Commissar: How do you use them?

So I've been trying out the Commissar officer, I got the gist of the abilities and use the Soviet Reserve Army Doctrine.

But so far, I have 0 wins using this doctrine. The commissar can only buff one unit and managing about 6+ conscripts ain't working for me, I also keep using my ammunitions on conscript upgrades so I don't have the fear ability when I need to. But if I don't upgrade my conscripts then they don't survive the late game, what strategies are appropriate when playing this doctrine?

In fact, penal builds benefit more (IMHO) from Commisars with forward healing and buffing. Especially if you can get your hands on some support equipment and slap "Not one step back" on it - practically unkillable in a single push with 6-man crew, cover and massive bonuses to accuracy.

But most of the players just spam that fear propaganda and nades, and the Commisar himself is a decent fighting unit.

I have been using this commander with varying levels of success. Usually lose in the late game due to my lack of micro.

I have been using Penal builds with a conscript for crewing and merge do you know off hand what the bonus are and what percentages they are? I am also trying to use the Commisar better and you described me perfectly with the fear and nades.

I like to combine it with soviet sniper. Sniper with faster rate of fire is pretty cool.

I like to combine it with soviet sniper. Sniper with faster rate of fire is pretty cool.

That's a pretty nice idea, I'll try that

I have been using this commander with varying levels of success. Usually lose in the late game due to my lack of micro.

I have been using Penal builds with a conscript for crewing and merge do you know off hand what the bonus are and what percentages they are? I am also trying to use the Commisar better and you described me perfectly with the fear and nades.

I don't really know the percentages but what I have observed is that the commissar is definitely helpful in the first 10 mins of the game. Especially against OKW, a friend of mine suggested that I abuse the fear ability. Probably trying to get good micro on your conscripts and penals is the way to get the 3 star veterancy and delaying their upgrades to save ammunitions, I'm working on this too atm so we'll see the results.

In fact, penal builds benefit more (IMHO) from Commisars with forward healing and buffing. Especially if you can get your hands on some support equipment and slap "Not one step back" on it - practically unkillable in a single push with 6-man crew, cover and massive bonuses to accuracy.

But most of the players just spam that fear propaganda and nades, and the Commisar himself is a decent fighting unit.

Which support unit benefited the most on the commissar buffs in your experience?

Which support unit benefited the most on the commissar buffs in your experience?

After using the unit for a while I think Penal behind cover with Fight to the Death and any MG with stand your ground are the best uses of the abilities.
Stand you ground sounds great until you try to move so a stationary unit like mg is perfect.
To the death beats back PanzerGren reliably if you are behind green cover, with support you can wipe fairly quickly which usually catches the opponent by surprise.
I have played a few games where catching a blob with the Fear propaganda can lead to hilarious results with a quad. I would chase them to base and pin them in base allowing me to capture points and setting traps with mines and scorched earth. Late game a blob forced retreat with Katy is devastating.

Commissar Squad (New Unit)

This new unit represents a formidable combat and utility squad in keeping with the doctrine's theme.

-5 Man Squad: Commissar Officer armed with a pistol. Commissar escorted by three Guards Riflemen wielding SVTs, and a medic wielding and SVT; medic does not need to be alive to provide healing.
-Costs 2 CPs and 260 Manpower
-Ability one - Stand Your Ground: Grants a targeted squad -30% received accuracy and -10% received damage. The squad cannot move unless told to retreat during its 20 second duration; shares a cooldown with Fight to the Death. Costs 0 munitions
-Ability Two- Fight to the Death: Grants targeted squad +20% weapon accuracy and 0.5 cooldown. Increases incoming weapon accuracy by 20%; shares a cooldown with Stand Your Ground. Costs 0 munitions.
-'Stand Your Ground' and 'Fight to the Death' cooldown set to 30.
-Ability Three: Propaganda Barrage: Calls in a small barrage of 4 shells that is similar to Fear Propoganda. 45 munitions
-Ability Four: Able to heal nearby infantry within 15m when out of combat which matches Infantry Section medical kits; 30 seconds.
20 range.
-Now able to throw grenades; same grenade used by Guard Rifles.
-Squad received Accuracy set to 0.87
-Conscripts can no longer be merged into the Commissar unit; prevents a bug where Conscripts would be armed with the officer's weapon.
-Can no longer recrew team weapons

After using the unit for a while I think Penal behind cover with Fight to the Death and any MG with stand your ground are the best uses of the abilities.
Stand you ground sounds great until you try to move so a stationary unit like mg is perfect.
To the death beats back PanzerGren reliably if you are behind green cover, with support you can wipe fairly quickly which usually catches the opponent by surprise.
I have played a few games where catching a blob with the Fear propaganda can lead to hilarious results with a quad. I would chase them to base and pin them in base allowing me to capture points and setting traps with mines and scorched earth. Late game a blob forced retreat with Katy is devastating.

Commissar Squad (New Unit)

This new unit represents a formidable combat and utility squad in keeping with the doctrine's theme.

-5 Man Squad: Commissar Officer armed with a pistol. Commissar escorted by three Guards Riflemen wielding SVTs, and a medic wielding and SVT; medic does not need to be alive to provide healing.
-Costs 2 CPs and 260 Manpower
-Ability one - Stand Your Ground: Grants a targeted squad -30% received accuracy and -10% received damage. The squad cannot move unless told to retreat during its 20 second duration; shares a cooldown with Fight to the Death. Costs 0 munitions
-Ability Two- Fight to the Death: Grants targeted squad +20% weapon accuracy and 0.5 cooldown. Increases incoming weapon accuracy by 20%; shares a cooldown with Stand Your Ground. Costs 0 munitions.
-'Stand Your Ground' and 'Fight to the Death' cooldown set to 30.
-Ability Three: Propaganda Barrage: Calls in a small barrage of 4 shells that is similar to Fear Propoganda. 45 munitions
-Ability Four: Able to heal nearby infantry within 15m when out of combat which matches Infantry Section medical kits; 30 seconds.
20 range.
-Now able to throw grenades; same grenade used by Guard Rifles.
-Squad received Accuracy set to 0.87
-Conscripts can no longer be merged into the Commissar unit; prevents a bug where Conscripts would be armed with the officer's weapon.
-Can no longer recrew team weapons

Tested it in-game and it does not appear any of the Commissar's buffs work on team weapons.

Read this thread then had some ideas:

If you get lucky enough to pick up an LMG, that's obviously a great squad to use stand your ground on, or alternatively if you have an ally who is able to equip your squad with a weapon (e.g. SVTs).

You could also merge cons into this squad with weapon upgrade and stand your ground whacked on.

You could also do this quite easily with your flamer engie. Rush him up with a few cons, stick stand your ground on it, enemy's best option is probably to try move out of flamer range, given you can't move. But everyone's natural reaction when flamer is close is to focus that unit, so it could be interesting.

Fight to the death basically speeds up engagements, same amount of increased lethality and vulnerability. So you want to use that when you would win the engagement anyway, but this will let you win it faster, and hence more chance of getting a wipe.

Also, using fight to the death will likely draw fire to the unit it's used on seen as it is both more dangerous and more vulnerable, but this is drawing fire off the officer who is also a decent combat unit and would likely be getting focused first otherwise.

Read this thread then had some ideas:

If you get lucky enough to pick up an LMG, that's obviously a great squad to use stand your ground on, or alternatively if you have an ally who is able to equip your squad with a weapon (e.g. SVTs).

You could also merge cons into this squad with weapon upgrade and stand your ground whacked on.

You could also do this quite easily with your flamer engie. Rush him up with a few cons, stick stand your ground on it, enemy's best option is probably to try move out of flamer range, given you can't move. But everyone's natural reaction when flamer is close is to focus that unit, so it could be interesting.

Fight to the death basically speeds up engagements, same amount of increased lethality and vulnerability. So you want to use that when you would win the engagement anyway, but this will let you win it faster, and hence more chance of getting a wipe.

Also, using fight to the death will likely draw fire to the unit it's used on seen as it is both more dangerous and more vulnerable, but this is drawing fire off the officer who is also a decent combat unit and would likely be getting focused first otherwise.

I had similar thoughts but was more thinking with SMG weapon drop with Fight to the death, most inf will melt especially if the Penal is Vet2/3 it could also be used with Soviet reserve but I feel SVT conscripts are better than PPSH conscripts. I think it mostly comes down to play style, with NKVD tactics most go several penals with commissar so the SMG would be a welcome wiper especially if placed in a retreat path. The Airborne player can stick to SVT conscripts and provide AT support so that Penals can focus on assaulting.

I basically use the Commissar as a anti-blob and HMG tool making liberal use of grenades and Fear Prop. He has tons of utility but I feel like you need lots of muscle memory to remember his front line healing and buff abilities (late game you generally don't have the micro to be buffing individual conscripts.)

I generally feel like Fight to the Death is more useful (especially with PPSH or if you opponent isn't good about switching targets). Stand Your Ground is only decent if your unit is getting charged by Ass Grens or Sturms and the extra defense negates their close range advantage. (IMO).

NKVD is the better team game commander with better late game potential but I guess you could make Reserve work if you want the Howie.

I generally feel like Fight to the Death is more useful (especially with PPSH or if you opponent isn't good about switching targets). Stand Your Ground is only decent if your unit is getting charged by Ass Grens or Sturms and the extra defense negates their close range advantage. (IMO).

Yeah the abilities have potential, but require clever use. Not just a simple buff and win.

Buff defense to a squad with weapon upgrade, perticularly picked up LMG, and ability to also merge into that squad while ability active, is clearly potentially strong, when enemy would want to focus that unit normally.

You could use fight to the death when they have started focusing one unit, put it on another unit, they either have to ignore the buff to carry on focus origional target, or else switch, and let them off the hook.

Yeah the abilities have potential, but require clever use. Not just a simple buff and win.

Buff defense to a squad with weapon upgrade, perticularly picked up LMG, and ability to also merge into that squad while ability active, is clearly potentially strong, when enemy would want to focus that unit normally.

You could use fight to the death when they have started focusing one unit, put it on another unit, they either have to ignore the buff to carry on focus origional target, or else switch, and let them off the hook.

Fight to the death is always useful, since it is free and penals should be fighting behind cover due to MP bleed you really dont lose much by spamming it. Also whenever a unit starts to retreat it should be instantly activated to try and get a chase down wipe. The commissar fear propoganda also synergizes well since it debuffs enemies that don't retreat.

Stand you ground is harder to use since the mobility nerf can get you wiped by any explosive like gren nade or PG bundle nade. In green cover against a MG would be a great situation or against long range units like Obers or JLI since closing in signifies a nade is coming.

Penals + Fight to the Death is borderline broken IMO. The accuracy buffs turns the penals into actual terminators, even against retreating troops. Most players don't realize how effective your penals become, and may retreat too late, only to get squad wiped. It also helps your penals vet quickly, which they usually struggle to do.

Bonus: if your enemy starts blobbing to focus fire you when you pop your abilities, just propoganda arty them.

in my opinion, when selecting this doc, your retreat button should be deactivated

in my opinion, when selecting this doc, your retreat button should be deactivated

Would actually be fun to play like that, I feel it would be more appropriate when calling in commissar. If the Commissar unit dies the retreat button is reactivated until it get called back in. However the commissar buffs would either need a faster cool down or AOE so more units benefit to offset the retreat nerf.

Would actually be fun to play like that, I feel it would be more appropriate when calling in commissar. If the Commissar unit dies the retreat button is reactivated until it get called back in. However the commissar buffs would either need a faster cool down or AOE so more units benefit to offset the retreat nerf.

alternatively, with this doc activated, every time you press the retreat button your commissar executes a random infantry model and the globel rate of fire of all infantry gets buffed by 30%