Alien Life Forms (Long War)
Much like in vanilla, aliens deploy in "pods", which are "activated" by seeing them. Unlike in vanilla, alien pods are frequently made up of several different types of aliens, such as a Thin Man leading some Sectoids, or some Mutons with Floater scout.
Each "pod" will be led by one squad leader alien, possessing both improved stats and new abilities. Each leader has a chance to be accompanied by a navigator alien in addition to its other podmates which usually acts as a scouting unit of sorts, often possessing perks suitable for this role. Squad leaders can easily be identified by their larger health pool and increased physical size.
The aliens will continually improve their technology as the war goes on, which will grant them extra stats, HP regen and in some cases unlock new abilities. Squad Leader and Navigator perks are unlocked in the order in which they have been recorded here. Please note that the maximum stats for each species listed below can only apply to squad leaders of that species with all possible upgrades.
Sectoid
Appears | |
---|---|
Normal | March |
Terror | - |
Damage | {{{damage}}} |
HP | 3-20 |
Defense | 0-15 |
Aim | 65-115 |
Crit Chance | {{{crit}}} |
Movement | 12 |
Will | 5-105 |
Sectoids behave in much the same way as you'd expect from vanilla, with low Mobility, HP and Aim, and mediocre Will. Basic Sectoids have access to a few more psionic powers than before, being able to Mind Merge, Mind Fray and Psi Panic. The good news is that Mind Fray has been altered to only do 1 damage. Be aware that Mind Merge has been altered so it does some damage to the merged target if the merger dies, but doesn't kill outright. Sectoid squad leaders get the Low Profile perk.
Drone
Appears | |
---|---|
Normal | March |
Terror | - |
Damage | {{{damage}}} |
HP | 3-56 |
Defense | 0-20 |
Aim | 60-100 |
Crit Chance | {{{crit}}} |
Movement | 12-14 |
Flight Fuel | 32 |
Will | 0 |
Drones will be encountered right from the beginning of the game, even in the first mission. They can come in groups of their own or attached to Sectoid squads, and later they will accompany more powerful mechanized units like Cyberdiscs and Sectopods. Drones behave similarly to vanilla, but, like most mechanized units, have some damage reduction. Their constant light cover from flying with damage reduction and ability to mutually repair can make them extremely frustrating to kill. Drones have Holo-Targeting, making them a bit more dangerous when supporting other aliens.
Ability | Description |
---|---|
Holo-Targeting |
Shooting at or suppressing enemies also confers a +10 Aim to any allies' attacks on those enemies. |
Outsider
Appears | |
---|---|
Normal | March |
Terror | - |
Damage | {{{damage}}} |
HP | 10-33 |
Defense | 0-25 |
Aim | 75-130 |
Crit Chance | {{{crit}}} |
Movement | 12-18 |
Will | 20 |
Long War Outsiders are enormously more dangerous than vanilla Outsiders. They start with 10 HP and 3 HP regeneration per turn, meaning it will take a concerted effort from the whole squad to take them down early game. Like vanilla, Outsiders are mostly found in charge of UFOs, usually holed up on the bridge, but not always. You should be careful not to activate a UFO's Outsider until you're ready for it, since their HP regen means they can easily take on 1 or 2 XCOM soldiers without even taking damage. On larger UFOs Outsiders spawn in larger groups than in vanilla.
When you first meet them, fighting Outsiders in a war of attrition across cover is a bad idea, since their HP regen and relatively high damage and accuracy with their plasma carbines means they may well win. Neutralising the Outsider with flashbangs and suppression while you move your troops up to set up for a one turn kill is more effective. Note that their regenerative abilities will increase over the course of your game.
Notes
- While Outsiders themselves do not have navigators, it is possible for them to appear alongside a navigator of another species.
- Spotting an Outsider during a UFO landing will cause the remaining contingent of the crew to advance towards you. This does not only include the commanding crew of said ship, but also any randomly spawned Outsiders that you may encounter.
- Outsiders will gain additional DR as the game progresses, up to a maximum of +3.
Thin Man
Appears | |
---|---|
Normal | March |
Terror | - |
Damage | {{{damage}}} |
HP | 5-33 |
Defense | 0-25 |
Aim | 70-135 |
Crit Chance | {{{crit}}} |
Movement | 15 |
Will | 15-46 |
Thin Men are quite similar to vanilla, with high mobility, mediocre aim and low Will. The main change is that their poison has been replaced with Acid, which lowers aim and mobility as poison does, and affected units take slightly more damage from attacks, but acid no longer causes damage directly. Instead, acid inflicts damage to a victim as they take actions, so moving, reloading, firing, overwatch, etc will all cause an affected unit to take 1 damage (dashing will cause 2 damage). A unit that goes on overwatch will take the damage when they go on overwatch, not when they fire. Hunkering Down is safe and a unit that simply remains still and hunkered for the duration of acid will take no damage at all. Acid clouds dissipate within 2 turns and the acid debuff lasts 2-5 turns. Robotic units and soldiers with medikits or sealed armour are immune to the mobility effects of acid and won't take damage from actions, but will still take more damage from attacks and have reduced aim while affected by acid.
Ability | Description |
---|---|
Executioner |
Confers +10 aim and +10 critical hit chance against targets at or below 50% of their health. |
Close and Personal |
The first standard shot made within 4 tiles of the target does not cost an action. Cannot combine with Run And Gun. |
32px Sharpshooter |
Confers +10 critical hit chance at all times and an additional +10 aim against targets behind full-cover. |
Bombard |
Throw or launch grenades over exceptionally long distances. Also affects the range of Thin Man acid. |
Squadsight |
Allows firing at targets in any ally's sight radius within weapon range. Non-Sniper rifles gain roughly +5 tiles of extra range. |
Rapid Reaction |
Allows an additional shot to be fired on Overwatch if the first Overwatch shot hits. |
Sprinter |
Grants 3 additional points of movement to the unit. |
Lightning Reflexes |
The accuracy of the first Overwatch shot that this unit recieves has a -90% aim penalty, while all subsequent Overwatch shots recieve a -70% penalty to hit this unit. |
Aggression |
Confers +10% critical chance per enemy in sight (max +30%). |
Tactical Sense |
Confers +5 Defense per enemy in sight (max +20). |
Combined Arms |
Allows the squad that this unit belongs to to ignore 1 point of DR. |
Floater
Floaters behave identically to vanilla floaters. Floater squad leaders gain the Damn Good Ground ability, which, given their ability to fly, makes them significantly more dangerous than regular floaters. Squad Leaders will have Close Combat Specialist.
Possible perks for Floater squad leaders |
Damn Good Ground |
Close Combat Specialist |
Danger Zone |
Sprinter |
Mayhem |
Rapid Reaction |
Ready for Anything |
Regeneration |
Aggression |
Tactical Sense |
Combined Arms |
Chryssalid
Chryssalids are similar to vanilla Chryssalids. A big difference is that Chryssalid squad leaders have Lightning Reflexes, which can seriously reduce the amount of damage a charging Chryssalid squad will take from overwatch fire since the squad leader moves first, and is thus the most likely to trigger overwatch fire depending on positioning. Like Thin Men, the Chryssalid's claw poison has been replaced with acid.
AP/frag grenades are an effective early counter to Chryssalids, since they'll frequently charge in a tightly packed group on first sight, and the grenades will do full damage since Chryssalids don't benefit from cover. Similarly, flashbangs can debilitate a whole group of Chryssalids by reducing their move by half, which brings it considerably under the range a flashbang can be thrown. Taking out the Chryssalid leader will make reaction fire effective against them; a Close Combat Specialist Assault can frequently finish off leaderless Chryssalids. The MEC Flamethrower is also quite effective; aside from the damage (especially with the Jellied Elerium upgrade) it can cause the Chryssalids to panic, and they may then run away from your soldiers instead of towards them.
Chryssalids on a terror mission will always spawn Zombies from civilians they kill offscreen - normally, this only occurred on higher difficulties in vanilla. As such, expect to have to deal with many additional zombies during terror missions that focus on the deployment of chryssalids. Additionally, Chryssalid pods may occasionally contain a Zombie 'scout' or 'navigator' unit on any mission type.
A Squad Leader's regeneration ability applies to all chryssalids within their pod, not just the leader itself.
Possible perks for Chryssalid squad leaders |
Lightning Reflexes |
Regeneration |
Sprinter |
Shock-Absorbent Armor |
Zombie
Not even zombies are immune to getting tweaked in Long War - whilst they don't gain any perks, they do become faster at first, and then tougher later, whilst their melee damage steadily ramps up over time. They can occasionally spawn as a member of Chryssalid pods on any mission, and it is also be possible to encounter them as a special pod spawn during Terror missions, in which four to five identical zombies will spawn in a group. Unlike regular zombies, the members of this zombie 'pack' do not seem to spawn chryssalids if left to their own devices for too long.
Seeker
Seekers can be found both in pods made up entirely of Seekers, and accompanying squads of other aliens. This indirectly makes them more dangerous than vanilla, since a Seeker itself isn't much threat, but a Seeker supporting other aliens can be a deadly distraction. Seekers have had the shackles taken off their AI, and will happily decloak and strangle 4 of your soldiers at once. As mechanized units they have some damage reduction, which makes them difficult to damage with low power weapons like pistols and carbines. Seekers only cause 1 initial damage when strangling, but this damage doubles every turn they remain attached, so quickly knocking a Seeker off will result in minimal damage, but if left it will cause massive damage in 3-4 turns.
Battle Scanners are available to any soldier as carried items in Long War, giving an early counter to Seekers. They have a habit of going into Overwatch while in stealth, so if you're waiting out Seekers without a Battle Scanner, try moving a soldier, one might reveal itself to take a pot shot at you.
Possible perks for Seeker squad leaders |
Unlimited cloaks |
Holo Targeting |
Repair Servos |
Automated Threat Assessment |
Platform Stability |
Shock-Absorbent Armor |
Close Encounters |
Muton
Mutons are similar to vanilla Mutons, and will start with Plasma Carbines and later upgrade to Plasma Rifles. Muton squad leaders have significantly more HP than regular Mutons, as well as a number of Overwatch enhancing perks.
Possible perks for Muton squad leaders |
Covering Fire |
Opportunist |
Heat Warheads |
Bombard |
Will to Survive |
Sentinel |
Light 'Em Up |
Aggression |
Tactical Sense |
Combined Arms |
Cyberdisc
Cyberdiscs are similar to vanilla Cyberdiscs. They get the Automated Threat Assessment perk, which given their habit of immediately going on overwatch when seen will often give them extra defense at least for the first turn. Cyberdiscs are usually accompanied by drones. Cyberdiscs usually prefer to throw their grenade if an eligible soldier is in range rather than shooting.
Cyberdiscs pose a significant threat throughout the game. Early on their 20 HP pool makes them difficult to kill unless you have more than one soldier with HEAT ammo/warheads, or a soldier with Shredder ammo/rockets. In the later months Cyberdiscs gain the Reactive Targeting Sensors perk, allowing them to return fire.
Possible perks for Cyberdisk squad leaders |
Automated Threat Assessment |
Bombard |
Damage Control |
Repair Servos |
Aggression |
Reactive Targeting Sensors |
Light 'Em Up |
Combined Arms |
Mechtoid
Mechtoids behave identically to vanilla Mechtoids. Like vanilla, they will appear with Sectoid escorts, and later with Sectoid Commanders.
Mechtoids are very vulnerable to psionics - Mind Fray will restrict their movement and prevent them from charging to flank as well as reducing their accuracy. Psi Panic will completely disable a Mechtoid. Chem grenades will hurt their accuracy a bit. Like the Cyberdisk, the Mechtoid will eventually gain access to Reactive Targeting Sensors.
It is worth noting that the Psi Shield granted to Mechtoids by Mind Merge also grants a significant amount of extra Damage Reduction on top of the added temporary health. As a result, it is absolutely essential that you find and kill the sectoid that set up the link (helpfully indicated by the purple streams) and eliminate them.
Possible perks for Mechtoid squad leaders |
Executioner |
Platform Stability |
Advanced Fire Control |
Shock-Absorbent Armor |
Repair Servos |
Rapid Reaction |
Reactive Targeting Sensors |
Absorption Fields |
Berserker
Berserkers can also be Squad Leaders, meaning the first Berserkers you see could have terrifying amounts of health.
Like Chryssalids, anything you can do to slow down a Berserker will greatly reduce its threat. Flashbanging a Berserker will reduce its half-movement range to well below flashbang throw range, so is a good way to neutralise a Berserker you're not ready to kill. It will also reduce its movement from Bloodlust, so you can also shoot a couple of times after flashbanging (but don't go overboard).
Since it's possible to have multiple soldiers with Rift outside of the Temple Ship, using their aggression against them to make them wander in and out of the psionic storm will make quick work of them, if you can set up the situation. With a few other AoE attacks, a cluster of them becomes a comedic slaughter: excellent payback for all the times they will crush your soldiers under their fists.
Two well placed Close Combat Specialist Assaults (Optionally with Shredder Ammo) can also quickly make short work of even a group of Berserkers while a grenade or rocket makes them to run all at once towards the CCS trap. Beware of low ammunition shotguns.
Possible perks for Berserker squad leaders |
Shock-Absorbent Armor |
Regeneration |
Neural Damping |
Sprinter |
Tactical Sense |
Heavy Floater
Similar in appearance to the Floater species, this upgraded variant can pose a significant offensive threat to mechanized units as well as units behind cover when accompanied by other aliens. As the Heavy Floater will most probably already have access to Heat Ammo when you first encounter it, it is advisable to take on a more defensive position with MEC's and Shiv's, ideally concealing them behind full-cover until the enemy has been dealt with. Quite like the Muton Elite, the Heavy Floater also has access to Bombard and Alien Grenades, rendering clustered up firing lines ineffective.
Due to the Tactical Sense perk, inherent defenses and elevation bonuses, it is possible for a Heavy Floater squad leader to reach a maximum of 80 Defense during flight, making them extremely hard to hit foes on the battlefield. While psionically enhanced soldiers should have little trouble dealing with one thanks to their low will, accuracy enhancing perks and rockets are king against this species whenever the better alternative is unavailable. Furthermore, with the way Tactical Sense works, it can prove effective to temporarily move targets out of his sight radius so as to achieve better shots.
Possible perks for Heavy Floater squad leaders |
Repair Servos |
Heat Ammo |
Close and Personal |
Bombard |
Tactical Sense |
Ready for Anything |
Will to Survive |
Mayhem |
Danger Zone |
Sectopod
Massive mechanical war machines, Sectopods are similar to their original incarnation - only more deadly, of course. Approach with extreme caution. As with all aliens, their strength and power progresses with time, making them significantly more dangerous as the war drags on.
Possible perks for Sectopod squad leaders |
Repair Servos |
Automated Threat Assessment |
Sentinel |
Reactive Targeting Sensors |
Light 'Em Up |
Absorption Field |