Games
There are fundamental changes to just about everything in XCOM: Chimera Squad, but don't worry - we've got your back
XCOM: Chimera Squad represents a major departure from previous XCOM games. No longer are you trying to save the Earth from an alien menace. Not only are the aliens here to stay, but now you’re working with them. Specifically, you’re in control of a hybrid human-alien SWAT team, busting down doors to take down motley criminal crews.
For Chimera Squad, developer Firaxis has made several fundamental changes to the X-COM format, changes that will likely take both newcomers and veteran X-COM players by surprise. So here are a few pointers to help you avoid squad wipeout and slap the cuffs on E.T. that much easier.
1. Breaching clearly
Breaches are the biggest new feature introduced into Chimera Squad. Instead of missions taking place as single, protracted encounters, they’re now broken up into multiple smaller encounters, each of which takes place in a separate room of a building. These encounters always commence with the “Breach” phase. Here, Chimera Squad burst through the doors of the room, with each Agent getting a chance to shoot at an enemy.
Breaches initially appear straightforward. Your squad rushes into the room and you shoot at whatever that Agent has the best chance of hitting. But the game layers a lot of subtle mechanics into breaching that are quite easy to miss. For example, there are often multiple breach points per room, and they’ll often confer different stat bonuses or penalties. Some may provide a damage bonus to the first Agent who enters, while others might give the last Agent through the door greater movement range. On the flipside, one of your squadmates could be rooted to the spot for the next turn or risk a high likelihood of receiving damage.
Consequently, you need to think carefully about how best to deploy your squad. If a breach point has a high risk of your Agents receiving damage, it’s probably wise to send someone like Axiom or Cherub through first, whose abilities revolve around absorbing or mitigating damage.
It’s also important to note that, during the breaching process, it isn’t always wise to automatically shoot at the easiest target. A successful breach should see you eliminate as many enemies as possible before the end of your first turn. Hence it may be worth targeting an enemy with a slightly lower chance of hitting, but gives you a greater overall damage output.
2. Turn down the heat
After breaches, the most dramatic change to how Chimera Squad plays is in the overhaul of turns. Previously, your X-COM forces and the aliens took their turns completely separately. Now, however, turns for both sides are randomised into a single timeline. So two of your Agents may get a turn, then an enemy might, then control might go back to you.
This may sound like a bigger pain than being punched in the head by a Muton, but it actually makes the tactical puzzle in each round much clearer than in previous XCOM games. Essentially, you want to maximise your own ability to take turns, while denying your opponent theirs.
Each time control switches back to you, you should be checking which enemy is next up in the turn order, then trying to prevent them from taking their turn. The most obvious way to do this is to kill them or knock them out. But if you can’t get a clear shot or your attack won’t do enough damage, then there are some other tactics you can try. Certain character abilities, like Verge’s 'Stupor', or Torque’s 'Bind', are excellent for temporarily removing an enemy from the turn order.
Also, don’t forget about the 'Team Up' ability, which lets you move one of your own characters up in the turn order once per mission. This can be crucial in getting yourself out of a sticky situation, such as dealing with a Sectoid Dominator who’s taken control of one of your units.
3. Reining in Anarchy
Given Chimera Squad takes place in a single city, rather than across the entire world, it’s unsurprising that its Geoscape is a comparatively limited prospect. Yet managing your operations across City 31 is still an important component of the game, especially when it comes to Anarchy and Unrest. To briefly explain, the City is divided up into several districts which generate Unrest over time. If Unrest hits its maximum level in any given district, it will then start to generate Anarchy. If Anarchy gets maxed out, it’s game over, man.
Unrest and Anarchy are your primary overarching threats across the campaign. But there are several ways to mitigate it. Many missions offer the chance to reduce Unrest in the relevant district, so when these crop up, it’s nearly always wise to undertake them. The other main method involves Fireteams, essentially city-map upgrades assigned to individual districts. The more fireteams you have, the more ways you can deal with Unrest and Anarchy, from freezing Unrest levels in a district, to actively reducing them.
Two other important points about Unrest and Fireteams. First, you can only partake in one activity per in-game day, which means you can’t fight all the Unrest-driven fires at once, so make sure to check which districts are high in unrest, and which are predicted to increase, before you decide which mission to undertake. Second, Fireteams aren’t just there for reducing Unrest, they also produce income for Chimera squad every week. In the early game, it’s wise to prioritise assigning as many fireteams as possible, and have several in each of the three resource categories. This gives you a nice chunk of income every in-game Friday, and can be further increased as you delve deeper into the game.
4. Squad management
Only four Agents can be deployed on any given mission. But the number of available Agents will grow far beyond this, and it’s important to ensure that Agents who aren’t on mission don’t just sit twiddling their tentacles in your station’s armoury. Idle Agents can be put to work in several ways. They can train, which either increases their base stats or heals scars that impose powerful debuffs. They can help in research, increasing the speed that new technologies and equipment are discovered. Finally, they can embark on solo Spec Ops missions, which take place offscreen and bring in vital resources.
For most of the first Act, you probably won’t have enough Agents to partake in all three off-mission activities, so it’s important to prioritise. In the early game, assuming all your agents are fit and healthy, your best bet is to deploy your spare Agent on cash-generating Spec Ops missions. This will let you better outfit your soldiers with important equipment like Medkits and Grenades, as well as purchasing Androids, who automatically replace comrades who become incapacitated during a mission.
When you acquire a second additional Agent, send one of your squad Agents for training as this will increase their overall HP and make them tougher in a fight. It’s important to regularly rotate Agents to avoid any of them becoming underpowered. If an Agent receives a scar, prioritise healing that over everything else. Don’t worry too much about speeding up research in the early game. You’ll have more than enough equipment available to get you through the first act, and the initial research available doesn’t take too long to complete without help.
