Dimension UFO Combat (Apocalypse)

General Suggestion and Hints when fighting in the Alien Dimension, unless its Mega-Primus combat you want.

Aerial Combat

The Alien Dimension contains all the UFO craft built in the preceeding weeks which did not get sent to Mega-Primus, and the alien craft that escaped the city and returned. If a particular craft from early encounters in the city has not yet been recovered (and researched) try to avoid shooting it down in the alien homeworld. A mission may be scheduled with that craft soon.

• Do not send any agents on the first visit (nothing to do there).
• All UFOs present inside their homeworld will have 100% health at each visit.
• Do not sent all your X-Com craft (if you only use hybrid craft) since it takes a minimum of 24hours for your craft to return to the city. Don't leave the city undefended, troops included.
• The game will swap to the alien homeworld at the start of a new day if any X-Com craft are en-route. There is no urgency in sending craft earlier than (approximately) the last hour of the current day (or even within the final minute if you want).
• When first planning to visit the 'other side', either use one expendable hybrid vehicle (usually the Dimension Probe) or assemble a large strike force of most, if not all, of your hybrid combat craft prepped for a difficult air battle. The place may be is swarming with alien ships!
• A strike force composed of your hybrid craft should be split up into three loose squads in Mega-Primus and then sent (Go To Location button) through each dimension gate. On the new day, your craft will appear in threes because three gates were used back home.
• The attitude of crafts could be changed to Aggresive for all just before entering the gates, but due to the size of some hybrid crafts, friendly fire may be excessive when using many, however different altitudes for some will reduce such chance.
• Non-combat hybrids should be set to evasive and lowest height. If your craft sustained damage, it may want to return to Mega-Primus. Prevent such automatic decisions by changing the attitude to more 'tough' settings. If yer non-combats are getting smoked, yer doin' somethin wrong!
• Prevent missiles from being used against weak UFOs by briefly LMB clicking on the missile icon of an active (yellow border) X-Com craft. Changing attitude to evasive will work, but beam weapons will also, not fire.
• Don't let an isolated UFO go to waste!
• The alien buildings and tube structures are invunerable.
• UFOs patrol the alien homeworld in a random flight pattern but will target the nearest X-Com craft if it gets too close. Tactical planning of your movement around the barren, hostile landscape should limit exposure to being overwhelmed. This is relevant still, when destruction of all hostile craft is your goal.
• There is no option to recover a crashed UFO.
• Use all offensive craft to go after one UFO at a time. If splitting up your total firepower by engaging one-on-one, it allows the UFOs to survive longer (more shots and more missile launching).

Note: Escort class UFOs have no offensive weaponry, however, their Stasis missiles will reduce X-Com's offensive capabilities, if only momentarily.

• Any large battle will dynamically change. Close attention to shields and tactical disengement for your crafts may allow difficult one-sided battles to turn.
• A slow X-Com craft is extremely vunerable. Immediately try to land this craft(s), if possible, or fly a route away from any hostiles so that your offensive crafts are between the UFOs and your 'sitting ducks'.
• The enemy will target the closest hostile or engage the craft which landed the lastest impact. Any X-Com craft under severe attack should be disengaged (join the sitting ducks to recharge shields?) by allowing other craft to be the chosen target of the UFOs. If all your craft are evasive and avoiding damage, it may be wise to return to Mega-Primus instead. Assault the UFOs in their homeworld again before the new week to wear them down. Don't bite off more than you can chew!
• Use the buildings to fly defensively. A missile chasing your craft choses the shortest path to your air vehicle. Your craft hiding behind something briefly may cause the missile to impact the 'thing' and not your craft! Using such defensive flying tactics will cause alien craft to expend their supply of missiles, hopefully without serious damages, however, as a defensive tactic, offense is usually the best defense. Kill 'em quick.
• Terrain may be used to limit the threat of missiles. The large crater to the south is a possible hiding place, however, UFOs will still attack when there is a clear line for fire.
• Combat can be 'less damaging' if your craft are directed to move sideways (flanking maneuver) from any incoming UFOs. The aliens shoot directly at your craft and because they do not lead-the-target, they usually miss! A UFO performing this style of attack is typically heading straight towards your craft, and depending on the type of weapon equipped on your hybrid craft due to the firing arc mechanics, your beam and missile attacks have a greater chance of impacting the head-on hostile.
• Baiting more powerful UFOs into chasing one X-Com craft may allow splitting of the hostile force.

Note: the alien craft will go after the X-Com craft which last attacked and impacted that craft.

• If a particular UFO is expected to be at the Alien Dimension, but is not present, the craft is on its way to Mega-Primus!
• The building which is currently known (been researched) has a useable launch tube. This can hide weaker X-Com craft until the immediate threat is removed.
• Alien craft are 'grown' at the start of a new week (Monday). Destroy all the UFOs for that new week with X-Com craft sent yesterday (Sunday). Those UFOs that are en-route to Mega-Primus will soon appear, however. Make sure to leave some combat craft and agents at home.
• The "Return to Base" button works in the Alien Dimension. You don't need to manually target the gates to return home.

Infiltrate

Do not move agents from a landed craft to the building.

• When arriving at the relevant building, wait for your vehicle to go all the way down the launch tube before starting the mission.
• When the mission is complete, do not launch your craft immediately since it may be vunerable to damage when the building starts to collapse... Enjoy the show.
• Don't skimp on high explosives.

Apocalyspe Mission

When the aliens know...

• When the Control Chamber building is destroyed in the sequence, the aliens will launch all available alien craft (excpet probes) towards Mega-Primus. However, if there are no craft to send, then nothing in particular happens.

See Also

• Alien Ships
• Alien Dimension