While XCOM 2: War of the Chosen does a great job shaking up the game from top to bottom, it isn't without cost: the Shen's Gift DLC mission is sacrificed by default to rebalance the game, being replaced with a simple research task. While player's can re-enable this in the options menu, we wish there was a way Firaxis could have kept the original content in balanced fashion. We also ran into a few minor glitches as late-game content progressed, so we recommend those trying ironman playthroughs perhaps consider a regular playthrough for now to avoid any potential post-launch err

These are the leaders of the Sectoid soldiers, and besides having higher base stats they also have devastating psionic attacks. Sectoid Commanders have four psionic abilities: Mind Control, Mindfray, Greater Mind Merge, and Psi Panic. The Mind control is especially nefarious, as it gives the Sectoid Commander complete control of a soldier in the player’s squad for three turns. Most mind controlled soldiers do not survive the mission. The Mind Merge gives all Sectoids in battle decent bonuses to Will (morale), health, and critical hit chance. The worst aspect is it is very difficult to distinguish commanders from normal Secto

However, Firaxis planned for the game to be much easier during most of XCOM 2's development. The game's implementation of stealth and a wide range of group-clearing skills had made the game too easy. This resulted in Firaxis rebalancing the game rather late in development to give it the same sense of challenge as the original. Even with the mixed reception of mission timers, most agree that this change was for the bet

Ethereals are the leaders of the alien forces. They have numerous, and powerful psionic abilities that can cause havoc among the player’s squad and deliver significant damage. Their deadliest abilities are the ability to control the minds of the player’s soldiers, and the ability to drain a soldier’s health and heal itself at the same time with its Psi Drain. To make them even more difficult, Ethereals have the Hardened trait that makes them highly resistant to critical hits. Ethereals also have a devastating one-two punch with their Mindfray, SLG Updates which lowers a soldier’s Will, and their Rift ability which deals extra damage to a soldier with a low Will sc

In short, it's a system that finally forces players to shuffle their rosters as the game progresses, and a clever solution to those who send the same soldiers into battle again and again. The challenges of maintaining a healthy roster of skilled soldiers adds plenty of surprising depth to the XCOM experie

The Heavy Floater does not have the toughest armor, or a particularly high damage potential, but its special abilities more than make up for those deficiencies. The most exasperating ability is that Floaters can launch themselves to any location in the battle zone. This is annoying when a Heavy Floater is near death then launches out of range. They can also bombard an area, which usually negates the cover the player’s soldiers are hiding behind. Lastly, when they are airborne, a Heavy Floater can evade incoming fire; which lowers the accuracy of the player’s soldiers by

Those gamers who played the original XCom probably remember how much of a problem the Reapers could pose. Reapers are large, hunched-over, bi-pedal monsters that are usually encountered with Floaters. The Reaper has more health than any other alien, and can travel across the battle zone with alarming speed. It is quite disheartening to watch a Reaper run across the entire map and kill a soldier in one turn; while seemingly ignoring the damage dealt to it. If it starts a turn next to a soldier, that soldier is not going to survive – even if that soldier is wearing power ar

Archons are basically Floaters that have been given upgraded weapons and an appearance that give them the look/style of the Egyptian gods. These flying aliens have a very high defense rating, increased health, and are armed with staffs capable of ranged attacks. Archons are also immune to flanking attacks. They have a special ability called "Blazing Pinions", which are essentially missiles that deal respectable damage and destroy any cover the player’s squad may be hiding behind. When severely injured in battle, an Archon can go into a battle frenzy which gives them extra actions per t

However, perhaps most interesting in Civ 6 is that it can make 4X simple to understand. Thanks to its cartoonish animations and easy-to-grasp interface, anyone new to the genre can easily become a 4X fan in no t

These robotic horrors can mean death to entire squad if the player is not careful. Cyberdiscs have very strong armor and a lot of hit points; this is made worse for the player by the presence of drones that can repair Cyberdiscs. Their main cannon will usually kill a soldier without heavy armor. Cyberdiscs can also lob grenades across the battlefield; which means seeking cover isn’t as effective against them. Lastly, don’t get too close or a Cyberdisc will use their "Death Blossom" attack that does severe damage in a 360°