Company of Heroes 2 - manual

Warnings & Ratings

Important Health Warning About Playing Video Games

Photosensitive Seizures

A very small percentage of people may experience a seizure when exposed to certain visual images, including flashing lights or patterns that may appear in video games. Even people who have no history of seizures or epilepsy may have an undiagnosed condition that can cause these “photosensitive epileptic seizures” while watching video games.

These seizures may have a variety of symptoms, including lightheadedness, altered vision, eye or face twitching, jerking or shaking of arms or legs, disorientation, confusion, or momentary loss of awareness. Seizures may also cause loss of consciousness or convulsions that can lead to injury from falling down or striking nearby objects.

Immediately stop playing and consult a doctor if you experience any of these symptoms. Parents should watch for or ask their children about the above symptoms—children and teenagers are more likely than adults to experience these seizures. The risk of photosensitive epileptic seizures may be reduced by taking the following precautions: Sit farther from the screen; use a smaller screen; play in a well-lit room; and do not play when you are drowsy or fatigued. If you or any of your relatives have a history of seizures or epilepsy, consult a doctor before playing.

Precautions to take during use

• Sit a good distance away from the monitor.
• Avoid playing if you are tired or have not had much sleep.
  
• Make sure that the room in which you are playing is well lit.
  
• Rest for at least 10 to 15 minutes per hour while playing a video game.
  

Welcome to Company of Heroes 2

In June 1941, following his successes in Western Europe, Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa, a full-scale invasion of the Soviet Union. Over the months that followed, the Wehrmacht were able to penetrate as far east as Moscow.

However, after early victories, Operation Barbarossa stalled. In the great expanse of the Russian countryside, German supply lines were stretched, and not having expected the campaign to last into winter, the Wehrmacht were ill-prepared for the conditions they would face. The winters of the Second World War were some of the bitterest in Russia’s history.

For the next four years, the two nations were locked in a conflict along the Eastern Front. From Moscow to Stalingrad, Warsaw to Berlin, war raged from Germany across the Soviet Union and back again.

Company of Heroes 2 challenges you to take command of the Red Army on the Eastern Front through the most decisive moments of the Second World War. Engage in intense real-time skirmishes, seamlessly coordinate infantry, armor and artillery on an ever-changing battlefield, and endure freezing conditions, fighting half-blind through perilous blizzards.

Welcome to the Eastern Front, Commander.

Installation

As part of the Steam download process, the game has already been installed on your computer. To start playing the game, read the Getting Started section.

Controls

Company of Heroes 2 requires you to right-click in order to perform many commands. If you are using a Magic Mouse or Trackpad, your secondary click may not be activated by default. For detailed instructions on how to enable secondary click, see Can I play Company of Heroes 2 using my Magic Mouse or Trackpad in the FAQs.

Classic and Grid Hotkeys

In Company of Heroes 2, you can choose between using “Classic” hotkeys and “Grid” hotkeys.

Classic hotkeys are the default option. They’re easy to remember, because the key you need to press often refers to the thing you want to do (for example, you press A to “Attack” or G to “Attack Ground”).

Grid hotkeys are organized close together, so that you can reach them all easily with your left hand. With grid keys enabled, the layout of the hotkeys is always the same as the layout of abilities in the Abilities grid shown in the bottom-right corner of the screen, so by looking at the Abilities grid, it’s easy to know which key to press.

To change the hotkey type, select Menu → Options from the Main Menu, then select the Gameplay tab. On this tab, enable Classic Hotkeys to use classic hotkeys, or disable it to use grid hotkeys.

The controls listed below and in the rest of this manual assume that you are using the classic hotkeys.

Camera

Unit Selection

Soviet

Wehrmacht

Tutorials

If you want to charge straight into the battle, the campaign provides an excellent introduction to the game. However, Company of Heroes 2 also includes several other forms of in-game help in the Tutorials menu (Main Menu → Tutorials).

The Tutorials menu contains the following tabs:

Missions

This tab contains two specially-designed training missions: the tutorial mission and the training grounds mission.

The tutorial mission guides you through the basics of controlling your troops. To play the tutorial mission, select Launch Mission.

The training grounds mission is a sandbox battle designed to let you explore the different units and tactics available in the game. To launch the training grounds mission, select Training Grounds, then click Launch. If you want to change your army, click on the medal icon before launching the mission.

Videos

This tab contains a number of tutorial videos that introduce basic game concepts.

Game Tips

This tab lists quick and helpful tips on battlefield tactics, arranged by subject.

Game Modes

Campaign

The campaign comprises 14 missions retracing events on the Eastern Front during World War II. You command the Soviet troops fighting against the German invaders.

To access the campaign, select Campaign from the Main Menu.

Theater of War

The Theater of War mode is a collection of scenarios, challenges and battles for single-player and co-op multiplayer games.

Scenarios challenge you to complete a set of specific objectives.

Challenges give you a small set of objectives to complete against the odds or in unusual circumstances.

Battles are straightforward skirmishes. You’ll be challenged to take and hold victory points around the map or destroy your opponent’s base buildings to win the battle.

To access these missions, select Theater of War from the Main Menu.

Online & Skirmish

Online & Skirmish games allow you to set up quick or custom battles against human or AI players, or a mix of the two.

To access these battles, select Online & Skirmish from the Main Menu.

Online and skirmish battles challenge you to either capture and hold victory points or destroy all of your opponent’s base buildings to win. To choose the victory conditions for the battle, click the Options button before beginning the match and set the Win Condition to your preferred option:

Victory Point – you win when your enemy’s victory point counter runs out or when you destroy all of their base buildings.
Annihilation – you win when you destroy all of your enemy’s base buildings.
No Win Condition – the battle will continue indefinitely, until you choose to quit it.

Game Screen

The game screen provides a wealth of useful information. To find out what an item on screen means, place the mouse cursor over it until a tooltip appears.

Units

Squads

Your infantry units are organized into squads of up to six individual soldiers. As a squad takes damage, the number of soldiers in it will decrease.

Vehicle units contain only one vehicle each.

Selection

There are a number of ways to select a unit:

• Click the unit or one of the members of the squad on the screen;
• Click and drag a selection box around the unit;
• Click the unit’s icon in the global unit control in the top-right corner of the screen;
• Click the unit’s icon on the tactical map.

Movement

To move a selected unit, right-click on the point to which you want it to move.

Queuing Orders

You can set out a series of checkpoints by holding the Shift key and right-clicking on each point in turn. The unit will move to each point in order. This can be used to help units avoid dangerous areas or stick close to fires during cold weather.

You can order units to perform actions one after the other in the same way: just hold down the Shift key while you give orders. This can be particularly helpful to order one squad to capture multiple territory points at the start of a battle by holding down the Shift key and right-clicking on each point in turn. The squad will then attempt to capture the points one at at a time.

Attacking

To order a selected unit to attack an enemy, right-click on the enemy. Most units will fire automatically at any enemies within range.

Right-clicking will order the unit to attack using its normal weapons, but units also have special abilities.

Range

Units have a maximum range. If a target is outside a unit’s range, the unit will need to move closer before it can attack.

Most infantry units are more accurate at closer ranges. However, the effectiveness of a unit at different ranges depends on the type of weapon it uses: units with rapid fire weapons such as submachine guns are more effective at short range, whereas soldiers with rifles remain effective at longer ranges.

Some units, such as mortar squads, also have a minimum range. They will not be able to attack anything within the minimum range.

Reinforcing Squads

Each infantry squad consists of a small number of individual soldiers. As the squad takes damage, soldiers will be killed.

Damaged squads can be reinforced with new soldiers to keep them at full strength. There are two ways to reinforce squads:

• When a squad is near a base building or a half-track vehicle, select the squad and click the Reinforce button (hotkey: R) in the Abilities grid to restore one unit to the squad. Click multiple times to queue up reinforce orders to replace all missing units. If you’re playing as the Wehrmacht, you can also reinforce your squads near a bunker with the command post upgrade.
• If you’re playing as the Soviets, you can merge conscript squads with other infantry squads to reinforce them. To do so, select a squad of conscripts, click the Merge button (hotkey: M) in the Abilities grid, then left-click the squad you want to reinforce. Enough soldiers from the conscript squad will move into the target squad to reinforce it.

Reinforcing a squad is much cheaper than deploying new units, and the squad will retain any upgrades or veterancy ranks it has already earned.

Retreating

Sometimes retreat is the only option to keep a squad alive.

To order a selected squad to retreat, click the Retreat button (hotkey: T) in the Abilities grid. The squad will run back to your headquarters.

While the squad is retreating, you will be unable to control it. However, as it’s moving quickly, it is much less vulnerable to enemy fire.

Vehicles

Vehicles can be used to support your infantry troops: armored vehicles are able to absorb most infantry fire, but are vulnerable to attack from mines, artillery and anti-tank weapons.

Vehicles’ armor is weaker at the sides, and especially weak at the rear. Flank enemy vehicles to attack them more effectively, and avoid exposing your own vehicles’ sides and rear to the enemy.

Damaged vehicles can be repaired by your engineers or pioneers. You can also repair a vehicle at a repair facility, if there’s one on the map.

If a vehicle is very badly damaged, your soldiers may abandon it. You can recrew an abandoned vehicle by selecting an infantry squad and right-clicking the vehicle. Avoid leaving abandoned vehicles around the battlefield, or your enemy may recrew them and use them against you.

Transporting Troops

Some vehicles, such as half-tracks, can be used to transport infantry units. To load a selected squad into a vehicle, right-click on the vehicle. To unload them, select the vehicle and click the Unload Selected Troops button (hotkey: D) in the Abilities grid.

While in a vehicle, your troops will be protected from enemy fire and cold weather.

Reversing

Some vehicles turn very slowly, so in some situations, it may be quicker to reverse than to turn around. Reversing also avoids exposing a vehicle’s weaker side and rear armor to the enemy.

To reverse a selected vehicle, click the Reverse Move button (hotkey: U) in the Abilities grid and left-click on your destination.

Special Abilities

All units have special abilities that can be used in addition to their standard attack.

When you select a unit, its special abilities are shown in the Abilities grid in the bottom-right corner of the screen. Left-click on an ability to use it, and left-click on a target if required.

Some units unlock new abilities as they gain veterancy ranks or are upgraded, or when you buy upgrade packages at your HQ.

Many abilities have a munitions cost. Place the mouse cursor over an ability button to see details of its effect and cost.

Many abilities also have a cooldown period: this means that after using an ability you must wait a short time before you can use it again.

Resources

There are three key resources in Company of Heroes 2: manpower, munitions and fuel.

Manpower is used to deploy new infantry squads and vehicles, and build production buildings.

Munitions are used to activate special abilities and upgrade units.

Fuel is used to deploy new vehicles and build production buildings.

Your current supply of each resource and the amount you are generating per minute is shown on the information panel at the bottom of the screen.

Generating Resources

When you begin a game, you generate manpower at a high rate per minute, and munitions and fuel at a low rate per minute.

Your manpower generation rate decreases as you build new units, and will increase again as you lose units.

You can increase your munitions and fuel generation rates by capturing resource points and building fuel and munitions caches.

Resource Points

Standard territory points, munitions points and fuel points all generate a certain amount of munitions and fuel per minute:

• Standard points generate a small amount of both munitions and fuel;
• Munitions points generate a large amount of munitions only;
• Fuel points generate a large amount of fuel only.

Your engineers or pioneers can build a fuel cache or munitions cache on a standard territory point to increase the amount of fuel or munitions it generates. Caches cannot be built on fuel or munitions points.

Resource caches also make the point less vulnerable to enemy attack, as the cache must be destroyed before the point can be captured.

In order to gain the benefit of a resource point, it must be connected to your HQ by a continuous line of territory. If it is not, the point will not generate any resources. If an area of territory is not connected to your HQ, it will flash on the mini-map.

The Base

When you start a battle, you begin with a small number of base structures, including a headquarters.

You can build more structures using engineers or pioneers. To do so, select an engineer or pioneer squad and click the Production Buildings button (hotkey: V) or the Field Defenses button (hotkey: B).

Each additional production building you construct allows you to deploy additional types of unit.

Some structures cannot be built right away: for example, you cannot build the third Soviet production building until you have built one of the first two, and you cannot build the Wehrmacht production buildings until you have bought the corresponding battle phase upgrades from the HQ.

To construct a building more quickly, assign multiple engineer or pioneer squads to it.

Tactics

Cover

Cover is one of the most important tactical considerations in Company of Heroes 2. It’s a measure of how well protected your infantry squads are by their surroundings. A squad hidden behind a wall is in good cover, and will be harder for the enemy to hit, whereas a squad in the open is an easy target and will take more damage from enemy fire.

If your squad is particularly exposed, for example standing in the middle of a road, they may be in negative cover, which makes them especially vulnerable to enemy fire and suppression.

When a squad is in cover, a shield icon will appear on the squad’s icon indicating the level of protection:

Most cover is directional: it will only protect your squad if the cover is between them and their attackers. For example, a wall will only provide cover in one direction, so you must keep the wall between your squad and the enemy to gain the benefit of the cover. Try to avoid letting the enemy flank squads in directional cover. Some cover, such as a crater, will protect a squad from all directions.

Cover is also dynamic: many cover-providing structures can be destroyed by combat, and cover can sometimes be created by battlefield debris, including destroyed vehicles and craters from artillery fire. Some units also have the ability to create objects that can provide cover, for example conscripts’ ability to build sandbags.

Cover is ineffective against certain weapons: for example, artillery can fire over it, and grenades can be thrown over it.

Camouflage

Some units can remain hidden from the enemy using camouflage. Snipers are able to do so by default: they will automatically enter camouflage whenever they’re in cover.

Certain other units can be upgraded to use camouflage, and during a blizzard, any infantry unit will be camouflaged when in deep snow.

While a unit is camouflaged, it is invisible to the enemy. A white sniping icon will appear below the unit’s icon, and the unit itself will turn translucent.

Firing reveals a unit to the enemy, so it’s best to hold fire until you’re ready to reveal your position. Snipers can be ordered to hold fire by clicking the Hold Fire button (hotkey: H) in the Abilities grid.

Suppression & Pinning

Fire from a heavy machine gun, a strafing aircraft or certain unit special abilities can be used to suppress and pin infantry squads.

If a squad is exposed to such fire for too long, it will be suppressed (indicated by a yellow triangle icon above the squad): squads in better cover take longer to be suppressed than those in poor cover. While a squad is suppressed, its movement is slowed and its accuracy decreased.

If a squad remains suppressed, it will eventually become pinned (indicated by a red triangle icon). A pinned squad cannot move or attack. Its only option is to retreat, unless another squad can break the suppressing fire.

Initially, a suppressed or pinned squad is less vulnerable to enemy fire, but this wears off after a while, so it’s vital to move them away from fire if possible.

Any other infantry squads near a suppressed or pinned squad are more likely to become suppressed themselves.

Squads in cover are less vulnerable to suppression and pinning, and squads garrisoned in buildings cannot be suppressed or pinned.

The Battlefield

General Winter

During the winters of the Second World War, the temperature on the Eastern Front frequently dropped below -10°C, and could even fall as low as -40°C. The cold often proved to be far more lethal than the enemy, proving that its nickname “General Winter” was well earned.

Cold

On some maps, freezing temperatures will pose a serious threat to your units. Infantry squads exposed to the cold will start to freeze, and eventually die.

When a squad starts to freeze, a blue temperature bar will appear next to the squad’s icon. The bar will drain while the squad is in the cold, and when it empties completely, the squad will die of exposure.

Troops in cover will be less affected by the cold: when a squad is in heavy cover, its temperature bar will no longer drain.

Your troops will warm up when near a fire, in a vehicle, or garrisoned in a building. When a squad is warming up, the temperature bar will turn red and increase. When the squad is fully warmed, the bar will disappear again.

Engineers, pioneers and conscripts can build fire pits to warm up your units on cold-weather maps.

Vehicles and snipers are unaffected by the cold.

Ice

In cold conditions, bodies of water, such as rivers, may be frozen over, making it possible to cross otherwise impassable terrain.

Ice can be broken by explosions, for example from artillery or grenades, and any units on an area of ice when it is broken will fall into the freezing water and die. Ice can also be melted by units with flamethrowers.

Ice is slowly damaged each time vehicles pass over it, making it easier to break.

Broken ice will eventually refreeze, and will do so more quickly during blizzard conditions.

Blizzards

On cold-weather maps, there is a chance of blizzards occurring.

When a blizzard is due to strike, a stopwatch will appear on the screen counting down to the start of the blizzard. Use this time to protect your troops by having your engineers, pioneers or conscripts build fires or by moving your infantry to shelter.

During a blizzard, infantry units will freeze to death sooner, visibility is reduced, and troops in deep snow will be camouflaged.

Some abilities, such as airstrikes, cannot be used during a blizzard.

Battle Strategy

Knowing how to command your troops on the battlefield is only one aspect of Company of Heroes 2. Having a well-developed strategy is also key to winning battles, especially in online games where you’ll be facing off against other players.

The sections that follow introduce a few basic points of strategy in Company of Heroes 2. However, the best way to improve your strategy is to experiment and to watch what other players do online, either by playing against them or watching live games.

You can also visit the Company of Heroes 2 forums, where players from all over the world share and discuss their strategies.

Build Order

One of the most important strategic decisions in a battle is the order in which you deploy new units, upgrade them, and build new production buildings. You earn resources slowly, especially at the beginning of a battle, so wasting them on the wrong purchase could prove a hindrance for the rest of the game.

You don’t have to build every production building or use all the units available to you, so only build what is absolutely necessary for your strategy.

Experiment with different combinations to find which works best for you. Remember that your strategy is likely to vary greatly depending on whether you’re playing as the Soviets or the Wehrmacht, as well as on which commanders and intel bulletins you’re using.

Whatever your build order, make sure you capture territory points early in the game: these will give you the necessary resources to deploy units and construct new buildings.

Commanders

Commanders give you access to a range of special commander abilities during battles.

You can have up to three commanders in your loadout, but you’ll only be able to unlock and use the abilities of one of them during a battle. At the start of the battle, all three commanders’ icons will appear above the information panel. When you’ve decided which commander you want to use, click on its icon: you’ll then have access to its abilities.

Deciding when to unlock a commander is important: doing so at the start of the battle means you have access to its abilities immediately, but it’s sometimes wiser to wait and see how the battle unfolds, so you know which commander’s abilities will be most useful.

Commander abilities unlock one-by-one as you earn command points during the battle. The command point counter is shown above the top-left corner of the information panel. Each time the counter fills, you earn a command point. It fills slowly but continuously throughout the battle. Each time you construct a building or kill enemy units, the counter fills more quickly.

Intel Bulletins

Intel bulletins provide bonuses throughout a battle, such as increased damage and accuracy for a specific unit. You can have up to three intel bulletins in your loadout, and unlike commanders, you receive the benefit of all three of them during a battle.

Rank

You earn player experience for fighting battles, either in single-player or multiplayer. When you earn enough experience, your rank will increase.

To view your experience and rank, click on the arrow icon in the top-left corner of the player card on the Main Menu.

The Western Front Armies

Company of Heroes 2 – The Western Front Armies is a DLC expansion for Company of Heroes 2 that includes two new armies for multiplayer battles and single-player skirmishes. Play as the Oberkommando West, Germany’s late-war army, or as the US Forces, Eisenhower’s expeditionary corps.

For instructions on how to purchase Company of Heroes 2 – The Western Front Armies, see How do I obtain DLC? in the FAQs.

You can also view the Company of Heroes 2 – The Western Front Armies manual for more information on the new armies and units included in the expansion.

Ardennes Assault

Command the US forces in the Battle of the Bulge.

Company of Heroes 2 – Ardennes Assault is a DLC expansion for Company of Heroes 2 that includes a new single-player campaign with 18 dynamic scenarios.

For instructions on how to purchase Company of Heroes 2 – Ardennes Assault, see How do I obtain DLC? in the FAQs.

You can also view the Company of Heroes 2 – Ardennes Assault manual for more information about how to play the expansion.

The British Forces

Fight for King and Country with the British Forces.

Company of Heroes 2 – The British Forces is a DLC expansion for Company of Heroes 2 that includes a new army for multiplayer battles and single-player skirmishes.

For instructions on how to purchase Company of Heroes 2 – The British Forces, see How do I obtain DLC? in the FAQs.

You can also view the Company of Heroes 2 – The British Forces manual for more information on the new army and units included in the expansion.

Technical Support

Every effort has been made to make Company of Heroes 2 as compatible with current hardware as possible. However, if you are experiencing problems when running Company of Heroes 2, please read on.

The latest version of the FAQs can be found by selecting the FAQs button in the Support tab of the Company of Heroes 2 pre-game Options window (this is the window that opens when you launch the game), or by going straight to the Feral website: http://support.feralinteractive.com

Contacting Feral

If the FAQs and/or updates do not solve your problem, then please feel free to contact us. The following information must be obtained before contacting Feral Technical Support:

• The error message displayed when the problem occurred (if any).
• A Company of Heroes 2 Report.txt file. This contains:
  • An Apple System Report of your Mac
  • Any crash logs that exist for Company of Heroes 2
  • A list of the game's contents

All the information required can be obtained by opening Company of Heroes 2 and clicking on the Support tab in the Company of Heroes 2 pre-game Options window. In the Support tab, click on the Generate Report button. Once the report is generated it will appear as a file in your ~/Downloads folder (the “~” symbol refers to your home directory). Now click on the Create Email button. Remember to attach the Company of Heroes 2 Report.txt file to your email.

In your email, please include a brief description of the problem you have experienced with Company of Heroes 2.

email: support@feralinteractive.com

Warranty

Please check the warranty information provided by Steam.

Credits

Originally developed by:

Relic Entertainment

Originally published by:

SEGA

Macintosh development by:

Feral Interactive

Macintosh publishing by:

Feral Interactive

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