XCOM: Enemy Within

[Elok]

Super excited about the flamethrowers.

IIUC, only one class (Assault) gets to choose its primary weapon at present. Do they get a third choice now, or does some other class get flamethrowers as an option, or is it everyone's toy?

(yes, I've been reading up on what I'm missing)

[Hauldren Collider]

Also, if you get a terror mission that appears to be taking place on an army base, PREPARE YOUR ANUS.

Oh god, the army base

[Guynemer]

Seriously. Every time. I'll just be cruising along, finish the alien base assault without batting an eye, then while everyone taking two days to recover: TERROR MISSION.

"Please don't be the army base. Please don't be the army base. Please don't be the army base."

/Selects still-slightly green B-team

//map loads

"OH GOD ****ING DAMMIT"

[Hauldren Collider]

I'm a ***** though and play on normal. So I never get squad wipes.

[Guynemer]

[regexcellent]

I typically play on classic but not ironman, loading after certain kinds of extreme bull****. Once I get past the second story mission I jack it up to impossible because frankly it's too easy with six colonels and 16 satellites.

I hope they add a feature where you can select the goddamn classes people get.

[Captain ******* Kirk]

I honestly don't get the difficulty ya'll are having with the army base terror site. Yes, all the civilians are pretty much ****ed since they're so far away from where you start, but the chokepoint and abundant full cover make it pretty easy to keep your squad intact. The city hall terror site, on the other hand, forces you to take risks in order to eliminate the Chrysallids before they can create an army of zombies, and it's open nature generally leads to leaving some of your squad in a bad position because of your (necessary) aggression.

[Guynemer]

"Army of zombies" is precisely why the army base is so bad.

You're less likely to spring a surprise chrysallid pod on the city hall as it is so wide open, and there are abundant ways to use run & gun close combat specialist assaults and multiple rocket heavies.

[Docfeelgood]

New grenades:

Needle Grenade has a big blast radius but doesn't destroy cover or affect allies/enemies in cover from the grenade's blast origin; unlocked after researching Chryssalid Autopsy
Stealth Grenade splashes allies with a temporary invisibility paint
Gas Grenade uses synthesized Thin Man poison; robotic units are immune.
Flashbang Grenade disorients enemies (severe Aim and movement penalties); robotic units are immune.

interesting

[regexcellent]

I honestly don't get the difficulty ya'll are having with the army base terror site. Yes, all the civilians are pretty much ****ed since they're so far away from where you start, but the chokepoint and abundant full cover make it pretty easy to keep your squad intact. The city hall terror site, on the other hand, forces you to take risks in order to eliminate the Chrysallids before they can create an army of zombies, and it's open nature generally leads to leaving some of your squad in a bad position because of your (necessary) aggression.

Army base is great if you're fighting sectopods, mutons, etc. but terrible with chrysalids and zombies. With chryssie/zombie combo you want looooong sight lines and overlapping fields of fire. With shooty enemies you want lots of full cover to protect your team. If you play like I do, with one of your supports spec'd out as a smoke grenade dispenser, then you can use the defensive psi abilities and smoke grenades to create cover where you need it in the more open maps.

[DaShi]

"Army of zombies" is precisely why the army base is so bad.

You're less likely to spring a surprise chrysallid pod on the city hall as it is so wide open, and there are abundant ways to use run & gun close combat specialist assaults and multiple rocket heavies.

I'm a heartless bastard in terror missions. If I save one civilian, I consider it a success. This also means I rarely see zombies, but hear tons of screams. Either chrysallids only spawn when triggered or they don't produce zombies if they are not visible to soldiers.

[DaShi]

The worst maps for me are simply the ones where your only nearby cover are cars.

[Captain ******* Kirk]

With chryssie/zombie combo you want looooong sight lines and overlapping fields of fire.

I completely agree with this, but don't understand how it favors the city hall terror site over the army base. As Guy pointed out, the army base map has a chokepoint and a long sight line down the middle of the tanks that you can use to easily set up a kill sack for mindless Chryssalids and zombies. The city hall map, on the other hand, is rather open and cramped, so you can't anticipate where the Chryssalids are going to come from (it's especially bad when they use the ****ing roof) and can't retreat far enough to get a long sight line. As such, you generally need to bust into the building immediately with assaults and heavies to wipe out the Chryssalids before they can spawn a ****load of zombies, making yourself vulnerable to any other nasties lurking inside or out back. I'll take the army base any day.

[regexcellent]

The problem is that you have to save people to get the panic reduction. So you have to run in, rescue some people, then run back out and hold the chokepoint without getting caught in an enemy overwatch. Also, chryssalids move faster than you so if you're not speedy they'll catch up and eat you.

[Hauldren Collider]

The jetpack armor is awesome for terror missions. It makes you completely invulnerable to chrysalids and zombies.