Xcom2 Guide: Additional 10 Tips & Tricks I wish I knew when starting Xcom2

[@SykenPlays]

Quick Summary: If you have a Ranger / Templar with Bladestorm, you can place them on the red flare that Advent troop reinforcements land around. As soon as the landed troops move, the Ranger will slash. Bonus if you overwatch with them, double bonus if you give aid protocol to ranger. Blacksite Vial Mission - get all your guns reloaded, destroy any walls to clear a path to the evac site, position the soldier about to take the vial on the green square - THEN END THE TURN. As soon as the vial is taken, Advent will call for reinforcements, so you want to have your whole turn available for movement/repositioning. First action for the turn should be getting the vial. Same thing happens when you knock out the dark VIP. Ctrl-click squares to assign a movement path so you can have your stealthed dude still go as far as they can without breaking a window and being revealed. For consoles you have to hold x/a. Overwatch changes between Vanialla and WOTC (the one step rule) Overwatch shots actually have a slightly higher chance to miss (0.6) units double moving opposed to single moving (0.7). Overwatch done from concealment has no aim penalty unlike normal overwatching. You can sometimes see concealed units or enemies out of sight with explosives. If an enemy is next to something you can detonate the game gives you the option. So if the assassin is hidden but stands next to a gas station you'll see the icon to blow it up. Movement indicators give you the direction and proximity of the next pack. Close proximity usually means pack is on lower/higher elevation. You cannot stealth Xcom2, the game has a hard-coded mechanic to always put a pod of enemies between the closest operative and the mission objective. The moment that this is violated, a pack will run into xcom's direction. Advent knows the position of xcom, even if they are conceiled/hidden. Evac zones can safe lives, if you have a poisoned/dying operative or a hopelessly outnumbered soldier out of cover, call in the skyranger, move into evac zone, do one action and evac. Evac'ed soldiers immediately are cured from all status effects. You cannot place the evac zone on-top of operatives. Advents operatives take up space, if you use your mouse curser and hover over the fog of war in a space that you could theoretically move into. If the field is skipped, then it is likely a blocking element, sometimes cover (but if you know the tile set well enough, then you know where the cover is) or in other cases it indicates an enemy pack.

[@pepper4629]

Awesome video as always Syken! I have hundreds of hours in this game, and I'm still learning so much from this series. Btw are you planning on tips for the strategy layer? E.g., what are your first three buildings? When to build resistance comms and prioritize expanding regions and so on.

[@SykenPlays]

I could look into that, it's a good idea for a future video.

[@questioning3388]

How about adding some video clips to the tips. That would be more effective.

[@SykenPlays]

Thanks for the feedback, appreciate it.

[@mikb5165]

Nice to see Xcom1 in the background! Now play it! 😊

[@SykenPlays]

LoL

[@zion5637]

1:10 Spawn Camping 2:50 Blacksite & Dark VIP 3:48 Ctrl Pathing 4:57 Overwatch Changes 6:09 Overwatch Penalties 7:18 Explosives Spotting 8:17 Movement Indicators 9:21 Stealth 10:57 Evac Zones 12:46 Cursor Phishing

[@SykenPlays]

great job Zion, thanks a bunch for it. I will heart it and pin it to the videos.

[@endersender350]

So many new guides I love it!! 🎉

[@SykenPlays]

That was the idea, lots of knowledge :)

[@mesquiteaviation]

Syken, a couple comments on a couple tips. And I’m not 100% sure I’m correct about either of these statements, so I would appreciate correction if needed. On your overwatch tips, I’m fairly certain that blade storm caps at 80% chance to hit, regardless of your aim. A 200 aim would still only have an 80% chance to hit, unless you have a “cannot miss” weapon. That’s what makes the assassin’s sword and blade storm templars so amazing. And on #10, I’m 90% certain that cursor phishing does not work on the assassin if she’s concealed. I remember being able to find her that way, but several play- throughs ago, I went to the assassin’s stronghold. After destroying the sarcophagus, she teleported in and disappeared. I had didn’t have a scanner with me, so my troops were spread out to cursor phish. I ctrl clicked every single square for over 30 minutes. Not a single square was denied. I moved around until I found her, and I’m almost positive I ctrl clicked there. I’d love confirmation if anyone else has experience with this.

[@SykenPlays]

Hello mate, thanks for raising the questions: With regards to bladestorm, it caps out at 70% (0.7*100%). Everything above 100% is not counting, since the overwatch bonus indeed is applied ex-post. So you are correct with that. With regards to the curser phishing, it depends on the situation and the chosen. Any revealed chosen will block a field, the assassin when she is not releaved will indeed not block a field. However, it wouldn't be xcom if there wouldn't be exceptions. If the assassin has already been revealed, oftentimes you can curser-phish for her and it will work. So it is not blocking it 100% of th time.

[@jimulatt7215]

Wow control pathing is on the xbox console version! Did not know that! Pressing the A button will move your soldier but press and hold the A button to make a waypoint. The B button will cancel the waypoint. This was never explained nor is it labeled on the controller button map screen. It just says A to "take action".

[@SykenPlays]

Good to know, glad I could help.

[@Rotiehota]

didnt know about ctrl pathing, really useful

[@SykenPlays]

Glad you took something from the video.

[@BlueFrog531]

Ctrl pathing?! 🤯

[@SykenPlays]

Glad you learned something :)

[@30andBoard]

Great tips! 🎉

[@SykenPlays]

Glad you like them!

[@Freakschwimmer]

Paraphrasing 7:48: "Whenever you see an explosive crate, that you can shot thru, make sure you are well aware of it because that means that there will be a pack." Sorry I just don't get it... Can someone please help me understand what that means? 😅 PS: Syken, thank you so much. Your guides really elevated my understanding of the game.

[@dannyway1111]

Basically, whenever you can target an explosive object directly, it means there's enemies within the explosion radius (Even those covered by the fog of war, concealment effect or disguised faceless civilians)

[@SykenPlays]

Glad you like it. Basic point that I was trying to make is that enemies standing next to explosives will make such explosive shootable. If the enemies are in the Fog of War and there is an explosive nearby which is not in the FOW, then it can be targeted, therefore telling you that enemies are nearby that location

[@mesquiteaviation]

Another way of looking at that tip is this: if you see an explosive barrel icon as one of your viable targets, you are guaranteed to injure at least one enemy with 6 damage. This is super helpful with the reaper’s “remote start” ability. If you see that red barrel icon with a reaper, and remote start is available, you are guaranteed to do at least 12 damage to at least one enemy. I have wiped out entire packs of enemies without ever seeing or triggering them. Doesn’t happen often, but it is super satisfying when it does.

[@Freakschwimmer]

Thank you guys :)