2014: Strongest faction and doctrines of COH?

I've been playing COH again after a very long hiatus.

What's the strongest faction now that the game has been out for such a long time?

Mine:

1. Wehrmacht- Due to the tanks. Most obviously the availability of the cost effective Stug, StuH42, Tiger, and late game Panther. And this is a 'tank game'. Tactically flexible, but weaker indirect fire.

2. USA- Due to the economy and well rounded nature. Tactically flexible, but weaker in armor than the Wehr.

3. Panzer Elite- Much of its units are useless and the faction is limited, but the Panther Battlegroup + P4+ PzG w/G43s are really effective as is its capping abilities. Hummels are really good, and are the second best artillery (after the Calliope).

4. British- Like PE, limited options for play- I only find Engineer doctrine truly effective. The commando doctrine seems to mold the British into more like USA- However, if I wanted that, I would prefer to use USA from the start....

The COH: OF factions are pretty much 'supporting' factions to me rather than primary.

USA:

1. Armor- Calliope and Pershing. Calliope is the most effective indirect fire in the game. Pershing is good like the Tiger. The global self repair & vehicle replacement are a lifesaver. This might be the best doctrine in the game.
2. Infantry- Very useful.
3. Airborne

Wehrmacht

1. Blitzkrieg- StuH42, Tiger. Tigers are a good value and Stuh is very effective AI.
2. Terror- For the instant indirect fire that the Wehr lack(Firestorm, V-1). The KT is a nice bonus, but not as good as the Tiger.
3. Defense

Panzer Elite

1.Tank Destroyer- Strong Call-in TDs so no rush for the 'Panther battlegroup teching' needed. Fuel can be diverted to Panzer IV Infantry Tanks.
2.Scorched earth-A few nasty gimmicks, but mostly for the Hummel.
3.Luftwaffe Tactics- The best thing is the AT strafing run.

British

1.Engineers- Churchill, AVRE, Crocodile. Very effective when used with CCT & Fireflies.
2.Commando
3.Artillery

Wehr, 90% terror.

US, 90% inf.

Don't play the others, but mostly see Scorched Earth/Tank Destroyer (about 50%) and Commandos (98%) when playing against.

In most recent tourneys, pretty sure the terror/inf combo was most popular. You saw some random def, barely any blitz. AB and Armor were used here and there, but rare.

Infantry company is very good, particularly for short/medium length wins. I think armor is weaker during this period, but it becomes stronger once there's an armored stalemate during late game. It is also strong during mid game.

Commando is however, baffling for me. It is a fun faction but I find that it, like Artillery lacks anti-tank and indirect fire strength. All it gives is a bunch of expensive SMG infantry units. I literally believe that only Engineers really help the British in their offensive ability.

terror- I find it a late game faction. V-1's, prop war, firestorm, and KT. I am surprised that it is that popular. The Wehr are munitions starved, and everything in that tree costs lots of munitions.

What are you talking about ? 1v1s, 2v2s, scheld ?

terror- I find it a late game faction. V-1's, prop war, firestorm, and KT. I am surprised that it is that popular. The Wehr are munitions starved, and everything in that tree costs lots of munitions.

For 1 CP on the left side tech, you can make your 3 men squads super stronk with Terror. You should give it a try.

Commando is however, baffling for me. It is a fun faction but I find that it, like Artillery lacks anti-tank and indirect fire strength. All it gives is a bunch of expensive SMG infantry units. I literally believe that only Engineers really help the British in their offensive ability.

You aren't being imaginative enough with this doctrine.

- Commandos aren't just SMG infantry. They can be inserted anywhere. They have a semi-cloak ability/get-out-of-trouble smoke grenade that doesn't cost to use. They can set Demo charges. Their glider can be used as a forward reinforce. And they cost the same to reinforce as an infantry section.
- Commando demo charges are super mines that are user detonatable, and with the ability to give you vision.
- The triangulation is a sort-of-nerfed maphack (the best way to use it is with the TacMap).
- Intercepts tell you what the opponent is teching and building.
- keep clicking the fake artillery so when the real ones come he isn't prepared.
- The HQ glider is cheap, and it gives you commando sappers that won't cost you muni to upgrade, commando mortar (a real mortar unit), and commando MG, two units the brits don't normally get. All these units get the smoke grenade.
The HQ can be an additional reinforce point and can be used also to scout like an AB recon flight while it is landing.

My one big question... and I haven't yet seen a definitive answer, is whether commando units benefit from either the Capt or Lt. buffs.

^

Thanks for that, although I still find the whole faction mostly redundant- Why not then, play as American Infantry company then? At least they have Rangers and 57mm anti-tank guns.

The price of the SMG Commandos is 510 MP which is really steep. I find that behind the lines works (I played with partisan doctrine from COH2) to harrass and cap 1 or 2 points but it's not enough to make up for no churchills


Yeah, I like terror. I played a game with it where I teched up to KT first, and used my stugs + KT + grenadiers + 50mm AT guns against a churchill spam,

^
Thanks for that, although I still find the whole faction mostly redundant- Why not then, play as American Infantry company then? At least they have Rangers and 57mm anti-tank guns.

The price of the SMG Commandos is 510 MP which is really steep. I find that behind the lines works (I played with partisan doctrine from COH2) to harrass and cap 1 or 2 points but it's not enough to make up for no churchills

Get a couple of Fireflies and a command tank. That is a LOT of AT, and with a vetted CC and range boosts you will kill a KT in no time. You could toss in a "button" just for fun.

I don't see how adding the Commandos turns the Brits into the US faction. You are still dealing with trucks, emplacements, officer buffs, FF's, command tanks, piats, overrepair (ver underused in my opinion, especially in team play), etc. etc. No one is going to mistake Brits with RCS with a US army.

Not to mention I WISH the US engineers could place demos anywhere they want. They can't demo walls, they can't even demo their own tank traps anymore. You can only demo buildings and wire/teeth/roadblocks the enemy built.

I'm largely opposed to the defensive style of play. I might make an emplacement here and there, but I play the British offensively. I find emplacements to be grenadier or indirect fire bait. I also find that type of play rather boring.

I always reserve my fuel cache for fireflies & CCT as British since I often have zero 17 pounders. Cromwells are not really worth the price to me so I fined that I need Churchills and AVREs to fill the AI gap.

The Hotchkiss with the rockets is really effective combined with the Hetzer & TD doctrine.

I'm largely opposed to the defensive style of play. I might make an emplacement here and there, but I play the British offensively. I find emplacements to be grenadier or indirect fire bait. I also find that type of play rather boring.

I always reserve my fuel cache for fireflies & CCT as British since I often have zero 17 pounders. Cromwells are not really worth the price to me so I fined that I need Churchills and AVREs to fill the AI gap.

The Hotchkiss with the rockets is really effective combined with the Hetzer & TD doctrine.

No question about emplacements. One here or there to fulfill a role is great (like getting Rangers, 1 or 2 do the job. A blob of them is investment that could have gone elsewhere.

Besides, fortifications freeze you in place. Once your little sim city is cracked it all comes apart and you have nothing left to salvage. That is not the case if your army is mobile.

I find with RES that I miss the off-map artillery. But I have played with them very very little so maybe I should give it ia shot.

The AVRE is the artillery of the doctrine. It is very effective and kills blobs. Buildings fall in 3 shots. You however, need a reserve of munitions (at least 100+, preferably 150+) as each shot costs 35.


The more more I play the better I find the US infantry company. I'm starting to think that the US is the best faction, and Infantry company is the best doctrine.

The Hotchkiss w/ rockets may be the best Axis mobile artillery. They're more survivable than the Hummels or the stuka. They also come early. The Hummels tend to fire 6 accurate rounds and are good at knocking out individual structures but are not so good against infantry due to lack of spread. The rockets, however, spread more and are better at killing infantry.


------------


And STormtroopers..They eat up pop cap like crazy.(8) It would not be prudent to use any more than 2 squads. But I find them too gimmicky and attention consuming to be of much use. (ambushes)

The Hummels tend to fire 6 accurate rounds and are good at knocking out individual structures but are not so good against infantry due to lack of spread.

Are we playing the same game ?

Hummel is the least accurate "super" arty in the game. And when it hits, everything just vanish..

I guess not...I've compared the artillery to each other.

Most spread to least:

Nebels< Stuka < 105< Priest < Hummel. The spread of the hummel is rather tight. Nebel spread is too scattered for my liking.

I guess not...I've compared the artillery to each other.

Most spread to least:

Nebels< Stuka < Priest < Hummel. The spread of the hummel is rather tight. Nebel spread is too scattered for my liking.

range affects nebels..

I thought the hummel fired 4 rounds in a barrage?

It's 6. I played the game yesterday..

COH has been patched many times over the years. I played the vCOH demo before and the US/Wehr are significantly different by 2014. Many, if not most of the prices/units/abilities are not the same as the original. Even the doctrine content is different.

hmmmm...I also believe Hummel fires 4 rounds, 105 and nebel fire 6?

Yea, hummel definitely fires 4 rounds....

Mh, strongest faction and doctrin.. .

Depends.

If we talk about 1vs1 US vs WH is well balanced at all, maybe WH has an advantage in the current meta game as snipers are used very often and rifle reinforce costs are relatively high.

Best doctrine for US is infantry, for WH I don´t prefer a doctrine (playing often without one or I chose Terror late –> KT) but Terror is really nice if you play Volx and T2. Even if I don´t see it as dominating as infantry for US.

CW is a very strong and very weak at the same time in 1vs1 (limited options, especially AT vs StuH or vs Gren spam). Commandos is there best doctrine and most often used I think. But this is just observation as I don´t play CW at all.

PE, more Options then CW, if well used the AC is very strong, nice income / upkeep (bit too much tbh). HTs can also be very effective. Dunno about doctrine. SE or luft? Plexy uses TD most time and is more or less successful with it.

I find it unexpected that commandos is considered the best doctrine.

British infantry is very expensive compared to churchills. Both the SMG commandos and sections are 510 manpower.

In comparison, churchills can be called in at 600 manpower and at just 3 cps. At 5 CPs, AVRE's can be called and they massacre infantry.

I have personally found the commando doctrine to be redundant.

hmmph, there is something that I'm missing here..

Churchills are slow, very long to repair, they can't penetrate werh tanks, can't deal versus vetted grens.

So yea, churchills are crap.