Friends in Low Places (EU2012)
Description
Friends in Low Places is an Council escort mission.
In an escort mission the player will have an additional unit in the squad, the target of this mission will be to move this unit into the extraction area. This unit will not have any offensive abilities, only a version of the Hunker Down ability. As the player moves along the map, enemies will drop onto the map preventing the player to leave the escort behind. If the target is lost the XCOM squad must proceed to the extraction point to safely end the mission.
Mission Objectives:
- Escort the target to the extraction point.
- Protect the target at all costs.
- Eliminate any remaining hostiles.
Start
Tactics
Enemy force is only partially present on the map at the start of the mission. As the Zhang advances across the map additional enemies (the alien forces in encountered in this mission consist primarily of Sectoids and Thin Men plus a solitary Chryssalid) will drop into the map, typically on elevated positions in sight of the Zhang. The newly spawned enemies typically use Overwatch as their first action. Their entrance counts as movement, and XCOM soldiers on Overwatch will react with fire often elimimating the enemy before they can become a real problem.
Zhang is has very little health and should be shielded from enemy fire and avoid burning vehicles at all costs.
End
Additionally, completing the mission rewards the player with the "New Friend" Achievement and Zhang will join XCOM as a Heavy Class Lieutenant. As a Lieutenant, Zhang will likely outrank other soldiers at this point, meaning he will have a superior number of abilities and will unlock additional upgrades at the Officer Training School.