Editing Terror Site


[[File:XCOM(EU)_TerrorSite.jpg|thumb|300px|Soldiers approach the site of a terror attack.]]
'''Terror Site''' is a [[Missions (XCOM: Enemy Unknown)|mission]] type in ''[[XCOM: Enemy Unknown]]''.

==Mission Brief==
{{Quote|Alien terror attack in progress. Strong civilian presence, take care to avoid civilian casualties. Failure will have severe political consequences for XCOM.}}

==Mission Objectives==
* Approach civilians to enable evacuation
* Minimize civilian casualties
* Neutralize all hostile targets

==Acquisition==
This mission type first appears during the second month and becomes active as part of the "random event pool" for each month of the game after that. When a terror event is detected, [[XCOM (XCOM: Enemy Unknown)|XCOM]] has 30 hours to start the mission before it is considered ignored and is no longer available.

==Mission Site==
Terror Site missions take place in densely populated urban areas. The layout is randomly chosen from a predetermined pool of 9 maps (11 in ''XCOM: Enemy Within''), which are all available regardless of the nation the mission occurs in. Some of the maps are also shared with [[Alien Abductions|Alien Abduction]] missions.

Urban areas typically consist of tight spaces with a lot of [[cover]] and multiple obstructions. This makes them good for mobility and [[flanking]]. Some maps also have multi-level buildings. Having [[Soldier (XCOM: Enemy Unknown)|soldiers]] equipped with grappling hooks via [[Skeleton Suit (armor)|Skeleton Suit]] or [[Ghost Armor (armor)|Ghost Armor]] can be very helpful.

==Enemy Types==
Depending on the stage of the alien invasion, this mission type can feature many alien species, including: [[Berserker (XCOM: Enemy Unknown)|Berserkers]], [[Chryssalid]]s, [[Cyberdisc]]s, [[Drone (XCOM: Enemy Unknown)|Drones]] (as escorts), [[Floater]]s, [[Heavy Floater]]s, [[Muton (XCOM: Enemy Unknown)|Mutons]] (as escorts), [[Muton Elite]]s, and [[Sectopod (XCOM: Enemy Unknown)|Sectopods]]. Due to civilian presence, these are also the only missions in which the player may encounter [[Zombie]]s in abundance.

A terror mission's difficulty rating is always "Very Difficult," and the number of aliens is determined by the [[Game difficulty (XCOM: Enemy Unknown)|game difficulty]]. The first Terror Site mission consists of 25-50% fewer enemies than usual, depending on the game difficulty. Each enemy pod may consist of one to three aliens.

{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="6" style="border-style:solid; border-color:#3e4550; border-collapse:collapse; text-align:center;"
|- style="color:#D5D4D4; background:#0e151f;"
!rowspan="2" width="100px"|&nbsp;
!colspan="4"|Game Difficulty
|- style="color:#D5D4D4; background:#0e151f;"
!width="100px"|Easy
!width="100px"|Normal
!width="100px"|Classic
!width="100px"|Impossible
|-
|Pods||3||4||5||5
|-
|Total Aliens||8||10||12||15
|}

==Tactics==
{{main|Squad Tactics (XCOM: Enemy Unknown)}}
At the start of the mission, there are 18 civilians spread across the map, whose survival influences the mission [[Terror Site#Rating|rating]] and panic reduction [[Terror Site#Rewards|reward]]. Civilians can be rescued by moving a soldier close to them. The civilian flees towards the [[Skyranger (XCOM: Enemy Unknown)|Skyranger]], potentially revealing alien pods along the way. They do not, however, trigger alien [[Reaction Shot|reaction fire]] while fleeing. There is no need to individually rescue all of the civilians, as any that are still alive when the aliens have been eliminated and the mission ends are automatically counted as rescued. Explosives should be used with care, as they kill any civilian caught in the blast.

Alien units actively roam the area, killing any civilian they find. When encountered, most species prioritize a quick and easy civilian kill over tougher XCOM soldiers, even if the soldier is closer. Berserkers, Cyberdiscs and Sectopods do not. Because the mission is considered a success as long as at least one civilian is saved, it may be advisable to prioritize squad survival over civilian survival. 

Note: When playing on normal difficulty with ''Enemy Within'' installed, Chryssalids just went for the closest target, contrary to the above text. Unclear whether this is due to the add on.

In ''Enemy Within'', after the [[Sectoid Commander Autopsy]] is completed, [[Mimic Beacon (XCOM: Enemy Within)|Mimic Beacons]] can attract alien pods not in combat away from civilian targets or into traps. Chryssalids are especially prone to falling for the lure.

==Chryssalids and Zombies==
Many Terror Site missions feature Chryssalids, which comes with an additional challenge. Civilians and soldiers killed by a Chryssalid's melee attack may turn into extremely tough Zombies after one turn. To avoid being overrun, it is preferable to make Chryssalids priority targets when encountered on these missions.

The chance that a Chryssalid's kill will result in an [[Implant|implantation]] during a Terror Site mission is determined by two factors: Whether or not the kill occurred in view of an XCOM soldier, and by the game's [[Game difficulty (XCOM: Enemy Unknown)|difficulty setting]].<ref>[http://wiki.tesnexus.com/index.php/DefaultGameCore.ini_settings_-_XCOM:EU_2012 DefaultGameCore.ini settings - XCOM:EU 2012], Nexus Mods forums</ref> For all difficulties, an observed kill will result in a Zombie. The chance that an unobserved kill results in an implantation depends on the difficulty setting:
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="6" style="border-style:solid; border-color:#3e4550; border-collapse:collapse; text-align:center; width:588px;"
|-
|style="color:#D5D4D4; background:#0e151f;" width="24%"|'''Game Difficulty'''
|width="19%"|Easy
|width="19%"|Normal
|width="19%"|Classic
|width="19%"|Impossible
|-
|style="color:#D5D4D4; background:#0e151f;"|'''Implant Chance'''
|0%||0%||50%||100%
|}

Confident players in a strong position may consider letting Chryssalids kill civilians for a few turns - more Chryssalids means more [[Chitin Plating]] and more experience. So long as one civilian is saved the mission will not be considered a failure. Obviously this is only viable when panic reduction in the terrorized continent is not a concern. Note that an implanted victim will not prevent the mission from ending, as long as it has not yet risen up as a Zombie.

==Rating==
The number of citizens rescued determines the mission rating: <ref>XGSummaryUI, XComGame.upk game file, ''XCOM: Enemy Unknown'' (2012)</ref>
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="6" style="border-style:solid; border-color:#3e4550; border-collapse:collapse; text-align:center;"
|-
|style="color:#D5D4D4; background:#0e151f;" width="24%"|<span style="white-space: nowrap">'''Citizens Rescued'''</span>
|width="19%"|1
|width="19%"|2 - 8
|width="19%"|9 - 13
|width="19%"|14 - 18
|-
|style="color:#D5D4D4; background:#0e151f;"|'''Rating'''
|Terrible||Poor||Good||Excellent
|}

==Rewards==
In addition to [[:Category:Alien corpses (XCOM: Enemy Unknown)|alien corpses]], [[Weapon Fragments (artifact)|weapon fragments]], and [[Weapons (XCOM: Enemy Unknown)|weapons]] from aliens [[Arc Thrower (Project)|captured alive]], successful Terror Site missions result in a panic decrease based on the number of civilians rescued: <ref>XGStrategyAI, XComStrategyGame.upk game file, ''XCOM: Enemy Unknown'' (2012)</ref>

{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="6" style="border-style:solid; border-color:#3e4550; border-collapse:collapse; text-align:center;"
|-
|style="color:#D5D4D4; background:#0e151f;" width="31%"|'''Citizens Rescued'''
|width="23%"|1 - 8
|width="23%"|9 - 13
|width="23%"|<span style="white-space: nowrap">14 - 18</span>
|-
|style="color:#D5D4D4; background:#0e151f;"|<span style="white-space: nowrap">&nbsp;'''Panic Reduction''' *&nbsp;</span>
|2 / 0||3 / 1||5 / 2
|}

<nowiki>*</nowiki> <small>Nation panic reduction&nbsp;&nbsp;/&nbsp;&nbsp;Continent-wide panic reduction</small>

Aborting, failing (rescuing 0 citizens or all soldiers [[wikipedia:Killed in action|KIA]]), or ignoring a Terror Site mission results in the target nation leaving the [[The Council|Council]]; these missions should not be failed or ignored if at all possible.

== Notes ==
* If playing with game mods that increase alien pod size, additional enemy units that would focus on XCOM exclusively may target civilians instead. This happens often with [[Cyberdisc]]s.

==References==
{{Reflist}}


{{MissionsEU}}
[[Category:Missions (XCOM: Enemy Unknown)]]