Alien Level (LWR)
Alien Levels and Alien Research
Aliens increase in Level as the game progresses and by gaining Research.
Aliens gain Research via a variety of other methods, so under-performing at the strategic or tactical level can accelerate their progression. Alien Level is modified by Difficulty Level.
The formula for the alien Level is:
Level = 1 + (Research + Days Passed) / 50 * Difficulty Modifier
Aliens start at Level 1 and can progress to Level 15
Increasing and Decreasing Alien Research
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 (modified by Campaign Length)
- +20 for successful raid on XCOM HQ
- +2 for a successful research mission by a landed Scout (modified by Campaign Length) (increases by 10% per month)
- +3 for a successful research mission by a landed Raider (modified by Campaign Length) (increases by 10% per month)
- +4 for a successful research mission by a landed Abductor (modified by Campaign Length) (increases by 10% per month)
- +5 for a successful research mission by a landed Terror Ship (modified by Campaign Length) (increases by 10% per month)
- +1 per lost XCOM soldier on a failed mission (killed or left behind) (modified by Campaign Length)
- +50 per incorrect accusation of a country of harboring the EXALT base
Decreasing Alien Research
- -10 per successful assault on an Alien Base
- -2-12 per Combat Patrol sent out by XCOM
Effects of Alien Level
Troop Strength
Alien Level's most notable and significant effect is to increase the strength of alien ground forces. Specifically:
- Higher levels allows stronger aliens types to be fielded
- Higher levels increases that stats of alien ground forces
- Higher levels make alien leaders stronger
See Alien Life Forms for more information on the effect of Alien Level on alien ground forces.
Decreased Alien Resource Consumption
- If Alien Level is 1-7, alien missions cost 100% of their base required resources.
- If Alien Level is 8-14, alien missions cost 72% of required resources.
- If Alien Level is 15+, alien missions cost 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 Canister Amount = 0.3 * Alien Resources (Min: 33%) * (1 + Alien Level/6) * 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.
UFO Upgrades
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 |
