1. Is Xcom Enemy Within Standalone

Welcome to the XCOM: Enemy Unknown Starter Guide! This page contains everything you need to know to get started playing XCOM and should help introduce the many in-depth sections of the XCOM: Enemy Unknown Wiki in the order they are presented in the first stages of the game.

Found an error on Xcom as I was setting up to record the campaign again, here is a really hard to fix for the game Xcom enemy unknown and it's expansion Enemy Within. Re: SOLVED XCOM Enemy unknown, doesn't start Ah, weird problem it was, but I'm gonna post the solution if anyone gets this problem in the future. It was the space in the path that was making the problem, if you install it in default directory then there's no problem, but if you are installing on different partition and the name of dir is.

Description of XCOM: Enemy Unknown[edit]

XCOM is a turn-based squad tactical strategy game fused with a real-time strategic operations simulator.

The tactical game takes place on a variety of small battlefields. Players control squads of four to six soldiers engaging Enemies. Scenarios include counteracting alien abduction attempts, searching crashed UFOs, rescuing civilians, and assaulting various ET installations.

The strategic operations game requires the player to manage the XCOM base, building facilities, researching technology, manufacturing new equipment, training soldiers, balancing a budget, and directing an avionic weapons and satellite program.

The two modes operate interdependently. Items recovered during the tactics sections fuel scientific research in the simulation mode, and technological breakthroughs in the strategic section enhance the abilities of squad members during the tactical portions of the game.

Difficulty Options[edit]

New players should probably accept the Normal difficulty, which is plenty difficult. XCOM isn’t particularly forgiving of mistakes.

Base Continents[edit]

You'll be offered a choice of continental bases. For your first game, North America is a decent choice. You will always need aircraft, and since North America has only three member countries on The Council you can reap the benefit of reduced Interceptor costs fairly early.

The Tutorial[edit]

XCOM’s first two missions and initial base simulation section are available as part of an interactive tutorial. It's fairly painless and will teach you a lot about how XCOM works.

The Squad[edit]

To select squad members for the mission, on the screen right before mission beginning (which is showing your previous squad members) press DELETE button on any member you not want to use - and then Add option will bring you full roster of your troops

Squad Management[edit]

When a Rookie gains enough experience to advance to Squaddie rank, he or she is randomly assigned a specialty role. This is a permanent designation and cannot be undone.

Squads include only four or five soldiers for the first few missions, and your slowly developing array of specialties will sometimes limit what classes you can bring to the table. Early in the game you may want to use a number of Rookies on single missions, allowing them to advance to Squaddie and unlocking their hidden specialty. You then have more options for picking and choosing your squad makeup.

There are four specialty roles available to your soldiers: Assault, Heavy, Sniper, and Support. All are useful, especially in conjunction with other classes where individual weaknesses can be covered by the abilities of squad mates. Most six-man squads should contain at least one member of each specialty, and fill out the other two personnel slots according to player preference and mission parameters.

Assault characters can be very useful in room-to-room fighting. Their combination of high mobility and powerful close-range attacks suits them well to UFO Crash infiltration and alien base assaults. They also make superb scouts on the open battlefield, stepping into the fog of war while their squad mates wait just behind on Overwatch and Reaction Shots, triggering enemy movement and allowing the team to make reaction shots. Late in the game their Flush Out ability is indispensable.

Assault specialists have two weaknesses. First, Assault troops are often equipped with Shotgun-class weapons, which have a very limited range. Equipping a Rifle rather than a Shotgun increases their range but blunts their damage potential. Second, Assault characters can get into a lot of trouble if even slightly mismanaged, finding themselves surrounded and overwhelmed by ambushes. It is absolutely essential that Assault troops never move into unknown territory without the benefit of protective fire, with squad mates in range and on Overwatch or ready to respond.

Heavy specialists carry powerful automatic weapons and explosive rocket launchers. Their talents lie in their ability (after developing Bullet Storm) to fire twice on turns where they make no movement, in their affinity for area effect attacks, and in their unique suppression abilities, which force enemies to keep their heads down during the Alien phase or risk powerful automatic counter-attacks.

The main weakness of heavies is mobility. While their movement speed is equitable with other soldiers, their best abilities can only be activated before movement.

Snipers wield high-damage, long ranged attacks. Their powerful Head Shot ability strongly increases their chance of a critical hit. A properly placed Sniper can dominate a battlefield, dealing lethal damage to targets softened up, pinned down, and flushed out by other team members.

Sniper rifles cannot be fired after movement without the snapshot ability, which requires a commander to constantly think about positioning when fielding Snipers. Their rifles are also inaccurate at close range.

Support personnel are battlefield medics and area control troops par excellence. They wield the balanced medium range rifle-class weapons. Their smoke grenades are absolute lifesavers when the player makes a mistake that leaves a soldier vulnerable, and their Medikit affinities allow them to heal far more effectively than other classes. They can develop good mobility and suppression capabilities and provide buffs to other troops.

Unlike Support classes in some other tactical games, Support troops in XCOM are quite useful in a firefight. While they devote part of their time to protecting and healing other squad members, they are deadly combatants.

Once you have a core squad of six reliable soldiers, you should occasionally rotate rookies into your less-difficult missions. Having a stable full of classed Squaddies may come in handy later in the game when wounds become a greater factor.

When it comes to promoting your soldiers, in the long run the promotion paths are really a matter of preference. Almost every upgrade ability is useful. However, new players may find these recommended upgrade paths (through Captain) helpful:

Late in the game, some of your soldiers will gain access to special PSI Abilities. While you won't have to worry about this for some time, you may want to read up on it in the Psi Abilities section of the Wiki.

Initial Facilities[edit]

Your first priorities in developing your Base should follow the recommendations of the tutorial. The game will prompt you early to develop Alien Containment, and you should do so as soon as practicable. You may also want to build a Workshop early on, as you’ll need more workers than your starting corps of Engineers for almost every worthwhile bit of construction.

Next, you should dig as quickly as possible to the nearest Steam and build a Thermo Generator. This will give you enough Engineers and Power to create your most important Base improvement: Satellite Uplinks.

Satellites are the bread and butter of XCOM economics. Without enough Satellite coverage, aliens run amok, panic levels rise, nations leave the Council, and income decreases. Conversely, a well developed satellite network adds monthly income for every covered nation, special bonuses for every completely covered continent, and early warning of alien incursions, allowing you to intercept UFOs and lower panic levels.

The number of satellites you can launch is dependant on the number of Satellite Uplinks you have available. Each Uplink allows you to maintain two Satellites. Two relays placed side by side in the facility add the bonus capacity for an additional Satellite.

Ideally, you should have a Satellite over every member country, though this won’t be possible during the first few months of the game.

Note that building an Uplink doesn’t actually grant you any Satellites, just the means to control them. You’ll also need to build the Satellites in Engineering. Satellites take 20 days to build. If possible, time your orders so that your Uplink and Satellites go online near-simultaneously.

When you gain the means to build a Satellite Nexus, do so as soon as funding allows. The Nexus is twice as efficient as an ordinary Uplink, enabling you to control 4 Satellites.

When building, try to plan your base to cluster similar Facilities. Laboratories, Workshops and Satellite Uplinks all gain proximity bonuses for adjacent placement. Plan ahead accordingly. In the long run it can be more efficient to dig down a level when building other types of Facilities, saving topside space next to synergistic areas.

Start with excavating at least one additional grid square of sub-level one. Start plotting your route to the nearest steam, as you'll want to build a Thermo Generatoras soon as you can. Alien Containment will unlock in conjunction with your Xeno-Biology Xeno-Biology Research, and you should construct this the moment it becomes available.

You'll also likely want one Workshop,. Try to build this in an area with plenty of space around it, as you'll likely build at least one more Workshop later in the game, and these Facilities gain important proximity bonuses if built adjacent to one another.

After the Workshop, develop whatever Power Station variant is most expedient. Then build a Satellite Uplink or Satellite Nexus (whichever technology allows) taking care to place it near several open Grid squares to the side and below. It is imperative that future Uplinks are built adjacent to one another.

After this you'll probably want to invest in The Foundry, which allows for the development of upgraded technologies.

Initial Research[edit]

Xeno-Biology Xeno-Biology is the first tech your should investigate. Doing so unlocks construction of Alien Containment, a necessary Objective to advance the plot. You'll also need to develop Arc Throwers to enable the live capture of a Sectoid. After this move on to Alien Materials. This allows manufacture of the important Nano-Fiber Vest. Your soldiers' Tier-I armor is frighteningly brittle, and the few extra points of protection offered by these supplemental protective items will likely save a life or two.

The meat and potatoes of Laboratory Research are weapons and armor. Your early-game armament is fine against Sectoids and Thin Men, but mid-to-late game enemies are much more heavily armed and armored. Developing Beam Weapons as soon as it becomes available is a very good idea. This will make the Laser Rifle available and open up research into the Tier-II Laser class weapons, which will carry you a long way through the game. The Precision Lasers research credit will give you access to Laser Sniper Rifles and Scatter Lasers (Tier-II Shotguns), while the Heavy Lasers research project opens up the Heavy Laser weapon (Tier-II LMG).

In terms of protection, concentrate your initial efforts on the Carapace Armor. You'll gain access to this research path after successful UFO infiltration. This Tier-II suit is light years ahead of your basic body armor and will increase survivability of your forces.

Finally, consider early research into New Fighter Craft, which requires researching the Alien Nav Computer and UFO Power Supply. The default XCOM interceptors are woefully unequipped to handle medium and large UFOs. You'll need Firestorm fighters to have any chance of consistently downing them.

You should always give Research projects marked 'Priority' a quick look, as they are integral to advancing the plot. You don't necessarily have to research these projects right away, but it's usually a good idea.

How should I utilize the Officer Training School?[edit]

Your first OTS upgrade should occur the moment one of your team makes Sergeant. Squad Size I is an absolute must-have upgrade. The benefits of a fifth squad mate present on the battlefield outweigh even the greatest weapons technology advances.

Next up should be Rapid Recovery. Wounds are a fact of life. Rapid Recovery is a very cheap way to keep your troop numbers relatively low. With quicker recovery you need fewer troops to fill in holes made by wounded warriors.

Which abductions should I respond to?[edit]

Alien abductions happen in clusters. You'll typically have two or three sites to choose from, and you can only send your team to one location. You should consider two factors when responding.

Before responding to an abduction, consider not just the three countries presented by the overall continental effects. Note that the panic level of any country you respond to will go down, while the panic level of countries you ignore will go up. Further, the panic of countries on the same continent as those you pass up will also rise!

The second factor to consider is rewards. Different countries offer different rewards for intervention, either cash, scientists, engineers, or experienced soldiers. You'll need to balance your monetary needs with your need to control panic when deciding what countries to protect.

Your very first abduction response should focus on acquiring Engineers. Early in the game the number of available engineers can be quite constrictive on your Facilities development and your need to build satellite coverage.

How do I win battles?[edit]

XCOM's tactical challenges require intelligence and purposeful planning. Here are some funadmental strategies that will lead you to victory.

Despite being a game about Extra-Terrestrial invasion, psionic powers and inter-dimensional travel, XCOM treats violence with a degree of realism. Get careless, even for a second, and somebody on your squad is very likely to die.

You're almost always outnumbered, often by a magnitude of more than three to one. The AI fights with remarkable intelligence, utilizing teamwork, terrain, and covering fire. Alien Weapons are often superior to your own, and the ETs have the added bonuses of flight, psychic powers, and Chrysalid giant-zombie-breeding-carnivorous-poisonous-purple bugs. Yes, they have those.

The first word in XCOM tactics is: think before you move. This sounds self-evident, but in the relief of it is so easy to make assumptions about what's happening on the battlefield. In the elation of defeating a powerful group of foes or in the desire to just end the tension and get on with things, even a canny Commander will occasionally slip up and overextend a scout's Dashing maneuver just a little to far, or position a sniper where he doesn't have quite the line of fire you thought he would. And it is invariably in this situation that a mass of the Chrysalid aforementioned giant-zombie-breeding- carnivorous-poisonous-purple bugs appear and kill somebody.

You will either be cautious in XCOM out of your own volition, or XCOM will teach you caution. Painfully.

If you've played other Tactical simulations set in fantasy worlds you may not be prepared for just how vital cover is in XCOM. Put simple, soldiers caught in the open by alien plasma weapons are as good as dead. Your soldiers should always, always, always be in at least half cover. Plot your moves from cover point to cover point. Regard the space between these points as a no-man's land. Only when there is absolutely no other choice should you leave cover. When you are forced to do so, advance at a half-move and on Overwatch.

Speaking of Overwatch, it's important for new players to understand the concept of Reaction Fire. XCOM is a turn based tactical simulation. All of your units move, and then all Alien units move. Alien Units also benefit from an interrupt move during your turn when you first discover them in the fog of war. They generally use this move to take cover.

Overwatch is a combat maneuvre which allows your units to act during the Alien turn. A soldier on Overwatch will fire on any enemy unit that breaks cover and moves across their field of vision, so long as the enemy is in range.

This ability presents powerful tactical options, including:

1. Protecting your troops from counter-attack during the Alien Turn
2. Covering advancing scouts and protecting them from ambush
3. Luring enemies into ambush. By first placing your Snipers, riflemen and Heavies on Overwatch, you can sometimes use Assault troops to half-move forward and lure startled foes into a preemptive attack. This bait and hook tactic is absolute murder in conjunction with the Sniper's Squadsight ability.

Note that the AI has access to Reaction Fire abilities as well and uses it with intelligence.

Flanking is a condition that occurs when an opponent gets behind a unit's coverage and facing. Attacks from the flank enjoy substantial to hit bonuses. Most enemy squads will try to get around your flanks, and you should likewise flank enemies whenever possible.

Nothing gets a soldier killed more quickly than walking around a corner into the guns of an enemy fire team. XCOM enforces a fog of war perspective, which means that you can only see what is within your soldier's line of sight. The interiors of rooms, areas beyond a certain distance, and even the other side of a closed door can all conceal lethal ambushes.

Practically, this reality requires a simple rule of situational awareness. Never, ever explore new territory with the last soldier to move on your turn. Every soldier has two half-moves during your turn. There is no enforced sequence of movement for friendly untits. You can freely switch back and forth between your troops with the mouse controls or TAB key. But once a soldier has used both of his moves, he cannot act again until the next turn. So if a scout discovers something nasty around a corner and his squad mates have already completed their movements, then that scout is likely dead the moment the enemy turn begins. Scout at the beginning of your turn, not the end! Or, when advancing into open territory, set your troops on Overwatch to protect the scout while he advances. But remember that Overwatching troops can't shoot around corners! In tight spaces, scout cautiously and always move your point man before your heavies.

Your weapons have limited ammunition capacity. Your soldiers carry an unlimited number of clips for all firearms and energy weapons, but you must expend a turn-ending half move to exchange magazines. Nothing puts a damper on a soldier's day like bracing their weapon against a Berserker charge and discovering they have no bullets left in their boomstick.

Unless you're in a terrible hurry, (such as rushing ahead to disarm a bomb), take time after every firefight to reload. It's usually a good idea to put half your men on Overwatch while other half replenish their magazines, then switch off the next turn. Enemies occasionally launch surprise counter-attacks, and if your entire squad reloads at the same time you'll have no way to defend yourself against any surprises.

Is Xcom Enemy Within Standalone

Also note that some weapons like grenades and rocket launchers can't be reloaded during a mission. Also note that Pistols never run dry.

XCOM environments are dynamic and destructible. Cars that catch fire will blow up the next round. If you're sheltering behind one of these, get away immediately.

Misses with energy weapons or blasts from rockets will knock holes in walls, sometimes revealing other rooms and alerting the enemies lurking behind them. It's also possible to use an explosive to deliberately destroy the cover an enemy is sheltering behind, opening him to subsequent attack by a squad mate.

Soldiers at higher elevations enjoy Aim and defense bonuses against foes positioned beneath them. Take the high ground and use it to your advantage whenever possible. A simple roll of the mouse wheel will often reveal elevated perches perfect for extending your vision or ideal for a sniper's nest.

How do I capture a live Sectoid?[edit]

Early in the game you Will be required to bring home a live Sectoid for study. Aliens are captured by stunning them with an Arc Thrower. Once the Alien is stunned he will remain out of action until after the mission and will return home with you.

Arc Throwers have very limited range. The last thing you want to do when going after a live specimen is to charge into the middle of an enemy formation with a stun gun. That's a good way to lose a valuable squad member.

Before any mission where you anticipate a chance of catching a live alien, give the Arc Thrower to your Assault specialist. Proceed through the mission as normal, counting your enemies. When you have engaged two or three groups of foes and sense you are nearing the end of the mission, select a single alien as a designated survivor. Stop using Overwatch (so that you won't accidentally kill him) and eliminate his squad mates. Then move your Assault trooper to within range of the alien, hunkering down on your approach. When he's close enough, use the Arc Thrower. If the shot connects and stuns the alien, mission accomplished. If it misses, killl the alien immediately with supplimental fire from your squad. There's always another mission and another chance to initiate a capture. Don't unnecessarily risk the life of an experienced soldier.

What happens when my soldiers are wounded?[edit]

Wounded soldiers require a period of recovery. During their absence, you may draw from your reserve pool of troops for replacements. If too many soldiers are killed or wounded at once your squad may be unable to effectively respond to incursion.

You may counteract this three ways. First, the Rapid Recovery advancement allows soldiers to heal twice as quickly. It can and should be implemented the moment one of your soldiers reaches the rank of Lieutenant. Second, you can recruit additional rookie soldiers for a small cash fee. These troops will be much less powerful than your veterans and have no Class specialty, but you can train them by bringing one or two along on easier missions to build their experience. Third, once you have developed S.H.I.V. technology, you can build robot drones to supplement your squad mates.

How does Interception work?[edit]

When a UFO is spotted over a country where you have established Satellite Satellite coverage, you have the option to intercept. Your fighters may only interdict attacks taking place over the continent where your interceptors are based, so it is important to keep a fighter presence on any continent where you have Satellites deployed.

Once your fighter is launched, you have no direct control over it. You watch the battle play out on the Mission Control monitor. Take note of every shot your craft takes and whether it strikes or misses the target UFO. Also keep an eye on your fighter's health. If the damage your craft is taking far exceeds the hits it is scoring, you have the option to abort.

Aerial engagements also have a time limit. If your fighter fails to down the target UFO before time expires, the alien craft escapes.

Your default fighter weapons are quite weak, only effective against small and some medium UFOs. To counteract this your can research new on-board armaments which cause greater damage. Plasma and EMP weapons are especially effective. Laser Cannons are useful, but when deployed on standard Interceptors they should be paired with Defense Matrices as they require the fighter to close with the Alien craft before attacking.

Your Engineering department is capable of producing supplemental Boost items for your fighters. These items are cheap, but are permanently expended when activated. They are very important in the early game when your fighters are weak and under-armed, and prove essential when trying to bring down the Overseer spacecraft using conventional aircraft. You should always maintain at least one of each Booster item as soon as you are capable of developing them.

What is the Gray Market?[edit]

The Gray Market is a clearing house for captured alien goods and corpses. Early in the game you should be very conservative with using the Gray Market. There are three main reasons for this. First, the items and bodies listed on the Gray Market are often important for research. Under no circumstances should any researched tech or species not yet autopsied ever be sold on the Market. Second, even after Research many of these items (even the bodies) become important components in building high-tech Facilities and equipment. Finally, countries will periodically make cash or personnel reward offers for these items at prices much higher than the Grey Market allows.

Until you become familiar with the flow of the game, it is advisable to follow a rule of thumb dictating that no more than 1/3 of any corpse should ever be sold on the Gray Market, nor more than 1/5 of available common stock like Weapon Fragments. Never sell Elerium, Alloys, or useful and intact UFO components on the Market. They are more valuable for other applications.

Some items including miscellaneous UFO pieces and damaged equipment are clearly designated as unresearchable when clicked on in the Gray Market. These can and should be sold immediately, as they have no other application.

How do I increase my income?[edit]

The most reliable way to increase regular income is to build Satellites. Every country with Satellite coverage commits regular monthly funding to XCOM. The more Satellites you have in the sky, the more money you make.

You should also keep panic levels as low as possible. Every country that leaves The Council takes monthly funding with it, and the budgetary balance of your Facility is precarious. The lost income of one or two countries can hamstring your income enough that you lose your ability to effectively deal with threats, creating a cycle where your expenses spin out of control and XCOM collapses from lack of funding.

How do I keep The Council happy?[edit]

Every month, The Council delivers a monthly assessment based on your actions over the past four weeks. This assessment determines the funding and additional personnel you will receive for the next month.

The Council's grade is based on a number of factors. Most important are the panic levels of member states. The less panic worldwide, the more giving the Council is likely to be. The success ratio of missions and interceptions is also important. Battlefield losses and escaped UFOs count heavily against your record. Even a single escaped Alien ship can cost you a full letter grade and a degree of support.

What Are My Ultimate Goals?[edit]

Alien motivations and your means to counter them are a mystery integral to the plot. However, if you're eager to get the jump on things, know that in addition to a number of Objectives required research and construction projects, you'll eventually be required to complete three sequential special missions. You can check out our Essential Missions section for more on these.

Developer Tips[edit]