Overview
This is a general overview of the game with information on performance, singleplayer, multiplayer, and the community. The purpose of this guide is to give you a quick look into what to expect if you plan on buying this game.
Introduction
Hey guys. If you’re thinking about buying Company of Heroes 2, I’ll be glad to offer you my experience and opinion regarding this game. I’ve put hundreds of hours in and have played the singleplayer and multiplayer experience extensively. Over the past two years, this game has undergone extensive updates while also adding new content, so potential buyers are encouraged to read the entire guide to get a better idea of what they’re getting into. So let’s break it down:
Performance
The game doesn’t support multiple GPU configurations so you’ll want to make sure you can run the game to your personal preferences if you rely on SLI/Crossfire before purchase. If you’re reading this while a free weekend is upon us, now’s the time to pull the trigger and double check. This game is also very CPU intensive as the camera is zoomed in a little closer than games like Command & Conquer and StarCraft, so when the action gets heavy, you’re going to see a lot of explosions and particles.
Bottom line: You need a powerful rig to play this game on high settings at 60 FPS.
Game Mechanics Overview
To make things more unpredictable and interesting, the game uses random number generation (RNG) to determine whether a shot bounces off the frontal armor of a tank, a mortar hit wiping out an entire squad, or a rifle dealing extra damage. The result is plenty of situations where you’ll either be grinning ear to ear or scowling in frustration, often in the same match.
Here is an example of RNG in action.
Let me explain what happened there. Two T-34 tanks went to ram an opposing Panzer IV and Tiger Ace. The ram is meant to disable a vehicle at the cost of heavily damaging the T-34 itself, but due to RNG, it has a chance of simply stunning the target for a limited period of time. You can expect this kind of action in Company of Heroes 2 frequently.
Singleplayer
The campaign of the base game is relatively short and it should take you no more than 8-10 hours to complete. It tells the story of the Eastern Front from the perspective of a Russian officer turned journalist and goes over the starting stages of Operation Barbarossa all the way to the fall of Berlin in 1945. The story is relatively thin and sweeping, but it is a marked improvement when comparing it to the original Company of Heroes.
There is additional content in the form of the Theatre of War mode, which creates one-off missions that focus on a specific historic battle or event. These can range from single player challenges, Co-op battles that can be played with AI or a friend, and AI challenges, which are exactly like skirmishes with special conditions.
With the ToW content, the game’s life can be extended without ever touching multiplayer, and with the current sale, you can buy additional missions for a relatively cheap price. In addition, there’s plenty of classic CoH and brand new maps to compstomp around in if you don’t feel like fighting against other people.
Here are links to the current Theatre of War content available:
Case Blue
Victory at Stalingrad
Southern Fronts
Multiplayer
The multiplayer gives you the ability to pick from your pool of unit abilities (bulletins) and commanders to create a loadout that you will bring to battle with you. The game uses a matchmaking system similar to games such as SC2, in that the goal is to give you a minimum 50/50 chance to win over time. You will need to play a minimum of 25 games so that your ranking can be properly placed.
Sometimes automatch will pick a player that will absolutely crush you, while in certain situations you’ll be the dominant force. There’s actually a decent number of close games in-between, the type of battles that will have you very invested and unsure of who’s going to come out on top, which is surprising since this game doesn’t have the pool of players that SC2 enjoys.
The game allows you to do 1vs1’s all the way to 4vs4’s, and you’re able to veto up to 4 maps you don’t like. Coincidentally, this allows you to remove nearly all winter themed maps, as some people aren’t fond of the blizzard mechanics, not to mention it impacts performance further if your rig is already struggling. The wait time for a match in 1vs1 and 2vs2 ranges from 1 to 7 minutes, depending on time of day and faction selected.
There are also lobbies you can enter to chat with people, and an automatch option to go up against AI. After several updates, the map variety is rich, combining a mixture of classic CoH maps with some new ones created for the sequel. If you’re not into competitive ranking, there are also custom games that players can choose from. There are plenty of locations available for all modes of play.
For those that just want to sit back and enjoy the explosions, there’s also the option to watch any match in progress using the live games feature from the main menu. Here you’ll be able to select available automatches and watch them as the action unfurls, with a slight delay to prevent cheating. Learn how the top players deal with the pressure of this RTS without ever having to exit the game client.
Western Front Armies
The Western Front Armies is a standalone expansion pack to the base Company of Heroes 2 game. This multiplayer only content grants access to two new factions, the Oberkommando West and the United States Forces.
Players may use these armies to set up skirmishes against AI as well. If you decide on this DLC as your start into the game, you’ll also have the ability to play on every single map in the custom and automatch systems. It won’t matter if the players on your team or on the opposing sides have additional content, there is no division amongst the community. You may also choose to purchase each of the new factions separately.
Ardennes Assault
This is a standalone singleplayer expansion to the original game, featuring a campaign where the player utilizes the USF forces as they attempt to drive back the Germans during the famous Battle of the Bulge. Unlike the original Soviet campaign, Ardennes Assault features replayability because of its strategic map layout, which forces the player to decide where to attack and how to position the three companies so that enemies don’t retreat to reinforce other territories.
Your company can be upgraded to become more effective through the requisition resource, although this is also needed to replenish any losses suffered during previous engagements. Unit preservation is incredibly important in this experience, as each individual soldier’s death impacts the overall effectiveness of the chosen company. Ardennes Assault is about managing your resources on the tactical map and driving back a combined OKW/Wehr force layout as you advance forward.
There are also random events that will keep things interesting. For instance, your company comes across a squad that needs reinforcement. You’ll lose company strength but gain requisition. What do you decide? In addition, the missions have better variety than the original Soviet campaign. A memorable one is where the player must avoid halftracks equipped with searchlights to remain hidden from the enemy in order to prevent missing out on destroying important HQ positions.
Remember, this is a singleplayer only experience, to gain access to multiplayer you’ll need the base game or the Western Front armies DLC.
Additional DLC
There is further DLC in the form of commanders and camouflage. Commanders will give players access to more unit and ability variety during gameplay, although it isn’t necessary to have this “premium” content in order to remain competitive. In fact, one could make it to the top 200 on the ranked ladder without any commander purchases by using skill alone. This DLC is useful for those that want to experiment with new playstyles. It is not crucial to enjoy the game.
Camouflage patterns are cosmetic skins to attach on your light, medium, and heavy armor. There are summer and winter variants to choose from.
War Spoils
You’re probably wondering, “Wow, this game has a lot of DLC.” You’re right. Some will argue that the extra revenue stream allows Relic to continue supporting the game through free updates, like adding new maps (both official and fan made) to the automatch pool and extensive patching to improve the experience. Others will counter by stating it’s either not enough or doesn’t justify the slew of extra paid content.
Regardless of your personal stance, as a potential new user you should be aware of the War Spoils system. By playing the game, you’ll have a chance at getting free content that is permanently added to your account. Drops include camouflage patterns, premium commanders, bulletins to augment your overall forces, and finishing moves upon winning a match, like artillery strikes or rocket barrages. As of this writing, the system is still a work in progress, with community feedback ongoing.
Nonetheless, after playing for hours against the AI or competitive automatches, don’t be surprised if you land a brand new commander that normally costs money.
Quick Faction Rundown
There are guides out there that detail specific factions and strategies in greater depth. This overview is here to give you a fast glance at each army to determine what you should purchase depending on what you’re looking for while playing an RTS.
USF: Versatile, aggressive infantry with a fully built base at the start of the game. The tech tree is unlocked by calling in a Lieutenant, Captain, or Major. (The latter of which is available once one of the former have been acquired.) USF vehicles are the definition of a glass cannon. All of their vehicles are lightly armored and must be microed carefully to achieve maximum effect, but they pack one hell of a punch.
OKW: Cheap starting units, with some early shock value (Sturmpioneers, Kubelwagens) thrown in to keep things balanced in the beginning of a match. They gather strength in the mid to late game with more powerful infantry and heavy duty armored vehicles. Their HQ’s may be positioned anywhere on the map in friendly territory. Depending on the building, it may fire on the enemy or serve as a durable forward retreat/healing point. This makes them the most defensive faction to play.
Soviets: This faction relies on special commander infantry and vehicles such as shock troops, guards rifles, or IS-2’s to bring the pain train into full swing. Additional base structures offer great options too, like two man sniper squads and anti-tank guns that double as artillery pieces against infantry. They also have the most effective explosives in the game. (Non-commander related mines and demo charges.)
Wehrmacht: This army has a standard tech tree that requires upgrading before additional structures can be purchased. This faction is the most neutral in terms of playstyle because it can cater to any kind of player. Want to be aggressive? Grenadiers with upgraded G43’s or MG42’s can do the trick. Want to be defensive? You have the option of building bunkers to heal or reinforce your troops out in the field while holding the line with support weapons. Want heavy armor? Get yourself a Tiger. They’re the jack of all trades, master of none.
Community
The community of CoH is very tight-knit and dedicated. The official site has forums with a change log so you can keep up with balance updates and news. There’s also a great fan site by the name of CoH2.org which gives you access to tons of players streaming their games, user submitted screenshots, videos, replays, and additional forums to look over.
Steam workshop has tons of custom maps and modes (like a Tower Defense Mod) to enjoy, and lots of players have made helpful guides and information available via the community hub. As of this writing, there is still a very active playerbase and new users shouldn’t have an issue jumping into the game however they desire.
I hope this general overview helps you decide whether CoH 2 is right for you. Below is a collection of links you may find useful.
Official CoH 2 Site[www.companyofheroes.com]
CoH 2 fansite[www.coh2.org]
http://www.youtube.com/user/Propagandacast/featured
https://www.youtube.com/user/PwnageMachine0