73
votes
Accepted
What's the point of using a pistol?
Useful applications of the pistol
Snipers can use the pistol on a turn that they move and can be more accurate than a rifle at close range
Shotgunners can be more accurate at range
Characters that ...
- 12.2k
31
votes
Accepted
Why would you ever want to dash in XCOM? (Rather than making two half moves.)
Mainly, dashing grants a defensive bonus (-20 Aim) to overwatch shots.
I've used it rarely when I need to soak an overwatch with a rookie, to get my shotgunner or heavy into a better position before ...
- 8,011
25
votes
Accepted
Should I play Enemy Unknown before Enemy Within?
You should play Enemy Within.
The expansion simply adds new upgrades, options, mission types, etc. to the base game; the basic story progression does not change. Thus, there's no compelling reason to ...
- 17k
25
votes
Accepted
How can I avoid getting poisoned?
There are not any foundry upgrades, perks, or gene mods that provide poison immunity, but you can research several armors and items that provide it
In the base game, the Titan Armor provides poison ...
- 9,172
22
votes
If a soldier is behind both high and low cover, which one counts?
If the game has to choose between high and low cover, it will choose high. However, in your example the only choice is "low".
Please see this image describing how cover works in the game - the cover ...
19
votes
Accepted
The Chryssalids! They're everywhere! How do I survive the Site Recon mission?
It's been a few months, but here's how I recall beating this part on Classic difficulty.
I grouped all my units up at the pier and walked them down the long pier from the Chryssalids' ship to the ...
19
votes
What's the point of using a pistol?
They make more sense in the remake (Lawton some good points). But when dealing with superhuman difficulty, every bit helps - even in the original.
In the original, they were tricky due to their lack ...
- 1,750
16
votes
Does the commander in the modern XCOM series have a canonical gender?
No, the idea of the Commander is that you, the player, are the Commander. The gender of the Commander is your own (or whatever you want it to be). As you've noticed, the game carefully dances around ...
- 63k
15
votes
Accepted
When do we ever see the "commander" on xcom game?
You have this screenshot right on the wiki page you linked showing the Commander before the final mission.
You see the commander in a similar suit during the rescue mission Operation Gatecrasher. It'...
- 17.1k
14
votes
The Chryssalids! They're everywhere! How do I survive the Site Recon mission?
One further note about this scary mission: Once you trigger the airstrike and have only 8 turns to get back, certain objects in the middle of the map will burst into Chrysalids on each turn. However, ...
- 656
13
votes
How may times do I need to Intercept and Assault the Overseer?
You'll need to intercept and assault Overseer UFOs until you manage to clear the wreckage without destroying the Ethereal Device at the center of the UFO. Make sure you aren't blowing it up with ...
- 42.1k
12
votes
Accepted
Is it worthwhile to equip Rookies with upgraded gear?
Yes, it's worth it.
a. If you don't put armor on them, they will die, so even if a rookie gets kills and is promoted, they won't help you dead.
b. To get promotions, a soldier needs to get kills, if ...
- 8,589
12
votes
11
votes
Accepted
Ammo Conservation for Plasma Weapons
It doubles the ammo capacity of all weapons. This means less time reloading and thus more time killing enemies/setting up for overwatch/etc. It is an excellent foundry upgrade.
- 12.1k
10
votes
XCOM automated armor coloring by class
It looks like the LongWar mod has this option available. There's a thread on Reddit about this functionality - below is a quote, but essentially it appears to be a built-in function of the mod, and ...
- 2,961
10
votes
Accepted
Sectopod Tactics
It's a while since I played Enemy Within, but from memory there are two key things: the first rather obviously, is to do lots of damage to it. Make the most of holo targeting (because it has high ...
- 3,346
10
votes
Accepted
Will my first four Squaddies always be one of each class?
This is a known feature in XCOM games with classes. First, the game checks if there's any classes you've never had a soldier of, and if so it picks between them with an even chance. Since it rolls ...
- 311
9
votes
Accepted
Is there any way to tell what continents I've already finished the game from?
There is no in-game way to know, unless you've kept saves from previous games. If you can get to the mission control from one of those saves, you'll see your base on the globe.
If you're a FAQ-...
- 596
9
votes
Is there a way to remove all items from squad members, or exchange items between squad members?
You may like to note that with the Enemy Within expansion come several interface enhancements. Notably for this question, there's a "Make Items Available" button that removes all items from everyone ...
- 656
9
votes
Accepted
How do I obtain the additional soldier customisation options in XCOM: Enemy Within?
The extra customization options were originally a pre-order bonus for XCOM Enemy Unknown. They are now available via the Elite Soldier DLC pack.
Despite the price, this DLC is very important to ...
- 10.8k
9
votes
Why would you ever want to dash in XCOM? (Rather than making two half moves.)
Dashing has a significant benefit on all characters, it decreases chance to be hit by an overwatch shot by 20% since you are running faster.
- 12.2k
9
votes
Accepted
Controller issue: How do I see "More Info" in Xcom Enemy Unkown
Both of the thumb sticks on the XBOX 360 controller can be pressed down as buttons - they will noticeably click under your thumb when this is done correctly.
So, I think the game wants you to click ...
- 28.2k
8
votes
Why would you ever want to dash in XCOM? (Rather than making two half moves.)
There is also the curiously inobvious benefit of moving further. As far as I know, you don't get any bonus movement, but if you really need to move to a tile at the farthest possible point, stopping ...
- 257
7
votes
The Chryssalids! They're everywhere! How do I survive the Site Recon mission?
I typically do this mission for the experience. Have very rarely felt the need to skip it, even on I/I, but lasers and practice help.
My biggest piece of advice is to be careful when you activate ...
- 596
7
votes
Accepted
Can a Support class soldier have a total of 8 medikit uses?
Short answer: No
There is a 1-medikit limit per soldier (thanks ken). Medikits, chitin plating, mind shields, nano-fiber vests, scopes, reaper rounds, and respirator implants are all limited to one-...
- 596
7
votes
Accepted
Do satellites over very panicked countries calm them down?
If the country withdraws, you will lose the satellite.
Countries only abandon at 5 panic and only at the end of month (during the report).
Launching a satellite reduces panic in that country by 2. ...
- 22.1k
7
votes
X-COM panic reduction woes
According to this source, a funding nation must be at 5 bars for at least 14 consecutive days by month-end before it will withdraw. Whilst I can't confirm this personally, I have played through at ...
7
votes
Accepted
When do missed shots and/or suppression shot destroy objects?
There are a few ways to deliberately destroy damageable terrain, but they involve grenades, rockets, properly timed destruction of Sectopods, Mechtoids, Ethereals or Cyberdisks or the MEC trooper's ...
- 14.1k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible