Company of Heroes 2 Strategy Guide: Optimising Units and Key Game Concepts

This is the second Company of Heroes 2 Strategy Guide containing tips and help on how to become a Boss in Company of Heroes 2. If you missed the first guide then check it out here. To briefly summarize, we looked at: Being aggressive, k

• nowing your enemy, c
• apturing and holding Control Points, c
• ombined Arms and the Game 
• Commanders.

Today we will be going though some key game concepts and the key units. We’ll give tips and examples on how to optimize them, and not getting them killed (too soon at least). We also mention which units to pair with others, which will greatly help you with combined-arms. Before we go through the units, take note of the following four concepts that you must use to your advantage:

• Team Weapons
• True Sight
• Cover
• Range

 

1. Team Weapons:

2. True Sight:

Another important thing to take note of is True Sight. True Sight is the ability for forces to only see as they really should be able to see, line of sight. They can;t see around corners, or over objects that are higher than them. Meaning placing your forces around corners or behind tall objects can come in very handy when you have to defend, or plan an ambush.

3. Cover:

Taking cover or placing your units behind objects may save their lives. You need to know and learn how to utilize cover in Company of Heroes 2. This is not StarCraft or Warcraft where you simply attack. Cover has a very clear and definite advantage:

Units:

1. The Mortar Team

The mortar team is a devastating long-range bombarding unit that can quickly cause the enemy to retreat or fall back. The mortar team however cannot handle close quarters combat. A single unit of conscripts or soldiers can easily take out a mortar. Hence you must always pair a mortar team with a heavy machine gun, or a soldier squad. Tips:

• If your opponent has a Heavy Machine Gun in a troublesome position, fire a smoke barrage in front of the HMG and charge it with infantry—you’ll be able to run past and flank the HMG before it can attack your squad.
• Is your opponent harassing a nearby sector? Use the standard barrage ability and hopefully force the infantry squad to Retreat.
• Is there a blizzard? Aim a barrage at nearby Campfires in sectors controlled by your enemy—there are likely units clumped near the fire, and destroying the Campfires is useful in itself.

 

 

2. The Anti-Tank Gun

The Anti-Tank Gun (AT Gun) is a saving grace when it comes to defending against tanks. Similar to the mortar team, they are devastating at a medium range, but poor at close range. Always pair an AT Gun team with a heavy machine gun, or a soldier squad.  Tips:

• Use the artillery barrage ability as often as possible, we picked up that the AT Gun is much more accurate when doing a barrage as opposed to normal firing.
• Never place the AT Gun at the front-line of your attack, they will be picked off pretty easily by snipers, mortars or Heavy Machine Guns.
• Always keep at least one AT Gun close to your base. This will become your only line of defence when an enemy tank or two make its way into your base

 

 

3. Tanks

Tanks are one of the most difficult unit types to deal with in Company of Heroes 2 because they can only be damaged by units powerful enough to penetrate heavy armour. Don’t expect to attack tanks with overwhelming numbers of infantry unless you wish to lose the infantry. Instead, realize that while both you and your opponent have tanks, the deciding factors will be the units you choose to support your tank in the field and the use of abilities during combat. Also, don;t expect to defeat your enemy with 2 or even 3 tanks. As is with real warfare, you need a combination or forces to be victorious. Tips:

• Always choose a tank that has, or can be upgraded with a machine gun. This becomes invaluable when attacked by 3 or 4 soldier squads it AT guns or grenades.
• Tanks cost a lot of man power and petrol. This means you want to get the most success possible out of them. To do this ensure you have a set strategy on how you are going to attack with them, where and when. You do not want to drive into a cluster of 4 Anti Tank Guns, they will lay waste your tanks rather quickly.
• The type of Tank you choose to build may be influenced by a variety of factors. Do you want to quickly suppress or clear a specific area where there’s only infantry? Or do you want to attack the enemy where he will have Anti-Tank Guns? For the latter you should choose a stronger tank, while for clearing infantry you can build a quick, cheaper tank, or even a scout car.
• Protect the rear of your Tank at all costs. The armour is much weaker at the back and hence more vulnerable to attacks.

 

 

 4. The Heavy Machine Gun

The Heavy Machine Gun team is an iconic unit in Company of Heroes 2 that breaks the conventions of what you’d expect from other strategy games. It is not simply an effective unit against enemy infantry because it does increased damage: its main purpose is suppression and pinning, allowing it to bring multiple infantry units to a standstill as they’re forced to drop to the ground seeking cover. Heavy Machine Guns must set up before firing and can only fire in a limited arc, meaning that positioning is central to this unit’s power and vulnerability. Tips:

• Place your Heavy Machine Guns (HMG’s) in strategic locations. This can be done by quickly glancing over the map when the game begins and identifying key points/areas, such as large crossroads or buildings next to roads that the enemy will come across. Anticipating this correctly and having a well placed HMG can turn the battle for certain.
• The HMG is a very versatile unit and can be paired with almost any other unit in the game, Mortars, AT Guns, Tanks and especially Infantry.
• Find buildings and place your HMG’s in them. Not only will this suppress the enemy much better, but it will also delay an attack you may face, giving you time to prepare.

 

5. Infantry

The foot-soldiers, the canon-fodder. The first line of attack and almost always the last line of defense. As simple as that. Infantry units are first to explore and the first units to capture Control Points. Between the Germans and the Russians each group of infantry has its own advantages, but the universal rule among them both remain the same: If you can learn how to manage your infantry well you will win more games. As with other concepts of Company of Heroes, managing infantry is as real as it can get. Don’t expect impossible results from an infantry squad such as attacking a HMG head on, or destroying a tank. Utilize the above mentioned concepts like Cover, True Sight ad Range and you will out-match the average player out there.

Tips:

• Don’t let your entire squad be killed, if you see they are pinned or getting killed have them retreat and replenish them, it’s much cheaper.
• Learn to take cover behind bushes, fences or vehicles when in a face-off with another infantry squad, it makes a huge difference.
• Choose your Machine-Gun upgrades to infantry units well. Sometimes it is not worth the money if you plan to use combined arms.

 

This concludes the second strategic tutorial for Company of Heroes 2. Let us know in the comments if you picked up more clever use of units. Stay tuned for more.