Xcom 2 WOTC Legendary Ironman Research tips?

[JLHartsock]

I did a run but ended up outgunned and dead halfway in. Any tips on what research i should do in what order?

[sick duck]

There aren't a lot of general tips to give: Build magnetic weapons. Everyone should build guirlla tactics and resistance ring first because any other order will make the game harder. Beyond these tips, it is difficult to say because RNG will make the appropriate strategy vary quite a lot. If you are in situations where your getting injured a lot you will need to hurry up and build an infirmary. If the game isn't giving you scientists often enough you need a lab, or an engineering building for the same reason. If none of the above are problems you should get a resistance communication building or a proving ground. You should know all of this and more before you attempt legend ironman again, try the commander difficulty next time and the optimal strategy doesn't change with difficulty levels.

[mk11]

A psionic rush is possible but is best if there is a power coil on the 3rd level down.

Be very careful about spending time on breakthroughs.

Most autopsies wait until you get them free. MEC breakdown to get bluescreen rounds may be worth rushing. Faceless for mimic beacons. Sectoid for mindshields and mutons for improvements to explosives are also possible.

Try and get a turret wreck ASAP and then work out when you need to research it to get the defense turrets in place.

[mosspit]

@OP

You can plan by revolving around rushing magnetic weapons asap. It will make the tactical layer easier. But the thing is magnetic weapons research is 63 days with 0 scientist, and 44 days with 1 scientist on non-modded Legend. So you want to clear the essential researches before committing to magnetic weapons.

I would say Modular Weapons > Alien Biotech > Hybrid Materials (skippable) > Resistance Communications > Advent Officer Autopsy > Magnetic Weapons

So after committing to Magnetic Weapons, you can at least expand to another region and build the Proving Grounds. Be very selective on the breakthroughs as they all take 10 days and is independent of scientist count. Personally, I would only take Shotgun dmg +1 and Magnetic Weapons dmg +1, and skip others. Also know that weapons breakthroughs cycle back and is offered to you again (but very late into the campaign).

Sidenote

• If you integrated Alient Hunters DLC, Experimental Weapons require its research and are built in the Proving Grounds which is gated by Advent Officer autopsy, and the actual building of the Proving Grounds which should only come after GTS and RR at the earliest. So don't rush Experimental Weapons.
  
• Don't rush Faceless autopsies unless you can get a Savage sitrep early game. Mimic Beacons, while strong, need 4 corpses (1 autopsy + 3 to build). So generally you can only build one around the 3rd Retaliation mission.

[sick duck]

One of my campaigns had me fighting against sectopods before I had 4 faceless corpses. I can't really remember how I accomplished that, it might have involved one or two failed retaliation missions. To be completely honest, sometimes the game gives me retaliation missions in my headquarter zone and I regularly refuse to do those missions because I won't lose the region and the rewards aren't high. The thing about mimic beacons is that as long as you have one of those to distract the enemy with you can be quite aggressive and risky in your attacks. Because faceless corpses were so rare in that campaign I felt like I should be more careful. That meant I couldn't always figure out how to be quick enough for the objectives and I was determined to have a scouting ranger or reaper on every mission.

[mosspit]

Originally posted by mosspit:

...
Don't rush Faceless autopsies unless you can get a Savage sitrep early game. Mimic Beacons, while strong, need 4 corpses (1 autopsy + 3 to build). So generally you can only build one around the 3rd Retaliation mission.

Originally posted by sick duck:

One of my campaigns had me fighting against sectopods before I had 4 faceless corpses. I can't really remember how I accomplished that, it might have involved one or two failed retaliation missions.
...

The assumption here is that the player will complete retaliation missions, which will provide 1-2 faceless corpses per mission and those corpses are the rewards in itself. Hence, I use the term "generally".

The point here is that faceless corpse autopsy should not be rushed to be time efficient since @OP is asking about research order.

[mk11]

I get a lot of Faceless corpses from either the dark event that gives Faceless on every mission or by getting the bestial sit rep before berserkers and chrysalids.

[mosspit]

Not surprising since Berserkers only start appearing on the 3rd Retaliation onwards. Chrysalids will appear even later on (ofc ignoring the Chrysalids Dark Event).

[AD]

I personally recommend modular weapon first at all time, then magnetic second,
Switch project when the chose appear, for example trooper autopsy for the ninja and mindshield for the warlord.