LW Rebalance - Class Builds up to SGT rank
These builds are working well for me, but I’m not entirely happy with them.
These are my current class builds up to SGT rank. I have grudgingly settled on them after a lot of experimentation. I am not arguing that these are the best set of builds, but they do work together very well, and you could do a lot worse.
Class Builds
Sniper: Mayhem, Sharpshooter, Opportunist.
This build is very flexible. With Mayhem and Opportunist the Sniper can shoot/steady/overwatch as the situation dictates.
Scout: Snapshot, Bullseye, Disabling Shot
My Scout build feels incoherent - diverse abilities and zero synergy. I think of them as utility shooters, with multiple talents rather than a single focus.
Infantry - Overwatcher: Sentinel, Lock N’ Load, Impact
Infantry - Grenadier: Grenadier, Mayhem, First Aid
I have 2 Infantry builds because all soldiers with high will should go Infantry in order to boost their psi potential, and so I often end up with both low and high aim Infantry soldiers. The low aim Infantry are grenadiers; high aim Infantry are overwatchers.
Assault: Run and Gun, Extra Conditioning, Killer Instinct
Assaults are great against Exalt, and so my build is tailored for those missions.
Medic: Smoke and Mirrors, Ranger, Combat Drugs
Primary support.
Engineer: Double Tap, Holo Rounds, Bullseye
With shredder rounds these guys can holo/shred 2 targets to start off an encounter. Then heal the SHIV/MEC. Then shoot twice again with an expanded magazine.
Rocketeer: Smoke and Mirrors, Packmaster, Bombard
With the new concussive blast mechanic I am considering switching my rocketeers over to grenades. On the other hand, I like to have 2 soldiers with Smoke and Mirrors in every squad. With the bombard ability, the rocketeer is the best soldier to throw out acid grenades.
Gunner: Sentinel, Critical System Targeting, Ready For Anything
I often skip gunners in the early/mid game. They are not as good as rocketeers until maybe AL 4/5. Even then, you can get suppression from a SHIV.
Basic Squad Composition
I have intentionally built in a lot of redundancy. I have two class builds with Smoke and Mirrors, Explosives, Bullseye, and Overwatching. Redundancy helps when the barracks is fatigued, and to overload your squad with an ability that can counter the enemy types you expect to face.
My squads typically have a core of 5 soldiers: Medic, Rocketeer, SHIV, Engineer, and Shooter (Sniper/Overwatch Infantry). This gives me healing, support, explosives, tanking, repair, shooting, and overwatch. The last soldier is usually an Infantry grenadier or a Scout.