Alien Facilities & Sabotage

As the Commander, you'll quickly learn that ADVENT's grip on Earth is maintained through a network of Alien Facilities. These ominous structures are not just cosmetic; they are the primary engines driving the Avatar Project, XCOM's ultimate doomsday clock. Understanding how to identify, target, and successfully sabotage these facilities is paramount to your long-term survival and eventual victory.

Identifying Alien Facilities

Alien Facilities appear on the Geoscape as distinct, often glowing, red structures. They are usually located within regions controlled by ADVENT and are always accompanied by a visible "Avatar Project Progress" bar. This bar represents the facility's contribution to the overall Avatar Project. The higher the bar, the more critical it is to destroy that particular facility.

Geoscape Scan: Regularly scan the Geoscape for new facilities. They often appear after certain story beats or as the Avatar Project progresses.
Resistance Contacts: Establishing new Resistance Contacts in various regions can reveal previously hidden facilities. Prioritize making contact in regions with high ADVENT activity.
Dark Events: Be wary of Dark Events that accelerate Avatar Project progress. These often indicate a new facility has been constructed or an existing one has been upgraded.

The Sabotage Mission

Once an Alien Facility is identified, you have the option to launch a Sabotage mission. These missions are unique and have specific objectives:

Infiltrate the Facility: Your squad will deploy near the facility. Expect heavy ADVENT patrols and potentially advanced enemy units.
Locate the Alien Conduit: The primary objective is always to find and destroy the Alien Conduit. This is a large, glowing alien device, usually found deep within the facility's core. Its exact location will be marked on your tactical map once you get close enough.
Destroy the Conduit: The Alien Conduit has a significant health pool and often requires multiple attacks to destroy. Explosives are highly effective, but be mindful of collateral damage if you need to preserve cover.
Evacuate: After the Conduit is destroyed, a Skyranger extraction zone will appear. All surviving soldiers must reach this zone to complete the mission successfully. Failure to evacuate any soldier results in their capture or death, even if the Conduit was destroyed.

Strategic Considerations for Sabotage Missions

Sabotage missions are high-stakes operations. Careful planning and execution are crucial.

Squad Composition

A balanced squad is essential for tackling the varied threats within an Alien Facility.

Specialists: A Specialist with a high Hack stat is invaluable for hacking ADVENT turrets or other objectives to gain an advantage. Their Medical Protocol can also keep your squad alive.
Sharpshooters: A Sharpshooter (especially a Gunslinger) can provide long-range support and pick off key targets from a distance.
Rangers: Rangers with their high mobility and powerful close-range attacks are excellent for flanking and dealing with heavily armored units. The "Run and Gun" ability is particularly useful for reaching the Conduit quickly or getting to extraction.
Grenadiers: Grenadiers are your primary source of explosive damage. Their grenades are perfect for stripping armor from tough enemies or destroying the Alien Conduit efficiently. Consider bringing multiple Grenadiers or equipping your other soldiers with grenades.

Equipment & Items

Equipping your soldiers with the right gear can make or break a Sabotage mission.

Grenades: Always bring multiple grenades (Frag Grenades, Incendiary Grenades, Plasma Grenades). They are excellent for destroying cover, dealing area-of-effect damage, and most importantly, inflicting significant damage on the Alien Conduit.
Medikits/Advanced Medikits: Essential for keeping your soldiers alive through sustained engagements.
Battle Scanners: Useful for scouting ahead and revealing enemy positions without triggering pods.
Mimic Beacons: Can draw enemy fire, buying your squad precious turns to reposition or focus fire on the Conduit.
Bluescreen Rounds: Highly effective against robotic enemies like Sectopods and Gatekeepers, which are common in later-game facilities.

Tactics & Execution

Slow and Steady: Unless you are under a strict turn limit (which is rare for Sabotage missions), advance cautiously. Use overwatch traps and scout with Battle Scanners or a concealed Ranger.
Prioritize Threat Elimination: While the Conduit is the objective, don't ignore the ADVENT forces. Leaving too many enemies alive will make reaching the Conduit and evacuating extremely difficult. Focus fire on dangerous units like Mutons, Andromedons, and Sectopods.
Explosive Conduit Destruction: Once you locate the Alien Conduit, unleash your explosives. A well-placed volley of Plasma Grenades can significantly reduce its health. Follow up with concentrated small arms fire.
Clear the Path to Evac: After destroying the Conduit, assess the remaining enemy threats between your squad and the extraction zone. Prioritize eliminating enemies that could block your path or deal significant damage during the dash to safety.
Don't Be Afraid to Hunker Down: If your squad is heavily wounded, find good cover and hunker down for a turn or two to allow Medikit cooldowns or ability refreshes.

Post-Sabotage Effects

Successfully sabotaging an Alien Facility provides immediate and significant benefits:

Avatar Project Reduction: The most critical outcome is a substantial reduction in the Avatar Project progress bar. This buys XCOM valuable time.
Resources: You will often gain valuable resources like Intel, Supplies, and sometimes even Alien Alloys or Elerium Crystals from the mission.
Experience: Your soldiers will gain valuable experience, helping them rank up and unlock powerful new abilities.

Remember, the war against ADVENT is a marathon, not a sprint. Regularly targeting and destroying Alien Facilities is a cornerstone of your strategy to keep the Avatar Project at bay and ultimately achieve victory.