XCOM Chimera Squad: Squad members, tips, skills, features XCOM Chimera Squad guide, walkthrough
Last update: 06 May 2020
This page of the XCOM: Chimera Squad guide includes all information regarding the squad. You will learn who are the members of Chimera Squad, what skills and specializations the characters have, and who should participate in missions in City 31.
Squad info
Who is part of the Chimera Squad?
The Chimera squad consists of 11 main characters - both humans and aliens representing various races known from previous installments of the XCOM series.
You can't freely choose between agents. You start the game with only 4 characters. More agents can be recruited as the campaign progresses. At certain campaign moments, the game will offer you the opportunity to join 1 out of the 3 proposed characters.
You won't be able to recruit all 11 agents during a single playthrough. A few of them will remain inactive - you will only be able to check them during your next playthrough. If an agent's skills seem particularly interesting to you, don't wait with recruiting them. There is a chance that this character won't be available for recruitment later in the game.
You can't start a mission with an incomplete team. You must choose 4 characters from the currently available. The game also doesn't allow you to select fewer heroes - if you don't have enough agents, you must relieve them of any other duties in the command center.
Can I add new recruits?
No, XCOM Chimera Squad does not provide the possibility of adding new team members outside the aforementioned eleven. The composition of the Chimera squad is predefined and cannot change as the campaign progresses.
An important feature of the game, however, is that it is possible to create androids. They are able to fill a temporary gap for those team members who are unable to participate in further missions, for example, due to injuries or other duties. Androids can be upgraded, although they do not possess any unique skills.
What happens after a hero dies?
Chimera Squad differs in this respect from previous XCOM games. The death of one of the team members results in failing the Mission. You can't afford to lose any of them or treat them as cannon fodder or bait. Each task must be completed with all heroes who started it. In the event of a hero's death, the game will suggest repeating the entire mission or loading one of the previous save files.
Do heroes suffer permanent injuries?
Yes, heroes can be severely injured and have scars. This will happen if they are knocked out during the mission, i.e. they have lost all health points.
A serious injury to a teammate does not mean the end of the game, but it does involve a number of unpleasant consequences. A seriously injured team member may require evacuation from the mission location. Their stats may also be lowered (scar removal is possible after they are sent for training) and they may require additional treatment after completing the mission.
Can team members level up?
Yes, Chimera Squad members can level up, XP earned as a reward for defeating opponents and completing missions. As in previous parts of the XCOM series, leveling up involves unlocking new combat skills. In some cases, the game will allow you to choose 1 of 2 new skills.
Agents from the Chimera squad can also be sent for training - you can do this in the Training tab on the city map. Training can increase their stats permanently - characters may, for example, gain more health points or increase their movement range. The only drawback of training is that you need to wait a few days - during that time, the agent cannot be sent on missions.
List of playable characters
There are 11 predefined characters in XCOM: Chimera Squad. You can't change any details about them. Instead, the game offers the ability to unlock skills for them by advancing to higher experience levels and assigning them items of equipment. Information about all the playable characters can be found below.
Axiom - Breaker Muton
He's a representative of the Muton race and his specialty is inflicting large damage. Axiom is able to enter a rage, destroy shields, create a state of panic among opponents or attack groups of enemies.
Axiom's best skills and traits:
Axiom uses a shotgun. You can't assign him any other weapon. In the later part of the game, you can acquire epic shoguns - each one gives Axiom one unique skill. Shotguns have a low range, but are great in destroying opponents' armor.
Axiom is able to increase his Rage level. This occurs every time you activate the Psych Up skill (it doesn't consume action points) and when Axiom is hit by the opponent.
Once the Rage reaches its maximum level, Axiom can use Muton Rage Berserk. This, in our opinion, should be treated as a positive feature - Axiom will then automatically perform an additional attack on a random opponent. The only downside is that you have no control over where Axiom will stop once the Berserk mode is over. For example, the hero can stop in the open and become an easy target for enemies who will soon make their moves.
Axiom's Smash ability allows him to hit opponents with fists. Its effectiveness depends on the current Rage level. This attack, in addition to causing physical injury, has the potential to stun, disorientate or render the target unconscious. You can also get Adrenal Surge skill, which allows you to use the Smash attack without consuming an action point in a given turn. You can, for example, use Smash attack twice or use Smash + a different attack.
Axiom can use Battering Ram passive ability to break into rooms in the Breach phase. The effectiveness of this skill is influenced by the character's current Rage level. It offers a chance to impose panic status effect on one of the opponents.
Regeneration skill allows Axiom to recover several health points every turn. Don't expect to be able to heal this character when he gets severely wounded, but it's still a useful ability, especially if you are using Axiom to play aggressively and/or as a tank. Another useful offensive ability is Counterattack. It gives Axiom a percentage chance that he will fight back with a strong attack after being hit with a melee attack. It is very effective in missions featuring opponents such as Chryssalid and Ronin.
Axiom's most powerful ability is Quake. It is a strong area attack that can be used to damage a group of opponents. The earthquake inflicts heavy damage on the enemies and destroys all the surrounding covers, allowing you to expose hostiles. Quake ability can, unfortunately, only be used once for the entire mission - it's best to leave it for the final battle.
Shelter - Psion Human
That sorts out the race. His specializations include using psionic attacks and strengthening allies. Shelter has the skills to bestow team members with positive statuses, "teleport" allies or enemies to another location, or create a psionic clone of himself.
Shelter's best skills and traits:
Shelter uses a submachine gun. You can't assign him any other weapon. In the later part of the game, you can acquire epic SMGs - each one gives Shelter one unique skill.
One of Shelter's basic skills is a unique variant of teleportation - Relocate. This ability allows him to swap places with another character, both an ally and opponent. It can be used in various ways - you can, for example, move wounded agents to a safe place or to "pull" enemies from behind good covers. An additional advantage of this ability is that it doesn't finish the turn - after the teleportation, Shelter can still perform 1 action.
You can improve the Relocate skill in 1 of 2 ways. Temporal Shift ability can delay the execution of a move by an opponent who has been teleported, while the Distortion Field ability can give the transferred agents a defense bonus. Choose your ability depending on whether you use Relocate for offensive or defensive purposes.
Shelter can use Dazzle passive ability to break into rooms in the Breach phase. It has a percentage chance of disorienting enemies positioned near the entry point. This may prevent them from using more complex attacks.
Psionic Blast is a good psionic attack, however, it only works on living opponents. The attacked enemies receive damage that ignores their armor and covers, and their movements on the timeline are delayed. Shelter can use this ability once every two turns which is quite often. We recommend improving Psionic Blast with Soulfire ability. This is a healing ability - half of the damage inflicted by Shelter can "return" to him as health points. It's a great way to regenerate wounds.
Shelter's most powerful skill is Fracture. It allows the hero to create his clone. It doesn't possess all of Shelter's abilities, but can use Relocate and Soulfire. Unfortunately, this ability can only be activated once per mission, so it is best activated when the team needs an additional agent to distract opponents.
Zephyr - Hellion Hybrid
It is a hybrid, a combination of man and alien. Her specializations include hand-to-hand combat and the ability to move very quickly. Zephyr has the ability to i.a. inflict heavy damage in close-range combat, parry punches of opponents or disappear and quickly reach another place on the map.
Zephyr's best skills and traits:
Zephyr is the only character on the team who doesn't use firearms, but instead engages in hand-to-hand combat. You can't equip her with any weapons. The agent uses Pangolin Gauntlets to launch attacks in close combat. The melee attack can be significantly enhanced later in the game thanks to the Vital Strike ability. From this point on, Zephyr's attacks will ignore opponents' armor.
The gloves' primarily skill is the Crippling Blow attack. Besides dealing damage (it is worth noting that Zephyr cannot "miss"), she is able to impose one of four negative statuses on an enemy - Disarm, Disorient, Stun or Root. That's not all - after a successful attack, Zephyr is able to activate Momentum, a passive ability that guarantees her an extra move. You can use it, for example, to activate another attack, help Zephyr get behind a good cover or protect her from an enemy attack (available only after unlocking the Parry skill).
Zephyr can use Fearless Advance passive ability to break into rooms in the Breach phase. After using an entry point, the agent runs towards an opponent to inflict damage with a melee attack. In addition, the chosen opponent cannot shoot at Zephyr if it has been alerted (red status).
Zephyr can use Lockdown ability to attack approaching enemies. It is a very useful defensive skill. Any opponent near Zephyr will be attacked, even if they didn't directly attack her.
Zephyr's Crowd Control is a great area skill. It allows Zephyr to attack all enemies standing in the area. After striking every opponent, Zephyr returns to where she previously stood. This ability's cooldown requires you to wait only 2 turns.
Zephyr's most powerful ability is the Reaper, which allows the heroine to enter Reaper Mode. In this mode, any defeated opponent in melee combat allows Zephyr to perform an additional action. This skill's cooldown is 4 turns. However, you will be able to use this skill more than once in longer battles.
Patchwork - Operator Human
He's a human specialized in technology. Patchwork has the skills to allow hacking robots and security systems or electrocute opponents.
He's a human specialized in technology. Patchwork has the skills to allow hacking robots and security systems or electrocute opponents.
Patchwork's best skills and traits:
Patchwork uses an assault rifle. You can't assign her any other weapon. In the later part of the game, you can acquire epic assault rifles - each one gives Patchwork one unique skill.
Patchwork can use her drone to attack enemies - Chaining Jolt is the primary attack. This ability electrocutes the opponent, but it also has two additional and very useful features. Discharges can "jump" on nearby enemies and deal damage. The drone is also more effective against enemy machines (androids, mechs, etc.). You can enhance Chaining Jolt by unlocking High Voltage skill.
Patchwork can use two abilities during the Breach phase. Hack Door ability allows her to hack into closed doors and select unique entry points. Combat Scanners skill allows the team to scan a room with enemies once per mission and increase the accuracy of the entire team when attacking scanned opponents. It's a great skill that makes agents less likely to miss.
Patchwork's drone can also be used to hack enemy machines (Reprogram ability). This makes the heroine a very useful character in missions in which androids, mechs, turrets, and even andromedons appear. Successful hacking will allow you to personally control the machine and use its regular or unique attacks on other enemies or focus their attention on that machine.
Voltaic Arc skill is very good defense-wise. It automatically electrocutes enemies close to Patchwork. These attacks don't deal a lot of damage, but can be transferred to other enemies and they activate automatically (without consuming action points).
One of Patchwork's most useful skills is Stasis Field. All you have to do is learn to use it properly. Stasis used on an opponent can render them unable to fight for one turn - a great way to temporarily neutralize strong / annoying enemies while fighting weaker opponents. Stasis used on another agent will protect them from enemy attacks - it is worth using this method if an ally has suffered a major injury and cannot recover easily.
Patchwork's final ability is Capacitor Discharge. It is a powerful area attack which, in addition to electrocuting opponents, can also stun them. Unfortunately, this ability can only be used once per mission, and we advise always to leave it for the last battle.
Blueblood - Gunslinger Human
That sorts out the race. His specialty is overwhelming and precise fire cover from weapons. Blueblood has the ability to fire accurate shots or fire projectiles that ignore obstacles and covers along their path.
Blueblood's best skills and traits:
Blueblood uses a pistol. You can't assign him any other weapon. In the later part of the game, you can acquire epic pistols - each one gives Blueblood one unique skill. It is worth noting that thanks to Blueblood's skills, the pistol can "transform" into a kind of mini-sniper rifle. It isn't a weapon solely for close-range combat.
Blueblood has two great basic weapon-related skills. Desperado passive ability allows the hero to shoot twice in a single turn, assuming, of course, that he doesn't move. Deadeye ability, on the other hand, allows the agent to fire a stronger shot - it has reduced accuracy and therefore a greater risk of missing. Always try to find a good place for Blueblood and stay there for as long as possible.
Blueblood can use Lancer Shot passive ability to break into rooms in the Breach phase. The agent can fire a shot that ignores the covers' buffs. In the Breach phase, choose those targets that are harder to hit by the other agents.
Phase Lance is a great skill. This skill fires powerful projectile that flies in a straight line and ignores all obstacles along the way. You can successfully use it to attack several opponents at once, but you must always position yourself properly and check that there are no allies in the line of fire - all "confirmed" targets are marked in red. Phase Lance attack can be improved by Cascade Lance ability. To make good use of this skill, try to have a single shot hit at least 3 opponents.
Blueblood's final skill is Faceoff. The hero is able to fire a single shot towards all enemies in his field of view and is limited only by the ammunition in the pistol. Before you decide to activate this skill, reload your weapon and make sure there are 5 or 6 enemies in your field of vision. This ability can only be used once per mission. Wait until you encounter a particularly large group of opponents.
Torque - Inquisitor Viper
A representative of the Viper race (great snakes). Her specializations include moving other characters around the map and poisoning opponents. Torque can the tongue to move allies and enemies around, or poison and blind opponents with venom.
Torque's best skills and traits:
Torque uses a submachine gun. You can't assign her any other weapon. In the later part of the game, you can acquire epic SMGs - each one gives Torque one unique skill.
She starts the game with great abilities like Tongue Pull and Bind. Tongue Pull works on agents as well as opponents. In the case of allies, you can use this ability to draw a wounded agent away from enemies. Most of the time, however, you will use it on hostiles.
The ideal way to start any battle with Torque is to pull an enemy towards her and start strangling the hostile. You can perform both of these actions in the same turn - Tongue Pull doesn't consume both action points. Torque can also strangle larger opponents.
Strangled enemies are unable to free themselves. You can make this even more difficult to do by unlocking Reinforced Scales ability. It will prevent the opponent from being released when Torque is attacked by someone else. In addition, this ability gives the agent armor bonus. Tight Squeeze can in turn increase choking damage. This is especially useful in situations where you strangle a strong opponent - this can take 2-3 turns to eliminate that enemy.
Torque has two useful and unique passive abilities. Since Torque is a snake, she is completely resistant to poison and can move in poisonous fumes. In the Breach phase (preparation for the mission), you can order her to use ventilation shafts.
Torque is able to attack and weaken enemies with her venom. The first skill of this type is Poison Spit which deals area damage. Try to target groups of opponents to poison as many of them as possible. The second skill is Vicious Bite. The bitten opponent immediately receives a lot of damage and is also given a negative poisoning status. In this case, look for strong enemies standing alone. When using both of these abilities, remember to avoid attacking snakes and other opponents who may be immune to venom. Otherwise, you will just waste your move.
Cherub - Warden Hybrid
He's a hybrid, a combination of a man and an alien. He's a good tank, useful for protecting allies; he can use a shield. Cherub has the skills to allow boosting the morale of the surrounding allies, use a shield and concentrate enemy fire on himself.
Cherub's best skills and traits:
Cherub uses a pistol. You can't assign him any other weapon. In the later part of the game, you can acquire epic pistols - each one gives Cherub one unique skill.
Cherub starts the game with Kinetic Shield which is related to two abilities. Kinetic Shield is much more important - this is a protective field that can be used to protect Cherub or any other agent. The energy shield is able to stop enemy attacks which is especially helpful in protecting wounded allies. The second skill is Charged Bash - you hit an opponent with a shield, which replaces the standard subdue. The force of the impact depends on the number of charges.
Cherub can use Phalanx passive ability to break into rooms in the Breach phase. It focuses hostiles' attention on Cherub. However, their attacks will be stopped. This is very helpful at those entry points where there are many aggressive enemies (red color).
The Guard ability increases Cherub's defensive capabilities. At the end of each turn, he may gain an armor bonus and a cover bonus. These bonuses work until Cherub is attacked by an opponent.
Cherub can accumulate charges by using his abilities properly. It's also worth noting that you can increase their limit with the Overload skill. The main purpose of charges is to use them with Cherub's final skill - Supercharge. The number of charges collected affects how much Cherub can increase the strength of other team members' attacks. This ability is also used to mark opponents and make them easy targets. In this case, the number of charges collected affects how long this marking lasts. Unfortunately, Supercharge can only be activated once per mission.
Terminal - Medic Human
A human's a human. Her specializations include healing and supporting other team members. Terminal has skills to allow restoring full health of allies.
The best skills and features of Terminal:
Terminal uses an SMG submachine gun. You can't assign her any other weapon. In the later parts of the game you can get epic SMGs and each of them adds 1 unique skill to Terminal's action bar.
From the very beginning, Terminal can send her drone to treat herself or other agents - this can be done by using the Safeguard skill. The drone is able not only to regenerate up to four points of life, but also to strengthen the protection of the selected agent, remove negative statuses (burning and poison), and stabilize the bleeding agent. Another advantage is that sending a drone in the first action does not end the round. If you take Terminal with you on missions you don't have to equip other heroes with a lot of first aid kits and you can put other useful items in their inventory. The drone's treatment can be improved later by Armor System ability to assign an additional 1 armor point, as well as by Second Wind ability to cure all companions once per mission.
Terminal can use two abilities when breaking into rooms, namely in the Breach phase. The Hack Door skill allows her to break into a closed door and choose unique paths. More important is the Refresh ability, which can automatically renew 2 health points for all team members who choose a particular entry point. Unfortunately, this skill can only be used once during the entire mission.
A very useful protective skill is Sustain, as it can protect Terminal from death. When the heroine loses all her health points, she doesn't start to bleed out, but regains 1 health point and goes into stasis mode, where she can't be attacked by anyone for 1 round (or move on her own). The game allows this passive ability to be activated only once per mission.
Another very helpful skill of Terminal is Cooperation. It allows one of the other team members to make an extra move, so it has a similar effect to Team Up ability. Its great advantage is that it requires "only" 3 rounds to recharge, so it can be used several times during the mission. Always try to choose an ally that has the strongest attacks or the most helpful capabilities at particular situation.
Claymore - Demo Expert Human
That sorts out the race. His specializations include breaking and handling explosives. Claymore has the skills to allow use of specialized explosives capable of destroying covers and inflicting area damage.
The best skills and features of Claymore agent:
Claymore uses a shotgun. You can't assign him any other weapon. In the later parts of the game, you can acquire epic shotguns and each one adds one unique skill to Claymore's action bar. Shotguns have a low range, but are great in destroying opponents' armor.
Claymore can throw Shrapnel Bombs from the very beginning and this type of action will not consume both action points if it was performed as first in a specific round. The bomb can spontaneously explode after several rounds, or can be hit with any weapon to prematurely detonate it. Later, you can unlock 1 of 2 upgrades of Shrapnel Bomb - Heavy Shrapnel allows you to inflict bomb damage that ignores cover. Impending Doom allows you to impose negative Ruptured status on enemies in the bomb's area of impact.
Claymore can use the passive ability of Concussive Charge during the Breach phase (stage of entering rooms). This causes the detonation of a large explosive in the Breach phase, which imposes Ruptured status on all enemies in the vicinity. Unfortunately, it can only be activated once per mission.
Fortitude is a useful protective ability for Claymore. Unlocking it guarantees the hero some resistance against exploding charges and other environmental hazards. This can protect an agent from getting hurt badly in many situations.
Sticky Grenade ability is one of Claymore's most useful skills. According to its name, it allows you to throw a grenade that is able to attach itself to one of your enemies, forcing it to move and inflict damage. Cooldown of this ability lasts for 4 rounds.
Claymore's final skill - Barrage - strengthens the two previous abilities. Namely, the Shrapnel Bombs and Sticky Grenade skills. Explosives inflict more damage and using them does not automatically end a turn. In addition, Claymore can plant an explosive Shrapnel Bomb more than once in a round.
Verge - Envoy Sectoid
He's a representative of the Sectoid race. His specializations include using psionic attacks and manipulating opponents. Verge has the skills to allow influencing opponents and neutralize them, and using telekinesis.
The best skills and features of the Rant agent are the following:
Rant uses an assault rifle. You can't assign him any other weapon. In the later parts of the game you can acquire epic assault rifles and each one adds one unique skill to Rant's action bar.
Rant has had two psionic attacks from the very beginning. Stupor ability allows you to stun a chosen opponent for 1 or 2 rounds. The Battle Madness skill puts a selected opponent into a state of battle madness (berserk state), which causes the enemy to attack his own allies. Note - some opponents (for example other Sectoids) have resistance to psionic attacks. Rant won't be a particularly helpful hero in the battle against them.
Using Rant's skills on opponents allows you to connect them to the neural network. The default bonus for each enemy added to the network grants Rant +10 points to accuracy. However, this may also affect the performance of some other abilities. In addition, useful passive skills are associated with the neural network - Crowdsource increases accuracy bonuses and increases the chances of critical strikes, while Network Healing regenerates 1 health point at the end of the round for each connected opponent.
A separate Mindflay skill is also linked with the neural network. It allows you to deal damage to all enemies currently connected to the network. They are additionally rendered unconscious after losing all health points. This skill will work best only after you have connected as many enemies as possible.
Rant can use the Levitation ability when breaking into rooms, that is, in the Breach phase. This ability lifts selected enemy into the air. This is particularly helpful for enemies hiding behind full covers - they can be exposed to attacks from other agents. Additionally, the aggressive state (red color) of the lifted opponent is removed. Levitation can be improved by Slam ability. It allows you to lower the levitating enemy to make him hit the ground with great impact and cause a lot of damage.
Rant's last and most powerful skill is Puppeteer. It allows you to use mind control on all your opponents connected to the neural network. Again, try to use "normal" psionic attacks on as many enemies as possible in the first place, thus increasing the effectiveness of Puppeteer abilities. Unfortunately, this skill can only be used once for the entire mission. In addition, mind control remains active only for the rest of the round.
Godmother - Ranger Human
A human's a human. Her specializations include offensive actions, ambush and stealth. Godmother can destroy covers, avoid enemy shelling and sneak up on opponents.
The best skills and features of agent Godmother:
The Godmother uses a shotgun. You can't assign her any other weapon. In the later parts of the game, you can acquire epic shotguns and each one adds one unique skill to the Godmother's action bar. Shotguns have a low range, but are great in destroying opponents' armor.
The Godmother possesses a powerful Scattershot attack from the very beginning. It offers the ability to attack several opponents over a short distance - they must stand inside the yellow cone. A small disadvantage of this skill is that each activation of it consumes two shells and you may have to reload the rifle quite early.
The Godmother can use Alpha Strike's passive ability when breaking into rooms, which is in the Breach phase. It is very helpful - the agent will be able to make her move faster after being promoted to the right battle. She can gain additional action point in her first round. Unfortunately, Alpha Strike only activates once per mission.
A good defensive skill of the Godmother is The Last Stand. It can save Godmother from bleeding out. After losing all health points, the game renews 1HP and allows the Godmother to immediately make an extra move (for example, to escape or to be treated with a first aid kit). Unfortunately, you can only use this passive capability once during the mission.
Ventilate is a good offensive ability of the Godmother. This attack has a 100% chance of hitting the target and ignores the cover behind which the opponent can hide. It is worth using it to attack enemies hiding behind full cover-ups. However, Ventilate consumes up to 3 bullets and can be used once per 3 rounds.
Overtime is the ultimate ability of Godmother (available in her skill tree). It allows you to get useful passive bonuses - the Godmother gains bonuses for critical damage and dodge. Also, she can perform her moves more often in the next 3 rounds. Activation of Overtime does not consume an action point, although this ability can only be used once during a mission. It's best to save it to for a final showdown or some particularly difficult battle.