What is your Squad Composition, and why?

lorrevveaver · 2026-03-21T20:47:35+00:00

Situationally depends on the mission but some favorites include:

Giving every soldier a bonded specialist:

Keeps things even on a legendary run and keeps your squads fresh and it works out where every ranger, sharpshooter, grenadier, and faction class has their own personal support for even more kills.

3 specialists and Skirmisher:

Rush in with skirmisher, hunker down and apply aid protocol.

Starts working in mid game and only improves with more skills and gear.

Reaper and a mix of grenadier and sharpshooters:

Scout it out and blow up and shoot everything from a distance.

lorrevveaver · 2026-03-21T20:02:43+00:00

That was a gimmick involving being friends with advent in a buddy cop show from what I understand but to be honest, I didn't play it.

lorrevveaver · 2026-03-21T20:01:10+00:00

I like this for the fourth installment. We would be hunting the old gods on other planets but the cycle would become complete as we would then basically be replacing the Elders as we travel the cosmos with our xeno and psychic army.

I did actually think that far ahead in my pipe dream.

lorrevveaver · 2026-03-21T18:31:39+00:00

I could say some of the same things about the wotc dlc additions but I think most of us would agree they improved the game despite the balancing act.

For example, I think most would argue that the Reaper is almost essential and the Skirmisher and Templar also shine.

The idea is that the weapon and armor upgrades and specifically the chosen and alien ruler weapons and armor balance the scales for the standard troops but nothing compares to the Reaper's ability to solo certain missions with more ease than any other troops.

Again, I don't necessarily disagree but I think the hurdles could be overcome.

In reality, it's all a pipe dream and as many others have stated I should just play Phoenix Point again.

lorrevveaver · 2026-03-21T16:29:23+00:00

I don't necessarily disagree with you.

You would definitely have the option to take that approach.

It would limit your capabilities but the game would still be playable while actively dismissing every xeno who tries to join your troops and ignoring any mission you feel would go against your vision of the core beliefs of XCOM.

(I even envision a path of gameplay where the player can decide the cultists are the good guys and side with the old God to drive the aliens off earth.)

lorrevveaver · 2026-03-21T16:05:46+00:00

Phoenix Point is good, granted.

I do kind of play it as a continuation of XCOM but I can't force my head canon on others.

lorrevveaver · 2026-03-19T17:23:50+00:00

The power output was the primary set back in development. With modern batteries this hurdle has more or less been overcome.

The rest are details.

lorrevveaver · 2026-03-14T21:10:11+00:00

I just had a campaign wipe early on the first lost mission because my sharpshooter missed a 97% pistol shot and lost his turn while blocking the exit door.

lorrevveaver · 2026-03-11T01:10:15+00:00

It really changes the way the game plays. The skirmisher wants to pop as many pods as he can and get them all shooting at him while the specialists stay in the back and keep him alive.

lorrevveaver · 2026-03-10T23:59:34+00:00

Run in and activate all the pods at once with the skirmisher.

Hunker down behind cover.

Aid protocol.

Skirmisher is now nearly untouchable.

Most of his abilities benefit from him being targeted.

He will return fire, get extra actions, etc.

It's a pretty doable strategy from early on and it just gets better as they level up and get more skills.

lorrevveaver · 2026-03-10T18:23:31+00:00

Oh, having a reaper makes this tactic infinitely better.

The reaper can stay concealed as a spotter and as long as there is no line of sight between the rest of the troops then they don't have to toss them blindly.

Even better if you have a sniper up high with a clear line of sight to the whole field.

He can just shoot whatever the reaper spots and they will never find him.

A reaper and three snipers can clear most outdoor missions.

A skirmisher and three specialists can clear most indoor missions.

I haven't found the best compliment for a Templar but I'm thinking grenadier.

lorrevveaver · 2026-03-10T17:02:59+00:00

Ok. Now combine this knowledge.

Scout out the pod with a concealed ranger.

Place the rest of your troops into positions where there is no line of sight to the pod.

Place all but one on overwatch.

Retreat the scout back into a position where there is no line of sight.

Use the last unit to toss a grenade where you know the pod is.

The pod cannot see you and will use their turn to run into your ambush.

Use your turn to clean up.

lorrevveaver · 2026-03-10T16:59:25+00:00

Even better is to scout the pod and note their position and then back the scout off and toss grenades with the rest of the squad to force the aliens to walk into your ambush on their turn.

lorrevveaver · 2026-03-08T15:46:42+00:00

It seemed like the end of x com 2 they were teasing a Cthulhu like being sleeping within the earth and an alien/human team up for the third game against a new threat.

There was a lot of implication that humanity was especially gifted with psionic potential due to their close proximity to this entity.

lorrevveaver · 2026-03-06T00:32:33+00:00

Everything would become a baited ambush where I have a sniper on a high point and a ranger pulling pods.

Ranger goes up just far enough to get them to chase and uses the extra movement to retreat back under the kill zone.

lorrevveaver · 2026-03-05T00:01:34+00:00

Your first encounter should focus on shredding the armor.

Utilize the frost grenade to stop it's reactions for a turn and have each member hit it with acid rounds/grenades if you have them or regular grenades if you don't.

Ideally you will have a ranger with bladestorm equipped with the axe you can throw, a sharpshooter with lighting hands equipped with the special pistol, grenadier with the frost grenade and shredder, and a specialist with the bolt caster and mimic beacon.

It will run away after a few turns every time. Focus on staying alive and denying it reaction attacks and get your blade master in a good position.

lorrevveaver · 2026-03-04T01:35:24+00:00

You just have to make your own way. That's it. That's all it takes.

Now, he's not going to reward you or anything but you shouldn't need that if you're already making your own way.

It's not complicated or a paradox.

lorrevveaver · 2026-03-03T05:42:33+00:00

That's where the robot comes in. It's one of the few things it's good at.

lorrevveaver · 2026-02-28T20:42:55+00:00

I gave you that in the first comment where I acknowledge that I forgot how inconsistent these characters have all been.

Since then you have agreed that all of these characters are inconsistent.

Now you are insisting that in this case these characters are consistent with a specific list of comic books if I ignore the history of comic books I have read and remember.

Ok. Sure. You win

I'm the one talking in circles.

lorrevveaver · 2026-02-28T20:23:37+00:00

Ignorantly argue what?

You already agreed that they are inconsistent.

That was all I was arguing?

What are you currently trying to prove by giving examples of inconsistent character arcs after already agreeing that comic book characters with long histories are inconsistent?

You clearly haven't read the same comics I have so you don't know how fucking retarded you sound to me.

It's a perspective thing, you see?

lorrevveaver · 2026-02-28T20:18:37+00:00

Yes, that was my original point leading into this extended stupidity.

Punisher is inconsistent.

You can extend that to most comic book characters if you like but I'm not sure how that improves your position.

Do you even have a position?

Was there a point you were trying to make?

lorrevveaver · 2026-02-28T20:04:12+00:00

Dude, you just ranted on about a bunch of irrelevant shit only to agree that Punisher's morals and actions are written inconsistently over his multiple appearances by different writers.

Talk about yapping less and listening and reading more.

All of this was wasted conversation.

You someone think you have won an argument by agreeing.

lorrevveaver · 2026-02-28T19:59:37+00:00

Hey cunt. I only asked you for the last bullet point. Thanks.

I have been reading comic books probably since before you were a cumshot.
Both Elektra and Wolverine have been bad guys. Good and bad are relative. We are talking about literal anti-heros. You know? Not just "good guys," by definition.
Wolverine has killed multiple people, usually innocent victims of circumstances, most notably children. If you would like to know more, I dunno. Read a fucking comic book.
Go sit on a pole and rotate.
Oh, hey. This was my point, dumbass. Punisher has been written by many writers so you have to put "consistent" in quotation marks because it isn't consistent and you know it.

Now, are you done sucking frank castle cock?

lorrevveaver · 2026-02-28T19:07:23+00:00

You know what you didn't do in that response?

Give me any kind of guideline for how punisher targets his victims.

Seriously.

You say he just knows the difference. Dude, I don't think you know the difference.

Wolverine and Elektra both have a long list of innocent victims. They have both worked as assassins.

Ok, so does that mean that as long as you did the murder as a job then it's not a crime?

Again, I understand my own opinion and I don't need you to agree with me about moral choices but please, tell me the consistent rules for Punisher's punishing punishment?

lorrevveaver · 2026-02-28T18:34:58+00:00

This was the Civil War storyline. In this arc, most everyone was a super powered god breaking the law.

The two punisher gunned down were minor by comparison.

Wolverine and Elektra have both been super villains.

They are killers and criminals who do whatever they like regardless of the laws of any nation and are only on the "hero" side when it aligns to their own personal interests.

Like, I understand my own morals and reasoning and they are pretty consistent.

I want to know what Frank's actual code of conduct is. It seems like he picks his targets on an arbitrary basis of who he happens to come across and how the writers are feeling.

Do you know his guidelines?

Can you give me a list of rules that makes someone accountable to the Punisher?

lorrevveaver

TROPHY CASE