Weapons (XCOM 2)

Weapons take many forms in XCOM 2. The ADVENT-backed alien in twenty year occupation of Earth has helped introduce more advanced small arms technology to the planet, quite altering the technological landscape from that of the time of the foundation of XCOM.

XCOM Weaponry

As an underground resistance movement, XCOM has to use (at least initially) conventional firearms, most likely salvaged from the armories of now-defunct militaries of Earth's nation-states.

Such weapons include fully automatic assault rifles, available for XCOM Rookies and later for fighters of Ranger, Specialist and Psi-Operative classes, while XCOM Rangers also have access to the compact pump-action shotgun, deadly in the CQB combat. XCOM Sharpshooters utilize a powerful bolt-action sniper rifle as a primary weapon, and a high-caliber revolver handgun as their backup firearm. XCOM Grenadiers arm themselves with the man-portable rotary cannon and the revolver-action grenade launcher for lobbing fragmentation grenades at their enemies.

As the research and development aboard the Avenger, XCOM's Mobile HQ, progresses, Magnetic/Gauss weaponry and, finally, Plasma weaponry becomes available for the XCOM operatives in the field.

XCOM Weaponry can be divided into Primary Weapons and Secondary Weapons. The main differences between primary and secondary weapons are that primary weapons can be extensively modded with weapon upgrades (once Modular Weapons is researched) but have limited ammo and need to be reloaded periodically in battle. Secondary weapons do not benefit from weapon mods but do not require reloading either. Which weapons a soldier can equip as primary or secondary weapons is dependent on their Soldier Class.

Additionally, soldiers can gain access to Heavy Weapons which are neither primary nor secondary weapons but can only mounted on Heavy Armors. Heavy Weapons are devastating AOE options with a very limited ammo count, so be careful not to squander them needlessly.

Notes:

• Experimental ammo (e.g. Dragon Rounds, Talon Rounds etc) affect both primary weapons and Pistol-type secondary weapons.
• PCS: Perception (and its Advanced/Superior versions) affect both primary weapons, Sword- and Pistol-type secondary weapons.

Primary Weapons

All primary weapons receive a second mod slot at the second tier and will remain so. A third slot is only possible by obtaining the Armed to the Teeth Continent Bonus. (In the War of the Chosen expansion, certain Breakthroughs can unlock an additional upgrade slot for one specific class of weapons.)

What follows is a brief summary of weapons available and their relevant Soldier Class requirements.

Assault Rifles

Assault Rifles are a primary weapon accessible to Rookies, Specialists, Psi-Operatives and Rangers.

Variants (Tiers)

Name	Damage	Clip Size	Range	Mod Slots	Other
Assault Rifle	03-05	4	Medium	1
Magnetic Rifle	05-07			2
Plasma Rifle	07-09			2
Disruptor Rifle (WotC)	07-09			Superior Scope Superior Magazine Superior Hair Trigger Superior Stock	Guaranteed Critical hits on Psionic enemies Given when The Warlock is defeated
Prototype Plasma Rifle (Legacy Ops)	07-09			Superior Scope Superior Repeater

Shotguns

Shotguns are a primary weapon type restricted to Rangers. Shotguns are extremely effective at close range but their accuracy drops off quickly at long range.

Variants (Tiers)

Name	Damage	Clip Size	Range	Mod Slots	Critical Chance	Other
Shotgun	04-06	4	Short	1	10%
Shard Gun	06-08			1	15%
Storm Gun	08-10			2	20%
Arashi (WotC)	08-10		Short*	Superior Laser Sight Superior Magazine Superior Hair Trigger Superior Stock	10%	*Less range penalty Given when The Assassin is defeated
Energy Sweeper (Legacy Ops)	08-10		Short	Superior Laser Sight Superior Hair Trigger	10%

Cannons

Cannons are a primary weapon type restricted to Grenadiers.

Variants (Tiers)

Name	Damage	Clip Size	Range	Mod Slots	Shreds*
Cannon	04-06	3	Medium	1	1
Mag Cannon	06-08			2	2
Beam Cannon	08-10			2	3
Energy Cannon (Legacy Ops)	08-10			Superior Stock Superior Expanded Magazine	3

*If Shredder ability is chosen

Sniper Rifles

Sniper Rifles are a primary weapon type restricted to Sharpshooters. Sniper rifle always takes two/both actions to fire and suffers a penalty to hit at close range.

Variants (Tiers)

Name	Damage	Clip Size	Critical Chance	Mod Slots	Other
Sniper Rifle	04-06	3	10%	1
Gauss Rifle	06-08			2
Plasma Lance	08-10		15%	2
Darklance (WotC)	08-10		10%	Superior Scope Superior Auto Reloader Superior Hair Trigger Superior Stock	Only one action to fire, 4 upgrades Given when The Hunter is defeated
Energy AMR (Legacy Ops)	08-10		10%	Superior Scope Superior Auto Reloader

Bolt Casters (Alien Hunter DLC content)

Bolt Casters are a primary weapon type accessible to Rookies, Specialists, Psi-Operatives and Rangers. Each attack has a chance to stun the target, and cannot be dodged. Genetically-empowered aliens are highly susceptible to being stunned. Launches a single, high-damaging projectile, but must be reloaded after each use. Can not utilize weapons upgrades. Bolt Casters do not have mod slots.

Variants (Tiers)

Name	Damage	Clip Size	Range	Bonus Aim	Stun Chance
Bolt Caster	6-8	1	Medium	15%	20%
Magnetic Bolt Caster	8-10
Plasma Bolt Caster	10-12

Heavy Autocannons (Shen's Last Gift DLC content)

Heavy Autocannon are a primary weapon type restricted to SPARKs robotic soldier class. They cannot utilize weapon upgrades, unless you are playing the War of the Chosen update.

Variants (Tiers)

	Damage	Clip Size	Range	Mod Slots (WOTC only)	Shreds
Heavy Autocannon	04-06	3	Medium	1	1
Helix Rail-Cannon	06-08			2	2
Elerium Phase-Cannon	08-10			2	3

Secondary Weapons

This also includes 'devices' that are not strictly conventional weapons but occupy the same item slot (e.g. GREMLINs or Psi Amps).

What follows is a brief summary of weapons available and their relevant Soldier Class requirements.

Pistols

Pistols are a secondary weapon type restricted to Sharpshooters.

Variants (Tiers)

Name	Damage	Critical Chance (+%)	Aim (+%)	Other
Pistol	2-3
Mag Pistol	3-4
Beam Pistol	3-6
Darkclaw (WotC)	4-7	5		Ignores 5 armor Given when The Hunter is defeated
Energy Pistol (Legacy Ops)	3-6

Shadowkeeper Pistols (Alien Hunter DLC content)

Pistols are a secondary weapon type restricted to Sharpshooters. Comparable to each tier pistol, but has improved aim (+10%) and chance to critical hit (+15%). Has the special ability of Shadowfall, a pistol shot that is guaranteed to hit, if the target is killed, the shooter gains concealment.

Only a single Shadowkeeper pistol is available per play-through for all upgrade tiers, so if the Shadowkeeper is lost during a mission a replacement cannot be built, though it can be recovered just the once during the Enhanced and Powered Shadowkeeper upgrade in Engineering -- Built Item -- Weapons purchase. 'Captured' soldiers and their limited equipment may be rescued during a possible Rescue VIP mission that may spawn at a later time.

Variants (Tiers)

Name	Damage	Critical Chance (+%)	Aim (+%)	Other
Shadowkeeper	2-3	15	10	Grants Shadowfall
Enhanced Shadowkeeper	3-4	15	10	Grants Shadowfall
Powered Shadowkeeper	3-6	15	10	Grants Shadowfall

Swords

Swords are a secondary weapon type restricted to Rangers.

Variants (Tiers)

Name	Damage	Critical Chance (+%)	Stun Chance (+%)	Other
Sword	3-5	10
Arc Blade	4-6	15	25
Fusion Blade	5-7	20		Has a chance to set targets on fire
Katana (WotC)	8-9			Never misses Ignores 5 armor Given when The Assassin is defeated
Advanced Blade (Legacy Ops)	6-8	10		Aim +20%

Axes (Alien Hunter DLC content)

Axes are a secondary weapon type restricted to Rangers. One axe can be thrown from range (once per mission) for a 'free action' for an instant burst of damage. This ranged attack counts as melee damage, so a Chosen with the "Immunity: Melee" takes no damage from it. Note: Aim, Range, Cover, Dodge and Armor chances/penalties apply.

Only one set of axes are available per play-through for all upgrade tiers, so if the axes are lost during a mission a replacement cannot be built, though it can be recovered just the once during the Ionic and Fusion axe upgrade in Engineering -- Built Item -- Weapons purchase.

Note: The game text describes the weapon as a "pair of axes", one of which can be thrown as a free action. However, that ranged attack is treated in all respects as a one-charge-per-mission ability; the second axe cannot be "lost" unless you lose the core weapon. For example, if a soldier throws the axe, then you evacuate the mission (losing all the alien bodies on the scene), you do not lose the "second axe"; the next time you equip the pair of axes, the soldier will still have a single free ranged attack per mission.

Variants (Tiers)

Name	Damage	Critical Chance (+%)	Stun Chance (+%)	Other
Hunter's Axe	4-6	10
Ionic Axe	5-7	15	25
Fusion Axe	6-8	20		Has a chance to set targets on fire

Grenade Launchers

Grenade Launchers are a secondary weapon type restricted to Grenadiers.

Variants (Tiers)

Name	Grenade Range	Grenade Radius
Grenade Launcher	4	1
Advanced Grenade Launcher	5	2

Psi Amps

Psi Amps are restricted to Psi Operatives.

Variants (Tiers)

Name	Psi (+%)
Psi Amp	+0%
Advanced Psi Amp	+20%
Alien Psi Amp	+40%

GREMLINs

GREMLINs are restricted to Specialists.

Variants (Tiers)

Name	Hack (+%)
GREMLIN	--
GREMLIN Mark II	20
GREMLIN Mark III	40

Heavy Weapons

(see also the Article Heavy Weapons)

Building an E.X.O. Suit unlocks Heavy Weapons in the Proving Ground. Building a W.A.R. Suit unlocks the next level of Heavy Weapons for research in the Proving Ground.

Variants

• Rocket Launcher
• Flamethrower
• Shredder Gun

Advanced Variants

• Blaster Launcher
• Hellfire Projector
• Shredstorm Cannon
• Plasma Blaster

Hero Class Weapons (War of the Chosen)

The hero classes introduced in XCOM 2: War of the Chosen each have their own primary and secondary weapons. These weapons can be upgraded at a lower cost than the core XCOM weapons.The Reaper and Skirmisher primary weapons can use modular weapon upgrades.

Reaper Weaponry

The Reaper class uses a special sniper rifle, which does less damage than the corresponding Sharpshooter weapon but does not have a penalty at close range.

Primary

1. Vektor Rifle
2. Temnotic Rifle
3. Shadow Lance

Secondary

1. Claymore

Skirmisher Weaponry

The Skirmisher class uses a short-range "bullpup" assault rifle. This rifle does less damage than the corresponding tier of shotgun, and has an aim penalty at long range, but only uses one action to fire and does not end the turn.

Primary

1. Kal-7 Bullpup
2. Kal-15 Bullpup
3. Kal-90 Bullpup

Secondary

1. Ripjack
2. Ionic Ripjack
3. Fusion Ripjack

Templar Weaponry

The Templar class uses special gauntlets that generate a psionic melee weapon; this weapon cannot use modular upgrades.

Primary

1. Shard Gauntlets
2. Tempest Gauntlets
3. Celestial Gauntlets

Secondary

1. Autopistol
2. Mag Autopistol
3. Beam Autopistol

ADVENT Weaponry

The ADVENT administration arms its troops with standardized factory-produced Gauss rifles. These rifles accelerate bullets, made of ferromagnetic alloys to velocities largely unattainable by ballistic firearms. While the basic principles of such technology were well known to Earth's scientists before the invasion, it was technology donated by the aliens to their ADVENT puppets that solved the inherent problems of making reliable gauss-based man-portable weaponry. Namely, the lack of portable power sources or compact and lightweight discharge capacitors.

ADVENT's standard-issue gauss rifles also have a built-in genetic lock connected to the ADVENT network, (preventing a rifle being fired by any non-authorized user) as well as a self-destruct mechanism, activating a short time after the weapon's user dies in action and rendering the weapon permanently inoperable. These measures were installed to prevent any resistance fighters and XCOM from using captured ADVENT-made weapons.

Alien Weaponry

The aliens appear to retain what is majorly the same weaponry as that of the original invasion, but the new troop variants seem to possess variations of the familiar patterns, such as the Muton's bayonet. Sectoids, however, still carry their wrist-mounted plasma blaster. Despite its age in technological terms, alien plasma weaponry has not advanced very far, implying that plasma-based weaponry is the most effective possible armaments without risking excessive destruction.

However, it is noted that alien plasma weaponry is highly unstable, with a very fine line between 'functioning' and 'overloading', and complexity in trying to operate certain weapons. This shows the Elder's overall lack of effort to produce safe weaponry for their troops to use in the field in favor of more power, in comparison to XCOM, whose beam weaponry is designed far more safely and much more user-friendly.

The aliens also appear to have developed 'fusion'-based technology for use in melee weapons such as the Muton's Bayonet and the Archon's Staff. It is notable for its high heat during usage, something XCOM takes full advantage of when designing the Fusion Blade.

Combined Table

Type	Name	Damage	Clip Size	Critical Chance (%)	Other
Rifle	Assault Rifle	03-05	4
	Magnetic Rifle	05-07
	Plasma Rifle	07-09
	Disruptor Rifle (WotC)	07-09			Guaranteed Critical hits on Psionic enemies, four upgrades
Bolt Caster	Bolt Caster	06-08	1
	Magnetic Bolt Caster	08-10
	Plasma Bolt Caster	10-12
Shotgun	Shotgun	04-06	4	10
	Shard Gun	06-08		15
	Storm Gun	08-10		20
	Arashi (WotC)	08-10		10	less range penalty, 4 upgrades
Cannon	Cannon	04-06	3
	Mag Cannon	06-08
	Beam Cannon	08-10
Sniper Rifle	Sniper Rifle	04-06	3	10
	Gauss Rifle	06-08		10
	Plasma Lance	08-10		15
	Darklance (WotC)	08-10		10	Only one action to fire, 4 upgrades
Pistol	Pistol	02-03	∞
	Mag Pistol	03-04
	Beam Pistol	03-06
	Darkclaw (WotC)	04-07		5	Ignores 5 armor
	Shadowkeeper	02-03		15	Grants Shadowfall Aim +10%
	Enhanced Shadowkeeper	03-04
	Powered Shadowkeeper	03-06
SPARK Weapons	Heavy Autocannon	04-06	3
	Helix Rail-Cannon	06-08
	Elerium Phase-Cannon	08-10
Reaper Rifle	Vektor Rifle	03-04	3
	Temnotic Rifle	04-05	3
	Shadow Lance	5-6	3	?	?
Skirmisher Bullpup	KAL-7 Bullpup	3-4	3	?	?
	KAL-15 Bullpup	5-6	3	?	?
	KAL-90 Bullpup	6-7	3	?	?
Templar Autopistol	Autopistol	02-03	∞	?	?
	Mag Autopistol	?		?	?
	Beam Autopistol	3-6		?	?

Melee

Type	Name	Damage	Critical Chance (+%)	Stun Chance (+%)	Other
Swords	Sword	3-5	10
	Arc Blade	4-6	15	25
	Fusion Blade	5-7	20		Has a chance to set targets on fire
	Katana (WotC)	8-9			Ignores 5 armor Guaranteed to hit
Axe	Hunter's Axe	4-6	10
	Ionic Axe	5-7	15	25
	Fusion Axe	6-8	20		Has a chance to set targets on fire
Skirmisher Ripjack	Ripjack	?	?	?	?
	Ionic Ripjack	?	?	?	?
	Fusion Ripjack	?	?	?	Has a chance to set targets on fire
Templar Gauntlets	Shard Gauntlets	?	?	?	?
	Tempest Gauntlets	?	?	?	?
	Celestial Gauntlets	?	?	?	?

Hacking Tools

Type	Name	Hack (+%)
GREMLIN	GREMLIN	--
	GREMLIN Mark II	20
	GREMLIN Mark III	40
SPARK BIT	SPARK BIT	?
	SPARK BIT Mark II	?
	SPARK BIT Mark III	?

Grenade Launcher

Name	Grenade Range	Grenade Radius
Grenade Launcher	4	1
Advanced Grenade Launcher	5	2

Psi-Amps

Name	Psi (+%)
Psi Amp	+0%
Advanced Psi Amp	+20%
Alien Psi Amp	+40%