The thing that Brits really need, but will never get.

All balance aside, the biggest downside of the UKF in my opnion, is how linear and predictable they are to play with and against.

Linear teching aside I think their greatest downfall in this department, is that they have literally no opening game alternative to infantry sections. They are the only faction who does not have neither t0 or instantly buildable doctrinal infantry, nor non-doctrinal infantry alternatives, which means that 2-5 squads of Sections is almost guaranteed every single match.

This makes it literally impossible to throw any real curve balls in the opening game other than some flavor from a UC or Vickers.

In retrospect, I think the UK could have benefited a lot from an alternative opening infantry unit back when they were being developed.

That, and emplacements are way too easy to get around now. They take too long to build, they are vulnerable once they are built and take up too much cap space.

If my friend is running UKF, I'm running OKW with Feverstrum. I've got volks with mp40s, isg with incindiary, flammenpanzer, on top of an early sturmpioneer to wreck infantry sections, which early game the brits dont hsve an answer for. Now with OKW having a better AT gun, now a UC is not that big of a threat.

I liked the new commander for UKF which gives you portable mortars, which is a lot handier than setting up a static position. Also the assault infantry was an attempt to boost Brits early game close combat capability. But they are fairly expensive at 70 munitions, and go head to head with assault grens which are a lot cheaper.

UKF is great once you enter mid-game, but try doing so and not being far behind.

I would like to see emplacements weaker, but build faster. Make them cheaper too, and give an ability to scuttle them and get a partial refund. Ost can do it to their 88's, why not UKF?

0CP assault sections call-in squad when?

Nah. Can't have that.

Show Spoiler

0CP assault sections call-in squad when?

This is actually a decent idea! Perhaps give them a weaker stengun to begin with and the option to upgrade to Thompsons?


Btw. funny how this thread suddenly saw activity after more than a month of zero replies

Personally what i think would make UKF more attractive and less boring:

- additional infantry squad, more elite lvl compare to obers, pgrens or penals
- mobile indirect platform, simple mortar or mortar ht,
- commander that has 0 CP buildable infantry like pathfinders, panzerfuzzilier or ostroopen
- late game basic artillery, ost has panzerwerfer, okw has stuka, soviets has katiusha even US has scott
- more diverse commander abilities. You have tank repair ability and churchill crocodile in 3 commanders,
- revamp 5th men upgrade

This is actually a decent idea! Perhaps give them a weaker stengun to begin with and the option to upgrade to Thompsons?


Btw. funny how this thread suddenly saw activity after more than a month of zero replies

Yup this would be the best way I think. They spawn with 4 sten guns and you can upgrade to 2 thompsons. 0.8 received accuracy out of cover.

I would also replace their mills grenade with the commando smoke grenade, so they have smoke and phosph nade. Both get unlocked with the mills package.


The current assault package from lend-lease doc just sucks

What I really don't like is the poor access to CQC weaponry. non doc they best they have is engineer stens which honestly used to be pretty decent. Now they're mediocre at best. You need commandos or assualt sections for real CQC firepower. Although commandos are the only real CQC squad they have imo, they're still super cheesey and either win you the game or sit around for a good while taking engagements every now and again.

Yup this would be the best way I think. They spawn with 4 sten guns and you can upgrade to 2 thompsons. 0.8 received accuracy out of cover.

I would also replace their mills grenade with the commando smoke grenade, so they have smoke and phosph nade. Both get unlocked with the mills package.


The current assault package from lend-lease doc just sucks

Not only is it the best idea, it's also the only one that is somewhat realistic. At this stage it's not like they are going to implement a colonial squad or welsh division that would require new unit design and voice lines. But making a different variation of an existing squad like 0 CP assault sections would not be completely outside the realm of possibility.

All balance aside, the biggest downside of the UKF in my opnion, is how linear and predictable they are to play with and against.

Linear teching aside I think their greatest downfall in this department, is that they have literally no opening game alternative to infantry sections. They are the only faction who does not have neither t0 or instantly buildable doctrinal infantry, nor non-doctrinal infantry alternatives, which means that 2-5 squads of Sections is almost guaranteed every single match.

This makes it literally impossible to throw any real curve balls in the opening game other than some flavor from a UC or Vickers.

In retrospect, I think the UK could have benefited a lot from an alternative opening infantry unit back when they were being developed.

Well hang on a minute, USF has no alternative to Riflemen, that's the faction that's the most predictable. UKF at least has UCs and MGs, actual fighting units. USF only gets Riflemen for actual fighting units when the game starts.

Well hang on a minute, USF has no alternative to Riflemen, that's the faction that's the most predictable. UKF at least has UCs and MGs, actual fighting units. USF only gets Riflemen for actual fighting units when the game starts.

This is very wrong. In fact USF have among the most options for diverse opening infantry matched perhaps only by Ostheer.

USF can get doctrinal 0CP Assault Grenadiers, IR Pathfinders and "regular pathfinders. Furthermore and unlike the Brits, USF have immedieate acess to their Engineer unit, the rear eschelons, which can get a varity of 0cp upgrades like grenade launchers and flame throwers.

Now you can go on and say that none of these are viable for opening infantry, but not only is this false on every part of the ladder, it is also beside the point that I'm making in that Brits are the ONLY faction that has no opening game infantry alterernative, with or without doctrines.

no snare on tommies, as other mainline infantry has it, UC not capping territories as other vehicles can, so light vehicle good vs infantry as all other faction has it, no indirect fire (mortar pit is lame a fuck) in early and in late game - no pwerfer type, doctrines are so different that only few abilities are somewhat useful while others are bad, no access to like an elite infantry unit, no close combat unit, sherman FF is like the worst TD as it's slow and easy to flank, cromwell isn't the great tank to deal with infantry and decent to tanks, i could write an essay why brits suck, especially in 1v1

Just remove brits.

no snare on tommies, as other mainline infantry has it, UC not capping territories as other vehicles can, so light vehicle good vs infantry as all other faction has it, no indirect fire (mortar pit is lame a fuck) in early and in late game - no pwerfer type, doctrines are so different that only few abilities are somewhat useful while others are bad, no access to like an elite infantry unit, no close combat unit, sherman FF is like the worst TD as it's slow and easy to flank, cromwell isn't the great tank to deal with infantry and decent to tanks, i could write an essay why brits suck, especially in 1v1

Whether or not this is in fact true, It's kind of beside the point, as this thread is not about balance, but that UK has hands down the most predictable opening game since they as the only faction in the game have no CP0 infantry alternative to Sections.

Well hang on a minute, USF has no alternative to Riflemen, that's the faction that's the most predictable. UKF at least has UCs and MGs, actual fighting units. USF only gets Riflemen for actual fighting units when the game starts.

Well the USF has a lot of stuff a bit after when they get the captain and the other guy.

- 0CP call in assault sections with Lend Lease regiment instead of upgrade per squad.
- Airlanding Officer available in T1 for 340mp with 5 men instead of 4, under different name. 1 on the field allowed.
- Recon sections could be a new unit, with camo, flares, 45 sight in cover, flare mines and a Scoped enfield that crits if hits on a model with under 50% health.
- Mobile sections, something like Hunter Sections with 3 enfields and 2 different rifles which are basically copy pasted German G43s.

Just some infantry ideas for UKF, though some additional suffling would be needed to fit them in stock or doctrines.

- 0CP call in assault sections with Lend Lease regiment instead of upgrade per squad.
- Airlanding Officer available in T1 for 340mp with 5 men instead of 4, under different name. 1 on the field allowed.
- Recon sections could be a new unit, with camo, flares, 45 sight in cover, flare mines and a Scoped enfield that crits if hits on a model with under 50% health.
- Mobile sections, something like Hunter Sections with 3 enfields and 2 different rifles which are basically copy pasted German G43s.

Just some infantry ideas for UKF, though some additional suffling would be needed to fit them in stock or doctrines.

all decent ideas that should be somewhat easy to implement and balance, though we unfortunately are unlikely to see

Dunno, if anyone knows how to make in-depth mods and would like to make a mod that has these things, it could be really cool to test.

Something along the lines of an "unofficial Brit revamp" mod.

Dunno, if anyone knows how to make in-depth mods and would like to make a mod that has these things, it could be really cool to test.

Something along the lines of an "unofficial Brit revamp" mod.

You could try the Brits in my mod: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2057451448

You may like them, you may hate them - I warn you, there are some substantive differences. However, they're fun to play and allow for different strategies.

I've not long come back to CoH2 and am both amused and dismayed at some of the vanilla design and balance changes, not to mention the sheer amateurishness on display with regards to things not working or entire lines of text being missing. I've no idea who's running the balance patches nowadays but I think it looks bad for Relic by association. Anyway, I don't see the use in ranting and I don't play vanilla.

Don't know about everyone else but I really struggle to face off against MGs as brits.

What you mentioned is a major downside of brits, having no opening alternatives but I think an even bigger issue is the lack of indirect outside of mortar pit.

No non-doctrinal mortar or rocket arty and even then the doctrinal rocket arty a literal glass cannon that takes forever to aim and reposition.

Brit design also factor in emplacements as 'units' instead of optional buildings.

Every faction has 4 buildings/upgrades with 3 units per building/upgrade. Brits have 3 buildings/upgrades with 3 units per upgrade. The 3(4) emplacements make up the other 3 units that they miss. Because emplacements are easily counterable, they become a somewhat predictable and underpowered faction compared to all the other factions. The recent Brit buffs was a move in the right direction but only a bandaid fix to the real problem.
(I do ignore the fact that late-game brits have unit modifiers to 'add' variety but that is an argument for a different thread)

I think a lot of Brit doctrinal units should be moved to non-doctrinal and some abilities put in to replace them. Similar to how the IS smoke and Assault Officer was added to fill in a niche that Brits lacked. Units like mortar squad, land mattress (buffed though since the current one sucks), assault tommies and tank hunter infantry.