XCOM: Chimera Squad is a shorter version of a standard XCOM game, with simplified tactical combat and fewer choices you’ll have to make in the strategy layer — and yet, it’s still easy to lose control and fail before the end. To help with that, we’re going to share some of the best tips to help you complete the campaign.
It’s all about prioritizing what’s important and ignoring the stuff that doesn’t matter. Your first goal on any difficulty is to get your unrest situation under control, pick the right faction to fight right away, and level up your best teammates. As long as you have four principal operators, you’ll be able to take on (basically) any challenge.
More XCOM: Chimera Squad guides:
Powerful Combos | Best Abilities, Weapon Loadouts & Characters | All Epic Weapons & Special Abilities List | How To Use Cheats | Console Commands Guide | ‘Take Down Atlas’ Walkthrough | Final Mission Guide
If you’re aiming to crush the campaign, keep these tips in mind. The alien menace is tough, but if you take your time and make the right decisions from the start, you’ll be able to overcome any challenge.
Investigation Tips
- Don’t select the Sacred Coil first! I recommend choosing Progeny -> Gray Phoenix -> Sacred Coil. Sacred Coil is incredibly tough for your first investigation. Better to save them for last.
- Avoid completing purple missions that reward you with “+2 Days Toward Operation Reveal” — especially early on. You want to complete as many missions as possible so your team can get promoted.
- Continue to do missions / earn rewards / get XP until your main operation’s unrest level reaches red. You can continue to do missions and ignore the main mission with no repercussions.
City Map Tips
- Use your intel to purchase Field Teams for every region of the city. You’ll want to focus mostly on unlocking Security Teams so you can earn more Intel.
- Start buy purchasing a Field Team for every district, then upgrade them all to Level 2, and finally upgrade them all to Level 3. Quickly upgrade one district to Level 3, then focus on broadly upgrading them all.
- You’ll want Level 3 Field Teams of all three types — at least one of each. After that, you’ll just need lots of Intel. Intel is used to purchase more Field Teams, and to purchase items from the Scavenger Market.
- You can get free Field Teams as a mission reward, or by completing a specific Spec Ops type. Be on the lookout for those free Field Teams!
Assembly Tips
- Research Armor upgrades and enhanced Assembly / Spec Ops / Training first.
- You’ll unlock second slots at the Assembly / Spec Ops / Training facilities by upgrading your Field Teams to Level 3.
- Assembly = Rank 3 Tech Team
- Training = Rank 3 Finance Team
- Spec Ops = Rank 3 Security Team
- Assembly is the most important. Start with that — you’ll be able to rapidly unlock new Armor and other technologies. Save most of your money for purchasing these upgrades from Supply once they’re finished.
- In the mid-game, you can save money and ignore Mastercraft Weapon projects — instead, use Intel to purchase Epic Weapons, or find Epic Weapons in special missions. They’re way more useful.
Mission Tips
- Try to evenly spread kills out. If you have Principles on your mission (highest rank agents), try to let lower-level soldiers score kills instead. You want to constantly earn promotions for as many characters as possible.
- If an agent is gravely wounded, it will take two days of Training to remove a scar. Scars are usually extremely bad, so use this time to complete investigations (blue missions) or train alternate characters.
- For main missions, try to bring your primary squad. Only swap in one (two max) lower level operators if they need to earn XP.
- Lots of side-missions end with endless reinforcements assaulting your team. Usually, these are pretty easy to handle. Move all your characters to the evac, then fight for as long as you can to score bonus kills for promotions.
Loadout Tips
- Complete the Gray Phoenix investigation to gain the Regen Weave. It’s extremely good for characters like Axiom or Zephyr. With the Regen Weave equipped on armor, you’ll regenerate +2 HP at the start of every turn.
- The Motile Inducer is a rare item you can sometimes earn as a reward from missions, or find in the Scavenger Market. Buy them! This OP item is a free action, and can be used to give a character an immediate full turn.
- Always be on the lookout for Epic Weapons. These weapons have special weapon abilities that are integral to the end-game. Abilities like Lightning Hands, Rapid Fire, Chain Shot, Banish, and more are only available by equipping these weapons. You can down bosses in a single turn.
- Purchase Medi-patch and Medkits early. Medkits are a free action, and medi-patch allows you to heal everyone at a breach point before entering a new encounter.
- Mach Weave is extremely useful early in the game. With this equipped, you’ll gain +50 Dodge. Give it to everyone until you think you’ve found something better.
- Weapon Mods like the Stock (and especially the Superior Stock) are incredibly important for downing annoying enemies with only 1 HP left.
Every instance of the campaign is slightly different, so we can’t walk you through the entire game. But, with these general tips in mind, you should be able to overcome the odds.
