding: Zhang reaches the EVAC zone |
|---|---|---|
|
Confounding Light | The equipment provided by Zhang proves to be navigational aids for an alien battleship approaching China. XCOM must plant these beacons on a train to send it off-course.
This mission plays similar to a bomb disposal, in that your units must "activate" transponders on the train before finally heading to the engine cabin and having it leave the station. There is a time limit of 10 turns (which is not extended as you proceed). Note that with all transponders activated, reaching the engine cabin controls on the train immediately ends the mission. The enemy pods roll normally, but the airdrops consist almost exclusively of Mutons. Condition for Succeeding: A soldier reaches the engine cabin controls with all transponders activated |
|
Gangplank | The alien battleship has been brought low, and XCOM plans to capture the whole thing from the air. Your squad must move through the ship, disabling its engines to bring it to the ground with minimal damage. This can either be done in a manner similar to bomb diffusing or via the use of explosives.
This mission rewards XCOM with a Fusion Core required for certain advanced technology. The enemy pods roll normally. The airdrops roll normally, including Chryssalids, Cyberdiscs and Mechtoids, some of which will drop from behind XCOM as they progress through the ship. Condition for Succeeding: All aliens are eliminated and all Power Conduits are disabled |
Progeny
|
Portent | The Council has been monitoring unusual reports about a hijack attempt on an unauthorized French military convoy. Although the alleged perpetrators were human, our intel indicates the aliens may also have been in the area. If true, this raises a number of questions about the cargo being moved. We'll need a squad to investigate; Central should have our complete report momentarily.
A French military convoy was caught in an ambush. The convoy's current status is unknown. Be prepared for anything. Success on this mission has Anton Smits join XCOM. There are various pods on the map, depending on the alien level. The airdrops roll normally. Condition for Succeeding: Anton Smits reaches the EVAC zone |
|---|---|---|
|
Deluge | The surviving EXALT operative has provided additional intel on the location of our missing transport vehicle, and not a moment too soon. It appears the aliens have cornered the truck on a dam in eastern France. If we're going to recover the cargo, we'll need to act fast.
The transport is stopped on a dam in France; it's likely the aliens have sabotaged the structure. They clearly consider this transport to be high value. Expect substantial opposition, including Mechtoids. Success on this mission has Annette Durand join XCOM. The enemy pods roll normally, but the airdrops consist almost exclusively of Sectoids, Mutons and Mechtoids. Condition for Succeeding: A soldier reaches the convoy where Annette Durand awaits |
|
Furies | The intelligence provided by Annette indicates the aliens are attempting to transfer at least three other captives in a remote area near the Alps. If each of these abductees harbors the same potential that Annette has demonstrated, it is imperative we do not allow the aliens to keep them captive.
The aliens are holding Annette's fellow abductees on their ship and will not easily let them go. Secure the captives as quickly as possible. Expect heavy resistance, including Berserkers. Success on this mission has the Furies join XCOM (depending upon who was saved). The enemy pods roll normally. The airdrops roll normally, including Mechtoids, Berserkers and Sectoid Commanders. Condition for Succeeding: All aliens are eliminated |
Exalt Missions
Exalt missions will be unique in that they will consist almost entirely of Exalt soldiers. These soldiers are similar to XCOM in their strength and weaknesses. As well, these missions require a Covert Operative to be deployed on site before the mission starts, and these Covert Operatives tend to be spawn separated from the rest of the squad.
Covert Operatives are restricted to Scouts, Infantry, Medics, and Engineers and cannot command other units or be commanded themselves. Covert Operatives gain the perk Fast and Furious. If the mission is skipped, the covert operative automatically dies, but unlike most other missions, running down its clock in geoscape has no inherent penalties.
After moving, if this unit still has AP remaining, the next non-movement idle-ending action costs 0 AP.
The quantity and quality of the EXALT pods generated during covert ops depends on the current AL and what kind of mission spawned.
Any pod that has a + sign next to it on the table below will gain an extra exalt unit of similar strength for every 20 Incursion Strength above 100 (for example, an IS value of 146 will lead to 2 extra regular or elite exalt soldiers spawning within the biggest pod depending on AL)
Exalt Covert Op Data Recovery
Condition for Succeeding: Transmitter is not destroyed and all Exalt are eliminated
Reward for Succeeding: 200 credits (halved if the encoder is lost), 40 meld (modified by campaign length)
Penalty for Failure: 4 country panic (modified by campaign length)
Expiration Time: 48 hours
These missions are similar to their vanilla equivalent. You field a squad of five and defend an encoder and transmitter. Exalt comm arrays are available for your covert operative to hack which will force all exalt on the map to reload before firing again. Reinforcements will continue throughout the mission so be prepared to fight from all flanks.
Due to the constant reinforcements and Exalt's desire to rush the encoder and transmitter, an ideal squad for this mission should involve units that can deal a lot of damage (especially to flanked units) and manage drop-in overwatch. This is because if you fail to deal enough damage, the reinforcements may quickly result in you facing insurmountable numbers of Exalt, forcing you to retreat or die.
The missions start with 2 medium-sized Exalt pods and 1 Exalt SHIV pod (AL4+ only). Reinforcements occur every 2 turns starting on the 3rd-4th turn and will occur 3 times. For the purpose of enemy spawns, this mission is considered roughly 1 AL behind the current value (the tables below account for this)
The Covert Operative is not required to survive for this mission to be a success.
Starting pods
| Alien Level |
Pod #1 | Pod #2 | Pod #3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-2-3 | 3 soldiers+ | 2 soldiers | N/A |
| 4-5-6 | 4 soldiers+ | 3 soldiers | 1 shiv |
| 7-8-9 | 2 elite soldiers+ | 2 elite soldiers | 2 shivs |
| 10+ | 5 elite soldiers+ | 2 elite soldiers | 3 shivs |
Exalt Covert Op Extraction
.png)
Condition for Succeeding: Covert Op reaches the evac zone with 3 towers hacked and 2 data sources
Reward for Succeeding: 100 credits, 30 meld (modified by campaign length)
Penalty for Failure: 4 country panic (modified by campaign length)
Expiration Time: 48 hours
In this mission type you are limited to only 3 soldiers and your Covert Operative. As such, you want to avoid getting into a prolonged firefight with Exalt; get your operative to the relays, hack them, and get out ASAP.
You must acquire 2 sets of data from the relays, which will always requiring the hacking of 3 arrays (the 2nd array will always contain no data).
An ideal squad will involve damage-dealers that can quickly sweep the site of the initial enemies while also surviving the first 2-3 waves of drop-ins.
The missions start with a small number of Exalt, of up to two different classes of Exalt soldiers. Approaching or activating relays has no effect on triggering reinforcements.
The first set of Exalt reinforcements now arrive on turn 4 -> 8 (on pain -> normal) and will reinforce again every 3 turns. Each time Exalt sends in reinforcements there will be an additional 2 units, meaning that they very quickly become unstoppable if you take too long. These reinforcements will be of the same two classes as the initial squad.
Example on Impossible:
2 units on turn 5, 4 units on turn 8, 6 units on turn 11, 8 units on turn 14, and 10 units on turn 17
Reinforcements will stop completely if you make it to turn 24. Due to the sheer number of possible reinforcements, it is advised to NOT try to fight all of the reinforcements, but simply activate the relays and retreat.
Starting pods
| Alien Level |
Pod #1 | Pod #2 | Pod #3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-3 | 2 soldiers+ | N/A | N/A |
| 4 | 3 soldiers+ | 1 soldiers | N/A |
| 5 | 4 soldiers+ | 2 soldiers | N/A |
| 6 | 5 soldiers+ | 3 soldiers | N/A |
| 7 | 3 soldiers+ | 1 elite soldier | N/A |
| 8 | 4 soldiers+ | 1 elite soldier | 1 shiv |
| 9 | 5 soldiers+ | 2 elite soldiers | 1 shiv |
| 10 | 2 elite soldiers+ | 2 elite soldiers | 1 shiv |
| 11 | 3 elite soldiers+ | 2 elite soldiers | 1 shiv |
| 12+ | 4 elite soldiers+ | 2 elite soldiers | 1 shiv |
Exalt Base Assault
.png)
Condition for Succeeding: All enemies eliminated
Reward for Succeeding: 1250 credits, Illuminator Gunsight, Cognitive Enchancer, Neuroregulator, 400 meld, -10 Worldwide Panic
Penalty for Failure: Country harboring the base leaves immediately, or if it already left, the rest of the continent gets large panic increases. Exalt also performs a Propaganda mission, which increases panic in a random country.
Expiration Time: Does not expire
The Exalt base is crawling with 4 pods of elite Exalt, each containing an Exalt General (or Exalt Commander Iago Van Doorn) and 2 supporting Exalt units. There will also be an Exalt SHIV pod (containing UHIV) and 2 alien pods, a Muton Elite leader, and a Sectoid Commander leader with one supporting alien (16 aliens in total).
The Exalt base is in a large cubic map, in an office/residence atop a Skyscraper. You are dropped off near a helipad. Inside consists of a foyer, that splits to a library/sitting room and a sparse Situation Room (where Annette's photo is visible), and to a large sunken central room (with surrounding high hallways) with EXALT's own bootleg Hologlobe. There are paths that reach around on the outside of the building on the perimeter. The layout of the map is mostly symmetrical. The roof is accessible, and you may have some success firing down through the skylights for the elevated bonus, but the line of sight from the skylights to ground level is quite restrictive.
There are no airdropped Exalt squads.
Falsely accusing a country of harboring the Exalt base will cause a massive spike in panic as well as a significant gain in alien research, so it is unadvised to "guess" where the Exalt base is until you know for sure.
XCOM Defense Missions
Under certain situations, the aliens will launch attacks against XCOM.
XCOM Base Defense
.png)
Reward for Succeeding: 100 credits per council country plus 2 TSGT (or higher) new recruits
Penalty for Failure: Campaign Loss
Expiration Time: Immediate
This mission is always called: Operation Ashes and Temples.
You MUST have at least 12 eligible soldiers for the mission or XCOM will automatically fail the mission and lose the campaign.
This mission will usually occur twice in a campaign. First: The first XCOM Base Defense mission now starts as early as August and has an (Incursion Strength - 100)% chance to occur each month; it will always occur at least by November. Second: once you build the Gollop Chamber.
In either situation, your home country is assaulted by a UFO early in the month - a Battleship who will aim to destroy your satellite there. Later on the month, another UFO - an Assault Carrier will arrive and attempt to land on your base, when the UFO alert/interception prompt appears, it will say "Warning! Warning! UFO vectoring to XCOM HQ!" on the lesser notifications on the lower-left of the screen. Shooting down that UFO will prevent the assault.
You will get the chance to select and equip a squad for this mission. You select and equip 12 soldiers (with up to 3 MECs). Any units not selected will join XCOM Security on patrols if researched. Of the 12 selected, the first 5 will be available at the start. The following 3 will arrive right after the first alien squad drops in at the start of turn 2. The other 4 soldiers from this lineup will arrive as reinforcements, replacing losses. Unlike vanilla and LW, there are no blueshirt rookies on this mission.
The aliens will drop in to the command center, followed by a random assortment flyers in the back and drops in to the MEC bay, near the end of the mission more waves arrive in the forward access tunnels. Expect this mission to be difficult, though the forces deployed can vary wildly based on RNG. However, always look around and check for the falling dirt to see if any waves are about to drop in the MEC Bay, particularly the upper areas at all four corners.
All aliens will acquire:
This unit has been trained to kill and will focus on lethality when attacking XCOM. XCOM units will always die (instead of bleeding out) if they are killed by this unit.
Any unit that did not participate in Delta Section will have been fighting aliens elsewhere in the base and has a 50% chance to be fatigued and a 30% chance to be injured. This simulates them fighting or succumbing to collateral damage elsewhere during the assault.
XCOM Security Programs can weaken aliens before they properly engage your squad, making any Base Defense mission a LOT easier.
XCOM Air Base Defense
.png)
Reward for Succeeding: None
Penalty for Failure: severe damage and/or destruction of multiple interceptors
Expiration Time: Immediate
In addition to assaulting your base, aliens can go after your interceptor stations. These missions will only be launched after your air game becomes significantly strong (a Firestorm is built). It will generate similar to an abduction mission, with XCOM soldiers outfitting in the Skyranger as per usual. The map takes place in the Interceptor bay. This mission must be completed to avoid severe damage or destruction of your interceptors.
If the Hyperwave Relay is built, the mission notice on the approaching UFO will say "Retaliation". Be aware you will enter the area through one of the side tunnels in the center of the map, so odds are that there will be aliens in both wings, and can easily be flanked by a wandering pod due to this.
Unlike the XCOM Base Defense, the Air Base Defense mission will not only happen frequently (especially after the player has started fielding plasma weapons) but it is also easier than the standard Base Defense.
Storyline Missions
These missions are required to progress and pass the game. They are significantly easier than their counterparts in LW 1.0 in order to make them less of a roadblock. The exception is the Temple Ship Assault which is significantly harder than LW 1.0 and may be the most difficult mission of a campaign.
Alien Base Assault
Reward for Succeeding: 1 Hyperwave Beacon, -10 Alien Research (* see below) , Alien Aggression to 100%, Recover Country at 55 Panic, -10 Continent Panic, 1 Fusion Core, 3 UFO Power Sources, 4 Alien Surgeries, 15 Alien Stasis Tanks, 10 Alien Foods, 1 Alien Entertainment, 100 Meld
Penalty for Failure: No specific penalty -- though you will lose the entire squad as you cannot retreat from this mission
Expiration Time: Does not expire
The 1st alien base is auto-generated when you lose a country in the first month. You need to develop a Skeleton Key, and then place a satellite over an alien occupied country to locate and assault the alien base. With that in mind, you may want to do your first Alien Base Assault as soon as possible, as to face weaker aliens. That way, even if you do lose more countries, but don't want to risk soldiers attacking another Base, at least you can still progress with the storyline. For the first alien base assault, the most difficult enemy to face will be a Sectoid Commander in the final room (or if it's really late in the game Ethereal).
Skeleton Keys can only be produced 1 at a time and cannot be rushed. Each key fabricated will make the next key cost double the previous key. Consecutive alien base assaults become prohibitive due to increasing key cost and increasing alien strength.
| Name | Prerequisites | Cost | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
 |
Other |  | |||
.png) Skeleton Key |
Alien Operations | 40 | 100/200/400/etc. | 50/100/200/etc. | 1 Outsider Shard | 9 days | ||
Due to the surprise nature of the attack all aliens will be Unprepared on turn 1 and Off Guard on turn 2. All pods will contain a leader alien and certain alien types will have bonus leader levels. As well, each time you successfully raid an alien base the next alien base will be fortified with extra alien pods. Those pods will contain 2/4/6/8/8 aliens (depending on difficulty). Specific alien pods are reinforced with stronger leaders during any base assault.
| Previously Successful ABAs | Additional Aliens (Not Cumulative) |
|---|---|
| 0 (First Attempt) | None |
| 1 | Chryssalid pod |
| 2 | Sectoid Commander pod |
| 3 | Chryssalid pod + Sectoid Commander pod |
| 4 | Muton Elite pod + Heavy Floater pod |
| 5+ | Sectopod pod + Ethereal pod |
| Alien Type | Extra Leader Levels |
|---|---|
| Chryssalids and Sectoid Commanders | +2 |
| Muton Elites and Heavy Floaters | +5 |
| Sectopods and Ethereals | +8 |
* Note that Alien Research is NOT Alien Level -- if research is at a cap changes to it might not affect Alien Level
Overseer Crash Site
Reward for Succeeding: Ethereal Device, UFO equipment and resources
Penalty for Failure: None
Expiration Time: 36 hours
The Overseer contains a significant crew that, while hurt from the crash, will still pack quite a punch.
The enemy pods are fixed, there are always 7 pods, each containing 4 enemies:
1 Ethereal pod 1 Sectopod pod 1 Heavy Floater pod 1 Sectoid Commander pod 1 Muton Elite pod 1 Cyberdisc pod 1 Outsider pod
If you fail, more overseers will spawn allowing you to attempt one again, so do not feel bad about retreating if you get overwhelmed on a first attempt.
Temple Ship Assault
Reward for Succeeding: Win the game!
Penalty for Failure: Lose the game!
Expiration Time: N/A
The volunteer on this mission will gain access to multiple psionic abilities, including Distortion, Psi Overload, and Rift, making quite a formidable psionic soldier. Do note that Distortion will prevent them from being healed.
As well, all soldiers will acquire:
.png)
On this last, desperate mission, each soldier pushes past their limits, bringing more equipment than they can normally carry to ensure every tool is at their disposal. Doubles the uses of all grenades, medikits, mists, repairs, rockets, flamethrowers, commands, and battle scanners.
The Temple Ship will contain some of the strongest alien leaders in the game. Champion aliens will have a plasma shield, so they can be difficult to dispatch. After the first turn, Aliens on the Temple Ship will always be Prepared; they will never be off-guard or unprepared.
The number of enemies on the Temple Ship is reduced by 1 for every council country supporting XCOM
Go in heavy, hit hard, and let nothing stand in your way. This may be the most difficult mission in your campaign.
At the end of the road, in the Ethereal Cathedral awaits the Uber Ethereal, Lord of the Alien Collective. Rushing the Uber Ethereal is not advised, as he will be able to distortion damage share up to a range of 200 tiles. However, don't be too slow as he'll begin using psychic storm from a distance.
Good luck, Commander.