Templar Class/Guides

General Info

• Because Templars gain Focus on Rend kills, players should let them deal killing blows on weaker targets in order to boost their Focus.
  • Focus grants 1+ Mobility, 1+ Rend damage and +10 Dodge per level the Templar has.
    • Level 3 Focus only grants +5 Dodge, making 25.
• Because Templars can dash their full movement range, attack with Rend, and then trigger Momentum to move again, they are one of the most mobile classes in the game. Consider giving them Speed PCS chips or sending them on Covert Actions that increase their mobility. 
  • A Templar with Reaper benefits doubly from this, as they can dash longer distances from target to target. Keep in mind that if a Templar begins a Reaper chain with less than full Focus, kills they get will counteract Reaper's damage penalty, until they have full Focus.
  • A Templar with Reaper and Arc Wave can gain multiple refunded action points if the Arc Wave also scores kills, potentially allowing them to cover huge distances.
• Despite Rend being a guaranteed hit, it does not ignore the Muton's Counter or the enemies' Dodge stat. Exercise caution against enemies such as Vipers or Stun Lancers as they have a high Dodge stat and a Templar's Rend may not deal enough damage to kill them.
  • If a Muton counters your Rend, your Templar could become stunned from the counter. Mutons can execute stunned enemies, instantly killing them. Consider avoiding using Rend on them to prevent this.
    • Mutons will also counter Bladestorm attacks if the Templar has access to that ability. Make sure to position your Templar so that the ability does not trigger.
• Use the Templar's Autopistol when using Rend is too risky or you are unable to hit an enemy with Rend.
  • The Autopistol, like the regular Pistol, is also very useful for killing weak or wounded Lost, as it can perform headshots and does not need to be reloaded.
  • A Templar with the Lightning Hands ability can soften an enemy up with this free action, before closing in for a Rend kill to generate focus.
• Parry is useful for situations where there is only one enemy in sight, negating all damage from a standard shot, melee attack, or explosive detonation. Parry functions identically to the Ranger's Untouchable ability.
  • Parry does not block certain AOE attacks, such as the Sectopod's Electric Field.
  • With the Parry ability you can potentially waste melee attackers turns if Rend doesn't kill them. In particular Andromedon Shells can be tricked by this.
    • After a Templar kills an Andromedon the Shell may just attack the Templar standing right next to it with its melee allowing the Templar to tank the punch with Parry and waste its turn.
• All enemies struck by Volt will be affected by Aftershock if the Templar has it. Gain as much Focus as possible before using it to maximize the effect.
• Amplify is useful for taking down heavily armored or otherwise dangerous units. Amplify will last for a number of successful attacks equal to the Templar's Focus level when initiating the attack.
• If a Templar can learn Fortress, they can become immune to many things that would otherwise impair their main damage output; they can move freely through environmental hazards like the acid trail from an Andromedon Shell, or the flames from ADVENT Purifiers' weapons, to use Rend. Additionally, it means they can enter melee range to kill enemies that might explode upon death, like Sectopods, Gatekeepers, or Purifiers. 
• A Templar with Bladestorm can become extremely powerful against The Lost or melee enemies like Chryssalids, Stun Lancers or Berserkers as they can often Parry the first attack made and hit said enemies for a lot of damage. Unlike normal sword attacks, Templar Bladestorm attacks always hit (save for hitting a Spectre with Lightning Reflexes active) so it is a very reliable way to inflict damage.
  • However, Bladestorm on a Templar is not a true Rend attack, it won't activate Arc Wave or generate Focus on kills. The damage caused by the attacks is affected by Focus, however.
  • Ambushing with Rend with a Bladestorm Templar can deal huge damage to a group of enemies - by positioning them in the middle of a pod, they will trigger Bladestorm attacks on the enemies as they scatter for cover. This also works with incoming reinforcements.
• Pillar typically won't come into play often, but can be used to create a high cover position for allies or yourself in a pinch.
  • Pillar lasts for a number of turns equal to the Templar's Focus level when initiating the ability.
• Stun Strike's hit chance is a fixed 65%, which increases by 5% with each Focus level; a maximum of 75%.
  • Stun Strike has 20% chance to disorient the target with each Focus level, but doesn't deal any damage or end the Templar's turn.
  • Stun Strike can be used to knock enemies out of cover or even off of heights in order to make them take fall damage.
• If the Templar has Channel, every enemy has a 20% chance of dropping Psionic energy when they die. Psionic enemies like Codices have a 50% chance.
  • Channel allows all members of the squad to contribute to the Templar's Focus gain. This allows them to accumulate Focus without taking valuable experience from lower-leveled soldiers, and to avoid taking risky positions to use Rend.
  • Keep in mind that a Channel drop will overlap if the enemy also dropped normal loot. When enemies drop normal loot, small gold objects fall out of their bodies and can potentially go flying long distances; watch carefully to see if there is actual loot, or just Focus energy.
• Reflect (and by extension, Deflect) do not trigger if Parry is active. Deflect has a 30% chance to trigger, and increases by 10% with every Focus level.
  • Reflect has a 40% chance to trigger, which increases with every Focus level. Reflect replaces Deflect when the Templar has 2 or more Focus.
  • Reflect can trigger even on attacks that deal no damage, such as the Viper's Tongue Pull. The resulting counterattack does nothing, however.
• Invert can be used to get into a position where the Templar can use Rend on otherwise far away targets, and can also be used to pull enemies out of cover.
  • Use Invert as an enemy manipulation tool to set up for an explosive, or bring an enemy into the blast radius of an Archon's Blazing Pinions or Sectopod's Wrath Cannon to turn these powerful sources of damage against the enemy.
• Arc Wave is an excellent source of bonus area of effect damage that triggers frequently without significantly changing the Templar's style. Despite appearances, Arc Wave does not damage allies or civilians. Kills with Arc Wave also grant Focus.
  • Arc Wave gains utility with mobility, as it benefits from a Templar's ability to position around their target and deal maximum damage to groups of enemies. Arc Wave deals damage based on the Templar's Focus level: 1 at 0 Focus, 2 at 1 Focus, 4 at 2 Focus, and 6 at 3 Focus.
  • Arc Wave can critically hit, though it will not increase the damage it deals.
• Exchange is helpful to pull allies out of difficult spots or to quickly regain ground if the Templar falls behind.
  • Use Exchange as a method to get powerful damage dealers, such as Sharpshooters or Rangers, into ideal positions without costing them any actions.
  • Use Exchange as a means to teleport VIPs or slower teammates long distances into the EVAC zone for safe extraction. This allows them to make use of the Templar's mobility while retaining their turn (and bypassing Overwatch fire if the Templar has Shadowsneak).
• Deep Focus is crucial for Templars in order to maximize their potential to both trigger abilities and deal damage.
• Ionic Storm is a great ability for dealing massive damage to groups of enemies, while not damaging allies in the area of effect. The Focus spent will be refunded with kills, so it's perfect for a non-explosive alternative to grenades when dealing with The Lost.
  • Ionic Storm damage increases with Focus. It begins with 3-5 damage with 1 Focus, 6-10 with 2 Focus and 9-15 with 3 Focus. The radius of the ability also becomes larger as Focus is gained.
    • Ionic Storm also deals double damage to Psionic enemies, and like Volt and Soulfire, ignores armor. This makes it an excellent ability for taking out Gatekeepers; with 3 Focus, it's not impossible to instantly kill Gatekeepers with Ionic Storm on lower difficulties.
• Void Conduit lasts for a number of turns equal to the Templar's focus level when initiating the attack. It is good for guaranteeing a stun against a troublesome humanoid unit like ADVENT Priests or Lost Brutes. It also grants the Templar healing, so it is also useful for restoring an injured Templar's health.
  • Unlike Stasis, units in a Void Conduit can be attacked. Void Conduit deals 3 initial damage and then saps 2 health every turn. With full Focus and more than 6 health missing, this essentially gives the Templar a Stasis Vest.
• A Ghost has the exact same abilities the Templar has with the exception of autopistol usage, but every action with it - including Rend - will cost Focus (Ghosts cannot increase Focus with Rend). Consider using it as a temporary source to double the Templar's combat effectiveness with their powerful abilities. A Ghost will be destroyed if it runs out of Focus or if the Templar summoning it is killed or leaves the field by evacuating.
  • The only exceptions to this rule are movement and Hunker Down, which do not cost Focus when used by the Ghost.
  • Ghosts will inherit most of the Templar's abilities, but will not inherit Fortress, meaning they can still be inflicted with status effects and hurt by explosives.
  • A Templar Ghost's focus level is equivalent to the focus level of the Templar when initiating the ability.
  • A Templar Ghost requires a humanoid corpse within sight to summon it.
  • Reflexive abilities like Bladestorm, Deflect, and Reflect do not cost focus. To maximize Ghost effectiveness, consider putting them in positions where their reflexive abilities are used as opposed to the active ones. (i.e. putting the Ghost right next to an enemy instead of using Rend on them will trigger Bladestorm on the enemy turn without any Focus costs.)
  • The Templar Ghost does not share cooldowns with the Templar, so consider using Ghost while other abilities are on cooldown in order to immediately use them again.
  • Using Ghost copies the Templar's stats at the time of its summoning, the only exceptions being armor and max HP. Temporary stat boosting items and abilities like Overdrive Serum will have their effects copied to a Ghost without them expiring until the Ghost's death, so consider using them before summoning a Ghost.
  • The Ghost will be summoned with full action points, allowing a Templar to send in a potentially very lethal copy of themselves while remaining safely in cover. Similarly, the Ghost can sprint in to use Ionic Storm, although the Ghost will dissipate at the end and focus normally gained from kills of this ability will be lost. Still, this allows Ghost to be a very flexible and powerful tool.

Builds

• "In Your Face" build
  • Crucial skills: Parry, Overcharged, Deflect, Reflect, Deep Focus, Arc Wave
  • Support skills: Invert, Exchange
  • Priority XCOM skills: Bladestorm, Fortress
  • This style of play focuses entirely on devastating Rend attacks, and always maintain full Focus for more damage and Deflect/Reflect. Focus spending is kept to minimum.
  • Fortress allows Templar to perform killing strikes on Purifiers, Gatekeepers and Sectopods without suffering explosion damage.
  • Bladestorm allows Templar to be aggressive in his positioning, for example using Momentum to stand in front of another wounded target, or use Parry to stand in front of his wounded target.

• "Sith Lord" build
  • Crucial skills: Aftershock, Amplify, Stun Strike, Channel, Deep Focus, Void Conduit
  • Support skills: Overcharge, Ionic Storm
  • Priority XCOM skills: Reaper, Lightning Hands, Quickdraw
  • This style of play focuses less on melee damage and more on single target debuffs, allowing the Templar to contribute when there's many strong enemies. Amplify + Aftershock combo is incredibly powerful against a single strong target, open to a powerful attack like Chain Shot/Rapid Fire or Banish.
  • Combo for filling Focus: Quickdraw attack, Activate Reaper, melee kill, Lightning Hands (when necessary), melee kill, final action.