Look, XCOM 2 is already a brutal game. It hates you. Then Firaxis released War of the Chosen (WotC), and suddenly you aren't just fighting gray aliens in spandex; you're being hunted by three immortal siblings with god complexes and enough personality to make every mission feel like a personal grudge match. If you’re looking for a XCOM 2 WotC guide Steam users actually need, you probably aren't looking for a basic tutorial on how to move your soldiers. You want to know why your campaign keeps spiraling into a graveyard by month three and why your Steam Workshop mods keep crashing the game.
It’s messy.
The expansion adds layers of fatigue, mental breaks, and the "Chosen" themselves—The Assassin, The Hunter, and The Warlock. These jerks will show up uninvited, kidnap your best rangers, and mock your tactical failures in a little picture-in-picture window. Honestly, it’s a lot to juggle. But once you get the rhythm down, WotC is the definitive way to play. The base game feels empty without it.
The Strategy Layer is Where You Actually Lose
Most players think they lose XCOM on the tactical map when a Muton crits their favorite Sniper. Wrong. You lose in the Avenger. In WotC, the strategy layer is a frantic game of spinning plates while someone throws rocks at you.
First, let’s talk about the Resistance Ring. Build it. Immediately. If you don't have the Ring up and running in the first few weeks, you're effectively playing with one hand tied behind your back. This is how you get those sweet, sweet Resistance Orders—basically "cheat codes" you earn through gameplay. Some are okay. Others, like "Between the Eyes" (which makes any successful hit on a Lost a guaranteed kill), are literally game-changing. You also use the Ring to hunt the Chosen. You can't just stumble into their fortresses; you have to do the legwork.
Covert Actions are the engine of your campaign. They give you extra scientists, engineers, and—most importantly—Soldier Bonds.
Bonds are weirdly overlooked. When two soldiers spend enough time together, they get "Bonded." This lets them share action points. Think about that. You can have your Specialist give their action to your Ranger, allowing that Ranger to Run and Gun, slash a guy, and then move back to safety. It breaks the action economy. Always be bonding.
Dealing with the Chosen Without Throwing Your Mouse
The Assassin is usually the first one you meet, and she is a nightmare. She’s invisible, she’s immune to overwatch, and she will hit-and-run your squad until you’re all bleeding out.
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Don't panic.
Battle Scanners and the Specialist’s "Scanning Protocol" are your best friends here. You have to find her before she finds you. Once she's revealed, she loses her biggest advantage. Also, pay attention to their weaknesses. Every Chosen has them. If the Assassin is weak to Reapers, bring your Reaper. It’s not just a suggestion; it’s a hard requirement if you want to keep your sanity intact.
The Hunter is a bit of a joke until he isn't. He’ll sit across the map and fire "Tracking Shots" at you. You have one turn to move that soldier out of the red box. If you do, he misses. Easy, right? The problem is when he catches you in the middle of a firefight with two pods of Archons. Now you have to choose: stay in cover and take a sniper shot to the face, or move into the open and get shredded by plasma.
Then there's the Warlock. He’s the "mage" of the group. He’ll mind-control your troops or summon spectral zombies that explode. Bring Mind Shields. Seriously. A soldier with a Mind Shield is basically invisible to the Warlock's biggest threats. It turns a terrifying boss fight into a guy just standing on a roof yelling about "The Elders" while you pelt him with magnetic fire.
The New Classes: Reapers, Skirmishers, and Templars
WotC introduces three "Hero" classes. They are significantly more powerful than your standard troops if used correctly.
The Reaper is arguably the best unit in the game. Their "Shadow" mode is stealth on steroids. They have a tiny detection radius, meaning they can walk right past an alien's face without being seen. Use them as scouts. Never, ever let your Reaper take a shot unless it's a guaranteed kill or a desperate situation. Their "Banish" ability, combined with an expanded mag and a repeater, can delete a Sectopod in a single turn. It feels like cheating.
The Skirmishers are... fine. They’re former ADVENT soldiers who can fire twice in one turn. They have a grappling hook. They are hyper-mobile. They’re great in the early game, but they tend to fall off in power compared to a high-level Sharpshooter or Ranger.
The Templars are the wildcards. They are melee-focused psionic warriors. Every time they kill someone with their blades, they build "Focus." Focus makes them faster, stronger, and tankier. A max-focus Templar with the "Parry" ability is an indestructible tank. You run in, stab a guy, and then pop Parry. The next enemy attack to hit the Templar does zero damage. It’s beautiful.
Managing the Steam Workshop and Performance
We have to talk about the technical side of the XCOM 2 WotC guide Steam experience. The official 2K Launcher is, to put it bluntly, hot garbage. It breaks mods, fails to launch the game, and sometimes just eats your save files.
If you want a stable experience, go download the Alternative Mod Launcher (AML). It’s a community-made tool hosted on GitHub that actually works. It detects mod conflicts and bypasses the 2K launcher entirely. If you're running 50+ mods—which, let's be real, you probably are—the AML is mandatory.
Performance in WotC is actually better than the base game. Firaxis did a lot of engine optimization during the expansion's development. Load times are faster, and the "frame rate stutter" is less frequent. However, if you're playing on a laptop or an older rig, turn off "Depth of Field" and "Bloom." These two settings eat frames for breakfast and don't even make the game look that much better.
The Lost: Zombies, But Annoying
WotC adds a third faction called The Lost. These are the husks of humans left in the abandoned cities. They hunt by sound. If you use explosives, you’re going to spawn more Lost.
The trick is the "Headshot" mechanic. If you kill a Lost, you get your action point back. A single Sharpshooter with a decent pistol can clear an entire swarm of twelve Lost in a single turn. It’s a shooting gallery. The danger isn't the Lost themselves; it's being caught between a swarm of them and a squad of ADVENT. Sometimes, the best move is to let them fight each other. ADVENT hates the Lost just as much as you do. Stand back, let the aliens waste their ammo on the zombies, and then pick off the survivors.
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Fatigue and the Mental Toll
In the base game, you could basically run the same "A-Team" every mission until they died. In WotC, your soldiers get tired. If you send a "Tired" soldier on a mission, they might develop a phobia.
"Fear of Sectoids" or "Fear of Missing" are real mechanics. Your soldier might panic mid-mission just because they saw a certain enemy. You have to rotate your roster. You need an A-Team, a B-Team, and probably a C-Team. This makes the game harder because you're spreading XP thin, but it also makes you care more about your random recruits. When your C-Team rookie pulls off a clutch grenade throw to save the day, it's a better story than your veteran doing it for the hundredth time.
Actionable Next Steps for Your Campaign
If you're starting a new run today, here is exactly what you should do:
- Install the Alternative Mod Launcher. Don't even try using the default Steam one. It’s not worth the headache.
- Prioritize the Resistance Ring. It is your primary source of power, resources, and Chosen intel.
- Get a Reaper early. Start at the Reaper HQ if the game lets you choose. Their scouting is invaluable for avoiding "accidental" pod pulls.
- Don't rush the Chosen Strongholds. Wait until you have Tier 2 armor and weapons (Plated Armor and Mag Weapons). If you go in with assault rifles, you will lose.
- Build the Infirmary. With the fatigue system, your soldiers will spend a lot of time "shaken" or "tired." The Infirmary gets them back in the field faster.
- Use the "Lost and Abandoned" mission for your first run. It’s a scripted story mission that introduces the mechanics well. On your second or third run, disable it to get the Hero classes randomly, which usually speeds up the early game.
XCOM 2 WotC is a game of calculated risks. You're going to miss a 99% shot. You're going to lose a colonel. You're going to get frustrated. But that’s the point. The Steam community has kept this game alive for years through incredible mods and guides because there's nothing else quite like it. Good luck, Commander. The Earth is counting on you, even if you're probably going to fail.