XCOM: Enemy Unknown

XCOM: Enemy Unknown

59 ratings
Detecting Stealthed Seekers and dealing with them
By >//The_FALCON
How to unstealth those sneaky seekers
   
Award
Favorite
Favorited
Unfavorite
The Steps:
Yeah, everybody knows that you have to get bioelectric skin or anti-stangle armor/items etc etc

But what if you don't have access to such technology? What if you meet them in the second month and you don't rush genetics lab? Or you just don't want to equip every soldier with anti-strangle items because they then use their plasma pistols (that does much more damage than strangle)?


Seekers utilize cover and occupy tiles even when stealthed.

Examples:



So, like you see in the pictures, utilized cover is marked with a grey shield and you can't move your squadmates to occupied tiles.

But only when it's on the edge of the movement radius, you can see it like in the pictures above. If the stealthed seeker is in your field of movement it's much harder to see, but not impossible:


But to be sure that the tile is occupied you have to look at the line that your soldier will move


The above methods only work when the seeker is not flying.

Also the aim of grenades, rockets, etc will lock on the steathed seeker. (hard to show it with pictures)



On this example I threw a Flashbang (because the seekers were the only aliens left and I had no grenades anymore).
Since the flashbang does not damage them, they stay stealthed, but I knew their position at least. (Also I found out that both of them were on that position)


Unstealthing Seekers once detected

Now that you know where they are, you are ready to unstealth them before they try to strangle you. The best way is to damage them with stuff that can be freely aimed. Like Grenades, Collateral Damage etc.
You can unstealth Seekers with a Battle Scanner as well.

If everything fails

If you, by any means, can't guess the Seeker's position, there's a reliable tactic:

Keep your sqad close and put everybody on overwatch. Of course this only works guranteed if the Seekers are the only aliens active at the moment.

Also the seeker can't be cloaked forever. It takes about 4 turns until the seeker is forced to decloak.
10 Comments
Nikas Zekeval 15 Jun, 2022 @ 7:58pm 
If a seeker flies through a Sniper's Battle Scanner range it will reveal them. You do need a sniper at Lt. or better, and can't take Disabling Shot for them.

Seekers are mostly a pain in April for me. Once Dr Valen gets one on her exam table, particularly if I get South America at the end of that month? Respirator Implants mean they don't go for a strangle, and they prevent Thin Men from poisoning you. At that point they are slightly tougher flying Sectoids.
CynicDragon 8 Jun, 2021 @ 5:37pm 
How recruits handle seekers. Seekers enter the battle: "Im running dry! Requesting immediate evac! Awwwwh, i wana die!" lol
Witch ~ 5 Dec, 2019 @ 8:20am 
I complety forgot these things exist
>//The_FALCON  [author] 23 Jun, 2017 @ 11:32am 
i have that in my more detailed guide
qb.- 23 Jun, 2017 @ 9:30am 
Nice and short article. I like screenshots examples, good and clear ones.

About anti-strangle equipment: it's a good tactic to leave one of your soldiers vulnerable to strangulation. If you do, you know exactly what soldier Seekers will be after and you can set an overwatch trap. Besides - in case Seekers don't have any valid target to grab they will try to shoot you with a laser. Many people consider this a bad thing (worse than grab attempt).
Mr. Jizzard The Tentacle Wizard 18 Apr, 2016 @ 9:19pm 
Yeah, the concept of seekers is good but they have just so many flaws to them. They are easily wiped out with overwatch, you can technically 'see' them when they're on the ground, battle scanners reveal them, tons of tech to protect against them, they will usually not try to go all the way back and attack a sniper near the drop zone for instance. The Mechtoid was a much better adition in EW.
>//The_FALCON  [author] 4 Dec, 2015 @ 1:18am 
IT'S IN THE GUIDE. READ IT BEFORE YOU WRITE SOMETHING OBVIOUS
bureau44 22 Nov, 2015 @ 7:40am 
Do not forget that you can aim and crash a concealed seaker with your MEC's fist. (That is one of the reasons I always go for melee MEC in vanila as soon as possible)
Cake_Knight 21 Nov, 2015 @ 7:24pm 
In short; Blow 'em to hell.
Rob_Byerlay 17 Oct, 2015 @ 11:24am 
Thank You. There are lots of great tactics to use against Seekers here. Perhaps you should also add more info on how to maximize mimetic skin enhanced troops by placing them strategic and discuss counter measures like inherent in High level armor and other respirators. Also you could include tactics for when we use cloaking and what the enemy may use against us.