Fire Emblem was the first game that Geoff recommended I buy when I got my 3DS. He and Darryn raved about it for hours on end, so eventually I bought it. They weren’t trolling me – that game is intense. With a combination of perma-death and relationships, every battle is so tense. Could anything be worse than watching your favorite squad mate die in battle? Yes, when that squad mate is actually the child of other squad mates whose relationship you carefully cultivated. And now XCOM 2 is getting some of that intensity.
XCOM 2 is already all about your squad, but now a mod is adding some emotional buffs to the experience. The Squad Cohesion mod (thanks Game Informer) brings in a loyalty system similar to Fire Emblem, but without the romance:
This mod puts a dash of Fire Emblem into your XCOM, leveraging a “squadmate score” system left in by Firaxis to give small buffs for squads that trust in each other.
Characters can receive buffs for having strong ties with their teammates for stats like aiming, defense, mobility, hacking, will and critical hit chance. This means that the more your squad mates know and trust each other, the better they’ll perform on the battle field. Relationships can be built by healing a soldier, stabilizing a down soldier, carrying a squad mate off the battlefield or killing an enemy flanking a comrade.
However, there’s a downside to this as well. If a beloved teammate is killed in battle, there are penalties – the closer the bond the higher the likelihood that the comrade will become Shaken. Talk about higher stakes.
I love mechanisms like these. It adds so much to the immersion in the game. Of course my squad will grow closer through fighting alongside each other. Saving each other, healing each other – these activities grow friendships and change the chemistry on the battlefield. This can be a good and a bad thing, but either way, I’m happy to see this kind of mod coming to XCOM 2. Just don’t let my squad have children that also fight; Fire Emblem taught me that those experiences are far too high stakes.
Last Updated: April 11, 2016
Alien Emperor Trevor
April 11, 2016 at 08:45
That sounds really cool. One nice thing about getting games later is when I eventually do, there’s often some kickass mods available.
Admiral Chief in New York
April 11, 2016 at 08:49
Yusssssss, this sounds awesome!
I’ve started my second playthrough on the side, will definitely give this mod a shot!
Captain JJ the Isolatid
April 11, 2016 at 08:52
I’m loving XCOM Enemy Unknown so far. Put 11 hours into it this weekend.
Admiral Chief in New York
April 11, 2016 at 08:59
How many have you lost?
Captain JJ the Isolatid
April 11, 2016 at 09:00
Actually very few and I even had one woman that was with me right from the start. I made her hair pink because I thought it looked badass right at the start…who knew she’d be the one to make it all the way.
Captain JJ the Isolatid
April 11, 2016 at 09:01
I did, however, lose a LOT of people near the end. You just get two new people, the boom, both are gone.
The newbies started to feel like the expendable soldiers in near the end.
HvR
April 11, 2016 at 11:18
Wonder if somebody thought of modding in explosive vests?
Alien Emperor Trevor
April 11, 2016 at 09:08
Every time I was online I saw you playing it 😀
Captain JJ the Isolatid
April 11, 2016 at 09:16
Damn addictive, that one.
Alien Emperor Trevor
April 11, 2016 at 09:22
I chucked a few hours into Mad Max yesterday, it’s quite fun so far. I’ve got a new car, a big bushy beard and a dog. I’ve eaten dog food straight from the can and maggots fresh from a corpse.
Captain JJ the Isolatid
April 11, 2016 at 09:24
Ah man. Sounds like something I’d enjoy…not the maggots part, or the dog food part.
I saw you go in yesterday and then it made me want to download mine.
Alien Emperor Trevor
April 11, 2016 at 09:34
As long as you enjoy clearing points of interest off a map and upgrading stuff you’ll have a blast for many many hours. Runs beautifully too, zero issues whatsoever.
Captain JJ the Isolatid
April 11, 2016 at 09:41
I’m all about chasing question marks on a map 😀
Excellent. Yes. I think that’s next on the list.
HvR
April 11, 2016 at 11:19
I’m currently busy doing that in the game that made you famous.
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
April 11, 2016 at 08:53
On my list. My list is growing….