Furies is one of the unique Council Missions introduced in XCOM: Enemy Within.
This mission carries a randomized Operation designation and takes place outside a random French city.
Acquisition[]
Furies is available the month following Deluge if Operation Progeny was enabled in the Advanced Options when beginning the game. It is initiated by a Council transmission received at the Situation Room:
“ | The intelligence provided by Annette indicates the aliens are attempting to transfer at least three other captives in a remote area near the Alps. If each of these abductees harbors the same potential that Annette has demonstrated, it is imperative we do not allow the aliens to keep them captive. | ” |
– Council Transmission, XCOM: Enemy Within |
Mission Brief[]
“ | The aliens are holding Annette's fellow abductees on their ship and will not easily let them go. Secure the captives as quickly as possible. | ” |
–Mission Briefing, XCOM: Enemy Within |
Objectives[]
Preliminary[]
- Locate and rescue the other abductees
- Eliminate all opposition
Mission[]
- Destroy or disarm the command console.
- Kill any remaining aliens.
Mission Site[]
This mission takes place on a unique landed Abductor ship map. The squad begins in snow-covered terrain surrounded by debris and a few vehicles. The ship's loading bay is directly ahead, a short distance away. The map extends the full length of the ship, with room to advance outdoors along the sides and move behind the ship. |
Enemy Types[]
Overview[]
To complete the mission, XCOM will have to either disable (interact with) or blow up a stasis tank control console. On the second turn, a 12-turn countdown which cannot be increased by any method will be initiated, so it is imperative to push forward steadily yet cautiously. The map is relatively small and the allocated turn limit is generous for its size, considering that the location of the objective does not require traversing the entire map. If the timer expires the mission is immediately terminated, however if things go south, it is always possible to move a unit into position and blow up the device via any free-aiming ability. Overall, this makes it a relatively easy mission. |
Tactics[]
Thin Men are present when the mission begins, and more arrive as the squad progresses, beginning with a lone Thin Man that drops in as troops approach the ship's loading bay, landing off to the side and possibly in position to flank XCOM soldiers. Two Berserkers may also airdrop in; the first triggers when a soldier is midway into the loading bay, or the equivalent distance outside the ship. The airdrops occur even if the soldiers are concealed and the enemy troops are unaware of their position.
During a typical assault where the squad moves through the ship directly towards the objectives, the second Berserker drops in along the way to the stasis tank room beyond the elevated walkways. It is triggered when a soldier reaches the midpoint between the loading bay and said room, airdropping onto the roof above the stasis tanks, complicating attempts to get reaction shots when it arrives.
If a different approach is taken, by having one or more soldiers advance outdoors along either side of the ship, a solitary Muton airdrops in near a UFO Power Source. (It will not be triggered during the mission if the squad moves directly through the ship instead, unless the Commander sends a troop out through a side door.) If the second Berserker did not airdrop, be aware of another trigger point located between the command deck and stasis tank room, along an imaginary line that extends across the map. In this case, the Berserker airdrops directly into the command deck rather than onto the roof.
To avoid the second Berserker altogether, send one or more soldiers along the side of the ship. Move a soldier adjacent to a side door, concealing him/her using Ghost Armor, a Ghost Grenade, or the Mimetic Skin gene mod. Entering from the side door, the soldier can reach the console, which provides full cover, without alerting the nearby Thin Men and activating their reaction fire, or triggering the second Berserker along the way. After deactivating the command console send in the other soldiers through the side door(s), and remain between the two trigger points by staying in the stasis tank room while killing the remaining enemies. A Squadsight Sniper can help by eliminating some of the Thin Men in the room without moving from the starting position. This same approach can be accomplished with grapple or jetpack equipped troops by moving on top of the ship, armed with a battlescanner and grenade. The second hole in the roof has the objective under it, and using the battlescanner to scout for the grenade will allow the player to stop the timer without entering the ship at all.
Status Updates[]
The following status updates are received from Central Officer Bradford during the mission:
Event or Condition | Update |
Mission begins | "Commander, Strike-One needs to approach that ship with caution - according to Annette, the remaining captives are being held in stasis, but the aliens can shut down life support functions at any moment. The system is controlled by a command console - if we can take it out, it'll give us a chance to bring those people home safe." |
Alarm sounds | "Damn it! The aliens are on to you Strike-One - that sound is coming from the console! Get moving and find it before the aliens execute those captives!" |
Stasis tank in sight | "It looks like the abductees are still alive, but we're not out of the woods yet. We still have to get them out of there." |
Console in sight | "From Annette's description, that has to be the command console. If we're going to save the captives, we'll need to either move in and disable the system, or destroy it with explosives." |
Console reminder | "Commander, hitting that console with explosives is a surefire way to make sure it'll be out of commission for good." |
4 turns remaining | "We're almost out of time, Commander. We have to rescue those abductees!" |
2 turns remaining | "We have to pick up the pace if we're going to reach those abductees Commander." |
1 turn remaining | "Commander, those captives are dead if we don't disable that console now!" |
0 turns remaining | "Commander, we've lost the remaining abductees. We just didn't make it in time." |
Console deactivated/Destroyed | "Excellent work out there, Commander. We're reading zeroes across the board on that device. Looks like you managed to stop the termination sequence." |
Aliens remain | "All we need to do now is secure the area and eliminate any remaining hostiles." |
Mission complete | "The odds were against us on this one and we still managed to pull through. The three remaining captives have been secured, and if we're lucky, we may just have found some new recruits for XCOM." |
Mission Debriefing[]
Failure[]
“ | The Council is concerned by this setback, but we are confident you will adapt your tactics accordingly. | ” |
– Council Transmission, XCOM: Enemy Within |
Success[]
“ | The other abductees, like Annette, have offered to serve as XCOM operatives. Their mental acuity, and some unique neurophysiological features, indicate they may have extremely high values as operatives. | ” |
– Council Transmission, XCOM: Enemy Within |
Rewards[]
The Council rewards XCOM with §100. Like Annette, all three soldiers recovered during this mission are guaranteed to possess The Gift when tested in the Psionic Labs. The soldiers are:
- Matthew "Alecto" Hawkins: American Sniper, Lieutenant rank, HP 7, Will 70, Aim 84.
- Said "Megaera" Tariq: Egyptian Support, Lieutenant rank, HP 7, Will 72, Aim 79.
- Fatima "Tisiphone" Tariq: Egyptian Assault, Lieutenant rank, HP 7, Will 71, Aim 76.
All three soldiers have HP 7 regardless of the difficulty level. 7 is the typical HP for a Lieutenant at the Normal difficulty level. Alecto and Megaera have the normal AIM for their respective classes at the Lieutenant rank. Tisiphone has a lower AIM than the typical Assault Lieutenant, (an Assault Lieutenant normally has AIM 79.)
Successfully completing this mission grants the "Ours Are The Furies" achievement, and concludes Operation Progeny.
You will also recover some of the artifacts and materials normally found in an Abductor.
Notes[]
- If Not Created Equally and/or Hidden Potential are enabled, be wary of sending these new recruits to the Psi Lab for testing as soon as they are obtained. At Colonel rank, they may not end up with enough Will to make them viable Psi Operatives, and their Aim and/or Movement may make them more viable as MEC Troopers.
Trivia[]
- The new recruits' nicknames correspond to the Furies in Greek mythology: Alecto ("unceasing anger"), Megaera ("the jealous one"), and Tisiphone ("vengeful destruction").
- While the recruits' starting names and nicknames are always the same, the player has the option of changing them, unlike other special soldiers such as Shaojie Zhang and Annette Durand.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown Missions | |
---|---|
Alien | Abduction • Terror Site • UFO Crash Site • UFO Landing Site |
Council | Asset Recovery • Bomb Disposal • Site Recon • Target Escort • Target Extraction |
DLC | Slingshot: Friends In Low Places • Confounding Light • Gangplank • Progeny: Portent • Deluge • Furies |
Storyline | Alien Base Assault • XCOM Base Defense • Overseer Crash Site • Temple Ship Assault |
Other | Starter Mission • Tutorial • Meld Tutorial • Covert Operations • EXALT Base Raid |