Terror Units

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Each species of Alien has a counterpart species that it brings along for especially demanding missions where more assault power is required-- most famously the Terror Missions launched against major cities. These creatures are called terror units, and bring a new destructiveness to the battle. Only the Mutons break this pattern, using two different species of terror unit simultaneously.

For an overview and comparisons between see Overviews of Aliens. For information on the vital statistics of aliens, see Alien Stats.

When Do Terror Units Show Up?

Terror units will always be present (and will only be present) for these scenarios:

• Terror Ships, including city Terror Missions
• Battleships, including XCOM Base Defence missions (always performed by a Battleship)
• Alien Bases, including Cydonia

Terror units will never be present on any small UFO, medium UFO, or Supply Ship.

Terror Unit Types

• Cyberdisc - the Sectoid's terror unit.
• Reaper - the Floater's terror unit.
• Chryssalid - the Snakeman's terror unit.
  • Zombie - an intermediate stage of the Chryssalid.
• Celatid - One of the Muton's two terror unit types.
• Silacoid - One of the Muton's two terror unit types.
• Sectopod - The Ethereal's terror unit.

Capturing Live Terror Units

Of the six terror unit types (seven if you include Zombies), only four can be captured live and placed in Alien Containment: Reapers, Chryssalids, Celatids, and Silacoids. UFOpaedia entries on the two robotic terror units -- Cyberdiscs and Sectopods -- can only be generated by researching alien Medics, which sometimes divulge information on other species. Zombies will never have a UFOpaedia entry.

Notes

• The presence of terror units significantly changes a battle. For example: by themselves, Snakemen are far less frightening than Mutons. Snakemen have far less moblity and poorer combat skills. However, the addition of the Chryssalid makes a Snakeman terror mission into a nightmare. The Mutons' weak Celatids and Silacoids make Muton terror missions seem much more relaxed by comparison.

See Also

Terror Missions
Terror Units (TFTD)