Difference between revisions of "Suggestions for Equipping Troops (Apocalypse)"

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==General==
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==In General==
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In the agent equip screen multiple agents can be selected via Ctrl-LMB method. To remove a highlighted agent, RMB.
  
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When arming common consumable items like grenades and ammo, and other common items like medikits, it is a good idea to store them all in the same slots. By doing this, you can quickly re-arm your entire squad, or a sub-set of your squad at the same time by selecting multiple agent portraits and rearming all of the agents at the same time.
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When time progresses back at base after a tactical battle (with ammo being used, grenades thrown, medikits moved about etc.) the auto-re-equip function (being the "Agents rearmed" message) will only replenish the ammuntion used in the weapons which are currently held in the hands of the X-Com agent. It does not move, replace or re-organise items held on the belt, backpack and such. To restock such items, the player must manually replace them after each battle.
  
 +
Equipment placement (grenades, devices, spare ammo, etc.) should be stored in the same place in the inventory of all the agents being used (or for mixed squads which have the same partial equipment layout). This enables rapid replacement of such items when multiple agents are selected.
  
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==Real-Time==
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==Agent Equipment==
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===Early game===
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A general selection of suggestions and hints.
  
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To help conserve ammunition, equip a [[Megapol Stun Grapple |Stun Grapple]] as your secondary weapon. Arm a M4000 Machine Gun, Auto Cannon or whatever else you like as the main weapon and put a stun grapple in the second hand. This serves two functions. First, it gives you a very strong weapon against those annoying close-combat aliens (hyperworms and poppers) and can quickly take down humanoid enemies. Second, it will significantly increase your chances of capturing living aliens, which is essential to developing toxiguns.
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===Items For All=== <!-- short blurbs -->
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Ammuntion is vital. Don't run out.<br>
 +
Armor - only the best! Marsec Chest Armor if you want to fly.<br>
 +
Medikits save lives! Every X-Com agent should have one.<br>
 +
Explosives soften up enemies and destroy cover.<br>
 +
Stun gas or incendiary effects will cause a hostile to flee from it.<br>
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Gas effect grenades will choke a fire.<br>
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Stun Grapples will help to make your Alien Containment a lively place.<br>
  
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Another idea is have all of your soldiers armed with two of the same weapon. This will increase their rate of fire, but is offset with lowered accuracy.  
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===Items For Consideration=== <!-- short blurbs -->
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Plasma Guns are expensive for a reason.<br>
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Rocket launchers deliver a grenade from afar.<br>
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Rocket launchers seek.<br>
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Motion Scanners are not surprising.<br>
 +
Poppers hate it when you mine the door of downed UFOs.<br>
 +
Strong high explosive devices can make craters in the ground. Don't get stuck.<br>
 +
Power Swords are sharper than they look.<br>
 +
Hostiles should be convinced to play with armed grenades.<br>
 +
Exotic weaponry should be the priority when ammo becomes scarce.<br>
  
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Have one soldier who is your 'stunner' with plenty of Stun Grenades and one or two stun grapples. Consider investing in a hybrid and have them spend time in the psi lab so you can use the mind bender as another  stun alternative in the mid to late game.  
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===Items For Later=== <!-- short blurbs -->
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Toxiguns love to use ammo.<br>
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Toxiguns are ridiculously over-powered.<br>
 +
Toxiguns ignore Personal Distruptor Shields<br>
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Toxiguns... Toxiguns!!<br>
 +
Alien exotic devices for all.<br>
 +
Aliens with big guns should be encouraged to make big holes in their friends.<br>
 +
Stun Gas Grenades make shielded neutrals sleepy when Stun Grapples won't.<br>
 +
Cloaking Device:  ...can't shoot what they can't see!<br>
 +
Why walk when you can <s>fly</s> teleport!<br>
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Make them stop sending reinforcements when inside an Alien building, with some Vortex power.<br>
  
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Always carry several [[Megapol Stun Grenade|stun grenades]] on your troops. Not only can you use them to capture aliens, stun gas also evaporates faster then smoke, so you can use stun grenades to clear smoke. Incendiary grenades can also be used for this purpose. Each type will cancel out the other. Lastly, an alien in stun gas will try to get out of the cloud and so it stops shooting at you, which is good.  
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===Specific Equipment=== <!-- short blurbs -->
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Marsec Armor allows flight. This should be a priority for all agents.<br>
 +
A Power Sword can make an entrance anywhere. One is enough for this.<br>
 +
Stun Grenades and alot!. Aliens will fill your containment facility without much effort.<br>
 +
Explosives thrown, at least two each. Explosives flown, one strong agent and others carrying extra rockets.<br>
 +
Toxiguns against aliens. An efficient killer.<br>
 +
Devastator Cannon recharges and can punch holes in walls if you miss.<br>
 +
Personal Disruptor Shields: immediately needed, everyone... immediately.<br>
  
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Carry a few [[Megapol AP Grenade|AP grenades]] on you. They are not powerful, but they are sufficient to destroy hyperworm swarms and brainsuckers, and are light enough to be used in close quarters when wearing full suits of armor. They can also be used as a cheap detonator for destroying other explosives.
 
  
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Each troop should always carry a medi-kit, as you are bound to get hurt, and medi-kits save lives.
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[[Tactical_Combat_Missions_(Apocalypse)|Next: Battlescape Tactical Missions]]<br>
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[[Starting_a_Mission_(Apocalypse)|Previous: Starting A Mission]]<br>
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[[Tactics_(Apocalypse)|Return to Start]]
  
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[[Marsec M4000 Machine Gun|M4000 Machine Guns]] are ideal accuracy trainers, as accuracy is improved by the number of successful hits. Their large volume of fire also make them competent weapons against humanoid enemies and other small aliens. The [[Megapol Lawpistol]] is a stronger substitute, albeit does not have a large clip.
 
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Dual [[Megapol Auto Cannon|Auto Cannons]] are exceptionally powerful in the hands of the right troopers. Auto Cannon AP rounds are the most damaging non-explosive  rounds you can fire prior to Disrupter guns. High Explosive rounds are powerful and require little accuracy to use effectively. Lone agents can also use it to shoot brainsuckers off their own heads. the Incendiary rounds are useful to set fire to Multiworms to pre-empt hyperworms at the moment they hatch.
 
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[[Megapol Laser Sniper Gun | Laser sniper gun]]s are weak, but with enough of them trained on the same target, they can deal a decent amount of damage to make it worthwhile. If you really must fight in close quarters with them, consider using dual rifles and switching to auto, or carry a stun grapple.
 
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[[Megapol Plasma Gun]]s, once available or stolen, are great all-rounder weapons with decent accuracy, damage and a high capacity ammunition clip. They can easily fill in for the laser sniper rifle or Auto Cannon/AP roles. Their size make them excellent secondary sidearms before the Toxigun.
 
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===Mid-game===
 
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As soon as you have [[Biological Warfare (Apocalypse)|Toxiguns]], carry them on any mission where you will encounter humanoid aliens. Particularly those armed with shields as toxiguns ignore them, allowing safe capture of shields. Toxiguns have a high firing rate, so you can keep your other hand free for other equipment or even another weapon.  Toxigun ammo (all three types) deal damage comparable to M4000 rounds when used on agents and other human guards. They have the advantage of leaving your troops mostly unable to harm one another if under psionic control (apart from grenades). Sustained fire is still lethal.
 
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Against aliens that do not carry disruptor shields, use Disruptor weapons to conserve ammunition. Start with the rapid-fire [[Disruptor Gun]] and work up to the [[Devastator Cannon]]. Be aware that the Devastator Cannon can cause a lot of collateral damage in city buildings.
 
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As soon as you have [[Personal Disruptor Shield]]s researched, equip them. Each shield adds an extra layer of (recharging) protection against all types of harm apart from stun gas, psionics, and brainsuckers. Shields work independently of armor.
 
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[[Marsec Heavy Launcher|Heavy Launchers]] and [[Marsec Minilauncher|Minilaunchers]] are effective weapons - if somewhat limited in ammunition. Mini Launchers are useful for use (albeit controlled use) in city buildings. Heavy Launchers are good for UFO assaults or other situations where collateral damage is not your main concern. Their hefty punch can aid in softening up tightly packed UFO defenders and Megaspawn. All missiles in Real Time will track their targets. As missiles track their targets in Real Time, high accuracy is not a requirement.
 
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===Late-game===
 
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Late game tactical combat is often straightforward. You should plenty of Personal Disruptor Shields, Devastator Cannons and/or Toxiguns, and [[X-COM Disruptor Armor]] that you need to take out the enemy easily. When all you want to do is cause a lot of damage, swap toxiguns out for more Devastator Cannons, [[Dimension Missile Launcher]]s or even [[Entropy Launcher]]s as required.
 
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Bring the usual assortment of stun weapons to capture aliens you still need to research. Stun Grapples lose their edge as they have no effect against Personal Disrupter Shields, but will continue to work against unshielded aliens and are absolutely essential for capturing Micronoids. Stun Grenades and Mind Benders remain useful.
 
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[[Vortex Mine]]s are a must-have item for raiding buildings in the [[Alien Dimension]]. These are the only explosives that will destroy the orange re-enforcement pads by placing them on or at least 1 tile away from them. Bring plenty, as they are not always easy to salvage.
 
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If you stuck with the game long enough, you can reward yourself with the use of the [[Personal Teleporter]]. Teleporters are practically a cheat in Real Time, since they work instantaneously while the game is paused. This means you can pause at the precise moment before a projectile hits, or even while an explosive is detonating, and teleport your agent out of the way. Useful for avoiding missiles, instantly-getting into close proximity with enemies for quick kills, and escaping from any number of tricky situations or to explore areas previously only accessibly by flight. Note that they need time to recharge, so carry multiples or build a stack of them in a safe spot for quick refills. Be prepared for a lot of teleporter juggling.
 
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==Turn-Based==
 
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===Early Game===
 
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There's no sense dual wielding in TB, since firing either weapon costs time units, so you don't get "free" shots with your off-hand. You should fire two-handed weapons with nothing in the other hand to increase accuracy; since moving things in your inventory is free you can just keep any secondary weapon in your backpack. This also means you can feel free to bring a stun grapple and equip it as necessary, but be careful of weight.
 
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Auto-cannons are very effective weapons in the early game because their explosive ammo is still quite effective in the hands of agents with poor accuracy. Auto-cannons maintain their effectiveness right through the game against two important enemies - Brainsuckers and Poppers. Auto-cannons are the only weapon that can effectively give reaction fire with explosive rounds, making them very effective at taking out Brainsuckers, poppers and Hyperworms as they charge, since a near-miss will still result in a kill. Your starting armor is very effective, so shooting HE at point blank range won't hurt too much (though switching to AP ammo is free anyway). The downside is that throwing explosives around will cause property damage, destroy artifacts and kill aliens you've stunned.
 
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AP, stun and smoke grenades should be standard issue for everyone. Grenades are great for low accuracy agents to get kills on Hyperworms and Brainsuckers. Stun grenades cause a lot more 1-hit KOs in TB mode, making them superior to AP grenades as a fallback. Drop smoke frequently to protect agents against return fire and to get closer with machine guns and stun grapples. A soldier can prime and drop a smoke grenade at their feet with 0 TUs, so an agent who finds himself in a vulnerable position at the end of a turn can give himself smoke cover.
 
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Equipping some sniper rifles in the hands of your high accuracy soldiers can work well, allowing them to kill enemies at long range. The downside is that their accuracy training is poor and their damage is easily the lowest in the game. Most combat in Apocalypse is short-to-medium range, so it's difficult for snipers to get good vantage points unless they fly (and then they're inaccurate).
 
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===Mid Game===
 
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First priority is to buy up as much Marsec armor as you can and use it to speed up your low strength troops, especially hybrids, since Megapol armor is very heavy. The chest piece also gives flight, which is a great tactical advantage. Your second priority is to replace your laser sniper rifles with plasma guns; they're not quite as accurate, but they pack more punch, making them much more effective against tougher aliens.
 
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Once you research toxiguns they'll become an important weapon in your arsenal. They have mediocre accuracy, but their fire rate more than makes up for it, and you should replace any machine guns and some auto-cannons with them. Keep some ACs around for their HE ammo capability, preferably on Androids so they can't be used against you through psionics or brainsucking. Provided you research and manufacture Toxiguns as soon as possible you will find the alien Disruptor Gun little more than a side show.
 
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Heavy and mini-launchers are useful weapons to pick up. A shot at a location can miss, but a shot at a unit will home and always hit. This makes mini-launchers extremely useful for those shots you can't afford to miss like your last shot of the turn against a Popper, Brainsucker or Hyperworm swarm. Heavy launchers can fulfill the same role, but take more TUs to fire and are extremely bulky and heavy.
 
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Use Proximity Mines and Boomeroids for Brainsucker and Popper defence when you're camping a corridor or UFO entrance.
 
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===Late Game===
 
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Disruptor armor will neatly solve your weight problems and allow even your lowest strength soldiers to be armed to the teeth. In TB your ability to charge up to a Megaspawn or Psimorph and toxigun it to death without it shooting back makes them considerably easier than in RT, such that even late game your most credible threats remain the lowly Brainsucker and Popper.
 
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Toxigun agents equipped with Teleporters make the rest of the game a joke. Despite the heavy TU cost, agents can teleport to alien spawn points and kill them on turn 1.
 
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==Androids and Hybrids==
 
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Two opposites, androids are physically strong, while hybrids are physically weak but are the only race that can effectively use psionics. Ideally, androids will have lots of extra equipment to either demolish everything or to replenish teammates supplies and hybrids travel as light as possible but with a [[Mind Bender]] even if they haven't received adequate psionic training.
 
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At the start of the game androids will have the best aim of your troops, so should be given the best weapons. With some training and experience your human soldiers will surpass them. Androids' high HP and immunity to brainsuckers and psionics makes them good scouts and shock troops, since turning a corner in to something unpleasant is less likely to result in their death than a human. Also, while by no means expendable, androids are more easily replaced than an experienced human. As such, once you have humans with good accuracy that can take over fire support, equip your androids for short range combat and/or demolition and use them in the front line. Another advantage of androids' immunity to psionics and brainsuckers is that they can safely be given heavy weapons like launchers, since there is no way for the aliens to take control of them.
 
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In the late game once you have disruptor armor and advanced, lighter weaponry hybrids really come in to their own. The lighter equipment makes a hybrid's strength disadvantage less of a problem, and the toughness of disruptor armor and shields makes their lack of HP less of an issue as well. Meanwhile, a hybrid's high psionic defence is an asset even if you don't use offensive psionics much, and their proficiency with weapons is comparable to a human.
 
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==See Also==
 
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[[Agents Equipment (Apocalypse)|Agents Equipment]]
 
  
 
[[Category: Apocalypse]]
 
[[Category: Apocalypse]]
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[[Category: Agents (Apocalypse)]]
 

Latest revision as of 05:54, 18 October 2022

In General

In the agent equip screen multiple agents can be selected via Ctrl-LMB method. To remove a highlighted agent, RMB.

When time progresses back at base after a tactical battle (with ammo being used, grenades thrown, medikits moved about etc.) the auto-re-equip function (being the "Agents rearmed" message) will only replenish the ammuntion used in the weapons which are currently held in the hands of the X-Com agent. It does not move, replace or re-organise items held on the belt, backpack and such. To restock such items, the player must manually replace them after each battle.

Equipment placement (grenades, devices, spare ammo, etc.) should be stored in the same place in the inventory of all the agents being used (or for mixed squads which have the same partial equipment layout). This enables rapid replacement of such items when multiple agents are selected.

Agent Equipment

A general selection of suggestions and hints.

Items For All

Ammuntion is vital. Don't run out.
Armor - only the best! Marsec Chest Armor if you want to fly.
Medikits save lives! Every X-Com agent should have one.
Explosives soften up enemies and destroy cover.
Stun gas or incendiary effects will cause a hostile to flee from it.
Gas effect grenades will choke a fire.
Stun Grapples will help to make your Alien Containment a lively place.

Items For Consideration

Plasma Guns are expensive for a reason.
Rocket launchers deliver a grenade from afar.
Rocket launchers seek.
Motion Scanners are not surprising.
Poppers hate it when you mine the door of downed UFOs.
Strong high explosive devices can make craters in the ground. Don't get stuck.
Power Swords are sharper than they look.
Hostiles should be convinced to play with armed grenades.
Exotic weaponry should be the priority when ammo becomes scarce.

Items For Later

Toxiguns love to use ammo.
Toxiguns are ridiculously over-powered.
Toxiguns ignore Personal Distruptor Shields
Toxiguns... Toxiguns!!
Alien exotic devices for all.
Aliens with big guns should be encouraged to make big holes in their friends.
Stun Gas Grenades make shielded neutrals sleepy when Stun Grapples won't.
Cloaking Device: ...can't shoot what they can't see!
Why walk when you can fly teleport!
Make them stop sending reinforcements when inside an Alien building, with some Vortex power.

Specific Equipment

Marsec Armor allows flight. This should be a priority for all agents.
A Power Sword can make an entrance anywhere. One is enough for this.
Stun Grenades and alot!. Aliens will fill your containment facility without much effort.
Explosives thrown, at least two each. Explosives flown, one strong agent and others carrying extra rockets.
Toxiguns against aliens. An efficient killer.
Devastator Cannon recharges and can punch holes in walls if you miss.
Personal Disruptor Shields: immediately needed, everyone... immediately.


Next: Battlescape Tactical Missions
Previous: Starting A Mission
Return to Start

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