This is BY FAR, the most informative short video I have seen for this game. There was one other vid out there that I found to be somewhat helpful (how to build 4 satellites in the first month). An excellent video. Thanks 4 being awesome!
What I've learned through several trials and errors is that, if the game wants to screw with you, it will. I got a small map where I was starting with light cover against enemies in a building with mostly heavy cover. 5 aliens came at me at once, so I used rocket launcher to kill them all and also destroy some of their cover.... it deviated and killed only one of them. My sniper, who was quite far from action got killed by a critical shot from plasma, then my heavy weapon guy panicked, killed another teammate, then he got shot and poisoned, so died next turn and my support was alone against bunch of aliens. If some of you guys can handle the beginning of the game in iron man mode, then respect, but I guess you also need to have some luck on missions, because as I said if the game wants to screw with you, it will. Also, I tend to use grenades a lot, because they are the only thing which is not random and I have at least some control over it.
This is really solid advice, and it generally matches up with my own experiences. Keep in mind that while satellites do take a very long time to build, so do the satellite uplink buildings. I believe its 20 days per satellite and 15 days for the basic uplink. So it's not terribly useful to have a surplus of satellites on the way unless you have immediate plans to build the corresponding quantity of uplinks to support them.
One tip on Ironman: Don't name or customize your soldiers. It will lead to nothing but getting attached, even by the slightest degree. Also, don't go TOO far into leveling one or two squad members. That will also lead to attachment, and you'll feel like you suck when they are killed.
Now that was an intelligent video of Xcom play. I'm playing it for the very first time, doing it on normal / ironman mode & have done most of the things you mentioned. It's apriI 2016, I've lost 4 nations, the remaining 12 all have panic ratings of 1. I have almost 3000 credits to spend on anything I want, researched almost everything, have enough engineers & credits to use the 'construct in half the time' bonus on everything. I'm half way to training a full 6 man squad of psionic troops to win
Best way to prepare for Classic Ironman is by completing Classic with semi-ironman mode (reload only when completely necessary). I completed Classic w/o reloading battles and finished with 45 dead and only 2 surviving colonels. The lessons I learned made me complete the actual Classic Ironman with only 24 dead and 8 surviving colonels.
Glad to know I’m not the only person habitually replaying the beginning of t he campaign on iron man and losing but being to stubborn to go back to save scumming
Hi Mate. Good guide. The only things I would disagree with is: 1) When choosing your abduction mission, I choose the country with the most terror or most likely to lose. 2) I don't use the satellite straight away. I save and use them to reduce the panic in countries. It seems to me that I always lose iron man due to countries leaving, so I aim my strategy to that from the start. Cheers, Gadz
I agree. Overwatch has a significant aim penalty. It should be the last move of the game before the aliens get their go. Always move the furthest with your first move. Don't explore anywhere new with your last move. Don't go overboard with the scopes either. Their usesage is limited except early on for snipers. Only take rookies on crashed UFO missions unless you can't help it. Don't risk them in more important missions.
actually you might want to consider delaying the buying of the first satellite until the end of the first abduction mission. This is where I usually take the mission that gives engineers, after which the satellite is slightly cheaper. Thus saving some moolah
You sir... You are a life-saver... I hope it works on impossible difficulty... I've built archangel armor, 6 sq members, 2 snipers in the sky... Everything was epic... Till that goddamn Egypt (no offense) withdraws from the project... And baaam... Defeat... I want to go to that country and yell at council '' Faith!!! A little bit faith !!!'' :D
I agree. That, plus cranking out blaster launchers with 300 engineers and rocking 24 man rookie spam missions. Still thought this will be different I hope it will still be great.
There is obviously a market for that kind of old school experience. The new Wasteland, for example, has a lot of backers. It would be easy to update the graphics to an extent, but it would be very difficult and costly to translate the tiles and randomization into full 3D graphics. I would pay a premium price for that game, though. Both the old XCOM and the new one have their great features and if you could combine them it would be one of the most awesome games of all time.
The one tactic most people will not do. A failed mission can end with the whole squad dead, or some dead. As Cobra commander said "Retreat!" He always lived to fight another day.
it kind of depends on how you play. For me China seems to leave early. If you put your first satellite over Australia and build an interceptor there - you might be able to save the Aussies. Likewise, sometimes its best to take the missions (IMHO) that the panic level is in the orange or red versus the green and blue panic levels.
1) Don't build the first satellite until you complete the first abduction mission and pick engineers. Difficulty wont matter on the first couple missions, they have fixed numbers of enemies. 2) Weapons vs. Armor is not a toss-up. Lasers are clearly superior to carapace in the early game. On classic or impossible, you're trying not to let enemies fire at you at all. The best defense is a good offense. 3) Don't forget hunker down. Taking 25% potshots at a high cover sectoid is statistically stupid
Pro Tip No. 1: 4 heavies, 2 snipers, fire the rest. No other way to totally destroy everything in your path. Just *dont* be frugal with explosives, let the snipers carry a medkit each, and don't rely on actual shooting unless overwatching.
a great tip is to not engage the first ufo as it is a small if u lave u should get a medium one that is sent to kill ur satellite it may take 2 interceptors but the rewards in the long run will be worth it
I'm not sure. I initially wanted to start the game on classic/ironman if for any reason just to get more achievements. I just might start on normal with tutorial instead though. There aren't different endings for higher difficulties, right?
If you have a well trained force it should be easy. Remember that with chryssalids, caution is key. Better to run far away than to advance and get eaten.
lol about australia. im playing the original and australia are the first country to sign a secret pact with the aliens lol. hopefully i will be playing this version on friday
Ironman Classic becomes really easy in the later game, provided you always keep a few trained soldiers alive. The first quarter of the game is the hardest part since you got very limited means to make your tactics. What I'd really like to know is how to get past the first missions in Ironman Impossible. Even in high cover, rookies have a really high chance to get killed by a single attack of a sectoid and these damn rookies don't hit sh**! xD
This is in nearly ANY detail i made the same stuff. I still dont get aboard the first 3 Misssions losing at least one Soldier, let another panic and moving right in front the enemys to suicide or even more funny shotgunning the teammate right next to him
I know i am late here, but Why level up every rookie? Can't you just level them all up at the same time with an upgrade in the OTS? That upgrade costs a little but spares time, right?
Actually don't buy your first SAT right away. Check the first Abduction Mission and see if there are engineers offerd to you so your first SAT will be about 23$ less. Your Satelite only needs to be used up the day before the end of the month.
I kind of disagree about putting troops into overwatch immediately. Overwatch chance to hit is actually pretty terrible. Seems far less than just a normal shot. Plus 2 or 3 soldiers may all waste their shot killing the same alien. I prefer to have a support scout who with the extra movement talent who can move back out of danger once aliens are found. Then having everyone fire on them normally with more accurate attacks.
Now just go kick their butts, so you can start with the Classic Ironman. In less than two months you will lose all your guys, half the nations, go bankrupt and just feel generally f'd. I know I did :D. But then you can just start over, see where things started to get screwed up and perhaps overcome those obstacles. And then fail miserably again, but that's what makes XCOM such a beautiful game in this day and age; it actually requires the player to learn to play to do well (in classic at least).
I hate to be the one who says it. But you can get around "Ironman" Just dashboard, and you'll start at the beggining of your current mission(X Box 360)
i was SO CLOSE to beating it on iron man classic i was gonna raid the temple ship. but there was an abduction. i ignored it. then 3 people left the council. and i failed D:
It's a recurring glitch, seen it happen at least once every game I play, looks cool though... Surely it's a physics glitch. Although I'd be happier to see a head twist 180 degrees, if it happens. So far none.
It's too easy. The enemy needs to focus fire you down during the first months and you get crazy amount of money. They didn't mention this in the video, but the best way to start up in classic is to make liberal use of grenades against Sectoids. Rookies only need 1 kill to level up, and if all 4 soldiers lvl up on the first mission you get 1 of each class. I go for alien base during the second month, and I don't get medi-packs until I have a support sergeant.
Those of you who have beaten impossible + ironman difficulty. All of you have beaten it through LUCKKK. There aren't much skill involved in this game. It is 70-80% luck and 20% skill. I beaten impossible + ironman before and when I look back and I realize that I just got lucky. Hell I won cause my rookies all land 25%-65% shoots on the sectoid. I say the most FUN experience for this game is classic + ironman.
+Franz Bauer Yes I have hear many but how OFTEN does he/she does that? I agree that not losing a single aircraft can be constantly achieve in every game I can do that too. There are times that you achieve a perfect gameplay (losing nothing). But the question is how many game out of all the game that he/she plays that end up with perfect result. Im not trying to put down the people who beat impossible but im just pointing out the nature of the game and what people should to get the most fun out of it.
+Franz Bauer Exactly that is my point. The game is like that, its like a card game. You need both skill and luck to win the hardest difficulty. But in xcom the luck side is being a bit lean to
This is BY FAR, the most informative short video I have seen for this game.
There was one other vid out there that I found to be somewhat helpful (how to build 4 satellites in the first month).
An excellent video. Thanks 4 being awesome!
What I've learned through several trials and errors is that, if the game wants to screw with you, it will. I got a small map where I was starting with light cover against enemies in a building with mostly heavy cover. 5 aliens came at me at once, so I used rocket launcher to kill them all and also destroy some of their cover.... it deviated and killed only one of them. My sniper, who was quite far from action got killed by a critical shot from plasma, then my heavy weapon guy panicked, killed another teammate, then he got shot and poisoned, so died next turn and my support was alone against bunch of aliens.
If some of you guys can handle the beginning of the game in iron man mode, then respect, but I guess you also need to have some luck on missions, because as I said if the game wants to screw with you, it will.
Also, I tend to use grenades a lot, because they are the only thing which is not random and I have at least some control over it.
This is really solid advice, and it generally matches up with my own experiences.
Keep in mind that while satellites do take a very long time to build, so do the satellite uplink buildings. I believe its 20 days per satellite and 15 days for the basic uplink. So it's not terribly useful to have a surplus of satellites on the way unless you have immediate plans to build the corresponding quantity of uplinks to support them.
One tip on Ironman: Don't name or customize your soldiers. It will lead to nothing but getting attached, even by the slightest degree. Also, don't go TOO far into leveling one or two squad members. That will also lead to attachment, and you'll feel like you suck when they are killed.
I refuse to stop customizing them all only for them to die two missions later
Thank You - awesome tips. I'm planning to go Classic/Ironman right out of the box so this was really useful.
Prepare for Australia to stop talking to you.
Now that was an intelligent video of Xcom play. I'm playing it for the very first time, doing it on normal / ironman mode & have done most of the things you mentioned. It's apriI 2016, I've lost 4 nations, the remaining 12 all have panic ratings of 1. I have almost 3000 credits to spend on anything I want, researched almost everything, have enough engineers & credits to use the 'construct in half the time' bonus on everything. I'm half way to training a full 6 man squad of psionic troops to win
Best way to prepare for Classic Ironman is by completing Classic with semi-ironman mode (reload only when completely necessary). I completed Classic w/o reloading battles and finished with 45 dead and only 2 surviving colonels. The lessons I learned made me complete the actual Classic Ironman with only 24 dead and 8 surviving colonels.
yes me as well.. was a bit concerned when playing the demo but seeing a bit more footage changed my mind..cant wait to get my hands on it
Glad to know I’m not the only person habitually replaying the beginning of t he campaign on iron man and losing but being to stubborn to go back to save scumming
Hi Mate. Good guide. The only things I would disagree with is:
1) When choosing your abduction mission, I choose the country with the most terror or most likely to lose.
2) I don't use the satellite straight away. I save and use them to reduce the panic in countries.
It seems to me that I always lose iron man due to countries leaving, so I aim my strategy to that from the start. Cheers, Gadz
I agree. Overwatch has a significant aim penalty. It should be the last move of the game before the aliens get their go.
Always move the furthest with your first move. Don't explore anywhere new with your last move.
Don't go overboard with the scopes either. Their usesage is limited except early on for snipers.
Only take rookies on crashed UFO missions unless you can't help it. Don't risk them in more important missions.
actually you might want to consider delaying the buying of the first satellite until the end of the first abduction mission. This is where I usually take the mission that gives engineers, after which the satellite is slightly cheaper. Thus saving some moolah
You sir... You are a life-saver... I hope it works on impossible difficulty... I've built archangel armor, 6 sq members, 2 snipers in the sky... Everything was epic... Till that goddamn Egypt (no offense) withdraws from the project... And baaam... Defeat... I want to go to that country and yell at council '' Faith!!! A little bit faith !!!'' :D
I agree. That, plus cranking out blaster launchers with 300 engineers and rocking 24 man rookie spam missions. Still thought this will be different I hope it will still be great.
There is obviously a market for that kind of old school experience. The new Wasteland, for example, has a lot of backers.
It would be easy to update the graphics to an extent, but it would be very difficult and costly to translate the tiles and randomization into full 3D graphics.
I would pay a premium price for that game, though. Both the old XCOM and the new one have their great features and if you could combine them it would be one of the most awesome games of all time.
The one tactic most people will not do. A failed mission can end with the whole squad dead, or some dead. As Cobra commander said "Retreat!" He always lived to fight another day.
it kind of depends on how you play. For me China seems to leave early. If you put your first satellite over Australia and build an interceptor there - you might be able to save the Aussies. Likewise, sometimes its best to take the missions (IMHO) that the panic level is in the orange or red versus the green and blue panic levels.
1) Don't build the first satellite until you complete the first abduction mission and pick engineers. Difficulty wont matter on the first couple missions, they have fixed numbers of enemies.
2) Weapons vs. Armor is not a toss-up. Lasers are clearly superior to carapace in the early game. On classic or impossible, you're trying not to let enemies fire at you at all. The best defense is a good offense.
3) Don't forget hunker down. Taking 25% potshots at a high cover sectoid is statistically stupid
bad luck squidward....
"IronManning" is also when you refrain from shitting for at least two weeks.
Pro Tip No. 1: 4 heavies, 2 snipers, fire the rest. No other way to totally destroy everything in your path. Just *dont* be frugal with explosives, let the snipers carry a medkit each, and don't rely on actual shooting unless overwatching.
Its good to have 1 support because, if upgraded can carry 3 med kits wich can cure 12 hp each. good stuff
a great tip is to not engage the first ufo as it is a small if u lave u should get a medium one that is sent to kill ur satellite it may take 2 interceptors but the rewards in the long run will be worth it
I'm not sure. I initially wanted to start the game on classic/ironman if for any reason just to get more achievements. I just might start on normal with tutorial instead though. There aren't different endings for higher difficulties, right?
If you have a well trained force it should be easy. Remember that with chryssalids, caution is key. Better to run far away than to advance and get eaten.
i was talking about the original xcom game from 90s. lol but yes im getting this on friday :)
lol about australia. im playing the original and australia are the first country to sign a secret pact with the aliens lol. hopefully i will be playing this version on friday
Ironman Classic becomes really easy in the later game, provided you always keep a few trained soldiers alive. The first quarter of the game is the hardest part since you got very limited means to make your tactics.
What I'd really like to know is how to get past the first missions in Ironman Impossible. Even in high cover, rookies have a really high chance to get killed by a single attack of a sectoid and these damn rookies don't hit sh**! xD
i wonder if easy difficulty and ironman are a moderate opption or is it way to easy?
This is in nearly ANY detail i made the same stuff. I still dont get aboard the first 3 Misssions losing at least one Soldier, let another panic and moving right in front the enemys to suicide or even more funny shotgunning the teammate right next to him
What are the best countries that give you resources?
Should i focus on weapons or armor on ez/normal difficulty for reasearch
I've focusing on weapons plus s.c.o.p.e. to be very helpful early on.
I know i am late here, but Why level up every rookie?
Can't you just level them all up at the same time with an upgrade in the OTS?
That upgrade costs a little but spares time, right?
reason 1 why i dont play iron man. i ran up to a muton with my assult guy. its said i had 98% hit rate the muton had no cover and i missed.
On classic it's actually better to enable the tutorial as you have one satellite instead of none
Actually don't buy your first SAT right away. Check the first Abduction Mission and see if there are engineers offerd to you so your first SAT will be about 23$ less. Your Satelite only needs to be used up the day before the end of the month.
id spread my veterans out to lead rookie squads an alternate their deployments
I kind of disagree about putting troops into overwatch immediately. Overwatch chance to hit is actually pretty terrible. Seems far less than just a normal shot. Plus 2 or 3 soldiers may all waste their shot killing the same alien. I prefer to have a support scout who with the extra movement talent who can move back out of danger once aliens are found. Then having everyone fire on them normally with more accurate attacks.
Now just go kick their butts, so you can start with the Classic Ironman. In less than two months you will lose all your guys, half the nations, go bankrupt and just feel generally f'd. I know I did :D. But then you can just start over, see where things started to get screwed up and perhaps overcome those obstacles.
And then fail miserably again, but that's what makes XCOM such a beautiful game in this day and age; it actually requires the player to learn to play to do well (in classic at least).
I send squad of rookies in middle of game... Had too evacuate with two alive soldiers (of 6)
classic is nothing compared to impossible
Ya. Classic Ironman is brutal, but extremely rewarding. Impossible is... not worth it. Too much rage :/
Ironman is the ONLY way to play a game like this whatever difficulty. otherwise u just reload reload reload and how is that fun.
I hate to be the one who says it. But you can get around "Ironman" Just dashboard, and you'll start at the beggining of your current mission(X Box 360)
Missing three 90% shots in a row isnt fun as well.
yeah... it's always funny when that happens
i was SO CLOSE to beating it on iron man classic i was gonna raid the temple ship. but there was an abduction. i ignored it. then 3 people left the council. and i failed D:
F
I'm Australian, and I say how did you lose an entire continent. XD
It's a recurring glitch, seen it happen at least once every game I play, looks cool though... Surely it's a physics glitch. Although I'd be happier to see a head twist 180 degrees, if it happens. So far none.
no, thats more known as rupturing your bowel, or been an idiot if doing it by choice
It's too easy. The enemy needs to focus fire you down during the first months and you get crazy amount of money. They didn't mention this in the video, but the best way to start up in classic is to make liberal use of grenades against Sectoids. Rookies only need 1 kill to level up, and if all 4 soldiers lvl up on the first mission you get 1 of each class. I go for alien base during the second month, and I don't get medi-packs until I have a support sergeant.
oh god, whyyyy
Those of you who have beaten impossible + ironman difficulty. All of you have beaten it through LUCKKK. There aren't much skill involved in this game. It is 70-80% luck and 20% skill. I beaten impossible + ironman before and when I look back and I realize that I just got lucky. Hell I won cause my rookies all land 25%-65% shoots on the sectoid. I say the most FUN experience for this game is classic + ironman.
+Franz Bauer Yes I have hear many but how OFTEN does he/she does that? I agree that not losing a single aircraft can be constantly achieve in every game I can do that too. There are times that you achieve a perfect gameplay (losing nothing). But the question is how many game out of all the game that he/she plays that end up with perfect result. Im not trying to put down the people who beat impossible but im just pointing out the nature of the game and what people should to get the most fun out of it.
+Franz Bauer Exactly that is my point. The game is like that, its like a card game. You need both skill and luck to win the hardest difficulty. But in xcom the luck side is being a bit lean to
+Franz Bauer Yo my Soldiers miss a 100% shot 3 times in one game. WELCOME TO XCOM
+Franz Bauer What are you saying? yes I know what Long War is and does have it installed now
+Franz Bauer Oh I never knew that thanks :)
(then he runs into enemies and it goes to shit)
me
So how do you know what's best if you can't even beat the game on iron man? It's like asking the loser how to win the race.
sorry india... :/
O.o A sure way of getting yourself bowel cancer later on in life, not a good way to go out of the world that! :(
next time, could you talk faster please? thanks,
this was nice, thank you.