Squad Composition and Tactics (UFOAI)

Planning Combat Roles

Soldiers do not have pre-defined classes, so any recruit can become proficient in any weapon skill. But the varied strengths and weaknesses of different weapons make them ideal for some tactical roles and terrible at others. For instance, the grenade launcher is an excellent offensive weapon for its ability to use Indirect Fire to hit otherwise unreachable targets. However, it is unable to perform Reaction Fire, meaning that it is unable to perform any defensive role during the enemy turn. When considering squad composition you should ensure you are able to respond properly to a wide range of tactical situations. The following guide will provide general advice on how to prepare your squad.

Understanding TU Costs

The TU cost of a weapon's firemode is one of the primary factors which governs how a weapon will be used. A firemode with a high TU cost, such as an aimed shot from a sniper rifle, will almost certainly draw Reaction Fire from any enemies who can view the unit. Conversely, a firemode with a low TU cost, such as a snap shot from a pistol, is very likely to not draw reaction fire and can even beat an enemy unit to the draw during the enemy's turn. For this reason, evaluating the different TU costs associated with your weaponry is important when building a squad.

You'll want to make sure that you have at least some units equipped with low TU firemodes, so that they can be positioned defensively during the enemy's turn. These units will act to protect your other units from enemy fire during the enemy's turn, and must have firemodes that are cheap enough to win Reaction Fire contests. These units will be most effective when you're forced to enter buildings or in other close quarters battles in which you are likely to encounter enemies at such a close range that any enemy fire is certain to hit its target.

In general, however, weapons with low TU firemodes (pistols, shotguns, plasma blaster, assault rifles) tend to ineffective at range or deal less damage. You'll want to make sure your squad also has strong offensive capabilities, so don't neglect weaponry with high TU costs, such as grenade launchers, machine guns, sniper rifles, needlers, flamers and rocket launchers. Each of these weapons deals very high damage, but will need other soldiers with shorter TU firemodes to help protect them from enemy fire.

Assault weapons, which have low TU-cost snap shot firemodes as well as high TU-cost modes, make good general-purpose weapons. They can perform defensive roles when grouped together but still deal decent amounts of damage in offensive encounters.