How to Bond Soldiers in XCOM 2: War of the Chosen
Arguably the greatest addition that XCOM 2: War of the Chosen adds is the ability to bond your soldiers. We all love roleplaying in our XCOM, right? Well, this feature just adds more of that. Your soldiers can become BFFs on the battlefield and not only is it super cute, it also adds a lot of benefits that you’ll definitely want to take advantage of.
When two soldiers are ready to bond, you’ll get a message and will likely see a flashing icon (green, looks like hands holding each other). You can click that and confirm a bond. Yes, this means you can also ignore it if you decide you don’t want two soldiers to bond. Perfect choice if they have a low cohesion rating (because it will make them leveling up their bond a pain), or because that’s your BFF, dammit, Jill.
The first bond level is easy to attain. It will come after heading into battle and having two soldiers with high cohesion. After that, though, when it’s time to level up, you will need to build a Training Center facility to have your soldiers confirm their love for one another. Different ways to increase your bond level include going into battle together (as previously mentioned), completing Covert Actions together, and specifically completing Bond Covert Actions together.
Here are the benefits to the different levels:
Bond Level 1
Covert Operators – When deployed on a Covert Action together, the duration is reduced by one day.
Spotter I – The soldier is granted a bonus to aim when their bondmate has attacked or been attacked by the soldier’s target. An extra bonus is granted if the bondmate is adjacent.
Stand By Me – When this soldier ends a move adjacent to their bondmate, their bondmate will be automatically cleansed of any negative mental state.
Bond Level 2
Advanced Teamwork – Grant an additional action point to a bondmate. Has two charges per mission, shared between bondmates.
Dual Strike – A combined standard shot attack by this soldier and their bondmate. This shot is a free action for the bondmate.
We’ll update this guide as we find out more bond ranks and their benefits!
