This mission is guaranteed to contain a Sectopod. Research reveals that it seems to be a genetic template for ADVENT's hybrid soldiers, with elements of alien DNA added as needed to produce different types of hybrids. Infiltrating this facility, you discover an environment suit similar to the one you were imprisoned in, and you are tasked with recovering the suit and occupant and extracting with it. Completing this analysis unlocks the Psi Gate mission, and Skulljacking a Codex in the field.ДЄnalysis of the Blacksite Vial in the Shadow Chamber will reveal the presence of another alien facility. Note that you will recover the Codex Brain after the killing the Codex even if you extract from the mission.ДЄnalyzing the Codex Brain requires the Shadow Chamber facility. Killing the Codex will reward you with a Codex Brain to research.

A Codex is likely much stronger than anything you've encountered so far (depending on how long you put off Skulljacking), so you'll want to wait until things are quiet before doing the Skulljack. Upon skulljacking an officer, a Codex will teleport in. This requires building a Shadow Chamber facility first, and completing the analysis unlocks the Forge mission. This mission has more enemies than missions so far, and is likely to be your first encounter with ADVENT MECs, and ADVENT Turrets.Д¬ompletion of this mission allows the research of the Blacksite vial. Upon approaching the Blacksite you will see that it's a processing facility turning abducted humans into some sort of liquid, and you must recover a vial of this substance and extract it to the Avenger.

Your squad is inserted some distance from the Blacksite in concealment. This is a retrieval and extraction mission.

You need to research Resistance Comms to contact other regions and contact the region containing the Blacksite to gain access to the mission, after which you can launch it at any time. Meanwhile you will be contacted by the former XCOM Council Spokesman, who will inform you that numerous missing persons cases have been linked to an ADVENT 'Blacksite', where he suspects they have been taken to. This will give an objective to Skulljack an ADVENT officer in the field. You then need to construct a Proving Ground and research the Skulljack. Researching this will reveal that all of the ADVENT troops are linked together by these implants, and that accessing a live officer's implant could allow XCOM to pull information from the aliens' psychic network. You will have a research topic available to research the implant removed from your brain, then an autopsy to take a similar implant from an ADVENT Officer. The Avenger is already fully functional and the mission to recover the power core doesn't occur. If playing with tutorial off, the game will instead start in a 4-person mission to destroy an ADVENT monument, to provide a distraction from the recovery of the Commander. You will quickly be launched in to a second mission to obtain a power core for the Avenger to make it flight ready. You are then encouraged to browse the history database and then are introduced to Dr Tygan, the chief scientist, and Lily Shen, chief engineer and daughter of Raymond Shen. The Commander is taken to the Avenger, where Dr Tygan performs an operation to remove an implant from your brain to restore you to health. As you leave the area, an electrical surge burns out the remaining equipment, and a Codex appears and notes your disappearance. The Commander of XCOM (you) had been captured within the first few months into the campaign of the war in 2015: having been in stasis for 20 years, the tutorial will guide you through with Bradford himself pulling you out of an ADVENT facility. Do note that tutorial makes The Untouchables achievement unattainable. It's recommended to play through your first time with it on, since it also contains plot exposition that you otherwise miss. There is no way to change the events, and you will always finish the mission with two casualties, and one soldier ( Jane Kelly) on your roster at Squaddie rank with the Ranger class. The tutorial mission is entirely scripted, designed to introduce you to various concepts.

War of the chosen tutorial