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[Myroc]

Regarding the Rocket Launchers, bear in mind that even in late game, 8 damage* is more or less equavilent to a free hit with a Plasma Rifle, against several targets at once, and even if the 10% chance for a wide shot hits you're still likely to hit at least one of the original targets with the explosion. That's in addition to removing their cover. Sure, they're better in the early game when you can kill pretty much any cluster of aliens on demand, but they're far from useless, even in the late game.

*Or, without Mayhem, 6 damage, roughly on par with laser weaponry, but then you have two rockets to make up for it. Or you lack a Heavy at Colonel rank, and at this point in the game you should probably work on getting one.

[Tarran]

Problem is, I've rarely found a time late game where aliens bunch up enough to get more than a few targets. And even then, it requires your Heavy be stationary for a turn. And late game, you should be running a couple of deathsnipers by then. So it's very situational.



Also, the Second Wave option that makes your guys level up stats randomly is very interesting. For example, I've got a man with 11 base health (2+ bars), 109 base offense, and 66 base will. The kicker? He's a Captain Sniper.

On the other hand, sometimes your soldiers may stat up poorly. Still, a sniper with 11 base health, above-Colonel Sniper aim and high will is awesome.

[Urist McSpike]

Yeah, there seems to be a pretty big ramp-up from Normal to Classic, and the first couple of missions are crucial.  I was feeling lucky to have a 50% survival rate initially, but it got a lot better once you get promotions rolling.  Also, the gear upgrade to carapace armor & then laser weapons helped, along with boosting the squad size.

Classic also punishes you a lot more if you take risks.  Move slowly, use Hunker/Overwatch a lot, and don't try to flank your enemies.  I would usually get set up, and then send someone forward to get noticed then run back, and let them come to me.  Which the aliens will do, including flanking you to shoot around your cover.

[jocan2003]

Yeah, there seems to be a pretty big ramp-up from Normal to Classic, and the first couple of missions are crucial.  I was feeling lucky to have a 50% survival rate initially, but it got a lot better once you get promotions rolling.  Also, the gear upgrade to carapace armor & then laser weapons helped, along with boosting the squad size.

Classic also punishes you a lot more if you take risks.  Move slowly, use Hunker/Overwatch a lot, and don't try to flank your enemies.  I would usually get set up, and then send someone forward to get noticed then run back, and let them come to me.  Which the aliens will do, including flanking you to shoot around your cover.

No flanking? Well i guess i take more risk than you then, the only thing i do different is never dashing, i move halfway- and only then i evaluate if its worth *exploring* before flank as you get more sight as you get closer. If i discover more alien i simply double back into cover that block sight if my flanker is in bad position. I just dont take unnecery risk, but if you dont flank your in for a fight and the enemy will have more shots at your guys. Also explosive if you can, nothing better than blowing up enemy cover for the rest of the squad. Also always try to get your lowest level the killshot to have a even up the squad.

Ifyour support has bad aim, make sure to keep him outside enemy line of fire and provide smoke, be ready to get on the move for a med run for next turn.

All that to say even impossible is possible, you just have to be carefull and not reckless, because you WILL loose if you are wreckless and dont anticipate.

[Tarran]

Figures. My sniper who had the most health out of all of my other men (see my previous post) was the only one out of 5 to not get shot at in a Very Difficult mission. At all. Three others died, one got crit wounded, and one wounded. But Mr Super Sniper? He gets off without so much as a single shot sent in his direction. Even though he was right up at the front lines. Lucky sod.

Maybe I should start sending him off in front of everyone else with his laser pistol or something...

[Darkening Kaos]

Shot down a battleship, sent the team in, 5 colonels and one major.  2 Assaults, 2 Supports, 2 Snipers.
Guess which one came out of the mission without any injuries?

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Trick question:  they all got injured, every one of them under 50% hit points, my longest serving from 10 down to two.

[Zangi]

Figures. My sniper who had the most health out of all of my other men (see my previous post) was the only one out of 5 to not get shot at in a Very Difficult mission. At all. Three others died, one got crit wounded, and one wounded. But Mr Super Sniper? He gets off without so much as a single shot sent in his direction. Even though he was right up at the front lines. Lucky sod.

Maybe I should start sending him off in front of everyone else with his laser pistol or something...

Well, the enemy AI tends to favor targets that are easier to hit.  They seem to go after the one that they are more likely to kill if the hit chance is roughly the same... but that is just speculative observation.

Your sniper may have Ghost/Skeleton Armor, while the others don't.  Ghost/Skeleton armor gives 20/10 defense. 
There is also the fact that if your sniper is major or higher, he gets double defense in cover I believe... (It might just only apply to half cover, don't remember.)

[dogstile]

It only applies to half, but honestly, if your sniper is that close to need it, you're using him wrong.

[Sharp]

Not if he's a pistoleering gunslinging madman!

I swear half my kills for one of my snipers is just pure pistols, it's also funny how overwatch with squadsight for pistols is broken so even though you can't fire pistol with squadsight normally you can with overwatch, so hilarious.

[Zangi]

It only applies to half, but honestly, if your sniper is that close to need it, you're using him wrong.

Tarran's Sniper was at the 'front lines'.  So... yea...  stuff happens, go with it.

[Werdna]

Berserkers are good for boiling down in Stim-paks, but good luck trying to capture one alive. 

I found them fairly easy to capture.  The trick is, whenever you fire on them, they move afterwards towards that person.  So with a little thinking ahead about the order of your shots and positioning, you can whittle down and move the Berz right into easy range of your stunner.  Just be sure to have one last guy capable of finishing the Berzerker off, if the stun fails. 

I just never found a way to work a stimpack into my loadouts.  Always felt like something else was a better option.

[Zangi]

Stim Packs have never been an option for me, considering the limited slots and the basic stuff working just fine for what I want done.

[Neonivek]

Stim Packs have never been an option for me, considering the limited slots and the basic stuff working just fine for what I want done.

No it makes sense to me.

You either take a Scope which will be another 2 kills. You take a Shocker and that will be another weapon. Or you take extra armor and that is another hit you survive. Or you take a medkit which is the ability to continue even after injury.

The Stimpacks are nice but yeah... you really can live without them.

[Smitehappy]

Stim Packs have never been an option for me, considering the limited slots and the basic stuff working just fine for what I want done.

No it makes sense to me.

You either take a Scope which will be another 2 kills. You take a Shocker and that will be another weapon. Or you take extra armor and that is another hit you survive. Or you take a medkit which is the ability to continue even after injury.

The Stimpacks are nice but yeah... you really can live without them.

Stimpacks on Captain level assaults in Ghost armor is some scary stuff.

[Urist McSpike]

No flanking? Well i guess i take more risk than you then, the only thing i do different is never dashing, i move halfway- and only then i evaluate if its worth *exploring* before flank as you get more sight as you get closer. If i discover more alien i simply double back into cover that block sight if my flanker is in bad position. I just dont take unnecery risk, but if you dont flank your in for a fight and the enemy will have more shots at your guys. Also explosive if you can, nothing better than blowing up enemy cover for the rest of the squad. Also always try to get your lowest level the killshot to have a even up the squad.

Ifyour support has bad aim, make sure to keep him outside enemy line of fire and provide smoke, be ready to get on the move for a med run for next turn.

All that to say even impossible is possible, you just have to be carefull and not reckless, because you WILL loose if you are wreckless and dont anticipate.

Nope, no flanking.  Once I uncover a batch of aliens (in Classic, not normal), I pull back and let them come to me.  If I advance on them & try to flank, I'll usually end up discovering more, which can get hairy fast.  Now, if I'm pretty sure I'm down to the last few aliens, then I'll flank.  Besides, if they come at me, they have to come out of cover. 

But you've got it exactly right - being careful is pretty key.  I creep up, half moves at the most - and even then, I try to send my Assault farther up to 'discover' aliens, because if I do find some, they can Run & Gun back to cover & overwatch.  And of course, only after everyone has moved do I put everyone on Overwatch.