XCOM 2 had a successful PC release early last year. A game that requires patience, skill and a bit of luck, XCOM 2 has a very dedicated fanbase. Part of that fanbase includes the Pavonis Interactive team behind one of it's most extensive mods.
Povonis Interactive is technically a game development studio, but so far all of their official releases have been complete overhaul mods of 2012's XCOM Enemy Within and as of today: the Long War mod for XCOM 2. What is the Long War mod? Essentially, this team builds what the hardcore fans of the series want: A harder game.
The XCOM series is known for being hard. Like turn-based Dark Souls hard. But the games do sometimes follow traditional video game paths such as shorter, tighter gameplay that makes the game appeal to a broader audience. Four classes in a game that really hard sounds difficult but approachable, right? The Long War mod is more like a New Game + that adds tons of content that only veteran XCOM players would be able to harness correctly. The Long War mod for Enemy Within gave you much more in the ways of choices, choices that a new player may not fully understand.
So why is this exciting? It's essentially an XCOM "2.5" with how much it adds. What does it add? According to the Mod's Steam Workshop Page:
- A much longer campaign, running for 100 to 120 missions on average
- Infiltration mechanics that require you to send out multiple squads at once
- Manage resistance Havens and have resistance members scrounge for supplies, gather intelligence or recruit more people to your cause
- Nine soldier classes: Sharpshooter, Shinobi, Ranger, Assault, Gunner, Grenadier, Specialist, Technical and Psionic (plus Sparks for DLC owners), each with unique secondary weapons
- Two new weapon tiers, lasers, and coilguns
- Dozens of new enemies and smarter battlefield AI
- ADVENT strategic AI that tries to counter your moves
Saying "It's not you mama's XCOM" doesn't seem to give the original game enough credit. But at the same time, it gives players much more to think about. It changes from a game of chess to super-chess.
This mod is only available for PC and can be downloaded from the Steam Workshop or the Nexus Mods website.
