Part 6

Learn about MEC Troopers and SHIVs in XCOM: Enemy Unknown, including their abilities, costs (over $100 for SHIVs), and conversion requirements.

MEC Troopers:

MECs are mechanized troopers equipped with power suits made from Meld, a special resource introduced in an expansion. Each MEC has its own set of abilities, and MEC Troopers can gain their own unique skills. MECs carry guns stronger than any other weapon for their tier. The primary downside is that you must permanently convert one of your existing soldier classes (Sniper, Support, Heavy) to pilot a MEC. MEC Troopers have their own aim stat growth system, which is only marginally better than a Heavy's aim stat growth. This means that to have a good Sniper MEC Trooper, you must wait until your sniper reaches the Colonel rank before permanently converting them. However, a Colonel sniper already possesses many valuable abilities and skills, making the conversion less appealing as skills like 'in the zone' and 'double tap' are not necessarily replaced by giving the sniper a strong weapon and making them a walking tank. A MEC Trooper without a MEC cannot fight. For this reason, MECs are expensive not only in Meld and money but also in terms of human resources. It is recommended to use only squaddie Heavies as MEC pilots. The game automatically assigns classes you have fewer of; by removing Heavies from the available pool, you can increase the chance of rookies becoming Heavies. While you won't be able to use rocket launchers or heat ammo, the high speed boost from the kinetic strike module should allow them to get close for better accuracy. The stat growth as a MEC is better than as a Heavy, improving the character's aim. A specific MEC build discussed in section 4 is designed for maximum survivability and offensive power and requires the Heavy class to be converted into a MEC Trooper.

SHIVs (Super Heavy Infantry Vehicles):

SHIVs are mechanical units that require research and Foundry projects to acquire and make useful. The first SHIV is not very useful and lacks significant skills. The second available SHIV allows soldiers to take cover (press the cover button to crouch behind walls or objects) behind it, but the vehicle itself is not very impressive, despite having 30 defense. The third SHIV does not allow soldiers to hide behind it but boasts a remarkable 40 defense and can fly, granting it 60 defense at all times. SHIVs excel at outgunning and attacking enemies head-on. They can suppress enemies, but this requires purchasing a Foundry project first. The SHIV can be considered one of the best units in the game, tied with Colonels and MECs. However, the obvious drawback is that these units are expensive, costing over $100 (not including materials like Elerium and alloys). They can also glitch and lose their weapons, though this has been fixed on PC.

Situation Room:

At the start of the game, the Situation Room is locked and inaccessible. You gain access to it as soon as a UFO is downed, or a specific date passes without shooting anything down. This room tracks the panic level of every nation, denoted by bars beneath each nation's name. Nations are grouped by continent, and clicking on a nation's name reveals its continent.