Impossible Mission?

[Gergely]

This is my first playthrough of the game and I'm playing WOTC with Veteran difficulty. Until now I failed about two missions, not counting the one I describe below.

I got a Guerilla Operation with a SITREP forcing me to a maximum of 3 soldiers.
I send a Grenadier, a Ranger and a Psi Operative.
Objective is to protect a data transmitter.

Turn 1: I move into position to see the enemies.

Alien Activity: An ADVENT Officer deals 7 hp damage to the transmitter.

Turn 2: I decide to break concealment and I fail at killing the codex I tried to ambush.

Alien Activity: Deals damage to the transmitter which is about 70% of it's remaining hp. The "Gatekeeper" enemy makes it's first appeareance with stupid amounts of hp. Said codex sets up a psionic bomb because I forgot to distance my soldiers again. Not a single enemy fired at my soldiers. A trooper entered overwatch.

Turn 3: I realize that the destruction of my objective is pretty much inevitable. I set the EVAC zone and evacuate all three soldiers. One triggers the reaction fire which misses. No casualties.

How the hell was I supposed to do the mission? Even if I don't get psi bombed there is no way I can kill enough enemies to make it impossible for them to destroy the transmitter next turn. Would my soldiers distract them enough to stop attacking the objective?

Or is this a thing in the game where it randomly puts up missions that aren't even worth trying?

Would be good to know if it's just me doing something wrong.

[gimmethegepgun]

You just learned an important lesson: the 3 soldier sitrep is basically a suicide mission. Don't take those.

[jmsand1]

Some missions are definitly harder than others! Choice of which troopers and which items you take can make or break your success chance. Such as, was your psi op already maxed out in training? There's no real reason to take him on a mission if he's not. Did you take bluescreen rounds and a mimic beacon? Your loadout screen prior to launching the mission is half of your tactical decision making.

[Katsu]

What the guy above me said, make sure to change your soldiers loadout depending on the situation and always make sure to bring your best and highest leveled soldiers if possible! No mission is impossible some are just very hard!

[Gergely]

Originally posted by gimmethegepgun:

You just learned an important lesson: the 3 soldier sitrep is basically a suicide mission. Don't take those.

I guess that answers the question. It's an Impossible Mission. Sort of. I don't think there is anything I could have done there. Glad I realized that in time and aborted.

Psi operative was already at Magi rank with about 6 different abilities learned.
Others were at least Captain rank. Not sure what I could have brought that would have made the mission more possible.

[Scorrp10]

Only at cap rank and you got gatekeepers showing up? It shoulda been a squad of 3 colonels with all the toys.

But gotta say I almost never take ptotect the relay. Cause if it is being worked on by a darn sectopod, you got zero chance.

[ElanaAhova]

Originally posted by Scorrp10:

Only at cap rank and you got gatekeepers showing up? It shoulda been a squad of 3 colonels with all the toys.

But gotta say I almost never take ptotect the relay. Cause if it is being worked on by a darn sectopod, you got zero chance.

Take the mission. Unless you have the shadow chamber running - you don't know the composition of the opposing force - until you get there. Maybe you can win. If not, exfil. If you never go, you never get any wins at all.

[Scorrp10]

Mind, guerillas offer a choice of three. You just weigh which reward you want most - or which dark event you want least. So it is not about not going at all. It is about going elsewhere. Hack workstation/retrieve item are best cause the hack fir these often carries real nice bonus.

[Abrakadabra]

I take 2 snipers and a reaper on those missions if I take those at all that is. You gotta cheese them one way or another. 3 soldiers, specially if not max level + end game tools, arent that good a deal vs big pods or even more than one pod. Its quite risky.

Reaper sniper combo is nice.