XCOM 2
XCOM 2

Facility Building & Upgrades — XCOM 2 Guide

Learn optimal facility building strategies and essential upgrades for your Avenger mobile headquarters in XCOM 2. Manage research, engineering, and training.

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Facility Building & Upgrades

The Avenger, your mobile headquarters, is more than just a transport; it's your primary base of operations for research, engineering, training, and tactical preparation. Effective facility management is crucial for XCOM's success against ADVENT. This section will guide you through optimal building strategies and essential upgrades.

Understanding the Avenger's Layout

The Avenger's interior is divided into several floors, each with a limited number of buildable slots. These slots are categorized as either "Excavated" or "Unexcavated." Unexcavated slots require a significant amount of Supplies and Power to clear before a facility can be built there. Prioritize excavating slots that offer adjacency bonuses or are critical for early game progression.

  • Top Floor: Contains the Bridge (initial facility) and typically offers easy access to early power.
  • Mid Floors: Good for general-purpose facilities.
  • Bottom Floors: Often contain "Power Coils" – special slots that, once excavated, provide a massive boost to your available Power. These are invaluable and should be prioritized when Power becomes a bottleneck.

Early Game Facility Priorities (Months 1-3)

Your initial facility choices will heavily influence your early game capabilities. Focus on facilities that provide immediate benefits to your research, engineering, and soldier development.

  1. Guerilla Tactics School (GTS):
    • Location: Build this as your very first facility. It's inexpensive and provides critical squad upgrades.
    • Purpose: Allows you to train Rookies into specific classes, purchase squad size upgrades (e.g., "Squad Size I" and "Squad Size II"), and unlock powerful tactical abilities for your soldiers.
    • Actionable Step: Immediately after building, save up for "Squad Size I" to bring 5 soldiers on missions, then "Squad Size II" for 6. These are game-changers.
  2. Advanced Warfare Center (AWC):
    • Location: Build this second, ideally adjacent to the GTS for a minor Power bonus if possible.
    • Purpose: Speeds up soldier recovery time and, more importantly, allows soldiers to gain bonus perks from other classes when they rank up. This is essential for creating highly versatile and powerful soldiers.
    • Actionable Step: Assign your best engineers here to maximize the healing speed. Keep an eye on your soldiers' bonus perk options as they rank up.
  3. Power Relay:
    • Location: Build this on the top floor if possible, or near a Power Coil if you've excavated one early.
    • Purpose: Provides crucial Power to run your facilities. You'll quickly hit Power limits without it.
    • Actionable Step: Upgrade to an "Improved Power Relay" as soon as you have the resources and an engineer available. This significantly boosts its output.
  4. Resistance Comms:
    • Location: Place this strategically to maximize its adjacency bonus with other facilities that benefit from it (e.g., another Resistance Comms).
    • Purpose: Increases your contact capacity, allowing you to expand into more regions on the Geoscape. More regions mean more Supply income and access to crucial resources.
    • Actionable Step: Build this when you have enough Intel to make contact with a new region and need to expand your reach. Don't overbuild early; only construct when you have a clear need for more contacts.

Mid to Late Game Facility Strategies

As the game progresses, your needs will shift towards advanced research, powerful engineering projects, and countering ADVENT's escalating threats.

  • Proving Ground:
    • Purpose: Essential for developing advanced gear like EXO/WAR Suits, experimental grenades, and specialized ammunition. Also crucial for building the "Skulljack" and "Skullmine."
    • Actionable Step: Prioritize building this once you have a steady supply of Alloys and Elerium Crystals. Start with the Skulljack research immediately to progress the main story.
  • Workshop:
    • Purpose: Provides two "Gremlins" that can staff adjacent facilities, effectively doubling the output of those facilities without needing additional engineers.
    • Location: Build this strategically between two high-priority facilities that benefit from engineer staffing (e.g., a Power Relay and a Resistance Comms, or a Proving Ground and a Defense Matrix).
    • Actionable Step: Place it carefully to maximize its adjacency bonus. The Gremlins are invaluable for optimizing your limited engineer pool.
  • Defense Matrix:
    • Purpose: Increases the number of turrets available during Avenger Defense missions and improves their effectiveness.
    • Actionable Step: Build this if you're frequently facing Avenger Defense missions or want to ensure your base is well-protected. Upgrade it for even stronger defenses.
  • Psi Lab:
    • Purpose: Allows you to train Psi Operatives, arguably the most powerful soldier class in the game.
    • Actionable Step: Build this as soon as you have a spare scientist and enough resources. Start training a Psi Operative immediately; their training takes a long time but is well worth the investment.
  • Shadow Chamber:
    • Purpose: Critical for progressing the main storyline. It allows you to research ADVENT's plans and ultimately locate the Avatar Project facilities.
    • Actionable Step: Build this when prompted by story objectives. It's a late-game facility that unlocks the final stages of the campaign.

Facility Upgrades

Most facilities have at least one upgrade available that significantly enhances their capabilities. These upgrades typically cost Supplies, Alloys, and Elerium Crystals, and require an engineer to construct.

  • Improved Power Relay: Essential for managing your Power needs.
  • Uplink/Relay upgrades for Resistance Comms: Increase contact capacity and reduce Intel costs for making contact.
  • Advanced Proving Ground: Unlocks more advanced experimental projects.
  • Advanced Psi Lab: Speeds up Psi Operative training and unlocks higher-tier abilities.
  • Defense Matrix upgrades: Further enhance Avenger defenses.

General Building Tips

  • Power Management: Always keep an eye on your available Power. Running out of Power will disable facilities, severely impacting your operations. Build Power Relays and excavate Power Coils proactively.
  • Engineer Allocation: Engineers are a precious resource. Assign them to facilities that provide the most immediate benefit, such as the AWC for healing, the Proving Ground for manufacturing, or Power Relays for upgrades.
  • Adjacency Bonuses: Some facilities grant bonuses when built next to specific other facilities. For example, a Workshop provides Gremlins to adjacent facilities. Plan your layout to maximize these bonuses.
  • Excavation: Don't neglect excavating new slots. While costly, they open up new building opportunities and can reveal Power Coils. Prioritize excavating slots that are blocking access to Power Coils.
  • Demolition: You can demolish existing facilities to free up a slot, but this costs Supplies and takes time. Only demolish if you absolutely need the space for a more critical facility and have no other options.