Alien Strength (LWR)
In General
Alien Level increases the power of the alien air and ground forces in a variety of ways. Specifically:
- Make UFOs stronger
- Allow stronger UFO types to be fielded at lower Alien Resource levels
- Allows aliens to field stronger alien types
- Grants alien ground forces increased stats and bonus perks
- Increases the size of pods
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
Bonus 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. It can be increased by the following events:
- +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
- -10 per successful assault on an Alien Base
- -3-12 per Combat Patrol sent out by XCOM
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
Alien Progression
Air Forces
All UFOs gain a additional HP every Alien Level. Some UFOs will also gain upgraded weapons over time:
| Type | Initial Weapon | Upgraded Weapon | Alien Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fighter | x1 Single Plasma | x2 Single Plasma | 6 |
| Raider | x1 Single Plasma | x2 Single Plasma | 11 |
| Destroyer | x1 Single Plasma | x1 Double Plasma | 5 |
| Abductor | 1x Double Plasma | 1x Double Plasma x1 Single Plasma |
8 |
| Terror Ship | 1x Double Plasma | 1x Double Plasma 1x Single Plasma |
8 |
| Assault Carrier | 1x Double Plasma 1x Single Plasma |
2x Double Plasma | 11 |
