While different from previous XCOM titles in many ways, XCOM: Chimera Squad is still true to the series’ roots. Powerful abilities, unforgiving difficulty, and character customization are still present in Chimera Squad and used to great effect.

Loadouts still have as much depth as they did in XCOM 2, allowing for weapon types, mods, armor mods, and general equipment to make combat easier. With so many choices present in Chimera Squad, it can be hard to decide what’s the best for each character. While there are no wrong builds, some items and abilities work together much better than others.

10 Cherub Tank

Cherub might not be the strongest character in Chimera Squad, but he can certainly pull his weight when built properly. Turning him into a tanky Agent is a great choice.

Guard is an obvious choice for this playstyle, granting Cherub permanent half cover bonuses. Place Kinetic Shields over every ally you can, and remember to use your Phalanx ability during intense breaches to absorb all enemy fire for your team. Using Smoke Grenades and upgraded armor makes this playstyle even stronger.

9 Verge Crowd Control

Sectoids are one of the most annoying early-game enemies in XCOM 2. Their psionic abilities made them a force to be reckoned with, just like Verge is in Chimera Squad.

Controlling the flow of battle is Verge’s biggest strength. Connecting targets to your Neural Network is your greatest asset, so unlocking Network Healing and Crowdsource are a good idea. As long as you equip a Mind Shield, Verge can safely stun and frenzy targets. When enough have been mentally influenced, finish off the encounter with a damaging Mindflay, or control everyone using Puppeteer.

8 Banish Build

While not specific to any character, Epic weapons are one of the strongest additions to XCOM: Chimera Squad. One such weapon is the Impetuous Spire, a unique Assault Rifle that comes with the Banish ability.

One of the strongest abilities in the second entry, Banish unloads the entire magazine into a single target. Extended Mags can make this ability much stronger with superior variants doubling your magazine capacity. Use this on Verge or Patchwork when ability usage is ill-advised to instantly kill any target in the game.

7 Torque Unit Control

No other Agent in Chimera Squad can shut down deadly opponents as quickly as Torque can. Her use of both poison and physical binding makes Torque a fantastic Agent in any team.

Torque does best when used to shut down a subset of enemies, which makes Reinforced Scales a solid choice. Poison Spit should open every encounter, dealing 3 damage and poisoning the target. Then, Tongue Pull targets towards you and Bind them for guaranteed damage and to skip their turn. If Poison Spit isn’t off cooldown, the usage of Acid Grenades or Adhesive Grenades can make Torque even better at controlling the battlefield.

6 Godmother Rusher

Shotguns are best used by characters with high mobility, Godmother being no exception. Training is critical to make Godmother a strong character, but it pays off massively when combined with certain items.

Overdrive Serum and the Lonely Herald Epic shotgun are core to making Godmother unstoppable. Finishing the Gray Phoenix investigation and research will grant Overdrive Serum, an equipment item that grants 3 mobility, 3 armor, and mental effect immunity for the next 2 turns. Combined with Lonely Herald’s Run and Gun action, Godmother can move across entire maps and kill multiple enemies in a single turn.

5 Axiom Juggernaut

Axiom might be one of the weaker late-game characters in Chimera Squad, but he can still pack a surprisingly large punch while taking lots of punishment.

Building Rage is core to Axiom dealing extra damage, but it also leaves him open to attacks. Shrug It Off and Regeneration are great choices to counter this issue. Train Axiom to obtain Counterattack, give him some armor, and watch Axiom take dozens of hits while he rampages across the map with his fists. It is somewhat weak endgame, but this setup destroys the early and mid-game portions of the campaign.

4 Patchwork Chain Jolt

Towards the later levels of Chimera Squad, enemy squad density becomes a much larger issue. It isn’t uncommon to fight upwards of 10 enemies per encounter, which is why Patchwork can be a lifesaver.

Chain Jolt is her bread-and-butter skill, sending her Gremlin to jolt chain lightning to nearby targets and dealing further damage to machines. Voltaic Arc and High Voltage can be used together to create two chains per turn, each dealing substantial damage. If you can keep enemies stationary with Adhesive or Statis Grenades, Patchwork can reliably do this every encounter to weaken every enemy nearby. This works well with Blueblood’s Faceoff ability to clear entire encounters before enemies can react.

3 Claymore Demolitionist

Claymore is the explosives expert in Chimera Squad, capable of throwing a wide range of explosives every turn. Focusing on his demolitions side allows Claymore to deal high amounts of damage in a large radius every turn.

Improvised Explosives is essential for this, allowing Claymore to throw equipment-based grenades every encounter. Purchase or find a Plasma Grenade and start your turn by placing a Shrapnel Bomb. Throw Plasma Grenades to damage the target and detonate the charge, killing most targets instantly. Sticky Grenades can then be used to reposition targets.

2 Terminal Support

Arguably one of the strongest characters in the game, Terminal excels at creating advantageous situations for teammates.

Grab Resilience and Pin Down to help set up powerful synergies with other characters. Use her Safeguard to allow allies to enter dangerous situations. Cooperation is also fantastic for letting damage-based characters to finish enemies off. Smoke Grenades are great on Terminal, but she becomes incredible with a Motile Inducer. This little item grants two action points to whoever it lands on, effectively granting a free turn to any Agent.

1 Blueblood Gunslinger

Mods can now be equipped to pistols in Chimera Squad, which makes this niche weapon category one of the best end-game options.

Blueblood can take advantage of weapon mods with a Superior Extended Mag, allowing for 6 shots per reload. This allows Faceoff to hit up to 6 targets in one action! When Faceoff isn’t a good option, his Phase Lance with the Cascade Lance upgrade can make short work of bunched-up targets. To top it off, the Endless Brevity Epic pistol grants Fan Fire—firing 3 shots at one target for one action. No other character in Chimera Squad can output as much damage in one turn as Blueblood with this setup.

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