Reinstalled Xcom 2 after beating it pre-DLCs... and the Alien Hunters is awful?

[Vitruviansquid]

So I beat Xcom 2 at release once, then decided to put it away until all the DLC's are out to retry the game at a more mature state.

Gotta say, I love Shen's Last Gift and the SPARKs. Really added something fun to the game.

But I have serious problems accepting the content from Alien Hunters. First, the game just hands you some unique weapons, which seems like it's necessary because you'll be fighting super powerful alien bosses. But that means it'll be easier to take out normal enemies, which I don't like, as the balance against normal enemies was perfectly fine. But since you don't know when the alien bosses will appear, you basically have to bring the unique weapons every mission.

The alien armors also look goofy, but meh.

[Rodin]

So I beat Xcom 2 at release once, then decided to put it away until all the DLC's are out to retry the game at a more mature state.

Gotta say, I love Shen's Last Gift and the SPARKs. Really added something fun to the game.

But I have serious problems accepting the content from Alien Hunters. First, the game just hands you some unique weapons, which seems like it's necessary because you'll be fighting super powerful alien bosses. But that means it'll be easier to take out normal enemies, which I don't like, as the balance against normal enemies was perfectly fine. But since you don't know when the alien bosses will appear, you basically have to bring the unique weapons every mission.

The alien armors also look goofy, but meh.

I read the reviews for that one and decided that I didn't really need it.

I found grabbing the new Long War mods and A Better Advent did far more to improve my game than that would have done - a difficulty increase that's actually fair rather than just dropping some super-aliens in the mix.

[Leon]

Ive been really enjoying it with Shens Gift, haven't tried the Aliens hunters as i didn't like the look of it. Mods all the mods (well not all of them but a few of the good ones like LWstudios and some others) are what im playing now

[Ailurus]

I certainly wouldn't buy Alien Hunters for the $10 list price, but (having gotten it as part of the digital deluxe version) I like it. As for the power level, I need to disagree. Outside of the pistol (which can make a strong build even more ridiculous), I think the weapons are in a fairly good place - powerful, but with a lot of trade offs.

Outside the pistol, I'd say the axe is the second-strongest, given that it's a straight upgrade from the sword. But, frankly, in melee needed some love anyway. And while the throw is a nice bonus, it's a one/mission ability. Can help finish someone off if you had an unlucky miss or a bad damage roll, but it's not enough on it's own to recover from bad planning or major mistakes. (Plus, I may be remembering wrong but I don't think the axe gets the bonus damage swords have to sectoids, which makes it a bit weaker early-game).

Frost grenade I don't really care for - it can occasionally have uses, but in practice I prefer a regular grenade nearly always. It only comes into it's own when you have something scary out that you can't kill that turn - and outside of some boss types if that happens you're doing it wrong.

Crossbow I love for flavor (I just like crossbows, period), but really is the worst weapon. It can't serve as a primary weapon since you only get one shot every other turn. Can be carried by a high-level psi operative (or to a much lesser extent specialist) who can fill other turns with their abilities... but most of the time those abilities will be better than a single weapon shot even if it is undodgeable (since said abilities are undodgeable as well). Which leaves a melee ranger, where you're giving up their shotgun to use it. So you trade a close-in high-damage (especially with rapid fire) attack for a longer-ranged, slower but more accurate attack. As for the stun, relying on procs in XCOM is just asking to get murdered.

[factotum]

Crossbow I love for flavor (I just like crossbows, period), but really is the worst weapon. It can't serve as a primary weapon since you only get one shot every other turn.

You can get a shot per turn provided you don't move, or else use Run and Gun, so giving it to a Ranger (who already has other means of attack if they're caught out without a loaded weapon) isn't such a terrible move. In fact, I have both the axe and the crossbow in the hands of the ranger who survived the tutorial mission, and she's been doing pretty well so far!

Have to say I got rather annoyed at Shen's Last Gift, though. You get it so early on you think it's going to be a cakewalk, and until you get onto the roof it *is* mostly a cakewalk; then you have to face a ruddy Sectopod while having two troops on your side that it's instant mission fail if they die. I gave up on it, reloaded from before I went there, and am waiting until I get the full six troopers and maybe some better armour before going through it again.

[EDIT] Which I did, and got a unit that can't take cover, is a big target, and can't hit the broad side of a barn with its own weaponry. Wow, I am *so* grateful for Daddy Shen's gift. :smallsigh:

Overall, I'm coming to the conclusion that I just don't enjoy X-Com 2 very much. Why does *everything* have to have a timer involved? The Avatar project gives you a timer to chase in the Geoscape and then most of the missions have a turn timer as well. It feels like the game is rushing me faster than I want to go, which is pretty impressive considering it's a turn-based title.

[Vitruviansquid]

Playing on Commander difficulty, what the Bolt Caster offers is the ability to reliably one-shot Advent Troopers, Officers, and Stun Lancers, as well as Sectoids, vipers, and I believe (but can't remember trying out) turrets.

When so many Xcom 2 enemies are dangerous to leave alive for 1 turn (Officers, LANCERS!!!, Turrets) and most of the others are dangerous to leave alive for two turns (Sectoids and Vipers, especially), the ability to frontload damage that a bolt caster offers is insane, even if the frequent reloads costs you the turn that you saved in terms of overall progress on the mission.

I wasn't that impressed with either of the campaign missions. Really, I consider them to be something you play for plot once, and then restart your campaign for the *real* game by turning them off.

edit: I also found the Avatar timer to be much easier to work with than the panic timer from the first Xcom.