Stun Raid

In General

A stun raid is just a normal raid but instead of destruction, X-Com targets the security forces of any non-hostile organisation to steal their weapons, ammunition, devices and any exotic equipment by not killing anyone, not damaging anything, and not doing anything to cause hostility. ...because, why pay for something when you can steal it!
The three things to use in stun raiding:

• Stun Grapples
• Stun Grenades
  

and if your hybrid agents are good enough:

• Mind Benders.
  

Preparation

• agents do not need to wear armor (except to fly), and don't need a medikit.
• ten agents can fit into a Valkyrie.
• dual-wield stun grapples for rapid fire.
• stun grenades to the belt leaving room for big loot in the backpack.
• the mind bender can be used to stun or mind control.

Tactics

• spread agents around the battlescape to steal spawned items.
• use the grapple at close range as to not miss, pick up loot ...and repeat!
• position agents loosely around a group of units, throw stun grenades in a cluster bomb fashion, units will run from the gas, and into grapple range if done right.
• convince units it is past their bedtime, then help yourself!

End

• to limit score, escape the battlescape instead of completing the raid.

Advanced

Battlescape size is dependant on the quantity of units.

• many agents present can increase the size of the generated battlescape and allow more item spawn locations.

Building Security will acquire alien technology as the weeks progress.

• ammunition will mostly become obsolete and limit you to using the marketplace (if you still use such weapons).
• stun grapple projectiles are blocked by personal shields.
• stun grenades and lots!

Generated battlescape segments are randomly selected from a group, specific to the building.

• segment properties (walls, features, items, spawn locations, etc.) are not changed, only final placement.
• slum battlescapes do not use a segments but one whole map.

Oddities and Quirks

Neutrals may throw ammuntion, fire off a heavy rocket, play with a primed Proximity Grenade, and pick up spawned items.
If your agent got knocked-out, neutrals may stand over the victim to prevent them from waking up.

Buildings

Spawned items are specific to each organisation, not buildings. Weapons that appear will be unloaded.

• Common items for all Mega-Primus companies, unless noted:
• law pistol
• AP grenade
• stun grenade
• proximity grenade
• M4000
• high explosive
• autocannon
• elerium pod (x8)

Megapol

• plasma gun
• sniper rifle
• stun grapple
• head
• L arm
• R arm
• chest
• leg
• elerium pod (x3)

Marsec

• heavy launcher
• mini launcher
• mind bender
• mind shield
• power sword
• motion scanner
• head
• L arm
• R arm
• chest
• leg
• elerium pod (x1)

Solmine

• elerium (x15)

Cult Of Sirius

• psiclone (x10)

The old stuff below is slowly being cleaned up.

For the original written mostly in 2006-2007, see discussion page.

Advanced Tactics

• If you raid a slum often, you'll eventually start to understand the layouts on offer (SEE BELOW). There are items laying on the ground

Slum Building Item Spawn Spots

There are seven slum buildings generated in the game. This next section lists where the item spawns are located using a very simple (but tedious) method of direction. The isometric map has a corner at each compass point. The most obvious way to describe the map would be as the top most corner being North, the leftmost corner being West, etc. Also, each square of the map is called a cell. A cell is a square/diamond which makes up the map at the most smallest part. One cell is the size of the cursor (only the base of the rectangular box, actually).

Locations

HINT: The items will appear. If they are missing from their spawn location, then you are either using too many agents (over 28) for that map or they have been picked up by a hostile.

NOTE: directions are given as absolute north of the map, being Cell 1,1.

• eg: Lev 05 - 23SW, 18SE means that the item is on Level 5 of the map and is how many cells you must count in that compass direction from the most northern cell.
• Elevator = Gravlift.

Grasslands

A map which has only trees, grass, and some building rubble. The most obvious feature is the grass the is covering part of the road in the southwestern part of the map. (weird: there is a door that still works!).

• Lev 01 - 20SW,16SE - on ground next to I-beam rubble.

The Bridge

A map which has a large bridge crossing over a road. Lots of building rubble in northern part of the map.

• Lev 01 - 25SW,10SE - on ground near blue arcade machine.

Drug Plantation

A map that contains a plantation of trees near the west corner. There is a large multistorey building which has an elevator shaft external to the main superstructure.

• Lev 01 - 26SW,14SE - on floor inside the garden shed inside the plantation.
• Lev 01 - 28SW,25SE - on floor inside the garden shed, inside the rubble area, opposite the plantation.
• Lev 02 - 14SW,21SE - on floor beside coffee table.
• Lev 02 - 13SW, 9SE - on floor beside table.

Graveyard Castle

A map that has a cemetary with names of the game makers. There also is a large building with a heli-pad on the roof.

• Lev 01 - 11SW,32SE - on floor inside the garden shed situated inside the cemetary.
• Lev 01 - 12SW,27SE - on ground, on top of the dirt mound of grave owner, Andy Greene.
• Lev 08 - 19SW, 7SE - on ground, on top of the castle tower which is on the right when exiting the door.
• Lev 08 - 31SW, 7SE - on ground, on top of the castle tower which is on the left when exiting the door.

U-shaped Hotel

A map that has a typical hotel look to it. There is a car parking area in the middle section of the U shape. This building does not have a roof!

• Lev 02 - 6SW,34SE - on floor near oval table.
• Lev 02 - 13SW,10SE - on floor at far wall.
• Lev 04 - 28SW,16SE - on floor at middle of room.
• Lev 02 - 28SE,23SE - on chair next to door.
• Lev 04 - 28SW,21SE - in hand basin left of door.
• Lev 04 - 29SW,27SE - on floor near wall.
• Lev 02 - 28SW,34SE - on coffee table.

Central Elevator

A map with a large square shape building. The building has eight large foundations and an external fire escape. There is an elevator inside the core of the middle foundation.

• Lev 04 - 28SW,27SE - on large table against near wall.
• Lev 04 - 28SW, 5SE - on cupboard against external wall.
• Lev 04 - 34SW,10SE - on cupboard closer to windows.
• Lev 04 - 26SW,12SE - on floor between beds.
• Lev 06 - 12SW, 5SE - on coffee table near external wall.
• Lev 06 - 5SW,32SE - on box next to window.
• Lev 06 - 12SW,30SE - on bed.
• Lev 06 - 12SW,21SE - in air (!) just inside doorway
• Lev 06 - 8SW,21SE - on cupboard next to chair.

The Railway Station

A dedicated double sized map. It will sometimes appear if there are many (usually over 20) Xcom agents present in a mission. It is a rare map to play!

• Lev 01 - 2SW,16SE - in hand basin just left of door.
• Lev 04 - 54SW,10SE - on elevated rail line between the two rail track pairs.
• Lev 01 - 86SW,32SE - inside carpark ticket booth at far wall.

FAQ in General

• If I raid a non gang building, will I get more Elerium Pods spawning since Psiclones are not spawned?

Sometimes, however, the spawn spots will be taken up by the complete range within the arsenal. You will have AP-Grenades, Stun Grenades, Law Pistol (unloaded), Hi-Ex, etc. included with the staples which are the Laser Rifle, M4000 etc. Doing enough raids will give you the indication that Elerium Pods will roughly be the same quantity across the cityscape when raiding any building you choose. * What other buildings give items other than typical spawns? You can raid every single building in the game although some are not really worth the effort. Marsec buildings will spawn the rare and much valued Mind Shield. Power Swords and Marsec Armour are typical inside the weapon/arms factories whereas a slight increase in Elerium will spawn within Megapol or Marsec Flyer Factory. Raiding a Megapol building will generate Megapol armour pieces instead of Marsec armour. Stun Grapples will spawn at a Megapol Police Station. Warehouse buildings can spawn Psiclones if the building is owned by gangs. Sometimes this gets messed up and a legal corporation will have Psiclones. Experiment by visiting each and every bulding in the game.

The big exception to this is SOLMINE. Solmine will ONLY spawn Elerium Pods, and nothing else, on every spawn point. Making Solmine very lucrative to raid, especially since Elerium tends to maintain it's price of $20 every week for some bizarre reason. The disadvantage is that Solmine buildings tend to be very large and take a long time to loot.

• Why guard the exits?

Money! The reason you are making a raid against someone is to either cause damage (which is utterly pointless in Battlescape since it can make a company hostile by accidently killing someone) or to make money. You can acquire weapons by killing the guards and increasing hostility (and injury or death versus experience) or you can exploit a weakness in the game by stunning (and still get experience). The reason to guard exits is to limit your money and equipment loss. The enemy agent will often make a dash for freedom and you position your squad to stop that (although it's not their preferred action since they need to defend the building). As already mentioned, the easiest map to guard are Slum buildings since they are static in shape. Unless you are willing to allow someone to escape with that Minilauncher or Plasma Pistol (and three clips) then block and stun (and steal).

• It's tedious to pick up all the items. Is there a quicker or easier way?

You could use the overhead map to find items to save time since they show up as purple markers and you could scoot a lone agent quickly around the map on overhead to pick up the stuff, however, you still are filling up your inventory. The preferred method is to neutralise everyone which then causes a Mission Complete (which recovers all items automatically). Stunning everyone can be easily achieved if you bait the combatants into coming within range of your Stun Grapples by using a piece of equipment as a lure. If you have a stunned enemy first off, you won't need to use the bait method since defenders will come to his location to help out their 'fallen' friend. Once you have a pile of snoring agents at your feet, cue Mission Complete.
NOTE: The items appear to use ownership flags to an agent. If you knock someone out, the defender usually won't pick up their friend's stuff (although they may help themselves to an item or three). When that guy does eventually wake up he can re-equip. If you use you own equipment as a lure you may see the enemy throw a grenade into the (your ownership item) pile. To make the best trap, you'd knockout a lone agent and eventually you'll get the enemy to swarm nearby. If you happen to knock the same agent out, he sometimes forget what he was carrying. His items now act as a bait trap.

• Help! I don't have enough agents in the mission to guard all the exits. What can I do to maximise profits?

If you stun someone you can stand on their body (you cannot pick up a body) to prevent them ever getting up. Using an Agressive setting will stop the agent moving (unless it's gas or fire). Dual wielding Stun Grapples will give you rapid fire speed if you have one agent stunning a bunch of enemy next to him since you don't have enough guys to stand on each body. You could also use a staircase to good effect since tight corners and single file walkways limit the spread of the enemy. Cutting away parts of a building (with explosives or other) is a valid tactic to imprison the enemy if you are desperate since this angers the corp. through buidling damage and has the very real possibility that you may kill someone (or yourself) when the section(s) collapse.

• I got killed by a Prox Mine. Why?

The enemy do that sometimes. Amusement factor? The occasional problem when stun raiding is that since you don't need to wear armour (no combat!) when you do set off an explosive you'll merely drop dead or be heavily injured with many critical wounds. If you didn't bother carrying a medkit (you brought to the mission with your trusty money-maker! ) your only option is to remove the agent from current play by making them exit the map. Typically since prox mines are so deadly, the agent dies mid step before getting anywhere and may be a problem if over encumbered. If you only use the overhead map to run your agents around, you cannot discern what that purple dot actually is until you look at it in isometic view. Do this before you approach an unknown placement. (see above of spawn item locations so that you know what should be where).

• Whoa!! Aliens kill me quick on in second week. Why?

Score. You have aquired a high score from many stun raids and depending on the difficulty level of your game, the game scales the enemy strength on how many points you have at the end of the week, thus, this will influence the enemy loadout and ship type for the new week! What?? You think stun raid was cheating? Mess with the bull and you'll get the horn.