Character class - Skirmisher | Resistance factions XCOM 2: War of the Chosen Game Guide
Last update: 11 September 2017
Skirmisher is the second of the three (next to the Reaper and the Templar) character class introduced in the War of the Chosen add-on. Skirmishers also have access to unique abilities and pieces of equipment - they use the Bullpup machinegun and a Ripjack melee weapon.
General information and hints
The Skirmisher is a highly mobile character, perfectly suited for short and melee range combat. They have three abilities to supplement this playstyle. The first one is Marauder - it allows Reapers to take shots without ending their turns. Thanks to that they can shoot twice during the same round, or shoot first and then move behind cover. The second ability is Grapple, allowing them to launch a grappling hook and get to an elevation without using any action points. The last one is Judgment. It also uses a grappling hook, but it allows the Skirmisher to target the enemy - if the hook hits, the enemy will be pulled towards the Skirmisher and will receive a melee attack from the soldier.
When using this class you should remember about certain things, such as:
- Use the Judgment ability to pull a dangerous foe towards the Skirmisher. Even if the target survives the attack, it will be extremely easy to flank it and finish it off.
- Grapple allows the Skirmisher to quickly get on top of an elevation. It's also a perfect method of decreasing distance to an enemy - you can launch the grappling hook to get on an elevation and order the soldier to jump back to the ground on the other side, easily flanking the target.
- Marauder ability gives vast tactical opportunities. In conjunction with the bonuses from soldier bonds and the Psi Operation abilities, the Skirmisher can perform 4 attacks during a single round, taking out even the most durable enemies.
- The effectiveness of this class increases tremendously with three weapon upgrades - Extended Magazine, Hair Trigger and Scope (of Superior rank, of possible). The first increases the clip size of the soldier's weapon (supplementing the Marauder ability), the second gives a chance for a bonus action point and the third increases the accuracy of the soldier - the last one will be useful when the soldier attacks from a long distance. You should also invest in aim increasing PCS.
- Remember that the Skirmisher won't out-damage the Ranger, although he has greater mobility.
- Skirmishers can use a single utility item - grenades, medkits or any other enhancers. Additionally, they are limited to Skirmisher-only armor that has the same stats as the armor of regular soldiers.
Abilities and development
Like every other class introduced with the War of the Chosen add-on, Skirmishers have access to three different skill threes. The following table presents all of the available abilities of this class.
Note - remember that those abilities are unlocked with AP and that there's no "one level - one ability" limit here. You can learn more about AP in the "Character development" chapter of this guide.
Rank | Hussar | Judge | Tactician |
Squaddie | Marauder - shots are not turn ending, allow for shooting and moving or shooting twice during the same round. The ability is unlocked from the start. | Judgement - allows the soldier to use the Grapple to pull an enemy and deliver a ripjack strike. The ability is unlocked from the start. | Grapple - allows the soldier to use a grappling hook to get to an elevated position. The ability is unlocked from the start. |
Corporal | Reflex - when fired upon, the soldier will gain one extra action on the next turn. Triggers once per mission. | - | Total Combat - throwing a grenade or using an item no longer ends the turn of the Skirmisher. |
Sergeant | - | Wrath - allows the Skirmisher to use the grappling hook to pull himself to the enemy and deal damage with a ripjack strike. 4 turn cooldown. | Zero In - subsequent shots on the same turn provide +10 critical chance. If used against the same target, they also grant +10 hit chance. |
Lieutentant | - | Whiplash - allows the Skirmisher to attack an enemy with an electrical lash. This attack does not cost an action. The attack can be used once during a mission. | Full Throttle - the Skirmisher gains +2 mobility for every kill during the same round. The bonus disappears with the start of a new round. |
Captain | - | Retribution - the Reaper performs a free ripjack strike on any enemy that enters his melee range or attacks from melee range. | - |
Major | Combat Presence - grant an additional action point to a teammate. | Reckoning - unlocks a ripjack slash attack. 5 turn cooldown. | Interrupt - a type of Overwatch mode. Once triggered, the player can perform any action with the Skirmisher instead of firing at the enemy. The ability can be used once during the mission. |
Colonel | Judgement - the enemy has a chance to panic whenever he/she performs an attack on the Skirmisher. | Battlelord - after each enemy in the line of sight takes an action, take an immediate action. Can be used once during the mission and lasts 1 turn. | Manual Overdrive - decreases the cooldown of all Skirmisher abilities by 1 turn. It does not end the turn of the soldier. |
Note - remember that Skirmishers have access to a number of abilities of the rest of the XCOM soldiers (mainly from the Hunter class, but also from the Sharpshooter). More info on that topic can be found in the "Unlocking skills using AP" chapter of this guide.
Ability selection
Some tips that might be helpful when selecting abilities:
- Remember that you can use XCOM AP to unlock additional abilities of this class.
- You should unlock the Total Combat ability as soon as possible. Thanks to that the Skirmisher will be able to throw a grenade (or use any other item) and then still move or shoot.
- The Zero In is one of the most important abilities for the Skirmisher. He can perform 2 or more attacks during the same round and thanks to the Zero In ability the second and every subsequent attack against the same foe will receive a huge bonus - +10% critical chance and +10% aim.
- The Wrath ability is especially useful when you want to turn the Skirmisher into a melee fighter. This ability allows the soldier to pull himself/herself towards the enemy and deal damage, after which you can still perform a normal melee / ranged attack from point-blank range.
- The Whiplash ability is one of the more interesting of this class. It allows the soldier to perform a free attack (it does not cost an action point) that deals the same damage as the Skirmisher's melee strikes.
- The Battlelord is probably the most overpowered ability in the entire game. It activates each time an enemy in the sight range of the Skirmisher performs any action and gives the soldier an additional action point. The ability triggers for every enemy - it can lead to a situation in which the Skirmisher will be able to perform up to 10 attacks during a single round.