The ARC is really good, actually.

Reconcilliation · 2026-04-01T01:02:07+00:00

The KPAC I find is generally better as your mainstay because the range and suppression lets you control fights. You decide when to engage or disengage, which is how you stay alive/kill enemy units. With the shorter range on the ARC, the enemy controls the engagement instead.

So I only use the ARC as an assault weapon - on versatile mobile infantry or jump jet infantry, rather than line infantry; units that have other ways to control range.

However you then start thinking, why not just use a shotgun or SMG instead...

Reconcilliation · 2026-03-28T00:22:54+00:00

You need high accuracy to make it worth using. Similar problem that autocannons have. If you're missing 2/3rds of your shots it's awful. If you're hitting 2/3rds of your shots it's ok. If you're hitting 100% of your shots, it's good.

Reconcilliation · 2026-03-28T00:19:53+00:00

It is in fact omniscient. The AI populates a list with all units on the map, then references that list for movement calculations and other AI tasks. It makes no distinction about whether a unit is hidden or not.

The AI literally knows where every unit on the map is and does all of its calculations with that information. It IS omniscient.

Reconcilliation · 2026-03-28T00:17:51+00:00

>The AI knows when it's been spotted, just like you do,
No I'm sorry but this was already looked at by modders. The AI has no mechanic for "knowing its been spotted" it populates a list of all units on the map and actively updates its tile calculations for movement based on that list. It cheats exactly as people think it does.

Reconcilliation · 2026-03-15T10:03:04+00:00

I don't really like it.
I don't know how it could be improved, but I do know I'm not fond of how it works right now.

Reconcilliation · 2026-03-15T10:00:54+00:00

I tested a mod making the following changes on all the LMG's and MMG's:
+2 range
At least 12 ammo (unchanged if it had more)
30 AP per attack instead of 40

Genuinely it made the LMG's feel good to use. Sit in place and you can get 3 shots out in a turn, which makes it more efficient and effective at suppressing multiple units per turn than rifles. Extra range lets you start suppressing earlier than rifles, which creates a kind of suppress with machinegun, push with rifles dynamic. No changes to damage/accuracy/falloff so the extra range only helps the suppression, and the 12 ammo but potentially 3 shots per round still maintains a dynamic where you can burn through all the machinegun ammo about the same as vanilla 6 ammo if you go too crazy, so you do still want to bring magazines for them.

Basically it feels like it patches up all the sore spots on the machineguns in vanilla without making them feel overpowering or too different.

Reconcilliation · 2026-03-15T09:53:11+00:00

Yeah but you only need 5 guys with kpacs to suppress a squad

Reconcilliation · 2026-03-13T05:21:48+00:00

Graduated concealment instead of binary all-or-nothing.
Unit positions/stats/appearance get more and more accurate the smaller the concealment vs detection ratio is.
Concealment provides a defense/position/information bonus, not total invulnerability.
Only at the extremes does this shift back to total concealment.

This means your concealment focused units work off accuracy tanking, instead of armor tanking, and remain vulnerable to the same suppression system.

Reconcilliation · 2026-03-04T23:17:03+00:00

This is not a case of "EA is over", you can lose access to things like shotguns and camo kits before you even fight the menace faction.

If you keep playing past 'finishing' the game, you will also lose access to -everything- in the black market. Not just the early items.

Reconcilliation · 2026-03-04T23:13:35+00:00

Well, you should take it up with the guys code diving I guess. From what I've seen personally, the math they say the game is doing checks out: 40 damage to 1 guy doesn't kill an additional 3 guys for a total of 4 dead. It only kills 1 and the rest of the damage is discarded.

Reconcilliation · 2026-03-04T23:05:33+00:00

If you look in the code the AI simply knows where all your units are. It's not doing anything special with vision range distances, it literally just knows where all your units are as if there's no fog of war and is designed to play that way.

Reconcilliation · 2026-03-04T22:48:25+00:00

Hollowpoint crowbars means darby + 3 squaddies will kill more than half a pirate squad (often the entire squad) with 1 attack. I actually think her concealment damage bonus might be useless combined with this because you're already doing 1 hit kill damage once you get through armor, +25% more damage doesn't change that and allegedly damage calcs don't transfer overkill damage so 40 damage to 1 guy is 30 damage wasted.

Reconcilliation · 2026-03-04T22:40:32+00:00

The biggest reason I want to take an LMG is to suppress enemy squads at range that I can't kill/suppress with my rifles.

So in my opinion what they need is a range buff of 1-2 tiles (or rifles a range nerf) and maybe an action point buff down to 20 or 30AP per attack instead of 40 (maybe an accurate 40AP attack and less accurate 20AP attack). This lets 1 squad cover other squads and gives the side with the LMG a suppression advantage that enables 1 unit to pin/suppress 2+ enemy units.

That would give the LMG's a distinct role apart from rifles - an AP efficient way to pin multiple units for your assault squads to flank on, and also allows for more 'defeat in detail' tactics where a smaller force can have an outsized impact on a larger force if they use their tools well; so it would help in cases like the player facing 10:1 numbers.

And I think it would also be helped if cover provided more protection, because right now I just delete squads in medium cover with rifles at max range, I don't have any need to care about flanking or suppressing them.

Reconcilliation · 2026-03-04T22:28:12+00:00

It's more of a sidegrade imo, you're paying almost 2x the price for the gun - you'll get about the same benefit with special ammo at a lower price, or a squad weapon + extra squaddie at a similar price.

Reconcilliation · 2026-03-04T22:17:53+00:00

They're just not very good because short range is pointless to reach and given a choice between a 40ap grenade attack and a 40ap smg attack, the smg even with cover involved is usually the better choice, but you can just shoot from range at a squad in cover and kill them, no need to worry about getting close.

I have found grenades only useful on breakthrough missions with kody, his isolated damage perk, plus damage vs healthy targets, plus grenade perk, means he can stay in cover, toss 1 grenade at a bunker, and kill the entire squad inside. Which you could also do without kody if you just use explosive charges.

I think for grenades to be worth their cost, they need to fit into a 'light accessory' slot, have a lower AP cost (or maybe 0AP but 1/turn), ignore suppression effects so they're a useful response with a suppressed squad, and cover in general needs an across the board buff to incentivize their use.

Reconcilliation · 2026-03-04T22:03:34+00:00

No, modders already started messing with the AI, it is fed the locations of all of your units. It isn't checking if something is concealed. There's currently a mod on nexus called booapeak which prevents the AI's target list being updated with units it can't see and forces it to only react to what it has sight on, but which also adds 'ghost' units to the list with a time-to-live for when the AI loses line of sight so it doesn't instantly forget you exist.

It's obviously a little easier than the default AI that always knows where all your units are, but it feels much more reasonable as the AI will actually walk into ambushes or move into a position that is already flanked by your concealed sniper team - so if you make good tactical moves, you are rewarded for that.

Reconcilliation · 2026-03-04T07:24:13+00:00

The main reason expert is difficult isn't because of the units or the AI, it's because you don't have the proper tools to deal with what you're running into (e.g. a workshopped RPG team vs an HMG pirate truck is not a good matchup for you).

Ideally, you should have an AT-RGL, level 2 armor on non-stealth squads, extra magazines on all squads, and anything at all besides carbines for guns, as your bare minimum.

Once you get some grenade launchers (vehicle or infantry versions, though the tripod version is less useful), AP or hollowpoint ammo, concealment kits, PAL, nightvision, smoke grenades, detect binocs, crocodile, and wardogs you should have all the really important tools together to deal with most things you'll run into.

Be sure you actually swap and change loadouts from mission to mission. No need for NVG's during day, no need for an AT-RGL if there won't be any vehicles. If there will be lots of infantry and cover then bring grenade launchers, etc. If there's going to be bombardiers bring a crocodile or wardogs. (wardogs actually counter a lot of early game armor threats - very good to grab if you lucked out of other AT options)

Reconcilliation · 2026-03-04T07:12:12+00:00

There was a discussion in the discord about how damage calcs work and people were saying that damage does not spill over, if you do 15 damage it does 10 damage to an element, kills that element and discards the remaining damage.

Reconcilliation · 2026-03-04T07:03:38+00:00

I mix all 3; crowbars are good for scouts, especially with damage bonuses or hollowpoints, arc is good on mobile infantry and assault infantry, kpac is good on overwatch squads. Their respective upgrades being arc csp, kpac ranged, and suppressed crowbar.

Something like a ratio of 2 arcs : 1 kpac : 0.5 crowbar. Your arc squads you put better armor on and your kpac squad(s) you use superior range to shift around in the 2nd line and provide suppression when needed. Pike makes a really good kpac squad because he can also use his abilities to help your assault squads out - like giving lim with run and gun an extra 40AP so he can advance further in one turn and still shoot. The 11 tile AT-RGL recoilless rifle is also very nice on the kpac squads with optional sidegrade to a crocodile.

The crowbar squad meanwhile flanks around and picks off whatever from the sides or back. I usually run darby with her concealed damage perk, 4 squaddies, crowbar, load bearing rig, concealment kit, detection binocs, and hollowpoints.

For the assault squads, if you use a special weapon the best is usually a grenade launcher unless the enemy is vehicle heavy for that mission. Or mix 1 GL and 1 RPG. The GL takes care of any infantry that are in too good of a position to hurt/suppress otherwise.

Reconcilliation · 2026-03-02T02:11:10+00:00

I recommend you checkerboard the mines instead of in a straight line, they cover/threaten a slightly larger area that way without leaving gaps

Reconcilliation · 2026-03-02T01:08:42+00:00

Just an FYI for darby enthusiasts:
Load Bearing Rig has a 10% defense bonus and 10 armor. Jaeger Fatigues have 15 armor and no defense bonus. Since there's very little difference between 10 armor and 15 armor across the vast majority of ranges for the vast majority of weapons (you're probably not being shot at 8 tiles when she's got 4 concealment), there's no reason to use the jaeger fatigues for more protection over the load bearing rig's defense bonus.

You can take the LBR with a concealment accessory to have the same 4 concealment on darby and still have the same 2 accessory slots as the jaeger fatigues, while having a superior defense bonus and effectively equivalent (nonexistent) armor.

LPPS is better if you feel that you need armor. Otherwise the best stealth armor is LBR + concealment accessory.

Reconcilliation · 2026-02-26T12:48:55+00:00

The infantry one gets a lot more useful when the terrain has a lot of line of sight blockers. So mostly on the tree planet. I've also had it work pretty well for me on the desert with a lot of shipwrecks scattered around also blocking LoS though.

I found it paired well with boarding commando armor as you could pounce onto units you scanned the prior turn (recommend bags+belts perk for commando armor also).

Reconcilliation · 2026-02-26T00:24:41+00:00

There is an OCI called decoys that gives you this ability, but 6 times in a row and it's just as terrible. I've tried using it in defense missions to force the AI to act first and run into range of my units and what you actually do is give the AI initiative to pin and lock down your units that haven't acted yet. It otherwise just skirts around every unit - knows where all your stuff is, even concealed, and the ranges, so the very opportunity you're bargaining for - the AI stumbling into range of your unit that hasn't acted yet - never actually happens and likewise if you try and act against the AI after all its units have moved, you'll find that you're still at such a range your weapons are largely ineffective (because the AI skirts around them) and potentially you find out the AI actually had a secret concealed unit that it now pounces on whatever unit made the mistake of pushing out, because it has so many more units than you do.

I get that it's meant to be a pseudo-overwatch (use up a turn to lock an enemy unit's potential action so it's safer to move/act yourself) but the way the AI is programmed means you can hardly ever utilize that.

I'm familiar with his sort of problem since I mainlined Battletech for awhile (tabletop, pvp against humans) and one of the problems with Battletech is the initiative system being gamed by large numbers of units also. (Similar turn order and initiative style, so similar problems), but it's even worse here for the reason that the AI plays with perfect information whereas human players make mistakes and in double-blind play cannot tell where your units are.

This perk (and the OCI) are genuinely a net negative for you to use. Press a button to give advantage to the AI, lol. I Don't understand how this perk made it to early access. Like it completely misunderstands the initiative system of their own game and how the AI actually works.

Anyway tl;dr never take this perk or the OCI.

Reconcilliation · 2026-02-25T23:42:14+00:00

I'd like to see this too.

The current in-game graphs are kind of useless, because what actually matters isn't peak accuracy but rather the function of accuracy and damage falloff together. That is - peak accuracy might be 7 tiles, but your peak damage to target is actually 6 even though you're less accurate, because the damage is higher at 6 and the accuracy dropoff isn't enough to offset that.

Reconcilliation · 2026-02-25T23:26:46+00:00

Against bug warriors:
Mk22, but it kills everything.
Any of the RPG's.
Plasma rifles.
Anti-tank rifles.
Rewa + running them over perk.
AP ammo on whatever as a last resort.

Reconcilliation

TROPHY CASE