I usually use two snipers: - A mobile, stealth sniper who has "In The Zone", "Snap Shot", and "Battle Scanner". - An airborne sniper with "Double Tap", "Squadsight", "Damn Good Ground", and "Disabling Shot". These two snipers can cause absolute hell. The mobile sniper flanks the enemy and rains hell, while the airborne sniper creates a wide defensive cover and also takes down bosses.
I agree with you about Squadsight being better than Snap Shot, but I also think Snap Shot has its place on a secondary sniper built for closed maps. Gunslinger vs Damn Good Ground is an early-game vs late-game decision. Gunslinger is most effective when you have low-tech weapons and the damage difference between the SR and the Pistol is smaller (Laser Pistol + Gunslinger gives you the same damage as a conventional Sniper Rifle with lower crit chance but higher accuracy at less than 10 tiles of distance). DGG has a great synergy with advanced armor types (especially Archangel but also Skeleton/Ghost). The +10 Aim bonus actually isn't overkill even at Colonel level when you are fighting enemies with innate defense and your sniper has standard stats instead of the "build your supersoldier" options from second wave. The extra defense also plays really nice with Archangel Armor and the lack of cover. Battle Scanner vs Disabling Shot is also early-game vs late-game. Disabling Shot works better against enemies with high HP and multiple powerful attacks per round (Sectopods, Mechtoids) or against Mind Controlled allies. Both of these things only start to appear in the mid-game. Battle Scanner becomes less useful when you get ways of advancing without detection (Ghost Armor, Mimetic Skin). Another thing that also reduces its utility late-game is the lack of enemies with invisibility (Even early-game Seekers aren't that big of a threat and mid-game they are a joke). On Executioner vs Opportunist I completely agree with you. Even with the indirect nerf when combined with Squadsight, picking Opportunist is a no-brainer. Double Tap vs In the Zone is the hardest decision. Double Tap is more reliable and this is the reason I pick it for my first Sniper reaching Colonel. On the other hand, In the Zone can be easily triggered by delivering killing blows to enemies that can't take cover (melee units, most robotic units and Ethereals). It isn't that hard to create situations where ITZ outdamages Double Tap by a huge margin. Two snipers (one with each ability) is the ideal solution.
Let me say thanks here because I got xcom recently and have never played the game series at all. Because of your class explanations and ideas for them, I've done way better on my second play through.
@@mrnobody7348 in my last play through i remember the suit using fuel while hovering but it was so low per you can basically stay flying on most of the missions
I think I like Damn Good Ground more than Gunslinger. Only time I ever took Gunslinger was on a sniper that was already low willed and ended up critically wounded, so I made her my Covert Operative... I couldn't let her skills go to waste, but I couldn't let her near anything psionic either...
ElodieHiras Oh disabling shot is invaluable for taking the more powerful units like Mechtoids, Berserker Elites and Sectopods out of the round while you squad mops up the other units without fear of retaliation. I also still prefer snap shot and have dam good ground to compensate the -10 penalty as I can manouver my sniper(s) to better positions when in combat. Squad site sounds intriging with that shoot from across the map, but it depends on your squad, the snipers line of site and finding your sniper being far more back and by themselves due to them being less mobile if they are to use their sniper rifle. Maybe a mix of 2 snipers one snap shot and other just built for long range is the better combination.
My main sniper has snap shot, damn good ground, and some other skills. He's a major. For gene mods he has the dense muscle fiber, hyper reactive pupils, and mimetic skin. I usually put him in half cover and he then proceeds to rain death before any aliens see him
The forked upgrade paths are the way they are because the left path is designed for combat snipers, whereas the right is designed for tactical snipers. Left-path options are designed for applying crippling punishment very quickly at a closer range, while right path is about gaining vantage points and lining up shots. If you went with all left-path upgrades, you'd see that the ones BeeNee here said were useless are actually quite useful when used in tandem. I once built a combat sniper, and he was really helpful for more fast-paced combat situations like terror missions, or close-quarters scenarios like UFO crash sites. Granted, I nicknamed my tactical sniper "Hand of God" for a reason; that cross-mapping tactical build can make a well-placed sniper into your team's personal guardian angel. But, trust me when I say that the combat sniper can be an absolute nightmare for groups of alien infantry in areas where the tactical build can be weak.
Jack Crooker Thanks Jack - the devs have clearly made a pretty balanced game when it comes to character builds -The build I focused on is probably the more popular way to build a sniper, but you can certainly find other ways to use complimentary skills to help your squad. What you've said is great advice!
You got the exact same skill tree as me! :) I gotta admit though that I like to have two snipers in my squad, and I like to make my second sniper different. For the second, I use the "Snapshot option" which goes like Snapshot, Damn Good Ground (since he can use his rifle anyway there's not as much use of the pistol, and can follow the enemies to take great elevated position every turn), then Disabling Shot again because it is so useful against sectopods and enemies you want to capture, then Opportunist again because it's much more useful than Executionner, then for the last I use In the Zone over Double Tap because since he can move and shoot it gives more possibilities for extra shots. I've done things like Shoot, shoot, move, shoot, shoot and reload all in one turn with this set up! Insanely good to take out several little flyers. Great video! :)
+V.T.O.L. Fried Chicken i once hade a "shoot-out" with a group of mutons (4 i think), a grenade destroyed their cover an the sniper picked them one by one "out of the zone" but i normaly chose double tap...
Elazul Lapislazuli a sniper with mimic skin and the skill that turns half cover into full cover and with in the zone can kill everyone in the room and still be able to scout ahead without being detected. very powerful sniper
I didn't quite see it before until I saw your video... But it looks as if the abilities on the left compliment mobile snipers, while the ones on the right are suited for snipers that find a position and remain stationary. Thanks a lot for your opinions on the Sniper class, though! It confirmed my thought process on my sniper builds. I generally like to have two snipers on the field, one being mobile and one being stationary. The battle scanner is an excellent ability for scouting. You just throw it where your Assault class is going to go (I use him/her to scout because of his ever-useful "Run and Gun" ability) and take the surprise to the enemy.
I would rather take Damn Good Ground. Always. With mimetic skin and low profile and muscle fiber density you can basicly move anywhere and the next turn you can ambush them from rooftops.
Nice Video, made me overthink my normal skilltree for snipers. I always took snapshot bcs I never really tested Squadsight bcs I didnt know how it works in urban maps. Thought the walls would make my sniper pretty unefficient. But with the later skills you can get some nice synergy.
While squad sight is good it does not make snap shot useless. Also opportunist on a squad sight sniper is of limited benefit. You still get no reaction shot penalty but the crit chance is null and void unless the sniper can see the alien w/o squad sight. Pairing a squad sight sniper with In the Zone is almost a waste due to the must be flanking or out of cover + the shot must kill mechanic. Squad sight snipers struggle to bring enough damage to consistently kill tougher enemies in one shot due to the limited nature of their crits.Go with Double Tap instead.Never ever ever overlook a snap shot sniper with In the Zone. Due to the snap shot snipers enhanced mobility (over a squad sight sniper) gaining a flanking position on multiple enemies is done with much ease. Also by being able to fully utilize the classes innate crit chance along with Headshot dropping even the biggest monsters in one shot become a much larger reality. I have repeatedly unloaded a full clip from a snap shot sniper in 1 turn ending his killing spree only due to having to reload. That's a lot of bodies to drop in one turn.
+Jasen Hovis snap shot and in the zone certainly compliment themselves very well - combining with mimetic skin would also allow the sniper to infiltrate the enemies ranks and gain flanking positions with ease
Agreed on most points. I never ran gunslinger before, went to it because of covert ops and it’s so much more applicable. I also switched to disabling shot, don’t know what I was doing before. I still prefer executioner. I always run double tap but I can see in the zone being extremely powerful.
my fav squad ive had thus far and the one i used on my impossible playthrough was snap shot sniper. i love that perk. i swear ive had at least 2 snipers with snapshot in all of my squads. you just cant get better then a soldier that can keep up with your party and has a 90%+ chance to 1 shot most enemies. its so satisfying to use them on overwatch then flush an enemy and watch it die. good guide tho. i can see why you think squadsights so useful.
muchknives the great thing about XCOM is that I think most skills are viable and you can have certain combination of skills across all troops that work well together
XCOM is probably my favorite game of all time. i have played so much of this one and i've finished terror from the deep and ufo defense countless times. this franchise is the best. i only wish the aliens did not get a free move when you discover them. minor complaint tho. XD
muchknives Thats what Bioelectric skin is for us that to discover stealthily then use a rocket hehe problem usually solved if every one with sentinel is on overwatch
this is the exact build i went for, sniper's are so op it's actually kind of ridiculous, they out damage any class other than assault but have the best accuracy and can fight at both long and short distances with no trouble.
Disabling shot is great skill. beware though, you must know which enemies have granades or alternative weapons. they may use them instead. for example, muttons carry granades. so if you disable them, there are instances when they'd use their nades to attack.
I just finished my first ever playthrough of XCOM enemy Within the other day on normal difficulty actually any XCOM game it's the first one I've ever played and my sniper kill the final boss in in Two Shots before the enemies attack once double tap and squadsight are amazing skills
I use a scope on all my snipers so the snapshot debuff wouldn't be that terrible but I still think Squad site is infinitely more useful. Having two snipers with Squad site lay down covering fire for your advancing and scouting infantry units is very powerful
It took me 7 kills in 3 missions to unlock the squad sight perk. When you blow up the cover by grenades and let your sniper kill it with pistol or when there is too much hp take straight the nsiper rifle. Another Must have is the Scope to scure the aims. Or you can do the safe way and blow up sectoids by grenades (on easy to classic they all are 3hp onehits) unfortunately you lose the loot but it wil be worth it realy :)
I, for instance have two snapshot snipers with double tap, two heavies, one support snd a mec. I dont like squadsight simply because it makes your sniper very clunky and he has to reposition to do something useful next turn. Whereas snapshot snipers can move with your squad greatly and cover with opportunist. Also, snapshot sniper can always crit even without using headshot, which can make double tap that much deadlier than ss snipers's
Squadsight is useful if you position your sniper in a place where they will have LOS at least across a fraction of the map. I really wasn't great at doing that without Angel armor. Now of course, once you get angel armor, then it's a murderous skill. Snapshot was better for me most of the time. The aim penalty is negated with a scope, and I'd rather take the additional range penalty if the target is too close rather than hit them with a fucking pistol.
I've always been a big fan of having a snap shot sniper available once you really get enough people leveled up. Obviously your main sniper needs squadsight, but having that much firepower on a mobile unit is too good to pass up imho.
I currently have a snapshot with disabling shot, and a squadsight with battle scanners, and damn good ground on both. Maybe I'll finish that save off with cheats (like the hero characters, no achivs) and then play through again regularly with actually better decisions... I do like my dual sniper role setup though.
I use snap shot and ghost armour for my sniper. plus damn good ground. So he can go invisible get to a high point and go on overwatch all in the same turn. And just camp. And when the invisibility wears off he can use low profile to always have full cover. And if the enemy moves he can repeat the process so he can hunt them down. or he can go invisible and then attack to get a 100% crit shot.
Playing on imposdible Ironman . The number of times my sniper has saved my team's ass is tremendous. He's so good that he just sniped the Über Ethereal with a double tap in the end game lol. anticlimactically good.
Am I the only one who likes the second wave option (not created equally (I THINK THATS THE NAME) cause you can like for example have bullet swarm for your sniper (2 shot move), sentinel for sniper or other classes , etc
TheBeeNee101 Yea. It does create some really random and awesome troops. I can also ruin them, or hamper their primary purpose. For example, I had a support the other day that unlocked the choice between savior or addition medikits.
I'd like to point out that while you can't tell snipers to shoot at squadsight targets with their pistol, for some strange reason they have no problem using their pistol for reaction shots on squadsight targets.
I too loved in the zone and Snapshot, these guys are end game don't forget their ridiculous movement, Well played, game over... with plasma rifle... that's like a whole squad of mutants wiped out by one man... I used just a couple of these guy to take out a very large ship... disabling came out so well... if it was on a easier difficulty like classic I'd probably just go with one guy. it allows for a much more aggressive play style, I did manage to take out a medium crashed ship with just one of these guys in 6 turns. thing is you don't even need to worry about the aim penalty too much, early game grenadiers lobbing grenades and rockets control the game more or less up until the the sniper can get that, so it's very easy to upgrade one guy for later, because as soon as he gets the skill that negates the aim penalty, you will be unstoppable, with scope... haha I always took it, because the position you'd move a soldier in to, meant that you could never afford for him not to miss and with 125aim and 135 aim with a sniper it's a slaughter if they Never Miss, with in the zone the best weapon is the sniper and you should never be in a position where you needed extra armour or psi mind shield, plus the less explosives you used I had, the more money you could get through the black market to make up for your petty income... plus in the zone becomes a dream. Whilst this guy stated that you should get squad sight, I thought squad sight was honestly a waste... because then the sniper becomes useless by himself,as the enemy will always be 1 turn ahead of you, rather then gambling on seizing the initiative. I'm a lil annoyed that they removed it from xcom2 but suppose with concealment it'd be too easy with one of these guys
I`ve heard that In Enemy Unknown you can kill enemies with a sniper before they will be able to detect you, by using a "battle scanner" and "in the zone" skills. Is it true??
LightCrasher It’s been a while since I played Enemy Unknown, but in theory that would work. However, once you shoot the first enemy of a pack, it alerts the other enemies and they may scurry for cover outside of the range of your battle scanner. This limits your ability to get any additional shots off.
LightCrasher Yes but with a bit of imagination, that "In the Zone" ability can be a real nuke. Combine it with low profile, snapshot and mimetic skin in the gene mods and you can get around the enemy and cause chaos. Over all, the squad sight sniper is needed more often but on maps that involve a lot of in doors action like UFO missions it becomes too unreliable, especially with trying to figure out line of sight among walls, doors and stairs.
TheBeeNee101 Thanks and yes you are indeed correct I checked on the x-com wikia Haha.I got an assault set up last night Lightning Reflexes, Bring 'em on, Close Combat Specialist, low profile, Rapid Fire and the heavies 1st ability can't remember what its called now anyway hes absolutely savage and psi haha and mimetic
A sniper with Archangel Amor an Squadsight . On a Bridge map is Carnage on the enemy. Snipers + Archangel Amor in General = good . In my opinion all my snipers get that amor ounce i can make it.
Man this guide was really outdated....The best is in the zone damn good ground and archangel armor have singlehandedly cleared a 14 man ufo with just my sniper in the air
Generally seekers are straight forward to deal with if you have plenty of people on overwatch. If I see a seeker on the map, then I typically try to group everyone closer together to avoid one man being left alone on the other side of the map. If a seeker cloaks himself, I know I can't have anyone too isolated and I have one, maybe two turns to move everyone closer to one another.Interestingly, Seekers were added to Enemy Within to counter people who set up a squadsight sniper at one end of the map - so you could think about repositioning your sniper after you've cleared a group of enemies.
Darn developers always foiling our plans. Thanks! May be a simple question but it's my first time playing a tactical game, but I really don't think there is a better game out there now that I've started playing this.
2 is certainly a little different - you're put under more time pressure, so you tend to make more mistakes. I miss some of the second wave options like hidden potential and not created equally.
jejez2424 I have the second wave options "Not Created Equally" and "Hidden Potential" active. Plus there is an Officer Training School perk you can buy that increases the gains to will when you level up. If you really want a unique playthrough, you should also try out Training Roulette.
With the Snipers squad sight ability to shoot from across the map, it still requires line of sight. Woudn't this be hampered when there most of your squad are in enclosed areas and you left your sniper far back. (naturally I tend to have the sniper taking up the rear of the squad and fairly back.) I still prefer snap shot because of the disabling shot if I need to move the sniper in to disable a power Sectopod or Mechtoid for the round. Maybe I'll have 2 snipers. One mobile sniper and one long range as part of the squad next time.
Duane Locsin Yah, some of the beauty of XCOM is the diversity you can have in your squad, if I was running with 2 snipers in my squad I'd use one with squadsight and a more mobile snapshot sniper. Squadsight is an excellent ability, but it requires a lot more micromanagement to ensure your sniper stays in a position to remain effective.
Last night I was playing a mission on a giant bridge, disabling bombs. Both my snipers had squadsight and I ended up decimating all the thinmen that showed up because I also had the ability that negates aim and critical penalty on overwatch. Since we were on a giant bridge, there was virtually no spot on the map they couldn't see at a higher elevation, making both my snipers incredibly overpowered with these two abilities. Thinmen would just show up and explode into clouds of green smoke.
TheBeeNee101 Your sniper build is the only build that I'm going to fully copy unlike the others. Your vids have been helpful, now I just need to check if you made a mec guide.
ultra ranger you need to make sure that your sniper is positioned well in the battlefield to make full use of squadsight. They should have fantastic range as long as there are n buildings etc blocking their view of the enemy.
squadsight isnt as useful on maps that are larger, or more urban.. Great for defnse of Exalt missions, but not so much vs downed UFO's.. these situations, ssnapshot is the clear better.. That said, i make sure i make atleast 2 of each class, that oppose each other in the abilities.. Scanner glitches often, but is helpful when it works.Never once taken Executioner! And certainly not over Opportunist...Double Tap tends to be far better, as you always get 2 shots.. How often is a sniper flanking, ya know?!
I usually use two snipers:
- A mobile, stealth sniper who has "In The Zone", "Snap Shot", and "Battle Scanner".
- An airborne sniper with "Double Tap", "Squadsight", "Damn Good Ground", and "Disabling Shot".
These two snipers can cause absolute hell. The mobile sniper flanks the enemy and rains hell, while the airborne sniper creates a wide defensive cover and also takes down bosses.
Same here,just exchanging both disabling shot to my "ghost" operative while battle scanner for my "marksmen"
Michael same and in late game I usually put archangel armor on the airborne sniper
While i use Ghost armor on mobile sniper
@@zethicalyt2406 Ghost Armor + Mimetic Skin + Low Cover = Lots of dead aliens who never saw what hit them.
I agree with you about Squadsight being better than Snap Shot, but I also think Snap Shot has its place on a secondary sniper built for closed maps. Gunslinger vs Damn Good Ground is an early-game vs late-game decision. Gunslinger is most effective when you have low-tech weapons and the damage difference between the SR and the Pistol is smaller (Laser Pistol + Gunslinger gives you the same damage as a conventional Sniper Rifle with lower crit chance but higher accuracy at less than 10 tiles of distance). DGG has a great synergy with advanced armor types (especially Archangel but also Skeleton/Ghost). The +10 Aim bonus actually isn't overkill even at Colonel level when you are fighting enemies with innate defense and your sniper has standard stats instead of the "build your supersoldier" options from second wave. The extra defense also plays really nice with Archangel Armor and the lack of cover.
Battle Scanner vs Disabling Shot is also early-game vs late-game. Disabling Shot works better against enemies with high HP and multiple powerful attacks per round (Sectopods, Mechtoids) or against Mind Controlled allies. Both of these things only start to appear in the mid-game. Battle Scanner becomes less useful when you get ways of advancing without detection (Ghost Armor, Mimetic Skin). Another thing that also reduces its utility late-game is the lack of enemies with invisibility (Even early-game Seekers aren't that big of a threat and mid-game they are a joke). On Executioner vs Opportunist I completely agree with you. Even with the indirect nerf when combined with Squadsight, picking Opportunist is a no-brainer.
Double Tap vs In the Zone is the hardest decision. Double Tap is more reliable and this is the reason I pick it for my first Sniper reaching Colonel. On the other hand, In the Zone can be easily triggered by delivering killing blows to enemies that can't take cover (melee units, most robotic units and Ethereals). It isn't that hard to create situations where ITZ outdamages Double Tap by a huge margin. Two snipers (one with each ability) is the ideal solution.
Let me say thanks here because I got xcom recently and have never played the game series at all. Because of your class explanations and ideas for them, I've done way better on my second play through.
i always go with damn good ground cuz i always give my sniper the archangel suit
silverphenix9 good idea because I don't think you use fuel while hovering also you can just butcher chrisalids while there in the air
@@mrnobody7348 in my last play through i remember the suit using fuel while hovering but it was so low per you can basically stay flying on most of the missions
I think I like Damn Good Ground more than Gunslinger. Only time I ever took Gunslinger was on a sniper that was already low willed and ended up critically wounded, so I made her my Covert Operative... I couldn't let her skills go to waste, but I couldn't let her near anything psionic either...
And I like Disabling Shot for captures. :)
ElodieHiras
And for dealing with Sectopods... I hate Sectopods!!!
ElodieHiras Oh disabling shot is invaluable for taking the more powerful units like Mechtoids, Berserker Elites and Sectopods out of the round while you squad mops up the other units without fear of retaliation.
I also still prefer snap shot and have dam good ground to compensate the -10 penalty as I can manouver my sniper(s) to better positions when in combat.
Squad site sounds intriging with that shoot from across the map, but it depends on your squad, the snipers line of site and finding your sniper being far more back and by themselves due to them being less mobile if they are to use their sniper rifle.
Maybe a mix of 2 snipers one snap shot and other just built for long range is the better combination.
My main sniper has snap shot, damn good ground, and some other skills. He's a major. For gene mods he has the dense muscle fiber, hyper reactive pupils, and mimetic skin. I usually put him in half cover and he then proceeds to rain death before any aliens see him
The forked upgrade paths are the way they are because the left path is designed for combat snipers, whereas the right is designed for tactical snipers. Left-path options are designed for applying crippling punishment very quickly at a closer range, while right path is about gaining vantage points and lining up shots. If you went with all left-path upgrades, you'd see that the ones BeeNee here said were useless are actually quite useful when used in tandem.
I once built a combat sniper, and he was really helpful for more fast-paced combat situations like terror missions, or close-quarters scenarios like UFO crash sites. Granted, I nicknamed my tactical sniper "Hand of God" for a reason; that cross-mapping tactical build can make a well-placed sniper into your team's personal guardian angel. But, trust me when I say that the combat sniper can be an absolute nightmare for groups of alien infantry in areas where the tactical build can be weak.
Jack Crooker Thanks Jack - the devs have clearly made a pretty balanced game when it comes to character builds -The build I focused on is probably the more popular way to build a sniper, but you can certainly find other ways to use complimentary skills to help your squad. What you've said is great advice!
You got the exact same skill tree as me! :)
I gotta admit though that I like to have two snipers in my squad, and I like to make my second sniper different. For the second, I use the "Snapshot option" which goes like Snapshot, Damn Good Ground (since he can use his rifle anyway there's not as much use of the pistol, and can follow the enemies to take great elevated position every turn), then Disabling Shot again because it is so useful against sectopods and enemies you want to capture, then Opportunist again because it's much more useful than Executionner, then for the last I use In the Zone over Double Tap because since he can move and shoot it gives more possibilities for extra shots. I've done things like Shoot, shoot, move, shoot, shoot and reload all in one turn with this set up! Insanely good to take out several little flyers.
Great video! :)
Ive found that using a rocket to destroy big enemies cover then picking them off with In The Zone is great
into the zone is great when your on a terror mission and surrounded by chrysilids
+Tristan Zito Great for flanking if your sniper gets behind the enemy somehow.
+V.T.O.L. Fried Chicken i once hade a "shoot-out" with a group of mutons (4 i think),
a grenade destroyed their cover an the sniper picked them one by one "out of the zone"
but i normaly chose double tap...
Elazul Lapislazuli Sniper with archeangel armour, hovering above the enemy
+V.T.O.L. Fried Chicken
great idea too
Elazul Lapislazuli a sniper with mimic skin and the skill that turns half cover into full cover and with in the zone can kill everyone in the room and still be able to scout ahead without being detected. very powerful sniper
I've always got double tap cause it has gotten me out of some pretty bad situations plus it allowed me to two shot the final boss
I didn't quite see it before until I saw your video... But it looks as if the abilities on the left compliment mobile snipers, while the ones on the right are suited for snipers that find a position and remain stationary. Thanks a lot for your opinions on the Sniper class, though! It confirmed my thought process on my sniper builds. I generally like to have two snipers on the field, one being mobile and one being stationary. The battle scanner is an excellent ability for scouting. You just throw it where your Assault class is going to go (I use him/her to scout because of his ever-useful "Run and Gun" ability) and take the surprise to the enemy.
I would rather take Damn Good Ground. Always. With mimetic skin and low profile and muscle fiber density you can basicly move anywhere and the next turn you can ambush them from rooftops.
Nice Video, made me overthink my normal skilltree for snipers. I always took snapshot bcs I never really tested Squadsight bcs I didnt know how it works in urban maps. Thought the walls would make my sniper pretty unefficient. But with the later skills you can get some nice synergy.
at lieutenant, i like the battle scanner because it makes invisible enemies visible. no more choking out or keeping someone back to cover the sniper.
+Murray Kitson When i spot those guys i get all my guys together&overwatch. x)
Not always helped. One of them wait several turns to attack
I personally prefer In The Zone for my Sniper(s), as they're damn good the XCOM Base Defense mission against airborne enemies.
While squad sight is good it does not make snap shot useless. Also opportunist on a squad sight sniper is of limited benefit. You still get no reaction shot penalty but the crit chance is null and void unless the sniper can see the alien w/o squad sight. Pairing a squad sight sniper with In the Zone is almost a waste due to the must be flanking or out of cover + the shot must kill mechanic. Squad sight snipers struggle to bring enough damage to consistently kill tougher enemies in one shot due to the limited nature of their crits.Go with Double Tap instead.Never ever ever overlook a snap shot sniper with In the Zone. Due to the snap shot snipers enhanced mobility (over a squad sight sniper) gaining a flanking position on multiple enemies is done with much ease. Also by being able to fully utilize the classes innate crit chance along with Headshot dropping even the biggest monsters in one shot become a much larger reality. I have repeatedly unloaded a full clip from a snap shot sniper in 1 turn ending his killing spree only due to having to reload. That's a lot of bodies to drop in one turn.
+Jasen Hovis snap shot and in the zone certainly compliment themselves very well - combining with mimetic skin would also allow the sniper to infiltrate the enemies ranks and gain flanking positions with ease
Agreed on most points.
I never ran gunslinger before, went to it because of covert ops and it’s so much more applicable. I also switched to disabling shot, don’t know what I was doing before.
I still prefer executioner.
I always run double tap but I can see in the zone being extremely powerful.
my fav squad ive had thus far and the one i used on my impossible playthrough was snap shot sniper. i love that perk. i swear ive had at least 2 snipers with snapshot in all of my squads. you just cant get better then a soldier that can keep up with your party and has a 90%+ chance to 1 shot most enemies. its so satisfying to use them on overwatch then flush an enemy and watch it die. good guide tho. i can see why you think squadsights so useful.
muchknives the great thing about XCOM is that I think most skills are viable and you can have certain combination of skills across all troops that work well together
XCOM is probably my favorite game of all time. i have played so much of this one and i've finished terror from the deep and ufo defense countless times. this franchise is the best. i only wish the aliens did not get a free move when you discover them. minor complaint tho. XD
muchknives it's certainly one of my favourite games of the last generation. There are a few bugs and glitches in the game, but overall it's fantastic
muchknives
Thats what Bioelectric skin is for us that to discover stealthily then use a rocket hehe problem usually solved if every one with sentinel is on overwatch
this is the exact build i went for, sniper's are so op it's actually kind of ridiculous, they out damage any class other than assault but have the best accuracy and can fight at both long and short distances with no trouble.
Disabling shot is great skill. beware though, you must know which enemies have granades or alternative weapons. they may use them instead. for example, muttons carry granades. so if you disable them, there are instances when they'd use their nades to attack.
Brilliant, been struggling with this game! Your skill tree recommendations are working wonderfully
Glad you find it useful - thanks for watching!
I just finished my first ever playthrough of XCOM enemy Within the other day on normal difficulty actually any XCOM game it's the first one I've ever played and my sniper kill the final boss in in Two Shots before the enemies attack once double tap and squadsight are amazing skills
Snipers are the kings of xcom :)
I use a scope on all my snipers so the snapshot debuff wouldn't be that terrible but I still think Squad site is infinitely more useful. Having two snipers with Squad site lay down covering fire for your advancing and scouting infantry units is very powerful
It took me 7 kills in 3 missions to unlock the squad sight perk. When you blow up the cover by grenades and let your sniper kill it with pistol or when there is too much hp take straight the nsiper rifle. Another Must have is the Scope to scure the aims. Or you can do the safe way and blow up sectoids by grenades (on easy to classic they all are 3hp onehits) unfortunately you lose the loot but it wil be worth it realy :)
Hodi Mc Sackschweiß Yeah, I make good use of grenade early and scopes are also great for low ranked troops
I, for instance have two snapshot snipers with double tap, two heavies, one support snd a mec. I dont like squadsight simply because it makes your sniper very clunky and he has to reposition to do something useful next turn. Whereas snapshot snipers can move with your squad greatly and cover with opportunist.
Also, snapshot sniper can always crit even without using headshot, which can make double tap that much deadlier than ss snipers's
Squadsight is useful if you position your sniper in a place where they will have LOS at least across a fraction of the map. I really wasn't great at doing that without Angel armor. Now of course, once you get angel armor, then it's a murderous skill.
Snapshot was better for me most of the time. The aim penalty is negated with a scope, and I'd rather take the additional range penalty if the target is too close rather than hit them with a fucking pistol.
in the zone with damn good ground on ufo landings is a beast
I've always been a big fan of having a snap shot sniper available once you really get enough people leveled up. Obviously your main sniper needs squadsight, but having that much firepower on a mobile unit is too good to pass up imho.
helpful tip for viewers, the video starts at 1:02
I currently have a snapshot with disabling shot, and a squadsight with battle scanners, and damn good ground on both.
Maybe I'll finish that save off with cheats (like the hero characters, no achivs) and then play through again regularly with actually better decisions... I do like my dual sniper role setup though.
I use snap shot and ghost armour for my sniper. plus damn good ground. So he can go invisible get to a high point and go on overwatch all in the same turn. And just camp. And when the invisibility wears off he can use low profile to always have full cover. And if the enemy moves he can repeat the process so he can hunt them down. or he can go invisible and then attack to get a 100% crit shot.
Low profile with Mimetic skin is OP
Playing on imposdible Ironman . The number of times my sniper has saved my team's ass is tremendous.
He's so good that he just sniped the Über Ethereal with a double tap in the end game lol.
anticlimactically good.
For final Boss Uber Ethrnal is week. Sectopoid is worth enemy in the gam
Same lol
I love the in the zone ... drones everywhere damaged sectopod cyberdisk damaged mechtoid and all dead in one turn thanks to my sniper
Am I the only one who likes the second wave option (not created equally (I THINK THATS THE NAME) cause you can like for example have bullet swarm for your sniper (2 shot move), sentinel for sniper or other classes , etc
Anthony Cardenas Training Roulette! You're right, it does give really unique troops.
TheBeeNee101 Yea. It does create some really random and awesome troops. I can also ruin them, or hamper their primary purpose. For example, I had a support the other day that unlocked the choice between savior or addition medikits.
Dude squad sight is bleeping awesome. I'm shooting aliens from across the map. Crazy good.
squad sight is an excellent ability!
I'd like to point out that while you can't tell snipers to shoot at squadsight targets with their pistol, for some strange reason they have no problem using their pistol for reaction shots on squadsight targets.
Wait what?!
How have I only just heard of this?!
Definitely going to try it, cause it sounds hilarious
I too loved in the zone and Snapshot, these guys are end game don't forget their ridiculous movement, Well played, game over... with plasma rifle... that's like a whole squad of mutants wiped out by one man... I used just a couple of these guy to take out a very large ship... disabling came out so well... if it was on a easier difficulty like classic I'd probably just go with one guy. it allows for a much more aggressive play style, I did manage to take out a medium crashed ship with just one of these guys in 6 turns. thing is you don't even need to worry about the aim penalty too much, early game grenadiers lobbing grenades and rockets control the game more or less up until the the sniper can get that, so it's very easy to upgrade one guy for later, because as soon as he gets the skill that negates the aim penalty, you will be unstoppable, with scope... haha I always took it, because the position you'd move a soldier in to, meant that you could never afford for him not to miss and with 125aim and 135 aim with a sniper it's a slaughter if they Never Miss, with in the zone the best weapon is the sniper and you should never be in a position where you needed extra armour or psi mind shield, plus the less explosives you used I had, the more money you could get through the black market to make up for your petty income... plus in the zone becomes a dream. Whilst this guy stated that you should get squad sight, I thought squad sight was honestly a waste... because then the sniper becomes useless by himself,as the enemy will always be 1 turn ahead of you, rather then gambling on seizing the initiative. I'm a lil annoyed that they removed it from xcom2 but suppose with concealment it'd be too easy with one of these guys
I`ve heard that In Enemy Unknown you can kill enemies with a sniper before they will be able to detect you, by using a "battle scanner" and "in the zone" skills. Is it true??
LightCrasher It’s been a while since I played Enemy Unknown, but in theory that would work. However, once you shoot the first enemy of a pack, it alerts the other enemies and they may scurry for cover outside of the range of your battle scanner. This limits your ability to get any additional shots off.
TheBeeNee101 Thanks. As I thought, double shot is more effective.
LightCrasher Yes but with a bit of imagination, that "In the Zone" ability can be a real nuke.
Combine it with low profile, snapshot and mimetic skin in the gene mods and you can get around the enemy and cause chaos.
Over all, the squad sight sniper is needed more often but on maps that involve a lot of in doors action like UFO missions it becomes too unreliable, especially with trying to figure out line of sight among walls, doors and stairs.
Dan Rob gene mods? I asked about Enemy Unknown, not Enemy Within, which I`m not going to play any time soon, cause I had quite a lot of EW.
Does anyone know if you can get Snap Shot and Squad Sight on the same sniper with the randomised skill tree setting?
John Robinson No, I think it is still separated as either one or the other
TheBeeNee101
Thanks and yes you are indeed correct I checked on the x-com wikia Haha.I got an assault set up last night Lightning Reflexes, Bring 'em on, Close Combat Specialist, low profile, Rapid Fire and the heavies 1st ability can't remember what its called now anyway hes absolutely savage and psi haha and mimetic
A sniper with Archangel Amor an Squadsight . On a Bridge map is Carnage on the enemy. Snipers + Archangel Amor in General = good . In my opinion all my snipers get that amor ounce i can make it.
Great video, thanks for uploading :)
Thanks for watching - glad you found it helpful!
Man this guide was really outdated....The best is in the zone damn good ground and archangel armor have singlehandedly cleared a 14 man ufo with just my sniper in the air
I take battlescanner simply for the fact that it force reveals invisible enemies.
Any tips on how to deal with Seekers when you have a lone sniper and everyone else kind of far away?
Generally seekers are straight forward to deal with if you have plenty of people on overwatch. If I see a seeker on the map, then I typically try to group everyone closer together to avoid one man being left alone on the other side of the map. If a seeker cloaks himself, I know I can't have anyone too isolated and I have one, maybe two turns to move everyone closer to one another.Interestingly, Seekers were added to Enemy Within to counter people who set up a squadsight sniper at one end of the map - so you could think about repositioning your sniper after you've cleared a group of enemies.
Darn developers always foiling our plans. Thanks! May be a simple question but it's my first time playing a tactical game, but I really don't think there is a better game out there now that I've started playing this.
XCOM 2 is also very good once you've finished playing Enemy Within
I bought EW and 2 from Gamestop with Christmas money. I don't like 2 as much, but I friggin love how they introduce you, the Commander, in it.
2 is certainly a little different - you're put under more time pressure, so you tend to make more mistakes. I miss some of the second wave options like hidden potential and not created equally.
thanks dude.
How did he get such high aim and will?
jejez2424 I have the second wave options "Not Created Equally" and "Hidden Potential" active. Plus there is an Officer Training School perk you can buy that increases the gains to will when you level up. If you really want a unique playthrough, you should also try out Training Roulette.
With the Snipers squad sight ability to shoot from across the map, it still requires line of sight.
Woudn't this be hampered when there most of your squad are in enclosed areas and you left your sniper far back. (naturally I tend to have the sniper taking up the rear of the squad and fairly back.)
I still prefer snap shot because of the disabling shot if I need to move the sniper in to disable a power Sectopod or Mechtoid for the round.
Maybe I'll have 2 snipers. One mobile sniper and one long range as part of the squad next time.
Duane Locsin Yah, some of the beauty of XCOM is the diversity you can have in your squad, if I was running with 2 snipers in my squad I'd use one with squadsight and a more mobile snapshot sniper. Squadsight is an excellent ability, but it requires a lot more micromanagement to ensure your sniper stays in a position to remain effective.
Last night I was playing a mission on a giant bridge, disabling bombs. Both my snipers had squadsight and I ended up decimating all the thinmen that showed up because I also had the ability that negates aim and critical penalty on overwatch. Since we were on a giant bridge, there was virtually no spot on the map they couldn't see at a higher elevation, making both my snipers incredibly overpowered with these two abilities. Thinmen would just show up and explode into clouds of green smoke.
TheBeeNee101 Your sniper build is the only build that I'm going to fully copy unlike the others.
Your vids have been helpful, now I just need to check if you made a mec guide.
TheBeeNee101 I gave a sniper squad sight and it didn't seem to do anything
ultra ranger you need to make sure that your sniper is positioned well in the battlefield to make full use of squadsight. They should have fantastic range as long as there are n buildings etc blocking their view of the enemy.
very well explain thumbs up
thanks!
Squadsight+flying armor
I killed the final boss in one turn with my double tap sniper
squadsight isnt as useful on maps that are larger, or more urban.. Great for defnse of Exalt missions, but not so much vs downed UFO's.. these situations, ssnapshot is the clear better.. That said, i make sure i make atleast 2 of each class, that oppose each other in the abilities.. Scanner glitches often, but is helpful when it works.Never once taken Executioner! And certainly not over Opportunist...Double Tap tends to be far better, as you always get 2 shots.. How often is a sniper flanking, ya know?!
disabling shot can miss and there are too many "bosses" immune to that
El la zona te permite matar a todos los que no tengan cobertura bro
Compared to Snipers everyone else is useless
Why the hell are you playing it on Xbone, That ruins the point of XCOM being a PC original.
Snipers are the ugly ducklings of xcom. Horrible at low rank but godlike at high rank