How to play DLC?

[AlexanderTheGeek]

I noticed when i start a game i automatically unlock all the subfactions and spark units without having to do the related quests, how to fix?

[Dazzy_D]

On the final screen before a new game starts, 'Optional Narrative Content';

Make sure the 'Enable Lost and Abandoned' box under 'War of the Chosen' is checked for the faction mission.

Under 'DLC', uncheck the 'Integrated Downloadable Content' option and check the 'Alien Hunters: The Nest' and 'Shen's Last Gift: The Lost Towers' boxes for the SPARK and alien bosses quests.

[Stardustfire]

Be warned that enabling lost and abandoned is the WotC tutorial, with all its consequences:
ever the same start faction, ever the same 2 start heros of the first 2 factions, ever the same chooosen order, ever the same perks on choosen. and all that for some tireing quests. did i forget some of the replayability debuffers?

[Amanoob105]

Each DLC works a little bit differently. Assuming you have all of them.

-WotC, the big one. When opening up the game from the launcher you have two options, Xcom2 or WotC. And that's it on how you activate it. It's the same game, with the same campaign, but with far more content.
The only technical exception to this would be starting a new campaign with "Lost and Abandoned" active, which works like the tutorial for most of the new content. But (as mentioned in comment #2) like the basic tutorial all it's really good for is adding in some extra story as the cost of massively gimping your game to tell it.
Worth it once to see said extra story, but never again.

-Reinforcement Pack. It just doubles the number of cosmetic options you have and is simply active by default. There is an option found in the character pool to control how often it shows up.

-Tactical Legacy Pack. In the main menu is an option called "Legacy Hub", within this will be the options for this DLC. It's a bunch of set missions split into four groups, with set troops and a mix of set rewards between missions and semi-random rewards between missions.
Completing each set of four to a minimum rank of Silver adds a bunch of extra stuff into the game.
Most of these are cosmetic items, but one of them are a bunch of "sidegrade" weapons. They're the same as the normal guns, but it a unique look and free, though fixed, attachments.
It also adds in as one of the rewards the best non-mod voicepacks in the game. The Rizzo.

For the next two, there's one area they have in common for how they are added to a new game.
If you want their extra missions and story (which does not act as a tutorial and as such doesn't bugger up your game) you first need to turn off "Integrated Downloadable Content" and directly select the two options below it.

-Shen's Last Gift. Assuming you did the above.
At some point after 2-3 months into a campaign a cutscenes will play involving Shen. Then a white mission location will show up. Tips include:
This is a long mission, save your explosives until the third act.
Don't take anyone at max rank as the exp gains are massive.
The enemies don't stop coming (see above point), figure out your next objective and get it one.
Try to have at least tier 2 mag weapons on at least your rifles and pistols.
Bluescreen rounds are worth their weight in gold.
Bluescreen rounds on anyone with a pistol that can shoot it more than once a turn are worth double that.
Give Shen a Medi-kit and remember that her combat abilities are on cooldowns and not the normal limited uses, so spam that crap.

-Alien Hunters. Also assuming you did the above.
Sometime into the first month or two of a campaign a green scan site will pop up, strongly recommend grabbing that within a month or two of it turning up. It contains the Ruler Weapons, for free.
Some months after that a new White location will turn up. This contains both the start of the extra story content and will make you fight a giant snake monster.
There is no shame in putting this thing off until you feel ready to fight a (what will feel like on the first time) seemly invincible giant snake monster.
Best pieces of advice:
Hit them with the freeze bomb and then hit them with one each of acid and fire (also poison for the two non-snake ones). Due to how they take turns this will eat away at their health very quickly.
Free actions, i.e. the Axe Throw and Lightning Hands, do not trigger Ruler Reactions (a.k.a. how they take turns).

Last and most definitely least.
-Resistance Warrior Pack.
It's a bunch of face paints and alternate look tier one armors that you will likely forget exists in about the same amount time it takes to read this sentence.

[Captain Flappy]

Originally posted by Amanoob105:

Each DLC works a little bit differently. Assuming you have all of them.

-WotC, the big one. When opening up the game from the launcher you have two options, Xcom2 or WotC. And that's it on how you activate it. It's the same game, with the same campaign, but with far more content.
The only technical exception to this would be starting a new campaign with "Lost and Abandoned" active, which works like the tutorial for most of the new content. But (as mentioned in comment #2) like the basic tutorial all it's really good for is adding in some extra story as the cost of massively gimping your game to tell it.
Worth it once to see said extra story, but never again.

-Reinforcement Pack. It just doubles the number of cosmetic options you have and is simply active by default. There is an option found in the character pool to control how often it shows up.

-Tactical Legacy Pack. In the main menu is an option called "Legacy Hub", within this will be the options for this DLC. It's a bunch of set missions split into four groups, with set troops and a mix of set rewards between missions and semi-random rewards between missions.
Completing each set of four to a minimum rank of Silver adds a bunch of extra stuff into the game.
Most of these are cosmetic items, but one of them are a bunch of "sidegrade" weapons. They're the same as the normal guns, but it a unique look and free, though fixed, attachments.
It also adds in as one of the rewards the best non-mod voicepacks in the game. The Rizzo.

For the next two, there's one area they have in common for how they are added to a new game.
If you want their extra missions and story (which does not act as a tutorial and as such doesn't bugger up your game) you first need to turn off "Integrated Downloadable Content" and directly select the two options below it.

-Shen's Last Gift. Assuming you did the above.
At some point after 2-3 months into a campaign a cutscenes will play involving Shen. Then a white mission location will show up. Tips include:
This is a long mission, save your explosives until the third act.
Don't take anyone at max rank as the exp gains are massive.
The enemies don't stop coming (see above point), figure out your next objective and get it one.
Try to have at least tier 2 mag weapons on at least your rifles and pistols.
Bluescreen rounds are worth their weight in gold.
Bluescreen rounds on anyone with a pistol that can shoot it more than once a turn are worth double that.
Give Shen a Medi-kit and remember that her combat abilities are on cooldowns and not the normal limited uses, so spam that crap.

-Alien Hunters. Also assuming you did the above.
Sometime into the first month or two of a campaign a green scan site will pop up, strongly recommend grabbing that within a month or two of it turning up. It contains the Ruler Weapons, for free.
Some months after that a new White location will turn up. This contains both the start of the extra story content and will make you fight a giant snake monster.
There is no shame in putting this thing off until you feel ready to fight a (what will feel like on the first time) seemly invincible giant snake monster.
Best pieces of advice:
Hit them with the freeze bomb and then hit them with one each of acid and fire (also poison for the two non-snake ones). Due to how they take turns this will eat away at their health very quickly.
Free actions, i.e. the Axe Throw and Lightning Hands, do not trigger Ruler Reactions (a.k.a. how they take turns).

Last and most definitely least.
-Resistance Warrior Pack.
It's a bunch of face paints and alternate look tier one armors that you will likely forget exists in about the same amount time it takes to read this sentence.

Nicely put. The way they put the "integrate DLC" still trips me up sometimes if I haven't played for years.

[Coffee Addict]

they really need to do a better job of explaining this i also though the integrate option added all DLC i was 10 hours into my save when i found this topic explaining it while i was wondering why i never got the quest for shen

now i have to start over feels bad

[Amanoob105]

Originally posted by Coffee Addict:

they really need to do a better job of explaining this i also though the integrate option added all DLC i was 10 hours into my save when i found this topic explaining it while i was wondering why i never got the quest for shen

now i have to start over feels bad

Just remember to save any troops you've become attached to to the character pool, at they can still be with you in your next life.

[Sleeper]

Selected WotC box but Shen's Last Gift and Alien Hunter tick boxes are grayed out automatically when WotC is selected? Came back to this game after 5 years, interface and options have changed.

[Amanoob105]

Originally posted by Sleeper:

Selected WotC box but Shen's Last Gift and Alien Hunter tick boxes are grayed out automatically when WotC is selected? Came back to this game after 5 years, interface and options have changed.

Deselect "integrated downloadable content".
Only thing about this game that's changed is the launcher, everything else is the same as ever.