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<div>So we've had rules for [[First Founding|the Legions]], the [[Primarch]]s, and the [[Mechanicus|Mechanicum]]. It was only a matter of time until the [[Custodian Guard|Emprah's BFFs]] and the [[Sisters of Silence|premium in anti-psyker units]] got rules, and here they are. FAQ updated them to be alliable, they count as Agents of The Emperor. Do note that these rules for the Talons of the Emperor are only for the Horus Heresy (30k) game, if you're interested in the 40k tactics, you can find the [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Sisters of Silence|Sisters of Silence tactics here,]] [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Adeptus Custodes (8E)|and the Adeptus Custodes tactics here.]]<br />
<br />
==Why play Talons of the Emperor==<br />
There are a number of reasons for playing this army.<br />
*Because you like gold<br />
*Because you like Eagles<br />
*Because you like Eagles made out of gold<br />
*Because the Emperor was right all along<br />
*Because [[Erebus]] can fuck a cactus<br />
*Because you want to take [[Emperor's Children|Phoenix Terminators]] with a half-Primarch statline as troops<br />
*Because you hate Psykers harder than [[Space Wolves|any furry]] can ever hope to imagine<br />
*Because one day you will be able to take the EMPRAH as a LoW<br />
*Because being Agents of the Emperor (per new rulebook) you can ally with any and all Loyalists as Sworn Bros<br />
<br />
==Special Rules==<br />
===Custodes===<br />
*'''Preternatural Skill''': If the majority of enemy models have equal or less Weapon Skill compared to yours when fighting in assault, you get +1I. ''(Though consider Thousand Sons' Khenetai Cabal being the only squad with potential WS6, and things that drop your WS)'' you might as well assume you're always I6 with most of your troops, unless you're facing a lone HQ model.''<br />
*'''The Sodality''': A Custodian's unit coherency range is 3" and they always use their usual LD for regrouping. ''Representing how the Banana Custards fight as individuals rather than a squad in the lore. Use the 3" to better control the battlefield and reduce the effectiveness of Blast weapons (since a 3" blast will only touch more than one Custodes when perfectly centered between two of them, at maximum coherency).''<br />
*'''Inviolable Psyche''': Forgeworld dancing around ATSKNF again, you are immune to Fear and Pinning and ignore all penalties when taking Morale Checks, meaning it's Stubborn 2.0, and re-roll Deny the Witch rolls. ''However, it does mean you CAN break as a result of bad combat, and you CAN be utterly wiped out. Not that that would happen often, but still.''<br />
*'''Bulky''': Not a rule specific to the Custodes, but they all have it.<br />
*'''Character''': Always remember that ALL Custodes are Characters. That means they can issue and accept challenges, but also benefit from Look Out, Sir. ''With some lucky rolls and a good positioning, this can really help your guys survive hails of plasma fire and assaults, especially if you have a lot of Solarite gauntlets.''<br />
*'''Crusader''': Like Bulky, almost all Custodes have it. ''Quite powerful since your Custodians usually have better Initiative than most 30k units.''<br />
<br />
===Sisters of Silence===<br />
*'''Psychic Anathema''': The core defining feature of the Sisters of Silence, this is how they fuck up psykers all twenty ways from Sunday. They're immune to any psychic powers targeting them and ignores any Telepathy Blessings that would negatively affect them, because fuck invisibility cheese (you can still be raped by Biomancy user, for example, so pick your targets). Anyone within 12" takes -1 Ld (-2 if they're psykers, though anyone with Fearless is immune) while allies can re-roll Deny tests, but any Daemons in range take -1 to Toughness while Daemon vehicles take +1 to Pen. Anyone within that range that tries to use a power now needs to roll 1 higher to successfully manifest, raised to 2 higher if they're in B2B (So if they're against Magnus, he has to roll 4+ to use a power when in range, while needing 5+ when in combat).<br />
*'''Ex Oblivio''': Another deadly null power for the Sisters, but only for the most brutal of them. Anyone within 6" can't generate WC dice, and if they want to use a power, they have to test Ld or suffer Perils at a -1 penalty, minimum 1. ''This means they can't roll a 6 for warp surge and are twice as likely to roll a one''.<br />
*'''Fanatical Discipline''': Sisters are Fearless and Hate Psykers. Blah.<br />
*'''Company-Cadres''': The organization of the Sisters. For every three non-HQs they bring, they need an HQ choice. If they have an HQ choice, every Sister model in the detachment gains Infiltrate, Crusader, Stealth, or +1 to Combat Resolution.<br />
<br />
==Special Equipment==<br />
===Ranged Weapons===<br />
*'''Adrathic Weapons''': Yet another super special Terran-only weapon, these are proper disintegrators. As a rule, they will make Mechanicum players cry, also they are all AP2 with Instant Death, Armorbane, and Gets Hot.<br />
**'''Adrathic Destructor''': 12" S5 AP2 Assault 1: By far the most 'common', available in some form or another on most infantry models.<br />
**'''Adrathic Devastator''': 18" S6 AP2 Heavy 2: Dickbike and Pallas upgrade.<br />
**'''Adrathic Exterminator''': 36" S6 AP2 Heavy 1, 3" Blast: Not yet used on any model, but it's only a matter of time. If they remember this exists. It isn't on the Telemon or the Orion. So it's now a shot in the dark if the Exterminator will be used at all.<br />
*'''Adrastus Bolt Caliver''': 30" Heavy 3 Heavy Bolter with a Disintegration Beam (Adrathic destructor possibly with beam special rule--need FAQ!) welded onto it. Distinctly stated as being two functional weapons with unlimited uses, but only one can be used a turn.<br />
*'''Lastrum Bolt Weapons''': The Caladus' fixed mounts have turned into the Custodes' most prevalent vehicle mount. All weapons have '''Heliothermic Detonation''', so anybody that takes ''one or more'' unsaved wounds and ''is not slain'' has to make a Toughness roll or get '''Instant Death''' (or +1 to penetration damage table if a vehicle).<br />
**'''Lastrum Storm Bolter''': 24" S5 AP4; only used by Aquilon Terminators and the Contemptor-Achillus.<br />
**'''Lastrum Bolt Cannon''': 36" S6 AP3 Heavy 3; used on the Caladus, Coronus, and (assuming a typo) the Dickbikes.<br />
**'''Iliastus Accelerator Cannon''': 60" S7 AP2 Heavy 3, Rending, Rapid Tracking (ignores Jink saves).<br />
***Heliothermic Detonation is mostly relevant against models with a lot of Wounds. Because all models in a unit that are firing the same weapon shoot at the same time, it doesn't matter if said unit is firing one or a thousand Lastrum shells : the rule will only be triggered once against the last wounded model after all the others have been killed normaly. This greatly mitigates the efficiency of Lastrum weaponry against squads of multi-wounded models, but killing an extra bastard is always a good thing nevertheless.<br />
*'''Infernus Weapons''': The Custodes super flamers. Only two versions, and they're both Heavy 1, but who gives a shit when they're S6!<br />
**'''Infernus Firepike''': S6 AP6 Heavy 1, Torrent; only used by Aquilon Terminators.<br />
**'''Infernus Incinerator''': S6 AP4 Heavy 1; used on the Contemptors, either as a replacement for the Storm Bolters or in the Galatus Warblade.<br />
*'''Proteus Las-Lance''': 24" S7 AP2 Heavy 2, Lance; like the Adrathic Exterminator, it is not yet used on any model, come again later.<br />
*'''Corve Las-Pulsar''': 36" S9 AP2 Heavy D3: Upgrade for the Agamatus jetbikes and found as part of the Contemptor-Achillus's Dreadspear, and most of the reason for it's 40 point upgrade cost. The Pulsar is one of the few weapons that Custodes have as a counterpart to Lascannons. So you will need it.<br />
*'''Arachnus Blaze Weapons''': Bastard offspring of Multi-lasers and Lascannons, they have two firing modes. One is Burst for infantry shredding, the other is Concentrated for Vehicle killing with AP1 and '''Exoshock''', which gives you an automatic '''second''' Penetrating hit which ignores cover saves on a 4+ after you score one (so you roll to hit, roll to penetrate, enemy rolls invulnerable/cover, and only then...)<br />
**'''Arachnus Blaze Cannon''': S6 AP5 Heavy Bolter, '''or''' 48" S8AP1 Heavy 1, Exoshock: In all honesty, the Burst mode is rather shitty, but Concentrated is essentially a Lascannon with nasty special rules.<br />
**'''Arachnus Storm Cannon''': 48" S7 AP3 Heavy 7, '''or''' 72" S9 AP1 Heavy 2, Exoshock: the Telemon's big Gatling gun and perhaps the most versatile of the Arachnus weapons. This is a must take if you are facing armies with a large amount of vehicles.<br />
**'''Arachnus Heavy Blaze Cannon''': 48" S8 AP3 Heavy 4, '''or''' 72" S10 AP1 Heavy 1, Exoshock: Optional turret replacement for the Caladus, enjoy IDing MEQs.<br />
*'''Psyk-Out Weaponry''': Available as grenades with 8" range, in grenade launchers with 24", or in missiles with 48", each of them has Strength 2, Blast 3 and Psi-Shock, which forces Psykers to suffer perils.<br />
*'''Stake Crossbow''': A 24" S5 AP- crossbow with Rapid Fire and Psi-shock<br />
*'''Needle Weapons''': S2 AP5 weapons with Rending and Poisoned 4+.<br />
**'''Needle Pistol''': 12" Pistol.<br />
**'''Assault Needler''': 18" Assault 2.<br />
*'''Snare Gun''': A 12" Assault 1 Pinning weapon. If it hits, it inflicts d3 hits, each of them requiring a Strength test to resist taking an unsavable wound (though Invulns work). Just don't expect Superheavies to listen to this. Hurray, the Rogue Trader Webber has finally made a return!<br />
*'''Hellion Pattern Heavy Cannon Array''': So far exclusive to the Sisters of Silence Kharon Pattern Acquistor. It's basically two Autocannons with halved range, Twin-Linked and Pinning.<br />
*'''Proteus Plasma Projector''': One of the few actual Plasma weapons that TOTE get besides Plasma pistols. It is currently exclusive to the Telemon Dreadnought. This is an Assault 1, Template weapon with Strength 5, and Ap2. Making it a decent weapon for roasting TEQs and anything else with inadequate saves. Forgeworld should have given Sagittarum Guard squads the Projector as an upgrade option to make them useful.<br />
*'''Spiculus Bolt Launchers''': Vehicle only Bolt weapons introduced in datasheets for Telemon Dreadnought and the Orion Dropship. As if Forge World is already working on the next red book.<br />
**'''Spiculus launcher''': The basic version. It's profile is Heavy 5, Range 48",Str5, AP5, with Rending and the Volley Fire rules. Volley Fire allows the weapon to fire twice if the bearer doesn't move. Making it a counter for Flyers, blobs and a decent fallow up against anything that somehow survives the deadly firepower that said vehicle will already have. <br />
**'''Spiculus Heavy Bolt Launcher''': It is Str7, Heavy 3 and loses Volley Fire. Lowering the amount of Dakka it will spew out despite the improved strenght. Not much of a downside if taken in pairs in the case of the Orion. Otherwise not worth it.<br />
<br />
===Melee Weapons===<br />
*'''Custodes Spears''': Made of two parts, the power blade is AP2 +1S on the charge, and reverts to a specialist power sword afterwards. Every time you roll a 6 to hit with it, you get another attack, but those extra attacks can't generate any more. The second part depends on the spear.<br />
**'''Adrasite Spear''': It has an Adrathic Destructor, which was 12" S5 AP2 Assault 1, Instant Death, Armorbane, and Gets Hot. Short range and nasty.<br />
**'''Guardian Spear''': Attached with a 18" S4 AP4 Assault 2 bolt weapon. Pretty good on anything short of an MEQ, but not great.<br />
**'''Pyrithite Spear''': Attached with a 6" S8 AP1 Melta, essentially an inferno pistol. Okay for busting light vehicles or TEQs, but 3" melta range can hurt, but it's not like you weren't planning on charging at that range anyways.<br />
**'''Paragon Spear''': AP2 '''+2S''' on the charge (reverts to AP2 +1S when not charging, like a Paragon Blade), rather than +1, and 6s to wound always inflict Instant Death, but 6s to hit get another attack, as it is a spear. The attachment is an 18" S5 AP3 Assault 2 bolter.<br />
*'''Misericordia''': [[Fail|No entry in the book]], thank you FW. Fluff-wise it is the long dagger the Custodes carry as the sign of their right of life and death in the Emperor's name, so we can assume it to be a close-combat weapon of some sort since all Custodes without an actual CCW have one instead. Maybe it has some special rules, maybe not. Just wait for the FAQ.<br />
*'''Paragon Blade''': Specialist +1S AP2 that inflicts Instant Death on a wound roll of 6, but you want a Paragon Spear more.<br />
*'''Plasma Grenades''': Rare enough to mention here, they are assault grenades that can be thrown as S4 AP4 instead of S3 AP-.<br />
*'''Sentinel Warblade''': A Specialist Power Sword with Rending. In addition, it's got an inbuilt 12" Storm Bolter that snap fires at BS2. As it exists now, it's almost entirely inferior to the Guardian Spear except when snap shooting (including overwatch), unless you're planning on using Rending to even out long assaults with high toughness models, or you need to crack open AV11+ and you can't get enough Custodes stuck in to use their Krak Grenades (a lucky rend with this sword can glance a Land Raider, though [[MathHammer]] doesn't favor your odds). But, the Sentinel Warblade does work better with the Praesidium Shield, so taking models with this is a legitimate trade of punching power for defense.<br />
*'''Solarite power gauntlet''': AP1 mastercrafted power fist, same as Imperial Fists. However, you are Custodes, so your punches are now railguns.<br />
*'''Solarite power talon''': +1S, master crafted lightning claw.<br />
====Sisters of Silence Melee Weapons====<br />
*'''Proteus Neuro-Lash:''' Flails and sectioned staves known for causing agonizing pain. Each is a two-handed melee weapon with S+1 but AP-. What they also get is the ability to hit anyone within 3" as opposed to just hitting one unit. In addition, for every hit they make, they roll a d6, with a 3+ meaning they can deliver an additional attack with Poisoned 4+ at AP-. These aren't gonna kill a marine any time soon, but Daemons will rue fucking with these ladies.<br />
*'''Execution Blade''': Essentially Charnabal Sabres with more fancy. They're Two-Handed S+1 AP3 weapons with Duelist's Edge (+1 Initiative in a challenge) and Flawless Cut (a 5+ to hit counts as AP2)<br />
<br />
===Equipment===<br />
*'''Arae-shrikes''': Enemy units deep striking within 12" of a model with this wargear suffer perils on a 4+, including models that ignore the effects of mishap. In addition, barrage weapons targeting models with this wargear add 1D6 to their scatter and pick the 2 highest results, although a hit still remains a hit.<br />
*'''Aquilon pattern Terminator Armour''' is super Cataphractii armour with Hammer of Wrath and pseudo-relentless. They can't Run, but they can make Sweeping Advances and fire Overwatch.<br />
*'''Custodian Armour''': Artificer Armour and ''Move Through Cover'' rolled into one pimping banana suit. ''Makes footslogging and charging across difficult terrain a bit more reliable and basically means your Agamatus jetbikers can move everywhere confidently.''<br />
*'''Praesidium Shield''': Lets you reroll invulns and your opponents suffer -1 to Hit on every attack targeting the wielder in close combat. A Praesidium Shield precludes two-handed weapons, the +1A for 2 CCW, and the bonus for charging with a spear (this includes the Paragon Spear).<br />
*'''Magisterium Vexilla''': A unit with this wargear can reroll failed leadership checks and gains the ''Fear'' special rule. In addition, all units within 12" add 1 to combat resolution at the end of the phase. ''TAKE IT. The vexilla compensates for the lack of Fearless and may give you the edge when charging with Guardian spears. Fear may be especially useful if you're fielding Sisters of Silence alongside your Custodes.''<br />
*'''Teleportation Transponder''': Already known to Imperial Fists and Night Lords, this model's entire unit can deep strike.<br />
====Sisters of Silence Equipment====<br />
*'''Vratine Armour''': The armor of the Sisters of Silence and symbol of their oath to kill witches...otherwise known as Power Armor.<br />
<br />
==Unit Analysis==<br />
===HQ===<br />
*'''Legio Custodes Shield Captain''': A <s>holy</s> [[Imperial Truth|honest]] rape machine, fit to take on a [[Chaos Lord]], a [[Chapter Master]] and a [[Warboss]] simultaneously and come out on top. His statline comes with all the best bits of a Chapter Master and a Custodes and gear better than both, he can take the all powerful Paragon Spear, and combine it with a Praesidium shield, Digital lasers, Iron Halo and a Cyber-Familiar for [[Cheese|6 S6 AP2 attacks which generate additional attacks on 6s to hit and Instant Death on 6s to wound at I6 and a rerollable 3++ in close combat with -1 to Hit malus for your adversary if they specifically target your golden dude]]. Or you can drop the Paragon Spear and go for a Solarite gauntlet for [[Rape|6 S10 AP1 master-crafted I1 attacks]] (don't forget the Praesidium shield means you don't get a bonus attack for 2 CCWs, even though the Solarite gauntlet isn't a specialist weapon and the shield captain comes with a basic ccw). And everything in between, the rape train has no brakes.<br />
**'''Tribune''': Ooooh FW, what have you done... Here is Mr. Cheestodes, the deadliest, most broken, stupidly OP as fuck generic character in the ENTIRE GAME. No really, this guy is the very definition of mindless rape, Slaanesh him/herself is fucking ashamed. Same as above except you get ''Eternal Warrior'' and ''Fearless'', y'know, in case you wanted to add an [[Archon]] and an [[Necron Overlord|Overlord]] to the stuff you can take on at once. At a price of [[Rage|25 more points]]. However, you can only take him in a <u>detachment</u> of 2000 points or more, so you're not likely going to see him in an allied force. unless you are playing HUGE games. Also, if he's in the Primary detachment he has to be the warlord ''(unless Valdor, Krole, or [[What|Emps]] are present)'', but he is able to choose his warlord trait. Needless to say, some warlord traits can be really, really good for your guys. Strategic Genius can be useful since almost all your Custodes have access to deep strike, and Master of Ambush is priceless when your cheapest transport is 135 points for a capability of only 6.<br />
*'''Sisters of Silence Oblivion Knight-Centura''': Surprisingly has mostly ordinary human stats with WS5 BS4 I5 and Ld9, she's essentially the budget HQ at 75. She's not barebones however, as she grabs Artificer Armor with a 4+ Invuln that ups to 3+ against Blasts and Templates. She has a bolt pistol, Execution Blade, and Frag, Krak, and Psyk-out grenades, while she has the Cadre rules, Ex Oblivio, and Precision Strikes. Her melee weapon can be exchanged for a power axe (don't), a Neuro-Lash (not for Marines), or a Paragon Blade (if you just want to maul 2+ saves with a chance at ID), while her pistol can be exchanged for a hand-flamer, a plasma pistol, a needle pistol, or an archaeotech pistol - and for 10 points, any of these weapons can be Master Crafted.<br />
*'''Sisters of Silence Excruciatus Cadre''': Something akin to a command squad, this is a squad of WS4 BS4 I4 Ld9 ladies with tools, with the Silent Judge having 2 wounds. They all hate Daemons and Psykers, get Fanatic Discipline, Night Vision, the Cadre rules (forcing them to be the mandatory HQ if the detachment is less than 500 pts, meaning they eat up at least 1/5 of the budget by themselves), and the ability to make their melee attacks ID. The Questorae only get CCWs, Bolt Pistols, Assault Needlers, and grenades alongside their armor and ''Spectra-vestments'' which force anyone to take -1 BS to hit them, while the Silent Judge adds a refractor, a Needle Pistol, a Nuncio-Vox, and a power weapon. A Questora can buy the Ardrathic Destructor, while any of them can exchange their guns for Needle Pistols or Stake Crossbows for free or buy a Snare Gun or a Flamer with a one-use boost to make them S6, and each can replace their CCW for a Charnabal Sabre or a power weapon. The Judge can swap her melee weapon for a Neuro-Lash, the Execution Blade, or a fist, while her gun can be exchanged for a Stake-Crossbow, hand flamer, plasma pistol, or a second needle pistol.<br />
<br />
====Special Characters====<br />
*'''Constantin Valdor''': The Captain-General of the Legio Custodes and [[Malcador|second]] best bro of the [[Emperor]] takes to the field. With his near-primarch statline he is a CC beast, with 5s across the board plus WS7, I6, Ld10, and 2+ save. He also has the ever rare Eternal Warrior, as well as Crusader, Fearless, and Counter-Attack. In terms of wargear he has the '''Apollonian Spear''', a +1s (+2 on the charge) AP2 guardian spear, with the <s>GODLY</s> MANLY ''Molecular Severance'' rule: any to-wound rolls of 4+ cause instant death or an automatic penetrating hit regardless of AV or T. In addition, [[Sigismund|successful invulnerable saves against wounds caused by this weapon]] must be rerolled! Oh, and it comes with an attached 18" S5 AP2 Assault 2 ''Concussive'' bolter on top! He also has lots of other gear: An Iron Halo, plasma & krak grenades, Arae-shrike, Misericordia (whatever that does), digital lasers, and custodian armour. His warlord trait allows him to re-roll Seize the Initiative, and any Legio custodes unit (including himself, and possibly Dreads depending on how you interpret 'Legio Custodes units'. Nope, GW confirmed that you cannot use Valdor to teleport dreadnoughts, it only applies to units which can take teleport-transponders) can take teleportation transponders at no extra cost. All that for just 275 points.<br />
**This guy is your ultimate golden Swiss Army Knife. Even if he is not a good match for most of the Primarchs - let's not even talk about motherfucking [[Anacharis Scoria]] - he can fuck with a wider variety of things than most of them for a far cheaper price. Six S6 attacks (Seven at S7 on the charge, remember 30k Digital Lasers are +1A and the average to hit roll increases this to 7/8 attacks respectively thanks to Lightning Blow) are great against big squads, while Molecular Severance allows him to deal with any vehicle from cardbox-made Raiders from Spartans and will ruin the day of any character or multi-wound unit crossing his path. Do note that his Sigismund-ish shenanigan works ANYTIME, not just in challenge, so you can slaughter MC or even GC with your shiny spear.<br />
**[[That guy|Some people]] may ask why you would ever take good ol' Valdor rather than the already infamous Tribune (you know, the guy who can stomp Spartans, Primarchs and Scoria for the same price). Firstly, you don't want to be beaten to death by your opponent IRL. Secondly, Valdor is more versatile than the Tribune, butchering hordes, TEQs and tanks alike without sacrificing his I6. He's better at dishing out the hurt, just not as good at taking it. The possibility to '''deep-strike almost all your army for free''' is something unique in 30k and may be <s>a gift from the gods</s> {{BLAM}} '{{BLAM|THERE ARE NO SUCH THINGS AS GODS YOU FOOLISH <s>HERETIC</s>}} {{BLAM}} {{BLAM|THERE IS NO DOGMA AND THEREFORE NO HERESY, NONCOMPLIANT SCUM!}} a welcome alternative if you don't want to buy some Coronus. Last thing is, you can only take the Tribune if your Detachment is over 2000 points, so Valdor is the only way to get a Custodes HQ with Fearless and Eternal Warrior if you play smaller games. And since you are probably spending a lot of points on your Shield Captain's wargear anyway, you should consider taking the golden boss instead.<br />
*** A generic Tribune is a better bet if you are specifically picking an HQ to get into a headbutting contest with a primarch, but that's a bad use of your points just like it is in a Legion army. It's nice to think about your HQ punching out the enemy big bad, but unless one of you rolls super-badly then you're just going to get locked in combat for the whole game and you won't win anything playing like that. And you might end up playing against a real motherfucker like Horus who will slam his dick so far up your ass that you deep throat him from the other end and then you'll be a sad little custodian because your big beatstick isn't quite as boss as you thought. That doesn't mean that Valdor is just straight up better, it just means you need a better battle plan than hoping your golden-clad codpiece is bigger than your enemies. Take the HQ that helps your plan. <br />
**If you take 55 custodes in your army and decide to have them all deepstrike, you can take Valdor for the low, low price of your warlord trait.<br />
<br />
*'''Jenetia Krole''': Knight-Commander of the Sisters of Silence. She's got 3's across the board with WS6, BS4, I5 A4 and Ld10. On top of Psychic Anathema, she also has Ex Oblivio, Fanatic Discipline, Rage, Preferred Enemy against Psykers and Characters, Cadre rules, Eternal Warrior, and the option to upgrade an Oblivion Knight Cadre to her elite Raptor Guard, which costs 20 points to make them WS5. For gear, she has Artificer Armor with the invuln seen on the Knight-Centura, an Archaeotech Pistol, grenades, and the '''Sword of Oblivion''': a super-Execution Blade with S+2 AP2 with 5+ Murderous Strike instead of Flawless Cut. This all makes her <s>close to a match</s> a challenge beast against any Marine HQs without Eternal Warrior, and more than a match against Daemons. Her Warlord Trait lets her re-roll Seize the Initiative and grants d3 units Scout.<br />
<br />
===Elites===<br />
*'''Legio Custodes Hetaeron Guard Squad''': The Emperor's [[Companion|Companions]], [[Mary Sue|the best]] of [[Adeptus Custodes|the best]] of [[Imperium|the best]]. At 70 points per model they look REALLY expensive, but they're probably the best infantry unit in the game, bar none. So they have the same stat line as normal Custodes but with 3W and 3A. their special rules are the same as normal Custodes as well but they get ''counter attack''. They can all take a Praesidium shield, melta bombs, Arae-shrikes, and Teleporters, and any member of the squad can replace their spears with any melee weapon other than a Paragon Spear, but you can have Paragon '''blades''' for some nice AP2 at Initiative (probably [[Fail|another typo from FW]], just wait for a FAQ). One of the squad without a shielded may replace their guardian spear with the vexilla and either a MC power weapon or a sentinel warblade.<br />
**So, super Custodes with '''S6 AP2 attacks at I5 (I6 if your opponent is WS:5 or below!), re-rollable 5++ and hit on a 5+ by most units in the game''' ? Yep. Unless your opponent has something capable of insta-killing them, the Hetaeron are a real step above your other Custodes, so do not dismiss them because of their high price. Depending on the loadout, a Hetaeron can be as deadly as an Aquilon and more than twice as durable in CC for just +20 points, while remaining more flexible. Mixing Paragon blades and Solarite gauntlets in a squad allows you to mince EVERYTHING you could fight against without being stuck at Initiative 1 and still getting some Instant Death attacks thanks to Murderous Strike. Find some psyker ally with Endurance or Invisibility and you are basically unkillable in assault. <br />
**Again, remember you can reallocate some wounds on a 4+ thanks to Look Out, Sir!, so having 3W is a real advantage over your other Custodes. When one model is worth almost 100 points, that's definitely something you MUST NOT forget.<br />
*'''Legio Custodes Aquilon Terminator Squad''': Custodes with Terminator Armor. How terrifying. Each of them is 75 points a model, and at with 5s on every stat save W2 A3 and Ld9, they're absolutely not slouches. Aquilon Terminator Armour affords 4++, Hammer of Wrath and Pseudo-relentless. In addition, they are able to fire Overwatch and Sweeping Advance, but cannot run. Say hello to Super Cataphractii armour. Each Aquilon Terminator has Crusader, a Lastrum Storm Bolter, a Solarite Gauntlet, and a Misericordia, and each can exchange the gauntlet for a Solarite Power Talon or exchange their guns for a TL Ardrathic Destructor or Infernus Firepike. Each can also buy a Teleport Transponder and Arae-Shrikes. <br />
**While costly (especially with special weapons), they can do the job if you use them correctly. They are the Custodes' answer against vehicles and Astartes multi-wound special units, since they can one-shot Justaerin, Firedrakes and Gal Vorbak while giving no fucks about Power Fist/Thunderhammer instakill (beware for shenanigans, like Rad Grenades, Rad Furnaces, Rad-Phage etc). Firepikes are also you best friends against hordes, something useful since tarpits are the bane of your Cutodes.<br />
**The Firepike is arguably the best choice against most infantry units as long as you get at least 4 hits with the template. The Adrathic destructor may sound nice for TEQ-hunting, but ONE S5 AP2 shot is not that great since most TEQ in 30k are Terminators with an invulnerable save. Take it for one-shooting multi-wound models but otherwise go for the Infernus. The Lastrum is only top-tier against models with T3 and a 4+, so you should keep it when facing Solar Auxilia - remember that Void Hardened armours make the Infernus firepikes almost useless.<br />
**Worth noting that the standard Solarite Power Gauntlet is NOT a specialist weapon. Whilst we do not have the profile for the Misericordia, it is safe to assume it is a CCW (check the Shield Captains profile in book 7! But RAW it is not, discuss that with your opponent before the game). If this is indeed the case, then the Aquilon terminators can throw out a surprising number of attacks. '''On the charge, that's 3 base, +1 for the charge, and +1 for multiple bashing weapons for a total of 5 attacks each'''. With Mastercrafted. At AP1. Therefore, given that the Talon is a specialist weapon, you will be sacrificing both strength and an extra attack for initiative in combat...an interesting thing to mull over, until a FAQ is finalized for this book.<br />
**'''Aquilons do not have Implacable Advance''' like the basic Legion Astartes Terminators get. So they won't be able to contest the objective even if they crack open a Spartan Deathstar. One of the four Talons of the Emperor troops choices are what you use to babysit objectives.<br />
** These guys are worse than both Sentinels (as those cost less while having same survivability as rerollable 5++ is same as 4++, and can be tailored toward punching big targets with Solarites with almost no loss of efficiency as Misericordia does absolutely nothing now) & Hetaerons (+1 wound, better equipment & almost the same guns.) On the other hand they are, curiously, the most effective anti-horde option Custodes have - Infernus Firepikes AP may be shit, but they have great range due to Torrent and wound Space Marines on 2+ while bringing ID on Cultist blobs, so pile up those Armor Saves!<br />
*'''Legio Custodes Contemptor-Achillus Dreadnought''': The fanciest, goldiest, and potentially deadliest non-boxiest dreadnought to ever be seen. It's got WS6 and BS5, an AV of 13/13/11, and hits at I5, meaning he'll more than match any marines on the field. He also has a Refractor Field instead of the basic Atomantic Reactor Contemptors use and comes stock with Extra Armor. For weapons, he starts with two Dread CCWs with Lastrum Storm Bolters, but he can buy the Dreadspear, a S10 AP2 MC weapon that '''turns ALL hits into S:Destroyer if he rolls a single 6 to hit''' AND has a Corvae Las-Pulser bolted on top. In addition, he can replace his Lastrum Storm Bolters with either TL Adrathic Destructors or Infernus Incinerators for a small fee.<br />
**Do note the Dreadspear is not two-handed, and nothing is specified about the bonus attacks for every CCW after the first walkers get being included in the profile, so you may get [[Cheese|7 Destroyer attacks on the charge]] (4 base + 2 for three CCW + 1 for the charge). <sup>See page 91 of the BRB.</sup><br />
** Some players think Dreadspear's special rule is a typo, and that it works akin to Lightning Blows, Murderous Strike, etc - only 1 D hit per 1 6 on To Hit roll. RAW it is not, but, well, [[Forgeworld]]...<br />
*'''Sisters of Silence Oblivion Knight Cadre''': The Elite among the Sisters of Silence, each comes with Ex Oblivio, Fanatic Discipline, and Precision Strikes. Each comes with Vratine Armor, cloaks that grant a 6++ Invuln or a 4++ against Templates and Blasts, Execution Blades, grenades, and Bolt Pistols. Everyone can replace their blades for Power Axes while the sergeant can buy a Neuro-Lash and replace her pistol with a Needle-Pistol, a Plasma Pistol, or a Hand Flamer.<br />
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===Troops===<br />
*'''Custodian Guard Squad''': Think Terminators, but with all the 4s in their statline replaced with 5s (so yes, you can strike at Initiative 6 thanks to Preternatural Skill), with situational AP2 at initiative weapons, something that most Space marines (outside of Praetors or Emperor's Children) would never get. They can take the usual Arae-shrikes, Teleportation Transponders and Melta Bombs as upgrades for the whole squad, any Custodian can replace its Guardian spear by an Adrasite or Pyrithite spear and one can take a Magisterium vexilla with a master-craft power weapon or a Sentinel blade instead. They do pay for the high degrees of kickassitude they bring to the table, most notably with actual points and they are liable to get shot down before doing anything if you don't take a Coronus, though '''with 2 wounds each and a 2+ 5++''' they might pull though. With '''3 S6 AP2 attacks per Custodian on the charge''' and the buff from Crusader and a vexilla Magisterium, they have decent chances to win the first round of close combat with a good margin before AP3 becomes a problem, so make sure the situational nature of their AP2 isn't going to get them killed.<br />
**Since Custodes pay no extra points for the base squad, it may be worth deploying a lot of small squads rather than big pseudo-deathstars if you expect a lot of 2+. AP3 and only 2 attacks by Custodian are trash if you get charged by TEQs with AP2, even if you outnumber them, so you REALLY don't want to see your 10-man squad rammed by 5 angry Tartaros with power fists. While they are more vulnerable to Moral tests if they take too many casualties, small units are also more adaptable : keep a couple of them close so you can charge with all your dudes when the opportunity presents itself without risking [[Rage|losing 550 points all at once]].<br />
**Before bitching about your ultimate elite warriors being butchered by "mere" Terminators because of your shitty AP3, remember these guys are only ''basic Custodes'' and remain rather violent in close combat against anything else. Mathammer-wise, even a three-man squad of Custodians can withstand the charge of 20 World Eaters tactical Legionnaries with 2 CCW ''and win''. Anything with 2+ save and AP2 will quickly have the upper hand on your golden bananas if the fight turns into attrition warfare, but otherwise you may be able to murder MEQs or at least keep them locked until reinforcements arrive.<br />
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*'''Sentinel Guard Squad''': As Custodians armed with sword and board, they are somewhat less killy than their spear-wielding counterparts, but are more defensive thanks to their Praesidium shields. These are best used to guard your squishier Custodians, so they don't get wiped when they get charged by a squad with 2+ saves as your improved Invuls allow Sentinels to stick around long enough for rending to enter the equation. It's also worth noting that these guys can theoritecally deal with vehicles thanks to their rending swords, but don't expect too much from them. Anyway, you can replace your Sentinel blades with Solerite gauntlets and talons for more flexibility. <br />
**While expensive, the Sentinels are the very definition of holding the line, as anything without S10 or Instant Death will take a lot of turns to kill them in CC. For sure, they lack AP2 against TEQs, but they can tank your opponent's most dangerous units, so they are good for preventing a deathstar from rampaging through your army.<br />
**Worth noting that, unlike Custodian Guard, you do actually get a small discount if you run these guys in small numbers (180 for the basic unit of 3, with 65 per model, means you save points if you run small) <br />
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*'''Sisters of Silence Prosecutor Cadre''': Baseline WS4 BS4 I4 Sisters of Silence with bolters (or double bolt pistols) and grenades. They get Fanatic Discipline and can buy a Nuncio-Vox or Breaching Charge.<br />
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*'''Sisters of Silence Vigilator Cadre''': Slightly improved Sisters, they all get an Execution Blade and Pistol. They also have the ability mark a single Infantry unit or Character and they get Preferred Enemy on that one target.<br />
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===Dedicated Transports===<br />
*'''Legio Custodes Coronus Grav-Carrier''': A 13/12/11 4HP fast skimmer with BS5 acts as the Dedicated Transport for Custodes forces. It's equipped with a TL Arachnus Blaze-cannon AND TL Lastrum bolt cannon, a Machine Spirit, and a Flare Shield, while also having Grav-Backwash (-2 to hit in close combat unless immobilized), DS, and Outflank. It can also buy Extra Armor, Armoured Ceramite, and a Searchlight. It's not an assault transport - it's an infantry supporting unit depositing gunboat in ways that a Razorback can only dream of. That thing is also bigger than ''a Spartan'', so Deep Strike with caution.<br />
*'''Sisters of Silence Kharon Pattern Acquistor''': The DT of the Sisters, it's not Custodes-tier hax but it's got lots of weapons and is an ASSAULT VEHICLE. It's only 12/11/10 with BS4. It has a ton of guns however, with missile launchers and the Helion-Pattern Heavy Cannon Array, a super TL-autocannon with S7 AP4 Heavy 4 with Pinning. It also has an Auspex to give Night-Fighting and reduces enemy cover while also having Stealth and the ability to make anyone shooting beyond 12" shoot at -1 BS. The last trick it has is the Capture-Grid, a tank-shock attack that grants d6 S5 HoW attacks before any Death of Glory is counted. Stick any type of sisters with execution blades in it, with a character (even a custodes one, they're the same list), infiltrate the Kharon Acquisitor, charge in, and rip and tear.<br />
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===Fast Attack===<br />
*'''Legio Custodes Pallas Grav-Attack''': A light tank with 12/11/11, but it has a TL Arachnus Blaze Cannon to attack and a Flare Shield and the Grav-Backwash of the Coronus to defend it. It also gets a Machine Spirit, Outflank, and DS, making it best suited to attack from an unexpected angle rather than be an assault weapon.<br />
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*'''Sisters of Silence Pursuer Cadre''': They're Sisters...with pets. For each sister you buy, you also have to buy a Cyber-Jackal, a powerful beast that's actually slightly stronger and tougher than the sisters and equipped with Rage, FNP, a 5+ save and the option to shoot flamers or meltas at BS2 (pick the flamer), or Razortalon Wings, birds that get more attacks at higher Initiative, but can only fight in melee. The birds are a bit cheaper, but the dogs have more utility and punch. The sisters meanwhile benefit from Fleet and Move Through Cover as well as Fanatic Discipline, though the sergeant has a small list of pistols or Charnabal/Power Weapons to use if she's unhappy with the CCW/Bolt Pistol combo.<br />
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*'''Legio Custodes Agamatus Jetbike Squadron''': RIDE THE LIGHTNING ! Custodians on super golden banana jetbikes wielding FUCKHUEG knight-style power lances. It sounds so goddamn metal, it looks goddamn metal, it fights goddamn metal. The Gyrfalcon-pattern jetbike is a jetbike that boosts the rider's Toughness by 1, [[Awesome|making you as tough as a Primarch]] so you can laugh at S10-induced instant death and allows you to re-roll failed charge distances. Your glorious steed of gold and fury comes with cool-looking leather boots and gauntlets (we're not making this up), <strike>an Iliastus</strike> (Alan Bligh confirmed it was a typo) a Lastrum Bolt Cannon and benefit from the slew of Custodes rules in addition to Split Fire and ''Sweeping Fire'', which lets them shoot with each weapon once per shooting phase. If you're not happy with the bolt cannon, the whole squadron can be 'upgraded' with Adrathic Devastators (+5 points) or twin-linked Corvae Las-pulsers (+25 points) as well as getting melta-bombs.<br />
**Move on Boltodes, those guys can do your job better. For just 10 points above the Sagittarum guard, you have a unit that can actually move 12ps, shoot three 36" S6 AP3 and deliver three (four if you assume Misericordia to be CCW) S6 AP3 attacks on the charge, so anything without a 2+ or decent invulnerable save is fucked. If you must deal with something harder, Corvae las-pulsers can ruin the day of any vehicle, TEQ or MC but the price of your squadron is increasing quickly, so just take the Adrathic Devastators if you're not afraid of short range fights. Two S6 Armourbane shots are mathematically better than 1D3 S9 ones and you get Instant Death as a bonus for far cheaper, meaning [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Mechanicum: Taghmata (30k)|T5 or more characters, multi-wound units and Monstruous Creatures]] will shit in their pants too. <br />
** As a smart fa/tg/uy or ca/tg/irl you probably noticed that wording about "upgrading" weapon is unclear, but models '''clearly''' replace it, and Golden Dudes are armed with simple Power Lances, not Custodes Spears. One can safely assume FW initially thought to give riders the latter option and wanted to enable them to shoot both with Spear and Jetbike-mounted weapon with Sweeping Fire, but as it is - enjoy 1 bonus Grenade thrown per shooting phase. If your opponent insists on Jetbikes having 2 weapons even after being shown the actual model, he is a particular bad case of [[rules lawyer]] bordering [[that guy]]. Other rules-lawyers consider that the rule is a broad term that enables the squad to throw a full load of their grenades - plasma, krak, then bolt whatever is left (spoiler: it does not, read the BRB about how to use Grenades then realize Sweeping Fire doesn't let Custodes mitigate "only one grenade per unit per phase").<br />
**Do note that the Agamatus are the only Custodes unit without Crusader, and are just jetbikes, not eldar jetbikes, so no free 2D6-not-thrust-moves, and it really sucks since you NEED to win the first round of close-combat after you charge if you don't want to be locked forever with your downgraded derp-lances. Don't be greedy and keep your precious heavy weapons away from tarpits.<br />
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===Heavy Support===<br />
*'''Sisters of Silence Seeker Cadre''': Sisters with Flamers. Competes with Excruciatus Cadre as your "must take" gold babes. (Calling them "Golden Girls" means you earned that live grenade under your bed.) Nothing more you need to know besides the ability to grab grenades and the basic Anathema, Fanatic Discipline, and Cadre rules. The squad can take Grenade Launchers with Frag, Krak, and Psyk-Out grenades. This is your answer to Magnus and his D. Use them as a Militia Grenadier Squad with anti Psyker options. They don't get Gas or Firebust like the other guys. However a ten member squad can put out a load of hurt with ten S6 AP4 attacks at 24" or as an effective blob killer.(i.e. Chaos Daemons, when they finally have 30K compatible rules) Not quite as good as the Caladius or the Telemon but they can threaten light vehicles such as Rhinos and out range squads with Volkite Chargers. Freeing up the heavy hitters to deal with MEQs and above. Note that unlike Grenadiers they won't last as long in a shooting match. One would think the Golden Sisters would have better grenades than Cults and Militias. This oversight might be fixed when Talons get their own red book. <br />
*'''Legio Custodes Sagittarum Guard Squad''': One of the few shitty Custodes units. For 65 points per model, you got Custodes with Adrastus Bolt Calivers and refractors. Thanks to their Caliver, they're theoretically able to cover either front. There's not much more to describe on the equipment front, being able to grab Arae-Shrikes, meltabombs, and transponders as well as one guy grabbing the Vexilla. For sure they are as tough as any Custodes and can withstand more damage than almost any shooty unit in the entire HH setting, but are very difficult to use if you want them to earn their points back. They can be useful in low point games but you are better off taking the Dreadnoughts or Grav-Tank instead.<br />
**Why do they suck ? Here is the answer. Using the Bolt profile makes your golden Boltodes derp-tough overcosted Devastators, and basically nothing more. Unless you're fielding a big squad of Sagittarum, a 30" Heavy Bolter means you are sacrificing mobility for only a few damage against anything with an armour save of 3+ or better. As a comparison, a 8-man strong Astartes Support Squad costing the same price can deal almost thrice the amount of dakka. <br />
**So, what about the Adrathic destructor? AP2, Amourbane and Instant Death are pretty terrifying, but you only get '''one''' shot per shooting phase, so anything with a good invulnerable save and/or some meatshields will probably survive your volley of murder beams. And since the unit you are shooting at is within charge range and will wreck/tarpit your Boltodes in assault because [[Derp|you have only 2 attacks and not even a power weapon]] (The Misericordia might be a power sword equivalent[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misericorde_(weapon)] but until a FAQ is released we can't assume anything about it), you need to be lucky. Concretely, that means you must target something you're almost sure to kill in one turn, so avoid characters with Eternal Warriors and Cataphractii squads. Deep-striking behind vehicles is the best way to use your golden boys, so plan to take melta bombs if you fail at blasting this angry Contemptor before it charges you. Anyway, a squad of Custodians with Adrastite spear can do the same job and they do have power weapons.<br />
*'''Contemptor-Galatus Dreadnought''': Another giant golden mecha for the Emperor's Firstborn. Compared to the Achilius, this one gets a fuckhuge warblade with AP2, Shred and Rampage, with a Twin-Linked Infernus Destructor built in to it. The Galatus also sports a Praesidium Shield, allowing it to re-roll invul saves taken from the front at range (and all in CC) and makes any hit rolls from any non-Gargantuans drop by 1. It also grabs Counter Attack, which lets it use that sword to its fullest. Put this in the front to take a few hits and let the other bananas smack whatever targets the big guy.<br />
**Whilst this sexy beast occupies the sacred support slot for your Golden Bananas, and doesn't have any long-distance ranged weapons, this guy is an absolute BEAST in close combat. Even if we gloss over the Twin-linked S6 AP4 Flamer in it's sword (!), it's going to be doing some damage. On the charge, after a S8 Hammer of Wrath; you can expect 4 base attacks, +1 for charging or counterattack, and +d3 on the charge for for Rampage. '''That's between 5 and 8 attacks resolved at I5, at S10 AP2, rerolling failed to-wound rolls.''' The really nice thing is that in the event YOU are charged, you're still probably going to benefit from Wall of Death, Rampage, and (thanks to Counter Attack) +1 to your base. And if you don't sweep assault? They'll likely be hitting you on 5's in CC thanks to that shield of yours, which is also affording your AV13 a rerollable 5++. Again, it's competing with the Caladius, and the Achilius is arguably better overall, but don't discount this fella. Used correctly, he will put in some work, and is one of the few things that can take a charge of Primarch-train and hope to survive. This also makes a great but quite expensive one unit body guard for characters. The Galatus pairs well with an Achillus or Telemon to act as the defensive linebacker to their quarterback.<br />
*'''Caladius Grav-Tank''': Take a [[Sicaran Battle Tank]], and stick it on a [[Land Speeder]]. Then give it to the most elite dudes in the Imperium and you have the Caladius. It's a fast skimmer (so you can Jink) with BS5, 13|13|11 3 HP and a flare shield, so keep it front toward your enemy and enjoy [[Awesome|your grav-Land Raider with a 4+ cover save]]. It comes with '''Outflank''', a '''Machine spirit''' (so you can Jink AND fire one of your weapons at full BS, pretty cool since the guns of your gilded podracer are nasty) and '''Grav Backwash''' (your enemy doesn't want to charge as much and suffers a -2 to Hit penalty in close combat as long as the Caladius is not Immobilised). The Caladius comes with two weapons : the turret-mounted '''Iliastus accelerator cannon''' and the hull-mounted '''Lastrum bolt cannon'''. The former is a twin-linked '''60" S7 AP2 Heavy 3''' gun with ''Rending'' and ''Rapid Tracking'' (no Jink for your enemy), while the latter is twin-linked '''36" S6 AP3 Heavy 3'''. Great, but here is the cherry on the top of the golden banana cake. Both weapons have a brand new fearsome rule : '''Heliothermic Detonation'''. If your target has suffered one or more unsaved wounds, they have must '''pass a Toughness test or suffer Instant Death''', and '''Penetrating hits adds +1 to the Vehicle Damage table'''. You get this package for just 195 points, or the same as an off the shelf Land Raider Proteus, a bargain for your golden banana warriors.<br />
**Given some similarities with the Sicaran's accelerator autocannon, it is worth making some comparisons. Against metal bawkses, the Sicaran remains better for pure saturation and wiping out HP since it throws twice the amount of dakka the Caladius does, especially against Flyers, the Caladius' BS5 being useless in this case. HOWEVER, any Penetrating hit you may score with the Iliastus will have a 33% chance to blow your enemy up, something the autocannon can't even do. Anyway, the Sicaran looks like a jealous little bitch when coming to anti-infantry capabilities as the Caladius can tear apart MEQs and even TEQs or Monstruous Creatures better than most tanks. Well, for the same price the Sicaran can have 4 heavy bolters and will do a better job against 4+ saves and Cataphractii ([[Tyranids|by pure saturation power]]), but the golden floater remains more polyvalent overall. This Heliothermic Detonation shit means that Characters, multi-Wounds units and MC will sweat a little if they get wounded, [[Be'lakor|unless]] [[Nathaniel Garro|they]] [[Salamanders|are]] [[Sigismund|Eternal]] [[Primarchs|Warriors]]. <br />
**In book 7, we now have the option to replace the turret-mounted twin-linked Iliastus accelerator with a Twin-Linked Arachnus Heavy Blaze Cannon, for 15pts. Whilst you do lose out on AP2 and Rapid Tracking, you are gaining a Heavy 4 weapon with +1S and AP3. The real icing on this weapons cake, however, is the alternate firing mode. S10 AP1, with the Exoshock special rule from the Deredeo. With BS5 and TL, one would hope that round punches through some armour! Mathammer-wise, the concentrated mode is more efficient against Armour Value from 12 to 15, while the burst mode will wip out more HP than both the Iliastus and the concentrated blast until facing AV14 but remember you have no chance to get the Explosion! result on the chart. The Arachnus is better at tank-hunting and MEQ-killing, but if you expect a lot of skimmers, flyers, jetbikes or TEQs to show up, the Iliastus remains a more versatile (and cheaper) choice.<br />
**All in all, the Caladius is maybe the most versatile tank in 30k for its price, both durable, fast, manoeuvrable and killy. With a main weapon firing from 48" up to 72", a 4+ cover save and a Frontal Armour of 14, it can stay away from your adversary's biggest guns while destroying light vehicles and infantry from afar and survive medium-range fire from the front when you cannot retreat. Just remember it has only a '''Rear Armour of 11''' so any deep-striking/outflanking unit with a bit of anti-armour stuff will wreck it.<br />
*'''Telemon heavy Dreadnought''': The biggest, shiniest Dreadnought variant that ever existed and the Legio Custodes equivalent of the Leviathan. It comes with an Armour value of 13|13|12, 4HP, WS6, BS5, I5, 4 Attacks, exta armour, armoured ceramite and a 4+ invulnerable save increasing to 3+ against weapons with the Blast special rule or that use a template of any kind. Pretty good, but the giant golden Kinder has another surprise for you... The ''Unyielding Sentinel'' rule lets you roll 2 dice on the Vehicle Damage table after you suffered a Penetrating Hit, the highest being discarded. Now the time has come to punch things, the Telemon has some good tools for the job. Its basic weapons are a pair of '''Telemon Caestus''', Dreadnought close-combat weapons with ''Shred'' and ''Murderous Strike'', perfect for tearing Monstrous Creatures. Each Caestus comes with an in-built '''Proteus plasma projector''', an Assault 1 S5 AP2 Template weapon. It Gets Hot like other plasma weapons, but who cares ? AP2 flamers will make Terminators cry, especially if you're playing Zone Mortalis. You also get 1d6 Hammer of Wrath attacks instead of one when charging. If you don't want to dirty your shiny armour in close-combat, no problem, the Emprah has given you some nasty guns to do the job from afar. The '''Spiculus bolt launcher''' is a 48" S5 AP4 Heavy 5 weapon with ''Rending'' which can '''fire twice if you stay immobile during the Movement phase'''. The Telemon can also equip an '''Iliastus Accelerator Culverin'''. It is a nasty 36" S7 AP2 Heavy 5 Rending uber-autocannon, with the accustomed Heliothermic Detonation, which gives your enemies the chance of Instant Death <strike>on each unsaved wound</strike> if they suffer one or more wounds from your big gun. It's lacking the versatility of its other weapon options, but all in all, it's a great gun to fry some TEQ with and punch the occasional light vehicle. But the real star in the long-range combat department is the '''Arachnus storm cannon''', an [[Awesome|oversized laser gatling gun]] which can shoot with two profiles : 48" S7 AP 3 Heavy 7 or 72" S9 AP1 Heavy 2 with the ''Exo-Shock'' special rule. Not quite as good as the Arachnus heavy blaze cannon or the Iliastus Accelerator Culverin if you want to insta-kill MEQs or squads of T5 models, but slightly better against light vehicles, hordes and MC. You can replace one or both Caestus and Proteus projectors with this beauty for +30 points each.<br />
**The Telemon is by far the most versatile ranged unit in the Talons of the Emperor army list. The Arachnus storm cannon makes him a threat against vehicles and infantry alike and the Spiculus launcher can add a lot of saturation fire, all this at 48" range, and the Iliastus Accelerator Culverin can ID the ubiquitous multi-wound TEQs you're likely to find in 30k. If you stay immobile, your Dreadnought can unleash [[Dakka|14 S7 AP3 and 10 S5 AP4 shots each turn]], making it a good counter-measure against the usual Nemesis of a Custodes army : hordes and flyers. It does not match the Leviathan anti-armour capabilities in close-combat, but can engage a wider variety of targets while staying away from the melee.<br />
**Like the Achillus Dreadnought, nothing is specified about the bonus attacks for every CCW after the first walkers get being included in the profile, so you technically don't lose any attack when taking an Arachnus storm cannon.<br />
**Take note that '''the Telemon is a Character''', so he can call and accept challenges, be your Warlord, etc.<br />
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===Lords of War===<br />
*'''Warlord-Sinister Pattern Battle Psi-Titan''': '''HO-LYYY FUCK. PSYCHIC WARLORD TITAN.''' [[Grimdark|Fueled by the powers of captured psykers, who are bled dry to power the Titan]], it's a good thing this monster is worth 3250 points. Starting off with the standard kit of a [[Warlord Battle Titan]], the Warlord-Sinister adds the Psychic Pilot rule (Mastery Level 3), knowing three set powers: a 24" d6 bolter-shot nova with Soul Blaze and Ignores Cover, a blessing which [[Cheese|restores any lost hull point on a 5+]], and a witchfire which hits all units within 24" of a point with a Haywire hit (for vehicles-EVEN FLYERS) or d6 Heavy Bolter shots (PER 5 MODELS) if it's infantry. The Psi-Titan makes all enemy units within 12" take leadership checks automatically, and any unit that wishes to charge the monstrosity (why you would do that is beyond us) must take a leadership check at -3 Ld. Its weapons are standard fare for the Warlord, except that you always carry the '''Sinistramanus Tenebrae''' , aka the gun that will ruin your day, on one arm. Fluff-wise it's an up-scaled Animus Speculum, crunch-wise it's an apocalyptic mega-blast that's Strength D/Fleshbane/Poison 4+, and AP 1/2/3 for its respective ranges. Oh, and that inner circle? Yeah, it's a Vortex, just in case anything in the blast radius thought it would survive that shot. And if you finally manage to put the Titan(ic amount of [[Grimdark]]) down, it will explode on you, which on a 4+ becomes a '''[[Rape|36 INCH DESTROYER BLAST]]'''. Honestly, even if the Emperor's rules get released, this bastard will probably be the more OP Lord of War choice.<br />
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*'''Orion Assault Dropship''': A 7 hull point, 13-12-11, 600ish point super-heavy flyer and a Lord of War for Talons of the Emperor. It's also a transport with a capacity of 24 models. (Yes, Custodians do count as two.) This golden nugget is capable of transporting a Dreadnought, (which counts as 10 models.) Along with being a super-heavy flyer, and transport, the Orion is armed with two Arachnus Heavy Blaze cannons, Two nose mounted tl Lastrum Bolt Cannons, two Spiculus Heavy Bolt Launchers (48", 7, 4, H3, Rending,) armored ceramite and cockpit as standard and the new Eclipse Shield and Macro Arae-Shrike. The Eclipse Shield provides the Orion with a -2 to blast and template weapon strength, and a -1 to all other weapon strength. If a shooting weapon inflicts a glancing or penetrating hit, the Orion immediately gains Shrouded against all subsequent hits against its front Arc during this phase. However, this has no effect on melee attacks or weapons of the Destroyer type (not a big deal as long as you're not Hovering since most of D weapons are usually blasts). Macro Arae-shrikes on the other hand, act as normal Arae-shrikes, with the addition of ''interception interference.'' When enemy units declare their interception, the intercepting player must roll a D6 for each unit attempting to intercept. If a unit rolls 3 or less, it's unable to intercept but may fire as normal in its next shooting phase. Furthermore, because He and the terrawatt clan love us so, the Orion has the Deep Strike and Assault Vehicle special rule.<br />
**As long as you keep the enemy in front of it, the Orion is arguably more resistant (and cheaper) than a similarly geared Thunderhawk. Its firepower may seem somewhat limited for what you're paying and it clearly won't earn its points back by killing TEQ or hordes. Two S10 AP1 exo-shock shots and 3 rending autocannons are still quite good for tank-hunting and make the Orion a monster against other flyers, but you could have more big guns for the same price. Unless you really need a very reliable transport or flyer-killer, there are other units that can do the job better.<br />
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*<s>God-</s>[[Emperor of Mankind]]: '''COMING SOON!''' No actual rules yet, but a note in the Legio Custodes Tribune rules suggests he will be a future potential HQ choice for the army, similar to the Primarchs and their legions.<br />
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[[Category: Adeptus Custodes]]<br />
[[Category:Warhammer Tactics/30k]]</div>2601:147:4200:6280:2561:C61A:5ED7:9030http://2d4chan.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Talons_of_the_Emperor_(30k)&diff=71676Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Talons of the Emperor (30k)2018-04-11T03:59:47Z<p>2601:147:4200:6280:2561:C61A:5ED7:9030: /* Heavy Support */</p>
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<div>So we've had rules for [[First Founding|the Legions]], the [[Primarch]]s, and the [[Mechanicus|Mechanicum]]. It was only a matter of time until the [[Custodian Guard|Emprah's BFFs]] and the [[Sisters of Silence|premium in anti-psyker units]] got rules, and here they are. FAQ updated them to be alliable, they count as Agents of The Emperor. Do note that these rules for the Talons of the Emperor are only for the Horus Heresy (30k) game, if you're interested in the 40k tactics, you can find the [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Sisters of Silence|Sisters of Silence tactics here,]] [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Adeptus Custodes (8E)|and the Adeptus Custodes tactics here.]]<br />
<br />
==Why play Talons of the Emperor==<br />
There are a number of reasons for playing this army.<br />
*Because you like gold<br />
*Because you like Eagles<br />
*Because you like Eagles made out of gold<br />
*Because the Emperor was right all along<br />
*Because [[Erebus]] can fuck a cactus<br />
*Because you want to take [[Emperor's Children|Phoenix Terminators]] with a half-Primarch statline as troops<br />
*Because you hate Psykers harder than [[Space Wolves|any furry]] can ever hope to imagine<br />
*Because one day you will be able to take the EMPRAH as a LoW<br />
*Because being Agents of the Emperor (per new rulebook) you can ally with any and all Loyalists as Sworn Bros<br />
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==Special Rules==<br />
===Custodes===<br />
*'''Preternatural Skill''': If the majority of enemy models have equal or less Weapon Skill compared to yours when fighting in assault, you get +1I. ''(Though consider Thousand Sons' Khenetai Cabal being the only squad with potential WS6, and things that drop your WS)'' you might as well assume you're always I6 with most of your troops, unless you're facing a lone HQ model.''<br />
*'''The Sodality''': A Custodian's unit coherency range is 3" and they always use their usual LD for regrouping. ''Representing how the Banana Custards fight as individuals rather than a squad in the lore. Use the 3" to better control the battlefield and reduce the effectiveness of Blast weapons (since a 3" blast will only touch more than one Custodes when perfectly centered between two of them, at maximum coherency).''<br />
*'''Inviolable Psyche''': Forgeworld dancing around ATSKNF again, you are immune to Fear and Pinning and ignore all penalties when taking Morale Checks, meaning it's Stubborn 2.0, and re-roll Deny the Witch rolls. ''However, it does mean you CAN break as a result of bad combat, and you CAN be utterly wiped out. Not that that would happen often, but still.''<br />
*'''Bulky''': Not a rule specific to the Custodes, but they all have it.<br />
*'''Character''': Always remember that ALL Custodes are Characters. That means they can issue and accept challenges, but also benefit from Look Out, Sir. ''With some lucky rolls and a good positioning, this can really help your guys survive hails of plasma fire and assaults, especially if you have a lot of Solarite gauntlets.''<br />
*'''Crusader''': Like Bulky, almost all Custodes have it. ''Quite powerful since your Custodians usually have better Initiative than most 30k units.''<br />
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===Sisters of Silence===<br />
*'''Psychic Anathema''': The core defining feature of the Sisters of Silence, this is how they fuck up psykers all twenty ways from Sunday. They're immune to any psychic powers targeting them and ignores any Telepathy Blessings that would negatively affect them, because fuck invisibility cheese (you can still be raped by Biomancy user, for example, so pick your targets). Anyone within 12" takes -1 Ld (-2 if they're psykers, though anyone with Fearless is immune) while allies can re-roll Deny tests, but any Daemons in range take -1 to Toughness while Daemon vehicles take +1 to Pen. Anyone within that range that tries to use a power now needs to roll 1 higher to successfully manifest, raised to 2 higher if they're in B2B (So if they're against Magnus, he has to roll 4+ to use a power when in range, while needing 5+ when in combat).<br />
*'''Ex Oblivio''': Another deadly null power for the Sisters, but only for the most brutal of them. Anyone within 6" can't generate WC dice, and if they want to use a power, they have to test Ld or suffer Perils at a -1 penalty, minimum 1. ''This means they can't roll a 6 for warp surge and are twice as likely to roll a one''.<br />
*'''Fanatical Discipline''': Sisters are Fearless and Hate Psykers. Blah.<br />
*'''Company-Cadres''': The organization of the Sisters. For every three non-HQs they bring, they need an HQ choice. If they have an HQ choice, every Sister model in the detachment gains Infiltrate, Crusader, Stealth, or +1 to Combat Resolution.<br />
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==Special Equipment==<br />
===Ranged Weapons===<br />
*'''Adrathic Weapons''': Yet another super special Terran-only weapon, these are proper disintegrators. As a rule, they will make Mechanicum players cry, also they are all AP2 with Instant Death, Armorbane, and Gets Hot.<br />
**'''Adrathic Destructor''': 12" S5 AP2 Assault 1: By far the most 'common', available in some form or another on most infantry models.<br />
**'''Adrathic Devastator''': 18" S6 AP2 Heavy 2: Dickbike and Pallas upgrade.<br />
**'''Adrathic Exterminator''': 36" S6 AP2 Heavy 1, 3" Blast: Not yet used on any model, but it's only a matter of time. If they remember this exists. It isn't on the Telemon or the Orion. So it's now a shot in the dark if the Exterminator will be used at all.<br />
*'''Adrastus Bolt Caliver''': 30" Heavy 3 Heavy Bolter with a Disintegration Beam (Adrathic destructor possibly with beam special rule--need FAQ!) welded onto it. Distinctly stated as being two functional weapons with unlimited uses, but only one can be used a turn.<br />
*'''Lastrum Bolt Weapons''': The Caladus' fixed mounts have turned into the Custodes' most prevalent vehicle mount. All weapons have '''Heliothermic Detonation''', so anybody that takes ''one or more'' unsaved wounds and ''is not slain'' has to make a Toughness roll or get '''Instant Death''' (or +1 to penetration damage table if a vehicle).<br />
**'''Lastrum Storm Bolter''': 24" S5 AP4; only used by Aquilon Terminators and the Contemptor-Achillus.<br />
**'''Lastrum Bolt Cannon''': 36" S6 AP3 Heavy 3; used on the Caladus, Coronus, and (assuming a typo) the Dickbikes.<br />
**'''Iliastus Accelerator Cannon''': 60" S7 AP2 Heavy 3, Rending, Rapid Tracking (ignores Jink saves).<br />
***Heliothermic Detonation is mostly relevant against models with a lot of Wounds. Because all models in a unit that are firing the same weapon shoot at the same time, it doesn't matter if said unit is firing one or a thousand Lastrum shells : the rule will only be triggered once against the last wounded model after all the others have been killed normaly. This greatly mitigates the efficiency of Lastrum weaponry against squads of multi-wounded models, but killing an extra bastard is always a good thing nevertheless.<br />
*'''Infernus Weapons''': The Custodes super flamers. Only two versions, and they're both Heavy 1, but who gives a shit when they're S6!<br />
**'''Infernus Firepike''': S6 AP6 Heavy 1, Torrent; only used by Aquilon Terminators.<br />
**'''Infernus Incinerator''': S6 AP4 Heavy 1; used on the Contemptors, either as a replacement for the Storm Bolters or in the Galatus Warblade.<br />
*'''Proteus Las-Lance''': 24" S7 AP2 Heavy 2, Lance; like the Adrathic Exterminator, it is not yet used on any model, come again later.<br />
*'''Corve Las-Pulsar''': 36" S9 AP2 Heavy D3: Upgrade for the Agamatus jetbikes and found as part of the Contemptor-Achillus's Dreadspear, and most of the reason for it's 40 point upgrade cost. The Pulsar is one of the few weapons that Custodes have as a counterpart to Lascannons. So you will need it.<br />
*'''Arachnus Blaze Weapons''': Bastard offspring of Multi-lasers and Lascannons, they have two firing modes. One is Burst for infantry shredding, the other is Concentrated for Vehicle killing with AP1 and '''Exoshock''', which gives you an automatic '''second''' Penetrating hit which ignores cover saves on a 4+ after you score one (so you roll to hit, roll to penetrate, enemy rolls invulnerable/cover, and only then...)<br />
**'''Arachnus Blaze Cannon''': S6 AP5 Heavy Bolter, '''or''' 48" S8AP1 Heavy 1, Exoshock: In all honesty, the Burst mode is rather shitty, but Concentrated is essentially a Lascannon with nasty special rules.<br />
**'''Arachnus Storm Cannon''': 48" S7 AP3 Heavy 7, '''or''' 72" S9 AP1 Heavy 2, Exoshock: the Telemon's big Gatling gun and perhaps the most versatile of the Arachnus weapons. This is a must take if you are facing armies with a large amount of vehicles.<br />
**'''Arachnus Heavy Blaze Cannon''': 48" S8 AP3 Heavy 4, '''or''' 72" S10 AP1 Heavy 1, Exoshock: Optional turret replacement for the Caladus, enjoy IDing MEQs.<br />
*'''Psyk-Out Weaponry''': Available as grenades with 8" range, in grenade launchers with 24", or in missiles with 48", each of them has Strength 2, Blast 3 and Psi-Shock, which forces Psykers to suffer perils.<br />
*'''Stake Crossbow''': A 24" S5 AP- crossbow with Rapid Fire and Psi-shock<br />
*'''Needle Weapons''': S2 AP5 weapons with Rending and Poisoned 4+.<br />
**'''Needle Pistol''': 12" Pistol.<br />
**'''Assault Needler''': 18" Assault 2.<br />
*'''Snare Gun''': A 12" Assault 1 Pinning weapon. If it hits, it inflicts d3 hits, each of them requiring a Strength test to resist taking an unsavable wound (though Invulns work). Just don't expect Superheavies to listen to this. Hurray, the Rogue Trader Webber has finally made a return!<br />
*'''Hellion Pattern Heavy Cannon Array''': So far exclusive to the Sisters of Silence Kharon Pattern Acquistor. It's basically two Autocannons with halved range, Twin-Linked and Pinning.<br />
*'''Proteus Plasma Projector''': One of the few actual Plasma weapons that TOTE get besides Plasma pistols. It is currently exclusive to the Telemon Dreadnought. This is an Assault 1, Template weapon with Strength 5, and Ap2. Making it a decent weapon for roasting TEQs and anything else with inadequate saves. Forgeworld should have given Sagittarum Guard squads the Projector as an upgrade option to make them useful.<br />
*'''Spiculus Bolt Launchers''': Vehicle only Bolt weapons introduced in datasheets for Telemon Dreadnought and the Orion Dropship. As if Forge World is already working on the next red book.<br />
**'''Spiculus launcher''': The basic version. It's profile is Heavy 5, Range 48",Str5, AP5, with Rending and the Volley Fire rules. Volley Fire allows the weapon to fire twice if the bearer doesn't move. Making it a counter for Flyers, blobs and a decent fallow up against anything that somehow survives the deadly firepower that said vehicle will already have. <br />
**'''Spiculus Heavy Bolt Launcher''': It is Str7, Heavy 3 and loses Volley Fire. Lowering the amount of Dakka it will spew out despite the improved strenght. Not much of a downside if taken in pairs in the case of the Orion. Otherwise not worth it.<br />
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===Melee Weapons===<br />
*'''Custodes Spears''': Made of two parts, the power blade is AP2 +1S on the charge, and reverts to a specialist power sword afterwards. Every time you roll a 6 to hit with it, you get another attack, but those extra attacks can't generate any more. The second part depends on the spear.<br />
**'''Adrasite Spear''': It has an Adrathic Destructor, which was 12" S5 AP2 Assault 1, Instant Death, Armorbane, and Gets Hot. Short range and nasty.<br />
**'''Guardian Spear''': Attached with a 18" S4 AP4 Assault 2 bolt weapon. Pretty good on anything short of an MEQ, but not great.<br />
**'''Pyrithite Spear''': Attached with a 6" S8 AP1 Melta, essentially an inferno pistol. Okay for busting light vehicles or TEQs, but 3" melta range can hurt, but it's not like you weren't planning on charging at that range anyways.<br />
**'''Paragon Spear''': AP2 '''+2S''' on the charge (reverts to AP2 +1S when not charging, like a Paragon Blade), rather than +1, and 6s to wound always inflict Instant Death, but 6s to hit get another attack, as it is a spear. The attachment is an 18" S5 AP3 Assault 2 bolter.<br />
*'''Misericordia''': [[Fail|No entry in the book]], thank you FW. Fluff-wise it is the long dagger the Custodes carry as the sign of their right of life and death in the Emperor's name, so we can assume it to be a close-combat weapon of some sort since all Custodes without an actual CCW have one instead. Maybe it has some special rules, maybe not. Just wait for the FAQ.<br />
*'''Paragon Blade''': Specialist +1S AP2 that inflicts Instant Death on a wound roll of 6, but you want a Paragon Spear more.<br />
*'''Plasma Grenades''': Rare enough to mention here, they are assault grenades that can be thrown as S4 AP4 instead of S3 AP-.<br />
*'''Sentinel Warblade''': A Specialist Power Sword with Rending. In addition, it's got an inbuilt 12" Storm Bolter that snap fires at BS2. As it exists now, it's almost entirely inferior to the Guardian Spear except when snap shooting (including overwatch), unless you're planning on using Rending to even out long assaults with high toughness models, or you need to crack open AV11+ and you can't get enough Custodes stuck in to use their Krak Grenades (a lucky rend with this sword can glance a Land Raider, though [[MathHammer]] doesn't favor your odds). But, the Sentinel Warblade does work better with the Praesidium Shield, so taking models with this is a legitimate trade of punching power for defense.<br />
*'''Solarite power gauntlet''': AP1 mastercrafted power fist, same as Imperial Fists. However, you are Custodes, so your punches are now railguns.<br />
*'''Solarite power talon''': +1S, master crafted lightning claw.<br />
====Sisters of Silence Melee Weapons====<br />
*'''Proteus Neuro-Lash:''' Flails and sectioned staves known for causing agonizing pain. Each is a two-handed melee weapon with S+1 but AP-. What they also get is the ability to hit anyone within 3" as opposed to just hitting one unit. In addition, for every hit they make, they roll a d6, with a 3+ meaning they can deliver an additional attack with Poisoned 4+ at AP-. These aren't gonna kill a marine any time soon, but Daemons will rue fucking with these ladies.<br />
*'''Execution Blade''': Essentially Charnabal Sabres with more fancy. They're Two-Handed S+1 AP3 weapons with Duelist's Edge (+1 Initiative in a challenge) and Flawless Cut (a 5+ to hit counts as AP2)<br />
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===Equipment===<br />
*'''Arae-shrikes''': Enemy units deep striking within 12" of a model with this wargear suffer perils on a 4+, including models that ignore the effects of mishap. In addition, barrage weapons targeting models with this wargear add 1D6 to their scatter and pick the 2 highest results, although a hit still remains a hit.<br />
*'''Aquilon pattern Terminator Armour''' is super Cataphractii armour with Hammer of Wrath and pseudo-relentless. They can't Run, but they can make Sweeping Advances and fire Overwatch.<br />
*'''Custodian Armour''': Artificer Armour and ''Move Through Cover'' rolled into one pimping banana suit. ''Makes footslogging and charging across difficult terrain a bit more reliable and basically means your Agamatus jetbikers can move everywhere confidently.''<br />
*'''Praesidium Shield''': Lets you reroll invulns and your opponents suffer -1 to Hit on every attack targeting the wielder in close combat. A Praesidium Shield precludes two-handed weapons, the +1A for 2 CCW, and the bonus for charging with a spear (this includes the Paragon Spear).<br />
*'''Magisterium Vexilla''': A unit with this wargear can reroll failed leadership checks and gains the ''Fear'' special rule. In addition, all units within 12" add 1 to combat resolution at the end of the phase. ''TAKE IT. The vexilla compensates for the lack of Fearless and may give you the edge when charging with Guardian spears. Fear may be especially useful if you're fielding Sisters of Silence alongside your Custodes.''<br />
*'''Teleportation Transponder''': Already known to Imperial Fists and Night Lords, this model's entire unit can deep strike.<br />
====Sisters of Silence Equipment====<br />
*'''Vratine Armour''': The armor of the Sisters of Silence and symbol of their oath to kill witches...otherwise known as Power Armor.<br />
<br />
==Unit Analysis==<br />
===HQ===<br />
*'''Legio Custodes Shield Captain''': A <s>holy</s> [[Imperial Truth|honest]] rape machine, fit to take on a [[Chaos Lord]], a [[Chapter Master]] and a [[Warboss]] simultaneously and come out on top. His statline comes with all the best bits of a Chapter Master and a Custodes and gear better than both, he can take the all powerful Paragon Spear, and combine it with a Praesidium shield, Digital lasers, Iron Halo and a Cyber-Familiar for [[Cheese|6 S6 AP2 attacks which generate additional attacks on 6s to hit and Instant Death on 6s to wound at I6 and a rerollable 3++ in close combat with -1 to Hit malus for your adversary if they specifically target your golden dude]]. Or you can drop the Paragon Spear and go for a Solarite gauntlet for [[Rape|6 S10 AP1 master-crafted I1 attacks]] (don't forget the Praesidium shield means you don't get a bonus attack for 2 CCWs, even though the Solarite gauntlet isn't a specialist weapon and the shield captain comes with a basic ccw). And everything in between, the rape train has no brakes.<br />
**'''Tribune''': Ooooh FW, what have you done... Here is Mr. Cheestodes, the deadliest, most broken, stupidly OP as fuck generic character in the ENTIRE GAME. No really, this guy is the very definition of mindless rape, Slaanesh him/herself is fucking ashamed. Same as above except you get ''Eternal Warrior'' and ''Fearless'', y'know, in case you wanted to add an [[Archon]] and an [[Necron Overlord|Overlord]] to the stuff you can take on at once. At a price of [[Rage|25 more points]]. However, you can only take him in a <u>detachment</u> of 2000 points or more, so you're not likely going to see him in an allied force. unless you are playing HUGE games. Also, if he's in the Primary detachment he has to be the warlord ''(unless Valdor, Krole, or [[What|Emps]] are present)'', but he is able to choose his warlord trait. Needless to say, some warlord traits can be really, really good for your guys. Strategic Genius can be useful since almost all your Custodes have access to deep strike, and Master of Ambush is priceless when your cheapest transport is 135 points for a capability of only 6.<br />
*'''Sisters of Silence Oblivion Knight-Centura''': Surprisingly has mostly ordinary human stats with WS5 BS4 I5 and Ld9, she's essentially the budget HQ at 75. She's not barebones however, as she grabs Artificer Armor with a 4+ Invuln that ups to 3+ against Blasts and Templates. She has a bolt pistol, Execution Blade, and Frag, Krak, and Psyk-out grenades, while she has the Cadre rules, Ex Oblivio, and Precision Strikes. Her melee weapon can be exchanged for a power axe (don't), a Neuro-Lash (not for Marines), or a Paragon Blade (if you just want to maul 2+ saves with a chance at ID), while her pistol can be exchanged for a hand-flamer, a plasma pistol, a needle pistol, or an archaeotech pistol - and for 10 points, any of these weapons can be Master Crafted.<br />
*'''Sisters of Silence Excruciatus Cadre''': Something akin to a command squad, this is a squad of WS4 BS4 I4 Ld9 ladies with tools, with the Silent Judge having 2 wounds. They all hate Daemons and Psykers, get Fanatic Discipline, Night Vision, the Cadre rules (forcing them to be the mandatory HQ if the detachment is less than 500 pts, meaning they eat up at least 1/5 of the budget by themselves), and the ability to make their melee attacks ID. The Questorae only get CCWs, Bolt Pistols, Assault Needlers, and grenades alongside their armor and ''Spectra-vestments'' which force anyone to take -1 BS to hit them, while the Silent Judge adds a refractor, a Needle Pistol, a Nuncio-Vox, and a power weapon. A Questora can buy the Ardrathic Destructor, while any of them can exchange their guns for Needle Pistols or Stake Crossbows for free or buy a Snare Gun or a Flamer with a one-use boost to make them S6, and each can replace their CCW for a Charnabal Sabre or a power weapon. The Judge can swap her melee weapon for a Neuro-Lash, the Execution Blade, or a fist, while her gun can be exchanged for a Stake-Crossbow, hand flamer, plasma pistol, or a second needle pistol.<br />
<br />
====Special Characters====<br />
*'''Constantin Valdor''': The Captain-General of the Legio Custodes and [[Malcador|second]] best bro of the [[Emperor]] takes to the field. With his near-primarch statline he is a CC beast, with 5s across the board plus WS7, I6, Ld10, and 2+ save. He also has the ever rare Eternal Warrior, as well as Crusader, Fearless, and Counter-Attack. In terms of wargear he has the '''Apollonian Spear''', a +1s (+2 on the charge) AP2 guardian spear, with the <s>GODLY</s> MANLY ''Molecular Severance'' rule: any to-wound rolls of 4+ cause instant death or an automatic penetrating hit regardless of AV or T. In addition, [[Sigismund|successful invulnerable saves against wounds caused by this weapon]] must be rerolled! Oh, and it comes with an attached 18" S5 AP2 Assault 2 ''Concussive'' bolter on top! He also has lots of other gear: An Iron Halo, plasma & krak grenades, Arae-shrike, Misericordia (whatever that does), digital lasers, and custodian armour. His warlord trait allows him to re-roll Seize the Initiative, and any Legio custodes unit (including himself, and possibly Dreads depending on how you interpret 'Legio Custodes units'. Nope, GW confirmed that you cannot use Valdor to teleport dreadnoughts, it only applies to units which can take teleport-transponders) can take teleportation transponders at no extra cost. All that for just 275 points.<br />
**This guy is your ultimate golden Swiss Army Knife. Even if he is not a good match for most of the Primarchs - let's not even talk about motherfucking [[Anacharis Scoria]] - he can fuck with a wider variety of things than most of them for a far cheaper price. Six S6 attacks (Seven at S7 on the charge, remember 30k Digital Lasers are +1A and the average to hit roll increases this to 7/8 attacks respectively thanks to Lightning Blow) are great against big squads, while Molecular Severance allows him to deal with any vehicle from cardbox-made Raiders from Spartans and will ruin the day of any character or multi-wound unit crossing his path. Do note that his Sigismund-ish shenanigan works ANYTIME, not just in challenge, so you can slaughter MC or even GC with your shiny spear.<br />
**[[That guy|Some people]] may ask why you would ever take good ol' Valdor rather than the already infamous Tribune (you know, the guy who can stomp Spartans, Primarchs and Scoria for the same price). Firstly, you don't want to be beaten to death by your opponent IRL. Secondly, Valdor is more versatile than the Tribune, butchering hordes, TEQs and tanks alike without sacrificing his I6. He's better at dishing out the hurt, just not as good at taking it. The possibility to '''deep-strike almost all your army for free''' is something unique in 30k and may be <s>a gift from the gods</s> {{BLAM}} '{{BLAM|THERE ARE NO SUCH THINGS AS GODS YOU FOOLISH <s>HERETIC</s>}} {{BLAM}} {{BLAM|THERE IS NO DOGMA AND THEREFORE NO HERESY, NONCOMPLIANT SCUM!}} a welcome alternative if you don't want to buy some Coronus. Last thing is, you can only take the Tribune if your Detachment is over 2000 points, so Valdor is the only way to get a Custodes HQ with Fearless and Eternal Warrior if you play smaller games. And since you are probably spending a lot of points on your Shield Captain's wargear anyway, you should consider taking the golden boss instead.<br />
*** A generic Tribune is a better bet if you are specifically picking an HQ to get into a headbutting contest with a primarch, but that's a bad use of your points just like it is in a Legion army. It's nice to think about your HQ punching out the enemy big bad, but unless one of you rolls super-badly then you're just going to get locked in combat for the whole game and you won't win anything playing like that. And you might end up playing against a real motherfucker like Horus who will slam his dick so far up your ass that you deep throat him from the other end and then you'll be a sad little custodian because your big beatstick isn't quite as boss as you thought. That doesn't mean that Valdor is just straight up better, it just means you need a better battle plan than hoping your golden-clad codpiece is bigger than your enemies. Take the HQ that helps your plan. <br />
**If you take 55 custodes in your army and decide to have them all deepstrike, you can take Valdor for the low, low price of your warlord trait.<br />
<br />
*'''Jenetia Krole''': Knight-Commander of the Sisters of Silence. She's got 3's across the board with WS6, BS4, I5 A4 and Ld10. On top of Psychic Anathema, she also has Ex Oblivio, Fanatic Discipline, Rage, Preferred Enemy against Psykers and Characters, Cadre rules, Eternal Warrior, and the option to upgrade an Oblivion Knight Cadre to her elite Raptor Guard, which costs 20 points to make them WS5. For gear, she has Artificer Armor with the invuln seen on the Knight-Centura, an Archaeotech Pistol, grenades, and the '''Sword of Oblivion''': a super-Execution Blade with S+2 AP2 with 5+ Murderous Strike instead of Flawless Cut. This all makes her <s>close to a match</s> a challenge beast against any Marine HQs without Eternal Warrior, and more than a match against Daemons. Her Warlord Trait lets her re-roll Seize the Initiative and grants d3 units Scout.<br />
<br />
===Elites===<br />
*'''Legio Custodes Hetaeron Guard Squad''': The Emperor's [[Companion|Companions]], [[Mary Sue|the best]] of [[Adeptus Custodes|the best]] of [[Imperium|the best]]. At 70 points per model they look REALLY expensive, but they're probably the best infantry unit in the game, bar none. So they have the same stat line as normal Custodes but with 3W and 3A. their special rules are the same as normal Custodes as well but they get ''counter attack''. They can all take a Praesidium shield, melta bombs, Arae-shrikes, and Teleporters, and any member of the squad can replace their spears with any melee weapon other than a Paragon Spear, but you can have Paragon '''blades''' for some nice AP2 at Initiative (probably [[Fail|another typo from FW]], just wait for a FAQ). One of the squad without a shielded may replace their guardian spear with the vexilla and either a MC power weapon or a sentinel warblade.<br />
**So, super Custodes with '''S6 AP2 attacks at I5 (I6 if your opponent is WS:5 or below!), re-rollable 5++ and hit on a 5+ by most units in the game''' ? Yep. Unless your opponent has something capable of insta-killing them, the Hetaeron are a real step above your other Custodes, so do not dismiss them because of their high price. Depending on the loadout, a Hetaeron can be as deadly as an Aquilon and more than twice as durable in CC for just +20 points, while remaining more flexible. Mixing Paragon blades and Solarite gauntlets in a squad allows you to mince EVERYTHING you could fight against without being stuck at Initiative 1 and still getting some Instant Death attacks thanks to Murderous Strike. Find some psyker ally with Endurance or Invisibility and you are basically unkillable in assault. <br />
**Again, remember you can reallocate some wounds on a 4+ thanks to Look Out, Sir!, so having 3W is a real advantage over your other Custodes. When one model is worth almost 100 points, that's definitely something you MUST NOT forget.<br />
*'''Legio Custodes Aquilon Terminator Squad''': Custodes with Terminator Armor. How terrifying. Each of them is 75 points a model, and at with 5s on every stat save W2 A3 and Ld9, they're absolutely not slouches. Aquilon Terminator Armour affords 4++, Hammer of Wrath and Pseudo-relentless. In addition, they are able to fire Overwatch and Sweeping Advance, but cannot run. Say hello to Super Cataphractii armour. Each Aquilon Terminator has Crusader, a Lastrum Storm Bolter, a Solarite Gauntlet, and a Misericordia, and each can exchange the gauntlet for a Solarite Power Talon or exchange their guns for a TL Ardrathic Destructor or Infernus Firepike. Each can also buy a Teleport Transponder and Arae-Shrikes. <br />
**While costly (especially with special weapons), they can do the job if you use them correctly. They are the Custodes' answer against vehicles and Astartes multi-wound special units, since they can one-shot Justaerin, Firedrakes and Gal Vorbak while giving no fucks about Power Fist/Thunderhammer instakill (beware for shenanigans, like Rad Grenades, Rad Furnaces, Rad-Phage etc). Firepikes are also you best friends against hordes, something useful since tarpits are the bane of your Cutodes.<br />
**The Firepike is arguably the best choice against most infantry units as long as you get at least 4 hits with the template. The Adrathic destructor may sound nice for TEQ-hunting, but ONE S5 AP2 shot is not that great since most TEQ in 30k are Terminators with an invulnerable save. Take it for one-shooting multi-wound models but otherwise go for the Infernus. The Lastrum is only top-tier against models with T3 and a 4+, so you should keep it when facing Solar Auxilia - remember that Void Hardened armours make the Infernus firepikes almost useless.<br />
**Worth noting that the standard Solarite Power Gauntlet is NOT a specialist weapon. Whilst we do not have the profile for the Misericordia, it is safe to assume it is a CCW (check the Shield Captains profile in book 7! But RAW it is not, discuss that with your opponent before the game). If this is indeed the case, then the Aquilon terminators can throw out a surprising number of attacks. '''On the charge, that's 3 base, +1 for the charge, and +1 for multiple bashing weapons for a total of 5 attacks each'''. With Mastercrafted. At AP1. Therefore, given that the Talon is a specialist weapon, you will be sacrificing both strength and an extra attack for initiative in combat...an interesting thing to mull over, until a FAQ is finalized for this book.<br />
**'''Aquilons do not have Implacable Advance''' like the basic Legion Astartes Terminators get. So they won't be able to contest the objective even if they crack open a Spartan Deathstar. One of the four Talons of the Emperor troops choices are what you use to babysit objectives.<br />
** These guys are worse than both Sentinels (as those cost less while having same survivability as rerollable 5++ is same as 4++, and can be tailored toward punching big targets with Solarites with almost no loss of efficiency as Misericordia does absolutely nothing now), Hetaeron (+1 wound, better equipment & almost the same guns.) On the other hand they are, curiously, the most effective anti-horde option Custodes have - Infernus Firepikes AP may be shit, but they have great range due to Torrent and wound Space Marines on 2+ while bringing ID on Cultist blobs, so pile up those Armor Saves!<br />
*'''Legio Custodes Contemptor-Achillus Dreadnought''': The fanciest, goldiest, and potentially deadliest non-boxiest dreadnought to ever be seen. It's got WS6 and BS5, an AV of 13/13/11, and hits at I5, meaning he'll more than match any marines on the field. He also has a Refractor Field instead of the basic Atomantic Reactor Contemptors use and comes stock with Extra Armor. For weapons, he starts with two Dread CCWs with Lastrum Storm Bolters, but he can buy the Dreadspear, a S10 AP2 MC weapon that '''turns ALL hits into S:Destroyer if he rolls a single 6 to hit''' AND has a Corvae Las-Pulser bolted on top. In addition, he can replace his Lastrum Storm Bolters with either TL Adrathic Destructors or Infernus Incinerators for a small fee.<br />
**Do note the Dreadspear is not two-handed, and nothing is specified about the bonus attacks for every CCW after the first walkers get being included in the profile, so you may get [[Cheese|7 Destroyer attacks on the charge]] (4 base + 2 for three CCW + 1 for the charge). <sup>See page 91 of the BRB.</sup><br />
** Some players think Dreadspear's special rule is a typo, and that it works akin to Lightning Blows, Murderous Strike, etc - only 1 D hit per 1 6 on To Hit roll. RAW it is not, but, well, [[Forgeworld]]...<br />
*'''Sisters of Silence Oblivion Knight Cadre''': The Elite among the Sisters of Silence, each comes with Ex Oblivio, Fanatic Discipline, and Precision Strikes. Each comes with Vratine Armor, cloaks that grant a 6++ Invuln or a 4++ against Templates and Blasts, Execution Blades, grenades, and Bolt Pistols. Everyone can replace their blades for Power Axes while the sergeant can buy a Neuro-Lash and replace her pistol with a Needle-Pistol, a Plasma Pistol, or a Hand Flamer.<br />
<br />
===Troops===<br />
*'''Custodian Guard Squad''': Think Terminators, but with all the 4s in their statline replaced with 5s (so yes, you can strike at Initiative 6 thanks to Preternatural Skill), with situational AP2 at initiative weapons, something that most Space marines (outside of Praetors or Emperor's Children) would never get. They can take the usual Arae-shrikes, Teleportation Transponders and Melta Bombs as upgrades for the whole squad, any Custodian can replace its Guardian spear by an Adrasite or Pyrithite spear and one can take a Magisterium vexilla with a master-craft power weapon or a Sentinel blade instead. They do pay for the high degrees of kickassitude they bring to the table, most notably with actual points and they are liable to get shot down before doing anything if you don't take a Coronus, though '''with 2 wounds each and a 2+ 5++''' they might pull though. With '''3 S6 AP2 attacks per Custodian on the charge''' and the buff from Crusader and a vexilla Magisterium, they have decent chances to win the first round of close combat with a good margin before AP3 becomes a problem, so make sure the situational nature of their AP2 isn't going to get them killed.<br />
**Since Custodes pay no extra points for the base squad, it may be worth deploying a lot of small squads rather than big pseudo-deathstars if you expect a lot of 2+. AP3 and only 2 attacks by Custodian are trash if you get charged by TEQs with AP2, even if you outnumber them, so you REALLY don't want to see your 10-man squad rammed by 5 angry Tartaros with power fists. While they are more vulnerable to Moral tests if they take too many casualties, small units are also more adaptable : keep a couple of them close so you can charge with all your dudes when the opportunity presents itself without risking [[Rage|losing 550 points all at once]].<br />
**Before bitching about your ultimate elite warriors being butchered by "mere" Terminators because of your shitty AP3, remember these guys are only ''basic Custodes'' and remain rather violent in close combat against anything else. Mathammer-wise, even a three-man squad of Custodians can withstand the charge of 20 World Eaters tactical Legionnaries with 2 CCW ''and win''. Anything with 2+ save and AP2 will quickly have the upper hand on your golden bananas if the fight turns into attrition warfare, but otherwise you may be able to murder MEQs or at least keep them locked until reinforcements arrive.<br />
<br />
*'''Sentinel Guard Squad''': As Custodians armed with sword and board, they are somewhat less killy than their spear-wielding counterparts, but are more defensive thanks to their Praesidium shields. These are best used to guard your squishier Custodians, so they don't get wiped when they get charged by a squad with 2+ saves as your improved Invuls allow Sentinels to stick around long enough for rending to enter the equation. It's also worth noting that these guys can theoritecally deal with vehicles thanks to their rending swords, but don't expect too much from them. Anyway, you can replace your Sentinel blades with Solerite gauntlets and talons for more flexibility. <br />
**While expensive, the Sentinels are the very definition of holding the line, as anything without S10 or Instant Death will take a lot of turns to kill them in CC. For sure, they lack AP2 against TEQs, but they can tank your opponent's most dangerous units, so they are good for preventing a deathstar from rampaging through your army.<br />
**Worth noting that, unlike Custodian Guard, you do actually get a small discount if you run these guys in small numbers (180 for the basic unit of 3, with 65 per model, means you save points if you run small) <br />
<br />
*'''Sisters of Silence Prosecutor Cadre''': Baseline WS4 BS4 I4 Sisters of Silence with bolters (or double bolt pistols) and grenades. They get Fanatic Discipline and can buy a Nuncio-Vox or Breaching Charge.<br />
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*'''Sisters of Silence Vigilator Cadre''': Slightly improved Sisters, they all get an Execution Blade and Pistol. They also have the ability mark a single Infantry unit or Character and they get Preferred Enemy on that one target.<br />
<br />
===Dedicated Transports===<br />
*'''Legio Custodes Coronus Grav-Carrier''': A 13/12/11 4HP fast skimmer with BS5 acts as the Dedicated Transport for Custodes forces. It's equipped with a TL Arachnus Blaze-cannon AND TL Lastrum bolt cannon, a Machine Spirit, and a Flare Shield, while also having Grav-Backwash (-2 to hit in close combat unless immobilized), DS, and Outflank. It can also buy Extra Armor, Armoured Ceramite, and a Searchlight. It's not an assault transport - it's an infantry supporting unit depositing gunboat in ways that a Razorback can only dream of. That thing is also bigger than ''a Spartan'', so Deep Strike with caution.<br />
*'''Sisters of Silence Kharon Pattern Acquistor''': The DT of the Sisters, it's not Custodes-tier hax but it's got lots of weapons and is an ASSAULT VEHICLE. It's only 12/11/10 with BS4. It has a ton of guns however, with missile launchers and the Helion-Pattern Heavy Cannon Array, a super TL-autocannon with S7 AP4 Heavy 4 with Pinning. It also has an Auspex to give Night-Fighting and reduces enemy cover while also having Stealth and the ability to make anyone shooting beyond 12" shoot at -1 BS. The last trick it has is the Capture-Grid, a tank-shock attack that grants d6 S5 HoW attacks before any Death of Glory is counted. Stick any type of sisters with execution blades in it, with a character (even a custodes one, they're the same list), infiltrate the Kharon Acquisitor, charge in, and rip and tear.<br />
<br />
===Fast Attack===<br />
*'''Legio Custodes Pallas Grav-Attack''': A light tank with 12/11/11, but it has a TL Arachnus Blaze Cannon to attack and a Flare Shield and the Grav-Backwash of the Coronus to defend it. It also gets a Machine Spirit, Outflank, and DS, making it best suited to attack from an unexpected angle rather than be an assault weapon.<br />
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*'''Sisters of Silence Pursuer Cadre''': They're Sisters...with pets. For each sister you buy, you also have to buy a Cyber-Jackal, a powerful beast that's actually slightly stronger and tougher than the sisters and equipped with Rage, FNP, a 5+ save and the option to shoot flamers or meltas at BS2 (pick the flamer), or Razortalon Wings, birds that get more attacks at higher Initiative, but can only fight in melee. The birds are a bit cheaper, but the dogs have more utility and punch. The sisters meanwhile benefit from Fleet and Move Through Cover as well as Fanatic Discipline, though the sergeant has a small list of pistols or Charnabal/Power Weapons to use if she's unhappy with the CCW/Bolt Pistol combo.<br />
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*'''Legio Custodes Agamatus Jetbike Squadron''': RIDE THE LIGHTNING ! Custodians on super golden banana jetbikes wielding FUCKHUEG knight-style power lances. It sounds so goddamn metal, it looks goddamn metal, it fights goddamn metal. The Gyrfalcon-pattern jetbike is a jetbike that boosts the rider's Toughness by 1, [[Awesome|making you as tough as a Primarch]] so you can laugh at S10-induced instant death and allows you to re-roll failed charge distances. Your glorious steed of gold and fury comes with cool-looking leather boots and gauntlets (we're not making this up), <strike>an Iliastus</strike> (Alan Bligh confirmed it was a typo) a Lastrum Bolt Cannon and benefit from the slew of Custodes rules in addition to Split Fire and ''Sweeping Fire'', which lets them shoot with each weapon once per shooting phase. If you're not happy with the bolt cannon, the whole squadron can be 'upgraded' with Adrathic Devastators (+5 points) or twin-linked Corvae Las-pulsers (+25 points) as well as getting melta-bombs.<br />
**Move on Boltodes, those guys can do your job better. For just 10 points above the Sagittarum guard, you have a unit that can actually move 12ps, shoot three 36" S6 AP3 and deliver three (four if you assume Misericordia to be CCW) S6 AP3 attacks on the charge, so anything without a 2+ or decent invulnerable save is fucked. If you must deal with something harder, Corvae las-pulsers can ruin the day of any vehicle, TEQ or MC but the price of your squadron is increasing quickly, so just take the Adrathic Devastators if you're not afraid of short range fights. Two S6 Armourbane shots are mathematically better than 1D3 S9 ones and you get Instant Death as a bonus for far cheaper, meaning [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Mechanicum: Taghmata (30k)|T5 or more characters, multi-wound units and Monstruous Creatures]] will shit in their pants too. <br />
** As a smart fa/tg/uy or ca/tg/irl you probably noticed that wording about "upgrading" weapon is unclear, but models '''clearly''' replace it, and Golden Dudes are armed with simple Power Lances, not Custodes Spears. One can safely assume FW initially thought to give riders the latter option and wanted to enable them to shoot both with Spear and Jetbike-mounted weapon with Sweeping Fire, but as it is - enjoy 1 bonus Grenade thrown per shooting phase. If your opponent insists on Jetbikes having 2 weapons even after being shown the actual model, he is a particular bad case of [[rules lawyer]] bordering [[that guy]]. Other rules-lawyers consider that the rule is a broad term that enables the squad to throw a full load of their grenades - plasma, krak, then bolt whatever is left (spoiler: it does not, read the BRB about how to use Grenades then realize Sweeping Fire doesn't let Custodes mitigate "only one grenade per unit per phase").<br />
**Do note that the Agamatus are the only Custodes unit without Crusader, and are just jetbikes, not eldar jetbikes, so no free 2D6-not-thrust-moves, and it really sucks since you NEED to win the first round of close-combat after you charge if you don't want to be locked forever with your downgraded derp-lances. Don't be greedy and keep your precious heavy weapons away from tarpits.<br />
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===Heavy Support===<br />
*'''Sisters of Silence Seeker Cadre''': Sisters with Flamers. Competes with Excruciatus Cadre as your "must take" gold babes. (Calling them "Golden Girls" means you earned that live grenade under your bed.) Nothing more you need to know besides the ability to grab grenades and the basic Anathema, Fanatic Discipline, and Cadre rules. The squad can take Grenade Launchers with Frag, Krak, and Psyk-Out grenades. This is your answer to Magnus and his D. Use them as a Militia Grenadier Squad with anti Psyker options. They don't get Gas or Firebust like the other guys. However a ten member squad can put out a load of hurt with ten S6 AP4 attacks at 24" or as an effective blob killer.(i.e. Chaos Daemons, when they finally have 30K compatible rules) Not quite as good as the Caladius or the Telemon but they can threaten light vehicles such as Rhinos and out range squads with Volkite Chargers. Freeing up the heavy hitters to deal with MEQs and above. Note that unlike Grenadiers they won't last as long in a shooting match. One would think the Golden Sisters would have better grenades than Cults and Militias. This oversight might be fixed when Talons get their own red book. <br />
*'''Legio Custodes Sagittarum Guard Squad''': One of the few shitty Custodes units. For 65 points per model, you got Custodes with Adrastus Bolt Calivers and refractors. Thanks to their Caliver, they're theoretically able to cover either front. There's not much more to describe on the equipment front, being able to grab Arae-Shrikes, meltabombs, and transponders as well as one guy grabbing the Vexilla. For sure they are as tough as any Custodes and can withstand more damage than almost any shooty unit in the entire HH setting, but are very difficult to use if you want them to earn their points back. They can be useful in low point games but you are better off taking the Dreadnoughts or Grav-Tank instead.<br />
**Why do they suck ? Here is the answer. Using the Bolt profile makes your golden Boltodes derp-tough overcosted Devastators, and basically nothing more. Unless you're fielding a big squad of Sagittarum, a 30" Heavy Bolter means you are sacrificing mobility for only a few damage against anything with an armour save of 3+ or better. As a comparison, a 8-man strong Astartes Support Squad costing the same price can deal almost thrice the amount of dakka. <br />
**So, what about the Adrathic destructor? AP2, Amourbane and Instant Death are pretty terrifying, but you only get '''one''' shot per shooting phase, so anything with a good invulnerable save and/or some meatshields will probably survive your volley of murder beams. And since the unit you are shooting at is within charge range and will wreck/tarpit your Boltodes in assault because [[Derp|you have only 2 attacks and not even a power weapon]] (The Misericordia might be a power sword equivalent[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misericorde_(weapon)] but until a FAQ is released we can't assume anything about it), you need to be lucky. Concretely, that means you must target something you're almost sure to kill in one turn, so avoid characters with Eternal Warriors and Cataphractii squads. Deep-striking behind vehicles is the best way to use your golden boys, so plan to take melta bombs if you fail at blasting this angry Contemptor before it charges you. Anyway, a squad of Custodians with Adrastite spear can do the same job and they do have power weapons.<br />
*'''Contemptor-Galatus Dreadnought''': Another giant golden mecha for the Emperor's Firstborn. Compared to the Achilius, this one gets a fuckhuge warblade with AP2, Shred and Rampage, with a Twin-Linked Infernus Destructor built in to it. The Galatus also sports a Praesidium Shield, allowing it to re-roll invul saves taken from the front at range (and all in CC) and makes any hit rolls from any non-Gargantuans drop by 1. It also grabs Counter Attack, which lets it use that sword to its fullest. Put this in the front to take a few hits and let the other bananas smack whatever targets the big guy.<br />
**Whilst this sexy beast occupies the sacred support slot for your Golden Bananas, and doesn't have any long-distance ranged weapons, this guy is an absolute BEAST in close combat. Even if we gloss over the Twin-linked S6 AP4 Flamer in it's sword (!), it's going to be doing some damage. On the charge, after a S8 Hammer of Wrath; you can expect 4 base attacks, +1 for charging or counterattack, and +d3 on the charge for for Rampage. '''That's between 5 and 8 attacks resolved at I5, at S10 AP2, rerolling failed to-wound rolls.''' The really nice thing is that in the event YOU are charged, you're still probably going to benefit from Wall of Death, Rampage, and (thanks to Counter Attack) +1 to your base. And if you don't sweep assault? They'll likely be hitting you on 5's in CC thanks to that shield of yours, which is also affording your AV13 a rerollable 5++. Again, it's competing with the Caladius, and the Achilius is arguably better overall, but don't discount this fella. Used correctly, he will put in some work, and is one of the few things that can take a charge of Primarch-train and hope to survive. This also makes a great but quite expensive one unit body guard for characters. The Galatus pairs well with an Achillus or Telemon to act as the defensive linebacker to their quarterback.<br />
*'''Caladius Grav-Tank''': Take a [[Sicaran Battle Tank]], and stick it on a [[Land Speeder]]. Then give it to the most elite dudes in the Imperium and you have the Caladius. It's a fast skimmer (so you can Jink) with BS5, 13|13|11 3 HP and a flare shield, so keep it front toward your enemy and enjoy [[Awesome|your grav-Land Raider with a 4+ cover save]]. It comes with '''Outflank''', a '''Machine spirit''' (so you can Jink AND fire one of your weapons at full BS, pretty cool since the guns of your gilded podracer are nasty) and '''Grav Backwash''' (your enemy doesn't want to charge as much and suffers a -2 to Hit penalty in close combat as long as the Caladius is not Immobilised). The Caladius comes with two weapons : the turret-mounted '''Iliastus accelerator cannon''' and the hull-mounted '''Lastrum bolt cannon'''. The former is a twin-linked '''60" S7 AP2 Heavy 3''' gun with ''Rending'' and ''Rapid Tracking'' (no Jink for your enemy), while the latter is twin-linked '''36" S6 AP3 Heavy 3'''. Great, but here is the cherry on the top of the golden banana cake. Both weapons have a brand new fearsome rule : '''Heliothermic Detonation'''. If your target has suffered one or more unsaved wounds, they have must '''pass a Toughness test or suffer Instant Death''', and '''Penetrating hits adds +1 to the Vehicle Damage table'''. You get this package for just 195 points, or the same as an off the shelf Land Raider Proteus, a bargain for your golden banana warriors.<br />
**Given some similarities with the Sicaran's accelerator autocannon, it is worth making some comparisons. Against metal bawkses, the Sicaran remains better for pure saturation and wiping out HP since it throws twice the amount of dakka the Caladius does, especially against Flyers, the Caladius' BS5 being useless in this case. HOWEVER, any Penetrating hit you may score with the Iliastus will have a 33% chance to blow your enemy up, something the autocannon can't even do. Anyway, the Sicaran looks like a jealous little bitch when coming to anti-infantry capabilities as the Caladius can tear apart MEQs and even TEQs or Monstruous Creatures better than most tanks. Well, for the same price the Sicaran can have 4 heavy bolters and will do a better job against 4+ saves and Cataphractii ([[Tyranids|by pure saturation power]]), but the golden floater remains more polyvalent overall. This Heliothermic Detonation shit means that Characters, multi-Wounds units and MC will sweat a little if they get wounded, [[Be'lakor|unless]] [[Nathaniel Garro|they]] [[Salamanders|are]] [[Sigismund|Eternal]] [[Primarchs|Warriors]]. <br />
**In book 7, we now have the option to replace the turret-mounted twin-linked Iliastus accelerator with a Twin-Linked Arachnus Heavy Blaze Cannon, for 15pts. Whilst you do lose out on AP2 and Rapid Tracking, you are gaining a Heavy 4 weapon with +1S and AP3. The real icing on this weapons cake, however, is the alternate firing mode. S10 AP1, with the Exoshock special rule from the Deredeo. With BS5 and TL, one would hope that round punches through some armour! Mathammer-wise, the concentrated mode is more efficient against Armour Value from 12 to 15, while the burst mode will wip out more HP than both the Iliastus and the concentrated blast until facing AV14 but remember you have no chance to get the Explosion! result on the chart. The Arachnus is better at tank-hunting and MEQ-killing, but if you expect a lot of skimmers, flyers, jetbikes or TEQs to show up, the Iliastus remains a more versatile (and cheaper) choice.<br />
**All in all, the Caladius is maybe the most versatile tank in 30k for its price, both durable, fast, manoeuvrable and killy. With a main weapon firing from 48" up to 72", a 4+ cover save and a Frontal Armour of 14, it can stay away from your adversary's biggest guns while destroying light vehicles and infantry from afar and survive medium-range fire from the front when you cannot retreat. Just remember it has only a '''Rear Armour of 11''' so any deep-striking/outflanking unit with a bit of anti-armour stuff will wreck it.<br />
*'''Telemon heavy Dreadnought''': The biggest, shiniest Dreadnought variant that ever existed and the Legio Custodes equivalent of the Leviathan. It comes with an Armour value of 13|13|12, 4HP, WS6, BS5, I5, 4 Attacks, exta armour, armoured ceramite and a 4+ invulnerable save increasing to 3+ against weapons with the Blast special rule or that use a template of any kind. Pretty good, but the giant golden Kinder has another surprise for you... The ''Unyielding Sentinel'' rule lets you roll 2 dice on the Vehicle Damage table after you suffered a Penetrating Hit, the highest being discarded. Now the time has come to punch things, the Telemon has some good tools for the job. Its basic weapons are a pair of '''Telemon Caestus''', Dreadnought close-combat weapons with ''Shred'' and ''Murderous Strike'', perfect for tearing Monstrous Creatures. Each Caestus comes with an in-built '''Proteus plasma projector''', an Assault 1 S5 AP2 Template weapon. It Gets Hot like other plasma weapons, but who cares ? AP2 flamers will make Terminators cry, especially if you're playing Zone Mortalis. You also get 1d6 Hammer of Wrath attacks instead of one when charging. If you don't want to dirty your shiny armour in close-combat, no problem, the Emprah has given you some nasty guns to do the job from afar. The '''Spiculus bolt launcher''' is a 48" S5 AP4 Heavy 5 weapon with ''Rending'' which can '''fire twice if you stay immobile during the Movement phase'''. The Telemon can also equip an '''Iliastus Accelerator Culverin'''. It is a nasty 36" S7 AP2 Heavy 5 Rending uber-autocannon, with the accustomed Heliothermic Detonation, which gives your enemies the chance of Instant Death <strike>on each unsaved wound</strike> if they suffer one or more wounds from your big gun. It's lacking the versatility of its other weapon options, but all in all, it's a great gun to fry some TEQ with and punch the occasional light vehicle. But the real star in the long-range combat department is the '''Arachnus storm cannon''', an [[Awesome|oversized laser gatling gun]] which can shoot with two profiles : 48" S7 AP 3 Heavy 7 or 72" S9 AP1 Heavy 2 with the ''Exo-Shock'' special rule. Not quite as good as the Arachnus heavy blaze cannon or the Iliastus Accelerator Culverin if you want to insta-kill MEQs or squads of T5 models, but slightly better against light vehicles, hordes and MC. You can replace one or both Caestus and Proteus projectors with this beauty for +30 points each.<br />
**The Telemon is by far the most versatile ranged unit in the Talons of the Emperor army list. The Arachnus storm cannon makes him a threat against vehicles and infantry alike and the Spiculus launcher can add a lot of saturation fire, all this at 48" range, and the Iliastus Accelerator Culverin can ID the ubiquitous multi-wound TEQs you're likely to find in 30k. If you stay immobile, your Dreadnought can unleash [[Dakka|14 S7 AP3 and 10 S5 AP4 shots each turn]], making it a good counter-measure against the usual Nemesis of a Custodes army : hordes and flyers. It does not match the Leviathan anti-armour capabilities in close-combat, but can engage a wider variety of targets while staying away from the melee.<br />
**Like the Achillus Dreadnought, nothing is specified about the bonus attacks for every CCW after the first walkers get being included in the profile, so you technically don't lose any attack when taking an Arachnus storm cannon.<br />
**Take note that '''the Telemon is a Character''', so he can call and accept challenges, be your Warlord, etc.<br />
<br />
===Lords of War===<br />
*'''Warlord-Sinister Pattern Battle Psi-Titan''': '''HO-LYYY FUCK. PSYCHIC WARLORD TITAN.''' [[Grimdark|Fueled by the powers of captured psykers, who are bled dry to power the Titan]], it's a good thing this monster is worth 3250 points. Starting off with the standard kit of a [[Warlord Battle Titan]], the Warlord-Sinister adds the Psychic Pilot rule (Mastery Level 3), knowing three set powers: a 24" d6 bolter-shot nova with Soul Blaze and Ignores Cover, a blessing which [[Cheese|restores any lost hull point on a 5+]], and a witchfire which hits all units within 24" of a point with a Haywire hit (for vehicles-EVEN FLYERS) or d6 Heavy Bolter shots (PER 5 MODELS) if it's infantry. The Psi-Titan makes all enemy units within 12" take leadership checks automatically, and any unit that wishes to charge the monstrosity (why you would do that is beyond us) must take a leadership check at -3 Ld. Its weapons are standard fare for the Warlord, except that you always carry the '''Sinistramanus Tenebrae''' , aka the gun that will ruin your day, on one arm. Fluff-wise it's an up-scaled Animus Speculum, crunch-wise it's an apocalyptic mega-blast that's Strength D/Fleshbane/Poison 4+, and AP 1/2/3 for its respective ranges. Oh, and that inner circle? Yeah, it's a Vortex, just in case anything in the blast radius thought it would survive that shot. And if you finally manage to put the Titan(ic amount of [[Grimdark]]) down, it will explode on you, which on a 4+ becomes a '''[[Rape|36 INCH DESTROYER BLAST]]'''. Honestly, even if the Emperor's rules get released, this bastard will probably be the more OP Lord of War choice.<br />
<br />
*'''Orion Assault Dropship''': A 7 hull point, 13-12-11, 600ish point super-heavy flyer and a Lord of War for Talons of the Emperor. It's also a transport with a capacity of 24 models. (Yes, Custodians do count as two.) This golden nugget is capable of transporting a Dreadnought, (which counts as 10 models.) Along with being a super-heavy flyer, and transport, the Orion is armed with two Arachnus Heavy Blaze cannons, Two nose mounted tl Lastrum Bolt Cannons, two Spiculus Heavy Bolt Launchers (48", 7, 4, H3, Rending,) armored ceramite and cockpit as standard and the new Eclipse Shield and Macro Arae-Shrike. The Eclipse Shield provides the Orion with a -2 to blast and template weapon strength, and a -1 to all other weapon strength. If a shooting weapon inflicts a glancing or penetrating hit, the Orion immediately gains Shrouded against all subsequent hits against its front Arc during this phase. However, this has no effect on melee attacks or weapons of the Destroyer type (not a big deal as long as you're not Hovering since most of D weapons are usually blasts). Macro Arae-shrikes on the other hand, act as normal Arae-shrikes, with the addition of ''interception interference.'' When enemy units declare their interception, the intercepting player must roll a D6 for each unit attempting to intercept. If a unit rolls 3 or less, it's unable to intercept but may fire as normal in its next shooting phase. Furthermore, because He and the terrawatt clan love us so, the Orion has the Deep Strike and Assault Vehicle special rule.<br />
**As long as you keep the enemy in front of it, the Orion is arguably more resistant (and cheaper) than a similarly geared Thunderhawk. Its firepower may seem somewhat limited for what you're paying and it clearly won't earn its points back by killing TEQ or hordes. Two S10 AP1 exo-shock shots and 3 rending autocannons are still quite good for tank-hunting and make the Orion a monster against other flyers, but you could have more big guns for the same price. Unless you really need a very reliable transport or flyer-killer, there are other units that can do the job better.<br />
<br />
*<s>God-</s>[[Emperor of Mankind]]: '''COMING SOON!''' No actual rules yet, but a note in the Legio Custodes Tribune rules suggests he will be a future potential HQ choice for the army, similar to the Primarchs and their legions.<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category: Adeptus Custodes]]<br />
[[Category:Warhammer Tactics/30k]]</div>2601:147:4200:6280:2561:C61A:5ED7:9030http://2d4chan.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Warship&diff=561250Warship2018-04-10T23:58:57Z<p>2601:147:4200:6280:2561:C61A:5ED7:9030: /* Ship Types */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{stub}}<br />
<br />
Unlike [[Tank]]s or [[Combat Aircraft]], warships have been around forever. Great naval battles are remembered throughout history books as far back as boats bigger than a canoe existed. This article covers the types of ships and their strategies throughout the ages.<br />
<br />
==Pre-Modern==<br />
Ships at this time were restricted to rivers or coastlines, partly because they could not endure rough conditions on ocean seas, but also because primitive navigation techniques restricted ships to remain in sight of land. As a result, most battles wouldn't take place far from major ports or routes. Before the invention of the cannon, there were really only a few ways for ships to fight each other:<br />
*Boarding<br />
*Firing various missiles at the enemy (arrows, javelins, catapults)<br />
*Ramming<br />
*Setting them on fire<br />
<br />
The last two in particular had a high probability of getting your own ships destroyed, so naval combat was kind of a crapshoot.<br />
<br />
===Ship Types===<br />
*'''Galley''': Sailships that came with long rows of oarsmen to help give the ship an extra boost of speed. Very useful for maneuvering against the wind, or gaining speed to ram the enemy. The Romans had a special version that used a spike to lock ships and allow their marines to board, as they found that if they fought better on land than on sea, then they'll just apply the same tactics onto boats.<br />
*'''Fire Ships''': Usually made from suprlus ships or even rafts, sometimes one navy would try to set the enemy on fire by setting one of their own boats on fire, and hope that it drifts into their ships. At the very least, it could create panic, as the enemy would try to steer the hell away from them.<br />
*'''Longship''': A Viking galley that was long and narrow, allowing it to enter shallow waters for amphibious deployment. They had a characteristic large square sail and the sides were typically lined with shields.<br />
<br />
==Age of Sail==<br />
When shipbuilding technology allowed ships to navigate the open seas, they became formidable powerhouses, especially when armed with a long row of guns. Broadside barrages were now the dominant tactic, as a ship would attempt to strafe the enemy within range of the side-mounted cannons. This is the type of warfare you normally think of whenever you think of pirates. And with newly developing sea trade routes appearing around the world, the importance of a powerful navy became a key factor in empire-building. The Royal Navy began categorizing warships on the Rating System, which was defined by size and number of guns (hence where we get the term "first-rate")<br />
<br />
===Ship Types===<br />
*'''Carrack''': The first ocean-going large (by-then standards) ship capable of long voyages. The Carrack had "castles," or raised decks for archers to shoot from, until hey eventually started carrying cannons.<br />
*'''Galleon''': Evolved from the carrack, galleons were armed merchant ships that acted as auxiliaries to the navy. The high castles of the medieval Carrack were no longer needed, but the same general shape was kept.<br />
*'''Ship of the Line''': A ship that belong to the first three rates. These ships had three decks (two for third rate) full of guns, and got their name as they formed the main offensive line in battle, much like a line of riflemen in terrestrial battles. The winner was typically whoever brought the most cannons to the fight, hence they could go upwards of 90 cannons on the largest ships. The 74 gun ship was the most common, as it had the right balance of speed and power. Ships of the line continued to be built in steamboat versions until Ironclads took over.<br />
*'''Frigate''': A ship of the fifth or sixth rates. A Great Frigate belonged to the fourth rate. These smaller ships were not part of the line, but could be used as scouts, convoy escorts, or to protect the flanks from other such ships.<br />
*'''Sloop of War''': A ship below the 20-gun threshold, and was thus "unrated."<br />
<br />
==Modern==<br />
When ships became self-powered, they also could become armored and better armed as well. New strategies began to emerge, especially now that navies could fight below the water with submarines, or above them with naval aircraft.<br />
<br />
Some ship designs adopted an "All or Nothing" approach when it came to armor. Because excessive armor would slow down a ship and make it less able to maneuver in combat, it was decided that certain parts would be more armored than others, until they eventually decided to dispense with armor except on the most critical parts (I.e. Engine room, ammunition stores, etc). This allowed ships to stay fast and mobile while avoiding sinkage.<br />
<br />
===Ship Types===<br />
*'''Ironclad''': The first modern ship that one would recognize as being distinct from Age of Sail ships; Ironclads were steamboats that were covered in a layer of iron that could block most cannonballs. They were invented during the early 19th century with England and France locked (as ever) in a dick measuring contest over who had the best fleet. The french were losing so they created the first ocean going ironclad: ''Gloire''. But it was during the American Civil War that Ironclads had some of there first 'field tests'.' experiments against another full industrial nation (during the first Opium war the British Ironclad ''Nemesis'' went to down on the Qing dynasty navy). Iron Clads were used extensively during the American Civil War and it had the first battle between two Ironclad ships: the Confederate CSS Virginia, which was a conversion of a pre-existing ship (the frigate USS Merrimack) that had been converted simply by adding some metal armor with a sloped dome over the deck, and the Monitor, which was a purpose-built design featuring a rotating turret with two guns rather than the standard broadside gun arrangement. The clash between two at the Battle of Hampton Roads war showed something two things that interested naval designer: namely that the two ships could not hurt each other as they mostly just bounced shells off each other's armor and secondly that the Virginia (Merrimack but there is some skub about the names) rammed and sunk another ship USS Cumberland. The end result was that it was though that armor had exceeded guns and that the best way to destroy another ironclad was to ram it, almost upto world war one battleships had rams on them, though as gun improved the rams were obvious dropped as a weapon, though as the Occasional U-boat learned, a few thousand tons of ship can do a lot of damage on impact!<br />
**'''Moniter''': on the subject of the Monitor, Monitor class warships are somewhat lightly armored ships but with really big guns. First used in the US Civil war, monitor class warships were a type of ships built for coastal waters, often with one or two rotating turrets.<br />
*'''Torpedo Ram''': the torpedo ram dates from an odd part of naval history when Torpedos were first invented, were powerful, but were very short ranged. The ram's job was to use high speed and it's low profile to get up to a target and jam a torpedo down it's throat, while they were still in the harbor. To do so it had to first ram through harbor defense, hence the name. Needless to say, Torpedo Rams were not even all that well liked even when they were being built and so no designs survived past the 19th century. The most famous Torpedo ram is the Fictional "HMS Thunder Child" which fought the Martians in the War of the Worlds.<br />
*'''Fast Attack Craft''': Small warships that mostly fight in coastal waters. This typically includes Patrol boats, Gunboats, Missile Boats, or Torpedo boats.<br />
*'''Corvette''': The smallest "proper" warship, as in, being able to survive combat in open water. They are used as convoy escorts, or light Helicopter carriers.<br />
*'''Frigate''': Better armed than a corvette, Frigates are escort ships designed mainly for protecting convoys in heavy combat. Most modern navies use mostly frigates, especially if they lack aircraft carriers. <br />
*'''Destroyer''': A fast escort ship designed to intercept Torpedo boats, there original name was 'torpedo boat destroyer' and was just shortened to 'destroyer'. Nowadays as light ships they also get anti submarine dutys. If the[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zumwalt-class_destroyer USS Zumwalt] is anything to go by, they may be the first ships armed with functional rail gun technology. <br />
*'''Cruiser''': Smaller than a battleship, the cruiser is used mainly for air defense and shore bombardment. After the (mostly) retirement of the battleship, the Cruiser is the largest warship still in use (not counting Supercarriers). In the form of Guided Missile Cruisers. As there is still no better way to deal with targets on land, sea or in the air by firing a crap-ton of rocket propelled explosive ordinance at them.<br />
*'''Q-Ship''': A warship disguised as a merchant vessel in order to lure enemy submarines.<br />
*'''Battleship''': The typical gun-armed capital ship of a navy. Battleships declined in use as aircraft carriers became more feasible, and with smaller ships taking their place as the main source of artillery. Still they are far from useless and they are were dragged of retirement and upgraded during the late stages of the Cold War. As a counter to the Kirov-class battlecruisers. The Iowa was the last to see action. During the Gulf War to destroy Iraqi missile and anti air encampments on the Gulf Coast. [[/pol/|There is also a minority of morons who want to bring them back again]]. Despite the fact that their guns would have no ammo and would be useless in modern surface combat given that missiles can strike far, far beyond the range of even the largest naval gun. Removing the guns for VLS and the maintenance costs alone would be more expensive than building a whole new aircraft carrier. While their armor would be devastated by Sabot rounds, anti-ship missiles and large improvised weapons such as the bomb that damaged the USS Cole. About the only thing a battleship does better, though they do it much better, is shore bombardment, which comes up so infrequently that it's not worth bring them back just for that: at least either naval railguns become a thing or near perfect enough point defense to ward off missiles.<br />
*'''Dreadnought''': A large battleship where all of its guns are at maximum caliber. This not only increased its firepower, but also simplified both logistics and firing solution complexity, as all guns would have the same range and angle of fire. These were popular in WWI as many navies competed on who could build the biggest dreadnought. They were eventually made obsolete as they were massively expensive and could be outdone by aircraft.<br />
*'''Aircraft Carrier''': A giant floating aircraft strip, the very best in force projection. These ships need to be massive to give fighters enough runway space, even with specialized launching systems such as the CATOBAR catapult system. By no accident, these ships are often called "floating cities." Besides their physical size and large crew, they are high-endurance self-sufficient ships; many aircraft carriers are nuclear-powered, allowing them to endure long deployment without refueling. Their aircraft also provide them with all they support assets they need, between strike capabilities and early warning craft to cargo transports and refueling craft. Supercarriers are even more massive, carrying a plethora of aircraft. The carrier itself has little weapons outfitted, mostly point-defense guns and AA missiles. But when one can get a dozen or even a hundred combat aircraft (for the very big ones) in the air quickly, a couple of big guns wouldn't change much. Death from above!<br />
*'''Amphibious Assault Ship''': These look like small aircraft carriers, but realistically they can only deploy helicopters and VTOL fighter jets. However, they can also deploy boats and amphibious craft, as they can include a sea deck below. Just like their bigger sisters they carry little weapons, but it is their payload in helo's or smaller boats that does the job indirectly.<br />
*'''Attack Submarine''': Submarines designed specifically to attack enemy ships and subs using torpedoes. These optimize speed and stealth, and are among the smallest subs.<br />
*'''Cruise Missile Submarine''': Submarines designed mainly to fire long-range cruise missiles.<br />
*'''Ballistic Missile Submarine''': Submarines used in strategic nuclear warfare rather than direct combat. Think of "The Hunt for Red October" on why this is a big deal. These subs are some times also called "Boomers", and since there armed with nukes the reason should be self apparent. <br />
<br />
{{Vehicle Warfare}}</div>2601:147:4200:6280:2561:C61A:5ED7:9030http://2d4chan.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Warship&diff=561247Warship2018-04-10T18:54:20Z<p>2601:147:4200:6280:2561:C61A:5ED7:9030: /* Ship Types */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{stub}}<br />
<br />
Unlike [[Tank]]s or [[Combat Aircraft]], warships have been around forever. Great naval battles are remembered throughout history books as far back as boats bigger than a canoe existed. This article covers the types of ships and their strategies throughout the ages.<br />
<br />
==Pre-Modern==<br />
Ships at this time were restricted to rivers or coastlines, partly because they could not endure rough conditions on ocean seas, but also because primitive navigation techniques restricted ships to remain in sight of land. As a result, most battles wouldn't take place far from major ports or routes. Before the invention of the cannon, there were really only a few ways for ships to fight each other:<br />
*Boarding<br />
*Firing various missiles at the enemy (arrows, javelins, catapults)<br />
*Ramming<br />
*Setting them on fire<br />
<br />
The last two in particular had a high probability of getting your own ships destroyed, so naval combat was kind of a crapshoot.<br />
<br />
===Ship Types===<br />
*'''Galley''': Sailships that came with long rows of oarsmen to help give the ship an extra boost of speed. Very useful for maneuvering against the wind, or gaining speed to ram the enemy. The Romans had a special version that used a spike to lock ships and allow their marines to board, as they found that if they fought better on land than on sea, then they'll just apply the same tactics onto boats.<br />
*'''Fire Ships''': Usually made from suprlus ships or even rafts, sometimes one navy would try to set the enemy on fire by setting one of their own boats on fire, and hope that it drifts into their ships. At the very least, it could create panic, as the enemy would try to steer the hell away from them.<br />
*'''Longship''': A Viking galley that was long and narrow, allowing it to enter shallow waters for amphibious deployment. They had a characteristic large square sail and the sides were typically lined with shields.<br />
<br />
==Age of Sail==<br />
When shipbuilding technology allowed ships to navigate the open seas, they became formidable powerhouses, especially when armed with a long row of guns. Broadside barrages were now the dominant tactic, as a ship would attempt to strafe the enemy within range of the side-mounted cannons. This is the type of warfare you normally think of whenever you think of pirates. And with newly developing sea trade routes appearing around the world, the importance of a powerful navy became a key factor in empire-building. The Royal Navy began categorizing warships on the Rating System, which was defined by size and number of guns (hence where we get the term "first-rate")<br />
<br />
===Ship Types===<br />
*'''Carrack''': The first ocean-going large (by-then standards) ship capable of long voyages. The Carrack had "castles," or raised decks for archers to shoot from, until hey eventually started carrying cannons.<br />
*'''Galleon''': Evolved from the carrack, galleons were armed merchant ships that acted as auxiliaries to the navy. The high castles of the medieval Carrack were no longer needed, but the same general shape was kept.<br />
*'''Ship of the Line''': A ship that belong to the first three rates. These ships had three decks (two for third rate) full of guns, and got their name as they formed the main offensive line in battle, much like a line of riflemen in terrestrial battles. The winner was typically whoever brought the most cannons to the fight, hence they could go upwards of 90 cannons on the largest ships. The 74 gun ship was the most common, as it had the right balance of speed and power. Ships of the line continued to be built in steamboat versions until Ironclads took over.<br />
*'''Frigate''': A ship of the fifth or sixth rates. A Great Frigate belonged to the fourth rate. These smaller ships were not part of the line, but could be used as scouts, convoy escorts, or to protect the flanks from other such ships.<br />
*'''Sloop of War''': A ship below the 20-gun threshold, and was thus "unrated."<br />
<br />
==Modern==<br />
When ships became self-powered, they also could become armored and better armed as well. New strategies began to emerge, especially now that navies could fight below the water with submarines, or above them with naval aircraft.<br />
<br />
Some ship designs adopted an "All or Nothing" approach when it came to armor. Because excessive armor would slow down a ship and make it less able to maneuver in combat, it was decided that certain parts would be more armored than others, until they eventually decided to dispense with armor except on the most critical parts (I.e. Engine room, ammunition stores, etc). This allowed ships to stay fast and mobile while avoiding sinkage.<br />
<br />
===Ship Types===<br />
*'''Ironclad''': The first modern ship that one would recognize as being distinct from Age of Sail ships; Ironclads were steamboats that were covered in a layer of iron that could block most cannonballs. They were invented during the early 19th century with England and France locked (as ever) in a dick measuring contest over who had the best fleet. The french were losing so they created the first ocean going ironclad: ''Gloire''. But it was during the American Civil War that Ironclads had some of there first 'field tests'.' experiments against another full industrial nation (during the first Opium war the British Ironclad ''Nemesis'' went to down on the Qing dynasty navy). Iron Clads were used extensively during the American Civil War and it had the first battle between two Ironclad ships: the Confederate CSS Virginia, which was a conversion of a pre-existing ship (the frigate USS Merrimack) that had been converted simply by adding some metal armor with a sloped dome over the deck, and the Monitor, which was a purpose-built design featuring a rotating turret with two guns rather than the standard broadside gun arrangement. The clash between two at the Battle of Hampton Roads war showed something two things that interested naval designer: namely that the two ships could not hurt each other as they mostly just bounced shells off each other's armor and secondly that the Virginia (Merrimack but there is some skub about the names) rammed and sunk another ship USS Cumberland. The end result was that it was though that armor had exceeded guns and that the best way to destroy another ironclad was to ram it, almost upto world war one battleships had rams on them, though as gun improved the rams were obvious dropped as a weapon, though as the Occasional U-boat learned, a few thousand tons of ship can do a lot of damage on impact!<br />
**'''Moniter''': on the subject of the Monitor, Monitor class warships are somewhat lightly armored ships but with really big guns. First used in the US Civil war, monitor class warships were a type of ships built for coastal waters, often with one or two rotating turrets.<br />
*'''Torpedo Ram''': the torpedo ram dates from an odd part of naval history when Torpedos were first invented, were powerful, but were very short ranged. The ram's job was to use high speed and it's low profile to get up to a target and jam a torpedo down it's throat, while they were still in the harbor. To do so it had to first ram through harbor defense, hence the name. Needless to say, Torpedo Rams were not even all that well liked even when they were being built and so no designs survived past the 19th century. The most famous Torpedo ram is the Fictional "HMS Thunder Child" which fought the Martians in the War of the Worlds.<br />
*'''Fast Attack Craft''': Small warships that mostly fight in coastal waters. This typically includes Patrol boats, Gunboats, Missile Boats, or Torpedo boats.<br />
*'''Corvette''': The smallest "proper" warship, as in, being able to survive combat in open water. They are used as convoy escorts, or light Helicopter carriers.<br />
*'''Frigate''': Better armed than a corvette, Frigates are escort ships designed mainly for protecting convoys in heavy combat. Most modern navies use mostly frigates, especially if they lack aircraft carriers. <br />
*'''Destroyer''': A fast escort ship designed to intercept Torpedo boats, there original name was 'torpedo boat destroyer' and was just shortened to 'destroyer'. Nowadays as light ships they also get anti submarine dutys. If the[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zumwalt-class_destroyer USS Zumwalt] is anything to go by, they may be the first ships armed with functional rail gun technology. <br />
*'''Cruiser''': Smaller than a battleship, the cruiser is used mainly for air defense and shore bombardment. After the (mostly) retirement of the battleship, the Cruiser is the largest warship still in use (not counting Supercarriers). In the form of Guided Missile Cruisers. As there is still no better way to deal with targets on land, sea or in the air by firing a crap-ton of rocket propelled explosive ordinance at them.<br />
*'''Q-Ship''': A warship disguised as a merchant vessel in order to lure enemy submarines.<br />
*'''Battleship''': The typical gun-armed capital ship of a navy. Battleships declined in use as aircraft carriers became more feasible, and with smaller ships taking their place as the main source of artillery. Still they are far from useless and they are were dragged of retirement and upgraded during the late stages of the Cold War. As a counter to the Kirov-class battlecruisers. The Iowa was the last to see action. During the Gulf War to destroy Iraqi missile and anti air encampments on the Gulf Coast. [[/pol/|There is also a minority of morons who want to bring them back again]]. Despite the fact that their guns would have no ammo and would be useless in modern surface combat. Removing the guns for VLS and the maintenance costs alone would be more expensive than building a whole new aircraft carrier. While their armor would be devastated by modern RPGs and improvised weapons such as the bomb that damaged the USS Cole.<br />
*'''Dreadnought''': A large battleship where all of its guns are at maximum caliber. This not only increased its firepower, but also simplified both logistics and firing solution complexity, as all guns would have the same range and angle of fire. These were popular in WWI as many navies competed on who could build the biggest dreadnought. They were eventually made obsolete as they were massively expensive and could be outdone by aircraft.<br />
*'''Aircraft Carrier''': A giant floating aircraft strip, the very best in force projection. These ships need to be massive to give fighters enough runway space, even with specialized launching systems such as the CATOBAR catapult system. By no accident, these ships are often called "floating cities." Besides their physical size and large crew, they are high-endurance self-sufficient ships; many aircraft carriers are nuclear-powered, allowing them to endure long deployment without refueling. Their aircraft also provide them with all they support assets they need, between strike capabilities and early warning craft to cargo transports and refueling craft. Supercarriers are even more massive, carrying a plethora of aircraft. The carrier itself has little weapons outfitted, mostly point-defense guns and AA missiles. But when one can get a dozen or even a hundred combat aircraft (for the very big ones) in the air quickly, a couple of big guns wouldn't change much. Death from above!<br />
*'''Amphibious Assault Ship''': These look like small aircraft carriers, but realistically they can only deploy helicopters and VTOL fighter jets. However, they can also deploy boats and amphibious craft, as they can include a sea deck below. Just like their bigger sisters they carry little weapons, but it is their payload in helo's or smaller boats that does the job indirectly.<br />
*'''Attack Submarine''': Submarines designed specifically to attack enemy ships and subs using torpedoes. These optimize speed and stealth, and are among the smallest subs.<br />
*'''Cruise Missile Submarine''': Submarines designed mainly to fire long-range cruise missiles.<br />
*'''Ballistic Missile Submarine''': Submarines used in strategic nuclear warfare rather than direct combat. Think of "The Hunt for Red October" on why this is a big deal. These subs are some times also called "Boomers", and since there armed with nukes the reason should be self apparent. <br />
<br />
{{Vehicle Warfare}}</div>2601:147:4200:6280:2561:C61A:5ED7:9030http://2d4chan.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Warship&diff=561246Warship2018-04-10T18:53:18Z<p>2601:147:4200:6280:2561:C61A:5ED7:9030: /* Modern */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{stub}}<br />
<br />
Unlike [[Tank]]s or [[Combat Aircraft]], warships have been around forever. Great naval battles are remembered throughout history books as far back as boats bigger than a canoe existed. This article covers the types of ships and their strategies throughout the ages.<br />
<br />
==Pre-Modern==<br />
Ships at this time were restricted to rivers or coastlines, partly because they could not endure rough conditions on ocean seas, but also because primitive navigation techniques restricted ships to remain in sight of land. As a result, most battles wouldn't take place far from major ports or routes. Before the invention of the cannon, there were really only a few ways for ships to fight each other:<br />
*Boarding<br />
*Firing various missiles at the enemy (arrows, javelins, catapults)<br />
*Ramming<br />
*Setting them on fire<br />
<br />
The last two in particular had a high probability of getting your own ships destroyed, so naval combat was kind of a crapshoot.<br />
<br />
===Ship Types===<br />
*'''Galley''': Sailships that came with long rows of oarsmen to help give the ship an extra boost of speed. Very useful for maneuvering against the wind, or gaining speed to ram the enemy. The Romans had a special version that used a spike to lock ships and allow their marines to board, as they found that if they fought better on land than on sea, then they'll just apply the same tactics onto boats.<br />
*'''Fire Ships''': Usually made from suprlus ships or even rafts, sometimes one navy would try to set the enemy on fire by setting one of their own boats on fire, and hope that it drifts into their ships. At the very least, it could create panic, as the enemy would try to steer the hell away from them.<br />
*'''Longship''': A Viking galley that was long and narrow, allowing it to enter shallow waters for amphibious deployment. They had a characteristic large square sail and the sides were typically lined with shields.<br />
<br />
==Age of Sail==<br />
When shipbuilding technology allowed ships to navigate the open seas, they became formidable powerhouses, especially when armed with a long row of guns. Broadside barrages were now the dominant tactic, as a ship would attempt to strafe the enemy within range of the side-mounted cannons. This is the type of warfare you normally think of whenever you think of pirates. And with newly developing sea trade routes appearing around the world, the importance of a powerful navy became a key factor in empire-building. The Royal Navy began categorizing warships on the Rating System, which was defined by size and number of guns (hence where we get the term "first-rate")<br />
<br />
===Ship Types===<br />
*'''Carrack''': The first ocean-going large (by-then standards) ship capable of long voyages. The Carrack had "castles," or raised decks for archers to shoot from, until hey eventually started carrying cannons.<br />
*'''Galleon''': Evolved from the carrack, galleons were armed merchant ships that acted as auxiliaries to the navy. The high castles of the medieval Carrack were no longer needed, but the same general shape was kept.<br />
*'''Ship of the Line''': A ship that belong to the first three rates. These ships had three decks (two for third rate) full of guns, and got their name as they formed the main offensive line in battle, much like a line of riflemen in terrestrial battles. The winner was typically whoever brought the most cannons to the fight, hence they could go upwards of 90 cannons on the largest ships. The 74 gun ship was the most common, as it had the right balance of speed and power. Ships of the line continued to be built in steamboat versions until Ironclads took over.<br />
*'''Frigate''': A ship of the fifth or sixth rates. A Great Frigate belonged to the fourth rate. These smaller ships were not part of the line, but could be used as scouts, convoy escorts, or to protect the flanks from other such ships.<br />
*'''Sloop of War''': A ship below the 20-gun threshold, and was thus "unrated."<br />
<br />
==Modern==<br />
When ships became self-powered, they also could become armored and better armed as well. New strategies began to emerge, especially now that navies could fight below the water with submarines, or above them with naval aircraft.<br />
<br />
Some ship designs adopted an "All or Nothing" approach when it came to armor. Because excessive armor would slow down a ship and make it less able to maneuver in combat, it was decided that certain parts would be more armored than others, until they eventually decided to dispense with armor except on the most critical parts (I.e. Engine room, ammunition stores, etc). This allowed ships to stay fast and mobile while avoiding sinkage.<br />
<br />
===Ship Types===<br />
*'''Ironclad''': The first modern ship that one would recognize as being distinct from Age of Sail ships; Ironclads were steamboats that were covered in a layer of iron that could block most cannonballs. They were invented during the early 19th century with England and France locked (as ever) in a dick measuring contest over who had the best fleet. The french were losing so they created the first ocean going ironclad: ''Gloire''. But it was during the American Civil War that Ironclads had some of there first 'field tests'.' experiments against another full industrial nation (during the first Opium war the British Ironclad ''Nemesis'' went to down on the Qing dynasty navy). Iron Clads were used extensively during the American Civil War and it had the first battle between two Ironclad ships: the Confederate CSS Virginia, which was a conversion of a pre-existing ship (the frigate USS Merrimack) that had been converted simply by adding some metal armor with a sloped dome over the deck, and the Monitor, which was a purpose-built design featuring a rotating turret with two guns rather than the standard broadside gun arrangement. The clash between two at the Battle of Hampton Roads war showed something two things that interested naval designer: namely that the two ships could not hurt each other as they mostly just bounced shells off each other's armor and secondly that the Virginia (Merrimack but there is some skub about the names) rammed and sunk another ship USS Cumberland. The end result was that it was though that armor had exceeded guns and that the best way to destroy another ironclad was to ram it, almost upto world war one battleships had rams on them, though as gun improved the rams were obvious dropped as a weapon, though as the Occasional U-boat learned, a few thousand tons of ship can do a lot of damage on impact!<br />
**'''Moniter''': on the subject of the Monitor, Monitor class warships are somewhat lightly armored ships but with really big guns. First used in the US Civil war, monitor class warships were a type of ships built for coastal waters, often with one or two rotating turrets.<br />
*'''Torpedo Ram''': the torpedo ram dates from an odd part of naval history when Torpedos were first invented, were powerful, but were very short ranged. The ram's job was to use high speed and it's low profile to get up to a target and jam a torpedo down it's throat, while they were still in the harbor. To do so it had to first ram through harbor defense, hence the name. Needless to say, Torpedo Rams were not even all that well liked even when they were being built and so no designs survived past the 19th century. The most famous Torpedo ram is the Fictional "HMS Thunder Child" which fought the Martians in the War of the Worlds.<br />
*'''Fast Attack Craft''': Small warships that mostly fight in coastal waters. This typically includes Patrol boats, Gunboats, Missile Boats, or Torpedo boats.<br />
*'''Corvette''': The smallest "proper" warship, as in, being able to survive combat in open water. They are used as convoy escorts, or light Helicopter carriers.<br />
*'''Frigate''': Better armed than a corvette, Frigates are escort ships designed mainly for protecting convoys in heavy combat. Most modern navies use mostly frigates, especially if they lack aircraft carriers. <br />
*'''Destroyer''': A fast escort ship designed to intercept Torpedo boats, there original name was 'torpedo boat destroyer' and was just shortened to 'destroyer'. Nowadays as light ships they also get anti submarine dutys. If the[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zumwalt-class_destroyer USS Zumwalt] is anything to go by, they may be the first ships armed with functional rail gun technology. <br />
*'''Cruiser''': Smaller than a battleship, the cruiser is used mainly for air defense and shore bombardment. After the (mostly) retirement of the battleship, the Cruiser is the largest warship still in use (not counting Supercarriers). In the form of Guided Missile Cruisers. As there is still no better way to deal with targets on land, sea or in the air by firing a crap-ton of rocket propelled explosive ordinance at them.<br />
*'''Q-Ship''': A warship disguised as a merchant vessel in order to lure enemy submarines.<br />
*'''Battleship''': The typical gun-armed capital ship of a navy. Battleships declined in use as aircraft carriers became more feasible, and with smaller ships taking their place as the main source of artillery. Still they are far from useless and they are were dragged of retirement and upgraded during the late stages of the Cold War. As a counter to the Kirov-class battlecruisers. The Iowa was the last to see action. During the Gulf War to destroy Iraqi missile and anti air encampments on the Gulf Coast. [[pol/|There is also a minority of morons who want to bring them back again]]. Despite the fact that their guns would have no ammo and would be useless in modern surface combat. Removing the guns for VLS and the maintenance costs alone would be more expensive than building a whole new aircraft carrier. While their armor would be devastated by modern RPGs and improvised weapons such as the bomb that damaged the USS Cole.<br />
*'''Dreadnought''': A large battleship where all of its guns are at maximum caliber. This not only increased its firepower, but also simplified both logistics and firing solution complexity, as all guns would have the same range and angle of fire. These were popular in WWI as many navies competed on who could build the biggest dreadnought. They were eventually made obsolete as they were massively expensive and could be outdone by aircraft.<br />
*'''Aircraft Carrier''': A giant floating aircraft strip, the very best in force projection. These ships need to be massive to give fighters enough runway space, even with specialized launching systems such as the CATOBAR catapult system. By no accident, these ships are often called "floating cities." Besides their physical size and large crew, they are high-endurance self-sufficient ships; many aircraft carriers are nuclear-powered, allowing them to endure long deployment without refueling. Their aircraft also provide them with all they support assets they need, between strike capabilities and early warning craft to cargo transports and refueling craft. Supercarriers are even more massive, carrying a plethora of aircraft. The carrier itself has little weapons outfitted, mostly point-defense guns and AA missiles. But when one can get a dozen or even a hundred combat aircraft (for the very big ones) in the air quickly, a couple of big guns wouldn't change much. Death from above!<br />
*'''Amphibious Assault Ship''': These look like small aircraft carriers, but realistically they can only deploy helicopters and VTOL fighter jets. However, they can also deploy boats and amphibious craft, as they can include a sea deck below. Just like their bigger sisters they carry little weapons, but it is their payload in helo's or smaller boats that does the job indirectly.<br />
*'''Attack Submarine''': Submarines designed specifically to attack enemy ships and subs using torpedoes. These optimize speed and stealth, and are among the smallest subs.<br />
*'''Cruise Missile Submarine''': Submarines designed mainly to fire long-range cruise missiles.<br />
*'''Ballistic Missile Submarine''': Submarines used in strategic nuclear warfare rather than direct combat. Think of "The Hunt for Red October" on why this is a big deal. These subs are some times also called "Boomers", and since there armed with nukes the reason should be self apparent. <br />
<br />
{{Vehicle Warfare}}</div>2601:147:4200:6280:2561:C61A:5ED7:9030http://2d4chan.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=XCOM&diff=569373XCOM2018-04-10T17:40:09Z<p>2601:147:4200:6280:2561:C61A:5ED7:9030: /* X-COM 2 / War of the Chosen */</p>
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{{Oldschool}}<br />
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[[Image:Xcom_2.png|thumb|right|]]<br />
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This is a [[Dan Abnett|rare treat]]. '''X-COM''', or as it's called across the pond, ''UFO: Enemy Unknown'' is a turn-based strategy game that is, to put it simply, about as close to a game of [[Dark Heresy]] as one can get in isometric 3D. Note that X-COM is significantly older than [[Dark Heresy]], and older than all but the first edition of [[Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay]], so it'd be better to say [[Dark Heresy]] is a lot like X-COM on the tabletop. Dating back to the much-lamented Microprose, it set a gold standard for atmosphere and playability that has, frankly, not been breached in ages.<br />
<br />
The game is [[Dwarf Fortress|old as balls]] and in isometric view, which, paired with the Dark Heresy similarities, makes it more /tg/ material than /v/.<br />
<br />
==A General Gist==<br />
<br />
A general synopsis is that in [[grimdark|the not-so-distant future, there is war - and aliens]]. Aliens are arriving, and they are most assuredly hostile. It falls upon the Extraterrestrial Combat Unit, or the eponymous X-COM, a multi-national task-force, to deal with the invasion by blasting the fuck out of the Aliens, stealing their shit, researching their technology, and using it to fucking kill them off, all the while fighting off terror attacks and trying to figure out where in Uranus these fucking things are coming from (as it turns out, from Mars, and if you win, the final mission involves you going to Mars and dropping an [[Exterminatus]] on their asses).<br />
<br />
It kicked ass. It was good enough to spawn a sequel, ''Terror From The Deep'', which was basically the same game, but underwater and infinitely harder. Story-wise, the destruction of the Martian base activated a fail-safe in the aliens' system that woke up T'leth, their 'secondary' (and mobile) base buried deep under the seas of Earth. X-Com now again must protect the people while finding out about where exactly T'leth is and go in to blast it to smithereens with extreme prejudice. It was hard. Really hard. Not only do aliens have a major advantage technology-wise at the start and they tear through your recruits with impunity, but later in the game when you catch up they start using a nasty trick to take control of your troopers, leading to sometimes hilarious and [[rage|extreme rage-inducing]] turn one [[TPK]]s as your heavy weapon trooper gets controlled and fires his heavy weapon inside the transport while the team is busy disembarking. Oh, and did we mention that the only way to research the best armour in the game was to capture a live specimen of a rarely-appearing alien? And that to capture a live specimen you had to send a poor redshirt in armed with an oversized cattleprod to stun it in close quarters? And that said alien was [[rip and tear|able to tear a human apart effortlessly]] in close quarters? And (as if all that wasn't bad enough already), that the poor redshirt then had to pick up and to carry the damn unconscious thing back to the human ship praying [[rape|that the specimen didn't wake up with a grudge before he got there and the mission ended]]? Yeah, it was kinda like that. <br />
<br />
It then spawned a second, somewhat different but still appreciated sequel, ''X-Com Apocalypse''. Destruction of T'leth fucked up Earth biosphere and humanity retreated to quickly built mega-arcologies to survive. Unlike the two first game, there's a bigger political aspect to things as you have not only to make sure you deal with the damn aliens coming to fuck your shit up, but remain best buds with the other humans while doing so. All in all, a decent, if not overwhelmingly good game.<br />
<br />
Then Microprose was bought by [[Hasbro|that which must never be named]], who proceeded to nose-dive the IP with games like [[AIDS|X-COM: Interceptor]] and [[Shit Twinkie|X-COM: Enforcer]].<br />
<br />
Fucking [[RAGE|Hasbro]].<br />
<br />
Anyway. Combat is a lot like Dark Heresy's in that it's exceedingly lethal; at the game's outset, you have no armor beyond jumpsuits with Kevlar stuffed into them, and your firearms are the best and most powerful weaponry that chemical propelled explosives can provide only moderately capable against alien forces (though quite diverse). In order to properly take these fucking things on on anything remotely resembling their own terms, you need upgrades. Upgrades come through research, and research comes by shooting down UFOs, landing a ground assault, killing the surviving aliens, and stripping the UFO like the [[Blood Ravens]] do other chapters' shiny bits. Once brought back to base, your researchers can look into what makes the alien's gear work, research your own weapons and tech, and develop technologies to help in the fight against the Aliens. Eventually, you can load your forces up with [[Space Marine|Power-armored bad-asses]], but starting out, your forces are fragile, and fighting smart is ''vital''. You ''will'' suffer casualties early on - guaranteed - but such is war, and you must press on, allowing the survivors to grow into [[Colonel Greiss|manly badasses]].<br />
<br />
The Aliens themselves are diverse, ranging from the Sectoids (conventional "gray" aliens), to Chryssalids (horrifying abominations that inject targets with eggs that turn them into mindless drones which will explosively birth new Chryssalids thereafter). Nightmare fuel = yes. The game manages to be exceedingly creepy for one so simple, and is one of many reasons that X-COM works so well.<br />
<br />
==Tales of Heroism==<br />
<br />
In accordance with /tg/'s love of war stories about [[your dudes]], several examples of awesome have been compiled:<br />
<br />
''Instant'' death doesn't ''always'' happen. Occasionally, one Rookie will be touched by God and succeed against all odds. After that, he will die horribly. [[Just as Planned]].<br />
<br />
X-COM agent of note: [[Marc Lecointe]]. Lecointe survived numerous missions, got the highest kill count on most missions, killed a Snakemen leader and his bodyguards (despite losing over half the squad), and got shot in the face and back with plasma and lived. He eventually was hit with return fire in an alley and began bleeding. He returned fire and killed the Snakeman, but bled to death before help could arrive. Lacointe lives on in our hearts.<br />
<br />
Another agent of note is Gristle McThornbody, a Rocket-Toting Team-Killing asshole who refuses to die OR be mind-controlled. He's so badass, that even when he has 85% or more to hit on a 2x2 alien, he'll still hit the wall twenty tiles to the left.<br />
<br />
== New Stuff and Things ==<br />
According to things [[/v/]] likes to watch on the Internet, a new X-Com game is in the pipes, set to be made in the gameplay and spirit of the old games, with new graphics and updated for the new generation of gamers to be introduced into the X-Com game style. It lost the dash along the way someplace, and got re-named ''XCOM: Enemy Unknown''. This new game, which has spawned joy boners in many on /v/ and /tg/ alike, is believed to stem from the utter, burning [[RAGE|fury]] that was originally spawned from 2K's simply-titled ''XCOM'' game, which, near as we can tell, is an FPS that takes place in the 1960s and has exactly ''nothing'' to do with the actual X-COM franchise. Seriously, don't look into 2K's game if you're a fan of the series on any level - it will cause veterans to spontaneously transform into [[Angry Marines]] and/or [[Khorne|Khornate Berserkers]]. Apparently, those in charge had the wherewithal to note that if they didn't make a ''proper'' X-COM game, [[/tg/]] (and by extension, [[/v/]]) would [[Anal Circumference|leave their asshole in ruins]]. They even went ahead to declare the two games take place in separate universes. If only [[Games Workshop]] had [[Matt Ward|that much sense]]...<br />
<br />
== XCOM: Enemy Unknown by Firaxis ==<br />
[[File:XCOMGameplay.jpg|200px|thumb|An in-game screenshot of the new game.]]<br />
And Firaxis came to the rescue, promising to return to the roots of XCOM (note the lack of a hyphen this time around, although the logo ''does'' have a horizontal stripe taken out of the "COM"). Since Firaxis has a lot of ex-MicroProse people, a lot of them have had to do with the original as well, and the original musical score will make a return. Although it's changed a few things to avoid hurting the brains of [[/v/|delicate little console kiddies]] like removing time units, removing ballistic simulation, cutting down on your maximum amount of squad members (4 at the start and 6 maximum) and limiting us to one base (though each base location gives its own unique bonus), it still somehow manages to be a good game in its own right. If the original X-COM is like Mordheim, then XCOM is like Space Hulk: massively simplified and more heavily dependent on the luck of the die, but with less micromanagement and long-term planning required.<br />
<br />
If you haven't bought the game and you're a TBS fan, everyone in /tg/ that isn't [[That guy]], would highly recommend you give it a whirl at the modest price of <strike><br />
$39.99 </strike> $16.49 for all the good remade XCOM games because of our father Gabe Newell on PC,<br />
still is 39.99 for console/Non-Steam or $9.99 on mobile/tablet devices. Like always, we have footage for vidyas: https://youtu.be/qDhuZ4b51hA https://youtu.be/-SKoS5BYVuY https://youtu.be/bxuzLyR-000<br />
<br />
===XCOM: Enemy Within===<br />
[[File:MectoidMEC.jpg|200px|thumb|Did we mention melee combat with exosuits?]]<br />
''Enemy Within'' is an expansion pack (and unlike most "horse armor" tier DLCs with the name this one actually deserves it) that completely re-defines how the game progresses, compared to the original one. The game's story still progresses like the original game, but expands on it for a more entertaining experience.<br />
<br />
It adds the "meld" resource to the game, a type of alien organic/synthetic-hybrid nanomachine that allows you to unlock two powerful technologies: MEC and genetic modification. MEC allows your troops to interface with a Mechanized Exoskeleton Cybersuit, a heavy exoskeleton that brings the heaviest of weapons to the field (Including the option for a powerfist equivalent called a "Kinetic Strike Module". Yes, make your own faux [[Terminator]] squad! Especially when the Tier-3 Paladin upgrades bulks up your suit's armor that you look vaguely similar to Termies.). Genetic modification allows you to augment your troops using data gathered from dissected aliens, making them killier than ever before. Infact, you can create your own equivalent of an Imperial [[Space Marine]] with the list of available modifications you can do (Two of these specific upgrades are a second heart and the ability of self-regeneration) .<br />
<br />
It also adds new aliens to the xenos' side, like a cloaking squid robots that chokes your troops to death and their own brand of exosuit troops. It also introduces another enemy into the game: EXALT. EXALT are a bunch of power-mad blokes who sees the alien's invasion as a way to gain power by adapting their technology for themselves, inching them closer to world domination. They see you as an obstacle and are determined to undermine your efforts to defeat the aliens by disrupting your operations through a number of ways and sowing panic amongst XCOM-member nations, generally making your already hectic life even more hectic. You must now defeat this new threat through a combination of [[Ork|cunning brutality and brutal cunning.]] They have most of your technologies to go toe-to-toe with you (Except for their own exosuits) and they are well hidden, so bringing them down won't be an easy affair.<br />
<br />
=== XCOM 2 ===<br />
[[File:People%27s_reaction_to_XCOM_2%27s_Vipers.png|200px|thumb|Turns out they ''are'' poison glands. Hee.]]<br />
A direct-ish sequel to EU/EW, XCOM 2 seems to decide that what's canon is not: not "you killed all the aliens, now here's more aliens", but "you know that Impossible Ironman game you played for a laugh and got utterly stomped? That's the canon ending". (The utterly stomping part takes place in the base assault, and it is so bad that two of the most important things got taken: The Commander, and more importantly, central officer Bradford's sweater). The aliens won before humanity even got to laser weapons, taking over the world and unifying humanity (read: ruling over them in a pseudo-utopia "Brave New World"-style), and basically preparing to turn them into another of their slave races (not that most of humanity knows this).<br />
<br />
XCOM refused to back down even after the Council of Nations ceased to exist and instead went underground, hijacking an alien supply ship to act as a mobile base for hit-and-run operations against the alien occupiers, in the hopes of toppling the ADVENT (the puppet government aliens've set up) and exposing the true purpose of their supposedly ideal society to the world.<br />
<br />
New features include:<br />
The Assault class has been given a makeover to focus even more on [[Rip and Tear]], replacing the sidearm with a sword and changing title to the Ranger. The Sniper has been renamed the Sharpshooter and given a pistol-focused skill-tree-route that turns the soldier into Clint Eastwood (literally, like you can have a stand-off by firing 3 pistol-shots in the same turn). The Support class has been renamed the Specialist and been given a drone to hack, heal, shield and/or zap shit remotely. The Heavy has been given a nice grenade launcher to act as your cover-stomper, and been renamed the Grenadier. Psi-operatives are their own class now as well, and get hate-hair and [[Cadia|purple eyes]] because that makes sense and all psychically talented people look like neo-punks. Troops can be captured, and then rescued, which also reclaims any expensive gear they had on them (but it's never the captured troops you actually need back).<br />
New enemies (without spoilers), including human ADVENT security troops (who really love to say "bitch" and pointing towards your soldiers) with magnetic weapons who look like humans till you get their armor off, sectoid-human hybrids with teeth, thumbs, and belly buttons (which can be really creepy if you '''really''' think about it), and transsexual Snake-women called Vipers (which is what the Thin Men actually look like without their disguises). Yes, there were snaketits on the thread that announced this to /tg/. Yes, /d/ has drawn porn of them. Yes, it will be added to the gallery.<br />
<br />
Moving on.<br />
<br />
XCOM 2 also contains an in depth explanation for the aliens' motives that many fans felt was lacking or too ambiguous in Enemy Within. Apparently, the Ethereals have some kind of fatal disease they can't cure, so they've been trekking around the galaxy culminating genes to form the ultimate bodies for themselves, while amassing a genetically supreme army. When the Ethereals found humanity, they found their genes to be so awesome and powerful that just adding some of them to a lowly sectoid turned it from a pathetic 3' tall creature you could kill with basic weapons, to an 8' tall psionic rape machine that could raise the dead and withstand salvos of bullets to the face. They then set up an alien government on Earth so they could discretely process humanity's best genetic material and slowly form new bodies for themselves that don't die called Avatars. And by don't die, we mean have copious amounts of health, teleport every time they're injured, regenerate like crazy, are guaranteed to successfully mind control anything, and are immune to any of your psychic abilities. And the boss fight involves killing three of these dick-butts and an endless wave of alien reinforcements. Using human DNA is also where their ADVENT troops came from, they grew armies of human spliced with unspecified alien to act as their public face to the humans. But humanity wins anyway, because humans are just that fucking awesome.<br />
<br />
The game is also notable for abandoning the usual conditions for losing. The norm for the series is for your funding to get cut if too many countries lose faith in XCOM. Since you're fighting a guerilla war and your support are humans fighting to survive outside the aliens' control zones, that isn't happening. Instead you lose if the aliens complete the Avatar Project, their goal to mass produce the bodies for the etherals. If they do you get treated to a scene of almost all resistance being crushed because the Avatars are dangerous enough in small numbers and army of them would unstoppable. You can slow progress, but can only stop it by finishing the game.<br />
<br />
So far there have been recently four DLCs for XCOM 2. "Anarchy's Children" added new customization features for your soldiers, most of which you wouldn't ever really use. "Alien Hunters" adds a new mission, weapons, and alien rulers who you have to hunt down. The alien rulers get to take an action every, single, time, one of your soldiers does. This is even more infuriating then it sounds. Some more customization options are added too. "Shen's Last Gift" adds another mission and the SPARK class soldier. SPARKs are robots you have to make in the proving ground that wish they were half as cool or good as the MECs from Enemy Within. Hopefully, someone in the modding community will fix this soon. You also can't add modifications to their guns, which is stupid, and their guns, while much larger and more powerful-looking than the other squad specialized weapons, don't do more damage than the rest of the squad's specialized weapons. This is also stupid, as an auto-cannon would naturally do much more damage than a SAW. And here comes the fun part; if you read the developers blog, their idea of "balance" is to actually nerf plenty of stuff...so the game is harder after having a buffed-up alien lord chase your dudes all over the game. Was old-school really this hard?<br />
<br />
====XCOM 2: War of the Chosen====<br />
<br />
This brand new expansion gives us three new allies to aid us. <br />
<br />
*Reapers: Stealthy hunters who are armed with nothing but a rifle and explosives. It's enough. They wear [[Shadowrun|trench coats and gas masks]]. Have a special ability where they have a chance to not reveal themselves upon attacking. Enemies have vastly reduced detection ranges against Reapers, and Reapers can detonate explosives on the map without revealing themselves. They can also throw an environmental explosive. [[Dakka|They also have an ability that lets them shoot at an enemy until they run out of ammo.]] Long story short, these guys are only slightly less powerful than the Reapers from Mass Effect.<br />
<br />
*Skirmishers: ADVENT defectors who are armed with a grappling hook that can pull them to a rooftop and pull themselves to the enemy or vice versa and at max level allows them to have the [[Awesome|alien rulers ability to gain action points Everytime. The. Enemy. Moves]] Except it only works three times a turn, and doesn't trigger on non-move actions. [[fail|The game doesn't tell you this.]] <br />
<br />
*Templars: [[Grey Knights|a resistance group made of only psionics]] that wield psi blades and machine pistols, but you'll probably never use those. They're fast, hard to kill, and hit like a brick. Like the [[rip and tear]] half of the Ranger, but with psionic powers. They're also fantastically hammy and roll their Rs.<br />
<br />
But these new allies come with a catch as you now have to fight the titular chosen who can adapt to your soldiers abilities with their own strengths and weaknesses, and the Lost ([[tarpit|zombie swarms]]) that attack both you and ADVENT. Along with these new allies and enemies is trying to get the three resistance groups to work together, as well as a new fatigue and relationship system.<br />
<br />
=== XCOM: Long War ===<br />
<br />
What, the new XCOM wasn't complicated enough for you? There's a mod called "Long War" which goes into lots more detail, a bit more like the classic game. Now, the aliens will advance their plans and escalate their forces and assaults based on their own progression system, and the game is rebalanced around the expectation that you will not succeed at every mission (and you won't -- the aliens are plenty tough to see to that).<br />
<br />
=== XCOM: The Board Game ===<br />
<br />
From [[Fantasy Flight Games]], there's a board game adaptation of XCOM (in fact, ''XCOM: Enemy Unknown'' was quite inspired by board games, with the two-actions-per-turn system instead of the old 'time units'). There's a companion app for smartphones, tablets, and computers which controls the aliens and informs players of events, a bit like a [[Game Master]], but without exposing the players to too much bookkeeping. Amazing what games can do with computers these days -- just imagine if such a thing had been available for [[FATAL]]! On second thought, don't.<br />
<br />
Players (1-4) take on different roles in the XCOM organization. The Commander keeps an eye on the budget and allocates interceptors. The Chief Scientist directs research efforts. The Central Officer works the app and solicits input from the others (if there are any) to make decisions (many of which are time-critical). The Squad Leader manages troops and base defense. Together, they need to allocate their resources, judge when to push risky but rewarding avenues (inviting retribution from the aliens if they fail), and defend humanity. Like the games, successes are rare -- a die only has a 1/3 chance of coming up with a success, and tasks may need multiple successes. There is also an "enemy die", a [[d8]] that is rolled against the number of times that task has been attempted. If it rolls equal to or under that number, something bad happens. So, do you pool resources for critical tasks (neglecting anything else, and hoping that your priorities are correct), in order to most likely be successful before the threat level climbs too high? Or do you stay flexible but push your luck? Your call, commander.<br />
<br />
=== XCOM 2: Long War 2 ===<br />
If you thought XCOM 2 was ''already'' hard, thanks in part to the involvement of the original Long War modders in the game's development, said modders come back with a sequel mod for the game. Not only does this go even further than the first Long War in going into a lot of detail, such as new graphical touches, significant rebalancing and completely overhauling the global map to be more reminiscent of classic X-com. But the difficulty is amped up even more, with missions even requiring you to send in potentially fatal scouting parties to make sure your ''other'' squads don't die on the spot. Also, rather than launching parties directly into battle, missions spawn on the geoscape with an expiration timer. The player ''can'' launch immediately, but the enemy presence will be drastically increased! Instead, the idea is that the squad can spend time infiltrating, to let ADVENT get complacent and draw troops elsewhere. Having more Resistance folks working Intel increases mission expiration times, but the bigger and heavier the squad, the more infiltration time is require. And vice versa -- short-staffing a squad can allow a player to infiltrate to high percentages on short notice...but now you've only got like four guys on the ground, and that might not be enough firepower if activations go badly...<br />
<br />
This mod requires dramatically more strategic thought and care. Weapons, armor, and equipment are all purchased individually, forcing you into decisions like 'do I continue the rollout of my newly available armor-piercing coilguns, or do I buy armor for the two rookies I've trained up?' and 'do I send my last seven man team to secure me an engineer, commit them to a long infiltration to wipe out an advent tower, or hold them in reserve for a better opportunity?' The difficulty is likewise much higher, but you have dramatically expanded options to combat it with special weapons, squad leaders, extra inventory slots packed with flashbangs, veteran troop skills, chooseable bonus perks, a psi advancement training regime that makes some actual sense, and many, many more troops and mission opportunities. Minor reinforcement on that last one, in fact: in stock XCOM 2 you'll likely end the campaign with fewer than twenty soldiers, whereas here it's pretty common to have a hundred active-duty troopers at a time. <br />
<br />
The Shinobi ([[Derp|all the Ninja IRL schools have closed up shop]]) is the most overpowered class. Making missions easier then they should be as he can [[derp|bypass Overwatch]] and has a very low impact on infiltration. Making missions unrealistic for players who hate RNG and want a pure stealth game.<br />
<br />
The Devs of Long War have said there will not be making a Long War for War of the Choosen. As Firaxis added a ton of crap that would take years for Long War Studios to shift though it and make the mod playable.<br />
<br />
== The Bureau: XCOM Declassified ==<br />
Despite having the name XCOM in the title, the game really has little relation to the series. The reason behind this is because 2K passed this game on to the lovely people that brought you Bioshock 2; meaning it was made by a studio that makes more or less decent games. It's supposed to be a prequel, set in the 1960s during the Cold War era. The protagonist, William Carter, was a CIA agent just delivering a suitcase of classified "documents" until an Outsider disguised as a female agent got ahold of it. Not long after that, an alien invasion commenced!<br />
<br />
The Bureau is a RPG that plays like Mass Effect, but not as good for a variety of reasons. One reason is in the dialog scene, you're given choices of what to ask/say. They really don't impact the game, nor changes it for the most part, so you can skip a majority of it if you want to. The agents in your squad are pretty dull, sure you can change their names and how they dress, but really doesn't offer any friendship/foe engagements. If they die, you will need to recruit another agent and start him off from scratch, but really, leveling them up isn't fun and customizable, so just restart a checkpoint if they do die.<br />
<br />
The agents in your squad have bad AI if you don't babysit them and give commands on what they should do, and their skills at fighting Outsiders are... Well, okay. The best they can offer is their abilities, so spamming them and you taking care of the killing is an effective way to go (Some recommend starters to start their first mission with a Recon to cause critical damage on certain enemies and a Commando for [[DISTRACTION CARNIFEX|taunting the grunts and make them easy picking for you.]]<br />
<br />
There would be more to go on, but if you want to know more about the game, you can search up reviews of XCOM Declassified. In short, it's a decent prequel that fans can find some enjoyment, but it's not as good as Enemy Unknown. Without going into spoilers, there's also a reveal during the last few levels that's surprisingly meta and well-written. Still worth looking into if you can find it for cheap or rent it.<br />
<br />
Interestingly enough, turns out that the universe in XCOM Declassified is the same as that of Enemy Unknown/Within's. After the events in The Bureau, all records were wiped. This explains why the player had to start from scratch at the beginning of Enemy Unknown. When the Ethereals of Unknown/Within spoke of their [[Derp|own failure to ascend,]] they really meant that they wanted to be like the Ethereals from The Bureau. Either way, only time will tell exactly [[Grimdark|what the hell they were preparing humanity for.]]<br />
<br />
== Xenonauts ==<br />
<br />
X-Com coded by [[Reasonable Marines]].<br />
<br />
A faithful remake of the original, with time units and all that. Changes a few things (like lack of Psionics on your side) and adds vehicles (yes, blowing up half a building with a rocket jeep is awesome) and controllable dogfights. Basically the alien invasion is during the Cold War and makes everyone shit themselves simultaneously when THOUSANDS of spaceships are openly in orbit and fucks humanity's shit up in creative ways. Every day the UFO's are left wandering, news bulletins full of terror emanate from the screen, worrying you further.<br />
<br />
The ending is very creative, particularly concerning the plot of how an inferior species can even bother to defeat a powerful empire. Stunningly well-made, desperate final mission which may result in a glorious ending, or a bittersweet ending where you still win but the assault team is martyred.<br />
<br />
Other differences between it and the original include:<br />
<br />
Maps are mostly pregenerated, not fully procedural.<br />
<br />
Fewer weapon and ammo types. Seriously, you've got the big five (pistol, shotgun, assault rifle, sniper, and LMG) and a rocket launcher. No variant ammo types, although the weapons do have researched tiers (which are simply damage-ups).<s> This means no unfairly powerful weapons like the Rape Launcher or the Stun Grenade Launcher.</s> There *are* a few super weapons but seriously, if you waste a "Singularity Generator" which is an ENTIRE CAPTURED BLACK HOLE (a hot commodity salvageable from alien battleships) for a 50 kilogram (without ammo) glorified grenade launcher that doesn't even one shot its AoE, you are a fucking moron.<br />
<br />
More basic inventory control. You don't micromanage producing and storing individual missiles, and you can have as many magazines, grenades, and med-kits as you want, limited by carrying limit. You just build the alien-based laser or plasma gun, base gives you ammo made fashioned from a melted-down alien cells. (Alenium is basically a quantum-grade battery aliens came up with. Usually it powers the alien craft, you simply creatively salvage the spent ones into explosives because [[HFY]].)<br />
<br />
Smaller team sizes. Max troop count on a mission is 12, with the best drop-ship.<br />
<br />
Fewer oddball items, like the motion scanner or psi-ball, but there is now an assault shield, so your dudes don't immediately die when popping open a UFO. Said shield gets upgraded with Alien alloys, and even the final mission sees use of it. Trust me.<br />
<br />
Rookies are better out of the gate, but are still shit compared to your colonels. Still, they have a decent chance of killing an enemy in a turn, doubly so if carrying a missile launcher. No longer to operatives miss the broad side of a barn. They *will* miss the spot but will still shake it badly.<br />
<br />
Explosive weapons damage items, lowering the amount of money you receive from selling. This is for the best, because explosives are stupidly powerful and are probably the most reliable way of putting a fool down. Considering Reaper, the expy for Chyrssalids are even faster and crazier, you *are* going to need them.<br />
<br />
Saveable, customizable loadouts for all of your troops, and obviously no engine-based limit on the amount of items you can bring into a mission.<br />
<br />
Aliens don't really hide in corners or really hard to find spots, which makes flushing them out a lot easier. I said flushing out mind you, as they DO charge out and deal extremely serious amounts of damage before going down, to say nothing of teleporting aliens that burst fire in your face if they are lucky.<br />
<br />
Troops remain vulnerable a lot longer. You are never at the point where you can float an invincible army of death-dealing demigods over a cowering cadre of snakemen, raining death and destruction down with maddened glee. Even if you do, weird aliens will teleport close and blow you out of the sky, or your flyer will fry a nerve from psionics.<br />
<br />
Country relations are more important than after-mission loot. <br />
<br />
You can kick or pistol whip an enemy to death. Cue surrounding an annoying alien marksman and beating him to death with riot shields.<br />
<br />
You can call airstrikes to cancel boring UFO raids.<br />
<br />
=== Xenonauts 2 ===<br />
<br />
Now with 3D graphics! A demo is available through GOG.com, with the release planned to be later in 2017.<br />
<br />
== UFO: Alien Invasion ==<br />
<br />
The most detailed opensource version of XCOM based on the Quake 2 engine.<br />
<br />
Buildings are not destructible and it doesn't have a great fog-of-war. It doesn't have unmanned vehicles like the current iterations and sadly doesn't have any sort of Chryssalids yet.<br />
<br />
Has a better world map than any other XCOM in that you can fully explore it like google-earth, even showing ship movement on the globe in real time. The campaign is more forgiving in that it does not force you through Acts like Enemy Unknown where you can't possible keep everybody happy, or has nations constantly bitching at you for radar coverage like in Xenonauts. Instead you get to bid captured UFOs and give preference to unhappy nations that feel neglected or where you haven't been saving civilians frequently. <br />
<br />
The camera is completely free in battlescape mode just like in Enemy Unknown, complete with zoom capabilities. Lots of different weapons, though you will find yourself a fool if you don't immediately start using alien weapons. Also levels tend to have more floors than other iterations, such as one mission in which you're going through an office building or another where you're entering a subway.<br />
<br />
The only major problem with the game is that the smoke grenades are so overpowered your guys will be coming out of your drop ship like Snoop-Dogg out of his trailer. Otherwise you'll find aliens are more than happy to shower your guys with plasma from across the map.<br />
<br />
After a general huge update smoke is now useless and aliens are much, MUCH more powerful. <br />
<br />
Oh, and its free. Still, fuck it. Final version is broken, often locking the game, and developers have been keeping silent, the fucking FAGGOTS.<br />
<br />
== Phoenix Point ==<br />
<br />
A spiritual successor by Julian Gollop himself. As of the time of this edit, fully funded and in development with a backer pre-alpha coming quite soon. The basic idea is; some kind of strange virus has been dug up in the permafrost and has had two outbreaks so far, each escalating in severity. Now it's invading the land a third (and fatally final) time, most of humanity is gone (Partly cus of the virus, partly cus of WW3 happening during the second outbreak), and you must defend the survivors from both the creatures and each other, you poor sap.<br />
<br />
The virus morphs all life into Lovecraftian horrors. Literally Lovecraftian; it is implied that [[H.P. Lovecraft|Howard the Great]] was inspired by ancient findings describing an outbreak of the same virus a few million years ago. It even came from Yuggoth. Humanity being humanity, there are several factions with drastically differing ideas on how to deal with it; there is a faction based around a religion [[Genestealer Hybrids|worshipping the mutations that is also capable of retaining human conscioussness despite said mutations]], another is [[Eclipse Phase| high-tech anarcho-communists trying to coexist with the virus and other factions]] while the third faction [[Starship Troopers|Is a high-tech PMC turned millitaristic civilization with "Service Guarantees Citizenship" that just wants to destroy the virus and any of its sympathizers.]].<br />
<br />
So far, the game has managed to gather enough funding and reach one stretch goal for a floating base that will be given as FREE DLC, along with other stretch goals at a later date should the game be succesful.<br />
<br />
Expected; large bosses, your own mutated soldiers with crippleable limbs, the option of saving a group of people by [[Dawn of War II|landing on a giant creature and injecting it with poison]], Deep Lore, A hybrid of the old TU and new Two-Action system, unique tech trees for each faction (which you can also get in on by either allying with or stealing from them) and randomized global events (ala Crusader Kings 2).<br />
Oh, and there are [[Flamer|flamethrowers]], Shoulder-Mounted missiles, power armor, gauss rifles and other goodies, such as a mutant mount for the cultist faction.<br />
<br />
== XPiratez ==<br />
<br />
What XCOM 2 was to XCOM: Enemy Within, XPiratez is to X-COM: UFO Defense. Made of pure [[Awesome|awesome]], you lead a crew of female mutants on a quest to kick ass, gain riches, and fuck bitches. A mod for OpenXcom, it's completely free and gets constant updates. Go check it out! Nothing's more satisfying then crushing a pureblood's head in with a sledge hammer and then mowing down his mates with your [[Dakka|custom Boarding gun]]. To say more would be to spoil its unique atmosphere and feeling of exploration as you uncover what has happened to the world. Let's just say it's a long, long time after the events of XCOM: UFO Defense.<br />
<br />
== The Tabletop Game ==<br />
<br />
Yes, there was a Tabletop game, made by [[Fantasy Flight Games]], so this article has some direct /tg/ relevance. The problem is, [[Derp | you need a cell phone app to play it]].<br />
<br />
==Aliens==<br />
Needless to say, in this game, there are many different types of aliens that your teams are going to have to fight.<br />
<br />
===Original Continuity===<br />
{{stub}}<br />
<br />
Sectoid<br />
<br />
Cyberdisk<br />
<br />
Floater<br />
<br />
Reaper<br />
<br />
Snakeman<br />
<br />
Chryssalid<br />
<br />
Muton<br />
<br />
Celatid<br />
<br />
Silicoid<br />
<br />
Ethereal<br />
<br />
Sectopod<br />
<br />
Aquatoid<br />
<br />
Gillman<br />
<br />
Lobsterman<br />
<br />
Tasoth<br />
<br />
Bio-Drone<br />
<br />
Calcinite<br />
<br />
Deep One<br />
<br />
Hallucinoid<br />
<br />
Tentaculat<br />
<br />
Triscene<br />
<br />
Xarquid<br />
<br />
Brainsucker<br />
<br />
Multiworm<br />
<br />
Hyperworm<br />
<br />
Chrysalis<br />
<br />
Anthropod<br />
<br />
Psimorph<br />
<br />
Spitter<br />
<br />
Megaspawn<br />
<br />
Popper<br />
<br />
Skeletoid<br />
<br />
Micronoid Aggregate<br />
<br />
Queenspawn<br />
<br />
Overspawn<br />
<br />
===Reboot Continuity===<br />
{{stub}}<br />
<br />
The reboot continuity has its own array of different monsters, with some changes in variety between the first and second game.<br />
<br />
====X-COM Enemy Unknown / Enemy Within====<br />
<br />
'''Sectoid''': Tiny little grey men in the first game, these are the first Psionic enemy you'll meet, with the ability to boost each other in combat. This can be rather nasty giving them an extra hit point and a +10 to hit and dodge, although if you kill the booster, you'll kill whatever Sectoid they're boosting as well thanks to Psychic feedback.<br />
<br />
'''Sectoid Commander''': Only in the first game, these guys are Sectoids on psychic steroids. You'll see one on the tutorial mission and get a taste of what they can do, even if you don't fight it. They're stronger, tougher, and more psionically powerful than the basic section, and are the first unit that can possess your guys mid firefight.<br />
<br />
'''Thin Man''': Apparently an "Infiltrator Unit" nobody would mistake these guys for human at close distance as they have snake scales running up their necks, and are skinny enough to make a super-model jealous. Apparently they were made from genetically modifying Snake-Men as they can spit clouds of poison at great distance, and will explode into one when they're killed. Otherwise they're real flimsy.<br />
<br />
'''Muton''': How you know the aliens are stepping up their game. Everything up till now has been child's play (for a particularly psychotic child), then these guys come along. Big, tough, "smart", and dangerous, these guys will mulch a squad equipped with regular weapons and armour without breaking a sweat, and capturing one of these guys alive brings one of the better upgrades. Have fun.<br />
<br />
'''Muton Berserker''': Ha, ha, ha. These guys are melee monsters, capable of soaking up bullets by the magazine, and slowly getting angrier and angrier as they do. If they can get in close they'll unleash the melee hurt, but thankfully they're not amazingly fast. Thankfully, their instinctive charge of the last person who shot them means you can set them up to run a gauntlet of Overwatch fire, with a bit of luck.<br />
<br />
'''Muton Elite''': As much health as the Berserkers, plus armor, and lacking the berserk charges. Instead, they carry heavy plasma cannons.<br />
<br />
'''Floater''': Apparently reject Mutons, stripped down to an upper torso and fitted up with cybernetic implants, mainly a jetpack. They're basically the fastest unit in the game, great Overwatchers, and pack about s much punch as a standard Muton. They have a special ability that sacrifices all their actions for the turn to instead fly to any single spot on the map, which they love to use to get the drop on your team.<br />
<br />
'''Heavy Floater''' A tougher, armored version of the standard Floater, with a bigger gun.<br />
<br />
'''Outsider''': Strange "digital" lifeforms that serve as the technicians of the alien forces. You need to capture one of these in order to advance the game. They're wimpy, but their light plasma rifles are deadly accurate, so they can gun down whole teams if you're careless.<br />
<br />
'''Sectopod''': The aliens' equivalent of a tank; an enormous, heavily armored killer robot with insanely high health, high armor, a 50% damage reduction ability, and the ability to blaze away with both a fuck-off huge laser and to launch showers of cluster bombs. They also blow up when you kill them. Your most hated enemy.<br />
<br />
'''Cyberdisk''': A ridiculously fast flying robot that can shapeshift between a flying saucer-like flight-mode (in which it's harder to hit) and its unfurled combat mode. Not quite as killy as the sectopod, but still really adept at ruining your day.<br />
<br />
'''Drone''': Small flying robots that basically zip around like laser-spitting wasps. They don't do much damage, but they can repair mechanical aliens and they explode like a grenade when killed. And they're extra-hard to hit, for added nuisance factor.<br />
<br />
'''Chryssalid''': An absolute fucking nightmare, just like the original series. These bugs are lightning fast, vicious, and if they kill anyone they'll automatically plant an egg in the corpse, which will turn into a zombie before hatching a new chryssalid three turns later. And these zombies are tough enough to weather several turns of shooting. One of the standout points of the first game is a pre-baked mission where you get to investigate a whaling ship that crashed ashore in Alaska after being infested by Chryssalids who turned the catch into their personal hive. Your job is to first investigate the area, and then light the place up for your bombers so they can nuke it from orbit.<br />
<br />
'''Ethereal''': The leaders of the alien forces, physically frail but masters of [[psionics]], which they can use to ''really'' fuck up your day.<br />
<br />
'''Seeker''': A relatively weak squid-like robot that uses camouflage to sneak up on its prey and then tries to crush it to death with its tendrils. They like to go after isolated members of your squad, which can be used to bait them into going after Assault troopers with Close Combat Tactics for hilarious effects.<br />
<br />
'''Mechtoid''': An armored exoskeleton piloted by a sectoid, carrying twin plasma mini-cannons. Sectoids can use their mind merge ability to give a layer of shielding to mechtoids; killing the sectoid removes the shield and causes some damage to the mechtoid. <br />
<br />
====X-COM 2 / War of the Chosen====<br />
<br />
'''ADVENT'''<br />
<br />
The end results of what the Ethereals want to do with humanity. Puppet soldiers controlled by a series of psionically linked chips that feed back to command nodes. It's stated that the commander was supossed to be one of these before XCOM manages to rescue him in the tutorial mission.<br />
<br />
*'''Trooper''': The grunts, they come in three flavours, with increasing HP, Dodge, and Accuracy. Challenging only in numbers, and then only thanks to the fact that a shot will hit you at some point, and they can take fire away from the actual threats.<br />
<br />
*'''Officer''': These guys aren't a threat on their own, however they can Holo-Target one of your guys for free, granting their allies a +10 to hit against that soldier. either take out everyone around them, or take them out, before that becomes a problem.<br />
<br />
*'''Shield-Bearer''': The most annoying ADVENT type in the base game, these guys can pop a shield that gives avery ADVENT and Alien soldier in range +3 or +5 temporary HP. Combined with their armour these guys can take a licking and keep on ticking. Take them out pronto otherwise the fight is going to take far longer than it should. They also kinda look like Robocop so they have that going for them.<br />
<br />
*'''Stun-Lancer''': Melee focused, these guys are noticeable by the fact they were far less armour than any other ADVENT soldier. They'll charge forwards if in range, and attempt to stun your guys for a turn with their Melee beatsticks. Otherwise they've just got regular ADVENT Rifles.<br />
<br />
*'''Priest''': Introduced in WotC, these guys are the ADVENT Psions, they can boost another ADVENT soldier, much like Sectoids could in Enemy Unknown (and like that game if you kill the priest the soldier will suffer psionic feedback and die), or they can put one of your guys in Statis for a turn, preventing them from doing anything. Advanced and Elite priests have additional tricks that allow them to Mind-Control your guys, and place themselves in Statis if they would be killed, instead staying around with 1 HP for another turn.<br />
<br />
*'''Purifier''': Flamethrower wielding ADVENT troops that only appear in WotC. The guys are kept "secret" from the public (despite that fact they can appear in any mission if the RNG says so) as they are supossed to hunt down and kill the lost in the old, abandoned cities. As stated they use flamethrowers, alongside incendiary grenades, and when you kill them there's a good chance they will explode, so don't kill them with melee unless you want to lose your eyebrows. Athough that can lead to some hilarious chain reactions if you're lucky.<br />
<br />
*'''General''': Only appears in assassination missions in WotC. Essentially just a beefed up Officer with a shit ton of HP, and the ability to throw Flash-Bangs.<br />
<br />
*'''MEC / Heavy MEC'''<br />
<br />
*'''Turrets''': It's a turret. What more do you want? They have some armour and a decent amount of HP, but they can't move, and are fairly easy to hack to your side. If all else fails tossing a frag grenade at it is a guaranteed kill.<br />
<br />
*'''Sectopod'''<br />
<br />
'''Aliens'''<br />
<br />
*'''Sectoid''': Tougher than you remember due to the infusion of human DNA. Now have the ability to resurrect dead troopers - yours and ADVENT - as zombies, and all sectoids from the get-go can lay a mind whammy on your troops, randomly panicking, disorientating or controlling them.<br />
<br />
*'''Chrysallid''': Because why the fuck wouldn't the Ethereals keep their most effective terror weapon. These guys have changed from scuttling horrors, to burrowing, venomous, scuttling horrors, capable of turning anyone they kill, either with their venom or their claws into a slowly metamorphosing cocoon that, if it reaches maturity, will spit out '''THREE''' new chryssalids, because Firaxis hates you. They are rendered mostly harmless by being set on fire, so if you think you're going to run into them bring incendiary rounds, fire bombs, and hell weave vests.<br />
<br />
*'''Viper''': The most famous of the new aliens because they look like [[serpentfolk|humanoid snake-women]] with [[furry|nice tits and a sweet pair of hips]]. Appear pretty early in the game; not much tougher than sectoids, but quite annoying. They can drag you out of cover with their tongue whip attack, spew toxic clouds like the Thin Men, and strangle you in melee like a Seeker. These gals represent the true form of the Thin Man alien from the last game.<br />
<br />
*'''Andromedon''': One of the cooler new alien designs, it could almost have been ripped out of the old X-COM series. It looks like combination of an old diving suit and an iron lung, filled with green sludge, and a single pickled alien who apparently needs that sludge to live. When you kill it the first time the suit reboots and come to life by itself, dropping its heavy plasma cannon and charging into melee. In its first form an Andromedon is a tough customer, with more armour & health than a Muton while packing the same firepower. In its second form it will only ever try to hit you with its fists, but it leaves behind trail of acidic and poisonous sludge that hurts your guys if they try to move through it (because jumping isn't a thing, despite the ability to haul yourself up drainpipes) which makes navigating the battlefield a hassle, especially in densely packed urban missions. Thankfully their second form will be easier to deal with. As these Powered Armor wearing little shits will Overwatch to hamper squad mobility and toss Acid Bombs at [[your_dudes]] if not killed ASAP. <br />
<br />
*'''Faceless''': A new enemy that should only appear in Terror Attack missions. Shapeshifters that look like ordinary humans until your troops get too close, then they turn into ''fucking huge'' moaning melted-wax men with claws the length of shotguns. Can take quite a beating and will literally tear down houses to get at your troops. They can be seeded in regular missions if you pull the Dark Event that allows them to mingle with the regular citizens during missions. Isn't that lovely.<br />
<br />
*'''Muton''': Remaining as the ethereal's shock infantry, these Mutons have apparently been crossbred with humanity, making them smaller, faster, and deadlier. Apparently they're smarter too, but considering just how badly the A.I can flub up sometimes, you have to wonder about that. They aren't packing any more HP, but they're now armoured, so they'll soak up more damage unless you can shred their armour with heavy weapons and explosives. They'll still be a threat until you get Plasma weapons, and 3rd their armour, but once you're there, they pretty much become chaff beneath the scythe. They also like tossing grenades if they don't have a direct line of sight on your troops. Along with the ability to use suppression if a Muton can't get into melee. Making them an annoyance well into the late game.<br />
<br />
*'''Berserker'''<br />
<br />
*'''Codex''':A replacement for the Outsider, but far more annoying. The Codex first appears when you Skulljack an ADVENT officer, and it looks like a wierldy sexy woman made of pure energy, but with a cybernetic brain & spinal column. They can teleport around the battlefield, and when struck by an attack that fails to kill them, they split into two Codexes with half of their remaining health. They can also create temporary zones of energy that suck all the ammo out of your guns, and then close with deadly force. Naturally you want Snipers or Magnetic/Plasma Weapon chain attacks to kill them quickly.<br />
<br />
*'''Gatekeeper''':<br />
<br />
*'''Archon''':<br />
<br />
*'''Avatar''': The Ethereals' plans are revealed when you discover these creatures. Avatars are genetically engineered lifeforms created from the genes of the most psi-capable humans, crafted to house the essence of the Ethereals, whose own bodies are breaking down irrevocably. Extremely tough, powerful psionics, kill on sight. The Commander gets one of his own at the end of the game. This is because they plugging him/her into their psionic network and never bothered to remove or change anything after XCOM recovered them. [[Fail|As the Ethereals are really quite stupid despite claiming to be a superior race.]]<br />
<br />
'''The Chosen'''<br />
<br />
*'''The Assassin'''<br />
<br />
*'''The Hunter''' <br />
<br />
*'''The Warlock'''<br />
<br />
'''The Lost'''<br />
<br />
*'''Regular''': Introduced in WotC, these are the zombie horde style enemies of the game. They have a unique mechanic where if you kill one, you get a free action point to continue killing. A soldier with decent Aim, an auto-loader, and an extended mag can decimate entire swarms if lucky.<br />
<br />
*'''Dasher''' Faster, and with slightly more HP (4-5, as opposed to 2-3) these guys aren't exactly more of a threat than the regular lost. They're just more likely to pull off a successful ambush.<br />
<br />
*'''Brute''' These guys have a lot of HP for a Lost, and can actually deal some melee punishment, and will start coming out in decent numbers by endgame. Then again, by endgame you'll have the best weapons and armour, so once again... only really a threat if you're unlucky, and there's a lot of them.<br />
<br />
== See Also ==<br />
<br />
*[[X-Com Play By Post]], experimental rules for playing X-Com on a forum.<br />
*[[XCOM: Tomorrow's War edition]], a conversion of [[Tomorrow's War]] for playing X-Com on the tabletop.<br />
<br />
== Gallery ==<br />
{{Promotions}}<br />
<gallery><br />
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Image:Rookie_Shooter_by_Jaekyu.png<br />
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Image:X-Com_(2).jpg<br />
Image:X-Com_(3).jpg<br />
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Image:Snek.png<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
<br />
* [http://ufopaedia.org/index.php?title=Main_Page UFOpaedia.org], a wiki dedicated to X-COM (and sequels, and mods, etc.).<br />
* [http://openxcom.org/ Open Source engine for the original game]<br />
* [http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_minisite.asp?eidm=269&enmi=XCOM:%20The%20Board%20Game Fantasy Flight Games's official X-COM game.]<br />
* [http://www.nexusmods.com/xcom/mods/88/? Long War main page.]<br />
* [http://ufoai.org/wiki/About UFO: Alien Invasion]<br />
* [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BqoEJUWKVRFSKXOA2Ks3Ce7Kvphmg0kAFKcuXJHgmr0/mobilebasic?pli=1 Things X-COM operatives are not allowed to do], a list in the vein of Mr. Welch's list. Occasionally hilarious<br />
<br />
[[category:Video Games]]<br />
[[Category:Software]]</div>2601:147:4200:6280:2561:C61A:5ED7:9030http://2d4chan.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=XCOM&diff=569372XCOM2018-04-10T17:12:31Z<p>2601:147:4200:6280:2561:C61A:5ED7:9030: /* X-COM 2 / War of the Chosen */</p>
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{{Oldschool}}<br />
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[[Image:Xcom_2.png|thumb|right|]]<br />
<br />
This is a [[Dan Abnett|rare treat]]. '''X-COM''', or as it's called across the pond, ''UFO: Enemy Unknown'' is a turn-based strategy game that is, to put it simply, about as close to a game of [[Dark Heresy]] as one can get in isometric 3D. Note that X-COM is significantly older than [[Dark Heresy]], and older than all but the first edition of [[Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay]], so it'd be better to say [[Dark Heresy]] is a lot like X-COM on the tabletop. Dating back to the much-lamented Microprose, it set a gold standard for atmosphere and playability that has, frankly, not been breached in ages.<br />
<br />
The game is [[Dwarf Fortress|old as balls]] and in isometric view, which, paired with the Dark Heresy similarities, makes it more /tg/ material than /v/.<br />
<br />
==A General Gist==<br />
<br />
A general synopsis is that in [[grimdark|the not-so-distant future, there is war - and aliens]]. Aliens are arriving, and they are most assuredly hostile. It falls upon the Extraterrestrial Combat Unit, or the eponymous X-COM, a multi-national task-force, to deal with the invasion by blasting the fuck out of the Aliens, stealing their shit, researching their technology, and using it to fucking kill them off, all the while fighting off terror attacks and trying to figure out where in Uranus these fucking things are coming from (as it turns out, from Mars, and if you win, the final mission involves you going to Mars and dropping an [[Exterminatus]] on their asses).<br />
<br />
It kicked ass. It was good enough to spawn a sequel, ''Terror From The Deep'', which was basically the same game, but underwater and infinitely harder. Story-wise, the destruction of the Martian base activated a fail-safe in the aliens' system that woke up T'leth, their 'secondary' (and mobile) base buried deep under the seas of Earth. X-Com now again must protect the people while finding out about where exactly T'leth is and go in to blast it to smithereens with extreme prejudice. It was hard. Really hard. Not only do aliens have a major advantage technology-wise at the start and they tear through your recruits with impunity, but later in the game when you catch up they start using a nasty trick to take control of your troopers, leading to sometimes hilarious and [[rage|extreme rage-inducing]] turn one [[TPK]]s as your heavy weapon trooper gets controlled and fires his heavy weapon inside the transport while the team is busy disembarking. Oh, and did we mention that the only way to research the best armour in the game was to capture a live specimen of a rarely-appearing alien? And that to capture a live specimen you had to send a poor redshirt in armed with an oversized cattleprod to stun it in close quarters? And that said alien was [[rip and tear|able to tear a human apart effortlessly]] in close quarters? And (as if all that wasn't bad enough already), that the poor redshirt then had to pick up and to carry the damn unconscious thing back to the human ship praying [[rape|that the specimen didn't wake up with a grudge before he got there and the mission ended]]? Yeah, it was kinda like that. <br />
<br />
It then spawned a second, somewhat different but still appreciated sequel, ''X-Com Apocalypse''. Destruction of T'leth fucked up Earth biosphere and humanity retreated to quickly built mega-arcologies to survive. Unlike the two first game, there's a bigger political aspect to things as you have not only to make sure you deal with the damn aliens coming to fuck your shit up, but remain best buds with the other humans while doing so. All in all, a decent, if not overwhelmingly good game.<br />
<br />
Then Microprose was bought by [[Hasbro|that which must never be named]], who proceeded to nose-dive the IP with games like [[AIDS|X-COM: Interceptor]] and [[Shit Twinkie|X-COM: Enforcer]].<br />
<br />
Fucking [[RAGE|Hasbro]].<br />
<br />
Anyway. Combat is a lot like Dark Heresy's in that it's exceedingly lethal; at the game's outset, you have no armor beyond jumpsuits with Kevlar stuffed into them, and your firearms are the best and most powerful weaponry that chemical propelled explosives can provide only moderately capable against alien forces (though quite diverse). In order to properly take these fucking things on on anything remotely resembling their own terms, you need upgrades. Upgrades come through research, and research comes by shooting down UFOs, landing a ground assault, killing the surviving aliens, and stripping the UFO like the [[Blood Ravens]] do other chapters' shiny bits. Once brought back to base, your researchers can look into what makes the alien's gear work, research your own weapons and tech, and develop technologies to help in the fight against the Aliens. Eventually, you can load your forces up with [[Space Marine|Power-armored bad-asses]], but starting out, your forces are fragile, and fighting smart is ''vital''. You ''will'' suffer casualties early on - guaranteed - but such is war, and you must press on, allowing the survivors to grow into [[Colonel Greiss|manly badasses]].<br />
<br />
The Aliens themselves are diverse, ranging from the Sectoids (conventional "gray" aliens), to Chryssalids (horrifying abominations that inject targets with eggs that turn them into mindless drones which will explosively birth new Chryssalids thereafter). Nightmare fuel = yes. The game manages to be exceedingly creepy for one so simple, and is one of many reasons that X-COM works so well.<br />
<br />
==Tales of Heroism==<br />
<br />
In accordance with /tg/'s love of war stories about [[your dudes]], several examples of awesome have been compiled:<br />
<br />
''Instant'' death doesn't ''always'' happen. Occasionally, one Rookie will be touched by God and succeed against all odds. After that, he will die horribly. [[Just as Planned]].<br />
<br />
X-COM agent of note: [[Marc Lecointe]]. Lecointe survived numerous missions, got the highest kill count on most missions, killed a Snakemen leader and his bodyguards (despite losing over half the squad), and got shot in the face and back with plasma and lived. He eventually was hit with return fire in an alley and began bleeding. He returned fire and killed the Snakeman, but bled to death before help could arrive. Lacointe lives on in our hearts.<br />
<br />
Another agent of note is Gristle McThornbody, a Rocket-Toting Team-Killing asshole who refuses to die OR be mind-controlled. He's so badass, that even when he has 85% or more to hit on a 2x2 alien, he'll still hit the wall twenty tiles to the left.<br />
<br />
== New Stuff and Things ==<br />
According to things [[/v/]] likes to watch on the Internet, a new X-Com game is in the pipes, set to be made in the gameplay and spirit of the old games, with new graphics and updated for the new generation of gamers to be introduced into the X-Com game style. It lost the dash along the way someplace, and got re-named ''XCOM: Enemy Unknown''. This new game, which has spawned joy boners in many on /v/ and /tg/ alike, is believed to stem from the utter, burning [[RAGE|fury]] that was originally spawned from 2K's simply-titled ''XCOM'' game, which, near as we can tell, is an FPS that takes place in the 1960s and has exactly ''nothing'' to do with the actual X-COM franchise. Seriously, don't look into 2K's game if you're a fan of the series on any level - it will cause veterans to spontaneously transform into [[Angry Marines]] and/or [[Khorne|Khornate Berserkers]]. Apparently, those in charge had the wherewithal to note that if they didn't make a ''proper'' X-COM game, [[/tg/]] (and by extension, [[/v/]]) would [[Anal Circumference|leave their asshole in ruins]]. They even went ahead to declare the two games take place in separate universes. If only [[Games Workshop]] had [[Matt Ward|that much sense]]...<br />
<br />
== XCOM: Enemy Unknown by Firaxis ==<br />
[[File:XCOMGameplay.jpg|200px|thumb|An in-game screenshot of the new game.]]<br />
And Firaxis came to the rescue, promising to return to the roots of XCOM (note the lack of a hyphen this time around, although the logo ''does'' have a horizontal stripe taken out of the "COM"). Since Firaxis has a lot of ex-MicroProse people, a lot of them have had to do with the original as well, and the original musical score will make a return. Although it's changed a few things to avoid hurting the brains of [[/v/|delicate little console kiddies]] like removing time units, removing ballistic simulation, cutting down on your maximum amount of squad members (4 at the start and 6 maximum) and limiting us to one base (though each base location gives its own unique bonus), it still somehow manages to be a good game in its own right. If the original X-COM is like Mordheim, then XCOM is like Space Hulk: massively simplified and more heavily dependent on the luck of the die, but with less micromanagement and long-term planning required.<br />
<br />
If you haven't bought the game and you're a TBS fan, everyone in /tg/ that isn't [[That guy]], would highly recommend you give it a whirl at the modest price of <strike><br />
$39.99 </strike> $16.49 for all the good remade XCOM games because of our father Gabe Newell on PC,<br />
still is 39.99 for console/Non-Steam or $9.99 on mobile/tablet devices. Like always, we have footage for vidyas: https://youtu.be/qDhuZ4b51hA https://youtu.be/-SKoS5BYVuY https://youtu.be/bxuzLyR-000<br />
<br />
===XCOM: Enemy Within===<br />
[[File:MectoidMEC.jpg|200px|thumb|Did we mention melee combat with exosuits?]]<br />
''Enemy Within'' is an expansion pack (and unlike most "horse armor" tier DLCs with the name this one actually deserves it) that completely re-defines how the game progresses, compared to the original one. The game's story still progresses like the original game, but expands on it for a more entertaining experience.<br />
<br />
It adds the "meld" resource to the game, a type of alien organic/synthetic-hybrid nanomachine that allows you to unlock two powerful technologies: MEC and genetic modification. MEC allows your troops to interface with a Mechanized Exoskeleton Cybersuit, a heavy exoskeleton that brings the heaviest of weapons to the field (Including the option for a powerfist equivalent called a "Kinetic Strike Module". Yes, make your own faux [[Terminator]] squad! Especially when the Tier-3 Paladin upgrades bulks up your suit's armor that you look vaguely similar to Termies.). Genetic modification allows you to augment your troops using data gathered from dissected aliens, making them killier than ever before. Infact, you can create your own equivalent of an Imperial [[Space Marine]] with the list of available modifications you can do (Two of these specific upgrades are a second heart and the ability of self-regeneration) .<br />
<br />
It also adds new aliens to the xenos' side, like a cloaking squid robots that chokes your troops to death and their own brand of exosuit troops. It also introduces another enemy into the game: EXALT. EXALT are a bunch of power-mad blokes who sees the alien's invasion as a way to gain power by adapting their technology for themselves, inching them closer to world domination. They see you as an obstacle and are determined to undermine your efforts to defeat the aliens by disrupting your operations through a number of ways and sowing panic amongst XCOM-member nations, generally making your already hectic life even more hectic. You must now defeat this new threat through a combination of [[Ork|cunning brutality and brutal cunning.]] They have most of your technologies to go toe-to-toe with you (Except for their own exosuits) and they are well hidden, so bringing them down won't be an easy affair.<br />
<br />
=== XCOM 2 ===<br />
[[File:People%27s_reaction_to_XCOM_2%27s_Vipers.png|200px|thumb|Turns out they ''are'' poison glands. Hee.]]<br />
A direct-ish sequel to EU/EW, XCOM 2 seems to decide that what's canon is not: not "you killed all the aliens, now here's more aliens", but "you know that Impossible Ironman game you played for a laugh and got utterly stomped? That's the canon ending". (The utterly stomping part takes place in the base assault, and it is so bad that two of the most important things got taken: The Commander, and more importantly, central officer Bradford's sweater). The aliens won before humanity even got to laser weapons, taking over the world and unifying humanity (read: ruling over them in a pseudo-utopia "Brave New World"-style), and basically preparing to turn them into another of their slave races (not that most of humanity knows this).<br />
<br />
XCOM refused to back down even after the Council of Nations ceased to exist and instead went underground, hijacking an alien supply ship to act as a mobile base for hit-and-run operations against the alien occupiers, in the hopes of toppling the ADVENT (the puppet government aliens've set up) and exposing the true purpose of their supposedly ideal society to the world.<br />
<br />
New features include:<br />
The Assault class has been given a makeover to focus even more on [[Rip and Tear]], replacing the sidearm with a sword and changing title to the Ranger. The Sniper has been renamed the Sharpshooter and given a pistol-focused skill-tree-route that turns the soldier into Clint Eastwood (literally, like you can have a stand-off by firing 3 pistol-shots in the same turn). The Support class has been renamed the Specialist and been given a drone to hack, heal, shield and/or zap shit remotely. The Heavy has been given a nice grenade launcher to act as your cover-stomper, and been renamed the Grenadier. Psi-operatives are their own class now as well, and get hate-hair and [[Cadia|purple eyes]] because that makes sense and all psychically talented people look like neo-punks. Troops can be captured, and then rescued, which also reclaims any expensive gear they had on them (but it's never the captured troops you actually need back).<br />
New enemies (without spoilers), including human ADVENT security troops (who really love to say "bitch" and pointing towards your soldiers) with magnetic weapons who look like humans till you get their armor off, sectoid-human hybrids with teeth, thumbs, and belly buttons (which can be really creepy if you '''really''' think about it), and transsexual Snake-women called Vipers (which is what the Thin Men actually look like without their disguises). Yes, there were snaketits on the thread that announced this to /tg/. Yes, /d/ has drawn porn of them. Yes, it will be added to the gallery.<br />
<br />
Moving on.<br />
<br />
XCOM 2 also contains an in depth explanation for the aliens' motives that many fans felt was lacking or too ambiguous in Enemy Within. Apparently, the Ethereals have some kind of fatal disease they can't cure, so they've been trekking around the galaxy culminating genes to form the ultimate bodies for themselves, while amassing a genetically supreme army. When the Ethereals found humanity, they found their genes to be so awesome and powerful that just adding some of them to a lowly sectoid turned it from a pathetic 3' tall creature you could kill with basic weapons, to an 8' tall psionic rape machine that could raise the dead and withstand salvos of bullets to the face. They then set up an alien government on Earth so they could discretely process humanity's best genetic material and slowly form new bodies for themselves that don't die called Avatars. And by don't die, we mean have copious amounts of health, teleport every time they're injured, regenerate like crazy, are guaranteed to successfully mind control anything, and are immune to any of your psychic abilities. And the boss fight involves killing three of these dick-butts and an endless wave of alien reinforcements. Using human DNA is also where their ADVENT troops came from, they grew armies of human spliced with unspecified alien to act as their public face to the humans. But humanity wins anyway, because humans are just that fucking awesome.<br />
<br />
The game is also notable for abandoning the usual conditions for losing. The norm for the series is for your funding to get cut if too many countries lose faith in XCOM. Since you're fighting a guerilla war and your support are humans fighting to survive outside the aliens' control zones, that isn't happening. Instead you lose if the aliens complete the Avatar Project, their goal to mass produce the bodies for the etherals. If they do you get treated to a scene of almost all resistance being crushed because the Avatars are dangerous enough in small numbers and army of them would unstoppable. You can slow progress, but can only stop it by finishing the game.<br />
<br />
So far there have been recently four DLCs for XCOM 2. "Anarchy's Children" added new customization features for your soldiers, most of which you wouldn't ever really use. "Alien Hunters" adds a new mission, weapons, and alien rulers who you have to hunt down. The alien rulers get to take an action every, single, time, one of your soldiers does. This is even more infuriating then it sounds. Some more customization options are added too. "Shen's Last Gift" adds another mission and the SPARK class soldier. SPARKs are robots you have to make in the proving ground that wish they were half as cool or good as the MECs from Enemy Within. Hopefully, someone in the modding community will fix this soon. You also can't add modifications to their guns, which is stupid, and their guns, while much larger and more powerful-looking than the other squad specialized weapons, don't do more damage than the rest of the squad's specialized weapons. This is also stupid, as an auto-cannon would naturally do much more damage than a SAW. And here comes the fun part; if you read the developers blog, their idea of "balance" is to actually nerf plenty of stuff...so the game is harder after having a buffed-up alien lord chase your dudes all over the game. Was old-school really this hard?<br />
<br />
====XCOM 2: War of the Chosen====<br />
<br />
This brand new expansion gives us three new allies to aid us. <br />
<br />
*Reapers: Stealthy hunters who are armed with nothing but a rifle and explosives. It's enough. They wear [[Shadowrun|trench coats and gas masks]]. Have a special ability where they have a chance to not reveal themselves upon attacking. Enemies have vastly reduced detection ranges against Reapers, and Reapers can detonate explosives on the map without revealing themselves. They can also throw an environmental explosive. [[Dakka|They also have an ability that lets them shoot at an enemy until they run out of ammo.]] Long story short, these guys are only slightly less powerful than the Reapers from Mass Effect.<br />
<br />
*Skirmishers: ADVENT defectors who are armed with a grappling hook that can pull them to a rooftop and pull themselves to the enemy or vice versa and at max level allows them to have the [[Awesome|alien rulers ability to gain action points Everytime. The. Enemy. Moves]] Except it only works three times a turn, and doesn't trigger on non-move actions. [[fail|The game doesn't tell you this.]] <br />
<br />
*Templars: [[Grey Knights|a resistance group made of only psionics]] that wield psi blades and machine pistols, but you'll probably never use those. They're fast, hard to kill, and hit like a brick. Like the [[rip and tear]] half of the Ranger, but with psionic powers. They're also fantastically hammy and roll their Rs.<br />
<br />
But these new allies come with a catch as you now have to fight the titular chosen who can adapt to your soldiers abilities with their own strengths and weaknesses, and the Lost ([[tarpit|zombie swarms]]) that attack both you and ADVENT. Along with these new allies and enemies is trying to get the three resistance groups to work together, as well as a new fatigue and relationship system.<br />
<br />
=== XCOM: Long War ===<br />
<br />
What, the new XCOM wasn't complicated enough for you? There's a mod called "Long War" which goes into lots more detail, a bit more like the classic game. Now, the aliens will advance their plans and escalate their forces and assaults based on their own progression system, and the game is rebalanced around the expectation that you will not succeed at every mission (and you won't -- the aliens are plenty tough to see to that).<br />
<br />
=== XCOM: The Board Game ===<br />
<br />
From [[Fantasy Flight Games]], there's a board game adaptation of XCOM (in fact, ''XCOM: Enemy Unknown'' was quite inspired by board games, with the two-actions-per-turn system instead of the old 'time units'). There's a companion app for smartphones, tablets, and computers which controls the aliens and informs players of events, a bit like a [[Game Master]], but without exposing the players to too much bookkeeping. Amazing what games can do with computers these days -- just imagine if such a thing had been available for [[FATAL]]! On second thought, don't.<br />
<br />
Players (1-4) take on different roles in the XCOM organization. The Commander keeps an eye on the budget and allocates interceptors. The Chief Scientist directs research efforts. The Central Officer works the app and solicits input from the others (if there are any) to make decisions (many of which are time-critical). The Squad Leader manages troops and base defense. Together, they need to allocate their resources, judge when to push risky but rewarding avenues (inviting retribution from the aliens if they fail), and defend humanity. Like the games, successes are rare -- a die only has a 1/3 chance of coming up with a success, and tasks may need multiple successes. There is also an "enemy die", a [[d8]] that is rolled against the number of times that task has been attempted. If it rolls equal to or under that number, something bad happens. So, do you pool resources for critical tasks (neglecting anything else, and hoping that your priorities are correct), in order to most likely be successful before the threat level climbs too high? Or do you stay flexible but push your luck? Your call, commander.<br />
<br />
=== XCOM 2: Long War 2 ===<br />
If you thought XCOM 2 was ''already'' hard, thanks in part to the involvement of the original Long War modders in the game's development, said modders come back with a sequel mod for the game. Not only does this go even further than the first Long War in going into a lot of detail, such as new graphical touches, significant rebalancing and completely overhauling the global map to be more reminiscent of classic X-com. But the difficulty is amped up even more, with missions even requiring you to send in potentially fatal scouting parties to make sure your ''other'' squads don't die on the spot. Also, rather than launching parties directly into battle, missions spawn on the geoscape with an expiration timer. The player ''can'' launch immediately, but the enemy presence will be drastically increased! Instead, the idea is that the squad can spend time infiltrating, to let ADVENT get complacent and draw troops elsewhere. Having more Resistance folks working Intel increases mission expiration times, but the bigger and heavier the squad, the more infiltration time is require. And vice versa -- short-staffing a squad can allow a player to infiltrate to high percentages on short notice...but now you've only got like four guys on the ground, and that might not be enough firepower if activations go badly...<br />
<br />
This mod requires dramatically more strategic thought and care. Weapons, armor, and equipment are all purchased individually, forcing you into decisions like 'do I continue the rollout of my newly available armor-piercing coilguns, or do I buy armor for the two rookies I've trained up?' and 'do I send my last seven man team to secure me an engineer, commit them to a long infiltration to wipe out an advent tower, or hold them in reserve for a better opportunity?' The difficulty is likewise much higher, but you have dramatically expanded options to combat it with special weapons, squad leaders, extra inventory slots packed with flashbangs, veteran troop skills, chooseable bonus perks, a psi advancement training regime that makes some actual sense, and many, many more troops and mission opportunities. Minor reinforcement on that last one, in fact: in stock XCOM 2 you'll likely end the campaign with fewer than twenty soldiers, whereas here it's pretty common to have a hundred active-duty troopers at a time. <br />
<br />
The Shinobi ([[Derp|all the Ninja IRL schools have closed up shop]]) is the most overpowered class. Making missions easier then they should be as he can [[derp|bypass Overwatch]] and has a very low impact on infiltration. Making missions unrealistic for players who hate RNG and want a pure stealth game.<br />
<br />
The Devs of Long War have said there will not be making a Long War for War of the Choosen. As Firaxis added a ton of crap that would take years for Long War Studios to shift though it and make the mod playable.<br />
<br />
== The Bureau: XCOM Declassified ==<br />
Despite having the name XCOM in the title, the game really has little relation to the series. The reason behind this is because 2K passed this game on to the lovely people that brought you Bioshock 2; meaning it was made by a studio that makes more or less decent games. It's supposed to be a prequel, set in the 1960s during the Cold War era. The protagonist, William Carter, was a CIA agent just delivering a suitcase of classified "documents" until an Outsider disguised as a female agent got ahold of it. Not long after that, an alien invasion commenced!<br />
<br />
The Bureau is a RPG that plays like Mass Effect, but not as good for a variety of reasons. One reason is in the dialog scene, you're given choices of what to ask/say. They really don't impact the game, nor changes it for the most part, so you can skip a majority of it if you want to. The agents in your squad are pretty dull, sure you can change their names and how they dress, but really doesn't offer any friendship/foe engagements. If they die, you will need to recruit another agent and start him off from scratch, but really, leveling them up isn't fun and customizable, so just restart a checkpoint if they do die.<br />
<br />
The agents in your squad have bad AI if you don't babysit them and give commands on what they should do, and their skills at fighting Outsiders are... Well, okay. The best they can offer is their abilities, so spamming them and you taking care of the killing is an effective way to go (Some recommend starters to start their first mission with a Recon to cause critical damage on certain enemies and a Commando for [[DISTRACTION CARNIFEX|taunting the grunts and make them easy picking for you.]]<br />
<br />
There would be more to go on, but if you want to know more about the game, you can search up reviews of XCOM Declassified. In short, it's a decent prequel that fans can find some enjoyment, but it's not as good as Enemy Unknown. Without going into spoilers, there's also a reveal during the last few levels that's surprisingly meta and well-written. Still worth looking into if you can find it for cheap or rent it.<br />
<br />
Interestingly enough, turns out that the universe in XCOM Declassified is the same as that of Enemy Unknown/Within's. After the events in The Bureau, all records were wiped. This explains why the player had to start from scratch at the beginning of Enemy Unknown. When the Ethereals of Unknown/Within spoke of their [[Derp|own failure to ascend,]] they really meant that they wanted to be like the Ethereals from The Bureau. Either way, only time will tell exactly [[Grimdark|what the hell they were preparing humanity for.]]<br />
<br />
== Xenonauts ==<br />
<br />
X-Com coded by [[Reasonable Marines]].<br />
<br />
A faithful remake of the original, with time units and all that. Changes a few things (like lack of Psionics on your side) and adds vehicles (yes, blowing up half a building with a rocket jeep is awesome) and controllable dogfights. Basically the alien invasion is during the Cold War and makes everyone shit themselves simultaneously when THOUSANDS of spaceships are openly in orbit and fucks humanity's shit up in creative ways. Every day the UFO's are left wandering, news bulletins full of terror emanate from the screen, worrying you further.<br />
<br />
The ending is very creative, particularly concerning the plot of how an inferior species can even bother to defeat a powerful empire. Stunningly well-made, desperate final mission which may result in a glorious ending, or a bittersweet ending where you still win but the assault team is martyred.<br />
<br />
Other differences between it and the original include:<br />
<br />
Maps are mostly pregenerated, not fully procedural.<br />
<br />
Fewer weapon and ammo types. Seriously, you've got the big five (pistol, shotgun, assault rifle, sniper, and LMG) and a rocket launcher. No variant ammo types, although the weapons do have researched tiers (which are simply damage-ups).<s> This means no unfairly powerful weapons like the Rape Launcher or the Stun Grenade Launcher.</s> There *are* a few super weapons but seriously, if you waste a "Singularity Generator" which is an ENTIRE CAPTURED BLACK HOLE (a hot commodity salvageable from alien battleships) for a 50 kilogram (without ammo) glorified grenade launcher that doesn't even one shot its AoE, you are a fucking moron.<br />
<br />
More basic inventory control. You don't micromanage producing and storing individual missiles, and you can have as many magazines, grenades, and med-kits as you want, limited by carrying limit. You just build the alien-based laser or plasma gun, base gives you ammo made fashioned from a melted-down alien cells. (Alenium is basically a quantum-grade battery aliens came up with. Usually it powers the alien craft, you simply creatively salvage the spent ones into explosives because [[HFY]].)<br />
<br />
Smaller team sizes. Max troop count on a mission is 12, with the best drop-ship.<br />
<br />
Fewer oddball items, like the motion scanner or psi-ball, but there is now an assault shield, so your dudes don't immediately die when popping open a UFO. Said shield gets upgraded with Alien alloys, and even the final mission sees use of it. Trust me.<br />
<br />
Rookies are better out of the gate, but are still shit compared to your colonels. Still, they have a decent chance of killing an enemy in a turn, doubly so if carrying a missile launcher. No longer to operatives miss the broad side of a barn. They *will* miss the spot but will still shake it badly.<br />
<br />
Explosive weapons damage items, lowering the amount of money you receive from selling. This is for the best, because explosives are stupidly powerful and are probably the most reliable way of putting a fool down. Considering Reaper, the expy for Chyrssalids are even faster and crazier, you *are* going to need them.<br />
<br />
Saveable, customizable loadouts for all of your troops, and obviously no engine-based limit on the amount of items you can bring into a mission.<br />
<br />
Aliens don't really hide in corners or really hard to find spots, which makes flushing them out a lot easier. I said flushing out mind you, as they DO charge out and deal extremely serious amounts of damage before going down, to say nothing of teleporting aliens that burst fire in your face if they are lucky.<br />
<br />
Troops remain vulnerable a lot longer. You are never at the point where you can float an invincible army of death-dealing demigods over a cowering cadre of snakemen, raining death and destruction down with maddened glee. Even if you do, weird aliens will teleport close and blow you out of the sky, or your flyer will fry a nerve from psionics.<br />
<br />
Country relations are more important than after-mission loot. <br />
<br />
You can kick or pistol whip an enemy to death. Cue surrounding an annoying alien marksman and beating him to death with riot shields.<br />
<br />
You can call airstrikes to cancel boring UFO raids.<br />
<br />
=== Xenonauts 2 ===<br />
<br />
Now with 3D graphics! A demo is available through GOG.com, with the release planned to be later in 2017.<br />
<br />
== UFO: Alien Invasion ==<br />
<br />
The most detailed opensource version of XCOM based on the Quake 2 engine.<br />
<br />
Buildings are not destructible and it doesn't have a great fog-of-war. It doesn't have unmanned vehicles like the current iterations and sadly doesn't have any sort of Chryssalids yet.<br />
<br />
Has a better world map than any other XCOM in that you can fully explore it like google-earth, even showing ship movement on the globe in real time. The campaign is more forgiving in that it does not force you through Acts like Enemy Unknown where you can't possible keep everybody happy, or has nations constantly bitching at you for radar coverage like in Xenonauts. Instead you get to bid captured UFOs and give preference to unhappy nations that feel neglected or where you haven't been saving civilians frequently. <br />
<br />
The camera is completely free in battlescape mode just like in Enemy Unknown, complete with zoom capabilities. Lots of different weapons, though you will find yourself a fool if you don't immediately start using alien weapons. Also levels tend to have more floors than other iterations, such as one mission in which you're going through an office building or another where you're entering a subway.<br />
<br />
The only major problem with the game is that the smoke grenades are so overpowered your guys will be coming out of your drop ship like Snoop-Dogg out of his trailer. Otherwise you'll find aliens are more than happy to shower your guys with plasma from across the map.<br />
<br />
After a general huge update smoke is now useless and aliens are much, MUCH more powerful. <br />
<br />
Oh, and its free. Still, fuck it. Final version is broken, often locking the game, and developers have been keeping silent, the fucking FAGGOTS.<br />
<br />
== Phoenix Point ==<br />
<br />
A spiritual successor by Julian Gollop himself. As of the time of this edit, fully funded and in development with a backer pre-alpha coming quite soon. The basic idea is; some kind of strange virus has been dug up in the permafrost and has had two outbreaks so far, each escalating in severity. Now it's invading the land a third (and fatally final) time, most of humanity is gone (Partly cus of the virus, partly cus of WW3 happening during the second outbreak), and you must defend the survivors from both the creatures and each other, you poor sap.<br />
<br />
The virus morphs all life into Lovecraftian horrors. Literally Lovecraftian; it is implied that [[H.P. Lovecraft|Howard the Great]] was inspired by ancient findings describing an outbreak of the same virus a few million years ago. It even came from Yuggoth. Humanity being humanity, there are several factions with drastically differing ideas on how to deal with it; there is a faction based around a religion [[Genestealer Hybrids|worshipping the mutations that is also capable of retaining human conscioussness despite said mutations]], another is [[Eclipse Phase| high-tech anarcho-communists trying to coexist with the virus and other factions]] while the third faction [[Starship Troopers|Is a high-tech PMC turned millitaristic civilization with "Service Guarantees Citizenship" that just wants to destroy the virus and any of its sympathizers.]].<br />
<br />
So far, the game has managed to gather enough funding and reach one stretch goal for a floating base that will be given as FREE DLC, along with other stretch goals at a later date should the game be succesful.<br />
<br />
Expected; large bosses, your own mutated soldiers with crippleable limbs, the option of saving a group of people by [[Dawn of War II|landing on a giant creature and injecting it with poison]], Deep Lore, A hybrid of the old TU and new Two-Action system, unique tech trees for each faction (which you can also get in on by either allying with or stealing from them) and randomized global events (ala Crusader Kings 2).<br />
Oh, and there are [[Flamer|flamethrowers]], Shoulder-Mounted missiles, power armor, gauss rifles and other goodies, such as a mutant mount for the cultist faction.<br />
<br />
== XPiratez ==<br />
<br />
What XCOM 2 was to XCOM: Enemy Within, XPiratez is to X-COM: UFO Defense. Made of pure [[Awesome|awesome]], you lead a crew of female mutants on a quest to kick ass, gain riches, and fuck bitches. A mod for OpenXcom, it's completely free and gets constant updates. Go check it out! Nothing's more satisfying then crushing a pureblood's head in with a sledge hammer and then mowing down his mates with your [[Dakka|custom Boarding gun]]. To say more would be to spoil its unique atmosphere and feeling of exploration as you uncover what has happened to the world. Let's just say it's a long, long time after the events of XCOM: UFO Defense.<br />
<br />
== The Tabletop Game ==<br />
<br />
Yes, there was a Tabletop game, made by [[Fantasy Flight Games]], so this article has some direct /tg/ relevance. The problem is, [[Derp | you need a cell phone app to play it]].<br />
<br />
==Aliens==<br />
Needless to say, in this game, there are many different types of aliens that your teams are going to have to fight.<br />
<br />
===Original Continuity===<br />
{{stub}}<br />
<br />
Sectoid<br />
<br />
Cyberdisk<br />
<br />
Floater<br />
<br />
Reaper<br />
<br />
Snakeman<br />
<br />
Chryssalid<br />
<br />
Muton<br />
<br />
Celatid<br />
<br />
Silicoid<br />
<br />
Ethereal<br />
<br />
Sectopod<br />
<br />
Aquatoid<br />
<br />
Gillman<br />
<br />
Lobsterman<br />
<br />
Tasoth<br />
<br />
Bio-Drone<br />
<br />
Calcinite<br />
<br />
Deep One<br />
<br />
Hallucinoid<br />
<br />
Tentaculat<br />
<br />
Triscene<br />
<br />
Xarquid<br />
<br />
Brainsucker<br />
<br />
Multiworm<br />
<br />
Hyperworm<br />
<br />
Chrysalis<br />
<br />
Anthropod<br />
<br />
Psimorph<br />
<br />
Spitter<br />
<br />
Megaspawn<br />
<br />
Popper<br />
<br />
Skeletoid<br />
<br />
Micronoid Aggregate<br />
<br />
Queenspawn<br />
<br />
Overspawn<br />
<br />
===Reboot Continuity===<br />
{{stub}}<br />
<br />
The reboot continuity has its own array of different monsters, with some changes in variety between the first and second game.<br />
<br />
====X-COM Enemy Unknown / Enemy Within====<br />
<br />
'''Sectoid''': Tiny little grey men in the first game, these are the first Psionic enemy you'll meet, with the ability to boost each other in combat. This can be rather nasty giving them an extra hit point and a +10 to hit and dodge, although if you kill the booster, you'll kill whatever Sectoid they're boosting as well thanks to Psychic feedback.<br />
<br />
'''Sectoid Commander''': Only in the first game, these guys are Sectoids on psychic steroids. You'll see one on the tutorial mission and get a taste of what they can do, even if you don't fight it. They're stronger, tougher, and more psionically powerful than the basic section, and are the first unit that can possess your guys mid firefight.<br />
<br />
'''Thin Man''': Apparently an "Infiltrator Unit" nobody would mistake these guys for human at close distance as they have snake scales running up their necks, and are skinny enough to make a super-model jealous. Apparently they were made from genetically modifying Snake-Men as they can spit clouds of poison at great distance, and will explode into one when they're killed. Otherwise they're real flimsy.<br />
<br />
'''Muton''': How you know the aliens are stepping up their game. Everything up till now has been child's play (for a particularly psychotic child), then these guys come along. Big, tough, "smart", and dangerous, these guys will mulch a squad equipped with regular weapons and armour without breaking a sweat, and capturing one of these guys alive brings one of the better upgrades. Have fun.<br />
<br />
'''Muton Berserker''': Ha, ha, ha. These guys are melee monsters, capable of soaking up bullets by the magazine, and slowly getting angrier and angrier as they do. If they can get in close they'll unleash the melee hurt, but thankfully they're not amazingly fast. Thankfully, their instinctive charge of the last person who shot them means you can set them up to run a gauntlet of Overwatch fire, with a bit of luck.<br />
<br />
'''Muton Elite''': As much health as the Berserkers, plus armor, and lacking the berserk charges. Instead, they carry heavy plasma cannons.<br />
<br />
'''Floater''': Apparently reject Mutons, stripped down to an upper torso and fitted up with cybernetic implants, mainly a jetpack. They're basically the fastest unit in the game, great Overwatchers, and pack about s much punch as a standard Muton. They have a special ability that sacrifices all their actions for the turn to instead fly to any single spot on the map, which they love to use to get the drop on your team.<br />
<br />
'''Heavy Floater''' A tougher, armored version of the standard Floater, with a bigger gun.<br />
<br />
'''Outsider''': Strange "digital" lifeforms that serve as the technicians of the alien forces. You need to capture one of these in order to advance the game. They're wimpy, but their light plasma rifles are deadly accurate, so they can gun down whole teams if you're careless.<br />
<br />
'''Sectopod''': The aliens' equivalent of a tank; an enormous, heavily armored killer robot with insanely high health, high armor, a 50% damage reduction ability, and the ability to blaze away with both a fuck-off huge laser and to launch showers of cluster bombs. They also blow up when you kill them. Your most hated enemy.<br />
<br />
'''Cyberdisk''': A ridiculously fast flying robot that can shapeshift between a flying saucer-like flight-mode (in which it's harder to hit) and its unfurled combat mode. Not quite as killy as the sectopod, but still really adept at ruining your day.<br />
<br />
'''Drone''': Small flying robots that basically zip around like laser-spitting wasps. They don't do much damage, but they can repair mechanical aliens and they explode like a grenade when killed. And they're extra-hard to hit, for added nuisance factor.<br />
<br />
'''Chryssalid''': An absolute fucking nightmare, just like the original series. These bugs are lightning fast, vicious, and if they kill anyone they'll automatically plant an egg in the corpse, which will turn into a zombie before hatching a new chryssalid three turns later. And these zombies are tough enough to weather several turns of shooting. One of the standout points of the first game is a pre-baked mission where you get to investigate a whaling ship that crashed ashore in Alaska after being infested by Chryssalids who turned the catch into their personal hive. Your job is to first investigate the area, and then light the place up for your bombers so they can nuke it from orbit.<br />
<br />
'''Ethereal''': The leaders of the alien forces, physically frail but masters of [[psionics]], which they can use to ''really'' fuck up your day.<br />
<br />
'''Seeker''': A relatively weak squid-like robot that uses camouflage to sneak up on its prey and then tries to crush it to death with its tendrils. They like to go after isolated members of your squad, which can be used to bait them into going after Assault troopers with Close Combat Tactics for hilarious effects.<br />
<br />
'''Mechtoid''': An armored exoskeleton piloted by a sectoid, carrying twin plasma mini-cannons. Sectoids can use their mind merge ability to give a layer of shielding to mechtoids; killing the sectoid removes the shield and causes some damage to the mechtoid. <br />
<br />
====X-COM 2 / War of the Chosen====<br />
<br />
'''ADVENT'''<br />
<br />
The end results of what the Ethereals want to do with humanity. Puppet soldiers controlled by a series of psionically linked chips that feed back to command nodes. It's stated that the commander was supossed to be one of these before XCOM manages to rescue him in the tutorial mission.<br />
<br />
*'''Trooper''': The grunts, they come in three flavours, with increasing HP, Dodge, and Accuracy. Challenging only in numbers, and then only thanks to the fact that a shot will hit you at some point, and they can take fire away from the actual threats.<br />
<br />
*'''Officer''': These guys aren't a threat on their own, however they can Holo-Target one of your guys for free, granting their allies a +10 to hit against that soldier. either take out everyone around them, or take them out, before that becomes a problem.<br />
<br />
*'''Shield-Bearer''': The most annoying ADVENT type in the base game, these guys can pop a shield that gives avery ADVENT and Alien soldier in range +3 or +5 temporary HP. Combined with their armour these guys can take a licking and keep on ticking. Take them out pronto otherwise the fight is going to take far longer than it should. They also kinda look like Robocop so they have that going for them.<br />
<br />
*'''Stun-Lancer''': Melee focused, these guys are noticeable by the fact they were far less armour than any other ADVENT soldier. They'll charge forwards if in range, and attempt to stun your guys for a turn with their Melee beatsticks. Otherwise they've just got regular ADVENT Rifles.<br />
<br />
*'''Priest''': Introduced in WotC, these guys are the ADVENT Psions, they can boost another ADVENT soldier, much like Sectoids could in Enemy Unknown (and like that game if you kill the priest the soldier will suffer psionic feedback and die), or they can put one of your guys in Statis for a turn, preventing them from doing anything. Advanced and Elite priests have additional tricks that allow them to Mind-Control your guys, and place themselves in Statis if they would be killed, instead staying around with 1 HP for another turn.<br />
<br />
*'''Purifier''': Flamethrower wielding ADVENT troops that only appear in WotC. The guys are kept "secret" from the public (despite that fact they can appear in any mission if the RNG says so) as they are supossed to hunt down and kill the lost in the old, abandoned cities. As stated they use flamethrowers, alongside incendiary grenades, and when you kill them there's a good chance they will explode, so don't kill them with melee unless you want to lose your eyebrows. Athough that can lead to some hilarious chain reactions if you're lucky.<br />
<br />
*'''General''': Only appears in assassination missions in WotC. Essentially just a beefed up Officer with a shit ton of HP, and the ability to throw Flash-Bangs.<br />
<br />
*'''MEC / Heavy MEC'''<br />
<br />
*'''Turrets''': It's a turret. What more do you want? They have some armour and a decent amount of HP, but they can't move, and are fairly easy to hack to your side. If all else fails tossing a frag grenade at it is a guaranteed kill.<br />
<br />
*'''Sectopod'''<br />
<br />
'''Aliens'''<br />
<br />
*'''Sectoid''': Tougher than you remember due to the infusion of human DNA. Now have the ability to resurrect dead troopers - yours and ADVENT - as zombies, and all sectoids from the get-go can lay a mind whammy on your troops, randomly panicking, disorientating or controlling them.<br />
<br />
*'''Chrysallid''': Because why the fuck wouldn't the Ethereals keep their most effective terror weapon. These guys have changed from scuttling horrors, to burrowing, venomous, scuttling horrors, capable of turning anyone they kill, either with their venom or their claws into a slowly metamorphosing cocoon that, if it reaches maturity, will spit out '''THREE''' new chryssalids, because Firaxis hates you. They are rendered mostly harmless by being set on fire, so if you think you're going to run into them bring incendiary rounds, fire bombs, and hell weave vests.<br />
<br />
*'''Viper''': The most famous of the new aliens because they look like [[serpentfolk|humanoid snake-women]] with [[furry|nice tits and a sweet pair of hips]]. Appear pretty early in the game; not much tougher than sectoids, but quite annoying. They can drag you out of cover with their tongue whip attack, spew toxic clouds like the Thin Men, and strangle you in melee like a Seeker. These gals represent the true form of the Thin Man alien from the last game.<br />
<br />
*'''Andromedon''': One of the cooler new alien designs, it could almost have been ripped out of the old X-COM series. It looks like combination of an old diving suit and an iron lung, filled with green sludge, and a single pickled alien who apparently needs that sludge to live. When you kill it the first time the suit reboots and come to life by itself, dropping its heavy plasma cannon and charging into melee. In its first form an Andromedon is a tough customer, with more armour & health than a Muton while packing the same firepower. In its second form it will only ever try to hit you with its fists, but it leaves behind trail of acidic and poisonous sludge that hurts your guys if they try to move through it (because jumping isn't a thing, despite the ability to haul yourself up drainpipes) which makes navigating the battlefield a hassle, especially in densely packed urban missions. Thankfully their second form will be easier to deal with. As these Powered Armor wearing little shits will Overwatch to hamper squad mobility and toss Acid Bombs at [[your_dudes]] if not killed ASAP. <br />
<br />
*'''Faceless''': A new enemy that should only appear in Terror Attack missions. Shapeshifters that look like ordinary humans until your troops get too close, then they turn into ''fucking huge'' moaning melted-wax men with claws the length of shotguns. Can take quite a beating and will literally tear down houses to get at your troops. They can be seeded in regular missions if you pull the Dark Event that allows them to mingle with the regular citizens during missions. Isn't that lovely.<br />
<br />
*'''Muton''': Remaining as the ethereal's shock infantry, these Mutons have apparently been crossbred with humanity, making them smaller, faster, and deadlier. Apparently they're smarter too, but considering just how badly the A.I can flub up sometimes, you have to wonder about that. They aren't packing any more HP, but they're now armoured, so they'll soak up more damage unless you can shred their armour with heavy weapons and explosives. They'll still be a threat until you get Plasma weapons, and 3rd their armour, but once you're there, they pretty much become chaff beneath the scythe. They also like tossing grenades if they don't have a direct line of sight on your troops. Along with the ability to use suppression if a Muton can't into melee. Making them an annoyance well into the late game.<br />
<br />
*'''Berserker'''<br />
<br />
*'''Codex''':A replacement for the Outsider, but far more annoying. The Codex first appears when you Skulljack an ADVENT officer, and it looks like a wierldy sexy woman made of pure energy, but with a cybernetic brain & spinal column. They can teleport around the battlefield, and when struck by an attack that fails to kill them, they split into two Codexes with half of their remaining health. They can also create temporary zones of energy that suck all the ammo out of your guns, and then close with deadly force. Naturally you want Snipers or Magnetic/Plasma Weapon chain attacks to kill them quickly.<br />
<br />
*'''Gatekeeper''':<br />
<br />
*'''Archon''':<br />
<br />
*'''Avatar''': The Ethereals' plans are revealed when you discover these creatures. Avatars are genetically engineered lifeforms created from the genes of the most psi-capable humans, crafted to house the essence of the Ethereals, whose own bodies are breaking down irrevocably. Extremely tough, powerful psionics, kill on sight. The Commander gets one of his own at the end of the game. This is because they plugging him/her into their psionic network and never bothered to remove or change anything after XCOM recovered them. [[Fail|As the Ethereals are really quite stupid despite claiming to be a superior race.]]<br />
<br />
'''The Chosen'''<br />
<br />
*'''The Assassin'''<br />
<br />
*'''The Hunter''' <br />
<br />
*'''The Warlock'''<br />
<br />
'''The Lost'''<br />
<br />
*'''Regular''': Introduced in WotC, these are the zombie horde style enemies of the game. They have a unique mechanic where if you kill one, you get a free action point to continue killing. A soldier with decent Aim, an auto-loader, and an extended mag can decimate entire swarms if lucky.<br />
<br />
*'''Dasher''' Faster, and with slightly more HP (4-5, as opposed to 2-3) these guys aren't exactly more of a threat than the regular lost. They're just more likely to pull off a successful ambush.<br />
<br />
*'''Brute''' These guys have a lot of HP for a Lost, and can actually deal some melee punishment, and will start coming out in decent numbers by endgame. Then again, by endgame you'll have the best weapons and armour, so once again... only really a threat if you're unlucky, and there's a lot of them.<br />
<br />
== See Also ==<br />
<br />
*[[X-Com Play By Post]], experimental rules for playing X-Com on a forum.<br />
*[[XCOM: Tomorrow's War edition]], a conversion of [[Tomorrow's War]] for playing X-Com on the tabletop.<br />
<br />
== Gallery ==<br />
{{Promotions}}<br />
<gallery><br />
Image:Don_t_mess_with_humanity_by_Jaekyu.jpg<br />
Image:Get_Some_by_IronShrineMaiden.jpg<br />
Image:Public_Display_of_Affection_by_Jaekyu.png<br />
Image:Rookie_Shooter_by_Jaekyu.png<br />
Image:X-Com_(1).jpg<br />
Image:X-Com_(2).jpg<br />
Image:X-Com_(3).jpg<br />
Image:X-Com_(4).jpg<br />
Image:X-Com_(5).jpg<br />
Image:X-Com_(6).jpg<br />
Image:X-Com_(7).jpg<br />
Image:X-Com_(8).png<br />
Image:X-Com_(9).jpg<br />
Image:X-Com_(10).jpg<br />
Image:Snek.png<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
<br />
* [http://ufopaedia.org/index.php?title=Main_Page UFOpaedia.org], a wiki dedicated to X-COM (and sequels, and mods, etc.).<br />
* [http://openxcom.org/ Open Source engine for the original game]<br />
* [http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_minisite.asp?eidm=269&enmi=XCOM:%20The%20Board%20Game Fantasy Flight Games's official X-COM game.]<br />
* [http://www.nexusmods.com/xcom/mods/88/? Long War main page.]<br />
* [http://ufoai.org/wiki/About UFO: Alien Invasion]<br />
* [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BqoEJUWKVRFSKXOA2Ks3Ce7Kvphmg0kAFKcuXJHgmr0/mobilebasic?pli=1 Things X-COM operatives are not allowed to do], a list in the vein of Mr. Welch's list. Occasionally hilarious<br />
<br />
[[category:Video Games]]<br />
[[Category:Software]]</div>2601:147:4200:6280:2561:C61A:5ED7:9030http://2d4chan.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=XCOM&diff=569371XCOM2018-04-10T16:42:50Z<p>2601:147:4200:6280:2561:C61A:5ED7:9030: /* X-COM 2 / War of the Chosen */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{/vg/}}<br />
{{Oldschool}}<br />
<br />
[[Image:Xcom_2.png|thumb|right|]]<br />
<br />
This is a [[Dan Abnett|rare treat]]. '''X-COM''', or as it's called across the pond, ''UFO: Enemy Unknown'' is a turn-based strategy game that is, to put it simply, about as close to a game of [[Dark Heresy]] as one can get in isometric 3D. Note that X-COM is significantly older than [[Dark Heresy]], and older than all but the first edition of [[Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay]], so it'd be better to say [[Dark Heresy]] is a lot like X-COM on the tabletop. Dating back to the much-lamented Microprose, it set a gold standard for atmosphere and playability that has, frankly, not been breached in ages.<br />
<br />
The game is [[Dwarf Fortress|old as balls]] and in isometric view, which, paired with the Dark Heresy similarities, makes it more /tg/ material than /v/.<br />
<br />
==A General Gist==<br />
<br />
A general synopsis is that in [[grimdark|the not-so-distant future, there is war - and aliens]]. Aliens are arriving, and they are most assuredly hostile. It falls upon the Extraterrestrial Combat Unit, or the eponymous X-COM, a multi-national task-force, to deal with the invasion by blasting the fuck out of the Aliens, stealing their shit, researching their technology, and using it to fucking kill them off, all the while fighting off terror attacks and trying to figure out where in Uranus these fucking things are coming from (as it turns out, from Mars, and if you win, the final mission involves you going to Mars and dropping an [[Exterminatus]] on their asses).<br />
<br />
It kicked ass. It was good enough to spawn a sequel, ''Terror From The Deep'', which was basically the same game, but underwater and infinitely harder. Story-wise, the destruction of the Martian base activated a fail-safe in the aliens' system that woke up T'leth, their 'secondary' (and mobile) base buried deep under the seas of Earth. X-Com now again must protect the people while finding out about where exactly T'leth is and go in to blast it to smithereens with extreme prejudice. It was hard. Really hard. Not only do aliens have a major advantage technology-wise at the start and they tear through your recruits with impunity, but later in the game when you catch up they start using a nasty trick to take control of your troopers, leading to sometimes hilarious and [[rage|extreme rage-inducing]] turn one [[TPK]]s as your heavy weapon trooper gets controlled and fires his heavy weapon inside the transport while the team is busy disembarking. Oh, and did we mention that the only way to research the best armour in the game was to capture a live specimen of a rarely-appearing alien? And that to capture a live specimen you had to send a poor redshirt in armed with an oversized cattleprod to stun it in close quarters? And that said alien was [[rip and tear|able to tear a human apart effortlessly]] in close quarters? And (as if all that wasn't bad enough already), that the poor redshirt then had to pick up and to carry the damn unconscious thing back to the human ship praying [[rape|that the specimen didn't wake up with a grudge before he got there and the mission ended]]? Yeah, it was kinda like that. <br />
<br />
It then spawned a second, somewhat different but still appreciated sequel, ''X-Com Apocalypse''. Destruction of T'leth fucked up Earth biosphere and humanity retreated to quickly built mega-arcologies to survive. Unlike the two first game, there's a bigger political aspect to things as you have not only to make sure you deal with the damn aliens coming to fuck your shit up, but remain best buds with the other humans while doing so. All in all, a decent, if not overwhelmingly good game.<br />
<br />
Then Microprose was bought by [[Hasbro|that which must never be named]], who proceeded to nose-dive the IP with games like [[AIDS|X-COM: Interceptor]] and [[Shit Twinkie|X-COM: Enforcer]].<br />
<br />
Fucking [[RAGE|Hasbro]].<br />
<br />
Anyway. Combat is a lot like Dark Heresy's in that it's exceedingly lethal; at the game's outset, you have no armor beyond jumpsuits with Kevlar stuffed into them, and your firearms are the best and most powerful weaponry that chemical propelled explosives can provide only moderately capable against alien forces (though quite diverse). In order to properly take these fucking things on on anything remotely resembling their own terms, you need upgrades. Upgrades come through research, and research comes by shooting down UFOs, landing a ground assault, killing the surviving aliens, and stripping the UFO like the [[Blood Ravens]] do other chapters' shiny bits. Once brought back to base, your researchers can look into what makes the alien's gear work, research your own weapons and tech, and develop technologies to help in the fight against the Aliens. Eventually, you can load your forces up with [[Space Marine|Power-armored bad-asses]], but starting out, your forces are fragile, and fighting smart is ''vital''. You ''will'' suffer casualties early on - guaranteed - but such is war, and you must press on, allowing the survivors to grow into [[Colonel Greiss|manly badasses]].<br />
<br />
The Aliens themselves are diverse, ranging from the Sectoids (conventional "gray" aliens), to Chryssalids (horrifying abominations that inject targets with eggs that turn them into mindless drones which will explosively birth new Chryssalids thereafter). Nightmare fuel = yes. The game manages to be exceedingly creepy for one so simple, and is one of many reasons that X-COM works so well.<br />
<br />
==Tales of Heroism==<br />
<br />
In accordance with /tg/'s love of war stories about [[your dudes]], several examples of awesome have been compiled:<br />
<br />
''Instant'' death doesn't ''always'' happen. Occasionally, one Rookie will be touched by God and succeed against all odds. After that, he will die horribly. [[Just as Planned]].<br />
<br />
X-COM agent of note: [[Marc Lecointe]]. Lecointe survived numerous missions, got the highest kill count on most missions, killed a Snakemen leader and his bodyguards (despite losing over half the squad), and got shot in the face and back with plasma and lived. He eventually was hit with return fire in an alley and began bleeding. He returned fire and killed the Snakeman, but bled to death before help could arrive. Lacointe lives on in our hearts.<br />
<br />
Another agent of note is Gristle McThornbody, a Rocket-Toting Team-Killing asshole who refuses to die OR be mind-controlled. He's so badass, that even when he has 85% or more to hit on a 2x2 alien, he'll still hit the wall twenty tiles to the left.<br />
<br />
== New Stuff and Things ==<br />
According to things [[/v/]] likes to watch on the Internet, a new X-Com game is in the pipes, set to be made in the gameplay and spirit of the old games, with new graphics and updated for the new generation of gamers to be introduced into the X-Com game style. It lost the dash along the way someplace, and got re-named ''XCOM: Enemy Unknown''. This new game, which has spawned joy boners in many on /v/ and /tg/ alike, is believed to stem from the utter, burning [[RAGE|fury]] that was originally spawned from 2K's simply-titled ''XCOM'' game, which, near as we can tell, is an FPS that takes place in the 1960s and has exactly ''nothing'' to do with the actual X-COM franchise. Seriously, don't look into 2K's game if you're a fan of the series on any level - it will cause veterans to spontaneously transform into [[Angry Marines]] and/or [[Khorne|Khornate Berserkers]]. Apparently, those in charge had the wherewithal to note that if they didn't make a ''proper'' X-COM game, [[/tg/]] (and by extension, [[/v/]]) would [[Anal Circumference|leave their asshole in ruins]]. They even went ahead to declare the two games take place in separate universes. If only [[Games Workshop]] had [[Matt Ward|that much sense]]...<br />
<br />
== XCOM: Enemy Unknown by Firaxis ==<br />
[[File:XCOMGameplay.jpg|200px|thumb|An in-game screenshot of the new game.]]<br />
And Firaxis came to the rescue, promising to return to the roots of XCOM (note the lack of a hyphen this time around, although the logo ''does'' have a horizontal stripe taken out of the "COM"). Since Firaxis has a lot of ex-MicroProse people, a lot of them have had to do with the original as well, and the original musical score will make a return. Although it's changed a few things to avoid hurting the brains of [[/v/|delicate little console kiddies]] like removing time units, removing ballistic simulation, cutting down on your maximum amount of squad members (4 at the start and 6 maximum) and limiting us to one base (though each base location gives its own unique bonus), it still somehow manages to be a good game in its own right. If the original X-COM is like Mordheim, then XCOM is like Space Hulk: massively simplified and more heavily dependent on the luck of the die, but with less micromanagement and long-term planning required.<br />
<br />
If you haven't bought the game and you're a TBS fan, everyone in /tg/ that isn't [[That guy]], would highly recommend you give it a whirl at the modest price of <strike><br />
$39.99 </strike> $16.49 for all the good remade XCOM games because of our father Gabe Newell on PC,<br />
still is 39.99 for console/Non-Steam or $9.99 on mobile/tablet devices. Like always, we have footage for vidyas: https://youtu.be/qDhuZ4b51hA https://youtu.be/-SKoS5BYVuY https://youtu.be/bxuzLyR-000<br />
<br />
===XCOM: Enemy Within===<br />
[[File:MectoidMEC.jpg|200px|thumb|Did we mention melee combat with exosuits?]]<br />
''Enemy Within'' is an expansion pack (and unlike most "horse armor" tier DLCs with the name this one actually deserves it) that completely re-defines how the game progresses, compared to the original one. The game's story still progresses like the original game, but expands on it for a more entertaining experience.<br />
<br />
It adds the "meld" resource to the game, a type of alien organic/synthetic-hybrid nanomachine that allows you to unlock two powerful technologies: MEC and genetic modification. MEC allows your troops to interface with a Mechanized Exoskeleton Cybersuit, a heavy exoskeleton that brings the heaviest of weapons to the field (Including the option for a powerfist equivalent called a "Kinetic Strike Module". Yes, make your own faux [[Terminator]] squad! Especially when the Tier-3 Paladin upgrades bulks up your suit's armor that you look vaguely similar to Termies.). Genetic modification allows you to augment your troops using data gathered from dissected aliens, making them killier than ever before. Infact, you can create your own equivalent of an Imperial [[Space Marine]] with the list of available modifications you can do (Two of these specific upgrades are a second heart and the ability of self-regeneration) .<br />
<br />
It also adds new aliens to the xenos' side, like a cloaking squid robots that chokes your troops to death and their own brand of exosuit troops. It also introduces another enemy into the game: EXALT. EXALT are a bunch of power-mad blokes who sees the alien's invasion as a way to gain power by adapting their technology for themselves, inching them closer to world domination. They see you as an obstacle and are determined to undermine your efforts to defeat the aliens by disrupting your operations through a number of ways and sowing panic amongst XCOM-member nations, generally making your already hectic life even more hectic. You must now defeat this new threat through a combination of [[Ork|cunning brutality and brutal cunning.]] They have most of your technologies to go toe-to-toe with you (Except for their own exosuits) and they are well hidden, so bringing them down won't be an easy affair.<br />
<br />
=== XCOM 2 ===<br />
[[File:People%27s_reaction_to_XCOM_2%27s_Vipers.png|200px|thumb|Turns out they ''are'' poison glands. Hee.]]<br />
A direct-ish sequel to EU/EW, XCOM 2 seems to decide that what's canon is not: not "you killed all the aliens, now here's more aliens", but "you know that Impossible Ironman game you played for a laugh and got utterly stomped? That's the canon ending". (The utterly stomping part takes place in the base assault, and it is so bad that two of the most important things got taken: The Commander, and more importantly, central officer Bradford's sweater). The aliens won before humanity even got to laser weapons, taking over the world and unifying humanity (read: ruling over them in a pseudo-utopia "Brave New World"-style), and basically preparing to turn them into another of their slave races (not that most of humanity knows this).<br />
<br />
XCOM refused to back down even after the Council of Nations ceased to exist and instead went underground, hijacking an alien supply ship to act as a mobile base for hit-and-run operations against the alien occupiers, in the hopes of toppling the ADVENT (the puppet government aliens've set up) and exposing the true purpose of their supposedly ideal society to the world.<br />
<br />
New features include:<br />
The Assault class has been given a makeover to focus even more on [[Rip and Tear]], replacing the sidearm with a sword and changing title to the Ranger. The Sniper has been renamed the Sharpshooter and given a pistol-focused skill-tree-route that turns the soldier into Clint Eastwood (literally, like you can have a stand-off by firing 3 pistol-shots in the same turn). The Support class has been renamed the Specialist and been given a drone to hack, heal, shield and/or zap shit remotely. The Heavy has been given a nice grenade launcher to act as your cover-stomper, and been renamed the Grenadier. Psi-operatives are their own class now as well, and get hate-hair and [[Cadia|purple eyes]] because that makes sense and all psychically talented people look like neo-punks. Troops can be captured, and then rescued, which also reclaims any expensive gear they had on them (but it's never the captured troops you actually need back).<br />
New enemies (without spoilers), including human ADVENT security troops (who really love to say "bitch" and pointing towards your soldiers) with magnetic weapons who look like humans till you get their armor off, sectoid-human hybrids with teeth, thumbs, and belly buttons (which can be really creepy if you '''really''' think about it), and transsexual Snake-women called Vipers (which is what the Thin Men actually look like without their disguises). Yes, there were snaketits on the thread that announced this to /tg/. Yes, /d/ has drawn porn of them. Yes, it will be added to the gallery.<br />
<br />
Moving on.<br />
<br />
XCOM 2 also contains an in depth explanation for the aliens' motives that many fans felt was lacking or too ambiguous in Enemy Within. Apparently, the Ethereals have some kind of fatal disease they can't cure, so they've been trekking around the galaxy culminating genes to form the ultimate bodies for themselves, while amassing a genetically supreme army. When the Ethereals found humanity, they found their genes to be so awesome and powerful that just adding some of them to a lowly sectoid turned it from a pathetic 3' tall creature you could kill with basic weapons, to an 8' tall psionic rape machine that could raise the dead and withstand salvos of bullets to the face. They then set up an alien government on Earth so they could discretely process humanity's best genetic material and slowly form new bodies for themselves that don't die called Avatars. And by don't die, we mean have copious amounts of health, teleport every time they're injured, regenerate like crazy, are guaranteed to successfully mind control anything, and are immune to any of your psychic abilities. And the boss fight involves killing three of these dick-butts and an endless wave of alien reinforcements. Using human DNA is also where their ADVENT troops came from, they grew armies of human spliced with unspecified alien to act as their public face to the humans. But humanity wins anyway, because humans are just that fucking awesome.<br />
<br />
The game is also notable for abandoning the usual conditions for losing. The norm for the series is for your funding to get cut if too many countries lose faith in XCOM. Since you're fighting a guerilla war and your support are humans fighting to survive outside the aliens' control zones, that isn't happening. Instead you lose if the aliens complete the Avatar Project, their goal to mass produce the bodies for the etherals. If they do you get treated to a scene of almost all resistance being crushed because the Avatars are dangerous enough in small numbers and army of them would unstoppable. You can slow progress, but can only stop it by finishing the game.<br />
<br />
So far there have been recently four DLCs for XCOM 2. "Anarchy's Children" added new customization features for your soldiers, most of which you wouldn't ever really use. "Alien Hunters" adds a new mission, weapons, and alien rulers who you have to hunt down. The alien rulers get to take an action every, single, time, one of your soldiers does. This is even more infuriating then it sounds. Some more customization options are added too. "Shen's Last Gift" adds another mission and the SPARK class soldier. SPARKs are robots you have to make in the proving ground that wish they were half as cool or good as the MECs from Enemy Within. Hopefully, someone in the modding community will fix this soon. You also can't add modifications to their guns, which is stupid, and their guns, while much larger and more powerful-looking than the other squad specialized weapons, don't do more damage than the rest of the squad's specialized weapons. This is also stupid, as an auto-cannon would naturally do much more damage than a SAW. And here comes the fun part; if you read the developers blog, their idea of "balance" is to actually nerf plenty of stuff...so the game is harder after having a buffed-up alien lord chase your dudes all over the game. Was old-school really this hard?<br />
<br />
====XCOM 2: War of the Chosen====<br />
<br />
This brand new expansion gives us three new allies to aid us. <br />
<br />
*Reapers: Stealthy hunters who are armed with nothing but a rifle and explosives. It's enough. They wear [[Shadowrun|trench coats and gas masks]]. Have a special ability where they have a chance to not reveal themselves upon attacking. Enemies have vastly reduced detection ranges against Reapers, and Reapers can detonate explosives on the map without revealing themselves. They can also throw an environmental explosive. [[Dakka|They also have an ability that lets them shoot at an enemy until they run out of ammo.]] Long story short, these guys are only slightly less powerful than the Reapers from Mass Effect.<br />
<br />
*Skirmishers: ADVENT defectors who are armed with a grappling hook that can pull them to a rooftop and pull themselves to the enemy or vice versa and at max level allows them to have the [[Awesome|alien rulers ability to gain action points Everytime. The. Enemy. Moves]] Except it only works three times a turn, and doesn't trigger on non-move actions. [[fail|The game doesn't tell you this.]] <br />
<br />
*Templars: [[Grey Knights|a resistance group made of only psionics]] that wield psi blades and machine pistols, but you'll probably never use those. They're fast, hard to kill, and hit like a brick. Like the [[rip and tear]] half of the Ranger, but with psionic powers. They're also fantastically hammy and roll their Rs.<br />
<br />
But these new allies come with a catch as you now have to fight the titular chosen who can adapt to your soldiers abilities with their own strengths and weaknesses, and the Lost ([[tarpit|zombie swarms]]) that attack both you and ADVENT. Along with these new allies and enemies is trying to get the three resistance groups to work together, as well as a new fatigue and relationship system.<br />
<br />
=== XCOM: Long War ===<br />
<br />
What, the new XCOM wasn't complicated enough for you? There's a mod called "Long War" which goes into lots more detail, a bit more like the classic game. Now, the aliens will advance their plans and escalate their forces and assaults based on their own progression system, and the game is rebalanced around the expectation that you will not succeed at every mission (and you won't -- the aliens are plenty tough to see to that).<br />
<br />
=== XCOM: The Board Game ===<br />
<br />
From [[Fantasy Flight Games]], there's a board game adaptation of XCOM (in fact, ''XCOM: Enemy Unknown'' was quite inspired by board games, with the two-actions-per-turn system instead of the old 'time units'). There's a companion app for smartphones, tablets, and computers which controls the aliens and informs players of events, a bit like a [[Game Master]], but without exposing the players to too much bookkeeping. Amazing what games can do with computers these days -- just imagine if such a thing had been available for [[FATAL]]! On second thought, don't.<br />
<br />
Players (1-4) take on different roles in the XCOM organization. The Commander keeps an eye on the budget and allocates interceptors. The Chief Scientist directs research efforts. The Central Officer works the app and solicits input from the others (if there are any) to make decisions (many of which are time-critical). The Squad Leader manages troops and base defense. Together, they need to allocate their resources, judge when to push risky but rewarding avenues (inviting retribution from the aliens if they fail), and defend humanity. Like the games, successes are rare -- a die only has a 1/3 chance of coming up with a success, and tasks may need multiple successes. There is also an "enemy die", a [[d8]] that is rolled against the number of times that task has been attempted. If it rolls equal to or under that number, something bad happens. So, do you pool resources for critical tasks (neglecting anything else, and hoping that your priorities are correct), in order to most likely be successful before the threat level climbs too high? Or do you stay flexible but push your luck? Your call, commander.<br />
<br />
=== XCOM 2: Long War 2 ===<br />
If you thought XCOM 2 was ''already'' hard, thanks in part to the involvement of the original Long War modders in the game's development, said modders come back with a sequel mod for the game. Not only does this go even further than the first Long War in going into a lot of detail, such as new graphical touches, significant rebalancing and completely overhauling the global map to be more reminiscent of classic X-com. But the difficulty is amped up even more, with missions even requiring you to send in potentially fatal scouting parties to make sure your ''other'' squads don't die on the spot. Also, rather than launching parties directly into battle, missions spawn on the geoscape with an expiration timer. The player ''can'' launch immediately, but the enemy presence will be drastically increased! Instead, the idea is that the squad can spend time infiltrating, to let ADVENT get complacent and draw troops elsewhere. Having more Resistance folks working Intel increases mission expiration times, but the bigger and heavier the squad, the more infiltration time is require. And vice versa -- short-staffing a squad can allow a player to infiltrate to high percentages on short notice...but now you've only got like four guys on the ground, and that might not be enough firepower if activations go badly...<br />
<br />
This mod requires dramatically more strategic thought and care. Weapons, armor, and equipment are all purchased individually, forcing you into decisions like 'do I continue the rollout of my newly available armor-piercing coilguns, or do I buy armor for the two rookies I've trained up?' and 'do I send my last seven man team to secure me an engineer, commit them to a long infiltration to wipe out an advent tower, or hold them in reserve for a better opportunity?' The difficulty is likewise much higher, but you have dramatically expanded options to combat it with special weapons, squad leaders, extra inventory slots packed with flashbangs, veteran troop skills, chooseable bonus perks, a psi advancement training regime that makes some actual sense, and many, many more troops and mission opportunities. Minor reinforcement on that last one, in fact: in stock XCOM 2 you'll likely end the campaign with fewer than twenty soldiers, whereas here it's pretty common to have a hundred active-duty troopers at a time. <br />
<br />
The Shinobi ([[Derp|all the Ninja IRL schools have closed up shop]]) is the most overpowered class. Making missions easier then they should be as he can [[derp|bypass Overwatch]] and has a very low impact on infiltration. Making missions unrealistic for players who hate RNG and want a pure stealth game.<br />
<br />
The Devs of Long War have said there will not be making a Long War for War of the Choosen. As Firaxis added a ton of crap that would take years for Long War Studios to shift though it and make the mod playable.<br />
<br />
== The Bureau: XCOM Declassified ==<br />
Despite having the name XCOM in the title, the game really has little relation to the series. The reason behind this is because 2K passed this game on to the lovely people that brought you Bioshock 2; meaning it was made by a studio that makes more or less decent games. It's supposed to be a prequel, set in the 1960s during the Cold War era. The protagonist, William Carter, was a CIA agent just delivering a suitcase of classified "documents" until an Outsider disguised as a female agent got ahold of it. Not long after that, an alien invasion commenced!<br />
<br />
The Bureau is a RPG that plays like Mass Effect, but not as good for a variety of reasons. One reason is in the dialog scene, you're given choices of what to ask/say. They really don't impact the game, nor changes it for the most part, so you can skip a majority of it if you want to. The agents in your squad are pretty dull, sure you can change their names and how they dress, but really doesn't offer any friendship/foe engagements. If they die, you will need to recruit another agent and start him off from scratch, but really, leveling them up isn't fun and customizable, so just restart a checkpoint if they do die.<br />
<br />
The agents in your squad have bad AI if you don't babysit them and give commands on what they should do, and their skills at fighting Outsiders are... Well, okay. The best they can offer is their abilities, so spamming them and you taking care of the killing is an effective way to go (Some recommend starters to start their first mission with a Recon to cause critical damage on certain enemies and a Commando for [[DISTRACTION CARNIFEX|taunting the grunts and make them easy picking for you.]]<br />
<br />
There would be more to go on, but if you want to know more about the game, you can search up reviews of XCOM Declassified. In short, it's a decent prequel that fans can find some enjoyment, but it's not as good as Enemy Unknown. Without going into spoilers, there's also a reveal during the last few levels that's surprisingly meta and well-written. Still worth looking into if you can find it for cheap or rent it.<br />
<br />
Interestingly enough, turns out that the universe in XCOM Declassified is the same as that of Enemy Unknown/Within's. After the events in The Bureau, all records were wiped. This explains why the player had to start from scratch at the beginning of Enemy Unknown. When the Ethereals of Unknown/Within spoke of their [[Derp|own failure to ascend,]] they really meant that they wanted to be like the Ethereals from The Bureau. Either way, only time will tell exactly [[Grimdark|what the hell they were preparing humanity for.]]<br />
<br />
== Xenonauts ==<br />
<br />
X-Com coded by [[Reasonable Marines]].<br />
<br />
A faithful remake of the original, with time units and all that. Changes a few things (like lack of Psionics on your side) and adds vehicles (yes, blowing up half a building with a rocket jeep is awesome) and controllable dogfights. Basically the alien invasion is during the Cold War and makes everyone shit themselves simultaneously when THOUSANDS of spaceships are openly in orbit and fucks humanity's shit up in creative ways. Every day the UFO's are left wandering, news bulletins full of terror emanate from the screen, worrying you further.<br />
<br />
The ending is very creative, particularly concerning the plot of how an inferior species can even bother to defeat a powerful empire. Stunningly well-made, desperate final mission which may result in a glorious ending, or a bittersweet ending where you still win but the assault team is martyred.<br />
<br />
Other differences between it and the original include:<br />
<br />
Maps are mostly pregenerated, not fully procedural.<br />
<br />
Fewer weapon and ammo types. Seriously, you've got the big five (pistol, shotgun, assault rifle, sniper, and LMG) and a rocket launcher. No variant ammo types, although the weapons do have researched tiers (which are simply damage-ups).<s> This means no unfairly powerful weapons like the Rape Launcher or the Stun Grenade Launcher.</s> There *are* a few super weapons but seriously, if you waste a "Singularity Generator" which is an ENTIRE CAPTURED BLACK HOLE (a hot commodity salvageable from alien battleships) for a 50 kilogram (without ammo) glorified grenade launcher that doesn't even one shot its AoE, you are a fucking moron.<br />
<br />
More basic inventory control. You don't micromanage producing and storing individual missiles, and you can have as many magazines, grenades, and med-kits as you want, limited by carrying limit. You just build the alien-based laser or plasma gun, base gives you ammo made fashioned from a melted-down alien cells. (Alenium is basically a quantum-grade battery aliens came up with. Usually it powers the alien craft, you simply creatively salvage the spent ones into explosives because [[HFY]].)<br />
<br />
Smaller team sizes. Max troop count on a mission is 12, with the best drop-ship.<br />
<br />
Fewer oddball items, like the motion scanner or psi-ball, but there is now an assault shield, so your dudes don't immediately die when popping open a UFO. Said shield gets upgraded with Alien alloys, and even the final mission sees use of it. Trust me.<br />
<br />
Rookies are better out of the gate, but are still shit compared to your colonels. Still, they have a decent chance of killing an enemy in a turn, doubly so if carrying a missile launcher. No longer to operatives miss the broad side of a barn. They *will* miss the spot but will still shake it badly.<br />
<br />
Explosive weapons damage items, lowering the amount of money you receive from selling. This is for the best, because explosives are stupidly powerful and are probably the most reliable way of putting a fool down. Considering Reaper, the expy for Chyrssalids are even faster and crazier, you *are* going to need them.<br />
<br />
Saveable, customizable loadouts for all of your troops, and obviously no engine-based limit on the amount of items you can bring into a mission.<br />
<br />
Aliens don't really hide in corners or really hard to find spots, which makes flushing them out a lot easier. I said flushing out mind you, as they DO charge out and deal extremely serious amounts of damage before going down, to say nothing of teleporting aliens that burst fire in your face if they are lucky.<br />
<br />
Troops remain vulnerable a lot longer. You are never at the point where you can float an invincible army of death-dealing demigods over a cowering cadre of snakemen, raining death and destruction down with maddened glee. Even if you do, weird aliens will teleport close and blow you out of the sky, or your flyer will fry a nerve from psionics.<br />
<br />
Country relations are more important than after-mission loot. <br />
<br />
You can kick or pistol whip an enemy to death. Cue surrounding an annoying alien marksman and beating him to death with riot shields.<br />
<br />
You can call airstrikes to cancel boring UFO raids.<br />
<br />
=== Xenonauts 2 ===<br />
<br />
Now with 3D graphics! A demo is available through GOG.com, with the release planned to be later in 2017.<br />
<br />
== UFO: Alien Invasion ==<br />
<br />
The most detailed opensource version of XCOM based on the Quake 2 engine.<br />
<br />
Buildings are not destructible and it doesn't have a great fog-of-war. It doesn't have unmanned vehicles like the current iterations and sadly doesn't have any sort of Chryssalids yet.<br />
<br />
Has a better world map than any other XCOM in that you can fully explore it like google-earth, even showing ship movement on the globe in real time. The campaign is more forgiving in that it does not force you through Acts like Enemy Unknown where you can't possible keep everybody happy, or has nations constantly bitching at you for radar coverage like in Xenonauts. Instead you get to bid captured UFOs and give preference to unhappy nations that feel neglected or where you haven't been saving civilians frequently. <br />
<br />
The camera is completely free in battlescape mode just like in Enemy Unknown, complete with zoom capabilities. Lots of different weapons, though you will find yourself a fool if you don't immediately start using alien weapons. Also levels tend to have more floors than other iterations, such as one mission in which you're going through an office building or another where you're entering a subway.<br />
<br />
The only major problem with the game is that the smoke grenades are so overpowered your guys will be coming out of your drop ship like Snoop-Dogg out of his trailer. Otherwise you'll find aliens are more than happy to shower your guys with plasma from across the map.<br />
<br />
After a general huge update smoke is now useless and aliens are much, MUCH more powerful. <br />
<br />
Oh, and its free. Still, fuck it. Final version is broken, often locking the game, and developers have been keeping silent, the fucking FAGGOTS.<br />
<br />
== Phoenix Point ==<br />
<br />
A spiritual successor by Julian Gollop himself. As of the time of this edit, fully funded and in development with a backer pre-alpha coming quite soon. The basic idea is; some kind of strange virus has been dug up in the permafrost and has had two outbreaks so far, each escalating in severity. Now it's invading the land a third (and fatally final) time, most of humanity is gone (Partly cus of the virus, partly cus of WW3 happening during the second outbreak), and you must defend the survivors from both the creatures and each other, you poor sap.<br />
<br />
The virus morphs all life into Lovecraftian horrors. Literally Lovecraftian; it is implied that [[H.P. Lovecraft|Howard the Great]] was inspired by ancient findings describing an outbreak of the same virus a few million years ago. It even came from Yuggoth. Humanity being humanity, there are several factions with drastically differing ideas on how to deal with it; there is a faction based around a religion [[Genestealer Hybrids|worshipping the mutations that is also capable of retaining human conscioussness despite said mutations]], another is [[Eclipse Phase| high-tech anarcho-communists trying to coexist with the virus and other factions]] while the third faction [[Starship Troopers|Is a high-tech PMC turned millitaristic civilization with "Service Guarantees Citizenship" that just wants to destroy the virus and any of its sympathizers.]].<br />
<br />
So far, the game has managed to gather enough funding and reach one stretch goal for a floating base that will be given as FREE DLC, along with other stretch goals at a later date should the game be succesful.<br />
<br />
Expected; large bosses, your own mutated soldiers with crippleable limbs, the option of saving a group of people by [[Dawn of War II|landing on a giant creature and injecting it with poison]], Deep Lore, A hybrid of the old TU and new Two-Action system, unique tech trees for each faction (which you can also get in on by either allying with or stealing from them) and randomized global events (ala Crusader Kings 2).<br />
Oh, and there are [[Flamer|flamethrowers]], Shoulder-Mounted missiles, power armor, gauss rifles and other goodies, such as a mutant mount for the cultist faction.<br />
<br />
== XPiratez ==<br />
<br />
What XCOM 2 was to XCOM: Enemy Within, XPiratez is to X-COM: UFO Defense. Made of pure [[Awesome|awesome]], you lead a crew of female mutants on a quest to kick ass, gain riches, and fuck bitches. A mod for OpenXcom, it's completely free and gets constant updates. Go check it out! Nothing's more satisfying then crushing a pureblood's head in with a sledge hammer and then mowing down his mates with your [[Dakka|custom Boarding gun]]. To say more would be to spoil its unique atmosphere and feeling of exploration as you uncover what has happened to the world. Let's just say it's a long, long time after the events of XCOM: UFO Defense.<br />
<br />
== The Tabletop Game ==<br />
<br />
Yes, there was a Tabletop game, made by [[Fantasy Flight Games]], so this article has some direct /tg/ relevance. The problem is, [[Derp | you need a cell phone app to play it]].<br />
<br />
==Aliens==<br />
Needless to say, in this game, there are many different types of aliens that your teams are going to have to fight.<br />
<br />
===Original Continuity===<br />
{{stub}}<br />
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Sectoid<br />
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Cyberdisk<br />
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Floater<br />
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Reaper<br />
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Snakeman<br />
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Chryssalid<br />
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Muton<br />
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Celatid<br />
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Silicoid<br />
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Ethereal<br />
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Sectopod<br />
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Aquatoid<br />
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Gillman<br />
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Lobsterman<br />
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Tasoth<br />
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Bio-Drone<br />
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Calcinite<br />
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Deep One<br />
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Hallucinoid<br />
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Tentaculat<br />
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Triscene<br />
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Xarquid<br />
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Brainsucker<br />
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Multiworm<br />
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Hyperworm<br />
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Chrysalis<br />
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Anthropod<br />
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Psimorph<br />
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Spitter<br />
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Megaspawn<br />
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Popper<br />
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Skeletoid<br />
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Micronoid Aggregate<br />
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Queenspawn<br />
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Overspawn<br />
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===Reboot Continuity===<br />
{{stub}}<br />
<br />
The reboot continuity has its own array of different monsters, with some changes in variety between the first and second game.<br />
<br />
====X-COM Enemy Unknown / Enemy Within====<br />
<br />
'''Sectoid''': Tiny little grey men in the first game, these are the first Psionic enemy you'll meet, with the ability to boost each other in combat. This can be rather nasty giving them an extra hit point and a +10 to hit and dodge, although if you kill the booster, you'll kill whatever Sectoid they're boosting as well thanks to Psychic feedback.<br />
<br />
'''Sectoid Commander''': Only in the first game, these guys are Sectoids on psychic steroids. You'll see one on the tutorial mission and get a taste of what they can do, even if you don't fight it. They're stronger, tougher, and more psionically powerful than the basic section, and are the first unit that can possess your guys mid firefight.<br />
<br />
'''Thin Man''': Apparently an "Infiltrator Unit" nobody would mistake these guys for human at close distance as they have snake scales running up their necks, and are skinny enough to make a super-model jealous. Apparently they were made from genetically modifying Snake-Men as they can spit clouds of poison at great distance, and will explode into one when they're killed. Otherwise they're real flimsy.<br />
<br />
'''Muton''': How you know the aliens are stepping up their game. Everything up till now has been child's play (for a particularly psychotic child), then these guys come along. Big, tough, "smart", and dangerous, these guys will mulch a squad equipped with regular weapons and armour without breaking a sweat, and capturing one of these guys alive brings one of the better upgrades. Have fun.<br />
<br />
'''Muton Berserker''': Ha, ha, ha. These guys are melee monsters, capable of soaking up bullets by the magazine, and slowly getting angrier and angrier as they do. If they can get in close they'll unleash the melee hurt, but thankfully they're not amazingly fast. Thankfully, their instinctive charge of the last person who shot them means you can set them up to run a gauntlet of Overwatch fire, with a bit of luck.<br />
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'''Muton Elite''': As much health as the Berserkers, plus armor, and lacking the berserk charges. Instead, they carry heavy plasma cannons.<br />
<br />
'''Floater''': Apparently reject Mutons, stripped down to an upper torso and fitted up with cybernetic implants, mainly a jetpack. They're basically the fastest unit in the game, great Overwatchers, and pack about s much punch as a standard Muton. They have a special ability that sacrifices all their actions for the turn to instead fly to any single spot on the map, which they love to use to get the drop on your team.<br />
<br />
'''Heavy Floater''' A tougher, armored version of the standard Floater, with a bigger gun.<br />
<br />
'''Outsider''': Strange "digital" lifeforms that serve as the technicians of the alien forces. You need to capture one of these in order to advance the game. They're wimpy, but their light plasma rifles are deadly accurate, so they can gun down whole teams if you're careless.<br />
<br />
'''Sectopod''': The aliens' equivalent of a tank; an enormous, heavily armored killer robot with insanely high health, high armor, a 50% damage reduction ability, and the ability to blaze away with both a fuck-off huge laser and to launch showers of cluster bombs. They also blow up when you kill them. Your most hated enemy.<br />
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'''Cyberdisk''': A ridiculously fast flying robot that can shapeshift between a flying saucer-like flight-mode (in which it's harder to hit) and its unfurled combat mode. Not quite as killy as the sectopod, but still really adept at ruining your day.<br />
<br />
'''Drone''': Small flying robots that basically zip around like laser-spitting wasps. They don't do much damage, but they can repair mechanical aliens and they explode like a grenade when killed. And they're extra-hard to hit, for added nuisance factor.<br />
<br />
'''Chryssalid''': An absolute fucking nightmare, just like the original series. These bugs are lightning fast, vicious, and if they kill anyone they'll automatically plant an egg in the corpse, which will turn into a zombie before hatching a new chryssalid three turns later. And these zombies are tough enough to weather several turns of shooting. One of the standout points of the first game is a pre-baked mission where you get to investigate a whaling ship that crashed ashore in Alaska after being infested by Chryssalids who turned the catch into their personal hive. Your job is to first investigate the area, and then light the place up for your bombers so they can nuke it from orbit.<br />
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'''Ethereal''': The leaders of the alien forces, physically frail but masters of [[psionics]], which they can use to ''really'' fuck up your day.<br />
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'''Seeker''': A relatively weak squid-like robot that uses camouflage to sneak up on its prey and then tries to crush it to death with its tendrils. They like to go after isolated members of your squad, which can be used to bait them into going after Assault troopers with Close Combat Tactics for hilarious effects.<br />
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'''Mechtoid''': An armored exoskeleton piloted by a sectoid, carrying twin plasma mini-cannons. Sectoids can use their mind merge ability to give a layer of shielding to mechtoids; killing the sectoid removes the shield and causes some damage to the mechtoid. <br />
<br />
====X-COM 2 / War of the Chosen====<br />
<br />
'''ADVENT'''<br />
<br />
The end results of what the Ethereals want to do with humanity. Puppet soldiers controlled by a series of psionically linked chips that feed back to command nodes. It's stated that the commander was supossed to be one of these before XCOM manages to rescue him in the tutorial mission.<br />
<br />
*'''Trooper''': The grunts, they come in three flavours, with increasing HP, Dodge, and Accuracy. Challenging only in numbers, and then only thanks to the fact that a shot will hit you at some point, and they can take fire away from the actual threats.<br />
<br />
*'''Officer''': These guys aren't a threat on their own, however they can Holo-Target one of your guys for free, granting their allies a +10 to hit against that soldier. either take out everyone around them, or take them out, before that becomes a problem.<br />
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*'''Shield-Bearer''': The most annoying ADVENT type in the base game, these guys can pop a shield that gives avery ADVENT and Alien soldier in range +3 or +5 temporary HP. Combined with their armour these guys can take a licking and keep on ticking. Take them out pronto otherwise the fight is going to take far longer than it should. They also kinda look like Robocop so they have that going for them.<br />
<br />
*'''Stun-Lancer''': Melee focused, these guys are noticeable by the fact they were far less armour than any other ADVENT soldier. They'll charge forwards if in range, and attempt to stun your guys for a turn with their Melee beatsticks. Otherwise they've just got regular ADVENT Rifles.<br />
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*'''Priest''': Introduced in WotC, these guys are the ADVENT Psions, they can boost another ADVENT soldier, much like Sectoids could in Enemy Unknown (and like that game if you kill the priest the soldier will suffer psionic feedback and die), or they can put one of your guys in Statis for a turn, preventing them from doing anything. Advanced and Elite priests have additional tricks that allow them to Mind-Control your guys, and place themselves in Statis if they would be killed, instead staying around with 1 HP for another turn.<br />
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*'''Purifier''': Flamethrower wielding ADVENT troops that only appear in WotC. The guys are kept "secret" from the public (despite that fact they can appear in any mission if the RNG says so) as they are supossed to hunt down and kill the lost in the old, abandoned cities. As stated they use flamethrowers, alongside incendiary grenades, and when you kill them there's a good chance they will explode, so don't kill them with melee unless you want to lose your eyebrows. Athough that can lead to some hilarious chain reactions if you're lucky.<br />
<br />
*'''General''': Only appears in assassination missions in WotC. Essentially just a beefed up Officer with a shit ton of HP, and the ability to throw Flash-Bangs.<br />
<br />
*'''MEC / Heavy MEC'''<br />
<br />
*'''Turrets''': It's a turret. What more do you want? They have some armour and a decent amount of HP, but they can't move, and are fairly easy to hack to your side. If all else fails tossing a frag grenade at it is a guaranteed kill.<br />
<br />
*'''Sectopod'''<br />
<br />
'''Aliens'''<br />
<br />
*'''Sectoid''': Tougher than you remember due to the infusion of human DNA. Now have the ability to resurrect dead troopers - yours and ADVENT - as zombies, and all sectoids from the get-go can lay a mind whammy on your troops, randomly panicking, disorientating or controlling them.<br />
<br />
*'''Chrysallid''': Because why the fuck wouldn't the Ethereals keep their most effective terror weapon. These guys have changed from scuttling horrors, to burrowing, venomous, scuttling horrors, capable of turning anyone they kill, either with their venom or their claws into a slowly metamorphosing cocoon that, if it reaches maturity, will spit out '''THREE''' new chryssalids, because Firaxis hates you. They are rendered mostly harmless by being set on fire, so if you think you're going to run into them bring incendiary rounds, fire bombs, and hell weave vests.<br />
<br />
*'''Viper''': The most famous of the new aliens because they look like [[serpentfolk|humanoid snake-women]] with [[furry|nice tits and a sweet pair of hips]]. Appear pretty early in the game; not much tougher than sectoids, but quite annoying. They can drag you out of cover with their tongue whip attack, spew toxic clouds like the Thin Men, and strangle you in melee like a Seeker. These gals represent the true form of the Thin Man alien from the last game.<br />
<br />
*'''Andromedon''': One of the cooler new alien designs, it could almost have been ripped out of the old X-COM series. It looks like combination of an old diving suit and an iron lung, filled with green sludge, and a single pickled alien who apparently needs that sludge to live. When you kill it the first time the suit reboots and come to life by itself, dropping its heavy plasma cannon and charging into melee. In its first form an Andromedon is a tough customer, with more armour & health than a Muton while packing the same firepower. In its second form it will only ever try to hit you with its fists, but it leaves behind trail of acidic and poisonous sludge that hurts your guys if they try to move through it (because jumping isn't a thing, despite the ability to haul yourself up drainpipes) which makes navigating the battlefield a hassle, especially in densely packed urban missions. Thankfully their second form will be easier to deal with. As these Powered Armor wearing little shits will Overwatch to hamper squad mobility and toss Acid Bombs at [[your_dudes]] if not killed ASAP. <br />
<br />
*'''Faceless''': A new enemy that should only appear in Terror Attack missions. Shapeshifters that look like ordinary humans until your troops get too close, then they turn into ''fucking huge'' moaning melted-wax men with claws the length of shotguns. Can take quite a beating and will literally tear down houses to get at your troops. They can be seeded in regular missions if you pull the Dark Event that allows them to mingle with the regular citizens during missions. Isn't that lovely.<br />
<br />
*'''Muton''': Remaining as the ethereal's shock infantry, these Mutons have apparently been crossbred with humanity, making them smaller, faster, and deadlier. Apparently they're smarter too, but considering just how badly the A.I can flub up sometimes, you have to wonder about that. They aren't packing any more HP, but they're now armoured, so they'll soak up more damage unless you can shred their armour with heavy weapons and explosives. They'll still be a threat until you get Plasma weapons, and 3rd their armour, but once you're there, they pretty much become chaff beneath the scythe. They also like tossing grenades if they don't have a direct line of sight on your troops. Along with the ability to use suppression if a Muton can't into melee. Making them an annoyance well into the late game.<br />
<br />
*'''Berserker'''<br />
<br />
*'''Codex''':A replacement for the Outsider, but far more annoying. The Codex first appears when you Skulljack an ADVENT officer, and it looks like a wierldy sexy woman made of pure energy, but with a cybernetic brain & spinal column. They can teleport around the battlefield, and when struck by an attack that fails to kill them, they split into two Codexes with half of their remaining health. They can also create temporary zones of energy that suck all the ammo out of your guns, and then close with deadly force. Naturally you want Snipers or Magnetic/Plasma Weapon chain attacks to kill them quickly.<br />
<br />
*'''Gatekeeper''':<br />
<br />
*'''Archon''':<br />
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*'''Avatar''': The Ethereals' plans are revealed when you discover these creatures. Avatars are genetically engineered lifeforms created from the genes of the most psi-capable humans, crafted to house the essence of the Ethereals, whose own bodies are breaking down irrevocably. Extremely tough, powerful psionics, kill on sight. The Commander gets one of his own at the end of the game. This is because they plugging him/her into their psionic network and never bothered to remove or change anything after XCOM recovered them. [[Fail|As the Ethereals are really note that bright despite claiming to be a superior race.]]<br />
<br />
'''The Chosen'''<br />
<br />
*'''The Assassin'''<br />
<br />
*'''The Hunter''' <br />
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*'''The Warlock'''<br />
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'''The Lost'''<br />
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*'''Regular''': Introduced in WotC, these are the zombie horde style enemies of the game. They have a unique mechanic where if you kill one, you get a free action point to continue killing. A soldier with decent Aim, an auto-loader, and an extended mag can decimate entire swarms if lucky.<br />
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*'''Dasher''' Faster, and with slightly more HP (4-5, as opposed to 2-3) these guys aren't exactly more of a threat than the regular lost. They're just more likely to pull off a successful ambush.<br />
<br />
*'''Brute''' These guys have a lot of HP for a Lost, and can actually deal some melee punishment, and will start coming out in decent numbers by endgame. Then again, by endgame you'll have the best weapons and armour, so once again... only really a threat if you're unlucky, and there's a lot of them.<br />
<br />
== See Also ==<br />
<br />
*[[X-Com Play By Post]], experimental rules for playing X-Com on a forum.<br />
*[[XCOM: Tomorrow's War edition]], a conversion of [[Tomorrow's War]] for playing X-Com on the tabletop.<br />
<br />
== Gallery ==<br />
{{Promotions}}<br />
<gallery><br />
Image:Don_t_mess_with_humanity_by_Jaekyu.jpg<br />
Image:Get_Some_by_IronShrineMaiden.jpg<br />
Image:Public_Display_of_Affection_by_Jaekyu.png<br />
Image:Rookie_Shooter_by_Jaekyu.png<br />
Image:X-Com_(1).jpg<br />
Image:X-Com_(2).jpg<br />
Image:X-Com_(3).jpg<br />
Image:X-Com_(4).jpg<br />
Image:X-Com_(5).jpg<br />
Image:X-Com_(6).jpg<br />
Image:X-Com_(7).jpg<br />
Image:X-Com_(8).png<br />
Image:X-Com_(9).jpg<br />
Image:X-Com_(10).jpg<br />
Image:Snek.png<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
<br />
* [http://ufopaedia.org/index.php?title=Main_Page UFOpaedia.org], a wiki dedicated to X-COM (and sequels, and mods, etc.).<br />
* [http://openxcom.org/ Open Source engine for the original game]<br />
* [http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_minisite.asp?eidm=269&enmi=XCOM:%20The%20Board%20Game Fantasy Flight Games's official X-COM game.]<br />
* [http://www.nexusmods.com/xcom/mods/88/? Long War main page.]<br />
* [http://ufoai.org/wiki/About UFO: Alien Invasion]<br />
* [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BqoEJUWKVRFSKXOA2Ks3Ce7Kvphmg0kAFKcuXJHgmr0/mobilebasic?pli=1 Things X-COM operatives are not allowed to do], a list in the vein of Mr. Welch's list. Occasionally hilarious<br />
<br />
[[category:Video Games]]<br />
[[Category:Software]]</div>2601:147:4200:6280:2561:C61A:5ED7:9030http://2d4chan.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=XCOM&diff=569370XCOM2018-04-10T16:42:03Z<p>2601:147:4200:6280:2561:C61A:5ED7:9030: /* X-COM 2 / War of the Chosen */</p>
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<div>{{/vg/}}<br />
{{Oldschool}}<br />
<br />
[[Image:Xcom_2.png|thumb|right|]]<br />
<br />
This is a [[Dan Abnett|rare treat]]. '''X-COM''', or as it's called across the pond, ''UFO: Enemy Unknown'' is a turn-based strategy game that is, to put it simply, about as close to a game of [[Dark Heresy]] as one can get in isometric 3D. Note that X-COM is significantly older than [[Dark Heresy]], and older than all but the first edition of [[Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay]], so it'd be better to say [[Dark Heresy]] is a lot like X-COM on the tabletop. Dating back to the much-lamented Microprose, it set a gold standard for atmosphere and playability that has, frankly, not been breached in ages.<br />
<br />
The game is [[Dwarf Fortress|old as balls]] and in isometric view, which, paired with the Dark Heresy similarities, makes it more /tg/ material than /v/.<br />
<br />
==A General Gist==<br />
<br />
A general synopsis is that in [[grimdark|the not-so-distant future, there is war - and aliens]]. Aliens are arriving, and they are most assuredly hostile. It falls upon the Extraterrestrial Combat Unit, or the eponymous X-COM, a multi-national task-force, to deal with the invasion by blasting the fuck out of the Aliens, stealing their shit, researching their technology, and using it to fucking kill them off, all the while fighting off terror attacks and trying to figure out where in Uranus these fucking things are coming from (as it turns out, from Mars, and if you win, the final mission involves you going to Mars and dropping an [[Exterminatus]] on their asses).<br />
<br />
It kicked ass. It was good enough to spawn a sequel, ''Terror From The Deep'', which was basically the same game, but underwater and infinitely harder. Story-wise, the destruction of the Martian base activated a fail-safe in the aliens' system that woke up T'leth, their 'secondary' (and mobile) base buried deep under the seas of Earth. X-Com now again must protect the people while finding out about where exactly T'leth is and go in to blast it to smithereens with extreme prejudice. It was hard. Really hard. Not only do aliens have a major advantage technology-wise at the start and they tear through your recruits with impunity, but later in the game when you catch up they start using a nasty trick to take control of your troopers, leading to sometimes hilarious and [[rage|extreme rage-inducing]] turn one [[TPK]]s as your heavy weapon trooper gets controlled and fires his heavy weapon inside the transport while the team is busy disembarking. Oh, and did we mention that the only way to research the best armour in the game was to capture a live specimen of a rarely-appearing alien? And that to capture a live specimen you had to send a poor redshirt in armed with an oversized cattleprod to stun it in close quarters? And that said alien was [[rip and tear|able to tear a human apart effortlessly]] in close quarters? And (as if all that wasn't bad enough already), that the poor redshirt then had to pick up and to carry the damn unconscious thing back to the human ship praying [[rape|that the specimen didn't wake up with a grudge before he got there and the mission ended]]? Yeah, it was kinda like that. <br />
<br />
It then spawned a second, somewhat different but still appreciated sequel, ''X-Com Apocalypse''. Destruction of T'leth fucked up Earth biosphere and humanity retreated to quickly built mega-arcologies to survive. Unlike the two first game, there's a bigger political aspect to things as you have not only to make sure you deal with the damn aliens coming to fuck your shit up, but remain best buds with the other humans while doing so. All in all, a decent, if not overwhelmingly good game.<br />
<br />
Then Microprose was bought by [[Hasbro|that which must never be named]], who proceeded to nose-dive the IP with games like [[AIDS|X-COM: Interceptor]] and [[Shit Twinkie|X-COM: Enforcer]].<br />
<br />
Fucking [[RAGE|Hasbro]].<br />
<br />
Anyway. Combat is a lot like Dark Heresy's in that it's exceedingly lethal; at the game's outset, you have no armor beyond jumpsuits with Kevlar stuffed into them, and your firearms are the best and most powerful weaponry that chemical propelled explosives can provide only moderately capable against alien forces (though quite diverse). In order to properly take these fucking things on on anything remotely resembling their own terms, you need upgrades. Upgrades come through research, and research comes by shooting down UFOs, landing a ground assault, killing the surviving aliens, and stripping the UFO like the [[Blood Ravens]] do other chapters' shiny bits. Once brought back to base, your researchers can look into what makes the alien's gear work, research your own weapons and tech, and develop technologies to help in the fight against the Aliens. Eventually, you can load your forces up with [[Space Marine|Power-armored bad-asses]], but starting out, your forces are fragile, and fighting smart is ''vital''. You ''will'' suffer casualties early on - guaranteed - but such is war, and you must press on, allowing the survivors to grow into [[Colonel Greiss|manly badasses]].<br />
<br />
The Aliens themselves are diverse, ranging from the Sectoids (conventional "gray" aliens), to Chryssalids (horrifying abominations that inject targets with eggs that turn them into mindless drones which will explosively birth new Chryssalids thereafter). Nightmare fuel = yes. The game manages to be exceedingly creepy for one so simple, and is one of many reasons that X-COM works so well.<br />
<br />
==Tales of Heroism==<br />
<br />
In accordance with /tg/'s love of war stories about [[your dudes]], several examples of awesome have been compiled:<br />
<br />
''Instant'' death doesn't ''always'' happen. Occasionally, one Rookie will be touched by God and succeed against all odds. After that, he will die horribly. [[Just as Planned]].<br />
<br />
X-COM agent of note: [[Marc Lecointe]]. Lecointe survived numerous missions, got the highest kill count on most missions, killed a Snakemen leader and his bodyguards (despite losing over half the squad), and got shot in the face and back with plasma and lived. He eventually was hit with return fire in an alley and began bleeding. He returned fire and killed the Snakeman, but bled to death before help could arrive. Lacointe lives on in our hearts.<br />
<br />
Another agent of note is Gristle McThornbody, a Rocket-Toting Team-Killing asshole who refuses to die OR be mind-controlled. He's so badass, that even when he has 85% or more to hit on a 2x2 alien, he'll still hit the wall twenty tiles to the left.<br />
<br />
== New Stuff and Things ==<br />
According to things [[/v/]] likes to watch on the Internet, a new X-Com game is in the pipes, set to be made in the gameplay and spirit of the old games, with new graphics and updated for the new generation of gamers to be introduced into the X-Com game style. It lost the dash along the way someplace, and got re-named ''XCOM: Enemy Unknown''. This new game, which has spawned joy boners in many on /v/ and /tg/ alike, is believed to stem from the utter, burning [[RAGE|fury]] that was originally spawned from 2K's simply-titled ''XCOM'' game, which, near as we can tell, is an FPS that takes place in the 1960s and has exactly ''nothing'' to do with the actual X-COM franchise. Seriously, don't look into 2K's game if you're a fan of the series on any level - it will cause veterans to spontaneously transform into [[Angry Marines]] and/or [[Khorne|Khornate Berserkers]]. Apparently, those in charge had the wherewithal to note that if they didn't make a ''proper'' X-COM game, [[/tg/]] (and by extension, [[/v/]]) would [[Anal Circumference|leave their asshole in ruins]]. They even went ahead to declare the two games take place in separate universes. If only [[Games Workshop]] had [[Matt Ward|that much sense]]...<br />
<br />
== XCOM: Enemy Unknown by Firaxis ==<br />
[[File:XCOMGameplay.jpg|200px|thumb|An in-game screenshot of the new game.]]<br />
And Firaxis came to the rescue, promising to return to the roots of XCOM (note the lack of a hyphen this time around, although the logo ''does'' have a horizontal stripe taken out of the "COM"). Since Firaxis has a lot of ex-MicroProse people, a lot of them have had to do with the original as well, and the original musical score will make a return. Although it's changed a few things to avoid hurting the brains of [[/v/|delicate little console kiddies]] like removing time units, removing ballistic simulation, cutting down on your maximum amount of squad members (4 at the start and 6 maximum) and limiting us to one base (though each base location gives its own unique bonus), it still somehow manages to be a good game in its own right. If the original X-COM is like Mordheim, then XCOM is like Space Hulk: massively simplified and more heavily dependent on the luck of the die, but with less micromanagement and long-term planning required.<br />
<br />
If you haven't bought the game and you're a TBS fan, everyone in /tg/ that isn't [[That guy]], would highly recommend you give it a whirl at the modest price of <strike><br />
$39.99 </strike> $16.49 for all the good remade XCOM games because of our father Gabe Newell on PC,<br />
still is 39.99 for console/Non-Steam or $9.99 on mobile/tablet devices. Like always, we have footage for vidyas: https://youtu.be/qDhuZ4b51hA https://youtu.be/-SKoS5BYVuY https://youtu.be/bxuzLyR-000<br />
<br />
===XCOM: Enemy Within===<br />
[[File:MectoidMEC.jpg|200px|thumb|Did we mention melee combat with exosuits?]]<br />
''Enemy Within'' is an expansion pack (and unlike most "horse armor" tier DLCs with the name this one actually deserves it) that completely re-defines how the game progresses, compared to the original one. The game's story still progresses like the original game, but expands on it for a more entertaining experience.<br />
<br />
It adds the "meld" resource to the game, a type of alien organic/synthetic-hybrid nanomachine that allows you to unlock two powerful technologies: MEC and genetic modification. MEC allows your troops to interface with a Mechanized Exoskeleton Cybersuit, a heavy exoskeleton that brings the heaviest of weapons to the field (Including the option for a powerfist equivalent called a "Kinetic Strike Module". Yes, make your own faux [[Terminator]] squad! Especially when the Tier-3 Paladin upgrades bulks up your suit's armor that you look vaguely similar to Termies.). Genetic modification allows you to augment your troops using data gathered from dissected aliens, making them killier than ever before. Infact, you can create your own equivalent of an Imperial [[Space Marine]] with the list of available modifications you can do (Two of these specific upgrades are a second heart and the ability of self-regeneration) .<br />
<br />
It also adds new aliens to the xenos' side, like a cloaking squid robots that chokes your troops to death and their own brand of exosuit troops. It also introduces another enemy into the game: EXALT. EXALT are a bunch of power-mad blokes who sees the alien's invasion as a way to gain power by adapting their technology for themselves, inching them closer to world domination. They see you as an obstacle and are determined to undermine your efforts to defeat the aliens by disrupting your operations through a number of ways and sowing panic amongst XCOM-member nations, generally making your already hectic life even more hectic. You must now defeat this new threat through a combination of [[Ork|cunning brutality and brutal cunning.]] They have most of your technologies to go toe-to-toe with you (Except for their own exosuits) and they are well hidden, so bringing them down won't be an easy affair.<br />
<br />
=== XCOM 2 ===<br />
[[File:People%27s_reaction_to_XCOM_2%27s_Vipers.png|200px|thumb|Turns out they ''are'' poison glands. Hee.]]<br />
A direct-ish sequel to EU/EW, XCOM 2 seems to decide that what's canon is not: not "you killed all the aliens, now here's more aliens", but "you know that Impossible Ironman game you played for a laugh and got utterly stomped? That's the canon ending". (The utterly stomping part takes place in the base assault, and it is so bad that two of the most important things got taken: The Commander, and more importantly, central officer Bradford's sweater). The aliens won before humanity even got to laser weapons, taking over the world and unifying humanity (read: ruling over them in a pseudo-utopia "Brave New World"-style), and basically preparing to turn them into another of their slave races (not that most of humanity knows this).<br />
<br />
XCOM refused to back down even after the Council of Nations ceased to exist and instead went underground, hijacking an alien supply ship to act as a mobile base for hit-and-run operations against the alien occupiers, in the hopes of toppling the ADVENT (the puppet government aliens've set up) and exposing the true purpose of their supposedly ideal society to the world.<br />
<br />
New features include:<br />
The Assault class has been given a makeover to focus even more on [[Rip and Tear]], replacing the sidearm with a sword and changing title to the Ranger. The Sniper has been renamed the Sharpshooter and given a pistol-focused skill-tree-route that turns the soldier into Clint Eastwood (literally, like you can have a stand-off by firing 3 pistol-shots in the same turn). The Support class has been renamed the Specialist and been given a drone to hack, heal, shield and/or zap shit remotely. The Heavy has been given a nice grenade launcher to act as your cover-stomper, and been renamed the Grenadier. Psi-operatives are their own class now as well, and get hate-hair and [[Cadia|purple eyes]] because that makes sense and all psychically talented people look like neo-punks. Troops can be captured, and then rescued, which also reclaims any expensive gear they had on them (but it's never the captured troops you actually need back).<br />
New enemies (without spoilers), including human ADVENT security troops (who really love to say "bitch" and pointing towards your soldiers) with magnetic weapons who look like humans till you get their armor off, sectoid-human hybrids with teeth, thumbs, and belly buttons (which can be really creepy if you '''really''' think about it), and transsexual Snake-women called Vipers (which is what the Thin Men actually look like without their disguises). Yes, there were snaketits on the thread that announced this to /tg/. Yes, /d/ has drawn porn of them. Yes, it will be added to the gallery.<br />
<br />
Moving on.<br />
<br />
XCOM 2 also contains an in depth explanation for the aliens' motives that many fans felt was lacking or too ambiguous in Enemy Within. Apparently, the Ethereals have some kind of fatal disease they can't cure, so they've been trekking around the galaxy culminating genes to form the ultimate bodies for themselves, while amassing a genetically supreme army. When the Ethereals found humanity, they found their genes to be so awesome and powerful that just adding some of them to a lowly sectoid turned it from a pathetic 3' tall creature you could kill with basic weapons, to an 8' tall psionic rape machine that could raise the dead and withstand salvos of bullets to the face. They then set up an alien government on Earth so they could discretely process humanity's best genetic material and slowly form new bodies for themselves that don't die called Avatars. And by don't die, we mean have copious amounts of health, teleport every time they're injured, regenerate like crazy, are guaranteed to successfully mind control anything, and are immune to any of your psychic abilities. And the boss fight involves killing three of these dick-butts and an endless wave of alien reinforcements. Using human DNA is also where their ADVENT troops came from, they grew armies of human spliced with unspecified alien to act as their public face to the humans. But humanity wins anyway, because humans are just that fucking awesome.<br />
<br />
The game is also notable for abandoning the usual conditions for losing. The norm for the series is for your funding to get cut if too many countries lose faith in XCOM. Since you're fighting a guerilla war and your support are humans fighting to survive outside the aliens' control zones, that isn't happening. Instead you lose if the aliens complete the Avatar Project, their goal to mass produce the bodies for the etherals. If they do you get treated to a scene of almost all resistance being crushed because the Avatars are dangerous enough in small numbers and army of them would unstoppable. You can slow progress, but can only stop it by finishing the game.<br />
<br />
So far there have been recently four DLCs for XCOM 2. "Anarchy's Children" added new customization features for your soldiers, most of which you wouldn't ever really use. "Alien Hunters" adds a new mission, weapons, and alien rulers who you have to hunt down. The alien rulers get to take an action every, single, time, one of your soldiers does. This is even more infuriating then it sounds. Some more customization options are added too. "Shen's Last Gift" adds another mission and the SPARK class soldier. SPARKs are robots you have to make in the proving ground that wish they were half as cool or good as the MECs from Enemy Within. Hopefully, someone in the modding community will fix this soon. You also can't add modifications to their guns, which is stupid, and their guns, while much larger and more powerful-looking than the other squad specialized weapons, don't do more damage than the rest of the squad's specialized weapons. This is also stupid, as an auto-cannon would naturally do much more damage than a SAW. And here comes the fun part; if you read the developers blog, their idea of "balance" is to actually nerf plenty of stuff...so the game is harder after having a buffed-up alien lord chase your dudes all over the game. Was old-school really this hard?<br />
<br />
====XCOM 2: War of the Chosen====<br />
<br />
This brand new expansion gives us three new allies to aid us. <br />
<br />
*Reapers: Stealthy hunters who are armed with nothing but a rifle and explosives. It's enough. They wear [[Shadowrun|trench coats and gas masks]]. Have a special ability where they have a chance to not reveal themselves upon attacking. Enemies have vastly reduced detection ranges against Reapers, and Reapers can detonate explosives on the map without revealing themselves. They can also throw an environmental explosive. [[Dakka|They also have an ability that lets them shoot at an enemy until they run out of ammo.]] Long story short, these guys are only slightly less powerful than the Reapers from Mass Effect.<br />
<br />
*Skirmishers: ADVENT defectors who are armed with a grappling hook that can pull them to a rooftop and pull themselves to the enemy or vice versa and at max level allows them to have the [[Awesome|alien rulers ability to gain action points Everytime. The. Enemy. Moves]] Except it only works three times a turn, and doesn't trigger on non-move actions. [[fail|The game doesn't tell you this.]] <br />
<br />
*Templars: [[Grey Knights|a resistance group made of only psionics]] that wield psi blades and machine pistols, but you'll probably never use those. They're fast, hard to kill, and hit like a brick. Like the [[rip and tear]] half of the Ranger, but with psionic powers. They're also fantastically hammy and roll their Rs.<br />
<br />
But these new allies come with a catch as you now have to fight the titular chosen who can adapt to your soldiers abilities with their own strengths and weaknesses, and the Lost ([[tarpit|zombie swarms]]) that attack both you and ADVENT. Along with these new allies and enemies is trying to get the three resistance groups to work together, as well as a new fatigue and relationship system.<br />
<br />
=== XCOM: Long War ===<br />
<br />
What, the new XCOM wasn't complicated enough for you? There's a mod called "Long War" which goes into lots more detail, a bit more like the classic game. Now, the aliens will advance their plans and escalate their forces and assaults based on their own progression system, and the game is rebalanced around the expectation that you will not succeed at every mission (and you won't -- the aliens are plenty tough to see to that).<br />
<br />
=== XCOM: The Board Game ===<br />
<br />
From [[Fantasy Flight Games]], there's a board game adaptation of XCOM (in fact, ''XCOM: Enemy Unknown'' was quite inspired by board games, with the two-actions-per-turn system instead of the old 'time units'). There's a companion app for smartphones, tablets, and computers which controls the aliens and informs players of events, a bit like a [[Game Master]], but without exposing the players to too much bookkeeping. Amazing what games can do with computers these days -- just imagine if such a thing had been available for [[FATAL]]! On second thought, don't.<br />
<br />
Players (1-4) take on different roles in the XCOM organization. The Commander keeps an eye on the budget and allocates interceptors. The Chief Scientist directs research efforts. The Central Officer works the app and solicits input from the others (if there are any) to make decisions (many of which are time-critical). The Squad Leader manages troops and base defense. Together, they need to allocate their resources, judge when to push risky but rewarding avenues (inviting retribution from the aliens if they fail), and defend humanity. Like the games, successes are rare -- a die only has a 1/3 chance of coming up with a success, and tasks may need multiple successes. There is also an "enemy die", a [[d8]] that is rolled against the number of times that task has been attempted. If it rolls equal to or under that number, something bad happens. So, do you pool resources for critical tasks (neglecting anything else, and hoping that your priorities are correct), in order to most likely be successful before the threat level climbs too high? Or do you stay flexible but push your luck? Your call, commander.<br />
<br />
=== XCOM 2: Long War 2 ===<br />
If you thought XCOM 2 was ''already'' hard, thanks in part to the involvement of the original Long War modders in the game's development, said modders come back with a sequel mod for the game. Not only does this go even further than the first Long War in going into a lot of detail, such as new graphical touches, significant rebalancing and completely overhauling the global map to be more reminiscent of classic X-com. But the difficulty is amped up even more, with missions even requiring you to send in potentially fatal scouting parties to make sure your ''other'' squads don't die on the spot. Also, rather than launching parties directly into battle, missions spawn on the geoscape with an expiration timer. The player ''can'' launch immediately, but the enemy presence will be drastically increased! Instead, the idea is that the squad can spend time infiltrating, to let ADVENT get complacent and draw troops elsewhere. Having more Resistance folks working Intel increases mission expiration times, but the bigger and heavier the squad, the more infiltration time is require. And vice versa -- short-staffing a squad can allow a player to infiltrate to high percentages on short notice...but now you've only got like four guys on the ground, and that might not be enough firepower if activations go badly...<br />
<br />
This mod requires dramatically more strategic thought and care. Weapons, armor, and equipment are all purchased individually, forcing you into decisions like 'do I continue the rollout of my newly available armor-piercing coilguns, or do I buy armor for the two rookies I've trained up?' and 'do I send my last seven man team to secure me an engineer, commit them to a long infiltration to wipe out an advent tower, or hold them in reserve for a better opportunity?' The difficulty is likewise much higher, but you have dramatically expanded options to combat it with special weapons, squad leaders, extra inventory slots packed with flashbangs, veteran troop skills, chooseable bonus perks, a psi advancement training regime that makes some actual sense, and many, many more troops and mission opportunities. Minor reinforcement on that last one, in fact: in stock XCOM 2 you'll likely end the campaign with fewer than twenty soldiers, whereas here it's pretty common to have a hundred active-duty troopers at a time. <br />
<br />
The Shinobi ([[Derp|all the Ninja IRL schools have closed up shop]]) is the most overpowered class. Making missions easier then they should be as he can [[derp|bypass Overwatch]] and has a very low impact on infiltration. Making missions unrealistic for players who hate RNG and want a pure stealth game.<br />
<br />
The Devs of Long War have said there will not be making a Long War for War of the Choosen. As Firaxis added a ton of crap that would take years for Long War Studios to shift though it and make the mod playable.<br />
<br />
== The Bureau: XCOM Declassified ==<br />
Despite having the name XCOM in the title, the game really has little relation to the series. The reason behind this is because 2K passed this game on to the lovely people that brought you Bioshock 2; meaning it was made by a studio that makes more or less decent games. It's supposed to be a prequel, set in the 1960s during the Cold War era. The protagonist, William Carter, was a CIA agent just delivering a suitcase of classified "documents" until an Outsider disguised as a female agent got ahold of it. Not long after that, an alien invasion commenced!<br />
<br />
The Bureau is a RPG that plays like Mass Effect, but not as good for a variety of reasons. One reason is in the dialog scene, you're given choices of what to ask/say. They really don't impact the game, nor changes it for the most part, so you can skip a majority of it if you want to. The agents in your squad are pretty dull, sure you can change their names and how they dress, but really doesn't offer any friendship/foe engagements. If they die, you will need to recruit another agent and start him off from scratch, but really, leveling them up isn't fun and customizable, so just restart a checkpoint if they do die.<br />
<br />
The agents in your squad have bad AI if you don't babysit them and give commands on what they should do, and their skills at fighting Outsiders are... Well, okay. The best they can offer is their abilities, so spamming them and you taking care of the killing is an effective way to go (Some recommend starters to start their first mission with a Recon to cause critical damage on certain enemies and a Commando for [[DISTRACTION CARNIFEX|taunting the grunts and make them easy picking for you.]]<br />
<br />
There would be more to go on, but if you want to know more about the game, you can search up reviews of XCOM Declassified. In short, it's a decent prequel that fans can find some enjoyment, but it's not as good as Enemy Unknown. Without going into spoilers, there's also a reveal during the last few levels that's surprisingly meta and well-written. Still worth looking into if you can find it for cheap or rent it.<br />
<br />
Interestingly enough, turns out that the universe in XCOM Declassified is the same as that of Enemy Unknown/Within's. After the events in The Bureau, all records were wiped. This explains why the player had to start from scratch at the beginning of Enemy Unknown. When the Ethereals of Unknown/Within spoke of their [[Derp|own failure to ascend,]] they really meant that they wanted to be like the Ethereals from The Bureau. Either way, only time will tell exactly [[Grimdark|what the hell they were preparing humanity for.]]<br />
<br />
== Xenonauts ==<br />
<br />
X-Com coded by [[Reasonable Marines]].<br />
<br />
A faithful remake of the original, with time units and all that. Changes a few things (like lack of Psionics on your side) and adds vehicles (yes, blowing up half a building with a rocket jeep is awesome) and controllable dogfights. Basically the alien invasion is during the Cold War and makes everyone shit themselves simultaneously when THOUSANDS of spaceships are openly in orbit and fucks humanity's shit up in creative ways. Every day the UFO's are left wandering, news bulletins full of terror emanate from the screen, worrying you further.<br />
<br />
The ending is very creative, particularly concerning the plot of how an inferior species can even bother to defeat a powerful empire. Stunningly well-made, desperate final mission which may result in a glorious ending, or a bittersweet ending where you still win but the assault team is martyred.<br />
<br />
Other differences between it and the original include:<br />
<br />
Maps are mostly pregenerated, not fully procedural.<br />
<br />
Fewer weapon and ammo types. Seriously, you've got the big five (pistol, shotgun, assault rifle, sniper, and LMG) and a rocket launcher. No variant ammo types, although the weapons do have researched tiers (which are simply damage-ups).<s> This means no unfairly powerful weapons like the Rape Launcher or the Stun Grenade Launcher.</s> There *are* a few super weapons but seriously, if you waste a "Singularity Generator" which is an ENTIRE CAPTURED BLACK HOLE (a hot commodity salvageable from alien battleships) for a 50 kilogram (without ammo) glorified grenade launcher that doesn't even one shot its AoE, you are a fucking moron.<br />
<br />
More basic inventory control. You don't micromanage producing and storing individual missiles, and you can have as many magazines, grenades, and med-kits as you want, limited by carrying limit. You just build the alien-based laser or plasma gun, base gives you ammo made fashioned from a melted-down alien cells. (Alenium is basically a quantum-grade battery aliens came up with. Usually it powers the alien craft, you simply creatively salvage the spent ones into explosives because [[HFY]].)<br />
<br />
Smaller team sizes. Max troop count on a mission is 12, with the best drop-ship.<br />
<br />
Fewer oddball items, like the motion scanner or psi-ball, but there is now an assault shield, so your dudes don't immediately die when popping open a UFO. Said shield gets upgraded with Alien alloys, and even the final mission sees use of it. Trust me.<br />
<br />
Rookies are better out of the gate, but are still shit compared to your colonels. Still, they have a decent chance of killing an enemy in a turn, doubly so if carrying a missile launcher. No longer to operatives miss the broad side of a barn. They *will* miss the spot but will still shake it badly.<br />
<br />
Explosive weapons damage items, lowering the amount of money you receive from selling. This is for the best, because explosives are stupidly powerful and are probably the most reliable way of putting a fool down. Considering Reaper, the expy for Chyrssalids are even faster and crazier, you *are* going to need them.<br />
<br />
Saveable, customizable loadouts for all of your troops, and obviously no engine-based limit on the amount of items you can bring into a mission.<br />
<br />
Aliens don't really hide in corners or really hard to find spots, which makes flushing them out a lot easier. I said flushing out mind you, as they DO charge out and deal extremely serious amounts of damage before going down, to say nothing of teleporting aliens that burst fire in your face if they are lucky.<br />
<br />
Troops remain vulnerable a lot longer. You are never at the point where you can float an invincible army of death-dealing demigods over a cowering cadre of snakemen, raining death and destruction down with maddened glee. Even if you do, weird aliens will teleport close and blow you out of the sky, or your flyer will fry a nerve from psionics.<br />
<br />
Country relations are more important than after-mission loot. <br />
<br />
You can kick or pistol whip an enemy to death. Cue surrounding an annoying alien marksman and beating him to death with riot shields.<br />
<br />
You can call airstrikes to cancel boring UFO raids.<br />
<br />
=== Xenonauts 2 ===<br />
<br />
Now with 3D graphics! A demo is available through GOG.com, with the release planned to be later in 2017.<br />
<br />
== UFO: Alien Invasion ==<br />
<br />
The most detailed opensource version of XCOM based on the Quake 2 engine.<br />
<br />
Buildings are not destructible and it doesn't have a great fog-of-war. It doesn't have unmanned vehicles like the current iterations and sadly doesn't have any sort of Chryssalids yet.<br />
<br />
Has a better world map than any other XCOM in that you can fully explore it like google-earth, even showing ship movement on the globe in real time. The campaign is more forgiving in that it does not force you through Acts like Enemy Unknown where you can't possible keep everybody happy, or has nations constantly bitching at you for radar coverage like in Xenonauts. Instead you get to bid captured UFOs and give preference to unhappy nations that feel neglected or where you haven't been saving civilians frequently. <br />
<br />
The camera is completely free in battlescape mode just like in Enemy Unknown, complete with zoom capabilities. Lots of different weapons, though you will find yourself a fool if you don't immediately start using alien weapons. Also levels tend to have more floors than other iterations, such as one mission in which you're going through an office building or another where you're entering a subway.<br />
<br />
The only major problem with the game is that the smoke grenades are so overpowered your guys will be coming out of your drop ship like Snoop-Dogg out of his trailer. Otherwise you'll find aliens are more than happy to shower your guys with plasma from across the map.<br />
<br />
After a general huge update smoke is now useless and aliens are much, MUCH more powerful. <br />
<br />
Oh, and its free. Still, fuck it. Final version is broken, often locking the game, and developers have been keeping silent, the fucking FAGGOTS.<br />
<br />
== Phoenix Point ==<br />
<br />
A spiritual successor by Julian Gollop himself. As of the time of this edit, fully funded and in development with a backer pre-alpha coming quite soon. The basic idea is; some kind of strange virus has been dug up in the permafrost and has had two outbreaks so far, each escalating in severity. Now it's invading the land a third (and fatally final) time, most of humanity is gone (Partly cus of the virus, partly cus of WW3 happening during the second outbreak), and you must defend the survivors from both the creatures and each other, you poor sap.<br />
<br />
The virus morphs all life into Lovecraftian horrors. Literally Lovecraftian; it is implied that [[H.P. Lovecraft|Howard the Great]] was inspired by ancient findings describing an outbreak of the same virus a few million years ago. It even came from Yuggoth. Humanity being humanity, there are several factions with drastically differing ideas on how to deal with it; there is a faction based around a religion [[Genestealer Hybrids|worshipping the mutations that is also capable of retaining human conscioussness despite said mutations]], another is [[Eclipse Phase| high-tech anarcho-communists trying to coexist with the virus and other factions]] while the third faction [[Starship Troopers|Is a high-tech PMC turned millitaristic civilization with "Service Guarantees Citizenship" that just wants to destroy the virus and any of its sympathizers.]].<br />
<br />
So far, the game has managed to gather enough funding and reach one stretch goal for a floating base that will be given as FREE DLC, along with other stretch goals at a later date should the game be succesful.<br />
<br />
Expected; large bosses, your own mutated soldiers with crippleable limbs, the option of saving a group of people by [[Dawn of War II|landing on a giant creature and injecting it with poison]], Deep Lore, A hybrid of the old TU and new Two-Action system, unique tech trees for each faction (which you can also get in on by either allying with or stealing from them) and randomized global events (ala Crusader Kings 2).<br />
Oh, and there are [[Flamer|flamethrowers]], Shoulder-Mounted missiles, power armor, gauss rifles and other goodies, such as a mutant mount for the cultist faction.<br />
<br />
== XPiratez ==<br />
<br />
What XCOM 2 was to XCOM: Enemy Within, XPiratez is to X-COM: UFO Defense. Made of pure [[Awesome|awesome]], you lead a crew of female mutants on a quest to kick ass, gain riches, and fuck bitches. A mod for OpenXcom, it's completely free and gets constant updates. Go check it out! Nothing's more satisfying then crushing a pureblood's head in with a sledge hammer and then mowing down his mates with your [[Dakka|custom Boarding gun]]. To say more would be to spoil its unique atmosphere and feeling of exploration as you uncover what has happened to the world. Let's just say it's a long, long time after the events of XCOM: UFO Defense.<br />
<br />
== The Tabletop Game ==<br />
<br />
Yes, there was a Tabletop game, made by [[Fantasy Flight Games]], so this article has some direct /tg/ relevance. The problem is, [[Derp | you need a cell phone app to play it]].<br />
<br />
==Aliens==<br />
Needless to say, in this game, there are many different types of aliens that your teams are going to have to fight.<br />
<br />
===Original Continuity===<br />
{{stub}}<br />
<br />
Sectoid<br />
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Cyberdisk<br />
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Floater<br />
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Reaper<br />
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Snakeman<br />
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Chryssalid<br />
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Muton<br />
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Celatid<br />
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Silicoid<br />
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Ethereal<br />
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Sectopod<br />
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Aquatoid<br />
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Gillman<br />
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Lobsterman<br />
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Tasoth<br />
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Bio-Drone<br />
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Calcinite<br />
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Deep One<br />
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Hallucinoid<br />
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Tentaculat<br />
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Triscene<br />
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Xarquid<br />
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Brainsucker<br />
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Multiworm<br />
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Hyperworm<br />
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Chrysalis<br />
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Anthropod<br />
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Psimorph<br />
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Spitter<br />
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Megaspawn<br />
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Popper<br />
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Skeletoid<br />
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Micronoid Aggregate<br />
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Queenspawn<br />
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Overspawn<br />
<br />
===Reboot Continuity===<br />
{{stub}}<br />
<br />
The reboot continuity has its own array of different monsters, with some changes in variety between the first and second game.<br />
<br />
====X-COM Enemy Unknown / Enemy Within====<br />
<br />
'''Sectoid''': Tiny little grey men in the first game, these are the first Psionic enemy you'll meet, with the ability to boost each other in combat. This can be rather nasty giving them an extra hit point and a +10 to hit and dodge, although if you kill the booster, you'll kill whatever Sectoid they're boosting as well thanks to Psychic feedback.<br />
<br />
'''Sectoid Commander''': Only in the first game, these guys are Sectoids on psychic steroids. You'll see one on the tutorial mission and get a taste of what they can do, even if you don't fight it. They're stronger, tougher, and more psionically powerful than the basic section, and are the first unit that can possess your guys mid firefight.<br />
<br />
'''Thin Man''': Apparently an "Infiltrator Unit" nobody would mistake these guys for human at close distance as they have snake scales running up their necks, and are skinny enough to make a super-model jealous. Apparently they were made from genetically modifying Snake-Men as they can spit clouds of poison at great distance, and will explode into one when they're killed. Otherwise they're real flimsy.<br />
<br />
'''Muton''': How you know the aliens are stepping up their game. Everything up till now has been child's play (for a particularly psychotic child), then these guys come along. Big, tough, "smart", and dangerous, these guys will mulch a squad equipped with regular weapons and armour without breaking a sweat, and capturing one of these guys alive brings one of the better upgrades. Have fun.<br />
<br />
'''Muton Berserker''': Ha, ha, ha. These guys are melee monsters, capable of soaking up bullets by the magazine, and slowly getting angrier and angrier as they do. If they can get in close they'll unleash the melee hurt, but thankfully they're not amazingly fast. Thankfully, their instinctive charge of the last person who shot them means you can set them up to run a gauntlet of Overwatch fire, with a bit of luck.<br />
<br />
'''Muton Elite''': As much health as the Berserkers, plus armor, and lacking the berserk charges. Instead, they carry heavy plasma cannons.<br />
<br />
'''Floater''': Apparently reject Mutons, stripped down to an upper torso and fitted up with cybernetic implants, mainly a jetpack. They're basically the fastest unit in the game, great Overwatchers, and pack about s much punch as a standard Muton. They have a special ability that sacrifices all their actions for the turn to instead fly to any single spot on the map, which they love to use to get the drop on your team.<br />
<br />
'''Heavy Floater''' A tougher, armored version of the standard Floater, with a bigger gun.<br />
<br />
'''Outsider''': Strange "digital" lifeforms that serve as the technicians of the alien forces. You need to capture one of these in order to advance the game. They're wimpy, but their light plasma rifles are deadly accurate, so they can gun down whole teams if you're careless.<br />
<br />
'''Sectopod''': The aliens' equivalent of a tank; an enormous, heavily armored killer robot with insanely high health, high armor, a 50% damage reduction ability, and the ability to blaze away with both a fuck-off huge laser and to launch showers of cluster bombs. They also blow up when you kill them. Your most hated enemy.<br />
<br />
'''Cyberdisk''': A ridiculously fast flying robot that can shapeshift between a flying saucer-like flight-mode (in which it's harder to hit) and its unfurled combat mode. Not quite as killy as the sectopod, but still really adept at ruining your day.<br />
<br />
'''Drone''': Small flying robots that basically zip around like laser-spitting wasps. They don't do much damage, but they can repair mechanical aliens and they explode like a grenade when killed. And they're extra-hard to hit, for added nuisance factor.<br />
<br />
'''Chryssalid''': An absolute fucking nightmare, just like the original series. These bugs are lightning fast, vicious, and if they kill anyone they'll automatically plant an egg in the corpse, which will turn into a zombie before hatching a new chryssalid three turns later. And these zombies are tough enough to weather several turns of shooting. One of the standout points of the first game is a pre-baked mission where you get to investigate a whaling ship that crashed ashore in Alaska after being infested by Chryssalids who turned the catch into their personal hive. Your job is to first investigate the area, and then light the place up for your bombers so they can nuke it from orbit.<br />
<br />
'''Ethereal''': The leaders of the alien forces, physically frail but masters of [[psionics]], which they can use to ''really'' fuck up your day.<br />
<br />
'''Seeker''': A relatively weak squid-like robot that uses camouflage to sneak up on its prey and then tries to crush it to death with its tendrils. They like to go after isolated members of your squad, which can be used to bait them into going after Assault troopers with Close Combat Tactics for hilarious effects.<br />
<br />
'''Mechtoid''': An armored exoskeleton piloted by a sectoid, carrying twin plasma mini-cannons. Sectoids can use their mind merge ability to give a layer of shielding to mechtoids; killing the sectoid removes the shield and causes some damage to the mechtoid. <br />
<br />
====X-COM 2 / War of the Chosen====<br />
<br />
'''ADVENT'''<br />
<br />
The end results of what the Ethereals want to do with humanity. Puppet soldiers controlled by a series of psionically linked chips that feed back to command nodes. It's stated that the commander was supossed to be one of these before XCOM manages to rescue him in the tutorial mission.<br />
<br />
*'''Trooper''': The grunts, they come in three flavours, with increasing HP, Dodge, and Accuracy. Challenging only in numbers, and then only thanks to the fact that a shot will hit you at some point, and they can take fire away from the actual threats.<br />
<br />
*'''Officer''': These guys aren't a threat on their own, however they can Holo-Target one of your guys for free, granting their allies a +10 to hit against that soldier. either take out everyone around them, or take them out, before that becomes a problem.<br />
<br />
*'''Shield-Bearer''': The most annoying ADVENT type in the base game, these guys can pop a shield that gives avery ADVENT and Alien soldier in range +3 or +5 temporary HP. Combined with their armour these guys can take a licking and keep on ticking. Take them out pronto otherwise the fight is going to take far longer than it should. They also kinda look like Robocop so they have that going for them.<br />
<br />
*'''Stun-Lancer''': Melee focused, these guys are noticeable by the fact they were far less armour than any other ADVENT soldier. They'll charge forwards if in range, and attempt to stun your guys for a turn with their Melee beatsticks. Otherwise they've just got regular ADVENT Rifles.<br />
<br />
*'''Priest''': Introduced in WotC, these guys are the ADVENT Psions, they can boost another ADVENT soldier, much like Sectoids could in Enemy Unknown (and like that game if you kill the priest the soldier will suffer psionic feedback and die), or they can put one of your guys in Statis for a turn, preventing them from doing anything. Advanced and Elite priests have additional tricks that allow them to Mind-Control your guys, and place themselves in Statis if they would be killed, instead staying around with 1 HP for another turn.<br />
<br />
*'''Purifier''': Flamethrower wielding ADVENT troops that only appear in WotC. The guys are kept "secret" from the public (despite that fact they can appear in any mission if the RNG says so) as they are supossed to hunt down and kill the lost in the old, abandoned cities. As stated they use flamethrowers, alongside incendiary grenades, and when you kill them there's a good chance they will explode, so don't kill them with melee unless you want to lose your eyebrows. Athough that can lead to some hilarious chain reactions if you're lucky.<br />
<br />
*'''General''': Only appears in assassination missions in WotC. Essentially just a beefed up Officer with a shit ton of HP, and the ability to throw Flash-Bangs.<br />
<br />
*'''MEC / Heavy MEC'''<br />
<br />
*'''Turrets''': It's a turret. What more do you want? They have some armour and a decent amount of HP, but they can't move, and are fairly easy to hack to your side. If all else fails tossing a frag grenade at it is a guaranteed kill.<br />
<br />
*'''Sectopod'''<br />
<br />
'''Aliens'''<br />
<br />
*'''Sectoid''': Tougher than you remember due to the infusion of human DNA. Now have the ability to resurrect dead troopers - yours and ADVENT - as zombies, and all sectoids from the get-go can lay a mind whammy on your troops, randomly panicking, disorientating or controlling them.<br />
<br />
*'''Chrysallid''': Because why the fuck wouldn't the Ethereals keep their most effective terror weapon. These guys have changed from scuttling horrors, to burrowing, venomous, scuttling horrors, capable of turning anyone they kill, either with their venom or their claws into a slowly metamorphosing cocoon that, if it reaches maturity, will spit out '''THREE''' new chryssalids, because Firaxis hates you. They are rendered mostly harmless by being set on fire, so if you think you're going to run into them bring incendiary rounds, fire bombs, and hell weave vests.<br />
<br />
*'''Viper''': The most famous of the new aliens because they look like [[serpentfolk|humanoid snake-women]] with [[furry|nice tits and a sweet pair of hips]]. Appear pretty early in the game; not much tougher than sectoids, but quite annoying. They can drag you out of cover with their tongue whip attack, spew toxic clouds like the Thin Men, and strangle you in melee like a Seeker. These gals represent the true form of the Thin Man alien from the last game.<br />
<br />
*'''Andromedon''': One of the cooler new alien designs, it could almost have been ripped out of the old X-COM series. It looks like combination of an old diving suit and an iron lung, filled with green sludge, and a single pickled alien who apparently needs that sludge to live. When you kill it the first time the suit reboots and come to life by itself, dropping its heavy plasma cannon and charging into melee. In its first form an Andromedon is a tough customer, with more armour & health than a Muton while packing the same firepower. In its second form it will only ever try to hit you with its fists, but it leaves behind trail of acidic and poisonous sludge that hurts your guys if they try to move through it (because jumping isn't a thing, despite the ability to haul yourself up drainpipes) which makes navigating the battlefield a hassle, especially in densely packed urban missions. Thankfully their second form will be easier to deal with. As these Powered Armor wearing little shits will Overwatch to hamper squad mobility and toss Acid Bombs at your_dudes if not killed ASAP. <br />
<br />
*'''Faceless''': A new enemy that should only appear in Terror Attack missions. Shapeshifters that look like ordinary humans until your troops get too close, then they turn into ''fucking huge'' moaning melted-wax men with claws the length of shotguns. Can take quite a beating and will literally tear down houses to get at your troops. They can be seeded in regular missions if you pull the Dark Event that allows them to mingle with the regular citizens during missions. Isn't that lovely.<br />
<br />
*'''Muton''': Remaining as the ethereal's shock infantry, these Mutons have apparently been crossbred with humanity, making them smaller, faster, and deadlier. Apparently they're smarter too, but considering just how badly the A.I can flub up sometimes, you have to wonder about that. They aren't packing any more HP, but they're now armoured, so they'll soak up more damage unless you can shred their armour with heavy weapons and explosives. They'll still be a threat until you get Plasma weapons, and 3rd their armour, but once you're there, they pretty much become chaff beneath the scythe. They also like tossing grenades if they don't have a direct line of sight on your troops. Along with the ability to use suppression if a Muton can't into melee. Making them an annoyance well into the late game.<br />
<br />
*'''Berserker'''<br />
<br />
*'''Codex''':A replacement for the Outsider, but far more annoying. The Codex first appears when you Skulljack an ADVENT officer, and it looks like a wierldy sexy woman made of pure energy, but with a cybernetic brain & spinal column. They can teleport around the battlefield, and when struck by an attack that fails to kill them, they split into two Codexes with half of their remaining health. They can also create temporary zones of energy that suck all the ammo out of your guns, and then close with deadly force. Naturally you want Snipers or Magnetic/Plasma Weapon chain attacks to kill them quickly.<br />
<br />
*'''Gatekeeper''':<br />
<br />
*'''Archon''':<br />
<br />
*'''Avatar''': The Ethereals' plans are revealed when you discover these creatures. Avatars are genetically engineered lifeforms created from the genes of the most psi-capable humans, crafted to house the essence of the Ethereals, whose own bodies are breaking down irrevocably. Extremely tough, powerful psionics, kill on sight. The Commander gets one of his own at the end of the game. This is because they plugging him/her into their psionic network and never bothered to remove or change anything after XCOM recovered them. [[Fail|As the Ethereals are really note that bright despite claiming to be a superior race.]]<br />
<br />
'''The Chosen'''<br />
<br />
*'''The Assassin'''<br />
<br />
*'''The Hunter''' <br />
<br />
*'''The Warlock'''<br />
<br />
'''The Lost'''<br />
<br />
*'''Regular''': Introduced in WotC, these are the zombie horde style enemies of the game. They have a unique mechanic where if you kill one, you get a free action point to continue killing. A soldier with decent Aim, an auto-loader, and an extended mag can decimate entire swarms if lucky.<br />
<br />
*'''Dasher''' Faster, and with slightly more HP (4-5, as opposed to 2-3) these guys aren't exactly more of a threat than the regular lost. They're just more likely to pull off a successful ambush.<br />
<br />
*'''Brute''' These guys have a lot of HP for a Lost, and can actually deal some melee punishment, and will start coming out in decent numbers by endgame. Then again, by endgame you'll have the best weapons and armour, so once again... only really a threat if you're unlucky, and there's a lot of them.<br />
<br />
== See Also ==<br />
<br />
*[[X-Com Play By Post]], experimental rules for playing X-Com on a forum.<br />
*[[XCOM: Tomorrow's War edition]], a conversion of [[Tomorrow's War]] for playing X-Com on the tabletop.<br />
<br />
== Gallery ==<br />
{{Promotions}}<br />
<gallery><br />
Image:Don_t_mess_with_humanity_by_Jaekyu.jpg<br />
Image:Get_Some_by_IronShrineMaiden.jpg<br />
Image:Public_Display_of_Affection_by_Jaekyu.png<br />
Image:Rookie_Shooter_by_Jaekyu.png<br />
Image:X-Com_(1).jpg<br />
Image:X-Com_(2).jpg<br />
Image:X-Com_(3).jpg<br />
Image:X-Com_(4).jpg<br />
Image:X-Com_(5).jpg<br />
Image:X-Com_(6).jpg<br />
Image:X-Com_(7).jpg<br />
Image:X-Com_(8).png<br />
Image:X-Com_(9).jpg<br />
Image:X-Com_(10).jpg<br />
Image:Snek.png<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
<br />
* [http://ufopaedia.org/index.php?title=Main_Page UFOpaedia.org], a wiki dedicated to X-COM (and sequels, and mods, etc.).<br />
* [http://openxcom.org/ Open Source engine for the original game]<br />
* [http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_minisite.asp?eidm=269&enmi=XCOM:%20The%20Board%20Game Fantasy Flight Games's official X-COM game.]<br />
* [http://www.nexusmods.com/xcom/mods/88/? Long War main page.]<br />
* [http://ufoai.org/wiki/About UFO: Alien Invasion]<br />
* [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BqoEJUWKVRFSKXOA2Ks3Ce7Kvphmg0kAFKcuXJHgmr0/mobilebasic?pli=1 Things X-COM operatives are not allowed to do], a list in the vein of Mr. Welch's list. Occasionally hilarious<br />
<br />
[[category:Video Games]]<br />
[[Category:Software]]</div>2601:147:4200:6280:2561:C61A:5ED7:9030http://2d4chan.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=XCOM&diff=569369XCOM2018-04-10T16:41:35Z<p>2601:147:4200:6280:2561:C61A:5ED7:9030: /* X-COM 2 / War of the Chosen */</p>
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<div>{{/vg/}}<br />
{{Oldschool}}<br />
<br />
[[Image:Xcom_2.png|thumb|right|]]<br />
<br />
This is a [[Dan Abnett|rare treat]]. '''X-COM''', or as it's called across the pond, ''UFO: Enemy Unknown'' is a turn-based strategy game that is, to put it simply, about as close to a game of [[Dark Heresy]] as one can get in isometric 3D. Note that X-COM is significantly older than [[Dark Heresy]], and older than all but the first edition of [[Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay]], so it'd be better to say [[Dark Heresy]] is a lot like X-COM on the tabletop. Dating back to the much-lamented Microprose, it set a gold standard for atmosphere and playability that has, frankly, not been breached in ages.<br />
<br />
The game is [[Dwarf Fortress|old as balls]] and in isometric view, which, paired with the Dark Heresy similarities, makes it more /tg/ material than /v/.<br />
<br />
==A General Gist==<br />
<br />
A general synopsis is that in [[grimdark|the not-so-distant future, there is war - and aliens]]. Aliens are arriving, and they are most assuredly hostile. It falls upon the Extraterrestrial Combat Unit, or the eponymous X-COM, a multi-national task-force, to deal with the invasion by blasting the fuck out of the Aliens, stealing their shit, researching their technology, and using it to fucking kill them off, all the while fighting off terror attacks and trying to figure out where in Uranus these fucking things are coming from (as it turns out, from Mars, and if you win, the final mission involves you going to Mars and dropping an [[Exterminatus]] on their asses).<br />
<br />
It kicked ass. It was good enough to spawn a sequel, ''Terror From The Deep'', which was basically the same game, but underwater and infinitely harder. Story-wise, the destruction of the Martian base activated a fail-safe in the aliens' system that woke up T'leth, their 'secondary' (and mobile) base buried deep under the seas of Earth. X-Com now again must protect the people while finding out about where exactly T'leth is and go in to blast it to smithereens with extreme prejudice. It was hard. Really hard. Not only do aliens have a major advantage technology-wise at the start and they tear through your recruits with impunity, but later in the game when you catch up they start using a nasty trick to take control of your troopers, leading to sometimes hilarious and [[rage|extreme rage-inducing]] turn one [[TPK]]s as your heavy weapon trooper gets controlled and fires his heavy weapon inside the transport while the team is busy disembarking. Oh, and did we mention that the only way to research the best armour in the game was to capture a live specimen of a rarely-appearing alien? And that to capture a live specimen you had to send a poor redshirt in armed with an oversized cattleprod to stun it in close quarters? And that said alien was [[rip and tear|able to tear a human apart effortlessly]] in close quarters? And (as if all that wasn't bad enough already), that the poor redshirt then had to pick up and to carry the damn unconscious thing back to the human ship praying [[rape|that the specimen didn't wake up with a grudge before he got there and the mission ended]]? Yeah, it was kinda like that. <br />
<br />
It then spawned a second, somewhat different but still appreciated sequel, ''X-Com Apocalypse''. Destruction of T'leth fucked up Earth biosphere and humanity retreated to quickly built mega-arcologies to survive. Unlike the two first game, there's a bigger political aspect to things as you have not only to make sure you deal with the damn aliens coming to fuck your shit up, but remain best buds with the other humans while doing so. All in all, a decent, if not overwhelmingly good game.<br />
<br />
Then Microprose was bought by [[Hasbro|that which must never be named]], who proceeded to nose-dive the IP with games like [[AIDS|X-COM: Interceptor]] and [[Shit Twinkie|X-COM: Enforcer]].<br />
<br />
Fucking [[RAGE|Hasbro]].<br />
<br />
Anyway. Combat is a lot like Dark Heresy's in that it's exceedingly lethal; at the game's outset, you have no armor beyond jumpsuits with Kevlar stuffed into them, and your firearms are the best and most powerful weaponry that chemical propelled explosives can provide only moderately capable against alien forces (though quite diverse). In order to properly take these fucking things on on anything remotely resembling their own terms, you need upgrades. Upgrades come through research, and research comes by shooting down UFOs, landing a ground assault, killing the surviving aliens, and stripping the UFO like the [[Blood Ravens]] do other chapters' shiny bits. Once brought back to base, your researchers can look into what makes the alien's gear work, research your own weapons and tech, and develop technologies to help in the fight against the Aliens. Eventually, you can load your forces up with [[Space Marine|Power-armored bad-asses]], but starting out, your forces are fragile, and fighting smart is ''vital''. You ''will'' suffer casualties early on - guaranteed - but such is war, and you must press on, allowing the survivors to grow into [[Colonel Greiss|manly badasses]].<br />
<br />
The Aliens themselves are diverse, ranging from the Sectoids (conventional "gray" aliens), to Chryssalids (horrifying abominations that inject targets with eggs that turn them into mindless drones which will explosively birth new Chryssalids thereafter). Nightmare fuel = yes. The game manages to be exceedingly creepy for one so simple, and is one of many reasons that X-COM works so well.<br />
<br />
==Tales of Heroism==<br />
<br />
In accordance with /tg/'s love of war stories about [[your dudes]], several examples of awesome have been compiled:<br />
<br />
''Instant'' death doesn't ''always'' happen. Occasionally, one Rookie will be touched by God and succeed against all odds. After that, he will die horribly. [[Just as Planned]].<br />
<br />
X-COM agent of note: [[Marc Lecointe]]. Lecointe survived numerous missions, got the highest kill count on most missions, killed a Snakemen leader and his bodyguards (despite losing over half the squad), and got shot in the face and back with plasma and lived. He eventually was hit with return fire in an alley and began bleeding. He returned fire and killed the Snakeman, but bled to death before help could arrive. Lacointe lives on in our hearts.<br />
<br />
Another agent of note is Gristle McThornbody, a Rocket-Toting Team-Killing asshole who refuses to die OR be mind-controlled. He's so badass, that even when he has 85% or more to hit on a 2x2 alien, he'll still hit the wall twenty tiles to the left.<br />
<br />
== New Stuff and Things ==<br />
According to things [[/v/]] likes to watch on the Internet, a new X-Com game is in the pipes, set to be made in the gameplay and spirit of the old games, with new graphics and updated for the new generation of gamers to be introduced into the X-Com game style. It lost the dash along the way someplace, and got re-named ''XCOM: Enemy Unknown''. This new game, which has spawned joy boners in many on /v/ and /tg/ alike, is believed to stem from the utter, burning [[RAGE|fury]] that was originally spawned from 2K's simply-titled ''XCOM'' game, which, near as we can tell, is an FPS that takes place in the 1960s and has exactly ''nothing'' to do with the actual X-COM franchise. Seriously, don't look into 2K's game if you're a fan of the series on any level - it will cause veterans to spontaneously transform into [[Angry Marines]] and/or [[Khorne|Khornate Berserkers]]. Apparently, those in charge had the wherewithal to note that if they didn't make a ''proper'' X-COM game, [[/tg/]] (and by extension, [[/v/]]) would [[Anal Circumference|leave their asshole in ruins]]. They even went ahead to declare the two games take place in separate universes. If only [[Games Workshop]] had [[Matt Ward|that much sense]]...<br />
<br />
== XCOM: Enemy Unknown by Firaxis ==<br />
[[File:XCOMGameplay.jpg|200px|thumb|An in-game screenshot of the new game.]]<br />
And Firaxis came to the rescue, promising to return to the roots of XCOM (note the lack of a hyphen this time around, although the logo ''does'' have a horizontal stripe taken out of the "COM"). Since Firaxis has a lot of ex-MicroProse people, a lot of them have had to do with the original as well, and the original musical score will make a return. Although it's changed a few things to avoid hurting the brains of [[/v/|delicate little console kiddies]] like removing time units, removing ballistic simulation, cutting down on your maximum amount of squad members (4 at the start and 6 maximum) and limiting us to one base (though each base location gives its own unique bonus), it still somehow manages to be a good game in its own right. If the original X-COM is like Mordheim, then XCOM is like Space Hulk: massively simplified and more heavily dependent on the luck of the die, but with less micromanagement and long-term planning required.<br />
<br />
If you haven't bought the game and you're a TBS fan, everyone in /tg/ that isn't [[That guy]], would highly recommend you give it a whirl at the modest price of <strike><br />
$39.99 </strike> $16.49 for all the good remade XCOM games because of our father Gabe Newell on PC,<br />
still is 39.99 for console/Non-Steam or $9.99 on mobile/tablet devices. Like always, we have footage for vidyas: https://youtu.be/qDhuZ4b51hA https://youtu.be/-SKoS5BYVuY https://youtu.be/bxuzLyR-000<br />
<br />
===XCOM: Enemy Within===<br />
[[File:MectoidMEC.jpg|200px|thumb|Did we mention melee combat with exosuits?]]<br />
''Enemy Within'' is an expansion pack (and unlike most "horse armor" tier DLCs with the name this one actually deserves it) that completely re-defines how the game progresses, compared to the original one. The game's story still progresses like the original game, but expands on it for a more entertaining experience.<br />
<br />
It adds the "meld" resource to the game, a type of alien organic/synthetic-hybrid nanomachine that allows you to unlock two powerful technologies: MEC and genetic modification. MEC allows your troops to interface with a Mechanized Exoskeleton Cybersuit, a heavy exoskeleton that brings the heaviest of weapons to the field (Including the option for a powerfist equivalent called a "Kinetic Strike Module". Yes, make your own faux [[Terminator]] squad! Especially when the Tier-3 Paladin upgrades bulks up your suit's armor that you look vaguely similar to Termies.). Genetic modification allows you to augment your troops using data gathered from dissected aliens, making them killier than ever before. Infact, you can create your own equivalent of an Imperial [[Space Marine]] with the list of available modifications you can do (Two of these specific upgrades are a second heart and the ability of self-regeneration) .<br />
<br />
It also adds new aliens to the xenos' side, like a cloaking squid robots that chokes your troops to death and their own brand of exosuit troops. It also introduces another enemy into the game: EXALT. EXALT are a bunch of power-mad blokes who sees the alien's invasion as a way to gain power by adapting their technology for themselves, inching them closer to world domination. They see you as an obstacle and are determined to undermine your efforts to defeat the aliens by disrupting your operations through a number of ways and sowing panic amongst XCOM-member nations, generally making your already hectic life even more hectic. You must now defeat this new threat through a combination of [[Ork|cunning brutality and brutal cunning.]] They have most of your technologies to go toe-to-toe with you (Except for their own exosuits) and they are well hidden, so bringing them down won't be an easy affair.<br />
<br />
=== XCOM 2 ===<br />
[[File:People%27s_reaction_to_XCOM_2%27s_Vipers.png|200px|thumb|Turns out they ''are'' poison glands. Hee.]]<br />
A direct-ish sequel to EU/EW, XCOM 2 seems to decide that what's canon is not: not "you killed all the aliens, now here's more aliens", but "you know that Impossible Ironman game you played for a laugh and got utterly stomped? That's the canon ending". (The utterly stomping part takes place in the base assault, and it is so bad that two of the most important things got taken: The Commander, and more importantly, central officer Bradford's sweater). The aliens won before humanity even got to laser weapons, taking over the world and unifying humanity (read: ruling over them in a pseudo-utopia "Brave New World"-style), and basically preparing to turn them into another of their slave races (not that most of humanity knows this).<br />
<br />
XCOM refused to back down even after the Council of Nations ceased to exist and instead went underground, hijacking an alien supply ship to act as a mobile base for hit-and-run operations against the alien occupiers, in the hopes of toppling the ADVENT (the puppet government aliens've set up) and exposing the true purpose of their supposedly ideal society to the world.<br />
<br />
New features include:<br />
The Assault class has been given a makeover to focus even more on [[Rip and Tear]], replacing the sidearm with a sword and changing title to the Ranger. The Sniper has been renamed the Sharpshooter and given a pistol-focused skill-tree-route that turns the soldier into Clint Eastwood (literally, like you can have a stand-off by firing 3 pistol-shots in the same turn). The Support class has been renamed the Specialist and been given a drone to hack, heal, shield and/or zap shit remotely. The Heavy has been given a nice grenade launcher to act as your cover-stomper, and been renamed the Grenadier. Psi-operatives are their own class now as well, and get hate-hair and [[Cadia|purple eyes]] because that makes sense and all psychically talented people look like neo-punks. Troops can be captured, and then rescued, which also reclaims any expensive gear they had on them (but it's never the captured troops you actually need back).<br />
New enemies (without spoilers), including human ADVENT security troops (who really love to say "bitch" and pointing towards your soldiers) with magnetic weapons who look like humans till you get their armor off, sectoid-human hybrids with teeth, thumbs, and belly buttons (which can be really creepy if you '''really''' think about it), and transsexual Snake-women called Vipers (which is what the Thin Men actually look like without their disguises). Yes, there were snaketits on the thread that announced this to /tg/. Yes, /d/ has drawn porn of them. Yes, it will be added to the gallery.<br />
<br />
Moving on.<br />
<br />
XCOM 2 also contains an in depth explanation for the aliens' motives that many fans felt was lacking or too ambiguous in Enemy Within. Apparently, the Ethereals have some kind of fatal disease they can't cure, so they've been trekking around the galaxy culminating genes to form the ultimate bodies for themselves, while amassing a genetically supreme army. When the Ethereals found humanity, they found their genes to be so awesome and powerful that just adding some of them to a lowly sectoid turned it from a pathetic 3' tall creature you could kill with basic weapons, to an 8' tall psionic rape machine that could raise the dead and withstand salvos of bullets to the face. They then set up an alien government on Earth so they could discretely process humanity's best genetic material and slowly form new bodies for themselves that don't die called Avatars. And by don't die, we mean have copious amounts of health, teleport every time they're injured, regenerate like crazy, are guaranteed to successfully mind control anything, and are immune to any of your psychic abilities. And the boss fight involves killing three of these dick-butts and an endless wave of alien reinforcements. Using human DNA is also where their ADVENT troops came from, they grew armies of human spliced with unspecified alien to act as their public face to the humans. But humanity wins anyway, because humans are just that fucking awesome.<br />
<br />
The game is also notable for abandoning the usual conditions for losing. The norm for the series is for your funding to get cut if too many countries lose faith in XCOM. Since you're fighting a guerilla war and your support are humans fighting to survive outside the aliens' control zones, that isn't happening. Instead you lose if the aliens complete the Avatar Project, their goal to mass produce the bodies for the etherals. If they do you get treated to a scene of almost all resistance being crushed because the Avatars are dangerous enough in small numbers and army of them would unstoppable. You can slow progress, but can only stop it by finishing the game.<br />
<br />
So far there have been recently four DLCs for XCOM 2. "Anarchy's Children" added new customization features for your soldiers, most of which you wouldn't ever really use. "Alien Hunters" adds a new mission, weapons, and alien rulers who you have to hunt down. The alien rulers get to take an action every, single, time, one of your soldiers does. This is even more infuriating then it sounds. Some more customization options are added too. "Shen's Last Gift" adds another mission and the SPARK class soldier. SPARKs are robots you have to make in the proving ground that wish they were half as cool or good as the MECs from Enemy Within. Hopefully, someone in the modding community will fix this soon. You also can't add modifications to their guns, which is stupid, and their guns, while much larger and more powerful-looking than the other squad specialized weapons, don't do more damage than the rest of the squad's specialized weapons. This is also stupid, as an auto-cannon would naturally do much more damage than a SAW. And here comes the fun part; if you read the developers blog, their idea of "balance" is to actually nerf plenty of stuff...so the game is harder after having a buffed-up alien lord chase your dudes all over the game. Was old-school really this hard?<br />
<br />
====XCOM 2: War of the Chosen====<br />
<br />
This brand new expansion gives us three new allies to aid us. <br />
<br />
*Reapers: Stealthy hunters who are armed with nothing but a rifle and explosives. It's enough. They wear [[Shadowrun|trench coats and gas masks]]. Have a special ability where they have a chance to not reveal themselves upon attacking. Enemies have vastly reduced detection ranges against Reapers, and Reapers can detonate explosives on the map without revealing themselves. They can also throw an environmental explosive. [[Dakka|They also have an ability that lets them shoot at an enemy until they run out of ammo.]] Long story short, these guys are only slightly less powerful than the Reapers from Mass Effect.<br />
<br />
*Skirmishers: ADVENT defectors who are armed with a grappling hook that can pull them to a rooftop and pull themselves to the enemy or vice versa and at max level allows them to have the [[Awesome|alien rulers ability to gain action points Everytime. The. Enemy. Moves]] Except it only works three times a turn, and doesn't trigger on non-move actions. [[fail|The game doesn't tell you this.]] <br />
<br />
*Templars: [[Grey Knights|a resistance group made of only psionics]] that wield psi blades and machine pistols, but you'll probably never use those. They're fast, hard to kill, and hit like a brick. Like the [[rip and tear]] half of the Ranger, but with psionic powers. They're also fantastically hammy and roll their Rs.<br />
<br />
But these new allies come with a catch as you now have to fight the titular chosen who can adapt to your soldiers abilities with their own strengths and weaknesses, and the Lost ([[tarpit|zombie swarms]]) that attack both you and ADVENT. Along with these new allies and enemies is trying to get the three resistance groups to work together, as well as a new fatigue and relationship system.<br />
<br />
=== XCOM: Long War ===<br />
<br />
What, the new XCOM wasn't complicated enough for you? There's a mod called "Long War" which goes into lots more detail, a bit more like the classic game. Now, the aliens will advance their plans and escalate their forces and assaults based on their own progression system, and the game is rebalanced around the expectation that you will not succeed at every mission (and you won't -- the aliens are plenty tough to see to that).<br />
<br />
=== XCOM: The Board Game ===<br />
<br />
From [[Fantasy Flight Games]], there's a board game adaptation of XCOM (in fact, ''XCOM: Enemy Unknown'' was quite inspired by board games, with the two-actions-per-turn system instead of the old 'time units'). There's a companion app for smartphones, tablets, and computers which controls the aliens and informs players of events, a bit like a [[Game Master]], but without exposing the players to too much bookkeeping. Amazing what games can do with computers these days -- just imagine if such a thing had been available for [[FATAL]]! On second thought, don't.<br />
<br />
Players (1-4) take on different roles in the XCOM organization. The Commander keeps an eye on the budget and allocates interceptors. The Chief Scientist directs research efforts. The Central Officer works the app and solicits input from the others (if there are any) to make decisions (many of which are time-critical). The Squad Leader manages troops and base defense. Together, they need to allocate their resources, judge when to push risky but rewarding avenues (inviting retribution from the aliens if they fail), and defend humanity. Like the games, successes are rare -- a die only has a 1/3 chance of coming up with a success, and tasks may need multiple successes. There is also an "enemy die", a [[d8]] that is rolled against the number of times that task has been attempted. If it rolls equal to or under that number, something bad happens. So, do you pool resources for critical tasks (neglecting anything else, and hoping that your priorities are correct), in order to most likely be successful before the threat level climbs too high? Or do you stay flexible but push your luck? Your call, commander.<br />
<br />
=== XCOM 2: Long War 2 ===<br />
If you thought XCOM 2 was ''already'' hard, thanks in part to the involvement of the original Long War modders in the game's development, said modders come back with a sequel mod for the game. Not only does this go even further than the first Long War in going into a lot of detail, such as new graphical touches, significant rebalancing and completely overhauling the global map to be more reminiscent of classic X-com. But the difficulty is amped up even more, with missions even requiring you to send in potentially fatal scouting parties to make sure your ''other'' squads don't die on the spot. Also, rather than launching parties directly into battle, missions spawn on the geoscape with an expiration timer. The player ''can'' launch immediately, but the enemy presence will be drastically increased! Instead, the idea is that the squad can spend time infiltrating, to let ADVENT get complacent and draw troops elsewhere. Having more Resistance folks working Intel increases mission expiration times, but the bigger and heavier the squad, the more infiltration time is require. And vice versa -- short-staffing a squad can allow a player to infiltrate to high percentages on short notice...but now you've only got like four guys on the ground, and that might not be enough firepower if activations go badly...<br />
<br />
This mod requires dramatically more strategic thought and care. Weapons, armor, and equipment are all purchased individually, forcing you into decisions like 'do I continue the rollout of my newly available armor-piercing coilguns, or do I buy armor for the two rookies I've trained up?' and 'do I send my last seven man team to secure me an engineer, commit them to a long infiltration to wipe out an advent tower, or hold them in reserve for a better opportunity?' The difficulty is likewise much higher, but you have dramatically expanded options to combat it with special weapons, squad leaders, extra inventory slots packed with flashbangs, veteran troop skills, chooseable bonus perks, a psi advancement training regime that makes some actual sense, and many, many more troops and mission opportunities. Minor reinforcement on that last one, in fact: in stock XCOM 2 you'll likely end the campaign with fewer than twenty soldiers, whereas here it's pretty common to have a hundred active-duty troopers at a time. <br />
<br />
The Shinobi ([[Derp|all the Ninja IRL schools have closed up shop]]) is the most overpowered class. Making missions easier then they should be as he can [[derp|bypass Overwatch]] and has a very low impact on infiltration. Making missions unrealistic for players who hate RNG and want a pure stealth game.<br />
<br />
The Devs of Long War have said there will not be making a Long War for War of the Choosen. As Firaxis added a ton of crap that would take years for Long War Studios to shift though it and make the mod playable.<br />
<br />
== The Bureau: XCOM Declassified ==<br />
Despite having the name XCOM in the title, the game really has little relation to the series. The reason behind this is because 2K passed this game on to the lovely people that brought you Bioshock 2; meaning it was made by a studio that makes more or less decent games. It's supposed to be a prequel, set in the 1960s during the Cold War era. The protagonist, William Carter, was a CIA agent just delivering a suitcase of classified "documents" until an Outsider disguised as a female agent got ahold of it. Not long after that, an alien invasion commenced!<br />
<br />
The Bureau is a RPG that plays like Mass Effect, but not as good for a variety of reasons. One reason is in the dialog scene, you're given choices of what to ask/say. They really don't impact the game, nor changes it for the most part, so you can skip a majority of it if you want to. The agents in your squad are pretty dull, sure you can change their names and how they dress, but really doesn't offer any friendship/foe engagements. If they die, you will need to recruit another agent and start him off from scratch, but really, leveling them up isn't fun and customizable, so just restart a checkpoint if they do die.<br />
<br />
The agents in your squad have bad AI if you don't babysit them and give commands on what they should do, and their skills at fighting Outsiders are... Well, okay. The best they can offer is their abilities, so spamming them and you taking care of the killing is an effective way to go (Some recommend starters to start their first mission with a Recon to cause critical damage on certain enemies and a Commando for [[DISTRACTION CARNIFEX|taunting the grunts and make them easy picking for you.]]<br />
<br />
There would be more to go on, but if you want to know more about the game, you can search up reviews of XCOM Declassified. In short, it's a decent prequel that fans can find some enjoyment, but it's not as good as Enemy Unknown. Without going into spoilers, there's also a reveal during the last few levels that's surprisingly meta and well-written. Still worth looking into if you can find it for cheap or rent it.<br />
<br />
Interestingly enough, turns out that the universe in XCOM Declassified is the same as that of Enemy Unknown/Within's. After the events in The Bureau, all records were wiped. This explains why the player had to start from scratch at the beginning of Enemy Unknown. When the Ethereals of Unknown/Within spoke of their [[Derp|own failure to ascend,]] they really meant that they wanted to be like the Ethereals from The Bureau. Either way, only time will tell exactly [[Grimdark|what the hell they were preparing humanity for.]]<br />
<br />
== Xenonauts ==<br />
<br />
X-Com coded by [[Reasonable Marines]].<br />
<br />
A faithful remake of the original, with time units and all that. Changes a few things (like lack of Psionics on your side) and adds vehicles (yes, blowing up half a building with a rocket jeep is awesome) and controllable dogfights. Basically the alien invasion is during the Cold War and makes everyone shit themselves simultaneously when THOUSANDS of spaceships are openly in orbit and fucks humanity's shit up in creative ways. Every day the UFO's are left wandering, news bulletins full of terror emanate from the screen, worrying you further.<br />
<br />
The ending is very creative, particularly concerning the plot of how an inferior species can even bother to defeat a powerful empire. Stunningly well-made, desperate final mission which may result in a glorious ending, or a bittersweet ending where you still win but the assault team is martyred.<br />
<br />
Other differences between it and the original include:<br />
<br />
Maps are mostly pregenerated, not fully procedural.<br />
<br />
Fewer weapon and ammo types. Seriously, you've got the big five (pistol, shotgun, assault rifle, sniper, and LMG) and a rocket launcher. No variant ammo types, although the weapons do have researched tiers (which are simply damage-ups).<s> This means no unfairly powerful weapons like the Rape Launcher or the Stun Grenade Launcher.</s> There *are* a few super weapons but seriously, if you waste a "Singularity Generator" which is an ENTIRE CAPTURED BLACK HOLE (a hot commodity salvageable from alien battleships) for a 50 kilogram (without ammo) glorified grenade launcher that doesn't even one shot its AoE, you are a fucking moron.<br />
<br />
More basic inventory control. You don't micromanage producing and storing individual missiles, and you can have as many magazines, grenades, and med-kits as you want, limited by carrying limit. You just build the alien-based laser or plasma gun, base gives you ammo made fashioned from a melted-down alien cells. (Alenium is basically a quantum-grade battery aliens came up with. Usually it powers the alien craft, you simply creatively salvage the spent ones into explosives because [[HFY]].)<br />
<br />
Smaller team sizes. Max troop count on a mission is 12, with the best drop-ship.<br />
<br />
Fewer oddball items, like the motion scanner or psi-ball, but there is now an assault shield, so your dudes don't immediately die when popping open a UFO. Said shield gets upgraded with Alien alloys, and even the final mission sees use of it. Trust me.<br />
<br />
Rookies are better out of the gate, but are still shit compared to your colonels. Still, they have a decent chance of killing an enemy in a turn, doubly so if carrying a missile launcher. No longer to operatives miss the broad side of a barn. They *will* miss the spot but will still shake it badly.<br />
<br />
Explosive weapons damage items, lowering the amount of money you receive from selling. This is for the best, because explosives are stupidly powerful and are probably the most reliable way of putting a fool down. Considering Reaper, the expy for Chyrssalids are even faster and crazier, you *are* going to need them.<br />
<br />
Saveable, customizable loadouts for all of your troops, and obviously no engine-based limit on the amount of items you can bring into a mission.<br />
<br />
Aliens don't really hide in corners or really hard to find spots, which makes flushing them out a lot easier. I said flushing out mind you, as they DO charge out and deal extremely serious amounts of damage before going down, to say nothing of teleporting aliens that burst fire in your face if they are lucky.<br />
<br />
Troops remain vulnerable a lot longer. You are never at the point where you can float an invincible army of death-dealing demigods over a cowering cadre of snakemen, raining death and destruction down with maddened glee. Even if you do, weird aliens will teleport close and blow you out of the sky, or your flyer will fry a nerve from psionics.<br />
<br />
Country relations are more important than after-mission loot. <br />
<br />
You can kick or pistol whip an enemy to death. Cue surrounding an annoying alien marksman and beating him to death with riot shields.<br />
<br />
You can call airstrikes to cancel boring UFO raids.<br />
<br />
=== Xenonauts 2 ===<br />
<br />
Now with 3D graphics! A demo is available through GOG.com, with the release planned to be later in 2017.<br />
<br />
== UFO: Alien Invasion ==<br />
<br />
The most detailed opensource version of XCOM based on the Quake 2 engine.<br />
<br />
Buildings are not destructible and it doesn't have a great fog-of-war. It doesn't have unmanned vehicles like the current iterations and sadly doesn't have any sort of Chryssalids yet.<br />
<br />
Has a better world map than any other XCOM in that you can fully explore it like google-earth, even showing ship movement on the globe in real time. The campaign is more forgiving in that it does not force you through Acts like Enemy Unknown where you can't possible keep everybody happy, or has nations constantly bitching at you for radar coverage like in Xenonauts. Instead you get to bid captured UFOs and give preference to unhappy nations that feel neglected or where you haven't been saving civilians frequently. <br />
<br />
The camera is completely free in battlescape mode just like in Enemy Unknown, complete with zoom capabilities. Lots of different weapons, though you will find yourself a fool if you don't immediately start using alien weapons. Also levels tend to have more floors than other iterations, such as one mission in which you're going through an office building or another where you're entering a subway.<br />
<br />
The only major problem with the game is that the smoke grenades are so overpowered your guys will be coming out of your drop ship like Snoop-Dogg out of his trailer. Otherwise you'll find aliens are more than happy to shower your guys with plasma from across the map.<br />
<br />
After a general huge update smoke is now useless and aliens are much, MUCH more powerful. <br />
<br />
Oh, and its free. Still, fuck it. Final version is broken, often locking the game, and developers have been keeping silent, the fucking FAGGOTS.<br />
<br />
== Phoenix Point ==<br />
<br />
A spiritual successor by Julian Gollop himself. As of the time of this edit, fully funded and in development with a backer pre-alpha coming quite soon. The basic idea is; some kind of strange virus has been dug up in the permafrost and has had two outbreaks so far, each escalating in severity. Now it's invading the land a third (and fatally final) time, most of humanity is gone (Partly cus of the virus, partly cus of WW3 happening during the second outbreak), and you must defend the survivors from both the creatures and each other, you poor sap.<br />
<br />
The virus morphs all life into Lovecraftian horrors. Literally Lovecraftian; it is implied that [[H.P. Lovecraft|Howard the Great]] was inspired by ancient findings describing an outbreak of the same virus a few million years ago. It even came from Yuggoth. Humanity being humanity, there are several factions with drastically differing ideas on how to deal with it; there is a faction based around a religion [[Genestealer Hybrids|worshipping the mutations that is also capable of retaining human conscioussness despite said mutations]], another is [[Eclipse Phase| high-tech anarcho-communists trying to coexist with the virus and other factions]] while the third faction [[Starship Troopers|Is a high-tech PMC turned millitaristic civilization with "Service Guarantees Citizenship" that just wants to destroy the virus and any of its sympathizers.]].<br />
<br />
So far, the game has managed to gather enough funding and reach one stretch goal for a floating base that will be given as FREE DLC, along with other stretch goals at a later date should the game be succesful.<br />
<br />
Expected; large bosses, your own mutated soldiers with crippleable limbs, the option of saving a group of people by [[Dawn of War II|landing on a giant creature and injecting it with poison]], Deep Lore, A hybrid of the old TU and new Two-Action system, unique tech trees for each faction (which you can also get in on by either allying with or stealing from them) and randomized global events (ala Crusader Kings 2).<br />
Oh, and there are [[Flamer|flamethrowers]], Shoulder-Mounted missiles, power armor, gauss rifles and other goodies, such as a mutant mount for the cultist faction.<br />
<br />
== XPiratez ==<br />
<br />
What XCOM 2 was to XCOM: Enemy Within, XPiratez is to X-COM: UFO Defense. Made of pure [[Awesome|awesome]], you lead a crew of female mutants on a quest to kick ass, gain riches, and fuck bitches. A mod for OpenXcom, it's completely free and gets constant updates. Go check it out! Nothing's more satisfying then crushing a pureblood's head in with a sledge hammer and then mowing down his mates with your [[Dakka|custom Boarding gun]]. To say more would be to spoil its unique atmosphere and feeling of exploration as you uncover what has happened to the world. Let's just say it's a long, long time after the events of XCOM: UFO Defense.<br />
<br />
== The Tabletop Game ==<br />
<br />
Yes, there was a Tabletop game, made by [[Fantasy Flight Games]], so this article has some direct /tg/ relevance. The problem is, [[Derp | you need a cell phone app to play it]].<br />
<br />
==Aliens==<br />
Needless to say, in this game, there are many different types of aliens that your teams are going to have to fight.<br />
<br />
===Original Continuity===<br />
{{stub}}<br />
<br />
Sectoid<br />
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Cyberdisk<br />
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Floater<br />
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Reaper<br />
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Snakeman<br />
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Chryssalid<br />
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Muton<br />
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Celatid<br />
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Silicoid<br />
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Ethereal<br />
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Sectopod<br />
<br />
Aquatoid<br />
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Gillman<br />
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Lobsterman<br />
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Tasoth<br />
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Bio-Drone<br />
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Calcinite<br />
<br />
Deep One<br />
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Hallucinoid<br />
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Tentaculat<br />
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Triscene<br />
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Xarquid<br />
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Brainsucker<br />
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Multiworm<br />
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Hyperworm<br />
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Chrysalis<br />
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Anthropod<br />
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Psimorph<br />
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Spitter<br />
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Megaspawn<br />
<br />
Popper<br />
<br />
Skeletoid<br />
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Micronoid Aggregate<br />
<br />
Queenspawn<br />
<br />
Overspawn<br />
<br />
===Reboot Continuity===<br />
{{stub}}<br />
<br />
The reboot continuity has its own array of different monsters, with some changes in variety between the first and second game.<br />
<br />
====X-COM Enemy Unknown / Enemy Within====<br />
<br />
'''Sectoid''': Tiny little grey men in the first game, these are the first Psionic enemy you'll meet, with the ability to boost each other in combat. This can be rather nasty giving them an extra hit point and a +10 to hit and dodge, although if you kill the booster, you'll kill whatever Sectoid they're boosting as well thanks to Psychic feedback.<br />
<br />
'''Sectoid Commander''': Only in the first game, these guys are Sectoids on psychic steroids. You'll see one on the tutorial mission and get a taste of what they can do, even if you don't fight it. They're stronger, tougher, and more psionically powerful than the basic section, and are the first unit that can possess your guys mid firefight.<br />
<br />
'''Thin Man''': Apparently an "Infiltrator Unit" nobody would mistake these guys for human at close distance as they have snake scales running up their necks, and are skinny enough to make a super-model jealous. Apparently they were made from genetically modifying Snake-Men as they can spit clouds of poison at great distance, and will explode into one when they're killed. Otherwise they're real flimsy.<br />
<br />
'''Muton''': How you know the aliens are stepping up their game. Everything up till now has been child's play (for a particularly psychotic child), then these guys come along. Big, tough, "smart", and dangerous, these guys will mulch a squad equipped with regular weapons and armour without breaking a sweat, and capturing one of these guys alive brings one of the better upgrades. Have fun.<br />
<br />
'''Muton Berserker''': Ha, ha, ha. These guys are melee monsters, capable of soaking up bullets by the magazine, and slowly getting angrier and angrier as they do. If they can get in close they'll unleash the melee hurt, but thankfully they're not amazingly fast. Thankfully, their instinctive charge of the last person who shot them means you can set them up to run a gauntlet of Overwatch fire, with a bit of luck.<br />
<br />
'''Muton Elite''': As much health as the Berserkers, plus armor, and lacking the berserk charges. Instead, they carry heavy plasma cannons.<br />
<br />
'''Floater''': Apparently reject Mutons, stripped down to an upper torso and fitted up with cybernetic implants, mainly a jetpack. They're basically the fastest unit in the game, great Overwatchers, and pack about s much punch as a standard Muton. They have a special ability that sacrifices all their actions for the turn to instead fly to any single spot on the map, which they love to use to get the drop on your team.<br />
<br />
'''Heavy Floater''' A tougher, armored version of the standard Floater, with a bigger gun.<br />
<br />
'''Outsider''': Strange "digital" lifeforms that serve as the technicians of the alien forces. You need to capture one of these in order to advance the game. They're wimpy, but their light plasma rifles are deadly accurate, so they can gun down whole teams if you're careless.<br />
<br />
'''Sectopod''': The aliens' equivalent of a tank; an enormous, heavily armored killer robot with insanely high health, high armor, a 50% damage reduction ability, and the ability to blaze away with both a fuck-off huge laser and to launch showers of cluster bombs. They also blow up when you kill them. Your most hated enemy.<br />
<br />
'''Cyberdisk''': A ridiculously fast flying robot that can shapeshift between a flying saucer-like flight-mode (in which it's harder to hit) and its unfurled combat mode. Not quite as killy as the sectopod, but still really adept at ruining your day.<br />
<br />
'''Drone''': Small flying robots that basically zip around like laser-spitting wasps. They don't do much damage, but they can repair mechanical aliens and they explode like a grenade when killed. And they're extra-hard to hit, for added nuisance factor.<br />
<br />
'''Chryssalid''': An absolute fucking nightmare, just like the original series. These bugs are lightning fast, vicious, and if they kill anyone they'll automatically plant an egg in the corpse, which will turn into a zombie before hatching a new chryssalid three turns later. And these zombies are tough enough to weather several turns of shooting. One of the standout points of the first game is a pre-baked mission where you get to investigate a whaling ship that crashed ashore in Alaska after being infested by Chryssalids who turned the catch into their personal hive. Your job is to first investigate the area, and then light the place up for your bombers so they can nuke it from orbit.<br />
<br />
'''Ethereal''': The leaders of the alien forces, physically frail but masters of [[psionics]], which they can use to ''really'' fuck up your day.<br />
<br />
'''Seeker''': A relatively weak squid-like robot that uses camouflage to sneak up on its prey and then tries to crush it to death with its tendrils. They like to go after isolated members of your squad, which can be used to bait them into going after Assault troopers with Close Combat Tactics for hilarious effects.<br />
<br />
'''Mechtoid''': An armored exoskeleton piloted by a sectoid, carrying twin plasma mini-cannons. Sectoids can use their mind merge ability to give a layer of shielding to mechtoids; killing the sectoid removes the shield and causes some damage to the mechtoid. <br />
<br />
====X-COM 2 / War of the Chosen====<br />
<br />
'''ADVENT'''<br />
<br />
The end results of what the Ethereals want to do with humanity. Puppet soldiers controlled by a series of psionically linked chips that feed back to command nodes. It's stated that the commander was supossed to be one of these before XCOM manages to rescue him in the tutorial mission.<br />
<br />
*'''Trooper''': The grunts, they come in three flavours, with increasing HP, Dodge, and Accuracy. Challenging only in numbers, and then only thanks to the fact that a shot will hit you at some point, and they can take fire away from the actual threats.<br />
<br />
*'''Officer''': These guys aren't a threat on their own, however they can Holo-Target one of your guys for free, granting their allies a +10 to hit against that soldier. either take out everyone around them, or take them out, before that becomes a problem.<br />
<br />
*'''Shield-Bearer''': The most annoying ADVENT type in the base game, these guys can pop a shield that gives avery ADVENT and Alien soldier in range +3 or +5 temporary HP. Combined with their armour these guys can take a licking and keep on ticking. Take them out pronto otherwise the fight is going to take far longer than it should. They also kinda look like Robocop so they have that going for them.<br />
<br />
*'''Stun-Lancer''': Melee focused, these guys are noticeable by the fact they were far less armour than any other ADVENT soldier. They'll charge forwards if in range, and attempt to stun your guys for a turn with their Melee beatsticks. Otherwise they've just got regular ADVENT Rifles.<br />
<br />
*'''Priest''': Introduced in WotC, these guys are the ADVENT Psions, they can boost another ADVENT soldier, much like Sectoids could in Enemy Unknown (and like that game if you kill the priest the soldier will suffer psionic feedback and die), or they can put one of your guys in Statis for a turn, preventing them from doing anything. Advanced and Elite priests have additional tricks that allow them to Mind-Control your guys, and place themselves in Statis if they would be killed, instead staying around with 1 HP for another turn.<br />
<br />
*'''Purifier''': Flamethrower wielding ADVENT troops that only appear in WotC. The guys are kept "secret" from the public (despite that fact they can appear in any mission if the RNG says so) as they are supossed to hunt down and kill the lost in the old, abandoned cities. As stated they use flamethrowers, alongside incendiary grenades, and when you kill them there's a good chance they will explode, so don't kill them with melee unless you want to lose your eyebrows. Athough that can lead to some hilarious chain reactions if you're lucky.<br />
<br />
*'''General''': Only appears in assassination missions in WotC. Essentially just a beefed up Officer with a shit ton of HP, and the ability to throw Flash-Bangs.<br />
<br />
*'''MEC / Heavy MEC'''<br />
<br />
*'''Turrets''': It's a turret. What more do you want? They have some armour and a decent amount of HP, but they can't move, and are fairly easy to hack to your side. If all else fails tossing a fraq grenade at it is a guaranteed kill.<br />
<br />
*'''Sectopod'''<br />
<br />
'''Aliens'''<br />
<br />
*'''Sectoid''': Tougher than you remember due to the infusion of human DNA. Now have the ability to resurrect dead troopers - yours and ADVENT - as zombies, and all sectoids from the get-go can lay a mind whammy on your troops, randomly panicking, disorientating or controlling them.<br />
<br />
*'''Chrysallid''': Because why the fuck wouldn't the Ethereals keep their most effective terror weapon. These guys have changed from scuttling horrors, to burrowing, venomous, scuttling horrors, capable of turning anyone they kill, either with their venom or their claws into a slowly metamorphosing cocoon that, if it reaches maturity, will spit out '''THREE''' new chryssalids, because Firaxis hates you. They are rendered mostly harmless by being set on fire, so if you think you're going to run into them bring incendiary rounds, fire bombs, and hell weave vests.<br />
<br />
*'''Viper''': The most famous of the new aliens because they look like [[serpentfolk|humanoid snake-women]] with [[furry|nice tits and a sweet pair of hips]]. Appear pretty early in the game; not much tougher than sectoids, but quite annoying. They can drag you out of cover with their tongue whip attack, spew toxic clouds like the Thin Men, and strangle you in melee like a Seeker. These gals represent the true form of the Thin Man alien from the last game.<br />
<br />
*'''Andromedon''': One of the cooler new alien designs, it could almost have been ripped out of the old X-COM series. It looks like combination of an old diving suit and an iron lung, filled with green sludge, and a single pickled alien who apparently needs that sludge to live. When you kill it the first time the suit reboots and come to life by itself, dropping its heavy plasma cannon and charging into melee. In its first form an Andromedon is a tough customer, with more armour & health than a Muton while packing the same firepower. In its second form it will only ever try to hit you with its fists, but it leaves behind trail of acidic and poisonous sludge that hurts your guys if they try to move through it (because jumping isn't a thing, despite the ability to haul yourself up drainpipes) which makes navigating the battlefield a hassle, especially in densely packed urban missions. Thankfully their second form will be easier to deal with. As these Powered Armor wearing little shits will Overwatch to hamper squad mobility and toss Acid Bombs at your_dudes if not killed ASAP. <br />
<br />
*'''Faceless''': A new enemy that should only appear in Terror Attack missions. Shapeshifters that look like ordinary humans until your troops get too close, then they turn into ''fucking huge'' moaning melted-wax men with claws the length of shotguns. Can take quite a beating and will literally tear down houses to get at your troops. They can be seeded in regular missions if you pull the Dark Event that allows them to mingle with the regular citizens during missions. Isn't that lovely.<br />
<br />
*'''Muton''': Remaining as the ethereal's shock infantry, these Mutons have apparently been crossbred with humanity, making them smaller, faster, and deadlier. Apparently they're smarter too, but considering just how badly the A.I can flub up sometimes, you have to wonder about that. They aren't packing any more HP, but they're now armoured, so they'll soak up more damage unless you can shred their armour with heavy weapons and explosives. They'll still be a threat until you get Plasma weapons, and 3rd their armour, but once you're there, they pretty much become chaff beneath the scythe. They also like tossing grenades if they don't have a direct line of sight on your troops. Along with the ability to use suppression if a Muton can't into melee. Making them an annoyance well into the late game.<br />
<br />
*'''Berserker'''<br />
<br />
*'''Codex''':A replacement for the Outsider, but far more annoying. The Codex first appears when you Skulljack an ADVENT officer, and it looks like a wierldy sexy woman made of pure energy, but with a cybernetic brain & spinal column. They can teleport around the battlefield, and when struck by an attack that fails to kill them, they split into two Codexes with half of their remaining health. They can also create temporary zones of energy that suck all the ammo out of your guns, and then close with deadly force. Naturally you want Snipers or Magnetic/Plasma Weapon chain attacks to kill them quickly.<br />
<br />
*'''Gatekeeper''':<br />
<br />
*'''Archon''':<br />
<br />
*'''Avatar''': The Ethereals' plans are revealed when you discover these creatures. Avatars are genetically engineered lifeforms created from the genes of the most psi-capable humans, crafted to house the essence of the Ethereals, whose own bodies are breaking down irrevocably. Extremely tough, powerful psionics, kill on sight. The Commander gets one of his own at the end of the game. This is because they plugging him/her into their psionic network and never bothered to remove or change anything after XCOM recovered them. [[Fail|As the Ethereals are really note that bright despite claiming to be a superior race.]]<br />
<br />
'''The Chosen'''<br />
<br />
*'''The Assassin'''<br />
<br />
*'''The Hunter''' <br />
<br />
*'''The Warlock'''<br />
<br />
'''The Lost'''<br />
<br />
*'''Regular''': Introduced in WotC, these are the zombie horde style enemies of the game. They have a unique mechanic where if you kill one, you get a free action point to continue killing. A soldier with decent Aim, an auto-loader, and an extended mag can decimate entire swarms if lucky.<br />
<br />
*'''Dasher''' Faster, and with slightly more HP (4-5, as opposed to 2-3) these guys aren't exactly more of a threat than the regular lost. They're just more likely to pull off a successful ambush.<br />
<br />
*'''Brute''' These guys have a lot of HP for a Lost, and can actually deal some melee punishment, and will start coming out in decent numbers by endgame. Then again, by endgame you'll have the best weapons and armour, so once again... only really a threat if you're unlucky, and there's a lot of them.<br />
<br />
== See Also ==<br />
<br />
*[[X-Com Play By Post]], experimental rules for playing X-Com on a forum.<br />
*[[XCOM: Tomorrow's War edition]], a conversion of [[Tomorrow's War]] for playing X-Com on the tabletop.<br />
<br />
== Gallery ==<br />
{{Promotions}}<br />
<gallery><br />
Image:Don_t_mess_with_humanity_by_Jaekyu.jpg<br />
Image:Get_Some_by_IronShrineMaiden.jpg<br />
Image:Public_Display_of_Affection_by_Jaekyu.png<br />
Image:Rookie_Shooter_by_Jaekyu.png<br />
Image:X-Com_(1).jpg<br />
Image:X-Com_(2).jpg<br />
Image:X-Com_(3).jpg<br />
Image:X-Com_(4).jpg<br />
Image:X-Com_(5).jpg<br />
Image:X-Com_(6).jpg<br />
Image:X-Com_(7).jpg<br />
Image:X-Com_(8).png<br />
Image:X-Com_(9).jpg<br />
Image:X-Com_(10).jpg<br />
Image:Snek.png<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
<br />
* [http://ufopaedia.org/index.php?title=Main_Page UFOpaedia.org], a wiki dedicated to X-COM (and sequels, and mods, etc.).<br />
* [http://openxcom.org/ Open Source engine for the original game]<br />
* [http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_minisite.asp?eidm=269&enmi=XCOM:%20The%20Board%20Game Fantasy Flight Games's official X-COM game.]<br />
* [http://www.nexusmods.com/xcom/mods/88/? Long War main page.]<br />
* [http://ufoai.org/wiki/About UFO: Alien Invasion]<br />
* [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BqoEJUWKVRFSKXOA2Ks3Ce7Kvphmg0kAFKcuXJHgmr0/mobilebasic?pli=1 Things X-COM operatives are not allowed to do], a list in the vein of Mr. Welch's list. Occasionally hilarious<br />
<br />
[[category:Video Games]]<br />
[[Category:Software]]</div>2601:147:4200:6280:2561:C61A:5ED7:9030http://2d4chan.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Metal_Gear&diff=337094Metal Gear2018-04-09T23:37:32Z<p>2601:147:4200:6280:2561:C61A:5ED7:9030: /* Metal Gear Survive */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[File: MSG Title.jpeg|thumb|right|Metal Gear Solid title]]<br />
{{autism}}<br />
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{{Spoilers}}<br />
If you're here on the Internet and have ''not'' heard of Metal Gear or Metal Gear Solid, you're obviously pretty new or just straight up ignorant... But for the sake [[/tg/]] and everyone, we'll help.<br />
<br />
Metal Gear and the subsequent games coming after it are action-adventure stealth games starting in 1987. While Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2 on the <strike>EN EE ESS</strike> EM ES EX TWO were well-received and iconic, it was Metal Gear Solid in 1998 on the PEE ESS JUAN that changed not only the franchise but third-person shooters in general and practically being the herald of stealth games. Though each game has a different story, it typically follows the supersoldier agent Solid Snake or Big Boss during the 21st century and the Cold War as he infiltrates something, destroys whatever's inside, and is a badass while doing it. We would explain more of the story here but honestly it gets stupidly complicated with government conspiracies, clones, ghosts, [[meme|sudden but inevitable betrayals]], and many more. While somewhat grounded in reality it has a very obvious sci-fi feel to it, similar to [[BattleTech]], [[Shadowrun]], and in some ways [[Warhammer 40,000|Warhammer 40K]]. Bedsides it's well crafted game play and sometimes uneven plot, Metal Gear is mainly known for it's [[memes]].<br />
<br />
==Metal Gear and /tg/==<br />
Like much of the Internet and 4chan, /tg/ has a pretty distinct love for Metal Gear. We've had several quest threads following the Metal Gear universe, most notably [http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Metal%20Gear:%20Rise%20from%20Ashes%20Quest| Rise from Ashes] and [http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Revengeance%20Quest| Revengeance Quest]. While there's not a definitive homebrew for it, there's limitless potential and [http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/38662709/| that certainly hasn't stopped us from trying]. <br />
<br />
[[Metal Gear Vindicare]] is a pretty obvious /tg/-MSG relation, being inspired by the famous codec used by Solid Snake in the game. Centers around [[Love Can Bloom]] with <s>[[Doomrider]] as a special guest.</s> <span style="color:purple">'''DO COCAAAAIIIINNE!'''</span><br />
<br />
A lot of things about Metal Gear correlate with the interests of fa/tg/uys. Despite what most people think, /tg/ loves their [[tau|giant]] [[Adeptus Evangelion|robots]], which Metal Gear Solid has in spades. There's also a good enough amount of both [[grimdark]] and [[Orks|hilarious stupidity]] to keep a wide variety of neckbeards entertained.<br />
<br />
==Characters==<br />
===Solid Snake===<br />
[[File: Solid Snake codec.png|thumb|left|I ''am'' happy]]<br />
The protagonist for most of the games. He starts out his career in Metal Gear as a rookie FOXHOUND agent, uncovering the existence of the Metal Gear and the double-crossing of his superior, Big Boss. He later discovers that he's actually the clone-son of Big Boss, created for reasons that change from game to game. Snake spends the rest of the games fighting Big Bosses' other clones as well as uncovering the grand conspiracy his father had been retconned into fighting, while people talk about how hard the life that he chooses to live is even though it's his own fucking choice. He finally ends his career in Metal Gear Solid 4, his clone-genes rapidly degenerating and near the end of his life (by the time he's in his mid-thirties he's in his late sixties biologically, complete with heart problems and seizures). But he doesn't get to die before finally making amends with his father in a rather hilarious moment where Big Boss is convinced that unless he kills a really old man who was essentially a vegetable the whole series could happen again. In terms of personality there's not much to say, besides him wanting to lead huskies in the Iditarod if he were to ever retire.<br />
<br />
===Big Boss===<br />
[[File:Big Boss Salute.jpeg|thumb|right|250px|Good night, sweet prince.]]<br />
Basically [[General Sturnn]]. But with an eye-patch. [[Farsight]] seems to take a lot of inspiration from him too. <br />
<br />
While initially portrayed as the villain due to how much he loved war so he could get child soldiers to train into regular soldiers, one could argue whether or not his actions were justified given the later retcon of the Patriots existence (and then they'd remember that whole child soldier bit). Big Boss stars as the protagonist of all the Metal Gear games before Solid begins his career, dating back to the 1960s when he was known as Naked Snake (get it?). Naked Snake discovers the progenitor of Metal Gear in Soviet Russia while also being "betrayed" by his former leader, The Boss. After an arms deal goes wrong, he chooses to kill her to cover up America's involvement, which leaves a lasting impact for the rest of his life and was betrayed by his love interest, EVA, because nobody on the team realized that the agent he was supposed to meet (a man) was actually replaced by EVA (a woman). He decides to abandon the United States (even though patriotism was the theme of the previous game) and create his own military group "Militaires Sans Frontieres," the very mercenary group to have ever existed in the MGS world, later called "Diamond Dogs," while fighting his own shadow war against former comrade Zero who turned evil offscreen and is the founder of the Patriots (also happens offscreen). After fighting a number of early Metal Gear models, Big Boss began building a few Metal Gears of his own to try and even the odds. During a battle against one of the Patriots' splinter groups, Cypher, Big Boss pussies out and decides "Fuck this war, somebody else can deal with this shit" and leaves a body double, Venom Snake, to become the public face of his PMC while he fucked off to who knows where. Originally Big Boss fought Solid Snake in MG1 and died, this was retconned in MG2 where they said he didn't die, just had lots of his body replaced with machinery, and retconned into Venom Snake died instead in MG1, while Big Boss entered into a coma after MG2 until he was revived just after the patriots were defeated (nobody bothered to check to make sure he was dead).<br />
He can also bench press 200 simi odd ton tanks and recharge batteries by eating glowing mushrooms for [[Orks| some reason.]]<br />
<br />
===Gray Fox===<br />
Initially just an NPC with some backstory as FOXHOUND's best soldier. In Metal Gear 2 he's retconned as Solid Snake's best friend in Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake.([[Fail| To differentiate it from the load of fail that was Metal Gear 2 on the NES]]) Mid-way into the game in he is revealed as the second in command of Zanzibar Land under Big Boss & the pilot of the first real Metal Gear battle and first of the melee only boss battles, with [[Mekboy | land minds surrounding boss arena]]. Because the AI was shit (and he isn't the player character) he loses to Snake. He also kills his girlfriend accidentally in one of the most heavily foreshadowed scenes of all time. <br />
In Metal Gear Solid he comes back as the first [[Adeptus Mechanicus|Cyborg Ninja]] as a tutorial battle for the game's melee system. [[Railroading| In short telling the player how to beat him.]] His final act is damaging Metal Gear Rex with some kind of [[Skub|laser or plasma weapon]] that he didn't have in previous appearances before being squished by Metal Gear. So Snake can finally defeat Rex with his Stinger Missiles. Also appears in a prequel game of [[C.S. Goto|questionable canon]].<br />
Later on his backstory was expanded a little more, and it was revealed that he was a child soldier fighting in an area well known for their child soldiers, and he was able to amass a large kill-streak because none of his enemies thought that child soldiers existed, [[Fail|in an area full of them.]]<br />
His ability to lower the intelligence of everyone he met impressed the CIA, who decided to make him into the perfect soldier, unfortunately this ability affected the CIA too and they assumed that wiping all of his memories, including the memory of any martial art he knew or fought against, would make him a better fighter.<br />
He also later murdered the parents of Naomi, then chose to adopt her, because why not? Naomi is also the person who turns him into a cyborg and then lets him loose, knowing full well that he'll want another rematch against Snake, and knowing full well that if Snake failed to complete the mission a Nuke could be launched against the US, though luckily assisting in the act of nuclear terrorism only gets you a verbal reprimand, so she gets away just fine.<br />
<br />
===Liquid Snake===<br />
[[File:Brother Liquid.png|thumb|right|Liquid quite literally most of the time.]]<br />
The antagonist of Metal Gear Solid and Snake's clone brother. Liquid has a distinctly British accent and blond hair. According to the game's very loose grasp of genetics, Liquid inherited all the recessive genes of Big Boss, while Snake inherited all the dominant genes, and because of this he believed he was made from "inferior genes" and that's the reason he's evil. No seriously, the entire reason he's evil is because he doesn't like how he looks, and thus becomes Doctor Doom. Even as a child, he was a surprisingly competent soldier, giving Venom Snake (who he believed was his father Big Boss) a lot of headaches when he started acting out, he also murdered kids and stole the Metal Gear Venom Snake had before vanishing in a cliffhanger that never got resolved in the main series (you'll have to look to youtube to see what they wanted to do). Liquid would have died from Skull Face's parasite had he not become BFFs with his future comrade, Psycho Mantis who had the ability to do pretty much everything, and was retconned into being possessed by Liquid since Psycho Mantis now gets possessed by non-Psychic people, even though he's wearing his mask which was designed to stop peoples thoughts from entering his head. Liquid has massive Daddy issues (the aforementioned genes) and is incredibly stupid, which lead him to rebel against the US government and seize Metal Gear REX for himself. He also really hates Snake for the same aforementioned gene issue, possessing a really intense inferiority complex and needing to constantly prove himself. Also turned Gray Fox into a blood puddle, because can't aim a [[fail|laser for crap]]. Snake fights him several times, including shooting down his helicopter and Metal Gear Rex, but the bastard JUST. WON'T. DIE. Of course he finally does die from an engineered virus... sort of. "Liquid" takes possession of Ocelot but this was retconned out later so it doesn't matter.<br />
<br />
===Ocelot===<br />
A Russian gunslinger and a guy with a LOT of mixed loyalties that make no sense when you think about it. Formerly a member of GRU (the Soviet Military's version of the civilian KGB) and a secret agent for the USA, Ocelot joined with Big Boss (due to wanting to fuck him), helping him in secret despite nominally being a member of the Patriots (and later deciding to destroy them). Ocelot joined Liquid's rebellion, but only to act as the Patriot's inside man and steal the plans for Metal Gear REX, even though as the governing intelligence they would already have had them. He also manages to steal Metal Gear RAY, but at this point he starts acting out his secret plan to destroy the Patriots from within. How does he do this? Well....<br />
<br />
# [[What|Pretend to be possessed by the ghost of Liquid]] and steal Metal Gear RAY which was later retconned into him using hypnosis to make himself think he's Liquid, which gives him all of Liquid's personalities and skills, because that's what happens in this universe (it's how Big Boss made his body double too).<br />
# Use one of the Patriots' AI to infiltrate their system and take effective control over their military assets, because AI who know that the new AI will be under Liquid's control will just hand it to him and wait to die.<br />
# When the patriots send Snake after him, put up a convincing show of resistance by attempting to kill him multiple times.<br />
# Steal the railgun off of Metal Gear REX and aim it at the Patriots' main satellite, which is still armed with a live nuke because nobody in the government told their successors about the nuke, because written logs don't exist in this world, everything is passed down through word of mouth, and the patriots forgot that the nuke was there too.<br />
# Hope that Snake is still alive at this point and that he's developed the worm necessary to kill the Patriots AI, which Liquid could have done at any time so he wouldn't have had to worry about all the earlier bullshit.<br />
# Fistfight him bare-chested until you die of exhaustion.<br />
# ???<br />
# Profit!<br />
Yeah... when we talk about how convoluted the story is, it's usually Ocelot's fault. Still, for an elderly old bastard, he's pretty damn badass. Dude can also pull off some [[/co/|Taskmaster]] level shit and bite CQC moves from his opponents. He's also the third canon cyborg via replacing Liquid's Arm with a prosthetic and [[What|dented his own ship with it.]]<br />
<br />
Also, he has a [[Slaanesh| torture fetish]] and is a [[Furry|furry old fuck.]]<br />
<br />
===Otacon===<br />
The [[weeaboo]] of the series. We're not exaggerating, by the way. He wanted to work on Metal Gear REX specifically because he's obsessed with [[anime]]. Otacon is your typical nerdy support character, giving Snake technical assistance in his fight against the Metal Gears and is the only reason REX was able to be defeated because he intentionally developed it with an exploitable weak spot that would have made it a hindrance against on the battlefield. This carries over to the next several games where he'll design something far inferior to what already existed, only to let you use that better thing later on anyway. He's also a quite literally hopeless romantic, as his two romantic interests ended up dying. Though to be honest, the first was a terrorist who showed no real interest in him, and the second was Naomi, who upon realizing she had cancer that wasn't doing a fucking thing because she stopped it with nanomachines, decided to commit suicide. Also we learn that his dad committed suicide because he had sex with his stepmom. Yeah.<br />
<br />
===Huey===<br />
Otacon's dad. Despite having the same general appearance, voice actor, and role as Otacon, Huey deserves special mention for how much of a [[that guy|cock]] he is and how despite all his faults, Otacon is infinitely more tolerable. So, he's a paraplegic engineer who got drafted by the CIA into helping to build Peace Walker, not realizing how insane the project really is (this is a persistent theme for him). After being rescued by Big Boss, Huey works for him and develops Metal Gear ZEKE as a counter to the various AI weapons the CIA had built. He also ended up marrying his design partner, the heavily-implied-to-have-had-a-lesbian-crush-on-The-Boss Dr. Strangelove, with whom they had a son named Hal (aka Otacon). Now, here's where the dark shit settles in: <s> after getting tricked by Cipher into letting them onto Mother Base to destroy it </s> after selling out Big Boss and MSF to Cipher, Huey gets abducted and is forced to work on a new Metal Gear, Sahelanthropus. Because the cockpit can't fit a full-sized human, he tries to get his son Hal to pilot it. Strangelove vehemently opposes this, so he ends up stuffing her inside an AI pod to suffocate. After getting recaptured by Big Boss, he insists that he never betrayed him and that he wasn't willingly working for Cipher. But after Big Boss succeeds in defeating Skull Face, Huey steals the vocal chord parasite and makes it more deadly by making it immune to its original antidote in an attempt to sell it to Cipher for protection, even having the gall to call Big Boss a murderer for mercy-killing the men Huey infected. Naturally, this pisses off Big Boss, so he sends him adrift on a tiny life raft. Huey lives out the rest of his days being a bad parent, eventually drowning himself (and nearly drowning his stepdaughter) when he found out Hal had sex with his new wife. After learning all that, one can only imagine how badly Hal was treated and feel some genuine pity for him.<br />
<br />
===Meryl===<br />
Colonel Roy Campbell's daughter (he told everyone she was his niece because he didn't want them to know her mother had an affair with him) and the only FOXHOUND agent to not join Liquid's rebellion. She starts out as a rookie way in over her head, but she helps out Snake by providing him with useful information. Snake also starts to develop a romantic interest in her after all the shit they go through, and then dumps her to go hunt Metal Gears because Snake decided that Metal Gears shouldn't exist, a plan which was doomed to failure since their design was on the internet and literally everyone could download it. In Metal Gear Solid, depending on whether Snake submits to Ocelot's torture, Meryl lives or dies at the end of the game. This is later retconned in Metal Gear Solid 4, where she lives but also learns the truth that she's Roy's daughter, not his niece, which pisses her off. Meryl becomes the commander of her own unit which she names after the group who tried to kill her, and decides that because at this point Snake's turned into a crusty old fart, she's going to marry her perpetually incontinent subordinate stalker (he saw her once and was then pining for her years after the fact), who's also a weeaboo.<br />
<br />
===Raiden===<br />
He's introduced as the "true" protagonist of Metal Gear Solid 2, but his original appearance is nowhere near as badass as Snake. He's a [[Fulgrim|white-haired effeminate Bishie]] that tends to rile up most people who loathe anime stereotypes. Raiden starts out as a Child Soldier in Africa (despite being whiter than white-out) before being taken in by the Patriots as their successor to Solid Snake. He's lived nearly his entire life in simulations and being fucked over by AIs. Once he's actually let out into the real world to stop Solidus and his terror cell, he meets Snake, and together they discover the existence of the Patriots.<br />
<br />
Raiden gets a significant upgrade after MGS2, where he gets kidnapped by the Patriots and has his entire body below his upper jaw cut off and replaced by a cyborg ninja body (akin to a reverse [[Ferrus Manus]]). Everyone agrees that his version of Raiden is much better, and he ends up starring in the spin-off game Metal Gear Rising, where he uses his sword and ninja athleticism to fight other cyborgs and a regular human who was stronger than him due to having [[Flash Gitz| a better weapon, Power Armor]] and skills. In the Metal Gear verse your top of the line upgrades are [[Games Workshop|barely useful in less than four years]].<br />
<br />
===Solidus===<br />
The last of Big Bosses' clones, Solidus was much more under the control of the Patriots, sometimes. He spent some time fighting in Africa, where he picked up an orphaned Raiden and turned him into a pawn of the Patriots. While he was eventually made President, this really didn't count for much as the Patriots still made all the decisions and he was basically a puppet. Solidus decides that he's had enough of this shit and steals the Patriots' new warship, Arsenal Gear, and decides to take the fight directly to them. Of course, this didn't end well for him when Snake and Raiden interfere and the ship crashes into Manhattan. He gets killed by Raiden, sort of-not really as nobody bothered to check the body (falling into a coma instead of dying), but his body ends up being a macguffin because his DNA is an exact match to Big Boss, allowing Ocelot to hack into the Patriots network, because even though the Patriots know what's happening and could stop it they let it happen anyway.<br />
<br />
===The Patriots===<br />
Also known as "Cipher", or "La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo" if you're under their direct control since they decided the best way to hide their name is telling everyone that they can't say their name. Financed by the inheritance of the 20th Century's wealthiest men, the Patriots control literally everything. Originally this was a group formed by Big Boss, Zero, Sigint, Para-Medic, Ocelot, and Eva in order to fulfill The Boss' wishes of uniting the world and ending the Cold War since the entire series is based around people wanting to do what The Boss wanted to do, despite most of them having minimal attachment to the boss at best. However, this group split in half over differences on how to fulfill this vision. Zero wanted to control the entire world and all facets of human life through all-knowing AIs, while Big Boss wanted to create "Outer Heaven," a place where soldiers would always belong and not be the puppets of governments (because having people always ready to fight would obviously mean everyone becomes peaceful and happy). When Zero went comatose, the group was taken over for a short time by Skull Face, the guy responsible for cleaning up the mess in MGS3 even though there wasn't anyone like that originally (retcon) and the location should have made it impossible. He wanted to fulfill the Boss' vision by eliminating language itself using a language-based parasite because he believed that a persons personality and way of thinking had everything to do with the language they spoke (he was also retarded). Eventually the Patriots was controlled by Five AIs: JD, GW, TJ, AL, & TR (John Doe, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt respectively) who had no self preservation whatsoever. These AIs decided that the best thing to unite the world was to plunge it into perpetual conflict and proxy wars, bringing together the worst of Zero's and Big Boss' visions and directly working against everything the series said they were working towards. The Patriots AI were killed off when Snake unwittingly uploaded a worm that killed all of them, finally freeing the world from their influence.<br />
<br />
==Types of Metal Gears==<br />
If the title of the game didn't hint at it enough, a prominent part of the game(s) are these giant mechs called (you guessed it) Metal Gears. In the beginning they're simply mobile platforms to launch nuclear weapons, but they evolve to fulfill many other roles and become far more dangerous in general.<br />
<br />
'''Shagohod''': Technically not a Metal Gear, but created the precedent for mobile nuclear platforms. This crazy contraption was basically a giant armored hovercraft (Move Trough Cover) that would rocket-boost (one-turn Fast Tank) in order to give its nuclear payload an extra boost and was designed to launch nukes from any surface, giving the Soviet Union the edge in the Cold War. Of course the whole point of the Cold War was that both sides were fucked if ANY nukes were launched so it became pointless before it was built. It also had point-defenses up the wazzoo.<br />
<br />
'''Metal Gear RAXA''': The first proper Metal Gear ever built. A four-legged Metal Gear that could be launched from a ICBM. If you're asking why in the fuck they have to use a Metal Gear as a middleman nuclear platform when they're already launching it from an ICBM, supposedly it's because the missiles are harder to intercept on the Metal Gear than on the ICBM... but who's to say they can't intercept the ICBM carrying the Metal Gear?<br />
<br />
'''Peace Walker''': A four-legged walker that was fully AI controlled. It's described as having a stealth frame, but it wouldn't exactly be hard to spot considering the size of the thing. It could only fire nukes defensively, but could be tricked into launching a premature attack through a plot that understood little to nothing of mutually assured destruction.<br />
<br />
'''Metal Gear ZEKE''': Big Boss' first attempt at a Metal Gear, this one was fully bipedal. Originally it was AI controlled too, but was modified to use a human pilot when Cypher attempted to steal it, the modifications being completed in days or minutes depending on when you last checked it, and nobody guarding it thought that it was a good idea to stop the modifications that weren't supposed to happen, and the two people doing them would never have been able to make them in the first place. This metal gear was also customizable and could be sent out on combat missions alongside MSF soldiers.<br />
<br />
'''Sahelanthropus''': This one was designed by Otacon's Dad, Huey. While technically more advanced than Metal Gear REX in that it could walk upright, one flaw was that the cockpit was too small for a full-sized human. Cypher got around this by using Pyscho Mantis to control it psychically, because in Phantom Pain Psycho Mantis could do whatever he wanted, which makes you question why they need robots when they already have control over a superhuman. Sahelanthropus is also the absolute proof of why Metal Gears are useless (as if Metal Gear: Rising didn't already do that), despite costing millions to make and countless resources, it's easily defeated by a man on a man-sized robot that would have cost a fraction of the resources to develop, and if it didn't have the ability to create clouds that destroyed metal, it could have been easily defeated by one tank.<br />
<br />
'''TX-55''': The Metal Gear that appears in the first game (which is now chronologically not the first one). This model didn't have that many frills, it was simply a robot that could fire nukes. It does nothing while Snake just uses C4 to blow it up and dodges the [[Rage|annoying laser cameras]]. Presumably it's the most durable one because the only way to hurt it is to use a shitload of C4 on its legs in a certain order, because that's how explosives work.<br />
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'''Metal Gear D''': The first real Metal Gear the player ever fights in the release order. An upgraded version of TX-55. It only had a machine guns and missiles during it's boss battle. It's sprite makes it look as if could launch [[Anal_circumference|six nukes one after another]].<br />
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'''Metal Gear REX''': This dinosaur-looking motherfucker takes the original Metal Gear concept one step further by firing nukes from a [[Tau|railgun]] instead of a ballistic missile, making nukes nearly impossible to track (though it was never designed to do so, it just happened to work out that way). It also had a badass assortment of weaponry, from Gatling Guns to crotch lasers and a crap-ton of missiles. Liquid only uses the anti tank missiles. Even after Snake battled it in MGS1, it was still tough enough to take on RAY in MGS4. After MGS1, hundreds of REX knockoffs started spreading throughout the world thanks to Ocelot's douchebaggery.<br />
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'''Metal Gear RAY''': Designed to be the ultimate anti-Metal Gear weapon, RAY failed fucking hard in that regard. It's amphibious by design, and instead of carrying nukes, its weapons include a powerful water cannon that can cut metal. Despite being built specifically to fight Metal Gears, it still loses in a fight against an already damaged Metal Gear REX. For some reason Ocelot never uses the laser or the missile spam attack seen in Metal Gear Solid 2 when he pilots the manned version in MGS4. Still not a cake walk though since you need too spam the fire button instead of holding it down to make this fight easier. Since Metal Gear battles that are not the first boss hardly ever are.<br />
The others seen in MGS2 and Rising are unmanned knockoffs.<br />
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'''Metal Gear RAY MOD0''': An upgrade over RAY seen in Metal Gear Rising. With the rise of carbon nano-tube tech; the armor was made lighter and stronger, allowing it to carry more weapons. Upgrades include: 4 limb-mounted twin-linked gatling guns, micro and macro missile launchers, an HF arm blade roughly the size of a small building, and a mouth-mounted plasma cannon. Despite all this, every last one of these guys encountered were destroyed by some Rhodesian weeaboo ninja with a sharp stick and a smart-talking Brazilian samurai with an incomprehensibly powerful sword and fighting technique.<br />
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'''Metal Gear EXCELSUS''': Not really a Metal Gear, it was only named so for marketing reasons, but still impractically awesome either way. Seen only in Metal Gear Rising; EXCELSUS was meant as an anti-cyborg gear, because cyborgs were becoming too powerful for conventional warfare. Due to this, people thought the only counter to this was to go back to making giant mechs with impractically large and powerful weapons (under the logic that if you can't outmanuver them; outgun them). EXCELSUS is basically a scorpion-shaped mech roughly as tall and wide a sports stadium and armed with two giant HF blades and twin plasma cannons. Its destroyed by Raiden in the most hilariously over-the-top way possible; he bodyslams it to the ground, rips one of it's arm blades off, and engages it in an arm-wrestling match with one of it's severed arms.<br />
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'''Gekko''': Quite possibly the dumbest looking mechs in science fiction, the Gekkos are small Metal Gears made up of a combination of synthetic organic muscle and mechanical technology. They have the head/upper body of a REX, but they have a pair of lizard legs to walk around on. You'd think that those legs would be easy pickings for bullets, but actually they won't buckle for anything less than explosives. They also allow the GEKKO to jump really high, climb on walls, and sweep kick you, so good luck running away from them. They also moo like cows and take shits. Seriously. We're not fucking joking.<br />
<br />
==Plot==<br />
===Metal Gear ===<br />
The original NES port of Metal was a load of [[fail]]. Proving that even thirty years ago PC gaming is superior to consoles. Seriously some of the maps are removed and a few of the boss battles have been changed. It also takes out Big Boss's [[Troll|importance to the original plot.]] Reading about Phantom Pain first will be spoilers for this game so be warned.<br />
<br />
===Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake===<br />
Subtitle included because the original non-canon Metal Gear 2 NES is a run and gun shooter with a story that [[Spiritual_liege| makes less sense then usual]].<br />
<br />
===Metal Gear Solid===<br />
Snake's decided to retire from the spy business after having to kill his father <s>twice</s> once (first one was actually Venom Snake) to live out his dream of training racing huskies in the Alaskan wilderness. But Colonel Campbell comes knocking at his door, telling him that FOXHOUND's turned traitor and have taken a nuclear disposal facility hostage. After getting some weird shots from Dr. Naomi Hunter, he gets his SCUBA on and sneaks into the base. There he quickly discovers that the leader of the rebellion is Liquid Snake, Solid Snake's clone brother with a massive hate-boner for both their father and himself. The other FOXHOUND members include Revolver Ocelot, Decoy Octopus, Vulcan Raven, Sniper Wolf, and Psycho Mantis; the only FOXHOUND agent who didn't join the rebellion was Campbell's niece Meryl. After sneaking around the base trying to rescue the hostages, both Darpa Chief Donald Anderson (Sigint in MGS3) and Armstech President Kenneth Baker die suddenly of a heart attack mid-conversation. Snake later learns that the shot he received earlier was actually the FOXDIE virus, a genome-specific disease that kills specific individuals (and that the Darpa Chief was actually Decoy Octopus, whereas the real one had already died from torture). Furthermore, the nuclear disposal facility is actually a secret testing ground for the newest Metal Gear model, Metal Gear REX.<br />
<br />
Snake tracks down REX's designer, Otacon, just as he's been cornered by a creepy cyborg ninja. Said ninja is actually Gray Fox, Snake's old BFF who's gone completely mental. (Naomi later reveals that she's not only Gray Fox's sister and wants to kill Snake for what he did to him, but also modified FOXDIE so that he'll be targeted as well at a random time... except wouldn't he already have been a target since he and Liquid have the exact same genome? Kojima just doesn't understand genetics at all.) After fighting him off, Otacon helps out Snake in finding out how to stop the terrorists from using REX's stealth nuke capabilities. Snake also meets up with Meryl, who gives him the PAL card needed to disarm Metal Gear REX. After fighting Psycho Mantis (Who has a memorable boss fight in which he literally blanks the entire screen and forces you to change controllers) and Vulcan Raven, Snake is captured by Sniper Wolf after she shoots Meryl, while Ocelot tortures Snake. Here, if Snake submits to the torture, Meryl dies at the end, otherwise she survives. Anyway, with Otacon's help, Snake is able to escape captivity, destroys Liquid's helicopter, defeats Sniper Wolf, and sneaks into Rex's lair. After defeating Vulcan Raven a second time, Snake finally reaches REX itself, figuring out that the system requires three key cards to disarm even though he only has the one. However, Otacon tells him that [[what|he already has all three key cards]] because its designed to change shape with temperature. So after traipsing around in the lair he disarms REX... [[fail|except that it was all a ruse and he ended up arming it instead]]. Liquid takes control of REX and challenges Snake to a fight. Luckily Gray Fox intervenes and helps to expose REX's cockpit, allowing Snake to shoot at liquid directly. Que a fistfight atop Rex, followed by the sudden reveal that the Secretary of State is going to bomb the whole island to cover the entire incident up, followed by a high-speed chase in which Liquid attempts to kill Snake one last time. Finally Liquid succumbs to FOXDIE while Snake and Otacon or Meryl walk away with him into the rising sun.<br />
<br />
Que one final cutscene in which Ocelot is revealed to have survived, and has stolen the plans for Metal Gear REX, under orders of President Solidus Snake.<br />
<br />
===Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty===<br />
Hoo boy, this is where the series starts getting weird. After the events of MGS, Snake and Otacon form an NGO that tracks and monitors the proliferation of Metal Gear platforms around the world. When Otacon gets a tip that the US Marine Corps has a new super Metal Gear designed specifically to fight other MGs, Snake sneaks onboard the oil tanker it's hidden in to get proof. A Russian mercenary company also boards the ship, killing the Marines on patrol and making Snake's job just that much harder. Snake incapacitates the mercs' field commander and finds Metal Gear RAY in the deep holds of the ship. He also finds Revolver Ocelot, who declares that he's "taking it back" for the Patriots, kills the Marine commandant, and takes RAY, sinking the ship in the process. Snake is presumed killed in action.<br />
<br />
Two years later, a terrorist group called "the Sons of Liberty" take over the Big Shell cleanup rig at the site of the tanker's sinking and take hostages, including the President of the United States. FOXHOUND sends in a covert operative to rescue the hostages and take out the Sons of Liberty, whose leader claims to be Solid Snake. The operative, code named "Raiden," gets jerked around by his handler Colonel Campbell, his data analyst and girlfriend Rosemary, and a SEAL Team 10 survivor named Iroquois Plisken (Solid Snake in a totally unconvincing disguise) as they track down the Sons of Liberty, disarm explosives, and have long, rambling conversations on the nature of free will.<br />
<br />
The events of this operation play out suspiciously like the events of the Shadow Moses operation in the previous game, culminating in the reveal that the whole thing was an attempt by the Patriots to replicate the circumstances that led to Solid Snake's transformation into one of the most effective operators in the world, using Raiden as a test subject. Ocelot got an arm transplant with Liquid Snake as the donor, and now Liquid's ghost can possess him. The Sons of Liberty were pawns, despite "Solid Snake" (actually Solidus, the third Snake) thinking he was rebelling against them by doing this. Dead Cell, the US Navy anti-terror unit created by President Sears (again, actually Solidus) to test military security, was used as a stand-in for the rogue FOXHOUND operatives from Shadow Moses, the Patriots liquidating them in order to drive them into Solidus's arms. Dead Cell member Fortune's entire misfortunate history (losing her father, husband, and unborn child) was engineered by the Patriots. The mysterious cyborg that's helping Raiden is Olga Gurlukovich, the Russian merc commander forced to work for the Patriots lest they kill the daughter they stole from her. The President was a willing participant in the entire charade because he wanted the power that being part of the Patriots could offer. The Big Shell is a cover for the construction of Arsenal Gear, an aircraft carrier-sized platform for monitoring and censoring Internet traffic and protected by two dozen RAY drones. The oil spill was created by the Patriots to justify the construction of Big Shell (remember the conspicuous lack of any oil in the tanker).<br />
<br />
And then the narrative goes totally off the rails. Otacon's sister Emma, rescued by Raiden and then killed by Dead Cell operative Vamp, delivers a computer worm that Otacon uses to infect Arsenal Gear, then Snake sucker punches Raiden to get him brought into Arsenal. The Colonel starts going berserk, calling Raiden with nonsense and gibberish. Snake finds Raiden's gear, gives it back, and also gives him a high-frequency sword that becomes his signature weapon henceforth. Battling to the core of Arsenal, Raiden fights its entire complement of RAYs with a Stinger missile system. Solidus, the Patriots, and "Liquid" Ocelot all reveal their goals: to hunt down the Patriots, to control global information context, and to find and destroy the Patriots, respectively. Arsenal Gear crashes into the Lower West Side of Manhattan, and Solidus and Raiden fight on the roof of Federal Hall.<br />
<br />
With Solidus dead, Raiden and Snake figure out what to do next. Snake and Otacon plan to mine the worm's code for information on the Patriots while Raiden reunites with Rose (who is totally real and not living in Canada), finally remembering why April 30th is so important to her: it was the day they first met.<br />
<br />
===Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater===<br />
Chronologically the first game in the series, MGS3 is pretty much a Fix Fic for the [[C.S. Goto|half assed story of MGS2]]. Force Operation X drops one of their operatives, Naked Snake, into Soviet territory to help scientist Nikolai Stepanovich Sokolov defect. Again (Major Zero of FOX had to give him back to the Soviets to end the Cuban Missile Crisis just days after crossing the Berlin Wall). Just as Snake is leaving with Sokolov, they are surrounded by KGB agents. Ocelot, a young major in GRU, arrives, kills the KGB agents with a dazzling display of gunplay, and then gets his ass handed to him by Snake. A sporting chap, Snake offers Ocelot tips on his gun handling before Ocelot passes out. Before they can leave, The Boss arrives in the AO, declaring her own defection to the Soviet Union. This is later revealed to be a ploy, though it should have been obvious to anyone with a brain that it was a ruse since the government told you she was on a nuclear sub and if her defection really was legit then they wouldn't have known where she was. If this was legit, this also means that they would have lost sight of not only the greatest soldier in the world, but her entire unit. She breaks Snake's arm for no reason other than to be an asshole and throws him off a rope bridge. Colonel Volgin of GRU uses an M388 Davey Crockett, given to him by The Boss, to destroy Sokolov's design bureau, thus ending the Cold War, as this is now an American nuke brought into Russia by an American and fired by a defector. Everyone still calls it the Cold War anyway because this plot point is forgotten almost immediately once the intro is over.<br />
<br />
In order to stop a full-scale war, America has to prove to Russia that they were not behind the attack on OKB-752, a plan doomed to failure because they obviously were and it's revealed in the end that they definitely were. Major Zero is forced to send Snake back into action with only two weeks to heal, his new mission: rescue Sokolov, kill The Boss (for some reason), her team (the Cobra Unit), and Colonel Volgin, and destroy Volgin's pet project, the Shagohod. In exchange, the Soviets will provide access to a communication satellite and two spies, NSA defectors codenamed ADAM and EVA. <br />
<br />
Snake is inserted into the area of operation again, but The Boss finds him and destroys his weapon and insertion vehicle because she's an asshole who likes working directly against her main objective, alerting the Russian ground forces to his presence. Snake meets a woman who claims she's EVA, even though she doesn't provide the counter-phrase "La Li Lu Le Lo" to Snake's question "Who are the Patriots?" Which should have told not only him but everyone involved that she wasn't who she said she was, and nobody read EVA's file which would have told them EVA was a man, either that or the NSA doesn't know if their agents are male or female and also doesn't bother writing their names down or taking their picture. Strangely Snake received a full file on this EVA before he met her (as some of it shows up in the radio menu) however he neglects to read the part where it says she was a Chinese spy, because we need some retarded plot twist at the end of the game for a 'Gotcha!' Moment. The two end up fighting the Ocelot Unit and humiliating Major Ocelot once again, even though Ocelot is ADAM and it's in his best interest to work with Snake (somehow nobody remembered he was a NSA defector the first time you met him) and nobody mentions this to Snake, because once again the government doesn't know who their own agents are. Snake fights Ocelot for the first time face-to-face at a crevice, though the fight ends prematurely when a swarm of hornets descends upon them, causing Snake to fall into the crevice.<br />
<br />
This leads to Snake's first encounter with a Cobra Unit operative, The Pain, who is infested with throat parasites that give him the scientific ability to control bees with his mind (it's as stupid as it sounds). The Pain wants to fight him for no narrative reason at all, we just needed a boss fight. After defeating The Pain who explodes with a microbomb at the end of the fight (which is retconned in a later game), Snake infiltrates the Granin Design Bureau, where he learns from Director Granin that Volgin is financing Shagohod's development with the Philosophers' Legacy, a hundred-billion-dollar fund entrusted to his father, Boris Volgin, by a shadowy cabal of the world's elite who called themselves the Philosophers. On leaving the Bureau, Snake encounters The Fear, the Cobra Unit's [[Night Lords|stealth and terror specialist]] who has the same parasites as The Pain, though they provide him with different abilities. Once again Snake fights a guy who has no reason to fight him, and after The Fear explodes via microbomb (retconned out later) he passes through the Sokrovenno forest and probably fights The End, the Cobra Unit's centenarian sniper, and the 'father of sniping'. Apparently nobody tried to be a sharpshooter before him, which is strange because this was when the guard's eyesight wasn't that bad. The End is perhaps the only member of the Cobra unit who has a reason to fight Snake, that being he's dying and wants to be killed before he dies of old age, and dies in several different ways depending on what the player did. They could have found the sniper rifle off the beaten path and shot him before this fight, after which Snake gives a depressed message about how sad he is that his mission is closer to being accomplished (this is also back when Snake was retarded), he might die of old age (Snake gives the same message), or you might fight him, in which he blows up via microbomb. The End has the same throat parasites as the other two, though once again his do different things, and depending on the gender of the person they're attached to they make you either require a ghillie suit, or require you to wear nothing but a bikini. After that Snake climbs a mountain path to rendezvous with EVA.<br />
<br />
EVA sets out their escape route and tells him where Volgin is holding Sokolov before she has to return to Volgin as Sokolovs' captive lover Tatyana, throughout this she hits on Snake, who reacts as if she just shot his dog. Traveling through underground tunnels, Snake encounters The Fury, the Cobra Unit's flamethrower operative. Like the others he has throat parasites that give him affinity for fire. His fiery, explosive death where he turns into a flaming skull monster (Snake suspects this to have happened thanks to the microbombs, because he's an idiot who believes that blowing up via microbomb turns you into a skull monster) causes the tunnels to collapse. Pressing on, Snake climbs the tallest ladder in the world while the theme song plays in the background to mask the load time to infiltrate the perimeter of Groznyj Grad, Volgin's fortified research facility where Shagohod and Sokolov reside, and the place Snake could have just dropped in at/immediately went towards from the beginning if Ocelot wasn't working against his own orders.<br />
<br />
Inside, Snake takes out Major Raikov/Raiden and dons his uniform, completing the disguise with a Raikov/Raiden mask. He doesn't get very far before Volgin sniffs him out and captures him, thanks to the fact that Raikov/Raiden and Volgin are/were in love (yes, seriously). Volgin tortures him for information, literally shocking the piss out of him thanks to his own ability to shoot lightning, before Ocelot walks in and shoots Snakes' right eye, because even though one of the main themes of the game is Patriotism, Ocelot will continuously work against the country he's supposed to work for. Snake escapes captivity through one of many ways, either a ghost gives him a message, he gets it via radio, he tricks the guard or he gets it from a weeaboo (yes, seriously, a weeaboo who's obsessed with all the men in his family being named Johnny) and ends up diving off a storm drain outflow to evade pursuit as he's chased by the Ocelot unit, because Ocelot's loyalty is to whomever it's least convenient for the plot. During his near-death experience, Snake encounters The Sorrow, the Cobra Unit's deceased psychic ops soldier, who confronts him with a waist-deep river filled with the souls of the men he's killed, though this really amounts to nothing as the 'fight' is literally impossible to lose and The Sorrow really doesn't give a shit one way or another.<br />
<br />
After coming to and linking up with EVA (also fucking her), Snake returns to Groznyj Grad, armed with a supply of C3 to destroy Shagohod's liquid fuel reserves. Caught in the act, The Boss makes Snake fight Volgin one-on-one while the detonators tick down toward zero, even though she could have started working with him right then and there, which would result in both of their missions being complete without any of the following bullshit: After defeating Volgin, Snake and EVA escape by motorcycle. Shagohod bursts out of its hangar, Volgin at the controls, because Snake runs away without checking to make sure Volgin will stay down, and so starts one of Snakes' major flaws, forgetting to make sure that his enemies are dealt with. Snake collapses a bridge to drop the Shagohod into a ravine, yet the machine drives up the debris in a way it couldn't to continue the pursuit. Even after pummeling it with RPG rounds, Volgin won't give up and controls the machine entirely through electricity once it becomes inoperable (because running electricity through shit causes it to magically become fixed). Snake goes for a third round, this time on foot, before Shagohod is finally destroyed and Volgin is not killed, since Snake again forgets to check if Volgin died or not. Finally, it looks like the mission's a success when they give their pursuers the slip, but EVA crashes their motorcycle and gets impaled by a tree branch.<br />
<br />
Snake has to haul the severely wounded EVA through another stretch of forest, evading the ground pursuit, to reach the WIG that she'd prepared for their exit. Before they arrive, Snake has to tie up one last loose end: The Boss. In a field of white flowers, The Boss tells Snake about the Philosophers in a cutscene that mostly repeats information the player already knows and goes on about twenty fucking minutes too long. The cutscene also includes her role as a secret Mercury Program astronaut, witnessing her country's betrayal in the Bay of Pigs incident, and the loss of her child to the Philosophers after giving birth to him on the shores of Normandy. She calls in an airstrike on their location with a ten minute warning and demands that Snake give her his all, for no real reason.<br />
<br />
After beating her in a fight, the Boss lays dying or just sleepy (depending on whether or not you used tranq rounds) in the field. She hands Snake a microfilm containing the Philosophers' Legacy since it was her mission to recover it in the beginning (she didn't complete her mission and fake her death because much like her student, she's an idiot) and asks that he use her gun, the Patriot, to finish her. The white flowers turn blood-red after the shot is fired. Snake boards the WIG, but Ocelot gets on as it's leaving to challenge Snake to a final duel, because his main objective is to ensure the USA gets the philosophers legacy, and he loves trying to prevent his own objective from getting accomplished. He loads one of his two revolvers with a single round, juggles them, and offers the choice to Snake. Depending on which gun you choose and where you choose to shoot it the round is either a blank or an actual bullet. If it's fired at one of them, it's a blank, if it's fired at a wall, the blank magically turns into an actual bullet.<br />
<br />
After spending the night in the Alaska safehouse fucking EVA, Snake awakes to find EVA gone and a taped message waiting for him. Her message explains that she was a Chinese spy, not the EVA who was supposed to help Snake during his mission (aka information he should have already known), raised by the Philosophers, taught by The Boss, and that his mission was intended to get the Philosophers' Legacy into the hands of the US government, while her mission was to steal it for the Chinese. When Volgin nuked OKB-752, Snake's mission was changed to include killing The Boss as a scapegoat, because losing the greatest soldier in the world during what could have been the worlds greatest war was deemed 'acceptable'.<br />
<br />
Back in the USA, Snake receives the Distinguished Service Cross from President Johnson and the title of Big Boss, ruining the Boss's speech about how there always needing to be one Snake, and one Boss (although the speech didn't make sense anyway as Snake wasn't his only codename). He snubs DCI John McCone on his way out, the man ultimately responsible for the death of The Boss. Snake places the Patriot on The Boss's unmarked grave in Arlington and salutes it, a manly tear rolling down his face.<br />
<br />
After the credits, we get the customary Ocelot phone call. He assures the KGB director that Groznyj Grad and the Granin Research Bureau were destroyed, Khrushchev is finished, and the Soviet Union can use the details of the Virtuous Mission and Operation Snake Eater to blackmail America. He then calls the DCI to confirm that EVA's copy of the Philosophers' Legacy is a fake, half of the Legacy has made it to America, the Shagohod is destroyed, and that he'd acquired data on Granin's Metal Gear project that America could find useful. He also reveals that he's the real ADAM, a triple agent working for the KGB, Volgin, and the CIA, which the the DCI already knew but never bothered to mention, because keeping his identity secret was considered more important than insuring the world isn't enveloped in Nuclear War.<br />
MGS4 pretty much confirms that all the surviving FOX unit characters from Snake Eater plus Eva and Ocelot are the founders of the Patriots, this happens off-screen of course even though none of the members are given any hint of being tech-savvy or influential enough to make (and install) world-governing AI's, since any time the series writes itself into a corner, more shit will just happen off-screen.<br />
<br />
===Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops===<br />
A game of questionable canon not directed or written by Hideo Kojima. The main antagonist is a bigger Villain Sue than Armstrong and Ocelot put together. Which is saying something because either would whip the floor with him. It was also a considered the worst game until recently (see Survive). Which is what you get when the primary writer is known for making shitty harem novels for morbidly obese otaku and directed by a script writer instead of a real director.<br />
<br />
===Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots===<br />
<br />
===Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker===<br />
The other direct sequel to Metal Gear Solid 3 on the PSP. A much better game between the two. It should have been released on consoles instead as Big Boss can't move and be in the prone position at the same time. This is where the series starts falling apart. As the real brains behind Metal Gear. Tomokazu Fukushima, left Konami during the early development of MGS4.<br />
<br />
===Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance===<br />
Set four years after Guns of the Patriots, Revengeace is a completely different beast from any other Metal Gear game. First off, you play as Raiden for the entire game instead of Snake or Big Boss. Second, since this game was developed by Platinum Games instead of Konami, [[Flesh Tearers|stealth is mostly thrown out the window for glorious carnage]] (you can still try to use stealth when it's applicable to make the game easier, as enemies are vulnerable to insta-kills while you're undetected, but nothing's stopping you from just going in and murderfucking everyone.). And third, the stupid over-the-top tropes Metal Gear Solid was known for are hitched up to eleven. Seriously, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfpeFE4QhU0| look at this shit.] That's the equivalent of tossing around a [[Titan (Warhammer 40,000)| Warhound Scout Titan]] like a rag doll.<br />
<br />
Long story short, Raiden receives a far more powerful cyborg body and is sent to eliminate Desperado; an off-shoot faction of the Patriots led by U.S Senator Armstrong, known for the "Nanomachines, son" [[meme]] and the most patriotic villain ever known. Besides that the plot is pretty much nonexistent, with Raiden running around and pretty much being the living avatar of [[rip and tear|RIP N' TEAR]]. The plot though did have some really funny moments where Raiden discovered the villains plan to create an army, kidnap children from third-world countries, put their brains in jars, have them remote control robots/cyborgs, and once they were skilled enough put their brains in those bodies so that they could get killed on the battlefield, not to mention there's a part where Raiden just lets a bunch of children die because he's too busy posing to help them out. Much like most of the series, this plan is doomed to failure before it starts when you realize that there's already a far better alternative in the form of nanomachines that make you invincible, they only stop working when it's plot convenient. It also regresses Raidens' character a bit (because much like every MGS sequel, the theme of the previous games are ignored), but nobody really gave a shit about that because of all the over-the-top ninja bullshit he constantly pulls off.<br />
<br />
===Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain===<br />
<br />
==== Ground Zeroes ====<br />
<br />
The story begins with Ground Zeroes, set one year after the events of Peace Walker. It turns out Paz, a close friend to Big Boss is alive, but she is being held in an American Interrogation camp on the southern tip of Cuba. Big Boss originally wanted to assassinate Paz because of her ties to the mysterious Cipher organization and suspects she might may have leaked critical information about the Militaires Sans Frontières. Miller on the other hand doesn't believe this and orders Big Boss to bring her back alive for questioning. Coincidentally, Mother Base is scheduled for a United Nations nuclear weapon inspection just as Miller doubts Paz's betrayal. After rescuing Paz and a young boy named Chico, they find out that Paz had a bomb surgically planted in her abdomen as a setup. After a very gruesome scene of surgically removing the bomb from Paz's body, Big Boss successfully disposes the bomb as Paz tries to recover. They return to Mother Base only to see that it has come under attack by Cipher's covert strike force XOF, meaning the inspection was only smokescreen for an attack. Big Boss manages to save Miller and an unnamed soldier (we find out his real alias is Mosquito, but he comes back later on). They all escape as Mother Base collapses and cue for Miller's famous meme quote "They played us like a damn fiddle!". Miller realizes Big Boss was right and demands answers from Paz. That is until Paz claims there is another bomb inside of her (heavily implied to be in her vagina, what the fuck Kojima) as she falls out of the helicopter and the second bomb inside her explodes causing the helicopter to lose control and crashes into another helicopter.<br />
<br />
==== The Phantom Pain ====<br />
<br />
Big Boss manages to survive the crash but falls into a coma for nine years. A pretty cool opening scene of Big Boss waking up to ''The Man Who Sold the World'' in a hospital bed in Cyprus. The doctors show Big Boss after the explosion that not only did he get shrapnel sticking out of his head and the inside of his body, but he also lost his left forearm in the process. The following night an assassin kills the doctors who took care of Big Boss and nearly kills Big Boss himself. That is until another patient stops the assassin and sets her on fire causing her to jump out the window. The patient reveals himself as 'Ishmael' and helps Big Boss escape (This isn't the only reference to the book Moby Dick, Ishmael calls Big Boss 'Ahab' while Big Boss is equipped with a hook hand prosthetic). As they both approach the elevator, they encounter a child wearing a gas mask and a straight jacket floating in the air (we know what you're thinking and yes, that is Psycho Mantis as a little kid) and a man covered in fire. Since gunfire is useless against him his only weakness is water. They both see that XOF units start killing the patients and hospital staff to ensure there are no witnesses. It becomes clear that they were sent in to eliminate Big Boss after finding out he had just woken up. After facing certain death against XOF soldiers and the Man of Fire, Big Boss and Ishmael escape the hospital using an ambulance. Unfortunately, the ambulance gets attacked by XOF forces and crashes. Big Boss survives, but Ishmael has disappeared leaving Big Boss to fend for himself. Just as an XOF helicopter is hovering over Big Boss, Psycho Mantis shows up then suddenly a giant fucking whale covered in fire swallows the helicopter and destroys it. To make things even more ridiculous, the Man of Fire shows up again riding a fucking winged unicorn made of fire. Luckily, a man riding a horse shows up to Big Boss' aid and that man is none other than Revolver Ocelot (now voiced by Troy Baker). After a chase ensues between the Man of Fire and Big Boss and Ocelot, they both manage to escape. Ocelot reminds Big Boss of what has happened before he fell into a coma and wants to help him and Miller rebuild their private army. It turns out Miller was captured by the Soviets and is being held for interrogation in Afghanistan. Big Boss joins up with Ocelot and sets out for Afghanistan. And that's all just the prologue.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, the rest of the story isn't nearly as awesome or cinematic, partly due to Konami's budget cuts forcing the game to be left in an unfinished state. Here's the gist; Big Boss slowly starts rebuilding his army by recruiting (read: kidnapping) Soviet and African soldiers, stealing tanks with balloons, and completing various contracts for money. However, its not long before he runs back into XOF forces, this time using mutant supersoldiers called the "Skulls" who use modified versions of the superpowered parasites used by the Cobra Unit, giving them freaky abilities like mind-controlling nearby soldiers or turning rock-solid. XOF is working on a new Metal Gear in Afghanistan, while working on a brand new superweapon on the Angola-Zaire border to eliminate entire languages through vocal-cord parasites, which are actually related to the Cobra Unit parasites. Actually these parasites have a lot of strange and unexplained abilities, like somehow being able to refine uranium ore or being used in the walking mechanisms for metal gears, or destroying metal. Whatever the case, Big Boss captures and falls in love with XOF sniper Quiet (who he learns is the same assassin who tried to kill him in the hospital), who is in turn won over by him because he's the motherfucking Big Boss. He also accidentally unleashes a parasite outbreak in Angola, which infects his own men, until he gets to the bottom of the infection. Finally after a big showdown in Afghanistan, Big Boss finally corners and kills Skull Face and his Metal Gear. <br />
<br />
So, story over, right? HA no. Huey causes a second outbreak to try to bribe his way back into Cypher's hands, Quite is forced to speak to rescue Big Boss (and thus runs away so she doesn't infect anyone, presumably to kill herself to avoid a slow and painful death), and baby Liquid runs away with all the child soldiers and steals the Metal Gear with him. And... that's pretty much it. The entire final battle was cut from the game, which according to plans would have been ''far'' more challenging and climactic than the two previous Metal Gear encounters, but unfortunately it never came to pass and likely never will. The only real ending we got was the reveal that Venom Snake was never Big Boss to begin with, just a brain-washed body double who would distract Cypher while the real Big Boss fucked off to do who-knows-what. We did get a decent epilogue, however, when several years after the game released, an Easter Egg was activated after every player-owned nuclear warhead was successfully deactivated in the PvP section of the game.<br />
<br />
===Metal Gear Survive===<br />
<br />
A portal in the sky transports you to an alternate dimension after Mother Base was destroyed by XOF, where the Wolbachia parasite has mutated everyone into Romero-like [[zombie]]s. As the name implies; your objective is to survive. Its basically every indie survival horror game you see on Steam, except this comes in with a hefty pricetag of 40 USD/EUR.<br />
<br />
From the recent trailers that came out; many people are already turned off by it, citing it as a mediocre survival horror game. As the first game ever worked on without Kojima's input, it easily be called the worst Metal Gear yet and even more inept than Kojima ever was. The story is worse than Snake's Revenge and makes Bethesda era [[Fallout]] look good with sentient nanomachines from the 22nd century via time travel as the main villain. Right out plagiarizing another video game made by Sqaure Enix, Gunslinger Stratos. Just without the alternate universe dopplegangers. <br />
One could also argue that it ripoffs the premise from [[Doctor Who]] two parter "The Empty Child". However, unlike Steven Moffat the people behind Survive have no idea how to make a coherent plot. Proving for a second time that [[C.S._Goto|Gakuto Mikumo]] (who wrote the shitty story of Portable Ops) is a [[Isekai|no talent hack like most light novel writers]]. Blatantly ignoring that the real future of the Metal Gear universe is the much superior Zone of the Enders.(Sahelanthropus looks like a much less advanced Jehuty.)<br />
<br />
Most of the game mechanics are a ripoff of Fortnite. The characters are bland and calling you every 30 seconds for who knows what. You are reminded to take food and drink often but it's very difficult to get either. The main character from the single player campaign is a [[Original_character,_do_not_steal|blatant ripoff of Chris Redfeild.]] While the player character is a mute because they couldn't afford to hire real voice actors after blowing their money on Matt Mercer. And do not forget that this piece of crap demands always online compatibility even for the single-player, and asking $10 for an extra save slot.<br />
<br />
Yes,10 bucks for an extra save slot...modern games everybody!!!!<br />
<br />
They could have let Platinum make another Metal Gear Rising or remade the 8-bit era games. [[/pol/|Don't mention that to the Survive fanboys who call Kojima a hack or haters cucks or they will have an albino chimp out.]] [[derp|Who claim this garbage is the best Metal Gear game since MGS2.]] The game has flopped in both the UK and on Steam. Despite the positive troll reviews, pathetic. Most real fans would rather let the franchise die at this point and Konami just put the final nail in the coffin.<br />
<br />
==See Also==<br />
*[[Metal Gear Vindicare]]<br />
*[[BattleTech]]<br />
<br />
==Gallery==<br />
<center><br />
<gallery><br />
Image: Absolutely disgusting.jpg<br />
Image: Metal Gear-Titan Comparission.png<br />
Image: Nanomachines, boy.png<br />
Image: Metal Gear Model.jpeg<br />
Image: MSG Agent Chart.png|Create your own MSG Agent!<br />
</gallery><br />
[[Category: Video_Games]]<br />
[[Category: Under_Development]]<br />
[[Category:Meme]]</div>2601:147:4200:6280:2561:C61A:5ED7:9030http://2d4chan.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=HMMWV_Scout_Section&diff=243840HMMWV Scout Section2018-04-09T17:29:46Z<p>2601:147:4200:6280:2561:C61A:5ED7:9030: /* IRL */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[File:HMMWV.png|300px|right|thumb|Its a Hummer... ''with a gun'']]<br />
The '''High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle''' (or more commonly, the "Humvee") is an all-terrain American light truck used by both militaries and civilians for all variety of off-roading needs. Much like the venerable Jeep that it replaced, the Humvee is famed for being able to traverse any environment with relative ease. While an excellent vehicle for scouting and rear line transportation, it is ill-suited for direct combat, possessing little in the way of armor. Being a frequent target of ambush attacks in Iraq, these trucks have been increasingly armored at the expense of mobility, though with little improvement to survivability against IEDs.<br />
<br />
==In Team Yankee==<br />
[[File:HMMWV Stat card.png|300px|left|thumb|the Stats]]<br />
No armor point on the front sides, or rear that is eerily similar to real life the real life vehicle!<br />
<br />
==IRL==<br />
[[File:Humvee IRL.jpg|300px|right|thumb|A HMMWV during a training exercise]]<br />
What the Jeep was to the first 30 years of the Post WW2 American military, the HMMWV served the same role in the late 20th and Early 21st century. It is no longer in production for the US Military, but upgrades and modifications are expected to keep it in operation till the 2030s. In fact, many HMMWVs are older than their grunt drivers and occupants. The vehicle comes in many flavors from simple utility vehicles to fully protected light vehicles. The US military will eventually replace it have with the JTLV.<br />
The vehicle will have the [[Dakka|M230]] for taking on Cold War APCs, pre composite armor tanks, and enemies behind cover.<br />
The first step to replace the HMMWV is to push it out of its role of patrolling urban environments by MRAP vehicles that are purpose-built for surviving direct attack and IEDs.<br />
{{US Forces in Team Yankee}}</div>2601:147:4200:6280:2561:C61A:5ED7:9030http://2d4chan.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=HMMWV_Scout_Section&diff=243839HMMWV Scout Section2018-04-09T17:29:17Z<p>2601:147:4200:6280:2561:C61A:5ED7:9030: /* IRL */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[File:HMMWV.png|300px|right|thumb|Its a Hummer... ''with a gun'']]<br />
The '''High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle''' (or more commonly, the "Humvee") is an all-terrain American light truck used by both militaries and civilians for all variety of off-roading needs. Much like the venerable Jeep that it replaced, the Humvee is famed for being able to traverse any environment with relative ease. While an excellent vehicle for scouting and rear line transportation, it is ill-suited for direct combat, possessing little in the way of armor. Being a frequent target of ambush attacks in Iraq, these trucks have been increasingly armored at the expense of mobility, though with little improvement to survivability against IEDs.<br />
<br />
==In Team Yankee==<br />
[[File:HMMWV Stat card.png|300px|left|thumb|the Stats]]<br />
No armor point on the front sides, or rear that is eerily similar to real life the real life vehicle!<br />
<br />
==IRL==<br />
[[File:Humvee IRL.jpg|300px|right|thumb|A HMMWV during a training exercise]]<br />
What the Jeep was to the first 30 years of the Post WW2 American military, the HMMWV served the same role in the late 20th and Early 21st century. It is no longer in production for the US Military, but upgrades and modifications are expected to keep it in operation till the 2030s. In fact, many HMMWVs are older than their grunt drivers and occupants. The vehicle comes in many flavors from simple utility vehicles to fully protected light vehicles. The US military will eventually replace it have with the JTLV.<br />
The vehicle will have the [[M230|Dakka]] for taking on Cold War APCs, pre composite armor tanks, and enemies behind cover.<br />
The first step to replace the HMMWV is to push it out of its role of patrolling urban environments by MRAP vehicles that are purpose-built for surviving direct attack and IEDs.<br />
{{US Forces in Team Yankee}}</div>2601:147:4200:6280:2561:C61A:5ED7:9030http://2d4chan.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=HMMWV_Scout_Section&diff=243838HMMWV Scout Section2018-04-09T17:28:40Z<p>2601:147:4200:6280:2561:C61A:5ED7:9030: /* IRL */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[File:HMMWV.png|300px|right|thumb|Its a Hummer... ''with a gun'']]<br />
The '''High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle''' (or more commonly, the "Humvee") is an all-terrain American light truck used by both militaries and civilians for all variety of off-roading needs. Much like the venerable Jeep that it replaced, the Humvee is famed for being able to traverse any environment with relative ease. While an excellent vehicle for scouting and rear line transportation, it is ill-suited for direct combat, possessing little in the way of armor. Being a frequent target of ambush attacks in Iraq, these trucks have been increasingly armored at the expense of mobility, though with little improvement to survivability against IEDs.<br />
<br />
==In Team Yankee==<br />
[[File:HMMWV Stat card.png|300px|left|thumb|the Stats]]<br />
No armor point on the front sides, or rear that is eerily similar to real life the real life vehicle!<br />
<br />
==IRL==<br />
[[File:Humvee IRL.jpg|300px|right|thumb|A HMMWV during a training exercise]]<br />
What the Jeep was to the first 30 years of the Post WW2 American military, the HMMWV served the same role in the late 20th and Early 21st century. It is no longer in production for the US Military, but upgrades and modifications are expected to keep it in operation till the 2030s. In fact, many HMMWVs are older than their grunt drivers and occupants. The vehicle comes in many flavors from simple utility vehicles to fully protected light vehicles. The US military will eventually replace it have with the JTLV.<br />
The vehicle will have the [[M230|More_Dakka]] for taking on Cold War APCs, pre composite armor tanks, and enemies behind cover.<br />
The first step to replace the HMMWV is to push it out of its role of patrolling urban environments by MRAP vehicles that are purpose-built for surviving direct attack and IEDs.<br />
{{US Forces in Team Yankee}}</div>2601:147:4200:6280:2561:C61A:5ED7:9030http://2d4chan.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=HMMWV_Scout_Section&diff=243837HMMWV Scout Section2018-04-09T17:28:22Z<p>2601:147:4200:6280:2561:C61A:5ED7:9030: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[File:HMMWV.png|300px|right|thumb|Its a Hummer... ''with a gun'']]<br />
The '''High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle''' (or more commonly, the "Humvee") is an all-terrain American light truck used by both militaries and civilians for all variety of off-roading needs. Much like the venerable Jeep that it replaced, the Humvee is famed for being able to traverse any environment with relative ease. While an excellent vehicle for scouting and rear line transportation, it is ill-suited for direct combat, possessing little in the way of armor. Being a frequent target of ambush attacks in Iraq, these trucks have been increasingly armored at the expense of mobility, though with little improvement to survivability against IEDs.<br />
<br />
==In Team Yankee==<br />
[[File:HMMWV Stat card.png|300px|left|thumb|the Stats]]<br />
No armor point on the front sides, or rear that is eerily similar to real life the real life vehicle!<br />
<br />
==IRL==<br />
[[File:Humvee IRL.jpg|300px|right|thumb|A HMMWV during a training exercise]]<br />
What the Jeep was to the first 30 years of the Post WW2 American military, the HMMWV served the same role in the late 20th and Early 21st century. It is no longer in production for the US Military, but upgrades and modifications are expected to keep it in operation till the 2030s. In fact, many HMMWVs are older than their grunt drivers and occupants. The vehicle comes in many flavors from simple utility vehicles to fully protected light vehicles. The US military will eventually replace it have with the JTLV.<br />
The vehicle will have the [[More_Dakka|M230]] for taking on Cold War APCs, pre composite armor tanks, and enemies behind cover.<br />
The first step to replace the HMMWV is to push it out of its role of patrolling urban environments by MRAP vehicles that are purpose-built for surviving direct attack and IEDs.<br />
{{US Forces in Team Yankee}}</div>2601:147:4200:6280:2561:C61A:5ED7:9030http://2d4chan.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Metal_Gear&diff=337093Metal Gear2018-04-09T15:52:44Z<p>2601:147:4200:6280:2561:C61A:5ED7:9030: /* Metal Gear Survive */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[File: MSG Title.jpeg|thumb|right|Metal Gear Solid title]]<br />
{{autism}}<br />
{{Template:/vg/}}<br />
{{Spoilers}}<br />
If you're here on the Internet and have ''not'' heard of Metal Gear or Metal Gear Solid, you're obviously pretty new or just straight up ignorant... But for the sake [[/tg/]] and everyone, we'll help.<br />
<br />
Metal Gear and the subsequent games coming after it are action-adventure stealth games starting in 1987. While Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2 on the <strike>EN EE ESS</strike> EM ES EX TWO were well-received and iconic, it was Metal Gear Solid in 1998 on the PEE ESS JUAN that changed not only the franchise but third-person shooters in general and practically being the herald of stealth games. Though each game has a different story, it typically follows the supersoldier agent Solid Snake or Big Boss during the 21st century and the Cold War as he infiltrates something, destroys whatever's inside, and is a badass while doing it. We would explain more of the story here but honestly it gets stupidly complicated with government conspiracies, clones, ghosts, [[meme|sudden but inevitable betrayals]], and many more. While somewhat grounded in reality it has a very obvious sci-fi feel to it, similar to [[BattleTech]], [[Shadowrun]], and in some ways [[Warhammer 40,000|Warhammer 40K]]. Bedsides it's well crafted game play and sometimes uneven plot, Metal Gear is mainly known for it's [[memes]].<br />
<br />
==Metal Gear and /tg/==<br />
Like much of the Internet and 4chan, /tg/ has a pretty distinct love for Metal Gear. We've had several quest threads following the Metal Gear universe, most notably [http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Metal%20Gear:%20Rise%20from%20Ashes%20Quest| Rise from Ashes] and [http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Revengeance%20Quest| Revengeance Quest]. While there's not a definitive homebrew for it, there's limitless potential and [http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/38662709/| that certainly hasn't stopped us from trying]. <br />
<br />
[[Metal Gear Vindicare]] is a pretty obvious /tg/-MSG relation, being inspired by the famous codec used by Solid Snake in the game. Centers around [[Love Can Bloom]] with <s>[[Doomrider]] as a special guest.</s> <span style="color:purple">'''DO COCAAAAIIIINNE!'''</span><br />
<br />
A lot of things about Metal Gear correlate with the interests of fa/tg/uys. Despite what most people think, /tg/ loves their [[tau|giant]] [[Adeptus Evangelion|robots]], which Metal Gear Solid has in spades. There's also a good enough amount of both [[grimdark]] and [[Orks|hilarious stupidity]] to keep a wide variety of neckbeards entertained.<br />
<br />
==Characters==<br />
===Solid Snake===<br />
[[File: Solid Snake codec.png|thumb|left|I ''am'' happy]]<br />
The protagonist for most of the games. He starts out his career in Metal Gear as a rookie FOXHOUND agent, uncovering the existence of the Metal Gear and the double-crossing of his superior, Big Boss. He later discovers that he's actually the clone-son of Big Boss, created for reasons that change from game to game. Snake spends the rest of the games fighting Big Bosses' other clones as well as uncovering the grand conspiracy his father had been retconned into fighting, while people talk about how hard the life that he chooses to live is even though it's his own fucking choice. He finally ends his career in Metal Gear Solid 4, his clone-genes rapidly degenerating and near the end of his life (by the time he's in his mid-thirties he's in his late sixties biologically, complete with heart problems and seizures). But he doesn't get to die before finally making amends with his father in a rather hilarious moment where Big Boss is convinced that unless he kills a really old man who was essentially a vegetable the whole series could happen again. In terms of personality there's not much to say, besides him wanting to lead huskies in the Iditarod if he were to ever retire.<br />
<br />
===Big Boss===<br />
[[File:Big Boss Salute.jpeg|thumb|right|250px|Good night, sweet prince.]]<br />
Basically [[General Sturnn]]. But with an eye-patch. [[Farsight]] seems to take a lot of inspiration from him too. <br />
<br />
While initially portrayed as the villain due to how much he loved war so he could get child soldiers to train into regular soldiers, one could argue whether or not his actions were justified given the later retcon of the Patriots existence (and then they'd remember that whole child soldier bit). Big Boss stars as the protagonist of all the Metal Gear games before Solid begins his career, dating back to the 1960s when he was known as Naked Snake (get it?). Naked Snake discovers the progenitor of Metal Gear in Soviet Russia while also being "betrayed" by his former leader, The Boss. After an arms deal goes wrong, he chooses to kill her to cover up America's involvement, which leaves a lasting impact for the rest of his life and was betrayed by his love interest, EVA, because nobody on the team realized that the agent he was supposed to meet (a man) was actually replaced by EVA (a woman). He decides to abandon the United States (even though patriotism was the theme of the previous game) and create his own military group "Militaires Sans Frontieres," the very mercenary group to have ever existed in the MGS world, later called "Diamond Dogs," while fighting his own shadow war against former comrade Zero who turned evil offscreen and is the founder of the Patriots (also happens offscreen). After fighting a number of early Metal Gear models, Big Boss began building a few Metal Gears of his own to try and even the odds. During a battle against one of the Patriots' splinter groups, Cypher, Big Boss pussies out and decides "Fuck this war, somebody else can deal with this shit" and leaves a body double, Venom Snake, to become the public face of his PMC while he fucked off to who knows where. Originally Big Boss fought Solid Snake in MG1 and died, this was retconned in MG2 where they said he didn't die, just had lots of his body replaced with machinery, and retconned into Venom Snake died instead in MG1, while Big Boss entered into a coma after MG2 until he was revived just after the patriots were defeated (nobody bothered to check to make sure he was dead).<br />
He can also bench press 200 simi odd ton tanks and recharge batteries by eating glowing mushrooms for [[Orks| some reason.]]<br />
<br />
===Gray Fox===<br />
Initially just an NPC with some backstory as FOXHOUND's best soldier. In Metal Gear 2 he's retconned as Solid Snake's best friend in Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake.([[Fail| To differentiate it from the load of fail that was Metal Gear 2 on the NES]]) Mid-way into the game in he is revealed as the second in command of Zanzibar Land under Big Boss & the pilot of the first real Metal Gear battle and first of the melee only boss battles, with [[Mekboy | land minds surrounding boss arena]]. Because the AI was shit (and he isn't the player character) he loses to Snake. He also kills his girlfriend accidentally in one of the most heavily foreshadowed scenes of all time. <br />
In Metal Gear Solid he comes back as the first [[Adeptus Mechanicus|Cyborg Ninja]] as a tutorial battle for the game's melee system. [[Railroading| In short telling the player how to beat him.]] His final act is damaging Metal Gear Rex with some kind of [[Skub|laser or plasma weapon]] that he didn't have in previous appearances before being squished by Metal Gear. So Snake can finally defeat Rex with his Stinger Missiles. Also appears in a prequel game of [[C.S. Goto|questionable canon]].<br />
Later on his backstory was expanded a little more, and it was revealed that he was a child soldier fighting in an area well known for their child soldiers, and he was able to amass a large kill-streak because none of his enemies thought that child soldiers existed, [[Fail|in an area full of them.]]<br />
His ability to lower the intelligence of everyone he met impressed the CIA, who decided to make him into the perfect soldier, unfortunately this ability affected the CIA too and they assumed that wiping all of his memories, including the memory of any martial art he knew or fought against, would make him a better fighter.<br />
He also later murdered the parents of Naomi, then chose to adopt her, because why not? Naomi is also the person who turns him into a cyborg and then lets him loose, knowing full well that he'll want another rematch against Snake, and knowing full well that if Snake failed to complete the mission a Nuke could be launched against the US, though luckily assisting in the act of nuclear terrorism only gets you a verbal reprimand, so she gets away just fine.<br />
<br />
===Liquid Snake===<br />
[[File:Brother Liquid.png|thumb|right|Liquid quite literally most of the time.]]<br />
The antagonist of Metal Gear Solid and Snake's clone brother. Liquid has a distinctly British accent and blond hair. According to the game's very loose grasp of genetics, Liquid inherited all the recessive genes of Big Boss, while Snake inherited all the dominant genes, and because of this he believed he was made from "inferior genes" and that's the reason he's evil. No seriously, the entire reason he's evil is because he doesn't like how he looks, and thus becomes Doctor Doom. Even as a child, he was a surprisingly competent soldier, giving Venom Snake (who he believed was his father Big Boss) a lot of headaches when he started acting out, he also murdered kids and stole the Metal Gear Venom Snake had before vanishing in a cliffhanger that never got resolved in the main series (you'll have to look to youtube to see what they wanted to do). Liquid would have died from Skull Face's parasite had he not become BFFs with his future comrade, Psycho Mantis who had the ability to do pretty much everything, and was retconned into being possessed by Liquid since Psycho Mantis now gets possessed by non-Psychic people, even though he's wearing his mask which was designed to stop peoples thoughts from entering his head. Liquid has massive Daddy issues (the aforementioned genes) and is incredibly stupid, which lead him to rebel against the US government and seize Metal Gear REX for himself. He also really hates Snake for the same aforementioned gene issue, possessing a really intense inferiority complex and needing to constantly prove himself. Also turned Gray Fox into a blood puddle, because can't aim a [[fail|laser for crap]]. Snake fights him several times, including shooting down his helicopter and Metal Gear Rex, but the bastard JUST. WON'T. DIE. Of course he finally does die from an engineered virus... sort of. "Liquid" takes possession of Ocelot but this was retconned out later so it doesn't matter.<br />
<br />
===Ocelot===<br />
A Russian gunslinger and a guy with a LOT of mixed loyalties that make no sense when you think about it. Formerly a member of GRU (the Soviet Military's version of the civilian KGB) and a secret agent for the USA, Ocelot joined with Big Boss (due to wanting to fuck him), helping him in secret despite nominally being a member of the Patriots (and later deciding to destroy them). Ocelot joined Liquid's rebellion, but only to act as the Patriot's inside man and steal the plans for Metal Gear REX, even though as the governing intelligence they would already have had them. He also manages to steal Metal Gear RAY, but at this point he starts acting out his secret plan to destroy the Patriots from within. How does he do this? Well....<br />
<br />
# [[What|Pretend to be possessed by the ghost of Liquid]] and steal Metal Gear RAY which was later retconned into him using hypnosis to make himself think he's Liquid, which gives him all of Liquid's personalities and skills, because that's what happens in this universe (it's how Big Boss made his body double too).<br />
# Use one of the Patriots' AI to infiltrate their system and take effective control over their military assets, because AI who know that the new AI will be under Liquid's control will just hand it to him and wait to die.<br />
# When the patriots send Snake after him, put up a convincing show of resistance by attempting to kill him multiple times.<br />
# Steal the railgun off of Metal Gear REX and aim it at the Patriots' main satellite, which is still armed with a live nuke because nobody in the government told their successors about the nuke, because written logs don't exist in this world, everything is passed down through word of mouth, and the patriots forgot that the nuke was there too.<br />
# Hope that Snake is still alive at this point and that he's developed the worm necessary to kill the Patriots AI, which Liquid could have done at any time so he wouldn't have had to worry about all the earlier bullshit.<br />
# Fistfight him bare-chested until you die of exhaustion.<br />
# ???<br />
# Profit!<br />
Yeah... when we talk about how convoluted the story is, it's usually Ocelot's fault. Still, for an elderly old bastard, he's pretty damn badass. Dude can also pull off some [[/co/|Taskmaster]] level shit and bite CQC moves from his opponents. He's also the third canon cyborg via replacing Liquid's Arm with a prosthetic and [[What|dented his own ship with it.]]<br />
<br />
Also, he has a [[Slaanesh| torture fetish]] and is a [[Furry|furry old fuck.]]<br />
<br />
===Otacon===<br />
The [[weeaboo]] of the series. We're not exaggerating, by the way. He wanted to work on Metal Gear REX specifically because he's obsessed with [[anime]]. Otacon is your typical nerdy support character, giving Snake technical assistance in his fight against the Metal Gears and is the only reason REX was able to be defeated because he intentionally developed it with an exploitable weak spot that would have made it a hindrance against on the battlefield. This carries over to the next several games where he'll design something far inferior to what already existed, only to let you use that better thing later on anyway. He's also a quite literally hopeless romantic, as his two romantic interests ended up dying. Though to be honest, the first was a terrorist who showed no real interest in him, and the second was Naomi, who upon realizing she had cancer that wasn't doing a fucking thing because she stopped it with nanomachines, decided to commit suicide. Also we learn that his dad committed suicide because he had sex with his stepmom. Yeah.<br />
<br />
===Huey===<br />
Otacon's dad. Despite having the same general appearance, voice actor, and role as Otacon, Huey deserves special mention for how much of a [[that guy|cock]] he is and how despite all his faults, Otacon is infinitely more tolerable. So, he's a paraplegic engineer who got drafted by the CIA into helping to build Peace Walker, not realizing how insane the project really is (this is a persistent theme for him). After being rescued by Big Boss, Huey works for him and develops Metal Gear ZEKE as a counter to the various AI weapons the CIA had built. He also ended up marrying his design partner, the heavily-implied-to-have-had-a-lesbian-crush-on-The-Boss Dr. Strangelove, with whom they had a son named Hal (aka Otacon). Now, here's where the dark shit settles in: <s> after getting tricked by Cipher into letting them onto Mother Base to destroy it </s> after selling out Big Boss and MSF to Cipher, Huey gets abducted and is forced to work on a new Metal Gear, Sahelanthropus. Because the cockpit can't fit a full-sized human, he tries to get his son Hal to pilot it. Strangelove vehemently opposes this, so he ends up stuffing her inside an AI pod to suffocate. After getting recaptured by Big Boss, he insists that he never betrayed him and that he wasn't willingly working for Cipher. But after Big Boss succeeds in defeating Skull Face, Huey steals the vocal chord parasite and makes it more deadly by making it immune to its original antidote in an attempt to sell it to Cipher for protection, even having the gall to call Big Boss a murderer for mercy-killing the men Huey infected. Naturally, this pisses off Big Boss, so he sends him adrift on a tiny life raft. Huey lives out the rest of his days being a bad parent, eventually drowning himself (and nearly drowning his stepdaughter) when he found out Hal had sex with his new wife. After learning all that, one can only imagine how badly Hal was treated and feel some genuine pity for him.<br />
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===Meryl===<br />
Colonel Roy Campbell's daughter (he told everyone she was his niece because he didn't want them to know her mother had an affair with him) and the only FOXHOUND agent to not join Liquid's rebellion. She starts out as a rookie way in over her head, but she helps out Snake by providing him with useful information. Snake also starts to develop a romantic interest in her after all the shit they go through, and then dumps her to go hunt Metal Gears because Snake decided that Metal Gears shouldn't exist, a plan which was doomed to failure since their design was on the internet and literally everyone could download it. In Metal Gear Solid, depending on whether Snake submits to Ocelot's torture, Meryl lives or dies at the end of the game. This is later retconned in Metal Gear Solid 4, where she lives but also learns the truth that she's Roy's daughter, not his niece, which pisses her off. Meryl becomes the commander of her own unit which she names after the group who tried to kill her, and decides that because at this point Snake's turned into a crusty old fart, she's going to marry her perpetually incontinent subordinate stalker (he saw her once and was then pining for her years after the fact), who's also a weeaboo.<br />
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===Raiden===<br />
He's introduced as the "true" protagonist of Metal Gear Solid 2, but his original appearance is nowhere near as badass as Snake. He's a [[Fulgrim|white-haired effeminate Bishie]] that tends to rile up most people who loathe anime stereotypes. Raiden starts out as a Child Soldier in Africa (despite being whiter than white-out) before being taken in by the Patriots as their successor to Solid Snake. He's lived nearly his entire life in simulations and being fucked over by AIs. Once he's actually let out into the real world to stop Solidus and his terror cell, he meets Snake, and together they discover the existence of the Patriots.<br />
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Raiden gets a significant upgrade after MGS2, where he gets kidnapped by the Patriots and has his entire body below his upper jaw cut off and replaced by a cyborg ninja body (akin to a reverse [[Ferrus Manus]]). Everyone agrees that his version of Raiden is much better, and he ends up starring in the spin-off game Metal Gear Rising, where he uses his sword and ninja athleticism to fight other cyborgs and a regular human who was stronger than him due to having [[Flash Gitz| a better weapon, Power Armor]] and skills. In the Metal Gear verse your top of the line upgrades are [[Games Workshop|barely useful in less than four years]].<br />
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===Solidus===<br />
The last of Big Bosses' clones, Solidus was much more under the control of the Patriots, sometimes. He spent some time fighting in Africa, where he picked up an orphaned Raiden and turned him into a pawn of the Patriots. While he was eventually made President, this really didn't count for much as the Patriots still made all the decisions and he was basically a puppet. Solidus decides that he's had enough of this shit and steals the Patriots' new warship, Arsenal Gear, and decides to take the fight directly to them. Of course, this didn't end well for him when Snake and Raiden interfere and the ship crashes into Manhattan. He gets killed by Raiden, sort of-not really as nobody bothered to check the body (falling into a coma instead of dying), but his body ends up being a macguffin because his DNA is an exact match to Big Boss, allowing Ocelot to hack into the Patriots network, because even though the Patriots know what's happening and could stop it they let it happen anyway.<br />
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===The Patriots===<br />
Also known as "Cipher", or "La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo" if you're under their direct control since they decided the best way to hide their name is telling everyone that they can't say their name. Financed by the inheritance of the 20th Century's wealthiest men, the Patriots control literally everything. Originally this was a group formed by Big Boss, Zero, Sigint, Para-Medic, Ocelot, and Eva in order to fulfill The Boss' wishes of uniting the world and ending the Cold War since the entire series is based around people wanting to do what The Boss wanted to do, despite most of them having minimal attachment to the boss at best. However, this group split in half over differences on how to fulfill this vision. Zero wanted to control the entire world and all facets of human life through all-knowing AIs, while Big Boss wanted to create "Outer Heaven," a place where soldiers would always belong and not be the puppets of governments (because having people always ready to fight would obviously mean everyone becomes peaceful and happy). When Zero went comatose, the group was taken over for a short time by Skull Face, the guy responsible for cleaning up the mess in MGS3 even though there wasn't anyone like that originally (retcon) and the location should have made it impossible. He wanted to fulfill the Boss' vision by eliminating language itself using a language-based parasite because he believed that a persons personality and way of thinking had everything to do with the language they spoke (he was also retarded). Eventually the Patriots was controlled by Five AIs: JD, GW, TJ, AL, & TR (John Doe, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt respectively) who had no self preservation whatsoever. These AIs decided that the best thing to unite the world was to plunge it into perpetual conflict and proxy wars, bringing together the worst of Zero's and Big Boss' visions and directly working against everything the series said they were working towards. The Patriots AI were killed off when Snake unwittingly uploaded a worm that killed all of them, finally freeing the world from their influence.<br />
<br />
==Types of Metal Gears==<br />
If the title of the game didn't hint at it enough, a prominent part of the game(s) are these giant mechs called (you guessed it) Metal Gears. In the beginning they're simply mobile platforms to launch nuclear weapons, but they evolve to fulfill many other roles and become far more dangerous in general.<br />
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'''Shagohod''': Technically not a Metal Gear, but created the precedent for mobile nuclear platforms. This crazy contraption was basically a giant armored hovercraft (Move Trough Cover) that would rocket-boost (one-turn Fast Tank) in order to give its nuclear payload an extra boost and was designed to launch nukes from any surface, giving the Soviet Union the edge in the Cold War. Of course the whole point of the Cold War was that both sides were fucked if ANY nukes were launched so it became pointless before it was built. It also had point-defenses up the wazzoo.<br />
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'''Metal Gear RAXA''': The first proper Metal Gear ever built. A four-legged Metal Gear that could be launched from a ICBM. If you're asking why in the fuck they have to use a Metal Gear as a middleman nuclear platform when they're already launching it from an ICBM, supposedly it's because the missiles are harder to intercept on the Metal Gear than on the ICBM... but who's to say they can't intercept the ICBM carrying the Metal Gear?<br />
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'''Peace Walker''': A four-legged walker that was fully AI controlled. It's described as having a stealth frame, but it wouldn't exactly be hard to spot considering the size of the thing. It could only fire nukes defensively, but could be tricked into launching a premature attack through a plot that understood little to nothing of mutually assured destruction.<br />
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'''Metal Gear ZEKE''': Big Boss' first attempt at a Metal Gear, this one was fully bipedal. Originally it was AI controlled too, but was modified to use a human pilot when Cypher attempted to steal it, the modifications being completed in days or minutes depending on when you last checked it, and nobody guarding it thought that it was a good idea to stop the modifications that weren't supposed to happen, and the two people doing them would never have been able to make them in the first place. This metal gear was also customizable and could be sent out on combat missions alongside MSF soldiers.<br />
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'''Sahelanthropus''': This one was designed by Otacon's Dad, Huey. While technically more advanced than Metal Gear REX in that it could walk upright, one flaw was that the cockpit was too small for a full-sized human. Cypher got around this by using Pyscho Mantis to control it psychically, because in Phantom Pain Psycho Mantis could do whatever he wanted, which makes you question why they need robots when they already have control over a superhuman. Sahelanthropus is also the absolute proof of why Metal Gears are useless (as if Metal Gear: Rising didn't already do that), despite costing millions to make and countless resources, it's easily defeated by a man on a man-sized robot that would have cost a fraction of the resources to develop, and if it didn't have the ability to create clouds that destroyed metal, it could have been easily defeated by one tank.<br />
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'''TX-55''': The Metal Gear that appears in the first game (which is now chronologically not the first one). This model didn't have that many frills, it was simply a robot that could fire nukes. It does nothing while Snake just uses C4 to blow it up and dodges the [[Rage|annoying laser cameras]]. Presumably it's the most durable one because the only way to hurt it is to use a shitload of C4 on its legs in a certain order, because that's how explosives work.<br />
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'''Metal Gear D''': The first real Metal Gear the player ever fights in the release order. An upgraded version of TX-55. It only had a machine guns and missiles during it's boss battle. It's sprite makes it look as if could launch [[Anal_circumference|six nukes one after another]].<br />
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'''Metal Gear REX''': This dinosaur-looking motherfucker takes the original Metal Gear concept one step further by firing nukes from a [[Tau|railgun]] instead of a ballistic missile, making nukes nearly impossible to track (though it was never designed to do so, it just happened to work out that way). It also had a badass assortment of weaponry, from Gatling Guns to crotch lasers and a crap-ton of missiles. Liquid only uses the anti tank missiles. Even after Snake battled it in MGS1, it was still tough enough to take on RAY in MGS4. After MGS1, hundreds of REX knockoffs started spreading throughout the world thanks to Ocelot's douchebaggery.<br />
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'''Metal Gear RAY''': Designed to be the ultimate anti-Metal Gear weapon, RAY failed fucking hard in that regard. It's amphibious by design, and instead of carrying nukes, its weapons include a powerful water cannon that can cut metal. Despite being built specifically to fight Metal Gears, it still loses in a fight against an already damaged Metal Gear REX. For some reason Ocelot never uses the laser or the missile spam attack seen in Metal Gear Solid 2 when he pilots the manned version in MGS4. Still not a cake walk though since you need too spam the fire button instead of holding it down to make this fight easier. Since Metal Gear battles that are not the first boss hardly ever are.<br />
The others seen in MGS2 and Rising are unmanned knockoffs.<br />
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'''Metal Gear RAY MOD0''': An upgrade over RAY seen in Metal Gear Rising. With the rise of carbon nano-tube tech; the armor was made lighter and stronger, allowing it to carry more weapons. Upgrades include: 4 limb-mounted twin-linked gatling guns, micro and macro missile launchers, an HF arm blade roughly the size of a small building, and a mouth-mounted plasma cannon. Despite all this, every last one of these guys encountered were destroyed by some Rhodesian weeaboo ninja with a sharp stick and a smart-talking Brazilian samurai with an incomprehensibly powerful sword and fighting technique.<br />
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'''Metal Gear EXCELSUS''': Not really a Metal Gear, it was only named so for marketing reasons, but still impractically awesome either way. Seen only in Metal Gear Rising; EXCELSUS was meant as an anti-cyborg gear, because cyborgs were becoming too powerful for conventional warfare. Due to this, people thought the only counter to this was to go back to making giant mechs with impractically large and powerful weapons (under the logic that if you can't outmanuver them; outgun them). EXCELSUS is basically a scorpion-shaped mech roughly as tall and wide a sports stadium and armed with two giant HF blades and twin plasma cannons. Its destroyed by Raiden in the most hilariously over-the-top way possible; he bodyslams it to the ground, rips one of it's arm blades off, and engages it in an arm-wrestling match with one of it's severed arms.<br />
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'''Gekko''': Quite possibly the dumbest looking mechs in science fiction, the Gekkos are small Metal Gears made up of a combination of synthetic organic muscle and mechanical technology. They have the head/upper body of a REX, but they have a pair of lizard legs to walk around on. You'd think that those legs would be easy pickings for bullets, but actually they won't buckle for anything less than explosives. They also allow the GEKKO to jump really high, climb on walls, and sweep kick you, so good luck running away from them. They also moo like cows and take shits. Seriously. We're not fucking joking.<br />
<br />
==Plot==<br />
===Metal Gear ===<br />
The original NES port of Metal was a load of [[fail]]. Proving that even thirty years ago PC gaming is superior to consoles. Seriously some of the maps are removed and a few of the boss battles have been changed. It also takes out Big Boss's [[Troll|importance to the original plot.]] Reading about Phantom Pain first will be spoilers for this game so be warned.<br />
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===Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake===<br />
Subtitle included because the original non-canon Metal Gear 2 NES is a run and gun shooter with a story that [[Spiritual_liege| makes less sense then usual]].<br />
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===Metal Gear Solid===<br />
Snake's decided to retire from the spy business after having to kill his father <s>twice</s> once (first one was actually Venom Snake) to live out his dream of training racing huskies in the Alaskan wilderness. But Colonel Campbell comes knocking at his door, telling him that FOXHOUND's turned traitor and have taken a nuclear disposal facility hostage. After getting some weird shots from Dr. Naomi Hunter, he gets his SCUBA on and sneaks into the base. There he quickly discovers that the leader of the rebellion is Liquid Snake, Solid Snake's clone brother with a massive hate-boner for both their father and himself. The other FOXHOUND members include Revolver Ocelot, Decoy Octopus, Vulcan Raven, Sniper Wolf, and Psycho Mantis; the only FOXHOUND agent who didn't join the rebellion was Campbell's niece Meryl. After sneaking around the base trying to rescue the hostages, both Darpa Chief Donald Anderson (Sigint in MGS3) and Armstech President Kenneth Baker die suddenly of a heart attack mid-conversation. Snake later learns that the shot he received earlier was actually the FOXDIE virus, a genome-specific disease that kills specific individuals (and that the Darpa Chief was actually Decoy Octopus, whereas the real one had already died from torture). Furthermore, the nuclear disposal facility is actually a secret testing ground for the newest Metal Gear model, Metal Gear REX.<br />
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Snake tracks down REX's designer, Otacon, just as he's been cornered by a creepy cyborg ninja. Said ninja is actually Gray Fox, Snake's old BFF who's gone completely mental. (Naomi later reveals that she's not only Gray Fox's sister and wants to kill Snake for what he did to him, but also modified FOXDIE so that he'll be targeted as well at a random time... except wouldn't he already have been a target since he and Liquid have the exact same genome? Kojima just doesn't understand genetics at all.) After fighting him off, Otacon helps out Snake in finding out how to stop the terrorists from using REX's stealth nuke capabilities. Snake also meets up with Meryl, who gives him the PAL card needed to disarm Metal Gear REX. After fighting Psycho Mantis (Who has a memorable boss fight in which he literally blanks the entire screen and forces you to change controllers) and Vulcan Raven, Snake is captured by Sniper Wolf after she shoots Meryl, while Ocelot tortures Snake. Here, if Snake submits to the torture, Meryl dies at the end, otherwise she survives. Anyway, with Otacon's help, Snake is able to escape captivity, destroys Liquid's helicopter, defeats Sniper Wolf, and sneaks into Rex's lair. After defeating Vulcan Raven a second time, Snake finally reaches REX itself, figuring out that the system requires three key cards to disarm even though he only has the one. However, Otacon tells him that [[what|he already has all three key cards]] because its designed to change shape with temperature. So after traipsing around in the lair he disarms REX... [[fail|except that it was all a ruse and he ended up arming it instead]]. Liquid takes control of REX and challenges Snake to a fight. Luckily Gray Fox intervenes and helps to expose REX's cockpit, allowing Snake to shoot at liquid directly. Que a fistfight atop Rex, followed by the sudden reveal that the Secretary of State is going to bomb the whole island to cover the entire incident up, followed by a high-speed chase in which Liquid attempts to kill Snake one last time. Finally Liquid succumbs to FOXDIE while Snake and Otacon or Meryl walk away with him into the rising sun.<br />
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Que one final cutscene in which Ocelot is revealed to have survived, and has stolen the plans for Metal Gear REX, under orders of President Solidus Snake.<br />
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===Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty===<br />
Hoo boy, this is where the series starts getting weird. After the events of MGS, Snake and Otacon form an NGO that tracks and monitors the proliferation of Metal Gear platforms around the world. When Otacon gets a tip that the US Marine Corps has a new super Metal Gear designed specifically to fight other MGs, Snake sneaks onboard the oil tanker it's hidden in to get proof. A Russian mercenary company also boards the ship, killing the Marines on patrol and making Snake's job just that much harder. Snake incapacitates the mercs' field commander and finds Metal Gear RAY in the deep holds of the ship. He also finds Revolver Ocelot, who declares that he's "taking it back" for the Patriots, kills the Marine commandant, and takes RAY, sinking the ship in the process. Snake is presumed killed in action.<br />
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Two years later, a terrorist group called "the Sons of Liberty" take over the Big Shell cleanup rig at the site of the tanker's sinking and take hostages, including the President of the United States. FOXHOUND sends in a covert operative to rescue the hostages and take out the Sons of Liberty, whose leader claims to be Solid Snake. The operative, code named "Raiden," gets jerked around by his handler Colonel Campbell, his data analyst and girlfriend Rosemary, and a SEAL Team 10 survivor named Iroquois Plisken (Solid Snake in a totally unconvincing disguise) as they track down the Sons of Liberty, disarm explosives, and have long, rambling conversations on the nature of free will.<br />
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The events of this operation play out suspiciously like the events of the Shadow Moses operation in the previous game, culminating in the reveal that the whole thing was an attempt by the Patriots to replicate the circumstances that led to Solid Snake's transformation into one of the most effective operators in the world, using Raiden as a test subject. Ocelot got an arm transplant with Liquid Snake as the donor, and now Liquid's ghost can possess him. The Sons of Liberty were pawns, despite "Solid Snake" (actually Solidus, the third Snake) thinking he was rebelling against them by doing this. Dead Cell, the US Navy anti-terror unit created by President Sears (again, actually Solidus) to test military security, was used as a stand-in for the rogue FOXHOUND operatives from Shadow Moses, the Patriots liquidating them in order to drive them into Solidus's arms. Dead Cell member Fortune's entire misfortunate history (losing her father, husband, and unborn child) was engineered by the Patriots. The mysterious cyborg that's helping Raiden is Olga Gurlukovich, the Russian merc commander forced to work for the Patriots lest they kill the daughter they stole from her. The President was a willing participant in the entire charade because he wanted the power that being part of the Patriots could offer. The Big Shell is a cover for the construction of Arsenal Gear, an aircraft carrier-sized platform for monitoring and censoring Internet traffic and protected by two dozen RAY drones. The oil spill was created by the Patriots to justify the construction of Big Shell (remember the conspicuous lack of any oil in the tanker).<br />
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And then the narrative goes totally off the rails. Otacon's sister Emma, rescued by Raiden and then killed by Dead Cell operative Vamp, delivers a computer worm that Otacon uses to infect Arsenal Gear, then Snake sucker punches Raiden to get him brought into Arsenal. The Colonel starts going berserk, calling Raiden with nonsense and gibberish. Snake finds Raiden's gear, gives it back, and also gives him a high-frequency sword that becomes his signature weapon henceforth. Battling to the core of Arsenal, Raiden fights its entire complement of RAYs with a Stinger missile system. Solidus, the Patriots, and "Liquid" Ocelot all reveal their goals: to hunt down the Patriots, to control global information context, and to find and destroy the Patriots, respectively. Arsenal Gear crashes into the Lower West Side of Manhattan, and Solidus and Raiden fight on the roof of Federal Hall.<br />
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With Solidus dead, Raiden and Snake figure out what to do next. Snake and Otacon plan to mine the worm's code for information on the Patriots while Raiden reunites with Rose (who is totally real and not living in Canada), finally remembering why April 30th is so important to her: it was the day they first met.<br />
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===Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater===<br />
Chronologically the first game in the series, MGS3 is pretty much a Fix Fic for the [[C.S. Goto|half assed story of MGS2]]. Force Operation X drops one of their operatives, Naked Snake, into Soviet territory to help scientist Nikolai Stepanovich Sokolov defect. Again (Major Zero of FOX had to give him back to the Soviets to end the Cuban Missile Crisis just days after crossing the Berlin Wall). Just as Snake is leaving with Sokolov, they are surrounded by KGB agents. Ocelot, a young major in GRU, arrives, kills the KGB agents with a dazzling display of gunplay, and then gets his ass handed to him by Snake. A sporting chap, Snake offers Ocelot tips on his gun handling before Ocelot passes out. Before they can leave, The Boss arrives in the AO, declaring her own defection to the Soviet Union. This is later revealed to be a ploy, though it should have been obvious to anyone with a brain that it was a ruse since the government told you she was on a nuclear sub and if her defection really was legit then they wouldn't have known where she was. If this was legit, this also means that they would have lost sight of not only the greatest soldier in the world, but her entire unit. She breaks Snake's arm for no reason other than to be an asshole and throws him off a rope bridge. Colonel Volgin of GRU uses an M388 Davey Crockett, given to him by The Boss, to destroy Sokolov's design bureau, thus ending the Cold War, as this is now an American nuke brought into Russia by an American and fired by a defector. Everyone still calls it the Cold War anyway because this plot point is forgotten almost immediately once the intro is over.<br />
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In order to stop a full-scale war, America has to prove to Russia that they were not behind the attack on OKB-752, a plan doomed to failure because they obviously were and it's revealed in the end that they definitely were. Major Zero is forced to send Snake back into action with only two weeks to heal, his new mission: rescue Sokolov, kill The Boss (for some reason), her team (the Cobra Unit), and Colonel Volgin, and destroy Volgin's pet project, the Shagohod. In exchange, the Soviets will provide access to a communication satellite and two spies, NSA defectors codenamed ADAM and EVA. <br />
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Snake is inserted into the area of operation again, but The Boss finds him and destroys his weapon and insertion vehicle because she's an asshole who likes working directly against her main objective, alerting the Russian ground forces to his presence. Snake meets a woman who claims she's EVA, even though she doesn't provide the counter-phrase "La Li Lu Le Lo" to Snake's question "Who are the Patriots?" Which should have told not only him but everyone involved that she wasn't who she said she was, and nobody read EVA's file which would have told them EVA was a man, either that or the NSA doesn't know if their agents are male or female and also doesn't bother writing their names down or taking their picture. Strangely Snake received a full file on this EVA before he met her (as some of it shows up in the radio menu) however he neglects to read the part where it says she was a Chinese spy, because we need some retarded plot twist at the end of the game for a 'Gotcha!' Moment. The two end up fighting the Ocelot Unit and humiliating Major Ocelot once again, even though Ocelot is ADAM and it's in his best interest to work with Snake (somehow nobody remembered he was a NSA defector the first time you met him) and nobody mentions this to Snake, because once again the government doesn't know who their own agents are. Snake fights Ocelot for the first time face-to-face at a crevice, though the fight ends prematurely when a swarm of hornets descends upon them, causing Snake to fall into the crevice.<br />
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This leads to Snake's first encounter with a Cobra Unit operative, The Pain, who is infested with throat parasites that give him the scientific ability to control bees with his mind (it's as stupid as it sounds). The Pain wants to fight him for no narrative reason at all, we just needed a boss fight. After defeating The Pain who explodes with a microbomb at the end of the fight (which is retconned in a later game), Snake infiltrates the Granin Design Bureau, where he learns from Director Granin that Volgin is financing Shagohod's development with the Philosophers' Legacy, a hundred-billion-dollar fund entrusted to his father, Boris Volgin, by a shadowy cabal of the world's elite who called themselves the Philosophers. On leaving the Bureau, Snake encounters The Fear, the Cobra Unit's [[Night Lords|stealth and terror specialist]] who has the same parasites as The Pain, though they provide him with different abilities. Once again Snake fights a guy who has no reason to fight him, and after The Fear explodes via microbomb (retconned out later) he passes through the Sokrovenno forest and probably fights The End, the Cobra Unit's centenarian sniper, and the 'father of sniping'. Apparently nobody tried to be a sharpshooter before him, which is strange because this was when the guard's eyesight wasn't that bad. The End is perhaps the only member of the Cobra unit who has a reason to fight Snake, that being he's dying and wants to be killed before he dies of old age, and dies in several different ways depending on what the player did. They could have found the sniper rifle off the beaten path and shot him before this fight, after which Snake gives a depressed message about how sad he is that his mission is closer to being accomplished (this is also back when Snake was retarded), he might die of old age (Snake gives the same message), or you might fight him, in which he blows up via microbomb. The End has the same throat parasites as the other two, though once again his do different things, and depending on the gender of the person they're attached to they make you either require a ghillie suit, or require you to wear nothing but a bikini. After that Snake climbs a mountain path to rendezvous with EVA.<br />
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EVA sets out their escape route and tells him where Volgin is holding Sokolov before she has to return to Volgin as Sokolovs' captive lover Tatyana, throughout this she hits on Snake, who reacts as if she just shot his dog. Traveling through underground tunnels, Snake encounters The Fury, the Cobra Unit's flamethrower operative. Like the others he has throat parasites that give him affinity for fire. His fiery, explosive death where he turns into a flaming skull monster (Snake suspects this to have happened thanks to the microbombs, because he's an idiot who believes that blowing up via microbomb turns you into a skull monster) causes the tunnels to collapse. Pressing on, Snake climbs the tallest ladder in the world while the theme song plays in the background to mask the load time to infiltrate the perimeter of Groznyj Grad, Volgin's fortified research facility where Shagohod and Sokolov reside, and the place Snake could have just dropped in at/immediately went towards from the beginning if Ocelot wasn't working against his own orders.<br />
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Inside, Snake takes out Major Raikov/Raiden and dons his uniform, completing the disguise with a Raikov/Raiden mask. He doesn't get very far before Volgin sniffs him out and captures him, thanks to the fact that Raikov/Raiden and Volgin are/were in love (yes, seriously). Volgin tortures him for information, literally shocking the piss out of him thanks to his own ability to shoot lightning, before Ocelot walks in and shoots Snakes' right eye, because even though one of the main themes of the game is Patriotism, Ocelot will continuously work against the country he's supposed to work for. Snake escapes captivity through one of many ways, either a ghost gives him a message, he gets it via radio, he tricks the guard or he gets it from a weeaboo (yes, seriously, a weeaboo who's obsessed with all the men in his family being named Johnny) and ends up diving off a storm drain outflow to evade pursuit as he's chased by the Ocelot unit, because Ocelot's loyalty is to whomever it's least convenient for the plot. During his near-death experience, Snake encounters The Sorrow, the Cobra Unit's deceased psychic ops soldier, who confronts him with a waist-deep river filled with the souls of the men he's killed, though this really amounts to nothing as the 'fight' is literally impossible to lose and The Sorrow really doesn't give a shit one way or another.<br />
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After coming to and linking up with EVA (also fucking her), Snake returns to Groznyj Grad, armed with a supply of C3 to destroy Shagohod's liquid fuel reserves. Caught in the act, The Boss makes Snake fight Volgin one-on-one while the detonators tick down toward zero, even though she could have started working with him right then and there, which would result in both of their missions being complete without any of the following bullshit: After defeating Volgin, Snake and EVA escape by motorcycle. Shagohod bursts out of its hangar, Volgin at the controls, because Snake runs away without checking to make sure Volgin will stay down, and so starts one of Snakes' major flaws, forgetting to make sure that his enemies are dealt with. Snake collapses a bridge to drop the Shagohod into a ravine, yet the machine drives up the debris in a way it couldn't to continue the pursuit. Even after pummeling it with RPG rounds, Volgin won't give up and controls the machine entirely through electricity once it becomes inoperable (because running electricity through shit causes it to magically become fixed). Snake goes for a third round, this time on foot, before Shagohod is finally destroyed and Volgin is not killed, since Snake again forgets to check if Volgin died or not. Finally, it looks like the mission's a success when they give their pursuers the slip, but EVA crashes their motorcycle and gets impaled by a tree branch.<br />
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Snake has to haul the severely wounded EVA through another stretch of forest, evading the ground pursuit, to reach the WIG that she'd prepared for their exit. Before they arrive, Snake has to tie up one last loose end: The Boss. In a field of white flowers, The Boss tells Snake about the Philosophers in a cutscene that mostly repeats information the player already knows and goes on about twenty fucking minutes too long. The cutscene also includes her role as a secret Mercury Program astronaut, witnessing her country's betrayal in the Bay of Pigs incident, and the loss of her child to the Philosophers after giving birth to him on the shores of Normandy. She calls in an airstrike on their location with a ten minute warning and demands that Snake give her his all, for no real reason.<br />
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After beating her in a fight, the Boss lays dying or just sleepy (depending on whether or not you used tranq rounds) in the field. She hands Snake a microfilm containing the Philosophers' Legacy since it was her mission to recover it in the beginning (she didn't complete her mission and fake her death because much like her student, she's an idiot) and asks that he use her gun, the Patriot, to finish her. The white flowers turn blood-red after the shot is fired. Snake boards the WIG, but Ocelot gets on as it's leaving to challenge Snake to a final duel, because his main objective is to ensure the USA gets the philosophers legacy, and he loves trying to prevent his own objective from getting accomplished. He loads one of his two revolvers with a single round, juggles them, and offers the choice to Snake. Depending on which gun you choose and where you choose to shoot it the round is either a blank or an actual bullet. If it's fired at one of them, it's a blank, if it's fired at a wall, the blank magically turns into an actual bullet.<br />
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After spending the night in the Alaska safehouse fucking EVA, Snake awakes to find EVA gone and a taped message waiting for him. Her message explains that she was a Chinese spy, not the EVA who was supposed to help Snake during his mission (aka information he should have already known), raised by the Philosophers, taught by The Boss, and that his mission was intended to get the Philosophers' Legacy into the hands of the US government, while her mission was to steal it for the Chinese. When Volgin nuked OKB-752, Snake's mission was changed to include killing The Boss as a scapegoat, because losing the greatest soldier in the world during what could have been the worlds greatest war was deemed 'acceptable'.<br />
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Back in the USA, Snake receives the Distinguished Service Cross from President Johnson and the title of Big Boss, ruining the Boss's speech about how there always needing to be one Snake, and one Boss (although the speech didn't make sense anyway as Snake wasn't his only codename). He snubs DCI John McCone on his way out, the man ultimately responsible for the death of The Boss. Snake places the Patriot on The Boss's unmarked grave in Arlington and salutes it, a manly tear rolling down his face.<br />
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After the credits, we get the customary Ocelot phone call. He assures the KGB director that Groznyj Grad and the Granin Research Bureau were destroyed, Khrushchev is finished, and the Soviet Union can use the details of the Virtuous Mission and Operation Snake Eater to blackmail America. He then calls the DCI to confirm that EVA's copy of the Philosophers' Legacy is a fake, half of the Legacy has made it to America, the Shagohod is destroyed, and that he'd acquired data on Granin's Metal Gear project that America could find useful. He also reveals that he's the real ADAM, a triple agent working for the KGB, Volgin, and the CIA, which the the DCI already knew but never bothered to mention, because keeping his identity secret was considered more important than insuring the world isn't enveloped in Nuclear War.<br />
MGS4 pretty much confirms that all the surviving FOX unit characters from Snake Eater plus Eva and Ocelot are the founders of the Patriots, this happens off-screen of course even though none of the members are given any hint of being tech-savvy or influential enough to make (and install) world-governing AI's, since any time the series writes itself into a corner, more shit will just happen off-screen.<br />
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===Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops===<br />
A game of questionable canon not directed or written by Hideo Kojima. The main antagonist is a bigger Villain Sue than Armstrong and Ocelot put together. Which is saying something because either would whip the floor with him. It was also a considered the worst game until recently (see Survive). Which is what you get when the primary writer is known for making shitty harem novels for morbidly obese otaku and directed by a script writer instead of a real director.<br />
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===Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots===<br />
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===Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker===<br />
The other direct sequel to Metal Gear Solid 3 on the PSP. A much better game between the two. It should have been released on consoles instead as Big Boss can't move and be in the prone position at the same time. This is where the series starts falling apart. As the real brains behind Metal Gear. Tomokazu Fukushima, left Konami during the early development of MGS4.<br />
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===Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance===<br />
Set four years after Guns of the Patriots, Revengeace is a completely different beast from any other Metal Gear game. First off, you play as Raiden for the entire game instead of Snake or Big Boss. Second, since this game was developed by Platinum Games instead of Konami, [[Flesh Tearers|stealth is mostly thrown out the window for glorious carnage]] (you can still try to use stealth when it's applicable to make the game easier, as enemies are vulnerable to insta-kills while you're undetected, but nothing's stopping you from just going in and murderfucking everyone.). And third, the stupid over-the-top tropes Metal Gear Solid was known for are hitched up to eleven. Seriously, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfpeFE4QhU0| look at this shit.] That's the equivalent of tossing around a [[Titan (Warhammer 40,000)| Warhound Scout Titan]] like a rag doll.<br />
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Long story short, Raiden receives a far more powerful cyborg body and is sent to eliminate Desperado; an off-shoot faction of the Patriots led by U.S Senator Armstrong, known for the "Nanomachines, son" [[meme]] and the most patriotic villain ever known. Besides that the plot is pretty much nonexistent, with Raiden running around and pretty much being the living avatar of [[rip and tear|RIP N' TEAR]]. The plot though did have some really funny moments where Raiden discovered the villains plan to create an army, kidnap children from third-world countries, put their brains in jars, have them remote control robots/cyborgs, and once they were skilled enough put their brains in those bodies so that they could get killed on the battlefield, not to mention there's a part where Raiden just lets a bunch of children die because he's too busy posing to help them out. Much like most of the series, this plan is doomed to failure before it starts when you realize that there's already a far better alternative in the form of nanomachines that make you invincible, they only stop working when it's plot convenient. It also regresses Raidens' character a bit (because much like every MGS sequel, the theme of the previous games are ignored), but nobody really gave a shit about that because of all the over-the-top ninja bullshit he constantly pulls off.<br />
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===Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain===<br />
<br />
==== Ground Zeroes ====<br />
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The story begins with Ground Zeroes, set one year after the events of Peace Walker. It turns out Paz, a close friend to Big Boss is alive, but she is being held in an American Interrogation camp on the southern tip of Cuba. Big Boss originally wanted to assassinate Paz because of her ties to the mysterious Cipher organization and suspects she might may have leaked critical information about the Militaires Sans Frontières. Miller on the other hand doesn't believe this and orders Big Boss to bring her back alive for questioning. Coincidentally, Mother Base is scheduled for a United Nations nuclear weapon inspection just as Miller doubts Paz's betrayal. After rescuing Paz and a young boy named Chico, they find out that Paz had a bomb surgically planted in her abdomen as a setup. After a very gruesome scene of surgically removing the bomb from Paz's body, Big Boss successfully disposes the bomb as Paz tries to recover. They return to Mother Base only to see that it has come under attack by Cipher's covert strike force XOF, meaning the inspection was only smokescreen for an attack. Big Boss manages to save Miller and an unnamed soldier (we find out his real alias is Mosquito, but he comes back later on). They all escape as Mother Base collapses and cue for Miller's famous meme quote "They played us like a damn fiddle!". Miller realizes Big Boss was right and demands answers from Paz. That is until Paz claims there is another bomb inside of her (heavily implied to be in her vagina, what the fuck Kojima) as she falls out of the helicopter and the second bomb inside her explodes causing the helicopter to lose control and crashes into another helicopter.<br />
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==== The Phantom Pain ====<br />
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Big Boss manages to survive the crash but falls into a coma for nine years. A pretty cool opening scene of Big Boss waking up to ''The Man Who Sold the World'' in a hospital bed in Cyprus. The doctors show Big Boss after the explosion that not only did he get shrapnel sticking out of his head and the inside of his body, but he also lost his left forearm in the process. The following night an assassin kills the doctors who took care of Big Boss and nearly kills Big Boss himself. That is until another patient stops the assassin and sets her on fire causing her to jump out the window. The patient reveals himself as 'Ishmael' and helps Big Boss escape (This isn't the only reference to the book Moby Dick, Ishmael calls Big Boss 'Ahab' while Big Boss is equipped with a hook hand prosthetic). As they both approach the elevator, they encounter a child wearing a gas mask and a straight jacket floating in the air (we know what you're thinking and yes, that is Psycho Mantis as a little kid) and a man covered in fire. Since gunfire is useless against him his only weakness is water. They both see that XOF units start killing the patients and hospital staff to ensure there are no witnesses. It becomes clear that they were sent in to eliminate Big Boss after finding out he had just woken up. After facing certain death against XOF soldiers and the Man of Fire, Big Boss and Ishmael escape the hospital using an ambulance. Unfortunately, the ambulance gets attacked by XOF forces and crashes. Big Boss survives, but Ishmael has disappeared leaving Big Boss to fend for himself. Just as an XOF helicopter is hovering over Big Boss, Psycho Mantis shows up then suddenly a giant fucking whale covered in fire swallows the helicopter and destroys it. To make things even more ridiculous, the Man of Fire shows up again riding a fucking winged unicorn made of fire. Luckily, a man riding a horse shows up to Big Boss' aid and that man is none other than Revolver Ocelot (now voiced by Troy Baker). After a chase ensues between the Man of Fire and Big Boss and Ocelot, they both manage to escape. Ocelot reminds Big Boss of what has happened before he fell into a coma and wants to help him and Miller rebuild their private army. It turns out Miller was captured by the Soviets and is being held for interrogation in Afghanistan. Big Boss joins up with Ocelot and sets out for Afghanistan. And that's all just the prologue.<br />
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Unfortunately, the rest of the story isn't nearly as awesome or cinematic, partly due to Konami's budget cuts forcing the game to be left in an unfinished state. Here's the gist; Big Boss slowly starts rebuilding his army by recruiting (read: kidnapping) Soviet and African soldiers, stealing tanks with balloons, and completing various contracts for money. However, its not long before he runs back into XOF forces, this time using mutant supersoldiers called the "Skulls" who use modified versions of the superpowered parasites used by the Cobra Unit, giving them freaky abilities like mind-controlling nearby soldiers or turning rock-solid. XOF is working on a new Metal Gear in Afghanistan, while working on a brand new superweapon on the Angola-Zaire border to eliminate entire languages through vocal-cord parasites, which are actually related to the Cobra Unit parasites. Actually these parasites have a lot of strange and unexplained abilities, like somehow being able to refine uranium ore or being used in the walking mechanisms for metal gears, or destroying metal. Whatever the case, Big Boss captures and falls in love with XOF sniper Quiet (who he learns is the same assassin who tried to kill him in the hospital), who is in turn won over by him because he's the motherfucking Big Boss. He also accidentally unleashes a parasite outbreak in Angola, which infects his own men, until he gets to the bottom of the infection. Finally after a big showdown in Afghanistan, Big Boss finally corners and kills Skull Face and his Metal Gear. <br />
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So, story over, right? HA no. Huey causes a second outbreak to try to bribe his way back into Cypher's hands, Quite is forced to speak to rescue Big Boss (and thus runs away so she doesn't infect anyone, presumably to kill herself to avoid a slow and painful death), and baby Liquid runs away with all the child soldiers and steals the Metal Gear with him. And... that's pretty much it. The entire final battle was cut from the game, which according to plans would have been ''far'' more challenging and climactic than the two previous Metal Gear encounters, but unfortunately it never came to pass and likely never will. The only real ending we got was the reveal that Venom Snake was never Big Boss to begin with, just a brain-washed body double who would distract Cypher while the real Big Boss fucked off to do who-knows-what. We did get a decent epilogue, however, when several years after the game released, an Easter Egg was activated after every player-owned nuclear warhead was successfully deactivated in the PvP section of the game.<br />
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===Metal Gear Survive===<br />
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A portal in the sky transports you to an alternate dimension after Mother Base was destroyed by XOF, where the Wolbachia parasite has mutated everyone into Romero-like [[zombie]]s. As the name implies; your objective is to survive. Its basically every indie survival horror game you see on Steam, except this comes in with a hefty pricetag of 40 USD/EUR.<br />
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From the recent trailers that came out; many people are already turned off by it, citing it as a mediocre survival horror game. As the first game ever worked on without Kojima's input, it easily be called the worst Metal Gear yet and even more inept than Kojima ever was. The story is worse than Snake's Revenge and makes Bethesda era [[Fallout]] look good with sentient nanomachines from the 22nd century via time travel as the main villain. Right out plagiarizing another video game made by Sqaure Enix, Gunslinger Stratos. Just without the alternate universe dopplegangers. <br />
One could also argue that it ripoffs the premise from [[Doctor Who]] two parter "The Empty Child". However, unlike Steven Moffat the people behind Survive have no idea how to make a coherent plot. Proving for a second time that Gakuto Mikumo(who wrote the shitty story of Portable Ops) is a [[Isekai|no talent hack like most light novel writers]]. Blatantly ignoring that the real future of the Metal Gear universe is the much superior Zone of the Enders.(Sahelanthropus looks like a much less advanced Jehuty.)<br />
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Most of the game mechanics are a ripoff of Fortnite. The characters are bland and calling you every 30 seconds for who knows what. You are reminded to take food and drink often but it's very difficult to get either. The main character from the single player campaign is a [[Original_character,_do_not_steal|blatant ripoff of Chris Redfeild.]] While the player character is a mute because they couldn't afford to hire real voice actors after blowing their money on Matt Mercer. And do not forget that this piece of crap demands always online compatibility even for the single-player, and asking $10 for an extra save slot.<br />
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Yes,10 bucks for an extra save slot...modern games everybody!!!!<br />
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They could have let Platinum make another Metal Gear Rising or remade the 8-bit era games. [[/pol/|Don't mention that to the Survive fanboys who call Kojima a hack or haters cucks or they will have an albino chimp out.]] [[derp|Who claim this garbage is the best Metal Gear game since MGS2.]] The game has flopped in both the UK and on Steam. Despite the positive troll reviews, pathetic. Most real fans would rather let the franchise die at this point and Konami just put the final nail in the coffin.<br />
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==See Also==<br />
*[[Metal Gear Vindicare]]<br />
*[[BattleTech]]<br />
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==Gallery==<br />
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Image: Absolutely disgusting.jpg<br />
Image: Metal Gear-Titan Comparission.png<br />
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Image: MSG Agent Chart.png|Create your own MSG Agent!<br />
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[[Category: Video_Games]]<br />
[[Category: Under_Development]]<br />
[[Category:Meme]]</div>2601:147:4200:6280:2561:C61A:5ED7:9030