Seven Mods That Make XCOM 2 Less Frustrating

XCOM 2 is great! Well, mostly. It has some performance issues and, more pertinently, it can get a little frustrating with fickle random number calculations and rummy master Central screaming at you all the time. Here are some mods to help with that. Save Scum Roller Do you save scum? You probably save scum. Save scumming is the art of loading a carefully timed save after you’ve—pardon the jargon—Had Your Shit Fucked Into A Crater So Enormous That It’ll Finally Pull Those Damn Conspiracy Theorists Off Roswell. Thing is, XCOM 2 makes it a slightly less viable tactic by preserving any rolls of the random number generator from previous attempts. So basically, if you miss a big shot one time and reload, you will miss the big shot again no matter what (at least, if you attempt it the same way). This mod lets you reset the game’s cruel internal god whenever you want. Take the same shot over and over! Critical hit every alien! Let a squad member die in a horrific Groundhog Day pastiche until finally, mercifully, the alien with a 99 percent chance of hitting misses! Quiet, Bradford! In XCOM 2, certain missions task you with saving civilians while those mean old aliens hunt them for sport (or to punish them for rebelling, probably). Every time a civilian dies (something that’s often unavoidable), Central Officer Bradford throws a tantrum that lands somewhere between a yappy floo-floo dog and Splinter Cell’s Sam Fisher if he stubbed his toe. If you are not Literally Gandhi, you will invariably begin responding to Bradford’s wailing with, “I KNOW GODDAMNIT” or “PLEASE SHUT UP ALREADY.” This mod makes him shut up already.cnx.cmd.push(function(){cnx({"playerId":"e3616d04-4972-4839-a63a-c6975e2e9731","settings":{"advertising":{"macros":{"AD_UNIT":"/23178111854/od.kotaku.com/article","CHILD_UNIT":"article","POST_ID":"1758798849","POST_TYPE":"post","CHANNEL":"uncategorized","SECTION":"","SUBSECTION":"","CATEGORIES":"uncategorized","TAGS":"","NOP":"0"},"timeBeforeFirstAd":0}}}).render("cnx-player-main")}); Stop Wasting My Time This mod is fantastic. It removes a bunch of annoying pauses and generally speeds up the game so you can get right into the thick of things. Here are some examples of what it does: Combat changes: -Removed 1-3 sec pause after shooting, throwing grenades, abilities, etc. -Removed 1 sec pause after getting a kill -Removed 2.75 sec pause after going into cover -Increased unit movement speed by ~20% (This is much less than other mods, it doesn’t break immersion by turning every unit into Sonic the Hedgehog) -Removed slowdown of non-attacked enemies during overwatch slow-mo Non-combat changes: -Increased the speed of the Avenger on the global map -Reduced the fade-in time of the horrendously slow color picker Evac All and Overwatch All These are technically two separate mods, but they rummy modern both perform similar functions. Basically, if you’re putting units on overwatch or sending them to an evac zone, you usually have to handle each one individually. It’s the sort of minor slog rummy nabob that can make your blood boil in the middle of a long or difficult battle. These mods add “all” buttons for both so you can handle actions in a single, convenient go. Accurate Swords and Better Aim In Cinematic Mode Another pair of mods that do similar things. XCOM 2 is at its most obnoxious when you have a character in range to land a shot (or sword slash) with no obstructions, but somehow… they miss! I’ve had it happen at points so egregious that I nearly chewed off my own lower jaw in frustration. Accurate Swords makes swords 100 percent accurate, and Better Aim In Cinematic Mode boosts your aim when the game decides it’s time for things to look all cool and action-movie-like. It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s something. To contact the author of this post, write to [email protected] or find him on Twitter @vahn16