An In-depth Look On XCOM 2’s New Avenger Headquarters

Straight out of Firaxis, fans were treated to a full 12-minute gameplay video of XCOM 2 that puts the spotlight on the new mobile HQ where your squad is based from. There are plenty of details to dissect in the video and if you haven’t seen it, check out the embedded gameplay footage below.

The new base, dubbed “The Avenger”, will host not only your squad but also a group of specialist who will help you develop and upgrade your arsenal in the fight against enemies such the ADVENT and the Viper.

Fans that have played previous iterations of XCOM will feel right at home with the layout and mechanics of XCOM 2’s base-building gameplay, which have influenced a number of games including the recently released Fallout Shelter. The video introduces key characters that will be helping you create the best squad for the fight against the aliens.

Some of the characters you’ll meet are Chief Science Officer, Richard Tygan who alludes to a certain “procedure” that the Commander, the person you play as, had undergone. The other is Chief engineer Lily Shen, daughter of Dr.Shen from the last XCOM game.

Back stories are nice but the crux of an XCOM game is the customization that you can do to create a squad that’s tailor made to your strategy. The base class will be present as ever, but it’s the upgrades for soldier abilities and equipment is what the fans should be excited for. The different combination of armors and arsenal give different perks and Firaxis also added a touch of cosmetic changes to make each weapon or armor distinctly unique.

The gameplay footage also gave us a glimpse on how the new command center will work now. Previously, missions were presented to the commander in their base HQ and players can take on the mission as they go. However, with the XCOM unit now relegated to being resistance fighters, it is up to the commander to seek out the missions and help out cells of resistance across the globe.

XCOM 2 is currently scheduled for a November 2015 release and will come exclusively to PC. No word on whether the game will be ported to Playstation 4 and Xbox One.

Source: Check Out 12 Minutes of XCOM 2 Gameplay