Covert Operative (EU2012)

Keys to Cover Operative Deployment

Covert operatives are limited to pistols; pistol tech and Foundry upgrades may be useful. Covert operatives have a powerful in-mission ability. "EXALT Comm Hack". If you can find an EXALT comm array, you covert operative can hack it, disabling all EXALT forces weapons for a short time. Heavy soldiers and MEC Troopers are ineligible for covert ops duty.

Source: XCOM: Enemy Within DLC

Tactical Advice

Your Covert Operative is any of your soldiers. Who you choose is entirely up to you. However, because they cannot use Pistols, Heavies and MECs are excluded. Everyone else however is fair game. When you go to retrieve the Covert Operative (and his or her extremely valuable data), you will play a tactical mission, with the Covert Operative included. The Covert Operative does not count in your squad makeup, thus giving you another soldier on the field, which is nice since EXALT is nothing if not numerous at times. However, the Operative does not start with your main squad and is usually some distance away.

Because Covert Ops are limited to the Pistol, the Foundry upgrades can make a big difference. Make sure they're equipped with your best model. Tactical Rigging can also help them out quite a bit as well.

Who to Bring

All three eligible classes (Assaults, Snipers and Supports) can be equally viable candidates for being a Covert Operative. Though depending on the Commander, one may be better than the others.

Assaults

Assaults can have good mobility thanks to Run and Gun allowing them to join up with the main squad faster and still shoot or be put into Overwatch. Likewise, Run and Gun allows you to knock out EXALT Comm Relays from farther away. Furthermore, all of their abilities make up for their lack of a main weapon and/or armor, making them much more viable in the ensuing firefight. As a result, Assaults are always safe bets, no matter how they're configured.

Snipers

Although Snipers have a little less Health than other soldiers, if the Sniper in question has Gunslinger they are an exceedingly powerful Covert Operative. Gunslinger can put the damage of Pistols on par with regular weapons, making it a reliable form of damage. No other ability can increase the combat effectiveness of your Operative in such a broad, far reaching manner. You can't go wrong with a Gunslinger Sniper. Additionally, Low Profile will help with the survivability of the Operative. If a Sniper doesn't have Gunslinger, you should probably leave them in the main squad. Finally, Double Tap, if you are a high enough level, means that a Gunslinger Sniper can easily take out lone EXALT operatives themselves, instead of running scared.

Supports

Sprinter will help the Operative move around without the benefit of advanced armors, while Deep Pockets gives more item usages. The main benefit however, of having a Support Operative is if you send one of your Medics as the Operative. This allows you to pack a little more firepower in your main squad since your Medic is already going to be in the mission. Just make sure you have a backup Medic or hope you get lucky in the 3 or 6 days it takes before you can get him back. In addition, the Medic can do a better job of staying alive should he take some fire.

Rank

While the lack of a main weapon and armor means you probably want to send your highest ranked soldiers undercover, this isn't a must. In fact, it can be a good idea to send a lower ranked soldier and give him or her some free kills to pick up experience points for promotions. Since the Covert Operative is an extra and free soldier on the ground, your A-Team Colonels or Majors can soften up the EXALT troops while your Squaddie or Corporal Covert Operative picks them off for some free kills.

Psionics

If you've gotten Psionics and EXALT is still around, It doesn't hurt to bring a Psionic to Mindfray whenever you can instead of having to utilize your Pistol.

What to Bring

Your Operative should always be equipped with the best Pistol you can produce. As for items, a Medikit is a good idea if they take some fire and are still far away from your main Medic. A S.C.O.P.E. is a good idea, but should be left at home once you have Improved Pistol I and II, since they do not stack. Because EXALT Weapons are simply aesthetically different versions of your own, a Grenade isn't a bad idea since blowing EXALT troops up means you're not missing out on anything important. Elite Operatives and Heavies carry Alien Grenades and drop fragments when killed, so it may be worth killing them using weapons and not explosives.

Armor items such as Nano-Fiber Vests, Respirator Implants and Chitin Plating can be equipped on the Operative, and while their health bonus does not appear in the loadout screen, they still benefit from their health boosts while in-mission, which is useful in making them harder to kill and less likely to be injured.

If you're lagging in Pistol technology, an Improved Arc Thrower can offer a relatively good chance to 'kill' an EXALT operative with 6 HP or less remaining, as it is unaffected by cover or Smoke Grenades, and does not trigger Covering Fire.

How to Bring

If you've got Gene Mods, some mods are very useful on your Operatives.

Mimetic Skin can keep your Operative from getting mowed down in an extreme firefight, and pairs especially well with Snipers.

Muscle Fiber Density can help with mobility; alternatively, Adaptive Bone Marrow will allow an operative to heal their meager HP.

Secondary Heart keeps your Operative alive if you make a costly mistake, which can save you from immediately failing the mission. (Although if the mission is a Data Extraction mission, you will still need a Revive Support in order to successfully complete it.)

EXALT does not field Psionics, so Brain upgrades are irrelevant.

EXALT Comm Hack

Scattered across the map are several EXALT Comm Relays that look somewhat like a shipboard radar dish. They provide full cover to adjacent unit and are immune to damage. If the Covert Operative is adjacent to one, they can use it with the left mouse button, the same way you power down bombs or claim Meld Canisters. This immediately gives all EXALT units on the map the "Disabling Shot" debuff and the "Communications Hack" debuff. The former prevents the EXALT units from firing until they reload, and the latter restricts other (to be determined) actions on EXALT units, but goes away on its own.

Once a Comm Relay is hacked, it cannot be hacked again in that mission.

A comm hack is not forward acting against newly spawning EXALT troops; them's the breaks.

Note that Disabling Shot does not restrict use of certain powers; most notably, EXALT heavies can still use their Rocket Launchers if they haven't already... and since you just disabled their LMG, they might decide this is a good time to do so!