- This guide is on strategy for playing XCOM: Enemy Unknown on Impossible difficulty. For advice on tactical combat, see the Impossible Difficulty Combat Guide article.
General information and advice[]
Premise[]
Beating the game on Impossible is very possible. The main struggle will come in the first few months of the game, and after you get everything going, it's a walk in the park.
To begin with, there is no tutorial for Impossible, and the game begins with the Starter Mission.
Before you start, check out the major changes on Impossible difficulty.
Picking a start continent[]
Europe[]
Halves the construction price and maintenance upkeep of Workshops and Laboratories.
Difficulty | Base Funding | Country Funding | HQ Starting Money | Maintenance | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Easy | §175 | §150 | §100 | (-§110) | §315 |
Normal | §175 | §100 | §100 | (-§110) | §265 |
Classic | §75 | §100 | §100 | (-§85) | §190 |
Impossible | §50 | §100 | §100 | (-§85) | §165 |
- Savings of §65 for each Workshop and Laboratory.
- Contains four countries
- Highest gross monthly income of any continent.
- Can sacrifice three countries on Abduction Missions and other countries can be saved.
- Recommended for experienced players; the high savings makes building large quantities of Workshops and Laboratories in the early months easier, while the large number of scientists per country makes research much faster.
- Allows walkthrough with zero country loss, though by high cost of slow research and technology progress.
- Not recommended as start continent; other continents are far better.
South America[]
Instant interrogations and autopsies; halves subsequent research times.
Difficulty | Base Funding | Country Funding | HQ Starting Money | Maintenance | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Easy | §175 | §120 | §100 | (-§110) | §285 |
Normal | §175 | §80 | §100 | (-§110) | §245 |
Classic | §75 | §80 | §100 | (-§85) | §170 |
Impossible | §50 | §80 | §100 | (-§85) | §145 |
- Savings of 3-5 research days for each interrogation and autopsy.
- The research credits from interrogations can mean that this vastly accelerates all research projects.
- Contains two countries
- Lowest gross monthly income of any continent.
- Fastest satellite coverage (need only 2).
- Enemy Unknown
- Viable only if an Alien Containment is constructed.
- Not recommended as start continent; other continents are far better.
- Enemy Within
- Vital point targeting and instant autopsies will make this a powerful starting place if MECs a favored unit.
- An Alien Containment is not necessary, but helpful (interrogations are also instant), rushing squad size is a better option. 2 MECs and a support with 3 smoke grenades is very helpful, a heavy for the shield as MEC is also quite good. Thin Men's crit is what wrecks MECs.
North America[]
Halves the construction price and maintenance upkeep of Satellites, Interceptors, and Firestorms.
Difficulty | Base Funding | Country Funding | HQ Starting Money | Maintenance | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Easy | §175 | §270 | §100 | (-§80) | §465 |
Normal | §175 | §180 | §100 | (-§80) | §375 |
Classic | §75 | §180 | §100 | (-§55) | §300 |
Impossible | §50 | §180 | §100 | (-§55) | §275 |
- Drops the price of Interceptors from §40 to §20, and their maintenance from §20 to §10.
- Contains three countries
- The United States grants §180, the largest starting cash of any continent.
- Recommended as start continent for beginners; the moderate savings makes building and protecting satellites in the early months easier.
Africa[]
Increases XCOM total gross monthly income by 30%.
Difficulty | Base Funding | Country Funding | HQ Starting Money | Maintenance | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Easy | §227 | §195 | §100 | (-§110) | §412 |
Normal | §227 | §130 | §100 | (-§110) | §347 |
Classic | §97 | §130 | §100 | (-§85) | §242 |
Impossible | §65 | §130 | §100 | (-§85) | §210 |
- Monthly income increases as more countries are covered with satellites.
- Contains three countries
- At the start, gives §210 (instead of §165).
- Second-highest gross monthly income of any continent.
- Recommended for experienced players; if willing to sacrifice other savings and bonuses for early cash.
- Recommended as start continent; it effectively grants more money than the United States in the early months.
Asia[]
Halves the credit cost of all Foundry projects and Officer training.
Difficulty | Base Funding | Country Funding | HQ Starting Money | Maintenance | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Easy | §175 | §150 | §100 | (-§110) | §315 |
Normal | §175 | §100 | §100 | (-§110) | §265 |
Classic | §75 | §100 | §100 | (-§85) | §190 |
Impossible | §50 | §100 | §100 | (-§85) | §165 |
- Savings of §65 for each project.
- Contains four countries
- Can sacrifice three countries on Abduction Missions and other countries can be saved.
- Grants 1 engineer per country per month at impossible difficulty.
- Recommended as start continent; grants early access to Ammo Conservation, Tactical Rigging, Squad Size II, and Lead By Example.
- Asia is a viable starting continent, because of the bonus it grants you, but you will be moving off-continent almost immediately -- you will need the funding from the USA or Russia too badly to stay a homebody. This can make your starting expenses much higher than other continents, but the cost reduction in various projects will make your initial combat much easier.
Tactical Advice (for Impossible Ironman)[]
- During missions, time is on your side, go slow. If a situation looks impossible, don't advance into it. Wait it out, they'll come to you, eventually. (If there is a bomb going off, this isn't quite as true, but you do have time there too.)
- You can withdraw as well as advance. A war of manoeuvre.
- S.C.O.P.E. is what most people are going to want to equip, because of the obvious bonus aim, but at least one soldier, preferably a Support unit with both the second inventory slot and extra movement rate, is going to want an Arc Thrower. You cannot underestimate the value of being able to take your enemies' weapons, even if every soldier you have is already fully kitted with full plasma weapons. You can always sell them during the Request events for a small pile of cash. And you still get the corpse if you've done the interrogation. Occasionally, you'll hit an enemy and be within range of capture. Do so if you can slap the enemy without getting someone killed.
- On Impossible, enemies have higher hit chances, HP, and there are more of them, while your own Soldiers have less aim and HP. Thin Men, for example, can one-shot Carapaced Soldiers even out of full cover, and can never be one-shotted by Assault Rifles.
- Therefore, you cannot play the midrange game in the beginning (though by Carapace Armor you should be able to overpower the enemy).
- And, weapons and movement and positioning are more important than armor. Exceptions being MECs and SHIVs as excellent open air combatants do see dramatic improvements with their armor.
- Enemy Within: Don't worry about that Meld. It's the bait to make you rush the map, but it's not worth that much.
- On the flip side, widespread genetic improvements make EVERYTHING much easier -- patience is good, but if practical, you want to retrieve at least one Meld canister per map.
- Use explosives liberally, especially to destroy cover (Dr. Valen's warning is ... terrible at best), unless the explosives are likely to destroy something important, like civilians. You should be able to hit 2 aliens per grenade/rocket use (though grenading heavy cover can be more important). 3+ should be achievable with rockets. Rocketing vehicles' engines explodes them immediately.
- Exposed aliens when Overwatched are "bugged":
- They usually do nothing (but if they have a shot with high aim value because your troopers are also exposed or staying too close, they will still take the shot instead of doing nothing). This is very useful to kill/capture aliens. Note that ANY trooper can overwatch them, the ones that are exposed can shoot them.
- IMPORTANT: This tactic does not work in Enemy Within; the "bug" in the AI that was "fixed" in the expansion.
- If your squad dies on the first mission the game will restart that mission for you. On the first mission, every soldier with a kill is promoted.
- Make absolutely sure to rotate your squad regularly. Having one badass survivor who can solo missions is nice, until you screw up and he comes down with a mild case of irreversible death.
- You will probably have to bring in recruits at bad times, give them Chitin Plating if they aren't Snipers with Squadsight.
Sniper Class[]
Top priority should be getting 2 snipers with Squadsight. Once you get that, it's easier. Once they get "fricking laser beams attached to their heads", it's a lot easier. Get one Double Tap and get one In the Zone. This is Iron Man right? So when those six heavy floaters jump you while you are fighting the Muton Elites, you aren't reloading a game. Explosives and In The Zone should end them (bonus, you can reload on that turn). Look behind you, etc., there is usually some high ground (out of sight some times). Use Battle Scanners to scout for rockets.
- Alternatively, with Enemy Within's changes Snipers are not needed as before. By midgame the transition to an aggressive and overpowering playstyle can be complete, rendering Snipers superfluous.
- This is untrue -- snipers are the premier class of choice for covert missions at all stages of the game, because of their extremely useful pistol skills. Generally, having one sniper on every mission will let you field a balanced and flexible force that can play either offensively or defensively, as the situation warrants.
Support Class[]
Second priority should be getting 2 Supports leveled. Healing and suppressing fire make the game a lot easier. Increased movement to run in for the stun is also great (sadly you cannot run and gun an Arc Thrower).
The Support class has the second best accuracy in the game, and their high mobility makes them extremely useful. Their only real weakness is that the assault rifles they carry lack the firepower of other classes -- they are highly reliant on the others to provide the actual killing power. Differing choices on their talents leads to very different play styles, so be alert for your choices' repercussions.
Heavy Class[]
Third priority should be getting 2 Heavies leveled. You will have 4-6 rockets, you will own city missions (abductions/terror) with 2 heavies. Get Shredder Rocket, and double rockets. Destroy cover and soften up targets for In the Zone. Between a Heavy and In the Zone, 3+ kills per turn with the 2 of them is very reasonable.
Heavies get a very useful early-game ability called holographic sights, which grants +10 to accuracy to the rest of your squad after the heavy misses his shot ... and he WILL miss (except when he doesn't). Surprisingly, this can make heavies level very quickly, whether that is your intention or not. Combined with some of the heavy's other abilities, don't be surprised if you find your heavy, or heavies (two work just as well as one more often than not) function just as well when used as a heavy gunner as when used as a grenadier. Surprisingly, even speccing specifically for explosives doesn't change this, as the abilities chosen at corporal and lieutenant ranks generally have at least as much impact on the gun as on the rocket(s).
Assault Class[]
Last priority should be getting 2 Assaults leveled. Use assault rifles, not shotguns (alloy cannons, though, are good). Rapid Fire and Flush are both great (there is no cooldown on Rapid Fire). The survival skills are much better than the crit skills (that plus stims and you are well nigh unkillable). Assaults are expendable, plan on losing them (they are a hell of a lot better to lose than anything else).
- Actually, with judicous play an Assault can easily never die. As the cornerstone instead of the Sniper, an Assault oriented strategy can be used to overpower the aliens on Impossible, with the holy trifecta of Lightning Reflexes Assault, SHIV, and a Kinetic MEC.
- The use of assault rifles versus shotguns is primarily a choice between long-range engagements, and close-in fights, but it is worth remembering that the assault class has some of the worst marksmanship scores in the game, and that fully upgraded pistols are almost competitive with assault rifles for damage. Overall, the added damage from the shotgun will likely reward a more aggressive game, especially if you can get your assaults close.
- This class is generally either going to be played defensively, with massive bonuses to survival allowing them to play point man/fire magnet for the rest of the squad, or as a close-combat monster that will give even Muton Berserkers reason to feel fear. Again, choose carefully, and know how you intend to use your soldiers.
MEC Trooper Class[]
On impossible, MEC Troopers can provide a significant early-game advantage with their high health versatility. Due to the unique nature of MECs having access to abilities through solider promotion and suit upgrades, these units will often be able to provide you with several options, most notably close-combat and melee attacks. However, beyond their initial usefulness, MEC Troopers soon become too expensive to maintain, and offer diminishing returns. Costs of converting a soldier include sacrificing a decently promoted solider, copious amounts of meld and credits for each suit upgrade, and unconventional research routes/foundry projects to keep your MECs at the same level as your squad. Their poor scaling is often not worth the resources they need to stay relevant, and though you can avoid dismembering a highly promoted soldier and start from a squaddie, the aim per level increases of MEC Troopers are among the worst in the game, and leveling them up to a colonel manually is an arduous task at best, especially on impossible. Additional information on MEC Troopers can be found here. Generally, more than one or two MEC troopers is unnecessary, and you will likely be converting not based on what you want, but on what you have -- if you have six assaults and only one sniper, for instance, you will not be converting a sniper into a MEC no matter how pretty that bonus looks. Regardless, your MEC will generally play a role based more on how you use the rest of the squad than anything else -- a squad that makes heavy use of explosives, for instance, will find that MECs that take reduced damage from enemies and provide cover for nearby soldiers are more useful than the mobile turret, while a long-ranged squad will make a frontline assault MEC much less useful.
Heavies make the best frontline assault MECs and for charging into combat, though they can be difficult to spare early game. An ideal candidate has high Will, and, if using Hidden Potential, high Aim. Operation Slingshot's Zhang can be used if there are no viable candidates. Use Kinetic Strike, pure tank spec, and +Aim medals.
An aggressive frontline MEC synergizes best alongside a Lightning Reflexes human Assault to break enemy Overwatches and a Sentinel module SHIV to draw fire, suppress, and have our own Overwatches. These three together form the holy trifecta to simply overpower the alien forces. Alternatively, a more defensive, long-ranged style of play uses a MEC's Collateral Fire ability and Advanced Fire Control to systematically remove enemy cover, allowing an assault with Rapid Fire and/or a Heavy with Bullet Swarm to quickly and efficiently gun the suddenly exposed enemies down, while at the same time preventing enemy melee units from getting close enough to engage your own troops.
Step by Step Walkthrough[]
First month[]
- Main article: Impossible Difficulty Combat Guide
The first month is the most difficult (and critical) section of the game on Impossible difficulty. Sectoids are stronger and always outnumber XCOM soldiers. Thin Men require more luck than skill.
- Top priority is to win combat missions without losing soldiers. In the first month always use your best soldiers, if possible. Try to kill at least one enemy with every soldier, so they can level up faster, especially Snipers. Leverage your knowledge of map terrain for better ambush positions. Know the enemy, their numbers, their stats and weaknesses. Chivalry is death, so always fight dirty.
- Second priority is base management and research, plan forward to maximize satellite coverage. The difference between 100% world cover and 7 seceding Council nations is largely dictated within the first two months.
Major events[]
There will be 6 major events during the month.
- First Mission (fixed event).
- First Abduction Mission (fixed event).
- First UFO Contact (fixed event).
- Second Abduction Mission.
- Council mission (Thin Men appear).
- Council Report.
Enemy types and numbers[]
- First Mission: 8 Sectoids (two groups of 3 and one group of 2).
- Abduction Mission: Either 12 Sectoids (four groups of 3), or 10 Sectoids (two 3s and two 2s), depending on the description of mission difficulty.
- First UFO Contact: 4 Sectoids (two groups of 2) and 1 Outsider (inside UFO).
- Council Mission
- Target Escort/Extraction: 6-7 Sectoids (two groups of 3, or one group of 3 and a pair of 2s) and 5 Thin Men (one can be found around the map, mostly at the center, others will spawn as soldiers move forward with the allied civilian).
- Bomb Disposal: 6 Sectoids (two groups of 3) and 5 Thin Men (one can be found around the map, mostly at the center, four will spawn when you defuse the bomb).
- Slingshot Mission Friends In Low Places: 6 Thin Men on Overwatch, 3 Sectoids (1 group of 2, and 1 alone), 1 high level alien (Muton or Chryssalid).
First month strategy[]
Africa | Asia | Europe | North America | South America |
---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
Ʃ §250 (§375) | Ʃ §320 (§480) | Ʃ §430 (§645) | Ʃ §330 (§495) | Ʃ §150 (§225) |
The bold country is where the base will be located if you pick that continent to start the campaign.
Strategy Number One[]
- After completing the First Mission:
- Build your first satellite.
- Research Weapon Fragments (it takes 8 day to research).
- Excavate the entire first floor.
- Scan the planet.
- When first Abduction Mission appears, go for a mission with 4 Engineers reward. (At the end of the month, 10 engineers are required to build Satellite Uplink, 6 Engineers to build a Workshop and 12 to build Laser Rifles and Laser Pistols.)
- After completing Abduction Mission build a satellite (it costs only §77 now), then Scan.
- If Weapon Fragments research completed before first UFO contact, start Alien Materials, then Scan.
- Shoot down your first UFO and complete the ground mission.
- After first UFO contact Beam Weapons is available if Weapons Fragments research is completed. Start Beam Weapons or switch to it, even if only a few days left in Alien Materials.
- Beam weapons takes 24 days (41 days on Enemy Within) with 5 Scientists, so it will be finished right after the end of the first month.
- To reduce research time, obtain 4 scientists as a reward on the second Abduction Mission. A sergeant is the only possible better reward (if you don't have one).
- 12 Engineers are required to build these weapon (build a Workshop if necessary).
- Without Laser Rifle and Laser Pistol, the second month is needlessly difficult.
- Scan the planet.
- The next two missions can be an Abduction Mission or a Council mission.
- If the Council Mission appears before second Abduction Mission, with some luck you can get 4 Engineers, 4 Scientists or a panic reduction on an important country. Choosing rewards on second Abduction Mission can depend on this.
- When the second Abduction Mission appears, choose 4 Engineers as reward if possible. If not, then choose 4 Scientists or try to save Africa.
- Before Council Report launch your satellite on a country with 5 panic level, first priority is Africa, then the country with highest income. Move one of your Interceptors to the new continent. Scan to next month.
- Slingshot Content Pack: if you own the Slingshot DLC pack, you must make an extra decision in the first month. Upon receiving the council mission, you will get to choose from random council missions or the Slingshot mission pack. If you decide to choose the Slingshot mission pack, you can complete all 3 of them during the first 2 months of the game. Friends In Low Places is the first mission which involves escorting a VIP to the extraction zone. You will face a total of 6 Thin Men, 3 Sectoids and a random high level alien: a Muton or a Chryssalid. This is a rather challenging mission which will involve probably the loss of 1 soldier to the last high level alien. The rewards are §200, 2 Scientists and 2 Engineers, as well as Shaojie Zhang, a lieutenant Heavy with 9 base HP.
Strategy Number Two[]
- Objective: Survive the invasion.
Be prepared: You are likely going to lose 4 countries in the first month but with good gameplay it is possible to lose only one of them. One of the ways to keep a Country is to "fish" for Council Missions in that Country with panic reduction reward. To do that, reload a save made at any time before the mission was announced. Council mission is random every time, and reward is random every time. It is better to lose a country on your starting continent. This way, you won't lose the possibility to acquire all continent bonuses.
There are two general approaches to development in the first month.
The first way is to focus on Satellites and base facilities to lay the monetary foundation for future months. It will require a lot of skill with handling your soldiers to avoid losses, but it will keep more countries from leaving the Council, due to launching more satellites. To help yourself with ground missions, it's a good call to research armor, for more HP. If you feel really confident, research the Arc Thrower and keep capturing aliens, to reduce research times and enable Alien Base Assault sooner.
It is possible not to lose any countries at all. Calendar of key events should be the following:
- If you need to, you can excavate and still have time to build a Workshop on the site immediately afterwards (care is required: Completion of excavation does not stop the Geoscape scan, so you need to ensure that you stop the scan as soon as the excavation is complete in order to build a workshop (see below).
- 2-7 March. Go for a Mission with 4 Engineers reward. (You need 10 engineers to build Satellite Uplink and you will need 6 Engineers to build a Workshop.)
- 2-7 March. Build a Workshop (completed March 17th).
- 11 March. Now prices drop and you can buy 4 Satellites at §77 each if possible (it is not always possible to buy as many as 4; further, you are not guaranteed another mission between 11th and 17th March, so it is risky to spend all of your money on the 10th [unless you can only afford a single satellite] without leaving enough for a Satellite Uplink).
- 17 March. Build Satellite Uplink (completed 31st March).
- 31 March. Launch your satellites (while the protection from abductions the Satellites provide won't be active yet at the council meeting the next day, the panic reduction and income are instantaneously awarded and those are all you need to prevent the countries from leaving the council).
Some tips how obtain enough Credits:
- Sell some items on the Gray Market.
- Don't buy Interceptors before 27 March. You will not detect a second UFO in March.
The second way is to focus on making ground missions easier. While more reliable for ground missions, this is less monetarily rewarding, and will likely result in more countries leaving The Council, due to fewer satellites.
- Start in North America. It gives the most $ in the 1st 2 months if you buy interceptors. And you should have 3 on your first 2 continents so that you definitely shoot down the medium UFO month two. That means North America yields $100 in the first 32 (i.e. the start of month 2) days due to interceptors, and the extra $160 you get from the fact that America is $180 and not $100 (compared to, say, China).
- Start excavations of level 1 immediately. You are going to fill it.
- Pick your first mission reward as Scientists. After that you'll probably need all engineers to keep up with your advances. At the end of month one you should have an Officer Training School and Alien Containment.
- If you got scientists as your first reward you should be able to capture a Sectoid in month one. Count groups, know your maps (some maps have a group off by themselves that don't move). Get that Sectoid for the beam weapons credit. (If you do this you should have all beam weapons completely finished by month 2. The game is now a cakewalk [you got all the UFOs down for the alloy, right?]. That's right, it's the Impossible Ironman cake walk. I tried all those guides about "Engineers!", yeah 1st time doing this was easy.)
- On the second abduction mission, select 4 Engineers as a reward.
- Build a Power Generator, Alien Containment, Officer Training School and Elevator when you can (you need a generator to build all this).
- At the Council meeting, it is likely that three countries will abandon the project. Choosing which country to give satellite coverage:
- You already got the bonus of your starting continent so these countries can be sacrificed. Asia and Europe have the most 'sacrificial' countries.
- Pick a country based on immediate cash, Russia is best, most $. Though pick a country that will defect otherwise.
Second month[]
With Laser Weapons, this month could be easier than the first. At the start you need at least 2 Laser Rifles (one for Assault, one for Support) and one Laser Pistol for Sniper. Thin Men and Chryssalids are the greatest threat, focus on them. If you survive Alien Terror Attack, the rest of the month should not be a problem. Top priority is to save Africa, build a Satellite Uplink, 3 Satellites, research Laser Weapons, Carapace Armor and Experimental Warfare.
Major events[]
These events occur randomly.
- Floaters will appear on ground missions, equipped with Light Plasma Rifle (fixed event).
- Two Abduction Missions.
- Two UFO Landing Site / UFO Contact.
- Alien Terror Attack (Chryssalids will appear in this mission, fixed event).
- Council Report.
Enemy types and numbers[]
- Abduction Mission
- UFO Contact / UFO Landing Site
- Small UFO (+1 in each group if landed)
- Combination 1: 2 Floaters, 2 Sectoids and 1 Outsider.
- Combination 2: 4 Floaters and 1 Outsiders.
- Combination 3: 2 Floaters, 2 Thin Men and 1 Outsider.
- Medium UFO (+1 in each group if landed)
- Combination 1: 2 Floaters, 2 Sectoids, 2 Thin Men and 1 Outsider.
- Combination 2: 5 Floaters (two groups), 2 Sectoids, and 1 Outsider.
- Combination 3: 2 Sectoids, 4 Thin men and 1 Outsider.
- Small UFO (+1 in each group if landed)
- Alien Terror Attack
- Combination 1: 6 Floaters (two groups of 3) and 3 Chryssalids (they will attack civilians even in fog of war, expect heavy Zombie overrush or more Chryssalids).
Second month strategy[]
Africa | Asia | Europe | North America | South America |
---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
Ʃ §250 (§375) | Ʃ §320 (§480) | Ʃ §430 (§645) | Ʃ §330 (§495) | Ʃ §150 (§225) |
The bold country is where the base will be located if you pick that continent to start the campaign.
Strategy Number One[]
- At the start of the second month build a Satellite Uplink and 3 satellites (Satellite Uplinks should be grouped together to get adjacency bonus). Sell some items on the Gray Market if you don't have enough money. Finish Beam Weapons and start Alien Materials (it takes 8 days with 5 Scientists). If you were lucky and got extra Scientists during the first month and already finished Beam Weapons and Alien Materials research, start Carapace Armor (it takes 28 day with 5 Scientists). You can survive the second month without Carapace Armor but it is recommended for the third month. If you are able to finish Carapace Armor research this month, start Experimental Warfare. Scan the planet.
- If an Abduction Mission appears, choose the reward which is most beneficial. At the end of the month you need at least 20 Engineers to build your next Satellite Uplink. Complete the mission and Scan.
- When first UFO Landing Site / UFO Contact appears: After completing the ground mission sell some items on the Gray Market, mainly damaged items. Build an Access Lift (§50 and 2 ) and at least one Power Generator (§60). Build a second Power Generator if you can afford it.
- Alien Terror Attack is a really difficult mission this month. Build enough Laser Rifles and Laser Pistols for your soldiers.
- When a second UFO Landing Site / UFO Contact appears: After completing the ground mission sell some items on the Gray Market, mainly damaged items. Build a second Power Generator and/or an Officer Training School and/or a Workshop if you have some spare money.
- Before Council Report launch your satellite on a country with 5 panic level; first priority is Africa then the country with highest income. If there is a new continent with a satellite build Interceptors and move one there. Scan to next month.
- Slingshot Content Pack: If during the first month you chose to play the Slingshot DLC council missions, in this month you can complete Confounding Light and Gangplank both in a short timeframe, or you can ignore the council request until you are prepared. Note that if you ignore the council request for these 2 missions, future council requests will be the same 2 missions, until you complete them. If you decide to tackle these missions now, you will receive as rewards 2 scientists, 2 engineers, and the loot from the alien battleship, including high amounts of Elerium, Alien Alloys as well as 2 Fusion Core and the research projects for the Blaster Launcher and the Fusion Lance
- Confounding Light: It's best to rush the mission as it has a turn limit that is not extended by completing the objectives. You will face 4 squads of 2 Thin Men, as well as 2 Mutons that will be transported into Overwatch when you successfully activate a transponder. Ignore all aliens except the ones inside the train. Use of Support class with the Sprinter ability is highly recommended, and keep 1 rocket from a Heavy to clear the driving room, which will have two unflankable holed up Thin Men in it. You will lose soldiers in this mission, so be prepared.
- Gangplank: This mission is extremely challenging early on, as the number and diversity of enemies makes short work of your unprepared squad. It is recommended to have at least Laser Rifles and Carapace Armor for this mission. Creep-walking (advancing slowly in Overwatch) is heavily recommended, and retreating often and baiting enemies into your comfort zone is the only way to actually advance in the mission. Supports with Revive are a must-have in this mission.
Strategy Number Two[]
- Objective: Preparation for raiding the Alien Base, and the actual raid if possible.
- Sell alien autopsy parts and UFO parts for cash. (You only might want to keep Floaters, the rest, you should have the tech to kill them without the boosts.)
- Build out lasers for all of your soldiers.
- Laser Rifles > Laser Sniper Rifles > Heavy Lasers > Interceptor Lasers. Give snipers laser pistols. Laser pistols and Gunslinger will turn snipers into a regular Doc Holliday. In the Zone only works once per turn with a pistol.
- Leave normal pistols on the Assault/Support to do precision work for captures.
- Start armor once you have lasers done. Capturing a floater gives basic armor credit (and those guys like to close, so that should be pretty easy).
Raiding the Alien Base is beneficial. Successfully completing the mission will reduce panic by 2 points worldwide, allowing you to prevent any countries from leaving the Council in this month. It's best to complete the mission shortly before the Council report. Additionally, it will provide you with a lot of §, and gives you a chance to research Psi-Abilities for your soldiers.
Base management[]
- Build a Thermo Generator (§200) if you have easy access to a steam vent and it's reasonably close by.
- Satellite Uplinks grouped together get adjacency bonus. Four uplinks built in a square will cover 12 satellites (8 from satellites + 4 from adjacent bonus = 12). Construction should begin no later than 15 days before the Council report.
- Engineer requirement for uplinks increases with every uplink you build, so you have to increase the number of Engineers you have. This can be done by choosing Engineers as a reward for missions and by building Workshops. A Workshop takes 10 day to build, so you need to start construction at least 25 days before the Council report.
- To enable Alien Base Assault, you require an Alien Containment facility (§85), and it takes a week to build, so start building early. After constructing it, you will need to successfully capture any alien and interrogate it. Next step is to capture an Outsider on a ground UFO mission, then research the Outsider Shard.
Third month[]
With Laser Weapons and Carapace Armor, you have a quite good chance to survive this month, however you still need to use your best tactics on ground missions. Top priority is to save Africa, build a Satellite Uplink, 3 Satellites, an Officer Training School, Phoenix Cannon for your Interceptors, research Autopsies, Skeleton Suit, Precision Lasers and Heavy Lasers if possible.
Major events[]
These events occur randomly.
- Mutons will appear on ground missions, equipped with Light Plasma Rifles and Alien Grenades (fixed event).
- Two UFO Contact/ UFO Landing (first UFO Contact is an Abductor, fixed event).
- Two Abduction Mission.
- Council Mission.
- Council Report.
Enemy types and numbers[]
Types and numbers may change randomly. These are mostly possibilities.
- UFO Contact / UFO Landing
- Abduction Mission
- First Abduction Mission
- Combination 1: 5 Floaters (one group of 3 and one group of 2) and 3 Sectoids.
- Combination 2: 6 Sectoids and 2 Thin Men.
- Second Abduction Mission
- Combination 1: 6 Floaters (two groups of 3) and 6 Thin Men (two groups of 3).
- Combination 2: 6 Mutons, 3 Floaters and 3 Sectoids.
- First Abduction Mission
- Council Mission:
- Target Escort/Extraction: 16 Thin Men (two groups of 3, two groups of 2, others will spawn as you move forward with your allied civilian).
Third month strategy[]
Africa | Asia | Europe | North America | South America |
---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
Ʃ §250 (§375) | Ʃ §320 (§480) | Ʃ §430 (§645) | Ʃ §330 (§495) | Ʃ §150 (§225) |
The bold country is where the base will be located if you pick that continent to start the campaign.
Strategy Number One[]
- At the start of the third month build a Satellite Uplink and 3 satellites (Satellite Uplinks should be grouped together to get adjacency bonus). Sell some items on the Gray Market if you don't have enough money. Excavate second floor. Build an Officer Training School if you haven't done so yet, then increase the size of your squad. Research Experimental Warfare, when finished, build Phoenix Cannon for your Interceptors. After Experimental Warfare, choose research which is most beneficial. You have enough Scientists by now to finish Xeno-Biology within a few days, then Autopsies (Floater Autopsy is recommended).
- UFO Landing Site / UFO Contact appear. First time it will be an Abductor UFO. Without Phoenix Cannon it is almost impossible to shoot it down, with Defense Matrix (Dodge) and Uplink Targeting (Aim) you might have a small chance. Don't lose your Interceptor, if an Abductor UFO escapes, nothing will happen, however you will miss a chance to collect a nice quantity of materials.
- When an Abduction Mission appears, choose a reward which is most beneficial. At the end of the month you need at least 30 Engineers to build your next Satellite Uplink. Build a Workshop and Power Generator if necessary.
- When a Council Mission appears, enemies will be only Thin Men. With 6 soldiers, equipped with Carapace Armor and Laser Weapons, this mission shouldn't be a problem. Recommended to bring Support with Medikit and Field Medic ability, so you don't have to worry about poison. Bring one or two Rookie or Squaddie, so they can get some XP and even level up.
- UFO Landing Site / UFO Contact appear. It will be a Large Scout. Without Phoenix Cannon it is almost impossible to shoot it down, with Defense Matrix and Uplink Targeting, you might have a chance. Don't lose your Interceptor. If a Large Scout escapes, panic will rise in that country.
- Before Council Report launch your satellite on a country with 5 panic level, first priority is Africa then the country with highest income. If there is a new continent with satellite, build an Interceptor and move one there. Scan to next month.
Strategy Number Two[]
- Objective: successfully raid the Alien Base.
To successfully complete the priority mission, you have to interrogate any captured alien, then stun an Outsider, research the Outsider Shard it leaves behind, and manufacture a Skeleton Key. By this time, XCOM finances should be stable enough to allow you to launch the remaining satellites without more countries leaving the Council. Manage your base, build the necessary facilities, and lay off satellites until the end of the month. When the Council report draws close, make sure your best men are healed up, and go for the Base.
Enemy forces inside the base will typically consist of one Sectoid Commander, two groups of two Drones (four in total), one or several groups of Mutons, several groups of Chryssalids, one or several groups of Floaters, and one or several groups of Thin Men or Sectoids. Most aliens are grouped by three, with the exception of Drones.
Further development[]
After raiding the Alien Base you should be very well set up. Just cover the rest of the countries with satellites, finish all weapon and armor research, max out your soldiers' ranks, and avoid losses. Once you stabilize the situation and gear well enough, you should be in no danger of losing the game by having more countries withdraw from the Council. From this point, you can take the game slowly, and complete all the research before taking on further priority missions.
Note that in Enemy Within, raiding the Alien Base triggers the countdown until the alien counter-attack on XCOM headquarters. This is an extremely difficult mission early on, especially with the inability to pick your squad resulting in a chance for you to be facing enemies such as Cyberdiscs and Mechtoids with nothing but rookies.
Fourth month[]
Probably this will be the last month you need to a build Satellite Uplink and Satellites to cover all the remaining countries. If you managed to research Skeleton Suit, Precision Lasers and Heavy Lasers, build and equip your soldiers with these items. The Skeleton Suit gives you only +3 HP (Carapace Armor gives +4), however for sacrificing that one extra HP, you gain +10 Defense (that's 50 Defense behind full cover), extra movement (Basic = 14 square +1 if dashing; Skeleton Suit = 18 square +1 if dashing; which is recommended for flanking) and Grappling Hook (useful for Snipers mostly). Top priority is to save remaining countries, build a Satellite Uplink, 4 Satellites, choose research which mostly beneficial, try to capture and interrogate aliens.
Major events[]
These events occur randomly.
- Cyberdisc and Drones will appear on ground missions, Mutons will be equipped with Plasma Rifle (fixed event).
- Two UFO Contact / UFO Landing.
- Abduction Mission (if there is any country left without a Satellite).
- Alien Terror Attack.
- Council Report.
Enemy types and numbers[]
Types and numbers may change randomly. These are mostly possibilities.
- UFO Contact/ UFO Landing
- Small Scout: 1 Cyberdisc with 2 Drones, 3 Thin Men, 3 Muton and 1 Outsider.
- Large Scout
- Combination 1: 6 Mutons, 6 Sectoids and 1 Outsider.
- Combination 2: 2 Mutons, 2 Cyberdiscs with 3 Drones (in 2 groups), 2 Floaters, and 1 Outsider.
- Abduction Mission
- Combination 1: 5 Floaters, 1 Cyberdisc and 2 Drones.
- Combination 2: 1 Cyberdisc with 2 Drones, 2 Mutons, 3 Thin Men, and 2 Sectoid.
- Alien Terror Attack
- Combination 1: 6 Chryssalids, 1 Cyberdisc, 2 Drone and 3 Floater.
- Combination 2: 9 Chryssalids, 1 Cyberdisc with 2 Drones, 3 Floaters.
Fourth month strategy[]
Strategy Number One[]
- At the start of the fourth month build a Satellite Uplink and 4 satellites (depends on remaining countries). Sell some items on the Gray Market if you don't have enough money. Excavate second floor, build an Access Lift, a Power Generator (if necessary) and Alien Containment facility.
- On ground missions, try to capture at least one alien (Sectoid unlocks Plasma Pistol; Thin Men, Floater and Outsider unlock Light Plasma Rifle; Muton unlocks Plasma Rifle). Bringing at least one or two Heavy is highly recommended.
- Before Council Report launch your satellites on remaining countries. If there is a new continent with satellite, buy an Interceptor or move one there. Scan to next month.
Fifth month[]
By now you may have all the remaining countries covered with Satellites (or build one more Satellite Uplink if necessary, but for saving only one country it isn't recommended). From now on take your time, research everything you need, capture aliens, salvage weapons, level up your soldiers, purchase upgrades in the Foundry and Officer Training School or proceed with the main story. If you managed to research and build enough Titan Armor and Plasma Weapons for your squad before the end of the month, it is worth considering to assault the Alien Base before stronger enemies (such as Sectopods, Muton Elites and Heavy Floaters) appear.
Major events[]
These events occur randomly.
- Berserker will appear on ground missions (fixed event).
- Two UFO Contact/Landing.
- Council Mission.
Enemy types and numbers[]
Types and numbers may change randomly. These are mostly possibilities.
- Abduction Mission: 3 Berserkers with 4 Mutons (in 3 groups), and 1 Cyberdisc with 2 Drones.
- UFO Contact/Landing
- Supply Barge: 2 Berserkers with 4 Mutons (in 2 groups), 3 Mutons, 1 Cyberdisc with 2 Drones, and 3 Sectoid Commanders.
- Large Scout
- Combination 1: 1 Berserker with 2 Mutons, 3 Mutons, 1 Cyberdisc with 2 Drones and 1 Outsider.
- Combination 2: 1 Berserker with 1 Muton, 2 Mutons, and 1 Outsider. (Crashing.)
- Abductor: 2 Berserker with 2 Mutons, 3 Mutons, 1 Cyberdisc with 2 Drones and 2 Outsiders.
- Council Mission
- Bomb Disposal: 18 Thin Men (four groups of 3, six will spawn when the bomb is defused).
- Alien Base: 2 Cyberdiscs with 3 Drones (in 2 groups), 4 Drones without Cyberdisc (in 2 groups), 3 Mutons, 3 Thin Men, 3 Chryssalids, 3 Floaters, 2 Berserkers with 4 Muton (in 2 groups), 1 Sectoid Commander.
Sixth month[]
By now you should have Titan Armor and Plasma Weapons for your squad. It is worth considering to assault the Alien Base before stronger enemies (such as Sectopods and Muton Elites) appear.
Major events[]
These events occur randomly.
- Heavy Floater will appear on ground missions (fixed event).
- Two UFO Contact/Landing.
- Alien Terror Attack.
- Council Report.
Enemy types and numbers[]
Types and numbers may change randomly. These are mostly possibilities.
- UFO Contact/Landing
- Supply Barge (Crashed): 8 Heavy Floaters, 1 Cyberdisc with 2 Drones and 1 Outsider or Sectoid Commander.
- Small Scout (Crashed): 2 Heavy Floaters, 1 Berserker with 1 Muton and 1 Outsider or Sectoid Commander.
- Alien Terror Attack: 3 Floaters, 6 Heavy Floaters, 1 Berserker with 2 Mutons and 1 Cyberdisc with 2 Drones.
- Alien Base: 6 Heavy Floaters, 4 Drones, 4 Berserker, 14 Mutons and 1 Sectoid Commander.
Seventh month[]
If you managed to research and build Ghost Armor and Firestorm, try to shoot down a Battleship. Battleship will appear if you leave a Scout UFO to escape without engaging with it.
Major events[]
These events occur randomly.
- Muton Elite and Sectopod will appear on ground missions (fixed event).
- Two UFO Contact/Landing.
- Council Mission.
Enemy types and numbers[]
Types and numbers may change randomly. These are mostly possibilities.
- UFO Contact/Landing:
- Large Scout (Landed): 3 Mutons, 6 Muton Elites, 1 Cyberdisc with 2 Drones and 2 Sectoid Commanders or Outsiders.
- Supply Barge (Landed): 6 Muton Elites, 3 Berserker with 6 Mutons, 1 Cyberdisc with 2 Drones, 1 Sectopod with 2 Drones and 2 Sectoid Commanders.
- Council Mission
- Assets Recovery: 12 Sectoid.
Eighth month[]
By now you should have Ghost Armor for your squad and Firestorm on each continent, shoot down and raid a Battleship if you haven't done so yet. After researching and building the Blaster Launcher you have everything you need to follow the main story and finish the game.
Major events[]
These events occur randomly.
- Three UFO Contact/Landing.
- Council Mission.
- Alien Terror Attack.
- Temple Ship Assault.
Enemy types and numbers[]
Types and numbers may change randomly. These are mostly possibilities.
- UFO Contact/Landing:
- Large Scout (Crashed): 2 Muton Elites, 2 Mutons, 1 Cyberdisc with 1 Drone and 2 Sectoid Commanders.
- Battleship.
- Overseer: 6 Muton Elites (two group of 3), 2 Sectopods with 4 Drones and 1 Ethereal with 2 Muton Elites.
- Council Mission:
- Bomb Disposal: 18 Thin Men (four group of 3, six will spawn when the bomb is defused).
- Alien Terror Attack: 6 Heavy Floaters, 1 Cyberdisc with 2 Drones, 1 Sectopod with 2 Drones and 3 Chryssalids.