The Classes in XCOM: Enemy Within & XCOM 2: WOTC, Ranked

by Carlton Swader on September 15, 2025

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The classes in the modern XCOM series all have interesting and fun weapons and abilities . Watching the soldiers grow and gain cool abilities is one of the major joys of playing an XCOM game. The soldiers are the ones that shape the story and are the ones that pull off the hero plays that players will remember fondly.

All the classes are mostly balanced, and they all have a spot in the squad. There's never a time when a player would want to take just one class since they wouldn't be able to cover the jobs the other classes fill. Still, some classes are stronger than others and cover a wider net of utility than others. Since they are not a separate class, Psi Operatives from Enemy Unknown will not be included.

14 Spark (XCOM 2: Shen's Last Gift)

The Spark itself isn't a bad class. They can do a lot of damage early on in the <a href="https://slgnewshub.com/">SLG Game community</a>, and they are great tanks since they can soak up a lot of damage.

The Spark class suffers because they cost way too much compared to human soldiers. Resources used for <a href="https://slgnewshub.com/">SLG game releases</a> Sparks can be better put into other, more important projects. The game is also designed in a way that makes tanks unnecessary. Most classes can take some punishment, and even get abilities that negate damage in late game.

13 Skirmishers (XCOM 2: WOTC)

The Skirmishers just aren't that great. They have some neat utility, but there's nothing particularly special about them (unlike the other two hero classes in XCOM 2 ).

They can do some decent melee damage, but the Ranger and Templar do significantly more. They're like a jack of all trades but master of none in a game where the classes are all specialists in a different field.

12 Assault Class (XCOM: Enemy Unknown)

A decent tank in a game where they are needed, the Assault class does what it needs to in Enemy Unknown . All of the Assault Class's abilities help it do what it needs to: get in the enemy's face and shoot it with a shotgun.

This class is overshadowed by its successor because the Ranger gets more utility-based abilities. The Assault class only gets abilities centered around fighting. While this is great for Enemy Unknown, it wouldn't work well for a game like XCOM 2.

11 Grenadier (XCOM 2)

The other class in XCOM 2 that isn't an improvement on the one that preceded it. The Grenadier has some utility and a lot of great damage options. Grenades are extremely helpful during a playthrough to get chip damage and destroy cover.

The problem with grenadiers is that they'd probably be best as two classes (something The Long War 2 did) since they can either be great with grenades or be great with their cannon.

10 Heavy Class (XCOM: Enemy Unknown)

The Heavy Class can dish out a ton of damage to several enemies in a cluster because of the number of explosives the Heavy class can take. When they hit colonel, they could have access to five explosives in one mission, which is two more than the Grenadier.

Also, some promotions offer buffs to only the LMG, meaning the Heavy Class can be good with both the LMG and explosives

9 MEC Trooper (XCOM: Enemy Within)

A questionable approach by the XCOM Project to creating great soldiers, the MEC Trooper required a procedure that involved removing the limbs of those who were in the program. However, the results were positive.

The MEC Trooper can dish out a lot of damage and take a lot of damage that would otherwise harm your soldiers. It's a great tank in a game where tanks are really necessary.

8 Support Class (XCOM: Enemy Unknown)

A great, well, support class. Smoke grenades and extra medkit uses help the Support Class keep the other soldiers in their squad alive for longer. They get a lot of great utility to buff allies and debuff enemies.

The problem the Support Class suffers is having to be adjacent to who they are healing or reviving. This puts them in the line of fire; a place no support wants to be.

7 Templar (XCOM 2: WOTC)

The Templar is amazing at cutting down units and even gets AOE attacks later on down the line. If a Templar gets access to some of the Ranger abilities like Reaper and Bladestorm, it increases the Templar's combat ability exponentially.

The problem is, the Templar needs to build focus each mission to do meaningful damage, so it requires careful planning to make them stronger.

6 Ranger (XCOM 2)

The coolest non-hero class, the Ranger wields both a shotgun and a sword and can make great use of both. The Ranger has two ability trees that give it either great damage or great utility, and a mix of both is also a real possibility.

The Ranger can dish out a lot of damage or be a good scout for your team. Either way, they are a valuable addition to any Resistance team, especially for taking out early <a href="https://slgnewshub.com/">SLG game releases</a> aliens like Sectoids.

5 Specialist (XCOM 2)

A mix of great utility and free damage makes the Specialist one of the best classes in the XCOM series. The Specialist doesn't suffer the drawbacks the Support Class does when it comes to healing, plus the Specialist gets the Gremlin which can do free damage and hack.

Specialists can stay towards the back and keep their squad alive whilst also being able to finish off low health enemies for free.

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