Part 2

Explore XCOM: Enemy Within mods in Part 2, including Training Roulette, Itchy Trigger Tentacle, Mind over Matter, Damage Roulette, and more. Learn how they impact gameplay.

This section details various gameplay-altering mods for XCOM: Enemy Within, categorized by their origin (new to Enemy Within or ported from the original XCOM: Enemy Unknown) and their effects on difficulty and gameplay mechanics.

New Mods:

• Flanked: Modifies the flanking mechanic, making combat more tactical. It grants bonuses for successful flanks but also penalizes enemies who are not fully flanked.
• Training Roulette: Randomizes the skill trees for all soldier classes except MEC Troopers, blurring class distinctions. This can lead to soldiers with unconventional or suboptimal skill combinations, potentially making certain classes less effective. Soldiers can be dismissed early if their skill tree is undesirable.
• Itchy Trigger Tentacle: (Available after beating the game) Causes Mechtoids, Cyberdiscs, and Sectopods to fire half the time instead of activating overwatch, allowing soldiers to complete their moves and potentially reach cover. This mod increases difficulty.
• Mind over Matter: (Available after beating the game) Disqualifies soldiers from psionic potential if they receive a Gene-mod, preventing the creation of psionic genetic supersoldiers.

Mods from Original XCOM: Enemy Unknown:

• Damage Roulette: Causes weapons to deal random damage, adding unpredictability similar to the original UFO Defense.
• New Economy: Council nations provide variable amounts of funds.
• Not Created Equally: XCOM rookies start with randomized stats, affecting their aim, will, and movement speed. This can result in soldiers who are significantly stronger or weaker than average.
• Hidden Potential: Soldiers gain random stats upon ranking up, meaning stat bonuses are not tied to specific classes.
• Red Fog: (Available after beating normal difficulty) Combat wounds reduce soldier abilities, making it more dangerous to sustain damage.
• Absolutely Critical: (Available after beating normal difficulty) Flanked targets always receive critical hits if the attack connects, emphasizing the importance of cover and avoiding ambushes.
• Greater Good: (Available after beating normal difficulty) Psionics can only be learned by capturing psionic aliens. Killing them prevents psionic development.
• Marathon: (Available after beating normal difficulty) All game activities take longer to complete.
• Results Driven: (Available after beating Classic difficulty) Nation funding decreases based on insecurity levels, making higher difficulties more challenging due to increased panic.
• High Stakes: (Available after beating Classic difficulty) Rewards for completing alien abduction missions are randomized, removing the ability to farm for specific resources like engineers.
• Diminishing Returns: (Available after beating Classic difficulty) Satellite construction costs increase as more are built, potentially limiting expansion across continents.
• More Than Human: (Available after beating Classic difficulty) Psionic soldiers become rarer, extending the late-game.
• War Weariness: (Available after beating Impossible difficulty) Nation funding declines over time, encouraging faster game completion.
• E-115: (Available after beating Impossible difficulty) Elerium supplies degrade over time, providing more incentive to destroy alien ships.
• Total Loss: (No specific details provided in source text)