Character Pool in XCOM2

The Character Pool is a section of XCOM 2 where you create custom characters. You can customize their names, appearances and roles. After you’ve made them, they can be exported and shared with friends. You can also import soldiers others have made using this tool. This guide will show you how the character pool works in XCOM 2.

How to create soldiers in XCOM 2

Open up the Character Pool from the main menu (1). Choose the Create Character option at the top left (2). Customize the character to your liking (3) – enter the first and last name, nickname, write a bio, then change their appearance any way you like. All of the options will be unlocked, so there’s a lot to choose from. Finally, set the attributes of that character (4). You can choose a specific class or just leave them as a rookie, then tick or untick the three boxes – appear as a soldier, VIP (rescue target) and dark VIP (assassination/kidnapping target).

How to export character pool in XCOM 2

When you’ve created a character, tick the box next to their name in the character pool menu, then select Export Selection (5). You can now either choose a pool that’s already there, or create a new pool (6). If you select a new pool, you just need to name it and the game will create one.

When you decide to share the pool you’ve created with someone, open your file browser and go to:

• C:\Users\your-username\Documents\My Games\XCOM2\XComGame\CharacterPool\Importable\

Look for a file with the same name as the pool you’ve just made, and a .bin extension. This is what you want to send over to your friends.

XCOM 2 Character Pool Import

In order to import characters from another person’s pool, they need to send you a .bin file with the pool. You then need to place it here:

• C:\Users\your-username\Documents\My Games\XCOM2\XComGame\CharacterPool\Importable\

After that, run the game and choose Character Pool from the main menu. Select the Import Character option (7). Choose the pool with the same name as the file you’ve received (8). Now you can either select to import the entire pool (9) or just a single character (10).

How to use custom and imported characters in XCOM 2

By default, the game will give you both random characters and the ones you’ve made. If you want to exclude either, this is what you should do :

• Go to C:\Users\your-username\Documents\My Games\XCOM2\XComGame\Config
• Use Notepad to open XComGameData.ini (make a backup copy first!)
• Find the lines with InitialSoldiersCharacterPoolSelectionMode and RewardUnitCharacterPoolSelectionMode
• You can now change their values to one of three options:
  • eCPSM_Mixed is the default, which uses both random chars and your pools
  • eCPSM_RandomOnly will force it to ignore your pools and use only random characters
  • eCPSM_PoolOnly will make the game give you only soldiers and VIPs from your pools
• Save the changes made to the file