S.H.I.V.

The S.H.I.V. (Super Heavy Infantry Vehicle) is a weapons platform in XCOM: Enemy Unknown that can be manufactured in the Engineering Lab. S.H.I.V.s can be deployed as substitutes for human soldiers on missions and require a space in the XCOM HQ barracks.

In-Game Description[]

“	The Super Heavy Infantry Vehicle, or S.H.I.V., is an advanced weapons platform that can be deployed in place of a human soldier. While extremely capable in most combat scenarios, any damage to the S.H.I.V. will require lengthy repairs.	”
– Engineering description, XCOM: Enemy Unknown

Production Specifications[]

Prerequisites: Heavy Weapons Platform (Foundry)
Production Time: 7 days / 3 days ^EW
Barracks Capacity: 1
Engineers: 5

Production Cost: §50

Statistics[]

Stat	Armament
Stat	Minigun	Laser	Plasma
Aim	70	85	95
Damage	5 - 7	7 - 9	9 - 11
Critical Chance	10%	15%	20%
Defense	20
Health	10
Mobility	14
Will	0

Abilities and Traits[]

Ability / Trait	Description
Hardened	Hardened units receive 60% extra protection against critical hits.
Robotic	Immune to stun, fire, poison, and several Psionic abilities.
Suppression	Reduces a target's Aim by 30 and takes a reaction shot if the target moves (requires S.H.I.V. Suppression).

Foundry Upgrades[]

Upgrade	Description
Advanced Construction	Decreases construction time. (S.H.I.V.s, Interceptors, Facilities)
Advanced Repair	Decreases repair time following missions. (S.H.I.V.s, Interceptors)
Advanced Servomotors ^EW	Increases movement by 3. (S.H.I.V.s, MECs)
S.H.I.V. Laser	Laser armament. +2 Damage, +15 Aim, +5 Crit chance.
S.H.I.V. Plasma	Plasma armament. +4 Damage, +25 Aim, and +10 Crit chance.
S.H.I.V. Repair	Soldiers can perform repairs with an Arc Thrower. (S.H.I.V.s, MECs)
S.H.I.V. Suppression	Allows S.H.I.V.s to fire suppression shots.
Sentinel Drone ^EW	Repairs 2 HP per turn and automatically fires at nearby enemies.
Shaped Armor ^EW	Adds 3 HP to Health. (S.H.I.V.s, MECs)

Tactical Info[]

Autonomous mini-tank.
Poison immunity may be useful on the Council Missions that exclusively involve Thin Men.
S.H.I.V.s are incapable of taking cover.
Cannot act as cover for troops.
While stronger than the average Rookie or Squaddie, S.H.I.V.s still end up quite weak in comparison to higher-level soldiers. They are useful when faced with a shortage of able-bodied competent troops, although a few low-level soldiers should be taken in the squad to get promotions.
S.H.I.V.s are very powerful against Chryssalids because of their immunity to poison and zombification. If you have the S.H.I.V. Suppression upgrade from the Foundry, they can also be helpful in stopping ranged units from supporting the Chryssalids.
Contrary to what one might expect, a S.H.I.V. can rescue civilians on a Terror Site mission, though they do not emit a soundbite when reaching the civilian.
- In the same vein, a S.H.I.V. can activate objectives and collect Meld from canisters.

Notes[]

A S.H.I.V.'s name is automatically generated as THUNDER followed by the production number.
S.H.I.V.s are immune to some Psionic abilities, but are highly susceptible to Psi Lance and Rift.
The weapon loadout can be upgraded to Laser or Plasma at the Foundry.
Due to its low Defense, aliens will generally prioritize attacking a S.H.I.V. over a human target in cover.
S.H.I.V.s can be repaired by a soldier with an Arc Thrower, or a captured Drone during missions.

Bugs[]

VERY IMPORTANT! Due to a bug that occurs most of the time, when parking a S.H.I.V. into a 1 tile doorway with either a terrestrial door or an energy barrier and not crossing it in the same turn, the door becomes impassable for all (even the S.H.I.V.) blocking any future traverse! This is most devastating on maps that feature areas that are only accessible through a 1 tile doorway like the Alien Base, Battleship, or even the Temple Ship, but also affects Earth maps and terrestrial doors. This can ruin your current unsaved progress or even worse, your whole Iron Man game! Here is a video showcase: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8IF8-cXlCQ
Hover S.H.I.V.s may deploy on missions without their weapon.

Trivia[]

S.H.I.V.s are called "Heavy Weapon Platforms" in the original UFO: Enemy Unknown (1994). The ground models are referred to as Tanks, and are available with Cannon, Rocket Launcher, or Laser Cannon armaments.
"Shiv" is a slang term for an improvised knife-like weapon.