What Is XCOM 2? (XCOM 2 Collection Cheats and Tips)
XCOM 2 is a turn-based tactics game in which the player runs a resistance movement fighting the alien occupation of the Earth. For those who are unfamiliar, XCOM 2 Collection includes the base game plus four DLCs, thus making it a good choice for interested individuals who want the whole thing.
What Are Some Tips to Keep in Mind for XCOM 2?
Keep these tips in mind:
Percentages Are Percentages (XCOM 2 Collection Cheats and Tips)
One of the most important things to remember is that percentages are percentages. As a result, even if the player has a 90 percent chance to hit, it is very much possible for them to miss their shot. Due to this, interested individuals should keep the potential for occurrences to happen against the odds in mind when they plan out their moves. Amusingly, it is true that the shown percentages aren’t the same as the real percentages in XCOM 2. However, the numbers are actually weighed in the player’s favor rather than the other way around because Firaxis Games didn’t want players to get frustrated by a bout of bad luck.
The Enemies Come in Pods (XCOM 2 Collection Cheats and Tips)
Generally speaking, the enemies in XCOM 2 come in pods, meaning small groups of enemies that will patrol the map. It is very common for a pod to consist of both pod leaders and pod followers. The first are aliens such as ADVENT officers, Andromedons, and Sectopods, which are the ones giving the orders. Meanwhile, the second are aliens such as ADVENT troopers, Chryssalids, and Sectoids, which are the ones following the orders. It is interesting to note that if a pod follower is the pod’s last survivor, it will seek to join up with a new pod. Something that should be prevented whenever and wherever possible.
Naturally, more challenging maps will have more pods conducting patrols. For those who are curious, the exact numbers are between one and three pods for Easy missions, between two and four pods for Moderate missions, between five and six pods for Difficult missions, and between seven and eight pods for Very Difficult missions. Under ideal circumstances, interested individuals will eliminate the pods one by one because facing multiple pods at the same time is a good way to get overrun by superior numbers. Something that should encourage them to move about in a more cautious manner most of the time.
Don’t Waste the Concealment Phase (XCOM 2 Collection Cheats and Tips)
Some missions will provide the player with a concealment phase. Essentially, this means that they can encounter enemies without causing those enemies to go on the offensive, which provides them with considerable freedom of movement. Of course, the problem is that the concealment phase will end at some point because of one of four possible conditions.
One, the player has entered the detection radius of either the enemies or non-friendly civilians, which moves about with those characters.
Two, the player has either broken a window or kicked open a door, which is very common when they cover as much distance as possible without thinking about the path that they are taking.
Three, the player has engaged in a hostile action against their enemies, whether through the use of their weapons, their items, or their abilities.
Four, the player has completed an objective that results in the breaking of concealment upon completion. In any case, the concealment phase is a valuable choice for interested individuals to not just scout out their surroundings but also put their units in a very advantageous position when they are about to engage their enemies. In fact, it isn’t uncommon to see well-prepared players shoot their way through an entire pod in a single turn with the right setup.
Improve, Improve, Improve
XCOM 2 has a reputation for a brutal early game and a relatively easy late game. To an extent, this is because units will pick up new capabilities, thus enabling them to wreak new kinds of havoc. However, the upgrades are the primary reason why the early game and the late game are so different from one another.
Simply put, players should always be working on some kind of improvement because time is one of the most precious resources at their disposal, meaning that it should not be wasted. As for which improvements should get priority over which improvements, the general answer should be based on usefulness rather than coolness. For example, plated armor and powered armor are two of the most important technologies that can be researched in the entire game for a couple of reasons. One, they offer a huge boost to survivability because they enable second-tier and third-tier armor respectively. Two, they are applicable to the majority of units, thus further increasing their value relative to their cost. In contrast, doing the research for something like the Fusion Blade is much less important. Yes, said weapon can be used to excellent effect. However, it is the side-arm for a single class, meaning that it just isn’t as important in the grand scheme of things.
Of course, there are also some improvements that can be considered game-changers, meaning that they deserve additional consideration. For example, Frost Bombs are ridiculously useful because they can freeze everything caught in their blast radius for a single turn. Similarly, every single piece of gear unlocked by beating the Chosen and the Alien Rulers are worth having sooner rather than later, though in some cases, this is more because of their stats rather than their special abilities.
Proper Prioritization Is a Must
Some aliens are much more dangerous or otherwise disruptive than others. As a result, they should be taken out before their comrades to minimize their potential impact on the player’s units. Sometimes, this is because aliens such as the Sectopods can do horrendous amounts of damage within a very short period of time, meaning that interested individuals should give them as few opportunities to attack as possible. Other times, this is because aliens such as Sectoids and ADVENT Shieldbearers have some kind of special ability that makes them into a huge nuisance, meaning that interested individuals will want to eliminate them before they can use those special abilities.
Of course, the difficulty of taking out enemies should play an important role in the prioritization process as well. However, this is something that can see considerable variation depending on how well-prepared the player is to strip off armor so that they can blow off enormous chunks with every single attack without impediment. If they aren’t well-prepared, they might be forced to chip away at the most armored enemies for quite some time, meaning that they had best hope that they have ways to disrupt them.
