History Fridge / XCOM2

* The basic ADVENT trooper Mag Rifle does less damage than XCOM's good ol' fashioned ballistic assault rifle. That's because ADVENT weapons are mass-produced by the hundreds of thousands, if not millions, and the aliens have been getting complacent. [[note]]Also, the power may be dialed down to prevent overpenetration and civilian casualties, until XCOM starts getting successful.[[/note]] By contrast, XCOM has a much smaller number of weapons treated with much more care, which can be modified and customized easily. QualityOverQuantity also extends to their forces; shedloads of literally FacelessGoons so disposable, predictable and mechanical that [[RuleOfSymbolism their helmets are the same shape as their vehicles]], while XCOM has a small number of quirky, valuable and skilled soldiers.

* Unlike the previous games, it takes a while before Chryssalids show up in ''XCOM 2''. This is in large part because the nature of the war has changed. Last time, the aliens were invaders; causing destruction and sewing terror was in their best interests to winning the war (or testing humanity's capabilities), and the Chryssalids were perfect for this, since they could easily turn any major population center into a nest, giving humanity yet another headache to contend with. But now that the aliens are the ones in power, deploying them is a very self-destructive strategy. The majority of the human population is under their control, and letting Chryssalids go unchecked in the wild runs the risk of putting people under their spheres of influence in danger, and [[PragmaticVillainy dead humans won't do them any good]]. It goes to show just how desperate ADVENT is getting when they start using these abominations to take out resistance cells.

* Why do XCOM deploy such a small squad when the Skyranger can carry more soldiers? Because commander would need a data link system to view the battlefield, monitor every soldier's situation, and send orders, all in real time. Such a system may be much expensive and complicated than similar system on modern aircrafts. With limited resource, XCOM can't deploy too many of them. This would also explain why some of the few instances where you can deploy more than 6 soldiers at once are the Avenger Defense missions: Since they take place right outside the Avenger, it's easy for the Commander to get a full overview of the battlefield without the need for remote data link systems.

** With the [[IncrediblyLamePun advent]] of Videogame/XCOMChimeraSquad, you can take the fridge right out of this horror - an archived discussion between a human and an alien councillor not only confirms that the gene clinic byproducts were used for food, but also that it apparently was ''standard operating procedure'' for the Ethereals.

* Why is the Colonel rank icon no longer that of the skull and wreath, as it was in ''VideoGame/XCOMEnemyUnknown''? Because that icon traditionally denotes the highest rank attainable, and no soldier ranks higher than [[spoiler:the Commander's Avatar]].

* When you complete the Shadow Chamber project involving [[spoiler: the ADVENT Stasis Suit found in the Forge facility, Tygan explains what the content is: a genetic template for ADVENT soldiers, and expounds that the template's genetic code has fragments left open for any genetic material the aliens wish to insert.]] This explains the heavily differing approaches of the ADVENT troops. Whose to say the Stun Lancers didn't receive Berserker genetic material?
* Overlapping with FridgeHorror, EXALT is nowhere to be seen in this game, why? Remember how the Commander was put through a LotusEaterMachine? The reason EXALT is nowhere to be seen may be [[spoiler: because EXALT never existed. The commander fighting a war against EXALT was, in fact, them fighting against black-ops resistance to the alien invasion, finding and stomping out the EXALT headquarters could very well be stomping out the only thing making serious effort against the aliens after the X-COM base was invaded and the commander captured.]] It's also possible that, due to the EXALT bandanna customization option, EXALT [[spoiler: was wiped out along with XCOM, possibly even faster. Considering the "XCOM Base Defense" mission is canon, and considering EXALT appeared in Operation Progeny ([[EverybodysDeadDave with all the members slaughtered]] [[SoleSurvivor except a single survivor]]), it's possible that the organization got crushed so hard by the aliens that they are reduced to a handful of members, with the survivors getting into TeethClenchedTeamwork with XCOM]].

* When ADVENT locates the Avenger, why do they use the EMP attacks, rather than blow it out of the sky? In-game, if you get caught by a UFO and watch the cutscene, Central says, "They don't want us... they want the ship"; however, in the endgame, [[spoiler: the ethereals are adamant about reclaiming the Commander, whether through persuasion or force. They don't care about the ship, they want the Commander back under their control. Keeping the Avenger intact is simply the best way to ensure that the Commander survives long enough to be recaptured.]]

** ''Alien Hunters'' matches up to Vahlen's [[TortureTechnician destructive]], [[TheSpock cold]] MadScientist personality by being about [[spoiler:her creating a bunch of genetically modified monstrosities that you have to hunt down and kill (it also demonstrates her tendency to [[JustThinkOfThePotential push the boundries of what is acceptable]], to the point that she actually comments that she wished the Commander had been there to [[CloudCuckoolandersMinder reign her in]]]].
** ''Shen's Last Gift'' matches up to his more [[TheMcCoy moral]], [[TheEngineer constructive]] personality by being about [[spoiler:retrieving a prototype robot he made to protect his daughter and humanity, and allowing you to create more of them]].

* The Commander's [[spoiler: Avatar]] successfully defending itself in a Psionic duel with five Elders makes a lot of sense when you consider the in game mechanics for Psychic defense. It's governed by the [[HeroicWillpower Will]] stat, and the Commander is ''you''. If you made it all the way to the end of the game then you're more likely than not [[spoiler: the biggest {{Determinator}} in all of XCOM with an insanely powerful Avatar body bolstering that cast iron will.]]

* Whichever Chosen wins gets Earth. [[spoiler:You win. You get Earth. You even have a cool name and role just like they do...Commander.]]
* Why do [[spoiler:the Avatars on the last level seem so easy to defeat? They're strong sure but by no means the toughest enemies in the game. Its because they're still unfinished. XCOM has been delaying and sabotaging their efforts to complete them for months. The ones that you face are being deployed in a desperate attempt to stop the XCOM squad assaulting their base.]]

* During the cinematic in which [[spoiler:Dragunova saves Mox from the Assassin Chosen]], right after [[spoiler:the Assassin]] disappears, you can see Mox and Dragunova covering the exact same arch with their guns. It might seem like a rookie mistake at first... until you realize that they still don't trust each other enough to turn their back to each other!

* Dialogue from the final mission implies that [[spoiler: the motivation for the invasion was another mysterious enemy that consumed the Ethereal homeworld, which the Ethereals wanted to use Humanity against, matching up with revelations from the end of X-COM: Enemy Unknown/Within. So despite liberating their world from the alien's control, humanity may soon be thrown into another battle for survival against an even stronger enemy that isn't trying to uplift or subjugate them, but consume their world.]]
* Project Avatar involves [[spoiler:using human DNA to create new bodies for the Ethereals. In the game, you only ever encounter four Avatars. If you remember from Enemy Within, the three Furies and Annette Durand were abducted by the aliens specifically for their psionic potential. And [[https://www.reddit.com/r/Xcom/comments/46hk1c/xcom_2_spoilers_fate_of_the_furies/ you can find the empty ship, with no mention of bodies]].]]

* The "Regal Beast" mission revolves around [[spoiler:a Viper King, the only male of its species, breeding baby Vipers like rabbits with his harem of standard Vipers]]. So far, so good, but where did all those offspring get their armor and especially their unique weapons? There's no ADVENT around to outfit them and even if they were, Boltcasters aren't part of ADVENT's arsenal. It ''might'' be possible that [[spoiler:Vahlen]] stockpiled the gear for some reason before things went to hell, but her plans obviously never included her creations breeding an army, making this unlikely as well.

** However, ''Chimera Squad'' also takes the horror out of the fridge by revealing that ADVENT Burger "meat" is made of kelp protein, so not only did the Elders not feed humans to humans, but even vegetarians and vegans should be happy.