XCOM 2 gets another two mods from Long War Studios
Plus we've got an update on the team's next game.
Long War Studios is back with a couple of new mods for XCOM 2, introducing laser weapons, four new classes and a reworking of the game's perk system.
Following the success of its incredible Long War overhaul for XCOM: Enemy Unknown, the team partnered with Firaxis to produce a series of officially supported mods, and has already produced three mods for XCOM 2 which launched alongside the game itself.
The Laser Pack mod adds a new tier of laser weaponry, which look great and need to be researched between the game's existing magnetic and beam weapons.
However, as they're only marginally more powerful than their magnetic predecessors, there's an argument to be made that this mod actually makes the game more difficult. The extra time and resources needed to complete the research will likely lead to a longer campaign.
For my money, the Perk Pack has a lot more going for it. This mod reworks the game's four base classes into seven, introducing the assault, gunner and shinobi. Alternatively you can create your own class entirely.
On top of that, there are 70 new and reworked abilities, with soldiers being able to select from three different options with each promotion, rather than two.
This mod is a complete game-changer, even compared to the others we've already seen from Long War Studios. Definitely one for those of you that have already completed a campaign, I'd say.
So what's next for the team that brought us Long War? When the studio was revealed back in December, they announced plans to create their own grand strategy game called Terra Invicta.
We asked lead designer, John Lumpkin, for an update on how the game's development is going.
"Terra Invicta is still very much in our plans," said Lumpkin. "We've got a design we're happy with, and we are working with an art director on the overall look of the game. It's a game I can't wait to play.
"But right now our day-to-day focus remains our XCOM 2 mods. We still have the alien pack plus one more mod to go. Then our intention is to get rolling full time on Terra Invicta."
