XCOM 2 is out, and boy-oh-boy, does it hurt. Turns out, it s a difficult game. A videogame where it s possible, in fact, to miss when you shoot. Yes, God is dead, and we couldn t be happier. Nowhere else is it more apparent than the XCOM community, who ve been lighting up the internet with videos and tiny gif tales regaling the most unlikely victories (and absolute tragedies). As a way to work through the immense pain and distill the tiny victories, we ve assembled a best, worst, and funniest XCOM moments so far. Take a gander and with a decent dice roll, you may actually feel something.

What exactly are the Advent yelling all the time?

The folks over at Eurogamer  finally answer what we ve all been wondering, and their blunt, scientific examination is 100% leak proof. Finally, an alien language, decoded. Now to look into the lore implications of hug that shit.' I m taking book pitches.

Slimebro has your back

True friendship isn t what you say to the people you care about, it s what you do as a deadly towering slime person. And if this gif is any indication, XCOM 2 is jam packed with friends we haven t made yet. So get out there and say hello. Hug a Muton today. 

The petty fury of XCOM distilled

No matter how high the odds, there s still a chance for failure, and no other game is a more painful reminder than XCOM 2. Did you get it? Did you get the alien?  This clip has the answer, and it s full of tough love.

The holiest grenade throw

The maniacal laugh that comes in halfway through this video is disturbing. Mostly, because I can hear a bit of myself in it. As far as grenade throws go,  this might be one of the best. It lathers a group of Advent with fall and fire damage before the player s last soldier finishes em off with style.

The best XCOM 2 character is, indisputably, Emily Blunt

Okay, so it s not quite a moment in the game, but it s a moment of revelation.  Evan found a character that falls in line almost perfectly with XCOM 2 s visual and thematic palette. Hit the link to find out why he thinks a time traveling future soldier makes the perfect custom character.

A Faceless jump shot gets denied at the buzzer

Whenever I watch this gif, I imagine the silence of the crowd before that first shot, and then the explosion of raucous applause following. Before the inevitable dunks mods shows up, this might be the only sanctioned dunk in all of XCOM 2. Faceless? Especially now, shapeshifter or not, that mug can t show itself in this neighborhood after that denial. Oof.

How to be a stealth master

The first rule of stealth: let RNG mess up your stealth game on the first turn. It s pretty simple, really. Just go in, not expecting to find an Advent soldier chilling right next to your drop sight, stumble into the alien jerk immediately, and take him (and yourself) by surprise! It cannot fail.

In which a soldier attempts to hack an alien groin

Even XCOM 2 is down to clown. Problem is, XCOM 2 doesn t really know how to go about it. Behold the horror of dick hacks and then imagine the secrets that data could unravel. Hack! Hack away, good soldier! The human race is depending on you!

An entire alien force wiped out in one incredible turn

But that s enough pain for now. And XCOM 2 wouldn t be so gratifying if its successes weren t as intense. That said, it might be a while hell, I m not sure if I ll ever see a turn like this. Watch as this player shreds, shoots, and deads an intimidating enemy force in one fell swoop. Squad goals. Squad goals indeed.

That s XCOM, baby.

Nah, the pain doesn t stop in XCOM. It s the only constant. This gif from Reddit user bradthebrain sums up our love/hate succinctly, and because it s a gif, it loops indefinitely, forever and ever, amen. Failure, anger, failure, anger, failure, underscored by a teeny-tiny bit of hope.

XCOM 2 launched to near-universal acclaim last week, but also with a near-universal caveat to that acclaim: it doesn't run as buttery as you'd expect a turn-based strategy game to, even on high-end hardware. Some players, including most of us on the PC Gamer team, have reported dips in framerate and hitching, especially during camera movement and in-engine cutscenes. Criticism of the issues has found its way onto two of the usual venues for such outcry: XCOM 2's Steam reviews page and Metacritic, where one user wrote "I literally can not recall the last game that gave me as much technical difficulties as XCOM 2."

We reached out to 2K, the game's publisher, shortly after launch last week after noticing the issue, they've just written back with a response. "We are aware some players have experienced performance issues while playing XCOM 2, and we are looking into them and gathering more information from users," a 2K Games representative told PC Gamer via email. "We want everyone to have the best experience possible, and will continue supporting the title with upcoming patches."

'Upcoming' seems to signal that a patch is coming relatively soon, but that's my speculation. In the meantime, the official forums for XCOM 2 has a guide to tech troubleshooting that may help you manage issues you're experiencing.

The newly-opened XCOM 2 Global Overview stats page reveals some surprising, and even startling, numbers—foremost among them is that more than 4.4 million missions have been successfully executed by resurgent XCOM forces. So why, then, has nobody been able to finish even one single game?

The flat zero total game victories is obviously a glitch in the system, but amusing in light of the huge number of victorious missions, nearly two-thirds of which were completed on the Veteran difficulty level. 53,375,646 (and counting) enemies have died as a result of resistance actions, Troopers being the most common kills and Codex the rarest. Rangers have scored the most kills, accounting for 27 percent of the body count, and rifles are the weapon of choice, also accounting for 27 percent of dead alien meat.

On the downside of the equation, 4,206,605 million XCOM soldiers have paid the ultimate price, the vast majority of them falling as a result of collateral damage. Only 23 percent of resistance fighters have been killed by direct enemy fire thus far—roughly half of them at the hands of Troopers—and a very disappointing two percent have been fragged by their fellow soldiers. Come on, guys, war is hell but watch where you're pointing that thing, okay?

(That works out to an average K/D ratio of about 12.6:1, by the way, which is actually quite good as long as you can stand the attrition.)

There are numbers to see than just these—1,343,609 doors have been kicked in so far, for example—and the numbers are ticking up. (Even that "game victories" count will begin to rise sooner or later.) Want a head start on adding to the first batch of numbers, while staying out of the second? Have a look at our XCOM 2 build guide, with ideas for both specialist and hybrid characters who will be handy in a fight, right here.

Whoops—make that 4,217,061 XCOM soldiers lost. Let's be careful out there, people.

XCOM 2 s classes share similarities and themes with the soldier types from the first game, but the Sharpshooter, Ranger, Specialist and Grenadier are all very distinct from their predecessors. There are many ways to combine perks, gear and soldiers to create powerful squads, and you should experiment often to find new strategies and tactics—but if you d like some straight-up advice, read on for my favorite builds of XCOM 2 s classes.

Remember, you can respec characters through the Advanced Warfare Center facility.

Ranger builds

Sharpshooter builds

Specialist builds

Grenadier builds

Hybrid builds

Grenadier Gunner

Abilities: Launch Grenade, Shredder, Suppression, Holo Targeting, Volatile Mix, Salvo, Rupture

With eight builds to fit in six slots, you can t bring everything on every mission. There s some key things to consider if you can only bring one Grenadier or Specialist. For the Grenadier, Holo Targeting and Rupture are key abilities too big to miss out on - giving your entire squad +15 aim and +3 damage respectively are huge buffs that shouldn t be ignored. Shredder, Volatile Mix and Salvo ensure your Grenadier can weaken armored enemies while also providing heavy explosive power.

Hacker Medic

Abilities: Aid Protocol, Medical Protocol, Haywire Protocol, Field Medic, Threat Assessment, Guardian, Capacitor Discharge

For the Specialist, Medical Protocol and Field Medic provide the sustainability you need for lategame firefights, while Haywire Protocol ensures you won t be caught flat-footed against tough robotic opponents like Heavy MECs, Andromedon Shells, and Sectopods. When all else fails, try out your own builds and squad loadouts—creativity and experimentation will yield you powerful strategies all your own. Good luck!

More of our recommended XCOM 2 soldier builds: Ranger / Specialist / Grenadier / Sharpshooter

Grenadier build: Heavy Gunner

Abilities: Launch Grenade, Shredder, Suppression, Holo Targeting, Chain Shot, Salvo, Saturation Fire

Gear: EXO/WAR Suit, Rocket/Blaster Launcher, Grenades

Accessories: Perception, Scope, Autoloader (Bonus: Expanded Magazine)

The Heavy Gunner provides incredible support fire capability, backed up with a respectable amount of explosive ordnance. Shredder and Chain Shot combine to wreak havoc upon robotic enemies, while Holo Targeting ensures every follow up shot from the squad gains a significant accuracy boost. Suppression keeps enemy heads down and neuters their aim, and Salvo allows you to remove enemy cover then tear them apart with a follow up shot. Its alternative, Hail of Bullets, may tempt you with its guaranteed hit chance—but by the time you reach Major, you should have enough Scopes and Perception PCS chips to make the extra accuracy redundant, while extra explosions are never unnecessary.

Rupture is a key skill that you must have on at least one soldier in your squad, but if you bring multiple Grenadiers, I recommend Saturation Fire on your Gunners. This build sacrifices explosive potential for cannon power, so the skill gives back some AoE capability while also making good use of your high aim to hit multiple enemies at once. The fact that it also applies Shredder is just icing on the cake.

Aim is critical for Heavy Gunners, as missing your Chain Shot is the difference between wiping out a Sectopod and being fodder for its angry, angry lasers. Autoloaders and Expanded Mags help to counteract the huge amount of ammo you ll burn through, and a Rocket (or later, Blaster) Launcher grants some more AoE potential to Salvo off towards your enemies.

Grenadier build: Demolitions Expert

Abilities: Launch Grenade, Blast Padding, Suppression, Heavy Ordinance, Volatile Mix, Salvo, Rupture

Gear: EXO/WAR Suit, Shredder/Shredstorm Cannon, Grenade, Acid Grenades

Accessories: Conditioning, Stock, Autoloader (Bonus: Expanded Magazine)

Typically responsible for millions in property damage, Demolitions Experts are the purest form of Grenadier. Heavy Ordinance, Volatile Mix and Salvo allow you to blow things up effectively and often, while Blast Padding allows you to take damage instead of just dishing it out. Suppression remains an effective pinning perk over the less reliable Demolition (who needs a cover destruction perk when you ve got five explosives?), and Rupture provides powerful single target damage to round out your otherwise AoE focused arsenal.

Acid Grenades and Shredder/Shredstorm Cannons are excellent picks for Demo Experts, making up their lack of Shredder with plenty of armor removal capability. Blast Padding combos well with a Conditioning PCS to make this soldier your main tank—and with the extra armor of an EXO/WAR Suit (and even a Plated Armor vest) you ll be approaching incredible levels of toughness. Autoloaders and Expanded Mags are still good to keep your suppression fire going, while a Stock makes the most of your lack of accuracy by ensuring damage regardless.

Once you pick up Rupture, consider accessorizing your Demo Experts more like their Heavy Gunner brethren—Scopes and Perception chips will make your Rupture more reliable, which will allow ridiculous damage combined with your squad and particularly with your Gunslinger.

More of our recommended XCOM 2 soldier builds: Ranger / Specialist / Sharpshooter / Hybrid builds

Specialist build: Combat Hacker

Abilities: Aid Protocol, Combat Protocol, Haywire Protocol, Scanning Protocol, Threat Assessment, Guardian, Capacitor Discharge

Gear: Predator/Warden Armor, Skulljack, Miscellaneous

Accessories: Perception, Scope, Expanded Magazine (Bonus: Repeater)

The Combat Hacker is an immensely powerful support unit who can control the battlespace with surprising efficiency. Combat and Haywire Protocol are obvious counters to robotic enemies but the former is also very useful for picking off wounded enemies in cover. Scanning Protocol gives you free recon on demand, while Threat Assessment and Guardian let you provide impressive amounts of overwatch, either from an Aid Protocol enhanced teammate or from the Hacker themselves. Capacitor Discharge is a large AoE with shocking damage that can also stun and disorient enemies.

Much of the Specialist s efficiency comes from Aid Protocol being a single action ability. You can send your Gremlin to assist a teammate and still take a second action afterwards - granting Threat Assessment to an ally and then going on Guardian overwatch yourself is a huge amount of cover fire threat for any enemy to test. We want Perception, a Scope and an Expanded Mag to make the most out of Guardian—more aim and ammo to keep those chain hits coming.

A Skulljack with the Skullmine upgrade grants extra power to each hack you attempt, and the extra item slot is yours to use—a Mimic Beacon s a powerful pick if you need a suggestion.

Guerilla Op objectives can grant you +20 to your hack score on a good attempt, so use them to boost your Specialist s tech power as often as you can. It ll be worth it when you re hijacking Sectopods at Colonel.

Specialist build: Battle Medic

Abilities: Aid Protocol, Medical Protocol, Revival Protocol, Field Medic, Threat Assessment, Guardian, Capacitor Discharge

Gear: Predator/Warden Armor, Medkit, Miscellaneous

Accessories: Perception, Scope, Expanded Magazine (Bonus: Repeater)

The Battle Medic trades anti-robotic capability for increased support potential. Medical and Revival Protocol allow you to remotely heal allies and remove negative effects from them such as panic. Field Medic increases your sustainability, while Threat Assessment and Guardian remain my preferred picks for any type of Specialist compared to their alternatives. Restoration is the most powerful healing skill available but one I choose to avoid—while it could single-handedly save the day if every member of your squad is wounded or dying, I feel that situation is rare enough that normal healing can suffice. Instead, Capacitor Discharge means your Medic still has some teeth, and a powerful AoE skill to assist with multiple enemy cleanups.

Just like Aid Protocol, Medical and Revival Protocol are also single actions, allowing you to assist a friendly and then take a second action afterwards. We still want aim and ammo to boost Guardian s power, but a key difference is we no longer need a Skulljack, as without Haywire Protocol your Specialist has less need for a high hack score. A Medkit is naturally core, leaving another item slot to do with as you see fit.

The Battle Medic becomes more important later in the game as enemies land more and greater damage per turn. Ignore this build at your own peril—sooner or later, you ll likely regret not having a healer in your squad.

More of our recommended XCOM 2 soldier builds: Ranger / Sharpshooter / Grenadier / Hybrid builds

Ranger build: Shotgunner

Abilities: Slash, Phantom, Shadowstep, Run and Gun, Implacable, Untouchable, Rapid Fire

Gear: Spider/Wraith Suit, Talon Rounds

Accessories: Speed or Perception, Laser Sight, Autoloader (Bonus: Hair Trigger)

The Ranger is one of the most powerful units you can command. Phantom s extended stealth allows constant recon of the enemy, allowing you to position and ambush with perfect intel. Shadowstep with Run and Gun lets you hit anyone, anywhere, anytime with powerful (and accurate) shotgun blasts, while Implacable and Untouchable get you out of the dangerous situation you just charged into.

Rapid Fire is the crown jewel—doubling your potential damage every single turn for a paltry -15 aim penalty. The shotgun s inherent accuracy at close range combined with near-guaranteed crits from Talon Rounds and a Laser Sight ensure you won t regret the trade off. The Spider/Wraith suit s mobility and grapple only enhances this lethal combination of speed and power, and an Autoloader offsets your constant ammo dumping, keeping you ready to kill at all times.

A Speed PCS further boosts your mobility for flanking, or Perception will let you Rapid Fire reliably from longer distances. What you value more is your call.

Ranger build: Blademaster

Abilities: Slash, Blademaster, Shadowstep, Conceal, Bladestorm, Untouchable, Reaper

Gear: Spider or Wraith Suit - Hazmat Vest, Plated Vest, Overdrive Serum

Accessories: Speed or Perception or Conditioning, Laser Sight, Repeater (Bonus: Hair Trigger)

Melee-focused Rangers don t get the same raw damage as a Shotgunner, instead providing versatility and multiple target capability. Grabbing Blademaster is a given, and Shadowstep lets you charge targets while ignoring enemy overwatch. Conceal provides Phantom s power in an active ability instead of a passive, and with no need for Run and Gun it s an easy pickup. Bladestorm lets the Ranger control his immediate area and Untouchable keeps you safe after your aggressive charges leave you exposed.

Reaper is huge—if your squad can lower the health of enough enemies to within the Blademaster s kill range, you can chain kill all of them in one go. The key is mobility and grappling, as both will allow you to reach more enemies for your kill chain. A Laser Sight is still mandatory for your Shotgun, and a Repeater means when a new pod stumbles into your Blademaster s overwatch, you ll have a chance to instantly kill one of them, which is well worth the slot on a weapon we ll otherwise rarely use.

Speed, Perception and Conditioning are all great PCS choices here—charge enemies from further away, ensure you never miss a sword strike, or have extra health to survive a brutal melee brawl.

More of our recommended XCOM 2 soldier builds: Sharpshooter / Specialist / Grenadier / Hybrid builds

Sharpshooter build: Gunslinger

Abilities: Squadsight, Return Fire, Lightning Hands, Quickdraw, Faceoff, Steady Hands, Fan Fire

Gear: Spider/Wraith Suit, +1 Damage Ammo (your choice)

Accessories: Perception, Scope, Repeater (Bonus: Hair Trigger)

Gunslingers are the damage carries of XCOM 2, and that title is well deserved. Lightning Hands, Quickdraw and Fan Fire allow this soldier to put out more damage in a single turn than anything else in the game, bar a Rapid Fire crit combo or a very angry Sectopod. Return Fire provides yet more damage by hitting back at enemies during their turn. I prefer Steady Hands over Aim—I rarely hunker my Gunslingers and instead prefer to keep shooting, so the passive nature of Steady Hands gives me more benefit.

The core of a Gunslinger s power is ammo items—Dragon and Venom rounds each give them +1 damage on every pistol hit while also applying either burning or poison effects, dealing damage over time and debilitating your enemies. Particularly when combined with Faceoff to shoot every enemy in sight, this +1 damage quickly adds up to a ridiculous benefit over the course of many painful hits. Conversely, armor is where Gunslingers struggle—their many small hits tend to be wasted on well protected enemies.

High aim is critical for a Gunslinger, so a Perception PCS is essential. For weapon attachments, stick a Scope and Repeater on your rarely used rifle - when you do use it, it s probably due to facing a tough and well armored enemy. Your pistol might not kill a Sectopod, but executing it with a Repeater rifle shot might just help. Otherwise, shred the armor and go to town—once you ve removed an enemy s armor, a Gunslinger s pistol is more than enough to kill anything that moves.

Sharpshooter build: Sniper

Abilities: Squadsight, Long Watch, Deadeye, Death from Above, Kill Zone, Aim, Serial

Gear: Spider/Wraith Suit, Tracer Rounds

Accessories: Perception, Scope, Expanded Magazine (Bonus: Hair Trigger)

The Sniper is less flexible than a Gunslinger and suffers from being very static, a handicap in most of XCOM 2 s timed missions. However, their ability to attack any target in their view combined with some powerful skills still makes them highly effective. Long Watch and Deadeye provide Overwatch and improved damage from squadsight range. Kill Zone is a critical skill that lets you lock down an entire cone of the map with covering fire, which is why we take an Expanded Mag - we want the ammo reserves for shooting up to 6 enemies in a single move. Death from Above combos well with Aim, letting you hunker after every high ground killshot to gain accuracy for your next attack.

Serial allows the Sniper to kill for free, refunding actions for every enemy you drop while the ability is active. While all of these abilities work at Squadsight range, the aim penalty incurred for this requires some serious offsetting—we ll want the best Scope we can find as well as a Perception PCS to boot. If you ve earned the extra attachment slot through the continent bonus, you can try a Hair Trigger to give yourself the occasional free shot, or try an Autoloader to as much as quadruple the amount of enemies you can kill in a single Serial chain.

Tracer Rounds stack your aim even further to further counter the Squadsight penalty, but feel free to take whatever you like instead. A Spider/Wraith suit is important though, as it gives you free and easy access to high ground which is critical for your Sniper s effectiveness.

More of our recommended XCOM 2 soldier builds: Ranger / Specialist / Grenadier / Hybrid builds