Questions tagged [xcom-enemy-unknown]

XCOM: Enemy Unknown is a turn based strategy game developed by Firaxis for PC, XBOX 360, Playstation 3, OS X, and iOS.

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What alien bits should I sell?

I've got a considerable amount of alien detritus lying around my base: Some items, like the damaged UFO flight computer, are marked as useless and intended for sale without consequence. However, I ...
agent86's user avatar
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68 votes
2 answers
401k views

What is the perfect base layout?

Carefully planning your base's layout will lead to significant savings and bonuses. What goal should I have in mind when expanding my base? A perfect layout would be the one that wastes as little as ...
kotekzot's user avatar
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63 votes
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How can I reduce panic in a country?

I had to ignore a call for help from India because the one from Germany had a better reward. Now India is at 4 out of 5 panic bar thingies, and I don't know what I can do to get that back down. They ...
Invader Skoodge's user avatar
61 votes
2 answers
96k views

What does the full research tree look like?

I find myself constantly wishing I had some idea what the research tree looked like. For example, if I want to unlock plasma weapons, do I have to go down the laser weapon path first to unlock it, or ...
Sterno's user avatar
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50 votes
1 answer
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Where's this "Unit Analysis View"?

When I finish an autopsy, the research report ends with We may be able to gain further insight into this creature's unique abilities in combat if another specimen is targeted in the field in the ...
Adam Lear's user avatar
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46 votes
10 answers
47k views

Is there any way to guide what class a rookie will become?

As far as I can tell, the game decides what class my guys will be promoted to upon receiving their first promotion. Are there any ways to influence this decision? Right now I'm stuck with more ...
Invader Skoodge's user avatar
42 votes
3 answers
24k views

Can I skip cutscenes in XCOM: Enemy Unknown?

Starting with the intro movie, XCOM features its fair share of cutscenes that I'm just not all that interested in. I know Firaxis made the game, I don't need to see their logo for a full minute every ...
Raven Dreamer's user avatar
41 votes
2 answers
7k views

Is there a way to remove all items from squad members, or exchange items between squad members?

Is there a way to remove all items from squad members, or easily exchange items between squad members? It can be obnoxious to try and remember which items you've placed on which squad member, ...
pghprogrammer4's user avatar
37 votes
1 answer
43k views

Can I get a country back into XCOM program?

I am playing XCOM - Enemy Unknown on Classic difficulty. In the first month, Australia quit the XCOM program. Due to the lack of money and fitting missions, I could not do too much to decrease the ...
Toby's user avatar
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36 votes
4 answers
30k views

What actions gain experience for units?

I'd like to try to spread the XP around my group, so that I'm frequently ranking up both my experienced soldiers and my new recruits. I'm pretty sure that I get XP for killing an alien, but are there ...
agent86's user avatar
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34 votes
7 answers
70k views

What determines if a soldier is gifted with psionic powers?

The game mentions a soldier's will influencing whether they have a gift or not. Since you can only test a soldier once, does that mean promoting a soldier a couple of times before testing might ...
kotekzot's user avatar
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31 votes
5 answers
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How often should my troops use Overwatch?

When my troops are deployed on a mission, how often per turn should I use the Overwatch command? Are there particular classes that are better at this, or is each class equally useful in this regard? ...
Jonah Bishop's user avatar
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31 votes
5 answers
123k views

Where are the savegames located in x-com enemy unknown?

I have a lot of savegames and I'd like to clean them up. Ingame you can only delete them one by one. There is a folder "Saves" in the steamapps folder (I have the steam game) but there are no files in ...
StampedeXV's user avatar
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30 votes
2 answers
11k views

What does it mean when the Alien Icon has a yellow reticle on top of it?

At the bottom right of the screen, there is a red or yellow alien icon for each alien that the currently selected soldier can see. Occasionally, when a sniper is selected, some of these icons have a ...
Invader Skoodge's user avatar
30 votes
2 answers
22k views

Capturing multiple of the same alien

Is there any benefit to capturing multiples of the same species? For example, say I've captured a Sectoid and researched the related interrogation, and now I've captured another - does anything happen?...
thegrinner's user avatar
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29 votes
3 answers
26k views

How do you get "Ain't No Cavalry Comin" achievement?

The steam description for Ain't No Cavalry Comin' says "Have a soldier survive every mission in a full game". Two questions regarding this: In the first mission with the tutorial on, only one guy ...
Halfwarr's user avatar
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29 votes
1 answer
2k views

Do tasered aliens wake up?

In the original X-Com your little foreign buddy could wake up and run off during the mission. Does this happen in the new one, or are they out cold for the rest of the mission regardless of duration?
Drew's user avatar
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28 votes
2 answers
10k views

How long do crashed UFO's last?

I shot down a UFO, but a few of my "must have" soldiers are recovering from wounds. I would like to send them in 4 days, or 2 if I had to. Will the crash site disappear or otherwise go bad if I wait ...
RibsNGibs's user avatar
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27 votes
4 answers
6k views

What's the point of using a pistol?

I have never used a pistol, ever. The damage is too low. I just do not see what the point is in either the original XCOM or the remake.
user4951's user avatar
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26 votes
2 answers
4k views

When is Rapid Fire better than regular fire?

Assault soldiers can pick a perk that lets them fire their weapon twice at a -15 penalty to aim. When is it better to use this ability and when to use regular fire instead?
kotekzot's user avatar
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25 votes
1 answer
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Rules for succesfully capturing various aliens in XCOM

I've advanced somewhat into the game (I think I'm past the first half, have done the Alien Base and 7-8 missions after it), and I'm still puzzeled about which aliens I can capture and under what ...
Shivan Dragon's user avatar
24 votes
4 answers
15k views

What is an "X-Ray"?

The soldiers are always going on about x-rays, but I have no idea what they're talking about. What is an x-ray? A lot of times, they'll mention x-rays when I kill an alien, but I think I've heard ...
Invader Skoodge's user avatar
24 votes
1 answer
1k views

Can you prevent a human victim from becoming a zombie after he/she is attacked by a Chryssalid?

Can you prevent a human victim from becoming a zombie after he/she is attacked by a Chryssalid? I was wondering if I should grenade my dead soldier after he was taken down by a Chryssalid.
G_Glock's user avatar
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23 votes
2 answers
7k views

Is it beneficial to Hunker Down when I'm at full cover already?

Usually when I hunker down behind a bit of half-cover, the cover indicator goes 100% solid, as if I'd been behind a better bit of cover. It also gets a little outline and an "up" arrow above it. ...
agent86's user avatar
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23 votes
3 answers
8k views

How does enemy progression work?

As I play the game, I notice that eventually tougher enemies show up. From what I've read, it sounds like this is based on elapsed time rather than "research checkpoints", but I haven't seen any ...
Sterno's user avatar
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22 votes
1 answer
5k views

Is Iron Will applied retroactively?

Iron Will is a perk purchased from the Officer Training skill, which does the following: Soldiers received a larger Will bonus each time they are promoted. This is very useful, but most of my ...
Wipqozn's user avatar
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21 votes
3 answers
12k views

How does cover work?

From what I can tell, your units either have no cover, partial cover, or full cover relative to an enemy unit. However, even "full cover" doesn't mean "can't be shot", as I've definitely lost soldiers ...
Sterno's user avatar
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21 votes
1 answer
72k views

Should I play Enemy Unknown before Enemy Within?

I bought on Steam both XCOM Enemy Unknown and its expansion Enemy Within. When I launch the game it lets me choose if I want to play Enemy Unknown or Enemy Within. There is any reason to play ...
SysDragon's user avatar
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21 votes
3 answers
13k views

How much willpower do gravely wounded soliders lose?

How much willpower do gravely wounded soldiers lose? The text says they suffer a permanent reduction?
Laurence's user avatar
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20 votes
12 answers
15k views

The Chryssalids! They're everywhere! How do I survive the Site Recon mission?

During my last game, my troops were whisked off to Newfoundland and forced to kiss a cod. Oh yeah - they also had to deal with a whale infested with Chryssalids. During the mission, you have a ...
au revoir's user avatar
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20 votes
3 answers
8k views

Why would you ever want to dash in XCOM? (Rather than making two half moves.)

In XCOM:Enemy Unknown and XCOM:Enemy Within, you have the option each turn to make two limited-distance moves. Alternately, you can make one double-distance move ("Dashing"). It seems like splitting ...
Jaydles's user avatar
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20 votes
1 answer
50k views

What does each Country Bonus mean?

If you launch a satellite for every country in an area you get a "Bonus" ... I can't find it in the XCOM Database. Mousing over doesn't show it. Is it listed somewhere? North America: Air & Space ...
aslum's user avatar
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20 votes
3 answers
29k views

What are the differences between normal and classic difficulties?

I can't seem to find a good list of info of all the changes that classic mode offers over normal other than that 'its much harder'. Does any of the enemy AI improve in classic mode? Do enemies have ...
l I's user avatar
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19 votes
4 answers
12k views

What is the benefit of launching a satellite "a few days before the monthly report"

I've seen this hint in the game as well as on this site and I've been wondering if there is any specific advantage to launching satellites closer to the monthly report rather than any time during that ...
Maxx's user avatar
  • 991
19 votes
2 answers
30k views

What happens after I use the Gollop Chamber?

Once I have a soldier capable of using it (max level Psi power + Psi armor), clicking on the Gollop Chamber icon shows me a big fat warning: What happens from this point on? Is there anything I ...
agent86's user avatar
  • 119k
19 votes
2 answers
4k views

How does "hearing" work?

Sometimes when I'm approaching an alien-infested area but haven't made contact yet, I'll get a notification from one of my soldiers that they can hear something. This is accompanied by a visual ...
agent86's user avatar
  • 119k
19 votes
2 answers
3k views

How should I choose my missions?

I do understand that I need to Go for missions with the higher current panic level. Go for the rewards that I'm missing (like engineers or scientists) In the early part of the game (first few ...
Michel's user avatar
  • 9,850
19 votes
1 answer
9k views

If i change projects, can I pick up where I left off?

I'm about halfway through a long research project, and still have 5 days left before it's finished. A new project just came up that only takes two days and is a priority project. If I switch to this ...
aslum's user avatar
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19 votes
4 answers
9k views

What do distance units mean?

In XCOM configuration files, distances are expressed in some obscure units, that do not translate to grid cells easily. Example values: unit vision radius: 27 most weapons range: 27 sniper rifle ...
Orc JMR's user avatar
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19 votes
2 answers
1k views

Do medikits repair armor?

If your soldier takes more damage than he has bonus health from armor, his health will start depleting, resulting in him spending days in the infirmary. Does healing a soldier restore his armor's ...
kotekzot's user avatar
  • 42.4k
18 votes
5 answers
54k views

How can I remove mind control from my soldier?

My one soldier who carries an arc caster just got mind controlled by the enemy. I would really like to capture this enemy rather than kill it, as I suspect I could learn a lot from it. How can I make ...
SaintWacko's user avatar
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18 votes
2 answers
17k views

What (or who) are XCOM Hero units?

I've been hearing some chatter about secret "Hero Units" in XCOM - soldiers with pre-defined names, attributes, and abilities. The mighty psychic Sid Meier, of course, has previously appeared in a ...
Raven Dreamer's user avatar
18 votes
2 answers
36k views

What should I focus on to make money in Classic mode?

So, I've been having a great deal of trouble going from normal mode to Classic mode. My main problem is that I have countries jumping ship too much and I can't get the money and the facilities built ...
CrystalBlue's user avatar
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18 votes
1 answer
6k views

What does it mean when the alien logo turns yellow?

At the bottom right of the screen, you will see alien logos for each alien that the current unit can actively fire on. Most of the time, these are red, but occasionally they will turn yellow. What ...
Invader Skoodge's user avatar
18 votes
1 answer
15k views

What do the icons next to a soldier's rank icon mean?

In combat, your selected soldier's rank is displayed as an icon at the bottom left corner of the screen. Sometimes a yellow star or a white cross will appear on top of it. What do these icons signify? ...
kotekzot's user avatar
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18 votes
2 answers
7k views

How can I kill an enemy under mind control?

I was in a mission and had only one soldier with moves left and a berserker. Since I couldn't kill it with just one shot I mind controlled it. Then on the next 4 turns I got stuck with it, waiting for ...
SIMEL's user avatar
  • 8,689
18 votes
1 answer
3k views

Once poisoned does it matter if I stay in poison clouds?

Whenever a thin man gobs phlegm all over one of my guys I always move him away next turn. But I've been wondering about whether I need to: after all he's already poisoned. Do poison effects stack? ...
Ian's user avatar
  • 1,137
18 votes
1 answer
2k views

XCOM automated armor coloring by class

I'm playing XCOM Enemy Unknown (including Enemy Within) for a while now, and I was wondering if there was a way to automate the coloring of the armor (as well as automating the armor skin and helmet). ...
Inferno IV's user avatar
17 votes
4 answers
10k views

Are the hit percentages predetermined?

I was playing a Terror mission last night where after my unit would enter an area, a Cyber Disc and two Drones would come around the corner of a building. All four of my other units were in a position ...
Jack B Nimble's user avatar
17 votes
1 answer
2k views

Can I farm XP/resources on a VIP extraction mission?

I've just been tasked to recover a VIP from a hostile area by the council. After the VIP has been found, I have to get her to the extraction zone. During this time, aliens spawn randomly on the map. ...
agent86's user avatar
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