Legendary XCOM Mod Sees its Ultimate Version
XCOM is a franchise that prides itself on its strategic difficulty, especially on its tougher settings. The turn-based tactical game can be viscously punishing to anyone without a plan. With permadeath killing off the soliders you’ve grown most fond of, it’s no wonder that overcoming tough challenges has been a core value in XCOM’s fanbase. To serve that end, a team of modders made the toughest challenge tougher. “Long War” put the difficulty of XCOM: Enemy Unknown on a new level. The player was given a ton more options, but so were the enemies – and the difficulty spiked ever higher.
When Firaxis released XCOM 2, fans were eagerly waiting for something to whet that Long War appetite. Ant they got that wish – with the same mod team releasing a legendary sequel of their own: Long War 2. But XCOM 2’s biggest expansion, War of the Chosen, caused a problem. It was so expansive, that mods had to be re-worked to maintain compatibility. But with Long War’s team working on other projects, it seemed as though XCOM’s playerbase would be split in twain. Each one loving Long War 2 or War of the Chosen, but never experiencing both together.
But, well, you’re reading this article. You know how the story ends. After several years of waiting, the Long War / War of the Chosen mod was finally released, bearing the only name it ever could have had: Long War of the Chosen. Getting the mod ready might be a bit of a hassle (there’s a Github page dedicated to helping newcomers through the process of XCOM 2 modding), and you’ll need more mods to integrate other XCOM 2 DLC. But if you can get everything working, you’re sure to find a tough, unforgiving, and thoroughly unforgettable experience.