Follow TV Tropes

Following

Context Characters / XCOMEnemyUnknown

Go To

1%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.
2%%"X has this" and "X and Y" etc. are not context.
3
4The various characters, classes and alien types found in ''VideoGame/XCOMEnemyUnknown''.
5
6[[foldercontrol]]
7
8!XCOM
9
10!!XCOM Mission Control
11
12[[folder:Central Officer John Bradford]]
13[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bradford_xcomeu_672.png]]
14[[caption-width-right:250:"It's not an easy decision, Commander, but it's one you'll have to make."]]
15->'''Voiced by:''' '''David Hoffman''' (English); '''Konstantin Karasik''' (Russian)
16
17Serving as the middleman between the Commander and the rest of XCOM, Bradford communicates your orders to everyone else and performs the administrative work, leaving you free to focus on defending Earth. In addition, he coordinates XCOM field operations, monitors the strategic situation and gathers intel on possible alien activity from XCOM's Mission Control Centre.\
18
19For tropes relating to Bradford in ''VideoGame/XCOM2'', see that game's [[Characters/XCOM2TheResistance character page.]]
20----
21* TheBrigadier: Serves as XCOM's MissionControl in the battle against the aliens, helping oversee the missions of ground forces and calling on bridge staff to provide imaging and updates.
22* TheGenericGuy: Not much in the way of personality, but at least he keeps the project running. He is the quintessential military man: polite, professional, efficient, and that's exactly what works against him.
23* HiddenSupplies: [[spoiler: Keeps a handgun in a secret compartment under one of the control panels near the Geoscape. Turns out to be a reasonable precaution during Base Defense.]]
24* TheKirk: To [[TheMcCoy Dr. Shen]] and [[TheSpock Dr. Vahlen]]. Among the three of them he doesn't comment heavily on the moral or philosophical implications of the war against the aliens, instead deferring to the Commander's decisions and existing in part to [[TheWatson ask questions and receive explanations from the other two]].
25* MissionControl: Coordinates all XCOM field operations from Mission Control.
26* NomDeGuerre: "Central", referring to his role as MissionControl for ground forces in XCOM.
27* NumberTwo: To the PlayerCharacter, working alongside them and providing updates during missions.
28* OhCrap: [[spoiler:Almost says one when XCOM HQ is attacked and he manages to re-establish a connection to Delta section... and learns that Delta is going to take the brunt of the attack.]]
29* StraightMan: To [[OlderAndWiser Dr.]] [[CoolOldGuy Shen]] and [[ForScience Dr]]. [[OmnidisciplinaryScientist Vahlen]]. Both are quite smart and speak with a certain level of seriousness during missions, while Bradford is quite ignorant and likes to crack the occasional joke.
30* TookALevelInBadass: In ''Enemy Within'', [[spoiler: he ''beats the crap'' out of a mind-controlled technician during the Base Defense mission. And if you fail said mission, the ending cutscene shows XCOM's command center in ruins, and Bradford's body and pistol lying next to a dead Sectoid that seems to have been [[TakingYouWithMe shot at close range]].]]
31[[/folder]]
32
33[[folder:Dr. Moira Vahlen]]
34[[quoteright:257:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dr__vahlen_xcomeu_1073.png]]
35[[caption-width-right:257:"These weapons... these abuses of science, we still have an opportunity to use them for a greater good."]]
36->'''Voiced by:''' '''Moira Quirk''' (English); '''Nona Vinogradova''' (Russian)
37
38XCOM's Chief Scientist, Dr. Vahlen and her team of scientists are responsible for all research and development carried out under XCOM's auspices. She also oversees the "[[EnhancedInterrogationTechniques interrogation]]" of captured aliens.\
39
40For tropes relating to Vahlen's appearance in the ''VideoGame/XCOM2: Alien Hunters'' DLC, see that game's [[Characters/XCOM2TheResistance character page.]]
41----
42* AdmiringTheAbomination: In an ArsonMurderAndAdmiration kind of way. Despite her distaste for the aliens' cruelty and amoralism, she can't help being impressed and excited by their advanced technology and grasp of genetic engineering that far exceeds humanity's current tech level.
43* BewareTheNiceOnes: Bradford mentions that Dr. Vahlen may not look like it, but she is without a ''doubt'' the worst nightmare for any captured aliens that get brought back to the base. She calls interrogating the Elite Muton "dangerous and exhilarating", though this may just be her eagerness ForScience. In ''Enemy Within'', [[spoiler: she applies these interrogation methods to the captured EXALT operative as well.]]
44* DataPad: She's never seen without her tablet computer.
45* DeadpanSnarker: Shows a dry wit on occasion, such as her autopsy report on the Muton:
46--> This is the most physically aggressive specimen we've encountered so far, which the troops 'fondly' refer to as the "Muton". I can only assume there's a colorful back story for such a designation.
47* EveryoneHasStandards:
48** While she comes off as a MadScientist, she is disgusted by the aliens' callousness and their misuse of their advanced technology, which in her mind [[YouCouldHaveUsedYourPowersForGood could be used to make the world better]].
49** In ''Enemy Within'', she's appalled at how badly mutated the EXALT Elites are. While she advocates for genetically modifying XCOM soldiers using the Genetics Lab after researching Meld, her gene mods are well thought-out and designed to be removable after the war; EXALT, meanwhile, has permanently disfigured their soldiers.
50* ForScience: Downplayed. She's always eager and interested in what she's researching, no matter how morally questionable, and will be annoyed if soldiers use explosives which destroy valuable research material. She's also the inventor of the alien "[[EnhancedInterrogationTechniques interrogation]]" device and personally oversees each interrogation. That said, she'll also thank soldiers for the risks they take in recovering live specimens, and acknowledge that their survival should come before retrieving research materials.
51* HerrDoktor: She even gets to show off her German in the tutorial mission, [[WhatTheHellIsThatAccent although it's just as heavily English-accented as her German-accented English]]. Her occasional use of RP English and French, coupled with her decidedly non-German first name, ultimately leaves her country of birth ambiguous.
52* LeftHanging: As per Jake Solomon's own words, [[https://old.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/6wkiqj/were_the_developers_of_xcom_2_war_of_the_chosen/dm8r72d/ Vahlen's fate is unknown even to him.]]
53* IconicItem: Vahlen is constantly prodding at the tablet tucked under her arm.
54* JackBauerInterrogationTechnique: Aliens always give up information when Vahlen interrogates them... and they also never survive the questioning. Ultimately, it's less about torture and more about invasive brain scanning: shoving special devices into cranial cavities and applying electrical currents until the desired information is found. But it's quite telling that even twenty years later, Vahlen's fearsome reputation has persisted.
55* JustThinkOfThePotential: Vahlen is about as transhumanist as you can get, whereas Shen is less gung-ho about the prospect.
56* MadScientist: Downplayed: she's definitely a lot more gung-ho about [[ForScience SCIENCE!]] than [[TheProfessor Dr. Shen]], though she does insist on [[TortureTechnician personally overseeing]] [[BewareTheNiceOnes any interrogation attempts]].
57* OmnidisciplinaryScientist:
58** She is in charge of both alien autopsies (xeno-biology) and interrogations (psychology). Also, she can reverse engineer and discover the basic principles behind captured alien weaponry and devices (electronics and engineering). Might be explained in that she is the head researcher working with other scientists that might covers the fields that she is not an expert on: she's smart enough to understand their conclusions while not necessarily getting in to the details of their methods.
59** [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in the cutscene you get after researching the Outsider crystal, wherein her confused description of its properties leads the mechanic present (Shen) to realize that she's describing an antenna.
60* OrangeBlueContrast: The blue to Shen's orange.
61* ScienceFoils: With Dr. Shen. They are both scientists, but Vahlen is analytical/destructive while Shen is creative/constructive. They furthermore represent two different approaches to science: the younger Vahlen is against what she believes are unnecessary restrictions on research, and while she acknowledges that her work may be used for evil in the future, she firmly believes that humanity will put the aliens' abuses of science to good use. The OlderAndWiser Shen, meanwhile, is much more cautious about the inevitable repercussions of their work, though often more willing to resort to drastic measures where the consequences are already understood. The game's plot ultimately lets the players decide for themselves whose attitude is correct.
62* TheSmartGirl: She's X-Com's in-house lead researcher, who takes the bodies, captives, weapons and resources from each mission and uses them to improve the technology level of your soldiers to give you more of an edge.
63* TheSpock: Opposed to [[TheMcCoy Shen]], Vahlen favors utilizing as much of the might of the alien technology as possible, as logically, it would give humanity the best chances to beat them.
64* TortureTechnician: She personally oversees all interrogations of aliens. In ''Enemy Within'', some of the in-game dialogue indicates that she did the same to the EXALT operative captured during the first mission in ''Operation Progeny''.
65* WhatTheHellIsThatAccent: Her accent remains consistent throughout the game, and she does use German phrases, but it doesn't quite ''sound'' German, and she occasionally slips into RP English for half a sentence. There's also a bit of French in there too. So she could be Swiss, from the Rhineland, or Alsacien. It's also possible that she grew up in somewhere like Germany but moved to somewhere like England a few years back, such that her accent is mid-transition from German to English by the start of the game.
66[[/folder]]
67
68[[folder:Dr. Raymond Shen]]
69[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shen_xcomeu_6807.png]]
70[[caption-width-right:300:"We have to keep moving forward with the project, but the thought of treading the same path as the aliens... is troubling."]]
71->'''Voiced by:''' '''[[Creator/FrancoisChau François Chau]]''' (English); '''Alexander Pozharov''' (Russian)
72
73XCOM's Chief Engineer, he and his team of engineers manufacture everything XCOM may require, ranging from Medikits to Satellites. They are also responsible for maintaining and expanding XCOM's HQ and its fleet of aircraft.\
74
75For tropes relating to Shen's appearance in the ''VideoGame/XCOM2: Shen's Last Gift'' DLC, see that game's [[Characters/XCOM2TheResistance character page.]]
76----
77* AmbiguouslyBrown: Or rather, Asian. Has a subtle maybe-Chinese accent, a somewhat Asian shape to his eyes, and his last name is Chinese, but we can't get more specific than that. XCOM 2 reveals he is from Taiwan.
78* CoolOldGuy: Despite his old age, he's a hard worker and capable leader for your engineering team.
79* CyberneticsEatYourSoul: Zig-zagged depending on which version you play.
80** In ''Enemy Unknown'' he is especially offended by the extent to which some of the aliens have been genetically altered or augmented with machinery, and questions whether humanity is headed in the same direction.
81** ''Enemy Within'' has him as very interested in the application of Meld to create MEC Troopers, in contrast to his fear of cybernetic enhancement that still shows up when Floaters are introduced, which would make him a hypocrite but for the fact that his team specifically designs the MEC Troopers to be able to reintegrate into human society after the war, while it's obvious the aliens have no such concerns. His position is essentially that radical augmentation that destroys what you are without any possibility of normal life is evil, and does his best to avoid that with XCOM soldiers.
82* TheEngineer: He's the head of XCOM's entire engineering team.
83* MadeOfIron: During the [[spoiler:invasion of XCOM HQ]] in ''Enemy Within'', he's perfectly fine after [[spoiler:being right next to an explosion]].
84* MagnumOpus: InUniverse, Dr. Shen states that out of everything he built for XCOM, the [[CoolPlane Firestorm]] is what he is most proud of.
85* TheMcCoy: Opposed to [[TheSpock Vahlen]], Shen has a much more cautious view on utilizing the alien technology, as he has ethical concerns that humanity might drift towards becoming too much like the aliens if restraint is not applied in how it is used. Conversely he is more willing to engage in questionable behavior within the realm of contemporary or near contemporary technology. Specifically he has no stated issue with the use of otherwise illegal weapons against the aliens as well as being in favor of the creation of [=MECs=] which involves amputation of functional limbs.
86* NoTranshumanismAllowed: When you discover Psionics, he comments on how XCOM may be going too far. This position is tweaked in ''Enemy Within'' to cautious-but-optimistic. Shen is also more open minded on cybernetic transhumanism when more quality-of-life concerns are afforded to subjects then what the aliens provide.
87* OrangeBlueContrast: The orange to Vahlen's blue.
88* TheProfessor: This is the guy that takes maybe ''ten seconds'' looking at a chunk of Outsider crystal whilst listening to Dr. Vahlen's technobabble, and figures out that it's an antenna or receiver of some kind.
89* ScienceFoils: With Dr. Vahlen. See her entry for details.
90[[/folder]]
91
92[[folder:The Council Spokesman]]
93[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/xcom-eu_the_council_2609.jpg]]
94[[caption-width-right:350:"Your efforts will have considerable effects on this planet's future. We urge you to keep that in mind as you proceed."]]
95->'''Voiced by:''' '''Jon Bailey''' (English); '''Ilya Isaev''' (Russian)
96
97The Council of Nations is the financial backer behind the XCOM project, comprised of [[MultinationalTeam 16 member countries and their allies]]. They provide funding, operative recruits, scientists and engineers for the common defense of Earth. They also occasionally request XCOM's assistance with special matters. Keeping members in the Council is a vital long term objective of the game. If too many members leave, you lose. They are represented by the mysterious Council spokesman.
98----
99* BenevolentConspiracy: The Council operates under the radar, but is only interested combating the alien invaders.
100* BigGood: The Council as a whole, since their support is the reason why the XCOM project can function in the first place. Though the Spokesman is just their representative, he himself has taken over this role by the time of ''[[VideoGame/XCOM2 XCOM 2]]''.
101* CatchPhrase: The Council Spokesman has a few -
102-->Good luck, Commander.
103-->We'll be in touch, Commander.
104-->Remember, [[BigBrotherIsWatching we will be watching.]]
105* DividedWeFall: Invoked to punish the player. If you don't keep worldwide panic levels in check, countries ''will'' withdraw from the Council, taking potential funding and their continental bonus with it (you need EVERY country on a continent to have satellite coverage to secure the bonus[[note]]unless it's the continent XCOM HQ is on[[/note]]). If half or more of the Council withdraw, the XCOM project is terminated and [[ApocalypseHow its game over for you, and the human race]].
106* TheFaceless: The Spokesman's face is always obscured in shadow, forever making his identity a mystery.
107* GameOverMan: Fail to keep the allies happy, and he'll close the book on XCOM and announce Earth's new alliance with the invaders.
108* TheMenInBlack: The Spokesman looks like one.
109* MultinationalTeam: Members include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, South Africa, the United States and the United Kingdom.
110* MysteriousEmployer: There is really very little known about who exactly you are taking orders and funding from[[labelnote:*]]Because you're ''not'' taking orders from the Council at all: XCOM is essentially an independent organization that ''answers to'' the Council. While the Council can recommend missions to help XCOM out and provides funding, they have literally no control over how the organization is run by design: XCOM is free to pursue their agenda, accept and decline missions, and the Council has to abide those decisions. It makes sense in that if the Council ''could'' control XCOM, they would never get anything done: XCOM would have to deal with the bickering and politicking that would be normal in an international group, and every country would be able to threaten to withdraw if XCOM did come protect them ''right now''.[[/labelnote]].
111* OmniscientCouncilOfVagueness: Of the good kind.
112* PuppetKing: In the game over sequence, the Spokesman disavows all connection with the XCOM operatives and writes it off as one big "misunderstanding." The camera pans to show a Sectoid Commander feeding him those lines via psionics.
113* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Is generally positive and optimistic about you, saying they're sure you'll improve when Council Missions go wrong and are O.K. with less-than-perfection in monthly reports, only saying that XCOM is clearly not going well if you mess up the month ''really'' hard. They also understand the GodzillaThreshold is in play, and [[HeroInsurance disregard any collateral damage to buildings and vehicles]] that occurs during XCOM operations.
114[[/folder]]
115
116[[folder:Big Sky]]
117
118Big Sky is the pilot who transports your squad to every mission with his own Skyranger.
119----
120* AcePilot: He can get his Skyranger anywhere, including into the middle of a spaceship.
121* AllThereInTheManual: Unused character art shows that Big Sky holds the rank of lieutenant.
122* TheFaceless: We never see Big Sky's face since he's always in his full body pilot suit.
123[[/folder]]
124
125[[folder:Council Mission [=VIPs=]]]
126! General
127* EscortMission: They're the ones being escorted. Since you have direct control over them, the usual AI problems don't crop up, but they're very fragile (only 3 Health) and don't carry weapons.
128* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Despite their extraction missions or statements having foreseeable future implications, you never learn any new information relating to them and they are never even mentioned again, whether they are successfully extracted or not.
129
130!Anna Sing
131The only person to escape alien captivity, her extraction may allow XCOM to find out what the aliens are doing with their abductees.
132----
133* AlienAbduction: The only escapee.
134* BreakTheCutie: What she saw affected her horribly.
135* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: She's completely removed from the game when ''Enemy Within'' is installed, because her story conflicts with Operation Progeny.
136* HeroicBSOD: She's in the middle of a breakdown when XCOM catches up to her.
137* SoleSurvivor: Presumably.
138
139!General Peter Van Doorn
140A UN official trapped by an alien attack. The death or abduction of such a prominent and high-ranking officer would cause widespread panic. XCOM must extract him to prevent this.
141----
142* AFatherToHisMen: He's quite unhappy about the casualties his troops have suffered and hopes he'll get the chance to pay the aliens back in kind.
143* FourStarBadass: While he's not any tougher than the other [=VIPs=], one of his soldiers says he went ahead to rescue a wounded soldier when the aliens attacked.
144** The ''[[VideoGame/XCOMlongwar Long War]]'' GameMod actually takes it a step further: if he survives the rescue mission, he'll ''resign his post'' at the UN so he can join XCOM and kick ass with the team that saved him.
145* IShallTauntYou: While you're rescuing him, he enthusiastically shouts out insults at the aliens.
146
147!Thomas Hutch
148A politician and friend of the Council, he has come under attack from the aliens. Extracting him would mean increased support for XCOM.
149----
150* LosingTheTeamSpirit: When the aliens started shooting, Hutch started running. He's on the other side of the map from the start while his vehicle is about a third of the way.
151
152!Sgt. Patrick Carlock
153A combat engineer, he believes he has found proof that the aliens have contaminated the local water supply. He and his data must be safely extracted in order to conduct further investigation.
154----
155* CallBack: He's found proof that the local water supplies have been contaminated by aliens. [[VideoGame/TheBureauXCOMDeclassified This isn't the first time it's happened.]]
156* TheEngineer: And obviously a competent one if he was able to determine the aliens contaminated water supplies.
157
158!William Thorne
159A politician suspected of collusion with the aliens. The Council has requested that he be extracted for interrogation.
160----
161* TheQuisling: What the Council thinks he is, though he fervently denies it.
162
163%%!Dr. Hongou Marazuki
164%%A civilian scientist who has been tracking [=UFOs=]. His knowledge of and data on UFO activity makes him a target for the aliens and valuable to XCOM.
165%%----
166%%* TheProfessor
167[[/folder]]
168
169!!XCOM Ground Forces
170
171[[folder:General Tropes]]
172[[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/xcom_logo.png]]
173->Few will survive to see the end of this conflict. Fewer still will possess the skills necessary to end it.
174-->-- '''Council Spokesman'''
175
176* BadassNormal: Normal men and women fighting evil aliens. In ''Enemy Unknown'', they don't get to be genetically or cybernetically enhanced, but they ''do'' get PoweredArmor and {{Plasma Cannon}}s. in ''Enemy Within'', they can be, but it's up to you.
177* ColdHam: Cool, collected, and say some really hammy things.
178* EmpoweredBadassNormal: If they have "the Gift", they can be trained to make use of PsychicPowers.
179* MultinationalTeam: Recruited from all over the world. They don't leave if their controlling nation pulls out either.
180* PurelyAestheticGender: The soldiers you hire can be male or female but the only thing this affects is their character model and voice snippets.
181* SuperSoldier: They can be tested for psionics, which, if they have "The Gift", allows them to weaponize their thoughts. In ''Enemy Within'', they can be modified with alien DNA and Meld to increase their survavibility and/or grant them special abilities. Or turned into cyborg MiniMecha pilots.
182[[/folder]]
183
184[[folder:Rookie]]
185Constantly outclassed, outgunned and/or outnumbered, these green recruits are nonetheless XCOM's most valuable resource. With experience, the raw, untapped potential within each one could become exactly what is needed to save mankind. All Rookies are equipped with [[JackOfAllStats assault rifles]] and {{handguns}}, and are only issued more specialized weaponry and equipment once they have gained sufficient combat experience.
186----
187* ATeamFiring: It's not unusual, particularly on the higher difficulties, for rookies to miss. [[RandomNumberGod A lot]]. It's especially not unusual to have every rookie you brought along unleash their barrage on a single Sectoid (the weakest enemy in the game), only for every single round to miss.
188* ElitesAreMoreGlamorous: Despite their lack of ability compared to higher ranked units, all XCOM soldiers are specifically recruited from the elite units of the various militaries around the world. They are the best of the best, but working with XCOM makes them ''even better''.
189* MagikarpPower: Even the mightiest Colonel started out as a Rookie at some point. Unless you bought the "New Guy" upgrade, in which case they all start as Squaddies.
190* RedShirt: On higher difficulties, or just if the RandomNumberGod takes exception to you, expect to go through a lot of them. Often {{invoked}} since a player is likely to consider a grunt with no special abilities to be more expendable than an experienced soldier that they've been grooming for several missions into an elite (read: valuable) killing machine.
191[[/folder]]
192
193[[folder:Assault]]
194[[quoteright:168:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/xeu_assault.png]]
195[[caption-width-right:168:"Moving at the speed of death!"]]
196
197Front-line units specializing in offense and mobility, allowing them to close in on the enemy and flank more easily. They can be equipped with either assault rifles for mid-range combat or {{shotguns|AreJustBetter}} for close encounters.
198----
199* CloseRangeCombatant: The domain of the Assault, being able to wield {{Short Range Shotgun}}s or the somewhat farther-ranged [[JackOfAllStats assault rifles]]. Their abilities on the right side are used for offensive bonuses and abilities requiring the Assault to close in, flank, and CriticalHit aliens dead. The left side's defensive bonuses are a bit less strict in their application, but still generally benefit the Assault in trying to see aliens eye-to-eye (and then shooting them).
200* CriticalHitClass: They're some of the best at inflicting Critical Hits, since they'll be flanking quite often and shotguns come with above average critical chance rates. The right side of their ability tree is full of bonuses relating to it:
201** The Corporal "Aggression" passive ability grants 10% critical chance for every enemy the Assault can see, up to 30%.
202** The Sergeant "Close and Personal" passive ability grants 30% critical chance against adjacent targets, diminishing with increasing distance. Changed in ''Enemy Within'' to "Up Close and Personal", giving the Assault a free shot when they're within 4 tiles of the enemy, though it doesn't work if "Run & Gun" is active.
203** The Captain "Bring 'Em On" passive ability adds up to 1 damage to critical hits for every enemy the squad sees, up to 5.
204** And lastly, the Colonel "Killer Instinct" passive ability adds 50% critical damage from activating Run & Gun for the rest of the turn.
205** [[InvertedTrope On the flip side]], the Colonel "Resilience" passive ability makes them immune to Critical Hits.
206* CrazyIsCool: In-universe, going by their nicknames. Most Assaults end up with nicknames -- which are usually given by their comrades -- that essentially state that ''this guy/gal is totally crazy.''
207* DeathOrGloryAttack: About three-fourth's of the Assaults tactics involve one version of this or another. If the Assault succeeds, he does devastating damage to an enemy. If the Assault misses, isn't supported, or gets bad orders, he's going to be in a position where enemy fire will tear him apart. i.e. ending a chain of attacks and movement right next to a Berserker who is still clinging to life and ''very'' unhappy.
208* DesignatedPointMan: The Assault's special abilities emphasize survivability while charging into unknown terrain, making them the perfect point men for breaching doors and generally running headlong into danger.
209* DifficultButAwesome: Equipping the Assault with a Shotgun makes them play very differently. While the Assault Rifle tends to be a better choice in the lower difficulties with its consistent accuracy, the Shotgun is a must in Impossible, where even Sectoids are very unlikely to die from a non-crit rifle burst. In Impossible an instant kill to reduce the amount of active aliens is worth its weight in gold, and the Assault Rifle cannot reliably provide that even with a flank, while the Shotgun can thanks to the extra base damage and crit chance. Shotgun usage requires careful placement of your Assault so that he's in a position close enough to make effective use of the weapon while still protected enough to avoid an enemy flanking movement, which requires knowledge of how the cover and sightlines system works.
210* DodgeTheBullet: Their Sergeant "Lightning Reflexes" passive ability lets them dodge the first Overwatch shot made at them per turn[[note]]for example, if an Assault makes a movement that would trigger multiple but non-simultaneous reaction shots, the first one is a guaranteed miss[[/note]], allowing them to close with the enemy by going ''through'' their field of fire.
211* FashionableAsymmetry: Their class armor variant is defined by a patch over the right breast and a shoulderguard on their left but not right arm.
212* LightningBruiser: The "Run & Gun" ability gives them double speed for a turn without sacrificing stopping power, while the Sergeant "Lightning Reflexes" passive ability lets them avoid the first reaction shot that targets them per turn. They also tend to be some of the toughest soldiers in the squad, as noted in MadeOfIron. Being {{Close Range Combatant}}s, they tend to ''need'' that toughness, because they're more likely to be targeted than a midrange Heavy or Support or a [[LongRangeFighter long-range Sniper]].
213* MadeOfIron: Has the highest health gain from level ups out of all the classes. Colonel-ranked Assaults are likely to be the toughest soldiers in XCOM, especially if certain abilities are chosen:
214** The Corporal "Tactical Sense" passive ability gives them more Defense for each enemy in sight, up to partial cover-level bonus for 4 enemies.
215** The Major "Extra Conditioning" passive ability give them extra health, increasing based on the type of armor they're wearing. [[note]]1 HP for basic Body Armor, 4 HP for Titan and Archangel Armor, and 2 HP for everything else.[[/note]]
216** The Colonel "Resilience" passive ability makes them immune to critical hits.
217* MagikarpPower: The Assault's abilities that affect critical chance require consistent investment to be reliable and tend to be overkill against the earlier aliens, which are likely to be {{One Hit Kill}}ed even with the basic shotgun anyway (though said abilities become more crucial on [[HarderThanHard Impossible]], as all but the Sectoids require more than one non-critical shot to kill), whilst simultaneously being inadequate for {{One Hit Kill}}ing Mutons and Chryssalids on any difficulty. After the Assault has access to a Scatter Laser and the "Bring 'Em On" passive ability, though, they'll become unmatched at running up to things and obliterating them with one shot[[note]]so long as they're not immune to critical hits[[/note]]. In contrast, the Assault's defense abilities pretty much always come in handy and require no prior investment to be useful. The ''Second Wave'' "Absolutely Critical" modifier also guarantees critical hits against flanked targets, which means less investment is required.
218* RefugeInAudacity: Many of the Assault's tactics run on this. Charging straight through enemy fire (possibly even deliberately provoking it so that allies can safely move), rushing into point-blank range, often vaulting over enemy cover to shove a shotgun into their face, all the while getting greater defensive and offensive boosts because of how many enemies they're dealing with, and then shrugging off half the damage they'd take from the inevitable enemy retaliation is all in a day's work for the Assault trooper.
219* ShortRangeShotgun: Past a certain distance, the Assault suffers an Aim penalty when shooting. By contrast, their aim bonus at closer ranges is almost doubled, making them even more suitable for Assaults with high mobility but low accuracy.
220* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: The Assault class is the only unit in the entire game, alien, XCOM or EXALT that can equip shotguns, which are cool enough, but the final shotgun-type weapon, the Alloy Cannon, is the only weapon in the entire game that glows orange. It works on a completely different technology than any of the other plasma-tier weapons, including the ones that the ''aliens themselves have made'', making it possibly the most advanced and unique hand-held weapon in XCOM's arsenal. Shotguns in general have a base damage bonus and increased CriticalHit chance compared to a rifle of the same tech level.
221[[/folder]]
222
223[[folder:Heavy]]
224[[quoteright:203:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/xeu_heavy.png]]
225[[caption-width-right:203:"Oh, let it rain!"]]
226
227[[{{BFG}} Heavy Weapons]] and [[StuffBlowingUp explosives]] specialists, these guys get [[MoreDakka machine guns of various flavours]] and [[StuffBlowingUp a rocket launcher]].
228----
229* AlwaysAccurateAttack: Suppression with "Mayhem" and Blaster Launcher bombs will ''always'' hit, despite the UI card saying the latter has a 10% chance to miss.
230* BeamSpam:
231** Heavies fire the Heavy Plasma in the same [[MoreDakka eight-round burst]] as their lower-tech weapons, and unlike Muton Elites, who fire in three-round salvos ([[CosmeticallyDifferentSides but with the same damage]]). Visually, it looks like the Heavy is firing a plasma flamethrower.
232** Similarly, their laser-tier weapon, the Heavy Laser, is the only fully-automatic handheld beam weapon in the game. Laser rifles, the Laser Pistol and the Scatter Laser fire only one concentrated burst; the Heavy Laser fires eight.
233* CriticalHitClass: Inverted. Heavies are all about {{Fixed Damage Attack}}s and ripping things to pieces with base damage, without relying on crits. The best example of this is in their primary weapons: they're the only ones in the game without a CriticalHit chance modifier.
234* CrutchCharacter:
235** The Heavy's high accuracy cover-destroying rocket(s) and ability to fire twice or perform an action after firing with "Bullet Swarm", or boost Aim by 10 against a single target with "Holo-Targeting" are invaluable when your soldiers are still unreliable shots. The high damage of their [=LMGs=] and the utility and area-of-effect of said rockets means they're still useful to any squad much later in the game, but they aren't quite as much of a godsend then.
236** At a more specific level, if you play the tutorial, your first soldier to be promoted from Rookie will be the Heavy that survives the disastrous Operation Devil's Moon. As your first ranked soldier, he'll likely carry your team until your other units level up.
237** Averted in higher difficulty levels, where they can be seen as a SupportPartyMember. The Heavy's ability to deal reliable {{Herd Hitting Attack}}s is valuable enough in cleaning out the lesser aliens (who graduate to DemonicSpiders status), but their biggest utility is in destroying covers, leaving the aliens exposed to your Snipers and worse.
238** They're also your best bets against a Sectopod, one of the (if not '''the''') greatest threats in the late game. Area damage suppression lets them take down the Sectopod's support and cripple their aim. Bullet Swarm and HEAT Ammo gives them unparalleled damage output and their own durability, boosted by Will To Survive, gives them the best chance of survival against one. They're only really outclassed in the anti-Sectopod role by MEC Troopers in ''Enemy Within''.
239* {{Determinator}}: The basis of their "Will To Survive" ability, which reduces any incoming damage by 2 as long as they are in cover and not flanked.
240* {{Handguns}}: {{Averted|Trope}}. Heavies are the only basic soldier class to not use pistols. As such, they can't go on covert operations.
241* HeavyEquipmentClass: The Heavy class has exclusive access to [[{{BFG}} Light Machine Gun]] that, while low-capacity, can be used to destroy cover or to lay down supressive fire, and rocket launchers that hit a large area and [[EverythingBreaks destroy cover and buildings]].
242* MightyGlacier: The Corporal "Bullet Swarm" passive ability allows the Heavy to trade off mobility for the ability to fire twice in one turn, effectively doubling their damage output. Rocket attacks also require the Heavy to not move in order to use them[[note]]just like Snipers who don't have Snap Shot[[/note]], and can [[HerdHittingAttack waste groups]] of squishier aliens early on or knock down cover to soften up entrenched enemies in later stages. While Assaults tend to have higher health from Extra Conditioning, Heavies have innate damage resistance with Will to Survive, equally the maximum bonus in 2 hits taken, and exceeding it with any more.
243* MoreDakka:
244** Heavies' weapon of choice is a light machine gun, and they fire it in eight-round bursts, the most of any XCOM class. It puts out so much dakka that it has the lowest number of shots per reload out of all the main weapons, at only three. Ammo Conservation doubles that to six shots per magazine.
245** With "Bullet Swarm", they can fire twice per turn.
246** "Rapid Reaction" lets the Heavy fire a second reaction shot if their first Overwatch reaction shot hits.
247* NoSell: "Will to Survive" is the only damage-reducing ability in the game that can reduce attacks to 0. This means a Major-rank Heavy can ''completely'' shrug off a Sectoid's plasma pistol shot, a Drone's beam shot, or an EXALT Operative's or Medic's assault rifle burst as long as they roll for at most 2 damage[[note]]and "completely" is in a literal sense: if the shot deals no damage, the Heavy won't even get an "I'm hit" animation[[/note]]. It's even funnier if [[RandomizedDamageAttack Damage Roulette]] is on, as sometimes the Heavy can facetank a low-rolling Sectopod's Cannon Fire or an Ethereal's Psi Lance without so much as a flinch.
248* PinnedDown: If the Sergeant "Suppression" active ability is chosen, they can do this to any target of their choice for one turn. It does consume twice as much ammo as firing normally, but it reduces the target's Aim by 30 and grants the Heavy a reaction shot should the target move. The Captain "Danger Zone" passive ability turns Suppression into an [[HerdHittingAttack area-of-effect skill]] two tiles wide, and the "Mayhem" Colonel-rank passive ability causes the Heavy to deal a small but [[AlwaysAccurateAttack guaranteed]] amount of damage to the target(s) they're raining gunfire on.
249* PowerfulButInaccurate:
250** Their light machine guns deal damage comparable to sniper rifles, but can still be fired after moving, and if the Heavy has "Bullet Swarm", be fired before moving or doing anything else). However, the Heavy's Aim stat growth is the lowest out of all the classes[[note]]it's even more lackluster with Hidden Potential enabled[[/note]] and their shots will only become reliable at much later levels and with a S.C.O.P.E. on-hand[[note]]or if you play with Not Created Equal enabled and get a recruit with 75-80 Aim assigned to the Heavy class[[/note]]. It's slightly alleviated at Colonel rank, which unlocks "Mayhem", a passive ability that makes Suppression an AlwaysAccurateAttack.
251** On a subtler note, {{Critical Hit}}s are implied by the flavor text of other abilities to be precise hits to the target's weak spots. All guns have at least 10% innate crit chance... except the Heavy's LMG, which has none.
252** While their rockets are more accurate, there's always that 10% chance to miss, that is visually shown by the Heavy blatantly aiming off-target and complaining about the aiming system. It's alleviated late in the game with the Blaster Launcher, a highly advanced launcher weapon with {{Homing Projectile}}s -- the Heavy can aim in ''any'' direction and the blaster bomb will still find its way to where the Commander told it to.
253* StuffBlowingUp: The unique purview of the Heavy, with the abilities to match.
254** At the Squaddie rank, they can launch rockets with the "Fire Rocket" active ability. Does 6 damage to targets hit, fires in a straight line and can be blocked by terrain, always has a 90% to-hit chance, requires the Heavy to not move or fire during the turn to use, and can only be fired once a mission. Can cause UnfriendlyFire. Equipping them with a Blaster Launcher increases damage to 9 and allows it to fire around terrain.
255** Sergeants can get the "Shredder Rocket" active ability, which does 4 damage (2 less damage than a regular rocket) and increases damage dealt to affected targets by 33% for the next 4 turns. Otherwise identical to regular rockets, though a separate rocket supply is used. Equipping a Blaster Launcher upgrades it to the 6 damage of a regular rocket.
256** The Lieutenant's "HEAT Ammo" (High-Explosive Anti-Tank) passive ability doubles ''all'' damage they deal to robotic enemies (Cyberdiscs, Drones and Sectopods), which tend to make even more explosions when they die. {{Nerf}}ed in ''Enemy Within'' to a 50% damage bonus instead, due to the addition of more mechanical/robotic enemies.
257** A Captain may choose between the "Grenadier" or "Danger Zone" passive abilities, the former granting two grenades instead of one if the Heavy equips a grenade, the latter giving all rocket attacks an area-of-effect two tiles greater, and an actual area of effect to Suppression (which can affect multiple enemies). In ''Enemy Within'', all damaging grenades deal 1 more damage: Frag and Needle Grenades hit for 4 like a Shredder rocket, Alien ones deal 6 damage like a Shredder Blaster bomb or regular rocket.
258** At the Colonel rank, a Heavy can get "Rocketeer" for an extra shot per mission to the "Fire Rocket" ability (not "Shredder Rocket"), or "Mayhem" to add 1-3 damage to rockets based off the weapon's tech level, and 1-3 damage to the target(s) of Suppression depending on the weapon used. An use of Fire Rocket with the Blaster Launcher, with Mayhem, deals up to 12 damage, and a Shredder rocket hits for 9.
259* ThrowDownTheBomblet: While all soldiers can carry a grenade (and do carry one or two by default if they have the "Tactical Rigging" upgrade), Heavies can specialize in them. The "Grenadier" ability lets them carry two grenades in a single inventory slot, and also grants +1 damage to grenades in ''Enemy Within''.
260[[/folder]]
261
262[[folder:Sniper]]
263[[quoteright:241:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/xeu_sniper.png]]
264[[caption-width-right:241:"There's something on your face... '''*[[BoomHeadshot boom]]*''' Got it."]]
265
266Expert marksmen, they specialize in accurately dealing extreme damage at extreme range with {{sniper rifle}}s and can also use [[ImprobableAimingSkills special shots]] to hinder enemies.
267----
268* ATeamFiring: Snipers have an aim penalty when aiming at targets in close proximity to them. Generally signified by them taking their time to zero in their shot... at a truck on the other side of the street, instead of the Chyrssalid right in their face. In close combat, their best bet is to switch to their sidearm, as it gets an aim bonus at spitting distances instead of a penalty.
269* BlastingItOutOfTheirHands: [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]] with their Disabling Shot ability. They take a shot at the enemy's weapon for minimal damage, forcing them to waste a turn reloading if they intend to use it.
270* BoomHeadshot: The first ability they learn, in fact, granting +30% CriticalHit chance and extra damage on a crit, depending on the tech level of the sniper rifle wielded. In ''Enemy Within'', it's also the only way a Squadsight sniper can land a critical shot.
271* ColdSniper: In-universe, according to some possible nicknames. What else are you supposed to assume about someone nicknamed "Ice"?
272* CriticalHitClass: Their sniper rifles have the highest base Critical chance out of all weapons, and it's further enhanced by some abilities. The "Headshot" active ability gives their shot an extra +30% Critical chance and extra CriticalHit damage. The Captain "Opportunist" passive ability lets the Sniper CriticalHit on reaction shots. Combine these with the ''Second Wave'' "Absolutely Critical" modifier to turn the Sniper into an endless font of exploding heads.[[labelnote:IMPORTANT NOTE]]This only goes for Snap Shot Snipers in ''Enemy Within''; a {{nerf}} in the expansion annuls the critical chance for shots from Squadsight range that aren't Headshot, including reaction fire with Opportunist.[[/labelnote]]
273* DoNotRunWithAGun: Without the Corporal "Snap Shot" passive ability, Snipers are incapable of firing their sniper rifles on a turn on which they first moved or grappled, though they can still use their sidearm. However, Snap Shot snipers take a whopping ''-20'' Aim penalty to sniper rifle shots made after moving. ''Enemy Within'' reduces the penalty to -10 Aim, making it more viable.
274* DoubleTap: The exact name of the alternative ability to "In The Zone" at Colonel rank. If the sniper doesn't move, they can fire the rifle twice no matter what, though it ''has'' to be a standard shot, Headshot or Disabling Shot. It also has a 1-turn cooldown after being activated. It's less beneficial than "In The Zone", but also more consistent.[[note]]Snap Shot snipers face a downside to this ability, however: the second shot carries the same Aim penalty of moving for some reason, though by Colonel rank the sniper's aim should be so high it's unlikely to be a problem.[[/note]]
275* FinishingMove: The Captain "Executioner" passive ability aids the Sniper in this, gaining +10 Aim against enemies at 50% or lower health. [[GoodBadBugs Hilariously]], the "Executioner" tooltip also pops up if the Sniper uses a medkit on an ally below 50% health.
276* GeoEffects: With the "Damn Good Ground" passive ability available at Sergeant rank, the Sniper gains +10 Aim and Defense for being at a higher elevation level than their target, which stacks with the universal +20 boost to Aim. With the Depth Perception gene mod, a Sniper can have a cumulative +35% extra chance to hit, enough to all but nullify the innate Defense of all late game enemies.
277* GlassCannon: Their health is the lowest of all the classes, but they can dish out a lot of damage.
278* {{Handguns}}:
279** While all XCOM soldiers aside from Heavies pack sidearms, the sniper will probably be the class that uses them most frequently, [[DoNotRunWithAGun since they cannot fire sniper rifles in the same turn that they move]] without Snap Shot, and even with Snap Shot the pistol may be a better pick for a number of reasons.[[labelnote:list]]1) the enemy is so close that the sniper rifle gets a close range accuracy penalty; 2) the Aim penalty when firing after moving can bring a shot's hit chance too low to bother with; 3) a sniper rifle shot would be overkill and a waste of ammunition.[[/labelnote]]
280** The "Gunslinger" passive ability at Sergeant rank even boosts their pistol damage by 2 -- which, considering that it's also the ''only'' pistol-specific ability for XCOM soldiers, actually makes Snipers the best pistol users among the four classes; this also makes Snipers a good pick for Covert Operatives in EXALT infiltration missions in ''Enemy Within'' unless you have Training Roulette enabled.
281* KillStreak: The Colonel's "In The Zone" passive ability sets up a flanking Sniper to score a litany of kills. A shot that kills an enemy that either is flanked by the Sniper, is [[AirborneMook mid-flight]], or simply cannot take cover, does not take up an action, potentially letting the Sniper fire and kill over and over again[[note]]or as with the Heavy's "Bullet Swarm" passive, fire and move, or fire and reload, or fire and Hunker Down[[/note]]. Rather conveniently, such tends to be the case with melee enemies, making them your potential best Chryssalid killers in the late game.
282* ImprobableAimingSkills: Snipers have very high Aim gains as they rank up, and thanks to certain abilities in their skill tree, their Aim can be boosted even higher. With the correct build and positioning, a high rank Sniper can casually have 100% hit chance on a late game enemy behind high cover from ''literally across the map''.
283* LongRangeFighter: As one likely expect from a Sniper. Unlike all other weapons, sniper rifles are ''less'' accurate the closer the target is. The left side of the Sniper's abilities helps alleviate this weakness, as does switching to the Sniper's sidearm[[note]]which gets an accuracy bonus at close range rather than a penalty[[/note]], but placing a Sniper right next to an alien still probably isn't going to work out that well in regular circumstances. Moreover, the synergy of the "Squadsight"[[note]]allows the Sniper to fire the Sniper Rifle at enemies within the sight radius of a Battle Scanner or a teammate nearer to that enemy so long as line of sight from the sniper to that enemy isn't otherwise blocked; such enemies are indicated with a little yellow "crosshair reticle" over their icon when the Sniper is selected[[/note]] and "Opportunist"[[note]]removes the Aim penalty on Overwatch reaction shots and allows reaction shots to be critical hits[[/note]] abilities allows for shots and situations that would be impossible for any other class.[[labelnote:IMPORTANT NOTE]]This doesn't work nearly as well in ''Enemy Within'', as Squadsight precludes scoring a CriticalHit from beyond the soldier's own visual range unless using Headshot, so a reaction shot with Opportunist has no advantage beyond the removal of aim penalties.[[/labelnote]]
284* MagikarpPower: The Sniper starts out unable to fire their sniper rifles after moving and a "Headshot" ability that tends to not reliably grant critical hits against targets in cover, while the extra damage granted is usually overkill against early-game enemies. Colonel Snipers have the highest Aim in the game and, with "In The Zone", score a KillStreak of {{One Hit Kill}}s on exposed enemies (a Snap Shot sniper can actively move to outflank them), or kill things from across the map with "Squadsight", which allows the Sniper to shoot at enemies any of the squad sees, barring any obstacles blocking the shot -- with Archangel Armor to fly up to the highest vantage point possible, they can do so without ever moving from their starting location![[note]]Squadsight synergizes very well with In The Zone too -- an ITZ Squadsighter with a Plasma Sniper Rifle can get a spectacular number of kills on a Terror mission, and is a Chryssalid's worst nightmare[[/note]]. Both will slaughter aliens with contemptuous ease and be difficult to hit wherever they take cover due to the Major "Low Profile" passive ability making any cover they use count as full, or being so far out of range they can't be seen at all.
285* MightyGlacier: A properly-specced high-level Squadsight sniper is potentially ''the'' deadliest force on the battlefield, capable of downing a half-dozen aliens in a single turn from beyond visual range, but they can't move and use their sniper rifle in the same turn, so positioning them properly at the beginning of the fight is crucial. A Snap Shot sniper of high rank is a lesser example: they can do a regular move or grapple to reach a good perch close to the fray and down a half-dozen aliens in a single turn.
286* PinnedDown: An odd example. With the ''Second Wave'' "Training Roulette" modifier, snipers can gain the "Suppression" ability like other units, but no matter what, they need ''both'' action points in a turn to use it. That's par for the course with Squadsight, but Snap Shot does not influence that, so the latter kind of sniper benefits very little from it.
287* PunchPackingPistol: "Gunslinger", a passive ability, changes the sniper's pistol to deal 2 more damage than usual no matter what. With all the pistol upgrades at the Foundry researched, a Plasma Pistol on a Gunslinger sniper can hit harder than a Light Plasma Rifle.
288* SniperPistol: Typically with Squadsight, only sniper rifles can target enemies outside the Sniper's personal range. However, an enemy triggering an Overwatch will still make that Sniper fire, even if they have their pistol equipped and the enemy is across the map. Yes, they can use their pistols for sniping, but only when they act on reflex.
289[[/folder]]
290
291[[folder:Support]]
292[[quoteright:169:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/xeu_support.png]]
293[[caption-width-right:169:"This? Oh, it's gonna hurt!"]]
294A CombatMedic[=/=]Fire Support specialist with support skills like smoke grenades and the ability to carry more gear. They wield versatile assault rifles.
295----
296* CombatMedic: The left side of their abilities emphasizes the latter word, the right emphasizes the former. For the former:
297** The Corporal "Covering Fire" passive ability allows Supports to activate Overwatch when enemies fire in addition to moving.
298** Lieutenant Supports can get the "Rifle Suppression" active ability, elaborated in PinnedDown below.
299** The Colonel "Sentinel" passive ability allows the Support to fire two reaction shots on Overwatch instead of just one.
300* DrJerk: Some of the lines when using a medikit fall into this territory. You're more likely to hear it from Supports thanks to Field Medic allowing them extra uses of the Medikit.
301--> ''"Rub some dirt on it, you wimp."''
302* JackOfAllStats: They tend to be average in most respects compared to the other classes, except movement speed if the Corporal "Sprinter" passive ability (increases walking range by 3 tiles and dashing range by an extra 3 tiles) is chosen. Their assault rifles also tend to be middle of the road in all stats. The "Deep Pockets" passive ability learned at Major rank also enhances their potential versatility.
303* TheMedic: Technically, ''any'' class can use Medikits, but only the Support has abilities that emphasize this part of their job description:
304** The Sergeant "Field Medic" passive ability gives them 3 uses of the Medikit instead of just 1.
305** The Lieutenant "Revive" active ability lets them revive critically wounded soldiers at 33% of their max health instead of just stabilizing them.
306** The Major "Deep Pockets" passive ability in ''Enemy Within'' adds an additional charge to Medikits, among other items. In ''Enemy Unknown'', it only added a second backpack slot. [[note]]The ability was changed as ''Enemy Within'' adds a Foundry project that adds a second backpack slot to all non-MEC troopers. [=MECs=], having no backpack slots anyway, are unaffected.[[/note]]
307** The Colonel "Savior" passive ability increases the amount of damage healed by Medikits by 4.
308* MoreDakka:
309** When the Lieutenant "Rifle Suppression" ability is used, the Support's assault rifle tends to spew a lot of shots, even if it normally only fires a few rounds per attack.
310** The Colonel "Sentinel" passive ability lets them fire twice during Overwatch. Combined with the Corporal "Covering Fire" passive ability (which lets them shoot at firing enemies during Overwatch), they can fire off quite a few rounds when Overwatching.
311* PinnedDown: If the Lieutenant "Rifle Suppression" active ability is chosen, they can do this to any target of their choice for 1 turn. It does consume more ammo than firing normally, but it reduces the target's Aim by 30 and grants the Support a reaction shot should the target move. Doesn't stack with Sentinel, however, so the Support can only take one reaction shot.[[note]]With Training Roulette enabled, this ability is completely removed from the game. Suppression works the exact same way if the Support can get it.[[/note]]
312* SmokeOut: The base ability for the Support is a one-use-per-mission "Smoke Grenade" ability, which provides a defensive bonus equal to partial cover for all units in the smoke, allied or enemy. It can be further improved by choosing certain abilities.
313** The Sergeant "Smoke and Mirrors" passive ability lets the Support get another use per mission. ''Enemy Within'' Gives one further extra use, making for a total of three smoke grenades.
314** The Captain rank lets the Support get one of two passive abilities that enhance the Smoke Grenade: "Dense Smoke" (increased area of effect and +20 extra defensive bonus) or "Combat Drugs" (all units in smoke also gain +20 Will and +10% Critical Strike chance[[note]]and, most usefully but [[AllThereInTheManual not documented in-game]], +20 Aim; this is removed in ''Enemy Within''[[/note]]).
315* SuperSerum: The Captain rank ability Combat Drugs, which increases the will and critical chance of all soldiers in a smoke grenade[[note]]and Aim in the core game, but not in the expansion[[/note]].
316[[/folder]]
317
318[[folder:SHIV]]
319[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/xcomeu_shiv_6188.png]]
320
321The [[FunWithAcronyms Super Heavy Infantry Vehicle]] is an advanced autonomous weapons platforms that can be deployed in place of a human soldier. They mount [[{{BFG}} heavier weaponry]] than most human soldiers can carry.
322----
323* AllYourPowersCombined: The Rookie's expendability, the Heavy's Supression and Squad Automatic Weapon, the Support's speed, and the Assault's area denial automatic Overwatch radius when upgraded.
324* AttackDrone: XCOM's personal ones, with a whole tech tree dedicated to them. They function exactly like the tanks of yore, including, in the case of the Alloy S.H.I.V., functioning as portable cover. There are three varieties, Basic, Alloy (which can be used as low cover when standing still), and Hover (which can fly).
325* BeamSpam: S.H.I.V.s equipped with Laser Cannons fire a long fully-automatic salvo of laser blasts.
326* CannonFodder: S.H.I.V.s can't get promotions, have limited abilities by themselves, and with enough adjacent Workshops for rebate purposes, even the expensive Hover S.H.I.V. will only cost 1 credit, 1 Alloy and 1 Elerium to build, whether production is rushed or not. This makes them very expendable later on in the game.
327* CharacterLevel: {{Averted|Trope}}. Although there are 3 different types of S.H.I.V.s, each stronger than the last, they are built separately and don't earn ExperiencePoints, so they don't rank up.
328* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: They are entirely absent from ''XCOM 2'', replaced by [=SPARKs=].
329* CrutchCharacter:
330** Like the [=HWPs=] of old, their aim, innate defense and hit points make them better than the NewMeat, but they lose out to high-rankers' high stats and gamuts of abilities. Many strategies for Classic and Impossible involve rushing to get them into production ASAP to escort the squishier low-rank soldiers until they get promoted enough to outclass them.
331** ''Enemy Within's'' buffs to mechanical units on both sides, however, made them very much viable members of a given squad. A fully-upgraded Hover S.H.I.V. can move as far as an upgraded Support trooper, flies further than and twice as long as a trooper in upgraded Archangel armor, and has a heavy plasma cannon. On top of that, it gets Sentinel Drone, an unlimited self-repair system that fixes two hit points every turn ''and'' the ability to [[InstantDeathRadius fire reaction shots at anything that comes within four blocks]] like an Assault trooper; this ability is disabled if the S.H.I.V. takes a CriticalHit.
332* GatlingGood: They start off with a minigun, which can be upgraded further to a small laser cannon and from there to a plasma cannon.
333* HoverTank: The appropriately named Hover S.H.I.V. version, with 12 flight fuel units that can be expanded to 24 with the "Advanced Flight" Foundry project. When not in flight, it still hovers close to the ground.
334* InstantDeathRadius: The Sentinel Drone upgrade in the Foundry gives S.H.I.V.s the ability to shoot reaction fire at anything that moves too close to it. This makes them excellent at late game terror missions for rescuing civilians when Chryssalids are abundant. To note, this is disabled if the S.H.I.V. tanks a CriticalHit, no matter for how little damage.
335* MoreDakka: They're all about dispensing loads of fire onto the target, both by straight firing and with Suppression. The most conservative they get is with the Plasma upgrade, and even then it's a full 3-shot burst.
336* NoSell: Immune to Mindfray, Psi-Panic, Mind Control, poison, strangulation and fire. ''Not'' immune to Psi-Lance and Rift, which do absolutely massive damage against them thanks to the S.H.I.V.'s technically zero Will stat.
337* PinnedDown: Can be upgraded in the Foundry to have the "Suppression" active ability just like a Heavy.
338* RegeneratingHealth: In ''Enemy Within'', the Sentinel Drone ability researched in the Foundry repairs 2HP every turn if they're damaged, though the S.H.I.V. will still count as damaged upon return to HQ even if it self-repaired to full HP before the end of the mission, and the ability is disabled if it tanks a CriticalHit, no matter for how little damage.
339* StoneWall: Hover S.H.I.V.s are exceedingly mobile, have very high health, 60 defense while airborne, and are immune to almost everything that's supposed to bypass their defenses, such as explosives and melee (being airborne), poison (robot), do not panic, and are [[WeHaveReserves expendable]], all of which make using one to scout ahead or rescue civilians very effective. If you upgrade their weapons as well, they become {{Lightning Bruiser}}s, capable of dealing high damage with high accuracy.
340* TakeCover: Averted for all types of S.H.I.V., but {{Inverted|Trope}} the Alloy S.H.I.V., which ''is'' a low cover that your soldiers can hide behind. Sometimes aliens will try to take cover behind an Alloy S.H.I.V., with funny results.
341* WeHaveReserves: Each S.H.I.V. is just as capable as the next and right off the production line, a far cry from the soldiers you have to babysit all the way to at least Lieutenant rank, making it more palatable to use them in high-risk roles like rushing to rescue civilians in Terror Site missions (though for some reason, if a S.H.I.V. gets destroyed during a mission, it counts as a lost XCOM operative and deducts from the mission's final rating, [[ScoringPoints for all it's worth]]). Plus, they're hilariously expendable later on when you likely have several Workshops adjacent for the rebate bonus -- if you have eight[[note]]the Foundry and Cybernetics Lab also count![[/note]], a S.H.I.V. will only cost 1 of each resource after production finishes and you get the rebate. ''Even when you rush their construction.''
342[[/folder]]
343
344[[folder:Psi Trooper]]
345[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/xcomeu_psi_soldier_7203.jpg]]
346[[caption-width-right:350:[[BadassBoast "Your nightmare is just starting."]]]]
347XCOM soldiers who bear "The Gift", as the invading aliens call it, their psionic powers can turn the tide of battle. Any XCOM soldier could have the potential, though those with [[HeroicWillpower strong wills]] are more likely to have it.
348----
349
350* DeflectorShields: The "Telekinetic Field" places a stationary circle that diverts projectiles for anyone in its boundaries. In practice, it raises Defense by 40 points, which is roughly equal to full cover.
351* DrunkOnTheDarkSide: Downplayed. Some of the lines they cut loose with when using their powers are downright ''sinister'', and they rock a really good EvilLaugh. All this tends to make one wonder whether Shen doesn't have a point.
352* EmotionBomb: "Psi Panic," which forces an enemy into a panic state normally reserved for your troops. Unpredictable since a panicking enemy may fire upon any random target, run away or Hunker Down to become harder to hit. The good thing is that the unit will refuse to act on the enemy turn.
353* EmotionControl: "Psi Inspiration" removes the effects of "Mindfray" and panic and boosts the Will of nearby troops.
354* EmpoweredBadassNormal: Technically they may have had The Gift all along, but the treatments they are given end up activating it.
355* EvilLaugh: They occasionally break one out when using their psi-abilities.
356* GlowingEyesOfDoom: Their eyes light up purple whenever they activate their psi-abilities.
357* MindControl: Takes control of an enemy for three turns. Especially useful if successful on an alien behind enemy lines, breaking up their position as they try to move to unflank themselves and/or use up their turn taking out the mind-controlled unit. The drawback (until a patch fixed this) is that the game treats the death of any currently mind-controlled unit as a death of someone in the squad, penalizing the entire team's Will.
358* MindRape: "Mindfray," an ability all soldiers with the Gift can use that "causes the target to lose grip on reality." Useful in that it has perfect accuracy on most aliens at any range, does 5 damage without fail, and lowers accuracy, mobility, and Will.
359* MutuallyExclusivePowerups: In ''Enemy Within'' they cannot be augmented into MEC troopers, and a MEC trooper cannot go into the Psi Labs. [[SelfImposedChallenge A Second Wave option exists that prevents Psionics and Gene Mods from coexisting in the same soldier as well]].
360* PsychicPowers: Some of their abilities include [[DeflectorShields Telekinetic Field]], [[EmotionBomb Psi Panic]], [[EmotionControl Psi Inspiration]], MindControl and [[MindRape Mindfray]].
361* PurpleIsPowerful: The main color of their Psi abilities, that shows on their eyes and in their hands when their psionics are called upon.
362* SpyCatsuit: Psi Armor is exclusive to psionic soldiers, and as pictured above, fits the bill. It comes in different colors, but black and dark blue are the most common. It provides small boosts to Defense (+10), Mobility (+2) and Will (+20).
363[[/folder]]
364
365[[folder:MEC Trooper]]
366[[quoteright:301:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/xeu_mec_trooper.png]]
367[[caption-width-right:301: "This armor has its advantages."]]
368
369Added in the ''Enemy Within'' expansion, these brave volunteers who have traded their limbs to give humanity a greater fighting chance, Mechanized Exoskeleton Cybersuit Troopers pilot their [=MECs=] into the fray. Though they take significant resources to prepare, equip, and maintain, the firepower and finesse they bring to the field is unmatched.
370----
371* AlwaysAccurateAttack: Their most basic ability, Collateral Damage, is an AreaOfEffect bombardment with their main weapon. Similar to most explosives, it'll never deviate from where the game's interface says it'll land.
372* AmmunitionConservation: As a tradeoff for their devastating power relative to their tech tree level, the MEC's basic weapons have abysmally low ammo capacity: two shots at base, four with the Ammo Conservation project at the Foundry, and five with that plus the "Expanded Storage" Captain rank ability. This is compounded by Collateral Damage using up two shots, so without upgrades a MEC Trooper is dead in the water after using it. Knowing when to take a shot and when to save ammo is critical to using MEC Troopers properly.
373* AntiArmor: A MEC Trooper armed with Electro Pulse and upgraded Kinetic Strike Module can become your de-facto Sectopod hunter. These troopers can rapidly close to range, disable and damage a robotic target with Electro Pulse, and then spend both actions next turn dealing two guaranteed 9-damage[[note]]thanks to the Sectopod's innate DamageReduction from Reinforced Armor[[/note]] melee strikes. That's more than enough to annihilate anything short of a Sectopod, and all but guarantees that the squad will easily finish one that still survives.
374* AreaOfEffect: Several of their abilities affect things in a radius.
375** A MEC Trooper's universal Squaddie ability, Collateral Damage, is a gunfire bombardment on a small area that destroys cover[[note]]including entire trees that would normally take two hits from lasers, plasma or explosions to destroy[[/note]] and deals minor damage to things caught in it. Cars or other explosive objects caught in this radius explode immediately.
376** Distortion Field, a passive from augmented Supports, gives any ally in cover within 4 tiles of the MEC Trooper a defense bonus.
377** Restorative Mist is an area-of-effect healing cloud blasted from a container on the MEC's back. It can heal an entire squad, but since it's applied without precision, it can't stabilize critical injuries.
378** [[{{EMP}} Electro Pulse]] is released in a circular blast around the MEC.
379* ArmorPiercingAttack: The Electro Pulse subsystem of a tier 3 MEC suit ignores all manners of DamageReduction, like a Mechtoid's Mind Merge shields or a Sectopod's Reinforced Armor. The only downside is if it hits a fellow MEC, as it also surpasses Damage Control and Absorption Fields.
380* ArmoredButFrail: Downplayed. Despite the class gaining additional hit points compared to most classes, the trooper is not much more sturdy than a normal human; the bulk of a MEC Trooper's HP comes from the suit itself. This is a good thing, as it allows the MEC to intentionally take fire during a mission, since as long as HP doesn't drop below the points added by the armor, any soldier will come home uninjured and ready for another mission right away.
381* ArtificialLimbs: The soldiers have all traded their regular ones for crude metallic replacements. This is necessary, as when they jump into their {{Mini Mecha}}s, the suit's limbs effectively become their own, allowing [[ImpossiblyGracefulGiant incredible mobility and finesse for a unit of their size]].
382* ATeamFiring: The normal aim growth of a MEC Trooper's on par with a Heavy's, so not exactly impressive -- a soldier augmented as a Squaddie will have only 80 aim or so at Colonel rank. Downplayed with the "Hidden Potential" Second Wave option, whereupon [=MECs=] can get a more reasonable aim boost between 1 and 5% with each rank, comparable to Assaults.
383* BadassBoast: Unlike the other soldiers, MEC troopers take fire very calmly. Certain voice options deride the ineffective fire and, if properly specced, they can [[CounterAttack promptly queue up a devastating retaliatory shot]].
384-->Minor damage, at best.\
385It's going to take more than that.\
386That's what armor is for.
387* BarrierBustingBlow: The Kinetic Strike Module can be used to punch holes in walls and demolish high cover obstacles. If any enemy is right behind that wall section, well, it's gonna hurt. Most enemies will be killed outright.
388* BeehiveBarrier: The [[DamageReduction Absorption Fields]] ability manifests as a hexagon force field when the MEC Trooper is hit.
389* {{BFG}}: The only kind of weapons they can use, which deal more damage than even the heaviest infantry weapons of the same tier. Their counterpoint is [[AmmunitionConservation very little ammo per reload]].
390* BoringYetPractical: Calling anything regarding these soldiers "boring" is a bit of a stretch, but the Kinetic Strike Module is picked even for non-melee builds because the passive +3 boost to mobility is more tactically useful than the more situational Flamethrower.
391* CantCatchUp: MEC Troopers only earn half the experience from kills and often lag behind in terms of promotions if augmented at low ranks unless you deliberately set up kills for them. To avert this, level a soldier normally, and then augment them, as ranks are retained.
392* CombatMedic: The MEC-2 Sentinel "Restorative Mist" Tactical Subsystem makes them one. It heals like a regular Medikit to ''all'' allies within 2 tiles, including the MEC him/herself. This means that after a particularly grueling encounter, the MEC can heal the entire squad for up to ''36 health'' with one single action, and it is one of the few abilities that doesn't bring a MEC Trooper out of "One For All" mode. The only thing Restorative Mist can't do is stabilize or revive a critically wounded teammate, due to the lack of precision when applying the medicine.
393* CounterAttack: The Colonel-rank "Reactive Targeting Sensors" passive ability lets them automatically shoot back at the first enemy that attacks them at every turn, whether the attack connects or not.
394* CursedWithAwesome: Overlapping in-story with BlessedWithSuck, they trade all their limbs for cybernetic ones to allow them to interface with the [=MECs=]. Dr. Shen states that the base cybernetic limbs are too clumsy for a soldier to take them into battle, and require better development after the war to ensure the MEC troopers can lead semi-normal lives. However, once they interface with their MEC suits they become stronger, tougher, and faster than any human trooper could possibly be on their own.
395* CyberneticsEatYourSoul: MEC Troopers speak in MachineMonotone and replace most of their combat banter with more matter-of-fact acknowledgements. They also lose any PsychicPowers they had or might have been able to get. The upside? They get to run around in a MiniMecha with a {{BFG}} for a primary weapon and any other goodies you might have put on said mecha. Interestingly, [[MauveShirt Zhang and Annette]]'s voices are unaffected.
396* DeflectorShields: Several MEC abilities, innate or optional, have a forcefield effect.
397** Heavy [=MECs=] have the innate Body Shield, a directional forcefield that manifests in the direction of the closest enemy. It adds +20 Defense and immunity to {{Critical Hit}}s from that enemy.
398** Support [=MECs=] have the innate Distortion Fields, a forcefield bubble around the MEC Trooper that gives any allies within it a +10 Defense boost as long as they stay in cover.
399** Absorption Fields, a defensive Colonel-rank ability, shows as a BeehiveBarrier flash when the MEC is hit. It blocks any damage that would go beyond a third of the MEC Trooper's max health.
400* DiscardAndDraw: Soldiers lose all their abilities and any gene mods they might have when turned into MEC Troopers, though they keep their rank as well as stats (useful, as all classes besides Heavies gain more Aim than cybernetic soldiers in the end), and unlock the rank-associated abilities. Justified, since they are using completely different equipment from before, and they have much of their body replaced with cybernetics.
401* DiscOneNuke: MEC Troopers have extremely powerful weapons and abilities and boast enough health to easy take several shots from even a light plasma rifle, making them the deadliest combatants on the battlefield until Cyberdiscs show up. Their absolute effectiveness is countered by their incredible cost -- building a MEC suit is one of the most cost-prohibitive actions in the game, especially at higher levels due to its Meld cost -- and slow level rate from reduced per-kill experience. By the end of the game, they're on par with the rest of your elite soldiers, fullfilling a more specialized role instead of just being the "Destroy-Everything robot".
402* EmpoweredBadassNormal: A soldier needs to be pretty badass to qualify for XCOM in the first place, and once you give that soldier cybernetic enhancements, they become some of the deadliest presences in any combat scenario.
403* EnhancedPunch: The "Kinetic Strike Module", essentially a [[RocketPunch rocket-assisted fist]], is the alternative to the Flamethrower for the level 1 MEC suit. [[PunchedAcrossTheRoom The poor sap who gets killed by a punch sent flying several tiles back]], and if they hit a car, ''it immediately explodes''. [[BoringButPractical It also increases mobility by 3, which isn't nearly as flashy but can come in handy]].
404* FireBreathingWeapon: The MEC-1 Warden "Flamethrower" Tactical Subsystem. It does 6 damage[[note]]9 with the "Jellied Elerium" Foundry Project[[/note]] in a wide radius and has a lasting area effect, and is great for mopping up clustered aliens or keeping melee enemies at bay, with the added bonus of panicking ''any'' organic enemies (including Chryssalids, Berserkers and even Ethereals) in its area of effect that aren't killed outright. Does not work on robots or units with sealed armor.
405* GatlingGood: Their starting Primary Weapon is a handheld minigun with barrels that glow almost white-hot when fired. Collateral Damage with it, rather than multiple individual shots in sequence, is a ''shower'' of bullets.
406* GoodCounterpart:
407** MEC Troopers are XCOM's counterpart to Mechtoids in principle and most functions, being able to draw fire and boasting devastating firepower for how early they appear in the invasion.
408** High-rank defense-build MEC Troopers later in the game are very comparable to Sectopods. Their primary weapons deal about the same damage and can be fired twice, [=MECs=] with the GrenadeLauncher or Proximity Mine Launcher are capable of indirect fire much like a Sectopod's [[MacrossMissileMassacre Cluster Bomb]], and the Damage Control and Absorption Fields skills together block about as much damage as Reinforced Armor.
409* GoThroughMe: Lieutenant-grade MEC Troopers can take ''One For All'', a skill that effectively turns them into a High Cover object until they move or fire their weapons. Additionally, Support troops that undergo MEC surgery gain the passive effect ''Distortion Field'', which gives +10 Defense to nearby allies in cover, signified by a forcefield around the Support MEC at all times.
410* GrenadeLauncher: The MEC-2 Sentinel "Grenade Launcher" Tactical Subsystem. Does 4 damage[[note]]5 if you research "Alien Grenades" in the Foundry[[/note]] and has a longer range than the Trooper's sight range. If the MEC has a spotter, s/he can land some really long-range shots.
411* HealingFactor: The Captain "Repair Servos" passive ability repairs 2HP per turn, up to a maximum of 6HP per mission.
412* ImpossiblyGracefulGiant: MEC Troopers are enormous but move with about the grace and agility of a normal human, thanks to the [[PoweredArmor MEC suit]] interfacing as their ArtificialLimbs. They can run, jump and climb with ease, and after you develop Advanced Servomotors to increase their mobility, [=MECs=] visually change their movement animations from normal running to sprinting in ''huge'' loping steps.[[note]]By playing with the "Not Created Equal" Second Wave option, researching Advanced Servomotors, augmenting a soldier with naturally high mobility and giving him/her a MEC suit with the Kinetic Strike Module, you can have a MEC with ''21 mobility''. That's '''faster than a [[FragileSpeedster Chryssalid]] can run'''.[[/note]] This also translates to CQC -- any FinishingMove with the [[RocketPunch Kinetic Strike Module]] shows the MEC Trooper can pull off some impressive combat moves. The only thing [=MECs=] cannot do is apply medikits with the necessary precision, so they spray them as an AreaOfEffect heal.
413* TheJuggernaut: There are options that turn the MEC Trooper into nothing short of a main battle tank on two legs. Given how they're usually the most exposed unit on the battlefield, and the most often targeted in higher difficulties thanks to their low Defense, these can come in handy.
414** Damage Control reduces all damage taken by the MEC by a flat 2[[note]]down to a minimum of 1[[/note]] after they're hit for the first time. The effect lasts two whole turns. Paired with the Shock-Absorbent Armor if the MEC Trooper was a former Assault, that reduces damage by 33% from damage sources within 4 tiles, the soldier can shrug off grenades like they're pebbles from slingshots.
415** [[BeehiveBarrier Absorption Fields]] at Colonel rank caps all incoming damage at 33% of the MEC Trooper's max health, so it can shrug off what would be 15-damage crits with no personal injury, which would be enough to severely injure even the hardiest soldiers. To make it better, it also takes the lower health of more basic MEC suits into account ''and'' stacks up with Damage Control; a Colonel Rank trooper in a MEC-1 Warden can face truly ridiculous amounts of firepower and will only be at risk if ''severely'' outnumbered.
416* JumpJetPack: The Lieutenant "Jet Boot Module" ability lets MEC Troopers leap up several stories high. Unfortunately the module is not powerful enough to grant true flight.
417* KillItWithFire: Sometimes they explicitly say '''"KILLING IT WITH FIRE"''' when you trigger the flamethrower.
418* LandMineGoesClick: The MEC-3 Paladin "Proximity Mine Launcher" Tactical Subsystem. Once planted, the mines will explode if an enemy moves into its radius or any SplashDamage sets it off, dealing 8 damage. They can also be launched beyond the MEC's visual range as well, like the GrenadeLauncher, making for a nasty surprise for an unwary group of aliens.
419* LightningBruiser: Fully upgraded [=MECs=] have mobility on par with a Support with "Sprinter", with the resilience of an Assault and firepower similar to a Heavy's. Bringing them in from a Major or Colonel Sniper/Assault also gives them incredible accuracy, almost guaranteeing that each turn they will be able to engage and kill at least one enemy, even on Classic difficulty. Their movement animations also depict them as being fast and smooth for their size.
420* MachineMonotone: Zig-zagged. While they all sound unnaturally calm and speak in clinical, surgical terms, both female voice options and one of the male voice options are rather chipper in tone and pitch. Played straight with the other male voice option, which sounds downright sinister.
421* MagneticWeapons: Their tier 2 primary weapon, rather than a laser, is a handheld railgun.
422* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: They react calmly to damage, such as saying "I'll need minor repairs at some point", even when reduced to 1 HP.
423* MiniMecha: MEC Troopers are restricted to the Mechanized Exoskeleton Cybersuit when deployed in the field. Said suit is so big the MEC is unable to use cover or use regular items, but boasts enhanced strength and resilience over regular infantry gear and is able to wield {{BFG}}s and RocketPunch enemies so hard they cause [[StuffBlowingUp vehicles to explode]]. With the right upgrades and subsystems, it's also considerably faster than a normal human too.
424* MoreDakka: [=MECs=] are designed around this. The ''starting'' weapon is a gatling gun, and they can wield large and powerful weapons that would be dangerous to use by any other soldier, at the cost of having even fewer shots per magazine than a Heavy's LMG, with two shots as base[[note]]three with "Expanded Storage" picked at Captain rank, four with Ammo Conservation researched, and five with both[[/note]].
425** Their basic "Collateral Damage" ability has them fire an extended burst at the targeted area, shredding any cover objects and causing SplashDamage equal to a third of their primary weapon's with no CriticalHit chance. At worst, it will shred whatever your target happens to be hiding behind. On the other hand, if your target chose to hide behind something explosive like a car, it's an immediate kaboom.
426** The Major "Overdrive" passive ability is identical to the Heavy's "Bullet Swarm", allowing for two shots (or one shot and something else) each turn.
427** At Colonel, the "Reactive Targeting Sensors" passive ability makes the MEC [[CounterAttack automatically shoot back at the first enemy that attacks it]].
428** Basically, you can build your MEC suits as a fully equipped walking heavy weapons platforms. The main weapon is anything from a minigun to a railgun to a particle cannon. Additional weapons can include a flamethrower, a grenade launcher and a proximity mine launcher. While sadly not all of them can be used at once, all in all the suit packs enough firepower to take on a small army of aliens alone.
429* MutuallyExclusivePowerups: Psionic soldiers cannot be made into MEC troopers. A Gene-modded soldier can, but they lose all their mods.
430* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: Using the Kinetic Strike Module to kill a Berserker, Mechtoid or Sectopod results in a custom cutscene wherein the MEC and the alien engage in one-on-one close quarters combat, with the MEC trooper gaining the advantage and landing a spectacular killing blow, usually sending their defeated opponent flying. MEC-troopers using Kinetic Strike finish off Sectopods in a particularly dramatic fashion: the trooper leaps two body-lengths into the air and comes down smashing the Sectopod with its fists, driving it into the ground. Then, as it attempts one last desperate attempt to fire its cannon at point-blank range, the trooper activates the Kinetic Strike Module and [[AttackItsWeakPoint strikes directly into the priming cannon]], detonating the entire Sectopod. [[DefeatEqualsExplosion It hurts]], but the sheer cool factor makes up for it.
431* NoSell:
432** Immune to poison, Seeker strangulation, and fire. Notably, they're not immune to [[PsychicPowers psionics]], since the trooper is still human, although the MEC suit also gives a boost to Will.
433** [=MECs=] with Body Shield negate all CriticalHit chance from the nearest enemy.
434* PowerfulButInaccurate: MEC weaponry hits a lot harder than regular infantry weapons of equivalent tech level[[labelnote:*]]i.e. a Minigun is on par with a Laser Rifle, a Railgun equals a Plasma Rifle, and the Particle Cannon deals even more damage than the Alloy Cannon and Heavy Plasma[[/labelnote]], but to offset this, the trooper's aim scales more or less like that of a Heavy, the least accurate soldier class in the game. Most shots from the average MEC trooper will have a ~60% hit chance even without the huge innate defense of late game enemies if not taken at more or less point blank or from the high ground. Of course, the MEC Trooper's base Aim is the same as from when they were regular troops, so if you augment, say, a Major- or Colonel-rank Sniper, the resulting trooper is devastatingly powerful ''and'' scarily accurate. It's more whitewashed with the "Hidden Potential" Second Wave option enabled, that makes the MEC's aim gains better.
435* PunchedAcrossTheRoom: The [[RocketPunch Kinetic Strike Module]] sends most victims flying back, sometimes smashing through obstacles behind them. Particularly amusing is doing it to a Cyberdisc, which will flip away like a giant coin -- which has the added benefit of knocking it far enough away that the MEC is out of [[DefeatEqualsExplosion its death explosion's]] blast radius.
436* RoboSpeak: Downplayed. They talk like other soldiers do, for the most part, but they sound like they're using a voice synthesizer. They also [[MachineMonotone don't emote as much]] and use a slightly more formal lexicon, with fewer contractions and no slang.
437* RocketPunch: The MEC-1 Warden "Kinetic Strike Module" Tactical Subsystem gives the MEC a huge rocket-assisted knuckle duster. It does 12 damage[[note]]''18'' with the "MEC Close Combat" Foundry Project[[/note]] and can [[PunchedAcrossTheRoom send enemies killed with it flying several times away]]. Said flying enemy can also detonate destructible objects it collides with, such as cars, gas pumps or alien power sources, [[DisasterDominoes leading to even more mayhem]]. It can also be used to destroy high cover objects. Unusually for a Rocket Punch, the KSM doesn't detach from the user's arm when used, so it can't be used at range.
438* ShockAndAwe: The MEC-3 Paladin "Electro Pulse" Tactical Subsystem discharges an electric pulse that deals 5 damage to all units in a small radius around the MEC, in addition to disabling robotic units. This is the only attack in the game that [[ArmorPiercingAttack bypasses all manners]] of DamageReduction, like the Mechtoid's shield or the Sectopod's Reinforced Armor.
439* ShoulderCannon: Tier 2 and 3 subsystems are mounted on the MEC's shoulders. This makes them usable even in "All For One" mode, where the MEC Trooper serves as a high cover object for allies.
440* StealthyColossus: Downplayed. Due to how the cover and line-of-sight system works,[[note]]An unit that can take cover technically occupies the adjacent tiles out of cover for line-of-sight purposes unless there's something else in said tile. This doesn't apply to units that cannot take cover, like MEC troopers, they always only occupy the one tile they're standing on.[[/note]] you can order a MEC Trooper to hug a tree or dumpster or tall wooden box, and they'll be completely invisible to enemies on the opposite side. It's as tactically useful as it's funny to see.
441* StuffBlowingUp: [=MECs=] are second only to Heavies for the amount of explosives they can carry. The MEC can choose to mount both the GrenadeLauncher and Proximity Mine Launcher subsystems at the same time, for twice the explosive firepower. With Expanded Storage, that's three grenades and five mines.
442* SuperStrength: They overpower Muton Berserkers and Mechtoids in their FinishingMove animations with the Kinetic Strike Module, and are strong enough to bring a Sectopod down to the ground with a leaping hammer blow.
443* TakeCover: {{Averted}}. [=MECs=] can't take cover at all, and instead have a passive 10 Defense bonus, cannot be flanked, and the "Hardened" trait that the alien units that can't take cover have: significant (60%) resistance to critical hits. They can, however, take advantage of high cover's ability to break line of sight; the MEC can't see the enemy, but the enemy won't be able to shoot the MEC either. {{Inverted}} with the Lieutenant "One For All" ability, where the MEC Trooper ''becomes'' full cover for your troops to hide behind, at least until the MEC fires off a shot or moves.
444* UnexpectedGameplayChange: After spending the early part of the game learning the often-painful lesson that getting caught outside of cover means a quick death, adjusting tactics to accommodate a unit that ''can't'' take cover takes some getting used to; instead, the main skill needed to use them effectively is managing line of sight.
445* WalkingArmory: It is possible for a fully upgraded MEC to carry up to four different heavy weapons at once.
446* WeCanRebuildHim: It's possible to take a gravely injured unit who would require a lengthy hospital stay[[note]]up to a month, if not more, depending on Marathon mode and your mod setup[[/note]] to get back up to fighting strength and instead perform MEC augmentation, getting them back on their cyborg feet within just three days instead. But [[ItOnlyWorksOnce if the MEC Trooper is injured, you can't use the augmentation process again]] -- the recovery time is unavoidable.
447* YouRequireMoreVespeneGas: [=MECs=] cost Meld, which is extremely limited and valuable, to create and upgrade. Augmenting a pilot and providing him with a fully upgraded suit costs a whopping ''210'' Meld, and most missions are only guaranteed have 20 Meld available unless there are Mechtoids and Heavy Floaters (and you don't kill them with explosives). On the upside, if a pilot does go down, you can generally recover the cybersuit and repair it; while there is a Meld cost to create a new pilot, the cybersuit itself requires much more.
448[[/folder]]
449
450[[folder:Covert Operative]]
451An XCOM soldier assigned to track down EXALT cells, enabling XCOM to target and destroy the EXALT cell operating inside a particular country. Covert Operatives are selected from existing soldiers, barring Heavies and MEC Troopers, and go undercover without armor or heavy weapons.
452----
453* BadassLongcoat: Wears an overcoat that matches the typical XCOM color scheme in the trailer. Averted in gameplay, they wear a green jacket.
454* TheEngineer: A variant; they can hack EXALT's transmitters if they get close enough to them, which disrupts their communications and prevents them from attacking for a turn.
455* {{Handguns}}: The only weapon they can bring.
456* NoGearLevel: The Covert Operative is armed only with a pistol and no armor, though they retain all of their active and passive abilities, including gene mods and psychic abilities.
457[[/folder]]
458
459[[folder:XCOM Security Personnel]]
460These guards are tasked with defending XCOM HQ itself from any and all attacks. Their capabilities are akin to raw Rookies, and they are armed solely with ballistic assault rifles and pistols, along with fragmentation grenades. They are the last line of defense for XCOM, and are not intended to serve in the field.
461----
462* BadassNormal: Compared to the rest of the squad, very much so, as even Rookies are likely to be better equipped. It's still entirely possible for them to kill even high-end alien units like Cyberdiscs if you use them right. This is even more pronounced if you have "Not Created Equal" enabled, where you can get a handful of these with up to 80% Aim and capable of reliably hitting shots from high ground as a result.
463* CannonFodder: Since you don't get to keep them after the mission, there's not much drawback to sticking them out in the open when your veterans are in danger so that they will take the bullet instead of your regulars.
464* RedShirt: Blue shirts, actually, but they fill essentially the same purpose. Given what happens during the Base Defense, it's unlikely you'll make it through without losing at least ''one'' of them. The game's files even ''refer'' to them as 'blueshirts' in a couple of comments.
465* VideoGameCaringPotential: There's certainly a rewarding feeling to not only managing to keep them alive, but to also see them get promotion indications after you make a kill...
466* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: ...that said, though, it is far more rewarding to not have your veterans killed. If that means letting these guys take the bullet, well, it's not like you'll be seeing them again anyways. Your full roster of veterans will not join you unless you get reinforcements, which will not occur unless some security personnel die. Furthermore, enemies spawn at set time periods, meaning if you are too slow to kill the current wave their reinforcements will build up. Considering this, the "optimal" path to ensuring a win is to kill off at least two security personnel quickly to get them replaced with stronger fighters before you're overwhelmed.
467* ZergRush: It is very unlikely for any single one of them to get a kill unless you deliberately set them up to do it. However, since reinforcements can have up to two of them coming at a time, and you can have any number of them at a given time as long as your total soldier count does not exceed 8, it is possible to kill an alien simply by throwing enough Security at it until the RNG rolls in your favor.
468[[/folder]]
469
470!!Unique Soldiers
471
472[[folder:The Argentine Heavy/Delta 2]]
473The sole survivor of "Operation: Devil's Moon", XCOM's first engagement against the aliens, he is XCOM's first veteran soldier. While he's unlikely to be the only [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs Argentine, Heavy or Argentine Heavy]] to serve with XCOM, his experience against the enemy will likely be vital to XCOM's early operations.
474----
475* TheBigGuy: He's a Heavy when he gets promoted, and he's physically large overall.
476* MauveShirt: He's just a regular soldier with a pre-set voice, appearance and nationality, but has gotten quite the following in the fanbase. Being the first veteran and promotion of the war, the sole survivor of the tutorial, and being absolutely vital to one achievement (in games with the tutorial enabled) means he's become this.
477* SoleSurvivor: Of "Operation: Devil's Moon", the tutorial mission.
478[[/folder]]
479
480[[folder:Shaojie "Chilong" Zhang]]
481[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/xcom_eu_zhang_807.jpg]]
482[[caption-width-right:350:"Funny, that my life should take such an unexpected path. Turning my back on old friends, to defeat a common enemy."]]
483->'''Voiced by:''' Feodor Chin
484
485Formerly a member of the Triads, he contacts the Council after obtaining a mysterious alien artifact from his former coworkers. Should XCOM successfully extract him, he will join them as a Lieutenant-ranked Heavy class soldier.
486----
487* CasualDangerDialogue: Some of his dialogue when fired at (but not hit) is this.
488--> They're good. But not good enough.
489* CoolOldGuy: His iron grey hair and subtle wrinkles indicate Zhang is at least past middle-age. He still joins XCOM as probably the highest-ranked soldier at that point and can continue to hold his own even to the endgame.
490* DefectorFromDecadence: He chose to defect from the Triads because he realized how ''stupid'' it is to continue to squabble over money when there are aliens trying to kill everyone. At first it's a business proposition, but he commits to XCOM fully after he's extracted, joining as a Lieutenant.
491* DiskOneNuke: Well, not exactly ''nuke'', but he certainly is more elite than the rest of your troops. He has more HP than a normal heavy trooper, is probably 1-2 ranks higher than the rest of your squad when he joins you, and spots an unusually high Will stat (you'll only get a better value if you have acquired the Iron Will training). Also, his chance of being a latent psychic is much higher than usual.
492* EscortMission: The mission where you recruit him has him as a slightly tougher (4 Health instead of 3) Council Mission VIP.
493* EstablishingCharacterMoment: The first time we see Zhang, he one-shots a Sectoid with a pistol and muses, "Not so different from killing a man".
494* {{Handguns}}: {{Zig Zagged|Trope}}. In his introductory cut scene, he wields a pistol, but when gameplay starts he is weaponless. Then once he's recruited, he's classed as a Heavy, which doesn't use pistols.
495* MadeOfIron: Zhang has 1 HP more than a civilian VIP during "Friends In Low Places" and 2 HP more than a normal heavy after he joins XCOM's ranks.
496* MauveShirt: While he's got a unique voice and appearance, along with some slightly improved stats, he can still die as easily as any other XCOM soldier after he's recruited.
497* NomDeGuerre: "Chilong", which means "Hornless Dragon" in Chinese. Could be a misspelling of "Zhilong", a legendary warrior.
498* OutOfCharacterMoment: Normally pretty stoic, but he'll still let out an EvilLaugh when using psionic attacks. It's... a bit unsettling.
499* PreAssKickingOneLiner: Although all soldiers come with these, Zhang's voice set has unique ones befitting his badass status:
500--> (Firing rocket) Ready for the fireworks?\
501(Reloading) Let's begin.\
502(Overwatch) If they move, they die.
503* PsychicPowers: Not ''[[ZigzaggedTrope guaranteed]]'', but he does have a much higher chance of being Gifted than the standard rank-and-file XCOM troops.
504* ReformedCriminal: In turn for protection from his former colleagues, Zhang gets amnesty and a spot in XCOM. It helps that he has standards: he knows for a fact that they have a common enemy even before he joins the crew.
505* RuggedScar: Zhang sports a few on his cheek and across his right eye, particularly noticeable [[http://images.wikia.com/xcom/images/4/44/Quick-Look-XCOM-EU-Slingshot-DLC-with-Gameplay-Video-15.jpg during cutscenes.]] No doubt a keepsake from his former profession.
506* TheTriadsAndTheTongs: He was a Triad member that peaced out once he realized the dangerous game his boss was playing.
507[[/folder]]
508
509[[folder:Annette Durand]]
510[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/annette_1990.png]]
511A mysterious woman with incredible psychic potential, she's managed to attract the interest of the Aliens, EXALT and XCOM simultaneously. The ''Operation Progeny'' content included with ''Enemy Within'' revolves around her. Similarly to Zhang, she can eventually join XCOM, but as a Sergeant-ranked soldier of a random class.
512----
513* ActionGirl: Her stats aside from Will are a little low, but she's perfectly capable of wreaking havoc among the aliens, and if her voice lines are any clue, she really enjoys doing so.
514* AmplifierArtifact: [[spoiler:She had the ability to supercharge other psionic users, which the aliens used to attack XCOM HQ. It's permanently lost afterwards due to the strain.]]
515* AndThisIsFor: One of her "Enemy killed" lines.
516--> This is for my friends.
517* BloodKnight: She really likes killing aliens, as shown by her voice lines when put on the move.
518--> When do I get to shoot an alien?!\
519Will I get to kill aliens there?
520* BondOneLiner: She's very fond of saying these.
521--> Don't worry, your friends will join you soon!\
522I hope you're suffering!
523* BreakTheCutie: She used to be a delicate young woman, but after she was captured and tortured by the aliens and then EXALT, she GrewASpine and picked up her BloodKnight tendencies.
524* CheeseEatingSurrenderMonkeys: {{Inverted}}. Despite being French, she's the ''most'' [[BloodKnight visibly bloodthirsty]] of XCOM's soldiers.
525* DynamicEntry: The first time she's seen, she bursts through a truck's doors, sends your squad sprawling, and then takes off running.
526* GlassCannon: She will become a powerful psionic once technology allows her to unlock her potential, but in the meantime she always starts off with only 5 Health as a Sergeant, which is lower than anything but a Sniper at that rank.
527* HeroicRROD: [[spoiler:Her ability to amplify psychic powers was burned out of her due to the stress the aliens' assault on XCOM HQ caused her. She's still psychic, but she can't use that particular ability ever again.]]
528* ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy: This can happen if she joins as a Sniper, since she starts out with much lower Aim than a typical Sniper of the same rank. She offsets this with aim gains by leveling up.
529* LivingMacGuffin: All 3 of the game's factions seek her out, thanks to her unusual psychic aptitude. She ends up with XCOM.
530* MauveShirt: Despite her unique voice and appearance, she can still die like any other soldier.
531* MildlyMilitary: Whatever she was before the invasion, it definitely wasn't a soldier. When receiving a move order, she'll occasionally complain about how heavy her gear is, lament how she's not a weapons expert when reloading, and only rarely report kills like the rest of your soldiers. She'll continue to do it even when she reaches Colonel rank.
532* NomDeGuerre: {{Subverted}}. She's the only soldier that doesn't get one.
533* PintSizedPowerhouse: Not especially short for a woman, but she's easily still trouncing bulky men in heavy armor and quarter-ton aliens.
534* PsychicPowers: She's ''guaranteed'' to be psionic when she's tested and is one of the most powerful users to date (represented in-game as a very high Will for her rank).
535* WhosLaughingNow: She's not evil, just [[BloodKnight angry]]. However, she's particularly pleased to use [[PayEvilUntoEvil Mind Control]] on the aliens.
536--> Remember me!?
537[[/folder]]
538
539[[folder:The Furies]]
540A trio of alien abductees much like Annette, rescuing them is part of the reason why she joins XCOM. If they're successfully rescued from the landed alien ship they're being held in, they will join XCOM as Lieutenant-ranked soldiers. They are Matthew "Alecto" Hawkins (USA, Sniper), Said "Megaera" Tariq (Egypt, Support) and Fatima "Tisiphone" Tariq (Egypt, Assault).
541----
542* BrotherSisterTeam: Not explicitly stated, but it seems likely that two abductees with exceptionally strong psychic powers from the same country and with the same surname (Tariq) are likely to be brother and sister. They work well on the same squad (as any two psychic soldiers with sufficient levels do) because one can use Psi Inspiration to boost the success rate of the other's psi attacks.
543* MauveShirt: They have custom names, NomDeGuerre, and are guaranteed to be psionic if tested. Still can die just as easily as everyone else.
544* MeaningfulName: Both the mission where you rescue them, and themselves. See NomDeGuerre and ThemeNaming below.
545* NomDeGuerre: "Alecto" (Ancient Greek, approximately means "unceasing anger"), "Megaera" (Ancient Greek, approximately means "envious anger") and "Tisiphone" (Ancient Greek, approximately means "vengeful anger").
546* PsychicPowers: Like Annette, they're guaranteed to be psionic when tested.
547* ThemeNaming: They're nicknamed after three of the [[ReligiousAndMythologicalThemeNaming Greek Erinyes, also known as Furies]].
548[[/folder]]
549
550[[folder:The Volunteer (SPOILERS)]]
551An exceptionally powerful psionic, this XCOM soldier has been chosen to lead a crucial, but very dangerous mission.
552----
553* EleventhHourSuperpower: After activating the Gollop Chamber, the Volunteer gains a special psionic power, Rift, which is only useable in the final mission and otherwise only available to Ethereals.
554* GotVolunteered: Despite the Volunteer's title, it's still the Commander who selects a soldier to enter the Gollop Chamber.
555* HeroicSacrifice: Stays behind on the Temple Ship to send it into orbit and explode normally instead of becoming a black hole.
556* NotQuiteDead: They survive the Temple Ship explosion, [[https://twitter.com/SolomonJake/status/535236820221841410 according to the twitter of Jake Solomon]], [[WordOfGod a designer for the game]].
557* PsychicPowers: They have access to two abilities not available to other XCOM psionics: "Rift", a powerful, lingering area of effect attack, and a link to the Ethereal HiveMind. In addition, no matter what the Volunteer's Psi rank was when they entered the Gollop Chamber, they come out of it at the maximum possible, even if they were fresh and inexperienced Psi users.
558* WeCannotGoOnWithoutYou: If s/he dies you fail the final mission. {{Justified| Trope}} in that s/he is the key to stopping the alien invasion and to preventing the Temple Ship from forming a black hole above Earth.
559[[/folder]]
560
561!Aliens
562->All attempts to contact the invaders thus far have failed. Their only purpose seems to be destruction and chaos.
563-->-- '''News Broadcast'''
564
565[[folder:Sectoids]]
566[[quoteright:199:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/xeu_sectoid.png]]
567
568These physically frail aliens serve as expendable scouts for the invaders and appear to possess a telepathic ability unlike anything previously encountered on Earth. Individually weak, they are nonetheless dangerous in numbers, especially if allowed to utilize their ability to merge minds.
569----
570* AlienBlood: Like all aliens, they have slightly greenish orange blood.
571* AllMythsAreTrue: These new Sectoids are more birdlike in appearance, scampering around on all fours. Their design also bears a strong resemblance to the "Dover Demon", a Loch Ness-like legend from the backwoods of Massachusetts.
572* AlwaysChaoticEvil: Stated to be intrinsically cruel and cowardly [[spoiler:by the Uber-Ethereal]].
573* ArmCannon: They have Plasma Pistols attached to their wrists, with a touchscreen-like trigger actuated by their other arm.
574* CannonFodder: The weakest of all the aliens, seen best in multiplayer how ''every'' other species can effectively counter them and are only useful as scouts. In singleplayer, they shouldn't be underestimated, especially on higher difficulties.
575* CloneArmy: Just like their appearance in ''UFO Defense'', Sectoids all share the same DNA, suggesting that you're fighting exact copies of the same Sectoid over and over.
576* CombatMedic: Their Mind Merge ability allows them to boost the health of other Sectoids for a turn. At 3 HP, the average Sectoid is not hard to kill with a basic assault rifle; a Mind Merged Sectoid gets 4 HP and can often survive a single hit from basic weapons. Furthermore, if a Merge ends naturally between turns and the Sectoid receives a new Mind Merge, they will actually retain the health they gained from the previous merge and gain a little more from the new merge, essentially allowing them to recover their health by repeatedly engaging in Mind Merge, one hit point at a time.
577* TheGoomba: The very first enemy infantry XCOM encounter, they have low health and a damage output that becomes effectively neglectable by the time Carapace Armor is researched. By the mid-game they are only really a threat if they are encountered in larger groups or accompanying a Mechtoid. An upgraded Arc Thrower always has a 95% chance of stunning even a perfectly healthy Sectoid.
578* TheGreys: They invokes much of this image: they're humanoid, shorter than a human, have no clothes or visible genitalia, and have giant distinctive heads.
579* ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy: Just like other early-game enemies, Sectoids are poor shots (equivalent in accuracy to your Rookies). Justified, since they hold their pistol arms up beside their head, supporting it with the other hand; this obviously precludes them from using any sort of optics on their weapons.
580* NoMouth: They have no mouth. ''VideoGame/XCOM2'' and ''VideoGame/XCOMChimeraSquad'' reveal that this is due to genetic modification and had no need of a mouth to begin with as [[WeHaveReserves a disposable]] CloneArmy, only gaining one in the sequels as a byproduct of being infused with Human DNA.
581* PintSizedPowerhouse: Only alluded to in-game, but they are actually much stronger than their frail appearance would suggest.
582* PsychicLink: Their only psychic ability, called "Mind Merge". The recipient gets +10 Aim and +1 HP for a turn (in ''Enemy Within'', Mechtoids get a 6-HP shield that halves all incoming damage instead). [[GuideDangIt What you're not told until you figure it out for yourself]] is that killing the Sectoid that's boosting the other unit kills them both as a result of psychic backlash (or break the shield and do a small amount of damage to a linked Mechtoid). You'll have trouble finding this out, because [[ArtificialBrilliance the boosting Sectoid moves back, away from your soldiers, while the boosted one moves forward to engage.]] Unless you ignore it (or pull some fancy flanking maneuvers or blind-fire a rocket) it gets difficult to target the other one without taking some serious fire.
583* PsychicPowers: Their hat. Sectoids are one of the few alien races capable of psionic control.
584* RayGun: Sectoids are armed with Plasma Pistols.
585* RunningOnAllFours: Due to their short stature and long limbs they tend to scamper on all free limbs. They keep their weapon hand up though. Interestingly this does give them the rare opportunity to go through doors with holes in the bottom without knocking it open -- allowing for silent entry.
586[[/folder]]
587
588[[folder:Thin Men]]
589[[quoteright:100:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/xeu_thin_man.png]]
590
591Reptilian aliens extensively altered to resemble humans, they are tasked with infiltrating human society to obtain information and conduct sabotage. They are capable of spitting out clouds of debilitating poison to weaken enemies and deny territory, as well as generating an identical cloud upon their death. In addition, they can leap multiple stories to obtain better positions.
592----
593* TheAdjectivalMan: Thin, in this case, referring to [[LeanAndMean their beanpole stature and ludicrously thin limbs]].
594* AuthorAvatar: Another one of creator Sid Meier's cameos, complete with comb-over.
595* BadassInANiceSuit: They dress in these as part of their would-be role as infiltrators, and other than their low health -- Unsurprisingly, the suit doesn't provide any damage mitigation --, are very capable in combat.
596* CompositeCharacter: A walking pastiche of sci-fi/horror tropes, from Angus Scrimm's character from the ''{{Film/Phantasm}}'' series, to the urban legends surrounding [[Franchise/TheSlenderManMythos Slender Man]], the Thin Man from the movie ''Film/{{Metropolis}}'', TheMenInBlack, and the Reptilians.
597* CrutchCharacter: A rare enemy example. They're a real pain in the butt in the early game, as they wield plasma rifles that give them a comparable damage output to much later units while your soldiers are still squishy enough to die in one solid shot, their poison spit and death cloud not only hurts but debuffs anyone that isn't a MEC or toting a medikit, and their tendency to leap to high ground only adds to their impressive accuracy. Later on, when your soldiers have better aim and upgraded armor, their lack of hit points becomes more of a liability, and by the point you have Titan armor and beyond (especially in ''Enemy Within'', as Archangel and Ghost armors also get poison immunity), they're target practice for training up low-rank soldiers and psi operatives[[labelnote:*]]if you're playing below [[HarderThanHard Impossible]], one Mindfray attack will kill a Thin Man[[/labelnote]]. One memorable Council mission has you tearing through waves of them, and most of them won't even get a single shot off back at your squad.
598* DefeatEqualsExplosion: When killed, they explode into a cloud of poison.
599* FaceDeathWithDignity: What does a Thin Man captive do when about to be interrogated? Ignore the torture equipment and stare his captors down as the blast door closes. All the other aliens, even the Ethereals, panic and try to fight their way out.
600* FiringOneHanded: While XCOM troops and Mutons equipped with them fire them two-handed, Thin Men fire their light plasma rifles like they're oversized pistols. [[ImprobableAimingSkills Don't expect that to hinder their accuracy]].
601* FragileSpeedster: Their ability to [[InASingleBound leap multiple levels]], enter the battlefield by dropping from a great height, and general quick movement gives them their speedster designation, but the fragility comes from having among the lowest tier of hitpoints in the game -- 3, as little as a Sectoid, on Normal, and 6 on Impossible.
602* GlamourFailure: While they might initially pass as human, their elongated bodies and unnatural flexibility betray their true nature.
603* GlassCannon: Their light plasma rifles can hurt a bunch and poison can hit various soldiers, but they have the same amount of health points as the lowly Sectoids on Easy and Normal, only one point more on Classic, and two points more on Impossible, meaning they can die in '''one hit''' from a basic Assault Rifle (2-4) if the RNG is merciful or the shot is a critical hit (5 at minimum), and even a basic Pistol can kill them in two shots (or one if it crits above 2).
604* HellishPupils: Thin Men have reptilian eyes, so they all [[InhumanEyeConcealers wear sunglasses to appear more human, at least from a distance]].
605* HughMann: As the 2012 equivalent of Snakemen, they do the bare minimum to disguise their alien nature. It works well from a distance.
606* HumanoidAliens: Justified, as they were designed to resemble humans.
607* ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy: At least on lower difficulties. On Classic and above, they become ''brutally'' efficient at gunning down XCOM soldiers, thanks to their ability to leap to high ground at will and the inherent 20% aim bonus from height advantage.
608* InASingleBound: Can easily leap to rooftops to get a 20% better shot, something they do often. In ''Enemy Within'', autopsying them gives you "Muscle Fiber Density", a gene mod that lets your soldiers do the exact same.
609* InhumanEyeConcealers: To hide their inhuman eyes, Thin Men always wear sunglasses. The game loves showing them from dramatic angles, such that their eyes can be seen peering over their glasses.
610* KungFuProofMook: Immune to their own poison, as well as that of XCOM Gas Grenades in ''Enemy Within'', since it's made from Thin Man poison.
611* LeanAndMean: Tall, thin, and very dangerous to humans.
612* TheMenInBlack: Zig-zagged. They're designed to channel the "man in black" look, but they are not on the side of any of Earth's governments.
613* NoodlePeople: Their long, lean bodies, spindly limbs, overlong fingers and small, round heads invoke the trope perfectly, and help highlight just how creepy they are.
614* {{Omniglot}}: [[http://static4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20121009171254/xcom/images/4/43/XCOM-EU_Thin_Man.jpg Promotional material]] states that Thin Men can speak several Earth languages flawlessly. In-game, however, they mostly just hiss and shriek. Justified, since that may be their own language, and it is obviously superior for communicating with their squadmates than any third-party language.
615* OneGenderRace: All Thin Men appear as human males. However, according to [[VideoGame/{{XCOM 2}} the second game]], they're actually an all-''female'' race.
616* PaperThinDisguise: Their inhuman eyes, unnatural slenderness, pronounced fingers and patches of scales all betray what they really are.
617* PinnedDown: They can use Suppression on your units, which greatly reduces ranged accuracy and gives them a free shot at that unit if they move.
618* PoisonIsEvil: They are heavily associated with poison, between spitting it at your soldiers and releasing it upon death, and are definitely not on the good guys' side.
619* PoisonousPerson: They can spit poison clouds, as well as generating one on death.
620* RayGun: Thin Men are armed with Light Plasma Rifles.
621* ReptilianConspiracy: They're hostile, reptilian aliens surgically altered to look like human beings and planted through society in order to prepare Earth for an alien invasion.
622* SamusIsAGirl: According to [[VideoGame/XCOM2 the second game]], they're actually ''female'' in their true form, complete with HartmanHips and NonMammalianMammaries. However, it's unknown what the heavily-modified Thin Man's gender is; more than likely it simply lacks reproductive organs.
623* SinisterShades: They're an attempt to cover up their HellishPupils.
624* SnakePeople: A rare subtle version, having been explicitly gene-engineered to look more human. Their serpentine eyes, discrete patches of scales, venomous SuperSpit, and even their abnormally slender, supple frames all show off their true origin. According to their autopsy, their bones are even structured like the vertebrae of a snake. According to ''VideoGame/XCOM2'', their true forms, the Vipers, look far more like the Snakemen of the original ''VideoGame/XCOMUFODefense''.
625* SweetPollyOliver: The ''XCOM 2: Alien Hunters'' DLC reveals the Elders made the Viper race all female, with the males genetically locked away in their own genome likely as a measure of population control. Male Vipers do not breathe venom, but frost. All this indicates that the Thin Men are in fact female vipers in a male human form.
626* SuperSpit: Can spew globs of venom that quickly evaporate, filling the air with toxic fumes. A cloud of it lasts a few turns.
627* TeleportingKeycardSquad: They fall out of the sky during some Council missions, dropping onto the map and immediately entering Overwatch. To their disadvantage, they rarely drop in cover.
628* UndyingLoyalty: According to the [[spoiler:Uber-Ethereal]], they're favored by the aliens' leadership because of this, but were still considered a failed venture because of their inability to wield [[PsychicPowers the Gift]].
629[[/folder]]
630
631[[folder:Outsiders]]
632[[quoteright:138:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/original_19_8944.png]]
633Beings consisting of pure energy, they exist solely to operate the invaders' fleet of [=UFOs=]. They are basically living antennae receiving signals and commands from the Sectoid Commander.
634----
635* AnimatedArmor: They're pure beings of energy with armor pieces that form as soon as the Outsider detects a threat.
636* CosmeticallyDifferentSides: They act exactly like a human soldier wielding a Light Plasma Rifle, even down to the animations. Their firing pattern is also cosmetically different: they fire in bursts of six shots, unlike an XCOM soldier wielding a Light Plasma, who fires a short two-round burst for the same damage.
637* LightningBruiser: Early game on Classic or Impossible difficulty. They have 5 HP (allowing them to survive being hit by [=LMGs=] and the like if they're lucky), 10 Defense and can OneHitKill lightly armored soldiers with their Light Plasma Rifles, which also enhance their already high Aim. They also have decent movement speed on top of all that, which is boosted even further on Impossible. Once you have laser or plasma weapons and decent armor, however, they quickly become CannonFodder.
638* MechaMooks: They're AnimatedArmor created just to fight off enemies.
639* MoreDakka: They fire the Light Plasma Rifle in 6-round bursts, but that's purely aesthetic. This is due to the Outsider using the same animation set of an XCOM soldier wielding an Assault Rifle.
640* OrganicTechnology: Vahlen's description of them is that they are "organic, but highly magnetized". They also resonate within a specific frequency. Both of these point out that the Outsider, on top of being a pilot, is a signal relay similar to an antenna.
641* PowerCrystal: What they really are is an organic crystal, that, upon being alerted, generates [[AnimatedArmor a body to fight with]].
642* PureEnergy: ''Almost'' pure energy, according to an incredulous Dr. Vahlen. Proving this is how they dissolve completely when killed, leaving only the fragments of their weapons behind.
643* SculptedPhysique: They look like metal statues with a PowerCrystal inside when physically manifested.
644* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: They disappear from the game altogether after the attack on the Alien Base and are never mentioned again, even on the [[spoiler: Temple Ship]], which has you fight through every other enemy type in the game. This does make sense, since they're more hardware than crew and are no longer needed after the Alien Base raid, as the aliens' psionic units take command directly.
645[[/folder]]
646
647[[folder:Floaters/Heavy Floaters]]
648[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/xeu_heavy_floater.png]]
649
650A horrific fusion of flesh and machine, these cybernetic monstrosities bear integrated propulsion units, allowing them to take to the skies. The power of these units is such that they can rocket themselves anywhere on the battlefield, though they cannot immediately open fire after they land. The species is likely related biologically to the Mutons.
651----
652* AirborneMook: Floaters can move fairly freely through the air. They also have the "Launch" ability, which allows them to rocket off into the sky and come down anywhere on the map, allowing them to flank your soldiers without drawing reaction fire.
653* AliensAreBastards: Out of all the invaders the Heavy Floaters seem to relish their duties the most, often letting out something akin to an EvilLaugh after killing one of your soldiers or gunning down a helpless civilian.
654* AttentionDeficitOohShiny: Both kinds of Floater are easily distracted by Mimic Beacons, even in Terror missions. They'll waste entire turns moving to the beacon's location.
655* CyberneticsEatYourSoul: [[{{Cyborg}} A merge of organic tissue and machinery]] working in harmony... more or less. But they're ''extremely'' aggressive to the degree of lunacy. For example, if one is shot while out in the open, it'll claw at itself and toss blood everywhere.
656* EliteMook: Heavy Floaters are this compared to the normal variant. They look pretty similar and just happen to perform better, with heavier armor to distinguish them.
657* FateWorseThanDeath: Most of their organic parts were ripped out and replaced with machinery to effectively turn them into {{Living Weapon}}s. [[spoiler:The Uber Ethereal]] even uses the trope name word for word to describe them.
658* FiringOneHanded: Both varieties do this. Interestingly, the Heavy Floater fires a gun as long as its arm, likely possible thanks to the mechanical brace going from its torso to its wrist. As with Thin Men, that really doesn't hinder them: Normal Floaters are a little less accurate than Thin Men, and Heavy Floaters have the same not-insignificant aim as regular Mutons. Besides, a Floater in flight gains height advantage (+20% aim bonus) over enemies below it.
659* GasMaskMooks: Normal Floaters appear to use a rebreather in their mouths.
660* GiantMook: Heavy Floaters. They're fairly big guys when first encountered, but appear mostly in pods of 2 and don't have much regard for squad tactics, unlike Mutons.
661* ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy: Standard Floaters have only at most 60 Aim, lower than your own Rookies, and miss very often. Heavy Floaters avert this, having the same dangerous accuracy as a Muton and the ability to fly to high ground to gain extra accuracy.
662* JackOfAllStats: Compared to their contemporaries around the time they're introduced. They're tough, but not as tough as Mutons; they can dish out the pain, but not as well as Cyberdiscs; their one unambiguous advantage is their speed. Heavy Floaters beef things up with full-sized Plasma Rifles, better Aim and three times the health, but by that time you're facing even tougher and harder-hitting enemies like Berserker and Elite Mutons, Mechtoids, and Sectopods.
663* JetPack: They have a jetpack built into their bodies as their only method of locomotion. They can do a massive [[JumpJetPack leap]] to any position on the map using it too. Regular Floaters' jetpacks emit orange fire, while the Heavy Floaters' glow green.
664* MidairBobbing: When not hiding behind cover, they're just bobbing around; when they are in cover, they keep one hand on the ground.
665* PinnedDown: They can use Suppression.
666* ThrowDownTheBomblet: Heavy Floaters have an Alien Grenade each, and can throw them about as far as a Heavy's rocket thanks to the "Bombard" ability.
667[[/folder]]
668
669[[folder:Seekers]]
670These beings, despite their organic appearance, are actually purely mechanical drones capable of flight. Their favored method of attack is to sneak up on and strangle isolated targets with their tentacles, which is augmented by their ability to emit an Elerium-charged vapor screen that grants them invisibility.
671----
672* AirborneMook: They float in the air and can reach higher altitudes just like Floaters. In fact, if they're strangling someone or have been dislodged from strangling, they'll have the +20 Defense "flying target" bonus.
673* AttackDrone: A very dangerous one, at that, with the ability to neutralize a lone target.
674* {{Cyborg}}: {{Averted|Trope}}. Despite its semi-organic looks, Seekers are [[MechaMooks completely mechanical]].
675* EmergencyWeapon: They have a Plasma Pistol mounted in their faceplates, which they use if their invisibility is broken or if all XCOM units are immune to strangulation, such as a late game squad wearing all PoweredArmor. It deals respectable damage early on, or even later if it crits, as Seekers will favor flanking positions.
676* {{Invisibility}}: They can turn invisible and can only strangle while invisible. Their invisibility can be broken either by a soldier augmented with Bioelectric Skin, a Battle Scanner, or being hit with an area of effect weapon.
677* KungFuProofMook: Immune to Stunning, Mindfray, Psi-Panic, Mind Control, poison, fire and Flashbangs. Unusually for a mechanical enemy, they're ''not'' highly resistant to {{Critical Hit}}s, since they lack the "Hardened" ability.
678* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: As described by the developers, it is basically "a flying spider shark. That can turn invisible.". Aesthetically, they're more like a robotic squid or octopus, though.
679* PersonalSpaceInvader: While strangling. A strangled soldier is completely disabled and helpless, and will take damage every turn until an ally blasts the Seeker off or they die. Freed victims also need to catch their breath after the strangulation attempt, resulting in a heavy debuff to movement range and accuracy for the rest of the turn. Strangely, if the unit can't be strangled, the Seeker won't even try to hold it in place.
680* StarfishRobots: They look like a cephalopod of some sort.
681* TentacleRope: They bind the target in place and deal damage over time by strangulation. They won't do it if the target can't take damage from strangling, though.
682[[/folder]]
683
684[[folder:Chryssalids]]
685[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chryssalid_5402.png]]
686Vicious and nightmarish insect-like creatures, they seek only to propagate their species through implanting their eggs into a host's body. After a remarkably short gestation period, during which the host body is under the Chryssalid's control, a juvenile will burst out, ready to continue the cycle.
687----
688* AttentionDeficitOohShiny: In ''Enemy Within'', they're extremely susceptible to the lure effect of the Mimic Beacon. Unless they're ''right'' beside a target, they'll happily do a 180 degree turn and run to investigate the noisy thingy on the floor.
689* ChestBurster: Their method of reproduction involves implanting eggs in corpses, which hatch their way out mere moments later.
690* EarlyBirdBoss:
691** If you're on Easy or Normal, one will pop up in the first ''Slingshot'' mission "Friends In Low Places". If you don't have any lasers, it'll take the entire squad to put it down.
692** In general, Chryssalids tend to be this. They're guaranteed to appear and wreak havoc in the Terror mission that pops up at the end of the first month thanks to all the defenseless meatbags and your inadequate equipment, and god help you if they get in close to your squad when they only have body armor... but they're actually the weakest melee enemy in the game, and it shows when you're on the last leg of the tech tree. Their base damage and poison are brick-walled by any powered armor and [[HoistByHisOwnPetard the Chitin Plating extracted from their own corpses]], they don't have any set-up abilities that make it easier for other aliens to finish off your troopers like the Berserker's [[BarrierBustingBlow cover-busting Bull Rush]], and their pathetic 8 health means that anything researched after the Plasma Rifle[[labelnote:list]]Plasma Sniper, Heavy Plasma, Alloy Cannon, Particle Cannon and S.H.I.V. Plasma[[/labelnote]] will deal guaranteed {{One Hit Kill}}s so long as the unit doesn't miss[[note]]and the Plasma Rifle has a chance to do the same even without a crit, as its max non-crit damage is 8[[/note]]; by the time you have a Blaster Launcher, even a Squaddie-rank Heavy can deal a TotalPartyKill to a Chryssalid pod that doesn't split up too much, such as in Abductor/Supply Barge/Battleship UFO missions, in one single turn.
693* ExpressDelivery: In the original, zombies at least waited until you ''shot'' them to hatch. These suckers will sprout almost fully-grown from their human hosts within three turns, defense-capable and ready for action. On the other hand, this time killing the zombie will also kill the Chryssalid nymph inside it.
694* EvilIsVisceral: Between poison, their extremely fast skittering motions, ripping things to pieces in melee and ChestBurster SpawnBroodling ability, it doesn't get much more visceral than a Chryssalid running unchecked. Hell, its kill/implant CoupDeGraceCutscene makes it look and sound like it rips out a piece of a victim and ''eats it''.
695* FragileSpeedster: They're not too sturdy, with 8 health on all difficulties[[note]]so anything stronger than a Plasma Rifle is a guaranteed OneHitKill[[/note]] and only 10% innate defense, which should only pose a problem for low-rank soldiers with low Aim and few special skills. They compensate for that with a ''huge'' movement range and [[GlassCannon claws that can poison on top of dealing about the same damage as a full-sized Plasma Rifle]].
696* GlowingEyesOfDoom: Their eyes glow yellow, and they are ''not'' a welcome sight as they immediately become aggressive.
697* InASingleBound: Chryssalids can jump just as well as Thin Men with their legs alone, so you're not safe from them in high places or multistory buildings.
698* InsectoidAliens: Their species was {{uplifted|Animal}} from mere bugs.
699* KungFuProofMook: Immune to Stunning with the Arc Thrower and has the "Hardened" passive ability, which reduces the chance of a CriticalHit. Also, given their will, they're almost immune to psychic attacks.
700* LudicrousGibs: Once it's birthing time, the zombie host suddenly reels backward on all fours, bending into a spider-shape as the Cryssalid overtakes its body. [[{{Gorn}} Arms and legs tear open to reveal newly-grown arthropod legs, and the rest of the body explodes like a water balloon as the hatchling emerges]].
701* OurZombiesAreDifferent: Human corpses implanted with Chryssalid embryos [[PuppeteerParasite stay under the control of the embryo until it hatches in three turns]]. [[MightyGlacier Their movement range is abysmal, but if they manage to get close and attack, their swipes hit even harder than the Chryssalid's leg claws, on par with a Berserker's punches]].
702* SlashedThroat: They rip out the target's throat with a bite, then use the gap to inject their eggs.
703* SpawnBroodling: If they manage to kill something, they [[SlashedThroat slit its throat in one quick motion]], then [[FaceFullOfAlienWingWong spit an embryo inside the newly eviscerated orifice]]. The [[OurZombiesAreDifferent body then gets up to fight]], and after a few turns [[ChestBurster rips open to expose a new Chryssalid]].
704* TooDumbToFool: Zig-zagged. It's extremely hard to mind-control them, in a possible case of GameplayAndStoryIntegration; they're dumb animals that hardly have minds to ''be'' controlled. However, if you throw a Mimic Beacon, [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny they'll happily stop moving towards civilians or XCOM units to go gawk at what is making noise]].
705* WeaponForIntimidation: Of the {{living|Weapon}} variety. They seem to be engineered to primarily spread panic and fear, and as such most of them are found in Terror missions, where the opposition is unarmed civilians and, logically, relatively ill-equipped peacekeeping forces like police or National Guard. On the flipside, their lack of combat lethality shows once XCOM obtains plasma weaponry on par with the aliens': Chryssalids are easily trounced, often in one non-{{crit|icalHit}} shot by anything stronger than a Plasma Rifle.
706* ZergRush: If you're in a Terror mission and dilly-dally too much in rescuing civilians, you can get mobbed by a whole bunch of them. They get bonus points for actually looking like Zerg creatures.
707* ZombieApocalypse: Given enough biomass to replicate with, they can very likely cause one if not kept in check. [[spoiler:It's exactly what happens during the Site Recon mission in Enemy Within -- Chryssalids overrun a small fishing village, killing every inhabitant, turning them into zombies ([[ExpressDelivery and, shortly thereafter, more Chryssalids]]) as well as infesting the tuna and sharks hanging around the village. A dead whale in a ship houses dozens, if not hundreds, of Chryssalids. It takes a saturation airstrike to deal with the problem quickly.]]
708[[/folder]]
709
710[[folder:Mutons]]
711[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/xeu_muton.png]]
712
713The invaders' front-line combatants, they are equipped with heavy armor and armaments. If struck by a non-fatal blow, they are very likely to roar their defiance at the firer, possibly intimidating them into submission. Their bloodlust and ferocity has not dimmed their tactical acumen, making them even deadlier foes. Probably related to the Floaters.
714----
715* AttentionDeficitOohShiny: Like Floaters and Chryssalids, Mutons are easily distracted by Mimic Beacons. They'll prioritize moving towards the beacon over even shooting civilians in Terror missions.
716* EarlyBirdBoss: The missions from the ''Slingshot'' DLC pit you against Mutons with full-sized Plasma Rifles rather than the Light Plasma variant, usually well before you'd expect to have the technology needed to have a good chance against them. Getting hit by a plasma rifle at this stage of the game is usually instantly fatal. And if you had the bad habit of bunching up soldiers because of Seekers and didn't think Thin Man poison was too bad, well, these Mutons have grenades.
717* GasMaskMook: They wear rebreathers over their mouths that sometimes release a yellowish gas. This is most likely combat drugs instead of some sort of breathing gas, as all other aliens can breathe Earth's atmosphere, and only the Floaters and Mutons (both hot-blooded, berserker races) have them.
718* GeniusBruiser: Big and brutish they may be, but their tactics are not to be underestimated. A Muton will always do its best to move from cover to cover, flank its opponents, throw grenades at clustered enemies and, on higher difficulties, to destroy their cover. And if they don't have a good bead, they'll sometimes use Suppression.
719* GiantMook: Mechanically, they're introduced as midgame pod leaders, showing up as an upgraded, terrifying new threat compared to Thin Men. According to the autopsy information, they weigh around 275 kilograms[[labelnote:*]]more than 600 pounds[[/labelnote]], almost all of it muscle and bone. Their bulky armor makes them look even larger.
720* MagicallyIneptFighter: Mutons are big, strong, heavily armored, [[GeniusBruiser well-versed in tactics]] and have even higher Aim than Thin Men, but their Will is a pathetically low 10, making them quite vulnerable to psionics.
721* MightyRoar: Their animalistic roars and displays of [[PrimalChestPound chest-pounding]] when struck are so intimidating that low-Will soldiers may panic.
722* MyBloodRunsHot: As with Berserkers. Their bodies remain surprisingly warm for a good while after expiration.
723* NeuralImplanting: All they need to know about tactics and their equipment is written into their brains, to compensate for their apparent unintelligence.
724* PinnedDown: They have the "Suppression" active ability, which reduces the target's Aim by 30 and grants the Muton a reaction shot should the target move. Typically, on higher difficulties they'll Suppress targets they can't get a good shot on.
725* PoweredArmor: Theirs not only provides protection but also auto-reloads their weapons with miniature servos, letting them fire far more shots than an XCOM soldier with a plasma rifle before reloading.
726* PrimalChestPound: Their {{Mighty Roar}}s are accompanied by using their free hand to pound their chest and roar in defiance.
727* ScreamingWarrior: When struck by any damage they may use a special Intimidate ability, [[MightyRoar roaring]] at the attacker while pounding their chest. This may cause low-Will soldiers to panic.
728* SuperToughness: They have substantial durability for an organic, which is why they make ideal front-line troops. However, with only 8 or 10 HP, it's actually very downplayed in game: they take a substantial amount of fire from ballistic weapons, but a few laser shots will kill them, and they stand a chance of instant death from a Plasma Rifle burst. This lowers them from "super soldiers" to "alien infantry" by the time XCOM starts packing plasma weapons themselves.
729* TronLines: [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]]; their armor has some glowing yellow lines along areas like the inside of their collars, but Mutons are defined more by their bulk than such special effects.
730[[/folder]]
731
732[[folder:Cyberdiscs]]
733[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/xeu_cyberdisc.png]]
734
735These hovering weapons platforms provide heavy fire support for the invaders and are capable of shrugging off all but the heaviest attacks. Seemingly unarmed at first glance, they can rapidly transform to bring their many weapons to bear on an unfortunate target.
736----
737* ActionBomb: Can use "Death Blossom", an explosion attack that hits everything around it and destroys cover, but deals no damage to the Cyberdisc itself. Unlike regular attacks, the Cyberdisc doesn't break out of disc form to pull it off. Often combined with their tendency to [[DefeatEqualsExplosion further explode on death]] for more damage in a radius near XCOM troops.
738* AirborneMook: Like Floaters, they can fly anywhere they want on the battlefield, and fairly far at that. When they're doing so, they emit a stereotypical "flying UFO" sound.
739* AmbiguousRobot: Vahlen notes that there are residues of organic tissue inside the wreck. Confirmed by [[spoiler:the Uber Ethereal]] to be a race uplifted with cybernetics along with the Drones.
740* BewareMyStingerTail: Downplayed. In attack form the Cyberdisc displays a segmented tail that looks like a scorpion's or a WhipSword, but it's not used to attack directly. Rather, it's what it uses to throw its grenade.
741* DefeatEqualsExplosion: Explodes on death, causing 3 damage to everything up to 1 tile away from it.
742* FlunkyBoss: Always accompanied by a pair of Drones (aside from the one encountered during Gangplank).
743* KungFuProofMook: Thanks to being mechanical, cyberdiscs are immune to Stunning, Mindfray, Psi-Panic, Mind Control, poison and fire; in ''Enemy Within'', it's also immune to the disorientation effect of Flashbangs. They also have the "Hardened" passive ability when in disc form, which reduces the chance of a CriticalHit; if they're airborne (signified by the half-shield) while in disc form, even a high-rank sniper will have a hard time landing a crit without using Headshot.
744* LightningBruiser: Cyberdiscs are heavily armed, fairly durable and can fly very far in their disc form. By the time they're regularly deployed, if you don't have lasers to take them out expediently, your life will be difficult.
745* MechanicalMonster: The first robotic opponents that will make you regret not taking them seriously.
746* SiliconBasedLife: Stated to be something like a symbiosis between two species: one organic and one inorganic.
747* SinisterGeometry: Like its 1994 counterpart, the shell of the creature is a reflective chrome disc. It's the world's worst gift-wrap.
748* SpectacularSpinning: A spinning Cyberdisc is bad news of the explosive kind: if it's in disc form, it's using Death Blossom, and in attack form, it's flinging a grenade.
749* SpiderTank: When in attack form, they look a lot like a nautilus with a scorpion-like tail.
750* ThrowDownTheBomblet: They have an Alien Grenade and can catapult it at clustered troops with its tail. Thanks to "Bombard", its reach is about that of a Heavy's rocket.
751* TransformingMecha: They can transform between an unarmed but nigh-crit-immune disc form that has innate defense, and a vulnerable but heavily-armed floating nautilus-bot form. They swap from disc form to attack form when going on Overwatch when its pod is revealed or when firing or tossing a grenade, and if they take a hit while in attack form, they instantly flip back to disc form.
752* WouldNotShootACivilian: In Terror Site missions, they'll go after XCOM exclusively. Any civilians a Cyberdisc kills are collateral damage.
753[[/folder]]
754
755[[folder:Drones]]
756[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/xeu_drone.png]]
757
758Small hovering drones, these accompany and provide support to the invaders' mechanical assets. Though their primary function is to repair, they also bear small energy weapons for self-defense and a self-destruct system to prevent capture.
759----
760* AirborneMook: They have the same ability to fly as Cyberdiscs and Floaters.
761* AttackDrone: Vahlen even remarks how they're very similar to Earth's military drones.
762* CombatMedic: Can repair robotic allies such as Cyberdiscs, Mechtoids, Sectopods, Seekers and other Drones. When hacked, they can repair MEC Troopers and S.H.I.V.s.
763* HackYourEnemy: Drones can be hacked and brought to XCOM's side with the Arc Thrower once the "Drone Capture" Foundry Project is completed. Once hacked, a Drone is under your control for the rest of the mission, and dies once it's completed.
764* KungFuProofMook: Immune to Mindfray, Psi-Panic, Mind Control, poison and fire, since it's a robot. It's also immune to the Arc Thrower until the "Drone Hacking" Foundry Project is completed. In ''Enemy Within'', it's also immune to Flashbangs.
765* MechaMooks: Despite being made of alloys, they're very squishy. Justified by their support/repair role.
766* MookMedic: Their primary purpose is to fix up the bigger machine they're accompanying.
767* ScratchDamage: Their beam weapon deals very little damage, up to 3 at most with 1 as the minimum. A Heavy with "Will to Survive" can outright NoSell a shot from it if it's not a crit or from a flanking position.
768* ShootTheMedicFirst: Unless you want them to patch up the Cyberdisc or Sectopod they usually accompany, you'd better shoot (or hack) them first. In terror missions they'll prioritize shooting civilians over even fixing up their escortees, so again it's a good idea to shoot them down first.
769* SuicideAttack: Can self-destruct, causing 3 damage to everything around it much like a grenade.
770[[/folder]]
771
772[[folder:Sectoid Commander]]
773[[quoteright:276:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/xeu_sectoid_commander.png]]
774
775The very first alien encountered by XCOM during "Operation: Devil's Moon", these creatures appear to possess a terrifying capability of telepathically controlling human minds, as demonstrated near the end of the aforementioned operation. They can be found directing the invasion from outposts and [=UFOs=], as well as operating the systems of the latter.
776----
777* ArmCannon: Like their lesser brethren, they have a plasma pistol mounted on their right forearm. Unlike regular Sectoids, they're pretty accurate when firing it, though they'll keep it for a [[EmergencyWeapon last resort]].
778* CombatMedic: Their Greater Mind Merge ability allows them to heal other Sectoids by a single point. Unlike Mind Merge, however, they cannot repeat it once per turn.
779* DegradedBoss: Sort of. The first one you encounter is set up like a boss fight and you encounter increased amounts of them as regular enemies afterwards. However, they're just as strong as the first one.
780* DiscOneFinalBoss: The first one you find is the commander of the alien base. Bradford even refers to it as "their leader". Unfortunately for XCOM and Earth, there are ranks above Sectoid Commanders in the invaders' forces.
781* TheDragon: The first one you encounter is the commander of the initial enemy forces you encounter, but as quickly becomes apparent, it is not the true mastermind of the invasion.
782* EarlyBirdCameo: The very first alien the player sees in the tutorial mission, mind-controlling the German soldier.
783* EmergencyWeapon: If they can't use their PsychicPowers such as being faced down by a S.H.I.V. or on forced cooldown from Neural Feedback, they'll resort to their [[ArmCannon arm-mounted Plasma Pistol]]. Their aim with it is good enough to finish off a weakened enemy in low cover, but otherwise it's the same firepower as a normal Sectoid.
784* EvilCounterpart: The first one acts as one to ''you'', being the one to direct most of the aliens' operations. [[spoiler:Yet, it still has superiors to whom it must answer to, so it's more accurately an evil counterpart to Bradford]].
785* GlowingEyesOfDoom: They're enemies with eyes that glow {{red|EyesTakeWarning}}.
786* TheGreys: Just like their Sectoid underlings, they're humanoid, shorter than a human, have no clothes or visible genitalia, and have giant distinctive heads.
787* {{Hammerspace}}: Where exactly does it keep that grenade?
788* KingMook: The first one is essentially a boss version of a Sectoid.
789* KungFuProofMook: In ''Enemy Within'', they're immune to Flashbangs thanks to their psionic powers.
790* MindControl: They can take control of (usually weak-Willed) XCOM troops, and will hold that control for three turns unless killed.
791* MindRape:
792** Mindfray, which always causes 5 damage, and lowers accuracy, mobility, and Will.
793** Psi Panic makes the afflicted unit freak out for a turn.
794* MyBrainIsBig: They've got bigger cranial structures than the rank-and-file Sectoids. It's a giveaway as to their dangerous psionic powers.
795* NoMouth: Again, being a Sectoid derivative, they have no visible or known mouth.
796* PsychicLink: They have a stronger version of their lesser brethren's Mind Merge ability, called Greater Mind Merge, that lasts until the Commander is killed instead of fizzling after one turn. However, it only works with regular Sectoids, which generally don't show up anymore once the Commanders do. In ''Enemy Within'', it also works with Mechtoids, which are more likely to show up.
797* PsychicPowers: Unlike normal Sectoids, they have MindControl and [[MindRape Psi Panic]] at their disposal, as well as a more encompassing version of [[PsychicLink Mind Merge]].
798* RedEyesTakeWarning: Their psychic abilities make those reddish [[GlowingEyesOfDoom glowing eyes]] of theirs a nasty portent.
799* RunningOnAllFours: Commanders move about by scurrying on three limbs while holding their right arm (with the mounted plasma pistol) up, much like the standard Sectoid.
800* SquishyWizard: Downplayed. Their psionic capabilities are fearsome, but physically, they're just beefier Sectoids and the Plasma Pistol they're waving around is hardly a threat to units with good armor. They shouldn't be underestimated however, as their Aim is decent and they also have a grenade that they ''will'' use if they see an opportunity; besides that, they have health and defense about on par with a Heavy Floater.
801[[/folder]]
802
803[[folder:Mechtoid]]
804[[quoteright:333:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mechtoid_4472.png]]
805Sectoids placed in a devastating cybernetic battlesuit, their twin plasma cannons, heavy armor and excellent mobility make them an exceptionally deadly opponent. A side effect of the suit is that the pilot's telepathic abilities have been reduced, preventing them from establishing mental links with their brethren. The aliens have compensated for this by placing an amplifier which converts the incoming psionic energy into a psionic shield.
806----
807* ArmCannon: A double whammy of type 1: both their arms are Plasma Cannons capable of rapid fire.
808* {{Cyborg}}: {{Subverted|Trope}}. It's a Sectoid inside a PoweredArmor suit, though it doesn't require the same amputations as MEC Troopers go through. Presumably that's due to the Sectoids' psychic abilities and their smaller size making it easier to fit into the suit and interface with it.
809* DeflectorShield: Gains a 6-HP strong one that halves all incoming damage (except for Electro-Pulse) if another Sectoid [[PsychicLink Mind Merges]] with it. If the Sectoid is killed, the shield fizzles and they take 3 damage.
810* EvilCounterpart: To the MEC Trooper, being a squishy lifeform inside a sturdy mechanical suit of combat armor.
811* FlunkyBoss: If you see a Mechtoid, expect to see a Sectoid or Sectoid Commander escorting it.
812* GiantMook: They're big, durable and powerful. Sure they're a Sectoid piloting a warbot, but that doesn't change the fact that they're nearly as big as a Muton Berserker and have guns rivalling those of a Muton Elite. Needless to say, do ''not'' underestimate them.
813* KungFuProofMook: Immune to Stunning, poison and fire. Also has the "Hardened" passive ability, which reduces the chance of a CriticalHit. ''Not'' immune to PsychicPowers, though, and especially vulnerable to MindControl, since inside that suit there's just a basic [[TheGoomba Sectoid]].
814* LightningBruiser: Mechtoids can run just as fast as [=MECs=] with a broader movement range than un-suited Sectoids, and have comparable firepower that they can fire twice in a row if they don't move, just like a Major-rank MEC Trooper or Heavy with Bullet Swarm.
815* MiniMecha: Just like MEC Troopers, they pilot one of these.
816* MoreDakka: Mechtoids can fire their plasma cannons twice if they haven't moved during their turn. Each attack is a rapid fire 6-shot burst, three from each ArmCannon.
817* PowerAtAPrice: As a side effect of the Mechtoid suit, the Sectoid pilots cannot actively establish mental links with other Sectoids anymore. The most they get is a DeflectorShield when they get targeted by Mind Merge.
818* TookALevelInBadass: The [[CannonFodder lowly Sectoid]] becomes ''incredibly'' dangerous after being integrated into a mechanized suit. Its only inherent weakness is Psionics, which only come very late in the game. WhosLaughingNow
819[[/folder]]
820
821[[folder:Berserkers]]
822[[quoteright:253:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/original_16_1486.png]]
823Even more ferocious and bloodthirsty than other Mutons, these hulking behemoths eschew the invaders' advanced plasma weapons in favor of pure brute strength, for devastating their enemies in melee. Their constant state of rage is such that any non-fatal blow will have them charge blindly at their enemy, allowing them to cover the distance quickly.
824----
825* AttentionDeficitOohShiny: A Mimic Beacon will distract any Berserker not standing right by an enemy.
826* AxCrazy: They're ''exceptionally'' aggressive, to the point of rushing straight into a crossfire, as shown by their Bloodlust ability to run a few tiles if hurt during your turn. Their way of killing a target is to deliver a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown until they're a smear on the floor.
827* BarrierBustingBlow: The "Bull Rush" ability lets them smash through walls, damaging anything in a small radius from the impact point and destroying cover. It's their main trump card in multiplayer and a tactic they use disturbingly often in higher difficulties.
828* TheBerserker: As per the name, they will be angered and blindly rush at the source of any damage they take.
829* BullfightBoss: In a sense. You can exploit Bloodlust to maneuver it to where you want it, such as into an Overwatch trap or away from a flimsy or wounded teammate.
830* DumbMuscle: They'll always charge blindly towards those who have attacked them (often triggering reaction fire in the process), and have ''very'' devastating melee attacks. Their physical power is also their only asset, really. Unlike Mutons, they have high Will but little to no tactical sense, and will just rush straight towards anything not on its side.
831* GiantMook: They're like the Mutons' big brother, introduced as leaders of midgame Muton packs, and with around double the health, more mobility and a crapton of pummeling power, they certainly qualify as giants. Only [[EliteMooks Muton Elites]] can match their stats.
832* KungFuProofMook: Berserkers have the "Hardened" passive ability, which nullifies the chance of a CriticalHit from just being out in the open. It compensates for their inability to TakeCover like regular Mutons.
833* LeeroyJenkins: They are quick to abandon their packs and mindlessly attack XCOM on their own, since their ability to charge in the direction of anything that attacks them, while intimidating, makes them susceptible to Overwatch fire, the Assault's "[[InstantDeathRadius Close Combat Specialist]]" skill and a S.H.I.V.'s [[InstantDeathRadius Sentinel Drone]]. You can also take advantage of this by shooting them with an unit that's further away from the others, drawing them farther from potential targets if you can't kill them before their turn.
834* LightningBruiser: Berserkers are tough, terrifying fighters and very fast for their girth, with the longest movement range of all Mutons.
835* RoarBeforeBeating: After being struck by damage, they will roar at the attacker, [[PrimalChestPound pound their chest]], and will even run closer to the assailant each time as they prepare to attack.
836* MyBloodRunsHot: It's noted that their corpses are astoundingly warm to the touch for hours after death, even more so than regular Mutons.
837* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: When a Berserker manages to score a killing blow, the victim is gut-stabbed and then hammer-fisted while it doubles over, and then the Berserker continues to savagely beat them for a few more seconds.
838* OneGenderRace: While part of the same race as other Mutons, [[VideoGame/{{XCOM 2}} the second game]] confirms that all berserkers are AlwaysFemale.
839* OffhandBackhand: During Terror Missions, if a civilian is unlucky enough to be nearby it when a Berserker is first seen, the short video that plays when it comes into view involves the Berserker striding forward and offhandedly smashing the poor civilian aside like so much garbage.
840* PrimalChestPound: Their {{Mighty Roar}}s are accompanied by chest pounds.
841* ScreamingWarrior: Like other mutons when struck by any damage they'll roar at the attacker while pounding their chest. Unlike other mutons, they will ''always'' do so when hurt, though the Intimidate ability isn't guaranteed to proc.
842* SmashMook: Their whole strategy is to get close to the enemy and crush it under their fists, and they're more than burly enough to do so. They're one of the simplest enemies to "counter" since all they do is charge and attack, and their other abilities help facilitate this.
843* SuperToughness: Even bigger and tougher than regular Mutons, at 20HP. If uninjured, they can survive a punch from a MEC's Kinetic Strike Module.
844* ThereWasADoor: One of the Berserker's abilities is being able to ''burst through walls'' to ambush your soldiers with "Bull Rush". Sometimes one will ''go out of its way'' to get behind a wall in preparation for this, [[JustifiedTrope setting up a surprise attack]]. What's worse is that it exposes your unit to fire from other sources. If your opponent in Multiplayer has a Berserker, better watch those walls.
845* WolverineClaws: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. they have a set of blades affixed to the back of their hands which extends to just in front of their fist, like extra-nasty knuckle dusters.
846* WouldNotShootACivilian: Berserkers seem to ignore civilians entirely if they're not in the way, and go after XCOM exclusively.
847[[/folder]]
848
849[[folder:Muton Elites]]
850[[quoteright:254:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/569dd52a1d6011582ee7e91d3a0ec750_dhdrqszavmah6j_3955.png]]
851The personal guards of the true leaders of the invasion, these veteran Mutons bear even heavier weapons and armor than their regular counterparts, as well as increased intelligence. Occasionally deployed independently of their masters, their mastery of combat and advanced equipment makes them extremely dangerous opponents.
852----
853* BlingOfWar: Muton Elite armour is much more colourful than other aliens', looking almost regal in design. Fitting, given their role as guards to the Ethereals.
854* CosmeticallyDifferentSides: They wield the same Heavy Plasma weapons as your own Heavies, and both versions of the gun are exactly the same stat-wise. Despite this, the Muton's version fires 3 large plasma blasts like the regular Muton's Plasma Rifle, while the human adaptation [[BeamSpam fires a long eight-shot burst]]. This does not stop them from using it for suppressive fire either.
855* CloneArmy: The description of the Elite's corpse says they all look the same, almost featureless. Presumably, like Sectoids, they're clones of the same original Muton Elite.
856* EliteMook: You can tell by their pimped armor that they're not your everyday Muton, even before knowing they have "Elite" in their name. They're Mutons but nastier, with better stats, stronger armor, and a heavier weapon.
857* ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy: ''Heavily'' averted. They're even more accurate than the regular Mutons (who are already competent shots); on Classic, their Aim is an astounding 90, equal to a high-ranking Assault or Support, and on Impossible, their Aim is a terrifying 100, making them ''the most accurate enemy in the entire game'' and only comparable to a Sniper of reasonably high rank.
858* KungFuProofMook: Unlike their lower-ranked Muton brethren, Elites are not suicidally obsessed with the noises made by Mimic Beacons. They'll be drawn to them if they can't see any enemies, but if XCOM is in sight, they'll prioritize fighting.
859* MagicallyIneptFighter: Like other Mutons, as their tactics are the same, but they're even better shots. They're still exceptionally vulnerable to any sort of psionics thanks to their abysmal 20 Will.
860* PinnedDown: They have the "Suppression" active ability. Their increased Aim makes a reaction shot even deadlier than the rank-and-file.
861* PraetorianGuard: The Ethereals' personal bodyguards. There's always at least one or two of them accompanying an Ethereal in the field.
862* MyBloodRunsHot: Less than other Mutons. They can't Blood Call to buff their allies and don't have the panic-inducing Intimidate, although they ''can'' receive the Blood Call bonus from a regular Muton[[note]]pairing up one single regular Muton with a squad of Elites is not a bad strategy in multiplayer[[/note]]; aside from that, the description of their corpses doesn't remark about their temperature after death like with other Mutons.
863* SuperToughness: Like other Mutons, and further augmented by their armor. On Easy and Normal they have 14 health, on Classic they have 18, and Impossible bumps them to the same 20 of a Berserker. Considering they come in groups of three or more, it's ''a lot'' of health to chew through, and on the harder difficulties, they can't be one-shot by any of XCOM's weapons[[note]]save for an upgraded Kinetic Strike Module punch in Classic, and only if the "Absolutely Critical" Second Wave option is enabled on Impossible[[/note]] without perks that increase critical hit damage, such as the Assault's "Bring'em On" and "Killer Instinct".
864* ThrowDownTheBomblet: They can throw an Alien Grenade and have "Bombard" just like Heavy Floaters, so the reach of their throws is about that of a Heavy's rocket. They'll happily toss them at targets they don't have a good bead on, clustered enemies, or if they're being Suppressed.
865[[/folder]]
866
867[[folder:Sectopods]]
868[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/xcomeu_sectopod_rises_2724.jpg]]
869Massive war machines designed to utterly crush any opposition, these are the heaviest ground asset available to the invaders. Capable of withstanding incredible amounts of punishment, they also bear a deadly array of weapons to annihilate any who would oppose them.
870----
871* BossInMooksClothing: They are very resistant to damage and have a lot of health points, their attacks hurt a lot, they have access to two moves at turn and they are a rare type of late game enemy. Taking down one of these things is not an easy task.
872* DamageReduction: They get a '''huge''' buff in ''Enemy Within'' in "Reinforced Armor", a perk that reduces all damage received by half, rounded up. In short, that gives them ''60 health'' for you to whittle down. And that armor doesn't matter to Drones, so in practical terms a single Repair action patches up the Sectopod by 4-6 health.
873* DamageSpongeBoss: Sectopods were always tough bastards, but this goes to ludicrous degrees in ''Enemy Within'', with a trait that reduces all incoming damage by 50%, effectively doubling their health to ''60'', while their main counter, HEAT Ammo, is simultaneously nerfed. If you don't have a MEC with Electro Pulse and a Foundry-upgraded Kinetic Strike Module, expect a fight with a Sectopod to take two or three rounds.
874* DeathFromAbove: Cluster Bomb, their alternative to the chest cannon. If they have one turn to set it up, they'll launch an artillery barrage that can deal up to 21 damage (it hits three times for 4-7 damage) and annihilates cover; worse, since it consists of several explosive hits in a row, it can bypass the "critically wounded" status and outright kill a soldier. If you hit them with Disabling Shot, they're sure to use it against anything they can see, with preference to tight groups of targets.
875* DefeatEqualsExplosion: Explodes on death. Purely cosmetic in ''Enemy Unknown'', it does 5 damage in a fairly large radius in ''Enemy Within''.
876* EvilCounterpart:
877** Heavily-armed with rapid-fire weapons, high explosives, and able to tank a tremendous amount of damage before going down? Yeah, it's pretty much the alien answer to your own Titan-armored, plasma-toting Heavies.
878** In ''Enemy Within'', it's more akin to resistance-focused high-level MEC Troopers, with the guaranteed two-shot-if-still ability, high base damage, and considerable damage reduction from "Reinforced Armor".
879* FlunkyBoss: Always accompanied by a pair of Drones. Only {{averted|Trope}} in [[spoiler:the [[TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDugeon Temple Ship]], where two Sectopods are by themselves]].
880* GeniusBruiser: Their combat AI is advanced enough that they're the only alien unit with a response to a cloaked unit: if a unit becomes concealed in their sight range, the Sectopod will set up a Cluster Bomb barrage aiming at said unit's last location as known by the Sectopod. They can also aim Cluster Bomb out of their sight if you attacked them from where they can't see, such as by throwing a grenade.
881* GiantMook: If you thought a Mechtoid was scary, here's a Sectopod towering over him. Even InUniverse XCOM thought this was just a bigger, badder Mechtoid (hence the name) piloted by a Sectoid, and they're presented as terrifying bosses in charge of endgame pods.
882* KungFuProofMook: Immune to Stunning, Mindfray, Psi-Panic, Mind Control, poison and fire. Also has the "Hardened" passive ability, which reduces the chance of a CriticalHit. In ''Enemy Within'', it's also immune to Flashbangs.
883* MacrossMissileMassacre: One of the Sectopod's offensive options is raining down a storm of grenades with Cluster Bomb. It's a multi-hit attack with area of effect, so expect outright death instead of critical wounds. The saving grace is that it takes a full turn to prime, with the camera indicating where it is aiming, giving you time to relocate, and you better do it, because firing the grenades is the first thing the Sectopod does on the next turn, and it's a free action.
884* MechanicalMonster: With an emphasis on ''monster''. The Sectopod is as far from MechaMooks as you can get, being the toughest enemy in the game, ''bar none'', and one of the one that can dish out the most hurt. That WaveMotionGun in its central frame that can be fired twice in a row and guarantees a reaction shot if used even once, multi-hit mortar barrage, and DamageReduction in ''Enemy Within'' guarantee it. A single Sectopod is practically a MiniBoss. If you are particularly unlucky, there may be more than one in a mission. And if you manage to piss off two or more at once, you better just [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere nope out and send all of your troops dashing back to where they came from, and the Skyranger is a perfectly valid option]].
885* MightyGlacier: They can dish out a lot of damage and tank even more, but they're not particularly fast, with a fairly small movement range.
886* RuleOfThree: An interesting example, in that all of their attacks are shot in threes: Cannon Fire is a triple burst, the mini-cannon's reaction shot is a three-shot burst, and Cluster Bomb is fired in three volleys, and the latter deals damage three separate times to anything that gets caught in the blast.
887* SuperToughness: Sectopods have 30 HP, the highest amongst the aliens (beating out even the [[spoiler:Uber Ethereal]]). In ''Enemy Within'', they gain a trait that reduces all incoming damage by 50%, so they end up with ''60 hit points''.
888* WaveMotionGun: A massive chest-mounted cannon they can fire twice in one turn if they don't move and will let them enter Overwatch for free. In the core game, the damn thing ''also deals SplashDamage'', which is thankfully disabled in ''Enemy Within''. The only real limitation it has is that it can't strike the same target twice unless it's the only one in the Sectopod's sight range.
889* WouldNotShootACivilian: They completely disregard any civilians nearby in favor of blasting apart the responding XCOM soldiers. Any non-combatant that gets caught in the area of effect of Cannon Fire or Cluster Bomb is purely collateral.
890[[/folder]]
891
892[[folder:Ethereals]]
893[[quoteright:205:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ethereal2_733.png]]
894The true masterminds behind the invasion, these mysterious beings represent the pinnacle of psionic power amongst the invaders, compensating for the physical frailty resulting from centuries of existence. Their power is such that it is little wonder that the other aliens have submitted to their rule. They command from the safety of their specialized [=UFOs=].
895----
896* AttackReflector: Ethereals are randomly able to reflect shots from firearms back to soldiers. Doesn't apply to area-of-effect attacks and explosives, though, and the reflected damage is always less than what the original attack would've dealt, typically 3 damage.
897* BeatThemAtTheirOwnGame: Due to their extremely high Will stat (125 at the very least), mind-controlling an Ethereal is very difficult, even for a maxed-out Volunteer[[note]]giving them Psi Armor and a Mind Shield helps[[/note]], but also incredibly satisfying. You even get an achievement for this.
898* DefeatEqualsExplosion: Don't stand too close to one that's about to die; their death triggers a psionic discharge about equal in power to a grenade, unless you RocketPunch them with a MEC.
899* DyingRace: [[spoiler:Examination of an Ethereal corpse shows that their physical bodies are afflicted with severe muscle atrophy, just like in the [[VideoGame/XCOMUFODefense original game]]. ''VideoGame/XCOM2'' reveals that the entire Ethereal species is slowly dying out because of this, which is why they are so intent on finding a physically strong species with psionic potential.]]
900* EvilGenius: It is unclear if their immense psionic power is a result of their high intelligence or vice versa, but the Ethereals are ''brilliant'' geneticists. All of the aliens XCOM fights throughout the invasion were genetically modified in some way to make them more effective for warfare, though there are at least some limits to their scientific capabilities, as seen with their trouble in making the Thin Men convincingly human.
901* EvilOverlord: An entire race of them, serving as the ruthless commanders of the invading alien forces and thus the masterminds behind all the abductions, terror missions and UFO assaults the player has to deal with.
902* TheFaceless: They're only seen without their helmets once they die, and they become charred husks once they're killed.
903* FlunkyBoss: Always accompanied by at least one [[PraetorianGuard Muton Elite]].
904* HiveMind: The Ethereal collective. It's not clear of what kind, though.
905* InformedFlaw: We're told that Ethereals are physically frail, yet they have as much health as Muton Berserkers. It's implied to be because of their extremely powerful psionic abilities.
906* KungFuProofMook: Has the "Hardened" passive ability, which reduces the chance of a CriticalHit. In ''Enemy Within'', it's also immune to Flashbangs due to being psionic. Its extremely high Will also makes psionic attacks very hard to land unless the user is wearing Psi Armor, carrying a Mind Shield ''and'' buffed by Psi Inspiration; the only exception to this is the extraordinarily powerful human psionic [[MauveShirt Annette Durand]].
907* LargeAndInCharge: The Mutons have Ethereals beat in girth, but the Ethereals are the tallest of the invading species.
908* LeanAndMean: The robes hide it, but they're extremely thin, as you can see when they reveal their gangly arms. [[spoiler:''VideoGame/XCOM2'' reveals that this is actually a ''[[DyingRace major]]'' problem for them, being afflicted with severe muscle atrophy.]]
909* LifeDrain: "Psi Drain", which drains up to 5 health from their allies. This can kill the drained ally, [[BadBoss not that the Ethereals care]]. This extends to XCOM units under MindControl.
910* MindControl: One of their Psi abilities lets them take control of a unit and turn them against you.
911* MindRape: "Mindfray", which always causes 5 damage, and lowers accuracy, mobility, and Will.
912* MonsterLord: The Ethereals are the masterminds behind all other alien species, [[spoiler:and in fact created every single one of them, or at least turned them into what they are today]].
913* MultiArmedAndDangerous: Downplayed. They do have four arms, and are quite dangerous, but that's solely because of their psychic powers. Unlike in ''UFO Defense'', they have no other weapons or attacks.
914* NotSoStoic: When interrogation starts, the Ethereal first looks at the machines passively, but as soon as they're active it hunches over in pain and tries to deflect them psionically before the doors close. Almost makes you feel sorry for it... ''almost''.
915* PsychicPowers: They can use the huge, lingering "Rift" area attack and have a unique "Psi Lance" attack, which does extra damage if an opponent fails a Will check.
916[[/folder]]
917
918[[folder:The Alien Leader (SPOILERS)]]
919!Uber Ethereal
920[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/uber_ethereal.png]]
921 [[caption-width-right:350:''"At long last... YOU have succeeded... where WE have failed..."'']]
922
923The leader of the Ethereals and, by extension, the entire invasion. Commands the aliens from their massive Temple Ship and features even greater psionic power than other Ethereals.
924----
925* AffablyEvil: The Uber Ethereal is nothing but polite and has plenty of praise to give when the Volunteer successfully makes contact with the Ethereal collective. Of course, considering that the Uber Ethereal has just led a violent invasion of Earth and enslaved several other alien species, it's entirely possible that [[FauxAffablyEvil this is just a front]].
926* AttackReflector: Has a chance of reflecting both regular attacks and Suppression attempts. The former will always deal 2 damage, regardless of what attack was reflected, while the latter doesn't do any damage at all.
927* AliensSpeakingEnglish: He is the only alien in the game who speaks in clear English, though this might be because he's communicating telepathically to The Volunteer.
928* BigBad: The mastermind of the invasion, leading the other Ethereals to war against Earth.
929* BossBanter: On your way through the Temple Ship to fight him, he tells you about all the other alien species and how they were considered failures by the Ethereals.
930* ContractualBossImmunity: Unlike standard Ethereals, he can't be stunned or mind-controlled.
931* DecapitatedArmy: Thankfully only the Uber Ethereal has to be killed, as killing him causes all the other aliens in his room to die.
932* DefeatEqualsExplosion: When killed, he explodes into a psionic flare.
933* EvilPlan: The entire invasion of earth was little more than a test for humanity, to force them to develop advanced technology and psionic powers of their own and eventually become strong enough so that they could be of use for the Ethereals against what comes after.
934* EvilSoundsDeep: A deep, raspy voice for the leader of a destructive alien invasion.
935* FinalBoss: The final threat faced in the game, fought with his minions in tow. His death means the end of the invasion.
936* FlunkyBoss: He's accompanied by two other Ethereals and two Muton Elites, though you only have to kill the Uber Ethereal himself to win.
937* GoneHorriblyRight: His plan was to push humans to develop psionic powers through warfare. Based on his dying screams he didn't expect said besieged humans to storm his ship and kill him with psionic powers.
938* KingMook: Who else? He has somewhat higher stats than a basic Ethereal, as well as ContractualBossImmunity, but goes down fairly easily against a well-equipped squad.
939* KungFuProofMook: Has the "Hardened" passive ability, which reduces the chance of a CriticalHit. He is also [[ContractualBossImmunity immune to Mind Control]], unlike other Ethereals (who are just ''very'' resistant to it). In ''Enemy Within'', he's immune to Flashbangs as well.
940* LifeDrain: "Psi Drain", which drains up to 5 Health from his allies. This can kill the drained ally.
941* LoadBearingBoss: His death causes the Temple Ship to start collapsing into a black hole, forcing The Volunteer to make a HeroicSacrifice.
942* TheManBehindTheMan: While the Sectoid Commander is believed to be the aliens' leader at first, it is eventually made clear that this guy has been the true mastermind.
943* MindControl: Like the other Ethereals, he possesses the Mind Control ability, so beware of him controlling your soldiers with low Will.
944* MindRape: "Mindfray", which always causes 5 damage, and lowers accuracy, mobility, and Will.
945* MultiArmedAndDangerous: Although, like the other Ethereals, his mind is his only real weapon.
946* PsychicPowers: The same powers as a regular Ethereal, including the "Rift" and "Psi Lance" attacks.
947* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Despite ''[[VideoGame/Xcom2 XCOM 2]]'' being an alternate continuity in which the Ethereals conquered Earth, no mention is made of the Uber Ethereal, instead being replaced by the [[LightIsNotGood Angelis Ethereal]]. Interestingly, he is nontheless visible in the images for certain Dark Events and for the GameOver screen.
948* WhyCouldntYouBeDifferent: Each race the Ethereals conquered, they experimented upon in an effort to create a superior psionic species, hinted (and in ''[=XCOM=] 2'', confirmed) to be a quest to replace their ancient, frail bodies. Each was deemed a failure, for different reasons, and repurposed as minions to conquer the next species. Ironically, when you finally confront him, the Uber Ethereal reveals that his own people originated from a similar failed attempt at psionic uplifting, implying that the Ethereals' ultimate goal is to redeem themselves in the eyes of their makers.
949-->''Behold the greatest failure... of the Ethereal Ones... We who failed to ascend as they thought we would. We who were cast out. We who were doomed to feed upon the Gift of lesser beings... as we sought to uplift them... to prepare them... for what lies ahead.''
950[[/folder]]
951
952!EXALT
953
954[[folder:General Tropes]]
955[[quoteright:303:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/exalt_1197.png]]
956->Your previous directive to [[WouldNotShootACivilian preserve all human life on Earth has been]] ''[[AvertedTrope rescinded]].'' [[GodzillaThreshold You are to use all available resources to locate and eliminate these traitors.]]
957-->-- '''Council Spokesman''', "Security Breach" trailer
958
959Debuting in ''Enemy Within'', EXALT is a human paramilitary faction of alien sympathizers. They believe in the aliens' plan to "uplift" humanity and see XCOM as an obstacle to both humanity's ascension and their own plans of global domination via alien technology after the invasion is over.\
960
961If not dealt with, EXALT cells can quickly spread across the council nations, inciting Panic even in countries with satellite coverage. They also hinder XCOM's operations by stealing funds and setting back progress on active research projects. The player may counter their spreading influence by periodically initiating global intel scans to detect cells, and launching covert operations to break said cells.
962----
963* AlwaysMale: There don't appear to be any female EXALT operatives, which puts them in direct contrast to the very egalitarian XCOM.
964* AncientConspiracy: After raiding and burning their headquarters to the ground, some of the things that you seize includes collections of historical artifacts [[spoiler:that dates back centuries, suggesting that the organization is much, much more ancient then it might first appear.]] The "eye" in their official logo is a hi-tech Eye of Providence, the symbol most closely associated with conspiracy theories surrounding TheIlluminati.
965* AttackAttackAttack: Their operatives, being numerous, fanatical, and not exactly understanding squad tactics, are perfectly willing to throw themselves into the meat grinder.
966* BadassInANiceSuit: EXALT troopers wear business casual, often consisting of vests, trousers, and long-sleeve button-up shirts, though their Elites feature armor over their civilian clothes.
967* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: Members of EXALT cannot be captured for interrogation like most aliens can, instead committing suicide with a syringe. WordOfGod states that "they will not allow themselves to be taken alive", implying [[TheMobBossIsScarier a far worse fate]] if EXALT gets its hands on an AWOL agent. [[spoiler:Averted with the first EXALT operative you encounter in the first mission of ''Operation Progeny'', who must be escorted to safety like other Council mission [=VIPs=]. He appeared to be badly injured and deprived of his syringe.]]
968* BigBadEnsemble: This terrorist organization of alien sympathizers serves as the antagonistic human faction for the ''Enemy Within'' expansion. The Ethereals are still the more pressing threat, but EXALT's efforts to undermine XCOM make them a threat in their own right.
969* BigBadWannabe: They unfortunately teeter into this the longer the game goes on. EXALT's tech tree will only expand to laser weapons and a few genetic augmentations, but by then, XCOM will be fielding MEC troopers, gene soldiers of their own, and even plasma weapons, which far outstrips the capabilities of the laser weapons. By the late game, EXALT devolves into a nuisance at most, and can be wiped out pretty easily by a well-equipped squad in their base assault mission.
970* BioAugmentation: Their operatives have some enhancements, making them more durable than regular humans even without body armor. The Elite variants also possess ''bona fide'' gene-mods, some of which [[EveryoneHasStandards go beyond Dr. Vahlen's ethical limits]].
971* LesCollaborateurs: They welcome the alien invasion and hope to help it succeed by undermining XCOM. They then hope to rule over whatever is left of humanity once the aliens have departed.
972* ConspicuousConsumption: [[spoiler: Compared to the spartan and straightforward design of XCOM's own headquarters, EXALT's command center is absolutely luxurious, with non-essential things like bear skin rugs, sofas and various kinds of artwork decorating the place. Officer Bradford [[LampshadeHanging points out how it is a bad tactical decision for them to put form over function when designing their command center]]. Possibly justified by being HiddenInPlainSight -- the fancy rugs and carpets ''do'' make it look more like a standard penthouse than a straightforward military base would.]]
973* CyanidePill: They all have a syringe full of a deadly concoction, [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled and they'll immediately inject it on themselves if stunned by an Arc Thrower]].
974* {{Deconstruction}}: EXALT deconstructs the NebulousEvilOrganization that works in the shadows to oppose the heroes: [[spoiler:while they are able to pose an initial challenge to XCOM, their unwillingness to leave the shadows leads to them gradually losing their momentum. As the game progresses, they gradually become little more than a nuisance due to an unwillingness to engage the aliens in direct combat preventing them from reverse-engineering the aliens' PlasmaWeapons and PoweredArmor, which XCOM eventually gains access to. And unlike the aliens, EXALT operations in a region are shut down by gathering enough intelligence to let conventional authorities take down the cells.]]
975* DiabolicalMastermind: Their leader appears to have flown the coop by the time XCOM comes knocking. A villainous throne, a giant holographic globe... all he's missing is a white Persian RightHandCat.
976* EliteMooks: They start using Elite versions of their operatives later on in the game, which have been genetically modified and equipped with laser weapons and body armor. These Elites are always present when you storm their headquarters -- if you rush the HQ assault mission, even in Marathon mode (which delays enemy upgrades), they'll be there and can pose a significant threat.
977* EvilCounterpart: EXALT operatives use classes, equipment and abilities similar or even identical to that of XCOM soldiers. Their HQ even has a red-tinted counterpart of the Geoscape hologram, but in a fancy wood-lined office rather than XCOM's metal-and-polymer military base.
978* EvilMakesYouUgly: Elite EXALT operatives display deep wrinkles, sunken eyes and some even have greenish skin discolorations. Their regular operatives aren't in much better shape either. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] due to their extreme gene mods.
979* EvilTowerOfOminousness: Their headquarters is HiddenInPlainSight inside a skyscraper penthouse.
980* FacelessGoons: By way of face-obscuring bandanas. All you can clearly see is their eyes.
981* FalseFlagOperation: The descriptions for EXALT's guns mention that they might be useful for random requests from the funding nations looking to launch these against EXALT.
982* GoldfishPoopGang: EXALT troopers become this if its still around by the time you receive third tier weapons and armor. They become very easy to defeat as they [[CantCatchUp never receive third tier upgrades]] and will be little more than a nuisance for the player.
983* HiddenInPlainSight: While XCOM goes for an ElaborateUndergroundBase, EXALT just sticks their base of operations in the penthouse of an uptown skyscraper.
984* TheIlluminati: They're a secret society of paramilitary operatives working in the shadows and masquerading as ordinary citizens. Each one of them is fanatically loyal to the cause and won't stop at anything to take the aliens' gifts and TakeOverTheWorld. The organisation is also shown to be very old and very wealthy, their base having a lot of fancy decorations and priceless art. Their insignia even has the stereotypical Illuminati "eye"!
985* LensmanArmsRace: With XCOM. Both sides start out with ballistic weapons and the like, and reverse engineer alien technology independently of one another, up to the point where, later in the game, EXALT is also fielding laser weaponry and gene augmented operatives of their own, though they lack an equivalent to the Scatter Laser that XCOM can research and field. [[spoiler:However, due to their unwillingness to face the aliens in combat directly (unless a prize as valuable as Annette is at stake), they never reverse-engineer plasma weaponry or powered armour, meaning that they are severely outclassed by XCOM later on.]]
986* MalevolentMaskedMen: Their face coverings and attire evoke the image of high-class gangsters, or perhaps yuppie pirates.
987* {{Masquerade}}: [[spoiler:After raiding EXALT HQ, a news report is heard discussing an electrical fire breaking out on the top floor of an office building, but no one was injured: a false story to cover up the fact that a clandestine military group wiped out a clandestine terrorist organization.]]
988* MildlyMilitary: EXALT operatives take to the field wearing dress shirts and ties rather than body armor. Justified as the members of EXALT are not trained soldiers, but rather weekend warriors. As WordOfGod states:
989--> "They're not soldiers, you are fighting the believers themselves[...] These guys were sitting in their offices at the bank, at the PR agency, or whatever, and then the call comes[...] and they stand up, go to the closet, push the button, put on the bandanas, and go."
990* MoreDakka: The animation set of non-Heavy Elites sometimes glitches out and they end up visually firing six beams in rapid sequence. It makes no difference gameplay-wise.
991* PlotIrrelevantVillain: While initially a challenge, EXALT aren't really tied into the main story, or even in league with the aliens. As the game progress, EXALT devolves into a minor nuisance, and by the time the player's fielding soldiers with plasma weapons and specialized armor, EXALT operatives go down with pathetic ease. In addition, their efforts to hinder XCOM's operations, while initially dangerous, fall off into inconveniences in the late game. The player can still beat the main campaign without doing the EXALT base assault, and even if they do decide to undertake the task, their actions are likely undone before the final mission begins anyway.
992* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: Their standard outfit includes black trousers and waistcoats plus a red mask. Their weapons similarly are black with red highlights.
993* ShadowArchetype: To XCOM. As stated above, both factions have similar tech trees and field similar units, however EXALT's plans for [[TakeOverTheWorld global domination through alien technology]] conflicts with XCOM's goal of saving humanity from the alien threat. In addition, EXALT has less ethical restrictions when it comes to genetic modification than XCOM.
994* WaistcoatOfStyle: All EXALT operatives wear these. Less noticable in Elites, who wear bulletproof vests.
995* WalkieTalkieStatic: To [[WhatMeasureIsAMook keep them from being humanized]], all you hear from them are orders being relayed over their comm links, and said orders are [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CYIu8Bc9sY completely indecipherable due to heavy radio static]]. On the other hand, [[KillItWithFire set them on fire with a MEC's flamethrower and you'll hear plenty from them.]]
996* WickedCultured: [[spoiler:After raiding their headquarters, the stuff seized by your soldiers includes collections of priceless artwork that can be sold to collectors for more funding.]]
997* WesternTerrorists: In fact, they fit the traditional visual design of Western European/American criminals and bank robbers: Business attire, bandanas to cover their faces, and sleek, ultra-modern German-style assault weapons.
998* YourHeadASplode: Their troops' suicide animation ends in the guy's head popping like a blood-filled melon, which really makes you wonder what the hell these syringes contain...
999* ZergRush: EXALT troops who are after an objective will aggressively push toward it, going so far as to rush your positions, intentionally leaving some of their soldiers exposed, because they know they have an advantage in numbers and they are that fanatically devoted to their cause. This can backfire horribly for them if they decide to charge a MEC.
1000[[/folder]]
1001
1002[[folder:Operative]]
1003[[quoteright:158:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/eliteoperative_6778.png]]
1004The basic EXALT infantryman, they rely on overwhelming their enemies with numbers, firepower and aggressive tactics. Equipped with assault rifles and grenades, they are the counterpart to XCOM's Rookie and Assault classes.
1005----
1006* MasterOfNone: Has no special abilities, aside from the unique "Adrenaline Rush" gene mod on the Elite versions.
1007* {{Mook}}: They're the most numerous, but also the weakest of EXALT's units.
1008* ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy: And how. With identical accuracy to Floaters (50), but no altitude bonuses, they do a perfect Stormtrooper impression. Carried over to Elite Operatives, who have 60 base aim, though with a trump card: their gene mod, Adrenaline Rush, gives then a 10 aim boost every time it is triggered, so if they constantly take ScratchDamage, they can become much more accurate.
1009* TurnsRed: Their Elite versions have the "Adrenaline Rush" gene mod, which increases Aim and Critical Chance by 10% if they're injured. Bad news is, it's permanent and stacks with each hit they take, no matter how light.
1010[[/folder]]
1011
1012[[folder:Heavy]]
1013[[quoteright:221:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/eliteheavy_7804.png]]
1014Armed with [=LMGs=] and rocket launchers, they provide heavy fire support on EXALT operations. With their heavy firepower and increased durability, they are the counterpart to XCOM's Heavy class.
1015----
1016* MightyGlacier: As the EXALT answer to XCOM's Heavy class, they share the ability to skip a turn's movement in order to fire a potentially devastating rocket that deals 6 damage and shreds cover. If there are several XCOM units close together in full cover and the Heavy can see them without having to move, it's almost guaranteed that he'll fire it off.
1017* MoreDakka: Armed with a LMG, which puts out even more rounds when using "Suppression". Elites also have Rapid Reaction, so if their first Overwatch reaction shot hits, they'll take another one.
1018* ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy: Their Aim is fairly low, about the same as a Medic's on any difficulty; as such, Rapid Reaction on an Elite Heavy is not too big a concern. However, Holo-Targeting can offset this a bit.
1019* KungFuProofMook: Hacking a relay or using Disabling Shot on a Heavy doesn't prevent him from firing a rocket or throwing a grenade. Not taking that into account can lead to a messy turnaround in a fight.
1020* PinnedDown: They have the "Suppression" active ability, which reduces the target's Aim by 30 and grants the EXALT Heavy a reaction shot should the target move.
1021* SuperToughness: The Elite variant has a unique gene mod, "Iron Skin", that reduces all incoming damage by 25%. This means they can survive a MEC Trooper's RocketPunch without MEC Close Combat, a feat that few other enemies can boast about.
1022* StuffBlowingUp: Can fire a rocket and throw grenades, and they'll definitely use them whenever they have sight of clustered XCOM soldiers. [[KungFuProofMook Hacking a relay or Disabling Shot don't preclude them from using those either]].
1023[[/folder]]
1024
1025[[folder:Medic]]
1026[[quoteright:132:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/elitemedic_8607.png]]
1027These trained combat medics support other EXALT personnel with both healing and fire support. Packing assault rifles, smoke grenades and medikits, they are the counterpart to XCOM's Support class.
1028----
1029* CombatMedic: They can put up a fight with their assault rifles, though not quite as well as other EXALT units. They do have the "Covering Fire" passive ability, which, if they're on Overwatch, lets them shoot first at an enemy that's about to open fire[[note]]or, curiously, use the Skeleton Suit and Ghost Armor's Grapple function, which invariably leads to positioning glitches[[/note]].
1030* HealingFactor: Their Elite versions regenerate 1 HP every turn thanks to their unique "Regen Pheromones" gene mod, as do nearby allies.
1031* TheMedic: As per the name. They can heal other EXALT units for 4HP with the Medikit that can be used 3 times per mission, thanks to Field Medic. Elites also have Regen Pheromones, that heal themselves and nearby allies by 1 HP at the start of every EXALT turn as a free action. Medics are also visually distinct from other operatives by the big red medical bag on their backs.
1032* ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy: To an utterly ridiculous extent. With 45 aim on Normal (the ''absolute lowest'' in the game -- for reference, they have just a 45% chance of hitting an XCOM trooper standing out in the open from outside close range), you don't even need to bother carefully picking cover. Given their low damage with assault rifles, getting flanked turns from a terrifying shock to an amusing game of "when will this idiot hit me for negligible damage". It carries over to Elite Medics, who only have 55 accuracy on Normal.[[note]]If you're on Impossible, though, an Elite Medic's Aim is a not-insignificant 70, so beware.[[/note]]
1033* ShootTheMedicFirst: Subverted and inverted. The [[SmokeOut smoke grenade is a pain]] and the healing they provide to their allies can seem scary, but their [[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy horrendous marksmanship]] and tendency to use a Medikit on themselves after taking ScratchDamage sets them very low in the threat totem pole. If anything, you should gun for the medics ''last''.
1034* SmokeOut: Has the "Smoke Grenade" active ability, which generates a large smoke cloud that provides a Defense bonus to all units within the cloud. They can only use it once per missions. Elite versions have the "Smoke and Mirrors" passive ability, which increases the number of times they can use it per mission by 2.
1035* UnusableEnemyEquipment: Their Medikits don't drop as an item you can use.
1036[[/folder]]
1037
1038[[folder:Sniper]]
1039[[quoteright:201:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/elitesniper_4046.png]]
1040These expert marksmen can pick off EXALT's enemies from a safe distance with their sniper rifles. Fragile but capable of dishing out a lot of hurt from a distance, they are the counterpart to XCOM's Sniper class.
1041----
1042* DoNotRunWithAGun: Their "Snap Shot" passive ability means that they can move and shoot in the same turn, though they get a -10 Aim penalty if they do move, which they often do.
1043* GeoEffects: Their "Damn Good Ground" passive ability gives them an extra +10 Aim and Defense for being at a higher elevation level than their target. Their Elite versions also have the "Depth Perception" gene mod, which increases the elevation bonus by a further 5%. All in all, an EXALT Elite Sniper can have as much as a +35% Aim bonus if they're above the target, and ''45%'' if the target has less than half HP thanks to Executioner.
1044* ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy: Subverted. Their base Aim is a mediocre 60[[note]]70 on Classic/Impossible[[/note]], but if they have a height advantage, something they'll move to obtain whenever possible, it goes up by 30%[[note]]20% from the inherent height advantage bonus, 10% from Damn Good Ground[[/note]]. Elites fully avert this, having a respectable 70 Aim[[note]]80 on Classic/Impossible[[/note]] that puts them on the level of Mutons, further compounded by Depth Perception[[note]]+5 Aim if above the target, a position Snipers tend to go for naturally[[/note]] and, if the target is at less than half health, Executioner adds a further +10 Aim. Altogether, an Elite Sniper can have as much as ''125% chance to hit'' if they're above a wounded target that they can see at the start of the turn, and that's not counting the possibility of the target having been Holo-Targeted by a Heavy beforehand for ''10 more Aim''. This means they have a not-insignificant chance to hit even a hunkered soldier in full cover, and makes them a very high priority target right alongside the Heavies.
1045* LightningGun: Strangely, the Elite Sniper's laser sniper rifle appears to fire both a laser and an electrolaser at the same time, given the lightning effects if they hit the target. This effect is absent when an XCOM Sniper uses the rifle.
1046* GlassCannon: The Sniper has the lowest health rating of all EXALT units, but deals a lot of damage. Executioner can make Elites very dangerous against moderately healthy XCOM troopers, especially if they don't have to move to take a shot and are at a height advantage.
1047* LongRangeFighter: Due to the inherent inaccuracy of sniper rifles at close distances, they're weak at medium or close ranges, so they skirt the field from afar. They're even more restricted than XCOM's snipers, since EXALT ones carry no sidearms.
1048* SniperDuel: You get an achievement for killing an EXALT Elite Sniper with one of your own snipers. The weapon your sniper uses doesn't matter, though; landing the killing blow with their handgun counts just the same.
1049[[/folder]]

Top