Soviet sucks now

Have played some soviets lately and they suck. Cons are underpowered, maxim is useless and expensive firing arc is a joke, stock mortar sucks, ppsh upgrade is useless since volks got stgs upgrade, penals are expensive, T34 is a waste of fuel.

I cant find a working strat. Evetyhing does not seem to hold in team games. How do you play soviets these days?

Soviets are generally fixed now, so you should stop looking for cheesy strats. The penals and t-34 are really good at last, try these units in game, you may not have thought about these as they were in no go zone before.

Motor guards :T1 3 penal medic 2 guard 1 120 mm tier 3 ( if 1vs1 or 2vs2 t70) tier 4 spam t34/85
Penal beat gren on long range (and volks too) take flamed only in mid late game (or if need anti garrison)
Guard need dp28 asap so they can button
120 for mg and general support
T34/85 best cost efficient medium tank (800hp)
Obviously you can change it as you need
But I still need to lose in all mode with this (apart that game where I got an afk)

Have played some soviets lately and they suck. Cons are underpowered, maxim is useless and expensive firing arc is a joke, stock mortar sucks, ppsh upgrade is useless since volks got stgs upgrade, penals are expensive, T34 is a waste of fuel.

I cant find a working strat. Evetyhing does not seem to hold in team games. How do you play soviets these days?

dont let volks engage your cons from long range and cons are support units. Cons with PPsHes always beat volks even with StG. They only get 2 and those StGs have different stats as well. Volks are always best long range when fighting against close range unit situations. The StG upgrade gives volks a long range buff, a medium, and close range but the close range is not enough to win close quarter engagements with close range units like rifles.

Penals are recommended for use alongside maxims. Maxim spam is still a thing as well.

Soviets are great now, finally got into 16 lvl, using defense doc.. Just love new penals and T4 options,

Double penals into double guards into double heavy mortar into double to tripple T34-85s. You're welcome.

Double penals into double guards into double heavy mortar into double to tripple T34-85s. You're welcome.

I even use underused M-42 now, into fast T-70, 2 of them fend of luchs quite good.. + Support of Dshka.

Well, gotta start playing only 1 vs 1 again because team games don't work no matter how haard I try, axis seem to have an edge, the way I see it, axis units are simply better and its just too much in large team games

https://www.coh2.org/topic/54212/faction-satisfaction-poll

Soviets are by fare the "best rounded" faction currently. They improved the most with the new patch.

While Germans both suck pretty much.

Soviets useless? Axis OP? Soviet Avatar and is from Russia? Do I smell bias by any chance?

And no, I'm not an OKW/Axis fanboy, I have also much experience with the British, I'm just noting down my conclusion to a complaint topic.

Select shock rifle doc > maxim spam > su-76s > rack up kills until you have IS-2 > move in maxims, tank with IS-2 (or KV-8 earlier), kill schreks that come near it with KV-8 or quadtrack positioned behind, barrage AT guns and mgs with su-76s, wait until he tries to flank your su-76s > reverse su-76s and open fire > micro damaged ones back > win

That's my strategy. Conscripts and T1 are a waste of resources against OKW, you will just get outcapped, outspammed and beaten up, and although they can work against Ost T2 works better except countersniping if you absolutely need to. But maxims have the cheapest reinforce in the game anyway. If you want to rely on T3 then get shock rifle because you'll need something to tank for your su-76s, if you want T4 then get whatever (anti-inf is pretty good because you can recon, and then fear propaganda his schrek blob and incendiary bomb his AT guns before you charge in your t-34s) but I'd recommend 76s over 85s because they're so much cheaper in cost and pop.

But make T2, don't be tricked by the patch changes into thinking the other starts are as viable. Penals suck against an Ost player who has learned how to use machine guns, they always have, they're expensive and don't have a capping bonus like coh1 riflemen did to make up for not having a gap closer. And against OKW if you go T1 and/or conscripts you'll lose the capping war to his kubel while he ties your penals/conscripts/snipers up from garrisons and green cover, then he'll simply outspam you, focus fire the squad you upgrade flamethrower on, sturms destroy any squad that tries to close in on his volks, as well as use his field HQ to get back to the fighting and capping faster than your units. He'll have his fuel point while contesting yours and then it's gg.

Soviets are great now, finally got into 16 lvl, using defense doc.. Just love new penals and T4 options,

dushka and 120 will lead you to the victory

dushka and 120 will lead you to the victory

Make them non-doctrinal and everybody will be happy.

Make them non-doctrinal and everybody will be happy.

god no

Why does someone ask for advice in the Balance section and not in the strategist one?

snip

This. Adjust penals to guards ratio to suite the situation(more guards if there is lot of lights). And try to have some conscripts around for meatshield purposes.

Soviets are in a much better place than they were. Penals are finally decent for the 2nd time in the games history. SU-85 now has a different role from the SU-76 and trades rof for pen, making it decent against Axis high armoured tanks.

I've been really enjoying playing them, probably more than any other faction since the patch.

Why does someone ask for advice in the Balance section and not in the strategist one?

Because fanboys like to cry and claim its a balance issue. Its the norm these days.

USSR is strongest allied faction atm. Maxim nerf & penal buff didn't change the meta

Well, gotta start playing only 1 vs 1 again because team games don't work no matter how haard I try, axis seem to have an edge, the way I see it, axis units are simply better and its just too much in large team games

I think in teamgames Soviet role changed a bit because USF and Brit or just as powerfull now. Its more of a support faction now. The soviet commanders have GREAT (borderline OP lol) abilities that are essential in teamplay like: Mark target, radio intercept, spy network, capping points with vehicles(LOL), repair points, IL2 instarekt bombing run, fear propaganda, ML20, 120mm mortar ETC.

But hey, if you play teamgames with randoms (without coms) its pretty useless probably. With coordination is super OP.

Make them non-doctrinal and everybody will be happy.

Havent lost a game since patch, by using em. In conjunction with new T1 and T-34/76 soviets are non-meta beasts now.. Making em non-doc, would 1st, fck up my strat, 2nd - fck up everybody who stands in a way vs soviets.

BTW getting raped as OST still, and somehow cant get out of my negative streak with brits, got kicked out of top 100