Xcom2 Guide to Target Selection - Which enemy to attack first?

Master the art of tactical warfare with our latest guide, "Xcom2 Guide to Target Selection - Which enemy to attack first?" 🎯💡
In this comprehensive XCOM2 War of the Chosen (WOTC) guide, we delve into the critical aspect of target selection. Choosing which enemy to engage first can be the difference between success and failure in the heat of combat. Join me as I break down the factors that determine the deadliest threats on the battlefield and showcase strategic insights to improve your chances of survival.
Target selection is the cornerstone of tactical games like XCOM2. In this video, we explore the nuances of prioritizing enemies based on their abilities, threat level, and potential impact on your squad. Learn the essential tips and tricks that will enhance your decision-making process and lead your squad to victory.
Discover the deadliest enemies in XCOM2 and understand the strategic significance of prioritizing your targets. From alien threats to ADVENT forces, we dissect each opponent to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of who poses the greatest danger.
This XCOM2 guide is a must-watch for players seeking to refine their strategy, improve their tactical decision-making, and elevate their overall gameplay experience.
🔗🌌 Watch now and gain the strategic edge with "Xcom2 Guide to Target Selection - Which enemy to attack first?" #Xcom2WOTC #XCOM2Guide #XCOM2TipsandTricks #XCOM2WhichEnemytoAttackFirst #XCom2DeadliestEnemy #XCom2Strategy

[@jgoody9597]

I never knew the chosen could only bleed you out. Always learn something watching your videos!

[@SykenPlays]

Glad you got a tip from it :)

[@captconan5]

Archons are so pathetic they didn't even make the list

[@SykenPlays]

True :) I would put them at the end of middle tier or into 2nd lowest tier, since their Blazing Pinions ability would give you 1 full round to deal with other enemies before needing to focus on them. Their built-in dodge, cover and just generally high HP pools doesn't make them a good burst-down target.

[@Waspinator87]

Thanks for putting this up, I was really looking forward to this. I did not know that the Chosen cannot kill you outright, just knock you out. Excellent work.

[@SykenPlays]

One learns something every day. They hit hard though, so having man down in bleeding isn't fun either :)

[@MattyOfPassion]

Great guide! Re priests. Early game if you are belining mag weapons before autopsies priests can spawn before you get the sectoid autopsy done and mindshields built. In that case, they are more of a threat of getting off a mind control, esp since they often hang back at higher engagements distances.

[@SykenPlays]

That is a good point about the time in the campaign when you meet them

[@Shattered-Realm]

This is going to be an odd one because so much of it depends on position and your tech level. One time I was in a rush (timed mission) pulled 3 packs mid campaign with tier 2 armor and had a grenadier with blast padding and like 13hp behind half cover. Everybody else was in indestructible full cover. There were lot's off troopers around, a codex, stun lancers, a captain. I thought hey the grenadier should be able to take at least one hit. My thought process was to alpha strike as many soft targets as possible, unloading on the andromedon (who BTW is supposed to have crappy aim) in the first round would have led to many of them being alive. Guess who the last man standing was and who one-shot my grenadier with with a crit the following turn -.-. Well actually one of the troopers was left alive and I think he may have shot the grenadier missed and crumbled my half cover to nothing. It was many campaigns ago. It's painful loss I still remember. You can only really ignore sectoids and shieldbearers on the first turn. Everybody else kind of needs to die. I hope your video will make me a better player though I kind of know a thing or two from watching your series.

[@SykenPlays]

That is a great story, I will remember that. Those losses are the ones that teach us the most.

[@lucaefor2471]

Interesting stuff and I like the way you've organized it. Difficulty level does play into things, injury times on Legend usually skew my decision on which targets I feel have to be killed first and it's nearly always when I know I'm going to have to eat guaranteed damage from AoE If you are using buildings for high ground a micromissile volley or grenade can blow the roof for extra falling damage and potentially leave you flanked on the ground (if you aren't already dead from the fall) Andromedons should imo go way higher, I feel you've got the Shells in the right place. I'd also put an argument forward for Sectopods being bumped up higher too on the basis of the value you get from collateral damage caused by it's death. Berserkers are immune to mimic when they are enraged which makes them a little more tricky to make decisions over. On the other hand a Codex is incredibly easy to mimic (deal pathetic damage also which won't ever kill it) so on that basis they really aren't must-kill. Warlock I'd put down a tier. If your mission in his territory and prepared properly with mind shields he might even go down to the bottom of the list. Archon King is a strange one, does he even deserve a category on his own? He's so incredibly high priority that you are nearly always planning to kill him first go and if he ever gets loose without you putting enough damage on him, you're usually kinda boned - I've learned that the hard way. Thanks for the list, enjoyed the vid. Will look forward to the other forthcoming tips videos and the next run/series. Cheers

[@SykenPlays]

Thanks for the detailed feedback and I also take in the feedback around the Andromedons. My point was not to mention that they are not dangerous, the whole point about the list was a comparison of what you do when multiple threats are on the board. The base situation that I am oftentimes referring to would be Andromedon + 4 Advent agents on the field. In that scenario, you can either remove the andromedon or all four of the Advent agents. I learned that removing advent is more important whilst CCing or keeping the Andromedon busy. Hence the rating.

[@Pancho_Bruno]

Just started XCOM 2 WOTC and your guides were exactly the aid I need it. It's a hard game, but amazing and satisfactory to achieve new objectives. I still get lost on the best research order to be true.

[@SykenPlays]

Hi Pancho, that is great to hear, how is your first run going?

[@Pancho_Bruno]

To be true I made bad choices on the begining, so I started over. I didn't gave too much attention to comunication , so I 'm paying my price and trying to figure it out possible ways to improve.

[@endersender350]

@@Pancho_Bruno I remember before I watched Syken I couldn't play Commander difficulty at all... like literally at all. Then after I watched his Royal Rumble campaign, half way in or so I finished my first Commander Ironman run. Now I am able to have a chance with Legendary Ironman as long as I am not too impulsive with my decisions. Just watching Syken you catch onto a loooooot of tricks and knowledge that I previously didn't knew existed. There's really not a path that is the only path to go. It all depends and once you get used to Sykens way of thinking about stuff (at least for me) in making decisions it will help a lot.

[@Lena_Hansen_Jonsson]

@@Pancho_Bruno Psst, psst! Check out Syken's "Saving your disaster campaign" playlist. Both educational and entertaining :)

[@endersender350]

Amazing! From watching your videos I learnt a lot of things and sometimes I catch on like target selection. Glad we have a deeper indepth video where you explain it! Awesome :D

[@SykenPlays]

Glad you enjoyed it Ender

[@Barbell_Neptune]

Quality content Syken, we need more of this

[@SykenPlays]

And you'll get more, I have a few tips & Tricks videos lined up :)

[@Carlos-M]

Interesting, and the Andromedon is in a very controversial spot for sure. I was surprised by that myself, but I think what a lot of people need to realize is that while the Andromedon hits very hard and has the nasty acid bomb attack, it is also a very hard target to burst down (lots of Armor + HP + 2 phases + first phase uses cover) and the Andromedon AI is very dumb and easy to bait into doing something useless. All that considered it's not difficult to imagine stalling the Andromedon, unless you have end-game level firepower, simply because you don't have enough resources to commit taking it down. As pointed out by another commenter, you missed out on the Archon. Presumably you'd put it in the lower two tiers for similar reasons. Blazing Pinions looks super threatening but it mostly forces you to move, and the AOE isn't that big. Unlike the Psionic Bomb which really kills your momentum by draining your ammo all the same.

[@SykenPlays]

You are correct on both of the accounts. The Andromedon typically has a low hit rating, so supression or a flashbang can stall it for a bit. The main problem that I had tried to address with the tier listing here is not that it isn't dangerous, but I was trying to assume situations where you have multiple threats on the battlefield. And in situations like 4 advent + Andromedon vs. 6 xcom agents, you realistically can either kill all 4 advents or just the andromedon (due to armor, hit points, 2 phases and ability to take cover). The Archon was a miss indeed. It would fall under lower two tiers or end of middle tier, high hp & does blazing pinions, which buys you a round.

[@Lena_Hansen_Jonsson]

When I see Andromedons, I try to get them to the second phase asap and then shut them down or - preferably - take over.

[@FYCGrizz]

I've been wanting a video like this for years. Who better than from one of the Xcom goats!

[@SykenPlays]

Glad it provided value for you Grizz

[@ZeroChance5]

Neat!

[@endersender350]

Number 1 priority target - Inappropriate Murphy

[@SykenPlays]

LoL

[@juanp22akd]

Gracias por tanto, perdón por tan poco. Saludos desde Argentina

[@SykenPlays]

Saludos a Argentina tambien, amigo. Contento de que te haya gustado el video.

[@msgrell7774]

This is also great! Ive always found it a bit hard to prioritise, and based on this i definitely have been doing it wrong. I generally always go for shieldbearer, as i find them ao annying if they get their shields up. Aaand, i now have no need to go for the spectre anymore. :) Great video Syken!

[@SykenPlays]

The priorities hopefully help.

[@perckmalice70]

Basically the ones that can shoot you on their turn, mutons and vipers too.

[@SykenPlays]

It is a bit more nuanced than that :)

[@littlegreen6355]

Good summary, thanks. :) I especially like and agree on whenever you are on a roof; Robots, Grenade Carriers (Mutons and Elite Soldiers) and Faceless are moved one tier up - to prevent falling and loss of cover. I have personal preference. After Rulers, my highest prio are distant Snakes. Why? Because distant Tongue attacks often pulls your soldier into awakening 1-2 additional groups. That single snake can make the whole encounter 3x or 4x as dangerous. I rather eat the attacks from one group than double/triple it. :) IMHO it would have been fun and good game balance, if Heavy armour were immune to Tongue pulls. That way you had a choice to /perhaps/ play around it.

[@SykenPlays]

The roof is the cruxx for many and the start of a good team wipe.

[@askerzie]

Interesting take to put Andromedon into 2nd to last place, in my playthrough I definitely target them quite often, unless of course I can rely on meme beacon. The reason being they have high damage cannon as well as acid bomb, both of which shred any armor you have, which you can't restore even after healing. I would much rather get hit with a psionic bomb which deais 0 damage and takes half action and if I have free reload or the bomb hits melee unit, that's it, rather than letting Andromedon take action. Your situation about running with templar to Andromedon and staying next to it is a corner case situation, there is no guarantee you won't activate another pack, and templar in every mission is certainly not must have although it is clearly the most OP unit xcom has. Ps also have not noticed avatar in this list. Their teleports are quite annoying, yet can be countered by void conduit templar ability, the one you seem to ignore in your playthroughs for whatever reason.

[@SykenPlays]

What really hurts with the psionic bomb is the forced movement (which loses you cover, position and oftentimes 1Action on multiple soldiers). That in return will lose you a lot of momentum - longer fight against the remaining opponents, less time for the rest of the mission. There is a sizable cascading effect that isn‘t obvious.

[@pepper4629]

Awesome video Syken! What about Avatars -- top priority I assume? One interesting thing about Xcom2 balance, is how the 4 units in the "Lower Priority" tier go up in priority on their second turn. Due to the shieldbearer shooting you and providing a shield, the priest and sectoid mind controlling someone, or the specter shadow-binding someone. Officers/troopers go down in tier after using up their grenade. I'd also argue Hunter goes up a tier in a prolonged fight because he shoots you every turn, while the Assassin wastes time with her blinding grenade and arc wave ability. And as someone who isn't good enough to use Templars without triggering more and more pods, Andromedons are scary!

[@SykenPlays]

Avatars would indeed make top priority, their null lance is too dangerous and their mind control oftentimes non-resistible. Plus they do have regeneration. They would definitely make top prio. As for the low prio enemies after first turn: - Shieldbearer little bit lower priority than trooper (same damage and to hit, but higher effective HP pool, you can remove shields with bluescreen rounds and emp bombs without wasting damage) - Sectoid remains low, assuming that he hasn‘t mind-controlled anyone. Typically has 2 psi abilities (revive and mind-spin), let him go through their cooldowns. - Spectre is a difficult subject, they typically bump up in the priority, since I almost never waste ammo to kill the shadowbound clone, but instead kill them. Also, they do have horror as the next ability, which causes panic and is guaranteed damage. Therefore high priority after round one. - Andromedons depend on your situation, I typically take them out for a round or two and then focus on them. If you do not have the means to do that, their threat increases.

[@jamesoakes4842]

I think that The Lost are definitely last place for how threatening they actually are, but in practice seem higher priority just because of how Headshot works. It's quite common to have a 100% to hit and take down any individual Lost as they're swarming you, and doing so doesn't cost an action. Like, if you've got a Ranger being swarmed by Lost and with a good shot on a Trooper or Muton, there's little reason to not take out as many Lost as possible before dropping your final shot on the "higher" priority target. Also, on maps where you have The Horde Sitrep, you can get swarmed pretty bad if you aren't thinning their numbers. Having a character miss a 90+% shot and get overwhelmed by about 5 or 6 Lost when they could have potentially killed them all in one turn is brutal. ::laughs in Bladestorm::

[@SykenPlays]

Thanks for the input, very helpful thoughts James.

[@jimulatt7215]

I think this is a good place to repost Inappropriate Murphy's nicknames for all of the enemies: Advent General = Le Général (with thick French accent) Advent Officer = Bossifer Advent Priest = Psi Guy Advent Purifier = Cheeto (Flaming Hot) Advent Shieldbearer = Grounder Pounder Advent Stunlancer = Stunner Gunner Advent Trooper = Pooper Trooper Advent Turret = Cannon Fodder Andromedon = Spankie Tankie Archon = Floater Archon King = Floater Goater Assassin = Fader Blader Avatar = Purple Porter Potty Berserker = Meater Beater Berserker Queen = Stunny Bunny Chryssalid = Poison Puppy Codex = Cold Ex Faceless = Scrotum Totem Gatekeeper = Eyeball Hunter = Bead and Bleeder The Lost = Zombies - they are zombies dude - just call them zombies Mec = Wreck Muton = Mutt Psi Zombie = Guy Bomb Me Sectoid = Rectoid Sectopod = Thicken Chicken Specter = Tron Cosplayer Viper = Domi Mommy Viper King = Snek King Warlock = Whorlock 😂

[@SykenPlays]

Love it !

[@erichobbs4042]

Andromedons become a high priority for me when I have a Psionic with domination, because hey it's a free tank that will last a lot longer than a mimic beacon

[@SykenPlays]

Hehe, yes, they Tank well

[@subbie-eye]

All your guides have been helpful, but this is the one that I swear makes my life the easiest (relearning the game on Veteran, looking to do Commander and then Legendary. (Ironman)) Some additional comments: In general, I agree with the tiering and reasoning of the troops in the guide, just want to add some comments: 1. Codexes I agree remain high on the list mainly because teleporting and cloning, but if you find it as the last enemy (and you are sure of this), you can sort of bait its use of the Psionic bomb on troops that you know don't have bluescreen rounds or strong means to kill or bring down to 1HP. The reloading and moving is annoying, but whatever troops you have left vs this Codex will be able to finish the job and your troops will remain unharmed. Still, I would rather risk a hit than eat a Psionic bomb in almost any other situation. 2. Equipment on hand and resources can influence the tiering at times. Bluescreen rounds (with predator armor this is a busted item) certainly can push some mech units up a tier because you will need less to kill them, while their threat profile remains as it is. Still, I cannot argue with the order you place units. A sectopod is almost always more dangerous than a mec, and while missiles are undesirable, I would rather take this or a suppression shot or an overwatch vs a Sectopod having action economy, cos missiles on flat ground only give small damage. Then again, I imagine on Legendary these guys will have more HP than what I see on Veteran, so take it with a pinch of salt. 3. Largely agree with Berserker and Andro placement, although I would put Andro over Berseker especially if you got Obi Wan's power of high ground. Funnily I defeated a Berserker on mutliple turns of overwatch because of said high ground, and dealt with the Faceless and other Advent units first. They are harmless that way as you mentioned. On the other hand... An Andro as you said has one shot potential if you don't give your troops proper cover or have Stasis/Frost Bomb ready. I had flashbacks of losing a Colonel this way due to my careless placement (high ground did not help at all). 4. Archons if present would be on the bottom two tiers as you said, but you must play properly. I lost a Reaper to it because it went into a position to melee strike instead of the expected Pinions. Surprised me, but I learnt a proper lesson that way. Looking forward to your guide on rumors! I want to see how you prioritise those.

[@SykenPlays]

Good thoughts all around, thanks for sharing them

[@brianmorin]

A big ah-ha moment for me was realizing how much CC changes things! Consider that if PsyOps only had Stasis, Inspire and a Rifle (Grenade is the cherry on top!) you'd still bring them on every mission.

[@SykenPlays]

They are really good, since CC is important in the game (specifically CC from cooldowns instead of usable items)

[@Pokephosgene]

Just want to add a few reasons: Chryssalids in Haven missions reproduce by killing civilians, so that makes them priority. And the Assassin is the only Chosen who goes straight for damage on the soldiers instead of doing indirect moves such as summoning zombies or a delayed shot.

[@SykenPlays]

Good points, thanks for adding them.

[@cale115]

When the goat shares, listen up.

[@SykenPlays]

Thanks Cale, appreciate it!

[@jonrussell739]

Is this an xcom 2 guide made for ants with good eye sight?

[@Psilocybin77]

Making strat guides for vanilla Xcom2 is adorable.

Putting Codex in urgent tier and Andromedon in ignore tier is at this point obvious clickbait trolling.

[@SykenPlays]

I am not trolling, I have given concrete description of what the tiers mean and have been honest with how I prioritize them. You could have a different priority, but viewers have asked me for the reasoning for my priority and what to do first.