Shinobi (LWOTC)

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The Shinobi serves as our primary scouting unit, using a sword to deliver stealthy close-range attacks.

Class Overview

The Shinobi is closest to the vanilla Ranger class. They are specialists in stealth and short range combat.

Shinobis provide excellent flank security and forward recon, screening out accidental, unwanted activations and ensuring the only enemies who spot you are the ones you’re ready to kill. Their stealth means they’re also capable of taking on some mission types entirely on their own, though the all-or-nothing stakes of dodging patrols or dying alone makes solo sneaking an approach not for the faint of heart.

The Shinobi tree is littered with tempting combat-focused perks that sound excitingly effective, so it’s important we understand the real strength of the class—Concealment is absurd. Other classes can compete with and surpass the damage or defensive capability of even the most combat-oriented Shinobi, but none can compare to their mastery over the art of invisibility.

Branches

Left branch: "Saboteur" type Shinobi are pure infiltrators, skirting past even the most watchful eyes on the strategic and tactical layers of the game to ensure early warning on enemy forces before your main force encounters them, while losing out on potential squad damage each turn you choose not to break concealment.

Right branch: "Kenshi" type Shinobi assassinate the enemy with their bladecraft, pure, simply, and lethally, and can slay even the most terrifying of enemies in a single strike if an ally has disoriented or stunned them, though great care must be taken to avoid brazen charges that provoke other enemy forces or leave the shinobi exposed to fatal retaliation.

Center branch: The center-branch perks offer a variety of defensive and primary weapon perks, allowing a Shinobi to be built as a covert-capable light rifleman in battle (or a more defensible blade assassin). Remember that while the SMG is the weapon of choice for most Shinobi, you may find that Assault Rifles and Shotguns are better choices for certain direct-combat builds!

Weapons

Primary: Rifles, SMGs, Shotguns.

Secondary: Sword

Abilities

Mouse-over for more information.

Rank	Ability
Squaddie	Phantom When the squad is revealed, this soldier remains concealed.	Fleche Attack any enemy within movement range with your sword. Deals +1 damage for every 4 tiles between your starting position and the target.	Slash Attack an adjacent target with your sword. Uses one action.
	Saboteur		Kenshi
Lance Corporal	Ghostwalker Activate this ability to reduce enemy detection range against you by almost 25% for 2 turn(s).	Lone Wolf Gain bonus Aim and Defense when at least 4 tiles distant from any ally, with a maximum of +12/+12 at 7+ tiles.	Blademaster All melee attacks deal +1 extra damage and have +10 Aim.
Corporal	Shadowstep This soldier does not trigger overwatch or reaction fire.	Executioner Confers +15 aim and +15 critical chance against targets at half or less of their original hit points.	Combatives You may parry melee attacks and counterattack with your melee weapon. Also gain +10 dodge.
Sergeant	Covert Enemies have 25% smaller detection range against you.	Hard Target Gain 5 dodge per enemy you can see, up to a maximum of +30.	Cutthroat Your melee attacks against biological enemies ignore their armor and have a +15 critical chance and do +2 critical damage.
Staff Sergeant	Shadowstrike While concealed, gain +50 bonus aim and +50 bonus critical hit chance when attacking enemies.	Low Profile Makes partial cover count as full.	Bladestorm Free melee attacks on any enemies that enter, exit or attack from melee range on enemy turns.
Tech Sergeant	Hit and Run Once per turn, gain an additional action after taking a standard shot at a flanked or exposed target with your primary weapon. Cannot trigger on the same turn as Close Encounters.	Evasive Start each mission with 100 bonus dodge. The bonus is removed after you take damage for the first time.	Reaper A devastating chain melee attack where the first melee attack cannot miss. Each melee kill in Reaper mode grants an extra action, but further melee attacks have reduced damage.
Gunnery Sergeant	Tradecraft This soldier has significantly reduced infiltration times while on missions.	Hunter's Instincts Ranged attacks against flanked enemies deal +2 damage.	Whirlwind If you hit with a melee attack during your turn, gain a bonus move.
Master Sergeant	Conceal Immediately enter concealment once per mission.	Rapid Fire Fire twice in a row at an enemy. Each shot suffers an Aim penalty of -15. Can be used once per turn.	Coup de Grâce Bonus to hit, damage, and critical chance with your weapon against a disoriented, stunned or panicking enemy.

XCOM Abilities

XCOM row abilities are able to be purchased when the Training Center is built. The cost is 10 AP per tier level.

Tier 1	Tier 2	Tier 3	Tier 4
Aim Assist Gain additional +15 aim and +15 crit against holotargeted units.	Bring 'Em On Gain +1 damage on critical hits for every two enemies you can see, up to a maximum of +8. Works for the soldier's primary weapon and explosives.	Aggression Gain +5 critical chance for each enemy you can see, up to a maximum of 30.	Close Combat Specialist Fire a free reaction shot with your primary weapon at any visible enemy within four tiles who moves or fires.
Damn Good Ground Confers +10 aim and +10 defense against targets at a lower elevation.	Center Mass You do one additional point of base damage when using guns.	Combat Fitness Gain 4 aim, 1 mobility, 2 HP, 4 will, and 4 dodge.
Deadeye Take a shot with a small aim penalty for a significant damage boost.	Combat Engineer Your explosives do significantly greater damage to cover objects and other things on the battlefield.	Concentration Your grazing attacks are automatically upgraded to normal hits.	Close Encounters Once per turn, gain a bonus action after taking a standard shot with your primary weapon at an enemy within four tiles. Cannot trigger on the same turn as Hit and Run.
Deep Cover If you did not attack this turn, hunker down automatically.	Death From Above Killing an enemy at a lower elevation with your primary weapon refunds a single action, and does not end your turn. Also grants a long-range accuracy bonus for sniper rifles.	Fortify Activate to grant +20 defense until the beginning of the next turn. Does not cost an action. Has a 4 turn cooldown.
Field Medic Equipped medikits have 2 extra charges.	Dedication Free action. Gain 2 mobility and ignore reaction fire for the rest of the turn. Has a 4 turn cooldown.	Full Kit Grants +1 charge per grenade item in a utility slot.	Disabling Shot Stun enemies with a precise shot, with a bonus stun duration if the shot crits. The shot can not do critical damage.
Flashbanger Grants 1 free flashbang item to your inventory.	Hail of Bullets Unleash a hail of bullets that is guaranteed to hit your target, but uses a lot of ammunition.	Kill Zone Take a reaction shot against any enemy that moves or attacks within a cone of fire.
Impulse Your ranged attacks gain 10 aim and 10 critical chance if you have moved this turn.	Infighter Gain 40 dodge against attacks within four tiles.	Lightning Reflexes Reaction fire shots against you have a significantly decreased chance to hit. The bonus goes down with each additional reaction shot you face.	Double Tap Activate to fire a standard shot and gain a second action restricted to an additional shot or overwatching.
Iron Curtain Special shot that does 50% of normal damage but reduces target mobility for the following 2 turn(s). Cone-based attack with primary weapon.	Light 'Em Up Standard shots with your primary weapon are not turn-ending.	Overkill Your ranged attacks deal +2 more damage to units at 50% HP or less.
Locked On Gain +20 aim and +10 crit for successive shots at the same enemy unit.	Lock 'N Load Kills with your primary weapon restore 1 ammo.	Resilience Enemy attacks against you suffer a -30 penalty to critical hit chances.	Implacable If you score one or more kills on your turn, you are granted a single bonus move.
Precision Shot Take a special shot with +30 bonus to critical chance and 34% bonus critical damage. Has a 4 turn cooldown.	Rapid Deployment Activate this ability before throwing or launching a support grenade, and the throw will not cost an action.	Run and Gun Take an action after dashing.
Preservation When your concealment is broken, gain +15 defense for 2 turns.	Return Fire When targeted by enemy fire, automatically fire back with your primary weapon once per turn.	Rupture A Rupture shot grants a +50 bonus to critical hit chances and ensures that the target takes an additional +3 damage from all attacks in the future.	Lethal You do 2 additional points of base damage and 1 additional point(s) of bonus critical damage with your primary weapon.
Salvo Launching or throwing grenades, using heavy weapons or using the Gauntlet's Rocket Launcher with your first action will not end your turn.	Survival Instinct Gain 20 Defense and 20 Crit chance while injured.	Shredder Your primary weapon attacks shred armor.
Smoker Grants one free smoke grenade item to your inventory.	Trench Warfare If you get at least one kill during your turn, automatically Hunker Down at the end of it.	Stiletto Shots fired with your primary weapon pierce 3 armor.	Lightning Slash Attack any enemy within blue movement range with your weapon. This attack does not end the turn.
Target Focus Your ranged attacks gain +10 aim and pierce 1 armor against unflankable enemies.	Zone of Control All enemies within the soldier's 5 tile radius suffer penalties of -15 Aim and -4 Mobility.	Tactical Sense Gain 3 defense for each enemy you can see, up to a maximum of 15 defense.

Stat Progression

Rank
Per Level	Health	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0
	Aim	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2
	Will	4	4	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Dodge	2	2	1	1	1	1	1	1
	Hacking	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5
Total	Health	0	0	1	1	1	1	2	2
	Aim	2	4	6	8	10	12	14	16
	Will	4	8	8	8	8	8	8	8
	Dodge	2	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
	Hacking	5	10	15	20	25	30	35	40

See Also

XCOM Units in Long War of the Chosen
Starting	Overview Assault Grenadier Gunner Ranger Sharpshooter Shinobi Specialist Technical
Unlockable	Psi Operative SPARK Officers
Faction	Reaper Skirmisher Templar