Profile of Esxile

Haven't read through the thread at all. (Big whoop, wanna fight about it!)

But just looking at question posted. My mind is that most balance problems are a result of the sub-par design of both the OKW and Soviet factions.

For OKW it is most cost-efficient to skip the weak mid and go heavy infantry into lategame tanks. And for soviets it is either go heavy unit X or whatever cheese into call-ins.

OKW needs a mid-game option that would be more cost-efficient than going all-out infantry, and sovs need a drastic change to their teching and certain units needs their performance looked at.

Something most cost efficient than volkshreck? what do you mean? fuel free P4 call-ins?

Let's look at OKW structure and commanders.
OKW lack of support weapons and suppression? no problem, Relic gave OKW 2 commanders with Mg36 really effective at low and medium level skills - less at high level but since you have better micro, you can go and play other commanders and use your micro with the Kubel. OKW now has the best early vehicle in game in hands of best players, it kills suppresses and is moving faster than anything else with super incredible vet bonus.

OKW lack of munition? no problem, let's give OKW cheap MP core infantry with incredible vet bonus and mid game elite infantry raping everything around moving on legs for the cost of 0 ammo (because Obers are definitively not late game units). At the end downgrade the munition starvation from 66% to 80%, letting OKW spam volkshreck into blob - the only OKW munition sink before end game. Incredibly effecting after two or three push/retreat to earn vet at low, mid and high skill level. This strat doesn't give Allied players any chance if they do not react perfectly in a matter of second to withdraw their tanks, something difficult at low and mid skill level. It is still effective at high level since it is only a-move base action, just bring in it your micro and it can become more deadly with a good focus fire and good usage of cover on your blob path.

OKW players lack of micro? Low to mid level skill? lack of understanding how to flank? No problem at all, Because one of your beloved commanders with MG36 has also Falls. Those falls are upgrade free with basic super strong AI weapons that can pop from any ambient building. There is also a tank in your path? No problem they also have a nice faust that always engine damage, perfect for your shreck blob.
They are MP expensive? Who cares since you only need to spam volks, cheap to build, cheap reinforce and You just need to pay for shreck. So just be a bit more careful to retreat faster your A-move push to save MP and the next one, push and pop your falls behind his line of fire. So much micro in this strat!
Or variante: A-move your blob and force him to concentrate his fire-power to counter you and use pop your falls anywhere else on the map to gain map control. Allied players will need to send at least 2 squads or a tank to counter you leaving you to push harder in the middle!

So what remains, fuel starvation? Since you do not need to spend more than 5 fuel for a early kubel push from the all early-mid game to stay competitive (except for your tiers dev), what is difficult to wait till a panther or a KT?

You have the upper hand, already T3 build and your opponent is struggled with your volks spam and must go T2 to counter you? It is almost GG, build a lunch and rape everything he has on the field. Be carefull because it requires a bit of micro, your foe could have unlock zooks or atnade. Too bad

He has the upper hand, just blob you volks with shreck to prevent his sherman/T34, only reliable units to push you mid game and wait for your panther to hit the field. During that time build obers or your call-ins falls/jaeger ammo free raping infantry unit. Just be careful of para, the only on-legs unit that can go toe to toe with your infantry at this stage of the game.

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OKW isn't a god faction and probably not the strongest in super high level, this is true. But Relic put so much effort to make sure every of it weakness is fairly balanced with commander abilities or unique game mechanisms such as forwarded trucks, commanders abilities to balance lack of support weapons, 3 commanders elite infantry popping up from ambient building ready to use, super T3 truck weapon that can cover 1/3 of many 1vs1 map and do damage until med tanks etc... that is just outrageous for Sov or USF that need to make strong choices on what strengths they need and what they leave appart from their strat.

The only OKW gap not covered is probably arty, but since OKW also has the fu-zuss... That's maybe the only real OKW gameplay decision making? Should I go arty first or panther...

Less damage and more reliability to pen would make me really happy with this unit since I do not believe in any gods, rng ones included.

If we fall for the strict definition, it should be a inconventional strat which is meant to take the opponent by surprise.
Since there is almost no element of surprise (you can scout enemy base in FoW n you see commander loadouts), cheese on CoH2 generally relates to any "spam" or rush of certain units which might be OP or overperforming.



You can make use of a death ball and then spread out when engaging the enemy or when danger arrives (spread out those marines!).



That shows how you don't need the approval or acknoledgement of the mayority of players to know something is gonna be OP or broken even if most people don't use it or think of using it.
I will say it again, USF was unplayable at the time, no one unlocked that commander yet and why bother with the Greyhound and it's gimmicky ability when you could rush a AA-HT faster and even compete against the Puma (if your opponent missmicro).



USF: rifle bar blob (before nerf) or even RE spam (before volley fire nerf) use to be a thing. Once you get your upgrades from your base, major + ambulance or even the Cpt foments some kind of blob/death ball. Thing is since Zooks are garbage and OKW blob is better, you are better going for a heavy tank play were you focus on wiping squads with either Scots or HE Shermans.

Regarding OH: it mostly force a lot of players to use Mechanized Assault for Stug-E into Tigers and a fast T2 to counter the M20, AA-HT or nowadays the Greyhound. T3 can be tricky since Jackson hardcounters it. Either you wait for the Tiger or you make AWESOME use of Mgs+Paks, which on some maps, can't be use at all.

So the more cheesy faction is the OKW? Is it what you say when you talk about blobbing is cheese? Come on, let keep apart that terminology, the most cheesy strat I have ever seen in 1vs1 is a 2 or 3 kubel start, cause Cheese also mean you bet on surprising your opponent by something going cpmpletely against the gameplay like ensuring you have a sufficient resource income.

I completely agree with you on the M8, it was OP since the beginning but the meta game wasn't ready to let his power shown to everyone. This is why I said today, USF common players have reach this maturity to use it efficiently today and it is a problem for the Ostheer.

Every faction can Xblob. Cons blob / Rifle blob and grenadier blob are still used. Don't you know you can spam and blob grenadier with their LMG if you have sufficient munition income/going on a Munition bases strat. It is really efficient as well.
However I cannot believe you that Ostheer need that badly to use a a Stug-E to counter light vehicles, not with grenadier with faust + pak that gives you a pretty sure kill of the unit. Like for any other faction except OKW. Sov need the Cons nade + Zis and USF Atnade + Atgun. OKW only need to blob volks shreck and this is exactly the issue people are talking about since a couple of weeks now.


@ Ratchet and Lemon

The problem is:
Allied factions are more difficult to play in 2vs2 but mastering them let you outclass Axis teamplay.
The problem is that it requires Allied players to materialize their faction in order to outclass their counterpart.
This is the problem because what you expose Lemon is the exception. But in the other part, every game to be play at any level need to oppose Allied to Axis. One side need more investment to be played than the other for the majority of the players.

Enough to save any light vehicle from a certain death. Before the nerf, a vehicle hit by the pak once was death whatever you were trying to do to save it (except from the M20 smoke). Now, if you are enough reactive, you can save it.

I have saved a lot of my half-traks and Stuarts from situations where before the nerf the unit would have been dead.

So maybe its only me (maybe I have that much improve my skills) but I feel a new time the pleasure to diversify my BO and not only go lieutenant because it is cheaper in fuel for my fast Sherman.

Canister shot crits infantry. It doesn't matter how many pellets hits you, if it touches you, you are dead.

20 range
50 munition

40 damage in a 3 radius with low penetration (~3)
Critical: Any infantry unit taking damage dies.


Regarding BO as USF, i'm still seeing the same thing everytime. Nothing has change in a general sense.

What did you expect? 3RE into 1Rifle + Capt? Of course the general meta doesn't change a lot, but as Ostheer you'll probably see more tentative with light vehicles since the pak nerf.

Because with med trucks being a must, going puma means pretty much giving up T4. I am playing around with spec ops commander + T2&T3 builds but lack of obers is pretty meh without panzerfusiliers or fallschrmjaegers.

Who cares? not me. I'm not telling you if it is good or bad, I'm telling it happens. And I'm also suggesting you that if in your next game you face a M8 that ripe off half of your blob/squads on the field making you bleed as hell and losing the game, you are a smart guy and you'll build a PUMA to counter it same if it delays your T4. And so the OKW -all infantry into T4- meta would decrease.