XCOM: Enemy Within DLC (EU2012)

On August 21st, Producer 2K revealed during Gamescom 2013 a new expansion/DLC for XCOM: Enemy Unknown called XCOM: Enemy Within. It will be available also for consoles and has a release date of November 12th, 2013 on the US, and November 15th internationally. There are more surprises coming according to the producers other than what's revealed so far.

A list of details of was revealed on August 21st on this video, along with these articles from Polygon and IGN. For the latest details check the official Enemy Within FAQ thread on the 2K's forums [1]. For what looks like a tutorial on the various new components see [2]

PC/Console Versions

• The PC version will cost 30$ and the Console 40$.
• The PC will be sold as traditional DLC through Steam but the console owners will have to buy the Commander's Edition, consisting of Enemy Unknown, plus the Elite Soldier Pack, Slingshot and Enemy Within DLCs.
• Currently Firaxis has no plans to launch Enemy Within for iOS, due to the already large file size of the original game for the device.

The Meld

• The Meld is a new alien resource that will be present in containers on several maps (Abductions and UFOs).
• Meld is composed of organic nanomachines and needs to be researched (Meld Recombination) to be used.
• All the Abductions and UFO maps have been redesigned to include 2 Meld canisters. [3]
• The 2 Meld canisters need to be captured during a certain timeframe, otherwise they will self-destruct forcing a player to move swiftly to find and capture them. 1 canister will be located on a location easy to reach, another in a hard location. The canisters can be hidden to force a player to look for them.
  • Additionally, the Canisters are reported to spawn once per applicable map per playthrough: there will only be a certain number of canisters in a given campaign.
• When Meld canisters self-destruct they will explode and cause damage to any player units nearby. [4]
• Meld canisters can be destroyed with explosives. [5]
• When you kill all alien on a mission you'll automatically recover any unexploded Meld containers, including still hidden ones, according to a Rock, Paper, Shotgun interview.
• The Meld can be used to create either Mech Troopers (a new class) or to genetically increase any class abilities (including Mechs).
  • In consideration of the limited number of Canisters, it's also been revealed that this leads to a choice of quality vs quantity for how you will spend the upgrades.
• The Meld also brings 2 newbase facilities: Genetics Labs and Cybernetics Labs. There's also a mention about a "single, very low-cost new tech to power both" on this interview. The Cybernetics Labs count as workshops for adjacency bonus.
• Overuse of Meld may 'corrupt' your soldiers.
• There will be a small tutorial to show how Meld works.

• 

  Meld Canister with 5 turns remaining

• 

  Meld Molecule

Gene Mods

• Emblem translation (Lit): "Change to Protect" (To bring change to the custodian)
• Alien Autopsies will reveal genetic modifications ("Gene Mods") for your soldiers.
• Gene Mods can apply to the following categories: Brain, Eyes, Chest, Skin, Legs, with 2 options available for each (and that can be swapped at a cost)
• Brain: Neural Feedback (damages an alien attempting mind control but doesn't reduce its chance) or Neural Damping (soldier immune to panic, becomes unconscious if enemy manages to MC it).
• Legs: Muscle Fiber (a soldier can climb walls without a Skeleton Suit) or Adaptive Bone Marrow (limited health regeneration for wounded soldiers).
• Chest: a double heart ability to protect your soldiers from death (they become critically injured instead and don't lose Will) or Adrenal Neurosympathy: soldier gives bonus to rest of squad when he kills an alien.
• Skin: Bioelectric Skin (allows a player to detect unseen aliens) and Mimetic Skin a type of stealth skin that turns your soldiers invisible.
• Eyes: Hyper Reactive Pupils: gives +10 Aim to a 2nd shot, if the 1st misses or Depth Perception (Height Advantage confers an additional +5 Aim and 5+ critical chance).
• Modded soldiers have a different appearance than regular soldiers, with less armor being shown.

• 

  Gene Mods

• 

  Modded Soldier

Mech Trooper

• Emblem translation: "Warrior in the Machine"
• Mech Troopers can be created from any soldier above rookie rank, but they'll lose all abilities they previously had. For example, if player sacrifices a sergeant-ranked soldier, he/she would get sergeant-ranked MEC, along with the ability to purchase skills from the first three ranks.
• According to the developers Mechs are very expensive to purchase.
• Mechs can't use Cover (and they can't be flanked). This mean that they probably have the Hardened ability present on SHIVs and alien robotic units that gives increased protection against critical hits.
• As per GameSpot article, Mech Troopers get monotone, Robocop-esque voice.

MEC Suits and Weapons

• Mech Troopers have the Mechanized Exoskeleton Cybersuit or MEC Suit which can be damaged and need to be repaired.
• There are 3 tiers of MEC Suits which can be customized, each unlocks a new weapon and the choice between two new tactical subsystems, allowing for 8 different builds of MEC Suits [6]:
  • Warden (Tier I):
    • Primary Weapon: Minigun
    • Tactical Subsystems: Kinetic Strike Module, aka 'Rocket Punch' which allows to punch aliens in the face, dealing 12 damage points, or the Flamethrower (deals 6 damage on an arc);
  • Sentinel (Tier II) - requires UFO Power Source research:
    • Primary Weapon: Railgun
    • Tactical Subsystems: Tactical subsystems: Grenade Launcher or Restorative Mist;
  • Paladin (Tier III):
    • Primary Weapon: Particle Cannon
    • Tactical Subsystems: Proximity Mines (which are smart not to detonate upon friendly units) or the Electropulse (electric charge that can disable enemy robotic units).

Mech Abilities

• Mech's skill tree is divided into two categories: Fire Support (offense) and Survivability (defense)
• The starting Mech ability (also called Base Augments) depends on the former class of the converted soldier. The following distribution is based on the abilities icons on this video [7] and other references:
  • Assault: "more resistant to close combat damage" [8];
  • Heavy: Shock-Absorbent Armor (no description so far);
  • Sniper: Platform Stability, which grants it additional damage to any shots fired during a turn if it doesn't move;
  • Support: Distortion Field that increases defense on nearby squad mates.
• Keep in mind that this distribution doesn't fit with the one shown on this video [9] where the Mech Squaddie only has the Collateral Damage ability. However, it is also possible that this video has some 'demo magic' involved since the German Mech on the previous video has both Shock-Absorbent Armor and Collateral Damage.
• Further base augments gained by promotions include:
  • Collateral Damage allows to target terrain, a high powered firing attack that uses a full clip of ammo;
  • Damage Control (reduces the damage taken for one turn);
  • One For All - Mech becomes high cover until it moves again or uses an arm weapon. This action does not end the MEC's turn;
  • Jump Jets - to reach higher positions;
  • Expanded Storage
  • Advanced Fire Control

• 

  The Mech Trooper

• 

  The MEC Suit

• 

  Burn baby burn

New Enemies

Aliens

Mechtoid

• Aliens also have two confirmed new classes, including the Mechtoid (Sectoid Mech version). The Mechtoid can fire twice in a turn and Sectoids can mind merge with it and give it a 6 damage reducing shield [10](but it won't die if the merger is killed). Mechtoids are immune to the effects of the new Poison Grenade and to the Flamethrower. Mechtoids replace Sectoids as the game progresses.~
• In another post at the 2K forums, Ananda Gupta has revealed more details about the Mechtoid:
  • The shield reduces all incoming weapons damage to the Mechtoid.
  • Killing the Sectoid that is mind merged with the Mechtoid cancels the shield and causes light damage to the mechanized alien.
  • Recovered dead Mechtoids will give 2 alien artifacts: the Sectoid's pilot corpse and 1 Mech Core.
  • Research of the Mech Core gives 2 new Foundry projects: Shaped Armor (adds extra health to Mechs and S.H.I.V.s) and Advanced Servomotors, which increases mobility for these 2 armored units.
  • Killed Mechtoids will also grant small amounts of Meld.

Seeker

The Seeker

• The 2nd new alien is the Seeker and has been revealed on his video [11] to be some sort of a biomechanic floating squid, somewhat similar in concept to TFTD's Tentaculat, that can become invisible to your soldier's eyes.
  • Seekers have a new AI, designed as hit and run units that will use their stealth (aka Cloak) to approach lone soldiers (such as Snipers with Squad Sight) and attack them through a melee attack of strangulation. The victim will not die immediately but will take damage each turn until the Seeker is killed or releases its victim. After a soldier is released from strangulation it will have to catch its breath. Seekers also have a ranged plasma attack.
  • Seekers are immune to the Flamethrower and arrive during April. They can be detected through the Battle Scanner and the Biometric Skin mod. The Cloak depletes during movement, behaving rather like the flight mode of Archangel Armor than the cloak of Ghost Armor.[12]
    • This last characteristic can also flavor mobile squad tactics rather than fighting from a fixed position since it forces Seekers to spend more of their Cloaking ability to approach a soldier and risk running out of cloak upon open sight of your troops. That is, assuming soldiers are running away from the hidden Seeker rather than towards it.
• More details of the Seeker can be found in a post on EW's Developer Blog where Ananda Gupta describes the new alien, including the fact that the Strange ability cannot be used when the Seeker is visable, and it is the only XCOM Enemy that can occupy the same space as another unit

Exalt (New Faction)

• EXALT is a paramilitary secret society that seeks to use alien tech to enrich themselves and gain world domination. EXALT tries to avoid the aliens, but will disrupt XCOM efforts's to fight the aliens. [13]
• EXALT wants the aliens to genetically perfect mankind and sees XCOM as an obstacle to that goal.

Keys to Global Covert Operations

EXALT is a new global threat. They will carry out anti-XCOM operations until you find their base and destroy them,

1. EXALT operates with cells. Initiate covert ops missions to neutralize individual cells. Eliminating those cells will recover intel you will need to locate the EXALT base.
2. EXALT cells are not always visible. Purchase an intel scan to reveal them. Hidden cells can hurt XCOM or the countries they are operating in.

• Revealing EXALT cells will postpone their ability to hurt XCOM operations. Only hidden EXALT cells can conduct operations.
• After a while an exposed EXALT cell will relocate to another country and become hidden.
• Hidden EXALT cellscan conduct 3 types of operations:
  • Propaganda - Increases Panic on the targeted country.
  • Sabotage - Reduces XCOM's money supply.
  • Research Hack - Slow down XCOM's current research.
• Also, if you turn down an Abduction in Africa and there's an EXALT cell on that country then the resulting panic will be further increased.
• Building Labs can provide a guard against Research Hacks.

Keys to Cover Operative Deployment

1. Covert operatives are limited to pistols; pistol tech and Foundry upgrades may be useful.
2. Covert operatives have a powerful in-mission ability. "EXALT Comm Hack". If you can find an EXALT comm array, you covert operative can hack it, disabling all EXALT forces weapons for a short time.
3. Heavy soldiers and MEC Troopers are ineligible for covert ops duty.

• Operatives deploy with no armor and only 1 item slot, but they can be upgraded to 2 item slots if the necessary Foundry upgrade is purchased.

Covert Operations Missions

• There are two types of Covert Missions, with about 10 maps for each type (20 total).
• If the mission is ignored, the operative will be lost.
• There's no Meld in Covert Missions maps.

Cover Extraction

• There will be 4 Transponders, and 2 will have to be hacked by your covert operative (they will be marked on the map).
• EXALT will try to capture Transponders as well, and if they successfully capture 2 the mission will be a failure for XCOM.
• After the operative hacks 2 Transponders it will have to get back to the extraction area.

Covert Data Recovery

1. The covert operative has finished setting up the encoder and transmitter, but EXALT is inbound. Protect the intel assets by eliminating all EXALT forces in the AO.
2. Protect Intel assets (encoder and transmiter). Encoder can be used by EXALT to determine location of the Transmitter. The transmiter is the key of the mission.
3. EXALT Comm Arrays can be hacked by the operative to delay EXALT's operations and slow down their offense.

Mission Results

• Every successful mission where you recover EXALT intel will give a clue about the EXALT HQ.
• Once you get 3 clues you may make an accusation (raid) against a country.
• If the accusation is correct then you'll assault EXALT's base.
• If you're wrong the country will leave the council. You can get additional clues to narrow it to a single country. Some examples of clues:
  • "The EXALT base is not in a English speaking country"
  • "The EXALT base is not in Africa"
• If the mission is a failure the cell will go into hiding into another country.

EXALT forces

• EXALT operates with a similar class structure as XCOM, fielding 4 types of soldiers: Sniper, Heavy, Operative (like Assault) and Medic.
• Later there will be Elite versions of all classes, using additional tech improvements.
• EXALT weaponry will be conventional at first but they will also upgrade their weapons to Laser/Plasma and use GMods to enhance their soldiers.
• EXALT agents can't be captured since they'll suicide with a syringe if hit by an Arc Thrower. Their weapons however can be recovered and used instead of XCOM's models.

Operation Progeny

• In this interview [14], EW's lead designer, Ananda Gupta has confirmed that Progeny, the 2nd planned (and cancelled) DLC, which adds a new Council campaign like Slingshot will be included with Enemy Within.
• Gupta also said that the narrative has suffered changes to adapt it more with the EW expansion.
• It will be possible to toggle between Slingshot or Progeny.
• A character (Annette) is a prisoner and asks for sanctuary to France but it is captured by EXALT. Annette has a special power that makes her interesting to XCOM, the aliens and EXALT.
• If successful Annette can become a soldier that the player can control

• 

  EXALT symbol on the EW trailer

• 

  EXALT Achievement

• 

  Cover Extraction mission

• 

  EXALT Agents

• 

  Covert Extraction

Other Changes

• The official FAQ has confirmed that there will be more 2 more aliens plus "new enemies"[15]. One of the new achievements mentions a "Elite Sniper" and "Elite Medic".
• The first Mech alien was based on the Muton but the idea was dropped because of the alien's already big size.
• According to this interview, Mutons and Sectopods will be also improved to balance the addition of the new features. Sectopod changes have been confirmed in later interview, stating that they get new passive ability which will cut all incoming damage in half.
• Additionally, AI for old enemy types has been slightly tweaked.
• Existing aliens are getting more "death" animations as development team had to create a new set of MEC related death sequences
• Gupta confirmed on this video interview [16] that 'a bunch of enemies will be received'.

Class and Weapons Changes

New Equipment & Foundry Projects

New Grenades

• Needle Grenade (after researching Chryssalid Autopsy), with a big blast radius but doesn't affect enemies in cover.
• Stealth Grenade provides allies with a invisibility paint.
• Flashbang Grenade disorients enemies (severe Aim and movement penalties), robotic units are immune.
• Gas Grenade uses synthesized Thin Man poison, robotic units are immune.

New Items

• Mimic Beacon - can be thrown on the map into a square within the player's moving range. The mimic beacon will send out a signal that tricks aliens into thinking it's human, drawing them towards it and away from any nearby player units. Robot and psi enemies aren't fooled.
• Reaper Rounds gives ballistic weapon a bonus to Critical Hit chance.
• Respirator Implant: new item to protect from Seeker strangulation.

New Foundry Projects

• Sentinel Module gives the SHIV an ability akin to Close Combat Specialist.
• Tactical Rigging - upgrade that gives all classes an additional item slot.
• Shaped Armor - adds extra health to Mechs and S.H.I.V.s. (after Mech Core research)
• Advanced Servomotors- which increases mobility for Mechs and S.H.I.V.s. (after Mech Core research)

Class Abilities Changes

• Assault's Close and Personal now gives a free shot when within 4 tiles of an enemy.
  • You can run up to an enemy shoot it and then run back into cover.
• Support's Covering Fire now fires before the enemy uses its weapon.
• Sniper's Snap Shot aim penalty reduced from -20 to -10.
• Sniper's Squad Sight only gives Critical Damage if Headshot is used.
• Support's Deep Pockets now gives +1 charge to Grenades, Arc Thrower, Medikits or any other item with limited uses.
• Soldier progression has been delayed to balance the new Mechs and GMods.
• HEAT Ammo doesn't double damage, but only adds 50% now.
• SHIVs can also be further upgraded, based on the new Mech abilities.

Gameplay Changes

New Second Wave options

• Training Roulette - After a soldier is assigned to a class and receives the starting ability it will choose afterwards from perks from other classes [17]. This applies only to abilities that are not dependent of class weapons, such as Rockets.
• Save Scum – Saving a game will reset the RNG seed for the shots.
• Aiming Angles – the closer you get to flank an alien, the more its cover bonus declines (works also against your soldiers).
• Itchy Trigger Tentacle - non-cover aliens have a 50% chance of firing or going into Overwatch when discovered.

Tactical Changes

• Non-Cover Aliens (Sectopod, Cyberdisc, Mechtoid) will go on Overwatch when they are activated after the soldier who discovered them has finished moving.
• Critical bonus of stealth attacks reduced from 100 to 30, likely to balance out the stealth grenade.
• Panicked soldiers will have chance to hit decreased, so friendly fire will be less deadly.
• Difficulty in Classic and Impossible modes will be slightly increased, according to the developers. Tech costs have been increased dramatically for both levels. Plasma weapons cost will also be increased on these difficulties [18].
• Alien Starting Areas have been changed. On the Pax Prime video [19] the Outsider starts outside a Small Scout instead of inside.

New Maps

• Maps: Some maps have been "tweaked", some to address exploding car issues and to add Meld containers.
• The old and new maps will be mixed together but the game is set so that you'll see more of the new maps during a gameplay.
• There's two new map settings that deal with crashed UFOs in a destroyed city and in a Farm. There's also a Dam map, most from the cancelled Progeny DLC (which will be included with EW).
• According to this Polish article, there will be 47 new maps.
• Snow covered map is clearly visible on the Polygon video and has been confirmed to be used in the final Progeny mission
• Other maps confirmed by Ananda Gupta during Pax Prime include a bank, ice cream shop, road house, coffee shop and a new truck stop.
• The EXALT demo also revealed a new Tire Shop map and an unnamed rainy outdoors map which looks like a combination of forest and construction environments
• One of images below also shows a snow covered environment.
• Office Paper can now be the site of a terror mission [20].
• There are more ways for soldiers to enter battlefield (for example they can use ropes instead of slowly walking out of Skyranger). It is not known yet whether "entry" animations will be randomized or whether they will be fixed per map.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Bug Fixes

Several issues have been fixed, including Line of Sight.

• Teleporting of aliens has been removed.
• Flanking bugs have been fixed.

Base Defense Mission?

• According to the EXALT "Security Breach" trailer [21], it also seems that EXALT can attack the XCOM base.
• According to Gupta when questioned about Base Defense [22]: "I'm looking forward to talking about that. That's an interesting question.". Gupta also adds: "We have lots of ways that Enemy Within is carried through as a theme.[...] There's lot of ways through which that theme may be realized".

Interface Changes

• There will be an inventory button to strip away all items from Soldiers not in the squad lineup ("Make items available").
• You can now personalize your soldier's voice according to its nationality (French soldiers can speak in French or any other language) using the available audio packs for the current language editions (following languages were confirmed: Spanish, German, Italian, French, Polish, Russian). The personalization applies to soldiers nicknames as well. The game footage released has nicknames such as Tirailleur (French for skirmisher), Unruhe (German for Restless) and Maestro (Italian for Master).
• There's an option to shut up Drs. Vahlen and Shen - Reduced Beginner VO.
• Memorial (place where you see fallen soldiers) will have additional information shown: cause of death.
• A.C. Clarke's quote at the beginning of the game has been replaced with one from the futurist Buckminster Fuller: Those who play with the devil’s toys will be brought by degrees to wield his sword.
• Medals for soldiers will be introduced (confirmed through the new Steam achievements).
• Color customization options now apply also to weapons being carried by the soldier, as well as armor.
  • Mech Troopers have a new customization feature allowing to choose between tiger stripes, flames or spiral decorations.
  • More helmets, armor decos and colors.

Modding

• In one of the interviews there's a mention by the lead designer that they moved more settings to the game's .INI files rather than the Unreal script to help modders.

Multiplayer

• You can now edit your squad on offline mode.
• 8 more maps for Multiplayer.
• Grenades/Rockets and XCOM Rookies cost have been reduced, because they're considered overpriced.

New Steam Achievements

The following achievements were added to Steam on September 13th (link here [23]

Mechs and GMods

• Anger Management

Proc Combat Rush on the entire squad (min. 4)

• Rise of the Machines

Field a squad consisting entirely of augmented soldiers and SHIVs (min. 4) and win the mission

• Mutatis Mutandis

Field a squad where all members have at least two modifications (min. 4) and win the mission

• Mental Minefield

Kill an enemy as it is psionically attacking you in single player

• Tingling Sensation

Kill an unseen enemy detected by a specially modified soldier in single player

• Steel Martyr

Deploy three tactical subsystems on a single soldier in single player

• Enemy Within

Get a Soldier to have 5 modifications in single player

• Who Needs Limbs?

Augment a soldier in single player

• A Little Bit Alien

Modify a soldier in single player

• Mind the Step

Jump two stories in one move in single player

• Someone Your Own Size

Kill a Muton Berserker in melee combat in single player

• The Meld Squad

Field a fully enhanced squad and win the mission

• By Our Powers Combined

Field a squad with 4 augmented soldiers, each with a different base ability and win the mission

• Nice Cover

Use Collateral Damage to blow up a car in single playe

Mechtoids and Seekers

• Taking A Load Off

Stop a squad member from suffocating in single player

• Shieldbuster

Eliminate an enemy's shield and kill it on the same turn in single player

Gameplay

• Guardian of Earth

Designate a highly decorated soldier as the Volunteer

• Pain in the Neck

Cause an enemy to suicide

• An Army Of Four

Beat the game without buying a Squad Size upgrade (Classic+ difficulty)

New Special Missions

• Solid Prospect - Progeny (Slingshot type Council mission)

Complete Deluge

• Ours are the Furies - Progeny (Slingshot type Council mission)

Complete Furies

• Remington… Max Remington

Have your special-duty soldier kill three enemies in the same mission

• Elite Defense

Beat a new special mission without losing any assets

• G’day

Kill an elite enemy Sniper with one of your own snipers in single player

• Regenerate This

Kill an elite enemy Medic with explosive damage in single player

• All Hands on Deck

Get at least 4 kills with XCOM Base Security personnel

• Apotheosis Denied

Deal with the newest global threat

• They Shall Not Pass

Eliminate all alien waves

• Zom-B-Gone

Eradicate the infestation

• Where in the World

Make certain of the new threat's location

Unrevealed Features

• Enemy Within will have Easter Eggs related to The Bureau: XCOM Declassified.
  • Gupta has mentioned trying to rename your soldiers, most likely giving them the name William Carter will bring forth an XCOM Hero.
• When asked if XCOM EW will include more soldier weapons like other ballistic guns etc, Ananda answered that we should be patient