XCOM 2 Alien Hunters impressions
You've driven the aliens back, stolen their technology, hacked their mechs and autopsied them, but you've yet to wear their skin into battle. This oversight is fixed by the new Alien Hunters DLC, which adds a story mission, three new boss monsters and three new pieces of elite armour, which all bear a slightly horrifying resemblance to the boss creature they came from. Unsurprisingly, the very sight of this armour freaks out the alien race you happen to be mimicking. You don't see XCOM 2's vipers wearing mens' faces for hats. In this respect, humanity may have gone too far this time.
The DLC seamlessly integrates into your campaign, picking up the trail of XCOM 1's Dr. Vahlen in a decent new mission with a fresh tileset. Without spoiling too much, science has gone wrong again, and now three 'ruler' aliens are on the loose. They will invade your missions randomly until they're dead, or you are. Their huge healthbars and tendency to teleport out make them tough to catch, but that's the idea of Alien Hunters. The aliens aren't just a threat anymore, they're sport to be hunted, skinned and worn. A new
I haven't had a chance to see how the bosses operate in a live campaign environment, but thanks to some Firaxis savegames I've had a chance to fight them. I won't spoil what they can do, because that nasty element of surprise is part of the fun, but they're both tough and very fast. Instead of waiting for your entire team to move before taking another action, they move between each soldier's movement. That means they can do a lot of damage in a single turn, and can portal away in moments.
Movement restriction abilities are useful, then, along with high-damage weapons. The DLC happens to add both in the form of new prototype weapons and a frost grenade that can freeze an enemy still for a few turns. Prototypes are hard to come by, and are be lost in battle if you fail to recover them.
The guns are worth the risk. In contrast to the high-tech weaponry your scientists produce, they look ornate and antiquated. The bolt caster does huge damage but must be reloaded after every shot. The new handcannon boasts a polished wooden casing and grip, and comes with an ability that puts your soldier into concealment if they land a killing pistol blow.
