Difference between revisions of "Character Development"

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=Stats, skills, gear and augmentations=
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[[file:Mentaculus.png|100px|center|link=]]
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|[[Getting Started]]
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==Stats==
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|[[Geoscape]]  
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Each character has the following stats:
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|[[Combat]]   
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- '''Health Points (HPs)''', when this goes to 0 the character dies (derived from the Strength attribute, 1 pt in Strength = 10 HPs)
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|[[Character Development]]  
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|[[Classes and Skills]]  
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- '''Armor''', average of armor on all the body parts (for humans derived from armor/augmentations)
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|[[Mission Types]]  
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- '''Accuracy''', expressed as a % bonus/penalty, adjusts the size of the aiming reticle (derives from armor, skills/perks, and augmentations)
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|[[Final Mission|Final Mission (Spoiler!)]]  
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- '''Perception''', in tiles, determines the range at which the character will detect enemies in daylight (for humans starts at 35, bonuses and penalties derive from armor, skills/perks, and augmentations); at night reduced by 50%
 
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- '''Stealth''', a %, reduces the range at which a character can be detected by enemies, i.e. their Perception (for humans Stealth starts at 0%, bonuses and penalties derive from armor, skills/perks, and augmentations)
 
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- '''Movement''', in tiles, determines how much a soldier can move in one turn (divided by four, gives movement per AP) (derives from the Speed attribute, 1 pt in Speed = 1 tile; note that the Speed attribute can be modifed by armor, skills/perks, and augmentations )
 
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- '''Willpower points (WPs)''', fuel the use of skills, cost of mind-controlling the unit to the enemy, if below 0 the character panics (loses 1 turn) (derives from Willpower attribute, 1 pt in Willpower = 1 WP; note that some skills and mutations can increase WPs)
 
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- '''Carrying capacity''', in weight units, determines how much a character can carry without suffering a penalty to the movement (derived from the Strength attribute, 1 pt in Strength = 1 additional weight unit carrying capacity; note that there is a skill - Resourceful - that can add +2 to the Strength attribute and increase the carrying capacity by 25%, but the +2 Strength from the skill doesn’t actually add additional capacity when in battle, even though it shows so on the Geoscape)
 
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==Skills & Personal traits or perks==
 
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Human characters belong to one of seven different classes of soldiers, each class having seven levels each corresponding to a skill, including a 4th level skill that enables dual classing. Finally, each PX operative can also unlock 3 random personal traits (often called third-row skills, because of their location on the character sheet). Among these the traits providing buffs to damage with certain types of weapons are particularly important.
 
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So characters have 3 primary attributes (Strength, Willpower, and Speed) and 3 armor/augmentation slots (head, torso, and legs) which all together determine their derived stats, and human soldiers acquire experience points that unlock levels (and the skills associated to them) and receive Skill Points that can be used to purchase additional attribute points or skills.
 
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For now, the big takeaway is that the stats that make a character distinct are derived from a number of things - some of them dependent on experience level (access to skills & perks), some of them on attributes and some of them on armor/augmentations.
 
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Particularly, note that accuracy, stealth, and perception are mostly dependent on armor/augmentations. You can acquire some skills/perks that increase accuracy, but all except one of them ([[File:Master marksman2.png|30px|link=Sniper]] [[Sniper|Master Marksman]] are only available at random, as third-row skills.
 
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Also, note that as skills/perks and stats cost SPs (which are given for completing missions (depending on difficulty level 12/10/7/5 SPs going to each soldier that took part in the mission, and a variable amount going to a common pool), gaining levels (20 SPs per level) and some geoscape events), there is an opportunity cost when spending SPs.
 
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Phoenix Point soldies also have a Stamina stat, ranging from 1-40, indicating how tired the character is, with 40 being perfectly rested. Characters lose 2 pts of Stamina for every mission turn, up to a maximum of 10 per mission. When their Stamina descends to 10 they become tired, and at 0 they are exhausted. A tired soldier will have 3 APs to spend each turn, and an exhausted one only 2.
 
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=Character progression tips=
 
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There are many possible builds and arguably no wrong way to go about it. Be imaginative, try different things.
 
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You may want to pay attention to the unlockable personal traits (aka third row skills). One approach is to consider these as the foundations defining the build. For example, a heavy class recruit with the [[File:Close_quarters_specialist.png
 
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|30px|link=Personal_perks]] [[Personal_perks|close quarters specialist perk]] (profiency with melee weapons and shotguns and +20% damage) might make a particularly good… you guessed it, melee fighter. A sniper with the same perk can be a shotgun CQC specialist.
 
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Don’t underestimate skills that are not flashy. For example, Ready for Action (assault LVL5 passive skill, allows reloading and inventory management for 0 AP) doesn’t seem like much, but combined with a heavy’s biggest booms (heavy LVL5, for 5 WP cost of using any explosive weapons reduced by 1 AP and their range by 50% until the end of the turn) and the Quarterback trait (+50% to grenade range and +2 to speed) a squaddie can be made into a devastating Grenadier. (It can also be used for weapon sharing during missions... The Assault with Ready for Action
 
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Attributes are just as important as skills, don’t neglect them. For some builds/roles you don’t need that many skills (for example, melee fighters), but SPs invested in attributes can pay off nicely.
 
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Strength determines the total HPs of the character, at the rate of 10 HPs for every point in strength. A squadie with 30 strength, 300 HP can withstand a lot of punishment. The damage dealt with the bash attack also scales with strength (weight of weapon * strength). I recommend that all you soldiers have enough strength to do 50 damage with a single bash attack. Why? Because that will allow them to one hit kill for 1AP worms, and attached mindfraggers. Some builds can also benefit from increased carrying capacity.
 
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Willpower is important primarily for characters who will be using a lot of skills, which is usually those in support roles (techies, priests), but a minimum pool of 12 WP is advisable for any build. Bear in mind that WPs also act as defense against mindcontrol attempts.
 
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Speed is the easiest attribute to recommend because of the importance mobility has in the game (given that accuracy is solely determined by range, being able to close the distance to a target is equivalent to having perfect accuracy).
 
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You will be getting a lot of SPs - 10 for every mission, 20 for gaining a level, plus every mission and some text quests in the geoscape give SPs to the common pool. Currently there is no limit to how many SPs a soldier can gain, so you can have maxed out squaddies, though it will take a lot of missions.
 
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==The defensive approach==
 
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Strong preference for single class Heavies in heavy armor and top strength.
 
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(See Heavy below for reasons why)
 
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Invest SPs in attributes and don’t rush to dual classing.
 
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It can be tempting to cross classes ASAP e.g. sniper with assault to get Dash and Quick Aim in a single package. However, these early multiclass builds are often too expensive in SPs (and WPs to power the skill combinations) for what they can accomplish. They are also fragile and encourage reckless behavior, such as Dashing far ahead and casting Quick Aim for a shotgun blast that may well score a kill but expose your squaddie to swift retaliation.
 
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For the same amount of SPs, you can get an assault or a sniper with high strength (remember: = more HPs = higher survivability) and more than decent mobility.
 
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Pay attention to personal traits (third-row skills)
 
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The damage buffs that some of them provide can make a huge difference in effectivity.
 
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As a rule, it’s a good idea to have the soldier use the weapon for which he has a personal trait. So a soldier with the Trooper trait will be very effective with an Assault Rifle, a Strongman - with any Heavy Weapon (including Grenade Launcher), Close Quarters Specialist - using shotguns and melee weapons, or bashing, and so on and so forth.
 
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Generally the Reckless personal trait is always a good pick. This is because the minor penalty to accuracy can be easily offset by higher mobility or an accuracy buff from armor. It’s especially useful for Area of Effect weapons, such as explosives and Mind Crash, and melee fighters and bashers, as they don’t rely on accuracy to deliver the damage.
 
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Cautious, on the other hand, is not always interesting to have, because the penalty to damage is harder to compensate. In fact, I usually don’t take it unless the soldier also has the Reckless perk and I intend to use the soldier as a dedicated Heavy Weapons shooter, or give him a paralyzing weapon.
 
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Some other personal traits can also give opportunities for interesting builds depending on the class/weapon proficiency of the soldier, such as:
 
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Quarterback (increases grenade range by 50% and gives +2 Speed) - very interesting for an assault/heavy with Boom Blast and Ready for Action to make a grenadier build,
 
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Biochemist (which adds +1 virus damage to each hit that does damage), for soldiers using burst weapons
 
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Resourceful (increases Strength by 2 and carry capacity by 25%), for Heavy bashers, as it allows to maximize damage output.
 
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- Each class can fulfill very different roles
 
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Those of your early game veterans that survive past mid-game will have so many SPs that they will be master of all trades. Even if you don’t dual-class them at first, you will eventually, because they will have SPs to spare.
 
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However, those of your soldiers with less experience, mostly brought up in the ‘stables’, will probably have to focus on specific roles.
 
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One key idea to keep in mind is that roles are not determined by class. For example, assaults can be in a support role, casting Rally the Troops once per turn. Infiltrators can be frontline melee troops clad in regular armor (and preferably melee bionic torso that reduces the cost of melee attacks by 1 AP), using Vanish to close in and land devastating Sneak Attacks. Technicians can ditch the exo-arms in favor of higher mobility and used to launch turrets for a forward attack. Two Technicians can work together in this way: for example, one dual classed as an infiltrator to throw the turrets near the enemy while remaining hidden and another to manually control them. Technicians can also manually control spider drones launched by infiltrators.
 
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Mixing things up is fun and can have a huge payoff. If you think something might work, try it out
 
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- Armor and augmentations are just as important in determining the role of a soldier as its attributes and skills.
 
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You can mix different kinds of body armor/augs parts to achieve the exact balance of accuracy, mobility, stealth, and perception you want. Just bear in mind that the enemies will aim for the body part with the least armor.
 
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=Classes and skills=
 
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Comments on class skills
 
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==[[file:assault_training.png|60px|link=assault]] [[Assault]] <span id="assault"></span>==
 
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As with all classes in Phoenix Point, the role of the [[file:assault_training.png|30px|link=]] operative depends on how you build it. Some of the skills are compatible with a support role ([[File:Ready_for_action.png|30px|link=#ready for action]], [[File:rally_the_troops.png|30px|link=#onslaught]]), others are better suited for the offense ([[File:Return_fire.png|30px|link=#return fire]],[[file:RapidC.png|30px|link=#rapid clearance]]), and [[File:Dash.png|30px|link=#dash]] is something that you wish all your operatives had regardless of their role or class. 
 
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It is very common to multiclass other classes into [[file:assault_training.png|30px|link=]] to take advantage of [[File:Dash.png|30px|link=#dash]] and [[file:RapidC.png|30px|link=#rapid clearance]]. 
 
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[[File:Dash.png|40px|link=]] '''Dash''' <span id="dash"></span> (cost 3WPs and 1AP) move up to 1/2 of the Speed attribute of the character (e.g. with a Speed of 20, a soldier can move 10 tiles casting Dash), limited to 2 uses per turn.
 
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Useful whenever you want to move 2 APs at the cost of one and you are willing to pay 3WPs for it, which happens very often ''(in fact, too much, as you can be tempted to cast it multiple times, e.g. to attack a faraway enemy, neglecting good positioning, exposing your soldier to retaliation and unnecessarily depleting its WPs)''.
 
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Often used to get close to an enemy, attack it, and get back to safety. 
 
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Also useful in conjunction with [[File:rally_the_troops.png|30px|link=#onslaught]] to assist another operative.
 
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'''''How to achieve <span id="extreme mobility">extreme mobility</span> (and kinda break the game):'''''
 
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''The max speed attribute is 20. Some armors and augmentations provide a bonus to Speed; a combination of the [[File:1acolyte_body_armor.png|30px|link=Body_Armor]] [[Body_Armor|Acolyte Body Armor]] and [[Mutations|Agile Legs]] mutation provides a bonus of +7. The [[File:Quarterback.png|30px|Link=Personal_perks]] [[Personal perks|Quarterback]] perk adds 2 to Speed. Casting [[File:Instil_frenzy.png|30px|link=Mutations]] [[Mutations|Frenzy]] (using the [[Mutations|Judgement Head]] Priest mutation) provides a +50%. [[file:Bloodlust.png|30px|link=#bloodlust]] [[#bloodlust|Bloodlust]] (LVL5 Berserker passive skill, increases the damage and speed up to 50% in proportion to damage suffered) can provide an additional +50%.''
 
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''Thus, a soldier’s Speed can be increased to 58, while most maps in Phoenix Point are 48 tiles in length, a single [[File:Dash.png|30px|link=#dash]] (29 tiles) allowing the soldier to move half the map at the cost of 1 AP and 3 WP.''
 
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[[File:Return_fire.png|40px|link=]] '''Return Fire''' <span id="return fire"></span>(passive skill) shoot back at an enemy when it attacks, providing that soldier is using a direct-fire projectile weapon with proficiency, and the enemy is within half perception range.
 
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Does not activate on melee attacks
 
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Does not activate if the soldier is on Overwatch, unless the Overwatch is activated immediately before the attack (for example, if an enemy runs into the Overwatch cone, setting it off, and then the same enemy or a different one attacks the operative)
 
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Does not activate if the soldier is [[File:dazed.png|30px|link=Status_effects#DAZED]] [[Status effects#DAZED|dazed]]
 
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For purposes of calculating the perception range, the stealth stat of the attacker is taken into account. So if the attacking enemy has a stealth of 50%, and the operative has a perception of 35, [[File:Return_fire.png|30px|link=]] will not activate unless the enemy is within 8 tiles of the operative.
 
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When attacking an enemy with the [[File:Return_fire.png|30px|link=]], usually if it will be activated when attacked you should see this image '''missing pic''' in the top right hand corner of its icon. However, if you are attacking from behind high cover, requiring stepping out of cover to shoot, you will not see this icon but '''the enemy's [[File:Return_fire.png|30px|link=]] will activate if attacked provided the rest of the conditions are met'''''.  
 
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[[File:Ready_for_action.png|40px|link=]] '''Ready for Action''' <span id="ready for action"></span>(passive skill) reloading and inventory management costs 0 AP
 
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This is useful for moving grenades from the backpack to the quick inventory slots. With high strength, [[file:Boom_blast.png|30px|link=#Boom Blast]] [[#boom blast|Boom Blast]] and [[file:Quarterback.png|30px|link=Personal_perks]] [[Personal perks|Quarterback]] trait the operative can throw up to 4 grenades in a single turn (without taking into account AP refund skills, [[file:Rally_the_troops.png|30px|link=#onslaught]] and [[file:RapidC.png|30px|link=#rapid clearance]]) at a range of nearly [40? check] tiles, essentially acting like ultra-precise artillery.
 
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''It can also be used for equipment sharing in the field: by positioning the operative with [[File:Ready_for_action.png|30px|link=#ready for action]] in the middle of a group of soldiers, it is possible to move items between them and to reload their weapons for free. This is useful when, for example, attempting to paralyze a large Pandoran when you only have a single [[File:Hera.png|30px|link=sniper_weapons]] [[Sniper weapons|Hera]] (and plenty of ammo for it)'' 
 
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[[File:rally_the_troops.png|40px|link=]] '''Onslaught''' <span id="onslaught"></span>(cost 4WPs and 2APs) refunds 2APs to another operative within 12 tiles, can only be used once per turn by the same soldier
 
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''Although no APs are generated, but merely transferred from one operative to another, this is a very useful skill as very often an operative low on APs can make a better use of them than the [[file:assault_training.png|30px|link=#Assault]]. For example, this can be used to allow a [[file:heavy_training.png|30px|link=#Heavy]] to get into position using the jet jump '''missing pic''' and then fire the main weapon.''
 
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''Can be used several times by different operatives on the same soldier (this is known as 'Cheerleading'), for example to maximise the utility of [[file:Boom_blast.png|30px|link=#boom blast]] [[#boom blast|Boom Blast]], [[file:RapidC.png|30px|link=#rapid clearance]] or [[file:Adrenaline_rush.png|30px|link=#adrenaline rush]] [[#adrenaline rush|Adrenaline Rush]], or run around the map taking advantage of [[#extreme mobility|extreme mobility]].''
 
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[[file:RapidC.png|40px|link=]] '''Rapid Clearance''' <span id="rapid clearance"></span>(cost 5WPs), get back 2 APs for each kill.
 
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This is perhaps one of the most abused skills in Phoenix Point and the most common ingredient in the <span id ="terminator_build"></span> '<u>Terminator Builds</u>'.
 
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If, once activated, the operative can consistently kill for 2 APs or less, he can clear large chunks, or entire maps of enemies on the first turn before they even had a chance to move.
 
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Several things have to come together for this, but it's very easy for it to happen if you keep stacking buffs as the game encourages you to:
 
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1) you need to maximize damage, which in the game you can currently do up to +>200%:
 
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+100% from [[file:sneak_attack.png|30px|link=sneak attack]] [[#sneak attack|Sneak Attack]], +50% from Bloodlust [[file:bloodlust.png|30px|link=#bloodlust]] [[#bloodlust|Bloodlust]] (maximum), +20%-25% from one of the [[Personal perks|weapon proficiency personal perks]] ([[file:bombardier.png|30px|link=personal_perks]], [[file:close_quarters_specialist.png|30px|link=personal_perks]], [[file:self_defense_specialist.png|30px|link=personal_perks]], [[file:sniperist.png|30px|link=personal_perks]], [[file:strongman_old.png|30px|link=personal_perks]] or [[file:trooper.png|30px|link=personal_perks]]), +20% from [[file:reckless.png|30px|link=personal_perks]] [[personal perks|Reckless]] and +10% from Vivisection research, +10 damage per attack from [[file:mark_for_death.png|30px|link=#mark for death]] [[#mark for death|Mark for Death]], and + 50% [[file:brawler.png|30px|link=#brawler]] [[#brawler|brawler]] if attacking with a [[Combat#melee|melee weapon]].
 
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2) you might need to reduce the AP cost of firing the weapon, which you can do with [[file:Quick_aim.png|30px|link=#quick aim]] [[#quick aim|Quick Aim]], [[file:Boom_blast.png|30px|link=#boom blast]] [[#boom blast|Boom Blast]] or [[file:Adrenaline_rush.png|30px|link=#adrenaline rush]] [[#adrenaline rush|Adrenaline Rush]].
 
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3) you need to deliver the damage to your helpless victims ... errh, I mean the awful, terrible, dangerous, and scary Pandorans! This can be easily done using a fraction of the [[#extreme mobility|extreme mobility]] that you can currently achieve in the game.
 
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And you can have up to 8 soldiers on most missions so they can soften enemies for each other and cast [[File:rally_the_troops.png|30px|link=#onslaught]] [[#onslaught|Onslaught]] to keep the [[file:RapidC.png|30px|link=]] killer loops going.
 
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The most effective and well-known abuse of [[file:RapidC.png|30px|link=]] is casting it by a [[file:berserker_training.png|30px|link=#berserker]] / [[file:assault_training.png|30px|link=#assault]] with [[file:strongman_old.png|30px|link=Personal_perks]] [[personal_perks|Strongman]] equipped with a [[file:1deceptor.jpg|30px|link=heavy_weapons]] [[heavy_weapons|Deceptor]] benefitting from [[#extreme mobility|extreme mobility]] and casting [[file:Adrenaline_rush.png|30px|link=#adrenaline rush]] [[#adrenaline rush|Adrenaline Rush]] afterward.
 
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However, even something as basic as an [[file:assault_training.png|30px|link=#assault]] with the [[file:Self_defense_specialist.png|30px|link=Personal_perks]] [[Personal_perks|Self Defense Specialist]] perk (and a [[file:1gorgon.jpg|30px|link=technician_weapons]] [[technician_weapons|Gorgon Eye-A]]) can do ''obscene'' amounts of damage and keep recovering APs with each kill.
 
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==[[file:Heavy_training.png|60px|link=heavy]] [[Heavy]] <span id="heavy"></span>==
 
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As always, remember that in Phoenix Point ''classes'' don't dictate ''roles''. This can be a fast, lightly armored, hard hitting melee fighter, a tank, a dedicated shooter, a crowd controller, a long range artillery piece, etc.: a [[file:Heavy_training.png|30px|link=heavy]] will be what ''you'' build it to be. 
 
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Some things to bear in mind before we look at the skills:
 
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- They are notoriously inaccurate when fully clad in heavy armor (that inflicts a 30% penalty on their accuracy), wielding a [[file:1hel.jpg|30px|link=heavy_weaopons]][[heavy weapons|Hel 2 Cannon]] or a [[file:1deceptor.jpg|30px|link=heavy_weapons]][[heavy weapons|Deceptor]] (which have short [[combat#Accuracy|effective range]]) and targeting small or medium sized enemies at anything more than 5-10 tiles. 
 
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''However, the advantage of heavy weapons is that they pack such a punch that it doesn't matter ''where'' they hit their targets, which means that often they can engage them at the same range as [[file:assault_training.png|30px|link=#assault]] with their assault rifles, which do have to target specific body parts when dealing with armored enemies.'' 
 
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- If you invest enough in Strength, they can easily one-bash kill most Arthrons and Tritons, or at least [[file:dazed.png|30px|link=status effects#DAZED]] [[status effects#DAZED|daze]] them (see [[Combat#Melee|melee]]; in summary, bashing scales with Strength of the character and weight of the weapon, so a [[file:Heavy_training.png|30px|link=]] with, e.g. 20 Strength, wielding a [[file:1hel.jpg|30px|link=heavy_weaopons]][[heavy weapons|Hel 2 Cannon]] will do 20*5 = 100 damage, with [[file:Brawler.png|30px|link=#brawler]] +50%, so 150 damage; with 30 Strength it goes up to 225).
 
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- With the jetpack ability, they can move 20 tiles for 3 APs and 2 WPs. Therefore they can neglect Speed and Willpower in favor of Strength, which gives them more HPs and increases their throwing distance and the damage they do with bash '''missing pic'''.
 
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- The mounted weapons proficiency allows them to use [[file:1destiny3.jpg|30px|link=heavy_weapons]] [[heavy weapons|Destiny III]], which has an effective range of 999 (i.e. it's 100% accurate at any distance) and shoots 3 projectiles that do 80 damage each for only 1 AP, easily outperforming any sniper rifle.   
 
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[[file:brawler.png|40px|link=]] <span id="brawler"> </span> Brawler (passive skill) [[combat#Melee|Bash and melee attacks]] deal 50% more damage.
 
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This is a must have skill for a melee oriented [[file:Heavy_training.png|30px|link=]], very effective in combination with jet jump.
 
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It can also be used in a multiclass build with an [[file:assault_training.png|30px|link=#assault]] with the [[bionics|vengeance torso]] to create a melee [[#terminator build|'Terminator']]. 
 
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[[file:war_cry.png|40px|link=]] <span id="war cry"> </span> War Cry (3WPs 1AP) limits the APs of all enemies within 10 tiles to 2.
 
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In practice what this does is prevent most of the enemies affected by [[file:war_cry.png|30px|link=]] from attacking you on their turn. This is because usually they want to move before shooting, and with just 2 APs they can't do that. Some enemies will never attack at all because they need 3APs for that (Chirons indirect fire, for example).
 
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Plus this skill is also a detector of hidden enemy units even without activating it: just selecting the ability shows all the enemies that will be affected by it, even if you haven't seen them yet (reminiscent of that other exploit in Phoenix Point: if you can't move to that tile, it's because there is an enemy on it).
 
 
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=Overview=
  
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[[file:boom_blast.png|40px|link=]] <span = "boom blast"> </span> Boom Blast (5WPs), reduces the cost of using explosives by 1 AP and increases their range by 50% until the end of the turn.  
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Phoenix Point uses a 'sandbox' approach to character creation and development, where the [[classes and Skills#class|class]] of the character does not determine the role ''(a [[file:sniper training.png|30px|link=#Sniper]] [[#Sniper|sniper]] does not have to be a long-range marksman, she can be a close quarters fighter, an [[file:assault training.png|30px|link=#Assault]] [[#Assault|assault]] does not have to be frontline fighter, he can be support, etc.)''
  
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''Also works with [[file:1destiny3.jpg|30px|link=heavy_weapons]] [[heavy weapons|Destiny III]] and [[File:1archangel.jpg|30px|link=heavy_weapons]] [[heavy weapons|Archangel RL1]]''
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This is implemented through a limited number of choices: in Phoenix Point characters have just 3 [[#attributes|attributes]], and there are only 5 unique [[#skills|skills]] to acquire in each [[#class|class]] (with the possibility to dual class, for a total of 10), and 3 [[personal perks|random personal perks]] from a pool of 14. However, all [[#attributes|attributes]] and all [[#skills|skills]] can be useful for all [[#classes|classes]], so though you have few things to choose from they can be combined in many different ways. 
  
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This skill allows launching 2 grenades from the [[file:1goliath.jpg|30px|link=heavy_weapons]] [[heavy weapons|Goliath 2 Grenade Launcher]] ''and'' a mounted rocket. ''(or four grenades and a rocket using [[file:ready_for_action.png|30px|link=#ready for action]] [[#ready for action|Ready for Action]]''  
+
What each operative will be, what role they will have on the battlefield and what kind of weapons or abilities they will rely on, depends on how you build them; how you spend their [[#skill points|skill points]] and what equipment you give them ''(and what [[personal perks]] you roll).''
  
−
There are third-row skills that make these attacks even more effective ([[file:Strongman_old.png|30px|link=personal_perks]] [[personal perks|Strongman]] for a grenade launcher, [[file:bombardier.png|30px|link=personal_perks]] [[personal perks|Bombardier]] for rockets, and [[file:reckless.png|30px|link=personal_perks]] [[personal perks|Reckless]] for both)
+
=Stats=
 +
<span id = "attributes">
 +
All characters have 3 primary or core <u><b>Attributes</b></u>: <b>Strength</b>, <b>Willpower</b>, and '''Speed''', and 3 secondary or support attributes, '''Accuracy''', '''Perception''', and '''Stealth'''</span>. If they are human, [[the Forsaken]] or [[the Pure]] they can also wear [[combat#armor|armor]] or have augmentations ([[mutations]] or [[bionics]]), and possess [[#skills|skills]] and [[personal perks]].
  
−
''And you can cross a [[file:Heavy_training.png|30px|link=]] and an [[file:infiltrator_training.png|30px|link=#infiltrator]] [[#infiltrator|Infiltrator]] and top the whole thing off with another +100% to damage from [[file:sneak_attack.png|30px|link=#sneak_attack]] [[#sneak attack|Sneak Attack]]''  
+
All [[file:1pp.png|30px|link=phoenix project]] operatives start with the same [[#attributes|attributes]] ([[Getting Started#Acquisition of recruits and rate at which they improve|determined by difficulty level]]) [[Geoscape#Recruiting|depending on where they are recruited from]]. They can wear any armor, or be augmented with [[mutations]] or [[bionics]] regardless of [[#classes|class]] ''(the only exception are 3 special [[mutations#head|mutated heads]] only available to the [[file:priest training.png|30px|link=#priest|Priest]] [[#Priest|Priests]])'', and you are free to mix and match pieces from different armors.  
−
----
 
−
[[file:inspire.png|40px|link=]] <span id ="inspire></span> Inspire (passive) Killing an enemy grants allies 1 additional will point
 
−
 
 
−
This is very useful to replenish the will points of the other operatives in the squad by killing small enemies such as worms, eggs and mindfraggers, especially when using AoE attacks against them. 
 
−
 
 
−
''Note that it doesn't grant the additional will point to the [[file:Heavy_training.png|30px|link=]]''
 
−
 
 
−
----
 
−
[[file:rage_burst.png|40px|link=]] <span id="rage burst"></span> Rage Burst (5WPs + standard AP cost of firing the weapon), fire the weapon 5 times in an arc, limited to one use per turn by the same soldier.
 
−
 
 
−
----
 
  
−
==[[file:sniper_training.png|60px|link=sniper]][[Sniper]]==
+
<i>Primary attributes are soft capped at 35 for strength, and 20 for willpower and speed, but you can go over the cap with [[combat#armor|armor]], [[mutations]], [[bionics]], and [[personal perks]], even though the character sheet will not reflect all the buffs</i>
−
Everyone likes Sniper Rifles because of their high accuracy and high damage per shot. It's an easy package for reliably overcoming armor at long distances.
 
  
−
Snipers skills make it even better with cheaper Overwatch (Focus) and cheaper direct fire (Quick Aim), even higher accuracy when there are no enemies nearby (Marksman), removal of armor from the body part that gets disabled (Weakspot) and a damage multiplier spell (Marked for Death).
+
The [[#attributes|primary and secondary attributes]], the [[combat#armor|armor]], the [[mutations]], the [[bionics]], the [[#skills|skills]] and [[personal perks]] all serve to determine or modify the following <span id="stats" >'''<u>Stats</u>'''</span> of the character:
 +
<span id ="accuracy">
  
−
Now, I'm not crazy about Sniper Rifles. Their damage per AP is the lowest of all types of weapons and they don't shred armor. However, the Sniper skills are useful with other weapons, whether through multiclassing or third-row weapon proficiency. Below some comments and ideas on a couple of them:
+
- <code>'''<u>Accuracy</u>'''</span>, expressed as a % bonus/penalty, adjusts the size of the aiming reticle (derives from [[combat#armor|armor]], [[mutations]], [[bionics]], [[#skills|skills]] or [[personal perks]]).</code> See [[#acc buffs|all the things that increase or decrease Accuracy]].  
 +
<span id="armor">
  
−
- Quick Aim (3WPs), reduces the cost of firing a proficient weapon by 1AP.
+
- <code>'''<u>Armor</u>'''</span>, average of armor on all the body parts (for humans derives from [[combat#armor|armor]], [[mutations]] or [[bionics]])</code>
 +
<span id="carrying capacity">
  
−
- Marksman
+
- <code>'''<u>Carrying capacity'''</u></span>, in weight units, determines how much a character can carry without suffering a penalty to [[#movement|Movement]] (derived from [[#strength|strength]], 1 pt in [[#strength|strength]] = 1 additional weight unit carrying capacity).</code> Note that the [[personal perks#Resourceful|personal perk Resourceful]] adds +2 to [[#strength|strength]] and increases the carrying capacity by 25%, but the +2 [[#strength|strength]] from the [[personal perks|perk]] doesn’t actually add additional capacity when in battle, even though it shows so on the Geoscape. The [[bionics#neural torso|neural torso bionic]] doubles carrying capacity.
 +
<span id="hps">
  
−
- Weakspot
+
- <code>'''<u>Hit Points</u> (HPs)'''</span>, when this goes to 0 the character dies (derives from [[#strength|strength]], 1 pt in [[#strength|strength]] = 10 HPs)</code>
 +
<span id ="movement">
  
−
The most common use of this skill is to shoot a Sniper Rifle twice in a single turn, but of course it offers interesting combinations for other weapons as well (Dash + Quick Aim to land a shotgun blast being a favorite). Even more interesting effects happen when this is used with weapons that cost only 1 AP to use, such as most pistols and all PDWs, especially in combination with Rapid Clearance, as it nets 2 APs per kill. So a broken rapid clearance chain can be resurrected with a pistol kill, perhaps with an assist from a buddy.  
+
- <code>'''<u>Movement</u>'''</span>, in tiles, determines how much a soldier can move in one turn (divided by four, gives movement per [[Combat#aps|AP]]) (derives from the speed attribute, 1 pt in speed = 1 tile; can be modified by [[combat#armor|armor]], [[mutations]], [[bionics]], or [[personal perks]]. </code> See [[#mov buffs|all the things that increase or decrease movement]].  
−
+
<span id="perception">
−
- Marked for Death (4WPs), increases damage suffered by the target by 10 from each hit until the end of the turn.  
 
  
 +
- <code>'''<u>Perception</u>'''</span>, in tiles, determines the range at which the character will detect enemies in daylight (for humans starts at 35, bonuses and penalties derive from [[combat#armor|armor]], [[mutations]], [[bionics]] or [[personal perks]]). </code> See [[#per buffs|all the things that increase or decrease perception]]; at night reduced by 50%, unless character equipped with [[modules|Multivisual Sensor Module]] or [[bionics#echo|Echo Head bionic]]
 +
<span id = "stealth">
  
−
[quote="Yokes, post:5, topic:10746"]
+
- <code>'''<u>Stealth</u>'''</span>, a %, reduces the range at which a character can be detected by enemies, i.e. their [[#perception|perception]] (for humans stealth starts at 0%, bonuses and penalties derive from [[combat#armor|armor]], [[mutations]], [[bionics]], [[#skills|skills]] or [[personal perks]]). </code> See [[#stealth buffs|here all the things that increase or decrease Stealth]].  
−
And won’t you mention with Sniper about Marksman that it can be useful to increase attack effectiveness with many different weapons? It helps to focus on other armor parts than those giving accuracy bonus.
+
<span id="strength"></span>
−
[/quote]
 
  
−
==[[file:Berserker_training.png|60px|link=Berserker]] [[Berserker]]==
+
- <code>'''<u>Strength</u>''', derived from strength attribute, determines [[#hps|hit points]]; also determines [[#carrying capacity|carrying capacity]], [[grenades|grenade]] throwing distance (range equals strength * 0.6) and resistance to [[Damage types#Paralyze Damage|paralyze damage]]. Can be increased by [[personal perks#resourceful|Resourceful]] (+2) and [[personal perks#strongman|Strongman]] (+2), and [[New Jericho Research#Project Vulture (2200)|Project Vulture]] (+3 to all [[file:1pp.png|30px|link=Phoenix Project]] operatives).</code> ''The strength of a character is reduced when its body parts are disabled by the amount of max [[#hps|HPs]] lost divided by 10, so a character that due to a disabled limb loses 10 max [[#hps|HPs]] also loses 1 point in strength''
 +
<span id="wps">
  
−
Berserker is essentially a meta-class. There is no reason at all to use Berserkers as melee fighters. It's probably the one thing they are actually bad at, and this is neatly reflected by their skill set.  
+
- <code>'''<u>Willpower Points</u> (WPs)'''</span>, fuel the use of skills, cost of mind-controlling the unit to the enemy, if below 0 the character [[Combat#panic|panics]] (derives from willpower attribute, 1 pt in willpower = 1 WP; [[File:Farsighted.png|30px|link=personal perks#farsighted]] [[personal perks#farsighted|farsighted]] and [[File:healer.png|30px|link=personal perks#healer]] [[personal perks#healer|healer]] [[personal perks]] each increase Willpower by 2, and [[File:sniperist.png|30px|link=personal perks#sniperist]] [[personal perks#sniperist|sniperist]] reduces it by 4; [[mutations#judgement|Judgement Head]] [[mutations|mutation]] increases Willpower by 5 and [[mutations#resistor|Resistor Head]] by 2).</code> ''For explanation on how WPs are spent and recovered, see [[Combat#wps|WPs in the combat section]].'' 
  
−
- Armor Break (3WPs), next attack will shred an additional 30 armor.
+
''Characters can also have resistances or immunities against certain kinds of damage''
  
−
Using this with a melee weapon is a very poor choice indeed:
+
==<span id = "acc buffs">Accuracy buffs and debuffs </span>==
  
−
First, the one advantage of melee weapons is that they have the highest damage per hit of any type of weapon, so they naturally overcome armor; if you are close enough to someone to hit them with a hammer, just club them to death and forget about the armor.
+
{| class="wikitable"
 +
!colspan="6"| Armor, [[Bionics]] and [[Mutations]]
 +
! colspan="4"| [[Personal perks]]
 +
! colspan="2" rowspan="2"| [[Character Development#classes|Skills]]
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="2"  style="text-align:center"| Head
 +
! colspan="2"  style="text-align:center"| Body
 +
! colspan="2"  style="text-align:center"| Legs
 +
! colspan="2"  style="text-align:center"| Proficiency
 +
! colspan="2"  style="text-align:center"| Other
 +
|-
 +
| style="text-align:center"| [[file:disruptor head.png|87px|link=Bionics#distruptor|Disruptor Head]]
 +
| <span style="color:blue">+12%</span>
 +
| style="text-align:center"| [[file:venom torso.jpg|87px|link=Mutations#venom|Venom Torso]]
 +
| <span style="color:blue">+20% </span>
 +
| style="text-align:center"| [[file:stomper legs.jpg|87px|link=Mutations#stomper|Stomper Legs]]
 +
| <span style="color:blue">+12%  </span>
 +
| [[file:bombardier.png|50px|link=personal_perks#bombardier|Bombardier]] [[file:trooper.png|50px|link=personal_perks#trooper|Trooper]] [[file:strongman_old.png|50px|link=personal_perks#strongman|Strongman]]
 +
| <span style="color:blue">+20%</span>
 +
| [[file:Cautious.png|50px|link=personal perks#cautious|Cautious]]
 +
| <span style="color:blue">+20%</span>
 +
| [[File:Master_marksman2.png|50px|link=character_Development#Master marksman|Master Marksman]]
 +
| <span style="color:blue">+30%</span>
 +
|-
 +
| style="text-align:center"|[[File:1acheron helmet.png|50px|link=helmets#acheron|Acheron Helmet]] [[file:perceptor head.jpg|87px|link=Mutations#perceptor|Perceptor Head]]
 +
| <span style="color:blue">+10%</span>
 +
| style="text-align:center"| [[file:neural torso.png|87px|link=Bionics#neural|Neural Torso]]
 +
| <span style="color:blue">+8%</span>
 +
| style="text-align:center"| [[File:1acheron leg armor.png|50px|link=leg Armor#acheron|Acheron Leg Armor]] [[File:1eidolon leg armor.png|50px|link=leg Armor#eidolon|Eidolon Leg Armor]] [[File:1amphion leg armor.png|50px|link=leg Armor#amphion|Amphion Leg Armor]]
 +
| <span style="color:blue">+5%</span>
 +
| style="text-align:center"| [[file:self_defense_specialist.png|50px|link=personal_perks#sds|Self Defense Specialist]]
 +
| <span style="color:blue">+10%</span>
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
| style="text-align:center"| [[File:1eidolon helmet.png|50px|link=helmets#eidolon|Eidolon Helmet]] 
 +
| <span style="color:blue">+9% </span>
 +
| style="text-align:center"| [[File:1acheron body armor.png|50px|link=body Armor#acheron|Acheron Body Armor]] [[File:1eidolon body armor.png|50px|link=body Armor#eidolon|Eidolon Body Armor]] [[File:1amphion body armor.png|50px|link=body Armor#amphion|Amphion Body Armor]]
 +
| <span style="color:blue">+5%</span>
 +
| style="text-align:center"| [[File:1banshee leg armor.png|50px|link=leg Armor#banshee|Banshee Leg Armor]] [[File:1techops7 leg armor.png|50px|link=leg Armor#techops|TechOps7 Leg Armor]]
 +
| <span style="color:blue">+4%</span>
 +
| colspan="6" rowspan="6" style = "width:400px; border-left:solid 4px;border-top:solid 4px; border-right:solid 4px black; border-bottom:solid 4px black; background: white"|
 +
*Operatives with the [[file:venom torso.jpg|67px|link=Mutations#venom|Venom Torso]] mutation cannot wield two-handed weapons, so to benefit from the accuracy buff you have to use handguns
  
−
Second, even if for some reason you want to strip armor from the target while standing right next to it, don't do it with a melee weapon, because you have no idea what part you are going to hit and if it needs removing armor or not (remember, it is not possible to target body parts with a melee attack).  
+
*Only [[file:Priest_training.png|30px|link=Character Development#priest]] [[Character Development#priest|Priests]] can have the [[file:judgement head.jpg|67px|link=Mutations#jugdement|Judgement Head]] mutation
  
−
- Close Quarters Evade (passive) attacks from enemies within 10 tiles deal 25% less damage.
+
*An operative cannot have more than two augmentations (whether [[bionics]] or [[mutations]])  
  
−
It's nice, being a passive skill, but it's not a game-changer by any stretch. Also, it doesn't encourage the use of melee weapons.
+
*[[file:Cautious.png|30px|link=personal perks#cautious|Cautious]] reduces damage by 10%, which makes it inadvisable for operatives who use [[combat#About weapons|low damage per attack weapons]]
  
−
- Bloodlust (passive) Damage and Speed are increased proportionally to the health lost (up to double).
+
*To benefit from the [[File:Master_marksman2.png|30px|link=character_Development#Master marksman|Master Marksman]] accuracy buff there must not be any detected enemies within 10 tiles of the operative. Note that the +30% buff is '''not''' added to the accuracy stat in the info panel during tactical battles
  
−
It doesn't matter how, or when the health was lost, so friendly fire and denial of health care are fair (meta) game.  
+
|-
 +
| style="text-align:center"| [[File:1banshee helmet.png|50px|link=helmets#banshee|Banshee Helmet]]
 +
| <span style="color:blue">+8%  </span>
 +
| style="text-align:center"| [[File:1banshee body armor.png|50px|link=body Armor#banshee|Banshee Body Armor]]
 +
| <span style="color:blue">+4% </span>
 +
| style="text-align:center"| [[file:armadillo legs.png|87px|link=Bionics#armadillo|Armadillo Legs]]
 +
| <span style="color:blue">+3%  </span>
 +
|-
 +
| style="text-align:center"| [[file:judgement head.jpg|87px|link=Mutations#jugdement|Judgement Head]] 
 +
| <span style="color:blue">+7%    </span>
 +
| style="text-align:center"| [[File:1techops7 body armor.png|50px|link=body Armor#techops|TechOps7 Body Armor]] [[file:1phlegethon_body_armor.png|50px|link=body Armor#phlegethon|Phlegethon Body Armor]] [[file:swapmcat.png|50px|link=body Armor#swampcat|Swamp Cat Body Armor]]
 +
| <span style="color:blue">+3% </span>
 +
| style="text-align:center"| [[file:1phlegethon_leg_armor.png|50px|link=leg Armor#phlegethon|Phlegethon Leg Armor]]  [[file:1swamp cat leg.png|50px|link=leg Armor#swampcat|Swamp Cat Leg Armor]]
 +
| <span style="color:blue">+2% </span>
 +
|-
 +
| style="text-align:center"|[[file:1phlegethon_helmet.png|50px|link=helmets#phlegethon|Phlegethon Helmet]] [[File:1techops7 helmet.png|50px|link=helmets#techops|TechOps7 Helmet]]
 +
| <span style="color:blue">+6% </span>
 +
| style="text-align:center"|  [[file:juggernaut torso.png|87px|link=Bionics#juggernaut|Juggernaut Torso]]
 +
| <span style="color:blue">+1% </span>
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
| style="text-align:center"|  [[file:1swampcat_helmet.png|50px|link=helmets#swampcat|Swamp Cat Helmet]]
 +
| <span style="color:blue">+4% </span>
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
| style="text-align:center"|  [[file:clarity head.png|87px|link=Bionics#clarity|Clarity Head]]
 +
| <span style="color:blue">+3% </span>
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|- style="text-align:center; background: #c0c0c0"
 +
|
 +
|
 +
| [[File:Vengeance_torso.png|87px|link=bionics#vengeance|Vengeance Torso]] 
 +
|<span style ="color:#FF4500">-3%</span>
 +
| [[file:mirage legs.png|87px|link=bionics#mirage|Mirage Legs]]
 +
| <span style ="color:#FF4500">-3%</span>
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|-style="text-align:center; background: #c0c0c0"
 +
|[[File:1anvil2 helmet.png|50px|link=helmets#anvil|Anvil-2 Helmet]] [[File:1golemBhelmet.png|50px|link=helmets#golem|Golem-B Helmet]]
 +
|<span style ="color:#FF4500">-4%</span>
 +
| [[File:1aksu body armor.png|50px|link=body Armor#aksu|Aksu Body Armor]]
 +
|<span style ="color:#FF4500">-5%</span>
 +
| [[File:1anvil2 leg armor.png|50px|link=leg Armor#anvil|Anvil Leg Armor]] [[File:1golemb leg armor.png|50px|link=leg Armor#golem|Golem Leg Armor]]
 +
| <span style ="color:#FF4500">-4%</span>
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|-style="text-align:center; background: #c0c0c0"
 +
| [[File:armored head.jpg|87px|link=mutations#armored |Armored Head]]
 +
|<span style="color:#FF4500">-6%</span>
 +
| [[File:1guardianxa.png|50px|link=body Armor#guardian|Guardian Body Armor]]
 +
| <span style ="color:#FF4500">-7%</span>
 +
| [[file:1aksu leg armor.png|50px|link=leg Armor#aksu|Aksu Leg Armor]]
 +
|<span style ="color:#FF4500">-5%</span>
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|-style="text-align:center; background: #c0c0c0"
 +
| [[File:Guardianxa helmet.png|50px|link=helmets#guardian|Guardian XA Helmet]]
 +
|<span style ="color:#FF4500">-8%</span>
 +
| [[File:Regeneration torso.jpg|87px|link=mutations#regeneration|Regeneration Torso]] [[File:1golemb body armor.png|50px|link=body Armor#golem|Golem Body Armor]] [[File:1anvil2 body armor.png|50px|link=body Armor#anvil|Anvil Body Armor]]
 +
|<span style ="color:#FF4500">-8%</span>
 +
|[[File:1guardianxa leg.png|50px|link=leg Armor#guardian|Guardian Leg Armor]]
 +
|<span style ="color:#FF4500">-6%</span>
 +
|
 +
|
 +
| [[file:reckless.png|50px|link=personal_perks#reckless|Reckless]]
 +
| <span style ="color:#FF4500">-10%</span>
 +
| [[file:adrenaline rush.png|50px|link=#adrenaline rush|Adrenaline Rush]]
 +
| <span style ="color:#FF4500">-50%</span>
 +
|}
  
−
If anything, this encourages to keep the berserker away from the action, indulging in the Bloodlust high from a safe distance with, say, a sniper rifle.
+
==<span id = "mov buffs">Movement buffs and debuffs</span>==
  
−
- Ignore pain (passive) Disabled body parts remain functional. Cannot Panic or be Mind Controlled.  
+
{|class="wikitable"
 +
! colspan="4" style="text-align:center" | Armor, [[Bionics]] and [[Mutations]]
 +
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | [[Personal perks]]
 +
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | [[#classes|Skills]]
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center" | Body
 +
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center" | Legs
 +
|-
 +
| style="text-align:center" |[[File:1aksu body armor.png|50px|link=body Armor#aksu|Aksu Body Armor]]
 +
| <span style ="color:blue>+2 </span>
 +
| style="text-align:center" |[[File:Agile legsnew.png|87px|link=mutations#agile|Agile Legs]]
 +
| <span style ="color:blue>+4</span>
 +
| style="text-align:center" |[[file:Quarterback.png|50px|link=personal perks#quarterback|Quarterback]]
 +
| <span style ="color:blue>+2</span>
 +
| style="text-align:center" |[[file:bloodlust.png|50px|link=#bloodlust|Bloodlust]]
 +
| up to <span style ="color:blue>+50%</span>
 +
|-
 +
| style="text-align:center" |[[File:1acolyte body armor.png|50px|link=body Armor#acolyte|Acolyte Body Armor]] [[File:1phlegethon body armor.png|50px|link=body Armor#ophlegethon|Phlegethon Body Armor]]
 +
| <span style ="color:blue>+1</span>
 +
| style="text-align:center" |[[file:Propeller legs.png|87px|link=bionics#propeller|Propeller Legs]]
 +
| <span style ="color:blue>+3</span>
 +
| style="text-align:center" | [[File:thief.png|50px|link=personal perks|Thief]]
 +
| <span style ="color:blue>+1</span>
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
|
 +
|
 +
| style="text-align:center" |[[file:1acolyte leg armor.png|50px|link=leg Armor#acolyte|Acolyte Leg Armor]] [[file:1aksu leg armor.png|50px|link=leg Armor#aksu|Aksu Leg Armor]]
 +
| <span style ="color:blue>+2</span>
 +
| colspan="4" rowspan="2" style = "width:200px; border-left:solid 4px;border-top:solid 4px; border-right:solid 4px black; border-bottom:solid 4px black; background: white"| A [[file:Priest training.png|30px|link=#Priest|Priest]] with [[file:judgement head.jpg|67px|link=Mutations#judgdement|Judgement Head]] can further buff the movement of all characters within 20 tiles by <span style="color:blue">+50%</span> with [[file:instil frenzy.png|30px|link=Mutations#judgdement|Judgement Head]]
 +
|-
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|style="text-align:center" |[[file:1odin leg armor.png|50px|link=leg Armor#odin|Odin Leg Armor]] [[file:mirage legs.png|87px|link=bionics#mirage|Mirage Legs]] [[file:1phlegethon leg armor.png|50px|link=leg Armor#phlegethon|Phlegethon Leg Armor]] [[file:1praetorian leg.png|50px|link=leg Armor#Praetorian|Praetorian Leg Armor]]
 +
| <span style ="color:blue>+1</span>
 +
|-
 +
|
 +
|
 +
| style="text-align:center" |
 +
|-style="text-align:center; background: #c0c0c0" | [[File:Juggernaut torso.png|87px|link=bionics#juggernaut|Juggernaut Torso]]
 +
| [[File:1guardianxa.png|50px|link=body Armor#guardian|Guardian Body Armor]] [[File:1eidolon body armor.png|50px|link=body Armor#eidolon|Eidolon Body Armor]] [[File:1banshee body armor.png|50px|link=body Armor#banshee|Banshee Body Armor]] [[File:1acheron body armor.png|50px|link=body Armor#acheron|Acheron Body Armor]] [[File:1golemb body armor.png|50px|link=body Armor#golem|Golem Body Armor]] [[File:1anvil2 body armor.png|50px|link=body Armor#anvil|Anvil Body Armor]] [[File:1techops7 body armor.png|50px|link=body Armor#techops|Techops7 Body Armor]] [[File:Swapmcat.png|50px|link=body Armor#swampcat|Swamp Cat Body Armor]]
 +
| <span style ="color:#FF4500">-1</span>
 +
| style="text-align:center; background: #c0c0c0" |
 +
[[File:Armadillo legs.png|87px|link=bionics#armadillo|Armadillo Legs]] [[File:1anvil2 leg armor.png|50px|link=leg Armor#anvil|Anvil Leg Armor]] [[File:1golemb leg armor.png|50px|link=leg Armor#golem|Golem Leg Armor]] [[File:1techops7 leg armor.png|50px|link=leg Armor#techops|Techops7 Leg Armor]]
 +
[[File:1eidolon leg armor.png|50px|link=leg Armor#eidolon|Eidolon Leg Armor]]
 +
[[File:1swamp cat leg.png|50px|link=leg Armor#swampcat|Swampcat Leg Armor]]
 +
|style="text-align:center; background: #c0c0c0" | <span style ="color:#FF4500">-1 </span>
 +
| colspan="4" style = "width:200px; border-left:solid 4px;border-top:solid 4px; border-right:solid 4px black; border-bottom:solid 4px black"| Over-encumbrance factor calculated by formula: max speed * (Max carry weight / current carry weight). On UI result rounded up, actual movement range calculates correctly.
 +
|-style="text-align:center; background: #c0c0c0" |
 +
|
 +
|
 +
| [[File:Stomper legs.jpg|87px|link=mutations#stomper|Stomper Legs]]
 +
| <span style ="color:#FF4500">-2</span>
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|}
  
−
This makes Berserkers particularly useful for dealing with Sirens and Terror Sentinels in Lairs but doesn't really encourage using them as melee fighters.
+
==<span id = "stealth buffs">Stealth buffs and debuffs</span>==
  
−
- Adrenaline Rush (5WP) All abilities cost 1 Action Point until the end of the turn, can't use any abilities that cost WPs after casting it, accuracy reduced by 50% and you are dazed the next turn.
+
Stealth
  
−
The first thing to take into account is that you can still use abilities that cost WPs *before* casting Adrenaline Rush... Like Rapid Clearance, for example.  
+
{| class = "wikitable"
 +
!colspan="6" style="text-align:center" | Armor, [[Bionics]] and [[Mutations]]
 +
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | [[Personal perks]]
 +
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | [[#classes|Skills]]
 +
|-style="text-align:center" |
 +
! colspan="2"  style="text-align:center"| Head
 +
! colspan="2"  style="text-align:center"| Body
 +
! colspan="2"  style="text-align:center"| Legs
 +
|-style="text-align:center" |
 +
|[[File:1styx helmet.png|50px|link=helmets#styx|Styx Helmet]] [[File:Echo head.png|87px|link=bionics#echo|Echo Head]]
 +
|<span style="color:blue">+10%</span>
 +
|[[File:1styx body armor.png|50px|link=body Armor#styx|Styx Body Armor]] [[File:Vengeance_torso.png|87px|link=bionics#vengeance|Vengeance Torso]]
 +
|<span style="color:blue">+20%</span>
 +
|[[File:Shadow legs.jpg|87px|link=mutations#shadow|Shadow Legs]]
 +
|<span style="color:blue">+30%</span>
 +
| [[file:thief.png|50px|link=personal perks#thief|Thief]]
 +
| <span style="color:blue">+25%</span>
 +
| [[file:infiltrator training.png|50px|link=#infiltrator|Infiltrator]]
 +
| <span style="color:blue">+25%</span>
 +
|-style="text-align:center" |
 +
| [[File:1acheron helmet.png|50px|link=helmets#acheron|Acheron Helmet]] [[file:perceptor head.jpg|87px|link=Mutations#perceptor|Perceptor Head]]
 +
| <span style="color:blue"> +5%</span>
 +
| [[File:1acheron body armor.png|50px|link=body Armor#acheron|Acheron Body Armor]]
 +
| <span style="color:blue"> +10%</span>
 +
| |[[file:mirage legs.png|87px|link=bionics#mirage|Mirage Legs]] [[File:1styx leg armor.png|50px|link=body Armor#styx|Styx Body Armor]]
 +
| <span style="color:blue"> +20% </span>
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|-style="text-align:center" |
 +
| [[File:1banshee helmet.png|50px|link=helmets#banshee|Banshee Helmet]]
 +
| <span style="color:blue"> +3%</span>
 +
| [[File:1banshee body armor.png|50px|link=body Armor#banshee|Banshee Body Armor]]
 +
| <span style="color:blue"> +5%</span>
 +
| [[File:1acheron leg armor.png|50px|link=leg Armor#acheron|Acheron Leg Armor]]
 +
| <span style="color:blue"> +10% </span>
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|- style="text-align:center" |
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|[[File:1banshee leg armor.png|50px|link=leg Armor#banshee|Banshee Leg Armor]]
 +
| <span style="color:blue">+6%</span>
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|- style="text-align:center; background: #c0c0c0"|
 +
|[[File:1praetorian helmet.png|50px|link=helmets#praetorian|Praetorian Helmet]] [[File:1wardog helmet.png|50px|link=helmets#wardog|Wardog Helmet]] [[File:1techops7 helmet.png|50px|link=helmets#techops|TechOps7 Helmet]] [[File:armored head.jpg|87px|link=mutations#armored |Armored Head]] [[file:disruptor head.png|87px|link=Bionics#distruptor|Disruptor Head]] 
 +
|<span style="color:#FF4500"> -5%</span>
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|- style="text-align:center; background: #c0c0c0"|
 +
| [[File:Guardianxa helmet.png|45px|link=helmets#guardian|Guardian XA Helmet]] [[File:1anvil2 helmet.png|45px|link=helmets#anvil|Anvil-2 Helmet]] [[File:1golemBhelmet.png|45px|link=helmets#golem|Golem-B Helmet]] [[file:Screaming head.jpg|77px|link=Mutations#screaming|Screaming Head]] [[file:synod head.jpg|77px|link=Mutations#synod|Synod Head]] [[file:judgement head.jpg|77px|link=Mutations#judgdement|Judgement Head]] [[File:Clarity head.png|77px|link=bionics#clarity|Clarity Head]]
 +
| <span style="color:#FF4500">-10% </span>
 +
| [[File:1wardog body armor.png|45px|link=body Armor#wardog|Wardog Body Armor]] [[File:1praetorian.png|45px|link=body Armor#praetorian|Praetorian Body Armor]] [[File:Regeneration torso.jpg|77px|link=mutations#regeneration|Regeneration Torso]] [[File:Tentacle torso.jpg|77px|link=mutations#tentacle|Tentacle Torso]] [[file:venom torso.jpg|77px|link=Mutations#venom|Venom Torso]]
 +
| <span style="color:#FF4500">-10%</span>
 +
| [[File:1wardog leg armor.png|45px|link=leg Armor#wardog|Wardog Leg Armor]] [[File:1techops7 leg armor.png|45px|link=leg Armor#techops|TechOps7 Leg Armor]] [[File:1golemb leg armor.png|45px|link=leg Armor#golem|Golem Leg Armor]] [[File:1praetorian leg.png|45px|link=leg Armor#praetorian|Praetorian Leg Armor]] [[File:Propeller legs.png|77px|link=bionics#propeller|Propeller Legs]] [[file:stomper legs.jpg|77px|link=Mutations#stomper|Stomper Legs]]
 +
|<span style="color:#FF4500">-10%</span>
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|- style="text-align:center; background: #c0c0c0"|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|[[File:1techops7 body armor.png|50px|link=body Armor#techops|TechOps7 Body Armor]]  [[File:Neural torso.png|87px|link=bionics#neural|Neural Torso]]
 +
| <span style="color:#FF4500">-15% </span>
 +
| [[File:1anvil2 leg armor.png|50px|link=leg Armor#anvil|Anvil Leg Armor]] [[File:1guardianxa leg.png|50px|link=leg Armor#guardian|Guardian Leg Armor]]
 +
| <span style="color:#FF4500"> -20%</span>
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|- style="text-align:center; background: #c0c0c0"|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
| [[File:1golemb body armor.png|50px|link=body Armor#golem|Golem Body Armor]] [[File:1anvil2 body armor.png|50px|link=body Armor#anvil|Anvil Body Armor]] [[File:1guardianxa.png|50px|link=body Armor#guardian|Guardian Body Armor]] [[file:juggernaut torso.png|87px|link=Bionics#juggernaut|Juggernaut Torso]]
 +
| <span style="color:#FF4500">-20%</span>
 +
| [[file:armadillo legs.png|87px|link=Bionics#armadillo|Armadillo Legs]]
 +
| <span style="color:#FF4500">-25%</span>
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|}
  
−
The second is that you can use weapons that cost 3 APs at the cost of 1AP, particularly Heavy Weapons (including the Grenade Launcher) and Sniper Rifles.
+
==<span id = "per buffs">Perception buffs and debuffs</span>==
  
−
The penalty to accuracy can be negated by armor/augmentations, or by extreme mobility. This is what the number one Terminator Build amounts to: Berserker/Assault with the Strongman perk and top Speed, wielding a Deceptor. It can clear maps in one turn all by itself. (Yes, that's an 'it', because it's clearly not human).
+
{| class = "wikitable"
 +
!colspan="6" style="text-align:center" | Armor, [[Bionics]] and [[Mutations]]
 +
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | [[Personal perks]]
 +
|-style="text-align:center" |
 +
! colspan="2"  style="text-align:center"| Head
 +
! colspan="2"  style="text-align:center"| Body
 +
! colspan="2"  style="text-align:center"| Legs
 +
|- style="text-align:center"|
 +
|[[file:perceptor head.jpg|87px|link=Mutations#perceptor|Perceptor Head]]
 +
| <span style="color:blue">+14</span>
 +
|[[File:1amphion body armor.png|50px|link=body Armor#amphion|Amphion Body Armor]]
 +
| <span style="color:blue">+7</span>
 +
|[[File:1amphion leg armor.png|50px|link=leg Armor#amphion|Amphion Leg Armor]]
 +
| <span style="color:blue">+4</span>
 +
|[[File:Farsighted.png|50px|link=personal perks#farsighted|Farsighted]]
 +
| <span style="color:blue">+10</span>
 +
|- style="text-align:center"|
 +
|[[File:1aksu helmet.png|50px|link=helmets#aksu|Aksu Helmet]] [[File:1styx helmet.png|50px|link=helmets#styx|Styx Helmet]]
 +
| <span style="color:blue">+10</span>
 +
|[[File:Tentacle torso.jpg|87px|link=mutations#tentacle|Tentacle Torso]]
 +
| <span style="color:blue">+4</span>
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|- style="text-align:center"|
 +
|[[File:1acheron helmet.png|50px|link=helmets#acheron|Acheron Helmet]] [[File:1eidolon helmet.png|50px|link=helmets#eidolon|Eidolon Helmet]]
 +
| <span style="color:blue">+7 </span>
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|- style="text-align:center"|
 +
|[[File:1banshee helmet.png|50px|link=helmets#banshee|Banshee Helmet]] [[file:disruptor head.png|87px|link=Bionics#distruptor|Disruptor Head]]
 +
| <span style="color:blue">+5</span>
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|- style="text-align:center"|
 +
|[[File:1acolyte helmet.png|50px|link=helmets#acolyte|Acolyte Helmet]]
 +
| <span style="color:blue">+4</span>
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|- style="text-align:center; background: #c0c0c0"|
 +
|[[File:armored head.jpg|87px|link=mutations#armored |Armored Head]]
 +
| <span style="color:#FF4500">-4</span>
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|- style="text-align:center; background: #c0c0c0"|
 +
| [[File:1golemBhelmet.png|50px|link=helmets#golem|Golem-B Helmet]]
 +
| <span style="color:#FF4500">-5</span>
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|- style="text-align:center; background: #c0c0c0"|
 +
| [[File:Guardianxa helmet.png|50px|link=helmets#guardian|Guardian XA Helmet]] [[File:1anvil2 helmet.png|45px|link=helmets#anvil|Anvil-2 Helmet]]
 +
| <span style="color:#FF4500">-7</span>
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
| [[file:strongman old.png|50px|link=personal perks#strongman|Strongman]]
 +
|  <span style="color:#FF4500"> -15 </span>
 +
|}
  
−
Last but not least - what Adrenaline Rush doesn't do is anything to make Berserkers more interesting as melee fighters.
+
=Leveling up=
  
−
[quote="Yokes, post:5, topic:10746"]
+
Operatives improve as they gain [[#Experience Points|Experience Points]] to level up (unlocking new [[#skills|skills]] of their [[#class|class]]) and [[#Skill Points|Skill Points]] that can be spent on acquiring unlocked [[#skills|skills]] and [[personal perks]] and to raise [[#attributes|attributes]].
−
that combo of Evade, Bloodlust and Ignore Pain makes them good as tanks which with better armor may want to attract enemy hits.
 
−
[/quote]
 
  
−
==[[File:infiltrator_training.png|60px|link=Infiltrator]][[Infiltrator]]==
+
==Experience Points==
  
 +
The operatives acquire Experience Points (XPs) from completing missions. You will also get XPs for accomplishing some missions objectives, even if you fail the mission (for example, in a [[Mission Types #Steal Aircraft|steal aircraft mission]], if the [[aircrafts|aircraft]] is destroyed you will still get 'general mission experience' and 'secure access to the aircraft' XPs). <span id = "xp distribution">The total amount of XPs depends on the type of mission and performance of the squad as a whole, </span>while their distribution among the team members depends on individual performance (mostly enemies killed, but also damage dealt, HPs healed and some other factors), which means that you don’t get more XPs for slaying more enemies.
  
−
Infiltrators are very versatile, their skill set allowing them to fulfill very different roles even without multiclassing.  
+
How are the XPs distributed exactly among the members of the squad? [https://forums.snapshotgames.com/t/soldier-experince-gain/6240/7 All I found is this post on the official Snapshot forum by cfehunter]:
  
−
To use infiltrators properly it's important to first understand how detection works, which you can read about here.  
+
<blockquote>
 +
::''There’s not really any reason to arbitrarily kill enemies on the map, you don’t get bonus XP for kills, just the soldiers that kill them will get a bigger portion of the objective XP than those that didn’t.''
 +
::''Dug into the code. Here’s the exhaustive list of what you get “contribution” points for. Which are then used to scale how much of the objective XP you get shared between your guys.''
 +
::*''Killing Something (Based on the deployment cost of the object, so bigger = better)''
 +
::*''Dealing Damage (Damage over time is counted)''
 +
::*''Healing (HP healed x a settings multiplier)''
 +
::*''Taking Damage (Health lost x a settings multiplier)''
 +
::*''Opening a Crate (flat settings value)''
 +
::*''Activating a Willpoint Objective (the white areas with the head icons, flat settings value)''
 +
::*''<strike>Mind Controlling Something (flat settings value) </strike> Mind control doesn’t appear to be hooked up, it’s probably using the ability modifier instead, maybe this is legacy code?''
 +
::*''Using Abilities (amount depends on the ability)'' </blockquote>
  
−
Unlike with other soldiers, you always know when the infiltrator is undetected because of the blue hue and the crossed-out eye on top of the screen when you select him. (pending image)
+
The operatives also acquire XPs from staying at a base with [[Facilities#training facilities|Training Facilities]] (remember: you gain 2 XPs from ''each'' [[Facilities#training facilities|Training Facility]] at the base, see [[Geoscape#Buildings|here]] for more).  
  
−
Though infiltrators are stealthy because of their training (as long as they are undetected, they get a +25% boost to Stealth) and their class-specific armor, you can choose not to take advantage of it until they achieve a higher level of experience, because their armor makes them squishy and they don't get a buff to their damage for attacking from stealth until they are LVL7.
+
Gaining XPs unlocks <span id="level"><b><u>Levels</u></b></span> (and the [[#skill|skills]] associated to them):
  
−
Their starting crossbow is not a bad weapon by any standard - it does the damage and has the AP cost of the NJ pistol, Iron Fury (60) but has nearly three times the precision (effective range of 34 vs Iron Fury's 14) and is also silent. The biggest drawback is the clip size (only 3 arrows).
+
{| class="wikitable"
 +
! LVL2
 +
! LVL3
 +
! LVL4
 +
! LVL5
 +
! LVL6
 +
! LVL7
 +
|-
 +
| 100
 +
| 150
 +
| 250
 +
| 400
 +
| 600
 +
| 850
 +
|}
  
−
The way I approach them, infiltrators have two defensive skills, Deploy Decoy and Spider Drone Pack, and two offensive skills, Vanish and Sneak Attack, while their armor is only really meaningful if they are used as scouts.  
+
Operatives also gain 20 [[#Skill Points|Skill Points (SPs)]] when they level up.
  
−
Deploying Decoys and/or a Spider Drone Pack is a great way to distract enemies by presenting them with convenient targets. Though spider drones can also be used offensively, without the Technician's skill to control them directly, they can't be relied upon to do significant damage, which, if at all, will come *after* the enemies turn anyway. '''needs correction'''
+
==Skill Points==
  
−
Vanish and Sneak Attack combination is one of the easiest and most reliable ways of doing extreme damage.  
+
<code>Operatives acquire Skill Points (SPs) when they level up (20 SPs) and for successfully completing any mission</code> (depending on the [[Getting Started#Acquisition of recruits and rate at which they improve|difficulty level]]: 12 on Recruit, 10 on Veteran, 8 on Hero and 5 on Legend). ''[[Mission Types#Raids|Raids]] and [[Mission Types#Scavenging|scavenging ops]] are considered to have been completed successfully even if you evac immediately after starting them, because you recovered 0 boxes, and 0 is a number as good any other''
  
−
To benefit from the Sneak Attack buff the infiltrator must remain undetected at the time of the Sneak Attack, and the best way to achieve this is by casting Vanish. It's the only way to achieve it if you want the infiltrator to use melee weapons, because no matter his stealth rating he will be detected when getting close to enemies (at a distance of 5 tiles, to be precise).
+
Skill Points (SPs) can be used to purchase additional [[#Stats|primary attribute points]], [[#skills|skills]] or [[personal perks]], at the following rates
  
−
==[[file:Technician_training.png|60px|link=Technician]] [[Technician]]==
+
* Increasing 1 pt of Strength costs SPs = new Strength/2 rounded down (so increasing strength from 16 to 17 costs 8 SPs; increasing strength from 17 to 18 costs 9 SPs, etc.)
  
−
'''need corrections'''
+
{| class = "wikitable"
 +
|
 +
! colspan="22"| Strength
 +
|-
 +
! Difficulty level &darr;
 +
!15
 +
!16
 +
!17
 +
!18
 +
!19
 +
!20
 +
!21
 +
!22
 +
!23
 +
!24
 +
!25
 +
!26
 +
!27
 +
!28
 +
!29
 +
!30
 +
!31
 +
!32
 +
!33
 +
!34
 +
!35
 +
| &larr; attribute #
 +
|-
 +
|Rookie
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|11
 +
|23
 +
|35
 +
|48
 +
|61
 +
|75
 +
|89
 +
|104
 +
|119
 +
|135
 +
|151
 +
|168
 +
|'''185'''
 +
| rowspan="4"| &larr; SPs required
 +
|-
 +
|Veteran
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|10
 +
|21
 +
|32
 +
|44
 +
|56
 +
|69
 +
|82
 +
|96
 +
|110
 +
|125
 +
|140
 +
|156
 +
|172
 +
|189
 +
|'''206'''
 +
|-
 +
|Hero
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|9
 +
|19
 +
|29
 +
|40
 +
|51
 +
|63
 +
|75
 +
|88
 +
|101
 +
|115
 +
|129
 +
|144
 +
|159
 +
|175
 +
|191
 +
|208
 +
|'''225'''
 +
|-
 +
|Legend
 +
|7
 +
|15
 +
|23
 +
|32
 +
|41
 +
|51
 +
|61
 +
|72
 +
|83
 +
|95
 +
|107
 +
|120
 +
|133
 +
|147
 +
|161
 +
|176
 +
|191
 +
|207
 +
|223
 +
|240
 +
|'''257'''
 +
|}
  
−
What I like my Technicians for is the turret-throwing and manual controlling. Now, the turret you want is the laser one, which does 60 x 10 damage. You have to be very careful where your place them, and where you place your soldiers. The turrets have a nasty tendency to shoot at targets behind you soldiers: as their projectiles cannot curve around your guys, they attempt to go very much through them, with tragically predictable results.
+
* Increasing 1 pt of Willpower or Speed costs new Willpower or Strength (so increasing Willpower from 7 to 8 costs 8 SPs, and increasing Speed from 14 to 15 costs 15SPs)
  
−
Put the turrets somewhere high (a tall column is ideal), or far ahead: one interesting multiclass is infiltrator/technician, clad in stealth armor (so no exo-arms). He can scout ahead, remaining undetected, and leave a turret, or two, closer to the enemies than to your team.
+
{| class = "wikitable"
 +
|
 +
! colspan="17"| Willpower
 +
|-
 +
! Difficulty level &darr;
 +
!7
 +
!8
 +
!9
 +
!10
 +
!11
 +
!12
 +
!13
 +
!14
 +
!15
 +
!16
 +
!17
 +
!18
 +
!19
 +
!20
 +
| &larr; attribute #
 +
|-
 +
|Rookie
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|10
 +
|21
 +
|33
 +
|46
 +
|60
 +
|75
 +
|91
 +
|108
 +
|126
 +
|145
 +
|'''165'''
 +
| rowspan="4"| &larr; SPs required
 +
|-
 +
|Veteran
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|9
 +
|19
 +
|30
 +
|42
 +
|55
 +
|69
 +
|84
 +
|100
 +
|117
 +
|135
 +
|154
 +
|'''174'''
 +
|-
 +
|Hero
 +
|
 +
|8
 +
|17
 +
|27
 +
|38
 +
|50
 +
|63
 +
|77
 +
|92
 +
|108
 +
|125
 +
|143
 +
|162
 +
|'''182'''
 +
|-
 +
|Legend
 +
|7
 +
|15
 +
|24
 +
|34
 +
|45
 +
|57
 +
|70
 +
|84
 +
|99
 +
|115
 +
|132
 +
|150
 +
|169
 +
|'''189'''
 +
|}
  
−
Turrets (as well spider drones and turret vehicles) can be controlled several times by different soldiers and the 600 pts of damage that the laser turret can deliver per attack at the cost of 1AP and 3WPs is *a lot*.
+
{| class = "wikitable"
 +
|
 +
! colspan="7"| Speed
 +
|-
 +
! Difficulty level &darr;
 +
!15
 +
!16
 +
!17
 +
!18
 +
!19
 +
!20
 +
| &larr; attribute #
 +
|-
 +
! ALL
 +
|15
 +
|31
 +
|48
 +
|66
 +
|85
 +
|'''105'''
 +
| &larr; SPs required
 +
|}
  
−
==[[file:Priest_training.png|60px|link=priest]] [[Priest]]==
+
* [[Personal perks]] cost 25 SPs each
  
 +
* Skills cost:
  
−
The Priest is focused on decreasing enemy WPs (using Viral weapons and Psychic Scream) and taking advantage of it (Mind Control and Panic). He also has an area of effect attack that can be *metaed* into something wicked (Mind Crash), and what can be best described as a combined haste & bravery spell (Frenzy).
+
{| class="wikitable"
 +
|
 +
! LVL2
 +
! LVL3
 +
! LVL4
 +
! LVL5
 +
! LVL6
 +
! LVL7
 +
|- style="text-align:center"|
 +
! SP Cost &rarr;
 +
| 10
 +
| 15
 +
| 50
 +
| 20
 +
| 25
 +
| 30
 +
|}
  
−
There is supposed to be another side to the Priest, more as a sort of defensive-support unit, with Psychic Ward ("Allies within 10 tiles are immune to panic and psychic damage attacks"), but when I tried I wasn't able to make it work [if anyone has had more luck, please do tell - I reported it as a bug]. Then there is also the Mind Sense passive skill ("All organic enemies within 15 tiles are automatically revealed"), but in Phoenix Point you don't need to be a psychic to spot most enemies much further away.
+
===<span id="phoenix sp"></span>Common pool of SP===
  
−
A particularity of Priests is that they have access to a different set of head Mutations, each of them adding another "spell" to their repertoire:
+
Completing tactical missions rewards the player with [[#Skill Points|SP]] that are assigned to a common pool, which can be spent to increase the [[#attributes|attributes]] or acquire [[#skills|skills]] of any operative.
  
−
- Judgment Head: Instils Frenzy in friendly characters within 20 tiles for 2 turns, increasing their Speed by 50% and making them immune to panic
+
''The number of [[#Skill Points|SP]] seems to be the total [[#Experience Points|XP]] awarded for completing the mission rounded up / 100: so a mission rewarded with 265 [[#Experience Points|XP]], will give 3 [[#Skill Points|SP]] to the common pool''
  
−
- Screaming Head: Scream, reducing Will Points of all enemy units in an 8 tile radius.
+
You can also receive [[#Skill Points|SP]] from the following:  
  
−
- Synod Head: Living allied units within 7 tiles recover 2 Will Points at the start of the turn.
+
*[[Exploration Events]]
  
−
However, the Judgement Head and the Frenzy spell that comes with it are the best choices by far in most circumstances. A 50% increase in speed *and* immunity to panic for 2 turns? Any of these effects would have been enough to make it a worthwhile investment, but together it's a no-brainer.
+
::-[[Exploration Events#At Peace|At Peace]] +30 [[#Skill Points|SP]]
 +
::-[[Exploration Events#Not a Barnacle|Not a Barnacle]] +25 [[#Skill Points|SP]]
 +
::-[[Exploration Events#The Beautiful Game|The Beautiful Game]] +25 [[#Skill Points|SP]]
  
−
*How do Viral weapons work? Whenever a projectile from a Viral weapon inflicts any damage on the target, it also suffers a set amount of viral damage. The total amount of viral damage incurred by a character is subtracted from his pool of WPs at the beginning of its turn. The takeaway is that *some* damage must be inflicted with the weapon for the target to incur viral damage, meaning that the armor has to be overcome and that you have to wait until the enemies turn for the viral damage to take effect. This means that you can't use Viral weapons to reduce the WPs of an enemy to lower the cost of Mind Controlling it on the same turn or to Panic it.
+
*[[Anu Haven Events|Anu Haven events]]
  
−
*How to use Mind Control effectively.
+
::-[[Anu Haven Events#Rite of the Clear Sky|Rite of the Clear Sky]] +30 [[#Skill Points|SP]]
 +
::-[[Anu Haven Events#Rite of the Crimson Moon|Rite of the Crimson Moon]] +60 [[#Skill Points|SP]]
 +
::-[[Anu Haven Events#Rite of the Luminous Deep|Rite of the Luminous Deep]] +25 [[#Skill Points|SP]]
  
−
The cost in WPs of initiating Mind Control of an enemy is its current WPs and the cost of maintaining MC on each subsequent turn varies on the type of character (1WP for worms, 2WPs for Arthrons and Humans, 3WPs for Tritons, 5WPs for Sirens and Chirons, and Scylla's currently can only be MCed in the current and only the first time it's attempted).
+
*[[New Jericho Haven events]]
  
−
*Beware that
+
::-[[New Jericho Haven events#Further Developments|Further Developments]] +30 [[#Skill Points|SP]]
  
−
- if casting MC will lower your WPs to 0, you will lose the WPs and fail to MC the enemy;
+
*[[Synedrion Haven events]]
  
−
- if the enemy is panicked, you can MC them but they can't do anything;
+
::-[[#An Oral History of the Pandoravirus|An Oral History of the Pandoravirus]] +50 [[#Skill Points|SP]]
 +
::-[[#Cerebral Accelerationism|Cerebral Accelerationism]] +10 [[#Skill Points|SP]]
  
−
- while under MC the enemy is for all intents and purposes on your team, which means that it will gain WPs from Inspire and from killing enemies.
+
===How many missions does an operative have to do to 'max out'?===
  
−
So what you want to do is reduce the WPs of your target before casting MC, and you want to start by reducing its max WPs by disabling its head. You will probably want to bring the WPs even lower by, for example, casting Psychic Scream, or killing some of its mates to bring down the morale. You don't want to reverse the order because if you first kill some enemies, or cast Psychic Scream, *and then* disable the target's head, the reduction in max WPs will absorb those initial losses and you will not lower the cost to MC.
+
Maxing out all the [[#attributes|primary attributes]] and acquiring all the [[#skill|skills]] , including those of a second [[#class|class]] and the 3 [[personal perks]] requires 720 SPs on Rookie, 748 SPs on Veteran, 774 SPs on Hero and 795 SPs on Legend. Leveling up provides 120 SPs and taking into account how much [[#sps|SPs]] are awarded for missions on each [[getting Started#Acquisition of recruits and rate at which they improve|difficulty level]], it will take:
 +
{|
 +
| '''50''' missions
 +
| on '''Rookie'''
 +
|-
 +
| '''63''' missions
 +
| on '''Veteran'''
 +
|-
 +
| '''82''' missions
 +
| on '''Hero'''
 +
|-
 +
| '''135''' missions
 +
| on '''Legend'''
 +
|}
  
−
All this means that with MC you want to carefully plan ahead and do some math before you pick a victim.  
+
What this means is that you can easily max out all your operatives on Rookie and Veteran, and even on Hero (or at least increase their [[#attributes|primary attributes]] to the point where they are ''almost'' maxed out) without much effort. In other words, your most veteran operatives will be masters of all trades by the time they reach end game.  
  
−
Finally, don't forget that you can release the critter from MC if it is convenient for any reason (for example, to avoid paying the cost of maintaining MC next turn, or because you want its water... I mean, WPs for dispatching it).  
+
However, on Legend maxing out is out of the question unless you are willing to engage in some serious grinding. Therefore, when playing on Legend you have to bear in mind that spending [[#sps|SPs]] has an opportunity cost and you have to plan ahead.  
  
−
- Tuning the Mind Crush
+
On lower difficulty levels it's OK to spend [[#sps|SPs]] as you get them, safe in the knowledge that if your operatives survive they will end up being everything you want them to be and more: even if you don’t dual-class them at first, you will eventually, because they will have [[#Skill Points|SPs]] to spare.
  
−
Initially, Mind Crush does 100 damage to all enemies in a 10 tile radius. That is enough to kill all kinds of worms (though not mindfraggers), and do considerable damage to humans, Arthrons and Tritons, but you can stack it with Reckless or Sneak Attack to give it a more murderous touch. Or you can cross the Priest with a Heavy for the ultimate crowd control experience. Or with assault to gain Rapid Clearance. I haven't used any of these meta-Mind Crush builds in a long while, so if anyone has more recent experience with them, please do share it!
+
However, those of your soldiers with less experience, mostly brought up in the [[geoscape#stables|‘stables’]], will probably have to focus on specific roles.

Latest revision as of 09:51, 27 August 2025

Mentaculus.png
 Getting Started
Geoscape
Combat
Character Development
Classes and Skills
Mission Types
Final Mission (Spoiler!)

Overview

Phoenix Point uses a 'sandbox' approach to character creation and development, where the class of the character does not determine the role (a Sniper training.png sniper does not have to be a long-range marksman, she can be a close quarters fighter, an Assault training.png assault does not have to be frontline fighter, he can be support, etc.)

This is implemented through a limited number of choices: in Phoenix Point characters have just 3 attributes, and there are only 5 unique skills to acquire in each class (with the possibility to dual class, for a total of 10), and 3 random personal perks from a pool of 14. However, all attributes and all skills can be useful for all classes, so though you have few things to choose from they can be combined in many different ways.

What each operative will be, what role they will have on the battlefield and what kind of weapons or abilities they will rely on, depends on how you build them; how you spend their skill points and what equipment you give them (and what personal perks you roll).

Stats

All characters have 3 primary or core Attributes: Strength, Willpower, and Speed, and 3 secondary or support attributes, Accuracy, Perception, and Stealth. If they are human, the Forsaken or the Pure they can also wear armor or have augmentations (mutations or bionics), and possess skills and personal perks.

All 1pp.png operatives start with the same attributes (determined by difficulty level) depending on where they are recruited from. They can wear any armor, or be augmented with mutations or bionics regardless of class (the only exception are 3 special mutated heads only available to the Priest Priests), and you are free to mix and match pieces from different armors.

Primary attributes are soft capped at 35 for strength, and 20 for willpower and speed, but you can go over the cap with armor, mutations, bionics, and personal perks, even though the character sheet will not reflect all the buffs

The primary and secondary attributes, the armor, the mutations, the bionics, the skills and personal perks all serve to determine or modify the following Stats of the character:

- Accuracy, expressed as a % bonus/penalty, adjusts the size of the aiming reticle (derives from armor, mutations, bionics, skills or personal perks). See all the things that increase or decrease Accuracy.

- Armor, average of armor on all the body parts (for humans derives from armor, mutations or bionics)

- Carrying capacity, in weight units, determines how much a character can carry without suffering a penalty to Movement (derived from strength, 1 pt in strength = 1 additional weight unit carrying capacity). Note that the personal perk Resourceful adds +2 to strength and increases the carrying capacity by 25%, but the +2 strength from the perk doesn’t actually add additional capacity when in battle, even though it shows so on the Geoscape. The neural torso bionic doubles carrying capacity.

- Hit Points (HPs), when this goes to 0 the character dies (derives from strength, 1 pt in strength = 10 HPs)

- Movement, in tiles, determines how much a soldier can move in one turn (divided by four, gives movement per AP) (derives from the speed attribute, 1 pt in speed = 1 tile; can be modified by armor, mutations, bionics, or personal perks. See all the things that increase or decrease movement.

- Perception, in tiles, determines the range at which the character will detect enemies in daylight (for humans starts at 35, bonuses and penalties derive from armor, mutations, bionics or personal perks). See all the things that increase or decrease perception; at night reduced by 50%, unless character equipped with Multivisual Sensor Module or Echo Head bionic

- Stealth, a %, reduces the range at which a character can be detected by enemies, i.e. their perception (for humans stealth starts at 0%, bonuses and penalties derive from armor, mutations, bionics, skills or personal perks). See here all the things that increase or decrease Stealth.

- Strength, derived from strength attribute, determines hit points; also determines carrying capacity, grenade throwing distance (range equals strength * 0.6) and resistance to paralyze damage. Can be increased by Resourceful (+2) and Strongman (+2), and Project Vulture (+3 to all 1pp.png operatives). The strength of a character is reduced when its body parts are disabled by the amount of max HPs lost divided by 10, so a character that due to a disabled limb loses 10 max HPs also loses 1 point in strength

- Willpower Points (WPs), fuel the use of skills, cost of mind-controlling the unit to the enemy, if below 0 the character panics (derives from willpower attribute, 1 pt in willpower = 1 WP; Farsighted.png farsighted and Healer.png healer personal perks each increase Willpower by 2, and Sniperist.png sniperist reduces it by 4; Judgement Head mutation increases Willpower by 5 and Resistor Head by 2). For explanation on how WPs are spent and recovered, see WPs in the combat section.

Characters can also have resistances or immunities against certain kinds of damage

Accuracy buffs and debuffs

Armor, Bionics and Mutations Personal perks Skills
Head Body Legs Proficiency Other
Disruptor Head +12% Venom Torso +20% Stomper Legs +12% Bombardier Trooper Strongman +20% Cautious +20% Master Marksman +30%
Acheron Helmet Perceptor Head +10% Neural Torso +8% Acheron Leg Armor Eidolon Leg Armor Amphion Leg Armor +5% Self Defense Specialist +10%
Eidolon Helmet +9% Acheron Body Armor Eidolon Body Armor Amphion Body Armor +5% Banshee Leg Armor TechOps7 Leg Armor +4%
  • Operatives with the Venom Torso mutation cannot wield two-handed weapons, so to benefit from the accuracy buff you have to use handguns
  • An operative cannot have more than two augmentations (whether bionics or mutations)
  • To benefit from the Master Marksman accuracy buff there must not be any detected enemies within 10 tiles of the operative. Note that the +30% buff is not added to the accuracy stat in the info panel during tactical battles
Banshee Helmet +8% Banshee Body Armor +4% Armadillo Legs +3%
Judgement Head +7% TechOps7 Body Armor Phlegethon Body Armor Swamp Cat Body Armor +3% Phlegethon Leg Armor Swamp Cat Leg Armor +2%
Phlegethon Helmet TechOps7 Helmet +6% Juggernaut Torso +1%
Swamp Cat Helmet +4%
Clarity Head +3%
Vengeance Torso -3% Mirage Legs -3%
Anvil-2 Helmet Golem-B Helmet -4% Aksu Body Armor -5% Anvil Leg Armor Golem Leg Armor -4%
Armored Head -6% Guardian Body Armor -7% Aksu Leg Armor -5%
Guardian XA Helmet -8% Regeneration Torso Golem Body Armor Anvil Body Armor -8% Guardian Leg Armor -6% Reckless -10% Adrenaline Rush -50%

Movement buffs and debuffs

Armor, Bionics and Mutations Personal perks Skills
Body Legs
Aksu Body Armor +2 Agile Legs +4 Quarterback +2 Bloodlust up to +50%
Acolyte Body Armor Phlegethon Body Armor +1 Propeller Legs +3 Thief +1
Acolyte Leg Armor Aksu Leg Armor +2 A Priest with Judgement Head can further buff the movement of all characters within 20 tiles by +50% with Judgement Head
Odin Leg Armor Mirage Legs Phlegethon Leg Armor Praetorian Leg Armor +1
Guardian Body Armor Eidolon Body Armor Banshee Body Armor Acheron Body Armor Golem Body Armor Anvil Body Armor Techops7 Body Armor Swamp Cat Body Armor -1

Armadillo Legs Anvil Leg Armor Golem Leg Armor Techops7 Leg Armor Eidolon Leg Armor Swampcat Leg Armor

-1 Over-encumbrance factor calculated by formula: max speed * (Max carry weight / current carry weight). On UI result rounded up, actual movement range calculates correctly.
Stomper Legs -2

Stealth buffs and debuffs

Stealth

Armor, Bionics and Mutations Personal perks Skills
Head Body Legs
Styx Helmet Echo Head +10% Styx Body Armor Vengeance Torso +20% Shadow Legs +30% Thief +25% Infiltrator +25%
Acheron Helmet Perceptor Head +5% Acheron Body Armor +10% Mirage Legs Styx Body Armor +20%
Banshee Helmet +3% Banshee Body Armor +5% Acheron Leg Armor +10%
Banshee Leg Armor +6%
Praetorian Helmet Wardog Helmet TechOps7 Helmet Armored Head Disruptor Head -5%
Guardian XA Helmet Anvil-2 Helmet Golem-B Helmet Screaming Head Synod Head Judgement Head Clarity Head -10% Wardog Body Armor Praetorian Body Armor Regeneration Torso Tentacle Torso Venom Torso -10% Wardog Leg Armor TechOps7 Leg Armor Golem Leg Armor Praetorian Leg Armor Propeller Legs Stomper Legs -10%
TechOps7 Body Armor Neural Torso -15% Anvil Leg Armor Guardian Leg Armor -20%
Golem Body Armor Anvil Body Armor Guardian Body Armor Juggernaut Torso -20% Armadillo Legs -25%

Perception buffs and debuffs

Armor, Bionics and Mutations Personal perks
Head Body Legs
Perceptor Head +14 Amphion Body Armor +7 Amphion Leg Armor +4 Farsighted +10
Aksu Helmet Styx Helmet +10 Tentacle Torso +4
Acheron Helmet Eidolon Helmet +7
Banshee Helmet Disruptor Head +5
Acolyte Helmet +4
Armored Head -4
Golem-B Helmet -5
Guardian XA Helmet Anvil-2 Helmet -7 Strongman -15

Leveling up

Operatives improve as they gain Experience Points to level up (unlocking new skills of their class) and Skill Points that can be spent on acquiring unlocked skills and personal perks and to raise attributes.

Experience Points

The operatives acquire Experience Points (XPs) from completing missions. You will also get XPs for accomplishing some missions objectives, even if you fail the mission (for example, in a steal aircraft mission, if the aircraft is destroyed you will still get 'general mission experience' and 'secure access to the aircraft' XPs). The total amount of XPs depends on the type of mission and performance of the squad as a whole, while their distribution among the team members depends on individual performance (mostly enemies killed, but also damage dealt, HPs healed and some other factors), which means that you don’t get more XPs for slaying more enemies.

How are the XPs distributed exactly among the members of the squad? All I found is this post on the official Snapshot forum by cfehunter:

There’s not really any reason to arbitrarily kill enemies on the map, you don’t get bonus XP for kills, just the soldiers that kill them will get a bigger portion of the objective XP than those that didn’t.
Dug into the code. Here’s the exhaustive list of what you get “contribution” points for. Which are then used to scale how much of the objective XP you get shared between your guys.
  • Killing Something (Based on the deployment cost of the object, so bigger = better)
  • Dealing Damage (Damage over time is counted)
  • Healing (HP healed x a settings multiplier)
  • Taking Damage (Health lost x a settings multiplier)
  • Opening a Crate (flat settings value)
  • Activating a Willpoint Objective (the white areas with the head icons, flat settings value)
  • Mind Controlling Something (flat settings value) Mind control doesn’t appear to be hooked up, it’s probably using the ability modifier instead, maybe this is legacy code?
  • Using Abilities (amount depends on the ability)

The operatives also acquire XPs from staying at a base with Training Facilities (remember: you gain 2 XPs from each Training Facility at the base, see here for more).

Gaining XPs unlocks Levels (and the skills associated to them):

LVL2 LVL3 LVL4 LVL5 LVL6 LVL7
100 150 250 400 600 850

Operatives also gain 20 Skill Points (SPs) when they level up.

Skill Points

Operatives acquire Skill Points (SPs) when they level up (20 SPs) and for successfully completing any mission (depending on the difficulty level: 12 on Recruit, 10 on Veteran, 8 on Hero and 5 on Legend). Raids and scavenging ops are considered to have been completed successfully even if you evac immediately after starting them, because you recovered 0 boxes, and 0 is a number as good any other

Skill Points (SPs) can be used to purchase additional primary attribute points, skills or personal perks, at the following rates

  • Increasing 1 pt of Strength costs SPs = new Strength/2 rounded down (so increasing strength from 16 to 17 costs 8 SPs; increasing strength from 17 to 18 costs 9 SPs, etc.)
Strength
Difficulty level ↓ 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 ← attribute #
Rookie 11 23 35 48 61 75 89 104 119 135 151 168 185 ← SPs required
Veteran 10 21 32 44 56 69 82 96 110 125 140 156 172 189 206
Hero 9 19 29 40 51 63 75 88 101 115 129 144 159 175 191 208 225
Legend 7 15 23 32 41 51 61 72 83 95 107 120 133 147 161 176 191 207 223 240 257
  • Increasing 1 pt of Willpower or Speed costs new Willpower or Strength (so increasing Willpower from 7 to 8 costs 8 SPs, and increasing Speed from 14 to 15 costs 15SPs)
Willpower
Difficulty level ↓ 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 ← attribute #
Rookie 10 21 33 46 60 75 91 108 126 145 165 ← SPs required
Veteran 9 19 30 42 55 69 84 100 117 135 154 174
Hero 8 17 27 38 50 63 77 92 108 125 143 162 182
Legend 7 15 24 34 45 57 70 84 99 115 132 150 169 189
Speed
Difficulty level ↓ 15 16 17 18 19 20 ← attribute #
ALL 15 31 48 66 85 105 ← SPs required
  • Skills cost:
LVL2 LVL3 LVL4 LVL5 LVL6 LVL7
SP Cost → 10 15 50 20 25 30

Common pool of SP

Completing tactical missions rewards the player with SP that are assigned to a common pool, which can be spent to increase the attributes or acquire skills of any operative.

The number of SP seems to be the total XP awarded for completing the mission rounded up / 100: so a mission rewarded with 265 XP, will give 3 SP to the common pool

You can also receive SP from the following:

-At Peace +30 SP
-Not a Barnacle +25 SP
-The Beautiful Game +25 SP
-Rite of the Clear Sky +30 SP
-Rite of the Crimson Moon +60 SP
-Rite of the Luminous Deep +25 SP
-Further Developments +30 SP
-An Oral History of the Pandoravirus +50 SP
-Cerebral Accelerationism +10 SP

How many missions does an operative have to do to 'max out'?

Maxing out all the primary attributes and acquiring all the skills , including those of a second class and the 3 personal perks requires 720 SPs on Rookie, 748 SPs on Veteran, 774 SPs on Hero and 795 SPs on Legend. Leveling up provides 120 SPs and taking into account how much SPs are awarded for missions on each difficulty level, it will take:

50 missions on Rookie
63 missions on Veteran
82 missions on Hero
135 missions on Legend

What this means is that you can easily max out all your operatives on Rookie and Veteran, and even on Hero (or at least increase their primary attributes to the point where they are almost maxed out) without much effort. In other words, your most veteran operatives will be masters of all trades by the time they reach end game.

However, on Legend maxing out is out of the question unless you are willing to engage in some serious grinding. Therefore, when playing on Legend you have to bear in mind that spending SPs has an opportunity cost and you have to plan ahead.

On lower difficulty levels it's OK to spend SPs as you get them, safe in the knowledge that if your operatives survive they will end up being everything you want them to be and more: even if you don’t dual-class them at first, you will eventually, because they will have SPs to spare.

However, those of your soldiers with less experience, mostly brought up in the ‘stables’, will probably have to focus on specific roles.

Retrieved from "http://wiki.phoenixpoint.com/index.php?title=Character_Development&oldid=17676"