Is it worth playing the base game?

[Firestorm🗿]

Got the game and all the DLC when they were on sale recently. Any reason to go vanilla first or just go straight into WotC, etc?

[Dallas S]

If you haven't played the first game, the wotc DLC might be too overwhelming with all the features. If you have finished the first game then you should be fine with the DLC.

[Firestorm🗿]

Originally posted by Dallas S:

If you haven't played the first game, the wotc DLC might be too overwhelming with all the features. If you have finished the first game then you should be fine with the DLC.

Currently playing through Enemy Within, if that is what you mean. Ok I will not worry about it.

[[RFC]SoperMen]

Play the base game and then WOTLC. If you liked the base game do another game in WOTLC Ironman :)

[Razorblade]

Go straight for WotC. It's just the Vanilla game but with significantly more content and QoL improvements.

[TheOrangeBox]

I also recommend to start directly with WotC as the full game experience.

[Create@Review(Ravire)]

I would try the default base game first then the dlc the chosen are early in the wotc and well people complain about stun lancers and vipers chosen are like sectopods

[Azure]

WotC fixes a lot of problems Vanilla had so starting with it is prob best

[Nucas]

I put a few hours into vanilla then started a game of WOTC, and I kinda wish I'd just gone straight to WOTC. there's more stuff, and different stuff, but it's not overwhelming (and some things like WOTC's extraordinarily annoying soldier fatigue would have been easy to get used to if I never knew a world without it).

[Hammer_Squirrel]

Originally posted by Razorblade:

Go straight for WotC. It's just the Vanilla game but with significantly more content and QoL improvements.

Originally posted by Nucas:

I put a few hours into vanilla then started a game of WOTC, and I kinda wish I'd just gone straight to WOTC. there's more stuff, and different stuff, but it's not overwhelming (and some things like WOTC's extraordinarily annoying soldier fatigue would have been easy to get used to if I never knew a world without it).

Originally posted by TheOrangeBox:

I also recommend to start directly with WotC as the full game experience.

Agree. There's no real reason to go to the base game other than curiosity.

The story elements are additive, so it's not like you miss out on anything, and otherwise the gameplay is simply more refined and balanced in WOTC.

I don't think that any of the new gameplay stuff is really overwhelming, and in general the strategic layer is less of a grind, and I think the base game is more frustrating for someone starting off because you can be in a slow death-spiral and not know it. With the WOTC toolkit you get a lot more Get-out-of-jail-free cards. The tactical layer is better - more variety, more options, and some rebalancing throwing in for good measure.

[|H|H| Fr3ddi3]

WOTC is not for new players, this does not mean that a new player cannot jump right into it and get on just fine, but the fact remains, WOTC is designed for experienced XCOM 2 players who know what they are doing. Most WOTC players started with XCOM 2 ... because WOTC did not exist, point being, we / they simply do not remember the sheer amount of information one had to take on board when playing through for the first time, hell I still recall thinking XCOM2 sectoids were utter ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ back in 2016, who on earth though making a basic enemy a tank with mindcontrol on mission 1 was a good idea ... but these days? I laugh off how simple minded my view of the game was. And that is where basically every long term XCOM player is at these days.

They don't know just how prepared they were when first going into WOTC.

Obviously you can just read and watch tutorials about absolutely everything before going in ... but part of the game is facing the unknown, losing to it, getting better, beating it the next time around, you miss that payoff if someone tells you EXACTLY what to do.

Now yes, WOTC add's some really nice strategic features and some outright broken classes and abilities ... but new players are not going to know how to best use any of it effectively ... to the point of making the 'bad' WOTC stuff inconsequential (bad as in, for the health of your troops). Like putting a learner driver in the seat of an F1 car, it does not matter how fast the can go round the track if the driver slams it into a wall on the first corner.

The simple fact is,

1- FATIGUE is a mechanic ripped straight out of Long War, a fan made mod to increase the difficulty of the game, it forces you to develop a deeper roster of usable troops ... which is a wonderfully great mechanic and forces you to get better at the game ... but it robs you of your best troops every couple of missions, when a new player is already struggling to complete missions with their best and brightest on hand, they might not appreciate the potential headache of taking inferior troops on those missions making them even harder especially when ....

2 - The Chosen are a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ nightmare to deal with for a new player who does not know when they show up, what they are capable of doing, how to fight them, what gear / abilities and units to prioritise getting ... and doing it without failing every mission one shows up on.

Now again, just to reiterate, nothing I said means that it is impossible for a new player to play WOTC, Enjoy and beat it ... especially if you take save scumming into account. But I stand by what I said, WOTC is absolutely not for new players, if you play with it on and find it too much to deal with, there is no shame at all in turning it off and playing the base game first.

[Païtiti]

Yes, I reinstalled the game over the long weekend and played for a day until I realized Wotc wasn't even activated. The game is absolutely fine and fun without it. Wotc is not easy and might frustrate a lot if you are new to the game. I think it is absolutely okay to play it wihtout.

[Chiss]

I did Vanilla on the Rookie level first, and fell in love with the game. Got WoTC and did a second run at normal difficulty. Loved it even more, but was happy about having done vanilla first, since I learned the ropes on a "simpler" version and WotC felt almost like a new/nicer game! A great surprise that increased the replay value soooo much.

I'm now doing another run with difficulty cranked up one extra notch, with the Covert infiltration mod and some new terrains thrown in, and AGAIN it feels like a new/nicer game that builds on my previous iterations. I'm even getting new in-mission dialogues (where the heck did these come from?!) .

Love this game.

[Lotor13]

I also reccomend to play with this base game first

Originally posted by |H|H| Fr3ddi3:

2 - The Chosen are a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ nightmare to deal with for a new player who does not know when they show up, what they are capable of doing, how to fight them, what gear / abilities and units to prioritise getting ... and doing it without failing every mission one shows up on.

this

[Karrox]

As someone who recetly bought the game too and played vanilla into WotC, I can safely say "just skip vanilla and go straight up for WotC". Mainly for the quality of life and added things, the "story" is the same.
I see people saying that WotC isnt for new players and that new players should play vanilla to learn basics, but thats not true imo. Don't be ashamed of playing the first time on lowest difficulty to learn the ropes.
(Long War is the one thats not for new players, its mod that massively enhances the game)

[mazrados]

Short answer: no.
Long answer: noooo.

Play Long war of the Chosen.
It's frustraiting at first because you will probably loose at first try, but when you will eventually win, it is sooo rewarding.

And don't be ashamed to play on easy difficulty. Every Long War difficulty is hard.