Announced as a surprise spinoff, XCOM: Chimera Squad is now out, putting players in charge of a mixed team of humans and aliens and tasking them with maintaining order in City 31.
XCOM: Chimera Squad brings its own changes to the turn-based tactical combat formula of the series and features full mod support. To help with nailing down cool ways in which you can customize your experience, here is our list of the best XCOM: Chimera Squad mods you can find on PC.
The Best XCOM: Chimera Squad Mods
XCOM: Chimera Squad started receiving mods shortly after launch, although modders will likely need some time to bring meatier ones out.
We expect the number of mods to grow in the days following release and we’ll update our list of the best XCOM: Chimera Squad mods with new ones as we spot them.
New Agent: Julian Shen Mod
This didn’t take long. XCOM: Chimera Squad focuses on a group of soldiers with distinct backgrounds and abilities and the New Agent: Julian Shen Mod already expands the roster with a figure that should be familiar to series veterans. In Chimera Squad, his starting abilities are Lead the Target, a targeted shot that always hits but only triggers once the enemy starts their turn, and Battle Droid, which lets Julian shoot without ending his turn. During Breach, his Demolition ability targets both an opponent and the cover they’re hiding behind, destroying the cover even if it misses. Download it from Steam Workshop.
[CS] Shield: Bonus Armor Mod
Characters entering combat with shields generally benefit from more protection, however, XCOM: Chimera Squad’s Cherub goes against the grain in this regard. Thankfully, the [CS] Shield: Bonus Armor Mod grants Cherub’s shield +1 armor, through the new Shieldbearer ability, removing the confusion caused by the shield’s initial lack of armor. Get it from Steam Workshop.
Order Surrender Mod
The Breach phase is XCOM: Chimera Squad’s major contribution to the series’ trademark turn-based tactical combat, every combat encounter starting with it. The Order Surrender Mod expands on the options available to players during this phase by performing a Will versus Will check on your target. If successful, the target will panic for the entirety of the encounter, letting you focus on the enemies that manage to resist the check. Find it on Steam Workshop.
Xcom Armory Mod
It’s a well-known fact that more guns make killing stuff better and, as you’ll do your fair share of tactical slaughter in XCOM: Chimera Squad, the Xcom Armory Mod expands the number of available tools. In essence, the mod aims to grant Chimera Squad members weaponry found in XCOM 2, such as sniper rifles and flamethrowers. May require starting a new campaign. Download it from Steam Workshop.
No Free Heals, Less Invulnerability Mod
The No Free Heals, Less Invulnerability Mod aims to alter the flow of XCOM: Chimera Squad’s combat encounters by removing healing from Terminal’s Safeguard ability. Instead, players will have to rely more on medkits which now hold two charges. Cherub’s Kinetic Shield also receives a single-turn cooldown, obtaining a single charge as soon as the skill is activated. Find it on Steam Workshop.
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes Big Boss Agent Mod
The second mod that expands XCOM: Chimera Squad’s roster adds Big Boss as a playable agent. Excelling at close-quarters combat, his perks can allow him to sneak through vents while breaching, deal extra damage to wounded and/or flanked targets, or cleanse negative mental effects from adjacent Agents. You can find the full list of abilities alongside the mod on Steam Workshop.
Epic Gauntlets Mod
XCOM: Chimera Squad’s Epic Gauntlets Mod adds researchable Sucker Punch gauntlets that Zephyr can equip. In terms of stats, they grant +1 damage, the Fleet Footed buff as well as the Enhanced Parry ability which absorbs two attacks instead of just one. Find it on Steam Workshop.
NonLethalBind Mod
Some mods make simple but effective changes and XCOM: Chimera Squad’s NonLethalBind mod is precisely one of these. Installing it makes Torque’s Bind ability capture instead of kill its targets. Find it on Steam Workshop.
