Company of Heroes 2: Complete Guide

A practical guide to Company of Heroes 2 (CoH2) for new and returning commanders: the resource and territory systems, cover and combat rules, a primer on each of the five armies, opening principles, and the mistakes that lose most early games.

Researched September 2026 — current as of the long-standing final balance state (no new official content; the game is in maintenance). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Status (September 2026): CoH2 (June 25, 2013) is still playable online with automatch and custom games, but Relic's active development has moved on. Company of Heroes 3 launched in February 2023, the standalone CoH3: Final Stand was announced on July 2, 2026, and a Company of Heroes – Definitive Edition remaster of the original 2006 game is slated for Steam in early 2027. Relic, independent from SEGA since 2024, is now listed as CoH2's publisher on Steam. CoH2's balance hasn't meaningfully changed in years, so older guides and replays are still largely relevant.

What You Own

The multiplayer standalones let you play any map against anyone who owns any CoH2 product. You only need the armies you want to play.

Quick Start

1. Capture territory fast. Every sector gives resources, but only if it's connected to your base by a chain of your sectors. Cut-off points produce nothing.
2. Victory Points (VPs) win games. In standard Victory Point Control, each team starts with 500 tickets. Holding more VPs drains the enemy's tickets, and the first team to 0 loses.
3. Retreat early, retreat often. Squads that retreat survive and keep their veterancy. Dead squads cost far more to replace.
4. Cover is life.
   • Green cover (heavy) is good.
   • Yellow cover (light) is OK.
   • Red means your men are exposed. Never leave infantry standing in the open under machine-gun fire.
5. Machine guns suppress, mortars and snipers break them. Don't charge an MG head-on. Flank it or smoke it.
6. Build anti-tank before you see tanks. Getting surprised by the first light vehicle is the classic newbie loss.
7. Watch upkeep. A bigger army means lower manpower income. Don't float resources, but don't spam units you can't use either.
8. Pick your commander wisely. You bring a loadout of commanders into each match, and choosing one mid-game unlocks its call-ins and abilities with Command Points.
9. Play vs. AI and 2v2s first. 1v1 automatch is the least forgiving mode.

Core Systems

Resources

Most points can be upgraded with a cache that increases their income. Cutting the enemy's fuel is often the strongest move in a game.

Combat rules to internalize

• TrueSight: you only see what your units can actually see. Buildings, hedges and smoke block vision.
• Suppression: MG fire pins infantry, which slows them and makes them useless. Fully pinned squads can barely move.
• Directional armor: vehicles are weakest in the rear. Always try to hit tanks from behind.
• Penetration: anti-tank weapons have a chance to penetrate based on their penetration and the target's armor. Small arms bounce off real tanks.
• Critical damage: vehicles can lose engines, main guns or crew. An engine-damaged tank is easy prey.
• Veterancy: units gain experience and become much stronger. Keep your veteran squads alive.
• Garrisons: buildings are strong but can be flamed, mortared or grenaded out. Don't park your whole army inside one.
• Winter maps: some maps have deep snow and freezing conditions. Infantry slows, and certain maps have ice that heavy vehicles can break through.

The Five Armies

Soviets (SOV)

• Style: flexible and relatively cheap. Commanders are a huge part of the Soviet identity.
• Core units: Conscripts, Combat Engineers, Penal Battalion, Maxim HMG, 82mm Mortar, ZiS-3 field gun, T-70, SU-76, T-34/76, SU-85, Katyusha.
• Commander call-ins: Guards Rifle Infantry, Shock Troops, T-34/85, IS-2, KV-series tanks, ISU-152 (depending on the commander).
• Tip: Conscripts are weak in a straight fight. Use them to cap, reinforce, and throw Molotovs and AT grenades (with the right upgrades).

Ostheer (GER)

• Style: strong, efficient infantry and support weapons. Progresses through phases to reach its tank tier.
• Core units: Pioneers, Grenadiers, Panzergrenadiers, MG42, Pak 40, Sniper, 222 Scout Car, Sd.Kfz. 251 halftrack, StuG III, Panzer IV, Ostwind, Panther.
• Commander call-ins: Tiger, Elefant, Brummbär and others.
• Tip: the MG42 plus Grenadier core is the classic defensive opener. Protect the MG from flanks.

US Forces (USF)

• Style: mobile and elite-infantry heavy. Officers (Lieutenant, Captain, Major) unlock tech paths.
• Core units: Riflemen, Rear Echelon Troops, M20 Utility Car, M15 AA halftrack, Stuart, M4 Sherman, M36 Jackson.
• Commander call-ins: Pershing, Easy Eight and others.
• Tip: Riflemen with BARs or Bazookas are very flexible. Grab weapon drops, because USF squads pick up weapons well.

Oberkommando West (OKW)

• Style: few but elite units. Tech comes from deployable HQ trucks, and income is tighter.
• Core units: Sturmpioneers, Volksgrenadiers, Kübelwagen, Raketenwerfer, Luchs, Puma, Panther and more, spread across the HQ trucks (Battlegroup, Mechanized or Flak, then Schwerer Panzer).
• Commander call-ins: heavy options such as the King Tiger and Sturmtiger, plus elite infantry. Later balance patches moved some units between commanders and trucks, so check the in-game tech tree.
• Tip: OKW trucks are powerful but exposed. Place them with care. Sturmpioneers are great early but costly to lose.

UK Forces (UKF)

• Style: defensive, with emplacements and strong infantry sections. A trade-off between static defense and mobility.
• Core units: Infantry Section, Royal Engineers, Universal Carrier, Vickers HMG, AEC Armoured Car, Cromwell, and late tanks like the Firefly and Comet (exact availability depends on balance patch and tech choice).
• Commander call-ins: Churchill variants and other doctrinal units and emplacements. Check each commander's loadout in-game.
• Tip: Infantry Sections are strongest in cover, so fight from positions. Upgrade them with Brens or PIATs based on the threat.

Opening Principles (all factions)

• Build order skeleton: 2–3 capping infantry squads, one support weapon (usually an MG), and one engineer-type squad to cap, lay mines and repair.
• First 3 minutes: cap your side of the map and contest the nearest fuel. Don't fight in the middle with a single squad.
• Minute 4–8: add anti-tank capability (a gun, teching toward AT, or AT grenades and upgrades) before the enemy's first light vehicle arrives.
• Mid game: get your first vehicle or light tank to punish infantry, and keep a mine field on your cutoff point.
• Late game: hold VPs and bleed the enemy slowly. You don't need to wipe them out.

Popular Maps

Standard 1v1 staples include Langres and Crossing in the Woods, and team games commonly rotate classics like Kholodny Ferma. Learn two or three maps well before touring the whole pool. The route to fuel and the cutoff are what matter most.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Attacking MGs from the front.
• Leaving infantry in red cover or bunching them up for mortars and grenades.
• No anti-tank plan until the first tank shows up.
• Fighting to the last man instead of retreating.
• Floating hundreds of manpower or munitions. Spend it.
• Giving the enemy easy cutoffs: leaving your fuel sector connected by one undefended point.
• Driving tanks alone into unscouted areas with hidden AT guns and mines.

Advanced Tips

• Smoke is king for crossing open ground and killing MGs and AT guns.
• Micro your retreats: pull back half a squad's HP early, reinforce, and return quickly. That wins the manpower war.
• Scout with light vehicles before committing tanks. TrueSight rewards whoever sees first.
• Hit the rear armor. Flanking a tank with an AT gun or tank destroyer beats trading shots from the front.
• Mine the cutoff, and your opponent's favorite flank routes.
• Watch replays of your losses. Most games are lost to one wiped squad or one lost tank.
• Use grid keys (optional hotkey layout) to speed up your macro.

FAQ

Is CoH2 still active online? Yes, automatch and custom games still work. Queues are smaller than CoH3's, and active hours matter.

Which faction is best for beginners? Ostheer or USF are forgiving, with clear cores and good infantry. Soviets are fun but depend on commander choice. OKW rewards experienced players.

Do I need all DLC? No. The base game plus one army is enough. You can play against anyone owning any CoH2 product.

CoH2 or CoH3? CoH3 is the actively updated game. CoH2 has a mature, stable meta and huge amounts of content, and many veterans still prefer it.

Is the Definitive Edition a CoH2 remaster? No. The announced Definitive Edition (early 2027) is a remaster of the original 2006 Company of Heroes.

Sources

• Company of Heroes 2 on Steam
• Steam news feed (Definitive Edition, CoH3 Final Stand announcements)
• Wikipedia: Company of Heroes 2