Overview
Company of Heroes is a Real Time Strategy game set in World War 2 during the American invasion of Normandy. The game features many alterations to the tried and true RTS formula, making the game feel more like how WW2 combat was conducted. Company of Heroes allows the player to assume command of either the Axis or Allied forces which more specifically depict the German Wehrmacht and the US troops. The two factions fight against each other in the game's multiplayer aspect--all Americans versus all Germans--but only the Allies are treated with a full single player campaign. Relic Online, the game's proprietary online service, is often updated with new patches that continue to balance the game, and occasionally releases new maps. Relic and THQ released a stand-alone expansion pack entitled "Opposing Fronts" that features the British and Panzer Elites as playable factions. The expansion released simultaneously with a large patch that allowed owners of the original Company of Heroes to play against owners of the expansion "Opposing Fronts." However, players who only own the original game cannot play as the British or Panzer Elite and vice versa for Opposing Fronts.
Gameplay
Company of Heroes departs from the traditional RTS style of gameplay, implementing a more realistic and tactical combat system. It makes several key departures from other RTS games, and many other popular mechanics found in the genre are taken to a greater level of depth and complexity.
Allies
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American Doctrines
Infantry Company
Airborne Company
Armor Company
The Wehrmacht (Axis)
Infantry |
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The Engineers of Germany is just a lowly squad of two but has most of the construction capabilities of its American counterpart. The only real difference between the two builders is in the special abilities. Where the American Engineer was capable of planting explosives on buildings and bridges with the right upgrades, the pioneer has the ability to salvage munitions from the destroyed hulls of tanks and vehicles. These munitions will prove useful in the early game for the Germans as the Grenadier squad can use the extra resource boost to vastly improve their fighting capabilities. Not to be outdone the Pioneers can also wield either a flamethrower or mine detector. |
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These are the basic German infantry, the "Grenadiers of the People," a squad of 5 armed with Kar98's and one MP44. The lone gunner with the MP44 is precious little comfort in close quarters (mostly because the MP44 is merely for looks and acts as a Kar98) as these inexperienced troops are at the mercy of any squad with more than one machine gun, sometimes even Engineers, but they can outgun a U.S. rifleman squad at range. Though seemly meek, even when facing enemy armor they can still respond with a single shot Panzerfaust warhead. After advancing up the tech tree a bit, Volksgrenadiers can have all of their weapons replaced with MP40's, completely reversing their mode of operation. These SMG-wielding Volks can decimate an enemy infantry squad in seconds at close range but is much less effective at range. If worked properly, this reversal of roles can throw off an inattentive Allied player. They can also build light defenses without the aid of a pioneer in the form of sandbags and barbed wire. |
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Grenadiers provide heavier infantry support than Volksgrenadiers. They are better trained soldiers with the inherent ability to throw grenades as their namesake would suggest. In addition, the Grenadiers can be upgraded with up to two Light MG42's and/or Panzerschrecks in any combination. This mix and match of powerful anti-infantry and anti-tank arms make the Grenadier squad useful against any opponent so long as the squad is properly equipped for the job. The only drawback with their improved weapons is their high price and, unfortunately, the Grenadier squad is simply not worth the manpower they cost without them. |
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Decorated, veteran soldiers wielding MP44s, Knight's Cross Holders are true can-do commandos. Though you get only get three to a squad, the individual strength of a Knight's Cross Holder makes up for this in spades. They can shoot effectively on the run, something very few other units are capable of and if they actually come into close quarters with another squad (the range their guns are designed to be used) the enemy will be almost instantly eradicated. They also possess both Panzerfausts and the Assault ability so no target is too big for them to handle. They are, hands-down, the strongest non doctrine specific infantry regiment available . |
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While only armed with a Luger, officers have a wide range of abilities at their disposal to cause more havoc than any one gun ever would. He can call down artillery strikes on any area in his line-of-sight, an ability made all the more useful by his solo sneaky nature. He can also accelerate progress on buildings, both in their construction and subsequently in recruiting units from them. If the area around him gets too hot, either for him or his allies, the Officer can initiate the equivalent of the Propaganda War Terror Doctrine power which causes all enemy infantry in the radius to immediately retreat to their HQ. |
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The differences between the German and American sniper are mostly cosmetic. They kill in one shot, they can hide while not firing, and are easily eliminated by vehicles. Late game snipers with high veterancy prove somewhat unique. |
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The Granatewerfer 34 mortar has a definitive edge over it's American counterpart in range and damage. |
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The MG42 heavy machine gun suppresses infantry faster than the American Browning .30 cal. However, it does not possess the ability to load anti-vehicular rounds and is therefore less effective in the later game. It is still more effective in the early game than the American version as well as more easily accessible, often a staple of most strategies. |
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A well-positioned PaK 38 can quickly turn Allied vehicles and tanks into scrap. Even without the Allies' ability to load super armor-piercing shells into it, the German AT Gun is a large threat because the American military does not have any tanks with strong enough armor to resist its rounds; hits to the rear are still more effective but are that much less necessary as a result. The Pak 38 also has its own perks such as the ability to hide while not firing, making it the perfect ambush setup against an overconfident Allied commander. Combine this sneaky tank destroyer with stealthy Stormtroopers and the result will be a silent death knell to enemies who come too close. |
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The "Screaming Mimi" is the ancestor to the missile platform. Three men wheel around six large welded tubes loaded with rockets, firing them on unsuspecting foes with lightning speed thanks to a nearly instant deployment time. These flash artillery pieces are man-powered and heavy, so when deploying or repositioning they can take a a while. If attacked the crew will most likely be killed without help, and your equipment possibly carted off to the enemy's side. They must be hidden and guarded while they reload because of the time this takes but if left to unleash havoc, they will do certainly that to any infantry caught in their wake. |
Vehicles |
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Lighter and faster than the Jeep, the Motorcycle fulfills its role as a Scout more successfully than the Jeep in many areas. The machine gun attached to the sidecar, while not very effective, is still as good as the Jeep's. The motorcycle also has a tight turning radius which it needs as the bike cannot back up. The Motorcycle does suffer from two major drawbacks. The first is its physical inferiority to the Jeep. A Jeep will always trump a Motorcycle in combat, forcing the Motorcycle out of Jeep-controlled territory. The second is the Motorcycle's inability to capture points by any means, even through doctrines. This means the Motorcycle can only operate as a scout or a weak irritation rather than a potential supply line stopper. |
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The German Halftrack acts as an armored transport for infantry. Just like the American one, this Half-track lets passengers man the machine gun, but this has an additional rear facing MG as well. Doubling up the Americans again, the SdKfz 251 can be fitted with one of two powerful weapons platforms. The first is a double Flammenwerfer flamethrower system; this weapon is the only one in the game with an anti-infantry score of 12 (max otherwise is 9 for the Sniper). The second is the Walking Stuka rocket artillery platform. Similar to the Nebelwerfer Rocket Battery, the half-track gains the ability fire six rockets deep into enemy territory. They recharge slowly but the half-track is very mobile and can easily retreat to safety during this time, also with veterancy the reload timer becomes the lowest of any late game artillery. As with most transport half-tracks you can reinforce your squads when nearby it. |
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A lightly armored car, parallel to the M8 Greyhound for the Axis, the SdKfz 234 roams the battlefield hunting for anything smaller than a tank and provides ample firepower and protection to deal with such targets. Unlike the Greyhound, the main gun on the German's armored car fires smaller munitions in a burst. This drastically improves its effectiveness against infantry as a good salvo could decimate an entire squad if not sufficiently covered. If more firepower is needed, the SdKfz 234 can get the 75mm Puma Cannon upgrade. This upgrade changes the fire rate back to one per salvo but gives the main gun enough kick to damage tanks and perforate armored vehicles. Just be careful not to overexert the power of this gun as the car itself will still only take one or two tank rounds before being crippled. |
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The Stug is the blitz tank. It is the earliest accessible tank on either side and can become a most formidable steamroller if the Allies are not ready to repulse it. The armor of the Stug is very front heavy; no damage in front, lots of damage in the back. The main gun is fixed forcing the Stug to rotate its entire hull in order to aim at target. This makes it extremely vulnerable to the overwhelming tactics of the M10 Tank Destroyer. However, while the M10 is not on the battlefield, the Stug is a force to reckoned with as will tear down any and all unarmored targets in its path. |
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The Panzer IV is the first heavy tank for the Germans. The gun is free to move independently of the hull and a few of these powerful weapons platforms can make a very solid frontline. The Panzer IV comes preloaded with two machine guns, one of which activates with veterancy, and a large 70mm main cannon capable penetrating Sherman front armor enough to do worthwhile damage. This tank is one of the few units in the game that can be used on any target with approximately equal effectiveness, having a strength rating of 5 in all categories. This makes it a mainstay for the German military and great lineholder. |
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Aiming its 37mm Flak 43 gun downwards, the Flakpanzer makes short work of light targets. It possess near heavy tank armor so it is indestructible as far as infantry goes. It is very mobile and, it can run over infantry to kill them. Combine the speed and armor with a rapid-firing flak gun and this tank becomes the most powerful single anti-infantry unit on either side; certain units match it in firepower, none do in all three areas. The only thing that can reasonably stop it is a tank and even then the tank must a have a strong gun to take it down quickly. A formidable hit-and-run machine. |
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Heavier than the Panzer, the 75mm KwK 42 cannon equipped on the Panther will destroy allied armor without flinching. The Panther is a lumbering hulk of tank-killing machinery and not even the Pershing can reliably deal with it. Luckily for the Allies, the Panther's total devotion to anti-tank weaponry makes it an easy target for infantry if they can get around it with strong enough AT guns. This flaw in the Panther's design is exacerbated by its slow turning speed and acceleration. If a Panther gets stuck, Allied forces would be wise to take as many potshots as possible before it can turn its steel era death ray back towards them. |
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The coolest remote control car ever. This fusion of Nazi industry and radio communication is a bomb with treads. Its whirs around the battlefield in search of something of value to blow to smithereens (and valuable the target must be to compensate for the Goliath exorbitant Munitions cost). The Goliath has no weapons and isn't especially fast, but if left in a piece of cover it can camouflage itself. Even if you have to take the direct approach the in-game HUD doesn't mention when a Goliath is spotted; this makes the Goliath one of very few units where its cosmetic profile is a real advantage. Even if one is seen moving in it's target(s) may have trouble doing enough damage quick enough to matter what sets it off. If you can guide this bundle into direct contact it will cripple or destroy anything except base structures. Use them infrequently to keep from wasting Munitions as well as increase the chance that an Allied foe is unpleasantly surprised by a spontaneously combusting Sherman. |
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Wehrmacht Doctrines
Defensive Doctrine
Base Defense Branch | Artillery Support Branch |
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For the Fatherland!
Any Nationalist movement that doesn't motivate its own troops is not working very well. The Nazi campaign has no problem on that end, particularly when you get "For the Fatherland!" which boosts the Defensive power of all Axis troops in friendly territory, it also immediately unsupresses all of your troops in your territory and makes them harder to suppress again. This works to the axis advantage with veterancy since most late games are won by axis they can afford to sit back and just hang on to one high fuel point. | Advanced Warning
A simple improvement, Advanced Warning expands your sight radius around strategic points you control. If you do not take the time to cap points with observation posts this is even more useful but the sight extends beyond that of the post so the benefit is not lost on those who do. Use this power to make sure the Allies aren't getting the jump on you in unprotected sectors. The demand for an always-ready interception force to profitably act upon the intelligence you gain from Advanced Warning is problematic, but it is normally a good idea to have such things anyway, so if being ready to benefit from this means devoting a few more resource ticks to defensive forces rest assured they will not be wasted should you stop a plot against your base in time because you did. |
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The more easily applicable version of "For the Fatherland!," Fortify the Perimeter is a one-two punch of turtling advantages. First one simply gives all base structures such as Krieg Barracks a machine gun turret; this has the obvious application of nullifying stabs at home by mowing down airborne and lowlier hostiles without the intercession of withdrawn troops. The second power (and the more useful of two) allows bunkers to reinforce your infantry squads along with making them more difficult to demolish. If you had any reservations about building Bunkers before, purge them with this; Bunkers are cheap emplacements that can be upgraded with whatever you need and now they can even recuperate your army without the need of a forward barracks. | Registered Artillery
A must-have to get the most out of Advanced Warning, Registered Artillery bring a hail of fire down around a strategic point or building you own. Don't worry, the shells won't hit your own structures but they may hit your troops. It doesn't have much in the way of flexibility, but when you do use it, it comes down fast, it comes down hard, and it doesn't let up. |
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This rugged showstopper will hold its ground come what may. The Flak 36 has no rival in the defense department; it fires very quickly for a large gun, it can reliably hit infantry, it guns down aircraft, it puts holes in tank armor, has unparraleled range, and the machine itself is surprisingly resilient to hostile cannon fire. It is a solid package at a hefty but totally reasonable price. Pioneers can set these up anywhere within the borders their company has secured and once it is in place, the Allies will a hard time dislodging it. Note that the Flak 36 is manned like any other heavy weapon and can be re-manned by friend or foe should the gun survive a blast that the crew does not. | ![]()
A power only to be used by the most well stocked CO, Rocket Artillery can mince an enemy army caught under its reticule if the rockets' owner has funding to keep up the fire. Rocket Artillery costs a huge number of Munitions but can be fired every 30 seconds for a continuous dust storm; keeping this up in reasonable circumstances is nearly impossible as any sensible player should be using their Munitions to properly equip their infantry. This salvo also seems to occasionally miss just about everything in the selected radius, a far too expensive mishap at the end of the game. |
Blitzkrieg Doctrine
Stormtrooper Support Branch | Assault Branch |
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The forerunner in a string of invasion forces available to Blitzing German player, Infantry Assault Team recruits a group of guerrilla Grenadiers called Stormtroopers. They can similarly pack a pair of panzershrecks and/or automatics of your choosing, trading the LMG for the close ranged MP44. Continue to up the ante with bundled grenades (basically a bigger grenade), and the ability to hide in fashion similar to Snipers. This makes them a perfect ambush complement to the Pak 38 and their usefulness does not end there. They are able soldiers even without sneaking around, taking down unassisted Rifleman squads with ease. | Assault Grenadiers
Assault Grenadiers gives all your main infantry squads the ability to throw a mess of grenades onto a target, doing slightly less damaging per grenade than the standard but stunning all infantry within the multiple blast radii. Additionally this will unsupress the squad that uses them and prevents them from suppressing while the ability is in effect. |
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A camp breaker if ever there was one, the Urban Assault Support power deploys a StuH 42 to the battlefield. This tweaked Stug sports an explicitly high explosive shell that does little damage to armor. The tradeoff in piercing makes it fantastic against buildings, offing machine gun emplacements and base structures with only a few shells. The explosion is also great against infantry even if they are protected by cover. Their worst foe, like any tank, is the AT gun. | Blitzkrieg Assault
Pushes the pedal to the floor for a short time on all German troops, increasing both the attack and movement speed of all infantry and vehicles. Use to rapidly crush either Poland or a susceptible Allied force. |
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Armored Assault Force translates to deploying a Tiger Tank to the battlefield for a small fortune in Manpower. Even heavier than the mighty Panther, the Tiger sacrifices mobility for armor and a bigger gun. Once it is at the front, you'll stop caring about how slow it is. The Tiger tank is one of the most powerful all around tank, taking out infantry and tanks with equal ease. Flanking with a Tiger is not an easy option with low maneuverability and slow turret traverse, although you won't likely need to as it can goes toe-to-toe with even the mighty Pershing and should win every time in equal head-on combat.. Conversely, being flanked is a common occurrence for the Tiger. It will take much more damage from the back; that is it takes damage in the back. This tank is a large part of what made Nazi armor as revered an entity as it was and the Tiger in Company of Heroes will not disappoint on this count. | Resource Blitz
Resource Blitz is one of the tougher gambles you have to make playing Company of Heroes. On the one hand ,it gives you a massive amount of manpower and even though the player's income is reduced for a little while after the Blitz is used. The power costs a lot of Munitions, essentially making the power an exchange of Munitions for Manpower. If you don't tend to use special abilities then this is not a problem but if you have a more balanced play style this power should not be used lightly. |
Terror Doctrine
Hero Support Branch | Propaganda |
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Zeal
An odd capability that doesn't seem to work too well with the rest of the Terror philosophy, Zeal makes infantry in squads with casualties fight harder. This is a good thing, to be sure, but losing soldiers is not on the agenda of a Terror doctrine player most days so it can be tough to get any leverage out of it. This will only truly help on the frontline if it is not predominantly tanks. At least this power does not have to be monitored as it simply turns itself on when someone dies in a squad. | Inspired Assault
A risky power if used with bad timing. Inspired Assault is an activated ability that makes all your infantry do substantially more damage for a time while simultaneously taking more damage in a sort of crazy barbarian rage where they shoot wildly and don't care for their own safety. Using this at the wrong time or against the wrong foe can lose you a worrying chunk of your ground troops. |
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Propaganda War might well be the most amusing power available to either side. When triggered on top of enemy infantry, a swirl of Nazi posters and violent ranting through a megaphone apparently causes every enemy soldier in the region to flee for their lives back to HQ. Aside from the laugh that ensues every time this happens, Propaganda War can save you from impending doom if used properly. Rangers will turn around instead of putting dents in your tanks, or an HMG team will decide to get up and run away , allowing harm free passage across a just recently guarded bridge. The coolest thing to do is combine this with a bombardment if you can see the enemy's HQ. Make their infantry run away and then, with a little bit of timing, they will arrive back at base just in time to be mercilessly hammered from the sky. | Firestorm
Firestorm is the Terror Doctrine parallel of Rocket Barrage. It is very hit-or-miss on the damage with the exception of the burning ground aftermath which slowly kills infantry in the radius. It also has the same high-cost low-recharge time combo of Rocket Barrage though if you are playing the Terror Doctrine, you should have a comfortable resource stockpile anyway making this less of an issue. Firestorm is a noticeable notch weaker than Rocket Barrage but far from useless. To assist in the scorched earth follow-up infantry that are hit by any of the artillery shells become suppressed, keeping their heads down until its too late. Just don't place it on an area you plan to invade once the enemies are cleared out. |
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There is no quick way to eliminate a King Tiger. None. American cannons have to hit it in the back just to have a chance of damaging it. Bazookas have no hope. Even a friendly-fired V1 rocket won't take it out in one go. This thing is the real deal and nothing is quite as unstoppably lumbering with the most powerful cannon of all and three machine guns. The King Tiger is the best unit in the game hands down based on unit type advantages (9 out of 9 in all four categories) and could take its sweet time turning American tanks into scrap if it didn't do that in two or three shots anyway. That said, the King Tiger does have a few problems. The most relevant of these is its availability both on the doctrine tree as well as deployment. A Terror player who makes a beeline for this leviathan has to invest 9 points just to get it. A lot of fighting has to take place to get to that point and other strategies must be put in place beforehand or the player will simply be taken down before he reaches the power. This is compounded by the number of King Tigers that can be deployed during a game: 1. Just one. If you lose your King Tiger, its gone forever unless resurrected from the grave and the points officially go to no more use. Thankfully, the only physical weakness in the Tiger is its speed which combined with sticky bombs and potential engine damages often means you'll be repairing this battering ram as much as you are using it. | ![]()
Click on enemy army. Pulse jet whirring sounds. Death. The picture on the right does a good job elaborating on the operation of the V1. It isn't even very expensive as far Company of Heroes WMD's go. The catch is its excruciatingly long cooldown time. Make sure that the area you decide to make hell on earth at contains a good number of expensive items that aren't going anywhere soon after pressing the button. |
System Requirements
Minimum Requirements
- Operating System: Windows XP or Vista
- Processor: 2.0 Ghz Intel Pentium IV or equivalent or AMD Athlon XP or equivalent
- RAM Memory: 512 MB RAM
- Video Card: DirectX9.0c compatible 64MB video card with Pixel Shader 1.1 support or equivalent and latest manufacturer drivers
- Sound Card: DirectX9.0c compatible 16-bit sound card
- 8x or faster CD-ROM drive or DVD-ROM drive
- Keyboard, Mouse
- Hard Drive Space: 6.5GB of uncompressed free hard drive space (Recommend having 1GB of free space after installation)
Recommended Systen Requirements
- Operating System: Windows XP or Vista
- Processor: 3.0 Ghz Intel Pentium IV or equivalent
- RAM Memory: 1GB RAM
- Video Card: 256 MB Nvidia GeForce 6800 series or better
- Hard Drive Space: 6.5GB hard drive space
Required for multiplayer
1 set of discs per computer. Recommended System Requreiments to support 6-8 player multiplayer and skirmish
Internet (TCP/IP) and LAN (TCP/IP) play supported. Internet play requires broadband internet connection and latest drivers. LAN play requires network interface card and latest drivers
Vista Experience Score
- Game Recommended Rating - 4.0
- Game Required Rating - 3.0