Beaglerush - Beta 15 Squad Build Planning

Remember, with little to no experience in Beta 15 at time of writing, the way these builds perform and compliment each other is either theoretical or based on B14 and previous experience.

Exercise your own judgement and decision making and never blindly follow the advice of other players!

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Summary of builds I intend to use:

ITZ Sniper - "Cleaner"

Concealment Scout - "Recondo"

Overwatch Infantry - "Coverman"

Guerilla Assault - "Boxer"

Bullet Wizard Gunner - "Bullet Wizard"

OW Rocketeer - "Reactive Rocketeer"

OW Medic - "Corpsman"

Support Engineer - "Batman"

OW/HEAT Valkyrie - "Bushwhacker"

DZ/Tank Archer - "Madcat"

CE/Tank Marauder - "Firebat" serves as strong tank and flamethrower/EMP/Fist delivery system on UFO or expanded squadsize missions.

HnR/Tank Pathfinder - "Puma" serves as survivable guerilla fighter to round out base assault squads or alternate mission setups.

"Metal Mage" Alloy/Hover SHIV (Danger Zone + Holo + HEAT) serves as a good substitute trooper to counter fatigue/injury gaps.

Class - Ideal Equipment - Research Focus:

Cleaner - SCOPE, Medkit/Reaper (Bipod). +DMG

Recondo - Chitin, Chem (Chameleon/Flexpick). +HP

Coverman - Chitin, SCOPE (Reaper). +HP

Boxer - Chitin, Shredder/Breaching/Mind Shield (Reinforced). +HP

Bullet Wizard - Chitin, AP Ammo (Medkit). +HP

Reactive - SCOPE. +HP

Corpsman - Chitin, SCOPE (Medkit). +HP

Batman - Alien Grenade, Chem (Scanner/Flexpick). +HP

Bushwhacker - Flamethrower, Fist, EMP, Body Shield/DR, Battle Computer, SCOPE/Plating

Madcat - Proximity Mine x 3, Body Shield/DR, Trophy/Battle Computer, Plating

Firebat - Flamethrower, Fist, EMP, Body Shield/DR, Turbos, Plating

Puma - Flamethrower, Fist, EMP, Jetboots/DR, Turbos, Battle Computer/Plating/AP Ammo

Metal Mage - HEAT/Plating, Danger Zone, Holo-Targeter

Officers: Gunners act as Officers.

Legio Patria Nostra (With a couple Stay Frosty's for easier missions like small UFOs)

Fortiores Una

So Shall You Fight

Band of Warriors

So Others May Live

Psi:

Cleaner, Batman - Mindfray, Psi Inspiration, Mind Merge, Telekinetic Field

Recondo, Boxer - Mindfray, Psi Inspiration, Psi Panic, Psychokinetic Strike

Corspman - Regen Biofield, Psi Inspiration, Mind Merge, Telekinetic Field

G-Mods:

Default - Macrophages, Hyper Reactive (Switch to Depth at Archangel), SECONDARY HEART, IRON SKIN, MUSCLE FIBER (Switch to Adaptive at Archangel)

Cleaner - Depth Perception, Bioelectric Skin

Recondo, Boxer - Bioelectric Skin

Bullet Wizard - Neural Damping

Description of builds:

SNIPER

SS - Lone Wolf - Snap Shot - Ranger - VPT - LnL - ITZ

Only trooper with a reasonable claim to ITZ. Janitor role remains the same as B15 with added bonus of VPT and Ranger for an extra +3 damage. Disabling duties handed over to other classes.

SCOUT

LR - Gunslinger - Flush - Sprinter - Low Profile - Smoke and Mirrors - Concealment

Utility stealth trooper. Seals the Flush gap caused by Bullet Wizard Gunners. Highly flexible weapons specialist with Gunslinger + Flush making all manner of weapon types useful. Stealth Recon is very strong at MSGT.

INFANTRY

LEU - Covering Fire - Opportunist - Suppression - LnL - Sentinel - VPT/EC

Infantry never changes. Overwatch specialists that rule the early to mid game. The biggest difference in B15 is how well they translate into the newly improved Valkyrie once MECs are available.

ASSAULT

RnG - CCS/Flush - Aggression - Hit and Run (Rapid Fire) - Resilience (Killer Instinct) - Sprinter - Extra Conditioning

Hit and Run guerilla warrior or full blown aggressive critmaster. Not too much changed from B14.

GUNNER

Suppression - Holo - Shredder - Will to Survive - Danger Zone - Double Tap - Mayhem

No more Resilience or EC on the Bullet Wizard make this Gunner much squishier than his old counterpart. Double Tap and Scout Concealment are both well suited to making the Gunner an LMG specialist now to exploit the extra range. HEAT's nerf to 50% makes anything other than a Bullet Wizard seem unnecessary as Gunner builds go, and Mayhem + LMG will deliver tons of damage.

ROCKETEER

Fire Rocket - HEAT Warheads - Rapid Reaction - Shredder Ammo - Opportunist - Extra Conditioning - Javelin Rockets

Reactive Rocketeer is mainstream now, with HEAT and Shredder co-existing peacefully on the build. EC is worth the take over Shock and Awe as a result; one less HE rocket, but far more survivability and reliability as a frontline Overwatcher. Slight drop in accuracy from no Fire in the Hole means Javelin will combo well to increase overall accuracy while Danger Zone is too dangerous to pick.

MEDIC

Field Medic - Suppression - Rapid Reaction - Paramedic - Opportunist - Lock N' Load - Extra Conditioning (Savior)

Rapid Reaction Medic is also the mainstream now - at least, arguably when the Engineer is the better support grenadier. Paramedic and EC combo well to make your Medic a strong frontline fighter and good MEC Support; but Savior provides much better healing and can arguably allow you to take a Chitin Plating to replicate the gain from EC in the first place, leaving the soldier much more flexible at the loadout screen. A couple of each type of Medic should serve well.

ENGINEER

Grenadier - Smoke Grenade - Smoke and Mirrors - Repair - Dense Smoke - Packmaster/EC - Bombardier

The Engineer's support tree has only got better in B15 and with the nerf to HEAT I consider it his mainstream tree now. Also consider the Engineer is your best candidate to wield the new and improved Arc Rifle. Like the Medic, consider EC an overall brilliant perk for most missions but keeping at least one Packmaster Engineer may prove worthwhile for long base assault style missions.

JAEGER - ITZ, Flush

Now the only mech with ITZ, Squadsight + raw damage make for a glass cannon flanker/artillery piece.

SS - DGG - Flush - Lone Wolf - VPT - Bring 'Em On - ITZ

PATHFINDER - HnR, Flush, (Lightning Reflexes)

Only Hit and Run MEC. Good tanking tree + guerilla tactics allows it to apply damage over long missions while remaining survivable. Good choice for squads with no sustained healing.

HnR - Lone Wolf - Flush - Repair Servos - Damage Control - Squadsight - Absorption Fields

VALKYRIE - RR, Tanking, HEAT

The new tank hunter. Up to four HEAT shots per turn + Flush and Repair Servos/AF for tanking make for a very strong brawler. If your gunner is HEAT instead of Bullet Wizard, you can swap HEAT for Shredder here to fill in your gap.

LEU - Flush - Rapid Reaction - HEAT Ammo - Opportunist - Repair Servos - Absorption Fields

MARAUDER - CE, Tanking, Secondary Weapon Specialist

Close range equipment delivery platform. Run in, CE shot, flame/fist/EMP. CCS anything that runs. Tank with Repair and AF.

CE - SAA - CCS - Executioner - Repair Servos - VPT - AF

GOLIATH - Tanking, Flush

Pure tank. Flush provides some utility but it's all about stacking survivability. Only one two MECs with Resilience. Instant access to AF makes this MEC very accessible early on.

AF - Flush - Reactive - Resilience - SAA - Repair Servos - Damage Control

ARCHER - Proximity Mine Assault Delivery (PrtyMAD)

Delivers lots of mines and does it well. Tanking spec possible.

Bombardier - HEAT Warheads - Mayhem - Sapper/Repair Servos - Packmaster - Danger Zone - Tandem Warheads/Absorption Fields

GUARDIAN - Overwatch Tank

Takes hits, delivers them back with Sentinel/CF and Reactive. Strong and vigilant tank.

Sentinel - Reactive - Covering Fire - Opportunist - Damage Control - Absorption Fields - Resilience

SHOGUN - Flexible / HEAT Tank

Easy access to Collateral, plus all tanking perks and LEU/RF at the loss of Resilience make Shogun arguably a better main tank than Goliath. HEAT is an option over Repair Servos if the Shogun's squad has enough sustain.