Are Toys Worth It?

[Bing987]

I am finding that I have maybe a dozen items that my soldiers can carry around and they do interesting things, like attract aliens or a flash bomb or immunity to poison.

Are any of those things much better than the standard alien grenades? I mean, my Snipers carry Scopes and my Supports carry Medikits. My Heavies carry grenades because they can use them twice. That leaves maybe two slots available for some random goodies for the Assaults to carry.

I mean, what good is a Gas Grenade? I'd rather do the damage now with a real grenade. And is an Immunity Collar worth it? The aliens will just attack a different member of my party. The Arc Thrower isn't that great except when I am told to capture an Alien.

What goodies are better than grenades and why?

[Tamiore]

Scopes are the most obvious one.
Flat +10 aim that are always with you.

Medkits are a must (kind of) for some combinations of difficulty/SC options.

But non of those are flat "better" than a grenade. Depends on the situation. For one, a single grenade can't kill anything on impossible.

[ARi0S]

If you're using MECs or not, (but especially when using MECs) I've found ghost grenades are some of the best, they allow you to move through the map without being fired on and you can get into good position, saving MELD for your other mods or MECs.

[Twelvefield]

I'd say the arc thrower is even more obvious than the scope. But I don't carry them unless I am forced to make a capture.

Grenades are awesome. In the later game, they won't kill anything, but they do take down cover. There's another thead about how people use the various grenades. Flashbangs are good for disorienting the enemy, sort of like a disabling shot that is a guaranteed hit. Some people like the needlers in UFO's because the needles only kill X-Rays and don't damage alien hardware.

The medkit is still really spiff as well too. Don't forget that any soldier carrying an unused medkit is immune to X-Ray poison!

[WarLust]

It's all about scopes and grenades early to mid game. Then grenades are replaced with Chitin Plating for the mid-late game, except for the medkit guy(s) in your group. It really depends on what equipment you have at the time. If you have Carapace/Skeleton armor and know you are going to fight Thin Men (April/May missions or any Council Mission) or Seekers, Respirators come in handy, but I don't use them. I find it best to be out of LOS and ambush them. I'd rather be poisoned for 3 damage than killed by one LPR shot. Once you have Titan/Ghost, you have poison immunity built in, so it now becomes useful to have Chitin. I play with TR on, so if I have a Grenadier, who might also have Deep Pockets, it's nice to carry 4 (or 6) alien grenades . That's potentially 20-30 guaranteed damage right there.

Truthfully, I've only used Needle, Gas, and Ghost grenades a few times. Gas grenades also apply a -20 aim to the alien affected, over 3 turns, but I don't have much use for them. It's funny to see an alien run through a Thin Man poison cloud and be poisoned for 3 turns. Flashbangs are helpful, especially when trying to capture an alien, but only in the first half of the game. Arc Throwers, as you said, are needed for alien capture and a certain EXALT achievement. I usually stop alien capture once I have the Sectoid Commander from the alien assault base mission.

[Fezza]

At some point your troops get so efficient at killing those Seekers before they can latch on that you don't even need the Immunity Collar anymore.

[WarLust]

Originally posted by Fezza:

At some point your troops get so efficient at killing those Seekers before they can latch on that you don't even need the Immunity Collar anymore.

+1

[C1oudraker]

Seekers are annoying, but I've never once had a soldier killed by them. Scopes are a must, Chitin plating is useful (I never used it in EU but usually have one or two since switching to EW), at least one Arc Thrower and Medikit is an obvious necessity. I find a Ghost Grenade handy for the final assault on a ship's bridge; gather everyone, ghost up, move into position and then hit everyone next turn. Never really use any of the other new equipment.

[P-47 Thunderbolt]

Originally posted by BLSSDMF:

Originally posted by Fezza:

At some point your troops get so efficient at killing those Seekers before they can latch on that you don't even need the Immunity Collar anymore.

+1

Chitin plating also prevents strangulation IIRC so there is no need to build respirators.

[Thing What Kicks]

The only piece of new equipment with any use is the Ghost Grenade. And it is so damn useful that you should bring at least one on every mission. It's a get out of jail free card.

Frags/Alien Grenades are great, but there comes a time (like once you get two MECs with Grenade Launchers) that carrying lots of extra grenades is really just wasting space. Chitin for everyone!

[WarLust]

Originally posted by P51H Mustang:

Chitin plating also prevents strangulation IIRC so there is no need to build respirators.

Respirators are easier to get earlier in the game (Seeker autopsy + $35 per). It takes 4 chryssalid corpses and $85 to build 1 Chitin Plating, so you won't have enough for 4-6 soldiers until the end of May. Respirators also provide poison immunity and +2hp. That being said, I don't use them because of cost and I know how to deal with Seekers and Thin Men proficiently.

[Stardustfire]

Chitin plating on the other hand gives more HP and Melee dmg dampening. that makes it more useable than respirator.
For the Arc Thrower: When u only use them to go on in the Missions u miss out alot of advantage in Research time and items.

[WarLust]

Originally posted by Stardustfire:

Chitin plating on the other hand gives more HP and Melee dmg dampening. that makes it more useable than respirator.

LOL I know this. I was giving the OP some opinions. I don't play with anything besides grenades, scopes, chitin, arc thrower for captures, and 1 or 2 medkits.

[sakolnliza]

"Chitin plating also prevents strangulation IIRC so there is no need to build respirators."

Huh? Y am i so slow to pick up on this kind of stuff. For some reason i didn't know this, doh:) I should really go back and re read all the descriptions. Wonder what other stuff i've overlooked.

Anywho, good to know. Thanks.

EDIT: i guess i could respond to the OP instead of blah blahing:)

After watching a 4 man run from some1 on youtube. I've fallen in love with the ghost nad. Though it's pretty dang expensive to make and use early/kinda mid game. Can't use them like candy. But like TWK said, good to have at least 1 get out of free card available per mission just in case. Only drawback is, it doesn't work on mimet troopies. But your MEC will love you for it when times are rough. Specially if its on a OMG, how the heck did i get myself in this situation. And even a dash retreat will still be in range for getting shot. Run up and save the poor big fella with ghost nad to help his retreat:) And you don't want a MEC to go kaboom cause repair on a suit can be a bummer. Yes i'm evil, i care more about the suit than the poor troopie that is in it:)

Other nads, I haven't really toyed with yet so don't know the effectiveness. But i imagine with tact rigging, you can diverse your squad a tad with em. Can't go wrong:)

[Stardustfire]

sako its not u fault, this new feature to chitin plating is nowhere in the ingame explanations, its something u learn by recognice, i learned it in MP when my Opponent decloaked with his seeker beneth my Assaulter with chitin, and than, after a few seconds where he was puzzled himself i guess, shoot instead of strangle.

[sakolnliza]

Thanks Stardustfire:)