Difference between revisions of "UFOs (Long War)"

Revision as of 08:32, 18 August 2019

UFOs come in a variety of different sizes and configuration, and knowing what works well against what UFO can make the difference between victory and defeat. Below is a short general description of the types of UFOs that the player can encounter in the Long war. Unlike Vanilla, Long War UFOs get better over time. Just as the player researches and upgrades their interceptors, the Aliens upgrade their UFOs. This means that new tactics need to be employed during later stages of the game, as late game UFOs can vary wildly from Early game UFO of the same type.

It is also important to note that a new UFO Analysis Research will become available after raiding a crashed or landed UFO, matching the type of the UFO. Once this Analysis project is completed, your interceptors will have better chances of quickly taking down UFOs of the same type in future. This is essential if you intend to engage the tougher craft more than once!

Small UFOs

Scout

Firepower: Low (1x Single Plasma)
Armor Penetration: +3
Durability: Low (750)
Armor: None (0)
Equipment: 1x UFO Power Source, 2x UFO Flight Computers
Missions: Scout, Research, Harvest
Alien Count: 5-11 Crash, 9-11 Landing, or 20-23 Trap; also, +3 aliens at AR > 360; plus, a command pod of 1 outsider (before ABA) / 2 outsiders (after ABA)

These will be the first UFO's that the player will encounter. They will start appearing during the first half of the first month and continue to show up throughout the game. Scouts are unarmored and lightly armed, but fast moving, meaning that the interception window is very small; expect to have to send 2-3 interceptors after Scouts on Aggression, at least in the early months when Interceptor accuracy and damage is low. Although they give very little in terms of alloys and elerium, they offer a great opportunity to train up rookie soldiers throughout the early months, as the presence of certain high level enemies (in this case, the guaranteed Outsider pod) grants the squad bonus XP; this is just enough to grant them a level to Specialist without needing to obtain any kills, assuming no soldiers die on the mission.

You can use Scouts to train up your lower-ranked interceptor pilots throughout the game. They are, at least, easily shot down by interceptors; 3 unupgraded, unpromoted interceptors on Aggressive has almost a 100% chance to down a Scout in the early months. The first two should always be armed with Avalanche Missiles; if a third interception is necessary and the UFO is highly damaged, arm the third UFO with Stingrays to minimize the chance of accidentally destroying the UFO.

Fighter

Firepower: Moderate (1x Single Plasma) / (2x Single Plasma - upgrade - 330 Alien Research)
Armor Penetration: +7
Durability: Low (850)
Armor: Light (12)
Equipment: 1x UFO Power Source, 2x UFO Flight Computers
Missions: Hunt, Bomb
Alien Count: 3-9 Crash; also, +3 aliens at AR > 360; plus, a command pod of 1 outsider (before ABA) / 2 outsiders (after ABA);

These UFOs appear during the first month and can be recognized by a purple strobe emanating from their blip. They have slightly more health and slightly more armor than Scouts; enough armor, in fact, to make Stingray Missiles the optimal choice in the early months. Unlike the Scout, the Fighter poses a more serious threat to interceptors, not only due to its higher base armor penetration but also because it gains significantly more damage as it's research progresses, gaining a second Plasma Cannon after the first year is nearly complete. A Fighter in high orbit will be targeting your satellites, so aggressively engage it with Stingrays or Phoenix Cannons if you can, to down it or at least damage it enough to dissuade it from returning.

Fighters never land. They must be shot down for alien materials to be salvaged. They also have significantly less aliens overall than Scouts, with as few as 4 total; a crashed Fighter in March or April is a perfect opportunity to train up a bunch of rookies, so long as you're prepared for the Outsider.

Medium UFOs

Raider

Firepower: Moderate (1x Single Plasma) / (2x Single Plasma - upgrade - 570 Alien Research)
Armor Penetration: +7
Durability: Moderate (1500)
Armor: Very light (5)
Equipment: 2x UFO Power Sources, 4x UFO Flight Computers
Missions: Scout, Research, Harvest, Hunt
Alien Count: 11-15 Crash, 15-20 Landing, or 24-36 Trap; also, +4 aliens at AR > 360; plus, a command pod of 2 outsiders (before ABA) / 2-3 aliens (after ABA);

These UFOs usually start appearing during the latter half of the first month. Tougher and better armored than the Scout, the Raider serves a similar purpose, though their higher damage output puts you at much greater risk of losing Interceptors to critical hits. With a larger chassis and bigger guns, several interceptors are required to reliably bring one down, though a Raider is slow enough in the air that it will typically stick around long enough to be engaged by the 4 interceptors you'll likely need to down this beast. Both Avalanche and Stingray Missiles work equally as effectively against this UFO, though Stingrays are much less variable and Phoenix Cannons, if available, are the better choice. Raiders are a good way to gather Alloys and Elerium, as the crew contingent is rather small.

Destroyer

Firepower: High (1x Single Plasma) / (1x Double Plasma - upgrade - 270 Alien Research)
Armor Penetration: +15/(+20 - upgrade - 540 Alien Research)
Durability: Moderate (1600)
Armor: Moderate (18)/(High (32) - upgrade - 540 Alien Research)
Equipment: 4x UFO Power Sources, 4x UFO Flight Computers
Missions: Hunt, Bomb
Alien Count: 11-15 Crash; also, +4 aliens at AR > 360; plus, a command pod of 3 outsiders (before ABA) / 2-3 aliens (after ABA);

Well armored and well armed, this aptly named UFO will annihilate unprepared interceptors. Usually appearing during the second month, the Destroyer requires a concerted effort to bring down, and while it's not impossible it is usually not worth the risk early on. As the Destroyer is well-armored, Stingray Missiles will be more effective than Avalanche Missiles - though higher tier weapons such as the Phoenix Coilgun or Laser Cannon should be used if available. Interceptor Upgrade Projects are essential to ensuring swift and effective takedowns - otherwise a full contingent of unupgraded interceptors may be required, and doing so will most likely mean that there are no interceptors left to defend the continent's airspace for several weeks.

Destroyers never land. They must be shot down for alien materials to be salvaged. Their internal structure is based on the Overseer UFO, rather than the vanilla Large Scout (sans the Ethereal Device): a high-value target to raid for Elerium resources of a Transport, with the enemy numbers of a Raider.

Overseer

Firepower: Very High (1x Double Plasma, 1x Single Plasma)
Armor Penetration: +25
Durability: High (2500)
Armor: Very Heavy (40)
Equipment: 4x UFO Power Sources, 4x UFO Flight Computers
Missions: Infiltrate, Retaliate, Command Overwatch

Functions nearly the same as in vanilla, and still roughly tied with the Battleship as the hardest to take down. At minimum, an experienced Firestorm with EMP Cannons and all three modules used, may have a chance of taking it down in lower difficulties. In harder difficulties, 2-3 Firestorms will be needed, along with a score of modules each.

One thing to keep in mind is that additional Overseers can appear, as opposed to it being a one-time plot event. Given the risk/challenge of shooting this craft down, compared to the material rewards, one may wish to ignore these additional Overseers.

Overseers never land. They must be shot down for alien materials to be salvaged.

Large UFOs

Abductor

Firepower: High (1x Double Plasma) / (1x Double Plasma, 1x Single Plasma - upgrade - 390 Alien Research)
Armor Penetration: +2
Durability: High (4000)
Armor: Heavy (30)
Equipment: 2x UFO Power Sources, 4x UFO Flight Computers, 6x Alien Stasis Tanks, 2x Alien Surgeries
Missions: Research, Abduction
Alien Count: 13-20 Crash, 18-25 Landing, or 28-45 Trap; also, +5 aliens at AR > 360; plus, a command pod of 4 outsiders (before ABA) / 3-5 aliens (after ABA);

These UFO's will pop up randomly and fly towards a country, though you won't be able to take these on during the early stages of the war. You'll need some experienced pilots in upgraded interceptors, equipped with high tier weaponry, such as Laser Cannons or Plasma Cannons to have a fighting chance. It is somewhat possible to take them down with 1 interceptor, with generous Module use, luck, and about 20 seconds of sustained Phoenix Coilgun fire.

However, they can be avoided, as they will not go after satellites or go on bombing runs over cities. Abductors are almost exclusively used for either Abduction or Research missions, so they will almost always either land or spawn an abduction mission, either way allowing you to thwart its mission with a ground assault.

It is significantly harder to shoot down an Abductor than it is to let it land and then handle the Abduction mission (in countries with lower levels of panic, at least). Also keep in mind that you have a very narrow window to take one down, as they head straight for their Abduction target, so it is unlikely you'll have time to send two craft: this UFO is what you want the boosters to extend engagement time for, even at the risk of greater damage to one craft. The reward for shooting down and successfully assaulting one of these crafts are plenty, but the difference between the credits received from salvage versus the Council reward for the Abduction mission can be minimal, so only shoot it down if you really want the alloys and elerium, or can easily afford the damage to your interceptors.

Harvester

Firepower: Moderate (1x Double Plasma)
Armor Penetration: +3
Durability: High (6000)
Armor: Moderate (20)
Equipment: 2x UFO Power Sources, 4x UFO Flight Computers, 6x Alien Stasis Tanks, 3x Alien Surgeries
Missions: Harvest
Alien Count: 13-20 Crash, 18-25 Landing, or 28-45 Trap; also, +5 at AR > 360; plus, a command pod of 4 outsiders (before ABA) / 3-5 aliens (after ABA); .

These UFOs sometimes pass through airspace with a satellite during the early stages of the war. Like Abductors, going against one early is a very unwise decision as it can decimate interceptors rather quickly, and you'll want experienced pilots in well-equipped interceptors to have a good chance of taking them down. These UFO's fly around and gather materials, meaning that sometimes there is a chance to assault one while it is landed. During the early months this can be a suicide mission, but if successful, you gain quicker access to higher tiers of weaponry and research, as well as disrupt alien research, making them take longer to research new weapons and armor.

If you can reliably clear out landed ones, but not fast enough to get to the Meld canisters on this lengthy UFO: don't worry. The Elerium and Alloy rewards, as well as the Power Sources and Flight Computers, will probably be more useful to you.

Transport

Firepower: Moderate (1x Double Plasma)
Armor Penetration: +0
Durability: High (5000)
Armor: Heavy (32)
Equipment: 4x UFO Power Sources, 4x UFO Flight Computers, 8x Alien Stasis Tanks, 2x Alien Surgeries
Missions: Harvest, Infiltrate
Alien Count: 22-39 Crash, 28-39 Landing, or 40 Trap; also, +5 aliens at AR > 360, to a maximum of 40 regular aliens; plus, a command pod of 3-6 aliens on a crash / 6 on a landing, plus a possible super monster pod after ABA)

This UFO is functionally identical to the Supply Barge from vanilla, but it has even heavier armor and packs some pretty formidable weaponry. You're liable to have one land long before you can shoot one down; in fact you may see landed Transports even in the first month. Assaulting Transports early game is very risky, but can give your campaign a flying start, both in captured artifacts and denying the aliens resources for their missions.

Terror Ship

Firepower: High (1x Double Plasma) / (1x Double Plasma, 1x Single plasma - upgrade - 390 Alien Research)
Armor Penetration: +0
Durability: High (6000)
Armor: Moderate (25)
Equipment: 4x UFO Power Sources, 4x UFO Flight Computers, 10x Alien Food, 8x Alien Stasis Tanks, 2x Alien Surgeries
Missions: Research, Terrorize
Alien Count: 22-39 Crash, 28-39 Landing, or 40 Trap; also, +5 aliens at AR > 360, to a maximum of 40 regular aliens; plus, a command pod of 3-6 aliens on a crash / 6 on a landing, and a possible super monster pod after ABA

Structurally the same as a Supply Barge, you may encounter these in high-panic continents, but won't be able to take them on until late game. If they don't land, they give advance warning on the location of terror missions, since they do a fly around the target country before the bulk of the alien forces are inserted via an Assault Carrier. Terror Ships that land, on the other hand, are doing Research missions, and can be assaulted for their valuable rewards.

Very Large UFOs

Battleship

Firepower: Very high (1x Fusion Lance)
Armor Penetration: +25
Durability: Very high (9000)
Armor: Heavy (36)
Equipment: 4x UFO Power Sources, 6x UFO Flight Computers, 2x Fusion Cores
Missions: Scout, Hunt, Bomb, Infiltrate
Alien Count: 26-30 Crash; also, +5 aliens at AR > 360); plus, a super monster pod, as well as a command pod of 7 outsiders (before ABA) / 7 aliens (after ABA)

As the name implies, these massive ships are some of the most dangerous craft an interceptor can go against. They are highly armored, and packed to the teeth with weaponry. They sometimes spawn as transports for Terror missions, DON'T engage them early game, since they will one-shot interceptors without upgrades.

They can be taken down with several Firestorms with Plasma or EMP Cannons with max Foundry upgrades and modules. Once you've downed one, you can use the Fusion Cores to build Fusion Lances to make it easier to take down more, but realistically you can win the game more easily than you can build an air force that can routinely take down Battleships.

Assault Carrier

Firepower: Very High (1x Double Plasma, 1x Single Plasma) / (2x Double Plasma - upgrade)
Armor Penetration: +18
Durability: Very High (8000)
Armor: Heavy (28)
Equipment: 4x UFO Power Sources, 6x UFO Flight Computers, 2x Fusion Cores
Missions: Terrorize, Retaliate, Research
Alien Count: 26-30 Crash (+5 aliens at AR > 360), or 38 Land; plus, a super monster pod, as well as a command pod of 7 outsiders (before ABA) / 7 aliens (after ABA)

A variant of the Battleship. It has slightly less firepower and durability. Engage it as you would a Battleship, but it will go down slightly easier. Now try assaulting it and bringing in the goods.

Other UFO Statistics

UFO Bounties

UFOs that sustain excessive damage may be completely destroyed by an attack. In this case, the Council pays a bounty, depending upon the UFO type. Additionally, a small amount of alloys is recovered.

*UFO Bounties*
Type	Cash bounty	Maximum alloys		Average alloys
Type	Cash bounty	With Alien Metallurgy	Without Alien Metallurgy	With Alien Metallurgy	Without Alien Metallurgy
Scout or fighter	100	7	5	4.5	3.5
Destroyer or raider	200	11	7	6.5	4.5
Abductor or harvester	300	14	9	8	5.5
Transport or terror ship	500	17	11	9.5	6.5
Battleship or assault carrier	750	21	13	11.5	7.5
Overseer	500	12	8	7	5

The actual amount of alloys recovered will randomly fall in between 2 and the maximum value, with equal probability for every result.

UFO Weapons

*UFO Weapons*
Item	Hit Chance	Range	Fire Rate	Damage	Armor Pen.
Single Plasma	18/33/48%	Long	1.15	450	0
Double Plasma	25/40/55%	Long	1.25	800	20
Fusion Lance	30/45/60%	Long	1.25	1300	50

UFO Upgrades

All UFOs gain an additional 75 HP, 8 damage and 2 aim (capped at 95% of accuracy) for every 30 points of alien research, to a maximum of 960 points. Some UFOs will also gain upgraded weapons over time.

UFO Armor vs Damage Penetration

Raw formula:

Penetration = Ship Armor Penetration + Weapon Armor Penetration
Mitigation = Clamp(5% * (Armor - Penetration), 0%, 95%)
Damage = Damage * (100% - Mitigation)

The above formula for armor damage reduction can be summed up as 5% * (Armor - Penetration) with a low cap of 0 and a high cap of 95%. The formula allows for ships AND weapons to have armor penetration that stacks. Thus the same weapons will cause different amounts of damage when mounted on different UFOs.

A comparison of high end weapons against a Battleship gives an idea of various weapons effectiveness against heavily armored targets... note that alien research increases UFO health steadily over the course of the game so these "minimum" number of hits would only be true during the first month of the game.

Battleship: 5000 base health (+75 per 30 alien research), 36 armor

Plasma Cannon: 650 dmg, 22 pen, RoF 1.00/s, Balanced Accuracy 40%

Damage reduction per hit .05(36 - 22) = .7 or 70%... actual damage per hit becomes 195, or a minimum of 26 hits per battleship. Requiring an average of 65.0 seconds of firing to score 26 hits at 40% accuracy, RoF 1/s. As accuracy increases time-to-kill on the UFO reduces towards a minimum of 26 seconds with 100% accuracy (95% accuracy is the maximum for Plasma Cannons).

EMP Cannon: 310 dmg, 30 pen, RoF 0.55/s, Balanced Accuracy 30%

Damage reduction per hit .05(36 - 30) = .3 or 30%... actual damage per hit becomes 217, or a minimum of 24 hits per battleship. Requiring an estimated of 44.0 seconds of firing to score 24 hits at 30% accuracy, RoF .55/s. As accuracy increases time-to-kill on the UFO reduces towards a minimum of 13.2 seconds with 100% accuracy (85% accuracy is the maximum for EMP Cannons).

Fusion Lance: 1200 dmg, 26 pen, RoF 1.25/s, Balanced Accuracy 30%

Damage reduction per hit .05(36 - 26) = .5 or 50%... actual damage per hit becomes 600, or a minimum of 07 hits per battleship. Requiring an estimated of 29.2 seconds of firing to score 7 hits at 30% accuracy, RoF 1.25/s. As accuracy increases time-to-kill on the UFO reduces towards a minimum of 8.75 seconds with 100% accuracy (85% accuracy is the maximum for Fusion Lances).

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{CheckOutdated (Long War)|1.0}}
-<div style="float:right">{{Header (Long War)}}__TOC__</div>
+{{Header (Long War)}}<div class="floatright">__TOC__</div>
-'''UFOs''' come in a variety of different sizes and configuration, and knowing what works well against what UFO can make the difference between victory and defeat. Below is a short general description of the types of UFOs that the player can encounter in the Long war. Unlike Vanilla, Long War UFOs get better over time. Just as the player researches and upgrades their interceptors, the Aliens upgrade their UFOs. This means that new tactics need to be employed during later stages of the game, as Late game UFOs can vary wildly from Early game UFO of the same type.
+'''UFOs''' come in a variety of different sizes and configuration, and knowing what works well against what UFO can make the difference between victory and defeat. Below is a short general description of the types of UFOs that the player can encounter in the Long war. Unlike Vanilla, Long War UFOs get better over time. Just as the player researches and upgrades their interceptors, the Aliens upgrade their UFOs. This means that new tactics need to be employed during later stages of the game, as late game UFOs can vary wildly from Early game UFO of the same type.
-It is also important to note that a new 'UFO Analysis' Research will become available after raiding a crashed or landed UFO, matching the type of the UFO. Once this Analysis project is completed, your interceptors will have better chances of quickly taking down UFOs of the same type in future. This is essential if you intend to engage the tougher craft more than once!
+It is also important to note that a new ''UFO Analysis'' Research will become available after raiding a crashed or landed UFO, matching the type of the UFO. Once this Analysis project is completed, your interceptors will have better chances of quickly taking down UFOs of the same type in future. This is essential if you intend to engage the tougher craft more than once!
 <br clear="both">
 ==Small UFOs==
@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 '''Armor''': None (0)<br>
 '''Equipment''': 1x UFO Power Source, 2x UFO Flight Computers<br>
-'''Missions''': Scout, Research, Harvest
+'''Missions''': Scout, Research, Harvest<br>
+'''Alien Count''': 5-11 ''Crash'', 9-11 ''Landing'', or 20-23 ''Trap''; also, +3 aliens at [[Alien_Research_(Long_War)|AR]] > 360; plus, a command pod of 1 outsider (before [[Missions_(Long_War)#Alien_Base_Assault|ABA]]) / 2 outsiders (after [[Missions_(Long_War)#Alien_Base_Assault|ABA]])
-These will be the first UFO's that the player will encounter. They will start appearing during the first half of the first month and continue to show up throughout the game. Scouts are unarmored and lightly armed, but fast moving, meaning that the interception window is very small. They are, at least, easily (for as easy at it gets in Long War) shot down by interceptors. Although they give very little in terms of alloys and elerium, they offer a great opportunity to train new soldiers, '''Avalanche Missiles''' work well against this type of UFO.
+These will be the first UFO's that the player will encounter. They will start appearing during the first half of the first month and continue to show up throughout the game. Scouts are unarmored and lightly armed, but fast moving, meaning that the interception window is very small; expect to have to send 2-3 interceptors after Scouts on Aggression, at least in the early months when Interceptor accuracy and damage is low. Although they give very little in terms of alloys and elerium, they offer a great opportunity to train up rookie soldiers throughout the early months, as the presence of certain high level enemies (in this case, the guaranteed Outsider pod) grants the squad bonus XP; this is just enough to grant them a level to Specialist without needing to obtain any kills, assuming no soldiers die on the mission.
-As the war progresses, it is sometimes wiser to let Scouts fly away and save interceptors for bigger, more important interception targets.
+You can use Scouts to train up your lower-ranked interceptor pilots throughout the game. They are, at least, easily shot down by interceptors; 3 unupgraded, unpromoted interceptors on Aggressive has almost a 100% chance to down a Scout in the early months. The first two should always be armed with [[Air Combat (Long War)#Interceptor Weapons|Avalanche Missiles]]; if a third interception is necessary and the UFO is highly damaged, arm the third UFO with Stingrays to minimize the chance of accidentally destroying the UFO.
 ===Fighter===
@@ Line 27: / Line 28: @@
 '''Armor''': Light (12)<br>
 '''Equipment''': 1x UFO Power Source, 2x UFO Flight Computers<br>
-'''Missions''': Hunt, Bomb
+'''Missions''': Hunt, Bomb<br>
+'''Alien Count''': 3-9 ''Crash''; also, +3 aliens at [[Alien_Research_(Long_War)|AR]] > 360; plus, a command pod of 1 outsider (before [[Missions_(Long_War)#Alien_Base_Assault|ABA]]) / 2 outsiders (after [[Missions_(Long_War)#Alien_Base_Assault|ABA]]);
-These UFOs appear during the first month and the can be recognized by a purple strobe emanating from their blip. Unlike the Scout, the Fighter can pose a serious threat to interceptors. As they are armored, it is highly advised to use '''Stingray Missiles''' to punch through their armor. If a Fighter is in high orbit, it is likely searching for a country's satellite, therefore it is a good idea to check its altitude before deciding to engage a fighter or not. As the war progresses, Fighters become much more dangerous towards interceptors, with increases to armor and a much faster fire rate, making them a nightmare to shoot down in the later stages of the war.
+These UFOs appear during the first month and can be recognized by a purple strobe emanating from their blip. They have slightly more health and slightly more armor than Scouts; enough armor, in fact, to make ''Stingray Missiles'' the optimal choice in the early months. Unlike the Scout, the Fighter poses a more serious threat to interceptors, not only due to its higher base armor penetration but also because it gains significantly more damage as it's research progresses, gaining a second Plasma Cannon after the first year is nearly complete. A Fighter in high orbit will be targeting your satellites, so aggressively engage it with [[Air Combat (Long War)#Interceptor Weapons|Stingrays]] or [[Air Combat (Long War)#Interceptor Weapons|Phoenix Cannons]] if you can, to down it or at least damage it enough to dissuade it from returning.
-Fighters never land. They must be shot down for alien materials to be salvaged.
+Fighters never land. They must be shot down for alien materials to be salvaged. They also have significantly less aliens overall than Scouts, with as few as 4 total; a crashed Fighter in March or April is a perfect opportunity to train up a bunch of rookies, so long as you're prepared for the [[Alien Life Forms (Long War)#Outsider|Outsider]].
 ==Medium UFOs==
@@ Line 41: / Line 43: @@
 '''Armor''': Very light (5)<br>
 '''Equipment''': 2x UFO Power Sources, 4x UFO Flight Computers<br>
-'''Missions''': Scout, Research, Harvest, Hunt
+'''Missions''': Scout, Research, Harvest, Hunt<br>
+'''Alien Count''': 11-15 ''Crash'', 15-20 ''Landing'', or 24-36 ''Trap''; also, +4 aliens at [[Alien_Research_(Long_War)|AR]] > 360; plus, a command pod of 2 outsiders (before [[Missions_(Long_War)#Alien_Base_Assault|ABA]]) / 2-3 aliens (after [[Missions_(Long_War)#Alien_Base_Assault|ABA]]);
-These UFOs usually start appearing during the latter half of the first month. Tougher and better armored than the Scout, the Raider serves a similar purpose. With a larger chassis and bigger guns, several interceptors are required to reliably bring one down. Both '''Avalanche and Stingray Missiles''' work well against this UFO. Raiders are a good way to gather alloys and elerium, as the crew contingent is rather small.
+These UFOs usually start appearing during the latter half of the first month. Tougher and better armored than the Scout, the Raider serves a similar purpose, though their higher damage output puts you at much greater risk of losing Interceptors to critical hits. With a larger chassis and bigger guns, several interceptors are required to reliably bring one down, though a Raider is slow enough in the air that it will typically stick around long enough to be engaged by the 4 interceptors you'll likely need to down this beast. Both [[Air Combat (Long War)#Interceptor Weapons|Avalanche]] and [[Air Combat (Long War)#Interceptor Weapons|Stingray]] Missiles work equally as effectively against this UFO, though Stingrays are much less variable and [[Air Combat (Long War)#Interceptor Weapons|Phoenix Cannons]], if available, are the better choice. Raiders are a good way to gather Alloys and Elerium, as the crew contingent is rather small.
 ===Destroyer===
@@ Line 52: / Line 55: @@
 '''Armor''': Moderate (18)/(High (32) - ''upgrade - 540 Alien Research'')<br>
 '''Equipment''': 4x UFO Power Sources, 4x UFO Flight Computers<br>
-'''Missions''': Hunt, Bomb
+'''Missions''': Hunt, Bomb<br>
+'''Alien Count''': 11-15 ''Crash''; also, +4 aliens at [[Alien_Research_(Long_War)|AR]] > 360; plus, a command pod of 3 outsiders (before [[Missions_(Long_War)#Alien_Base_Assault|ABA]]) / 2-3 aliens (after [[Missions_(Long_War)#Alien_Base_Assault|ABA]]);
 Well armored and well armed, this aptly named UFO will annihilate unprepared interceptors. Usually appearing during the second month, the Destroyer requires a concerted effort to bring down, and while it's not impossible it is usually not worth the risk early on. As the Destroyer is well-armored, Stingray Missiles will be more effective than Avalanche Missiles - though higher tier weapons such as the Phoenix Coilgun or Laser Cannon should be used if available. Interceptor Upgrade Projects are essential to ensuring swift and effective takedowns - otherwise a full contingent of unupgraded interceptors may be required, and doing so will most likely mean that there are no interceptors left to defend the continent's airspace for several weeks.
@@ Line 65: / Line 69: @@
 '''Armor''': Very Heavy (40)<br>
 '''Equipment''': 4x UFO Power Sources, 4x UFO Flight Computers<br>
-'''Missions''': Retaliate, Oversee
+'''Missions''': Infiltrate, Retaliate, Command Overwatch<br>
-Functions nearly the same as in Vanilla, and still roughly tied with the Battleship as the hardest to take down. At minimum, an experienced Firestorm with EMP cannons and all three modules used, may have a chance of taking it down in lower difficulties. In harder difficulties, 2-3 Firestorms will be needed, along with a score of modules each.
+Functions nearly the same as in vanilla, and still roughly tied with the Battleship as the hardest to take down. At minimum, an experienced Firestorm with EMP Cannons and all three modules used, may have a chance of taking it down in lower difficulties. In harder difficulties, 2-3 Firestorms will be needed, along with a score of modules each.
 One thing to keep in mind is that additional Overseers can appear, as opposed to it being a one-time plot event. Given the risk/challenge of shooting this craft down, compared to the material rewards, one may wish to ignore these additional Overseers.
@@ Line 81: / Line 85: @@
 '''Armor''': Heavy (30)<br>
 '''Equipment''': 2x UFO Power Sources, 4x UFO Flight Computers, 6x Alien Stasis Tanks, 2x Alien Surgeries<br>
-'''Missions''': Research, Abduction
+'''Missions''': Research, Abduction<br>
+'''Alien Count''': 13-20 ''Crash'', 18-25 ''Landing'', or 28-45 ''Trap''; also, +5 aliens at [[Alien_Research_(Long_War)|AR]] > 360; plus, a command pod of 4 outsiders (before [[Missions_(Long_War)#Alien_Base_Assault|ABA]]) / 3-5 aliens (after [[Missions_(Long_War)#Alien_Base_Assault|ABA]]);
-These UFO's will pop up randomly and fly towards a country, though you won't be able to take these on during the early stages of the war. You'll need some experienced pilots in upgraded interceptors, equipped with high tier weaponry, such as Laser Cannons or Plasma Cannons to have a fighting chance. It is somewhat possible to take them down with 1 interceptor, with generous Module use, luck, and about 20 seconds of sustained Phoenix Coilgun fire.
+These UFO's will pop up randomly and fly towards a country, though you won't be able to take these on during the early stages of the war. You'll need some experienced pilots in upgraded interceptors, equipped with high tier weaponry, such as [[Air Combat (Long War)#Interceptor Weapons|Laser Cannons]] or [[Air Combat (Long War)#Interceptor Weapons|Plasma Cannons]] to have a fighting chance. It is somewhat possible to take them down with 1 interceptor, with generous [[Air Combat (Long War)#Modules|Module]] use, luck, and about 20 seconds of sustained [[Foundry (Long War)#Aerospace Improvements|Phoenix Coilgun]] fire.
-However, they can be avoided, as they will not go after satellites or go on bombing runs over cities. Abductors are almost exclusively used for either abduction or research missions, so they will almost always either land or spawn an abduction mission, either way allowing you to thwart its mission with a ground assault.
+However, they can be avoided, as they will not go after satellites or go on [[Alien Missions (Long War)#Bomb|bombing runs]] over cities. Abductors are almost exclusively used for either Abduction or Research missions, so they will almost always either land or spawn an abduction mission, either way allowing you to thwart its mission with a ground assault.
-It is significantly harder to shoot down an Abductor than it is to let it land and then handle the abduction mission (in countries with lower levels of panic, at least). Also keep in mind that you have a very narrow window to take one down, as they head straight for their Abduction target, so it is unlikely you'll have time to send two craft: this UFO is what you want the boosters to extend engagement time for, even at the risk of greater damage to one craft. The reward for shooting down and successfully assaulting one of these crafts are plenty, but the difference between the credits received from salvage versus the Council reward for the abduction mission can be minimal, so only shoot it down if you really want the alloys and elerium, or can easily afford the damage to your interceptors.
+It is significantly harder to shoot down an Abductor than it is to let it land and then handle the Abduction mission (in countries with lower levels of panic, at least). Also keep in mind that you have a very narrow window to take one down, as they head straight for their Abduction target, so it is unlikely you'll have time to send two craft: this UFO is what you want the boosters to extend engagement time for, even at the risk of greater damage to one craft. The reward for shooting down and successfully assaulting one of these crafts are plenty, but the difference between the credits received from salvage versus the Council reward for the Abduction mission can be minimal, so only shoot it down if you really want the alloys and elerium, or can easily afford the damage to your interceptors.
 ===Harvester===
@@ Line 95: / Line 100: @@
 '''Durability''': High (6000)<br>
 '''Armor''': Moderate (20)<br>
-'''Equipment''': 2x UFO Power Sources, 4x UFO Flight Computers, 6x Alien Stasis Tanks, 2x Alien Surgeries<br>
+'''Equipment''': 2x UFO Power Sources, 4x UFO Flight Computers, 6x Alien Stasis Tanks, 3x Alien Surgeries<br>
-'''Missions''': Harvest
+'''Missions''': Harvest<br>
+'''Alien Count''': 13-20 ''Crash'', 18-25 ''Landing'', or 28-45 ''Trap''; also, +5 at [[Alien_Research_(Long_War)|AR]] > 360; plus, a command pod of 4 outsiders (before [[Missions_(Long_War)#Alien_Base_Assault|ABA]]) / 3-5 aliens (after [[Missions_(Long_War)#Alien_Base_Assault|ABA]]); .
 These UFOs sometimes pass through airspace with a satellite during the early stages of the war. Like Abductors, going against one early is a very unwise decision as it can decimate interceptors rather quickly, and you'll want experienced pilots in well-equipped interceptors to have a good chance of taking them down. These UFO's fly around and gather materials, meaning that sometimes there is a chance to assault one while it is landed. During the early months this can be a suicide mission, but if successful, you gain quicker access to higher tiers of weaponry and research, as well as disrupt alien research, making them take longer to research new weapons and armor.
-If you can reliably clear out landed ones, but not fast enough to get to the Meld canisters on this lengthy UFO: don't worry. As that if you are doing ''this'' well; the canisters will only have 3 Meld each at this point. The elerium and alloy supplies will probably be more useful to you.
+If you can reliably clear out landed ones, but not fast enough to get to the Meld canisters on this lengthy UFO: don't worry. The Elerium and Alloy rewards, as well as the [[Alien Artifacts (Long War)#Alien devices|Power Sources]] and [[Alien Artifacts (Long War)#Alien devices|Flight Computers]], will probably be more useful to you.
 ===Transport===
 <div style="background:#333333">[[Image: UFO-Analysis_Transport.png|center|128x64px]]</div>
-'''Firepower:''' High (1x Double Plasma)<br>
+'''Firepower:''' Moderate (1x Double Plasma)<br>
 '''Armor Penetration:''' +0 <br>
 '''Durability:''' High (5000)<br>
 '''Armor:''' Heavy (32)<br>
-'''Equipment''': 4x UFO Power Sources, 4x UFO Flight Computers, 10x Alien Food, 8x Alien Stasis Tanks, 2x Alien Surgeries<br>
+'''Equipment''': 4x UFO Power Sources, 4x UFO Flight Computers, 8x Alien Stasis Tanks, 2x Alien Surgeries<br>
-'''Missions''': Harvest, Infiltrate
+'''Missions''': Harvest, Infiltrate<br>
+'''Alien Count''': 22-39 ''Crash'', 28-39 ''Landing'', or 40 ''Trap''; also, +5 aliens at [[Alien_Research_(Long_War)|AR]] > 360, to a maximum of 40 regular aliens; plus, a command pod of 3-6 aliens on a crash / 6 on a landing, plus a possible super monster pod after [[Missions_(Long_War)#Alien_Base_Assault|ABA]])
-This UFO is functionally identical to the Supply Barge, but it has even heavier armor and packs some pretty formidable weaponry. You're liable to have one land long before you can shoot one down; in fact you may see landed Transports even in the first month. Assaulting Transports early game is very risky, but can give your campaign a flying start, both in captured artifacts and denying the aliens resources for their missions.
+This UFO is functionally identical to the Supply Barge from vanilla, but it has even heavier armor and packs some pretty formidable weaponry. You're liable to have one land long before you can shoot one down; in fact you may see landed Transports even in the first month. Assaulting Transports early game is very risky, but can give your campaign a flying start, both in captured artifacts and denying the aliens resources for their missions.
 ===Terror Ship===
@@ Line 120: / Line 127: @@
 '''Armor:''' Moderate (25)<br>
 '''Equipment''': 4x UFO Power Sources, 4x UFO Flight Computers, 10x Alien Food, 8x Alien Stasis Tanks, 2x Alien Surgeries<br>
-'''Missions''': Research, Terrorize
+'''Missions''': Research, Terrorize<br>
+'''Alien Count''': 22-39 ''Crash'', 28-39 ''Landing'', or 40 ''Trap''; also, +5 aliens at [[Alien_Research_(Long_War)|AR]] > 360, to a maximum of 40 regular aliens; plus, a command pod of 3-6 aliens on a crash / 6 on a landing, and a possible super monster pod after [[Missions_(Long_War)#Alien_Base_Assault|ABA]]
-Structurally the same as a Supply Barge, you may encounter these in high-panic continents, but won't be able to take them on until late game. If you wish to try your luck, let UFOs on Harvest missions go unimpeded, and eventually they'll be sent out. As they are the precursors to Terror Missions expect large numbers of high-level enemies even if you bring it down.
+Structurally the same as a Supply Barge, you may encounter these in high-panic continents, but won't be able to take them on until late game. If they don't land, they give advance warning on the location of terror missions, since they do a fly around the target country before the bulk of the alien forces are inserted via an [[UFOs (Long War)#Assault Carrier|Assault Carrier]]. Terror Ships that land, on the other hand, are doing [[Alien Missions (Long War)#Research|Research]] missions, and can be assaulted for their valuable rewards.
 ==Very Large UFOs==
@@ Line 132: / Line 140: @@
 '''Armor''': Heavy (36)<br>
 '''Equipment''': 4x UFO Power Sources, 6x UFO Flight Computers, 2x Fusion Cores<br>
-'''Missions''': Scout, Hunt, Bomb, Infiltrate
+'''Missions''': Scout, Hunt, Bomb, Infiltrate<br>
+'''Alien Count''': 26-30 ''Crash''; also, +5 aliens at [[Alien_Research_(Long_War)|AR]] > 360); plus, a super monster pod, as well as a command pod of 7 outsiders (before [[Missions_(Long_War)#Alien_Base_Assault|ABA]]) / 7 aliens (after [[Missions_(Long_War)#Alien_Base_Assault|ABA]])
-As the name implies, these massive ships are some of the most dangerous craft an interceptor can go against. They are highly armored, and packed to the teeth with weaponry. They sometimes spawn as transports for terror missions, DON'T engage them early game, since they will one-shot interceptors without upgrades.
+As the name implies, these massive ships are some of the most dangerous craft an interceptor can go against. They are highly armored, and packed to the teeth with weaponry. They sometimes spawn as transports for Terror missions, DON'T engage them early game, since they will one-shot interceptors without upgrades.
-They can be taken down with several Firestorms with Plasma or EMP Cannons with max foundry upgrades and consumables. Once you've downed one, you can use the fusion cores to build Fusion Lances to make it easier to take down more, but realistically you can win the game more easily than you can build an air force that can routinely take down battleships.
+They can be taken down with several Firestorms with Plasma or EMP Cannons with max Foundry upgrades and modules. Once you've downed one, you can use the [[Alien Artifacts (Long War)#Alien devices|Fusion Cores]] to build [[Air Combat (Long War)#Interceptor Weapons|Fusion Lances]] to make it easier to take down more, but realistically you can win the game more easily than you can build an air force that can routinely take down Battleships.
 ===Assault Carrier===
@@ Line 145: / Line 154: @@
 '''Armor''': Heavy (28)<br>
 '''Equipment''': 4x UFO Power Sources, 6x UFO Flight Computers, 2x Fusion Cores<br>
-'''Missions''': Terrorize, Retaliate, Research
+'''Missions''': Terrorize, Retaliate, Research<br>
+'''Alien Count''': 26-30 ''Crash'' (+5 aliens at [[Alien_Research_(Long_War)|AR]] > 360), or 38 ''Land''; plus, a super monster pod, as well as a command pod of 7 outsiders (before [[Missions_(Long_War)#Alien_Base_Assault|ABA]]) / 7 aliens (after [[Missions_(Long_War)#Alien_Base_Assault|ABA]])
-A variant of the Battleship. It has slightly less firepower and durability in exchange for more aliens on the craft itself. Engage it as you would a Battleship, but it will go down ''slightly'' easier. Now try assaulting it and bringing in the goods. Godspeed, soldier.
+A variant of the Battleship. It has slightly less firepower and durability. Engage it as you would a Battleship, but it will go down ''slightly'' easier. Now try assaulting it and bringing in the goods.
 ==Other UFO Statistics==
 ===UFO Bounties===
-UFOs that sustain excessive damage may be completely destroyed by an attack. In this case, the council pays a bounty, depending upon the UFO type. Additionally, a small amount of alloys is recovered.
+UFOs that sustain excessive damage may be completely destroyed by an attack. In this case, the Council pays a bounty, depending upon the UFO type. Additionally, a small amount of alloys is recovered.
 {| class="wikitable"