Company of Heroes 3 Factions/Nations

The focus of this thread is a simple question: What factions do you think we will see or would like to see in the future of company of heroes?

Going off of what the official poll about CoH3 asked, it is most likely that the next setting will be the North African-Mediterranean-Sicilian-Italian front.

With this in mind, what factions would you expect to see or like to see included in such a setting?

So Vote and leave a comment!

Italians > all

I’m my opinion, the best way to do this is as follows:

British and Afrika Korps first, focusing the campaign in North Africa as well as having daytime/desert and nighttime/temperate uniform variations for both factions. So when you have later maps set in Italy and other mainland European areas your British and AK troops aren’t wearing tan shorts and short sleeved shirts. Lol The AK would be your bread and butter early war German units with mostly MG34’s, K98s, Panzer II’s and III’s with short barreled Panzer IV’s and a few long barreled Panzer IV’s. The lack of nondoctrinal heavy tanks is made up for by having 88’s as heavy anti tank guns. The British would be less flexible and more specialist with infantry tanks being slow but powerful and cruiser tanks being fast and nimble bit less well armoured. Doctrinal units like the M3 Grant and Lee tanks would be a cool and realistically powerful but clumsy unit for the era.

Then add in the Americans and Italians. Americans are hard hitting but expensive units with pretty much the best tanks and infantry for the 1942-43 period (the M4 Sherman and M1 Garand being examples) , but with lackluster support weapons like the M1 antitank gun and M1917A1 water cooled machinegun. This American faction would be most like the CoH 1 US and not feature any late war US units or equipment (like Pershings, Jackson’s or rocket artillery except in specialized doctrines that would be added later once the Wehrmacht is added and the focus shifts to Italy and Southern France. The Italians are lightly armed but cheap and fast. Crappy infantry are made up for by being cheap to reinforce and supported by lots of light and quick tanks.

The final expansion would include the hardened Wehrmacht and maybe a curveball Allied army like the Soviets or the Free French Forces. The Wehrmacht would be the army that finally gets the German heavy tanks that have dominated CoH games so far. These tanks are cool and enjoyable in game, but don’t work if you have an Afrika Korps themed army that never had Panthers or Jagtigers. Keeping one German army as an AK theme also prevents too many units being doubled up on like CoH 1 and 2 did with the Panther and long barreled Panzer IV. This Wehrmacht would be most like the CoH2 Wehrmacht with the infantry of the OKW.

I absolutely agree with Africa, but lets do it the another way this time

Brits vs Afrika corps, then Italians vs USF?
Okay

Combined western allies vs Afrika corps mixed with Italians as two factions?
Now that would be gold


I think the armies desperately need higher variety and unit count in their core trees, to give some space for creativity and "rock papers scissors" play and prevent another coming of the dreadful thing known as
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Then later, Allied marine corps against Japans in the Pacific as DLC

how bout NATO vs Warsaw pact

Muh ww2....How about ww3 ? Cold war era ? That will be great and if relic do it i will definitely pre order coh3.

Italians > all

as far as i remember, it was quite the opposite

some space for creativity and "rock papers scissors" play

That is an oxymoron

- Release: British Commonwealth and Italy
- First Expansion: USA and Germany or Westheer (depends on which one will be the
second axis nation expansion)
- Second Expansion: Soviet Union and Ostheer/Japan/Axis Nations (Hungary and Romania + Finland)

My wishes and considerations:
I wouldn't call a german faction as Afrika Korps just because it was a very small unit, in November 1942 it had only 5 divisions, I'd prefer to call it simply the German Army in the West or Westheer. Something as calling the Ostheer as Heersgruppe Mitte, it's a fraction of the whole Ostheer.

The Free French Forces could be part of the American Army, while foreign units such as Poles and Greeks could be part of the British Commonwealth.

Surely Soviets must be in CoH3.

As second Axis Army to me it's hard to prefer an Ostheer faction over Japan or another Axis Nation, the best in my opinion should be Italy + Germany + Japan.

CAMPAIGN: (Similar to CoH2 soviet campaign)
The story of a british soldier/officer from the battles in North Africa to the final days of war in Northern Italy.

Other Stuff:
- Commanders more like WFA and UKF, fewer than EFA but very different from each other, I really like the idea of CoH2 commanders and their portraits!
- Maps set in Africa, Italy, Balkans, Western Front and Eastern Front at least, possibly also Pacific.
- CoH2 resources system: only ammo and fuel points

Free french toast forces it is joke ? Bad idea even for commander.

What scares me is that twice in a row Relic has made the Brits some horrible campy defence faction with emplacements and trenches. Can we get an actually well designed brits for once?

America top 1

What scares me is that twice in a row Relic has made the Brits some horrible campy defence faction with emplacements and trenches. Can we get an actually well designed brits for once?

Agreed.

I think that it’s important to have the British be the vanilla faction along with the Afrika Korps. These factions that focus entirely on the early war period would be a nice change of pace for both armies.

You can keep the balance of units without introducing heavy tanks right away like every other CoH game does too. Early war US and British units were used throughout the war as well as German ones. Upon its introduction the Sherman tank was the best all around tank of any nation. It was tremendously effective in North Africa where it was completely dominant only being equaled in firepower by the long barreled Panzer IV which it still out armoured. This dynamic would be a very fun change of pace for the US-British-German dynamic that gets upset by the second German faction later down the road that has the heavy Panthers, Tigers and King Tigers to really counter the Sherman tank.

Soviet Union, Relic must work on the mistakes. The second part was to be given to the Eastern Front, but we are again playing with the Americans and the Brits. I don't pay for the same Americans and Brits for the third time.

I propose the Budapest operation, which ends with the Balaton defensive operation. The USSR vs. Hungary + SS support. The USSR will have enough unused units for one or two factions. Hungary has almost everything for a full-fledged faction except for heavy tanks, the gap in heavy tanks will be filled with SS support.

I just wanna see Finland as an axis nation

So I guess CoH3 is confirmed Mediterranean?

I personally think the Italians would be interesting if done right, but really, really bad/boring if not. They didn't have tanks really, so fancy infantry and team-weapon tactics is the best they are going to get without special commanders and what-not. Im interested to see how Relic plans to do them, because keeping historical accuracy would displease alot of armor junkies.

For this reason I think the axis campaign, if there is one, should probably alternate between the German and Italian command.

For the allies, I think the Brits should be first and foremost. They did the most fighting in Italy and Africa, they deserve the spotlight for the allies. Plus, they wouldn't be too hard to implement, having a good mix of every unit type and what-not.

Italy would be 90% hill and mountain fighting, with a bit of urban combat here and there. North Africa is the same but with sand instead of mountains, and South Africa, well, nothing happened in South Africa. For the entire Africa aspect, I personally think it'd be a bit boring. Keep that theatre in skirmish, just with some extra sandy skins for the units. Keep the Mediterranean as a expansion sort of thing.

All-in-all, I would rather keep the war in Europe, it's been done to death but there's a reason it has been. Its really the most interesting and provides alot of opportunities. I'd like to see the Eastern Front done better Justice, CoH2 always felt more like the western front with a eastern skin.

Just remaster CoH1 transferring over some of the features of CoH2 to improve QoL and call it a day.

- Release: British Commonwealth and Italy
- First Expansion: USA and Germany or Westheer (depends on which one will be the
second axis nation expansion)
- Second Expansion: Soviet Union and Ostheer/Japan/Axis Nations (Hungary and Romania + Finland)

My wishes and considerations:
I wouldn't call a german faction as Afrika Korps just because it was a very small unit, in November 1942 it had only 5 divisions, I'd prefer to call it simply the German Army in the West or Westheer. Something as calling the Ostheer as Heersgruppe Mitte, it's a fraction of the whole Ostheer.

While accepting that gameplay>real life, for immersion to begin to work, I don't see the Japanese being introduced into COH3, if Relic are looking at North Africa/Meditteranean as the front. And much the same goes for SU. However, Relic could circumvent the SU issue, if they extend campaign into Austria.

The Free French Forces could be part of the American Army, while foreign units such as Poles and Greeks could be part of the British Commonwealth.

Agreed. Then it comes down to whether Relic continue with the current Commander system, or revert to COH1. Either way, it is doable. If Commanders, you simply sell Commanders from nations such as you list.

Surely Soviets must be in CoH3.

I don't see how, unless the campaign extends into Austria. Otherwise, immersion is reduced, as it has been to a degree in COH2.

As second Axis Army to me it's hard to prefer an Ostheer faction over Japan or another Axis Nation, the best in my opinion should be Italy + Germany + Japan.

See above.

CAMPAIGN: (Similar to CoH2 soviet campaign)
The story of a british soldier/officer from the battles in North Africa to the final days of war in Northern Italy........

I am afraid I disagree. I think it should either be a series of backdrops like COH1, or a dynamic map selection similar to the Ardennes Assault.

What scares me is that twice in a row Relic has made the Brits some horrible campy defence faction with emplacements and trenches. Can we get an actually well designed brits for once?

And so say all of us! Drop the emplacements and BRACE.

Soviet Union, Relic must work on the mistakes. The second part was to be given to the Eastern Front, but we are again playing with the Americans and the Brits. I don't pay for the same Americans and Brits for the third time.

I propose the Budapest operation, which ends with the Balaton defensive operation. The USSR vs. Hungary + SS support. The USSR will have enough unused units for one or two factions. Hungary has almost everything for a full-fledged faction except for heavy tanks, the gap in heavy tanks will be filled with SS support.

If you were sent the same questionnaire that most of us received, it is likely to be North Africa and/or Southern France and/or Italy. But of course, it could be possible to extend slightly out of North Italy, or slightly East of Italy, but I suspect your wish for Eastern Europe could only be achieved for that, if the Campaign was split into extracts, like COH1. An interactive map similar to Ardennes Assault stretching from from southern France to Eastern Europe seems very ambitious. I can put it no higher than that.

I just wanna see Finland as an axis nation

But this time round, COH3 seems to be Mediterranean-based.

So I guess CoH3 is confirmed Mediterranean?

That is what the questionnaire seemed to suggest.

I personally think the Italians would be interesting if done right, but really, really bad/boring if not. They didn't have tanks really, so fancy infantry and team-weapon tactics is the best they are going to get without special commanders and what-not. Im interested to see how Relic plans to do them, because keeping historical accuracy would displease alot of armor junkies.

....

It is possible to mix and match the nations, surely? In COH1, there were Canadian Gunners with British infantry; and in COH2, there were the 'infamous' Ostruppen mixed with Ostheer. From an immersive standpoint, we know the Wehrmacht backed up the Italians, so you could have German tanks with Italian infantry. In fact, the voice acting could be quite exquisite. e.g. German Panzer Commander: "Those bloody Italians are retreating again", "Stand and fight" or "I'm going home to Mutti if this carries on". The Italian voice acting could be infinite.

What scares me is that twice in a row Relic has made the Brits some horrible campy defence faction with emplacements and trenches. Can we get an actually well designed brits for once?

Brace yourselves, the brits are coming. As the first faction

It is possible to mix and match the nations, surely? In COH1, there were Canadian Gunners with British infantry; and in COH2, there were the 'infamous' Ostruppen mixed with Ostheer. From an immersive standpoint, we know the Wehrmacht backed up the Italians, so you could have German tanks with Italian infantry. In fact, the voice acting could be quite exquisite. e.g. German Panzer Commander: "Those bloody Italians are retreating again", "Stand and fight" or "I'm going home to Mutti if this carries on". The Italian voice acting could be infinite.

I agree, multi-national armies are the way to go. Especially if they went for brits. You can put soldiers from all around the world in the british forces.

As for italians I agree even more, the faction can be made really fun to play and the voice acting has to be amazing with this one. Even if they go full stereotype and make the italians angry, it is at least much less of a market to lose than for example russia Same applies to the french. Also, thanks to vichy, we can finally get a game where you don't have to clone germans to get enough axis troops.

I actually really want to see Japs in CoH3, but I think it's unlikely.

My hope would be that Relic doesn't focus on fronts except for maps, and just creates 6 well made factions; germs, italy, japs, sovs, usf, ukf.

We already have brits and soviets fighting on the same side in stalingrad. They should just give up the pretense of theaters of war and focus on adding more content.

I 100% expect them to go Mediterranean though.