"These Are Your Ten XCOMmandments":

1. Never trigger anything in the 1st turn
2. Always use Full Cover
3. Fight from a strong position
4. Pull back if things go wrong
5. Never trigger anything at the end of your turn
6. Stay together
7. Use overwatch to control movement
8. Suppress, suppress, suppress
9. Bring the right stuff
10. Mind the map

If you FOLLOW these (as explained further below), no one will die!

Well, almost no one.
Nothing can prevent an occasional unlucky plasma crit. Fighting aliens is dangerous.
Still, if you follow these ten commandments LIKE A RELIGION you will be able to prevent over 90% of your soldiers deaths. Or put the other way round: 9 out of 10 times a soldier of yours dies, it is because you didn't heed one or more of these commandments.
Trust me.

*This guide is dedicated to the fantastic Youtuber Gopher - whose extraordinaire 2014 livestream series "XCOM Long War" heavily inspired my writing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FK8ndi2BEmE&list=PLQVv-P_ANt9FBha5-hHFmJz7DGmee8PWB&index=1

The 10 XCOMmandments are meant for XCOM "Long War" mod, but also work in Vanilla. In Vanilla you have fewer classes, no motion detector and no chem grenades, plus the game is easier in general, yet the 10 XCOMmandments work exactly as they do in Long War.

Here are the Ten XCOMmandments layed out for you:
(Chisel them in stone.)

Ping the motion detector. Yellow-move the motion detector guy.
Use mostly blue moves and overwatch/steady for the others. Spot the yellow move you want to take and move halfway there.

Refrain from risky moves in turn 1. Play it save!
Triggering pods this early almost never ends well. Why the rush? You're not set up! Screw the Meld. Survive!

You want the team to be set up in a great positon in round two. If the first pod didn't already trigger and meet your overwatch fire, you are now ready to trigger and fight it.

Also keep in mind the starting positions from the loadout screen. See graph.



Basically you want your squadsights and medics to start in the back - on 3, 4 or 6.
7 or 8 are great spots for Rocketeers, Engineers or MECs.
1 and 2, also 5, are for your most forward units like Scouts and Assaults.

Again: Never trigger anyhing in the 1st turn!

"HALF COVER IS NO COVER!"
Never use it when you expect to be shot at!
Always use full cover.

Half cover is for backline squadsights and for transitioning through safe areas.

If you HAVE TO use half cover because there ain't no other - use smokes or suppress/disorient the enemy. Never let yourself to be shot at in half cover without further protection! It kills!

If in half cover and about to be shot at - unprotected - hunker tf down!
Seriously. Don't even bother shooting.

Infantry can shoot-hunker in half cover.
Scouts and Snipers with Low Profile can use half cover as Full.

Again: Never use half cover. If you have to, protect yourself with smokes or suppressive fire like seen below, where half cover must be used and therefore both visible enemies get suppressed while closing in.



Always use Full Cover!

When confronting the alien threat, do so from a position of strength:

- Several frontline guys in (undestructable) full cover - facing the enemy
- Close quarters Assaults in the very forefront
- Squadsights in the back with clear field of view, even elevated position
- Sides protected by support or flanking soldiers
- Explosives at the ready and in range

Fighting like this means a lot of dead aliens.


Always prepare a strong position, if you expect pods. Face the right way.
When set up correctly, trigger them yourself - without abandoning the position.
Picture is a bit random. Works on every map.

Fight from a Position of Strength!

Pull back to your last position of strength, if facing an overwhelming threat. Things can go wrong.
Sure shots miss. Lucky aliens hit. People suddenly die. Too many pods get triggered at once.

If you face any sudden problems - don't stand it out. Be smart and flexible. Get it movin'.

Pull back to a strong position: Good cover. Good fields of view for your snipers, gunners and rocketeers. More distance to sudden threats.
This way you soften the enemy onslaught and prepare your counter punch. Really important. Saves missions!

Don't be afraid to yellow-move the whole team back in safe territoty when SHTF. You can outrun most things this way. The problem only starts with things you can't outrun and when soldiers are already downed, supressed, in acid or the like.



Normally you want to have pulled back before any of that happens.
Pull back and fight from a strong position! Always.

Major mistake. Kills soldiers. Wipes out squads.
Strongly resist the temptation to yellow-move the last forgotten soldier into unknown territory!!

Play it safe. Just move him where he doesn't reveal any new territory: Next to another guy, in the general direction you want to move in. You can still look around that corner in the next turn. You can't, if everyone is dead.

Triggering a new pod while your squad is all set and has spent most its moves is the most dangerous thing in XCOM. Avoid it at all costs!

In general if you ask yourself "Shall I risk it?" in one of the last 3-4 moves in your turn - the answer is: "Hell NO!! What are you thinking?!".

Make all risky moves unveilling black ground first, at the beginning of your turn. If you have 4-7 soldiers to react to a new threat you can still do something about it and not die.

The older the turn gets, the less risky your moves shall be.



Never trigger anything at the end of your turn!

XCOM missions are about surviving - not gaining territory.

Sure you want to clear all dark corners of the map. And sometimes you tend to feel safe and cover a lot of ground with your team.

Never spread out wide though. You don't know what is still out there. Trigger the wrong pod at the wrong end of your team and it's "men flesh" time.

Suddenly there's no line of sight for your snipers, none of your explosives can reach that far, Run&Gun doesn't get you there. Oopsie!



A team that sticks together is a strong team.
This way the synergy of your soldiers' skills and equipment can take effect.

Only notable exception is the backline squadsight sniper of course, if save from Seekers.

Otherwise: Stay together!

The main function of overwatch is not to deal damage, but to prevent the enemy from moving and closing in.

As a Rule of Thumb: If they see you overwatch, they won't move. Especially if the overwatch shot(s) could potentially end them.

There are exceptions: If they are already flanked, they will mostly try to get out of there no matter the overwatch. Watch out for special Thin Men, Chryssalids or Outsiders with Lightning Reflexes!
Also drones. Don't overwatch drones. They are difficult to hit, too dumb to be scared of your overwatch and always move first, pulling every overwatch, so you better shoot them within the turn.

But in most cases it generally works and is a major mechanic to keep them from flanking you. Only shoot all your shots, if you can end all close threats. If one of them survives close enough to flank you next turn - keep someone visibly on overwatch to lock them in.


Don't use your last shot, when they're in distance to flank you, if they survive. It's better to get shot at in full cover while overwatching - than to be flanked!

Overwatching with Covering Fire often prevents them from doing anything at all, especially if the overwatch shot could kill them.

That's why if you want a overwatch trap, you put soldiers, who CAN'T SEE the enemy on overwatch, counting on them to move in.

Control the enemies movement with overwatch!

Use suppression on dangerous enemies that you can't kill this turn. Prevents them from throwing grenades, from accurate deadly shots and from flanking you.

Mostly they'll just shoot at the supppressor and miss. Be aware that a few high-HP aliens run straight through your suppression, if they have a nice move to flank you.

Never leave a dangerous enemy that could one-shot you or destroy your cover with a grenade unsuppressed at the end of your turn. If they are close, kill them and if that's not possible, suppress them. Each supression buys you another round to kill them there and then.

Use and abuse suppression. Bring at least two suppressors each mission, so you can suppress multiple enemies or interchange suppressing and reloading. Flashes, Chems, Mindray and Panic can partly subsitute or add to suppression, which often has a better range, especially with squadsight MGs.


Against dangerous, hard-to-kill aliens, Suppression keeps you alive to see another turn.

There are basic skillsets and goodies that you must have in each team you deploy.

- You need to have explosives. It doesn't always need to be rockets. Often enough grenades alone can do. Still there is always a need for area attacks, cover destruction or the reaching of unreachable places. Always have at least one explosives guy.
- Suppression. Bring lots of fire support. Besides Gunners there are Rocketeers, Medics, Infantry and Engineers that can learn suppression. Have at least two suppressors in the squad on each mission.
- Always have a way to shredder big, tanky enemies. Either shredder rockets, shredder perks or shredder ammo packs. You need a way to get the big fellas down!
- Battle Scanner(s). Just bring at least one. Otherwise get strangled. If you have the perk use one for scouting or sniper-spotting and keep one for the inevitable seeker pack - that will show up if you don't bring scanners.
- Lightning reflexes. There are several ways to break overwatch. Suppression or grenades can help. Sprinting is a thing. Still, to avoid the team getting pinned, always bring an Assault or Scout who can Neo.
- Motion tracker(s). Dubbed "the strongest item in the game" for a reason. Always bring one better yet two and use them, before blindly charging into the black. Scans 5 tiles beyond visible range. That means if you move like this, you are 100% save:



Also important - yet not mandatory like the above - are smokes, flashes or chems and HEAT. Best to have a smoke for dicey situations, flashes are very powerful, especially when capturing or in close quarters, and if you expect serious, deadly robots - like on a terror mission - bring the HEAT. Chem grenades are most useful and almost mandatory since they work against so many strong enemies, suppressing them and also etching away their damage reduction.

Always check your squad for these basics before launch.

Always tailor your squad for the map to deploy on. Without further modding in Long War you get a basic description of the territory. Use it. Use you prior knowledge on Council Missions and the like. Use your general knowledge of the type of mission.

Bring the right people for the right map. Backline, Good-Ground Snipers can dominate some missions, yet be almost useless in others. Squadsight LMGs can save the day or have constantly obstructed views. Rocketeers can blow everything up or get you in trouble over collateral damage. Too many or too few shotguns can be a problem. Many Medkits and Respirators are a good idea against many Thin Men.

Regarding the map the basic questions you have to answer when picking your team are:
- Is it a large or small area?
- Is it a square or a corridor?
- How are the sight lines there?
- Is much squadsight shooting possible?
- Is it mostly flat or are there usable elevated positions?
- Will I quickly trigger pods or do I have to search them?
- Is there much close combat to be expected?
- How much of the cover is full cover?
- How much destroyable cover is there?
- How long is the mission?
- How many enemies are expected?
- What quality of enemies is expected?
- Do they drop in pre-planned, instantly overwatching?



You can't answer these and more questions exactly beforehand. Yet, a totally wrong estimate of the expected battle area will get you into more trouble than missing three 99% shots in a row. At least try to get it right. Make an effort. And bring the right team for the right map.


THESE ARE THE TEN XCOMMANDMENTS.
When you follow them closely, you actually get better. Promise!
Moreover: From now on, each time something went wrong, you will know for certain, what you should have done. You will be able to pinpoint to the exact XCOMmandment violated:
Forgot essential gear. / Wrong team for the map. / Didn't pull back when I should have. / Split the team and spread out wide. / Fought from a weak position. / Triggered stuff in the 1st turn or worse, at the end of your turn. / Used half-cover unprotected, thinking it might work. / Shooting and missing the last shot instead of using suppression on a dangerous enemy. / Shooting and missing the last shot and consequently getting approached, flanked and sprayed on with acid, instead of just using overwatch, pinning them down.

HEED THE TEN X-COMMANDMENTS, COMMANDER, and win the Long War!