The “tired soldiers” mechanic is back in the War of the Chosen DLC for XCOM 2.This means that you won’t be able to draft the same soldiers for all of your missions, or else they’ll be more vulnerable to acquiring negative traits. Unlike the Psionic Class from XCOM: Enemy Unknown, the Psi Operative is not a subclass and instead has its own set of unique abilities. It can also learn all of the abilities on both sides of its perk table, if trained long enough. The success of psi attacks is only affected by the operative's Psi stat - which is increased by using upgraded Psi Amps - and not Will. Will is only a factor when.

This guide focuses specifically on your base and global strategy in XCOM 2. For rundown of tips and strategies to help you survive during combat missions, check out our guide right here.

War is hell, even for the pencil-pushers.

In XCOM 2, you've got to lead a resistance effort in pushing back against alien invaders that have taken over the Earth. It's not easy. Your on-the-ground skirmishes move the war effort forward, but claiming ultimate victory over the invaders also requires a higher level of strategic thinking.

See also: Our alien overlords have arrived, but time is your greatest foe in 'XCOM 2'

There's a base to manage, a resistance network to build and difficult choices to make with regards to everything from research to weapons development to soldier training. It's hard to tank your entire game around one choice, but the alien threat is still very real and needs to be dealt with carefully.

Here are some tips to help give your base — and your resistance efforts — a big boost as you move from battle to battle.

1. Constant research is super important

If your science team is ever idle in XCOM 2, then you're doing it wrong. Research is your path to getting better gear, including basic upgrades to the weapons and armor that everyone uses.

There's no ideal path for research, but there are a few things you can do to push yourself along in directions that suit your style of play. Autopsies of the various alien corpses you collect should be a top priority, as they lead to other important breakthroughs. They're also fast, generally taking no more than three days.

Beyond that, read through your research options and pick the ones that seem to lead toward the kinds of breakthroughs you'd like to see. It's pretty easy to deduce what kinds of things each choice might uncover if you look through the report on it in your Science department.

Definitely prioritize Elerium research once it's available, as that leads into some critical discoveries. And if you have any intention of developing psionics-enabled soldiers — it's definitely not required to finish the game — research that one as soon as it's available. Grooming psionic soldiers takes a lot of time, so the earlier you get started, the better.

Always make sure to visit Engineering after key discoveries are made. Build anything under the Weapons and Armor tabs first, as most of those are permanent upgrades that automatically apply to every soldier (except for Nanoscale Armor). The Items tab contains useful gear as well, but they're equippable utility items and you've got to build one for each soldier you intend to equip.

2. Be smart about building facilities

Your resistance base is a captured alien ship, which means space for expansion is limited. It's important to be very careful about what you build and where you build it. When you build it, too. Certain facilities have minimal or no value early in the game, but are essential later. Note as well that many facilities can be upgraded or staffed with Engineers, to further improve their output/capabilities.

Power is the lifeblood of your whole base, and you should try to build any new Power Relays on top of squares that formerly housed an alien power conduit (the game marks these spaces and alerts you the first time you clear one for building). Don't be afraid to max out your power consumption; just know that you won't be able to build anything more until there's a new Relay or you've upgraded an existing one.

The first optional facility you build should be the Guerrilla Tactics School, as that's where you can purchase upgrades that (among other things) increase your overall squad size. Getting up to five-person squads, then six-person squads, should be an absolute priority.

The Proving Ground isn't as useful, but it's a worthwhile investment once you understand how it works. Unlike research projects, Proving Ground projects produce actual, usable items that you can equip to your soldiers. They take time to build — unlike items purchased in Engineering — but you can get your hands on a wider range of gear than you can build, provided you're willing to roll the dice.

Any of the Proving Ground project names that start with 'Experimental' — Experimental Ammo, Experimental Armor, etc. — produce a random piece of gear that can't be built in Engineering. Later on in the game, Proving Ground projects appear that allow you to build specialized armor, such as the grappling hook-equipped Spider Suit or the heavy weapon-capable E.X.O. Suit. Get Skullmining and Battlefield Medicine early, though; the former boosts its wielders hacking stat and the latter improves medkits.

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Don't overlook the Advanced Warfare Center. While its main use is for retraining soldier abilities — something you shouldn't have to do often, if at all — assigning an Engineer to this facility increases your soldier healing rate by 100%. Healing takes a long time in XCOM 2, so any boost you can give yourself is valuable.

Resistance Comms are necessary for expanding your network of resistance contacts on the world map, which increases your monthly income and gives you access to key, story-specific missions. There's no rush to get Resistance Comms built, but don't forget about them either. You can safely get through the whole game with two of these facilities, provided you upgrade them both and staff them with Engineers.

Finally, consider building and fully upgrading a Defense Matrix somewhere during the mid-game. You likely won't benefit from it more than once or twice (no spoilers), but you'll be so glad you have it on those specific occasions.

3. Don't forget to visit home base

Most of the locations you can interact with on the world map are either scanning missions, which involve parking your base in one spot for a few days in exchange for some clearly stated reward, or combat missions. There are, however, two unique locations: the resistance base of operations and the Black Market.

Every month, your home base 'sells' new units — Engineers, Scientists and even trained soldiers — that you can buy using Supplies and add to your roster. You also have the option of parking at the base and using it as a scanning location. The benefit to this comes from special scanning bonuses that you can buy. Only one can be equipped at a time, but you can lean on these bonuses to heal injured units more quickly, speed up construction or generate Intel, a form of currency in XCOM 2.

Xcom 2 - What Is The Optimal Base Layout? - Arqade

Intel is needed to make contact with new resistance cells, but it's also the only form of currency accepted in the black market. Similar to your main base, the black market offers a rotating stock that changes with every new in-game month. In addition to new recruits, you can also pick up unique gear and bundles of resources here.

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Scanning missions rotate in and out, and they're rarely essential. If your best soldiers are injured or you really need to generate more Intel quickly, it's often better to ignore scanning missions and head back to base so you can take advantage of whatever bonus you have equipped there.

4. Don't sweat the Avatar Project too much

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The Avatar Project is a mysterious alien research initiative that pops up early in the game. It's monitored on a timer at the top of the screen, and your goal is to keep Earth's invaders from finishing it.

What XCOM 2 doesn't do a great job of telling you is the Avatar Project is a long-term process. The progress bar might seem to be filling up quickly, especially in the early going, but it slows down dramatically toward the end.

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You definitely want to keep yourself in the mind of completing the main story-specific goals whenever you can, but it's not something you should stress over too much. As important as it is to derail the E.T.'s plans, it's equally important to build up your forces and give them the tools they need to push back against those plans effectively.

In practical terms, you can safely set aside any worries about the Avatar Project until the progress bar is half-filled. Even then, it's not something you should scramble to address. Rushing through the story too quickly in XCOM 2 is a dangerous thing, since you can quickly find yourself outgunned by more powerful alien forces in the game's later missions.