The best XCOM 2 mods
The best XCOM 2 mods
XCOM 2 is a great game, but that doesn't mean the community can't improve it. When the pressure gets too much, when the soldiers die again and again, you need to freshen it up with some well thought out changes.
All of the following mods are designed to improve the game experience for you. To make it less frustrating, to make you a little more powerful, to optimise some of the more esoteric design choices.
Now get out there and save the planet.
Stop Wasting My Time
The changes here are pretty essential for those of us who have already poured tens of hours into XCOM 2. What we need is something that doesn't speed the game up, but rather cuts out any of the superfluous seconds that keep us from the strategizing action.
Stop Wasting My Time gets rid of the dead seconds after a kill, grenade throw, shooting, using abilities, and going into cover. It also speeds up the pause as corpses reanimate, increases unit movement speed and increases the speed of the Avenger on the World map.
Efficiency in war. It's essential.
Configurable Mission Timers
The pressure to succeed in XCOM 2 is heavy enough without the added time constraints. Demanding players to defeat the enemies and other goals with a ticking clock hanging over your head just seems cruel.
This mod allows the player to configure their own tactical missions timers. Get rid of them completely, extend the time or shorten it if you're a masochist.
Free Camera Rotation
Not being able to see the entire battlefield is part of the many problems of war that you're going to have to deal with. Are there reinforcements behind that building? That's the million dollar question.
Weirdly, XCOM 2 only allows the player to rotate the camera in 45 degree angles, or zoom in and out at set distances. A restricted field of view has already got you killed, right?
This Free Camera Rotation mod allows you to turn the camera smoothly and with freedom, as well as zoom in and out as you require. It's like getting a brand new pair of glasses after months of squinting.
SMG Pack
Sometimes you've got to get up close and personal with the alien scum. The SMG Pack adds three new submachine guns, one for each of the ballistic, plasma and magnetic tech levels.
Submachine guns aren't a lot of use at a distance, but the trade off here is that it allows you to move quicker, gives you better accuracy at close range and offers a concealment bonus.
This mod was created by Long War Studios (along with two other mods on this list), in collaboration with 2K Games and Firaxis, so you know it's well designed and implemented.
Leader Pack
Another fine mod from Long War Studios, the Leader Pack allows one member of your squad to buff the rest of the team during a mission.
You first need to get a soldier up to Sergeant rank in the Guerilla Tactics School. Once that's done, your chosen leader can learn up to 5 of 10 new abilities. You'll need to chose your leader wisely though; you can only take one leader on a mission and if he/she corks it, well, you know how brutal XCOM 2 can be...
Accurate Ranger Swords
This is where it starts to feel a little bit like cheating. Accurate Ranger Swords is exactly that: every swing of the blade will connect with the intended target. How could you have done without it?
What this mod doesn't change is the amount of damage or chance of a critical, so it's not completely OP.
Accessories pack
Don't underestimate cosmetic changes, even in a game as tactical as XCOM 2. Sometimes, you just need to look your best.
This Accessories Pack adds a bunch of cool head gear for soldiers including a baseball cap (forward and backwards), beret with decorative badge, military headset, ballistic goggles and a tactical mask to match the kevlar armour.
Muton Centurion Alien Pack
The final mod from Long War Studios adds a new alien enemy unit to the mix. Because XCOM 2 just isn't tough enough for you, hey.
The Muton Centurion is not only a harder enemy type, it can also grant buffs to other aliens on the battlefield. Expect it to show up roughly during the midway point of the campaign and kill some of your favourite soldiers. No one said war was going to be easy.
Evac All
There is no shame in tactical retreat. Sometimes you need to get the hell outta there and live to fight another day. The smart soldier knows when he's defeated.
Unfortunately in XCOM 2 getting soldiers out of the evac zone can be a pain in the butt. Rather than having to click the evac button on each soldier, this mod evacs all in the evac zone in one go. Those not in the evac zone remain where they are. That is a nice bit of design, right there.