Squads (EU2012)

Deployment

Four-Man Squad

The four-man squad is your default squad size.

The majority of your units this early will be rookies and therefore not have a class. Once you obtain sufficient ranked soldiers, you can start adjusting your squads for the missions you're embarking upon. The standard "one of each" is a typical approach here.

This is how the squad on the equip screen are deployed during game start:

Equip Screen

1 2* 3 4 

Mission Start

2* 3

1  4

* = squad leader

Five-Man Squad

The five-man squad is unlocked after purchasing the Squad Size I ability from the Officer Training School.

Besides the additional firepower adding the 5th squad member also makes it safer to bring a rookie/squaddie for training, in addition to the four classes.

Equip Screen

1 2 3* 4 5

Mission Start

3* 5 4

   2 1

* = squad leader

Six-Man Squad

The six-man squad is unlocked after purchasing the Squad Size II ability from the Officer Training School.

The sixth soldier makes it safer to split the squad into two similar elements with separate roles during a fight. For instance, while one element of three soldiers keeps a pack of alien pinned down, the second element maneuvers itself for a close assault or flanking shots.

Equip Screen

1 2 3* 4 5 6

Game Start

3* 4  1

2  5  6

* = squad leader

Formations

These formations are used specially on open maps where there's more freedom of movement. Some sort of cover is usually required but that depends on the tech disparity between both sides - it's quite possible to deploy your soldiers out in the open and not risk KIAs, depending on the battlefield circumstances.

Square/Diamond

This are the starting squad positions and they are usually used at the start to advance the squad together and try to kill alien patrols with combined Overwatch shots. This formation can be used again, as long as there aren't any active aliens (i.e. that have seen you and made the duck for cover movement)

Wedge

  1

 2 3

4 5 6

    

The axis of advance is towards the top (I usually set the camera like that to help me remember the axis of advance). Good for advancing while providing security to the sides, either using cover or out in the open (if your armor/weapons overwhelm the aliens), if you are sure of the aliens' location but haven't spotted them yet. Position #1 goes to an Assault or a Support, 5 to the Sniper (if he's advancing) or the squad leader. #1 slot can also go to a Heavy with Suppression to pin down aliens the moment they're spotted. After enemy contact the wedge usually breaks into a line or another formation.

Line

  A  A  A


1 2 3 4 5 6

For trading shots with the aliens (if you can take their return fire!) and try to outflank them. #1 and 6 slots go either to an Assault or a unit with a sentry role (to prevent the enemy from outflanking.

File

1

2

3

4

5

6

This is not a typical formation but sometimes it can be advantageous to switch from a line to a file when in need of a hasty retreat or redeploy a squad from one area of the map to another without activating additional packs of aliens. The main problem with this formation is security - you may ran into trouble and find out that there's no more space to maneuver and worse, there's more alien packs on your flanks about to be activated.

V/W

   A             A


1    6        1     5

 2  5            3

  34           2   4

This can be used two ways: to advance under cover and try to encircle an alien pack (with two flanking movements). Or to set up an Overwatch ambush - #1/6's role is to draw aliens into the kill zone on the middle. Or you can set the squad as a W and use the center soldier to attract the aliens into the kill zone.

Echelon (Left/Right)

        A

(1)

 (2)

  (3)

    4

     5

      6

Depending on terrain and other circunstances, a Line/File/V formation can be turned into an Overwatch ambush by redeploying the squad as an Echelon. #1-3 can't be seen by the alien (A). The other squad members draw the alien towards their location and as it advances towards the bottom, the soldiers on #1-3 fire separately at the alien as they see it during its advance - the more it advances the more shots it will receive. And since they fire separately, it's possible for them to fire (and kill) more than one alien - no wasted shots. The risk is that the aliens will advance instead towards #1-3 (to try to occupy their positions) or another pack appears on the other side and outflanks your entire squad.

Fire Teams

1 2    A
 

    3 4 5 6

Another possibility is to divide your squad into two separate fireteams, each fulfilling a different role while moving and firing together. A fireteam's composition is usually made up on the occasion and largely depends on its role. Some tactics involve this formation such as flanking or a Bounding Overwatch, where one team covers the advance or the other.

Types

The composition of a squad will depend on its number of soldiers, their classes, abilities and any equipment, as well as the presence of S.H.I.V units, as well as the mission type and objectives.

The starting squad composition is the Assault, Sniper, Heavy, Support combination, although it can be a rare occurrence during the early game stage due to combat losses and injuries. It is usually required to build the OTS and increase the squad size before more specialization is possible. After that the differences will be on the number of soldiers of each class present.

Heavy Squad

Heavy squads have two or more Heavy soldiers and are useful on missions facing superior Alien firepower/numbers. They are focused on deploying their weapons, specially the Launcher against packs of enemies and dealing massive damage or removing their cover and leave the kill for the rest of the squad. The Heavy's primary weapons can be very useful for Overwatch ambushes against the weaker aliens, with the Rapid Reaction perk, or for close combat with the Bullet Swarm ability. It is also possible to bring and combine together the Holo-Targeting and Bullet Swarm abilities if there are two Heavies present.

Sniper Squad

These squads are built around the principle of Scout and Snipe - scouting units move ahead to spot alien packs and remove their cover for the Snipers on the back to take out using the Squad Sight ability. They can be very powerful in open maps, specially if the Snipers are equipped with Archangel Armor.

Assault Squad

With two or more Assaults, this squad is good for maps with cover that require/allow Flanking or for fighting inside the larger UFOs. The Assaults can be used as a pair or separately, allowing for more pincer movements, although at a loss of firepower. Assault squads are also very useful on Bomb Disposal missions due to the Assault's Run & Gun ability - they can Dash, disarm a node and Fire/Overwatch, allowing for quick movement.

Tactical Use

• Assaults can be used as Rifleman (with Assault Rifles) or Breachers (with Shotguns) or a mix.
• Usually in maps that allow for wide flanking movements, with cover.
• Enclosed maps like the large UFOs or urban areas.

Support Squad

This squad is built upon the principle of squad endurance, with the Support soldiers responsible for injury/poison recovery (Field Medic) and squad security (Sprinter for Scouting, Covering Fire/Sentinel for sentries, Smoke and Mirrors/Dense Smoke for cover, etc.). Support squads usually have lesser firepower than any of the others but their advantage is that they are built to keep the squad fighting as long and effective as possible. They can also be fast squads for use on Council missions after Laser/Plasma weapons are developed and deployed since the firepower/armor isn't anymore an issue when facing the lower tier aliens.

Tactical Use

• In prolonged fights (large maps/UFOs)
• On Council Missions after advanced weapons/armor are developed and deployed.

Combined Squad

Finally this squad is a mixture of two of the squads listed above, by adding 2 soldiers of different classes to the basic four. There's several different combinations possible, depending on the player's choices.

See Also

• Mission Types
• Soldiers
• Classes