XCOM 2 can be difficult for the uninitiated. At the start of the game, a player new to the series can feel overwhelmed by all the options thrust upon them all at once. In what order should Avenger facilities be built? What research options would be selected? What are the best tactics to employ during missions?

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It's easy to make mistakes in XCOM 2, and this is the kind of game where errors made early on can adversely affect the player's chance of victory towards the end of the campaign. This article should help beginners punch through the difficulty curve they will encounter after a few months of missions.

Don't Split Up The Squad

xcom 2 game play in battle

Never send a soldier off by themselves. If they surprise a group of aliens they do not have good odds of surviving the encounter. It's best to keep the squad together; no soldier should be more than one turn away from the group. The group itself should remain somewhat tight, and the soldiers should seek positions that cover every possible approach vector.

Later in the game, when soldiers have heavy armor and weapons, it is a little safer to deploy in groups of two. Though, these groups should be no more than a turn away from each other.

Plan Ahead With Soldier Abilities

xcom 2 character

Picking the soldiers' class abilities should not be done spontaneously. Soldiers' abilities should be planned-out because many of them work better when another ability has already been gained. Poorly planned soldiers have a much harder time surviving missions and are able to contribute less towards a victory.

Don't be afraid to check guides and wikis for a comprehensive list of each class' abilities. Only after the main squad starts getting to the rank of lieutenant or captain should the player start experimenting with other possible class ability combinations with reserve soldiers.

Use Frag Grenades Liberally

Throwing a Frag Grenade at some enemies in Xcom 2

The weapons available during the early part of XCOM 2 are not up to the task of fighting an extraterrestrial threat armed with advanced weaponry and possessing psionic abilities. Not only that, but soldiers in the early part of the game have a much higher chance to miss when using their primary weapons.

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Players should not hesitate to use their Frag Grenades, even if they will only hit one enemy soldier. The chance to miss with a grenade is markedly lower than with a primary weapon, especially until better options of the latter become available.

Start Building Avenger Facilities Early

The Avenger  mobile base in Xcom 2

Avenger facilities are not constructed instantly, they take a while to complete. Due to this, it's best to build Avenger facilities before they are needed. This applies to every type of facility. It's better to have Power Relay that's not needed under construction than need a new one and have to wait 12 days until it's completed.

For some facilities, like Power Relays, it can be advantageous to build more than what is needed. Have spaces cleared of alien debris and ready for when a new facility is needed. Like with soldier abilities, it pays to plan ahead when building facilities and try to anticipate what will be needed in the near future.

Most Walls Can Become Doors

Hitting a Sectopod with a Plasma Blaster in Xcom 2

Players new to the XCOM games need to keep in mind that much of the terrain is destroyable. There will be times when a soldier gets separated from the squad, and regrouping them with the squad will take a few turns as they wind their way around obstacles and buildings.

Sometimes it's just easier to throw a grenade at the wall, then step through the hole and rejoin the squad next turn. Making your own passages through walls is a good tactic on those missions that require the squad to deactivate a device before the countdown reaches zero. A well-placed grenade can is also useful for destroying the enemies' cover; leaving them exposed to any subsequent attacks.

Don't Forget Those Alien Autopsies

The Avatar Autopsy research option in Xcom 2

There are a lot of eye-catching research options with cool, techno-sci-fi buzzwords like "ADVENT Datapad Decryption". This might cause beginners to overlook the alien autopsies for more exciting research options. Performing autopsies on alien corpses opens up important avenues of research.

The Sectoid Autopsy research option opens up the research tree related to psionic training. The Viper Autopsy upgrades the Medikit to the Nanomedikit. It is a mistake to neglect performing these autopsies until later in the game; at that point, the fruits of this research will be less useful to the player.

Have Reserve Soldiers With Some Battle Experience

The Soldier List in Xcom 2

Soldiers are going to get wounded while on missions. This is unavoidable. When a player is injured on a mission, the severity of their injury and how long they must remain inactive is random. A soldier that takes one point of damage might be out for ten days; while a soldier with only one health point left might be inactive for 4 days.

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Players can get into the habit of only taking their best squad on every mission because it's easier. After the main squad has built some bonds and gotten promoted a few times, players should start replacing a member with a rookie or squaddie on occasion, so they can get some kills and promotions.

Have A Main Squad

XCOM 2

A roster of reserve soldiers around the rank of sergeant is an important thing to have. However, it's more important to have a main squad. It can be tempting to switch out a few soldiers every mission, but it's better to focus on putting together a high-ranking squad of soldiers that have formed bonds.

With the Training Center facility on the Avenger soldiers can begin to get more out of the bonds they have formed with squadmates. The Guerrilla Tactics School should likewise be built early. This facility can increase the size of the squad by up to two soldiers.

Manipulate The Avatar Project For An Advantage

The Avatar Project Countdown Timer in Xcom 2

When the Avatar bar is filled, a countdown will begin. This signals to the player that the alien forces are nearing victory. The player has until this countdown reaches zero to destroy an enemy facility, or in some way cause a setback to the alien's Avatar Project. This stops the countdown.

At some point, this countdown timer will reset and begin counting down again, forcing the player to again rush to curtail the enemy's plans for world domination. Beginning players should avoid the mistake of immediately attacking an enemy facility when the countdown begins. Instead, wait until some time has run off the timer; use this extra period to finish some additional research projects and build better equipment.

Take It Slow In Battle

XCOM 2 Fire Weapon option

Missions in XCOM 2 should be treated as marathons, not sprints. Players should take their time unless the mission has a timer. Recklessly rushing into the fog of war is a great way to add more names to the Memorial of Fallen Soldiers in the Avenger.

Take advantage of abilities like Overwatch and Killzone to prevent ambushes. It's smart to move soldiers from cover to cover in a leapfrog fashion by twos. This way one group can cover the advancing group, and if the enemy is alerted the player will be able to get a few attacks before the enemy's turn.

XCOM 2 was initially released on Feb. 5th, 2016, and is available for the PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, OS X, iOS, and Android.

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