Company of Heroes is the third installment in the legendary real-time strategy series covering one of the bloodiest conflicts in recent history - World War II. Since the game was released, the developers at Relic Entertainment have been carefully tweaking the pendulum of powerbetween factionsto make the game as balanced as possible, including making gameplay changes and quality-of-life improvements. All of these will be included below.
Company of Heroes 3 Balance Update 1.1.4 Patch Notes - May 13, 2025
GENERAL GAMEPLAY CHANGES
Anti-Tank RiflesAfrikakorps Panzerjager Panzerbusche & British Corps Infantry Section Boys Anti-Tank Rifles
Anti-Tank rifles are overperforming in their ability to shutdown vehicle play and engage targets while under suppression. The following changes address these cases and allow vehicles to kite Anti-Tank Rifle Units.
Auto-Reverse Distance
Auto-reverse distance is being increased to reduce how often a player needs to use the Reverse ability and make it easier to back vehicles up during the heat of battle.
BunkersWehrmacht Bunkers & Afrikakorps Heavy Machine Gun Bunker
Button Abilities
Wehrmacht Flak 30 AA Gun, US Forces M16 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage & US Forces M1919 Heavy Machine Gun Team
Button has been overhauled to be less punishing. Buttoned vehicles can now fight back and will no longer be immobilized, allowing them to maneuver or retreat.
Forward Reinforcement Times
We have adjusted forward reinforcement to lessen the power of front-line reinforcement, especially during combat. This should dramatically lower the efficiency of forward reinforcing, making it less oppressive in larger games.
Mobile Anti-Tank Guns
Anti-tank guns are seeing improvements across the board, increasing their reliability and performance against vehicles. Additionally, we have implemented key adjustments to minimize the frequency of shells striking the terrain ensuring a more consistent performance at long ranges.
Mobile Heavy Machine Guns
Heavy Machine Guns are seeing improvements across the board to address their unreliability in their anti-infantry / or “anti-blob” role.
Smoke
Reducing smoke duration serves two purposes: reducing stall times for units contesting capture points while hiding into smoke and decreasing smoke effectiveness when countering Heavy Machine Guns.
Snipers
We are reducing the effectiveness of snipers when operating independently. They will now require spotters to utilize their full range and are more vulnerable to incoming fire. Furthermore, these units will now fire marginally slower.
FACTION CHANGES
US Forces
US Forces continues to struggle in team game modes where many of their advantages are less pronounced. Our focus for this patch has been to improve their mid-game options, reduce the price of certain upgrades, and strengthen their light vehicle play.
4x4 Truck
High Velocity Armor Piercing RoundsM4A3E8 Sherman & M18 Hellcat
M3 75mm Gun Motor Carriage
We have adjusted the M3 75mm Gun Motor Carriage to be geared to destroying lighter vehicles and providing fire support against units like dug-in infantry and Heavy Machine Guns.
M4 Sherman 105mm Dozer
M8 Greyhound
These changes are intended to increase the Greyhound’s performance against infantry in open terrain.
M16 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage
M24 Chaffee Light Tank
These changes will make the unit more effective at hunting down other light vehicles, give it better maneuverability to flank heavier vehicles, and disengaging from enemy threats.
M1919 Heavy Machine Gun Team
Riflemen
Pour it On’Em has received a heavy adjustment to its suppression. Previously, it allowed Riflemen to win all infantry engagements through suppression while also receiving a damage boost. Browning Automatic Rifles have also had their accuracy slightly increased to improve their effectiveness at range.
Survival Training
M4A3E8 Sherman
To differentiate the Easy Eight from regular 76mm Shermans, the High-Velocity Armor Piercing Rounds ability now comes as default, while also retaining the regular Sherman veterancy abilities, giving the tank excellent flexibility and options.
Armored Battlegroup
Field Repairs
Field Repairs has been reworked to be easier to use and have a greater impact.
M4A3E8 Sherman Combat Group
The cost of the combat group has been significantly reduced to better reflect the capabilities of the Sherman Easy Eight, its timing, and its position in the Battlegroup.
Special Operations Battlegroup
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht is receiving boosts to its early game with improvements focused on the Panzergrenadier Kompanie to increase build and composition diversity. We are also addressing the dominance of Jägers across all game modes.
Flak 30 20mm Anti-Air Gun
Grenadiers
Grenadiers have received several adjustments to slightly improve their performance, so they are in-line with other early game infantry.
Hulldown Ability
This ability now has a delayed activation to prevent immediate defensive boosts.
Jäger Light Infantry
The Panzerschreck Jägers high flexibility, powerful base stats, and superior anti-tank capabilities have made them dominant in all modes. We are shaving off a significant amount of power from the unupgraded Jäger and Panzerschreck Jägers, emphasizing tradeoffs when opting out of the Reconnaissance Package.
Marder III M Tank Destroyer
MG 42 Heavy Machine Gun Team
Officer Quarters UpgradesInfanterie Kompanie, Luftwaffe Kompanie, Panzergrenadier Kompanie & Panzer Kompanie
Panzer IV Command Tank
Panzergrenadier Squad
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StuG III G Assault Gun
We have made major changes to the StuG III to make the vehicle more attractive in larger and later games where it was unreliable at fighting enemy armor.
Stosstruppen
Stosstruppen have received a number of improvements to make them the premiere anti-infantry squad for their cost and timing.
StuG III D Assault Gun (Short Barreled)
Stummel Half-track
The Stummel has been adjusted to make it a more effective fire-support unit against infantry through increased range and area of effect damage.
Mechanized Assault
British Forces
The British Forces’ dominance with massed infantry backed by powerful upgrades led to oppressive gameplay and reduced build and unit diversity. We have significantly reduced the effectiveness of these strategies, requiring the faction to rely on combined arms to get the most out of their units.
B.L. 5.5 Inch Artillery Emplacement
Centaur
The Centaur has been improved to push the unit towards a mobile anti-infantry vehicle that deals steady damage to infantry, while being able to disengage from most threats.
CMP15 CWT AA Truck
We have adjusted the CMP15 CWT AA Truck to primarily be geared to shooting down aircraft. We will be revisiting this unit in future updates.
Commandos
Crusader II
Fuel has been increased to better reflect the performance of the Crusader.
Dingo
Infantry Section
The following change now forces Infantry Sections to be in cover to gain their veterancy 1 ability bonuses, making them less effective when in the open.
Royal Engineer Section
Training Center Upgrades
The Training Center provided excessive value for its cost, could be confusing for players and enabled Veteran British units to heavily out scale their opponents. We have streamlined the combat bonuses to only apply once and removed the damage bonus. This significant reduction should maintain British units’ early-to-mid game power but result in a noticeable drop in late-game scaling.
Air and Sea Battlegroup
British Armoured
Indian Artillery
These changes to the Battlegroup better reflect the power of Volunteer Infantry and its role as a middle to late game option that requires the player to commit to the end of the Battlegroup tree.
Perimeter Monitor
Afrikakorps
The Afrikakorps were oppressive in its middle and late game while also being overly vulnerable early on. We are making minor adjustments to even this out by strengthening its early game and reducing the power of their Armory upgrades.
250 Light Carrier
These changes should allow Afrikakorps players to delay building dedicated healing.
Flak 36 88mm Anti-Tank Gun
Flakvierling Half-track
The Flakvierling Half-track is having its effectiveness increased to better reflect its timing and role as a low durability, but high firepower unit.
Guastatori
Guastatori have been adjusted to remove their anti-vehicle snare, focusing their role as an anti-infantry and anti-garrison unit. Their cost has been reduced to reflect this.
Kradschutzen Motorcycle Team
Build times are being reduced to improve the standard Afrikakorps openings, that include Panzergrenadiers.
L6/40
The armor of the L6/40 has been increased, pushing this unit towards a low health vehicle that is immune to Heavy Machine Guns and small arms.
Panzerjaeger
StuG III D Assault Gun
Tungsten Rounds
Tungsten Rounds is having its damage bonus removed as they added too much passive power for Afrikakorps vehicles against infantry and vehicles. Penetration bonuses have been slightly increased to compensate.
Vehicle Survival Package
We are lowering the durability bonus so most vehicles, when combined with Emergency Repair Kits, can survive one additional hit rather than two.
Afrikakorps battlegroups
Italian Combined Arms
Bug Fixes
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