Shadow Raid (mission type)

A Shadow Raid is a type of mission undertaken by XCOM forces during the Enemy Reborn campaign. They revolve purely around stealth approaches.

A Shadow Raid can be compared to a Sabotage Operation due to the emphasis on stealth, though if a Shadow Raid goes loud the infiltrators usually evacuate immediately, whether their objectives are completed or not.

The first Shadow Raid was conducted by Fielde Locke, John Bradford and Ivan Gorchevski against an ADVENT Gene Therapy Clinic, where in Bradford was disguised as a civilian applying for the clinics (under the alias "Julian Gollop"), Ivan spotted potential dangers from a vantage point far away, and Fielde took a more stealthy approach and snuck around undetected. This raid allowed XCOM to successfully retrieve an ADVENT data drive containing information of the then-secret "Avatar Project." After the trio evacuated, they planned to return to the facility to hit it in order to recover "Subject CXV," later revealed to be Union Strike.

From then on, the basic build of a Shadow Raid was mostly the same. Fielde (and/or other operatives) would sneak into the location while Bourbon (and/or other operatives) would keep watch and pick off targets from afar. Units disguised as civilians were not a valid approach in Supply Depots, Black Sites, and High Priority Targets (the Psi-Gate, the ADVENT Network Tower, and ADVENT HQ). From the third mission onwards, Fielde began receiving external support from Sunset Shimmer as her GREMLIN (Ashes) accompanied the Commander to hack systems and remove mechanical units from the mission quietly.

The main objective of a Shadow Raid varies depending on the mission, but usually it revolves around XCOM trying to steal something of importance. For example, a Shadow Raid against an ADVENT Black Site had Fielde steal Psionic Rejection Data, both giving XCOM knowledge on enemy activity and taking away ADVENT's research, setting back the Avatar Project.

As previously mentioned, if the team is compromised and is forced to go loud, they will most likely evacuate the mission area quickly whether they had completed their objectives or not. However, Fielde considers any missions leading to discovery by the enemy a "total failure" even if the mission is completed, as ADVENT will now be more alert and their security may be enhanced, making future missions harder.

When on a Shadow Raid, XCOM operatives are forced to travel light. Those disguising as civilians will likely be wearing little to no armour with small weapons (pistols, SMGs, knives), and operatives sneaking around may be wearing no armour with a silenced pistol. This means if the squad is exposed and must evacuate, they may not be able to defend themselves effectively and can either be captured or killed. As Magnetic and Plasma weapons cannot be equipped with a suppressor, the units are also forced to rely on weaker Ballistic weapons.

To avoid detection, units are often advised to kill only as a last resort and leave little trace (close doors, windows and vents behind them, pick up bullet casings). Units should be aware, however, as Psionic foes may detect the death of a linked target and sound the alarm, and mechanically-enhanced units have no trouble detecting threats even in total darkness. A failed hack will also raise the alarm, as will discharging weapons not outfitted with a suppressor or an explosion. Even breaking glass can set off the alarm.

Fielde leads nearly every Shadow Raid, utilising his training as a Ninja, and eventually teaches Rarity to become a master of stealth. Rarity even perfects the "In Plain Sight" method of stealth by disguising as an ADVENT unit to reach restricted areas and avoid raising suspicion.