Alien Level (LWR)
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 consumption of Alien Resources
- 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:
| 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 |
