XCOM: EU/EW Class Builds - Sniper

The only pure shooter. This class is a big reason the game is so lopsided.

The Sniper will eventually carry your squad. But not until late game. At the start the Sniper doesn’t have much better aim than your other soldiers, and won’t see a big jump in aim till Major/Colonel rank. Aim progression for Snipers is just plain weird. They get +10 aim at Squaddie, then +3, +3, +3, +4, +7, +10. At Major and Colonel rank the Sniper receives a bonanza of aim. Everything is back weighted in this class, including the best ability, In The Zone, which will trivialize many encounters. For the most difficult part of the campaign, the Sniper will not be able to guarantee hits, despite being your best shooter. That’s why its the most difficult part of the campaign. The difficulties end, when your Sniper peaks.

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• Squadsight

• Gunslinger

• Disabling Shot

• Opportunist

• In The Zone (Double Tap with 2nd Sniper)

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Squadsight:

Squadsight is a critical ability that helps in so many ways. It allows your Sniper to target more enemies, and from a safer location. Elevated positions will become more effective due to the increase in range. With your Sniper at the rear, there will be one more high cover spot in the front for your other soldiers. Squadsight makes overwatch fire more likely to trigger. It facilitates flanking shots on enemies that have scampered backwards. It will eventually allow the Sniper to disable robotic enemies that have entered overwatch, without exposing the Sniper to dangerous reaction fire. Squadsight is very powerful.

Alternative: Snap Shot

Snap Shot will allow the Sniper to move and fire his primary weapon. This is occasionally useful when your squad is flanked or when the Sniper doesn’t have line of sight to any targets. I don’t value Snap Shot highly as the Gunslinger perk at the next rank up, will enable the Sniper to move and fire effectively. Even without Gunslinger I would prefer Squadsight to Snap Shot.

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Gunslinger:

This is a great perk, most useful when your squad needs to move around an obstruction to engage the enemy. In this situation the Sniper can still do some good, without having to choose Snap Shot over Squadsight at the previous rank. Gunslinger will also allow the Sniper to fight effectively when his primary weapon runs dry, to save ammunition when the enemy has low health, to attack nearby enemies without the proximity penalty, and to do real damage when overwatching after moving. Gunslinger is great.

Alternative: Damn Good Ground

This is nice ability that will eventually be made trivial by the Sniper’s high aim, and the +20 aim that is already granted by elevation. At Colonel rank and with elevation, the Sniper has 135 aim (105 class + 10 Scope + 20 Elevation). With the Urban Combat Medal, International Service Cross, and Council Medal of Honor, the Sniper will be able to guarantee hits on most enemies even through high cover. Before the Sniper reaches Colonel rank, Damn Good Ground has more value, but it helps your team when you are already in a good place, whereas Gunslinger typically helps your team when you are in a bad one.

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Disabling Shot:

This ability will make encounters with Mechtoids and Cyberdiscs much less dangerous; perhaps easy. It can save lives when you are fighting 2 pods at a time. It will make capturing aliens much less dangerous. Disabling Shot is almost necessary for safely dispatching a Sectopod, as it is very difficult to kill one in a single turn, even when your whole squad is focused on it. Disabling Shot is a great ability that has enormous value throughout the campaign.

Alternative: Battle Scanner

I haven’t tried Battle Scanner in the base game but rely on them heavily in Long War. From experience I know that they are extremely powerful, and can be used to cheese the game hard. However, in the base game there is a better way to scout and target inactive enemies; Ghost Armor. It won’t become available until the late game, but then becomes a far better option. In the midgame, Disabling Shot is more likely to keep your squad safe than Battle Scanner, and thus the better pick.

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Opportunist:

This is a nice ability that not only improves your chance to hit overwatch shots, but will enable them to crit. With Squadsight and high aim, the Sniper is already a dangerous overwatcher, and greatly enhanced by the Opportunist perk.

Alternative: Executioner

As with Damn Good Ground, the Executioner perk is often made superfluous by the Sniper’s superior aim. Executioner will help the Sniper guarantee a hit in a few rare situations. But most wounded targets are exposed or the hit already guaranteed, so Executioner is not that valuable.

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In The Zone:

Your Sniper has arrived. Finally your only pure shooter will get multiple shots; a fitting conclusion to the Sniper build. In The Zone will turn your Sniper into a nasty killing machine. ITZ murder sprees will often clear the board, and can be capped with a reload so that the next turn will be just as bloody.

Alternative: Double Tap

This is a fantastic ability that is not as good as In The Zone. It is worth taking with the 3rd Sniper you elevate to Colonel, after you have chosen ITZ with the first, and MEC’ed the second one. Too much In The Zone, is redundant, and you will need someone to shoot at the enemies behind cover, and soften up high HP targets out of cover. Double Tap with your 2nd Colonel Sniper is an excellent complement to ITZ.