The Council (Long War)

In Long War you receive funding from all countries at the start of the game, regardless of whether you have satellite coverage or not. Their funding will increase if you give them satellite coverage, but establishing satellite coverage is no longer as important for your income as it is in vanilla. If a country leaves the project it will cease funding you.

On the other hand, having satellite coverage now gives you tangible bonuses under the form of one starting bonus and many satellite coverage bonuses. Also having full coverage over a continent grants a specific bonus, much like in vanilla, but the bonuses have been shuffled around and changed.

Bonuses

Continent-wide bonuses

To obtain a continent bonus you need to have a satellite deployed in every country within that continent. Unlike the vanilla game, you no longer acquire your starting continent's bonus from the beginning of the game; instead, you receive a "country starting bonus".

Continent-wide bonuses
Continent	Name	Effect
North America	Air Superiority	Aircraft and aircraft weapons cost 25% less to purchase and maintain.
South America	Power to the People	Power facilities cost 30% less to build and maintain.
Asia	New Warfare	Foundry projects have cash, alloy and elerium cost reduced by 25% percent.
Africa	Architects of the Future	Laboratories and Workshops cost 30% less to build and maintain.
Europe	Wealth of Nations	Monthly XCOM funding increased by 20%.

Country starting bonuses

Since beta 15, the XCOM newly commissioned commander can choose the country where the primary base will be built. This choice entails a certain starting bonus, or not, depending on your choice. This bonus does not stack with the satellite coverage bonuses from the same country. Currently most starting countries have 2 or more starting bonuses to choose from, giving you a wider replayability for future campaigns.

If you do not want to have a special starting bonus, you can choose On Our Own available for some starting countries (the richest one on each continent).

Country starting bonuses
Country	Continent	Name	Effect
Argentina	South America	Patriae Semper Vigilis	All soldiers receive +5 will.
Australia	Asia	Per Ardua Ad Astra	All soldiers receive +5 ability points for stat rolls upon recruitment.
Brazil	South America	Jungle Scouts	Early armors (Tac Vest and Tac, Kestrel, Phalanx and Aurora Armors) receive an additional small item slot until Tactical Rigging is developed.
Brazil	South America	Expertise	+15% bonus to research credits from interrogations.
Brazil	South America	On Our Own	No unique bonus.
Canada	North America	Advanced Preparations	XCOM HQ starts with a Laboratory and Workshop already built.
Canada	North America	Cadre	Start with four Corporals in the Barracks, one of each supraclass.
China	Asia	Wei Renmin Fuwu	Start with a Workshop and Repair Bay already built.
China	Asia	Xenological Remedies	100% bonus cash from alien corpse and wreck sales.
China	Asia	Deus Ex	50% reduction in Gene Mods' Meld and cash cost and modification time.
Egypt	Africa	Gift of Osiris	Fatigue from Psi-powers, Gene Mods, and Officer ranks reduced by 50%.
Egypt	Africa	For the Sake of Glory	Start with Advanced Repair Foundry project, which grants faster repair time for aircraft, mechanized units and damaged soldier gear.
France	Europe	Quai d'Orsay	Country item requests occur 40% faster; fulfilled requests provide 40% additional defense, and Intel scans cost 40% less.
France	Europe	Foreign Legion	Start with 20 additional soldiers in the Barracks.
Germany	Europe	Skunkworks	XCOM HQ starts with the Foundry already built.
Germany	Europe	Baumeister	Facility construction time reduced by 33%.
Germany	Europe	NeoPanzers	50% reduction in cash, alloy and elerium required for MEC and SHIV primary weapons.
Germany	Europe	On Our Own	No unique bonus.
India	Asia	Jai Jawan	Start with 2 additional interceptors in your home base and Elerium Afterburners Foundry project, granting extended interception time.
Japan	Asia	Ring of Fire	XCOM HQ has 3 additional Steam Vents.
Japan	Asia	Ghost In the Machine	SHIVs receive +10 aim, and you start the campaign with two SHIVs in the Barracks.
Japan	Asia	Kiryu-Kai Commander	Start with a Master Sergeant of a random class on your roster.
Japan	Asia	Robotics	+5 bonus aim for new SHIVs and MEC Troopers.
Japan	Asia	On Our Own	No unique bonus.
Mexico	North America	Wealthy Benefactor	Start with 500 bonus cash.
Mexico	North America	Ancient Artifact	Start the campaign with an Illuminator Gunsight small item.
Mexico	North America	Legacy of Uxmal	20% bonus to psionic training chances.
Nigeria	Africa	Pax Nigeriana	All soldiers receive +1 mobility.
Nigeria	Africa	The Old Path	50% reduction in psi training time.
Nigeria	Africa	On Our Own	No unique bonus.
Russia	Europe	Sukhoi Company	Start with Improved Avionics Foundry project, granting +10% to hit during air combat.
Russia	Europe	Roscosmos	Start with an additional Satellite Uplink, and all Satellites cost 50% less to build.
South Africa	Africa	Resourceful	Start with Alien Metallurgy and Improved Salvage Foundry projects (bonus alien alloys and weapon fragments).
South Africa	Africa	Survival Training	All soldiers receive +1 hit point.
United Kingdom	Europe	Special Air Service	All soldiers receive +3 aim.
United Kingdom	Europe	Their Finest Hour	Start with Penetrator Weapons Foundry project, granting interceptor weapons increased armor piercing capabilities.
United Kingdom	Europe	Sandhurst	33% reduction in ranks required to unlock Officer Training School projects.
United States	North America	Special Warfare School	Officer Training School projects cost 90% less.
United States	North America	Cheyenne Mountain	XCOM HQ starts with all elevators already built, and excavation costs are reduced by 50%.
United States	North America	We Have Ways	75% reduction in time to complete autopsies and interrogations.
United States	North America	On Our Own	No unique bonus.

Country satellite bonuses

These are secondary bonuses that you acquire by having a satellite orbit a country. Some of them have are similar to one of the starting bonuses for that country, albeit while providing a smaller benefit.

Country satellite bonuses
Country	Continent	New staff member per month	Name	Effect
Argentina	South America	+1 Engineer	Bounties	20% bonus cash from abductions.
Australia	Asia	+1 Engineer	Army of the Southern Cross	+2 bonus aim for newly promoted Gunner and Rocketeer soldiers.
Brazil	South America	+1 Scientist	Expertise	+10% bonus to research credits from interrogations.
Canada	North America	+1 Scientist	Task Force Arrowhead	+2 bonus will for new Engineer and Medic soldiers.
China	Asia	+1 Engineer	Xenological Remedies	34% bonus cash from alien corpse and wreck sales.
Egypt	Africa	+1 Engineer	Call to Arms	25% reduction in fatigue from Gene Mods.
France	Europe	+1 Scientist	Cyberware	20% reduction in meld required for MEC primary weapons and tactical subsystems.
Germany	Europe	+1 Engineer	NeoPanzers	15% reduction in cash, alloy and elerium required for MEC and SHIV primary weapons.
India	Asia	+1 Engineer	Jai Vidwan	+5% research bonus for each Laboratory adjacency.
Japan	Asia	+1 Scientist	Robotics	+2 bonus aim for new SHIVs and MEC Troopers.
Mexico	North America	+1 Engineer	Legacy of Uxmal	10% bonus to psionic training chances.
Nigeria	Africa	+1 Scientist	The Old Path	20% reduction in psi training time.
Russia	Europe	+1 Scientist	Spetznaz	+1 bonus HP for new Infantry and Assault soldiers.
South Africa	Africa	+1 Scientist	1st Recce	+2 bonus defense for newly promoted Sniper and Scout soldiers.
United Kingdom	Europe	+1 Scientist	Cadre	15% reduction in ranks required to unlock Officer Training School projects.
United States	North America	+1 Scientist	We Have Ways	25% reduction in time to complete autopsies and interrogations.

Council interaction with XCOM

Unlike in the vanilla game, XCOM can continue fighting as long as a single country is still in the project. In the first few days of the game a single country will side with the aliens and leave the project, even though its panic level is low, this is normal. Countries that leave the project will have an alien base built in their borders, and assaulting that base will cause the country to come back to XCOM. Conversely, aliens with high resources can expend them to send an Overseer into countries via an Infiltrate mission, taking the country instantly.

Council Missions

Main article: Council Missions (Long War)

Each month, typically between the 14th and 28th of a given month, the council will request that XCOM complete a (sometimes quite difficult) mission in exchange for rewards that can include credits, scientists, engineers, reward soldiers, and even the occasional bit of elerium. Missions tend to come in five types: "Asset Recovery", which entails defeating all enemies on the map, "Bomb Disposal", which requires XCOM to buy time until it can find and disable a bomb, "Target Escort", which involves safely escorting a civilian target to the extraction point, "Target Extraction", which involves locating a civilian escort on site and escorting them back to the Skyranger, and finally "Special", which include the DLC campaigns Progeny and Slingshot. All missions include special scripted enemy drop-ins. See the main article for more details.

Panic

See also: Panic (Long War)

Country Panic works significantly differently. Panic is now a smooth continuum from 0 to 100, rather than 5 discrete levels.

At the strategic layer, there are three main panic-generating activities that the aliens can conduct: Terror Attacks, Bombing campaigns, and Abductions. Furthermore, the aliens will mount UFO sorties for virtually all activities except Council Missions; this allows you the opportunity to shoot their craft out of the air.

Abductions are no longer the most significant source of panic generation, as they are no longer mutually-exclusive. While they spike panic significantly in a region if successful (+20 if XCOM fails the mission), it's not hard to beat the mission and avoid this.
Terror Attacks are now the primary source of panic. Every civilian death raises panic by +3 in the target country and +1 continent-wide. Failures cause the immediate withdrawal of the country and +20 panic continent-wide.
Bombing campaigns are a new mission type that the aliens can conduct at the strategic layer. They increase panic in a target country by 10, or less if the UFO craft is damaged. Unlike Abductions and Terror missions, you are not able to deploy to a mission site without first detecting the UFO with your satellite coverage, so while it provides the smallest increase in panic of any type it can be difficult to respond to.
Infiltration missions do not increase panic, per se, but have the same functional effect as maxing out panic: they cause the country to immediately leave the XCOM project. One country will do so automatically at the beginning of the game, and thereafter the aliens can only do this more often when snowballing at the strategic layer.

As with vanilla, countries will leave the XCOM project and cease all funding and support (including satellite bonuses, but not country starting bonuses) if panic levels are allowed to rise too much; countries have a chance to leave starting at 95 panic or higher (see Country Panic).

Fortunately, another mechanic that Long War introduces is the ability to return countries back to the project. This is accomplished by raiding the alien base located within the country, a mission that, while required for progression as with vanilla, is no longer a one-off event and can be completed for each country that leaves the XCOM project due to accumulated panic or other means, serving as something of a comeback mechanic if XCOM falls behind.

Requests

Main Article: Council Requests (Long War)

Countries will frequently make requests of you for materials and resources, likely more than you can fulfill. By giving them these resources you will improve their ability to resist the aliens' influence on their own. The resistance level of a country is visible in the Council screen by the shield icon next to a country's panic level. It ranges from 0-100, with the amount filled determining the percentage chance that a country will 1) reduce panic from any source by half, and 2) scramble satellite hunters, preventing them from locating a satellite over that country. All countries start at 0 and each request completed adds +10.

Funding

Country Funding by Continent
North America	South America	Africa	Europe	Asia
United States: §160 Canada: §90 Mexico: §80	Argentina: §70 Brazil: §100	Egypt: §80 South Africa: §70 Nigeria: §80	United Kingdom: §110 Russia: §100 France: §120 Germany: §140	China: §130 Japan: §150 India: §100 Australia: §80

Funding Without Satellite
Normal	Classic	Brutal	Impossible
50%	40%	33%	25%