Commander choices

I played Coh2 on launch and in the open beta and played almost entirely Soviets, but since WFA I've got back into the game and I'm now interested in getting better at Ostheer. As someone how suddenly finds himself with loads of new commanders as a 'legacy' player, I don't really know which ones are best to use, given the need to prepare for both Red Army and USF. To be honest, apart from a few outliers like Elite Troops (which I brought a while back), a lot of doctrines seem to have very similar functions overall, in contrast to Soviet doctrines which feel a lot more integral to your playstyle (since you get Guards, Shocks or have to make do with Conscripts). So, which 3 commanders do you guys choose? Some tips on strategies for them would also be really appreciated.

Which Gamemodes do you play?

I play exclusively 1v1 at the moment.

A tiger is almost a must when playing against USF and there are a lot of tigerdocs to choose from.
-Assault support gets my vote because of the unique strafe which is very handy against infantry. Lightning war is another excellent commander with G43. You can also taje the elite troops but im personally not a fan of that unit. (Speaking from 2v2 experience)

-Mobile defence
Pumas are great against soviet T3/T4 and command tank is nice against US.

-Joint ops was here originally but with both nerfs to howie and pak43 its not worth it. So I put anothe rtiger doc here.
This time the one with Assgrens. it offers good unit variation and the stuge is very nice against infantry

Not to mention the stug-E with vet 1 can be a great deal of help when fighting enemy armor.


I usually have Joint ops since they seemed like a good choice for 2vs2 and thought would be okay-ish for 1vs1, what nerfs did pak43 and howie get exactly?

I usually have Joint ops since they seemed like a good choice for 2vs2 and thought would be okay-ish for 1vs1, what nerfs did pak43 and howie get exactly?

Pak43 had its range reduced, and the Howie had its number of shells per barrage cut in half some time ago. They are both still very good, but limited usage in 1v1. Joint Ops is a great doctrine for Wehr players in 3v3 or 4v4 though.

The PaK 43's range was reduced from 100 to 80, but the ISU-152 and Elefant had their range reduced from 100 to 70, so if you're using the PaK 43 to counter an ISU or (in theory) a stolen Elefant then it's actually now at an advantage, whereas before it was never able to outrange them.

Combined with Target Weak Point and some decent support, the PaK 43 is still very good.

Mechanized Assault is a solid choice, Jaeger Infantry is really good. If you have Close Air Support give that a go, that is a nice doctrine to use especially the Anti-Tank Stuka Strafe run so you can knock out vehicles trying to get away.

Mobile defense is very good if you urgently need AT and repleace losses, the puma is very good.

Tried out Mobile defense and was actually pleasantly surprised. Osttruppen are a gamble but come in handy as meat shield and for weapon stealing, and puma is just great when supported ^^.

For Wehrmacht in 1v1 I find that the doctrines that offer good call-in tanks do well.

I personally quite like Mechanized Assault right now. Assault Grenadiers are sort of junk but they can protect an MG from a flanking unit fairly well and offer good early game capping power. The StuG E comes in at a decent timing for 6 CP and helps a great deal against light armor from US forces and punishes infantry well.

The Tiger is really quite wonderful against all factions still.

Assault Support is another Tiger doctrine that does well. Infantry blobs are pretty powerful and prevalent currently but the strafing run that you get from the doctrine can give you on-demand anti-infantry support. In theory the Opel Blitz is better than ever for 1v1s and basically gives you a munitions + fuel cache for half the price.

Mobile Defense is good as well. The good thing about Mobile Defense it that it lets you do a heavy T1 + T2 build and then use your call-ins to smooth out your mid-game. You can pretty safely skip tier 3 if you use your Pumas wisely and the Panzer 4 Command Tank is exceptionally good at killing infantry and tackling light armor. The Pz4 Command Tank is very good against US forces until a dedicated tank hunter comes out like the M36 Jackson. Wehrmacht Tier 4 has gotten better slowly with the Panzerwerfer's barrage going back to 70 seconds so it is pretty good.

These three come to mind immediately as the easiest to use/strongest right now.

I think you could make an arguement for Fortified Armor as well as it has the Command Tank + Elefant. Elefant is so overkill for 1v1s though so you're really leaning on the Command Panzer 4 more than anything else.

I think there's a doctrine that combines the le.HF Howitzer and the Panzer 4 Command Tank. That doctrine could be pretty good against the US Forces...

Ah! Mechanized Support. Every time I look at this doctrine I actually think it looks pretty good. The first two powers are junk. Smoke Bombs are okay but often come in too slowly to make a difference. The LMG squad in the back of the 251 Half-track is not good value.

Spotting Scope is amazing for scouting. Throw a spotting scope on a 222 Scout Car and it's basically a map hack. Combine this with the Panzer 4 Command Tank and the Howtizer and you get a strong mid-game with good late game artillery.

I've never made it work though. Never really tried to make it work either but I think this doctrine would be quite excellent against US forces in theory. Spotting Scope + 222 Scout Car isn't too good against US forces due to the 222 being utterly useless against them but the Spotting Scope is pretty good regardless.

Corp.Shephard, can I ask how you feel about Elite Troops Doctrine in 1v1? In particular, is it still feasible to use Stun Grenade to get a squad kill at higher levels of play?

Corp.Shephard, can I ask how you feel about Elite Troops Doctrine in 1v1? In particular, is it still feasible to use Stun Grenade to get a squad kill at higher levels of play?

You may ask!

... But I can't answer. I've never owned Elite Troops and I have no experience playing as them.

I dun' even know how much the stun grenade costs!

You may ask!

... But I can't answer. I've never owned Elite Troops and I have no experience playing as them.

I dun' even know how much the stun grenade costs!

The stun grenade cost 20 munitions so you could probably spam it but since I'm not good at utilizing the timing of my grenade throwing techniques its something that has to be tested by some1 w/ those kind of skills.

Corp.Shephard, can I ask how you feel about Elite Troops Doctrine in 1v1? In particular, is it still feasible to use Stun Grenade to get a squad kill at higher levels of play?

I used Elite Troops extensively, in both 1v1 and 2v2. It can work wonders, or it can really hinder your ability to push. It all depends on how you play outside of the doctrine.

Mainly what I do is I will get two squads of grenadiers or MG42's and a sniper. I use the troop training ability on the sniper, which gives him an instant Vet 2. His ability to stun an enemy squad is extremely useful, whether you're trying to stop a push, retreat, or give yourself some time to react.

Beyond the sniper, I don't use any of the doctrine's abilities again (save the stun grenade, which is decent at times, but I usually opt to just use a normal rifle grenade or bundled grenade instead) until I tech to T3 and get an Ostwind out. Once the Ostwind comes out, I troop train that as well, giving it Vet 1. This is particularly useful because it unlocks the Blitzkrieg ability, which can get you in and out of situations very quickly. Not to mention that the Ostwind is an infantry killing machine, so once it hits Vet 2 it is really punishing enemy squads.

From there it's all situational. I like the Jaeger Infantry package on panzer grenadiers. The panzer tactitian ability (smoke) is also really helpful for preserving your vehicles.

I find that the doctrine is extremely good if used correctly and you can micro your units effectively. Being able to vet your armor up instantly is very valuable. And once you get the Tiger Ace out, nothing should be able to contend with it granted you still have your infantry and Vet'd armor on the field.