Classic to Impossible, is it that much harder?

[jballar]

I have been reading, and commenting, on the jump between normal and classic. Not that it means anything, but if you look at the achievements, just under 5% of people beat classic and just over 1% beat impossible. on a side note, under 30% have beaten the game on any mode. I just finished a classic game and am debating about trying impossible. Right now, I am playing the vanilla version of unknown. At some point I will start playing Second Wave options and EW, but right now I am enjoying the base game.

On Classic I lost a total of 3 nations, lost a total of 7 soldiers, and I re-loaded probably 3-4 times (my mistakes on missions). After getting used to the idea that classic is a completely different ballgame than normal or easy, I really enjoyed it.

If impossible is similar to classic, just more difficult, I think I can handle that. If a good strategy in both the missions and base is the determining factor, I can deal with that. But if impossible is nothing but a "luckfest" where I am constantly failing missions and restarting, that is not fun to me. I understand that I will lose soldiers, especially in the early game. I understand that there is luck in the game. I mean where else can I miss a 95% shot and hit with a 7% shot (on classic).

I guess in my rambling, I am asking if someone finds classic mode fun, with the strategy and tactics, would they find impossible fun also? For me, enjoyment on a game trumps achievements or gloating.

[Milk]

It's not similar. The biggest problem is the health drop of your standard units to four and the increase in alien HP.

What this means is that initially, ANY shot can potentially be lethal (incl. non crit). Which is scary.

You will also be vastly outnumbered, and sectoids have 4 HP, so efficient nading is not possible.

It's really not fun IMO and is more dependent on luck, whereas Classic doesn't require luck.

[happy]

there also is an increase in panic on impossible(2 becomes 3), thats the main problem, you need a bit of luck in abduction missions to not lose countries without not being able to do anything

anyone who has completed impossible will tell you that: any succesfull run starts with a lucky first month

[jballar]

thanks guys. I think I will skip impossible for now and go to Second Wave options and EW. And yes, since I can now play EU and enjoy it, i am ecstatic about XCOM 2.

[Teacyn]

Originally posted by jballar:

thanks guys. I think I will skip impossible for now and go to Second Wave options and EW. And yes, since I can now play EU and enjoy it, i am ecstatic about XCOM 2.

I recommend this. In all honesty, in my opinion, 90% of the change in difficulty from classic to impossible is artificial. The enemies don't get any smarter or anything, the game just gives them buffs and stacks the odds against the player even more horrendously then it does already. It's completely possible to lose a country from a single abduction mission. I lost 6 countries by the end of month 2, ONLY because of abductions. You get pretty much 0 money either.

[Stardustfire]

Im one of the 1% and i can tell u the difficulty ramp is brutal in EU, in EW it gets easyer because Fist MECs smooth the start A LOT.
Without tons of luck u better use to win a lotto jackpot u cant hold all countrys, i normaly juggle hard to hold 9 at least to prevent "Game Over" in Impossible.
The 4 HP Sectoids are somehow still handleable because in Impossible the Game tends more to Mindmerge, what gives a lot more oportunitys for 2 for 1 Kills.
But the 6 HP Thins and Floaters can easily get neckbreakers. Thats where the MECs kick in to save the day in the starting month. and the Fist is still useful in the Endgame because the Endgame Units dont scale so hard as the early ones do in the HP department.

To tell the truth, impossible is more work than fun, and the SW options u unlock at that difficulty are not really useable for funnier games.

I prefer c/i with handpicked SW Options for relaxing games

[Waywocket]

I feel like classic is hard in the sense of being an enjoyable and rewarding challenge, and impossible is hard in the sense of "because ♥♥♥♥ you, that's why". Okay, it's not literally impossible, but there are time that it kind of feels like it.

I've played through classic on ironman once, and I didn't lose any countries[0]. On impossible, on the other hand, I came within a couple of countries of defeat despite reloading like a hundred times (probably not an exaggeration).

It's insanely harder, and personally I find it harder in a rage-inducing unfair way rather than a "challenge accepted" way. Thin men on impossible make me want to punch right through my monitor. I played through impossible for the achievement, and I won't be doing it again.

[0] Granted I have started on CI three more times: the first was my very first game and I made it about three months before losing fair and square, and the others were games where I made embarrassingly stupid errors within the first couple of missions and couldn't bring myself to continue.

[porkchop]

no, it's just full of RNG starts, after the first few missions it's pretty much like classic, apart from the country panic thing.2

i don't mean missions (yea randomly youll spawn all the sectoids at once, but w/e)... i mean timing of ufos, abduction and council missions in the first month or two.

[{NLR} C´est Moi ;D]

It's not really that much different. The first couple missions (maybe the first month or two, depends) will be little more tricky and difficult, but after that, just like on Classic, it just gets easier and easier and you'll forget you're playing on Impossible, because it wont feel that much different.

[Stardustfire]

Sorry but how can u forget in the Endgame u dont play Claassic when u are in danger to meet 3 Sectopods at the same time? That and the much better hitrate of the aliens shoud normaly remind u u dont play classic as long u not demend and forgot how classic plays go.

[jballar]

After reading the comments and playing mental ping-pong, I just cannot help myself and will try impossible. from reading the comments, a lucky start can be key, I will try more than once, if need be. At the end of the day, even if I decide impossible is not for me, I can say I at least tried. Who knows with a good strategy and really good luck, I might be able to pull it off.

And yes, on Classic, I hated the Council missions the most because the Thin Men were like superpowered compared to their normal version counterparts. From what everyone has said, they are worse on impossible.

[{NLR} C´est Moi ;D]

Originally posted by Stardustfire:

Sorry but how can u forget in the Endgame u dont play Claassic when u are in danger to meet 3 Sectopods at the same time? That and the much better hitrate of the aliens shoud normaly remind u u dont play classic as long u not demend and forgot how classic plays go.

Because you'll only run into 3 sectopods if you play sluggish and uncover too much terrain (and depending on the map, they're not that big of a deal to deal with). I've had that happen because of that very reason. First I had a sectopod and 3 muton elites, no biggie. Then I had 2 sectopods (at the same time), 3 heavy floaters and 3 mutons. Only lost a few guys, and it was only because I was playing badly because I had grown slightly bored because it was too easy.

[Stardustfire]

u can uncover all 3 with one soldiers first move, happens ,ore than once to me, so how was that slugish? sounds more like u superlucky in all u impossible games. or a friend of then load button.

[{NLR} C´est Moi ;D]

Originally posted by Stardustfire:

u can uncover all 3 with one soldiers first move, happens ,ore than once to me, so how was that slugish? sounds more like u superlucky in all u impossible games. or a friend of then load button.

You could yes, but the chances of that are really low. And even then, it's perfectly doable, just pull back, target them down one by one, use EMP on your MEC if you have it, etc. And no, I only play ironman.

[jballar]

OK, impossible definately lives up to its name. Tried 3 times could not get past the first mission. I got better with each time, but not enough. You, who play on impossible, I tip my hat to you. You are Gods among men.

I will go back to classic and either start EW or play on Marathon option (that is the only second wave option i am really interested in because it lenghtens the game). Thanks for the warning on impossible, it was definately true.

[porkchop]

Originally posted by {NLR} C´est Moi D:

3 sectopods

once you've already dealt with mixed groups of 2 sectopods, 3 muton elites, berserker, 2 cyberdiscs, and sectoid commanders, oh right, i forgot the 3 heavy floaters...

3 sectopods are only easier... plus you can just suppress one, they suck anyways. just punch them in the face. (ive seen videos where suppression makes them just stand still and do nothing, broken AI).