XCOM 2 Bonds explained - How to increase Cohesion, Bond level up rewards

Publish date: 2023-03-19
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XCOM 2 Bonds is a new system introduced in expansion War of the Chosen, which rewards you for having soldiers complete missions together.

Each soldier has a compatibility rating with every other soldier in the squad, this rating is called Cohesion and effects how quickly one soldier will bond with another.

If you need more help, our XCOM 2 War of the Chosen guide provides a breakdown on how else you can tackle the huge expansion.

How to level up Bond Cohesion in XCOM 2

Bonds work on a rating system named Cohesion, which ranges from 1.0 to 9.9, with anything at 5.0 or above being considered "high" or "very high".

Sending soldiers on missions with teammates with whom they have high cohesion with will increase the likelihood that these soldiers will become bondmates. A solider can only have one bondmate at a time but if their bondmate dies they will, eventually, be able to form a bond with another soldier.

XCOM 2 Tips: Top 5 Tips to Dominate Mission Combat (How to Guide for Tactics)

How Bonds strengthen and level-up

Once the joint cohesion bar for two soldiers has reached maximum for the first time, a level 1 bond will be formed and you'll be asked to confirm that you would like to bond the two soldiers.

You don't have to do this if you're hoping they'll bond with a different soldier but if you form the bond it becomes permanent, while they both live. If you opt to for the bond, the cohesion bar will be reset and begin rising once more, as soldiers embark on missions together.

Once the cohesion bar has reached maximum a second time, a level 2 bond can be formed but this is must be performed aboard the Avenger, in the Training Centre and will result in both soldiers being unavailable for mission selection for 3 days.

Once this bonding process is complete, the cohesion bar will once more reset, rise and reach maximum, at which time a level 3 bond can be formed. This the highest bond level available and requires the soldiers to be ensconced in the Training Centre for a period of 6 days, after which they will have reached their maximum bondage level.

Bond level can be increased by taking soldiers out into the field on combat missions, and also by sending soldiers on covert missions together via the Resistance Ring. The rewards for some Resistance Ring missions are specifically geared towards increasing soldier bonds.

Bond levels and rewards

Here's the different perks and rewards for using the Bonds system:

Bond level 1

Here's what you get from Bond level 1:

Bond level 2

Retains the Teamwork bonus from bond level 1 and adds:

Bond level 3

Retains all of the benefits of bond levels 1 and 2 and adds:

If you need more help with XCOM 2's expansion, our XCOM 2: War of the Chosen guide and tips can explain everything you need to know, from how to beat The Chosen Assassin, Warlock and Hunter and the new The Lost, Spectre and Advent units. Combat them by learning about each new faction with our Reaper abilities and skill tree, Skirmisher abilities and skill tree and Templar abilities and skill tree pages, as well as learning about the new Challenge Mode, Resistance Ring, Ability Points, Fatigue and Bonds systems. Good luck, Commander!

How to increase Bond Cohesion effectively

If you're looking to effectively increase your Bond cohesion, we'd recommend the following:

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