Heroes Villains

- Andy Kelly

The first major expansion for XCOM 2 is War of the Chosen, which brings a formidable new brand of enemy to the table. The titular Chosen have powers way beyond that of regular ADVENT grunts, and their mission is simple: make your life a living hell. To help fight them off you will be able to recruit champions of your own, from master snipers to psionic wizards. The expansion also includes a head-spinning amount of new tactics to an already unfathomably deep strategy game, which lead designer Jake Solomon describes as we sit down and play through a brand-new mission together.

The Chosen come in three distinct flavours, each with their own unique weapons, powers and personalities. Not only that, but the Chosen will remember you. If you defeat one, chances are they’ll escape and show up later. And they’ll comment on the previous battle, taunting you if they managed to, say, knock one of your soldiers out. Similar to Shadow of Mordor’s brilliant Nemesis system, the idea is that unique rivalries will gradually form between you and the Chosen, growing more bitter over time. You’ll come to hate these guys in the same way you grow to love your own soldiers, which should make for some interesting, and personalised, encounters in your campaign.