The reboots are a bit of a different beast, but they really lean into the soldier attachment thing. You can deeply customize your soldiers, and in XCOM2 they ev

The reboots are a bit of a different beast, but they really lean into the soldier attachment thing. You can deeply customize your soldiers, and in XCOM2 they even gain visible scars (!) and emotional wounds (!!) and form bonds with other soldiers based on their experiences. It's all bait, of course. Because they are gonna die. A lot. A rather deliciously sadistic design choice, encouraging you to form attachments like that. =) My general rule of thumb in XCOM is that rookies are lower than dog crap. Not even human. You do not rename rookies because rookies don't even deserve a name in the first place, much less a new name. If there was an in-game mess hall I wouldn't even let them eat with the other soldiers. If they somehow survive a few drops... well, then we can talk lol.