XCOM Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Chitin Plating

Chitin Plating is an item in XCOM: Enemy Unknown.

In-Game Description[]

Light plating made from the Chryssalid exoskeleton, this material provides additional protection and a significant reduction to melee damage sustained.

– Engineering description, XCOM: Enemy Unknown

XCOM: Enemy Within amends the description with:
It's also sturdy enough to provide a strangulation countermeasure.

Production Specifications[]

Prerequisites: Chryssalid Autopsy (Research)

Production Time: Immediate

Production Cost:

Tactical Info[]

  • Confers 4 armor HP
  • Reduces damage from melee attacks by 50% (rounded down)
  • Immunity to strangulation EW

Notes[]

  • The four Chryssalid corpses are arguably the most difficult components to gather since Chryssalids don't appear until the first Terror Site mission and it requires one corpse just to perform the autopsy necessary to unlock the plating in the first place; so it requires a total of five corpses in order to construct the first set of plating.
    • The research and production can be sped up slightly with the Slingshot DLC. In the first mission, there is a Chryssalid that spawns at the far end of the map (replaced with a Muton if playing on Impossible difficulty in XCOM: Enemy Unknown; Classic or Impossible in XCOM: Enemy Within). Getting the autopsy done after killing it provides a slight but noticeable lead in producing Chitin Plating.
    • In Second Wave's Marathon Mode the Chryssalid Corpse requirement is doubled to 8 per set of plating.
  • Equipped in the item slot, Chitin Plating essentially provides an upgrade over the Nano-fiber Vest (which provides a +2 HP bonus). While its protection versus melee attacks makes it very useful when facing Berserkers, Zombies and Chryssalids, the +4 HP bonus is also very welcome versus ranged attacks. Ghost Armor combined with Chitin Plating makes the soldier as durable as a Titan Armor wearer, with the Ghost Armor's added benefits.
  • Chitin Plating is worth considering for a squad's most valuable front-line classes, but will mean they cannot carry grenades, an Arc Thrower or a S.C.O.P.E. until the Tactical Rigging project has been completed. As such, equipping a soldier with Chitin Plating favors defense over offense.
XCOM: Enemy Within
  • Chitin Plating also confers immunity to strangulation by Seekers, thus largely rendering the Respirator Implant obsolete except for the Implant's additional immunity to poison (which is itself made redundant if the soldier is also carrying a Medikit). The items can be worn both at the same time for a +6 HP bonus, however.
    • All powered armors confer immunity to strangulation, so the main effects of Chitin Plating are the HP boost and melee damage reduction.
  • This item is extremely useful for Covert Operatives, since they are otherwise unable to wear body armor and Chitin Plating offers the largest bonus possible, equal to regular Carapace Armor.
  • Tactical Rigging allows all soldiers to equip two items, which makes Chitin Plating a viable choice for all classes.
    • Equipping Chitin Plating alongside a Medikit grants the same immunities as the Respirator Implant.
Advertisement