XCOM 2: War of the Chosen

Lore & Background

The expansion introduces a new set of enemy aliens called the Chosen: three elite alien-human hybrid warriors tasked by the Elders to defeat XCOM and recapture the Commander. These are the Assassin, who relies on stealth and melee attacks; the Hunter, who uses a long-range rifle with tracking bullets; and the Warlock, who uses psionic powers and can take control of several player units at once. As the game progresses, the Chosen gain new exclusive abilities and eventually become able to launch a direct attack on the Avenger. They continue to appear occasionally during missions even after being defeated, and can only be killed permanently once their base is destroyed.

The game also introduces three rebel factions that antagonize each other but grant access to special hero classes once their allegiance is earned: the Reapers, specialized in sniping and stealth; the Templars, who employ unique psionic abilities; and the Skirmishers, former ADVENT soldiers with exclusive equipment and tactics. Each faction provides covert ops missions for extra resources, delaying the Avatar project, or gathering info about the Chosen's strongholds. Other new features include a revamped strategic layer, the Bond system where pairs of soldiers develop special abilities (with a killed bonded soldier causing their partner to enter berserk mode or panic), and random breakthroughs and inspirations that speed up or instantly complete research. The expansion also adds the Lost, a neutrally-aligned zombie-like enemy that attacks both ADVENT and XCOM, along with new ADVENT units. A daily challenge mode and the ability to create custom posters are also included.

Reader's Guide

XCOM 2: War of the Chosen is widely regarded as a significant expansion that substantially enriches the base game. According to review aggregator Metacritic, it received 'generally favorable' reviews from professional critics. IGN's reviews editor Dan Stapleton praised the variety added to mission objectives and campaign, noting some balance issues but calling the Hero classes and the Chosen great additions. Game Informer reviewer Ben Reeves was impressed by the amount of content, remarking that it could almost have been a standalone game. The expansion earned several accolades: Eurogamer ranked it 46th on their 'Top 50 Games of 2017', while Polygon ranked it 17th on their list of the 50 best games of 2017. Readers and staff of Game Informer voted it 'Best Strategy Game'. It won 'Best Expansion' in PC Gamer's 2017 Game of the Year Awards, and was nominated for 'Best Strategy Game' at The Game Awards 2017 and for 'Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year' at the 21st Annual D.I.C.E. Awards. It won 'Game, Strategy' at the 17th Annual National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards, with another nomination for 'Game Engineering'. The expansion's legacy is further marked by the Tactical Legacy Pack add-on released on October 9, 2018, which features missions set between XCOM: Enemy Unknown and XCOM 2, new items, new maps, and the option to use either the original XCOM: Enemy Unknown soundtrack or a new soundtrack based on UFO: Enemy Unknown.

Did You Know?

• Six voice actors new in the expansion are known for their roles on Star Trek: The Next Generation: Denise Crosby, John de Lancie, Jonathan Frakes, Michael Dorn, Dwight Schultz, and Marina Sirtis.
• The Chosen can only be permanently killed after their stronghold is destroyed.
• The expansion adds a neutrally-aligned zombie-like enemy called the Lost that attacks both ADVENT and XCOM.
• The Tactical Legacy Pack add-on was released on October 9, 2018.