A pair of new XCOM 2: War of the Chosen trailers are now available on the franchise’s official YouTube page. The first, focused on the Assassin , doesn’t really tell us anything we didn’t already know from the game’s E3 appearance. But the second, a two-minute video that spotlights the Reapers, gives us quite a bit of information about one of the new human factions that will join humanity’s fight for freedom when XCOM 2: War of the Chosen hits PC and consoles in August.
Those who make friends with the Reapers will quickly discover they are powerful additions to any squad. The faction’s soldiers are like an amalgamation of the existing Sharpshooter class and the stealthy glass cannons we’ve seen in other tactical strategy games. Reapers will have a special form of concealment called Shadow, which increases their movement range. Shadow will also decrease enemy detection radii, making it harder for the opposition to spot your Reapers, and there’s a chance that concealment won’t be broken after their actions.
Reapers will also carry a new offensive item, Claymore Mines. Mines can be placed anywhere on the map, including enemy units, and will detonate whenever they (or the unit they’re attached to) take damage. The area of effect doesn’t seem to be much different than the one for grenades, in this week’s War of the Chosen trailer, but being able to convert enemy units into walking time bombs will certainly add some new strategic elements to the battlefield when the next XCOM 2 expansion arrives. Reapers can also expand the blast radius of explosives scattered throughout the environment and they’ll have their own unique skill trees. And that’s just one of three new human factions we’ll meet when XCOM 2 players begin the War of the Chosen .
For more on the Reapers, take a few minutes to watch the latest XCOM 2: War of the Chosen trailer from 2K and Firaxis. Then head down to the comments and let us know what you’re hoping to see when the next XCOM 2 expansion debuts later this summer.
XCOM 2 is currently available on PS4, Xbox One and PC. The game’s next expansion, War of the Chosen , debuts Aug. 29.
Be sure to check back with Player.One and follow Scott on Twitter for additional XCOM 2 news in 2017 and however long Firaxis continues to support XCOM 2 in the years ahead.
