Within this description you’ll find some information about almost all the LW2 compatible class mods’ in Steam Workshop. Basically this is meant as a guide for the “Enjoy Suffering mod collection”, which includes all these classes. Still, it can be useful for all curious souls wondering about class mods.
“I don’t want to pick blindly from GTS. What is this class about? Which is well synergized with which? What the hell man?” If you did think about some or all of these questions when you encountered the gigantic class pool of “Enjoy Suffering” and you were left speechless (from confusion), this brief guide can help loosen your tongue again (Eventually).
I didn’t mention about default LW2 classes, at least not directly. You can find a ton of info/guides about them elsewhere. Yet still, I sometimes used them as reference points when describing some of these custom classes.
Contents
From Alien Hunter to… uhm, Hunter
Alien Hunter: This class has been designed to utilize exotic weapons and equipment from Alien Hunters DLC effectively (Namely the Bolt Caster, Hunter Axe, Shadowkeeper pistol and Frost grenade) yet is by no means restricted to them. Battle Rifle from Unofficial Battle Rifle Expansion mod, for example, can be used instead of Bolt Caster for equal (or better) effectiveness.
In most situations you’ll find that picking perks to enhance your Bolt Caster proficiency would be wiser. Nevertheless by evaluating on your soldier’s stats, you may follow a more versatile path.
Assassin: Assassins use sniper rifle and melee weapons. (ideally a “Ninja To” or “Spec Ops Combat Knife” added by respective mods) In the early game, using him as a kind of “melee Shinobi” could feel more convenient, but eventually, stealthy sniper builds will excel in your team. I need to remind you that Assassin gains Snapshot perk by default. So even if you might be enjoying the perching stationary sniper approach, this class is basically a “flanking Sharpshooter”, and thanks to all stealthy perks he/she can pick, you can perfectly assume this task.
(“Enjoy Suffering” collection edit: Snap Shot perk has been standardized with LW2 version. Furthermore, necessary adjustment for full LW2 compatibility has been made in our .ini edit pack, as suggested on the Richards Classes mod page discussion tab)
Codebreaker: This is a Specialist sub-class which combines most quality hack skills, Grenadier privileges and shotgun Assault shenanigans; yet he is also succeeding at distinguishing himself as an independent soldier. Support grenades would suit him better, and you’ll love his far throwing ability thanks to Bombardier perk which comes as default. Remember; he still throws grenades with his hands so he needs to wait one turn to throw another.
Combat Engineer: Apparently this is another Grenadier sub-class; but wait—is she even better than Grenadier or what? She starts with two extra useful perks and can demolish cover better than Grenadier (her Demo Grenades perk has higher environmental dmg)
Actually, she is more “specialized version” of Grenadier. She gets some supportive quality, combat capability and endurance and all, but “offensive bombardment” is her forte. If you gonna pick her as a GTS traineé, pick one with relatively high mobility score, since she cannot use the submachine gun.
Demolitions: Rather than stepping out as an independent class, Demolitions seems and acts more like a Grenadier/Assault hybrid and a pretty successful one at that. My favorite build includes most offensive grenade perks but also the Close Combat Specialist perk, because pulling a lot of point blank shotgun reaction shots is hilarious. My suggestion for Combat Engineer about mobility also stands for the Demolitions class.
Dragoon: Dragoon is a kind of Specialist. A supportive Specialist, to be specific. He is capable of doing both the hack stuff and support tricks in his own miraculous and unique ways. (I confess, this class is one of my favorites) His signature trick is bestowing ablative hp to a friendly unit, but he also has some distinctive supportive tricks and Gunner-like capabilities in his sleeve.
Even if you won’t invest to his gunnery type perks, he can be a valuable piece of reaction shot with his cannon. If his mobility score is low, consider using SAW from Unofficial Battle Rifle Expansion mod as an alternative.
LW2 Field Medic: Carefully and beautifully designed support/combatant class. Maybe Medic subclasses aren’t among your favorites but you can freely appreciate author’s effort on this one, which seems like he poured all of it on this class. My favorite feature about this class is, by quote; no matter which abilities are chosen as the Field Medic ranks up, class’ medical proficiency will continue to increase. In time they can achieve excellent combat expertise without renouncing from being a doctor. Field Medic has an important handicap, though; unlike the Specialist or the Medic from Richards Class mod, he owns no gremlin, so he needs to be adjacent (more or less) position to heal others. You’ve been warned.
Flanker: This class is something between a Shinobi and a Specialist. Proficient of melee weapons as a primary (via Primary Melee Weapons mod) and without any default ranged attack (apart from utility pistol option), Flanker is apparently focusing direct close range action and offensive hacking. But my preliminary playtests have revealed that hack score progression might be far behind (infact, non existent) compared to most other Specialist sub-classes. Gremlin only exists to do some “tricks”, in my understanding. Since this is a relatively new mod, I’ll probably update this section in the future when I’ve obtained more data about it.
Gunner: She bears namesake with the LW2 counterpart. (LW2 Gunner’s GTS class symbol is “cannon barrel and bullets”, while Richards Gunner’s symbol is “advent turret, skull and laurel”) They are very similar classes and they’re undertaking same roles. Yet you may prefer this Gunner, if you’re interested in achieving different perks in different times (ex. Holo Targeter) compared to the LW2 Gunner.
(“Enjoy Suffering” collection edit: Necessary adjustment for full LW2 compatibility has been made in our .ini edit pack, as suggested on the Richards Classes mod page discussion tab.)
Gunslinger: Gunslinger uses a pistol as a primary weapon (so Primary Pistols mod is a must) and can fulfill both flanker and holo-targeter roles. He gains very good mobility and dodge scores as he progress in levels, and his aim score progression surpasses all the classes in this guide. Seriously. He also enjoys the benefits of “rule of cool” by being a pistolero and all. But instead, you can lean over his holotargeting abilities, especially if you’re in shortage of “holo-scouts”.
IMPORTANT: Since LW2’s AWC pistol perks recognizes only “utility slot pistols”, you should avoid all AWC perks related with pistols. (They are useless for Gunslinger)
Hunter: Hunter is a curious Sharpshooter variant who can also utilize melee weapons effectively. She has a lot of unique perks both related to sniping and slicing, and some perks fitting the Hunter theme. As you can predict I have limited experience with this class for now, but I found her effective and fun to play (oh look a pun again).
From Infantry to Raider
Infantry: At first look, this may feel like a LW2 Ranger variant. Indeed you can train an Infantry almost identical to a Ranger, but this class’ remarkable versatility allows a plethora of field roles, including medical capabilities and Arc Thrower expertise. Suppression as a default perk, which will quickly prove its usefulness and you’ll be thankful for the Bandolier perk which allows you to carry extra type of ammo without encumbrance. You’d be amazed how some cleverly designed perks such as Tactician (welcome back vanilla stock) can allow you to build distinct and ubiquitous field grunts.
Infiltrator: Like Gunslinger, the Infiltrator class uses pistol as a Primary. As a secondary he carries a melee weapon. Infiltrator’s perk trees and his aim progression have been designed to raise his arsenal’s capabilities to the top. By certain perks and his insane dodge and mobility progression, he also can be a very, very sneaky and slippery unit.
Jackal: We can epitomize the Jackal class’ role as a close range flanker tank. “Tank” shouldn’t bring “low damage” to the mind, though. Jackal is perfectly capable of both soaking and inflicting damage… and a lot of it at that. You can even pick some stealthy perks if you have intention to prepare an “Alpha contact”. His capability of pulling AoE attacks via his double-barrel secondary further underlines his prowess.
Jaeger: Quite versatile frontline combat class, conceived as a spearhead unit. This class’s damage potential is formidable. Convenient to her spearhead role, she is carrying a knife as a secondary and she is quite eager to “twist her blade”.
When you glance through her perk options you’ll probably want to keep her at higher places. You may also consider her as a reaction fire unit; Jaeger’s unique reaction perks are seemingly niche but they are fantastic when they work. Certain weapon modifications and lucky AWC perks might carry this potential even beyond.
Juggernaut: Juggernaut is a bulky-tanky version of Technical class, and to top of it off, both his flame and rocket based perk progression is seemingly strong and quite different from Technical. Cannon (and SAW from Unofficial Battle Rifle Expansion mod) are his only primary weapon choices, so he does not share Technical’s versatility in this aspect. He can be quite proficient with cannon though. When considering GTS training, you’ll probably want to prioritize high hp, high mobility soldiers.
Lone Wanderer: Old War veteran as theme, Lone Wanderers have to use their resourcefulness to fill any gap in the team. They’ve access to a large assortment of perks, allowing them to be a sniper, infantry, hacker, healer or in-between. You may feel a “Jack of All Trades, Master of None” vibe here, similar to Richards’ Survivor class, but his perk choices are pretty solid.
Marksman: Marksman is simply a Sharpshooter subclass, similar to Assassin or Hunter classes, and she starts with default SnapShot perk like them. Still, she is closer to LW2 Sharpshooter theme than Assassin or Hunter. Nevertheless, lacking of a holo-targeter perk line, having some unique sniping perks mixed with a different sniping progression and a sawn-off as a last resort; she has enough tools to emphasize her differences from Sharpshooter.
(“Enjoy Suffering” collection edit: Necessary adjustment for full LW2 compatibility has been made in our .ini edit pack, as suggested on the Richards Classes mod page discussion tab.)
Medic: Medic is a support class dedicated to… well, healing. He is capable of performing a better job at being a “healer Specialist” from the start. If you think you might be afraid of carrying a “dead weight” or “lackluster” class, you can always lean towards more supportive or combatant perks, and he still will be an above average healer. He has a Gremlin, so doing “hot-zone healing” would be easier compared to a Field Medic, yet he lacks any of the hacking perks & tricks.
Operator: This class is from a restless and aggressive breed as she needs constant motion, clever positioning and adaptability to fill her “kill count” board. With close quarter battle capability and great damage potential, she may remind you Assault Class a bit, but she also has many tactical and gameplay differences to call her just that.
lternatively, you can pick some stealth perks for her and allow her to assume a calmer yet calculating demeanor; and she will become a lurking opportunist for you.
Raider: In a nutshell; Grenadier and Assault have a baby and they had a complicated relationship with Shinobi. Default one time reconceal is powerful (turn ending full action). Raider is quite good with closing distances, performing shotgun tricks and blasting and disabling things. Above average mobility score is suggested when considering GTS picks.
From Recon to SpecOps
Recon: Recon is one of our spotter/scout type classes. As our stealthy eyes, holo-targeting capabilities suit him well to fulfill his role. Yet remember that this class’ holo-targeting progression tree is different from Sharpshooter’s. With right perks and a neat SMG with a silencer and enhanced with Tactical Suppressors mod, you can also play this class as an “elusive damage flanker” quite effectively.
Rifleman: At first look, Rifleman could be glimpsed as a LW2 Ranger subclass, similar to Shadow Ops Infantry to our eyes. When we delve deeper, we’ realize that this class should be categorized as a hybrid of Ranger/Assault. In the past, an Assault class with an assault rifle was often met with a reaction of rolling eyes and he was mostly despised. Rifleman, on the other hand, will not be underwhelming when using an assault rifle (or a battle rifle).
(“Enjoy Suffering” collection edit: Necessary adjustment for full LW2 compatibility has been made in our .ini edit pack, as suggested on the Richards Classes mod page discussion tab.)
Rogue: Rogue’s idiosyncratic standing among the other classes is quite remarkable. At start, this class might appear as a typical high mobility flanker with a unique “quirk”: he gains progressive damage bonus against flanked targets yet with the condition of using a smg. When she gains her first rank, you’ll pick an important perk that will define her future gameplay.
If you pick Ghost Pack, it will give Rogue reconcealment and phantom perks but also make her more fragile. This would be one of your typical scout/spotter soldiers with a default damage bonus.
Lonewolf Pack will give you a variation of Lone Wolf perk (+20 defense when she alone) which could stack with Lone Wolf itself (if you get lucky with the AWC).
Scout Pack will allow you to change drastically and forego your smg and its dmg bonuses altogether. Now the Rogue should have enhanced vision radius and weapon range and she will be even better at higher grounds.
From this point on, you could pick many creative and fun perks; all themed for a “unique style of Rogue”. Adjustments have been made for LW2 (included in Enjoy Suffering .ini pack) that allow you to pick quite advantageous holo-targeter perks. Rogue’s distinctive pistol perks should also play nice with AWC perks, thanks to the same adjustments.
(This was necessary because this mod was in dormant state in Workshop for a while and needed uplift.)
SWAT: SWAT is a kinda-tanky assault, but I won’t lie: Somehow this class could feel subpar when you try to follow any one of these paths. If you’d ask me how to avoid from such a lack of power, I would probably suggest to pick supportive packs (and some nice AWC perks), and to vary the class’ role with them. (Same could be said for Richards’ Survivor class as well)
(“Enjoy Suffering” collection edit: Necessary adjustment for full LW2 compatibility has been made in our .ini edit pack, as suggested on the Richards Classes mod page discussion tab.)
Samurai: Samurai is an honor-bound warrior who follows the Bushido code. (Although this fluff is quite adaptable to any warrior from any nation/culture with a strong warrior discipline) He uses melee weapons as his primary and even most simplistic weapons in his hands should climb up damage ladders insanely. (Melee weapon mods this collection includes should even double the Samurai’s already high potential) You could train at least one Samurai from GTS for that reason alone yet you’ll never have to content yourself with this. This class provides two perk trees to help to build a formidable, unyielding and vigilant melee damager/tank and one perk tree provides variation and adaptability with some ranged potential (in the form of throwing knives, which are the secondaries).
Scout: Scout is the most robust example for spotter/scout type soldiers who suit the role quite well. He shares same nice perk choices most flanker/spotter classes already have. Moreover, Scout’s default perks should make him very hard to spot, right from the beginning. Like the Rogue class, he also has some very good and complimentary pistol perks, and again, like the Rogue class, he and his team may exploit many privileges of a holo-targeter, thanks to adjustments.
(“Enjoy Suffering” collection edit: Necessary adjustment for full LW2 compatibility has been made in our .ini edit pack, as suggested on the Richards Classes mod page discussion tab.)
Scrapper: A distinctive and powerful Assault class variant, Scrapper is also quite fun-to-play (and one of my favorite Assault sub-types). True, you’ll probably miss Run&Gun but I can assure you; Bullrush perk will wash away your tears. Continuous stun-lock capability, even though it is ineffective against mechanical enemies, is insane. Moreover, you could further coronate this capability with effective melee abilities. (Stab the guy you stunned just one turn ago, then rush and stun another)
With the help of effective melee perks, offensive/defensive grenade capabilities and quite strong shotgun tricks; Scrapper is hell of a booster for your team’s prowess. Like all close range combatants who believes high risk-high reward philosophy, he should be played careful and smart, contrary to the impression you might have gained about him.
Shock Trooper: Shock Trooper’s design history predates Long War 2, yet he bears some similarities with the Technical class. (He has a default flamer gauntlet from the start, named “Firestarter”) You could lean over his “mayhem with fire” theme as it might become very effective, or you could train him as an enduring, mobile rifleman with some cool tricks. His flamer abilities are tied up to cooldowns, not charges. This is kinda good news. Firestarter does not have any higher tier variations, and this is the bad news.
Because of Shock Trooper’ s playstyle, arsenal and his default Momentum ability, it would be your best interest to train a rookie with high mobility, high dodge and at least moderate hp.
(“Enjoy Suffering” collection edit: Shocktrooper’s default technical capabilities have been slightly adjusted with the intention of keeping it up with Technical class. His default inability to wear heavy suits is preserved intentionally though.)
SpecOps: SpecOps is not our typical flanker/spotter stealth unit. Perfectly capable of performing scouting; she is also a self-sustained soldier, an expert to bring chaos to behind the enemy lines. (You may recognize similar pattern with Infiltrator class here) Also, she has some exclusive perks which allow her to use make better use of two weapons which are added with successful weapon mods: SpecOps Combat Knife and Throwing Knife.
From Survivalist to Vanguard, Some Reminders
Survivalist: Yes, yes I know, we have two Survivalist classes, but believe me they are very different when we analyze their abilities. This Survivalist (with plain skull symbol) is literally a “Jack of All Trades Master of None” guy. Proficient with almost all guns (except primary pistols) and a wide assortment of perk choices, you can train the Survivalist applicant for whichever build you need. This Survivalist is clearly a “fill the gap” type soldier and with some help from AWC, his performance might surpass your lowly expectations.
Survivalist: This Survivalist (with “Y” shaped sling symbol) has a clearer, determined role: A sniper which is effective in both active and reactive turns. His differences from LW2 Sharpshooters are just lovely and he can defend himself pretty well in close combat thanks to his sawn-off shotgun, and she has no hindrances to reach its full potential.
Tank: There are many classes in this collection which could assume tank role for the team but none of them are tanky as … hold your breath … the Tank class. It has also recently been updated by its author for LW2 just to receive brand new abilities, visual effects and a custom gremlin. When you need tanking in X-Com 2, you do this as clever class builds and tactical positioning. Tank class, on the other hand, does tanking naturally (And with the help of some nice perks). But it is not just about tanking and all; his reactive damage potential is also significant. Some Tanks can directly protect not only himself but also their team mates.
Tanks also have remote hacking capabilities but no hack score progression worth mentioning.
Technician: Technician (try not to confuse with Technical) is an alternate version of Specialist. Even with different perk progression (no healing role) and even with many custom perks, you couldn’t help but notice similarities among them. Technicians have one important difference which surpasses all others though: their hack score progression is astonishing.
(“Enjoy Suffering” collection edit: Technician hack score progression has been stalled a bit for LW2 but eventually she’ll double (at least) her hack score when we compare it with the Specialist at their final rank.
Vanguard: Vanguard is a mobile tanky soldier which could strongly emphasize many roles, either by being a reactive shot unit, a pistolero, melee warrior, damage absorber or something in between. I said “mobile” but not “elusive”; carrying a huge cannon all around somehow prevents that. If you don’t mind his reactive gun damage much, pick a SAW for him. Vanguard’s custom pistol perks merges seamlessly with AWC perks and you’ll realize how terrific that potential can be in there.
Restricted (Secret) Classes
This collection includes a few classes that cannot be trained via GTS. They should be available only as random rookie level-ups (representing inner potential, some obscure background of that individual or pure enthusiasm), mission bounties, or as a gun-for-hire at Blackmarket. Normally, they should be very very rare. I will not mention about them for now, though you should be aware that they all bear the potential of becoming OP.
Something About AWC
Some classes and class packs in Enjoy Suffering collection contains codes which allows them to merge the custom perks they brought with Advanced Warfare Center. Consequently, your AWC choices should be enriched by a wider choice of selections.
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