The Afrika Korps, for example, can call in Italian troops via battle groups to expand its own unit selection – but do you prioritize reinforcements of infantry or vehicles? Do you need long-range artillery at this point? Gathering lots of command points through successes on the field can get you to the end of both trees over the course of a game, but until then you always need to have a sense of which option is most needed at any given moment. What makes the battle groups from Company of Heroes 3 so interesting is the variety of choices and units they bring.Įach battle group contains two different trees with units, abilities and upgrades that you have to decide on during the course of a game – so where choosing the right doctrine was an important single decision in the predecessor, the sequel challenges your decision-making several times in a game, opening up another strategic front for players. Like the doctrines from Company of Heroes 2, the battle groups come with various units, abilities, and bonuses that can change a faction’s play style – sometimes radically. The highlight of my experience so far has been the battle groups, which are available to any army to supplement its capabilities.

It is always possible to switch to a defensive strategy and defend gained ground. Thus, with the Afrika Korps, you are not forced to conduct pincer attacks on two different fronts for the entire game in order to have a chance at victory – you can do this, which is extremely fun, but you don’t have to. While each faction has a certain focus – in the case of the Afrika Korps, for example, it’s mobility and offensive power, while in the case of the Wehrmacht it’s defense – they are all customizable enough to adapt to changing scenarios. Their past statements were echoed strongly in what we saw in this preview’s skirmishes. In a past interview with the developers, they spoke to us about their design philosophies for Company of Heroes 3 and the armies therein.

The fresh unit lineup of the four playable factions – Wehrmacht, Afrika Korps, British, and USA – has taken shape and is convincing in terms of gameplay. In this latter part of the game, the progress that the developers have made since the last preview build is particularly evident. We got to play a preview version of the game, which gave glimpses of the game’s two campaigns – the North African theater in classic linear form and the Italian theater as a new dynamic campaign – as well as the multiplayer mode.

Company of heroes 1 playable factions