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Trondheim wrote:Great AAR as always, and well done by 2th squad as always. When will myself see action again?

Third Squad (Stream Dragon,Talizvar, Bullockist and Co.) has its shot at glory then 4th squad will take down a UFO. Look for both AARs later today.

Doctadeth wrote:Whoa, six kills in 3 missions, plus....at least 3 heals? Wow, I'm quite the expert.

You were certainly the lynch-pin in that mission. You used all three heals, and saved the day with some key kills.

flamingkillamajig wrote:Not gonna lie. My suit actually made me smile in delight. Normally it's me doing other people in my game though i suppose i could see how i do.

I really want to play another game of 'enemy within' campaign as soon as possible.

deadmeat85 wrote:So again we are thrown into the meat grinder. Glad we all came back though. Hope command does give us the go ahead on the "enhancements". Hey looks like my request for more tech paid off with the new optics on our rifles.

chaos0xomega wrote:Jesus, I'm stuck in medbay, the squad goes through hell and back AGAIN, AND I MISSED OUT ON THE MISSION TO AUSTRALIA!???!? UGH!

Damned well better become the modifications/augmentation guinea pigs, and if command tries to break up this squad I'll show them what hell is! They'll have my shotgun shoved so far up their asses that they'll be coughing buckshot and gaking spent shells.

Dont worry Chaos, you are always a part of 2nd. Ain't no one going to take you out of the squad or break us up.

Doctadeth wrote:Whoa, six kills in 3 missions, plus....at least 3 heals? Wow, I'm quite the expert.

Doc I'm just glad you are part of the squad., and a killer in your own right.

2nd Squad will not be broken up, but it may be a while before they are back to full strength.

SilverMK2 wrote:Poor second squad

As soon as I wake up from my coma I'm coming over and showing you who the poor squad is.

OPERATION LOST FLAME: Nantes, France (again) 23 April, 2015


No one is quite sure what the aliens were after in Nantes, and extensive investigation after the war only turns up more questions than answers. Regardless, after XCOMs success in Nantes in early April, the aliens were back and looking to wreak as much havoc as possible. 3rd Squad would be given the mission.

The squad assembles before launch. XCOM HQ had placed renewed emphasis on training up the less experienced rookies in light of 2nd squad's difficulties. Stream Dragon would be given the job.


By the time XCOM arrived, the attack was largely complete. A French military base on the outskirts of the city was already in flames. Of all the attacks so far, this one made the most sense - a military target directly degraded a country's ability to fight.3rd Squad picked it's way through the wreckage.


Third Squad prepares to breach the maintenance warehouse at the center of the tank yard. No contact as yet. Stream Dragon was starting to think the aliens had already fled. He approached the building like any other time with a slow, methodical, and thorough manner that was fast becoming 3rd squad's MO.


The building is dark and silent, as 3rd Squad moves through it.
[imghttp://i1151.photobucket.com/albums/o624/Sgt_Scruffy/Dying%20Mist%20Council%20Mission%20Portent/Unceasing%20Dirge/Patient%20Summer/Lost%20Flame/2015-02-16_00169_zpsd9g9yu37.jpg[/img]

CONTACT! Bullockist spots 3 Floaters coming in through the walls




He quickly snaps out of it when he realizes he has his good friend mr. grenade to help the bad aliens go away.
"Say Hello to my Little Friend!" --Bullockist, probably

Demented Wombat joins in on the grenading action to finish off the clustered Floaters


I wouldn't have usually wasted the weapon fragments and bodies of 3 floaters so early in the mission with only one pod active, but Bullockist triggered the pod near the end of the turn so I had to act fast. Besides, I had my eye on the meld above all as I had been neglecting it for some time

The Squad advances into the tank yard in the now classic XCOM huddle.


... And we manage to activate two pods. 3 Floaters 1 Thin Man, and 1 (2?) seekers



The aliens are largely pinned by overwatch and grenades from the main force while Stream Dragon explores the left flank for opportunities and threats.


Demented Wombat inures more Floaters with his arsenal of grenades


Talizvar dashes right, bravely exposing himself to overwatch fire as he attempts to exploit the flank.

With the thin man distracted by shooting at Talizvar, Stream Dragon closes in from the opposite side and neutralizes the threat.

The Seeker decloaks and attacks a rookie. He is quickly shot off and killed.


Talizvar, having killed the last seeker, takes a moment to catch his breath.


Talizvar and Bullockist both make Lance Corporal.


Sorry this one is a little short, but there just wasn't a whole lot of "story" in this mission. The squad didn't take a scratch, the fights were over pretty quickly, and the aliens never stood a chance. It was as close to a "routine" mission as XCOM has had so far. Third Squad may not get the air time First Squad does, but they're racking up their own quite impressive win-streak here. I'd watch my back if I were you 1st squad. Third Squad is gunning for top spot.

Immediately upon returning, Dr. Vahlen confronts Shen, Bradford, and the Commander - demanding that a live specimen be captured.


The commander reluctantly agrees, but stipulates that the current effort to produce better weapons should be seen through to the end first. Vahlen accepts the compromise.


Advanced Beam Lasers will take a while, but I need them - before I need arc throwers.


So, in Long War, labs and workshops don't give you more scientists and engineers. The only two ways to get both is through continent bonuses and through nation requests. I did xenobiology because it lets me sell bodies for scientists. Hopefully, we can address our woefully understaffed science team here soon.

"Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result." - Winston Churchill
- Steam, you keep sneaking up on them buddy and I will keep them busy: shooting or shot at.

"When the pin is pulled, Mr. Grenade is not our friend." - US Marine Corps
- The aliens learned something I have always known: when someone throws a grenade they tend to say "dodge this!".

Good mission, does not seem right to be looking for more of a fight when there are those still getting patched up...

 Talizvar wrote:
"Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result." - Winston Churchill
- Steam, you keep sneaking up on them buddy and I will keep them busy: shooting or shot at.

"When the pin is pulled, Mr. Grenade is not our friend." - US Marine Corps
- The aliens learned something I have always known: when someone throws a grenade they tend to say "dodge this!".

Good mission, does not seem right to be looking for more of a fight when there are those still getting patched up...

It's funny - this mission marks the start of a bit of a hot streak for XCOM in the coming couple of weeks. The troops are coming along nicely and the cannon fodder no named troops are largely being leveled up nicely. XCOM is really coming into it's own. It is not all wine and roses, but overall April is a far, far better month than March.

Well played third squad

XCOM Order of Battle: 24 April, 2015 1st Squad (Official Motto: 1st in, Last Out. Unofficial Nickname: The Glory Squad)

As the Month of April was drawing to a close, XCOM settled into a routine - if saving the world could ever be called routine. The squad rotations were more or less set, and barring any major catastrophes, most squads had the tools to deal with whatever the aliens threw at them.

1st Platoon was the de facto only platoon in XCOM's direct action command. Although significant gains had been made towards solidifying the platoon into a cohesive, experienced, and well-rounded fight force, substantial gaps still remained. Legion troops would fill in the gaps, but the expertise displayed by the fast emerging Dakka Corps would be sorely missed in the coming months.

1st Squad was quickly gaining a reputation as the best - many would say luckiest - squad in the XCOM. Led at the moment by Corporal Silver MK2 from the Assault Branch, they had so far suffered zero casualties through multiple missions. Silver MK2 also had the distinction of being the first human to make definitive contact with an alien life form.


Silver is turning into quite the close combat machine. Good mobility and good health are only slightly let down by an average aim. Since Silver does most of her killing up close with a shotgun, this doesn't matter. Silver has been putting a lot of time in at the pistol range so as to be of more use in longer range encounters... and perhaps in situations where only pistols are available.

Lance Corporal CthuluSpy is turning into XCOM's foremost gunner. The French native began her career with a bang (literally) by playing an instrumental role in XCOM's first capture of an intanct alien UFO. Her machine gun skills are second to none and supression has saved Silver and Elemental more than once.


Lance Corporal Esubius Walrus has taken to calling himself "Vulture" and the other squad members are starting to catch on to why. His dead-eye aim and cold blooded predatory instincts mark him as one of the deadliest snipers in Earth's alien defense force. The man can hit a flying Floater from 500 yards while seemingly disappearing into the barest of cover.


Not to be outdone by anyone in 1st squad, Corporal Elemental is perhaps the unrecognized lynch-pin of 1st squad. His lightning reflexes draws so much fire (12 overwatches at last count) without getting a scratch that it is highly doubtful 1st squad would enjoy the success it has without him. His recon skills, and his targeting skills make Cthulu, Walrus, and Silver that much deadlier. Although not the fastest scout in the force, his superior will, and good aim make him a a strong candidate for the Officer Selection Course.


1st Squad has so far enjoyed a bit of a charmed existence at XCOM and The Commander was seriously considering splitting the squad up to spread the experience gained by 1st around to the rest of the force. Bradford convinced him that team cohesion would be more valuable in the long run.

Next Post we'll examine the darkly fated 2nd Squad (Official Motto: To The Last Man. Unofficial Nickname: Patchwork Heroes.)

Haha, love 2nd squads nickname

Good to get a run down of 1st squad!

XCOM Order of Battle: 24 April, 2015 2nd Squad (Official Motto: To The Last Man. Unofficial Nickname: Patchwork Heroes.)

Where 1st squad has enjoyed the acclaim and glory of success after success, 2nd squad has faced trial and tribulation at every turn. In addition to suffering the first losses of the war, 2nd squad has spent more time in sick bay than the rest of XCOM combined. Nevertheless, 2nd squad has always completed its missions. Whether storming through a hail of plasma fire, tending to wounded in the open, or fighting thin men in a cloud of acid, 2nd squad grits its teeth and gets the job done.

Leading the squad is LCPL Scruffy (That's Mrs. Scruffy to you). Mrs. Scruffy has one of the most impressive kill steaks in XCOM's operational forces and a lot of scars to show for it. She is 2nd squad's mama bear and she has pulled them out the fire with liberal application of shotgun shells time and time again. It was her actions at Cryptic Mountain that saved Chaos 0xomega's life and her quick thinking that saved her wife SPEC Scruffy at Patient Summer. She's tough on her squad but she blames herself for each cruel wound inflicted on her soldiers.


Mrs. Scruffy is fast and tough, but suffers from lower than average will.

Specialist Chaos0comega is 2nd Squad's grenadier. She has only been on one mission where she was caught in an unfortunate crossfire and almost killed. Her future health remains in doubt all though Dr. Vahlen does confirm that she will be a strong candidate for gene modification once the technology is stable enough for live trials. Chaos has been laid low, but she is improving and will be back with 2nd squad soon.


Docta Deth is 2nd squad's medic and as such is an extremely busy person. Her quick thinking saved the lives of perhaps the entire squad at Patient Summer. Despite her intense devotion towards improving her medical skills, Docta Deth earns the second part of her name by being the first human with a confirmed kill against the alien in Operation Fading God. Almost inhumanly quick, she is also a good shot, but is somewhat more fragile than the average 2nd squad member. Docta Deth along with Dead Meat are the only two members of 2nd squad to not receive a wound in combat.


Specialist Sgt_Scruffy is 2nd squads newest member and a bit of a sad-sack. Her service record with XCOM is uninspriing. As a PFC, she consistently botched her assignments on missions and it would not be until Patient summer that she would earn her first kill. Scruffy has decent aim and good mobility but is prone to panic as a result of the multiple injuries she has sustained over her short career. Dr. Shen does not believe Scruffy would make a good candidate for modification.


Last but certainly not least is 2nd squad's rocketeer, Dead Meat. Dead Meat is a steady sort of person. He has struggled with survivor's guilt since Cryptic Mountain, but that has not kept him from being a valuable member of the team. Although physically there is little that sets him apart from his fellow soldiers in terms of speed, toughness, or aim, he possesses a strong will and along with Docta Deth forms the true heart of 2nd squad.


2nd squad still has a lot to prove to themselves. They risk falling behind the other squads in terms of progression. The Commander is willing to keep them together for now, but performance must improve or the squad will be broken up.

Next Post is for 3rd Squad (Official Motto: Go 3rd or Go Home. Unofficial Nickname: The Boys with the Toys)


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XCOM Order of Battle: 3rd Squad (Official Motto: Go 3rd or Go Home, Unofficial Nickname: The Boys with the Toys)

There are one word people often use when describing third squad. That word is solid. Third squad gets the job done and they don't make a big deal out of it. It's all in a day's work. Other squads have noted that 3rd squad often enjoys the benefits of new equipment being fielded to them first, but third squad counters saying that they have the first confirmed kills on Seekers, Thin Men, and Floaters so experiencing new things is a tradition with them. A friendly rivalry is fast developing with 4th squad as the two squad leaders compete in everything from how many panacakes they can eat on Sunday mornings to how many kills they get in an average mission.

3rd Squad's leader is the inimitable Stream Dragon. Solid applies to 3rd squad and it especially applies to Stream Dragon. He takes care of his men and prefers to let them get on with the killing while he maneuvers to nab that one critical kill in the mission. No one thing stands out about Stream Dragon - all of his stats are good.


3rd Squad has only recently gotten its hands on a scout and the improvement in combat performance was remarkable after LCPL Talizvar joined them in Operation Driving Line. Talizvar is quick, a dead-eye shot, and possesses nerves of steel. His only weakness is a glass jaw - something that Dr. Vahlen is ... a little too eager to fix.


(Ignore the weapon Bullockist is holding - he won't get that for a little while yet)
Ahh, Bullockist. The quintessential infantry soldier. If there is a lynch-pin to 3rd squad it is the constant, precise fire that Bullockist supplies. Superb aim and good will are only let down by a somewhat ... lumbering gait. Don't let his kill count fool you, Bullockist has spilled more alien blood than almost anyone on 3rd squad. He just likes to let the rest of the guys finish 'em off (it's no challenge shooting a crawling sectoid when he can be going after that flying Floater).


Carlos 13th was originally part of 1st squad, but was transferred to 3rd to spread out the experience. He has taken it as a rejection and developed an intense rivalry with Esubius Walrus. Carlos and Esubius are more a like than either would care to admit. Deadly at long range and able to blend into cover. They both are somewhat aloof from the rest of their squad and tend to let their sniper rifles do the talking for them. Outstanding aim and good will mark Carlos as a leading candidate for.... augmentation.


The newest addition to 3rd squad, Marine_with_Heart almost didn't survive his first mission. He won the respect of his squad when he saved them from an approaching Floater ambush with a well placed grenade in operation Driving Line. His medic skills have so far not been needed in mission, and Stream Dragon is allocating a lot of time at the range for Marine_With_Heart.


Third Squad is probably the most "complete" squad XCOM fields. They have only one glaring shortage and that is in the heavy weapons department. So far, they haven't needed it, but only time will tell.

Next Post: 4th Squad (Official Motto: Go Fourth, and Multiply, Unofficial Nickname: The MOD Squad)


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XCOM Order of Battle: 4th Squad (Official Motto: Go Fourth, and Multiply. Unofficial Nickname: The MOD Squad)

Fourth squad is the squad the Commander calls when he absolutely, positively HAS to kill every last alien on the mission. Subtlety is not fourth squad's strong point. Under the steady leadership (and steadier aim) of LCPL Trondheim, 4th squad has carved a bloody path through thin men, sectoids, and floaters alike. LCPL Trondheim is one of the most experienced and longest serving XCOM operatives and many at XCOM HQ have him pegged for eventual command of 2nd platoon.

Trondheim has possibly the best kill-to-mission ratio in all of XCOM. His aim is legendary and he regularly bests Carlos 13th, Esubius Walrus, and Bullockist at the assault rifle range. Marked for command since his earliest days as a PFC, Trondheim has gone from strength to strength. In contrast to Bullockist, Trondheim often finishes off weakened aliens after the rest of his squad plies their particularly explosive talents on the unfortunate E.T.s.


LCPL Motyak would be a squad leader in any other outfit if not for Trondheim's groudn breaking performances early in the war. Motyak and Trondheim have been together on every mission and they are the closest thing to a buddy-duo XCOM currently has (outside the spouse team of Scruffy and Scruffy). Motyak is fast, and Motyak is deadly. He spots targets for the slower members of his squad and often draws fire. No one has succeeded in hitting Motyak yet. SUperb speed and good will are only slightly let down by average resilience. Motyak inisists that he doesn't have to be tough - they'll never touch him. So far, he's been proven right.


LCPL Malfred may not have the most kills or the most missions under his belt, but LCPL Malfred is reliable. He doesn't panic, he doesn't miss, and he doesn't mess up. He provides 4th squad with a shower of high explosive rockets and Trondheim can credit his kill-count with Malfred leaving them weak and dying for his gun.


LCPL Demented Wombat is the exception to every rule. He has been in 1st squad, 3rd squad, and now 4th (which is his permanent home). With Chaos out of the picture for now, there's great demand for explosives experts and Wombat fills the bill. From the very beginning, he has professed his love for all things that go boom. The aliens are quickly learning not to cluster up when Wombat is on the field because the last thing they hear is the beep of a grenade and the manic laughter of a very satisfied Ukrainian.


4th Squad will soon feature in another vignette as they assault a downed UFO. Will 4th squad's streak of utter invincibility continue? Stay Tuned.

Next Post : 2nd Platoon gets it's start. 1st Squad, 2nd Platoon (Official Motto: 1st in Your Hearts. Unofficial Nickname: the loaner squad)


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XCOM Order of Battle: 2nd Platoon, 1st Squad (Official Motto: 1st in Your Hearts, Unofficial Nickanme: The Loaner Squad)

2nd platoon really only exists on paper. XCOM does not have the personnel or the resources right now for a fully equipped 2nd platoon. However, The Commander has mandated that each platoon will be comprised of 4 squads. A fifth squad therefore necessitates a 2nd platoon. 1st squad sees this as an opportunity to develop a unique identity separate from the other squads. That is, they would if they could stop getting loaned out to 1st platoon to fill holes in their rosters.

LCPL Kamikaze Canuck is 1st squad leader - when she's not helping out 2nd squad, 1st platoon. A solid infantry soldier with a no-nonsense attitude, she's currently recovering in sickbay after being part of 2nd squad's historic streak of bad luck. The quintessential cold-blooded killer, word on the street is she was given her own squad in 2nd platoon because everyone in 1st platoon was pretty sure she was unstable. She seems to be quite good at releasing pent up aggression against the alien menace.


SPEC Killionaire might be the unluckiest single soldier in XCOM. 2nd squad may have instiutional bad luck, but plasma bolts seem to be drawn to Killionaire. Nothing has killed him yet though and if he ever gets out of sickbay, he'll make the aliens pay.


2nd Squad has three new recruits who have not yet gone on missions with 2nd squad. You'll know them as SPEC Hordini, SPEC flamingkillamajig, and SPEC Bromsy. Although they have not yet gone on a real mission, 2nd squad is shaping up to be a powerful force on the battlefied -especially with 2 assault troopers and a rare gunner. Stay tuned for more 2nd platoon exploits.

Hell yea! Liking that description, and I have a awesome battlebuddy too! Looking good for all squads soo far too

Sgt_Scruffy wrote:

 KamikazeCanuck wrote:
Ugh, so I guess we completed the mission but got torn up pretty good. We won and everyone loved that's the main thing.

Can I request that helmet that's a glass dome and a red and black colour scheme. I had time to think about my look after spending a month in a hospital bed.

How's this?

Very cool. The helmut I'm looking for is the one in the bottom right of this image.



Maybe it's not in Long War or something. If not, don't worry about it. I'm probably jinxing myself anyway. Will Probably get shot in the head as soon as I get out there.


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Thanks for the roster breakdown! Go 2nd Platoon! We don't need no fancy "multi-squad" platoon stuff. That's for wusses.

I think that helmet is part of a certain armour set if I remember correctly.

 carlos13th wrote:
I think that helmet is part of a certain armour set if I remember correctly.

It may have been DLC but that should automatically be in Enemy Within now. I usually put it on my snipers.

Dr. Vahlen has been eyeing me again, not in the way most guys would like anyway.
She had mentioned something to me of a promising application of gene "therapy" that can enhance bone and muscle density.
I said that I did not do steroids.
She smirked and said "My steroids are on steroids so to speak." and walked away.
I think I need to get out in the field soon... getting shot-at is safer than being near a lab.

My reaction times are getting better.
That "enterprising individual" tried the grenade trick again at the range.
Rolling it back to him with a shotgun accelerant: very exciting.

I like this new-fangled holo-targeting thingie.
It is better than hosing the enemy down with neon paintball rounds!

I wonder if any of the "2nd" in med noticed the flowers I sent were actual poppies?
I figure they can use all the backup pain management they can get (I have no idea if those local blooms are the real drug deal).

Running on treadmill again, had music on shuffle... I considered it a good omen when "Can't touch this" fired up.
Got a lot of strange looks as I was bobbing around, one called the Doc thinking I was having some combat flashback.

Hit the bunk and hope I don't hear Bradford's voice for a while.

 KamikazeCanuck wrote:

Sgt_Scruffy wrote:

 KamikazeCanuck wrote:
Ugh, so I guess we completed the mission but got torn up pretty good. We won and everyone loved that's the main thing.

Can I request that helmet that's a glass dome and a red and black colour scheme. I had time to think about my look after spending a month in a hospital bed.

How's this?

Very cool. The helmut I'm looking for is the one in the bottom right of this image.



Maybe it's not in Long War or something. If not, don't worry about it. I'm probably jinxing myself anyway. Will Probably get shot in the head as soon as I get out there.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Thanks for the roster breakdown! Go 2nd Platoon! We don't need no fancy "multi-squad" platoon stuff. That's for wusses.

I *think* the helmet designs change as you get new armors - that one is so far not available.


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OPERATION BLIND SERPENT: April 23, 2015 Namibia

"Haha got another one. Splash one UFO!" crowed Puke as he banked the XF-105 around in a hard turn and boosted for home. "Wait until Rascal hears about how I got ANOTHER kill and he still doesn't have one! It'll drive him mad and I love it."
Bradford couldn't help but smile. The big Texan everyone called Puke had a ego a mile wide, but he could fly jets like no one's business.

"Okay people, we've got a downed UFO and some aliens are having a bad day! Let's make it a little worse - send the MOD squad after 'em. Alert 4th squad and tell them to gear up."



A small UFO crash is the perfect mission to train new recruits on. 4th squad wasn't happy about it, but two new cherries were assigned to the veteran bunch for this operation. Soldiers were beginning to wonder if the war would just amount to an unending series of UFO raids and abduction missions. Would XCOM ever go on the offense?

Dr. Vahlen especially was growing especially frustrated. "I made it clear to the Commandant that the only way we would win the war would be through capturing a live alien. The Commandant seemed to believe that we would be fighting a long war, whereas I believed this whole ordeal could be over in 6 months. Perhap the Commander knew something I did not, but her dedication to getting the troops the best equipment was.... understandable."

4th Squad moves into position. XCOM would move in clusters then spread out into cover when encountering aliens - much like the very E.T.s they were fighting.


Trondheim spots the familiar yellow glow of Meld to the east of the UFO and directs 4th squad across the open ground to secure it - only to find a Floater squad lurking near the substance.


And they blunder right into Carlos 13th's overwatch!


Motyak stuns the Floater squad leader as the rest of the squad crosses the no-man's land.


3 Drones move in to reinforce the beleaguered Floater.


Motyak takes the opportunity (after dealing a fatal blow to the remaining Floater) to grab the Meld.


With the meld secured, the rest of 4th squad opens fire on the surrounded drones.

Trondheim pounces on a grounded drone.


With the perimeter patrols taken care of, Trondheim pivots his squad on the objective.


The Outsider is triggered early.


4th Squad unleashes a hail of fire to down the outsider, including this slightly enthusiastic rocket from Malfred that singes our panic-prone rookie.


Our less panic-prone rookie finishes off the Outsider. Mission Complete. Well Done 4th Squad.


4th Squad brings in quite the haul including some much needed Meld.


A flawless mission means promotions for Carlos and Malfred. Carlos will improve his camoflage with low profile and Malfred will learn anti-robot techniques with HEAT warheads.


Usually, late April and early May is a little bit of a rough spot for me, but I think I finally un-learned all the lessons vanilla XCOM had pounded into my head. Long War is really a totally different experience.

2nd squad is really gonna have to step it up when we get out ofmedical... we might need to borrow killionaire too.

Also, Wombat and I are fighting, Ill be damned if I let a Ukrainian out-engineer me.

chaos0xomega wrote:
2nd squad is really gonna have to step it up when we get out ofmedical... we might need to borrow killionaire too.

Also, Wombat and I are fighting, Ill be damned if I let a Ukrainian out-engineer me.

May is fast approaching - we'll be fine.

... Or will we?

I will slay an alien for every drop of Russian blood they have spilled.

I think we really, really should capture an Alien. Better the devil you know and what not

I seem to just get loaned out to whatever squad needs a sniper at the time. I'm ok with that though as long as the rookies don't get me killed.

Sgt_Scruffy wrote:
Sorry this one is a little short, but there just wasn't a whole lot of "story" in this mission. The squad didn't take a scratch, the fights were over pretty quickly, and the aliens never stood a chance. It was as close to a "routine" mission as XCOM has had so far. Third Squad may not get the air time First Squad does, but they're racking up their own quite impressive win-streak here. I'd watch my back if I were you 1st squad. Third Squad is gunning for top spot.

100% alien casualties with nary a scratch? I'll take that as routine. Proud of you third squad.

Talizvar wrote:"Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result." - Winston Churchill
- Steam, you keep sneaking up on them buddy and I will keep them busy: shooting or shot at.

That's StReam to you soldier! But yeah, loving how well the team works.

Sgt_Scruffy wrote:
XCOM Order of Battle: 3rd Squad (Official Motto: Go 3rd or Go Home, Unofficial Nickname: The Boys with the Toys)

There are one word people often use when describing third squad. That word is solid. Third squad gets the job done and they don't make a big deal out of it. It's all in a day's work. Other squads have noted that 3rd squad often enjoys the benefits of new equipment being fielded to them first, but third squad counters saying that they have the first confirmed kills on Seekers, Thin Men, and Floaters so experiencing new things is a tradition with them. A friendly rivalry is fast developing with 4th squad as the two squad leaders compete in everything from how many panacakes they can eat on Sunday mornings to how many kills they get in an average mission.

3rd Squad's leader is the inimitable Stream Dragon. Solid applies to 3rd squad and it especially applies to Stream Dragon. He takes care of his men and prefers to let them get on with the killing while he maneuvers to nab that one critical kill in the mission. No one thing stands out about Stream Dragon - all of his stats are good.
>image snipped<

Leader's only as good as his team. Keep making me proud 3rd squad.

Funnily enough, 3 is my lucky number.

 Trondheim wrote:
I think we really, really should capture an Alien. Better the devil you know and what not

We'll start working on it probably come summer time. Long War is LONG - studying aliens will bring a host of benefits, but right now I feel like I'm ahead of the power curve. Nations also panic slower in Long War so I can afford to put off the alien base assault.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 carlos13th wrote:
I seem to just get loaned out to whatever squad needs a sniper at the time. I'm ok with that though as long as the rookies don't get me killed.

In the early months, I've been critically short on sniper who I like to level up right after I get some reliable assaults and infatnry to protect them from Seekers. You've been handed around a little, but part of that was a clerical error on my part. Your true home is 3rd squad.

Sgt_Scruffy wrote:

 Trondheim wrote:
I think we really, really should capture an Alien. Better the devil you know and what not

We'll start working on it probably come summer time. Long War is LONG - studying aliens will bring a host of benefits, but right now I feel like I'm ahead of the power curve. Nations also panic slower in Long War so I can afford to put off the alien base assault.


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 carlos13th wrote:
I seem to just get loaned out to whatever squad needs a sniper at the time. I'm ok with that though as long as the rookies don't get me killed.

In the early months, I've been critically short on sniper who I like to level up right after I get some reliable assaults and infantry to protect them from Seekers. You've been handed around a little, but part of that was a clerical error on my part. Your true home is 3rd squad.

Here's a quick run down on where we stand as April wraps up.


As you can see, our first round of prototype laser weapons is about to come on line. The OTS is just about complete and another SHIV is on the way. I never played much with SHIVs in any of my Vanilla XCOM play throughs, but they seem like a lot of fun and I think it will provide a nice narrative angle.

I actually was just expecting April to end with a whimper, but the aliens had other ideas


OPERATION SWIFT SMOKE: Alien Terror Raid, Samara 24 April, 2015


"The Alien Blitz in later April took everyone by surprise. There was no point trying to keep the aliens a secret anymore - they were here and they just announced themselves. Multiple cities suffered bombing raids, but Samara, Russia seemed to be suffering a particularly brutal assault. No one knew why the aliens chose the mid-sized city along the Volga, but XCOM responded just the same.

As XCOM medical and most of 3rd squad restrained Chaos 0xomega from hobbling onto the Skyranger (she would be out for 1 more week before returning to duty), 1st squad geared up. The Commander personally intervened and mandated additonal troops be brought in from 2nd in the form of Dead Meat the Rocketeer and from 4th in Demented Wombat the Engineer. The Commander seemed convinced that copious explosives would be required. He was rarely wrong.

1st Squad is augmented with members of 2nd and 4th.


Here you can see that the squad has loaded up on explosives on the recommendation of the Commander.

The plan had been to slowly advance and take the top of the construction at the top right of this picture. Instead, we take contact while still being stuck in the open. I hate fething floaters.


Silver decides that the best defense is a good offense. Legion 8 takes this to heart. Although he is stranded in the open, he begins the relentless (some would say cold-hearted) assault on the alien position. The Floaters had been using civilians as shields, and Silver made the tough choice to open fire anyway.



While Esubius stands in the LZ and pins the rear Floater, CthuluSpy has been engaging the front Floater. Silver Mk2 flashbangs the third Floater - unintentionally hitting his human shield.


Dead Meat claims the last wounded Floater and the squad takes up positions around the newly blood and shrapnel spattered cars. XCOM moves out to rescue civilians even as they listen to a strange... skittering sound.
OH GOD


The lids rush me and the squad leader Chryssalid (the one with the most health) tanks my overwatch because he has lightning reflexes (-90% to hit on first Overwatch, -70% to hit on subsequent). HOWEVER, they activate to just the right spot. They basically surround themselves and they don't spread out. I knew there was a reason I took so many grenades and shotguns.

"It all happened so fast. We rounded the corner of the construction site and this.... I can only describe it as a ball of claws, slime, and teeth came running at us. They were fast ... Jesus they were fast. They were in and around us before we could even so much as line up a shot. I thought for sure we were dead when I heard Wombat yell "Frag Out!" Everyone dove for cover and the explosive seemed to momentarily stun them. Esubius Walrus's also primed a grenade and sent it rolling towards the now confused monsters. Maybe we wouldn't die this time."
--Dead Meat recounting first contact with Chryssalids

AP grenades don't penetrate cover - which makes them perfect vs. 'Lids since Lids don't use cover. Wombat takes cover.

And lands a good grenade hit.

Esubius lands another grenade hit

Cthulu Spy claims a Lid kill.

Everyone contributes to taking down the 'Lids, but Silver claims the squad leader personally.


Chryssalids, when they activate on their own are usually pretty easy in Long War. You have enough soliders and enough equipment to take them down (especially since everyone can carry AP/Flashbang grenades. Later on when you have 'Lids mixed in with Seekers, Floaters, Mutons etc they become a nightmare. The AI is good at exploiting the lightning reflexes of the leader Lids. With the chryssalids taken care of, I move off to take care of the remaining floaters who have been happily slaughtering civilians while their buddies were murdered.

Esubius Walrus spots three more floaters


Esubius carefully aims and claims a Floater kill.


Dead Meat sends a shredder rocket down range.


CthuluSpy suppresses a Floater.


The Floaters just decided to shoot civilians the entire time. This is good because it means my guys don't get hit. This is bad because the civilians have pretty much zero defense. The floaters always hit. The more civilians They proved zero challenge because they never really engaged me.

Operation Swift Smoke was once again an unparalleled success for 1st Squad. Between Floaters refusing to fight and Chryssalids lining up for the slaughter 1st squad didn't take a scratch. Demented Wombat would be granted 14 days convalescence leave to recover from back to back missions. A SPEC Legion 8 would be renamed Hordini in the coming days.


Demented Wombat is now officially the deadliest XCOM operative on a kill per mission ratio.

So here's the bad news. Terror missions ALWAYS raise panic in long war. Depending on how many civilians you save depends on how much that panic raises. Panic up by 10 isn't too bad actually, but it's not great. Next time we'll shoot for saving 14 civiies - not 10.


Global Situation at the end of April. Asia is worse off although Russia took a big jump with that terror mission. South America and Africa seem to be leading the global repsonse.


Xenobiology being completed gives me the option of giving away corpses for scientists. Yes Please, Vahlen had been HOUNDING me all month about scientists. We NEED them badly.



Oh baby, baby. The first batch of laser rifles finish up. Just in time for third squad to be first up in rotation.


Good mission! Good mission. With 2nd squad still definitely out of action, they get skipped in the rotation. Look out for Stream Dragon and his third squad next time on XCOM Long War: The Dakka Diaries.

I don't mind just point me in the right direction and I'll shoot anything non human that comes into view no matter what the squad (as long as I'm on over watch.)

Neard walrus got another kill on the field. We will have to start keeping score of our kills. Lowest score gets the beers in once the aliens are dead.

Well done, well done indeed. Too bad we could not save more of the defenceles civilans.
But by Odin the scum will pay for this cowardly act

This is bs, I should have been on that mission, injured or not *pouts*

I have to admit that when those 'lids appeared I thought that even with one of 2nd squad on mission we might have carried enough of their curse to really get mauled. Thankfully they all decided to cluster and we had enough grenades to blast those scythe limbed freaks to so much mush. I am particularly pleased with the shot from my bodycam showing the last seconds of the alpha creature before I filled it full of lead. Well fought all round - we really pulled together as a team.

Also - shivs are awesome. I took three for the final mission in vanilla and held them in reserve for the end, kept the humans out of the way from the mind control guys and drove one in, shot the head guy without triggering the rest of the aliens then overwatched him with a second drone and finished the game in 2 shots

I may have to recant my stance on grenades: if there is a "Chryst" around (I call them that since I tend to call out God's son when I see them )

I think Wombat did not even expect to be as deadly in combat as an Engineer.
"Now let me see, allow for velocity with some roll, cement, so less friction... yep, right about there... GRENADE!!! (This is so much more fun than design!)"

So StReam leading us fearlessly into the breach... or more like I run into it and he shoots whatever pops up oddly, I kinda like it that way.
" <running> Whoa! <zap!> haha.. can't touch this! Say helloooo to my little frien... <boom!> Darn! vulturing Stream..."

<Breaking 4th wall> Notice in the pictures of the people in the line-up the clothing between their legs are AWEFULLY dark... I am just saying these encounters may be more scary than Scruffy is letting on.

carlos13th wrote:I don't mind just point me in the right direction and I'll shoot anything non human that comes into view no matter what the squad (as long as I'm on over watch.)

Neard walrus got another kill on the field. We will have to start keeping score of our kills. Lowest score gets the beers in once the aliens are dead.

The snipers are starting to come into their own. I've got special plans for you and 3rd squad though.

Trondheim wrote:Well done, well done indeed. Too bad we could not save more of the defenceles civilans.
But by Odin the scum will pay for this cowardly act

Considering that their "war" so far had killed 1 XCOM operative and 8 civilians I'm going to call our defense pretty succesfful.

chaos0xomega wrote:This is bs, I should have been on that mission, injured or not *pouts*

6 days and counting and you'll be out of the hospital and back in action.

SilverMK2 wrote:I have to admit that when those 'lids appeared I thought that even with one of 2nd squad on mission we might have carried enough of their curse to really get mauled. Thankfully they all decided to cluster and we had enough grenades to blast those scythe limbed freaks to so much mush. I am particularly pleased with the shot from my bodycam showing the last seconds of the alpha creature before I filled it full of lead. Well fought all round - we really pulled together as a team.

Also - shivs are awesome. I took three for the final mission in vanilla and held them in reserve for the end, kept the humans out of the way from the mind control guys and drove one in, shot the head guy without triggering the rest of the aliens then overwatched him with a second drone and finished the game in 2 shots

Yeah, SHIVs are really cool. The issue is I don't want to become too reliant on them. Right now I'm using them in missions where I might need a suicide flanker or to keep from hitting the dreaded fatigue spiral. As the alien response ramps up, XCOM will get worn down. In one play through, I had to send a squad with only 5 men on it because the other 35 were either fatigued or in sick bay.

Sgt_Scruffy wrote:
Yeah, SHIVs are really cool. The issue is I don't want to become too reliant on them. Right now I'm using them in missions where I might need a suicide flanker or to keep from hitting the dreaded fatigue spiral. As the alien response ramps up, XCOM will get worn down. In one play through, I had to send a squad with only 5 men on it because the other 35 were either fatigued or in sick bay.

Wow, fatigue / wounded is no joke (Definitely NOT joking about chaos0xomega ).
Hard choice to either: add one to each squad to beef up the number of squads or keep throwing "Legions" into the newbie grind.
The mid-game will probably be scary as you add more down time for soldiers undergoing mods of any kind.

Chrysilids have lightening reflexes now?! Good god.