XCOM 2 Ranger Class Guide – Abilities, Tips & Tricks

The cut-throat world of XCOM 2 is an unforgiving one so make sure you’re prepared with our XCOM 2 Ranger Class guide. We’ll list all of the abilities available to the class as you level up so you can plan your perfect combatant as well as providing some basic tips and tricks to increase your survivability and chance of victory.

The Ranger is the backbone of your squad. Boasting fantastic mobility, the only melee weapon ability in the game and the option to remain invisible to the enemy when scouting often results in your Ranger leveling quickly and unlocking very powerful abilities early in the game. Because of their offensive skillset and mobility you can often get caught behind the lines so make sure you prep properly with your abilities and check out our tips and tricks.

XCOM 2 Ranger Abilities List

Corporal

Phantom – When the squad is revealed, this soldier remains concealed.

OR

Blademaster – Deal +2 extra damage on all sword attacks.

Sergeant

Shadowstrike – When concealed, gain +25 bonus Aim and +25 bonus critical hit chance when attacking enemies.

OR

Shadowstep – This soldier does not trigger overwatch or reaction fire.

Lieutenant

Conceal – Immediately enter concealment once per mission.

OR

Run and Gun – Take an action after dashing. 3 turn cooldown.

Captain

Implacable – If you score one or more kills on your turn, you are granted a single bonus move.

OR

Bladestorm – Free sword attacks on enemies that enter or attack from melee range.

Major

Deep Cover – If you did not attack this turn, hunker down automatically.

OR

Untouchable – If you score a kill during your turn, the next attack against you during the enemy turn will miss.

Colonel

Rapid Fire – Fire twice in a row at an enemy. Each shot suffers an Aim penalty of -15. There is no cooldown on this ability.

OR

Reaper – A devastating chain melee attack where the first melee attack cannot miss. Each melee kill in Reaper mode grants an extra action, but further melee attacks deal reduced damage. 4 turn cooldown.

XCOM 2 Ranger Tips & Tricks

• Ranger’s have some of the highest mobility stat available in the game. Combine this with abilities such as Conceal and Shadowstep and they make for the perfect scouts.
• Run and Gun can be very tempting as a way to explore large areas of a map quickly however, this is rarely a good idea. Instead try to use it as an option for retreat after discovering or alerting enemies using the Ranger in the scout role
• Bladestorm and Untouchable can be a fantastic combination if you like to get up close and personal with your Ranger. The Bladestorm ability pretty much guarantees a hit against anything that moves into melee range and Untouchable can protect you from unexpected attacks after a melee push to secure a kill
• Shadowstrike and Conceal are a match made in heaven. Along with the initial concealment at the start of the mission the combination of these two abilities can provide enough damage to take down an otherwise difficult enemy

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