More official mods for XCOM 2 are inbound, with the first of five new additions from Long War Studios available today.
Long War Studios, founded by the creators of the seminal Long War mod for XCOM: Enemy Unknown, first partnered with Firaxis to develop three official mods that launched alongside the game earlier this year. they were the SMG weapon class, the Muton Centurion unit, and special Leader abilities for soldiers.
The first of five new mods, “Toolbox,” adds a variety of mechanical tweaks for players to further customize their experience. According to the announcement, this includes:
- Configurable camera rotation in tactical missions
- Damage variation
- Random stats for new soldiers
- Random stats on level-ups
- UI that shows soldier stats in various menus
- UI and other support for up to 12-soldier squads
- Red Fog (a modifier where injuries affect soldier stats)
Following the Toolbox, available today, four more mods will be released over the coming months (no specific time frame has been provided yet). Released simultaneously, the second and third mods will add the “Perk Pack,” which will serve as a soldier class construction kit, and the “Laser Pack,” which will add a new tech tier for all weapons. The “Alien Pack” will follow at a later date, adding 10 new alien foes to the mix. No information has yet been provided about the fifth and final mod.
In addition to the official mods from Long War Studios, and the vibrant community of fans creating content for the game, Firaxis is also supplementing XCOM 2 with DLC. The first of three announced expansions, Anarchy’s Children, added a host of extreme cosmetic customization options for soldiers. It can be purchased a la carte for $5, or as part of the Reinforcement Pack season pass for $20, which also includes two more expansions coming later this year: Alien Hunters and Shen’s Last Gift, which will make more substantial, mechanical additions to the game.
XCOM 2, following up on Firaxis’ fantastic 2012 reboot of the classic ’90s strategy series about defending the Earth from alien invasion, launched earlier this year and is available for PC.
