(Some of this isn't cheating, really, at least not in the "behind the scenes" sense, but just the differences between difficulty levels like you would expect. Here's what I've been able to dig up in the ini files and the code (using the XCOM 2 SDK): I'm going to warn you ahead of time some of what you are about to read is going to make all those misses seem extra impossible, especially on the lower difficulties. Hard to believe, right?Įnemy Unknown/Within had hidden modifiers in place to help you along, and XCOM 2 is no different. Missing point blank shotgun blasts, seeing multiple 85%+ shots fail in a row, taking one extra step and activating another pod, watching as your flanking shots fail to connect while the aliens crit you in high cover, the list goes on and on.īut what if I were to tell you that not only is the game fair, it's actually skewed in YOUR favor. If you've been playing XCOM (either the originals or the reboot series) for any length of time, you've undoubtedly come across things that make you want to hurl your computer into the sun. Jake Solomon, Lead Designer of XCOM and XCOM 2. Sometimes the rolls are with you, sometimes they're not.