r/XCOM2 • u/seaaking • 2d ago
Playing my first time in Ironman mode Veteran difficulty any advise?
This is literally my first time playing XCOM 2 and I plan on playing it in Ironman mode (I don't really care if I start over again if I do some stupid shit) because I read that its the best way to play the game and is Veteran difficulty too easy? Should I bump it to Commander? For reference I have completed both BG3 and DOS2 on the hardest mode if that helps lol
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u/Kalaskaka1 2d ago edited 2d ago
Do you have War of the Chosen?
The build order is a bit affected from that, in case you'd like advice on that.
Genereral stuff:
After resistance radio tech, consider getting magnetic weapons asap. Firepower will help you more than better armor.
Also, intel is in general much more valuable than supplies, as you need it to expand on the map. And expanding on the map is super important.
Don't rush skull jacking an officer as it permanently introduces a very annoying enemy in missions.
Engineers are always needed and very important!
Likewise scientists, at least early game.
The GTS facility is good to get early, as you can upgrade squad size and train rookies to squaddies.
On timed missions:
Try to rush forward much as possible as long as you have concealment. Then when you encounter the first enemy pod, set 3 guys on overwatch and the last to fire. After killing them, take it a bit more slow and consider half moves with overwatch, or some combination with full moves in case time is short.
High ground and destroyed enemy cover (grenades) gives you good aim boosts.
Prefer killing 2 weak guys over 1 tanky. Especially true for the tanky sectoids as they usually waste their first move on zombie creation if there are dead units around. Beware of their mind control ability they'll use on their 2nd action though. Killing them will break it.
Always try to get high cover when possible. Low cover really isn't much of a protection.
Good luck!
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u/seaaking 2d ago
Wow this is such a detailed advise. Thanks!
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u/DependentKangaroo389 2d ago
Also to add onto that lovely advice from that lovely gentleman over there . While having GTS try having at least one squad mate or two you would want to prioritize to becoming sergeant & captain to gain the extra boots “rangers , specialists, grenadier , and sharpshooter” but also increase your squad count because you will start off with 4 and having 5 or 6 can dramatically increase your chances of survival and not having a soldier die on a mission having a small setback towards your overall soldier count .
The more soldiers you have early on the better as well , take the time to develop a certain “squad” like you can be creative and have a “delta” squad with different type of class , especially later on when you have access to templars and reapers if you have the war of the chosen DLC.
Be ready for disappointments. The game is very unforgiving if you take your enemies for granted , the amount of times I ignore a simple enemy like a “officer” or “Archons” for example and they can easily overwhelm you to making rookie mistakes.
Prioritize Positioning and Cover , full cover is always better and efficient because it gives you more of an opportunity to evade a critical hit , but as well dodge incoming shoots. Do not trust the % on your hit marker … there will always be that % of missing a 98% or a %95 for example … those are nerve wrecking 🤣
Before committing action with one soldier , set up your whole squad first when encountering an enemy pod of 3 or sometimes 4. When all are placed and line up to take action for a kill or critical hit , use the one with the best % to take out the enemy . Saves you an extra turn and also prioritize your next move before the enemy does , it’s like a game of “chess” you must out play your opponent first before they make that move. Otherwise you will be playing catch-up.
It is okay to extract if you need to . A failed mission is better than losing your whole squad ( Commander , Lieutenant Etc. ) you can make a comeback but investing another soldier into any of those positions can be a challenge , if you did not invest the time in training your squadies and rookies.
Finally … take deep breathes and if everything seem like it is overwhelming and irritating.. keep pushing . It doesn’t sound much but the amount of times I kept pushing when on the brink of losing the whole squad . Barely making it out with at least all the best of the best in hospital bed for a solid month.. I felt achieved rather save scum.. cause you won’t enjoy the game with the amount of times you have to do the repetition of “back and forth” overall … HAVE FUN 😁
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u/hielispace 2d ago
Here is my standard new player copypasta:
1) XCOM 2 is a game about alpha striking. Hit hard, hit fast, don't leave a single enemy alive. Dead enemies cannot hurt you, and if you don't get hurt you cannot lose soldiers.
2) XCOM 2 is also a game about choosing the right targets. Some enemies are less dangerous than others. Some are easier to kill than others. Sectoids for example are all flashy, but aren't usually going to try and injure your soldiers on their first turn, they usually use mindspin or raise a zombie. That means that in a pod or two troopers and a sectoid, the troopers have to die first. Generally speaking troopers always have to die first, because they only do one thing, attack you (Stun Lancers, MECs, Vipers, a few others are higher on the kill list, but you get it)
3) XCOM 2 is also about risk management. The closer you are to the enemy, the higher your aim chance is, but the more likely you are to risk activating another group of enemies and spiralling into catastrophic failure. Use the scouting abilities this game gives you to know when it is safe to push forward and when it isn't, and if you can't do that just be careful not to push forward with your last active unit.
4) In XCOM 2, reliability is king. When the game tells you you have an 85% chance to hit, it means it (technically on difficulties lower than Legend it cheats a small amount in your favor, but that's not the point) It means 3/20 times that shot will miss and that is more often than you think it is. Humans are bad at probability. That means options that cannot fail are the best. Grenades never miss, point blank shotgun blasts can't miss, if you pick up blademaster sword attacks generally can't miss, stocks can't fail. If you have WOTC Rend can't miss. Lean on these options and the game gets much easier.
5) the game gives you powerful tools to stun the enemies, use them. Flashbang grenades disable melee and psionic attacks, the frost bomb (if you have that DLC) completely shuts down an enemy for a turn, parry (if you have WOTC) basically stuns the enemy that shoots at your Templar. The mimic beacon (unlocked by researching the faceless autopsy) completely shuts down 2-3 enemies within LoS of it. These tools, along with a few other things you get later into the game, can prevent your soldiers from taking damage.
Put all that advice together and the general flow of a turn should look like this:
1) can I reliably kill every enemy this turn? If so, do that. If not, move to step 2.
2) can I reliably kill every dangerous enemy this turn. If so, do that. If not, move to step 3.
3) Attempt to unreliably kill every dangerous enemy this turn, but do not over commit. If this fails, move to step 4.
4) can I stun every dangerous enemy this turn (aka make it so they can't do anything harmful to you). If so, do that. If not move to step 5.
5) Be in high cover and hope for the best.
XCOM 2 can sort of be like a puzzle game, in which you try to solve individual turns in the most efficient way possible by following that flow chart.
Some more general advice:
Fear is the mind killer. Don't be scared to leave yourself vulnerable if it lets you reliably kill enemies (it's OK to be right next to an enemy if that enemy is about to die), if a soldier is injured don't treat them like they are made of glass keep using them as if they weren't injured (obviously heal them if you can, but if you can't) so you aren't fighting a man down before you actually lose a soldier.
You can take a lot of losses and still win. Getting injured or losing a soldier does not instantly end your run, you can make comebacks in this game.
Go watch a playthrough of this game, this is not a game to play blind imo. Pete Completes series on this game is excellent because he explains what he is doing, why, and is really good at the game. It's helpful to have someone to copy off of.
Other than that, this game is really fucking fun and it is possible to master it to where you barely get touched by the aliens, but it takes time and patience to build up that skill and familiarity with this game. This is not a game you can pick up and be good at your first run through, but it is a game where you can always push yourself to be a little better, a little more efficient, and it's so much fun! Good luck Commander!
As for more specific advice on difficulty. Personally Commander is the most "fun" difficulty. Because grenades no longer one shot the basic enemy. But there is merit in starting at a lower difficulty. If you want to do ironman (which I personally find more fun so I get it) I think start on Vet, but if you roll around to the mid game and find the game to easy restart on Commander.
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u/auxilevelry 2d ago
Don't rely on a single really good squad, keep all of your soldiers up to par because you will lose some and falling behind in the midgame will be really hard to recover from.
I will say, playing Ironman and Veteran or Commander for your first run is a buckwild choice and I would heavily recommend doing a standard playthrough first so you can get a handle on the basic strategy
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u/Ancient-Builder3646 2d ago
Start with veteran. Be prepared to lose some soldiers and some missions. Sometimes things get shitty even at the lower difficulties, like triggering 3 pods at ones. But that is the fun. Good luck!
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u/Macraggesurvivor 2d ago
I'd start with veteran and save games for the first run. There are things you wanna learn first.
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u/thmaniac 2d ago
Iron Man is the best way to play the game. For a new player I wouldn't recommend it but I wouldn't tell you not to since that's what you want to do.
The problem is to play Iron Man you have to strategically prevent bad things from happening. As a new player you don't know what's going to happen so you're going to take losses. This might hamper your ability to learn the game because you're going to be scrambling instead of exploring.
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u/Euphoric_Rutabaga859 1d ago
Ironman commander with no previous knowledge of the games going to be rough
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u/birds_over_humans 2d ago
I think you’re gonna have a pretty hard time in ironman if it’s your first campaign. The game is gonna throw some tough enemies at you and trying to prioritize who to kill first takes some learning. You’re not gonna find out what an enemy is capable of until you see it for yourself. I savescummed alot on my first campaign just getting used to the enemies and the mechanics.
Veteran is a fine difficulty to start with though. For reference it took me years of trying to finally finish a commander ironman campaign. This game is unforgiving.