Review: “XCOM 2: War of the Chosen” – A War Worth Fighting For

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Austin Suther, Contributing Writer

Firaxis’ “XCOM 2: War of the Chosen” is the quintessential expansion pack, chock-full of new content that adds many new elements for returning players, and a must-have for the new. This is what “XCOM 2” was meant to be.

War of the Chosen adds more content to the original story of “XCOM 2” while still retaining the same end goal: destroy ADVENT and save Earth from the alien menace. However, it won’t be as easy this time as the difficulty of the original is ramped up to the max, the strategy layer even more complex.

The main additions to the game feature the fearsome Chosen, factions, and smaller additions like new enemies, locations and strategic elements. The new factions include the Reapers, Skirmishers and Templars. All three factions allow the player to take command of new units that will be vital assets on the battlefield. The Skirmisher, for example, are ADVENT defectors that are extremely mobile and depend on a wide array of melee attacks to defeat enemies. As a counter to the Skirmisher’s more in-your-face style, the Reapers are sneaky snipers that can infiltrate behind enemy units and cause disorder among enemy ranks.

While the original game lacked any major antagonist, the Chosen are going to be an ever-present threat that instills fear in even the most experienced XCOM player. The Chosen are an eerie human-like alien species with an arsenal of weapons and abilities that makes them an army of one. Their aim is to stop the player at all costs by either capturing XCOM troops in battle or killing them. The Assassin Chosen will run head-on into XCOM troops and use her devastating melee attacks to inflict a devastating bleed effect, or use her stealth ability to vanish and appear where the player would not expect.

The other Chosen–the Hunter and Warlock–are just as devilish. What makes them such a unique addition to the game are the random attributes given to them. This acts like the Nemesis system in “Middle-Earth: Shadow of War” where each enemy are given strengths and weaknesses. The Chosen will learn from their previous encounters with XCOM, so the player needs to plan accordingly and bring an arsenal and troops that are able to counter the Chosen’s strengths while exploiting their weaknesses.

The new locations are unique, from desecrated, green-hued cityscapes to dank underground tunnels full of steaming pipes and rusting rails. The destroyed cityscapes are especially terrifying with the addition of the Lost, a new enemy type. Think zombies, but still somehow alien. They are attracted to sound, so explosives will cause even more havoc as they swarm onto XCOM troops. The new “headshot” mechanic used exclusively by the Lost will allow the player’s troops to refund actions if they gain a kill on a Lost; in doing so, one XCOM unit can cause massive damage to a pack of Lost as they pick them off left and right.

The strategic elements on the world screen (where the player manages what locations to attack, manages power levels on their base and counters ADVENT activity) are ever-present. The inclusion of Resistance Orders allows the player to gain much-needed boons such as reduced costs at the Black Market or more power for their base. Covert Actions enable players to have soldiers go on their own and thwart ADVENT actions, reducing the probability of a game loss or gaining vital intel. A downside to these inclusions are more interruptions on the world screen. The original game saw this problem as well, and there will be constant micromanagement. It creates an odd pacing that can get annoying after a while.

Another problem is not with the game itself but with Firaxis’ decision to include vital bug fixes to the expansion exclusively rather than the base game. This is fine for players who buy the expansion pack, but punishes those who are not willing to spend the $40.

“XCOM 2: War of the Chosen” was planned on being its own game rather than an expansion pack, and it shows. The content the expansion adds is considerable and creates an experience even more strategic and nail-biting than “XCOM 2.” Smaller inclusions like player-made propaganda posters and the new Challenge Mode as well as the new factions, environments, story and enemy types creates an expansion pack worth any “XCOM 2” lover’s hard-earned cash.