XCOM 2: War of the Chosen has earned acclaim for its deep tactical gameplay and engaging story. Yet, the game’s modding community has taken this rich experience even further, providing enhancements that significantly improve gameplay, graphics, and user experience. In this extensive review, we will explore some of the best mods available for XCOM 2: War of the Chosen, providing a comprehensive guide to enhance your gameplay experience.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction to Modding in XCOM 2: War of the Chosen
1.1. Why Modding Matters
Modding extends the lifespan and replayability of games by allowing players to customize and enhance their experience. In XCOM 2: War of the Chosen, mods can address various aspects, such as improving graphics, adding new content, tweaking game mechanics, and creating quality-of-life improvements. These modifications can tailor the game to fit personal preferences and provide new challenges and opportunities.
1.2. Installing and Managing Mods
To get started with mods, you’ll need to use the Steam Workshop or install mods manually through platforms like Nexus Mods. Tools like the XCOM 2 Mod Launcher can simplify the process of managing and organizing your mods. It’s crucial to ensure that the mods you select are compatible with each other and with the latest version of the game to avoid conflicts and crashes.
2. Essential Mods for Enhancing Gameplay
2.1. Long War 2
Overview: Long War 2 is a comprehensive overhaul mod that expands and refines the core gameplay of XCOM 2. It adds depth and complexity to the game’s mechanics, providing a more challenging and immersive experience.
Key Features:
- Extended Campaign: Long War 2 significantly lengthens the campaign, introducing new missions, objectives, and story elements.
- Increased Tactical Depth: The mod enhances tactical gameplay by adding new soldier classes, abilities, and equipment. It also revises enemy behaviors and strategies, making battles more dynamic.
- Expanded Strategic Layer: The strategic layer of the game is also expanded, with more diverse missions and a deeper global strategy. This includes new mechanics for resource management and base development.
Why It’s Great: For players seeking a more challenging and extended experience, Long War 2 is an essential mod. It provides a fresh take on the game, with new content and mechanics that enhance the overall experience.
2.2. War of the Chosen – Tactical Legacy Pack
Overview: The Tactical Legacy Pack is an official DLC that also serves as a mod for players looking to integrate new content into their War of the Chosen experience.
Key Features:
- New Mission Types: The pack introduces new mission types and scenarios, offering additional gameplay variety.
- Legacy Characters: Players can recruit characters from the original XCOM and XCOM: Enemy Within games, adding a nostalgic element to the roster.
- Additional Equipment: New weapons and gear are included, providing more options for customizing your squad.
Why It’s Great: This mod is ideal for players who want to revisit classic elements of the XCOM series while enjoying new content and challenges. It seamlessly integrates with War of the Chosen and expands the game’s replayability.
2.3. The Last Gift
Overview: The Last Gift mod adds a unique and engaging storyline to XCOM 2, providing players with new missions and narrative elements.
Key Features:
- New Storyline: The mod introduces a new story arc, complete with new characters and plot twists.
- Custom Missions: Players can experience a variety of new missions that integrate with the existing game mechanics.
- Enhanced Voice Acting: The mod features professional voice acting, adding depth and immersion to the new storyline.
Why It’s Great: For players who enjoy narrative-driven content, The Last Gift offers a fresh and compelling storyline that enhances the overall experience of XCOM 2.
2.4. Additional Soldiers
Overview: Mods that add new soldier classes and abilities can significantly diversify gameplay and strategy. Several mods provide additional classes, each with unique skills and roles.
Key Features:
- New Classes: Mods like The Furies and The Plague Doctor add new soldier classes with distinct abilities and playstyles.
- Varied Roles: Each new class comes with its own set of skills and equipment, allowing for more varied and strategic squad compositions.
- Customization Options: These mods often include customization options for appearance and equipment, adding to the variety of your squad.
Why It’s Great: Adding new soldier classes allows players to experiment with different strategies and playstyles, enriching the tactical depth of the game.
3. Visual and Audio Enhancements
3.1. Realistic Lighting Mod
Overview: The Realistic Lighting Mod enhances the visual fidelity of XCOM 2 by improving lighting and environmental effects.
Key Features:
- Improved Lighting: The mod updates the game’s lighting system, providing more realistic and dynamic lighting effects.
- Enhanced Textures: Environmental textures are improved, making the game world more immersive and detailed.
- Dynamic Shadows: Shadows are more dynamic and lifelike, adding to the visual realism of the game.
Why It’s Great: For players who prioritize visual aesthetics, this mod enhances the game’s graphical quality, making the environments more immersive and visually appealing.
3.2. High-Resolution Textures
Overview: High-Resolution Textures is a mod that upgrades the game’s textures to improve visual quality and clarity.
Key Features:
- Enhanced Detail: The mod provides higher-resolution textures for characters, environments, and objects.
- Improved Clarity: Textures are sharper and more detailed, enhancing the overall visual fidelity of the game.
- Compatibility: The mod is compatible with various other visual enhancement mods, allowing for a comprehensive upgrade to the game’s graphics.
Why It’s Great: This mod is perfect for players looking to enhance the visual quality of XCOM 2, providing a more polished and high-definition experience.
3.3. Custom Soundtracks
Overview: Custom Soundtracks mods allow players to replace or enhance the game’s music with their preferred tracks or new compositions.
Key Features:
- Personalized Music: Players can import their own music or choose from a selection of new tracks to enhance the game’s atmosphere.
- Dynamic Soundtracks: Some mods offer dynamic soundtracks that change based on the in-game situation, adding to the immersion.
- Enhanced Audio Experience: The mod can improve the overall audio experience, making battles and exploration more engaging.
Why It’s Great: For players who enjoy customizing their gaming experience, adding or changing the soundtrack can significantly enhance immersion and enjoyment.
4. Quality of Life Improvements
4.1. Mod Config Menu
Overview: The Mod Config Menu mod provides an interface for configuring and managing various mods in XCOM 2.
Key Features:
- Centralized Management: The mod allows players to adjust settings and configurations for all installed mods in one place.
- User-Friendly Interface: It offers an easy-to-navigate menu for adjusting mod settings and ensuring compatibility.
- Customizable Options: Players can modify various aspects of the game’s mods, tailoring the experience to their preferences.
Why It’s Great: This mod simplifies the process of managing and configuring multiple mods, making it easier to customize your gameplay experience.
4.2. Squad Select
Overview: The Squad Select mod improves the interface for selecting and managing your squad before missions.
Key Features:
- Enhanced Interface: The mod provides a more user-friendly interface for selecting soldiers and managing their equipment.
- Efficient Management: Players can quickly access and modify squad members, streamlining the preparation process.
- Customization Options: The mod includes options for customizing the squad selection screen to better fit your preferences.
Why It’s Great: This mod enhances the quality of life by making squad management more efficient and intuitive, reducing the time spent on pre-mission preparation.
4.3. Enhanced Tactical Info
Overview: Enhanced Tactical Info mod provides additional information and indicators during tactical missions.
Key Features:
- Detailed Info: The mod displays additional tactical information, such as enemy health, armor, and abilities.
- Improved Indicators: Visual indicators are enhanced, making it easier to assess the battlefield and plan strategies.
- Customizable Options: Players can adjust the level of detail and type of information displayed based on their preferences.
Why It’s Great: For players who want more detailed information during battles, this mod provides valuable insights that can aid in tactical decision-making.
5. Custom Content and Expansion
5.1. Alien Hunter Pack
Overview: The Alien Hunter Pack adds new alien enemies and challenges to the game, providing additional content for players to experience.
Key Features:
- New Aliens: The pack introduces new alien species with unique abilities and behaviors.
- Challenging Encounters: Players face off against powerful alien adversaries in new missions and scenarios.
- Additional Rewards: Defeating new aliens rewards players with special gear and equipment.
Why It’s Great: For players looking to expand their roster of enemies and face new challenges, the Alien Hunter Pack offers exciting new content and gameplay opportunities.
5.2. Tactical Playthroughs
Overview: Tactical Playthroughs is a mod designed to offer new tactical challenges and scenarios to enhance the strategic depth of XCOM 2: War of the Chosen. It provides a fresh layer of complexity to the game’s tactical missions.
Key Features:
- Custom Missions: The mod adds a variety of custom missions with unique objectives and environmental conditions.
- Diverse Challenges: Players encounter different types of tactical challenges, such as unique enemy formations, environmental hazards, and special mission conditions.
- Enhanced Replayability: By introducing new scenarios and objectives, Tactical Playthroughs boosts the game’s replay value and keeps the tactical gameplay engaging.
Why It’s Great: This mod is ideal for players seeking to push their tactical skills to the limit. It provides a range of new scenarios that demand strategic thinking and adaptability, enriching the overall gameplay experience.
5.3. XCOM 2: War of the Chosen – Community Highlander
Overview: The Community Highlander mod is a powerful tool that offers a variety of enhancements and fixes not covered by other mods. It acts as a framework that other mods can rely on, providing a more stable and customizable experience.
Key Features:
- Bug Fixes and Improvements: The mod addresses various bugs and performance issues in the game, improving stability and playability.
- Customization Options: It allows players to configure and tweak various aspects of the game, such as gameplay mechanics and interface options.
- Compatibility Enhancements: Community Highlander improves compatibility between different mods, reducing conflicts and ensuring a smoother experience.
Why It’s Great: For players who use multiple mods, Community Highlander provides essential stability and compatibility improvements. It ensures that the game runs smoothly and that mods work together seamlessly.
6. Enhancing Immersion and Roleplaying
6.1. Realistic Damage
Overview: The Realistic Damage mod adjusts the damage system in XCOM 2, making it more realistic and challenging.
Key Features:
- Adjusted Damage Values: The mod revises damage values for both player and enemy units, creating a more realistic and balanced combat experience.
- Increased Tactical Considerations: Players must account for the revised damage system when planning their strategies, adding depth to tactical decisions.
- Enhanced Difficulty: The mod increases the overall difficulty of combat, providing a greater challenge for experienced players.
Why It’s Great: For players looking for a more realistic and challenging combat experience, Realistic Damage enhances the tactical depth of the game. It makes battles more intense and requires careful planning.
6.2. Expanded Customization
Overview: Expanded Customization mods allow players to further personalize their soldiers, from appearance to gear and abilities.
Key Features:
- Increased Customization Options: Players can customize soldier appearance with a wider range of options, including new hairstyles, uniforms, and accessories.
- Gear and Weapon Customization: The mod provides additional customization options for weapons and gear, allowing for a more personalized loadout.
- Unique Abilities: Some mods offer the ability to create custom soldier abilities and perks, tailoring characters to fit specific playstyles.
Why It’s Great: Expanded Customization mods enhance the roleplaying aspect of XCOM 2, allowing players to create soldiers that reflect their personal preferences and style. It adds depth to the character creation process and makes the game more immersive.
6.3. Immersive HUD
Overview: The Immersive HUD mod improves the game’s user interface, making it more immersive and less intrusive.
Key Features:
- Streamlined Interface: The mod redesigns the HUD to be less cluttered and more aesthetically pleasing, improving the overall visual experience.
- Enhanced Immersion: By reducing on-screen distractions and providing more contextual information, the mod enhances immersion during tactical missions.
- Customizable Display: Players can adjust the HUD settings to fit their preferences, balancing between immersion and functionality.
Why It’s Great: For players who want a more immersive and visually pleasing interface, the Immersive HUD mod offers a refined user experience. It enhances the game’s atmosphere and keeps the focus on the action.
7. Improving Strategic Management
7.1. Advanced Warfare
Overview: Advanced Warfare mod offers deeper strategic options for managing your XCOM base and resources.
Key Features:
- Expanded Base Management: The mod adds new features for base management, including additional facilities and upgrades.
- Resource Management: Players can manage resources with greater complexity, including new types of resources and supply chains.
- Strategic Decisions: The mod introduces new strategic decisions and options, adding depth to the strategic layer of the game.
Why It’s Great: For players who enjoy the strategic management aspects of XCOM 2, Advanced Warfare enhances the depth and complexity of base and resource management. It provides more choices and challenges for strategic planning.
7.2. Better Advent
Overview: Better Advent improves the behavior and tactics of the Advent forces, making them more challenging and varied.
Key Features:
- Enhanced AI: The mod revises Advent enemy AI to be more intelligent and unpredictable, providing a more engaging combat experience.
- New Enemy Types: Players face new and varied enemy types, each with unique abilities and tactics.
- Dynamic Encounters: Battles become more dynamic and challenging, requiring players to adapt their strategies.
Why It’s Great: Better Advent increases the challenge and variety of enemy encounters, making tactical battles more engaging and rewarding. It enhances the overall difficulty of the game and keeps players on their toes.
7.3. XCOM 2: War of the Chosen – Tactical Mod Manager
Overview: The Tactical Mod Manager helps players organize and configure their mods efficiently.
Key Features:
- Mod Organization: The mod manager allows players to organize and sort their mods, ensuring that they are loaded in the correct order.
- Conflict Resolution: It helps resolve conflicts between mods and ensures compatibility.
- Custom Profiles: Players can create custom profiles for different mod configurations, making it easier to switch between different setups.
Why It’s Great: For players using multiple mods, the Tactical Mod Manager simplifies the process of managing and configuring mods. It ensures a smoother and more stable experience.
8. Conclusion
Mods are an essential part of the XCOM 2: War of the Chosen experience, offering countless ways to enhance and personalize the game. From gameplay overhauls and visual improvements to quality-of-life enhancements and immersive content, the best mods can significantly enrich your time with the game.
8.1. Summary of the Best Mods
- Long War 2: For an extended and challenging campaign with added tactical depth.
- War of the Chosen – Tactical Legacy Pack: For integrating classic content and new mission types.
- The Last Gift: For a fresh and engaging narrative experience.
- Realistic Lighting: For improved visual aesthetics and realism.
- High-Resolution Textures: For enhanced graphical quality.
- Custom Soundtracks: For a personalized audio experience.
- Mod Config Menu: For efficient mod management.
- Squad Select: For improved squad management.
- Enhanced Tactical Info: For detailed tactical information.
8.2. Modding Community
The modding community for XCOM 2 is vibrant and dedicated, constantly creating and refining mods to enhance the game. Participating in forums, sharing experiences, and providing feedback can help improve the modding ecosystem and foster a collaborative environment.
8.3. Future Prospects
As XCOM 2 continues to receive updates and new content, the modding community will likely produce even more innovative and exciting mods. Keeping an eye on forums and modding platforms will ensure that you stay updated on the latest and greatest mods available.
In conclusion, mods can transform XCOM 2: War of the Chosen into a uniquely personalized experience, adding depth, variety, and challenge. Whether you’re looking to enhance visuals, introduce new gameplay mechanics, or explore fresh content, there’s a mod out there to enrich your game.