Phoenix Point Tips: Tactics, Factions, Food & More

Phoenix Point is a slower and more methodical strategy game compared to its genre counterpart, XCOM, at least on the strategic layer. Phoenix Point, in fact, was developed by the designer of the original XCOM in 1994. This time around, instead of fighting an alien invasion, the player will fight separate factions of human survivors and the deadly Pandoravirus. To fight the encroaching Pandoravirus, it is necessary to be well-equipped with the knowledge on how to effectively defeat the mutated horrors coming from the oceans.

 

Explore Actively

Exploration is the best way to contact the other factions, find new bases to occupy, engage in encounters, and do scavenging missions to get some more resources. To do this, use the area scan ability as often as possible and visit every point of interest you can. The more opportunities a player takes, the more likely their efforts will pay serious dividends and help develop the Phoenix Project.

 

Use Faction Havens as Recruiting Grounds

The only way to get new soldiers into the Phoenix Project is to visit faction havens that have a Training Grounds structure and recruit the soldiers they offer. These characters will come with their own faction specific equipment, usually armor, and will need to be equipped before going into combat.

Most of the time they will offer the standard Sniper, Assault, or Heavy classes; however, some faction Havens will give access to their Elite class, which is unique and cannot be recruited in any other faction Havens. For example, Disciples of Anu will give the Priest class and New Jericho will provide the Technician class. The Elite classes are even more specialized than the standard three and can greatly augment the Project’s war effort.

 

Prioritize Developing Good Relations With Factions Early

The Phoenix Project’s research tree is not too massive and it primarily relates to Pandoravirus research and occasional equipment reverse engineering. However, to truly develop your combat capabilities, it’s necessary to develop good relations with the other surviving factions as soon as possible. Once the player allies with one of these factions, they will gain access to that faction’s tech tree and will be able to better combat the threat of the Pandoravirus.

 

Manage, Scavenge, and Trade for Materials Often

Materials are one of the main resources in Phoenix Point along with Tech and Food. Materials are needed for the production of structures and equipment, along with recruitment, and pretty much anything else that has a price tag. This resource will quickly bottleneck production capability unless carefully managed or focused for trading and scavenging. Faction havens will often specialize in trading a single resource for one of the other two, which is one of the most effective ways of getting Materials.

 

Build Food Production Structures and Trade Excess Food

Early in the campaign, the Phoenix Project will have no way of innately producing Tech and Materials. However, the Project can build Food Production buildings from the get-go. Food is needed for maintaining soldiers, so the construction of such buildings would be inevitable, but the earlier a player builds these, the sooner they will get a surplus of Food that can easily be traded at faction havens for Tech or Materials.

 

Prepare Your Soldier Teams for the Right Mission

There is great flexibility in kitting out the Project’s soldiers due to the expanded inventory and equipment system. Each soldier will have an encumbrance value directly related to the soldier’s Strength stat, which indicates how much equipment they can take. If you’re going into a mission you know will have lots of enemies, make sure that soldier Encumbrance is full with extra ammo, equipment or backup weapons to tackle the arduous conditions of long missions.

For exploration and scavenging missions, soldiers can benefit from having some encumbrance free, allowing them to loot any useful equipment. Moreover, as the game progresses, players will get access to more complex and awesome equipment that they can give to their soldiers to tackle a variety of situations. Make sure to kit the Project’s soldiers for the appropriate mission.

 

Get the APC as Soon as Possible

The Phoenix Project can build Scarab APCs from the start of the game, and you should build them as quickly as possible. These pieces of machinery are the best thing that has ever happened to the Project. The Scarab has a large health pool and decent armor, can transport troops and run over light cover.

The mobility and the durability of the vehicle alone is enough, but that’s not the best part. The Scarab APC comes equipped with a dual missile launcher with unlimited range and solid accuracy. It only has four rounds of two missiles, but the launcher provides so much early game punch, it can usually take out groups of enemies in a single round. Basically, the APC is Phoenix Point’s easy mode.

 

Snipers are Awesome, Use Them Frequently

Because of Phoenix Point’s free aim and limb damage system, accuracy allows for assured and consistent damage output. The Sniper class has an in-built proficiency with sniper rifles and pistols as well as having an inherent bonus to accuracy for most weapons. This means that Snipers can usually hit a specific target even from across the map.

Once mini-bosses, bosses, or heavy enemies start appearing, requiring the player to target limbs to minimize retaliation, Snipers are the best class of soldier for the job, as they benefit the most from the free aim system. It is wise to bring some assaults or heavies to help with taking on small or well-armored opponents, respectively. Snipers can still be the backbone of any squad.

 

Speed and Mobility Are Key Stats for Soldiers

The speed stat is a highly valuable stat for almost all soldiers, especially Assault and Sniper classes. A soldier’s speed stat increases the amount of tiles they can move per action point, meaning they cover more ground in a single move.

By increasing the speed stat, the player makes movement more efficient per action. Possessing greater speed means soldiers can get to a good firing position or some cover, making them perfect for scavenging missions or general exploration. Heavies don’t necessarily benefit from this stat as much as they have jetpacks.

 

Always Have at Least One Medikit on a Soldier, No Exceptions

Though combat in Phoenix Point is not as lethal as it is in XCOM, especially in the early game, soldiers caught in a horrible position will be focused down by the AI and will take massive damage. Losing soldiers is painful and reduces the player’s long-term potential as they will need high level characters to tackle later-game threats effectively. Every lost soldier can be a serious setback.

Medikits are the soldier’s saving grace as they clear out most negative effects, like bleeding or poison, but also heal a large amount of health. It’s critical that every soldier carries at least a single medikit.