XCOM 2’s Tactical Legacy Pack ties Enemy Unknown and XCOM 2 together

Owners of the XCOM 2 expansion War of the Chosen now have another reason to return to the game. Firaxis Games, developers of XCOM: Enemy Unknown and XCOM 2 have announced a new expansion pack called the Tactical Legacy Pack for XCOM 2. It will tie the events of XCOM: Enemy Unknown and XCOM 2 together, and add new maps and gameplay modes. It will only be available for owners of the game on Steam, and only if you own the expansion pack, War of the Chosen.  Unfortunately for PS4 and Xbox One players, there are no plans to bring this new content to those platforms.

Unlike War of the Chosen, the Tactical Legacy Pack stands alone from the main campaign, and can be accessed from the main menu.  It contains four new gameplay modes, including Legacy Ops, Central’s Archives, Resistance Archives, and Skirmish Mode. In Central’s Archives, there are four standalone missions which help bridge the gap between the two Firaxis instalments. These include:

Blast from the Past – After the fall of XCOM HQ, Central Officer Bradford begins his journey to build the resistance by returning to where it all began.

It Came from the Sea – The broadcast of a fledgling radio DJ is reaching an audience he didn’t intend. It’s up to Central to save the DJ from an endless horde of hungry listeners.

Avenger Assemble – Join Lily Shen as she works to retrofit the Avenger into a new home for the growing forces of a reinvigorated XCOM.

The Lazarus Project – ADVENT is kidnapping key members of the resistance, and it’s up to Central to rescue some of XCOM’s most renowned operatives.

The other new mission types, Legacy Ops and Resistance Archives, have the player controlling an XCOM squad through a succession of increasingly difficult operations.  Finally, Skirmish Mode, players can create and play their own custom missions, complete with a map editor. None of the new content involves any of XCOM’s base management elements, however; the squad and equipment loadouts are pre-determined, and the new missions only involve combat.

The Tactical Legacy expansion many elements from previous games. These include maps, weapons and customisation options from Enemy Unknown. In addition, there are various soundtrack options from previous games in the franchise, including Enemy Unknown, and the original XCOM: UFO Defence.  There will also be an offline challenge mode, where any of War of the Chosen’s challenges can be played at any time. All of the additional maps and customisation options will be available in the regular War of the Chosen campaign as well. All in all, it is exciting to see such a great game continue to be supported with new free content. In particular, fans who were introduced to the series with Enemy Unknown may appreciate many of the returning elements.

The Tactical Legacy Pack will be available for free on October 9, but only until December 3rd.  After then, it will be available for purchase for $7.99, so be sure to get it whilst it is available for free.