XCOM: Enemy Unknown
55 Achievements
1,100
82-103h
Xbox 360
Xbox One
Xbox Series
Shooting Stars
Shoot down 40 UFOs.
35
How to unlock the Shooting Stars achievement in XCOM: Enemy Unknown - Definitive Guide
Lexual
TrueAchievements
TrueAchievements
While the other solutions are great if you want to shoot down a variety of different craft, if you don't want to keep having to scan for alien activity, the following solution may be more to your liking.
- Once you have detected a UFO and are ready to scramble a suitable Interceptor or Firestorm to engage the craft, save your game.
- Now you can attack the craft, and once it has been shot down you can load the save you had previously made and shoot down the same UFO again.
- Rinse and repeat until the achievement pops.
- Once you have detected a UFO and are ready to scramble a suitable Interceptor or Firestorm to engage the craft, save your game.
- Now you can attack the craft, and once it has been shot down you can load the save you had previously made and shoot down the same UFO again.
- Rinse and repeat until the achievement pops.
4 Comments
The other guides would require a few playthroughs - I only had 14 kills at the end. But can confirm this glitch works - despite reloading each time the tally is remembered. So get a Firestorm with a Lance gun thing and buy the speed boost thing and save after you've scanned a UFO - then launch after it (
for speed boost) and ignore the crash site after you've downed it, then reload and repeat (the tally is not reset - you might have to do it in one sitting though, in case the tally can't be saved either) 
for speed boost) and ignore the crash site after you've downed it, then reload and repeat (the tally is not reset - you might have to do it in one sitting though, in case the tally can't be saved either) 
By Goatlips on 31 May 2017 04:13
Oh hell yeah!! Had a Firestorm with the Lancer up against a small scout, rinse and repeat got me the cheevo!! +1
By Warboy925 on 24 Jun 2016 01:41
RougeRogue1
TrueAchievements
TrueAchievements
The requirements of this are pretty straight-forward, but one may hasten getting to 40 by saving a game right before moving to the final battle (save while at your Mission Control), load up that save, and go to the Mission Control screen. Start to "Scan for Activity" -- if the result is anything but a "UFO Contact," skip through it without accepting any missions, and go right back to scanning for more activity.
Doing this, you'll eventually start to lose council nations to panic, but you're just trying to rack up some quick shoot-downs with your Fusion Lance-equipped Firestorms.
You should be able to get around 13-15 additional kills towards your total goal of 40 (across all games) before the 8th nation leaves the council, assuming you started with all nations still in the council (so, you'll also get to see the 'losing' cutscene, which you probably hadn't seen, yet).
This is also a good method to finish up getting the "Hunter/Killer" achievement, if you haven't finished it, already:
The Hunter/Killer achievement in XCOM: Enemy Unknown worth 41 pointsIn a single game, shoot down one of each alien craft.
Doing this, you'll eventually start to lose council nations to panic, but you're just trying to rack up some quick shoot-downs with your Fusion Lance-equipped Firestorms.
You should be able to get around 13-15 additional kills towards your total goal of 40 (across all games) before the 8th nation leaves the council, assuming you started with all nations still in the council (so, you'll also get to see the 'losing' cutscene, which you probably hadn't seen, yet).
This is also a good method to finish up getting the "Hunter/Killer" achievement, if you haven't finished it, already:
The Hunter/Killer achievement in XCOM: Enemy Unknown worth 41 pointsIn a single game, shoot down one of each alien craft.
3 Comments
turns out this is not only the total across all of your games, but it also counts all branching saves. i had about 15 UFO's shot down when I made my pre-point of no return save. then i skipped through all non "UFO Contact" missions as described in this guide. i was able to bring my total to about 30 before i reached the fail screen. then i reloaded my pre-point of no return save and repeated the process. just 10 more UFO's shot down and the achievement was mine.
I'd imagine you could probably get away with simply saving before the first UFO Contact, shooting it down, reloading, and repeating until your total hits 40.
I'd imagine you could probably get away with simply saving before the first UFO Contact, shooting it down, reloading, and repeating until your total hits 40.
By bryan dot exe on 13 Jan 2013 04:24
I can confirm reloading after the fail screen still tallies up the number of UFOs shot down. Please add that to the solution.
By DillionDay on 05 May 2013 15:55
UnjustlyVicious
TrueAchievements
TrueAchievements
This achievement is a Tally of all single player games, you dont have to shoot down all 40 in a single game. The amount you have done is shown at the end of a game at a statistics screen.
Also you can feel free to shoot down UFO's and skip the crashed UFO mission as it will not affect your end of month council rating, it only reads that you shot down the UFO not if you didn't investigate the crash.
Also you can feel free to shoot down UFO's and skip the crashed UFO mission as it will not affect your end of month council rating, it only reads that you shot down the UFO not if you didn't investigate the crash.
RoguexCanadian
TrueTrophies
TrueTrophies
Once you have detected a UFO and are ready to scramble an Interceptor to engage the craft, save your game. Now you can attack the craft, and once it has been shot down you can load the save you made and shoot down the same UFO again.
Repeat until the trophy unlocks.
Repeat until the trophy unlocks.
4 Comments
Is this on one playthrough, or collectively?
By BofusTeefus on 15 Aug 2014 03:19
I did mine in one playthrough and im not sure if it counts over multiple
By RoguexCanadian on 30 Jan 2015 21:10
)
lltagged
TrueSteamAchievements
TrueSteamAchievements
The requirements of this are pretty straight-forward, but one may hasten getting to 40 by saving a game right before moving to the final battle (save while at your Mission Control), load up that save, and go to the Mission Control screen. Start to "Scan for Activity" -- if the result is anything but a "UFO Contact," skip through it without accepting any missions, and go right back to scanning for more activity.
Doing this, you'll eventually start to lose council nations to panic, but you're just trying to rack up some quick shoot-downs with your Fusion Lance-equipped Firestorms.
You should be able to get around 13-15 additional kills towards your total goal of 40 (across all games) before the 8th nation leaves the council, assuming you started with all nations still in the council (so, you'll also get to see the 'losing' cutscene, which you probably hadn't seen, yet).
Important: 'Enemy Unknown' and 'Enemy Within' do NOT add up. If you got 20 on Enemy Unknown and another 20 in Enemy Within the achievement won't pop.
Doing this, you'll eventually start to lose council nations to panic, but you're just trying to rack up some quick shoot-downs with your Fusion Lance-equipped Firestorms.
You should be able to get around 13-15 additional kills towards your total goal of 40 (across all games) before the 8th nation leaves the council, assuming you started with all nations still in the council (so, you'll also get to see the 'losing' cutscene, which you probably hadn't seen, yet).
Important: 'Enemy Unknown' and 'Enemy Within' do NOT add up. If you got 20 on Enemy Unknown and another 20 in Enemy Within the achievement won't pop.
2 Comments
does this stack with new games or doing this tactic till you loose, reloading your save and doing it again?
By shadowcat2164 on 17 Sep 2020 04:35
Nice cut 'n' paste from True Achievements :
TrueAchievements
At least make an acknowledgement to the original poster - RougeRogue1 (thanks mate).
TrueAchievements
At least make an acknowledgement to the original poster - RougeRogue1 (thanks mate).
By Dodgy Bob on 11 Feb 2016 10:18
Xtree, XniresistX
You can let this trophy unlock naturally on your third playthrough or you can continuously shoot down UFO's later on in the game with an upgraded Firestorm.
Alternatively if you want the trophy sooner rather than later, you can shoot down a UFO, save and reload the game, and repeat the process again until the trophy unlocks. Tip by Lucksi
nightspys
stratege.ru
stratege.ru
This guide was translated automatically.
shooting down 40 alien ships in 2 playthroughs is not a problem, but if you really need the trophy right away, save before sending the interceptor, shoot down the UFO, reboot, shoot down again until you get the trophy. It’s better to do it at the end of the game because while working on other achievements, during the 1st playthrough I shot down 18 ships.
Angeluzs
stratege.ru
stratege.ru
This guide was translated automatically.
Shoot down 40 UFOs. The achievement is cumulative - all UFOs are counted in total for all passages. At the end of each playthrough, the statistics show how many objects were shot down.
1 Comment
In the case of this achievement, the Save-Load system works. Saved, scanned, crashed, loaded. And so on until victory.
By Ngwin1 on 29 May 2013 21:03
