XCOM: Enemy Unknown – Secret Hero Units

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Your XCOM agents might be the toughest Earth has to offer, but they’re still up against armies of deadly aliens. If you’re not worried about achievements or trophies, you can beef up your squads with powerful new “hero” units based on famous names in the gaming industry. Recruit Ken Levine, Sid Meier, and more with this simple cheat. Check out all the confirmed heroes below.

Get started in the war for Earth’s survival with our XCOM Beginner’s Guide. If you’re looking to save the Earth without cheating, check out Game Front’s full XCOM: Enemy Unknown walkthrough. For more extras, achievement guides, tips and tricks, browse to our XCOM cheats.

Secret Hero Units

Important Notice: Using these hero units will disable achievements and trophies.

  • How to Unlock: When costumizing your units, enter the first and last names listed below. If entered correctly, the unit’s stats will improve dramatically and they’ll gain a unique nickname.

Confirmed Hero Names List:

  • Sid Meier: Co-Founder of Firaxis and creator of Civilizations, Pirates, and more.
  • Ken Levine: Co-Founder of Irrational Games, the developer behind Bioshock, Freedom Force, and System Shock 2.
  • Joe Kelly: Popular comics author that’s worked on Superman, Spider-Man, and many other famous characters.
  • Otto Zander: Hero and survivor of GuavaMoment’s XCOM Let’s Play series from the Something Awful Forumes.
  • Chris Kluwe (PC Only): Vikings punter and World of Warcraft fan, he won hero unit privileges after defeating Firaxis’ Garth DeAngelis in an online match.

    • Found more hero unit names? List them in the comments, and we’ll add your contribution with credit.

    Additional Info: [Commenter Cstar]

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    8 Comments on XCOM: Enemy Unknown – Secret Hero Units

    Youngbro

    On October 11, 2012 at 10:34 pm

    mmm this doesn’t seem to work, entering the names does nothing, anyone have any ideas?

    Caine

    On October 12, 2012 at 1:27 pm

    first letter of the name is caps rest is lower case that should allow you to use them

    Matt

    On February 3, 2013 at 2:36 am

    Mine doesn’t work either. The new hero with the second wave patch works for me but no other names. FYI i have steam PC retail, no DLC, my version is in Russian even though I am in the US. Any suggestions on making the main hero’s work.

    Snix

    On March 18, 2013 at 6:20 pm

    @matt: Don’t pirate the game or buy it from cheap Russian sites?

    Wylie

    On April 12, 2013 at 5:30 pm

    All four names works on PS3.

    CStar

    On April 30, 2013 at 10:23 am

    Chris Kluwe, only works on PC

    Kevin Thielenhaus

    On April 30, 2013 at 11:13 am

    @CStar,

    Thanks for the addition! The hero has been added to the list.

    maouse

    On May 20, 2013 at 11:05 am

    Note: If you start with a psychic NPC and then change them to a hero, they will retain their psychic powers (Except Sid who gets every power in the game).