Firaxis has a decent track record when it comes to making add-ons, but the XCOM 2 DLC run initially suffered from a few bad apples. Upon release, the pre-order bonus and day one content were subject to heavy flak. But in the years that followed the studio has managed to pull it together with later expansions being a lot more on par with what we’d want for such an excellent turn-based strategy game.
However, one of the game’s best expansions – XCOM 2: War of the Chosen – has caused more than a few niggles. With this release, XCOM 2 was pushed to its limit with new features; missions, enemies, and classes shoved into every hole. It also largely displaced much of the content that had been released before hand. When it comes to XCOM 2 DLC, not everyone takes the time to explain how different parts of the library interact together – which is where we come in.
Without further ado, here’s our complete guide to all of the XCOM 2 DLC available, with specific segments on how various bits fit in (or don’t) with the War of the Chosen expansion.
Here is a quick summary of all of the XCOM 2 DLC released to date:
Originally a pre-order bonus, the Resistance Warrior Pack is a textbook example of an interesting concept ruined by a cynical execution. It’s meant to be a throw-back to XCOM 1 that adds four ‘resistance’ armours based around the old Enemy Unknown design — including a vest-covered sweater reminiscent of Central/Bradford’s outfit in XCOM 2 and the standard armour from the first game — alongside an additional rookie recruit meant to represent a veteran soldier that fought in the first war, sporting a slightly battered XCOM armour and a unique flattop hair.
Yes, if you like the military design of the first game’s armour and want more options to attain that look. This is a mostly cosmetic pack that will only really be useful in the very early-game DLC, so treat it as such.
There were three DLCs released in 2016, none of which are available for sale individually anymore. The first of these was Anarchy’s Children which is another cosmetic-only DLC. It included more than 100 different customisation items based around the theme of ‘Anarchy’. These items range from clown face paints and piercings to mohawks and leather trousers, making your soldiers look like a band of edgy teens.
As mentioned above, it’s not actually for sale on its own, but is always bundled in as part of the XCOM 2 Collection which you’ll find on sale fairly regularly. As you’ll see below, War of the Chosen is very much worth buying so its hard to ignore this DLC, even if it is a bit naff.
At the time, Alien Hunters was the first real content pack for XCOM 2 since launch, adding three new enemy bosses, three new suits of armour and four weapons, as well as a single mission where Bradford/Central is deployed to investigate these new enemies. This DLC made some waves uponrelease, creating very extreme opinions on both sides of the player.
As above, this is not available to buy on its own anymore but is always part of a collection that contains War of the Chosen, which fixes many of the issues outlined above.
The last of the 2016 DLC and another throwback to XCOM: Enemy Within, this expansion adds a new huge (seriously enormous) mission to investigate Chief Engineering Officer Dr. Raymond Shen’s last project before he passed away. The mission allows you to take his daughter along, Chief Engineer Lily Shen, and rewards you with a new robot class.
Not that it’s available either anymore, but yes.
This is XCOM 2’s biggest (and best) expansion, largely doing for XCOM 2 what Enemy Within did for the first game. It improves upon virtually every good facet of the base game and irons out many issues from the vanilla version, as well as the previous DLCs. It takes the experience to new levels by stretching it to the breaking point and filling in the gaps with exceptional new mechanics and toys.
This is a fantastic and gigantic expansion to an already brilliant game, and regardless if you played XCOM 2 before or is just going to dip your toes on it for the first time, it is a definite must buy.
A surprise free DLC that was free for owners of War of the Chosen for a short time, the Tactical Legacy Pack is a mix of serious storytelling and fan service. It’s worth noting that this is a DLC for War of the Chosen, not the base game itself so you’ll need that expansion to play this.
It is, as long as you don’t expect it to perfectly fill in the blanks nor change the way the game is played. This is better seen as a nice bite-sized series of XCOM 2’s campaigns, with a some added story bonuses for fun.
War of the Chosen is a pretty big expansion, essentially changing the XCOM 2 experience from beginning to end. While cosmetic packs like the Resistance Warrior Pack and Anarchy’s Children are available from the start and are unaffected by this DLC, but Alien Hunters and Shen’s Last Gift change drastically.
