Convenience and QoL. ERaT includes many mods that address some annoying issues in LW, such as not knowing whether you can see a target from a particular tile, or the "overwatch crawl" style of gameplay. You now have access to an item that indicates the distance and direction to the nearest enemy pod, meaning you never have to inch your way across the map at a snail's pace. And if you somehow blunder a soldier into a pod on a dash, you can take an extra move to get them to safety.

New classes and unique perk trees. Have you ever wished your soldiers could feel more like actual individuals like in XCOM 2? ERaT is designed around Training Roulette, so that each soldier has a randomized, unique skill tree. But unlike in LW 1.0, all perks are useful to a soldier's class, and there are many new and reworked ones. This means that no two soldiers are truly alike, and some will be particularly valuable. But what if you need soldiers with essential perks like HEAT Ammo or Disabling Shot?

Weapon and item rebalances. Many important perks are conferred by items. Gunners, for example, can spec into HEAT or Mayhem with just an equipment change. Weapon progression is no longer boring and linear. Ballistic, Gauss, and Plasma automatic weapons confer Suppression, so you might continue to use some Ballistic weapons even after researching Laser technology. Previously underutilized items have been buffed or reworked. Some grant perks formerly reserved for the mid-to-late game, such as Psi Inspiration. ERaT's wide selection of overhauled items brings a new dimension to your loadout decisions. And not least of all, you start with 3 item slots, enabling more ways to customize your troops to fit your playstyle.

More varied enemies and faster-paced battles. ERaT's design is founded upon simple questions. Should a Gollum looking-ass creature survive a frag grenade? Should a 15 ft-tall Berserker have higher evasion than a Thin Man? This mod believes that good gameplay doesn't have to sacrifice realism and player immersion. Most early game enemies have less HP, meaning that successful flanking shots often result in satisfying kills. Larger enemies such as Mutons and Mectoids are tougher but easier to hit, as their immense size would suggest. Activated aliens also alert other pods within their sight, resulting in larger scale, sustained battles, and less downtime spent on scouting undiscovered pods.

Your biggest decisions are the most important ones. No longer will you have to fret over how to afford two more Laser rifles for your soldiers. After all, what kind of international military organization has to look between the couch cushions just to buy a single firearm? Now, you are free to splurge on as many items as you like (provided you have enough alloys or elerium). The real financial dilemmas come with choosing which research project to pursue next, or deciding how many planes and satellites you want.

A more interesting early game, and a less monotonous late game. Rookies start with access to Suppression or Run and Gun, making them actually useful in carrying out offensive maneuvers. High cover grants double the defense of low cover,  allowing you to rely more on tactics and less on repeated low-percentage shots. You also won't have to worry as much about your soldiers getting killed in full cover. Unlike in late-game LW, not every mission will revolve around decimating inactive pods in a single turn. Enemies will pose a challenge, but you will have the tools you need to take them head on.


This Google Sheet details all of the mod's many extensive features. Use for reference only (no need to read it all at once!)




"I think training roulette was a worthwhile addition. It made unusual perk combinations possible and individual soldiers feel more special and memorable, each with a unique set of strengths and weaknesses... With a good selection of starting gear and items, early game feels more like "career soldiers challenged and somewhat overwhelmed by an enemy they've never fought before" instead of "we're sending you raw recruits straight out of boot camp to defend Earth". I like how you can specialize them to a certain degree." - GeoffTheGorilla

"This is best way to play XCOM... XCOM 2 awesome. The plethora of mods available for it is also awesome. The expansion is even more awesome, and doesn't need any mods to improve it. Yet, ERAT Long War is better." - Behrg

"What I like:
- You've addressed the reverse difficulty curve. Early game is easier now. Ballistics rookies can suppress, your troops all get tactical rigging from the start, and early game enemies have less hp.
- Chain activations allow for faster gameplay. But you actually provide enough tools to deal with this, such as large radius rockets and more slots for grenades and consumables.
- More realistic costs, I can now try items I normally wouldn't build, also allows for greater diversity in loadouts.
...I find this to be a superior experience to ****, so I don't get why it's so underplayed. Maybe the mod just needs a more eye-catching name." - rfan06

"I have played EW Long War for years with various mods, and have to say that the ERaT mod gives a whole new feel on things, and makes the skirmishes into real fire fights... I often end up with two battles going on as per the need to fight for access to a flank. It makes for a right old gunfight and the soldiers have to work in pairs or threes because of the ammo consumption of suppression. So you run for a new position for a better firing angle while your buddy lays down suppressive fire, which is quite realistic. The judicious use of a flash bang to hinder two or more enemies at a time releases at least one extra soldier to reload, save ammo or even better, to change position for better aiming angles, better sighting angles and to control territory... a lot of thinking to do!" - SteelWheelz


If you'd like to find out more about the mod, please join our Discord!
https://discord.gg/nWJe8Pq


Roulette Plus by azxeus
Realistic Mission Intel by crypticc62
Minimods by szmind
Customize Item and Perk Charges, and Lightning Reflexes Hit Chance, from Assorted Long War Gameplay Modifications by Vazeron1
3rd Item Slot by Mrwatsyoname
Arc Thrower Range by epiceuropean
HP Display Mod by ellatan
Tab select next/previous soldier mod by Oakeman and other contributors

Included mods (individually removable with PatcherGUI version)
Display Crit Chance by sectoidfodder
Enhanced Tactical Info, EXALT Scan Reminder, EXALT Intel Tweak, Show Country Name, and Steam Vent Location Tweak by SpazmoJones
Loadout Manager, Campaign Summary, and Lines-of-Sight Indicators (Sightlines) by tracktwo
Hunker Down Fine Tune and No Chain Panic (from XCom Interface and Gameplay Tweaks) by wghost81
Red Fog Mod (Gaussian Red Fog) by LeoKian
Chop Psionics and Officers by DM666
No Alien Activity Sound by Gruust123
Remove Death Animation Delay by Peasly Wellbott
Pod Reveal Mods Collection (Reveal Mod) by tracktwo and szmind
Left-click Move Fix and Overlapping Smoke Bug Fixes by swfdelicious
Fix EXALT Using Rockets and Grenades by Oakeman

Special thanks to
szmind for his crucial coding contributions and brilliant modding insight
Long War team (now Pavonis Interactive) for creating the much-beloved Long War mod