Kill or capture?

[frdnwsm]

Got a mssion to kill some VIP; I also have the option to capture him. Clearly capturing is a lot more difficult, since I have to subdue him, truss him up like a chicken and carry him to the evac zone. Do I get some incentive for doing this? Maybe we squeeze him for intel or something similar?

Oh, and if I decide to capture him, do I still have the option of killing him later on if it looks like time is running out?

[gimmethegepgun]

Killing them will only give you the supplies that are listed in the mission reward. Capturing them will give you both the supplies and the intel.

Time running out isn't the issue since you need to escape anyway and carrying them doesn't slow you down. You should be able to drop them and then blow them up but otherwise you can't target them with weapons.

[Rockfire ✘]

capture if you can, kill if you must.

[frdnwsm]

I haven't had the occasion to carry anyone yet, so I had figured that carrying someone would make for slower movement; it would be only logical. Glad to hear my grunts are strong enough to be able to ignore gravity.

Speaking of carrying bodies, I read somewhere that gear on dead soldiers would be lost if they weren't carried back to the Avenger. Is this the case? So far, nobody has died with anything really valuable, but my guys are now starting to carry stuff like mind shields, which has a certain value.

Really though, they should be able to just grab some gear from the deceased while in the field, but logic doesn't always win out when designing a game.

[TamTroll]

the walk animation while carrying a body IS slower then if they weren't carrying a body, but they can still go the same distance for some reason.

as for gear, it depends on the kind of mission. if it's a "kill every hostile contact" mission where you are effectively taking control of the area once the mission is over, then you will automatically keep all the equipment from a dead soldier.

if it's a "Get in, do the thing, get out" mission however, where you can't just clear the map and you're required to hit an evac site at some point, then yes, your equipment will be lost if you don't carry the body back to the evac site.

this also applies for any kind of mission where you're on the verge of loosing. if you have only one soldier left and you decide to cut your losses and evac without beating the stage, then only equipment you carry back onto the shuttle with you will remain. everything else will be lost to ADVENT.

[Uncle Al]

Originally posted by frdnwsm:

Speaking of carrying bodies, I read somewhere that gear on dead soldiers would be lost if they weren't carried back to the Avenger. Is this the case? So far, nobody has died with anything really valuable, but my guys are now starting to carry stuff like mind shields, which has a certain value.

If the mission is one you have to evacuate from to finish the mission, then gear on dead soldiers is lost if you don't retrieve their corpses. Also unconcious and mind controlled soldiers become MIA if you leave them behind.

If it's a mission like a supply run or a haven defence, where no evacuation is required at the end, you'll pick up anything on fallen soldiers as part of mission completion, so long as you actually complete the mission. Mind controlled and unconcious soldiers are automatically recovered.

It's the same rules as retrieving enemy corpses for study. The first type of mission you don't get them, the second type you do.

[frdnwsm]

OK thanks; none of that was quite clear before.

Also, there IS a disadvantage to carrying someone. The encumbered soldier can't take any actions besides movement. No firing weapon, overwatch, tossing grenade etc. Makes a bit more sense.

[DasaKamov]

Originally posted by Uncle Al:

Also unconcious and mind controlled soldiers become MIA if you leave them behind.

...But, on the plus side, you may receive a mission to rescue your captured soldiers at a later time. ;)

[Mr. Nice]

Originally posted by frdnwsm:

The encumbered soldier can't take any actions besides movement.

Indeed. Also note that picking up the body doesn't cost an action, but putting it down does. That has implications for when it's convenient to dump the body because you need the extra firepower or not.

[Create@Review(Ravire)]

I capture 90 percent of the time only time I kill is if I am on my way to the person and they are about to escape or it looks like i will lose a soldier capturing then I just kill and run out but my advice always go for a capture if it's possible I tend to have the one with the most health to go for the capture in case of ambush etc.

[Mr. Nice]

There's also those times a stray shot makes the car they are standing by explode....

[patrick]

I once incapacitated a vip but triggered another pod with that. So i decided „no, i‘ll pick him up later. First i fight the aliens.“ One of the aliens hit the car and the guy never woke up again. I guess they didn‘t want me to get the intel after all.

[V-Bro - The Titan's Driver]

Intel is good, though sometimes you can get some other bonuses for a live capture.

Certain circumstances may force you to choose assassination instead.
Usually it's necessary because of one or a combo of the following:

1. Limited Time
2. Heavily guarded zone.
3. An Enemy VIP proves vital to initiating a Dark Event, and taking them out prevents the event. (You could still capture, but if push comes to shove, killing them suffices as a message)

It's often much easier to silence them permanently than to capture them.

Whatever you pick, you can have some fun innovative moments with these missions.
I once had this very heavily guarded VIP in practically a fortress of half a dozen aliens, including mutons. But it turned out their was a hole in the roof with a turret above it. So I hacked that - its first target was the enemy VIP.

[gimmethegepgun]

Originally posted by V-Bro - The Titan's Driver:

Intel is good, though sometimes you can get some other bonuses for a live capture. [...] 3. Enemy VIP is vital to initiating a Dark Event.

No? Intel is the only bonus, and the VIP has nothing to do with Dark Events.

[V-Bro - The Titan's Driver]

Originally posted by gimmethegepgun:

No? Intel is the only bonus, and the VIP has nothing to do with Dark Events.

Okay, I edited it for clarity. Some missions stop dark events, including taking out enemy VIP. It will say so in the mission description.
If you still don't know what I mean, I guess it's a Long War feature.

[Mr. Nice]

Originally posted by V-Bro - The Titan's Driver:

If you still don't know what I mean, I guess it's a Long War feature.

Yes, it is. In the unmodded base game and WotC, a VIP capture/kill mission is always a "Council Mission", not a "Guerilla Operation".