Avenger Optimization (XCOM2)

The Avenger's internal cargo bays can be turned into facilities of various sorts. They are arranged in 4 rows of 3 columns each. The middle bay on the top row starts clear and ready for building; the other 11 will all need to be excavated before they can be used. Excavating requires an adjacent square on the four cardinal directions to be clear, 1 or more Engineers to be assigned to the facility for a time ranging from 5 to 30 days, and will reward you with an amount of Supplies, Alloys, or Elerium Crystals. The deeper you go, the better the rewards, and the longer the excavation time.

Most facilities can only be built once, so despite the lack of adjacency bonuses, placement is still important, particularly with the Workshop.. The only facilities which can be duplicated are Resistance Comms and Power Relays.

Laboratory

The Laboratory provides a place to staff Scientists, and should be an early(top row) construction. It may be upgraded to allow a second scientist to be staffed here. Each scientist staffed here provides an additional boost to research speed. (This is in addition to the boost they provide just for being on the Avenger.)

The laboratory does not synergize with any other facilities.

Advanced Warfare Center

The Advanced Warfare Center provides a dedicated facility for soldiers to receive medical care; soldiers will be automatically assigned here when wounded, and healing speed is improved by 50% when it is available. Additionally, one healthy soldier may be assigned here at a time to retrain their abilities.

One Engineer may be staffed here, increasing the healing rate to a total of 100%.

As you will almost always have wounded soldiers, this facility synergizes well with the Workshop.

Resistance Comms

The Avenger's radio capacity is not limitless, starting at a mere 3 contacts out of a potential 16. Resistance Comms facilities expand this; each Resistance Comms built increases the number of Contacts you can have by 1. Additionally, an Engineer can be staffed here, providing an additional 2 contacts.

The Resistance Comms can be upgraded, which provides one extra point of Contact just for the upgrade, and can staff an extra engineer for an additional 4 contacts(total of 8 with both engineers).

The Resistance Comms synergizes very well with the Workshop.

Guerilla Tactics School

The Guerilla Tactics School allows you to buy various upgrades for your squads, acting similar to the Officer Training School before it. It also allows one healthy Rookie to be assigned here, to be trained into one of the four base classes.

The Guerilla Tactics School does not synergize with any other facility.

Workshop

The Workshop provides additional hands to do work around the Avenger, in the form of GREMLINs. By assigning an engineer here, you will be given access to two Workshop GREMLINs which can be used as Engineers, but can only staff facilities adjacent to the Workshop. As such, it is thus optimal to build the Workshop in a central location where it is adjacent to many Engineer-staffed facilities. The second row from the top in the Avenger works well for this, and the Workshop synergizes well with Resistance Comms, Power Relays, and the Advanced Warfare Center. Basically, any facility where you would want an engineer staffed full-time should be a candidate for placing next to the Workshop.

The Workshop can be upgraded to provide an additional work slot for an Engineer, who will produce an extra two GREMLINs.

Power Relays

Like previously, all facilities require power to operate. The Research Lab with Tygan provides 12 free power; for any more, you will need to construct Power Relays.

Power Relays provide additional power to run the Avenger's systems. Each Power Relay you build provides 3 power to the Avenger. You may staff an Engineer there to provide an additional 5 power. They may also be upgraded with two different upgrades(which can both be applied). An Elerium Conduit increases the power output by 6(for a total of 9) and an Extra Conduit allows an additional engineer to be staffed there. (No passive benefit, but you can staff a second Engineer for 5 more power.)

Power Coils

Filling a similar role to Steam Vents, the Avenger will have a few randomly placed power coils inside of its building space, usually in the bottom two rows. They will require significant time to shield for use, but once shielded, can be used like any other building spot, with a twist. Any facility placed on a Power Coil uses no power, or if the facility is a power relay, will produce an extra 7 power(for a total of 10). The only facilities on Veteran which cost more than 7 power are the upgraded Shadow Chamber(9 power) and the upgraded Psionics Lab(10 power).

Thus, if you plan on upgrading your Psi Lab so you can train 2 Psi Operatives simultaneously, consider building it on a power coil. The Shadow Chamber upgrade is mandatory, but can be delayed until very late in the game, so it may be more practical to simply assign an Engineer to a Power Relay when it becomes necessary to bring it online. Barring these two options, you should build Power Relays on the Power Coils, and upgrade them as necessary to provide more power.

Proving Grounds

Replacing the Foundry, the Proving Grounds allows the construction of advanced equipment in a queue. Every project here takes time, and they are worked on in sequence.

An engineer may be staffed here, increasing speed of all projects by 50%. It synergizes with the Workshop.

Psi Lab

The Psi Lab provides a space to train a Psi Operative in Psionics. It may be upgraded to allow a second soldier to be trained simultaneously.

The Psi Lab can be staffed by an Engineer, which will increase training speed by 50%. It synergizes with the Workshop.

Defensive Matrix

The Defensive Matrix provides repurposed ADVENT turrets in order to help defend the Avenger in the event of an Avenger defense mission. It at first deploys only two turrets, but can be upgraded to deploy four.

An Engineer may be staffed here, improving the Aim and Damage of the turrets deployed. Note that you cannot enter the Avenger screen once the aliens are preparing for an assault, so you must staff the Engineer ahead of time as 'insurance'. For this reason, it synergizes with the Workshop.

Shadow Chamber

Replacing the Hyperwave Beacon, the Shadow Chamber allows analysis of complex alien artifacts and serves a vital plot purpose; it must be constructed(and later upgraded) in order to complete the game. Acting similar to research, Shadow Projects here will grant additional insight into the plot and progress the story, but offer few other benefits. Researching a Shadow Project suspends all research projects since Tygan becomes occupied with the Shadow Project instead of his normal work.

No personnel may be staffed here.

The Shadow Chamber must be upgraded to research the Psionic Gate, and after it, the Avatar Corpse.