The Lab
Analyze alien technology aboard the Avenger.
The Lab is a facility aboard the Avenger, XCOM's mobile base, where the research department performs autopsies on alien corpses and studies technology found during missions to unlock new gadgets, weapons, and technologies.
Quick Facts
- Type
- Base Facility; Research Station
- Primary function
- Alien technology research and development
- Staffing requirement
- Scientists
- First appears
- XCOM (1994)
- Also featured in
- XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012)
- XCOM: Enemy Within (2013)
- XCOM 2 (2016)
- Role in campaign
- Prerequisite for the majority of research projects
Lore & Background
In XCOM 2, set 20 years after the events of XCOM: Enemy Unknown, XCOM has lost the war and operates as a resistance force from the Avenger, an alien ship used as a mobile base. The Lab is part of the research department on this ship, used to analyze alien remains and technology.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Lab in XCOM?
The Lab is a core base facility where XCOM personnel study and reverse-engineer alien technology. It appears in every major entry in the franchise, from the 1994 original through XCOM 2, representing humanity's effort to turn the enemy's own tech into a weapon.
What does The Lab do in actual gameplay?
It functions as your primary research station, letting assigned Scientists work through the technology tree to unlock new weapons, armor, and base upgrades. Without an active Lab, you essentially cannot advance your research agenda at all.
What do I need to staff The Lab?
Only Scientists can be assigned to conduct research there, so you must recruit and protect them to keep projects moving. The number of Scientists you allocate directly determines how quickly each research slot completes.
Why is The Lab so critical early in a campaign?
Nearly every weapon, armor upgrade, and advanced facility in the tech tree depends on a functioning Lab, making it a hard prerequisite for almost all progression. Building it among your first few facilities is a standard early-game priority for any commander.
How has The Lab changed across the XCOM games?
The 1994 original presented research as panels within the base, while XCOM: Enemy Unknown and Enemy Within turned it into a buildable structure you place on the grid. XCOM 2 kept the buildable format but introduced the Adversary's ability to destroy your Labs, adding a new strategic vulnerability.
More in World & Locations
Elsewhere in XCOM
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