Alien Level (LWR)

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In General

Aliens increase in level by gaining research. Every 50 alien research gained increased the Alien Level by 1. The aliens gain 1 research every day; this ensures a baseline progression for the aliens that can't be halted or stopped short of ending the campaign. That said, aliens can also gain Bonus Research via a variety of other methods, so under-performing at the strategic or tactical level can accelerate their progression.

The formula for alien Research is: Research Points = Bonus Research + Days Passed

The formula for alien Level is: Alien Level = INT(1 + Alien Research/50)

Aliens start at Level 1 and can progress to Level 15

Increasing and Decreasing Alien Research

Bonus Research starts at 0. It is always clamped between [0.1 * Days Passed] and [0.5 * Days Passed]. Thus, it will always grow by at least 10% of the days passed and can never exceed 50% of the days passed.

Increasing Alien Research

• +2 per month per country under alien control
• +5 for a successful abduction mission (DW modified)
• +20 for successful raid on XCOM HQ
• +2 for a successful research mission by a landed Scout (DW modified) (increases by 10% per month)
• +3 for a successful research mission by a landed Raider (DW modified) (increases by 10% per month)
• +4 for a successful research mission by a landed Abductor (DW modified) (increases by 10% per month)
• +5 for a successful research mission by a landed Terror Ship (DW modified) (increases by 10% per month)
• +1 per lost XCOM soldier on a failed mission (killed or left behind) (DW modified)
• +50 per incorrect accusation of a country of harboring the EXALT base

Decreasing Alien Research

• -10 per successful assault on an Alien Base
• -3-12 per Combat Patrol sent out by XCOM

Effects of Alien Level

Troop Strength

Alien Level increases the power of the alien ground forces. Specifically:

• Allows aliens to field stronger alien types
• Grants alien ground forces increased stats and bonus perks

Decreased Alien Resource Consumption

• If Alien Level 1-7, new types require 100% of their base required resources.
• If Alien Level 8-14, new types are possible at 72% of required resources.
• If Alien Level 15+, new types are possible at 40% of required resources.

Pod Size

The number of aliens allowed in each pod is directly dependent upon current research points:

• Small (Alien Level 1+): 2-4 aliens per pod
• Medium (Alien Level 3+): 3-6 aliens per pod
• Large (Alien Level 6+): 4-8 aliens per pod

Meld Rewards

Alien Level helps determine the rewards obtained from meld canisters.

Meld Reward = 0.3 * Alien Resources (Min: 33%) * (1 + Alien Level/3) * Difficulty Modifier[1, 1.3, 1.6, 2.0]

The amount of meld per canister is set to a minimum of 10 and is affected by Dynamic War.

UFOs

All UFOs gain a additional HP every Alien Level. Some UFOs will also gain upgraded weapons over time:

Weapon Upgrades

UFO Type	Initial Weapon	Alien Level	Upgraded Weapon
Destroyer	1x Single Plasma	5	1x Double Plasma
Fighter	1x Single Plasma	6	2x Single Plasma
Abductor	1x Double Plasma	8	1x Double Plasma 1x Single Plasma
Terror Ship	1x Double Plasma	8	1x Double Plasma 1x Single Plasma
Raider	1x Single Plasma	11	2x Single Plasma
Assault Carrier	1x Double Plasma 1x Single Plasma	11	2x Double Plasma

See also

Long War Rebalance: Aliens
	Alien Life Forms • Alien Missions • UFOs • Alien Artifacts • Alien Level • Alien Resources • Alien Aggression