Hey guys, Im still trying to finish the game on classic Ironman. Im in my 11th try or so.

Last time I failed because I didn't prepare for those sectopod robot badguys. Im in a rrally good place now and I feel this could be the run.The only unit I haven't seen yet are Ethereals. Any tips and tactics to dealwith them or capture them? Are they just psi units or do they shoot with plasma guns as well?

If theyre just psionic, wouldn't a shiv be like an absolute counter?

They're crazy psionic, but I'd recommend having two snipers to just quickly take out Ethereal. They can mess you up.

Also, having strong-willed people with some with psionic powers can help, too. Psi Armor is nice if you can work it in. Flanking is important, too. But good snipers that can quickly gang up on one is the best way I've found to kill Ethereal.

Thanks dude, is it worth it to take one alive at all? Maybe I shouldn't risk it

If you capture them alive, you get 50% credit on all research. I think it's also required to unlock the final structure to begin the final mission.

Also, for dealing with Ethereals, use explosives. They can't dodge explosives. And they have no guns, so you lose nothing. Other than that, get RIGHT UP in their grill and fucking smoke 'em. Cover does NOTHING against psionics.

Either double tap snipers, or rapid fire with assaults work just fine. I can't remember if it's their corpse or their interrogation that unlocks the manufacture of a specific item which will help A LOOOOOOT in the "endgame". Especially on classic.

its not required to capture one to finish the game, but the bonus is pretty helpful if you still have a lot of research left. They are basically uber psionic units. So the psi buff that increases wills, alongside combat drugs will help you resist some its skills. It also has a tendency to reflect normal attacks but don't let that discourage you. As soon as you see one put it down ASAP by any means possible.

i usually just use a sniper with double tap ona a plasma rifle. one char 2 shots and they are dead. and another sniper as a backup, in case things go wrong have more problems with the mech looking robot.

SHIV for up close and snipe from far away is your best bet imo. They have reflect damage that's brutal and a psi whirlwind that'll kill everyone in two turns if you don't run completely out of it. I've been trying to cap one for 3 missions and it's a royal pain because of reflect and mind control. Even my characters with high will get controlled and start flanking and shooting their team. The mind shield, or whatever it's called, that you can research/build after you autopsy your 1st Ethereal might help too, haven't tried that out yet.

thanks a lot for the tips guys, I owe you this:

Got achievements for Classic/Ironman, finishing the game on classic, and finishing the game :3

@Dredlockz said:

thanks a lot for the tips guys, I owe you this:

Got achievements for Classic/Ironman, finishing the game on classic, and finishing the game :3

soldiers lost: 3... on classic ironman... what the fucking fuck?!? You some kind of luck/strategy god or something?

Lost 1 dude on my normal plathrough but I'm 25% of the way through classic ironman and I lost like 10

Two snipers will kill them before they can do anything.

@pyrodactyl: It was tough man, took me a while. I was playing it super safe, bordering on OCD, like if I had several guys that needed reloading, i would only reload one and set the others on overwatch, next turn reload with the next guy, set everyone on overwatch, etc.

But anyway, it paid off! I lost those three guys in the final mission, those ethereals are no joke!

Edit: also, i lost/restarted the game 11 times.

Haven't seen these guys yet.

In open space sniper, inside the UFO or close quarters ghost armor and rapid fire (sometimes needs a follow up shot)

@Dredlockz: You beat the game on Classic Ironman? May I worship you?

@Dredlockz said:

thanks a lot for the tips guys, I owe you this:

Got achievements for Classic/Ironman, finishing the game on classic, and finishing the game :3

You.... You are my god

Nice one, 3 lost? Very impressive!

I started Classic Iron Man, just finished that first game yesterday and man... it was fun! Took me many hours and killed about 600-something aliens while losing, i think, 37 dudes... including what was left of my A-team on a failed Alien Base attack, partly due to a close encounter with a Sectopod and a sleep-deprived blunder on my part.

But i actually managed to stay alive, keeping myself afloat with one country left between me and complete failure.

Got really obsessed about caution after that and started slowly building a new team to get back on track, never actually thought i would make it through though.

Will do another run, maybe on impossible? =D

Can't recommend this game enough, this will without a doubt be my personal Game of the Year winner, I don't even need to think about it.

@Dredlockz said:

thanks a lot for the tips guys, I owe you this:

Got achievements for Classic/Ironman, finishing the game on classic, and finishing the game :3

We should be asking you for help. I just beat the game on normal, and I lost 11 soldiers.

I've been trying to mind control one of these bastards for about 6 hours now. I am at the point where I am going to give up on trying to get that trophy. Highest % I can get is 41 and no matter how many times I reload that save it wont roll my way :-(

@oulzac: saving and reloading for different dice rolls doesn't work, it seems those are randomly generated from the beggining, if you want something different you need to change the tactics altogether.

@oulzac: I'm pretty sure the game saves something that prevents the player from doing that. If you do something the exact same way, it seems roll the same way each time.

@Dredlockz: From the beginning of what? The mission? The turn? Neither makes much sense. That would mean the dice rolls are not really random if they are pre generated.

@oulzac said:

@Dredlockz: From the beginning of what? The mission? The turn? Neither makes much sense. That would mean the dice rolls are not really random if they are pre generated.

They are pre-generated from the beginning of the mission. The game generates a list of random numbers to draw from at the start of each one. The game then uses those numbers in order, which means you'll get the same result if you just reload and retry the same move over and over, but you might get a different result if you reload and then do something different before that move. You might think that means they're not really random, but the probabilities involved remain the same, regardless of when the numbers are generated.

@oulzac said:

I've been trying to mind control one of these bastards for about 6 hours now. I am at the point where I am going to give up on trying to get that trophy. Highest % I can get is 41 and no matter how many times I reload that save it wont roll my way :-(

Mind shields will give you a +30 will boost. Then one of the 2nd rank psi-skills gives everyone in a short circle another will boost. That's how I mind controlled my first ethereal, with something like 89%. That was so satisfying.

As for reloads, don't. Firaxis uses a random number generator (RNG) that creates a string every time you start a mission. It's the same thing they use in the Civ games. Anyway, all the numbers on the string are random, but they still go in the same order. So if you keep reloading and performing the same actions, you will get the same results. A trick, though it by no means always works, is to do things in a different order so that different actions get different numbers from the RNG string. Personally, I think part of XCOM is just rolling with your mistakes.

im close to being done on a my first game (normal/iron man) and i dread to think how many guys iv lost, although ill put that down to learning the game, really pleased with how the strategy part of the game went only lost canada and everyone is on 1, but the tactical side had a few nasty bumps, although iv not lost anyone for ages, and i have a bunch or corporals now, all i want to do is get the mind control and Etherial achievement, then ill go do the final mission and restart the game on classic ironman, which im really looking forward to start

Space your forward units out so that they are not flanked by your own units even if they are mind-fucked. Also, basic rules about not dashing, and overwatch.

The first time I encountered an Eathral I think he just ran away, that, or I got lucky and he got killed by environmental damage.

The only other time I encountered a Eatheral was about an hour ago, when I killed him in one turn, but I know I got lucky that time.