A Chryssalid squad leader compared to its smaller brethren.

Much like in vanilla, Aliens deploy in "pods", which are "activated" by seeing them. Unlike in vanilla, alien pods are frequently made up of several different types of aliens, such as a Thin Man leading some Sectoids, or some Mutons with Floater scout.

Each "pod" will be led by one Squad Leader alien, possessing both improved stats and new abilities. Each leader has a chance to be accompanied by a Navigator alien in addition to its other pod-mates which usually acts as a scouting unit of sorts, often possessing perks suitable for this role. Squad leaders can easily be identified by their larger health pool and increased physical size.

Squad leaders initially start at level 0 with standard stats, but as alien research progresses, they begin to start being able to acquire high level alien leaders, until a maximum of level 7 on normal missions, at level 8 or 9 on special missions (landed large UFOs, Temple Ship, etc.). At Alien Research 40, aliens start having chance to roll a level 1 leader for all pods. The chance to roll every level of leader for a pod is the same; for example, at Alien Research 120, a pod has a 25% chance to roll a level 3 leader, a 25% chance for a level 2, a 25% chance for a level 1, and a 25% chance for a level 0.

All pods now make noise when they move, but some pods will choose to lurk rather than patrol. The percentage of pods that hide out in this fashion is different per mission - on Abductions, it is 50%, on large UFO's, 40%, and on small UFO's, 10%.

The aliens will continually improve their technology as the war goes on, which will grant them extra stats, HP regen and in some cases unlock new abilities. Squad leader and navigator perks are unlocked in the order in which they have been recorded here. Please note that the maximum stats for each species listed below can only apply to squad leaders of that species with all possible upgrades.

Disclaimer: The "Appears" month listed for each alien is the month it would appear normally with a time-only based Alien Research progression. Bonus Research from outside sources (e.g. Alien Bases, XCOM Soldiers left behind on failed missions, etc.) may cause some of these aliens to appear during a month ahead of their schedule. In addition, landed UFOs present the possibility of aliens one month ahead of their standard schedule during that mission; and generally all aliens can appear in the last few days of their previous month as well.

Legend for Stat/Perk Progression Tables Yellow Navigator upgrades These are available to all aliens of this type, including leaders. They have a certain chance of appearing, indicated in the "navigator chance" column, which is rolled per alien. The number of navigators in a pod is not limited. Red Leader upgrades These are only available to leader aliens of that type. The alien leader's level is rolled randomly based on alien research, from level 1 up to level 7. All leader upgrades are cumulative, meaning a level 3 leader will have the level 3 upgrades as well as the level 1 and 2 upgrades. Level 8 leaders are Temple Ship only, and level 9 leaders are boss/monster aliens only.

Support Units

Like XCOM's own support units, these aliens are not especially threatening in a simple firefight, but instead improve the effectiveness of other alien units. They can heal and buff the stronger aliens in the collective, forcing the player to be more thoughtful in their target selection and damage output.

Sectoid

Appears March Damage 3 - 8 HP 3 - 14 Defense 0 - 28 Aim 55 - 79 Crit Chance 0 Movement 12 - 13 Bonus Regen 0 - 2 Will 5 - 120

Sectoids behave in much the same way as you'd expect from vanilla, with low Mobility, HP and Aim, and mediocre Will. Basic Sectoids have access to a few more psionic powers than before, being able to Mind Merge, Mindfray and Psi Panic. The good news is that Mindfray has been altered to only do 1 damage. Be aware that Mind Merge has been altered so it does some damage to the merged target if the merger dies, but doesn't kill outright. Sectoid squad leaders get the Low Profile perk. All Sectoids technically have the Gunslinger perk to cancel their offset from using pistols, but do not gain extra damage.

Unlike most alien types, Sectoid pod leaders do +1 damage over regular Sectoids at the start of the game without requiring extra research.

Rewards: Sectoids carry Alien Pistols (which explode into weapon fragments/alloys if not captured alive) and leave corpses. After Xenobiology is researched, the Council will request Sectoid Corpses from time to time. Typical requests exchange 6 Sectoids for 1 or 2 scientists, plus a 10% boost to the requesting nation's defense against panic.

Drone

Appears March Damage 3 - 7 HP 3 - 10 Defense -5 - 7 DR 1 - 2 Aim 50 - 70 Crit Chance 0 Movement 12 - 16 Flight Fuel 32 Will 0

Drones could be encountered right from the beginning of the game, even in the first mission. They can come in groups of their own or attached to Sectoid squads, and later they will accompany more powerful mechanized units like Cyberdiscs and Sectopods. Drones behave similarly to vanilla, but, like most mechanized units, have some damage reduction. Their constant light cover from flying with damage reduction and ability to mutually repair can make them extremely frustrating to kill. Navigator/leader Drones have Holo-Targeting, making them a bit more dangerous when supporting other aliens. Drones also start at 80% size at the beginning of the campaign with a navigator upgrade.

A Level 9 Drone, the Atlas Drone, can appear in a scripted terror mission encounter even without sufficient Alien Research.

Rewards: Drones primarily drop Drone Wrecks, the autopsy of which (10 required) grants access to the Field Repairs Foundry project and the Holo-Targeter. Later-game, Drone Wrecks are required for several Foundry projects including Field Repairs (10), Drone Capture (30), Improved Arc Thrower (10), Sentinel Drone (1), and Advanced Flight (5). Also, two Drone Wrecks are required for UFO Tracking (Boost).

Difficulty Modifiers Difficulty

Base Damage

HP

Aim

Crit. Chance

Defense

Mobility

Will Normal 3 3 50 0 -5 12 0 Classic 3 3 55 0 0 12 0 Brutal 3 4 60 0 0 12 0 Impossible 3 4 60 0 0 12 0 Base Abilities/Perks Flight

Hardened

Overload

Repair

Robotic



Research Progression Alien Research

Base Damage

HP

Aim

Crit. Chance

DR

Defense

Mobility

Will

Bonus Regen Perk Navigator Chance Special Name 0 - - - - +1 - - - - - - - 15 - - - - +0.2 - - - - - - - 30 - - - - +0.2 - - - - - - - 45 - - - - +0.2 - - - - - - - 60 - - - - +0.4 - - - - - - - 120 - +3 +4 - - - - - - - - - 120 - - - - - - - - - Holo-Targeting

90% Tracker Drone 270 +1 +1 +4 - - - +1 - - - - - 360 +1 +1 +4 - - +4 +1 - - - - - 900 +1 +1 +4 - - +4 +1 - - - - - 1200 +1 +1 +4 - - +4 +1 - - - - -

Harassment Units

Harassment units are generally not a major threat on their own, but can quickly make a mixed engagement go from bad to worse. Their special abilities can greatly impair XCOM's ability to perform on the field. This can be countered with advanced tech options or specialized tactics.

Thin Man

Appears April Damage 5 - 7 HP 5 - 22 Defense 0 - 35 Aim 60 - 95 Crit Chance 4 - 34 Movement 14 - 19 Bonus Regen 0 - 8 Will 25 - 55

Thin Men are quite similar to vanilla, with high mobility, mediocre aim and low will. The main change is that their poison has been replaced with acid, which lowers aim (flat -20%) and mobility (-25%) as poison does, and affected units take slightly more damage from attacks, but acid no longer causes damage directly. Instead, acid inflicts damage to a victim as they take actions, so moving, reloading, firing, overwatch, etc. will all cause an affected unit to take 1 damage. A unit that goes on overwatch will take the damage when they go on overwatch, not when they fire. Hunkering down is safe and a unit that simply remains still and hunkered for the duration of acid will take no damage at all. Acid clouds dissipate within 2 turns and the acid debuff lasts 2-5 turns. Robotic units and soldiers with Medikits or sealed armor are immune to the mobility effects of acid and won't take damage from actions, but will still take more damage from attacks and have reduced aim while affected by acid.

A Level 9 Thin Man, the Typhon, can appear in a scripted encounter in Furies without the prerequisite Alien Research.

Rewards: Thin Men carry Alien Carbines (with the standard dead-man switch) and leave corpses. These can be spent on the Improved Medikit Foundry project (10x) after completing an autopsy (10x). The Thin Man interrogation gives a 25% research credit towards laser weaponry.

Difficulty Modifiers Difficulty

Base Damage

HP

Aim

Crit. Chance

Defense

Mobility

Will Normal 5 5 60 4 0 14 25 Classic 5 5 70 4 0 14 25 Brutal 5 5 75 4 0 14 35 Impossible 5 5 75 4 0 14 50 Base Abilities/Perks Acidic

Acid Spit

Leap

Suppression



Seeker

Appears May Damage 2 - 5 HP 4 - 15 Defense 0 - 20 DR 2 - 5 Aim 55 - 76 Crit Chance 0 Movement 16 - 25 Flight Fuel 32 Will 0

Seekers can be found both in pods made up entirely of Seekers, and accompanying squads of other aliens. This indirectly makes them more dangerous than vanilla, since a Seeker itself isn't much threat, but a Seeker supporting other aliens can be a deadly distraction. Seekers have had the shackles taken off their AI, and will happily decloak and Strangle 4 of your soldiers at once. As mechanized units they have some damage reduction, which makes them difficult to damage with low power weapons like pistols and carbines. Seekers only cause 1 initial damage when strangling, but this damage doubles every turn they remain attached, so quickly knocking a Seeker off will result in minimal damage, but if left it will cause massive damage in 3-4 turns.

Battle Scanners are available to Engineers and Scouts as carried items in Long War, giving an early counter to Seekers. They have a habit of going into overwatch while in stealth, so if you're waiting out Seekers without a Battle Scanner, try moving a soldier, one might reveal itself to take a pot shot at you. Ground-hugging Seekers can also be 'detected' by scanning for seemingly empty tiles that cannot be moved into; any explosive/area effect attacks (bar the MEC Flamethrower; Seekers are fireproof - though an 'IMMUNE' popup will still appear) that catch an invisible Seeker in their area will force them to decloak.

If Seekers have no valid targets for their strangulation attack (as MECs and SHIVs are immune, and several armors and items grant immunity also), they will most often go into overwatch (which will not decloak them until they have fired), or attempt to flank soldiers in cover and try to score a critical hit with their plasma gun. A Seeker who does not cloak on pod activation will usually try for this approach. Like Sectoids, Seekers possess the Gunslinger perk and suffer no range penalties for their plasma shots, but do not deal extra damage from base. In terror missions, they prefer to hunt down any remaining civilians if all XCOM units are immune; if a Seeker is the last enemy active on a Terror mission, focus on rescuing the civilians. Once the Seeker has no civilian targets remaining, its AI will switch to focusing on the squad instead.

Rewards: As robotic units, Seekers cannot be captured. Upon destruction, they leave wrecks, which are needed for autopsy (5) and UFO Countermeasures Foundry project (10).

Difficulty Modifiers Difficulty

Base Damage

HP

Aim

Crit. Chance

Defense

Mobility

Will Normal 2 4 55 0 0 16 0 Classic 2 4 60 0 0 16 0 Brutal 2 4 65 0 0 16 0 Impossible 2 5 65 0 0 16 0 Base Abilities/Perks Flight

Gunslinger

Strangle

Robotic



Combat Units

Combat units often appear in large groups. They present substantial threat to XCOM forces.

Outsider

Appears March Damage 6 - 10 HP 10 - 23 Defense 0 - 15 DR 0 - 3 Aim 65 - 95 Crit Chance 4 - 22 Movement 12 - 17 Bonus Regen 3 - 7 Will 100 - 140

Long War Outsiders are enormously more dangerous than vanilla Outsiders. They start with 10 HP and 3 HP regeneration per turn, meaning it will take a concerted effort from the whole squad to take them down early game. Like vanilla, Outsiders are mostly found in charge of UFOs, usually holed up on the bridge, but not always. In Long War, they will occasionally patrol. You should be careful not to activate a UFO's Outsider until you're ready for it, since their HP regen means they can easily take on 1 or 2 XCOM soldiers without even taking damage. On larger UFOs Outsiders spawn in larger groups than in vanilla. On larger ships and later encounters, Outsiders spawn in pods of 3 to 6.

When you first meet them, fighting Outsiders in a war of attrition across cover is a bad idea, since their HP regen and relatively high damage and accuracy with their Alien Carbines means they may well win. Neutralizing the Outsider with Flashbangs and Suppression while you move your troops up to set up for a one turn kill is more effective. Note that their regenerative abilities will increase over the course of your game.

Rewards: Outsiders captured alive grant Outsider Shards, which can be fashioned into Skeleton Keys. These are essential for initiating Base Assault missions, a requirement for ending the game. They also carry Alien Carbines. Killed Outsiders provide nothing.

Note: The bonus regen column includes the bonus conferred by Adaptive Bone Marrow.

Floater

Appears April Damage 5 - 8 HP 5 - 16 Defense -5 - 11 Aim 55 - 80 Crit Chance 4 - 9 Movement 12 - 20 Flight Fuel 32 Will 20 - 44

Floaters behave identically to vanilla Floaters. Floater squad leaders often gain the Damn Good Ground ability, which, given their ability to fly, makes them significantly more dangerous than regular Floaters.

Rewards: Floaters leave corpses (10-autopsy, 30-Armored Fighters, 25-Shaped Armor, 3-Uplink Targeting (Aim)) and carry Alien Carbines. Floater interrogation provides aerospace research credit.

Difficulty Modifiers Difficulty

Base Damage

HP

Aim

Crit. Chance

Defense

Mobility

Will Normal 5 5 55 4 -5 12 20 Classic 5 5 60 4 -5 13 20 Brutal 5 6 65 4 0 13 30 Impossible 5 6 65 4 0 13 45 Base Abilities/Perks Flight

Launch

Suppression



Chryssalid

Appears April Damage 8 - 12 HP 8 - 20 Defense 10 - 35 Aim 0 Crit Chance 25 Movement 20 - 27 Bonus Regen 0 - 7 Will 50 - 70

Chryssalids are similar to vanilla Chryssalids. A big difference is that Chryssalid squad leaders have Lightning Reflexes, which can seriously reduce the amount of damage a charging Chryssalid squad will take from overwatch fire since the squad leader moves first, and is thus the most likely to trigger overwatch fire depending on positioning. Like Thin Men, the Chryssalid's claw poison has been replaced with acid.

AP/HE grenades are an effective early counter to Chryssalids, since they'll frequently charge in a tightly packed group on first sight, and the grenades will do full damage since Chryssalids don't benefit from cover. Similarly, Flashbangs can debilitate a whole group of Chryssalids by reducing their move by 40%, which brings it considerably under the range a Flashbang can be thrown. Chryssalids are immune to acid, so Chem Grenades won't reduce their mobility. Taking out the Chryssalid leader will make reaction fire effective against them; a Close Combat Assault can frequently finish off leaderless Chryssalids. The MEC Flamethrower is also quite effective; aside from the damage (especially with the Jellied Elerium upgrade) it can cause the Chryssalids to panic, and they may then run away from your soldiers instead of towards them.

Chryssalids on a terror mission will always spawn Zombies from civilians they kill off-screen - normally, this only occurred on higher difficulties in vanilla. As such, expect to have to deal with many additional Zombies during Terror missions that focus on the deployment of Chryssalids. Additionally, Chryssalid pods may occasionally contain a number of Zombie units regardless of the mission type.

Some Chryssalid squad leaders may be particularly large. Beware, as these monsters often have upwards of 40-50 health on top of the fact they are escorted by several more Chryssalids and have augmented damage.

Rewards: 5 Chryssalid Carcasses are needed for autopsy, 10 for Chitin Plating.

Difficulty Modifiers Difficulty

Base Damage

HP

Aim

Crit. Chance

Defense

Mobility

Will Normal 8 8 -10 25 10 20 50 Classic 8 8 -5 25 10 20 50 Brutal 8 8 - 25 10 20 60 Impossible 9 8 - 25 10 20 75 Base Abilities/Perks Acidic

Hardened

Implant

Leap

Melee

Stun Immune



Zombie

Appears April Damage 7 - 15 HP 12 - 37 Defense 0 Aim 0 Crit Chance 0 Movement 9 - 16 Bonus Regen 0 - 2 Will 120 - 150

Not even Zombies are immune to getting tweaked in Long War - at first, they become faster, and later tougher, whilst their melee damage steadily ramps up over time. They can occasionally spawn as a member of Chryssalid pods on any mission, and it is also be possible to encounter them as a special pod spawn during Terror missions, in which four to five identical zombies will spawn in a group. Unlike regular Zombies, the members of this Zombie "pack" do not seem to spawn Chryssalids if left to their own devices for too long.

Zombies that have been spawned through a victim implanted by a Chryssalid will spawn a "baby" Chryssalid after two turns, easily recognized by their slightly pink skin color. This Chryssalid variant will have the same stats as an adult Chryssalid and can both move and attack during the turn it emerges. It will furthermore always emerge at full health regardless of how much damage the Zombie has taken.

Rewards: None.

Difficulty Modifiers Difficulty

Base Damage

HP

Aim

Crit. Chance

Defense

Mobility

Will Normal 7 12 -10 0 0 9 120 Classic 7 12 -5 0 0 9 120 Brutal 7 15 - 0 0 9 130 Impossible 8 15 - 0 0 9 140 Base Abilities/Perks Acidic

Chryssalid Spawn

Melee

Stun Immune



Muton

Appears May Damage 8 - 10 HP 8 - 22 Defense 10 - 33 Aim 60 - 82 Crit Chance 4 - 6 Movement 12 Will 30 - 60

Mutons are similar to vanilla Mutons, and will start with Alien Carbines and later upgrade to Alien Rifles. Muton squad leaders have significantly more HP than regular Mutons, as well as a number of overwatch enhancing perks. Before 105 days of alien research, Mutons use Alien Carbines, which modifies their base damage and aim to be 6 and 76 respectively. Muton grenades also have a base damage of 5.

Rewards: Either Alien Carbine or Alien Rifle when captured, and also Alien Grenade if Alien Grenades Foundry project isn't completed. Muton Corpses are required for autopsy (10) and Ammo Conservation Foundry project (20). The Muton interrogation gives a 25% research credit towards gauss weaponry.

Note: Values tagged with an asterisk(*) are only unlocked on regular aliens during later stages of the war.

Difficulty Modifiers Difficulty

Base Damage

HP

Aim

Crit. Chance

Defense

Mobility

Will Normal 6 -> 8* 8 66 -> 60* 4 10 12 30 Classic 6 -> 8* 8 71 -> 65* 4 10 12 30 Brutal 6 -> 8* 10 76 -> 70* 4 10 12 40 Impossible 7 -> 9* 10 76 -> 70* 4 10 12 55 Base Abilities/Perks Alien Grenade

Blood Call

Intimidate

Suppression



* After 105 days of alien research.

Specialist Units

These units are all significantly more dangerous than those listed in the combat section. Their abilities are designed to exploit specific weaknesses in the XCOM squad, but in turn, each of them has their own glaring weakness that can be exploited. For example, a single Berserker can effortlessly savage a smoke and suppression based squad composition, but will crumble to a well-placed chem grenade.

Cyberdisc

Appears June Damage 9 - 14 HP 18 - 32 Defense 0 DR 2 - 6 Aim 60 - 74 Crit Chance 8 - 18 Movement 18 - 22 Flight Fuel 32 Will 0

Cyberdiscs are similar to vanilla Cyberdiscs; even their deployment behavior is largely unchanged. They get the Automated Threat Assessment perk, which given their habit of immediately going on overwatch when seen will often give them extra defense at least for the first turn. Cyberdiscs are usually accompanied by two to three Drones, and usually prefer to throw their grenade if an eligible soldier is in range rather than shooting. This grenade has a base damage of 5.

Cyberdiscs pose a significant threat throughout the game. Early on their high health pool makes them difficult to kill unless you have more than one soldier with HEAT Ammo/Warheads, or a soldier with Shredder Ammo/Rockets. Their movement range can take you off guard as it's close to that of a Chryssalid; if they're not dealt with quickly or retreated from, they are very likely to flank and hit you with raw firepower, move up next to you and use their powerful Death Blossom attack, or simply fire long-range explosives at you.

The Drones escorting a Cyberdisc are of course more dangerous as well (see the main Drone entry), primarily because they can tag a target with Holo-Targeting, making it easier for the parent Cyberdisc (and any other enemies, for that matter) to hit the victim. Drones can be distracted by damaging the Cyberdisc (in which case they will fly back to repair it) but this is hardly an ideal strategy.

One important note about the Cyberdisc is that they only have the Hardened trait as long as they're closed. A Cyberdisc must open up in order to attack with its cannons or grenade, and will immediately return to closed form if hit by an incoming attack. A Cyberdisc that overwatches can often be hit when open twice, by shooting it, then drawing out its overwatch with a Scout, causing it to reopen for a second shot.

In close range, Cyberdiscs explode for damage upon death, a trait that can be used against the aliens in tight packed groups. The Long War mod has also made efforts to better calculate the discs Death Blossom, so be cautious not to engage too closely.

Rewards: Cyberdisc Wrecks are needed for autopsy (3), several Foundry projects (10), and Defensive Matrix (Dodge) (2).

Research Progression Alien Research

Base Damage

HP

Aim

Crit. Chance

DR

Defense

Mobility

Will

Bonus Regen Perk Navigator Chance Special Name 0 - - - - +2 - - - - - - - 270 - +2 - - +1 - +1 - - - - - 360 +1 +1 +4 - - - +1 - - - - - 420 +1 +1 - - +1 - - - - - - - 480 +1 +1 - - - - - - - - - - 600 +1 +2 - - - - - - - - - - 720 +1 +1 - - - - - - - - - - 900 - +3 +5 +5 +1 - +1 - - - - - 1200 - +3 +5 +5 +1 - +1 - - - - -

Mechtoid

Appears August Damage 8 - 11 HP 25 - 39 Shield HP 6 - 13 Defense 0 - 8 DR 2 - 4 Aim 65 - 85 Crit Chance 8 - 12 Movement 14 - 16 Will 40 - 64

Mechtoids behave identically to vanilla Mechtoids. Like vanilla, they will appear with Sectoid escorts, and later with Sectoid Commanders.

Mechtoids are one of the few "big" units vulnerable to psionics - Mind Fray will restrict their movement and prevent them from charging to flank as well as reducing their accuracy. Psi Panic will completely disable a Mechtoid. Their Will is a little higher than regular troops, but not stellar, so are excellent targets for psionics anyway due to the large amount of firepower a successful psionic attack will neutralise. Chem Grenades will hurt their accuracy a bit.

The Psi Shield granted to Mechtoids by Mind Merge also grants a significant amount of extra Damage Reduction on top of the added temporary health. As a result, it is absolutely essential that you find and kill the Sectoid that set up the link (helpfully indicated by the purple streams) and eliminate them.

While Mechtoids do not explode for damage, a Mechtoid that falls backwards in a fight it will crush cover it lands on. Be careful not to destroy your own cover in close quarters combat.

Rewards: Mechtoid Cores are required for autopsy (3), Advanced Servomotors Foundry project (8), and Psi Screen device (1).

Research Progression Alien Research

Base Damage

HP

Shield HP

Aim

Crit. Chance

DR

Defense

Mobility

Will

Bonus Regen Perk Navigator Chance Special Name 1 - - - - - +2 - - +3 - - - - 270 - +2 +1 - - - - - +3 - - - - 360 - +1 +1 - - - - - +3 - - - - 420 +1 +2 +1 +4 - +1 - - +3 - - - - 500 - +3 - +4 +4 - +4 +1 +3 - - - - 600 - +3 +1 +4 - - - +1 +3 - - - - 700 +1 - - - - - +4 - +3 - - - - 900 +1 +3 +3 +8 - +1 - - +3 - - - -

Berserker

Appears August Damage 10 - 20 HP 20 - 44 Defense 20 - 30 Aim 0 Crit Chance 33 Movement 17 - 23 Bonus Regen 0 - 7 Will 80 - 110

Berserkers can also be Squad Leaders, meaning the first Berserkers you see could have terrifying amounts of health.

Like Chryssalids, anything you can do to slow down a Berserker will greatly reduce its threat. Flashbanging a Berserker will reduce its half-movement range to well below flashbang throw range, so is a good way to neutralize a Berserker you're not ready to kill. It will also reduce its movement from Bloodlust, so you can also shoot a couple of times after flashbanging (but don't go overboard). Another good piece of equipment to use against them are Chem Grenades, not only does it reduce their damage reduction and limit their movement, but it also deals damage to them each time they move after being shot.

Since it's possible to have multiple soldiers with Rift outside of the Temple Ship, using their aggression against them to make them wander in and out of the Psionic Storm will make quick work of them, if you can set up the situation. With a few other AoE attacks, a cluster of them becomes a comedic slaughter: excellent payback for all the times they will crush your soldiers under their fists.

Two well placed Close Combat Specialist Assaults (optionally with Shredder Ammo) can also quickly make short work of even a group of Berserkers while a grenade or rocket makes them to run all at once towards the CCS trap. Beware of low ammunition shotguns.

Rewards: Berserkers don't carry a weapon. Their corpses are needed for autopsy (5), MEC Close Combat (8), and Combat Stims (1). Interrogating a Berserker gives a 25% research credit towards all armor technologies.

Research Progression Alien Research

Base Damage

HP

Aim

Crit. Chance

DR

Defense

Mobility

Will

Bonus Regen Perk Navigator Chance Special Name 0 +1 +1 - - - +2 - - - - 10% - 0 - +1 - - - +2 - - - - 15% - 0 - +1 - - - +2 - - - - 15% - 0 - +1 - - - +2 - - - - 20% - 0 - +1 - - - +2 - - - - 25% - 270 +1 +1 - - - - - +3 - - - - 300 - +1 - - - +5 - +3 - - - - 330 - +2 - - - - - +3 - - - - 420 +1 +2 - - - - +2 +3 +1 - - - 500 +1 +2 - - - +5 - +3 - - - - 600 +1 +2 - - - - - +3 - - - - 700 +1 +2 - - - - - +3 - - - - 800 +1 +2 - - - - - +3 - - - - 900 +2 +5 - - - - +2 +3 +3 - - - 1200 +2 +5 - - - - +2 +3 +3 - - -

Sectoid Commander

Appears October Damage 4 - 9 HP 15 - 36 Defense 20 - 39 Aim 55 Crit Chance 0 Movement 12 - 14 Bonus Regen 1 - 6 Will 90 - 170

Sectoid Commanders represent a substantial step up from their first-month brethren, and carry new psionic abilities as well as better statistics. Sectoid Commanders can use Mind Control.

Rewards: Just like basic Sectoids, Sectoid Commanders carry Alien Pistols. Besides the autopsy (5), five of their corpses are needed for Mind Shield. Their interrogation provides 25% research credit towards psionic research and Psi Warfare Systems Foundry project.

Heavy Floater

Appears November Damage 8 - 10 HP 15 - 29 Defense 5 - 25 DR 0 - 1 Aim 60 - 76 Crit Chance 8 - 12 Movement 12 - 14 Flight Fuel 32 Will 25 - 41

The Heavy Floater is improvement over the original Floater. Unlike regular Floaters, Heavy Floaters can throw grenades, and with the Bombard perk, they can throw them very far. This grenade has a base damage of 5.

Rewards: Heavy Floaters carry Alien Rifles. The corpse is needed for autopsy (5), Advanced Flight (5), and Advanced Repair (4). Interrogation provides plasma technologies research bonus.

Difficulty Modifiers Difficulty

Base Damage

HP

Aim

Crit. Chance

Defense

Mobility

Will Normal 8 15 60 8 5 12 25 Classic 8 15 65 8 10 12 25 Brutal 8 15 70 8 10 12 35 Impossible 10 15 70 8 10 12 50 Base Abilities/Perks Alien Grenade

Bombard

Flight

Launch

Suppression



Alpha Units

These units present significant threat on their own. Except Muton Elites, who come in large groups late game, Sectopods and Ethereals appear either alone or in a group of two, accompanied by support units.

Muton Elite

Appears December Damage 10 - 12 HP 20 - 40 Defense 20 - 40 Aim 70 - 86 Crit Chance 0 - 4 Movement 12 - 15 Bonus Regen 0 - 5 Will 40 - 85

Muton Elites are looking similar to Mutons, but with a red armor and a helmet.

They appear as pod leaders first, usually in pairs like normal Mutons, in the late game they entirely replace Mutons on missions. Care must be taken, because they have a lot of innate defense and Tactical Sense, as well as a lot of firepower at their disposal. Their heavy plasma weapons are both destructive and highly damaging, and even though they lost Intimidate, they still benefit from Blood Call. As they appear as pod leaders, a lot of their good perks trigger earlier than they actually appear in hordes, making Muton pods very dangerous.

Their overwatch becomes lethal with Opportunist, Covering Fire and Sentinel, they can fire twice with Light' Em Up and further with Squadsight, crit with Aggression and Bring 'Em On and respond to fire with RTS. Watch out for Bombard grenades, HEAT and Tandem Warheads as well. An encounter with them can only be done without losses by using advanced Technology like MECS or Psionics or very good tactics, forcing the player to focus and speed up their research.

One using Psionics to attack them should take care too, as they gain high will and Neural Damping.

Rewards: Muton Elites are the only aliens carrying Alien Heavy Weapons. Their corpses are extremely useful, too, since 20 are needed for the extremely useful Tactical Rigging, and 5 for autopsy. Interrogating a Muton Elite gives a 25% research bonus to all weapon technologies and projects.

Difficulty Modifiers Difficulty

Base Damage

HP

Aim

Crit. Chance

Defense

Mobility

Will Normal 10 20 70 0 20 12 40 Classic 10 20 75 0 20 12 40 Brutal 10 20 80 0 20 12 50 Impossible 13 20 80 0 20 12 65 Base Abilities/Perks Alien Grenade

Bombard

Suppression



Sectopod

Appears January, year 2 Damage 7 - 27 HP 35 - 60 Defense 0 DR 3 - 9 Aim 70 - 80 Crit Chance 8 Movement 12 Will 0

Massive mechanical war machines, Sectopods are similar to their original incarnation - only more deadly, of course. Approach with extreme caution. As with all aliens, their strength and power progresses with time, making them significantly more dangerous as the war drags on.

The Sectopod's attacks have different base damage values. The Sectopod chest cannon has a base damage of 11, the normal cannon has a base damage of 9, and the Cluster Bomb has a base damage of 7.

Sectopods do not need to reload; both their chest and "normal" (green) cannon are supplied with infinite ammo.

Furthermore, the Disabling Shot perk will ONLY damage the chest cannon, not the green cannon.

Rewards: Sectopod Wrecks are needed for autopsy (3) and EMP Cannons (1).

Research Progression Alien Research

Base Damage

HP

Aim

Crit. Chance

DR

Defense

Mobility

Will

Bonus Regen Perk Navigator Chance Special Name 1 - - - - +1 - - - - - - - 120 - - - - +1 - - - - - - - 240 - - - - +1 - - - - - - - 360 - - - - +1 - - - - - - - 450 - +5 - - - - - - - - - - 600 - - - - +1 - - - - - - - 700 +4 +5 +5 - +1 - - - - - - - 800 +3 +5 +5 - +1 - - - - - - - 900 +3 +5 - - +1 - - - - - - - 1200 +3 +5 - - +1 - - - - - - -

Ethereal

Appears February, year 2 Damage 13 - 16 HP 20 - 40 Defense 40 - 45 Aim 90 Crit Chance 0 Movement 12 Bonus Regen 4 - 10 Will 135 - 190

The floating psionic leaders of the alien race are substantially more deadly and no longer trade frailty for their power. Using a Psionic Lance attack that is based on will as well as the feared Mind Control and Rift abilities, Ethereals represent the pinnacle of psionic deadliness. Ethereals regenerate health. Ethereals will reflect any shots taken at them which roll as misses (except overwatch shots), dealing 33% damage to the attacker. This means any non-overwatch shots will be either hits or reflections, so taking high-percentage shots is particularly important against Ethereals. Explosives and stuns cannot be reflected. The Ethereal's Psionic Lance is a cross between psionic power and weapon. It has no cooldown, and its effectiveness is reduced by Suppression, but it can't be disabled with Disabling Shot.

Rewards: Captured Ethereals carry nothing and only three of their corpses are needed for an autopsy. Interrogating an Ethereal gives research bonus to all remaining technologies and Foundry projects.

Research Progression Alien Research

Base Damage

HP

Aim

Crit. Chance

DR

Defense

Mobility

Will

Bonus Regen Perk Navigator Chance Special Name 1 +3 - - - - - - +15 +4 - - - 420 - +5 - - - - - +15 - - - - 540 - +5 - - - - - +15 +2 - - - 700 +1 - - - - +5 - +5 - - - - 900 +1 +5 - - - - - +10 +2 - - - 1200 +1 +5 - - - - - +10 +2 - - -

Uber Ethereal

Appears Temple Ship Only Damage 10 HP 60 Defense 50 - 80 Aim 110 Crit Chance 0 Movement 12 Bonus Regen 15 Will 200 - 230

The ultimate Ethereal. He is immune to stun and Mind Control, and receives 15 Damage Reduction from every nearby live Ethereal.

Rewards: Winning the game.

Research Progression Alien Research

Base Damage

HP

Aim

Crit. Chance

DR

Defense

Mobility

Will

Bonus Regen Perk Navigator Chance Special Name 1 - - - - - - - - +15 - - - 540 - - - - - +10 - +10 - - - - 700 - - - - - +10 - +10 - - - - 900 - - - - - +10 - +10 - - - -