Weapons (XCOM: Enemy Unknown)

A good gun is a soldier's best friend.

Weapons, primarily firearms and explosives, are used in combat by XCOM soldiers and most aliens in XCOM: Enemy Unknown, as well as EXALT's paramilitary agents in XCOM: Enemy Within.

Soldiers equip weapons based on their class, which can be seen in the Barracks or while selecting a squad for a mission. Alien species always make use of the same weapon(s) with the exception of the Muton (see Alien Weaponry below). While weapons can be captured from aliens which have been stunned by the Arc Thrower or had the difficulty turned down to a point where their health value becomes 0, they cannot be used until the associated research project has been completed. Newly researched weapons become available for production in Engineering whereas conventional weapons (available by default) are already stocked in unlimited quantities.

Weapon Types

Soldiers carry a primary weapon, secondary weapon, and an item (two with Tactical Rigging in XCOM: Enemy Within). Primary weapons are a soldier's main source of firepower in combat; they include rifles, sniper rifles, shotguns, and LMGs. Secondary weapons vary; they include pistols, rocket launchers, and a wide range of tactical subsystems available to MEC Troopers that are installed directly to a MEC^EW. A soldier's item slot can hold a variety of grenades, a S.C.O.P.E. to improve equipped weapons, or an Arc Thrower to capture live aliens, among other useful equipment.

Technology Level

On occasion a class ability (such as the Sniper's Headshot or a Heavy's Mayhem) is related to the weapon's technology level. These are, in order:

• Level 1: Conventional weapons (excluding the Rocket Launcher)
• Level 2: Beam weapons, Railgun ^EW, and Rocket Launcher
• Level 3: Plasma weapons, Alloy Cannon, and Particle Cannon ^EW

XCOM Weaponry

The following is a list of weapons available to XCOM forces in XCOM: Enemy Unknown and XCOM: Enemy Within.

Pistols

Usable by Rookie-ranked soldiers, as well as the Assault, Sniper and Support classes.

Pistols
Weapon	Base Damage	Crit Damage	Crit Chance	Range
Pistol	1 to 2	2 to 3	0%	Medium
Laser Pistol	1 to 3	3 to 4	10%	Medium
Plasma Pistol	2 to 4	4 to 6	0%	Medium

Notes

• Critical Chance is increased by 20% with Improved Pistol I.
• A +10 Aim bonus is gained with Improved Pistol II.
• Damage is increased by 1 with Improved Pistol III, and by 2 with Gunslinger.
• Pistols do not require reloading during combat.

Rifles

Usable by Rookie-ranked soldiers, as well as the Assault and Support classes.

Rifles
Weapon	Base Damage	Crit Damage	Crit Chance	Range
Assault Rifle	2 - 4	4 - 6	10%	Short
Laser Rifle	4 - 6	7 - 9	10%	Medium
Light Plasma Rifle	4 - 6	7 - 9	10%	Medium
Plasma Rifle	6 - 8	10 - 12	10%	Medium

Notes

• Light Plasma Rifle has a +10 Aim bonus.

Sniper Rifles

Usable by Sniper class soldiers only.

Sniper Rifles
Weapon	Base Damage	Crit Damage	Crit Chance	Range
Sniper Rifle	3 - 5	6 - 7	25%	Long
Laser Sniper Rifle	5 - 7	9 - 10	30%	Long
Plasma Sniper Rifle	8 - 10	13 - 15	35%	Long

Notes

• Unlike other weapons, the accuracy of a sniper rifle decreases the closer the target is.
• Sniper rifles have the highest critical hit chance available to XCOM.
• A sniper rifle cannot be fired after the soldier wielding it moves unless the soldier has received special training.

Shotguns

Usable by Assault class soldiers only.

Shotguns
Weapon	Base Damage	Crit Damage	Crit Chance	Range
Shotgun	3 - 5	6 - 7	20%	Short
Scatter Laser	5 - 7	9 - 10	20%	Short
Alloy Cannon	8 - 10	13 - 15	20%	Short

Notes

• Shotguns have the smallest effective range of all primary weapon types, being subjected to an Aim penalty over long distances. In contrast, the Aim bonus at close range is doubled.
• Shotguns have the second highest critical hit chance available to XCOM.

Light Machine Guns

Usable by Heavy class soldiers only.

Light Machine Guns
Weapon	Base Damage	Crit Damage	Crit Chance	Range
LMG	3 - 5	6 - 7	0%	Medium
Heavy Laser	5 - 7	9 - 10	0%	Medium
Heavy Plasma	8 - 10	13 - 15	0%	Medium

Notes

• Heavy weapons have the second lowest ammo capacity in the game, permitting only three shots per reload. The Ammo Conservation Foundry upgrade allows three additional shots per reload.
• LMGs have the lowest critical hit chance of all primary weapon types.
• LMGs have the highest terrain damage of all primary weapon types.

Rocket Launchers

Usable by Heavy class soldiers only.

Rocket Launchers
Weapon	Base Damage	Crit Damage	Crit Chance	Range
Rocket Launcher	6	N/A	N/A	High
Blaster Launcher	9	N/A	N/A	High

Notes

• Default limit of one ammo.
• Ammo count, damage area and special effects can be changed or added via abilities.

MEC Primary Weapons

Usable by MEC Troopers only.

MEC Primary
Weapon	Base Damage	Crit Damage	Crit Chance	Range
Minigun EW	4 - 6	7 - 9	10%	Medium
Railgun EW	6 - 8	10 - 12	10%	Medium
Particle Cannon EW	9 - 11	15 - 16	10%	Medium

Notes

• MEC weapons have the lowest ammo capacity in the game, permitting only two shots per reload. The Ammo Conservation Foundry upgrade allows two additional shots, and the Expanded Storage ability one. These stack for a potential five shots per reload.
• MEC weapons can target and destroy terrain with the Collateral Damage ability.

MEC Tactical Subsystems

Tactical subsystems are secondary systems integrated into a MEC, to be used by a MEC Trooper along with their primary weapon.

Tactical Subsystems
Tactical Subsystem	Base Damage	Crit Damage	Crit Chance	Blast Radius	MEC
Electro Pulse EW	5	N/A	N/A	4	MEC-3
Flamethrower EW	6	N/A	N/A	Cone	MEC-1
Grenade Launcher EW	4	N/A	N/A	3	MEC-2
Kinetic Strike Module EW	12	18	0%	Melee	MEC-1
Proximity Mine Launcher EW	8	N/A	N/A	2	MEC-3

Notes

• Electro Pulse stuns Robotic enemies for one turn in addition to inflicting damage.
• Jellied Elerium upgrades the Flamethrower to 9 damage.
• The Alien Grenades Foundry project increases the Grenade Launcher's damage to 5.
• The Kinetic Strike Module can be increased to 18 base damage and can be used twice per turn with the MEC Close Combat Foundry upgrade.
  • With the Absolutely Critical Second Wave option enabled attacks with the Kinetic Strike Module guarantees a critical hit every time; the punch does 18 damage or 27 damage when upgraded.
• The Expanded Storage ability allows an additional use of the Grenade Launcher, Proximity Mine Launcher, and Restorative Mist.

Other Tactical Subsystems:

• Restorative Mist ^EW heals 4 HP to all units in a 2-tile radius. Improved Medikit increases the healing to 6 HP and Expanded Storage allows an additional use.

Grenades

Usable by Rookie-ranked soldiers and every class except MEC Troopers, through the use of an item slot. (MEC Troopers have a Grenade Launcher tactical subsystem instead.)

Grenades
Weapon	Damage	Blast Radius	Duration
Frag Grenade	3	2	N/A
Alien Grenade	5	2	N/A
Needle Grenade EW	3	5	N/A
Gas Grenade EW	1	2	3
Flashbang Grenade EW	0	2	2

Notes

• Needle Grenades have a large blast radius, but the projectiles do not pass through cover.
• Gas Grenades poison all units in the blast radius: -20 Aim penalty and -1 HP per turn for 3 turns.
• Flashbang Grenades inflict a -50 Aim and -50% Movement penalty for 2 turns. No friendly fire.

Other Grenades

• A Ghost Grenade ^EW can be used on friendly units for an effect similar to Ghost Armor.
• The Support class can use Smoke Grenades to boost allied units' Defense.

Weapon Comparison Chart

The following weapons are available to XCOM personnel:

Weapon	Dmg Min	Dmg Max	Crit Min	Crit Max	Crit %	Range
Pistol	1	2	2	3	0%	Medium	✓	✓		✓	✓
Laser Pistol	1	3	3	4	10%	Medium	✓	✓		✓	✓
Plasma Pistol	2	4	4	6	0%	Medium	✓	✓		✓	✓
Assault Rifle	2	4	4	6	10%	Short	✓	✓			✓
Laser Rifle	4	6	7	9	10%	Medium	✓	✓			✓
Light Plasma Rifle	4	6	7	9	10%	Medium	✓	✓			✓
Plasma Rifle	6	8	10	12	10%	Medium	✓	✓			✓
Sniper Rifle	3	5	6	7	25%	Long				✓
Laser Sniper Rifle	5	7	9	10	30%	Long				✓
Plasma Sniper Rifle	8	10	13	15	35%	Long				✓
Shotgun	3	5	6	7	20%	Short		✓
Scatter Laser	5	7	9	10	20%	Medium		✓
Alloy Cannon	8	10	13	15	20%	Medium		✓
LMG	3	5	6	7	0%	Medium			✓
Heavy Laser	5	7	9	10	0%	Medium			✓
Heavy Plasma	8	10	13	15	0%	Medium			✓
Rocket Launcher	6	6	-	-	-	Medium			✓
Blaster Launcher	9	9	-	-	-	Medium			✓
Minigun EW	4	6	7	9	10%	Medium						✓
Railgun EW	6	8	10	12	10%	Medium						✓
Particle Cannon EW	9	11	15	16	10%	Medium						✓
Frag Grenade	3	3	-	-	-	-	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Alien Grenade	5	5	-	-	-	-	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Needle Grenade EW	3	3	-	-	-	-	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓

Alien Weaponry

Plasma

A number of alien species are equipped with plasma-based weaponry equivalent to XCOM's:

Plasma Pistol:	Sectoid, Sectoid Commander, Seeker
Light Plasma Rifle:	Floater, Outsider, Thin Man
Plasma Rifle:	Heavy Floater, Muton
Heavy Plasma:	Muton Elite
Alien Grenade:	Cyberdisc, Heavy Floater, Muton, Muton Elite, Sectoid Commander

Notes

• Mutons use Light Plasma Rifles when first encountered (in May) before switching to Plasma Rifles for the remainder of the game. This change occurs in June on Classic/Impossible difficulty, or in July on Easy/Normal difficulty.
• Cyberdiscs, Heavy Floaters, and Muton Elites can throw grenades farther due to their Bombard ability.

In addition, many aliens employ specialized weapons or offensive capabilities that are unavailable to XCOM and unique to their species:

Ranged

Weapon	Species	Base Damage	Crit Damage	Crit Chance
Chest Cannon	Sectopod	9 - 11	15 - 17	10%
Cluster Bomb	Sectopod	6	N/A	N/A
Cyberdisc Cannon	Cyberdisc	7 - 9	12 - 14	25%
Drone Beam	Drone	1 - 3	3 - 5	10%
Plasma Mini-cannon	Mechtoid EW	6 - 8	10 - 12	0%

Melee

Weapon	Species	Base Damage	Crit Damage	Crit Chance
Chryssalid Claw	Chryssalid	6	11	20%
Muton Blade	Berserker	9	13	33%
Zombie Fist	Zombie	8	N/A	N/A

EXALT Weaponry

EXALT initially uses conventional weapons before upgrading to beam weapons. Name and outward appearance aside, their weapons are identical in stats and function to XCOM's weapons.

Encountered EXALT armaments can be on par with up to XCOM's laser weaponry. As they don't possess Plasma-based gear, a sufficiently-upgraded team can easily outgun them in combat.

Weapon	Base Damage	Crit Damage	Crit Chance	Range
EXALT Assault Rifle	2 - 4	4 - 6	10%	Short
EXALT Laser Assault Rifle	4 - 6	7 - 9	10%	Medium
EXALT Sniper Rifle	3 - 5	6 - 7	25%	Long
EXALT Laser Sniper Rifle	5 - 7	9 - 10	30%	Long
EXALT LMG	3 - 5	6 - 7	0%	Medium
EXALT Heavy Laser	5 - 7	9 - 10	0%	Medium
EXALT Rocket Launcher	6	N/A	N/A	Long

Range Bonuses and Penalties

Weapons are subject to Aim bonuses and/or penalties, based on the weapon type and distance from the target.

	Pistols	Rifles	Sniper Rifles	Shotguns	LMGs
Aim Bonus	✓	✓		✓	✓
Aim Penalty			✓	✓

Range Bonuses

Pistols, Rifles, LMGs
Distance	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Aim	+37	+33	+28	+24	+19	+15	+10	+6	+1	0
Shotguns
Distance	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Aim	+52	+48	+40	+36	+28	+24	+20	+12	+8	0

Range Penalties

Sniper Rifles
Distance	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Aim	-24	-21	-19	-16	-13	-10	-7	-4	-2	0
Shotguns
Distance	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17
Aim	0	-4	-8	-16	-20	-28	-32	-40 (Maximum)

Weapons are zeroed (no Aim bonus or penalty) at a range of 10 tiles. The Aim bonuses and penalties above are based on straight-line distances and cardinal unit positioning. Angled positioning with a Shotgun or Sniper Rifle can result in an Aim bonus/penalty corresponding to values within ±1 tile of the straight-line distance (calculated using Pythagorean theorem).

Bugs

• In XCOM: Enemy Within, critical hit damage may vary from what is listed in a weapon's Tactical Info due to a calculation bug. They may inflict one point less than the indicated minimum, and/or be limited to one point less than the indicated maximum.

Trivia

• EXALT does not utilize shotgun type weapons, nor do they use pistols. Their gear also caps at laser-based weaponry in terms of advancement, therefore no plasma-based EXALT armaments can be seen on the field.

• Aliens utilize neither shotgun type weapons nor sniper rifle type weapons, although they have some more unique weaponry.
• A soldier can shoot to any enemy less than 18 tiles away, unless there is some obstacle between him and enemy.

See Also

• Aircraft Armaments - Weaponry that can be outfitted on Interceptors.
• S.H.I.V., Alloy S.H.I.V., Hover S.H.I.V. - XCOM's heavy weapon platforms.