XCOM: Enemy Within Complete Guide (32 Sections) | AntMag

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Welcome to XCOM: Enemy Within, the ultimate expansion to the critically acclaimed 2012 strategy game. You'll command the XCOM organization, a paramilitary force tasked with defending Earth from an alien invasion. Each day involves managing your base, researching alien technology, building new gear, and training soldiers. When the aliens attack, you'll dive into tense, turn-based tactical combat, making every decision count as you try to save humanity.

This guide is your all-in-one resource for mastering Enemy Within. We'll cover everything from the initial steps of starting a new campaign and optimizing your base layout to the intricacies of commanding specialized MEC Troopers and understanding the new EXALT enemy faction. You'll find detailed breakdowns of class tactics, resource management, and effective weapon utilization, ensuring you're prepared for every challenge the aliens throw your way.

Part 1

Alright, Commander! So you're ready to dive into XCOM: Enemy Within. This is where we lay the foundation for your global defense force. Don't worry, we'll take it step-by-step, and I'll help you avoid the common beginner traps. This guide is designed to get you through Normal and Classic difficulties without losing any soldiers or countries. Impossible mode is a whole different beast, and even the best players will lose units and nations there, so we'll focus on setting you up for success on the more manageable difficulties.

First things first, let's talk about getting your game set up. Assuming you've bypassed any pesky menu bugs, you'll want to click 'Start New Game.' This brings up a menu where you can tweak all sorts of settings. You can randomize soldier stats, choose which DLC packs are active, decide if you want to enable 'save scumming' (more on that in a sec), make the game harder, or even turn off that chatty Dr. Valen. For your first go, I highly recommend enabling the 'Save Scum' option and turning off the tutorial. We'll be playing on Classic difficulty for this guide, with all DLC enabled and no extra difficulty-boosting Second Wave modifiers.

Now, about those Second Wave mods. These can really change the game. Some just add flavor, while others crank up the difficulty. The ones we're concerned with are the ones that affect how tough the game is. For this guide, we're keeping those off, but it's good to know what they are.

Save Scum: This is a big one for beginners. Normally, XCOM's random number generator can be brutal. You might have a 90% chance to hit, and your shot still misses. If you don't have 'Save Scum' on, that miss is permanent for that playthrough. Enabling it means that if you reload your game, the game re-rolls the dice, giving you a chance to undo those frustratingly bad luck moments. If you're the type who can accept losses and move on, you might not need it, but for learning the ropes, it's a lifesaver.
Aiming Angles: This mod gives bonuses to aim when you're flanking an enemy. In the original XCOM: Enemy Unknown, sometimes bullets seemed to magically hit cover instead of the target. This mod tries to make flanking more rewarding and accurate, reflecting the tactical advantage of attacking from the side.

There are other Second Wave options, but these are the main ones to be aware of early on. We'll cover more about managing your country, the tactical game, and dealing with aliens as we go. Just remember, the key is to learn the systems and adapt. Don't get discouraged by bad luck; that's what 'Save Scum' is for!

Part 2

This section details various gameplay-altering mods for XCOM: Enemy Within, categorized by their origin (new to Enemy Within or ported from the original XCOM: Enemy Unknown) and their effects on difficulty and gameplay mechanics.

New Mods:

Flanked: Modifies the flanking mechanic, making combat more tactical. It grants bonuses for successful flanks but also penalizes enemies who are not fully flanked.
Training Roulette: Randomizes the skill trees for all soldier classes except MEC Troopers, blurring class distinctions. This can lead to soldiers with unconventional or suboptimal skill combinations, potentially making certain classes less effective. Soldiers can be dismissed early if their skill tree is undesirable.
Itchy Trigger Tentacle: (Available after beating the game) Causes Mechtoids, Cyberdiscs, and Sectopods to fire half the time instead of activating overwatch, allowing soldiers to complete their moves and potentially reach cover. This mod increases difficulty.
Mind over Matter: (Available after beating the game) Disqualifies soldiers from psionic potential if they receive a Gene-mod, preventing the creation of psionic genetic supersoldiers.

Mods from Original XCOM: Enemy Unknown:

Damage Roulette: Causes weapons to deal random damage, adding unpredictability similar to the original UFO Defense.
New Economy: Council nations provide variable amounts of funds.
Not Created Equally: XCOM rookies start with randomized stats, affecting their aim, will, and movement speed. This can result in soldiers who are significantly stronger or weaker than average.
Hidden Potential: Soldiers gain random stats upon ranking up, meaning stat bonuses are not tied to specific classes.
Red Fog: (Available after beating normal difficulty) Combat wounds reduce soldier abilities, making it more dangerous to sustain damage.
Absolutely Critical: (Available after beating normal difficulty) Flanked targets always receive critical hits if the attack connects, emphasizing the importance of cover and avoiding ambushes.
Greater Good: (Available after beating normal difficulty) Psionics can only be learned by capturing psionic aliens. Killing them prevents psionic development.
Marathon: (Available after beating normal difficulty) All game activities take longer to complete.
Results Driven: (Available after beating Classic difficulty) Nation funding decreases based on insecurity levels, making higher difficulties more challenging due to increased panic.
High Stakes: (Available after beating Classic difficulty) Rewards for completing alien abduction missions are randomized, removing the ability to farm for specific resources like engineers.
Diminishing Returns: (Available after beating Classic difficulty) Satellite construction costs increase as more are built, potentially limiting expansion across continents.
More Than Human: (Available after beating Classic difficulty) Psionic soldiers become rarer, extending the late-game.
War Weariness: (Available after beating Impossible difficulty) Nation funding declines over time, encouraging faster game completion.
E-115: (Available after beating Impossible difficulty) Elerium supplies degrade over time, providing more incentive to destroy alien ships.
Total Loss: (No specific details provided in source text)

Part 3

This guide section covers advanced strategies for XCOM: Enemy Within, focusing on base management, country selection, and long-term planning. It is only available after beating the game on impossible difficulty.

Note: Soldier deaths will break their equipment, and all Second Wave modifiers can be altered in the pause menu, though this may disqualify you from achievements.

Section 1C: The Tutorial

It is strongly suggested to turn off tutorials. While they guarantee a heavy class soldier, they also lead to soldier losses and wasted resources. The Meld Tutorial's effect is random, with Dr. Valhen explaining Meld as encountered. Turning off the tutorial initiates a starter mission against Sectoids based on difficulty (Impossible has 8, Classic has 6, Normal/Easy have 4).

The tutorial involves following Bradford's instructions in Germany. Due to his poor guidance, you will lose 3 soldiers before the main game begins, but you will receive a heavy soldier.

Section 2: The Actual Game

This section details basic principles for base structuring and long-term goals.

Section 2A: Picking a Country

Your starting country provides a permanent bonus, achievable only with complete satellite coverage and no withdrawn nations. These bonuses are difficult to earn, with most players obtaining only 2-3. Starting in South America or Africa is recommended.

North America - 'Air and Space': Aircraft and their weapons cost 50% less to build and maintain. (Diagnosis: Fairly useless, best acquired late game.)
South America - 'We have ways': Interrogations and autopsies complete instantly. (Diagnosis: Extremely useful for faster research credits, gene mods, and improved MEC trooper damage.)
Asia - 'Future Combat': Foundry projects and Officer Training School programs cost less. (Diagnosis: Mostly useless as a first bonus; Foundry projects pay off late game, and OTS programs are not prohibitively expensive.)
Europe - 'Expert knowledge': Laboratories and workshops cost 50% less to maintain and build. (Diagnosis: Useless unless planning an elaborate base; Laboratories are generally not needed.)
Africa - 'All in': All nations provide 30% more money. (Diagnosis: Absolutely useful, enabling more satellites, base building, nation coverage, and ultimately better weapons and research.)

Section 2B: Managing the World and Long-Term Strategy

This section focuses on management and long-term planning, assuming the player is not using difficulty settings that restrict strategic play (e.g., High Stakes, Impossible, Iron Man). The key to an easier experience is taking your time; otherwise, enemies will strengthen while your soldiers lack necessary equipment and experience.

For example, refusing to capture the crystal energy alien will result in warnings and eventually larger groups of them appearing (up to 3 boss characters). However, by that point, you should have sufficient resources to handle them. The proposed strategy prioritizes early-game soldier risk for minimal nation withdrawal due to high panic.

This section is for players new to XCOM: Enemy Unknown who need to understand the game's core concepts. Experienced players can skip to section 3A.

Part 4

Walkthrough

1
Upon entering the base menu, click the Engineering button and then 'Build Facilities'.
2
Designate one side of your base for Satellite Uplinks. Build an Access Lift and start excavating.
3
Aim for a 3-floor base, placing similar facilities together for bonuses. Build a Satellite Uplink next to your existing one and queue up 2-3 extra satellites.
4
Build Power Generators on the side of the base not used for Satellite Uplinks. This area should also house the Officer Training School, Cybernetics Lab, or Gene Mod Labs.
5
To start research, click 'Research' and select 'Start New Research Project'. Prioritize Weapon Fragments for better weapons.
6
Researching Weapon Fragments unlocks Experimental Warfare and potentially plasma weapons if you capture UFO components.
7
It's generally not recommended to research Xeno-biology early as plasma pistols are weak. Interrogation for tech credits is only worthwhile with the South America continent bonus.
8
Wait until Mutons are common before capturing aliens for research. Capturing Muton Elites can provide advanced plasma weapons.
9
Once facilities are built, soldiers recruited (sparingly), and research is set, click the globe and then 'Scan'. This will trigger various missions or events.
10
For UFO Interception, basic interceptors with missiles are sufficient early on. Later, one interceptor with a laser cannon can handle most UFOs except battleships.

Tips

Building similar facilities adjacent to each other provides bonuses.
Satellite Uplinks are limited by power and available engineers.
Don't demolish buildings unnecessarily.
Focus on base expansion and satellites over soldier upgrades unless absolutely necessary.
Sell captured UFO power sources and flight computers for cash early on.
Researching weapons is generally more beneficial than increasing soldier HP due to the combat system.
Capturing live aliens is more rewarding later in the game when stronger plasma weapons are available.
Keep one or two basic interceptors on each continent for defense.

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XCOM: Enemy Within