Heavy weapons | Soldier equipment XCOM 2 Guide

Heavy weapons allow your soldiers to perform a single, extremely powerful attack.

The last group of weapons are heavy weapons. None of your classes have access to those at the beginning, and the only way to use them is to attach them onto one of the two armors - E.X.O. Suit or W.A.R. Suit. You just have to equip your soldier(s) with one of those, and then place the weapon in the slot where the additional grenade (or other utility item) was.

Heavy weapons are one of the groups of items (together with ammo) that are extremely difficult to unlock. In order to get one of those, you have to complete a foundry project (in the Proving Ground facility), either the Experimental Heavy Weapons, or the Experimental Powered Weapons - any of those will yield a single piece of a randomly selected weapon to mount on the above mentioned suits. The results of the projects can repeat - you can even unlock 5 pieces of the Blaster Launcher in a row if you're (un)lucky.

At start, you will have access to only one weapon type (Rocket Launcher), and there are 6 more to unlock, all presented in the following table.

Heavy weapons

Icon	Name	Stats	Costs	Requirements
	Blaster Launcher	Damage: 7-10 Ammo: 1 Range: 45 Blast radius: 6 Destroys cover.	1x Elerium Core	Experimental Powered Weapon
	Flamethrower	Damage: 4-7 Ammo: 1 Range: 25 Blast radius: 7 Does not destroy cover. Mechanized enemies, as well as those immune to fire are invulnerable to the effects of this weapon. Chance to set the target on fire.	1x Elerium Core	Experimental Heavy Weapon
	Hellfire Projector	Damage: 6-9 Ammo: 1 Range: 25 Blast radius: 7 Does not destroy cover. Mechanized enemies, as well as those immune to fire are invulnerable to the effects of this weapon. Chance to set the target on fire.	1x Elerium Core	Experimental Powered Weapon
	Plasma Blaster	Damage: 7-10 Ammo: 1 Range: 25 Blast radius: 12 Destroys cover.	1x Elerium Core	Experimental Powered Weapon
	Rocket Launcher	Damage: 4-7 Ammo: 1 Range: 27 Blast radius: 4 Destroys cover.	1x Elerium Core	none
	Shredder Gun	Damage: 6-9 Ammo: 1 Range: 25 Blast radius: 12 Destroys cover.	1x Elerium Core	Experimental Heavy Weapon
	Shredstorm Cannon	Damage: 8-11 Ammo: 1 Range: 25 Blast radius: 12 Destroys cover. Shreds armor.	1x Elerium Core	Experimental Powered Weapon

Those weapons are effective on every soldier type, because they are more effective than normal grenades - their only flaw is the one usage per battle, which is why you should keep them on a 'special occasion" (like a group of enemies you suddenly stumble upon).

Remember that some of the weapons are more suited against certain enemies:

• Flamethrower and Hellfire Projector are extremely effective against unarmored soldiers of ADVENT, because, aside from damage, they have a chance to set the target on fire, blocking his abilities and dealing damage over time.
• Rocket Launcher and Blaster Launcher are useful against enemies that are located in a difficult-to-get place (such us a good cover) - those weapons are easy to aim (they aren't blocked on objects). Additionally, Blaster Launcher has a ridiculous range (45 fields!), which should suffice to hit any enemy.
• Shredstorm Cannon is ideal to eliminate large groups of enemies, or armored targets. It's capable of shredding 3 points of armor and dealing up to 11 points of damage - most of enemies will be either dead, or left with few points of health.
• Shredstorm Cannon and Shredder Gun are extremely effective at destroying cover - a single strike will tear everything in its path.