Second Wave is a free DLC add-on for XCOM: Enemy Unknown that enables players to unlock advanced gameplay options for increased challenge and replayability. Players will have to start a new game to access these modifiers.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown[]
The Second Wave content is considered the third DLC[1] released for XCOM: Enemy Unknown and is part of the game's 3rd patch[2].
Default[]
The following Second Wave options are available by default:
- Damage Roulette: Weapons inflict a wider range of damage (minimum 1 damage, and maximum 150% of the weapon's base damage).
- Does not apply to explosives.
- Random damage range varies between 1 and the weapons' base damage + 50% (rounded down), a critical hit adds the base damage value to the previously calculated random damage. Example: an Assault Rifle with a 3 damage stat can deal up to 1-4 damage or 4-7 critical damage.
- New Economy: Randomizes funding provided by Council members from 10% to 400% of regular funding.
- Not Created Equally: Rookies have random initial stats.
- Range of Will: 25~59 (normal 40), values will vary by increments of 2 to the lower 25 limit.
- Range of Aim: 50~80 (normal 65), varies in increments of +5. Note that this is one way to make the Heavy class more useful in the endgame, at the expense of having to hire, screen and fire a lot of soldiers after getting the OTS New Guy perk.
- Range of Movement: 11~14 (normally 12), 1/3 chance of getting 11, 1/3 chance for 12, 1/6 chance for 13, 1/6 chance for 14 movement.
- All soldiers will have the same Health Points, value is defined by the difficulty level.
- Hidden Potential: As a soldier is promoted, their stats increase randomly.
Normal Difficulty[]
If the player completes the game on Normal difficulty, additional Second Wave options are unlocked:
- Red Fog: Combat wounds degrade the soldier's Aim and Movement attributes for the remainder of mission. Does not impact Aliens (reference).
- Absolutely Critical: A flanking shot guarantees a critical hit.
- The Greater Good: Psionics can only be learned from interrogating a psionic alien.
- Marathon: The game takes considerably longer to complete.
- Causes a delay in the initial deployment of most alien species, triples research time, doubles facility construction time, doubles infirmary recovery time, and doubles the cost of Engineering projects (i.e. constructing facilities and items). This increases the difficulty of the early game.
Classic Difficulty[]
If the player completes the game on Classic difficulty, additional Second Wave options are unlocked:
- Results Driven: The funding provided by each nation is determined by its panic level.
- +25% funding at level 1 panic, ±0% funding at level 2 panic, -25% at level 3 panic, -50% at level 4, -75% at level 5.
- High Stakes: Random rewards for stopping alien abductions.
- Diminishing Returns: Increased cost of satellite construction.
- More Than Human: The psionic gift is extremely rare.
Impossible Difficulty[]
If the player completes the game on Impossible difficulty, additional Second Wave options are unlocked:
- War Weariness: Council funding decreases over time.
- E-115: Elerium degrades over time.
- Total Loss: Lose all soldier gear upon death.
- Alternate Sources: Doubles the power requirements to build facilities.
Erasing File[]
Erasing any files where the campaign has been completed will remove all extra Second Wave options.
XCOM: Enemy Within[]
This expansion allows Second Wave options to be accessed and viewed (but not changed) mid-game from the pause menu and adds five new Second Wave features (the first three are available by default, the fourth becomes available after completing the game on Normal and the fifth after completing the game on Classic):
Default[]
The following Second Wave options are available by default:
- Aiming Angles: Units receive Aim bonuses the closer to flanking an enemy they are.
- Save Scum: Loading a saved game will reset the random number seed, so taking an identical action may yield different results.
- Training Roulette: Each soldier's training tree is mostly randomly generated. Does not apply to MEC Troopers.
- After a soldier reaches Squaddie rank (receiving a class and their first ability), future ranks will primarily grant randomized abilities from a pool of all the class abilities minus any skills that are dependent on a specific weapon (which remain class locked).
- Ability Pool: Aggression, Tactical Sense, Lightning Reflexes, Flush, Bring Em On, Close Combat Specialist, Extra Conditioning, Resilience, Bullet Swarm, Holo-Targeting, HEAT Ammo, Rapid Reaction, Grenadier, Will to Survive, Damn Good Ground, Gunslinger, Battle Scanner, Executioner, Opportunist, Low Profile, Sprinter, Covering Fire, Field Medic, Rifle Suppression, Revive, Deep Pockets, Savior, Sentinel
- Support: Field Medic, Rifle Suppression, Revive, Deep Pockets, Savior, Sentinel, Sprinter, Covering Fire
- Sniper: Gunslinger, Damn Good Ground, Battle Scanner, Executioner, Opportunist, Low Profile
- Assault: Tactical Sense, Lightning Reflexes, Agression, Flush, Close Combat Specialis , Bring Em On, Extra Conditioning, Resilience
- Heavy: Bullet Swarm, Holo-Targeting, HEAT Ammo, Rapid Reaction, Grenadier, Will to Survive
- The randomized perks are defined and saved when the soldier becomes a Squaddie and not as each rank is reached; this prevents any save/reload abuse to alter what random perks are received.
Normal Difficulty[]
If the player completes the game on Normal difficulty, additional Second Wave options are unlocked:
- Mind Hates Matter: Psionic soldiers can't become gene modded or vice-versa.
Classic Difficulty[]
If the player completes the game on Classic difficulty, additional Second Wave options are unlocked:
- Itchy Trigger Tentacle: Non-cover aliens have a 50% chance of firing at soldiers upon being spotted.
- If triggered these Robotic units (Mechtoids, Cyberdiscs, and Sectopods) will fire in place of entering Overwatch as normal.
- A spotted soldier will finish their move before the alien(s) fire, meaning any cover bonuses will be in effect (notably, Low Profile, Will to Survive, Damn Good Ground, and the effect of Distortion Field).
Notes[]
- Previously these options were only accessible and usable by players of the PC version of the game through modding[3] using Resource Hacker .
References[]
- ↑ IGN.com - XCOM Getting 'Second Wave' DLC for Free EuroGamer.net - Free XCOM: Enemy Unknown Second Wave DLC makes it even harder joystiq.com - XCOM's 'Second Wave' DLC available today, adds new gameplay options
- ↑ http://www.2kgames.com/blog/xcom-enemy-unknown-3rd-patch-is-live
- ↑ http://forums.2kgames.com/showthread.php?150041-Do-quot-Second-Wave-quot-Settings-Even-Exist-Doesn-t-Look-Like-It