Jaeger (Long War)

   Jaeger

MEC variant of the Sniper class. The Jaeger is designed for fire support, with the best aim progression of any class in the game (tied with the Sniper), and a plethora of offensive perks to increase damage. Jaegers' main drawback are their low HP progression and a poor selection of defensive perks, making them a bit fragile for MECs.

Primary Weapon: MEC Primary Weapons

Secondary Weapon: MEC Secondary Weapon Systems

Class-Limited items: MEC Equipment items

Abilities

Rank	Ability
Specialist	In the Zone Killing a flanked or uncovered target does not cost an action. Confers a -1 base damage and -10% critical hit chance penalty for each successive In The Zone kill.
	No other bonuses.
Lance Corporal	Damn Good Ground Confers +10 Aim and +10 Defense against enemies at lower elevation, in addition to the usual elevation bonuses.	Platform Stability Shots taken before any costly actions have +10 Aim and +10% critical chance. Also grants +10 aim for purposes of reducing scatter if the soldier has not moved this turn, and increases range of Blaster Launcher (which does not scatter).	Sharpshooter +10 critical chance in all situations, +10 Aim against enemies in full cover.
	No other bonuses.	No other bonuses.	No other bonuses.
Corporal	Executioner Confers +10 aim and +10 critical chance against targets at or below 50% health.	Automated Threat Assessment Confers 0.5 DR (50% chance to absorb one point of damage) at all times, and confers +15 defense when in overwatch until the unit takes an overwatch shot.	Flush Fire a shot that may cause non-flying enemies to run to new cover. The shot is easy to hit with (+30 aim), but does reduced damage (-50% base weapon damage), and consumes extra ammo (2 ammo). Hunkered units will not relocate.
	No other bonuses.	+2 Will.	No other bonuses.
Sergeant	Lone Wolf +10 Aim and Critical Chance if not within 7 tiles of an allied unit.	Advanced Fire Control Shots from Overwatch no longer suffer any Aim penalty.	Ranger Confers +1 damage with primary weapons, rocket launchers, MEC secondary weapons and sidearms. Negates the long-range accuracy penalty with sidearms when shooting beyond 14 meters.
	No other bonuses.	+2 Aim.	No other bonuses.
Tech Sergeant	Aggression Confers +10% critical chance per enemy in sight (max +30%). Aliens visible via squadsight are not counted for bonus.	Damage Control When this unit takes damage, all further damage will be reduced by 1 or 2 points (1.5 DR) for the next 2 turns.	Squadsight Allows firing at targets in any ally's sight radius within weapon range, but critical chance suffers a -20% penalty. Extended range weapons (MEC primary weapons, Marksman and Strike Rifles, and LMGs) gain roughly five extra tiles range. Sniper rifles have infinite range. Overwatch fire does not extend to squadsight ranges, except with Marksman's and Strike Rifles.
	No other bonuses.	+2 Will.	No other bonuses.
Gunnery Sergeant	Repair Servos Repairs up to 50% of damage taken (max 2 per turn). Value on icon represents repairs remaining at 2 points per hp. Additional damage taken before repairs are complete reduces how much can be repaired from prior hits by 50%.	Bring 'Em On Confers 1-4 bonus damage during critical hits (which is then multiplied by 50% due to the critical hit). The damage is higher when more enemies are in view (including squad sight vision). This results in +1.5 dmg for 1-2 enemies, +3 dmg for 3-4 enemies, +4.5 dmg for 5-6 enemies, +6 dmg for 7 or more enemies.	Shredder Ammo The Shredder debuff causes any unit hit to take 40% additional damage (after DR, rounded down) from all sources. Gunners and MECs apply the Shredder debuff for the remainder of the current turn to any target struck by their primary weapon. Rocketeers get an extra rocket that is weaker than a standard rocket (60% rounded down), cannot penetrate cover, has a +50% larger blast radius, and applies the Shredder debuff to all targets struck by the rocket for the next 3 turns.
	+2 Will.	No other bonuses.	No other bonuses.
Master Sergeant	Lock N' Load Primary weapons receive one additional shot or burst before a reload is required, and you may reload your primary weapon as the first action of your turn without ending the turn.	Absorption Fields Reduces most incoming damage to this unit, scaling up as damage increases. Specifically: reduces 40% of any damage taken after 2; after all other damage reduction has been applied.	Vital Point Targeting Confers 2 bonus damage with primary guns, and +1 damage with sidearms, against humans and alien targets whose species have been autopsied.
	No other bonuses.	-1 Mobility.	No other bonuses.

Stat Progression

Rank	/ Level			Total
			*			*
Specialist	1	4	2(-3)	1	4	2(-3)
Lance Corporal	0	4	2(-3)	1	8	4(-6)
Corporal	0	4	2(-3)	1	12	6(-9)
Sergeant	1	4	2(-3)	2	16	8(-12)
Tech Sergeant	0	4	2(-3)	2	20	10(-15)
Gunnery Sergeant	0	4	2(-3)	2	24	12(-18)
Master Sergeant	1	4	2(-3)	3	28	14(-21)

• Note that, even without Hidden Potential turned on, there is a chance of gaining 1 extra will per level (shown in parentheses above).

Tactical Advice

While Jaegers are not designed for front-line combat roles like the Goliath, there is no reason that they have to be in any way 'squishy', vulnerable or fragile. Like all other MECs, Jaegers have access to the core MEC defensive perks: ATA*, Damage Control, Repair Servos and Absorption Fields. Like any other MEC, they can use heavier MEC suits, and defensive equipment choices. In addition, as long as the commander judges carefully and the Jaeger doesn't fail to kill, In the Zone can be used in much the same way as Hit&Run on the Pathfinder: moving out to take one or more shots on exposed (or flying) targets, before moving back into a position where it can't be seen. In other words, with the right build and equipment, a Jaeger can be just as capable of operating within enemy sight range, and weathering enemy fire, as any other MEC. (The 'Mid-Range ITZ Tank' build detailed below is an example of this approach.)

That being said, the Jaeger's access to Squadsight at TSGT mean that a very powerful choice can be to drop defensive perks and gear and rely on being out of enemy range for this MEC's safety. The combination of Squadsight and In The Zone make for an extremely effective damage dealer at mid to long(ish) ranges, especially supplemented with other damage and crit perks, and equipment choices like SCOPEs, AP ammo, etc. If a commander decides to go for a specialised build such as this, they should take the utmost care not to expose the Jaeger to significant fire: it would be especially inadvisable to bring such a Jaeger to small maps that are dense with aliens, like Urban Close Quarters maps.

The Jaeger has the best aim progression of all MECs.

(*The Pathfinder being the one exception in not having access to ATA.)

Sample Builds

Long-Range ITZ Cannon

Perk progression
-	Lance Corporal	Corporal	Sergeant	Tech Sergeant	Gunnery Sergeant	Master Sergeant
Perk by tier	Platform Stability	Executioner	Ranger	Squadsight	Bring 'Em On	Vital Point Targeting
Build Overview
Stat Boosts	N/A
Strengths	good damage, ITZ cleanup potential
Weaknesses	somewhat lackluster single target dmg
Preferred battle sites	All
Most common Loadout	Battle Computer, SCOPE, Tactical Sensors
Power Ranks	TSG for range and safety, MSG for dmg
Description	Functions similarly to an ITZ sniper, but with more damage and no need for cover. VPT gives very nice damage for ITZ chains, but Lock N Load can also be taken for potentially longer chains and more ammo overall. Bring Em On can give some clutch damage to chain off of, but is generally unreliable for chaining since ITZ lowers crit chance and the build lacks Aggression. Consider taking Shredder Ammo for utility on turns where chaining isn’t possible or even Repair Servos for some durability.
Strategic Analysis	This build is pure glass cannon, so it should engage from the rear of the battlefield. Squadsight requires some skill in maneuvering the unit just outside the enemy’s sight range (18 tiles). Don’t forget to bring some cover-destruction and shredder rockets with your squad in order to take full advantage of ITZ. Since this build won’t benefit from most MEC secondary weapons, give it a Restorative Mist for some supportive utility or a Grenade Launcher to help with cover destruction (or just don't equip anything at all).

Short-Range ITZ Flanker

Perk progression
-	Lance Corporal	Corporal	Sergeant	Tech Sergeant	Gunnery Sergeant	Master Sergeant
Perk by tier	Sharpshooter	Executioner	Lone Wolf	Aggression	Bring 'Em On	Vital Point Targeting
Build Overview
Stat Boosts	N/A
Strengths	great damage, ITZ cleanup potential
Weaknesses	vulnerable if caught out
Preferred battle sites	All
Most common Loadout	Mobile Exo Suit, Battle Computer, SCOPE, Tactical Sensors
Power Ranks	TSG for crits, GSG and MSG for dmg
Description	This build is an agile glass cannon which operates on the principle that everything it shoots must die. It can move for multiple flanking kills, and then move back out of the remaining enemies’ sight. Be prepared to bail it out with smoke or an officer Command if a shot fails to kill while dangerous enemies are around.
Strategic Analysis	Ensuring kills with Bring Em On crits is extremely important for this build to get the extra actions from ITZ. Fully activated Aggression, Sharpshooter, and a crit item gives 98% crit chance on a flank. Lone Wolf, Executioner, and more crit from items will keep the crit chance going through the ITZ chain. As always, keep ammo topped off whenever possible.

Mid-Range ITZ Tank

Perk progression
-	Lance Corporal	Corporal	Sergeant	Tech Sergeant	Gunnery Sergeant	Master Sergeant
Perk by tier	Platform Stability	Executioner	Advanced Fire Control	Damage Control	Repair Servos	Absorption Fields
Build Overview
Stat Boosts	+2 will, +2 aim, -1 mobility
Strengths	good tank, ITZ cleanup potential, Overwatch Potential
Weaknesses	lackluster single target dmg, ITZ chains less reliable
Preferred battle sites	All
Most common Loadout	Heavy Exo Suit, Core Armoring, Battle Computer or SCOPE, Alien Trophy, Explosive Launcher(s)
Power Ranks	SGT for overwatch capability, MSG for tanking
Description	This is a more balanced build that substitutes some of its damage-dealing abilities with tanking perks. This unit operates within enemy sight range (no Squadsight) and it can take quite a beating. Advanced Fire Control gives it decent overwatch utility, but can be dropped for Ranger to get more dmg. Grenade launchers and proxy mines are useful for when you need to hunker into One for All position to tank but still need to contribute to the fight.
Strategic Analysis	Generally this soldier will want to finish off as many enemies with ITZ as possible then either reload, use a secondary weapon, or if you have good ammo left simply Overwatch. Battle Computer can be given without making enemies completely ignore the tank while on Overwatch due to the lack of Automated Threat Assessment.

See also

Long War: Soldiers
	Soldiers Assault Infantry Rocketeer Gunner Sniper Scout Medic Engineer
	MEC Troopers Marauder Valkyrie Archer Goliath Jaeger Pathfinder Guardian Shogun
	Officers Psionics Gene Mods S.H.I.V.s