X-Com Apocalypse Strategy Guide for no apparent reason.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
This document is Copyright 2005 Joe Rouse. All rights reserved.
The following conditions must be met
* This may be freely distributed, provided it is just that: Free. You may not
sell or charge money to access this document in any way shape or form
in whole or in part.
* This document may be taken apart and sections used provided that sections
remain in full content and credit is given to Joe Rouse (loodwig).
Each section should be noted by parenthetical footnote or section
caption as being written or contributed by Joe Rouse.
* This document may be obtained by contacting the distributor
(
[email protected]) or by contacting Gamefaqs.com.
X-Com Apocalypse is trademark and licensed by Microprose, and is a really
nice game. This guide was printed with no permissions what so ever, but
you should buy this game if you can, because it's really nifty, and they
worked very hard to make this game.
Ok That was fun, now let's get onto what you care about.
Contents:
i -- Preface
I -- Starting strategy.
II -- Developing strategy.
base building strategy
III -- Endgame strategy.
IV -- Tactical combat strategy.
a: Different Aliens, and what do do about them
b: Promotions
c: point and counter point.
V -- Aerial combat strategy.
VI -- Financial strategy.
VII -- Final Thoughts.
----<Preface>----
This document is really a strategy guide, and not much of a walk through
for the game. In all truth and fairness, you shouldn't need a walk through for
this game. Ok, want one anyway? Research everything, and kill the aliens, and
while you're at it, try not to cheese off too many organizations. Really, the
object is clear. The plot (what little there is) will become apparent as you
go, and in the end, you will know what to do based off of what works for you.
This guide is not designed to be your sole source of information and by
no means replaces the game's manual. This guide will not contain cheat codes.
And this guide will not tell you how to install the game on windows 2000, but
I will give you a hint: Use VDMsound and set up compatibility mode. It's
easier to do in XP, provided you have the beefy machine that can handle it.
Otherwise, good luck (works best in DOS, so you can always do that). Little
other word of advice... SAVE OFTEN, especially during combat. This game seems
to prefer to crash the most right after combat.
One last thing. This document is not without spoilers. I am not
going to be so careful when I write as to try to obscure any minor plot
points or other subtle hints. You're reading a strategy guide, probably
because you don't care about plot and just want to survive or do this and
that. If you aren't, this guide isn't for you, and you really should stop
reading. And of course, if you glazed over this part, well, that's your own
fault, now isn't it :)
-----<I --- Starting Strategy>-----
The first thing you're going to do when you start the game is pick a
difficulty setting. This game has very little replay value, and every setting
is possible. The general rule is you will have to be more strategic if you
pick a higher difficulty setting, and you may be reloading more at the harder
settings. I prefer the game harder to easier, because I don't want to beat it
in just a week or two, but you can be the judge on that one. It does not
affect what toys you get, what aliens come to play, and what ending you get.
So if you just want to beat it, go for the easiest. More of a long drawn out
challenge, go for the gusto, and prepare to be educated in the fine art of
X-Com 3.
So you begin with a base, with pretty much everything in it. You also
get a few agents, scientists, engineers, and craft to play with. Let me tell
you this much: much of it is junk, and you're going to want to sell it right
away for some extra cash. The initial thing you're going to have to deal
with is the current alien threat (there are aliens in your city now), the
fact that you have no money, no cool weapons, and no decent craft, and your
agents really suck at combat compared to, well, everyone. Yes, THE BEGINNING
IS THE HARDEST PART! (well, not entirely true, but yeah).
It therefore goes without saying that you need to plan every dollar
carefully when you start. There are two important points to remember. First,
the cult of sirius will always hate you, and usually will be much worse at
combat than you. Translation: raid them all the time. Second point: research
will yield more toys and help keep your guys alive, so it should not be
neglected in the slightest (pump every spare dollar you have into this). But
that does not mean you should avoid combat until you have better toys.
Remember the aliens will always be at the very best... your technological
equals.
Some specific pointers on starting aerial combat: Ground units suck.
Do not buy any cars, and sell all the cars you have. You have been gifted an
Valkyrie and two Phoenix. Keep them for now, but they are your backup force.
With your remaining funds, buy some hoverbikes, and equip them with janitor
missiles and or plasma cannons and bolter lasers. You shouldn't need more
than 7 of each, and of course, you can only afford a small handful to start.
Your hovercars should use prophet missiles, and use them sparingly not only
for financial concerns, but also because you want to capture one of each UFO
type, and this includes the probe and scout. Your Interceptor should become
your troop transport, so equip it with a troop, cargo, and alien transport.
Put prophet missiles, lancer lasers, and big plasma when you have the chance,
and keep this craft of the defensive. After you have captured one of a
particular craft, just blow them to hell when you see them. Letting a UFO
escape is a financial penalty, but not a big one. Letting a UFO deposit
troops is a serious NO-NO so stop this at all almost all costs. LOOSING A
CRAFT is a financial penalty in that it reduces your funding, and you have to
replace it. Set your priorities as follows:
1. Don't get shot down.
2. Capture uncaptured craft (just means you have to shoot it down and do the
ensuing mission once).
3. Immediately intercept aliens that have landed in a building (the sooner you
get there, the fewer aliens, and the less likely they are to spread)
4. Stop troops from depositing aliens. Better to avoid combat than to risk
civilian and x-com casualties. But you do get alien techs when you fight, and
you have the chance to capture them as well.
Some pointers on starting research: You will want to get a bio-contain
right away so you can start bio-research. In the beginning, Bio-research is
the most important part of your study. After the bio-contain is had, your next
goal should be the toxigun. This means, research every dead and living
component of the aliens (easier said than done). Set your priorities as
follows:
1. Get the Bio-Container.
2. Get something that will allow an Adv Bio-Research.
3. Get 10 biologists to fill it (higher skill = better... try to get them all
above 90)
4. Get that toxigun.
5. Get the toxigun b clip (probably already have it by the time you get the
toxigun).
6. Research disrupter weapons when you get the chance. Alien grenades are
not as important.
* Research whatever you can when you can, but don't be afraid to change
research as your old progress will be maintained (this is not true for
manufacturing).
And it goes without saying, but manufacture everything you can (toxigun, etc).
Much of the alien technology you won't have to manufacture, because you'll get
it in quantity. Sell what you don't need right away, even if you have to buy
it back later (the cost will only go down, so you will still profit somewhat).
Some pointers on starting combat: Divide your troops into types of units:
snipers - they get laser rifles... use the guys with high accuracy.
gunners - they get machine guns and pistols (and maybe a sword) (do away with
pistols eventually). Use the guys with high reactions.
blasters - they get auto-cannons. These guys should be strong, but reactions
help.
benders - they get mind benders, and light weapons. Use hybrids, and just try
to get them a kill now and then.
drones - they get whatever you want, but especially stun grapples. Use robots!
Basically you're going to make your dream team now, or at least start to. Get
about 12 agents, and train them well. You want the following configuration
(adjust to taste):
2x snipers
3x gunners
3x blasters
2x benders
2x drones
Units WILL GET HURT, and sometimes killed. Replace as need be, and be sure to
keep extra supply of snipers, gunners, and drones.
Give each unit the following:
* Only megapol armor (get some floater marsec stuff later, but that is a _low_
priority)
* phase out your pistols and machine guns for plasma weapons (if you can afford
it)
* keep each unit stocked with 2 AP, 2 stun, and 2 smoke grenades
* give every few units a motion tracker. Again, low priority.
Use your smoke and stun grenades liberally. Use your AP carefully. Do not use
high explosives for... well... anything. Use mines carefully, they leave quite
a bruise if they blow up in your face. And don't put units in front of each
other, or they will be shot in the back with friendly fire. Let the enemy come
to you, and don't be afraid to retreat. Grab an artifact if you find it, and
pick up brainsucker pods whenever you find them so that they don't hatch and
attack. For details on what to use against what, read the tactical combat
strategy.
-----<II --- Developing strategy>-----
In the beginning, if you play your cards right and take your time, you
should have little difficulty on any setting. Just use a bunch of craft, and
get more craft and keep the aliens out as much as possible. Save often, and
you should be fine... for a while.
Then suddenly, the game gets harder. UFOs that come are no longer
the little probes, scouts, and transports that can be smacked with a few
prophet missiles. Some companies are starting to hate you. You need more
space to expand, and you don't have the cash. And once more, the aliens now
have guns, grenades, and maybe shields and cloaking things (and smoke grenades,
I mean, WTH... how did megapol get them those?).
The big pinch will be your budget. Here you can do one of two things:
Cheat (ahem... don't do that). Or for better people, you can super micro
manage, and really make the cult your financial provider. Here's a tip: when
you get a new type of item (personal cloaking field, or psiclone for example)
the price will be the highest it will ever be on the market. Hold on to them,
and sell those items that are already on the market (extra plasma guns,
old outdated equipment, etc). Do this until you have a huge cash of item X
(the one you plan on selling), and then sell a bunch. psiclone goes for 4500
a pop to start, and you can get maybe up to 8 or 10 in a single run. At this
stage in the game, the cultists are pretty weak, so you can just blow them to
hell with alien technology, or whatever. They will have rocket launchers, so
be ware of that. But also remember that the more you hit them and financially
penalize them, the less money you will get in goods per raid, and the less
they will throw at you (to a point... I mean, even if they're budget is in the
red, they still happen to have rocket launchers, just less of them). If you
are feeling very poor, you can always raid someone like Marsec or Solmine for
elerium and other stuff, which sells at a nice price (you can even get missiles
at some of these places). But if you hurt anyone on a raid (stunning doesn't
count), you will have a new hostile enemy, which has its own badness (see
financial section further in this document). Also, if you go in and just stun,
you really are exploiting a weakness in the game, and that's no fun. You might
as well use cheat codes if you're that in need, and you shouldn't be if you
play the game right (remember, it's supposed to be hard, or it wouldn't be
fun!).
So finances aside, you need to spend your money in the right spots.
Research may seem like a great crop, but it has severe drawbacks, the biggest
being the enormous capital required to maintain a staff that can get new
techs developed and then engineers that can build them. You may be tempted at
some points to favor quantity over quality, and just use terrestrial weapons
and larger forces. You would be right to follow your instincts, but only to a
point. Don't go wild on research (you should never need more than 1 of any
ADV facility, excepting manufacture). At this point, you may want a second
base too, but only when you can afford not only to buy the base, but fully
equip it. Think of your senate budget as covering your weekly costs, and your
raids and alien missions AND sales from your manufacture jobs being your sole
source of buying upgrades, munitions, etc.
This leads to how to design your bases. This is a typical setup I
Like well, that works well into any difficulty setting.
Base 1 (name them, it's more fun that way) should have two and only two
focuses in the eventual. Your first push should be to outsource your
quantum guys and get an ADV biolab. Push engineering out soon as well.
This base should only make use of one repair bay, and since it holds your
most critical elements (your dream team of agents), you may consider selling it
and moving to a new bunker if you are in a slum base and worried about alien
assault from craft (not from alien units). But this is more of a concern of
the harder difficulties, and should only be considered by early mid-game, and
implemented if funds are available (you may do just as well as to reload if
your base gets thrashed). Build in this base the following.
* Medical x1 (go x2 if you are getting hurt a bunch, but any more and you
should just think less aggressively in combat, or worse still... sell
wounded agents if they are that easily hurt (avoid selling hybrids,
as they are hard to train. Sell droids anytime, unless they're ranking
but bear in mind you eventually want a decent sized force, and its
better to keep a large crew through the game than to train a mediocre
crew in the endgame).
* storage x1 (if you need a second storage, it's time to sell some of your
crap. You don't need stockpiles of anything short of some craft
weapons).
* alien containment x1 (the only one you'll ever need, you will be tempted to
build two. If this is a need, consider bumping your research, and only build
an additional containment if 100% necessary (the bigger aliens take up 60% of
one lab, but by the time you research them, you will already have everything
else taken care of, and your biochems will be laying dormant by and large).
* vehicle repair x1 (spread out your vehicles, and sell them if they're
so badly busted as to take too long to fix, but you shouldn't have
to do that ever).
* training x3 (this can be done gradually, as a need arises. You may only
need x2 even at the endgame)
* psilab x1 (keep your original, and make sure your hybrids use it all game,
unless you're worried that they aren't getting enough target practice,
then maybe throw them on training for a week if need be).
* ADV biolab x1 (build it as soon as you can, keep one the entire game, and
never build more than one).
* biolab x0 (you have one, get rid of it as soon as your ADV is finished, but
not before... don't halt research but redirect it when needed).
* quantum & workshop x0 (get rid of them as soon as your buildings in other
bases are done. Get rid of quantum before manufacturing, although
quantum research becomes PARAMOUNT by this stage of the game).
* living quarters x4 (up to 30 units, and 10 biochems will take up this space
but you can build them as you need them... plan the space in advance
though).
* Defense x1 or x2 (in harder difficulties YOU WILL NEED THIS. Replace them
with advanced as you need them. You will think them useless until
you are actually in combat).
Placement: put your living quarters as close to your access lift as possible.
This is because you want to evacuate your scientists ASAP and have your
grunts in position to keep them safe with cover fire and meat shields.
Put your defense structures within corridors and pathways. Aliens
will be throughout your base, but they love to hang out in hangars and
labs. Design your Defense so that they will never meet each other in a
cross fire (it's redundant, and your space is at a premium in this base
especially).
Base 2 (the research base).
Depending on the size of this base, this will serve one or up to
three roles. This base WILL be the home for your quantum and ADV quantum lab
and may be the temp home for your engineers as well. Try not to put too much
into this base, as it's better to separate it a bit. But putting the
manufacture in with the quantum (provided the base is adequate) is more cost
effective, and in truth you don't need that many bases. A third role is to
host an X-Com academy, meaning you throw your SL promoted units so you can get
a commander by endgame (see tactical combat section). Build the base as
follows:
* medical x1 (never need x2, hardly need x1)
* storage x1 (most of your manufactured goods will be shipped elsewhere)
* hangar x0 (don't host ships here, but them somewhere else).
* psilab x0 (don't train hybrids, keep a small quantity at home, or don't hire
them at all)
* training x1 (go x2 if you plan on hosting more agents here, but don't go more
than 20 agents in this base).
* ADV quantum x1 (you may go ahead with a x2 if you have money to burn, but
you probably don't)
* quantum x1 (get rid of this when you have ADV)
* workshop x2 (get rid of them when you have ADV, but that will be a while)
* ADV workshop x2 (don't go more than 2 in this base, unless you're really
strapped for cash, or just miserly).
* living quarters x5 (this is an exaggerated figure. You need up to 2 for your
engeneers, 1 for your physics, and 1 or 2 for your agents, if you want
to go that route. You will need at least 3, for 10 physics, at least 2
agents, and the rest to engeneering if you want. Don't put more than
20 agents in this base, whatever you do).
* Defense x2 (if you have some agents, this shouldn't need to be more. Don't
skimp here, or you will be hurting later when you are raided).
Placement: Much like base1, put your big rooms where they will fit, plan on
putting in living quarters where they fit, and put down as much as you
can while you can afford it wherever you want (they don't have to
connect in this game, so hey, why not use that to our advantage).
Base 3 (the assault base)
Ok, this is a fun base, being that you don't have to worry about
scientists and what not, and can focus on really just beating the ever
loving crap out of the aliens (note: aliens... not the cult). This means
you should build and arm for war mostly. So build as follows:
* medical x1 (you will have agents in this base)
* training x1 (you will want them to shoot, do more if you want this to be your
X-Com academy)
* psilab x0 (but we don't want hybrids or robots, no EOE here).
* hangar x6 (cut this down to 2 or 4, or even 1 later in the game when
your ships kick such serious ass that they hardly get scratched,
but for now, you need this to be your craft hospital, and they're
cheap).
* storage x2 (go x1 if you can, the storage bays are pretty huge in this game)
* research or manufacture x0 (doesn't happen at this base)
* living quarters x1 (go more if its the Academy, otherwise keep it minimal)
* defense x1 (just enough for your grunts, nothing more).
Placement: keep your hangars together and try to make it so that there is only
1 way in and 1 way out. Put your defense on this choke point, and your
living quarters spread out (makes it easier to set up choke points and
it avoids ambushes). This base is LIKELY to get assaulted, being that
your R&D bases are by and large innoculous. Not quite as likely as
your main base to be hit, but this base should be protected as it is a
huge financial structure.
Base 4 (the factory)
This base is pure bread. Don't put anything but maybe some agents and
a ton of fungeneers (see if anyone catches that joke).
* hangar x0 (going to build them, and move them elsewhere).
* ADV workshop x3 (go more if you want, but remember you can't have more than
50 workers, so there is no need to build 6 of these in your empire).
* workshop x4 (only build these if you don't have ADV yet, dismantle them ASAP)
* Living quarters x4 (you will have agents here for protection, so plan
accordingly).
* Training x1 (keep them sharp)
* Medical x0 (go x1 if this is early in the game and you're paranoid about
repeat invasions, but this is a good place to skimp if you want).
* Storage x1 (you won't need more, as the goods will be shiped elsewhere).
* Psilab x0 (same reasons as before).
* Defense x3 (Do as much as you can as you have space, within reason (there is
no reason to cluster defense as they become redundant in close range).
Placement: Living quarters surround your access lift if possible, otherwise put
the workshops where they fit, and fill in the rest with the rest. If
you do not have room for everything, use a different base. This base
tends to get cramped quickly, and you want to rely on your defense
rather than the skill of your grunts, as they will be too little to
hold off any invasion by themselves (unless highly trained, and if they
are trained, they should be put to use elsewhere instead).
Wow, that was a lot to type.
A brief word on defense (since it is so important).
say you have a layout as follows for your base 1:
+--+--+--+--+--+
|TR|MD|XX|LQ|ST|
+--+--+--+--+--+
| |LQ|AL|LQ|
+ ADV +--+--+--+
| |LQ|XX|TR|
+--+--+--+--+--+
| | |TR| |
+--+--+--+ Han +
| | |AC| |
+--+--+--+--+--+
key: AL - Access Lift
TR - Training (whatever)
MD - Medical
LQ - Living Quarters
AC - Alien Containment
ST - Stores
ADV - Advanced whatever
Han - Hangar
The best place for defense would be where the XX is. Leaving a
2x2 area open for another ADV would be helpful, and having extra expansion room
is paramount when needed (well, until later). The LQ are right by the AL, and
that is where your agents and civilians will likely be. So they are a short
walk from the security, they care located in a dense base with choke points and
are in a position where they can often wait out the alien attack (high ground
will mean grenades are not effective, but beware of missiles). This works very
well against aliens, and pretty well against human invaders.
Financial Strategy for Midgame: As mentioned above, finances are key.
You will gain money by raids and combat missions, so focus on research that
will yield higher results from these, and lower your costs and increase your
success rate. Bear in mind that financial penalties are applicable if you a:
damage a company (you will have to bribe it happy again), and b: let incursions
occur. This brings up the happy news of infiltration. This was a huge fear in
other games, and although possible if you're a really lazy or unlucky player,
this can by and large be avoided by paying attention to where UFOs deposit
their guys, and how quickly you can get there and kill them. See the financial
strategy later on for more tips.
Aerial Strategy for Midgame: Your focus should now be on getting some
tougher craft, like the Hawk Air Warrior. This behemoth costs a bundle, but
can now be your main shield for forces, and will only be replaced by the best
of your troups. Get rid of your interceptor and hovercars when you have a few
of these, but keep the swarm around. Send the swarm against smaller ships, and
the Hawks against the bigger guys. Get enough ships so that you aren't loosing
fights. And assuming you have the first few UFOs researched or at least
collected (if you go to the research tab for quantum physics, you can see how
many of the 10 you have found, and just ignore the fighters and focus on the
transports. If you aren't strong enough, don't send your jets on suicide
missions. Do what you can to stop the transports, but keep them safe. Your
agents can handle more ground missions, and you will profit more from using
your agents rather than your ships to stop UFOs (even though you suffer the
incursion penalty if they get away). But do what you can to find out where
they pump the city full of seed, so you can get your guys there ASAP. Now
would be a good time to make your troop transport an Air Warrior, and bring
about 14 units into battle (no more than that for now, the battles aren't big
enough to need them). If you happen to face one of the bigger MOFO ships,
just cower if you must. Nothing short of an Anihilator can handle them
head on. Just in case you fight some sluggish craft, retribution missiles do
help. Just drop them close to the target, even though they have a long range
(they can't turn worth a darn otherwise). They pack quite a whallop, and it's
helpful if you need to chew down a shield, or really want to down that UFO
for research or spite, or whatever.
Tactical Strategy for Midgame: Here you start to really hate this
game. The aliens (especially on harder difficulties) get new toys FAST, and
you will be woefully underequiped if you don't have the toxigun. That does not
mean that you should plan on avoiding combat, because that is never an option.
But do prepare to break out the missile launchers if you don't have the toxins,
and at this point, you might as well 86 those pistols, machine guns, and maybe
your laser rifles too (in that order, mind you), and replace them with plasma,
rocket launchers, and alien weapons as you get them. Always make do with
what you have, but remember you NEED that disrupter tech fast to be able to
deal with the tougher aliens. Please read the Tactical section in detail, as
you will get to find my least favorite alien (the popper) in this part of the
game with all too much frequency, and you DO NOT have the proper means to
counteract it.
You have two options at this point, keep them low tech and with lots of
grenades, or go high tech with lots of strong weapons and toxigun clips.
They are financially about equal, but the low tech doesn't need the research
and the high tech won't die as much.
snipers - they get laser rifles, upgrade them to auto cannons if you need the
beef, or disrupter technology (they get first pick!).
gunners - they get machine guns upgrade them to auto cannons and plasma guns
when you have the funds and what not. Give them swords if you
are worried about brainsuckers or hyperworms, but that should be about
it.
fighters - this is a gunner / blaster variant, so use someone with high
reactions and speed, but you can skimp on accuracy if need be. Give
them a sword and a fast strong gun (machine gun works even). They
get top pick on toxiguns, and give them a ton of mines and grenades
otherwise. Use them to get in and out fast, and keep one with every
group of soldiers.
blasters - They get mini-launchers (rocket launchers are ok at first, but too
heavy and space consuming to make worth while excepting extreme cases).
If you give them a launcher, give them some other type of gun,
preferably disrupter or plasma.
benders - they get mind benders, and light guns (machine or plasma, eventually
disrupter). Put them with marsec armor, and keep them in the far back.
That means a full set of armor, as they are slow as hell otherwise.
drones - They get heavy stuff, like launchers and auto cannons. Give them a
bunch of stun grenades, and don't hold back on the stun grapples.
Favor them with Marsec body units only, when you have the chance.
Your dream team should be developing, and a good 20 or so units should be in
your arsenal (get more if they get hurt a lot).
(adjust to taste):
3x snipers
3x gunners
3x fighters
3x blasters
4x benders
4x drones
This part of the game really has emphasis on grenades, since your accuracy is
not good, and your damage is even worse. Almost counts in horeshoes and hand
grenades, so use those horseshoes. Put them in this priority
Vortex (if you have these, use them, but only if they can hurl them, They will
kill just about anything without shields, and often those that have
shields. The strongest weapon in the game in all fairness).
Stun (give only 2 to your snipers and benders, and a bunch to the others.
Sometimes its easier to stun an enemy than to kill them, and shooting
them when they're down, albeit poor sportsmanship, is all fair in this
war).
Boomeroid (a real double-edged sword, give a few to your best units who are
on point, as they make mincemeat out of poppers, civis, and agents
alike. So be careful when you toss them, and set the explode parameter
to be something large enough to cover the area. It goes without
saying, but remember where you throw them, as they will follow you
if you come close)
Mines (give the strong guys 1 or 2 of these, and the rest can avoid them,
but be sure you bring them to the party, as they are critical
agaisnt poppers!)
Smoke (keep 2 per unit minimum, as you will need them anytime you get under
fire, especially when they get cannons).
IN (great for drawnout fire fights, burn them to the ground... but this will
hurt fiscally and kill civis... not good. But it really packs a
whallup!).
AP (good against some foes, and easy to come buy, have a few in hand)
High explosives (don't use unless you have a death wish)
You will find two common combat scenarios: the UFO and the city. The city
mission will be tougher, so plan on just killing everything, and paying for
it later. The goal is to get out alive, more than anything. Don't try to
kill civilians, but they are by no means a primary concern. Save yourself
first!
In the UFO mission, you are somewhat different. Don't worry about
the popper until near endgame, unless you feel up for a challenge. Get your
guys to guard the doors, crouch (or crawl if you need the accuracy), and smoke
the ground as soon as an enemy shot is fired (maybe sooner if you want).
Mine the door, and don't enter the UFO until it seems that everything has been
quiet for quite some time. Then, and only then, send a few fighters with
gunner cover to enter and hunt down the stragglers (usually just spitters).
Use motion detectors liberally, and GO SLOW and be very safe going in. Set up
checkpoints and really guard against an ambush. Just in case you end up facing
a megaspawn, you want to look twice everywhere you go, and be ready to smack
the autofire if you happen to see one (they show up earlier and earlier as you
play the harder settings). Capturing should be a secondary priority, but a
priority in these missions. Remember, you only need one of each, and some
captures will automatically gain you the other.
Focus on Research: Toxiguns are a must, no question. Here is your
Priority of reasearch:
Egg Autopsy (if you don't have any dead, research the living and they'll make
a dead one for you :)
Multiworm Autopsy
Hyperworm Autopsy
Alien Genetic Structure (toxiguns!)
Brainsucker Pods
The sucker himself
Sucker autopsy
Live Egg
Live Multiworm
Live Hyperworm
Chrysalis alive and dead (you get a free dead one if you research a live
one).
Alien Life Cycle (toxin type B becomes available for research!)
The rest can be done at leasure, but don't wait too long.
Anthropod alive and dead
Spitter alive and dead
Skeletoid alive and dead
Popper alive and dead (much easier said than done)
Megaspawn alive and dead
Micronoid alive and dead
Psimorph alive and dead
Real Alien Threat (toxin C... oh yes baby)
And of course, if you want the alien gas (which is a fun endgame treat)
Queenspawn alive and dead (only one, so get her alive when you can).
Focus your remaining efforts on the following otherwise:
PERSONAL SHIELDS!
Personal cloaking
Disrupter beams
Boomeroids
X-Com body armor
Vortex Mines
Dimension missiles and launcher
You should begin to focus your manufacturing on shields (personal, then craft),
and any ship weapons (and ships, eventually) you care to build. Make stronger
units, then worry about your airforce. It goes without saying, but dedicate
toxin production until you have a good 50 or so clips in reserve. When you get
B, replace your A, and sell off the old. When you get C, replace your B and
sell off the old.
A funny note: There is a guy you may see at this point in the game called
OVERSPAWN. This guy is basically a cross between goro from Mortal
Kombat and Godzilla, only without the fire. Very funny alien, that
should be quite the terror, and may well be if you think of the penalty
you get on "damage to city." But consider that organizations start to
like you when they are directly attacked by aliens. You may loose
hundreds from the senate, but save tens of thousands from companies.
And friends are nice, even if not all that useful at times. So, unless
overspawn attacks your base, let him go wild. It's fun to watch. Save
the game when he arrives, so you can see it again. It's not common, so
don't feel bad if godzilla doesn't come to town. You can research him,
but it doesn't yield anything. In the UFOpedia file there is a mention
of a live capture. Yeah, tell me how that happens. You can research
him even if he is destroyed, unlike UFOs that will not be available
unless captured.
-----<III --- Endgame strategy>-----
This part of the game is when it gets fun, but only for a little while.
The aliens are toughest here, and expect to find less in city encounters, and
more in UFO and in the alien dimension encounters. This is the march to
victory here, and you want to secure this by grabbing every tech you can, and
putting your efforts into unit promotion and tech development. Keep the alien
menace at bay, but only hunt them once you are very ready.
Financial Advice: At this point, just make everyone your ally, and
pump your funds into training better units and better equipment. Make sure
you have enough money to do what you need to do, but at this point you should
be wealthy as hell, so you just have to focus on your job, and go from there.
Tactical advice: Really, it comes down to having the best toys, and
not being too overconfident with them. If you have shields, you can take
more damage... but you don't have to. If you were smart in the begining, your
new toys should serve to keep you alive longer now, not be a sufficient
replacement for adequate strategy. So, use your head. Don't charge in, don't
sit on bombs, and drop smoke grenades even if you're cloaked.
Aerial Advice: Focus on building a strong airforce NOW. Build a few
good jets (biotrans for your units, a probe for the one mission, and a
combination of retaliators and anihilators). In my last game, here was my
eventual breakdown of ships:
Mother Theresa (biotrans)
2 cargo modules
1 alien containment
4 crew compartments (can hold 20 agents)
a Missile evasion matrix.
This craft is designed for one purpose... getting your agents there fast and
alive. Don't _EVER_ send it into combat. Escort it with some ships in the
alien dimension, and draw fire off with your capital ships.
6 retaliators (named after various 19th and 20th century generals that I could
think of e.g. rummel, churchill, patton)
2 small shileds
2 X-Com ADV module
1 inversion launcher (32 missiles, have fun building those 6 times!)
1 medium blaster (go 2 mediums if you are low on missiles, but convert later)
1 stasis launcher (great when you finally get anihilators)
and the big guys
Sun-Tsu & Khan (annihilators)
1 lg shield
1 cloaking device
1 X-Com ADV module
1 medium module
3 small modules
1 heavy blaster
1 medium blaster
1 multi-bomb launcher
(great against many small craft or a large craft)
Yamatto (my flag ship.. may build two.. another annihilator)
2 lg shields
3 X-Com ADV module
1 heavy blaster
1 medium blaster
1 multi or inversion bomb
(can single handedly charge a battleship and take it down, not as good against
smaller ships)
It goes without saying, but you need to build a lot of missiles. Don't skimp
on your units, but keeping your ships stocked is the job of 1 ADV workshop if
not more at all times. When you have 50 inversion, 30 multi, and 20 stasis,
you can stop building. But not until then. Keep those numbers once you have
them, as you will be able to refil and armada very quickly. As you're
developing the craft, disable the missile launcher in mega-primus battles, or
use them only sparingly so that you don't spend a lot of time waiting for
manufacturing.
-----<IV --- Tactical combat strategy>-----
a: Different Aliens, and what do do about them
<<<Brainsuckers>>>
One of the more rudimentary aliens, still one that causes panic on into
the endgame, the brainsucker looks like a tiny yellow fat blob that moves fast
and leaps at your friends in combat. It's week to just about everything, and
dies quickly without any painful explosions. But its attack... lethal. If you
see it, kill it quickly. Don't worry about capturing it alive, and for that
very reason, don't let your allies fight alone. A unit that's being sucked is
imobile. Focus all attacks on that one unit, and DON'T let it succeed. In the
early game a combat fatality isn't that big of a deal, but you don't want to
loose a sergeant, or a commander!
What to kill it with:any weapon.
What to stun it with:don't bother, pods are easy enough to come by.
<<<Egg (pink heart shape)>>>
The egg is one of two aliens you don't have to kill to win a mission.
The egg has a weapon, and it can hurt quite a bit when you get close. If you
are worried about them, take them out with a grenade, or at a distance.
Otherwise, ignore them.
What to kill it with:accurate weapon or AP+ grenade.
What to stun it with:don't bother, you capture it automatically.
<<<Multiworm (big green)>>>
The multiworm is formidable in the begning, but becomes more or less
a pithy foe in the end. Kill it with explosives quickly, or burn it to the
ground (good idea!), and just be ready to hit it hard when it spurts the lil
guys forth. The spit isn't fun, but is somewhat short range, so let your
grenades and bullets do the work.
What to kill it with:HE or IN weapons, or any grenade
What to stun it with:gas grenades follow up with grapples.
<<<Hyperworm (little pink snake)>>>
These guys are mean. They take quite the beating, and they are super
dangerous up close. The strategy here is... don't get up close. Burn them
or shoot the hell out of them. But kill them fast!
What to kill it with:HE, IN, swords, or strong weapons.
What to stun it with:gas grenades or stun grapples
<<<Chrysalis (fat yellow don't move)>>>
These guys are immobile and defenseless. Target practice, if you want,
They are basically not alive anyway. Be mindful if you see one in a building,
it's a good indication that the neighbors may have been invaded to, so you may
want to investigate (carefully, save first).
What to kill it with:Anything cheap or free.
What to stun it with:don't bother, you capture it automatically.
<<<Spitters (pink funnel head guys)>>>
These guys are the basic grunts. Their spit can hurt, but not much.
Shoot the crap out of them, gas them, do what you want. They aren't much of
a threat honestly, and you can capture one right away if done right.
What to kill it with:Whatever you have at your disposal.
What to stun it with:gas grenades or grapples, whatever is convenient.
<<<Antropods (blue walkers)>>>
These guys are not tough to begin with, but can become quite the
adversary. Treat them like killing a human, only they're super weak to mind
attacks. So, go that route first. Good strategy: mind bend, then get it to
prime and drop a grenade. Hehehe, boom :)
What to kill it with:Mind, Toxin-B, or strong weapons & Grenades.
What to stun it with:gas grenades.
<<<Skeletoids (yellow flyers)>>>
These guys are tough, and get touhger. They can fly, take more of a
beating than the ground grunts, and are resistant to mind attacks. Hard to
kill, and even harder to stun, they are formidable, and should be dealt wtih
carefully. Hit them hard and fast, unless you plan to capture, then lure away
or gas in a foxhole.
What to kill it with:Toxin-B, strong weapons.
What to stun it with:gas grenades, maybe benders.
<<<Poppers (dreaded blue chickens)>>>
These guys are evil. They are hard to capture dead, let alone alive.
Your first priority is to shoot on site. They won't blow up if you hit them
with a few types of ammo (disruptor kills them). If they do blow up, plan to
evacuate your units before they bleed to death. A tip for stunning them is
to use stun grapples with a flying suit, or just gas the hell out of an
entrance. They are tough to capture, but are necessary for the super sexy
toxin-c. A little tip... they cannot track you if you're flying, so if all of
your nearby units are a unit above flat ground and not next to a hill, it'll
get stuck. Drop a train on them then. Eventually, you'll get better at
shooting them on site. Until then, snipers are your friend.
What to kill it with:fast strong weapons (missiles = not great), MINES.
What to stun it with:luck, grenades, maybe grapples
<<<Micronoid (dark green puddle)>>>
This is not much of an enemy, but they can be tricky. They only come
along rarely, and if handles correctly, they should be cake to capture.
Frankly, they may be easier to capture than to kill. Their power is their
awesome psi attack. But robots are immune, so send in a few drones (just in
case the Jellys aren't alone), and stun grapple them to death. Keep one or two
and kill the rest (so you don't have to keep stunning them). Just be careful
so you don't get mind controlled. If you happen to fall prey to mind control,
gas grenades do wonders.
What to kill it with:strong weapons
What to stun it with:grapples and robots.
<<<Megaspawn (big guy)>>>
This is another really tough opponent, especially to get alive. The
key is to either remain hidden and grenade them, or get in close and rapid
shoot it before it can respond. It won't shoot you with it's pink missile if
you're too close... use that to your advantage. Gas grenades are almost
useless, and you cannot mind control it (you can mind probe). Another tough
part is you can walk past it and not know it's there, unless it's moving. So
be careful.
What to kill it with:the strongest of weapons (toxin-c), or missiles
What to stun it with:grapples and some bullets
<<<PsiMorph (puffy worm mess)>>>
This is an ugly creature that is a Micronoid on steroids. Robots are
still immune, but you may want to send in a few highly developed hybrids for
backup. Shoot them a few times to capture, or just blast the hell out of them.
If a Mundane (hehehe) finds one, have him or her drop all weapons and grenades,
and run like hell, just in case. Oh, it can also fly... big minus! Let me
know if you ever mind control one, I'll be super impressed.
What to kill it with:strong weapons
What to stun it with:grapples and some bullets
<<<Queenspawn (Only one, you'll know it when you see it)>>>
This is a nasty foe, but not too nasty. Just gas the hell out of it
until it falls asleep, and get it back to your homeworld ASAP. Use a new
grenade every few seconds as the old one disapates, and stay out of range of
that nasty belch. Think spitter... only immobile and much stronger. And yes,
mind control is nearly impossible, so don't bother.
What to kill it with:blasters and toxins (but why?)
What to stun it with:Lots of grenades, be patient.
<<<Cult Member (they're not human like we are)>>>
These humans are excellent cannon fodder, but they sleep with their
rocket launchers under their pillows. Personal teleporters are wonderful,
but just plan on hitting them hard and fast, maybe even gas them to get their
shields when they get them. You will kill a lot of them on harder
difficulties.
What to kill it with:Anything strong, stun grenades for loot
What to stun it with:don't bother, kill the stunned ones for extra exp.
<<<Adv Security guards (megapol, marsec, etc)>>>
These guys are super tough, and often better equipped than you are.
Do whatever you can to avoid a fight, but if you truley are a massochist, go
after them with IN and HE, and don't hold back. Fool. Oh, these guys use
armor too, so you should get quite the fight.
What to kill it with:IN and HE, don't hold back.
What to stun it with:if using the stun / rob trick, only grapples.
<<<Gang Members (diablo, etc.)>>>
These guys are tough, and you'd do well to avoid a fight. But if you
are a massochist (see above), well... go nuts. These guys prefer rocket
launchers.
What to kill it with:IN and HE, or anything strong.
What to stun it with:not much need to do a stun / rob trick.
<<<Rent a cop (you must be joking)>>>
Even though they're pathetic in combat, you would do well not to
cheeze off any organization as best as you can. Go pick on the cult if you
are hurting for a fight. Otherwise, hit them with anything you want, and
do not expect much in return.
b: Promotions
The manual says that any rookie can become a squaddie, and that 5
squaddies will yield a squad leader, 5 leaders for a sergeant, 4 for a captain,
3 for a colonel, and 2 for a commaner. Well, that's somewhat useful. So how
do you do it (get a commander that is).
Well, I've done it only once without cheating, and the key was to work
at it. You will need to get the maximum number of units possible (100 agents),
and train the hell out of them. You will spend many days working on it, and it
is hardly worth the effort. But it does make for quite the challenge.
Develop your dream team of roughly 20-24 units. Include in this:
* 4 or 5 drones (robots) the best skill you can, train them a little bit, don't
expect much. Give them benders, cannons, and mini-launchers.
* 5 or 6 benders (hybrids) well trained with a lot of combat experience as
well. Make these guys do your killing for you, when possible. Bring
them along whenever you can, and keep them safe.
* 5+ gunners well trained in reactions and strength, then accuracy. They get
in, hit hard, and get out. Disrupter guns are their bread and butter.
* 2 or 3 blasters that are accurate, then strong. Use them to really punch
a hole, and don't hold back on the defense. They become tanks,
so give them all the powerful toys and missiles you want, and expect
them to be on the slow side.
* 5+ snipers well trained in accuracy. High power cannons are their bread
and butter, as these units are more than essential.
Keep a mixture of weaker units in combat, and only 1 or more of each unit you
want to promote (like, only 1 colonel, only 1 captain, etc). Fill in the gaps
with your sergeants, and leaders you want to become sergeants (only of your
dream team). From the rest, hire ONLY HUMAN rookies, and train them up to
squad leader, and ship them somewhere else. Be sure that the units you want to
promote are experienced enough to be worthy of promotion (only the best can
become colonel or commander). Keep your new squad leaders at a different base,
and try not to put more than 20 per base if you can help it. Give them medical
and training just in case, but you can skimp on gear (disrupter cannons, armor,
and a cloaking device is sufficient). This way, you also have some defenders
if your base gets attacked, though this is very unlikely.
Once you get a commander, sell off all your unwanted units except a few for
base defense (they should be pretty tough in and of themselves by this point).
Train everyone, and bring your commander to every fight (KEEP HIM ALIVE),
unless he's wounded.
c: point and counter point.
<<<spit>>>
dangerous, but not that dangerous, you can just shoot egs from afar if
you must. You will find this in Eggs, Multiworms, Spitters, and the
queenspawn. Counter strategy is to group your forces and take down the
offender fast, or just avoid it all together. The situation is really case
per case, and spitters are a laughable threat at best.
Best against: N/A
<<<brainsucker pods>>>
You occasionally see a Skeletoid with this, but often this gun is the
sole equipment of a Anthropod in the begning. Pods will make any human go
under alien control, so they are useless against hostile humans (you don't get
to control them, but neither do they). Counter strategy is to use fast
guns against the suckers, and beware of the dead body that has many ripe
pods. If you feel nervous, chuck a grenade at the body afterwards, and
everything on it should be destroyed (bear in mind you'll cripple your fiscal
harvest).
Best against: N/A
<<<AP ammo>>>
These vary in power from law pistol to the auto cannon. They are
good against unarmored skin opponents (humans, humanoid aliens, squishy
aliens), but not so good against anything else. Counter strategy is to wear
armor, plain and simple. Megapol armor can deflect most shots. Marsec... not
so good. Shields are awesome against them. X-Com armor is just about immune.
Bear in mind that the more you get hit, the more your armor gets damaged, so
you can't just go off half cocked if you feel up for it. Good rule of thumb
is to rely on your shields heavily. The good news is that you have a viable
weapon even at the begining of the game, and even on the hardest difficulty
settings a good AP auto cannon will do some damage well into midgame.
Best against:Fleshy enemies (lower aliens, humans without armor).
<<<HE ammo>>>
High Explosives have their merrit in many situations. The idea that</pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
works well is that they are great for units that can't aim, but really want to
bring it on. HE is almost prefered to IN because of the cleaning property.
You can let loose a HE attack, then go into the area you just cleaned, collect
the bodies and go on. But bear in mind that HE really is worthless in close
range, and that DOES NOT mean your guys will go ahead and fire an HE rocket
while within the blast radius. So if you use HE, use something else that is
not explosive, like AP clips, or a side arm (a toxigun is not a replacement for
a sidearm, as they are only useful against aliens, and you cannot buy the ammo
clips you need from some vendor).
Best against:Slow aliens, tougher aliens, armors.
<<<Dimension Missiles>>>
A very advanced alien weapon that is basically a super high power HE
missile launcher, you should be warned that a missile will chew through shileds
and even X-Com armor with ease. The best countermeasure in this case is to be
spread out, and do anything to avoid the blast radius. Take anything with this
gun down (including the ominous megaspawn) fast.
<<<IN ammo>>>
Hehe... hehe... fire. Incinerate the bad guys and be the insult master
or just cook them and go home safe. IN ammo is kind of double edged. Usually
it is not AS powerful as HE at first impact, but it does damage EVERYTHING in
the area over time, so you can plan on structures, humans, even agents taking
damage. It also gives cover to any aliens that are in the fire, unless you
have the high ground advantage. But it rules when you have aliens that just
won't die, or are well protected in a foxhole or something. Burning them out
is a tried and true tactic, and shields will not save you for long. This, of
course, is not a good strategy against skeletoids, unless they're trapped in a
one story enclosure (human building, some alien corridors). Oh, but let it
not be said that IN ammo is not of use against cult members. Dead zealots
can't fly. Dead zealots can't smile.
Best against:Ground aliens and humans.
<<<Beam weapons>>>
Lasers are weak, plasma is strong, disrupter weapons kick major butt
otherwise. You can treat beam weapons much like you'd treat AP ammo.
Strategically it is no different, as you will evolve your laser weapons and AP
guns into the disrupter counterparts soon enough. Fast units should use the
disrupter gun, while the bulk of your units, especially snipers, will use
devastator cannons. You really only need to break out the toxiguns when
dealing with the more advanced aliens (shielded units, psionic units, and
megaspawn).
Best against:anything without a shield.
<<<Entropy>>>
The entropy launcher is an evil thing. If you can counteract it, it is
not much of a threat (no explosion, nothing strong to attack a shield). But if
you do not have a shield, watch out! Start by dropping everything you have,
including your armor, and running for the exit before you explode. If you're
lucky, you'll make it out just in time. Moral of the story: always bring
shields. X-Com armor won't deflect it.
Best against:Unshielded X-Com units (a big n/a for us).
<<<Standard Grenades, and Explosives>>>
Here's a novel idea. If you see a grenade in the air, you know pretty
well where it is going to land. So the best idea is to not be in that spot.
In short, Run. Just a few steps away from the blast will substantially lower
your injury, and can (especially with vortex mines) spell the difference
between death and keeping your shields. Good news is that the aliens have not
mastered this trick, and will usually stay right where you chuck the bomb, so
go nuts with grenades, they work very well in this game.
Best against:Stationary targets or targets that refuse to die
<<<Proxy mine and Boomeroid>>>
Ah, this can be very unhappy, or very happy, on either side of the
attack. Mines have a strong tendancy to backfire horribly. So put them
somewhere, and leave them alone! Don't walk near them, or try to disarm them.
The boomeroid is especially problematic. Sometimes you can pick up one thrown
right at you, and throw it back quickly. This will result in less damage, or
instant death, but hey... if you leave it at your feet, you're very dead
anyway.
Best against:poppers, hyperworms, and enemies that are behind the door.
-----<V --- Aerial combat strategy>-----
-----<VI --- Financial strategy>-----
-----<VII --- Final Thoughts>-----
