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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 มิ.ย. 2024
- Welcome to my series of tips for XCOM 2. Today we'll talk about which abilities to choose for your Ranger while leveling up. In addition to an ideal build, we'll also discuss equipping Rangers with the right PCS, Ammunition, and Weapon Upgrades.
I'll continue uploading these tutorial videos with XCOM 2 tips assuming there is viewer interest. If you're interested in seeing a particular topic covered, please let me know in the comments.
If you find this video helpful, please consider giving it a like or share so others can find it.
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XCOM 2: The Story So far - Earth has changed. Twenty years have passed since world leaders offered an unconditional surrender to alien forces. XCOM, the planet's last line of defense, was left decimated and scattered. Now, in XCOM 2, the aliens rule Earth, building shining cities that promise a brilliant future for humanity on the surface, while concealing a sinister agenda and eliminating all who dissent from their new order.
Only those who live at the edges of the world have a margin of freedom. Here, a force gathers once again to stand up for humanity. Always on the run, and facing impossible odds, the remnant XCOM forces must find a way to ignite a global resistance, and eliminate the alien threat once and for all.
Key Features:
• XCOM ON THE RUN: Take command of the Avenger, an alien supply craft converted to XCOM's mobile headquarters. New open-ended gameplay lets you decide where to guide your strike team, how to grow popular support, and when to combat enemy counter-operations.
• RECRUIT RESISTANCE FIGHTERS: Five soldier classes, each with its own skill tree, let you create specific soldiers for your tactical plan.
• TACTICAL GUERRILLA COMBAT: New gameplay systems offer more tactical flexibility in combat. Use concealment to ambush enemy patrols. Loot enemies for precious gear and artifacts. Rescue VIPs and save fallen comrades by carrying them to the extraction point.
• A NEW BREED OF ENEMY: A diverse cast of enemies from powerful new alien species to the ADVENT, enforcers of the alien regime, offer a distinct tactical challenge.
• RESEARCH, DEVELOP AND UPGRADE: Configure and build rooms on the Avenger to give XCOM new capabilities on the battlefield. Use your Scientists and Engineers to research, develop and upgrade weapons and armor to fit your preferred tactics.
• EACH MISSION IS A UNIQUE CHALLENGE: Go on missions around the world, from wildlands to the heart of the alien-controlled megacities, to the depths of alien installations. There are virtually infinite combinations of maps, missions and goals.
• CREATE CUSTOM MODS: Community-focused tools allow you to create your own campaign, tactical gameplay, aliens, classes, strategy game features, and share within the Steam Workshop.
• ENGAGE IN HEAD-TO-HEAD MULTIPLAYER: Mix-and-match squads of humans and aliens and battle head-to-head on randomly-generated maps.
According to Firaxis Statistics, Rangers have the most kills of any class. They are followed closely by sharpshooters while specialists were dead last. - เกม
I have a really soft spot for bladestorm. It's a big middle finger for everything that tries to melee the ranger, especially when you proc a burn/stun.
Agreed plus alot of aliens will get hit again when they try to move in their turn.
I feel like its a bit more situational, like its a given in missions where you can only bring 2 soldiers
I was gonna say I think blade storm is much more useful it's helped me so many times
@@jonsnow947 I was playing the first Alien Hunters story mission Bradford got grabbed by a Viper. He had the Assassin's sword so he of course killed it with bladestorm. Then EVERY SINGLE snake in the area tried to slither up to him 1 by 1 to grab him and he killed them all.
@Beau Marcus bot
Thanks for the tips. This is game is fun, but ridiculously hard. I laugh at the term "Rookie" mode. Uh, no. There are four modes, but they should be renamed to Hard, Harder, Super Hard, and Insanely Hard.
For some reason, I didn't see your comment until now. I hope you found my guide videos helpful, I know that XCOM 2 can be really frustrating at first. Even the lead designer of the game has acknowledged that they should have made an easier difficulty level, so hopefully they'll do that if there's ever an XCOM 3.
Your videos are invaluable to me. They really help. Great job. Yeah, it's been a struggle at times. I love strategy games. In complicated one's, like this, I like to start out in the easy mode to learn the mechanics. Once I feel confident I go back into normal/veteran mode. I sure don't expect to be fighting for my life in rookie mode. lol. It really wouldn't be that hard to fix. All they need to do is have the aliens be less accurate . It's further complicated by slow loading times. Oh man, on a PS4 it takes forever to load a save. lol
@@TapCat OMG don't say it... XCOM3 if my dream lol, I still play this game ! and still would !
Save scummin is a must
Definitly not true imo
I would call this “Shotgun Build”, because it maximises the effectiveness of your shotgun. Personally I use a different build for a Swordsman. Bladestorm is honestly amazing for reinforcement flares.
I definitely did NOT think about bladestorm for reinforcement flares
I will second bladestorm is amazing for reinforcements and super useful against priests that have gone into stasis.
@@brandontankersley8107 I like to run a bladestorm | untouchable ranger onto the reinforcement flare and use my specialist to give overwatch (threat assessment). You can usually take down the whole lot of reinforcements with the ranger.
Brandon Tankersley I’m lucky I got bladestorm on my Templar
I kinda got turned off of it after my ranger missed 80% of all bladestorm hits he ever made in the entire campaign
I was with you 100% on your Heavy builds but I have to totally disagree with you on the Ranger. IMO the sword is one of the most dangerous weapons in the game especially once its chance of crit and aim is increased.
Reaper and Bladestorm are my favourite/most used abilities in the game. With Reaper, you can easily cut down 4-5 enemies in one turn. Rapid Fire can only focus down a single unit. My best moments with Reaper are cutting down 2 Archons and 3 Codex in a single turn or 1 Archon and 2 Mutons. Sword Rangers are squad killers.
On Commander+ in the 2nd last mission where you are only allowed 3 (4 if the option comes up) units. All sword Rangers all day, Flawless win every time. Jack their dodge stats with Wraith and PSC and give each a mimic along with Untouchable and you'll troll the mission.
I also see sword rangers as squad killers, just not in quite the same way. ;) I don't know if it's my play style or if I simply didn't know how to get the best out of them but I hated the melee approach. I nearly always found that I'd do more damage with a higher chance to hit in the first place using the shotgun. So I'm going to agree to disagree on this one, at least for now. If I play another campaign, maybe I'll retrain into melee after hitting Colonel and give it another try.
Yea, give it a try but remember that reaper attacks don't have to be continuous, you can switch units and then switch back and continue reaping.
Your Reaper can kill a unit, switch units, damage the next enemy, switch back to the Reaper Ranger and repeat until all enemies are dead.
You can use this tactic with Serial on Snipers as well, damage with another unit then switch back to the sniper to finish it off and repeat.
Btw, wasn't trying to bash your style, I've just had massive success with this tactic so I had to put it out there. :D
No worries, I didn't take it as a negative. The funny thing about these guides is that as much as I believe all of the builds that I uploaded provide a solid path for someone struggling with the game, I also have taken in a lot of the feedback and found myself interested in giving another try to some of the things that others swear by. Maybe trying some of these abilities from a different angle or with a little more knowledge at my disposal will make a difference. And even if it doesn't, I'm always game to see if there's anything that I can still learn about this game.
I had a ranger once.
Weird one since she had a serial skill.
Would wipe out entire squads of enemies just by himself.
Upped crit and dodge.
Wraith suite
Dual axe thingy
Nwont play her on regular missions. She basically was sure win player
I stick to the philosophy that Ranger can be completely split down the middle. Take either all the Scout skills or all the Assault skills and you'll have a great unit either way.
You can mix and match some of them but that takes a much deeper understanding of the game mechanics and very careful forethought and planning.
I find Blademaster + Bladestorm to be a devastating combo against those zerglike things (can't remember their name).
You play Starcraft too?:D
crysalids
idk i really like a swordsman ranger... super helpful against beserkers, vipers, and the odd zombie in the early game but i normally bring one scout and one samurai ranger on missions
Once my ranger with bladestorm (together with sniper's zone) killed 5(!!!) cryssalids in one turn. Cryssalid saw ranger, move to him, get hit by sniper and then get finished of by ranger. That was hilarious!
It's pretty awesome when things fall into place for a dominating turn like that!
TapCat I was ambushed by a flock of Chrysalids on the Avenger Defence mission. They all went and moved into melee range, got stabbed by Bladestorm and were set on fire so they couldn't attack XD
The sight of 5 Chrysalids burning to death at the same time definitely isn't a bad one.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
same thing with my Templar/skirmisher, when you see cryssalids just put some melee expert in the front. My ranger can clean off a room full of 4-5 vipers in one turn bcus of Reaper and Blade Master.
Great guide. Informative, brief and great illustration via game play. Thanks for helping me to be a better XCOM 2 player, TapCat!
Wow, I never thought of some of the skills you pointed out. From reading the descriptions they sounded hallow. Your explanation helped explain a better build. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
Found your series recently and even though Im not even paying attention half the time I find your voice very calming, love your stuff
lol, glad you enjoy it!
My build for ranger is Blademaster, Shadow steps, conceal, bladestorm, untouchable, and reaper. As for loadout, I gave him an overdrive serum and a flashbang. I use this build for commander difficulty. My squad is form around his abilities. I usually have him go crazy on the aliens causing chaos while my squadmate stay organized and pick off aliens as they move forward. Does not work at all when you are fighting against the Avatar or King and Queen aliens.
Just if anyone comes back to this. A good strat to level a ranger quickly and safely up the last few levels is boost the sword skills and just have him stand in a mission where there are lost and keep him there just slaughtering everything that comes near him. Especially useful when you get to untouchable because all the lost attack at once so it all counts as one attack for the purposes of untouchable.
Bring some grenadiers too if you like to speed the process up.
I guess that could work if u got the patience to do it. Lost only gives you as low exp as u can get. 1-2 exp at most.
After WotC I fully decked out my rangers by the last mission and had an unstoppable squad. Pretty op with Wraith armor, the extra company (no spoilers) didn’t even get to fire a weapon
I always return to these videos at least twice a year.
Really good videos mate. Much love from the land down under aka Australia
Love your video's. Just want to say thank you for taking the time to do this
You're more than welcome, glad you enjoyed them!
If you can find a ranger with "kill zone" via AWC, and pick implacable, you can still move you ranger and kill zone will still be in effect and if another pod is activated and engages your ranger, the ranger will shoot again. You just need to position your ranger to face the location of the possible new pod.
I usually went with melee focused ranger and use the shotgun mostly for overwatch and at the end of a reaper cleaning session when the remaining ennemy is either just out of range or has just a bit too much HP. It worked wonders. On Commander but I am now very interesed it trying your play style and strategy.
It differs so much from mine it makes it interesting. For example I regarded grenadiers as very little usefull with their (poor aim limited amo) and just used them to send grenades. I can see now that there is a lot more value to them. Thanks for your videos and guides. I might try legend soon.
Good luck!
Thanks.
I know this is an old comment but I'm guessing you're still into XCOM.
I just read a comment from someone that made me think the exact same thing as you. "I gotta try that soldier build!!"
Also, I have found that Grenadiers with an expanded mag, scope, and an Aim PCS become deadly! Throw on Bluescreen or AP rounds and use their Rupture skill and they dish out the damage pretty well on just about anything. I love them!
I got an all assault ranger, equipped her with axes, got her to Colnel, and nicknamed her 'Ax Murderer.' I also named my spark unit Wall-E.
The Stalker Wall-E ? Bwahahah
this is for a shottie Ranger. I and many others really like sword Rangers where you take Bladestorm and Reaper, with which your Ranger can sometimes clean out a whole group of Vipers. remember Bladestorm triggers for EVERY enemy that comes in melee range, so if you have a topped out melee weapon and the AI moves dumb, sometimes groups of enemies just literally kill themselves by moving.
The blade build I find works far better with War of the Chosen. But I tend to run my first two rangers one with blades one focusing on shotguns/mobility. I use the stealth/speed/shotgun build for objectives or to flank nasty critters. The blademaster build with bladestorm gets amazing vs the lost or crysalids
I got serial on my ranger, so I just picked conceal and shadowstep so that I could position them better and start off their serial killing spree.
same lol
Assault all the way down is best. Phantom seems good, but leaving one guy stealthed is worhless when there is a pod to kill. He is likely to need to fire as well. One mission type starting unstealthed is retaliation. On that mission there are plenty of people which draw fire, and surprise becomes unimportant.
My 2 cents.
The advantage of phantom is the first shot is going to be high chance hit and critical
Solid Build!
If you get a ranger with death from above as a cross-class skill it's worth giving them that and implacable and give them the (plasma)bolt caster. This is after the ranger is already maxed out in the assault class, of course
I've never had that particular combo but it sounds interesting. I'm guessing that the bolt caster won't match the shotgun up close because it won't crit nearly as often, but will do a whole lot more from a distance. Is that the basic idea?
@@TapCat I guess.
I had that combo and just used shotgun with talon rounds. Could take out an entire pod of advent solo, because weapon only needs 1 turn to use. So it is almost like Serial skill. Bolt caster would be able reload every turn but a shotgun is about the same damage I think
Once you get to colonel, re spec and go full melee (e.g., blade storm instead of phantom). reaper is so good, lets you kill 3 or 4 people per turn with ranger
what do you think of reaper ranger build though? I tend to always have two rangers in my squad, one is mele focused built and one is one shotting built
I'm afraid that I've never been a big fan of the sword. A ranger with rapid fire can pump out 30+ damage every single turn and single-handedly kill almost any enemy in the game. They even take a huge chunk out of gatekeepers and sectopods. Abilities like Reaper are a lot more situational and I prefer the consistency of the shotgun. That said, if you're getting good mileage out of the melee skills and have developed a play style to take advantage of them, then I'd say to keep doing what you're doing and enjoy it!
What u think about experimental armors like wraith? Thanks from Brazil!
I made a sniping Ranger, aim PCS, Scope... hits a lot of the time with a shotgun at miles away, and i built my Ranger the same way he did with modification... its fucking fun. I use Implacable, and Untouchable, TO CHASE enemy's, yet i went with Bladestorm because Axe and you can outright kill all the small Shits and then leave the bigger units to grenadiers and snipers.
I like to take two rangers, 1 geared towards offence and swords and the other geared towards stealth.
thanks man great help !! was struglin ;(
You're more than welcome, and good luck Commander!
I have found using scout ranger with a bunch on snipers. is my word. 8 out 10 tens if done right they never get hurt. the ranger coaks up.goes hunting for the aliens and the snipers take them down. they are amazing for the mission with no timer.
It's a little specialized for my taste, but I can certainly see that configuration being amazing in certain situations.
Snipers are only good for killing fallen.
when i started playing xcom i used the shotgun build, tried the sword build but for me it missed that bit of " oompf" but now that i'm playing WotC i just run a ranger with standard sword build but deck it out a little more with some talents like phanom/conceal and deffo skills like always vigilant or deadeye if they come along
I typically make two main rangers who go 90% assault tree, and like then I decide on either Implacable or Bladestorm, because both are incredible perks.
If course with WOTC installed, I end up taking both perks because each soldier (in my experience) gets enough points to get at least two to three extra perks.
If I make a ranger that has Phantom, they typically go full scout and I use them mostly for the special missions, especially if an ambush is possible. I try to have at least one scout ranger go to help in case of an ambush, so I can better plan as I go.
Also for equipment, if Talon rounds are difficult to get because RNG isnt being nice, I settle on blue screen protocol because Mechs are a pain. I also like to run my Scout rangers with rifles equipped with Repeaters and stocks, to keep them a decent distance away but still be effective if they need to fight.
Yo! Could you make one for Specialist next? Awesome work mate!
I've already started working on a Sharpshooter video which will be the next video in the series, but I fully intend to produce one for the Specialist immediately after that.
TapCatVids Oh thanks a lot mate! One question though, are still playing XCOM? I mean play like not just to make videos and guides
I haven't played (excluding getting footage for these videos) since I finished my last Let's Play. It takes me hours to produce each of these tip videos and I wouldn't be able to get them done if I was trying to get through another campaign at the same time. I may play it again at some point, but it won't be until after Civilization VI comes out and I've had a chance to dive into that.
TapCatVids Alright mate, have fun with Civilization then 8)
This build is incredible. My ranger with Storm Gun, Hunters instincts, Superior laser, Sup Mag, and talon rounds, killed an avatar instantly with 1 rapid fire move. No chance for teleport. Commander difficulty and the unit was missing a few hit points after skull jacking the Codex.
That's awesome, congats on taking out the avatar that way!
Damn this guy got the exact opposite of my Ranger build lmao
Hello @TapCat
You left me with my question I searched for unanswered: Blademaster says the Ranger will +2 Dmg with swords. Is this for swords only or does it apply to axes as well?
It will also apply to your axe.
Nice equip. However, when you have killed all aliens in X-COM, there were still plenty of them in UFO2Extraterrestrials for your rifles ;-) and there is also a mortar to support fire your troopers in the UFO2ET. :-)
I am looking to have a dedicated squad of Rangers. For retaliation, assassination and Advent base raid missions. Going for the covert type build, Phantom, Shadowstep, Conceal/Run and Gun, Implacable, Untouchable, Rapid Fire. Equiping them with similar items as your build. What would be the best perk from ACW for Rangers?
Most of the abilities from other classes don't translate well for the ranger. That said, shredder would be helpful in taking down the most heavily armored enemies with tons of health.
Once again, this is only my alternate perspective.
I go (almost) full scout on my rangers.
Phantom, Shadow Strike, Conceal. With that, I can absolutely wreck any enemy in a map at least once. What's that? Codex? Which divides when hit? Conceal---->move to cover as close as possible ---> shoot, thanks to 25% accuracy and crit boost, codex dead. I even killed my 1st Avatar that way;
Bladestorm because I can stun melee enemies, always useful.
Untouchable to turn my Ranger into a great bait.
Rapid Fire to wreck anything.
I give them a Hair Trigger though instead of expanded mags, when it activates I can really do some damage.
You say you'd recommend having 2 rangers in your squad.
What would you say a good squad set up would be?
Personally i try to run 2 support(1 medic, 1 combat), a sniper, and either 2 grenadiers for the heavy weapons support, or 2 rangers for recon advantage.
Most of the time, I run 2 rangers, 2 grenadiers, and 1 each of the sharpshooter and specialist. For some mission types, I'll mix that up but that's my base configuration. Like most experienced players, my build, playstyle, and group composition are all bound up together and changing any one of those will almost force you to shift the others so that they all work together.
@@TapCat I would go with 2 or 3 rangers, 1 specialist, 1 sniper & 1 grenadier. But on the War of the Chosen, i would take at least 1 reaper as well instead 1 ranger.
How to spec your ranger in WOTC: take the entire "Assault" branch AND Implacable and Rapid Fire on top of that.
Scout rangers are made completely redundant by Reapers.
Also, pray for some "jackpot" talent on the third randomized branch, like Serial.
With 2 rangers in the squad I dont find it very helpfull to have phantom on them both. Because while theyre concealed after the rest of the party has been spotted, they will not use overwatch in order to maintan their concealment. And overwatch fire is something I rely on when my squad goes loud. So I prefer having one ranger leaning towards stealth abilities to act as a scout, and one aiming towards being more of a shocktrooper.
I used to purposely alternate abilities with my rangers but stopped because there were too many times one would be in the hospital and I'd be missing something like Phantom. Ultimately, I decided that I'd rather know I can have the abilities I value most on every mission than to have access to something I value less. The hospital times on Legend, in particular, nudged me in that direction. That said, it's an uncommon occasion that having 2 phantoms on the same mission is useful and I completely understand why someone would choose to break that up and diversify the abilities. Not only is it not "wrong," it's probably a better approach if you're confident you can keep your rangers out of the hospital most of the time.
I always thought shadowstep meant your own soldier wouldnt trigger Overwatch! But now I know better
Does Untouchable work for only one enemy shot? Or will the entire enemy team miss?
The next enemy that fires at your ranger is guaranteed to miss, after that everything goes back to normal. So it obviously works best if you can either kill all but one enemy or isolate the ranger near one. FWIW, I've also noticed that as long as they aren't all flanking one soldier, the aliens tend to spread their shots around and not all go for the same target whether untouchable is in play or not.
Funny, it’s usually my specialist that has the viper queens armor to skull jack hostels.
I originally saw each of the three armors as lining up specifically well for specific classes. Over time, I realized that almost any class can benefit from almost any of the armors to varying degrees. So while I do think that the viper suit is very good for the ranger, you could easily make a case for most of the other classes as well.
I wonder who gave this video the dislike... I mean, it is a great video, so, I don't really know what that guy didn't like... Thanks for the video, TapCat!! It really helped. ;-)
People will give a video a thumbs down for many reasons. They may not like my voice, it could be a veteran XCOM player who got mad when I didn't recommend his build, or pretty much any other (non)reason you can think of. It's honestly a crappy thing to do given that, in the world of TH-cam, a dislike is literally voting that no other viewers should ever see the video or have it appear in their recommendations.
how do i not use implacable if im in a perfect position already when scoring a kill
Wouldnt the upgrade that allows free reloads be better than the large clip?
An auto-loader is not a bad option, but over time you'll get more value from the expanded magazine. The main limitation of the auto-loader is that it gives you a free action the first 3 times you reload and then does absolutely nothing. If your early encounters are the ones with all the pressure where you need every advantage then they will be excellent. But many times, you'll be able to reload early in the mission without any difficulty and that free action doesn't really do much for you. Then, later on when you're in real trouble, the auto-loader is used up and you can run out of ammo, needing to reload, move, and fire all on the same turn and you're just screwed. The extra rounds in the expanded magazine will help you all mission long, every mission and that consistency is why I recommend it over an option that will sometimes be a little better and other times much worse.
interesting, I use agility PCS and a stock instead of the magazine
does killing the andromedon pilot count as a kill for untouchable and implacable, or do i have to kill both phases to pop it?
Thankfully, it counts as a kill.
awesome, thanks!
I just go straight down the blade tree. Watch them later game, they are fucking amazing. Blademaster comes into effect whenever something comes in or goes out of melee range.
I prefer conceal over run and gun, the ability to instantly reposition without a worry and scout after ambushing is insanely strong.
The only repositioning a ranger needs to do is forward to the next alien corpse to tea bag.
:)
what happens if you get ramdomly deep cover
i mean from the warfare centre.
Last day my most advanced soldier have PCS for dodge - plus mission plus snake armor - 107 dodge at last mission - plus bladestorm plus untouchable plus assasin chosen weapon - one man army
I'm trying to decide my ranger's armour go light with dodge or heavy with armour.
Any advise?
Rookie advice who never played above commander ... yet.
I think the question you should ask yourself is not about the dodge (which will get you hurt) and lead you to get some time off. It mostly about if you need more utility or mobility in your play style. TapCat seems prefer utility (talon round) and beacon mimic. Having special amunitions is fantastic. The mimic can get you and your team out of ONE pinch unless you have several. Spider suit or wraith suit can get your ranger out of trouble as well or get in close faster SEVERAL times during a mission. Also ideally you should decide that depending on the type of mission.
SHUB-NIGGURATTH: Also mimic beacons dont last very long. Especially if your dealing with a sectopod or a heavy mech.
Nice
If you upgrade say s normal shotgun with scope or such
Does it stay on it when you get storm
Gun ?
Yes when you upgrade, the new version will still be equipped with the scope or other equipment.
I normally use my Rangers as swordsman. More than a few times I have used the Ranger as a defender and line blocker for the team.
It should also be pointed out that Sectoipods and Gatekeepers explode, which is always a bad idea for Rangers.
Sword is so powerful now I have burn. I love using it with overwatch to run and strike!!
D
Who still plays?
James Goddard started playing again recently.
Going for my first actual playthrough sometime next week and I remember the first time I tried to play this game about a year ago it kicked my ass so I'm compiling tips and tricks beforehand lol
me
i do
Just got it 2 weeks ago
I noticed on a few occasions when shadowstep would be active but my ranger has been revealed for a few turns. Is there any explanation for that?
I don't know why that would happen unless you passed too close to a civilian and that revealed the ranger. But the game makes it pretty clear when that happens.
War of the chosen i have a ranger that can chain kill an entire area with the unique sword. I do not need the scouts when i have reapers that do it way better then they can normally.
yup hlpfull thank
I disagree that Deep Cover is as bad as your banner/pop up suggested. I got it via AWC on a sniper which helpfully combined with his Aim skill on turns where I moved twice and/or reloaded. Basically a free 3rd action. Having said this I doubt I would ever choose deliberately.
Agree completely about mimic on a ranger. Saved my butt a few times!!
Well, that's the thing. If the basic classes worked like psionic soldiers and I could eventually have all the abilities then I'd be happy to take anything, even if it will only occasionally be useful. But you have to choose between Deep Cover and Untouchable and that really isn't a choice at all to me (I gather you agree on that point).
The reason why I say Deep Cover is one of the worst abilities in the game is that it runs counter to everything I'm trying to accomplish. First, I have to not attack and my reward is then purely defensive. In comparison, the Specialist ability that grants Overwatch after a double move is greatly preferable in my eyes (and even it isn't amazing) because it gives us a chance to do damage. My overarching goal is to kill every alien as quickly as I find them, and Deep Cover just doesn't play into that. So that's a short version of my aversion to the ability. As always, YMMV.
With Untouchable, does the ranger have to get the kill or can it be any team mate?
It needs to be the ranger, so you really want to make sure you either use him against enemies he can one-shot or to finish one of the big guns like a gatekeeper. Thankfuly, an upgraded shotgun and point-blank range deals a ton of damage and if you've got Rapid Fire, then almost every enemy in the game is easy pickings.
Does untouchable make all enemies miss there shot or only one enemy?
Only one enemy. It's extremely useful, but not outright God-mode.
I know builds are really a more personal thing, but I'm throwing this out there, since I'm bingewatching your third playthrough. I'm at part 38 and Shadowstep has been used zero times (it could've been useful once) and Shadowstrike would've helped way more often. I believe that, unless you're going for a Blademaster, Shadowstrike is so sweet. It surprises me that especially someone like you, who's very fond of the ambush-mechanic, would prefer Step over Strike. I'm calling shenanigans on you.
After reading these your comments and thinking back, I've realized that I saw a lot more overwatch in my first couple of campaigns than I have since. The game has been patched a couple of times and I'd noted changes to AI behavior in other ways but I think this is something I missed. A Heavy MEC will go on overwatch their 1st turn every time but aside from that it appears to be a fairly occasional behavior from ADVENT troops. So I'll plead guilty of overselling the value of Shadowstep. It's very useful... occasionally.
As for Shadowstrike, I still don't think it's a great ability. It adds aim and chance to crit for a soldier who routinely hits 100% in both categories. Worse, it only works if I'm still concealed meaning I can't get close to my target so the bonus is mostly getting me to the same place I would have been if I just played without it. At low level when we don't have Run and Gun I can see that it helps you get a good shot (but only your first shot per mission) but that's it.
In the final analysis, I would still recommend Shadowstep but I readily acknowledge it's closer than I suggested and some people may adopt a play-style that gets more out of Shadowstrike.
"...neither are must haves."
Exactly. Each can be useful at times but I don't think either is going to make or break your campaign. In one sense, this is a good thing for the game because it's better for players to have 2 valid choices so they can have fun whichever way they prefer. And, hey guys, thanks for helping me realize that one of my cherished ranger abilities isn't actually that great! ;)
I just had to comment here on this particular set of talents. I've been looking at when each of these talents proc and I have to agree with the validity of both Step and Strike.
Step is good for a shotgunner or for a blademaster that is being built as an initiator.
However, I have noticed that Strike is actually more viable for a Blade Ranger that has maxed out mobility. Reason being:
Shadowstrike procs whenever the enemy is UNAWARE of the Ranger's exact position. I have a full phantom shotgunner and I decided to blade an alien that another trooper had eyes on since the Range couldn't get a flanking position with only one move. I noticed that since the alien couldn't see the trooper and vice versa, it ramped up her melee capabilities significantly. I have repeated this a few more times and it seems to be consistent. Having this knowledge in hand allows Shadowstrike to be used more than just 2 times per mission and allows melee attacks to become even more reliable if you can meet the above conditions and are willing to hold your blademaster back a bit.
Shadowstrike is great. Great enough to make you select the stealth skills, which makes it suck because you dun fucked up then.
:l
Bladestorm is easily the best ranger skill in the game I can't believe you chose implaccable wow.....
Ranger can be shot gun mode and blade mode if u have enuff sp to learn all...
what do you have against auto-loaders?
That's like asking what I have against a fork when I suggest using a spoon for soup. I'm just recommending what I see as the most useful tool for this particular job but if an expanded magazine isn't available then I would (and have) used the auto-loader as the next best option.
you've recommended expanded mags in all the videos I've seen and I was just wondering why you say that it's better. sorry for the harsh-ish wording, it was meant to be more joking/curious
The main issue with auto loaders is that I can't choose when I get the benefit of the free action, it will always be my earliest reloads of the mission. So I may use it up on turns when I'm under no pressure and then when the freebies are gone we get in a big fire fight and... oops! I need to reload, move, and shoot and this thing isn't helping me at all. The expanded magazine is more flexible and lets me top off whenever I have time without every compromising the potential value it has to offer. Those extra rounds are there and helping me for the entire length of the mission.
I don't want to overstate this, as I said, I can't always get enough expanded magazines and then I'll use the auto-loaders because they're still a whole lot better than an empty slot. The classes that I most recommend holding out for the magazines are killzone snipers and specialists that specialize in the extra overwatch abilities. Grenadiers are next on the list, especially if you're using many of the abilities that chew through extra ammo.
Anyway, that's my two cents on the subject... hope it helps explain the rationale behind the videos.
Clip on snipers first, loaders on skermish,gren, reaper.
In that orser.
That was a very ballanced Ranger Build. I personally prefer the Samurai build with all Assault Skills except for implacable instead of Bladestorm (that only is useful against vipers) As equipment you may call me stupid at first but i use the assault rifle instead of the shotgun, with autoloader and scope. Sure thing this build needs brain to play with, but my Samurai gets a lot of more kills with his sword, than the shotgunner. Because he (mostly she ^^) is more variable than the shotgunner because he has always to be close to be effective. But she can get close with her blade to finish someone (or a whole damaged group with reaper) or can run and gun to a save distanced flank position and thanks to the aim bonus, get the hit in. The shotgun needs you to get always close and that takes a lot of strategic options from you and can get you into trouble if an other group is revealed by that.
As far as I'm concerned, if you're getting good value out of the build and having fun playing it then those are the most important considerations.
Ric Walker Bladestorm is the most valuable skill in the game. It's crazy to suggest it is only useful against vipers. Using two or three bladestorm rangers you can kill all the rulers in a single mission. Implacable is the most pointless skill as I normally end my ranger movement in cover, next to the enemy I killed. Moving further without over watch or the ability to fire is foolish. My standard squad is two assault rangers, one medic specialist, one tech specialist, a pistol sharpshooter and explosive grenadier. I'm happy to drop any of the last three to add a third assault ranger in heavy fights like retaliation or base assaults. In late game missions I bring in a psi agent. Taking control of a mechanical and an organic gives me the scouts I need and the mimic replacement... Then I bring those rangers in to cut away all the weak troops, meaning the rearguard can concentrate fire on the remaining heavy enemies, along with the captured hostiles.
Changing weapon is something I haven't trialled yet, cheers for tip.
Finally, someone pairs ranger with talon rounds.
Serious question, what have you seen other people use? Armor piercing is the only other thing I can even try to make a case for (although obviously not what I use).
@@TapCat AP is good against all but not as good as bluescreen vs machines. AP doesn't crit like Talon. Talon and shotguns go together like chocolate and peanut butter. Besides, AP rounds are kind of rare to come by so I give them to my snipers and reapers.
@@TapCat OK, anything midgame works with a shotgun but yours is the 1st video to openly mention using the talons with the ranger that I seen.
Good tip. I went with the BladeStorm/BladeMaster/Reaper route, and with Untouchable, it’s like having a Ninja on steroids shredding through all but the beefiest if enemies.
I use the same approach as it reduces the chance factor involved in using a gun, almost always 100% when attacking by sword. Use grenadiers to knock down armor then let Rangers go wild. TapCat uses a gun-based attack, not wrong, just different.
What about a melee ranger build
No Bladestorm?? Has he not faced Chryssalids? hehe
During a chosen mission, I opened a door and a swarm of Chryssalids ran in. But I had a ranger and templar on the sides of the doorway each with bladestorm. Killed them all without taking a hit.
I was surprised as well. I'm really aggressive with my rangers and damage based. And yes... Chyssalids...
a lot of people below saying blademaster + bladestorm is great against chrysalids. .but i find even with top tier fusion axe, i'm usually leaving them alive with 1 hp. granted, i was playing commander difficulty and everything has 1 morre hp, so yeah that's probably why...
Exactly. My guides are meant to provide strategies that are great all the way up through legend difficulty and sword damage just doesn't scale well on higher difficulties. Also, if anyone still worried about Chryssalids and Vipers by the time you can get Bladestorm then they have bigger issues than whether they choose bladestorm or not.
Can you make a ranger have psionic abilities as well?
No, you have to train a psi op from a rookie. Once someone is a ranger, they stay one for life and psionics isn't part of the package.
TapCat Okay thanks
when I read your response, I read it in your voice lol
I was good with the sharpshooter skills, but not with this one. In the end it's about doing as much damage as possible. Extra damage from bladestrike helps kill enemies with bladestorm and allows for more kills with reaper.
You're entitled to your opinion, but my videos are not made for the purpose of giving veteran players validation for builds they already play but to give beginning players a solid foundation that can take them to victory all the through Legend Ironman difficulty. There are literally hundreds of hours of video on my channel demonstrating that these abilities are capable of doing exactly that.
I enjoy your videos and this is literally the only thing of significance I differ in opinion on. I obviously meant Blademaster and not Bladestrike, but you probably figured that out. I was watching your specialist and grenadier videos after this one and kept saying yep - that's what I think, too. Have you thought of a video on how best to build a tech specialist or do you not use them? In WotC it's cool that with enough action points you essentially get both tech and medical in one soldier.
The sharpshooter is the only class I did an alternate build for (and that video is actually much more popular than my preferred build!). I've always been a little heartbroken that you have to choose between Combat Protocol and Medical Protocol right out of the gate and the fact that you could finally have both on the same soldier was one of my favorite things about WotC.
I have used the tech specialist abilities but I've never felt like I've gotten enough mileage out of them to make a build that I could really stand behind. Partly because Haywire Protocol really needs at least one of those +20 hacking skill boosts to be effective in the end-game, I've never been as big a fan of that as a lot of players seem to be. And Capacitor Discharge seems like it would be amazing but I seldom am in a situation where it does a whole lot more than Combat Protocol.
Maybe my play style holds me back with this type of specialist, but I always end up feeling like if you're bringing one for its fighting skills then you'd be better off with literally any other class instead. The healing, though, is something only the specialist can do effectively and when a mission goes wrong, it can be a literal life saver so I've stayed with that recommendation and generally play this build myself even now. All that said, it does bother me that there are also missions where I take no damage and the specialist basically just becomes a dude with a rifle who will possibly perform a single hack and that's the sum total of his contribution.
So to sum it up, I've never found a specialist build that I love as much as my other classes but this is the one that I'm least unhappy with and always end up coming back to even when I try something else.
I use the specialists extensively. Especially in WotC where you are forced to have a lot of them due to the fatigue factor (a great addition to the game). Maybe I don't put them in the front lines, but I always keep them within decent shot percentage range. They do have decent aim. So typically I'll bring a healer and a tech with medical protocol. Like you said, without the PCS bonus the techies aren't so great, but sending them on covert ops can really compensate for that. And if you add the PCS after the fact they can hack just about anything even in the end game.
That's cool, sounds like you're getting some good mileage out of them!
All on the right side is best in my opinion
Do a sniper build and pistol sniper build
We're on the same page because sharpshooter is the one class where even though I have a preference (pistol), the rifle build is also very strong and is still a great asset to any squad.
Shredder is amazing and if I could control who got it through the AWC I'd be tempted to have a full squad with it. I started off preferring the long range sniper but the more I play, the more I like gunslingers. The main reason is that Kill Zone is the most powerful sniper ability and I usually have to leave the enemies alive to take their turn for it to function (ambushes are an obvious exception). If my sniper misses one or more shots, then I'm just screwed because I can't have anyone else mop up after him. The Gunslinger abilities all take place during my turn and I'll know exactly what needs to be done as I go along. Rather than leave my fate in the hands of the RNG in a passive way, I strongly prefer to take the initiative during my turn. None of this is to say that snipers are bad or that Kill Zone isn't good, just that I prefer another approach.
I entertained that snipers were useful, due to online forums, and now after a week I am happy to leave them behind again.
Just put normies up on the walls. Sharphooters lack of mobility costs as many shots as extra range gains.
Rupture is their only skill I admire. When you go trolling for new blood, and the rookies are really giving off a sharpshootery vibe. Just say no.
i will die by the statement (and have yet to) "bladestorm is the best ability in the game".
you basically get a ruler reaction every time an enemy moves in or out of melee range, limited only by the number of enemies on the map.
you can kill an entire enemy drop without even setting them on overwatch, or just 'double move slash' an exposed enemy, only to have them move to cover and get hit again. combine this with arc weapons 25% stun chance and even the enemies that survive your massive DPS still arent safe.
you even get a free bladestorm against anything that tries to grapple you. its outrageously powerful. got it on a templar as one of their early XCOM skills, gave me a weirdly good impression of that unit
If you play on legendary you absolutely need a pure scout with conceal.
a used a squad with nothing but rangers in it...and they all stayed concealed, wich made harder missions alot easier
What armor???
Blademaster and blamestorm has saved one of my girls from total annihilation from a buncha chrysalids
Blademaster "reaper", Shadowstep, run and gun, Bladestorm, Untouchable and Reaper. Pcs Superior Agility.
2x ranger:
skills: phantom, shadowstep, run and gun, implacable, untouchable, rapid fire
PCS: speed
weapon:
1: talon rounds
2: mimic beacon
upgrade:
1: laser sight
2: expanded magazine
sharpshooter gunslinger:
skills: longwatch, lightning hands, quickdraw, faceoff, steady hands, fanfire
PCS: perception
weapon:
1: low lvl tracer rounds, then AP rounds, dragon rounds, venom rounds
2: spider suit
upgrade:
1: scope
2: expanded magazine
sharpshooter sniper:
skills: longwatch, lightning hands then respec with Advanced Warfare Center to deadeye, death from above, killzone, steady hands, serial
PCS: perception
weapon:
1: low lvl tracer rounds, then AProunds, dragon rounds, venom rounds
2: spider suit
upgrade:
1: scope
2: expanded magazine
1x grenadier:
skills: shredder, suppression, hold targeting, chain shot, hail of bullets, rapture/saturation fire
PCS: perception
upgrade: scope, expanded magazine
weapon: frag grenades>plasma, acid bombs (for armor), bluescreen rounds
1x specialist:
skills: medical protocol, revival protocol, field medic, threat assesment (?), ever vigilant (?), restoration
PCS: perception or speed / agility
weapon:
1. medikit
2. skulljack
+upgrade gremlin with mech and sectoid breakdown
upgrade:
1: scope
2: repeater or expanded magazine
base:
1. Guerrilla tactics school 0:33 - squad size upgrade, wet work for XP, rookie training and more; build ASAP
2. Advanced Warfare Center (AWC) 2:26 - reduces healing time in half, re-spec soldiers
3. Power Relay 5:24 - just because you need more power to keep building stuff
4. Resistance Comms 5:41 - by now you're running out of contacts and you need more funds
5a. Proving grounds 6:42 - unlock plasma grenades, experimental ammo, skulljack; build first if you have enough engineers
5b. Workshop 6:32 - build before 5a if you're not doing well on engineers
6. Shadowchamber 7:45 - story requirement
projects in proving ground:
complete mutant autopsy in research
plasma grenade, experimental ammo
then: bluescreen protocol, skulljack+skullmining, battlefield medicine, acid granade, spider suit
If anyone here has WoTCh, use bladestorm, in missions in lost cities its almost like immortality
I have beaten "Legendary" mode many times but not on Iron Man Mode (yet)
That definitely is a lot harder, but beating even 1 especially difficult mission on Ironman is easily one of the most satisfying things I've done in gaming.
I ever so slightly disagree on the deep cover note. I do agree that it is one of the worst abilities in the game, however it can get some interesting use if you get it on a sharpshooter with aim, double moving to get into position then automatically getting the aim bonus the next turn. suuuper niche but its been solidly effective when I've gotten it.
Good video not my kind of build buts it's still good
Thanks, I know that not everyone will want to use my suggested builds. The main goal is to help players struggling to get over the hump by suggesting a focused approach that I know can be effective. More experienced players who have already established a successful track record of their own will naturally have more concrete ideas about how best to play and that's more than fine with me.
Thanks for the reply! Hope I didn't seem like I was bating an argument. Still will you make a build video for psi ops. I never really know what to get after null lance, stasis and domination.(The skills I use often)
No worries, I didn't take it in a negative way, just wanted to explain my outlook on these videos.
I'd love to do a guide for the psionic soldiers, but I've had so little experience with them that I don't have enough knowledge to speak with any real authority. With a ranger I can honestly say that I've tried multiple builds and play styles and this is what I am most confident playing. But with psionics I'm more reduced to saying "gee, this ability seems like it's good!" and I don't think that would inspire much confidence in viewers!
Fair enough lol.
Crazy thing is... I just started playing and I built my Ranger exactly like this. My only thing was on what to equip with.. Thanks for the video, Rangers lead the way! Up close and personal.....
can't believe he took rapid-fire over reaper. I would never do that.
i can’t believe you would actually go with phantom over blademaster , why do you think the ranger have a sword
IM-PLACE-ABLE
Bladestorms helps to end vipers is funny when you see how viper try get your ranger and bladestorm kills her.
Best Ranger build (1) Blademaster (Speed & power is key on some misions) (2) Shadow step (3) Run & Gun (4) Bladestorm (For chryssalids) (5) Untouchable (6) Rapid Fire. Pcs = Agility (Dodge) or Perception (Aim). Speed (Mobility) just leaves him on his own & is best saved for snipers or medics to catch up? xcom.fandom.com/wiki/Personal_Combat_Sims
Sounds good for a offensive ranger, i will try it.
hey brother what is a pcs
PCS is short for "Personal Combat Sim" and it's a way to upgrade your soldier directly, not the weapon but the actual person. First, you have to pick one up as loot on a mission or buy one from the black market. Then you can equip it to a soldier by clicking on him either in the armory or when you're putting together a squad for a mission. They can definitely help take your soldiers up a notch.
Ok thanks! I haven't found any yet but will keep an eye out.
I messed up and built my base as thus from left to right
1 awc 2 gws 3 proving ground 4 power plant 5 workshop 6 resist comms. Have I hurt myself long term not building awc at 2? Not starting with an empty hurt and I cleared the center first and wanted to get that squad member increase fast. I guess I can just devote an extra engineer to the awc since I won't be able to use a gremlin there
You should be fine. If I understand correctly, you can use all 4 gremlins in the power relay and resistance comms. As long as you're putting them all to work, that's all that matters.
Yes I can still put them there
SHUB-NIGGURATTH: phantom sucks. I mean its good to not see him or her but if thats the case, whats the point of having a sword. Also. I have 88% chances to slash an enemy and it always misses. Also bladestorm doesnt always miss. But when i use implacable i get to move but at most time i dont really need to move. But the rest of the abilities h you choose i dont have a problem with and there good.