Abilities (EU2012)
A list of all abilities can be found below, with their in-game descriptions. More information about Abilities and their uses can be found on the links on top of each category.
Class & Rank Abilities
These are special perks available to each class and rank. Up reaching a certain rank a soldier has to choose exclusively between two abilities. Click on each column to sort contents alphabetically.
Ability | Rank Required | Description |
---|---|---|
Run & Gun | Squaddie | Allows firing or Overwatch after Dashing on the turn Run & Gun is activated. 2 turn cooldown. |
Aggression | Corporal | Confers +10% critical chance per enemy in sight (max +30%). |
Tactical Sense | Corporal | Confers +5 Defense per enemy in sight (max +20). |
Close & Personal | Sergeant | Confers +30% critical chance against adjacent targets. The bonus declines with distance from the target. |
Lightning Reflexes | Sergeant | Forces the first reaction shot against this unit each turn to miss. |
Rapid Fire | Lieutenant | Take two shots against a single target in quick succession. Each shot carries a -15 penalty to Aim. |
Flush | Lieutenant | Fire a shot that causes enemies to run out of cover. The shot is easy to hit with, but does reduced damage. |
Bring 'Em On | Captain | Adds 1 damage on critical hits for each enemy the squad can see (up to 5). |
Close Combat Specialist | Captain | Confers a reaction shot against any enemy who closes to within 4 tiles. Does not require Overwatch. |
Extra Conditioning | Major | Confers bonus health based on which type of armor is equipped. Heavier armor increases the bonus. |
Killer Instinct | Colonel | Activating Run & Gun now also grants +50% critical damage for the rest of the turn. |
Resilience | Colonel | Confers immunity to critical hits. |
Ability | Rank Required | Description |
---|---|---|
Fire Rocket | Squaddie | Fire a rocket using an equipped launcher. This ability can not be used after moving, nor more than once per mission. |
Bullet Swarm | Corporal | Firing the primary weapon as the first action no longer ends the turn. |
Holo-Targeting | Corporal | Shooting at or suppressing enemies also confers a +10 Aim to any allies' attacks on those enemies. |
Shredder Rocket | Sergeant | Fire a rocket that causes all enemies hit to take +33% damage from all sources for the next 4 turns. The rocket's blast is weaker than a standard rocket's. |
Suppression | Sergeant | Can fire a special shot that grants reaction fire at a single target. The target also suffers a -30 Aim penalty. |
HEAT Ammo | Lieutenant | +100% to damage against robotic enemies. |
Rapid Reaction | Lieutenant | Confers a second reaction shot, if on Overwatch and the first reaction shot is a hit. |
Grenadier | Captain | Allows to carry 2 grenades in a single inventory slot. |
Danger Zone | Captain | Increases hit area of rockets and suppression by 2 tiles. |
Will to Survive | Major | Reduces all normal damage taken by 2 if in cover and not flanked. |
Rocketeer | Colonel | Allows 1 additional standard rocket to be fired per battle. |
Mayhem | Colonel | Confers additional damage based on weapon tech level to Suppression and all area-effect abilities. |
Ability | Rank Required | Description |
---|---|---|
Headshot | Squaddie | Fire a shot with +30% critical chance and extra damage on critical hits based on the tech level of the sniper rifle. 2 turn cooldown. a.k.a. Precision Shot. |
Squad Sight | Corporal | Allows firing at targets in any ally's sight radius. |
Snap Shot | Corporal | Removes the sniper rifle's restriction on firing and Overwatch after moving. Any shots taken suffer a -20 Aim penalty. |
Damn Good Ground | Sergeant | +10 Aim and +10 Defense against enemies at lower elevation in addition to the usual elevation bonuses. |
Gunslinger | Sergeant | Confers 2 bonus damage with pistols. |
Disabling Shot | Lieutenant | Allows the Sniper to fire a shot that causes the target's main weapon to malfunction. The target may use Reload to fix the weapon. The shot cannot inflict a critical hit. 2 turn cooldown. -10 Aim penalty |
Battle Scanner | Lieutenant | Scanning device, when thrown creates a new source of vision for 2 turns. Can only be used 2 times per battle. |
Executioner | Captain | +10% Aim against targets with less than 50% Health. |
Opportunist | Captain | Eliminates the Aim penalty on reaction shots, and allows reaction shots to cause critical hits. |
Low Profile | Major | Makes partial cover count as full. |
In The Zone | Colonel | Killing a flanked or uncovered target with the sniper rifle does not cost an action. |
Double Tap | Colonel | Both actions can be used for Standard/Precision/Disabling Shot. 1 turn cool down. |
Ability | Rank Required | Description |
---|---|---|
Smoke Grenade | Squaddie | Deploy a smoke grenade once per mission. The smoke confers +20 defense to all units, not just allies, and lasts during the enemy turn. |
Sprinter | Corporal | Allows the support to move 3 additional tiles. |
Covering Fire | Corporal | Allows reaction shot to trigger on enemy attacks, not just movement. |
Field Medic | Sergeant | Allows medikits to be used 3 times per battle instead of once. |
Smoke and Mirrors | Sergeant | Allows 1 additional use of Smoke Grenade each mission. |
Revive | Lieutenant | Allows Medikits to revive critically wounded Soldiers at 33% of maximum health instead of just stabilizing them. |
Rifle Suppression | Lieutenant | Fires a barrage that pins down a target, granting reaction fire against it and imposing a 30 penalty to aim. |
Combat Drugs | Captain | Smoke Grenades now contain powerful stimulants that grant +20 Will and +10% Critical Chance for all units in the cloud. |
Dense Smoke | Captain | Smoke Grenades have increased area of effect and further increase units' Defense by 20. |
Deep Pockets | Major | Confers an additional item slot in inventory. |
Savior | Colonel | Medikits restore 4 more health per use. |
Sentinel | Colonel | Allows two reaction shots during Overwatch, instead of only one. |
Ability | Rank Required | Description |
---|---|---|
Mindfray | Psionic | Use psi abilities in combat to unlock further psi training. Causes the target to lose grip on reality, inflicting penalties to Aim, Will, and mobility, and doing 5 base damage. Robotic units are immune. Lasts 2 turns. 1 turn cooldown. |
Psi Inspiration | Specialist | Removes Mindfray and panic from all allies within 3 tiles, and strengthen their Will by 30 for 3 turns. 4 turn cooldown. |
Psi Panic | Specialist | Cause target to panic on its following turn, if the target's Will is overcome. Robotic enemies are immune. 2 turn cooldown. |
Telekinetic Field | Operative | Create an immobile telekinetic field that lasts through the enemy turn. The field distorts and deflects incoming attacks, granting 40 Defense to both allies and enemies within the field. 5 turn cooldown. |
Mind Control | Operative | Very difficult psi technique that, if successful, grants control of the target for 5 turns. Robotic enemies are immune. 5 turn cooldown. |
Rift | Special | Devastate an area with a storm of psi energy. The rift does more damage against targets with low Will, and reduced damage against targets with high Will. 4 turn cooldown. Only available at a certain time in the story. |
Officer Training School Abilities
These abilities can be obtained/purchased through building an Officer Training School. They have a monetary cost and require specific ranks to be purchased/activated.
Ability | Rank Required | Cost | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Wet Work | Sergeant | §125 | +25% experience gained from kills |
Squad Size I | Sergeant | §50 | Squad size increased to 5 soldiers |
Rapid Recovery | Lieutenant | §150 | Soldiers heal twice as fast from wounds taken in combat. |
Squad Size II | Captain | §75 | Squad size increased to 6 soldiers. |
Iron Will | Major (EU) Sergeant (EW) |
§200 | Soldiers receive a larger Will bonus each time they are promoted.
(Adds between 2-6 extra Will increases per promotion on top of the default +2-6) |
New Guy | Major | §250 | New soldiers are automatically promoted to the "Squaddie" rank. |
Don't Die On Me | Colonel | §275 | The higher the rank, the more likely the soldier will be critically wounded instead of killed (Enemy Unknown Only) |
Lead by Example | Lieutenant | §50 | The Squad leader substitutes his or her Will for that of all nearby lower Will squadmates (Enemy Within Only) |
Equipment Abilities
These are specific abilities provided by the presence or use of selected equipment or other game features (terrain).
Ability | Requirement | Description |
---|---|---|
Heal Wound | Medikit | Use the Medikit to heal up to 4 Health Points (or more if the soldier is a properly trained Support class.) |
Grapple Hook | Skeleton Suit Ghost Armor |
Use the grappling hook to reach high locations. |
Stealth | Ghost Armor | The Ghost Armor's stealth systems can be activated up to 4 times per battle. Activating Ghost Mode does not cost an action or end the wearer's turn. The wearer becomes invisible to enemies, but must re-activate Ghost Mode each turn to remain so. Firing from stealth confers a large bonus to critical hit chance. |
Stun | Arc Thrower | Can incapacitate enemy targets within a range of 2. Higher chance if the target's health is at 3 HP or below. |
Combat Stims | Combat Stims | Use combat stimulants to temporarily increase soldier's stats. |
Elevated Ground | Terrain | All units receive offensive bonuses against enemies on lower ground. - Also shared with aliens. |
Airborne | Archangel Armor | Flying units can bypass ground obstacles. They can remain in flight if they have sufficient fuel. - Also shared with flying aliens. |
Evasion | Archangel Armor | Enemies targeting this unit when it is airborne suffer a -10% Aim penalty. - Also shared with flying aliens. Stacks with penalties for enemy being higher. |
Hardened | SHIV | Confers extra protection against critical hits. Enemies suffer a -60% chance to inflict critical hits.". Also shared with some aliens. |
Robotic | SHIV | Robotic units are immune to Psi and poison attacks. Also shared with some aliens. |
Poison Immunity | Titan Armor | Unit is immune to Poison attacks and effects. |
Unique Alien Abilities
Ability | Species | Description |
---|---|---|
Melee Only | Beserker Chryssalid |
Unit may not use ranged weapons. |
Ready For Anything | Sectopod | Allows Overwatch after shooting, even if no actions remain. - Reported in the demo. |
Mind Merge | Sectoid | Psionically assisting an ally, granting the ally an array of stat bonuses. - Very likely an ability restricted to aliens. |
Greater Mind Merge | Sectoid Commander | Merge minds with all lesser allies of the same species nearby, granting them +??? critical chance and +??? health. |
Heat Wave | Sectopod | Can fire a devastating long-range wave that scorches and destroys virtually anything in its path. Takes one action to warm up. |
Cluster Bomb | Sectopod | Mark a large area, and after one turn, saturate it with a barrage of explosive mini-bombs. |
Overload | Drone | Overload the unit's own power source, destroying the unit but causing explosive damage similar to a grenade's. Note - Although the description implies the drone will self-destruct, on Classic or Impossible difficulty it has enough health to survive the 3 damage explosion. |
Psi Drain | Ethereal | Drain health from an ally. |
Mind Control | Ethereal, Sectoid Commander | Very difficult psi technique that, if successful, grants control of the target for 3 turns. Does not work on robotic enemies. |
Repair | Drone | Repairs robotic units. |
Cannon Fire | Sectopod | Beam attack that causes high damage and grants free Overwatch. If the Sectopod does not move, Cannon Fire can be used twice (against different enemies). |
Close | Cyberdisc | Switch to closed mode for increased defense. Allows Death Blossom attack. |
Blood Call | Muton | Unleash a bestial roar that inspires nearby allies of the same species to greater speed, focus, and resolve for ??? turns. ??? turn cooldown. |
Intimidate | Muton | Reacts unpredictably when wounded, provoking panic in enemies. |
Bloodlust | Beserker | Allows the Berserker to charge an enemy that wounds it. |
Bull Rush | Beserker | Charge in a straight line through cover to unleash a devastating melee attack |
Death Blossom | Cyberdisc | Project an intense energy field from Closed position, damaging all nearby enemies. |
Launch | Floater | Move anywhere on the battlefield in a single turn. Launch cannot be used indoors. |
Bombard | Cyberdisc, Elite Muton, Heavy Floater | Throw or launch grenades over exceptionally long distances. |
Leap | Thin Man, Cryssalid | Allows vertical leaps onto elevated surfaces during movement. |
Poison Spit | Thin Man | Spit poison at long range, causing a noxious cloud to remain briefly on the battlefield. |
Poisonous Claws | Chryssalid | Poison enemies wounded with melee attacks. |
Implant | Chryssalid | Victims are implanted with a Chryssalid egg if they are killed by a Chryssalid's attack (not from poison caused by Poisonous Claws). |
Head Down | Civilian | Civilians can duck their heads and crouch for a small Defense bonus, even when not in cover. |
Destroy Terrain | Sectopod? | Destroy Terrain or other environmental annoyances at will. |
Vengeance | All aliens? | If an enemy does damage to you or another nearby soldier, you get a reaction shot (with pistol, if you have a flamethrower) against it.You get a reaction shot against any targetable enemy that does damage to you or another soldier -- including cases where the damage kills you. - Reported on the demo. |
Blitz | ???? | If you kill an enemy during your action phase, then immediately after it ends you may take a regular shot. |
Modern Foxhole | ???? | You can use a gadget to create a force shield that blocks movement and provides partial cover. It expires after 3 turns, or can be turned off. It can be destroyed by enemy weapon fire. - the last three abilities were thought to be disabled until Vengeance was reported on the demo. |
Too Close For Comfort | ????? | Aim penalty for close proximity is halved. |
Multiplayer and Disabled Abilities
All other information about abilities present in the demo code. Most don't appear to work and are merely listed for documentation.
Ability | Status | Description |
---|---|---|
Torch | Multiplayer/Disabled | ????? |
Mark | Multiplayer/Disabled | ????? |
Command | Multiplayer/Disabled | Give a free move to any squadmate that has ended their turn. |
Psi Bless | Multiplayer/Disabled | ? |
Motion Detector | Multiplayer/Disabled | ? |
Shot Paint Target | Multiplayer/Disabled | ? |
Shot Paint Defense | Multiplayer/Disabled | ? |
Damage Cover | Multiplayer/Disabled | Damage and potentially destroy enemy cover or other environmental elements. |
(ingame descriptions appear on Italic text)