S.H.I.V. (Long War)

The main difference between vanilla and Long War S.H.I.V.s are that Long War allows S.H.I.V.s to be customized with up to three modules, whilst their main weapon is replaced manually by building a new one rather than completing a foundry project. Some are simple upgrades to health, magazine size, etc, others grant extra passive perks such as HEAT ammo or Opportunist. Some even grant new active abilities like Flush. Like vanilla, S.H.I.V.s have several Foundry projects to improve them as well.

S.H.I.V.s, like most mechanized units in Long War, have built-in damage reduction, which makes them a bit more durable, especially against light weapons. Much cheaper than MEC Troopers, and 'abilities' swappable as equip-able modules giving them a significant degree of flexibility, these units will prove to be a valuable asset to XCOM.

If a S.H.I.V is damaged it will need repairs, like vanilla. S.H.I.V.s don't suffer from fatigue like soldiers, so an undamaged S.H.I.V can go straight back out on another mission. When a S.H.I.V is destroyed, if you win the battle you will recover a S.H.I.V Chassis item, which can be used to rebuild the S.H.I.V at a lower cost than building a new one from scratch.

It is advisable to have at least a small pool of S.H.I.V. units in reserve, to fill any gaps when your Barracks list reads nearly entirely "Fatigue", and to deal with smaller crashed UFOs that you still may want to gather materials from, instead of sending soldiers that may not get any kills for Experience.