Slingshot DLC (EU2012)

Available as of December 4th 2012, the Slingshot pack is the second DLC pack released for XCOM: Enemy Unknown. It offers three new council missions, a unique soldier, extra achievements, and additional soldier customisation options.

With Slingshot installed, when the first council mission of the game is triggered you'll be prompted whether you wish to use the Slingshot missions or the default random set. If you do not accept the use of the Slingshot missions at that point you'll be unable to play them that campaign, full stop. The game automatically returns to randomised non-Slingshot missions once you've completed the pack.

Missions

	Friends in Low Places	Shaojie Zhang, a Triad operative from China, has decided to defect to XCOM and is requesting pickup. He brings with him a mysterious briefcase containing alien technology. Zhang must be escorted to the extraction zone through a graveyard. Completing this mission sees Zhang join XCOM as a Heavy Class Lieutenant. Opposition consists of Thin Men, Sectoids and a Chryssalid.
	Confounding Light	The equipment provided by Zhang proves to be navigational aids for an alien battleship approaching China. XCOM must plant these beacons on a train to send it off-course. This mission plays very similar to bomb disposal, in that your units must "activate" transponders on the train before finally heading to the engine cabin and having it leave the station. There is a time limit of 10 turns (which is not extended as you proceed). Opposition consists of Thin Men and Mutons.
	Gangplank	The alien battleship has been brought low, and XCOM plans to capture the whole thing from the air. Your squad must move through the ship, disabling its engines to bring it to the ground with minimal damage. This can either be done in a manner similar to bomb diffusing or via the use of explosives. Completion of this mission nets you a large amount of resources in return, some of which are not otherwise available until much later in the game. Of note is the Fusion Core required for certain advanced research projects. Opposition mostly consists of Sectoids, Thin Men and Chryssalids, though a Cyberdisc and Muton will also appear.

Strategy

This DLC can bring a number of changes to early-game progress & decision-making:

• If accepted, the 3 Slingshot missions replace all other Council Missions untill completion.
  • None of them offer Panic Reduction as a reward, and the rewards themselves are fixed (not altered by the Second Wave option, High Stakes). Keep that in mind when abuctions occur, particularly in Asia.
• In Classic and Impossible, rescuing Zhang in the first month unlocks the ability to build the Officer Training School, as he will probably be the first to have the required level.
  • Thusly, with luck and some micromanaging, it's possible to unlock both Squad Size upgrades before the second mission, making it significantly easier.
• As the first Slingshot mission will be the third or fourth mission you receive overall, and Zhang himself is a reward as a stat-boosted Heavy: you may not want to get attached to any Rookie that gets promoted into a Heavy beforehand. In fact, if you don't mind save scumming at the end of the first mission, you may want to allow a weak-Willed solider become the first Heavy, so you can swap them out for a soldier you do want to raise, such as leveling a Sniper or two to get Squadsight (which would make the second Slingshot mission much easier).
• Mutons equipped with Plasma Rifles appear in the second and third mission: a capture/interrogation can give you an early lead on Plasma weaponry, months before Mutons normally appear (with Light Plasma Rifles)--- if you have Alien Containment and the Arc Thrower availible first.
  • The LPR, which Thin Men always carry, must be researched before all other Plasma tech. But, directly after them, you can research the Plasma Cannon for your interceptors. Potentially, you can skip both the Phoenix Cannon and the Laser Cannon due to this.
  • If playing with the Marathon option, this can lead to a MASSIVE head start, if Scientists and Labratories are accuired early.
• The first mission's $200, and selling some of the captured materials from the third, is a significant credit reasource for so early in the game.

Achievements

(See main article)

Image	Name	Description	Gamerscore	Difficulty	Notes
	New Friend	*Hidden trophy*	???	Any	Complete Friends in Low Places.
	Bait the Hook	*Hidden trophy*	???	Any	Complete Confounding Light.
	The Bigger They Are	*Hidden trophy*	???	Any	Complete Gangplank.
	Rising Dragon	*Hidden trophy*	???	Any	Take your new ally (Shaojie Zhang) into the final challenge.
	All Aboard!	*Hidden trophy*	???	Any	Complete Confounding Light with three or more turns left.

Unit Customisation

The Slingshot pack includes alternate forms of all XCOM armors, hats for the default body armour, helmets for all the others and a few additional hairstyles too.

Heads

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  Male hair 17 (Used by Shaojie Zhang)

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  Female hair 17

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  Male hair 18

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  Female hair 18

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  19: Beret & sunglasses

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  20: Cap & earmuffs

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  21: Beret

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  22: Goggles & earmuffs

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  23: Skeleton helmet

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  24: Carapace helmet

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  25: Ghost helmet

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  26: Titan helmet

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  27: ArchAngel helmet

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  28: Psi helmet

Armors

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  Body Armour (decoration 3)

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  Skeleton Suit (decoration 3)

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  Carapace Armour (decoration 3)

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  Titan Armour (decoration 2)

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  Ghost Armour (decoration 2)

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  ArchAngel Armour (decoration 2)

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  Psi Armour (decoration 2)

Additional Notes

• The initial release of the Slingshot DLC revealed a bug where previously saved games could no longer be loaded. This has since been resolved.
• The appearance of the unique unit, Shaojie Zhang, cannot be modified. This block also applies to the appearance of his armour.
• Although this DLC gives very early access to the otherwise late-game Fusion Core, the time spent researching it could be better spent on other projects at that stage of the game.
• Slingshot armours and helmets may be tinted to different colours with the Elite Soldier Pack installed. They are available at all times, so long as you have access to the base forms of those armours and regardless as to whether you've performed the Slingshot council missions.
• By default, the files for this DLC are stored at: C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\XCom-Enemy-Unknown\XComGame\DLC\PCConsole\DLC_Day060

See Also

• Shaojie Zhang
• XCOM: Enemy Unknown DLC
• Release announcement
• Steam product page
• PlayStation Network product page
• Xbox Live Marketplace product page