Integrated DLC option?

[Verios44]

What is best?

integrated DLC or activate alien hunters and shea's last gift individually?

WOTC version

[Commander Gorda]

If its integrated you dont get the specific mission from Alien hunters or Shen. The Alien rulers guard some Of the advent blacksites and if you dont Kill them on first attempt they show IP on random missions not same time as chosen though. Sparks can be build once you have proving ground. So it depends if you want to do those missions or skip them but still get the content anyways.

[Mhblis]

I prefer to not intergrate them since I actually like the narrative story missiosnthey add.

That said they were not balanced agains the need fatigue mechanic so you will end up with a bunch of negative traits and soldiers out of action for ages as they recover.

[Coilette]

When you enable the Integrated DLC option,you don't get the specific DLC missions, but you will still be given the opportunity to research and craft the Alien Hunters weapons and you'll be able to build SPARKs at the Proving Ground too.

Personally I prefer to activate Alien Hunters only. Shen's mission doesn't really give me any advantage, so honestly I don't think there is any reason to take on that mission and jeopardize your roster.

Alien Hunters I would recommend activating for 2 reasons

1. You get the weapons of the hunt only by scanning a few days (otherwise, with the integrated DLC option, you have to research it and then craft individual weapons at the Proving Ground after you construct it. This takes a lot more time especially at higher difficulties.)

2. You get to decide when to take on the rulers. With the Integrated option, you will have to deal with them during the Sabotage Alien Facility missions. They will tell you, when the facilities are constructed, that there are "powerful aliens" or whatever guarding the facility. During early game, when resources and manpower are very scarce, this can be very challenging. With conventional weapons and sergeants and you have to take down one of those facilities to bring down the Avatar progress... not pretty.
If you enable The Nest mission, rulers will only appear (randomly in all kinds of missions: UFO landing, council mission, sabotaging facility, etc) after you complete that mission.

[Martial.Lore]

I really like any mission that is out of the ordinary in these games so I always play them out and don't integrate them. Post mission fatigue, etc. has never been a problem for me: players can choose when to take the missions when they are ready for them.