Panzer Corps 2 is a great strategy game with an easy to learn system of unit command and control. However, this leaves a lot of room for developing unique strategies and tactics for varying situations and missions. To meet these challenges, Herr General, we are compiling a list of simple tips that can help you understand the complexities of combat and unit dynamics.
1. Speed, Aggression, and Decisiveness are Key
All missions have a time limit and the AI in Panzer Corps 2 is quite adept at hitting the player’s weakest troops when they least expect it, all for delaying progress and for time to run out. The AI’s behavior can easily incentivize a more cautious and defensive playstyle in a mission where the player is tasked to take ground and objectives. To prevent this situation it is important to get into the habit of moving boldly forward towards victory points. Furthermore, strategic aggression and speed allows players to take the fight to the enemy and attack where and when they see fit, blunting any potential enemy counterattack.
2. Flexible Force Composition
This piece of advice has two parts: strategic and tactical. Strategically, when playing the persistent campaign, every mission will have varying terrain and objectives and the game will give the option to place troops in reserve and purchase new ones. Take this opportunity to compose a force that best suits the terrain and the objectives needed to take. The tactical dimension of flexible force composition is that it is important to have a force that combines multiple types of units that can work together. In other words it’s a good idea to diversify to an extent and not overfocus on only tanks or infantry or any other unit type.
3. Stay up to Date With New Units
As campaigns progress, the player will gain access to new units reflecting new technology and equipment of the war. More technologically advanced units may become available in between missions and higher tech units both give a force edge over the enemy, which helps maintain strategic and tactical initiative, and also to keep up with the evolving and changing enemy forces as well. Sometimes new types of units may become available even during missions themselves with the capture of certain objectives. In essence, evolve the army dynamically as campaigns progress.
4. Balance Upgrading Units With Purchasing New Ones
Though this may seem contrary to the previous tip, it may not always be a good idea to spend prestige and resources on upgrading units. More technologically advanced units usually take more slots in a player’s force than inferior ones, creating a situation where going for more powerful units means you will have less troops overall. The balance of upgrading versus purchasing more units comes down to the mission at hand and the state of the overall force. It may be a wiser idea to forgo getting an upgrade for a tank unit and instead getting some other units that can fill a critically lacking role in the overall force composition.
5. Focus Upgrades on Key Units
When deciding to upgrade units, it’s highly recommended to focus resources on the key units of a force. For example, if recent campaign missions have all been centered around attacking fortified enemy positions and fighting in rough terrain, then it may be a good idea to upgrade infantry, artillery, and airplanes. Alternatively, if missions have been presenting the player with large swathes of open ground with plenty of room to maneuver, then tanks and self-propelled weapon systems may benefit the most from upgrades. Upgrades don’t always have to involve changing the unit to a new one but can also involve adding extra combat steps (adding overstrength in-game), which increase the overall units combat effectiveness.
6. Prioritize Replacements for Critical Units
Similarly to the previous concept of focusing upgrades on important units, it’s highly likely during missions that units will take damage from unlucky RNG or a determined enemy counterattack. During missions, players will have the option to give damaged units replacements to keep them combat capable and to prevent them from being eliminated. It is generally a good idea to provide replacements to any units that are damaged, but that lowers unit experience. Elite replacements (that don’t lower experience) are best used for units that are critical to the success of a mission, but these replacements are more expensive in prestige.
7. Minimize Damage, Maximize Experience
Experience is an important passive method of upgrading units and happens over time for performing attacks and eliminating opposing units. By taking damage on units, players will need to apply replacements, which can reduce experience. Hence, it is in the player’s best interest of the development of their army to minimize casualties, especially on their key units. Granted casualties are inevitable, but that’s where less important troops like light infantry, or cheap armor can be positioned in such a way that the enemy is forced to attack them, rather than the powerful, experienced units.
8. Positioning Is Vital
Good positioning can significantly aid in keeping player units alive or positively affect combat odds. By positioning I mean placing support units like anti-tank guns, artillery, and anti-aircraft units adjacent to combat units likely to be attacked so that they lend their firepower to defense. Furthermore, learning effective positioning can lead to the maximization of unit abilities and effects. For example, when a unit attacks an opposing unit, if there is an adjacent friendly recon unit, it will give a bonus to the combat odds of the attacking unit.
9. Use Heroes
Throughout the various campaigns and after every mission, players have a chance to meet heroes from the war. These heroes come with their own portraits, signature, name, and special stat improvement. Units can be assigned up to three heroes that can increase the effectiveness of that unit. There is no downside to assigning heroes and they can be freely shifted around at the start of every mission. They are a great way to get invested in individual units and their performance, as well as to strengthen important units even further.
10. Efficient Troop Assignment
Typically, there will be a number of objectives in each mission that players can attack and push towards and claim. A lot of these objectives will be spread apart and guarded by a variety of defenders. It is wise to efficiently distribute the player’s army into smaller sections or forces that can easily take on their designated target. There is no need to send more units than needed in a single direction. For example, a town defended by a fortified infantry unit could probably be dealt with at most with one artillery unit, one (maybe two) assault infantry and recon unit or a tank with some air support. This way the bulk of the player’s army can focus on other tasks without getting inefficiently bogged down.
11. Scouting and Intelligence
Without any additional options selected for missions, players will always know the terrain of any given mission, but enemy troops will be concealed by the fog-of-war unless they’re in the line of sight of friendly units. It is always a good idea to get an understanding of the enemy troops the player will face without charging ahead into the unknown with their tanks. Scout units and airplanes are great units for scouting. There is even a mechanic that dissuades blindly charging into the unknown called ambush where if a unit moves to a location that was not previously scouted and a unit is there, it will get a devastating attack on the unit blindly moving forward. This is the surest way to lose tanks and other valuable units if players do not do their due diligence by scouting.
12. Aircraft, Support Units, and Suppression
It’s inevitable that players will engage entrenched units or fortifications. The best way to deal with these hard points and well-defended troops is to suppress them with various support units and aircraft. Artillery, close air support, and bombers may not necessarily eliminate units outright, but they deal damage to enemies with suppression, which reduces the unit’s fighting capability, as well as any entrenchment bonus they have. Also, one major strength of aircraft and artillery is that one has great reach and the other has a ranged attack that usually cannot be countered by the enemy, except in very specific circumstances. This means players can deal damage from afar without retaliation and conserve their strength for future engagements. Tanks alone cannot win battles.
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