XCOM: EU/EW Class Builds - Support

It's hard to get excited about the Support class.

The Support is just that, support, and a little underwhelming. This class is going to help you win… by carrying stuff. If this was D&D, he’s the guy with the bag of holding. The Support will typically have an assortment of smoke grenades, medikits, ghost grenades, and maybe an arc thrower. All with more uses than you could get from anyone else. That’s important, but also pretty boring. Here’s how I build my pack mule:

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• Sprinter

• Field Medic

• Rifle Suppression

• Combat Drugs

• Savior

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Sprinter:

This is a nice utility skill that will help in all sorts of ways. With Sprinter the Support will be more likely to find flanking shots, grab meld safely, and reach safe cover when things go wrong. It will also help stun enemies with the Arc Thrower, and when you acquire Ghost Armor, it will improve the Support’s scouting abilities. Typical of the Support’s role, this ability is not exciting but very useful.

Alternative: Covering Fire

This skill is ok. It will allow the Support to overwatch or suppress, while still getting to take a shot sometimes. This is a low probability shot that is gained, so this ability is only ok, not great.

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Field Medic:

This is a great ability that will allow your Support to act as the primary healer for your squad. By the time you can pick this ability, your squad should have Carapace Armor making everyone capable of surviving a hit. Field Medic allows the Support to heal up these injuries so that your soldiers are not vulnerable for the remainder of the mission. It is very valuable on long missions, such as landed large UFOs and the Base Assault.

Alternative: Smoke and Mirrors

Smoke and Mirrors is also very good, and worth picking. Usually I don’t need multiple uses of the Smoke Grenade, but usually I don’t need multiple uses of the medikit either. I pick Field medic because healing up your wounded soldiers after the fight is an easier benefit to use and a more likely scenario. When you have lots of armor, extra medikits will counter most bad events. Multiple grenades can also counter bad events, but not as easily or as often.

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Rifle Suppression:

It makes far more sense to use your Support for suppression. Often the Heavy will have a more important task (rocketing the enemy), while the support will often be available for this duty. More ammunition in a rifle clip, also makes this more efficient.

Alternative: Revive

Its rarely the case that this skill will matter. On short missions, you probably won’t need to revive the downed soldier. On long missions, this skill could help, but you can still win the mission with 5 guys. When someone gets KO’d its likely your team has other wounded soldiers. With only 4 medikits (or even less) it may be preferable to stabilize a KO’d soldier, then use your other medikits to top off the health of other soldiers so they don’t get killed.

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Combat Drugs:

Combat Drugs is very good. Extra aim is going to be overkill much of the time, but can prove very useful against the hardest enemies in the game. Against Muton Elites in cover, Sectopods, and Ethereals, this ability will shine. Having Combat Drugs will make you wish you had chosen Smoke & Mirrors instead of Field Medic.

Alternative: Dense Smoke

This is a good ability to have but is made less relevant by Ghost Grenades, which should be available when your soldiers reach Cpt. rank. Still, Dense Smoke can be very effective when your squad is spread out, or when you have run out of Ghost Grenades.

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Savior:

Savior will allow your Support to reverse a disaster. Its a great skill to have, and will counter the huge damage done by elite enemies in the late game. It may not be as good as Sentinel, when compared without context. But the context is this: The Support is one of only 2 classes that can heal your squad, while every other soldier can and will do a lot of damage. More offense is always nice, but healing is in short supply and this is a lot of healing.

Alternative: Sentinel

This is a great ability that will finally give your Support an extra shot like all his squadmates. Unfortunately, this is an extra reaction shot rather than an extra directed shot, so less valuable. Its still great, and worth taking. You will definitely want your MEC to choose Restorative Mist if you pick Sentinel with your Support.