Long War - Utility Slot Compromises

With only 2 utility slots per soldier there are some tough decisions to make.

Before the acquisition of Tactical Rigging, there is a severe shortage of utility slots. I often wonder how other commanders cope with this difficulty, especially when considering other builds and squad compositions that rely heavily on bringing additional utility items such as Shredder Ammo, or using 2 defensive items on a biotank. In my latest campaign, I tried to incorporate some new builds into my squad but I had trouble using these builds, because they are not feasible with my standard loadout.

Here is how I typically equip my squad in the early late game (Oct - Jan):

Standard Mission Loadout

Gunner:    Scope, Motion Tracker 
Sniper:    Scope, Alloy Bipod 
Scout:     Scope, Marksman Scope 
MEC:       Scope, Core Armoring 
Rocketeer: Shredder Rocket, Shadow Device  
Medic:     Chem Grenade, Psi Grenade/Flashbang 
Engineer:  Grenade, Arc Thrower 
Extra Guy: Motion Tracker, _______

There is a little bit of room to maneuver here, but not much. The Extra Guy only has one free slot if he carries the 2nd motion tracker. If I want to use a proper biotank with 2 defensive items equipped, then I have to find someone else to carry the 2nd motion tracker. That soldier would be the Sniper, who would drop the bipod. That’s the compromise that I make when I bring a 2nd MEC, which I usually start doing in January and February.

Double MEC Standard Mission Loadout

Gunner:    Scope, Motion Tracker 
Sniper:    Scope, Motion Tracker 
Scout:     Scope, Marksman Scope 
MEC:       Scope, Core Armoring 
Rocketeer: Shredder Rocket, Shadow Device  
Medic:     Chem Grenade, Psi Grenade/Flashbang 
Engineer:  Grenade, Arc Thrower 
2ND MEC:   Scope, Core Armoring

This is an extremely tight load out, with zero flexibility. It also happens to be one that I use all the time. Using the Sniper to carry a motion tracker is ugly. They are ill suited to scouting during combat, and outside of combat situations, they should be positioned in the back. Still I am able to make this work by using up the sniper’s Motion Tracker charges at the beginning of the mission.

I am just barely able to take everything I want. I have no free slots, and have already made one significant compromise. Still I am happy with this loadout because it allows me to bring a 2nd MEC (or a biotank) and still have all the essentials. There is no more room to maneuver, from here on out, and so I end up not experimenting much with the all the equipment options that are available.

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All for the Motion Trackers

My utility slot troubles are primarily due to my preference for two motion trackers. Only the shadow device and perhaps dense smoke are more powerful utility items in my opinion. If I only took one motion tracker, I would have much more flexibility with gear, but I doubt I will ever stop using 2 of them. They are just so handy at avoiding bad activations, and speeding up missions.

Dropping the marksman scope is another option, but I would rather drop the scout’s regular scope than the marksman scope, as it is very helpful in targeting enemies that scamper backwards, and opening up extra cover positions behind the front lines.

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Long Mission Loadout - Big Compromise

Another big problem is what to do on longer missions, such as landed transports, for which I want to bring extra medikits. This means I will need to ditch the Arc Thrower or Psi Grenade/Flashbang.

Gunner:    Scope, Motion Tracker 
Sniper:    Scope, Motion Tracker 
Scout:     Scope, Marksman Scope 
MEC:       Scope, Core Armoring 
Rocketeer: Shredder Rocket, Shadow Device  
Medic:     Medikit, Chem Grenade or Psi Grenade/Flashbang  
Engineer:  Grenade, Chem Grenade or Arc Thrower 
2nd MEC:   Scope, Core Armoring

I am not happy with this loadout, as it means I am sacrificing something very powerful. The Arc Thrower can heal MECs for 24 HP, and the Psi Grenade/Flashbang can shut down berserkers, muton elites, and heavy floaters. Dropping either item is a significant loss, but it seems unavoidable. The extra gear that I want to bring on long missions, medikits, is best utilized by medics, which means they must drop a support grenade. That support grenade could be handed over to the engineer, but the engineer is already overburdened with important gear. Unless I want to bring 2 engineers (I don’t) the only way to resolve this issue is to complete the Tactical Rigging project.

In every other way this loadout is great. I still manage to bring 2 motion trackers, a scope on every shooter, and a very significant quantity of ordinance. This is a very solid loadout for longer missions, regardless of enemy type, and map layout.

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Class Builds that Replace Gear

Many of my class builds are great at increasing carrying capacity. This allows me to make fewer compromises related to gear. Here is what each class does to help:

Gunner: Shredder Ammo. This is sometimes less effective than Heat Ammo but works well enough in all circumstances. With the ability to shred enemies I can forego other specialized ammunition types.
Scout: Battlescanners ability is a substitute for the Battlescanner item.
Rocketeer: I choose to make all my rocketeers psi soldiers so that they can carry the shadow device. Shredder Ammo and Shock & Awe both add an additional rocket to compensate for the lost utility slot.
Medic: the smoker build frees up utility slots for chem grenades, psi grenades, flashbangs, or medikits. It also frees up the engineer to grab battlescanners.
Engineer: my build is a pack mule. The Battlescanners ability substitutes for the Battlescanner item. With Smoke & Mirrors and Packmaster the engineer can carry 3 grenades and/or 3 chem grenades in single utility slot. The Repair ability, along with the Field Repair foundry project, allows the arc thrower serve in multiple capacities.
2nd MEC: Collateral Damage is a substitute for grenades or rockets.

In almost every way that it is possible to use abilities as a substitute for gear, I have chosen to do so, and mostly without realizing it. Only now, while writing this post, have I come to understand how significantly I have prioritized utility slot conservation with my soldier builds. It makes sense. Gear is extremely valuable, and bringing more of it is a huge advantage.

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