Troubleshooting
First, try running the game without any mods. If the game does not work even without any mods, follow the basic troubleshooting steps outlined at 2K Support and on the modding wiki.
If the game works without mods, try running it with just the Highlander active. If the game crashes with only Highlander active, try the following solutions:
If you're playing XCOM 2, you need the "vanilla" Highlander: X2CommunityHighlander
Keep in mind that Long War 2 has Highlander built-in, and you should not use Highlander and Long War 2 together.
If you're playing XCOM 2 War of the Chosen, you need the WOTC Highlander: X2WOTCCommunityHighlander
Copy all files from
<Steam>\SteamApps\workshop\content\268500\1134256495\CookedPCConsole\
or your respective Highlander installation location to
..\Documents\My Games\XCOM2 War of the Chosen\XComGame\CookedPCConsole\
Keep in mind that if later you decide to remove the Highlander, you will have to remove the copied files manually as well.
If you're using Steam version of the game, you should be using Alternative Mod Launcher to play XCOM 2 with mods.
Normally launching AML as Administrator is not necessary, but it can be required in some situations. Typically, not launching AML as Admin just makes the game fail to load any mods, but it has been known to cause crashes with just the Highlander active as well.
It's been known to interfere with the Highlander.
Only one Highlander can be installed at a time, not counting the Alien Hunters Highlander plugin.
Ensure you have only one of the following mod folders:
-
1134256495(stable workshop) -
1796402257(beta workshop) -
X2WOTCCommunityHighlander(base Highlander mod name)
And only one of the following mod folders:
-
2534737016(Alien Hunters Highlander workshop) -
DLC2CommunityHighlander(Alien Hunters Highlander mod name)
Places you should check for these folders (make sure the game is not running before attempting to delete any folders):
<Steam>/SteamApps/workshop/content/268500/
The Steam Workshop folder for XCOM 2. To remove folders from here, right click the mod in Alternative Mod Launcher and select "Delete" or unsubscribe from the mod via Steam Workshop. If the folder is still there after doing this, delete it manually. Keep in mind the game and the launcher must be closed.
<Steam>/SteamApps/common/XCOM 2/XCom2-WarOfTheChosen/XComGame/Mods/
Local Mods folder for XCOM 2 War of the Chosen.
<Steam>/SteamApps/common/XCOM 2/XComGame/Mods/
Local Mods folder for vanilla XCOM 2, it's unlikely to hold WOTC mods, but not impossible.
To completely remove the Highlander, make sure none of these directories contain any of the aforementioned folder names.
%USERPROFILE%/Documents/My Games/XCOM2 War of the Chosen/XComGame/CookedPCConsole
This folder may contain .upk files directly. Remove them too.
If you installed the Highlander not from the Steam Workshop, but downloaded it manually and set it up as a local mod, make sure you put it into:
..\XCOM 2\XCom2-WarOfTheChosen\XComGame\Mods\
The game will not load XComGame replacement from other folders.
Verify that you are using the most recent version of the game. The currently available Windows version on Steam will print the following two lines to the log (%USERPROFILE%/Documents/My Games/XCOM 2 War of the Chosen/XComGame/Logs/Launch.log):
Init: Compiled (64-bit): Feb 22 2022 14:24:26
-- snip --
Init: FxsChangelist: 469133
With the Highlander installed, the main menu should show an X2WOTCCommunityHighlander v1.26.0 (version may vary) text in the lower right corner. If this text does not appear, the Highlander is not loaded. Follow the "game is not loading mods" troubleshooting steps.
A copy of the Highlander's version information can be found in the log file at %USERPROFILE%/Documents/My Games/XCOM 2 War of the Chosen/XComGame/Logs/Launch.log.
If the text shows something other than a version number behind the X2WOTCCommunityHighlander (like WARNINGS or ERRORS), mouse-over the text and read the tooltip. If there are version mismatches (i.e. one component shows 1.17.0 and the other shows 1.18.0), other Highlander versions might be installed. To fix this, follow Make sure only one Highlander is installed steps above.
If the issue persists, try the following: restart your PC, launch Steam, unsubscribe from the Highlander, wait a few minutes, then re-subscribe and again wait a few minutes. Do not start the game launcher or any other Steam games while you wait.
If a component is marked as REQUIRED - NOT FOUND, it means that some replacements haven't loaded correctly. Try copying Highlander's files manually and disable Steam Family Sharing, if you have enabled it.
Another technically possible cause is that some other mod provides its own XComGame replacement. These mods will conflict and only one of them can be enabled at a given time. However, Highlander is the only known mod to do this. So just make sure you have only one Highlander is installed
If this still doesn't work, and you have confirmed that it's not another mod interfering, please file an issue.
If you have the Alien Hunters DLC, and you are using Highlander of version 1.22 or higher, then you should also install the [WOTC] Alien Hunters Community Highlander plugin.
Do not install this plugin if you do not have the Alien Hunters DLC, otherwise you may experience game breaking issues. You may also see an empty popup window from time to time.