The newest XCOM 2 DLC, Shen’s Last Gift, is finally available. The story seems to follow the work of Dr. Raymond Shen, the scientific mastermind at the trunk of the XCOM: Enemy Unknown tech tree, whose daughter Lily just so happens to be part of the resistance this time around. Based on the trailer, it appears that players will be tasked with using Shen’s Last Gift i.e. a Johnny 5-esque MEC to disrupt ADVENT’s own pursuit of robotic battlefield dominance. The Firaxis blog is tantalizing in its lack of detail for the latest XCOM 2 DLC, offering only this brief description:
We’re still sifting through the data, but here’s what we know so far:
The ADVENT test facility in question is housed within multiple skyscrapers, linked together by enclosed bridges
The ADVENT MECs are based on a single prototype unit, which we believe to be somewhere within this ADVENT facility
We will update you with more info as it’s made available, Commander. Good luck.
The launch trailer for Shen’s Last Gift certainly makes it seem like you’ll have access to the MEC early, but it’s possible you only acquire the MEC after completing the intro mission and further story elements appear at random (i.e. worst possible time) as with the Alien Hunters DLC that introduced the nefarious Ruler units like the Viper King and Berserker Queen.
We haven’t had a chance to review Shen’s Last Gift (yet) but the early reception has been positive . The DLC apparently serves up a fair amount of story-driven content, which is a departure from the cosmetic trappings of the first XCOM 2 DLC Anarchy’s Children or the surprise encounters with the Rulers found in the Alien Hunters DLC. If you’ve already bought the $20 Reinforcement Pack then Shen’s Last Gift is ready for you to download right now (GO! GO! GO!), otherwise you’ll need to cough up $10 to get it, so if you’ve got some Sectoid corpses chilling in your basement freezer now’s the time to offload them on the Black Market.
