WoTC Spark Units Severely Underpowered

[H4N5]

I am a massive fan of anything robotic, so having a tank-esque Spark unit with an equally powerful weapon on my team of otherwise stealthy assasins was something I always used previously. However, with the myriad of updates from War of The Chosen, (with the Spark units gaining no soldier bonds, unable to "train" to access more soldier abilities and, otherwise, being treated like a less-capable regular soldier and not like a special hero class like the templars, skirmishers and reapers, etc.) the Spark units now feel pointless to use.

Why use the tanky robot who can only shoot an average weapon with average accuracy when the player otherwise has access to overpowered heros who grow even more over-powered abilities as long as the player uses them in tandem? The Spark can act as high cover if near a unit? The Templar can just SUMMON high cover to a unit. The Spark can fire one heavy weapon? The Reaper can throw a powerful claymore or use remote start. The Skirmisher can fire at multiple enemies in one turn and, with his increased mobility, nearly always flank the enemy. That doesn't even go into soldier bond powers and the ability for units to gain tons of abilities in the training center now, both of which the Spark can't have/do.

I love WoTC and am excited and surprised by all the new features, though am slightly dissapointed by the Sparks seemingly limited use now (though I want to add, I am not complaining or dissapointed with Firaxis, this expansion was an unexpected and welcome addition to the series where they set the bar to a high standard for all other games' DLCs).

Does anyone know if there are plans to update the Spark by Firaxis or is there are any mods for WoTC that overhaul the Spark's to be useful in the new battlefield?

TL;DR: The Sparks aren't very strong anymore in WoTC, are there any plans to update them / are there in WoTC compatible mods that increase their power?

Thanks and good luck, Commanders :D

[SamBC]

They did buff them a bit - more HP, higher aim, ability to put mods on their weapons - but that doesn't really seem to have enabled them to keep pace, particularly.

[Traim]

Put a Scope, an extended Magazine and an Autoloader on them, and they become quite good. Almost anything a grenadier can do can be done by sparks aswell, I dont think they are that underpowered compared to grenadiers.
However, there is a mod to improve them further: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1125117203
Metal Over Flesh Redux, it adds Projects to the Proving Grounds based on research that increase your sparks abilities. They can become really powerfull, if you ask me.

[Elder]

I have two sparks on my team all the time due to the freedom from fatigue and they destroy everything. Are you sure that you are using them correctly? Just abuse the high ground as they can get there very easily and let rip with their weapons

[Eggy]

Originally posted by Amaterasu- Empress Of All:

I have two sparks on my team all the time due to the freedom from fatigue and they destroy everything. Are you sure that you are using them correctly? Just abuse the high ground as they can get there very easily and let rip with their weapons

This is what i have been doing. I love that mod above but am trying to avoid installing it as they become over powerd.
Getting the high ground is key. It also works good if you have a tanky one and a shooty one. basicaly mobile cover you can use to keep your rifle men on point. Im using the logic that a spark is a better use of s spot than a low level rookie, when your top guys are having some R&R.

I also think that since if you do the story mission you get 1 for free. The first one you buy (when integrated) could be much cheaper than further ones.

ive not managed a full playthrough of wotc yet, so maybe theres further stuff ive not seen. I always thought it would be a good idea to have some kind of scavenger skill that allowed you to used destryed robot enemies to repair sparks both in and out of combat.

[MReq]

Haven't experienced any particular issues with the Sparks myself. With some weapon mods I find them highly viable.

The fact that they don't get fatigued as normal soldiers do has been of great help in my playthrough. Playing a ten round game can easily fatigue a normal soldier up for 18+ days but repairing a Spark may take 4+ days.

[JiMMy]

i was about to build a spark but now after reading this i am not sure what to say! buffing it to the keep pace with new game mechanics shouldn't been overlooked.

[Wintermist]

I put a scope and magazine on mine, and just wow, he's my most valued member on every mission. Hits almost everything, and hits like a truck too. Combine that with overdrive and he can nuke stuff down to nothing. He's definately my most dangerous unit.

[DarkFenix]

I do find it funny that people keep saying "oh but the spark is good if you do this and that". My regular XCOM soldiers can do all of that without needing to compensate. I don't need to seek the high ground or equip a scope because my soldiers are accurate enough to hit anyway. On top of that my regular soldiers can get unlimited stat increases from covert ops and the other side of their skill tree from the training centre. Then you've got the inherent advantages of soldiers, PCS and utility slots (why WotC didn't add at least one utility slot to sparks I can't fathom).

Sparks are woefully underdeveloped compared to everything else in WotC, presumably neglected because they're DLC rather than core content.

[K. the Land-Surveyor]

I'm in early June one my first campaign on C/I and I personally find my SPARK to be a good addition to the squad. The inherent Shred on the primary gun is really nice, the ability to go anywhere and not worry about cover is a nice addition, and the SPARK brings good utility. I particularly like Bulwark, becaue it sometimes allows me to set up flanks on what would otherwise be awkward angles. I've been running my SPARK with my two Skirmishers, and sometimes just have some super explosive turns. I also appreciate being able to run it out while it's still under repair.

I think on Legend, or if you're intent on playing 100% optimally, the SPARK is probably not worth looking into, but at least on Commander you don't need to do that to win.

[.O.]

I find that the spark makes good assasin bait.

[Cake]

I love my spark, haven't ever once thought that they were underpowered. I would've thought they'd get steamrolled since they don't take cover but I guess I've been fairly lucky so far (knocks on wood)

[H4N5]

Wow hey thank you for the comments! Let me read through them all :D

[Richard]

Lol. They are free from fatigue and they can shred 3 armor with a single strike. They can get 3 strikes in a row from overcharge. Its more like op then up.

[Rabmiral Skee]

Yeah I personally Believe that units that dont have fatigue can be rather good if you dont train up enough reserves, not to mention the Spark brings their own toolkit, And modders always do balancing mods and etc to rectify perceived problems so if you dont like them, Guess what you can just INSTALL A MOD.

[Glorious Tachikoma Overlord]

Originally posted by DarkFenix:

I do find it funny that people keep saying "oh but the spark is good if you do this and that". My regular XCOM soldiers can do all of that without needing to compensate. I don't need to seek the high ground or equip a scope because my soldiers are accurate enough to hit anyway. On top of that my regular soldiers can get unlimited stat increases from covert ops and the other side of their skill tree from the training centre. Then you've got the inherent advantages of soldiers, PCS and utility slots (why WotC didn't add at least one utility slot to sparks I can't fathom).

Sparks are woefully underdeveloped compared to everything else in WotC, presumably neglected because they're DLC rather than core content.

Spark's can fire THREE times (without penalty after a very early skill unlock) with the strongest regular/non-special guns in the game (that also shred armour like nothing) and can jump up and down from higher/lower levels and roofs without even being slowed down (or having to deal with less equipment slots from spider suits or cooldowns like grapples), making for easy flanking, aim bonuses and movement flexibility.

With their survivability being a wash (not being able to use cover is compensated by armour and them tanking shots for squishier guys, as well as a bunch of available defensive skills, as well as immunity to serious debuffs like poison), they only really suffer from weak accuracy and a low ammunition count (made worse by their high ammo burn rate from skills) which can be fixed with a single mod that enables them to get weapon upgrades. +10 or +15 scope and 2 or 3 free reloads turn them into very strong and VERY flexible units, I always take one in my squad if I can and they rarely if ever disappoint.