Viper (XCOM2)

Description

Since the original invasion, the role of an infiltration unit became less important, and when infiltrators were needed, the shapeshifting Faceless were a great improvement on the uncanny Thin Men. As such, attempts to hide their true nature ceased, and they were allowed to return to their original, snakelike genome. The Viper appears to be a female variant of the original Snake Men from the classic series, which may explain their different behaviour and abilities.

Vipers begin to appear around the second month of the game. They serve a variety of combat roles, making their actions somewhat unpredictable. They are also the first enemy fielded to benefit from Dodge, which combined with their good HP, leaves them somewhat difficult to take down quickly.

Abilities

Vipers have three noteworthy abilities, as well as their standard plasma weapon attacks.

Viper Abilities

Ability	Description
Pull	Attempts to pull a single human adjacent to the Viper.
Bind	Isolates a single enemy in a grapple, damaging them and disabling them until the Viper is disrupted.
Acid Spit	Spits a cloud of acid that damages over time, as well as reducing the victims aim and mobility.

Tactics

Vipers are a dangerous enemy when first encountered, as a Pull can result in quick death for a soldier before the squad has Predator Armor. Using grenades to destroy a Vipers cover and focusing fire is often effective, but can be difficult if Shock Lancers are also in the pod.