At the start of XCOM: Chimera Squad, you’re given a choice between three factions — depending on the order you choose, you can unlock special rewards and face challenging enemies. Here, I’m going to break down everything you need to know about the factions — what characters are strong against them, what order to fight them in, and what rewards you’ll earn for taking them down.
Before going in too deep, let’s take a moment to discuss the Sacred Coil. There’s some controversy in the community all related to the Sacred Coil faction — they’re a great of religious zealots, and they’re way too difficult to fight as your first choice. Don’t pick the Sacred Coil first! Seriously, you’ll regret it once you reach their cathedral. It’s a real killer.
More XCOM: Chimera Squad guides:
Everything You Need To Know To Beat The Campaign | Tips & Tricks | 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
There are three factions you’ll get to select at the start of your campaign — Progeny, Gray Phoenix, and Sacred Coil.
Progeny: A faction of psychics — high number of psychic enemies. Unique enemies include Acolytes that can shield other troops, low level Thrall cannon-fodder, and Sorcerers. Sorcerers are the toughest, using Tyranny to upgrade other units, and can completely block incoming damage.
- Difficulty: Low – A good first pick.
- Strengths / Weaknesses: High number of psychic enemies. Generally, they have lower HP and no armor.
- Best Characters: Verge can use his psychic powers against them, and he’s immune to their powers. Shelter can unlock a special power that guards nearby soldiers from all mental status effects.
- Assembly Rewards: You’ll earn the following assembly projects for completing this investigation.
- Talon Rounds
- Relocation Disc
- Mindshield
- Turncoat Grenade
- Lift Grenade
Gray Phoenix: A military army of Brutes with a focus on destruction, armor, and combat tactics. Gray Phoenix uses lower-level Legionnaires with close-combat capabilities. Their toughest units are the Bombers and Praetorians — Praetorians are officers that are extremely tough, and have the Duel ability so their shots land 100% of the time.
- Difficulty: Medium – A good second pick, but can be fought first.
- Strengths / Weaknesses: Heavy troops with plenty of explosives and melee power, they tend to be armored up. They’re weak to psychic and any type of stun.
- Best Characters: Axiom and Zephyr can counter their close-range combat abilities, while Blue Blood can pick these huge monsters off from afar. Just about any character is good around these basic soldiers.
- Assembly Rewards:
- Overdrive Serum
- Hellweave
- Regen Weave
- Gas Grenade
- Venom Rounds
Sacred Coil: An army of ADVENT fanatics with glossy military gear and an army of Androids / MECs. They have annoying post-ADVENT troops like Guardians that can generate shields for everyone in the area, or use their Ronin to go on close-combat rampages.
- Difficulty: High — They’re extremely tough. Make sure to save this group as your second or third pick.
- Strengths / Weaknesses: The Sacred Coil relies heavily on robots. You’ll fight Turrets, Androids, and MECs. These highly armored opponents also have specific weaknesses — Blue Screen Rounds, Shock Grenades, and more.
- Best Characters: Patchwork is 100% required for fighting the Sacred Coil. You’ll need her Chain Jolt ability and her Reprogram to rapidly defeat robots or hack them to your side.
- Assembly Rewards:
- Bubble Grenade
- Bubble Weave
- Kinetic Screen
- Incendiary Grenade
- Dragon Rounds
