Weapon Upgrades — XCOM 2 Guide

Learn how to effectively use weapon upgrades, manage action points, and employ Overwatch in XCOM 2. Get tips on armor, cover, and timing to dominate the battlefield.

Alright, Commander! Let's talk about making your soldiers the absolute best they can be in XCOM 2. We're diving into weapon upgrades and some crucial tactics that will keep your squad alive and kicking alien butt. This isn't some stuffy manual; think of it as me, your seasoned vet buddy, giving you the lowdown on what really works.

Look, I've sunk hundreds of hours into XCOM, and while I'm no super-genius, I've learned a thing or two about not getting wiped out by this game. It can be brutal, especially early on, so I'm sharing some hard-won wisdom to help you out. We'll cover everything from managing your soldiers' actions to understanding when to unleash hell and when to hold back.

It’s Dangerous to Go Alone

This might sound obvious, but it's the single most important piece of advice: manage your action points (APs) like they're gold. Don't just have five soldiers move and shoot, then send the sixth one charging into the unknown by themselves. If they stumble into a new enemy pod, there's no one to back them up. While some late-game skills, like the Ranger's Untouchable, can make lone wolves viable, trying this early on is basically a suicide mission.

A really good habit to get into is always keeping a Sharpshooter or a Specialist ready to provide support. The Sharpshooter can lay down covering fire from afar, while the Specialist's basic Aid ability can give a massive defensive boost to allies, even those across the map. As these classes rank up, their support capabilities become insane. A high-ranking Sharpshooter can take multiple shots, and a Specialist's robot buddy can double a soldier's defense. Even the early Scanning Protocol is super useful for spotting enemies just around the corner before you commit.

Bloodless Efficiency: Use Your Environment

Explosives are your best friend when it comes to destroying enemy cover. This not only makes it way easier for your guys to hit their targets but can also open up new lines of sight to aliens hiding indoors. Often, it's smarter to skip a standard shot that'll only chip off a couple of HP from a tough enemy and instead let your Grenadier (or anyone with a grenade) reshape the battlefield. This gives the rest of your squad much better odds.

This ties back to the action point management: use your squad in the right order. Using an explosive to blow up cover after everyone else has already missed their shots might help you next turn, but you could have lost soldiers or the enemy might have moved. The sequence of your soldiers' actions is almost as critical as the actions themselves.

Armor Wars: Shredding Enemy Defenses

Explosives have another awesome perk: they shred Armor. You know those yellow bars at the end of an enemy's health meter? Each point of Armor usually reduces the damage you deal by one. So, while a Grenadier's grenade might do less direct damage than her rifle, it's totally worth it if it strips away a couple of Armor points. This lets the rest of your squad land much more effective hits. Seriously, don't even think about tackling a Gatekeeper or Sectopod without softening them up with explosives first.

Don't Over-Overwatch

Overwatch is the backbone of XCOM strategy. It lets you bank a soldier's action to automatically fire at any enemy that moves into their line of sight. It's great for caution and setting up ambushes, turning enemies who think they're safe into target practice. Learn it, love it, but don't overuse it.

There are two main downsides. First, Overwatch shots usually have a reduced chance to hit compared to a normal shot. It's tempting to rely on it when your squad is safe in cover, but you might be wasting good in-turn shots. Also, remember that Overwatch typically only triggers on movement, not on actions. So, an alien that just sits behind cover won't get shot at. Second, Overwatch only allows standard shots. Before you put everyone on Overwatch, consider if they have other abilities that would be more useful. A Grenadier's grenade might not kill enemies, but it could soften up multiple targets for follow-up kills. A Specialist with Mindspike could instantly take out an Advent Shieldbearer, preventing them from buffing allies. A high-ranking Sharpshooter with pistols can take two shots. A Mimic beacon can draw fire. Overwatch is powerful, but it can also be a massive waste of enemy-management opportunities.

Cover is Not Optional

This should be obvious, but I can't stress it enough: cover is life. It's not just a small defensive boost; it's often the difference between a soldier surviving a turn or being instantly killed. Leave a soldier out in the open, and not only are they easier to hit, but every enemy will focus fire on them. They're basically dead. Your only real options are the Ranger's Untouchable skill, a smoke grenade to confuse aim, or the Specialist's Aid ability to boost defense.

Later in the game, a Psi-operative's Inspire skill can grant an extra action point. You can plan this by having someone move into an exposed position for a key shot, then get psionically granted an extra action to get back to safety.

The Best Time to Use Overwatch: From Concealment

As I said, Overwatch is crucial, but it has its downsides. One of those downsides – the reduced hit chance – disappears if you're firing from Concealment. This is that stealth mode you start most missions in. The game gives you a tutorial, but it doesn't always make it clear that you don't get that aim penalty when shooting from stealth. Use it! Especially with high-ranking skills, you can set up some incredibly deadly traps.

Don't Spring Your Concealment Ambush Too Soon

It's incredibly tempting to set up an Overwatch trap on the first enemies you encounter when you start a mission in Concealment. You want to eliminate threats immediately. However, once you spring that trap, your Concealment is gone for the rest of the mission (unless you have specific Ranger abilities or hack rewards). This means you lose that sweet, unpenalized Overwatch for the rest of the game. Try to hold out until you spot the second group of enemies before unleashing hell. This way, you can start combat closer to your objective and avoid fighting your way across the entire map.

As your squad gets stronger, you'll be able to handle multiple enemy pods at once. So, try to ensnare more foes in that initial trap to maximize the opportunity. The first enemy group you spot is usually patrolling, so if you stay hidden, they might wander out of sight. However, they could also wander closer to your position, so make sure your soldiers are well-sheltered. If any flanks are exposed, they'll be spotted, and Concealment is over for everyone.

Timer Terror: Managing Missions Under Pressure

One of the most stressful changes in XCOM 2 is the increased number of missions with timers. If you don't complete the objective within a set number of turns, you fail. Sometimes, you even need to get your team to an evac point before the timer runs out, or they get left behind. Timers are tough, but manageable.

• VIP Retrieval: On these maps, have your Sharpshooters move along the outer edges, getting closer to the evac point while maintaining line of sight to the main map. This way, they can support the squad moving up the middle and won't be stuck too far away when it's time to leave.
• Objective Retrieval/Hacking: For missions where you need to grab an item or hack a terminal, Specialists are key. If a soldier has line of sight to the objective, a Specialist can send their Gremlin to hack it remotely. This saves you a move (or prevents a soldier's turn from ending before they can interact) and reduces the risk of running into more enemies.
• Disabling Turrets: Make sure your Specialist is specced into hacking, not healing. They can disable turrets, or even take temporary control of them. Doing this early, while your squad is still in Concealment, also disables the turret's optics, letting you move closer to your objective undetected. (MEC units can do this too, but it alerts enemies to your presence if they aren't alone.)
• Use Roofs: Roofs offer longer sightlines, make you harder to hit, and often have fewer obstacles. Some Sharpshooter builds even get a bonus action for killing enemies at a lower elevation.
• Melee and Mindspikes: Mindspikes and Ranger swords can be used after two moves, as long as you initiate the move by selecting the ability. This lets you cover a long distance and potentially get a kill. Just make sure you know where you'll end up standing. Ideally, coordinate this with a Sharpshooter with Squadsight (maybe even on Overwatch) so they can pick off any new threats that appear.

There's a lot to keep track of, Commander, but mastering these tactics will make a huge difference. Keep these tips in mind, and you'll be well on your way to XCOM glory!