XCOM 2 Reviewed at RPS

[JasonPratt]

When enemies spot you (which is typically mutual, unless you're concealed or using other spotting techniques like possessing machines while still concealed or using the gremlin scanner, or maybe throwing the scanner ball -- I haven't tried that yet), they will take a mini-turn of one move (not two moves, which is important) to scatter behind cover as far away from each other as possible (to minimize basic grenade damage even if thrown by the early grenade launcher).

If you trigger them with your final person after you've put everyone one else on overwatch, they may not even get a move -- I've seen numerous situations where I got a whole other free turn after triggering a batch of enemies after they scattered, as if the computer treats the scatter as their move -- but any moves they make during or after the scatter into your overwatch will result in free shots while they aren't in cover.

Another theory is that if you set up nearby while your squad is still concealed (this is harder to pull off when most or all of your squad isn't concealed), and trigger their scatter at the start of the turn, you can maneuver to pick your shots afterward despite their cover choices, since they haven't had opportunity yet to go into overwatch themselves. But the former tactic is a little easier to set up when your concealment is blown, and anyway I prefer to shoot enemies while they're still outside cover in a proper ambush; plus the computer (in this game at least) makes reasonable choices about who should be shooting which enemy. Although the computer, playing the other side, can and will take advantage of your setup to tank you with one enemy drawing all the fire and then sending five more fragile ones out to mess with you after you've taken your shots.

[undercovergeek]

dear lord that first black site mission was horrendous - or at least for me, i couldnt find the right angle of attack or the right cover points, and those bastards with the cattle prods can run half way across the map to jab you

and the f******* robot!!!!!!!!!!!

and the sectoids

and the sitting up until til 3am trying to finish it and complaining to MD who swung by via steam chat to laugh at me

it is done - evac'ed right under the noses of incoming reinforcements - Jarhead makes it to sergeant first but only after a Tom Cruise like run of reloads over and over and over - the last mission ill be doing that on as it breaks RPG, but it got personal with that mission!

[SirAndrewD]

At the late stage of the game, the enemy rarely gets a turn. 

I will typically run a setup of two Grenadiers with Salvo, a Ranger with Run and Gun, a full trained Psi Operative and a gunslinger.   A specialist with combat protocol and high hacking skill is also helpful, but a second gunslinger can go here.

The Grenadiers with Salvo saturate the area with high explosives.  The Psi Op can dominate one enemy, typically the strongest visible and take it out of the fight, turning it into a potential scout/tank for the group.  The Ranger, with double shot and Run and Gun is almost always a guaranteed kill on a strong enemy.

The real kicker is the gunslinger.  The thing is, if you have one or two of these along, you don't need to kill every enemy, just get them within three or four health.  Then roll out the gunslinger so he/she can see every enemy and pop face off.  They take one free shot at every baddie, and if you've got a maxed sharpshooter with Superior Perception mods equipped, you'll almost always hit.  I've had one gunslinger make six kills in one salvo. 

A sniper with Serial can be good too, but is hampered by movement and clip size.  Serial is also a bit weak in that if you miss or fail to kill, the serial is broken.  Face off lets you shoot everyone once, regardless of misses or kills.

[JasonPratt]

They truly amped the short-range gunslinger skilz for the sniper class, and for that I am grateful. 

I'm finally building my Psi Room (or whatever it's called), and I've been saving three grenadiers for the Psi class (one of whom was already captain level when I found her, and so is somewhat useful.) I am assuming, perhaps wrongly, that they'll switch classes to Psi; if not, I may not bother training the three gs on that, since with their inherently lesser aiming skils (and terrible early grenading skills) I find grenadiers less useful and I haven't been using them.

As pennance, I may try a campaign some day using ONLY grenadiers so I can finally work out how to use them properly. In previous XC1 campaigns I mainly found them useful in marking targets for other people, including naturally for other grenadiers. My impression is that this ability pick comes much later now. Still, they get a tick (or two?) of early armor (as a skill option), and that's not chopped liver!

I'm also finally getting around to doing the first Skulljack mission.

[SirAndrewD]

I'm finally building my Psi Room (or whatever it's called), and I've been saving three grenadiers for the Psi class (one of whom was already captain level when I found her, and so is somewhat useful.) I am assuming, perhaps wrongly, that they'll switch classes to Psi; if not, I may not bother training the three gs on that, since with their inherently lesser aiming skils (and terrible early grenading skills) I find grenadiers less useful and I haven't been using them.

As pennance, I may try a campaign some day using ONLY grenadiers so I can finally work out how to use them properly. In previous XC1 campaigns I mainly found them useful in marking targets for other people, including naturally for other grenadiers. My impression is that this ability pick comes much later now. Still, they get a tick (or two?) of early armor (as a skill option), and that's not chopped liver!

I'm also finally getting around to doing the first Skulljack mission.

You actually need rookies for the Psi-Room.  They're a class in and of themselves now and they gain XP from time in the Psi room, not in the field. 

Grenadiers are actually really good as party starters.  With Salvo, they take a free grenade shot to start their round, and when you unlock some of the more powerful grenades like plasma, acid and incendiary, they can do some real damage. 

The most brutal thing the Grenadier can do is use Salvo on the first shot from the launcher in a WAR or EXO suit.  If you can build a couple of blaster bombs or shredstorm cannons, the grenadier can open a fight with a truly devastating barrage. 

The concept I use is to hit the first cluster of aliens I see with the free salvo shot, preferably a plasma grenade if I have range.  Then, when they run to cover, place a precision blaster bomb with the second shot, outright killing anything but major enemies and destroying the cover they sought as a bonus.  The second Grenadier can either finish them off, or hold his grenades for any other cells you might pop. 

It's a useful combo, but then again so it taking two Psi-Operatives with Domination, Insanity and Void Rift at minimum. 

[JasonPratt]

Except on about half my missions I'd rather not be killing bystanders or destroying supplies I'm supposed to be picking up. To which the obvious solution is, don't bring grenadiers: other things can hit just as hard for damage with better aim.

Glad to learn my plan of psi-ing my spare grens is toast, though. 

[Windigo]

Ran into the globey psi-balls that can resurrect multiple dead ... damn... just another freaking problem... I was getting cocky when I got bluescreen ammo and started one shotting Codexes.

[Grim.Reaper]

Patch released today....

XCOM 2 Hotfix is Live
FEBRUARY 17   - HINKLE2K
We're happy to report a hotfix for XCOM 2 is now available. This update will automatically install when starting the Steam client. If it doesn't automatically, restart Steam.

This update fixes issues causing known crashes and includes some performance improvements. Saves affected by the crashes detailed below can be recovered and continued after installing the update.

XCOM 2 Patch Notes
Player is unable to progress to scan in the Geoscape after completing the Resistance Communications research via Tutorial – This will fix previously affected saves.
Unable to load saves with a Chryssalid Cocoon – This will fix the issue, and for previously affected saves.
Adjustments were made to Texture Streaming to assist with periodic frame spikes.
Using the preview voice button for a modded voice pack will no longer crash the game when in the armory.
Removed 8x MSAA from default Max settings.

[SirAndrewD]

Ran into the globey psi-balls that can resurrect multiple dead ... damn... just another freaking problem... I was getting cocky when I got bluescreen ammo and started one shotting Codexes.

Gatekeepers are bad news. 

If you're going to kill them outright, acid grenades will do a good job stripping off that obscene armor rating, as will shredstorm cannons.  A good ranger with double tap can kill one point blank, but a lot of time the armor takes a big edge off the damage you can deal.

Best way to deal with them is to mind control them and use them against the baddies yourself.

[Windigo]

Ran into the globey psi-balls that can resurrect multiple dead ... damn... just another freaking problem... I was getting cocky when I got bluescreen ammo and started one shotting Codexes.

Gatekeepers are bad news. 

If you're going to kill them outright, acid grenades will do a good job stripping off that obscene armor rating, as will shredstorm cannons.  A good ranger with double tap can kill one point blank, but a lot of time the armor takes a big edge off the damage you can deal.

Best way to deal with them is to mind control them and use them against the baddies yourself.

Listen Tex...

I just got my %$#@! psi room about 10 game days ago so I am not letting my psi-newbs anywhere near the outside world until they have at least two skills. As it is I have to baby some of my Sgt.s because they can't hit the broadside of a barn from the inside.

On the plus side my doomsday clock is only 4-5 bars so I can finally pickup a few supply/intel tidbits lying around the globe.

[SirAndrewD]

Ran into the globey psi-balls that can resurrect multiple dead ... damn... just another freaking problem... I was getting cocky when I got bluescreen ammo and started one shotting Codexes.

Gatekeepers are bad news. 

If you're going to kill them outright, acid grenades will do a good job stripping off that obscene armor rating, as will shredstorm cannons.  A good ranger with double tap can kill one point blank, but a lot of time the armor takes a big edge off the damage you can deal.

Best way to deal with them is to mind control them and use them against the baddies yourself.

Listen Tex...

I just got my %$#@! psi room about 10 game days ago so I am not letting my psi-newbs anywhere near the outside world until they have at least two skills. As it is I have to baby some of my Sgt.s because they can't hit the broadside of a barn from the inside.

On the plus side my doomsday clock is only 4-5 bars so I can finally pickup a few supply/intel tidbits lying around the globe.

Yikes, you're getting Gatekeepers kind of early. 

You're doing the right policy with the psi-operatives.   Even late game they're a precious commodity.

Once you get some guys past the Sgt. threshold things will get a bit easier.  It sounds like you've got a pretty good ways to go on the Avatar project so you've got plenty of breathing room. 

[Windigo]

Ran into the globey psi-balls that can resurrect multiple dead ... damn... just another freaking problem... I was getting cocky when I got bluescreen ammo and started one shotting Codexes.

Gatekeepers are bad news. 

If you're going to kill them outright, acid grenades will do a good job stripping off that obscene armor rating, as will shredstorm cannons.  A good ranger with double tap can kill one point blank, but a lot of time the armor takes a big edge off the damage you can deal.

Best way to deal with them is to mind control them and use them against the baddies yourself.

Listen Tex...

I just got my %$#@! psi room about 10 game days ago so I am not letting my psi-newbs anywhere near the outside world until they have at least two skills. As it is I have to baby some of my Sgt.s because they can't hit the broadside of a barn from the inside.

On the plus side my doomsday clock is only 4-5 bars so I can finally pickup a few supply/intel tidbits lying around the globe.

Yikes, you're getting Gatekeepers kind of early. 

You're doing the right policy with the psi-operatives.   Even late game they're a precious commodity.

Once you get some guys past the Sgt. threshold things will get a bit easier.  It sounds like you've got a pretty good ways to go on the Avatar project so you've got plenty of breathing room.

Oh hell I got Full Birds on about 8-10 troopers.

[SirAndrewD]

Ha!  Sounds like you have things well in hand then. 

[Windigo]

Ha!  Sounds like you have things well in hand then.

we'll see... this is XCOM you know

[SirAndrewD]

Ha!  Sounds like you have things well in hand then.

we'll see... this is XCOM you know

Indeed.  Those aliens aren't going to kill themselves.