Unlike vanilla where you expand to stop the Avatar Project, LW2 requires you to ignore the Avatar Project until the last minute.
You will fail missions. You will lose your A-team to a single Gatekeeper. You will watch a 60-hour campaign crumble because you forgot to build a Resistance Comm. That is Long War.
But when you finally liberate your first region, when your Shinobi dodges three overwatch shots to plant the X4 charges, when a single Gunner suppresses an entire pod of Muton Elites – you’ll understand. This isn’t a power fantasy. It’s a war story. And you are the Resistance.
Now get out there, Commander. The Avatar Project is half-complete.
For deeper mechanics, search the LWotC Mod Page FAQ or visit the Commander’s Quarter on YouTube.
The Ultimate XCOM 2 Long War Guide (LWOTC) Mastering Long War of the Chosen (LWOTC) requires a massive shift in mindset from vanilla XCOM 2. This mod transforms the game into a complex simulation of guerrilla warfare where winning battles is secondary to winning the war of attrition. 1. The Strategy Layer: Winning Without Fighting
In LWOTC, your most important soldiers aren't in the field; they are the rebels in your Havens.
Intel is Everything: In a new region, set most rebels to the Intel job. This is the only way to detect missions with enough time to infiltrate them.
The Infiltration Mechanic: You cannot just launch a mission immediately. You must "infiltrate" by stationing a squad at the site for several days.
Aim for 100% infiltration to face the "Baseline" enemy activity.
If you launch at 0%, you will be swamped by dozens of enemies.
Smaller squads infiltrate faster, making 3–5 person teams the "gold standard" for early-game missions.
Liberation is the Goal: Each region has a "Liberation" chain of missions. Completing these removes ADVENT entirely from the region, providing a massive boost to your monthly supplies and a safe place to build. 2. Tactical Combat: From Alpha Strike to Control
In vanilla, you kill every enemy the turn you see them. In Long War, enemies have more health and better AI, making "Alpha Striking" much harder. Guide :: Long War 2 Class Breakdown - Steam Community
A soldier hit for 4 damage might be "Gravely Wounded" for 30 days.
Before we talk about squad composition, stop thinking about your "A-Team." In LWotC, you have a roster of 40-50 soldiers, and you will need every single one.
The Three Golden Rules of LWotC:
| Cause of Death | Why It Happens | Fix | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | The Infiltration Trap | You launch a mission at 70% infiltration. "Light" becomes "Moderate" (18 enemies). | Never launch below 100%. Ever. | | The Rookie Horde | You ignored training and now only have 12 soldiers for 3 missions. | Keep the GTS "Vulture" and "Wet Work" upgrades rolling. Buy recruits. | | The Chosen Snowball | You killed the Chosen but didn't raid their stronghold. They return stronger. | After killing a Chosen, immediately start the Stronghold Covert Action. | | Avatar Project Overwhelm | You ignored it for 2 months. | Do the Sabotage Covert Action every 20 days. Liberate a region to reduce it by 3-4 pips. | | The Supply Glut | You have 4,000 supplies but no alloys. | Sell nothing. Convert supplies to alloys at the Black Market. |