The world of XCOM 2 sees a new threat in its latest DLC, War of the Chosen . Powerful boss-like enemies known as “The Chosen” have invaded the world and are set on recapturing the Commander. And seeing as they’re almost immortal and can revive themselves in their Citadel, you’re going to need some help defeating them.
The only way to put an end to The Chosen is to befriend the three factions that resist the ADVENT: the Reapers, Skirmishers, and Templars. They are the ones that can find the locations of the Citadel and destroy The Chosen once and for all.
Keep on reading this guide, if you can’t decide on which faction to choose, and learn what benefits they provide.
The Reaper Faction in XCOM 2: War of the Chosen
Reapers use a special concealment ability called “Shadows” that allows them to stay undetected for as long as they don’t shoot from cover using a sniper rifle. But even then, there is only a 50% chance of them being detected (if your shots are precise) or not being detected at all (if you’re using special abilities).
You can also use the combination of powerful Claymore explosives and consecutive sniper shots to take enemies down. Just throw the Claymore at the enemy or a vehicle and shoot it from distance for a devastating blow. Surely, this kind of attack will reveal your position, but by that time, most of your enemies will be dead anyway.
If you like this kind of stealthy approach, then Reapers are the best choice for you. Below you will find Reaper abilities:
| Rank | Ability | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Squaddie | Shadow | Gains an advanced form of concealment |
| Squaddie | Claymore | Throws a targetable environmental explosive |
| Corporal | Remote Start | Detonates an environmental explosive |
| Corporal | Blood Trail | Shots deal +1 damage if the target has been wounded this turn |
| Sergeant | Target Definition | Any unit seen by a Reaper remains permanently visible |
| Sergeant | Shrapnel | Claymore does +3 damage and has +1 radius |
| Lieutenant | Silent Killer | Kills with the Vektor Rifle do not increase the Reaper’s chance to break out of Shadow |
| Lieutenant | Distraction | Kills with Claymore put the Reaper into Shadow |
| Lieutenant | Needle | Shots taken in Shadow have +2 armor piercing |
| Captain | Sting | Fire a shot preserving a Shadow |
| Captain | Soul Harvest | Kill shots increase crit chance by 5 (max 20) |
| Major | Highlands | Carry an additional Claymore |
| Major | Banish | Fire at a target until you run out of ammo or it dies |
| Colonel | Homing Mine | Attach a Claymore onto an enemy |
| Colonel | Annihilate | Kill a target with Banish and continue firing at another enemy |
The Skirmisher Faction in XCOM 2: War of the Chosen
The Skirmishers formed from a group of those who managed to escape the clutches of the ADVENT. These former agents are looking for ways to take revenge, and since they are being threatened by The Chosen as well, they will help you find and destroy them.
The Skirmishers consists of soldiers that utilize assault rifles and grappling gauntlets. The latter weapon not only helps them better move around shooting positions, but it also helps them pull themselves up to an enemy for tons of melee damage with the help of the Ripjack ability.
If you like shooting and moving around the map at a fast pace, then think about siding with the Skirmishers. Below you will find Skirmisher abilities:
| Rank | Ability | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Squaddie | Marauder | Standard shots are not turn-ending, allowing for shooting, then moving, or shooting twice on a turn |
| Squaddie | Justice | Use the Grapple to pull a humanoid target to you and deliver a Ripjack strike |
| Squaddie | Grapple | When fired upon, gain one extra action on the next turn |
| Corporal | Reflex | Shots deal +1 damage if the target has been wounded this turn |
| Corporal | Total Combat | Throwing a grenade or using an item no longer ends the turn |
| Sergeant | Wrath | Use the Grapple to pull yourself to an enemy and deliver a Ripjack strike |
| Sergeant | Zero In | Subsequent shots on the same turn provide +10 critical chance |
| Lieutenant | Wiplash | Attack an enemy with an electrical lash |
| Lieutenant | Full Throttle | Gain +2 mobility with every kill this turn |
| Captain | Combat Presence | Grant an extra action to a squadmate |
| Captain | Retribution | Free Ripjack attacks on any enemies that enter or attack from melee range |
| Captain | Interrupt | Instead of firing automatically, perform any single action |
| Major | Waylay | When entering Overwatch, you can take as many shots as you have remaining actions |
| Major | Reckoning | Unlock the Ripjack Slash attack |
| Colonel | Manual Override | Lower all ability cooldowns by 1 |
| Colonel | Battlelord | After each enemy in line of sight takes a turn, take an immediate action |
| Colonel | Judgement | When targeted by an attack, the enemy has a chance to panic |
The Templar Faction in XCOM 2: War of the Chosen
The Templars are psionic soldiers from the Enemy Unknown era, and probably are the hardest allies to play with.
The Templars’ main weapons are swordblades. These are made from psionic energy and look cooler than anything you’ve seen in the series. This means that a Templar soldier will mainly fight in close melee combat that requires a lot of defensive features — and look awesome doing it.
In any case, whether you want to put more power into your damage stat or use soldiers with better defenses, you will need Focus — a resource that can be gained by killing enemies — that serves as an enhancement for all other Templar abilities.
Below you will find all the Templar abilities:
| Rank | Ability | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Squaddie | Rend | Melee attack with a chance to stun or disorient the target |
| Squaddie | Volt | Psionic attack that deals low damage, but jumps to nearby units at higher Focus |
| Squaddie | Focus | Gain Focus during missions, increasing stats, damage, and ability effectiveness |
| Corporal | Parry | After attacking with Rend, prevent all damage from the next attack instead of moving |
| Corporal | Aftershock | Targets struck by Volt will be easier to hit, increasing your squad’s aim by +15 against the target |
| Corporal | Amplify | Mark a single target with a Psionic lens, causing them to take an additional 33% damage |
| Sergeant | Overcharge | Rend attacks have a 33% chance to generate Focus |
| Sergeant | Pillar | Summon a pillar of Psionic energy to act as a high cover point |
| Sergeant | Stun Strike | Strike an enemy with Psionic force, knocking them back in the direction of the attack |
| Lieutenant | Deflect | When the Templar has Focus, there is a chance to deflect incoming shots |
| Lieutenant | Channel | When an enemy dies, it may leave behind Psionic energy that can be collected to raise Focus level |
| Captain | Reflect | If you have 2 or more Focus, there is a chance to reflect incoming shots back at the attacker |
| Captain | Invert | Switch locations with an enemy unit |
| Captain | Deep Focus | The maximum Focus level is increased to 3 |
| Major | Arc Wave | Rend generates a wave of Psionic energy in the direction of the attack |
| Major | Exchange | Exchange locations with a squad mate |
| Colonel | Ionic Storm | Summon lightning to strike all nearby enemies |
| Colonel | Void Conduit | Trap a humanoid in a Psionic prison, immobilizing them for multiple actions and transferring their health to you |
| Colonel | Ghost | Create a duplicate from the body of a fallen humanoid |
—
That’s it for the War of the Chosen factions guide, but don’t forget to check back soon for even more XCOM 2 action at GameSkinny.
