XCOM 2 is currently on sale and I was thinking about getting it (as well as the DLC), but before I do, is there anything I should know about it? Are there any technical issues that I should be aware of, or any big changes from a patch? Any mods you think I need right out of the gate?

I wouldn't install any mods the first time through, the game is punishing enough without adding to that (I actually think the mod scene for Xcom 2 is a lot weaker than Enemy Unknown). The optimization still isn't great, but pretty much all of the bugs have been fixed, and there were a TON.

Other than that, game is fantastic in so many ways. Playing on Commander Ironman is incredibly tense, and very very satisfying once you beat it. Ironman is definitely not for everyone, but to me it really defines Xcom. I'd recommend giving Veteran Ironman a shot.

Mods are fine but just dont download to many, especially voice packs as they can take up a lot of memory. I dont think native controller support is there yet on pc, besides ths steam controlled which i used. Its probably coming soon though. I never had to many performance issues and everything i did have was pretty much patched out. I was running a 980 at the time though. Even with any technical issues the game is great so i recommend it 100%, just dont be afraid to lose if you dont save scum.

Haven't played it in a while, but when I did, most of the technical issues had already been ironed out--minus the sometimes long loading times.

You don't really NEED mods on your first playthrough, especially not gameplay mods that add things like classes and weapons to the game. It's already pretty balanced.

BUT, I would say that there are some minor mods that improve the UI/return some of the options from Enemy Unknown. Here's a list of all the mods I used on my first playthrough, if you want to check them out.

• Expanded Callsigns and Nicknames: Basically as advertised. Adds a ton of new procedural nicknames for your characters. A nice flavor mod.
• SWR Not Created Equal: Adds the "Not Created Equal" modifier from the first game. Basically, your soldiers won't all start with the same stats. I like it because it makes my guys seem more unique.
• SWR Hidden Potential: Same as above, but with the "Hidden Potential" modifier. Makes it so that soldiers grow stats at different rates, instead of each class having set stats at certain ranks.
• Evac All: Simple quality of life addition. Allows you to evacuate all your troops at once instead of having to click the button 6 times.
• Overwatch All/Others: Same as above, but with overwatch.
• Gotcha (Flank Preview Evolved): A very useful tool that allows you to see if your soldiers will be flanking enemies after their move. Some might consider this cheating; I consider it essential information. The flanking algorithms can sometimes be pretty ambiguous, and if you plan on playing on Ironman, it seems like vital information you should definitely have.
• Free Reload: Not what it sounds like. Basically, you can find gun mods in the game, and some of them give you a certain number of free reloads per mission. All this does is show you if you actually have free reloads available.
• Show Enemies on Mission Planning: Another QoL change. Simply adds information from the Geoscape into the mission planning screen, stopping you from having to memorize obnoxiously.
• Clean Cinematic: Basically, when the game cuts into the ground-level, "cinematic" views sometimes, it displays the results of the attack in text boxes before the attack even begins. This mod delays those messages until the cinematic scene is over, making them a little more tense like they were designed to be.
• Blackmarket Usage: Stops you from selling important materials by letting you know what those materials can be used for on the buy/sell screen. That way, you don't sell all of your corpses before realizing that you actually need them for a research project. Additionally, you'll know what actually is safe to sell. A very useful tool to cut down on possible frustration.

So there's a good mix of mods that won't obfuscate the fun or challenge of the game. Check them out if you're inclined, and Good luck, Commander.

Play on one difficulty higher than normal and download the Necromancer class other than that have fun! Seriously that game is great.

I just played it for the first time 2 months ago on PC, no mods. No crashes or anything but there's some wonky camera work as usual.

Great game. You should definitely pick it up. I get the all DLCs pack and thought the whole narrative mesh together quite well.

Alright, thanks guys, I think I might pick it up!

Also, I got some good suggestions for mods, but if you know anymore, I'd love to hear them! I'm currently thinking about just starting a game with the SMGs and cosmetic stuff.

Most of the mods I used are here, but I'll just mention that there are some additional language packs out there. When I played it they were only in Russian and Polish, but I found the fact that I could only get Western European voices out of the box pretty immersion breaking.

If you get the DLCs, I'd recommend not doing their unique missions (it should be pretty obvious when they pop up) until you at least have mid-tier weapons and armor. I did the "Shen's Last Gift" mission pretty early on and found it to be super rough, and I imagine the same could be said for the Alien Hunters mission.