Company of Heroes 3 - US Forces Battlegroups

Overview

During our next Pre-Alpha, you will have access to the US Forces and two of their unique Battlegroups with which to wage war against the Wehrmacht. While the core army is loaded with infantry, vehicles and support weapons, these Battlegroups will offer you the additional tools to augment your forces and specialize your playstyle.

We'll be showcasing both the daring US Airborne Battlegroup, who can utilize paradropped infantry and team weapons alongside a host of airstrikes; and the highly mobile US Armored Battlegroup, who can dive deep into enemy lines with light vehicles, follow up with a wave of medium tanks, and somehow keep the whole lot repaired.

As we mentioned before, each Battlegroup is comprised of 10 Battlegroup Abilities and is split into two main branches. During gameplay, you will earn Command Points that can be spent on these branches to unlock abilities. At the bottom of each tree will be a significant unlock or ability, so you will have to choose how far you invest on one side, before moving to the other.

Note: The Airborne Battlegroup tech tree shown in this video has changed. See below for the updated version.

Airborne Battlegroup

The Airborne Battlegroup blends highly effective air support with versatile paradropped infantry and team weapons. This Battlegroup is able to mobilize quickly, take ground from behind enemy lines, and harass the enemy where they’re weak. Those who remember the Airborne from Company of Heroes 1 and 2 will undoubtedly be familiar with its Paratroopers and paradropped team weapons, but this time around we’ve added some extra flavor. To name but a few:

Pathfinders

• Your standard Scout Squads can be trained as Pathfinders, able to capture territory quickly, light up the battlefield with Flares and even hold their own in early engagements. These squads are vital for getting a lay of the land before the invasion begins.

Paradrop Reinforcements

• When working behind enemy lines, sometimes the best source of reinforcement is from above. Call in a loitering transport plane to reinforce any friendly infantry squads within its area of effect. Whether reinforcing Riflemen or team weapons, this is a rapid way to bolster your forces when out in the field.

Carpet Bombing Run

• There’s nothing quite like three B-25 Bombers delivering a heavy payload over the target area. Mark the area with red smoke and watch your enemy turn and run at the sight of the coming onslaught. Also pretty effective if you need a few ambient buildings removing.

Command Points

Don’t forget that in Company of Heroes 3’s Battlegroups, there are exclusive choices. For example, you may want to start with Pathfinders for a strong opening, or forgo them for an HMG Team paradrop once you hit 1 Command Point. The exclusive choices in this Battlegroup will enable you to pick and choose what your army needs, when it needs it. Already got a Halftrack to handle your reinforcement needs? Grab the Supply Drop instead. Facing masses of enemy Panzers? Opt for the P-47 Rocket Strike instead of the Carpet Bombing Run.

Armored Battlegroup

The Armored Battlegroup blends the sheer ingenuity of the Engineer Corps and its capacity to keep the War Machine in motion, with massed production and a host of armored fighting vehicles. This Battlegroup will enable you to produce vehicles faster, keep them in the field longer, and provide them the training to outsmart their opponents. The sheer fame and tenacity of US Armor was our focus for this Battlegroup, pulling together our favorite elements from the Company of Heroes franchise.

Assault Engineer Squad

• Bolstered with an additional soldier, improved combat performance and an M2 Flamethrower to boot, this early-game Infantry Squad can wreak havoc against enemies in cover or in garrisons. And when the ground has been taken, get them back on mine-laying duty in preparation for the counterattack.

M31 Recovery Vehicle

• Converted from a defunct M3 Lee tank, this craned recovery tank can be called in to repair vehicles and structures in the field as well as recover allied and enemy vehicles. While the recovery process is time-consuming, there’s nothing quite like the look on the enemy commander’s face when they see their own StuG’s raised from the dead.   

M4A38E Sherman Task Force

• Sporting a 76mm main gun, better armor and some much needed suspension improvements, the ‘Easy-Eight’ is an armored vehicle to be reckoned with. Better than the standard M4 Sherman in every way, and escorted onto the premises with a Riflemen Squad escort.

Command Points

Choosing where to spend your Command Points in the Armored Battlegroup will decide how much Engineer or Armored support you have in your strategy. By focusing on Assault Engineers early, you might not need the repair support of the M31 Recovery Vehicle. Alternatively, specializing in Veteran Crews for your vehicles means your Jeeps could be able to capture territory, and your M4 Sherman tanks could have access to White Phosphorous rounds from the offset. The choice is yours!

Summary

That’s a brief look at two of the US Forces Battlegroups that you will go hands on with first. We’re eager to hear your opinions on how you would like to use them and what you think of the exclusive choices available, especially once you’ve had a chance to try them yourself. If you have any suggestions or ways you think these Battlegroups will work within the core US Faction, let us know!

As always, what you see here is Pre-Alpha, so your feedback is certainly welcome!

A lot of questions about the US Armored Battlegroup.

1. What is the "War Machine" ability that is referenced in US Armored? Is it a special ability like from COH1 or is it a unit like the Pershing Tank? The "Seek and Destroy" and "Strength in Steel" abilities seems interesting too, wish we had more information on these. 
2. Also not seeing the full idea of Assault Engineers... is it mainly that they have an extra man and improved combat bonuses? Definitely don't like the implication that the M2 flamethrower might be a unique option for only assault engineers since flamethrowers should be a bread-and-butter option for all engineering squads (as designed in the pre-alpha). However, if Assault Engineers instead get the flamethrower automatically as a bonus then that's pretty great.
3. Is the M31 Recovery Vehicle just a repair tank? In what nature can it "recovery allied and enemy vehicles"? Repair + recrew of decrewed vehicles (similar to the halftrack ability to reman team weapons)? OR resurrecting completely destroyed vehicles? 

Absolutely not a fan of the recovery vehicle. Unless it's extremely expensive, and very fragile, I think it's a terrible idea to add to the game. If I conduct a superb attack on the enemy, but lose a tank in the process, and the engagement takes place outside the enemy's base, I get punished for being aggressively, even though I won.

There's no scenario in a competitive ladder match where this recovery vehicle is going to make a positive impact. All it's going to do is discourage attacking play, because god help you if you lose your tank somewhere you can't kill the wreck.

Likewise, while I quite like the E8 battlegroup, I'm not sure why it comes with an additional rifleman. There may be situations where I am fine on infantry, and don't want another Rifle squad. Yet the only way to get the E8 is by getting said unwanted squad.

Airborne looks fine. Just hoping we can avoid BARfinders this time around.

My personal opinion on the battlegroups so far:

Airborne Battlegroup

Recon Loiter

Recon loiters in CoH2 are incredibly strong if there's no AA on the field, lasting for 60 seconds and revealing pretty much a whole 1v1 map. In CoH2 it's rightfully 4 CP for that reason. 1 CP seems very early in comparison. On the flipside, loiters quickly lose value as game mode size increases (2v2+), because there will be more AA units on the field. I would prefer just a cheap recon pass that reveals a large area, design and balance wise.

Supply Drop <-> Paradrop reinforcement

The Paradrop Reinforcement is an interesting concept, although it might run the risk of being too niche compared to the Supply Drop. In team games there will be more AA to shoot it down and in 1v1 games you tend to play fairly spread out. Meanwhile Supply Drop would be earlier, wouldn't (I assume) share its cost with the other muni abilities in the same branch and is easier to use for yourself and your team mate. 

If I had to consider an alternative setup, something like Paradrop vs. Paratroopers or Supply Drop vs. Paratroopers on left branch, with Supply Drop or Paradrop as standalone ability on the right branch could work. This would also relieve the right branch from having only unit call and drop-ins.

P-47 Rocket Strike <-> Carpet Bombing Run

The Rocket Strike seems very early at 3 CP total if you take the shortest route, it would be first half of mid game or so. Way earlier than CoH1's Bombing Strike or CoH2's Rocket Strikes.

For the Carpet Bombing Run. CoH2 has the issue where the more expensive off-maps with a higher payload also take way longer to land than the cheaper earlier offmaps, making them too easy to avoid and mostly reserved for destroying static targets and overall less valuable. CoH1 had a better balance with this. Something like the 280mm Rocket Artillery of Wehrmacht would be devastating, but still land fairly quick. I hope for CoH3, high payload off-maps like this Carpet Bombing Run will pose an actual threat in competent hands as to be worth an exclusive late game ability slot. 

Armored Battlegroup

M31 Recovery Vehicle & War Machine

Isn't 2 recovery abilities in the same commander overkill? Sounds prone to exploits as well: activate War Machine, finish off 2 of your own vehicles in friendly territory with attack ground, then recover both wrecks with M31 = 2 vehicles profit. The M31 also has the potential to be the worst of abandon on steroids, heavily punishing any daring plays from opponent, because vehicles lost in enemy territory can't be contested effectively. I do agree I'd rather see the M31 Recovery Vehicle returning a sizable amount of resources from wrecks rather than restoring them. 

Strength In Steel & Seek and Destroy

I don't know what these abilities do, but is there potentially a third/fourth global activated ability for vehicles among these? Alongside Field Repairs and War Machine. As that would be a bit much.

If I had to come up with an interesting ability concept, a passive ability allowing tanks to shoot flares or otherwise order an artillery barrage could be cool, could even have it accompanied with the tank commander popping out for a few seconds and shooting a flare gun or talking on a handheld radio. Would offset lack of sight / offmap in the commander a bit. 

M8 Scott & M4A3E8 Task Force

I assume techless call-ins are back for CoH3?

Imo, I think CoH2 struck a nice balance with light vehicles being a call-in, but any bigger doctrinal unit requiring tech. I do get it would take away some of the potential to build powerful strategies around a branch though. I'd have to wait how it plays out, but I'm split on it as of now. 

The Rifle squad sounds awkward in any case though. Imo, ideally call-in units shouldn't be balanced around having throwaway units with them. And if it does have them, at least it should be something specialized like the Bazooka Team. Or - not that I'm proponent of it - the second unit being randomized in the vein of CoH1's OMCG, for example you either get a Bazooka Team, AT gun or M8 (as long as it's not useless). 

Hi @JohnT_RE ,

We should have a live stream of 1v1 you vs. Litty in the next pre-alpha!

Before I get to John's Battlegroup Post I want to address two of the comments that stood out below. @Blackout you had 3 questions. I cannot speak on specifics but I think I can do my best to answer your questions.

1.) War Machine as you mentioned would be clear reference to the original COH which from that game it's: Grants an ability that while active, will immediately replace the first two American vehicles lost in combat, free of charge (Except of course for an activation cost of 200 munis) So in essence, it's an expensive gamble that you'll use in an aggressive push where you expect to lose some tanks in an attack within the timeframe of the War Machine timer. There is no way they'd toss in a Pershing in addition to that, it would be extremely OP if so. I agree with you completely though, the post did feel a bit "incomplete" as the special abilities were not explained as some of them are new to us in name as you clearly mentioned the two new to me. I also would prefer the layout from Matt's video that shows the battlegroups in the UI design rather than this Excel colored flowchart. That may seem trivial in a blog early pre-alpha but presentation does influence opinion, presentation with icon images showing the CP allocation would sell the concept better IMHO.

2.) It is not stating it'll be unique to just assault engineers but the latter of your point, it's a perk to this unit but I'm sure it's not automatic it'll cost muni's to upgrade to it.

3.) Yes, I believe so, if anything maybe a turret for light Anti-infantry but I believe it'll serve similar to the PE Bergetiger which was tank chassis pure restore destroyed vehicles to full functionality. It also served two purposes in COH 1 though, beyond recover wreck it would also do advanced repair to existing armor. I think it had heavy armor too so it was a meatshield and spotter at same time.

@JibberJabberJobber  - You have great insight, I really liked and enjoyed your ideas. Great feedback and I agreed with most of it. Some good points on Loiter but I really enjoyed your balance ideas because I too didn't feel like the branches offered much "debate" as to which direction to take the BattleGroup. Really if you look at Airborne Battlegroup closely it's just the left side branch where all the exclusive choices are, the other side is to commit CP or not but not really any option other than unlocking it. I think the prior version had medical drops vs. supply drops so once again to Blackout's post, clarification on each selection would be helpful but I suppose we'll find out soon enough. Another thread mentioned adding troops riding in on the tanks per the famous images from WW2 which would be cool feature.

I like the BattleGroups, I think Armor and Airborne are staples needing to be included, the ones they don't mention is what really has me curious.

Keep up the good work Relic and thank you for sharing the intel.

- Art of War