XCOM 2 - how to unlock the Psi Operative

The Psi Operative is a formidable breed of soldier that wields powers of the mind in tandem with more traditional gunplay. Armed with offensive and defensive Psi abilities that can bolster allies or bamboozle enemies, the Psi Operative is XCOM 2's fifth soldier class and requires a specific set of actions to unlock. Fortunately, with the relevant knowhow, this is something that can be achieved relatively early on in the game, and could come in handy for a XCOM 2 Ironman mode run.

To start your soldiers on the mystical path of the Psi Operative, you'll need to follow these steps.

Kill a Sectoid as soon as possible

Far from being the runts of the litter they were in XCOM: Enemy Unknown, even a single Sectoid now represents a significant threat to your squad. This is particularly true in the early stages of the game, where the Sectoids' own Psionic abilities can play havoc with your rookies' impressionable minds, prior to them becoming battle-hardened veterans. On the plus side, this means there are plenty of opportunities to gun one down in an early mission, at which point its corpse will be made available back at base.

Once you've returned to base, head to the Research lab, where you'll be able to direct Dr Tygan to perform a Sectoid Autopsy. This will take him a few days, so continue about your business until you hear word from the good doctor informing you that the autopsy has been completed. This will open up the next line of research.

Research Psionics and build a Psi lab

Dr Tygan is once again key to the next stage of the process, and you'll need to direct him to pursue the Psionics research project in order to continue the process. Again, this will take a few days depending on when how early on in the game you choose to pursue it.

Having researched Psionics, you'll find the Psi Lab available in the Build Facilities list. Be warned, a Psi Lab represents a hefty investment, costing 175 Supplies, 10 Elerium Crystals and requiring 5 Power. It also comes with a monthly upkeep cost of 55 Supplies, requires an empty chamber for construction and takes a base level research time of 21 days (this can be reduced dependent on active HQ perks and whether you've assigned an engineer to aid with construction).

Train a Psi Operative

With the Psi Lab up and running, you can assign any soldier to it to undergo Psi training. Unlike in XCOM: Enemy Unknown, the training is guaranteed to succeed and is not dependent on the soldier possessing a gift for Psionics. Only time is required here, the duration of which can be lessened by assigning an engineer to the Psi Lab to work alongside the soldier being trained.

Once training is complete, you'll have added your first Psi Operative to your ranks. Unlike conventional soldiers, Psi Operatives do not gain promotions in the field and instead can only gain additional Psi abilities by training in the Psi Lab.

Your Psi Operative's initial ability is randomly selected from four starting powers, while subsequent abilities are available by selecting one ability at a time from a random selection of three. While this makes Psi Operatives' progress somewhat unpredictable, it does mean that high-level abilities might be accessible early on, depending on the options you're presented with. In addition, unlike other soldiers, it is possible to learn every Psi ability from both the Telepath and Resonant branches of the skill tree, rather than having to select from mutually exclusive abilities.

As is likely apparent, the Psi Operative has the most emergent and randomised set of Soldier Abilities when it comes to upgrading. For a head start on which Psionic abilities are most valuable, head to the Soldier Abilities pages of this guide for a full rundown of what this unique soldier class is capable of.

- Keep reading for our guide to unlocking Hero characters in XCOM 2.

- Need help with something else? Head back to the first page for the rest of our XCOM 2 guide.

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