As we remain in awe of the enthusiasm around Update 3.0, we look forward to the road ahead. We also want to take this opportunity to show our gratitude towards you as a community for staying with us all these years and for your continued support and enthusiasm around Company of Heroes: Eastern Front!
Getting the opportunity to share and play our creation with many of you is a great reward after all these months of development and internal playtesting. Thanks to your valuable feedback and bug reports we were able to track down and address many balance concerns and other issues.
We are therefore happy to announce that Update 3.1 is scheduled to be released on September 30th, 10 am PDT (5 pm GMT, 7 pm CEST)!
The update brings game balance changes, AI difficulty tweaks, language support for Traditional Chinese, bug fixes, and more!
Before we dive into the details of this update, we want to give a shout-out to our community translators. Without your efforts we would be unable to support localization for languages other than English and German. Support for additional languages is planned, but we also are still looking for translators that can aid in this process for currently unsupported languages. If you think that you are up for the task, make sure to get in contact with us!
[h2]Global balance & gameplay changes[/h2]
[h3]Infantry Anti-Tank Weapons[/h3]
In Update 3.0 the M9 Bazooka and 44M Panceltoro received major improvements to their overall reliability and penetration capabilities. While we are mostly satisfied with these changes, we deem the weapons to overperform against certain targets.
M9 Bazooka/44M Panceltoro
- Damage multipliers:
- SdKfz 22x series: 1 → 0.9
- SdKfz 250 series: 1 → 0.9
- SdKfz 251 series: 1 → 0.9
- SdKfz 234 Puma: 1 → 0.9
- Stug skirts: 0.9 → 0.7
- Panzer IV: 1.6 → 1.4
- Panzer IV skirts: 1.2 → 1.1
- Panzer III: 1.6 → 1.2
- Panzer III skirts: 1.2 → 1
- Jagdpanzer IV: 1.5 → 1.4
- Jagdpanzer IV skirts: 1.125 → 1.1
- Panther: 1.5 → 1.4
- Panther skirts: 1.125 → 1.1
- Jagdpanther: 1 → 1.2
- Penetration multipliers:
- Panzer III: 0.85 → 0.75
- Panzer III skirts: 0.8 → 0.7
- Jagdpanther: 0.2 → 0.15
- Accuracy multipliers:
- SdKfz 234 Puma: 1 → 0.85
- SdKfz 250 series: 1 → 0.85
- SdKfz 251 series: 1 → 0.85
- Panzer II Luchs: 1 → 0.85
- M8 Greyhound: 1 → 0.85
- Target moving accuracy multipliers:
- SdKfz 234 Puma: 1 → 0.8
- SdKfz 250 series: 1 → 0.8
- SdKfz 251 series: 1 → 0.8
- Panzer II Luchs: 1 → 0.8
- M8 Greyhound: 1 → 0.8
[h3]Vehicle Cover[/h3]
The vehicle cover mechanic was disabled completely with Update 3.0, addressing a significant layer of RNG in vehicle-to-vehicle combat. However, this mechanic also served as an important factor for the survivability of stationary cannons like Howitzers and Flaks. We have therefore decided to re-enable it for these types of units.
- Flak 88, 52k-AA/AT, M2A1 Howitzer, Pak 43/41, LeFH, Flakvierling will benefit from a -25% rec. accuracy modifier when placed close to light or heavy cover.
[h2]Soviets[/h2]
[h3]VPGS-41 Anti-Tank Rifle Grenade[/h3]
- damage multiplier vs Motorcycle/Kubelwagen/Schwimmwagen: 2 → 1.8
[h3]Urban Combat Strategies[/h3]
The current progression layout proves to strongly favor a linear unlocking progress starting with the left branch. This had a tendency to result in a cookie-cutter approach that comprised of strong Ingenery and Weapon Teams, followed up with Naval Infantry, the highly potent KV-2 Artillery Tank, enhanced defenses, and 52K AA/AT Cannons. We decided to rearrange the branches with the aim to reduce this effect, make the right branch more appealing as a standalone progression, while also reducing the overall efficiency of this command tree.
Street Fighting
- Street Fighters (1 cp)
- Incendiary Carpet Bombing (3 cp)
- KV-2 Artillery Tank (4 cp)
Fortification
- Fortification (2 cp)
- Naval Infantry (1 cp)
- 52K 85 mm AA/AT Cannon (2 cp)
[h3]ZiS-44 Medic Truck[/h3]
- Fuel cost: 15 → 20
- Can now be damaged by small arms.
[h3]Strelky[/h3]
While intended as formidable mainline infantry, Strelky were too oppressive out of the box, capable of bullying off other mainline infantry. We decided to lower their overall damage output.
- Mosin Nagant:
- Damage 12 → 10
- Weapon cooldown multipliers (s/m/l): 1/1.4/1.8 → 1/1.3/1.6
[h3]T-60 Light Tank[/h3]
The T-60 proved to be too strong, especially against certain light vehicles.
- 20 mm TNSh cannon:
- Scatter angle: 6 → 8
- Max scatter distance: 8 → 16
- Deflection damage: 15% → 5%
- Base accuracy (s/m/l): 0.4/0.4/0.25 → 0.4/0.35/0.25
- Base cooldown: 3-3.5s → 3.5-4.5s
- Cooldown mutliplier (s/m/l): 1/1.25/1.5 → 1/1/1.25
- Damage multiplier vs. Puma/Luchs: 0.5 → 0.3
- Chance to critically kill soldiers at 60-5% hitpoints: 15% → 10%
- Rear penetration chance vs. Panzer 38(t): 35% → 28%
[h3]82 mm Mortar Team[/h3]
- Manpower cost: 240 → 290
- Barrage area UI now dynamically shows the barraged area based on range (QoL).
- Fixed Mortar Smoke Barrage not working.
[h3]107 mm Heavy Mortar Team[/h3]
While certainly powerful, the Heavy Mortar proved to be too unreliable compared to the 82 mm Mortar Team. That's why we improved the weapon performance. Shell travel will be faster and the area of effect damage is more evenly spread out, which should enable it to deal damage more consistently.
- Minimum barrage range: 25 → 30
- Barrage target UI now dynamically shows the barraged area based on range (QoL)
- Barrage reload time: 3-3.5s → 2.5-3s (+15% faster)
- Mortar shell impact after firing: ±12 s → ±10s (normal Mortar impact is ±7-8s)
- Mortar shell now uses a different FX
- Area of Effect:
- Inner radii (s/m/l/d): 2/4/8/8 → 1.5/3/6/9
- Damage multipliers (s/m/l/d): 1/0.55/0.4/0.4 → 1/0.55/0.4/0.25
- Damage: 50/27.5/20/20 → 50/27.5/20/12.5
[h3]ISU-152[/h3]
- 152 mm ML-20 Howitzer:
- reload 10-11 → 11-12
- Area of Effect Damage (s/m/l/d): 250/75/37.5/25 => 250/75/25/25
[h3]Observer Team[/h3]
Observer Teams proved to be too cost effective in their default configuration, and were difficult to fight off in tight, close ranged and urban areas. Their pistol damage is reduced to a more reasonable level and their overall durability is reduced significantly.
- Hitpoints 70 → 60
- Removed -10% rec. accuracy modifier
- TT-33 Pistol:
- Accuracy (s/m/l) 0.6/0.4/0.25 → 0.45/0.3/0.2/
- Damage 10 → 7
[h3]KV-2 Artillery Tank[/h3]
While the KV-2 is intended to be a heavy artillery platform, we noticed that it currently overperforms significantly. We have tuned down its combat potential to be more in line with other mobile heavy artillery tanks like the Hummel.
- no longer uses superheavy tank minimap icon
- Heavy Artillery Barrage:
- Cooldown: 75 s → 90 s
- Maximum range: 175 → 160
- 152 mm M-10 Howitzer:
- Fog of War scatter angle multiplier: 1.3 → 1.5
- Fog of War distance multiplier: 1.5 → 2
- Max scatter distance: 14 → 16
[h3]T-34/85[/h3]
The T-34/85 is a very common sight and players often tend to gravitate towards this tank for handling various threat types. We want to tweak the main gun performance against heavily armoured targets, most notably assault guns and tank destroyers like the StuG IV and Hetzer. The aim is to primarily reduce the effectiveness of the T-34/85 against such targets while engaging on range, while retaining most of its combat potential during close range engagements.
- Main gun base penetration (s/m/l): 1/0.9/0.8 → 1/0.88/0.76
[h3]SU-100[/h3]
These changes aim towards making the SU-100 better against axis heavy tanks, while slightly reducing its max range sniping potential.
- Accuracy (s/m/l): 1/1/0.85 → 1/1/0.8
- Base penetration (s/m/l): 1/0.92/0.81 → 1/0.93/0.86
- Added a bonus damage multiplier against heavy armor (damage 145 -> 165)
[h3]SU-76[/h3]
We noticed that it is too easy for Soviets to field a large amount of SU-76 and use them as long range indirect fire support. We are also going to address that the main gun penetration is very high in direct-fire mode, especially with Improved Ammunition.
- Main gun reload time: 4-5 s → 5-5.5 s
- Base penetration (s/m/l): 1/0.95/0.85 → 1/0.9/0.8
- Artillery Ammunition:
- Munition cost: 100 → 150
- Upgrade time: 20s → 30s
- High-Explosive Barrage:
- Salvo: 5 → 4
- Max scatter distance: 14 → 16
- Range: 150→ 130
- FoW scatter angle multiplier: 1.5 → 2.5
[h3]Improved Logistics[/h3]
Improved Logistics upgrade is currently too cost efficient as it lowers the manpower upkeep from all soviet units by roughly 30%.
[h2]Ostheer[/h2]
[h3]Kubelwagen[/h3]
[h3]Krankenwagen[/h3]
- Can now be damaged by small arms.
[h3]Panzer38(t)[/h3]
- Main gun damage multipliers:
- Jeep: 1.0 → 1.4
- Katyusha Rocket Launcher: 1.2 → 1.6
- BA-64D: 1.2 → 1.6
- M8 Greyhound/T17/Staghound: 1.0 → 1.2
- BT-7: 1.0 → 1.2
- T-60: 1.0 -→ 1.2
[h3]Panzer III Infantry Support Tank[/h3]
- Fire HEAT shells ability:
- Duration: 15 s → 20 s
- Damage 100 → 110
- Damage multiplier against cage armour: 0.75 → 0.8
[h3]Mortar Team[/h3]
- Manpower cost: 260 → 280
- Deployment time: 40 s → 45 s
[h3]Coated Optics[/h3]
Coated Optics enabled tanks that were already great at handling both Infantry and Tanks to become too efficient overall. This enabled such vehicles to farm veterancy against soft targets too effectively, which often resulted in a snowballing effect during the late game. The upgrade remains available on more specialized vehicles to enhance their intended role without becoming too powerful against secondary targets.
- Accuracy bonus while moving: +33% → +20%
- Disabled upgrade for Panzer IV and Panzer III Infantry Support Tank
[h3]Sturmpioneers[/h3]
- Granatbuchse 39
- Cooldown multipliers (s/m/l): 1/1/1.25 → 0.9/1/1.1
[h3]Honved[/h3]
Honved are too cost effective and oppressive when upgraded with Sub-Machine Guns. We have therefore reduced the overall damage output of the 43M Danuvia Sub-Machine Guns while also making the squad more costly to reinforce.
- Reinforce cost 26 → 28
- Throw Brandflasche ability munition cost: 10 → 20
- 43M Danuvia Sub-Machine Guns:
- cooldown modifier 0.3 → 0.5
- removed 1.02 incr. accuracy modifier
- moving accuracy modifier 0.75 → 0.5
[h3]Jagdpanzer IV[/h3]
The Jagdpanzer IV is deemed to underperform against heavier vehicles, while also being too difficult to use effectively.
- Fixed gun elevation values
- Added 1.25 damage modifier against heavy tanks
- Traverse rate: 30 → 35
[h3]Zrinji II[/h3]
- tweaked weapon accuracy: 0.5/0.75/1.00 → 0.35/0.7/1.0
- weapon scatter settings:
- distance scatter offset 0.1 → 0.15
- distance scatter max 6 → 7
- AoE penetration 0.75/0.9/1.0 → 0.5/0.75/1.0
- CP cost increased to 3 (7cp total)
[h3]75 mm Pak 97/38 Anti-Tank Gun[/h3]
The Pak was overperforming out of the box, meaning that it rarely had to use its HEAT Shell ability to succeed against heavy tanks. The weapon range was also brought in line with other Anti-Tank Guns.
- Base penetration: (s/m/l): 1.2/0.8/0.72 → 1.1/0.74/0.66
- Range: 65 → 60
[h3]Pervitin[/h3]
- Now adds +10 hitpoints per soldier if the squad is at full hitpoints during activation. This bonus health decays slowly over time
[h2]Panzer Elite[/h2]
[h3]Panzer IV Infantry Support Tank[/h3]
The vehicle proved too efficient when utilizing its Lockdown ability, especially in conjunction with the upgraded Long-Barreled 75 mm KwK 40 L/48 tank gun. We are therefore rebalancing the ability to be less focused around improving the already impressive rate of fire, while still offering a notable advantage as a trade-off for mobility.
- Lockdown:
- Main gun reload reduction: -50% → -20%
- Main gun range increase: +0 m → +5 m
- 75mm KwK40 L/48 penetration multipliers:
- IS-2: 0.39 → 0.46
- SU-100: 0.31 → 0.56
[h3]Hetzer[/h3]
- Main gun penetration multipliers:
- IS-2: 0.66 → 0.54
- SU-100: 0.31 → 0.675
[h3]Infantry Veterancy[/h3]
Infantry Veterancy is deemed significantly too effective, often causing a major snowball effect when it gets going (acquiring veterancy helps with gaining more veterancy). The offensive upgrades grant too much of a boost to overall damage output, while the Defensive upgrades make units too resistent to incoming damage and suppression.
- Offensive:
- Weapon accuracy: +26% → +20%
- Weapon cooldown: -16% → -10%
- Weapon reload: -16% → -15%
- Weapon penetration: +26% → +15%
- Defensive:
- Received suppression: -15% → -10%
- Received damage: -5%
- Health maximum: +10%
- Health regeneration addition: 2.4 hp/s
[h3]Marder III[/h3]
Despite now being able to fire on the move, the Marder currently underperforms against its intentional targets. As we do not want to turn the Marder into a highly mobile kiting machine, we have improved its Lockdown ability while also reinstating its long range accuracy.
- Lockdown range bonus: +5 → +10
- Main Gun long range accuracy: 0.65 → 0.75
[h3]Infantry Halftrack[/h3]
- Removed scopes upgrade
- MG42 Light machine Gun:
- range: 30 → 35
- Base accuracy (s/m/l): 0.5/0.45/0.3 → 0.45/0.4/0.3
[h2]Wehrmacht[/h2]
[h3]Motorcycle: [/h3]
[h3]Panzer IV[/h3]
- Main gun penetration multipliers:
- IS-2: 0.39 → 0.46
- SU-100: 0.31 → 0.56
[h3]Sturmgeschutz IV[/h3]
- Main gun penetration multipliers:
- IS-2: 0.66 → 0.54
- SU-100: 0.31 → 0.675
[h2]Americans[/h2]
[h3]T17 Armored Car[/h3]
- Hitpoints: 350 → 250
- Damage multiplier vs Marder III: 2 → 1.2 (now requires 5 shots instead of 3)
[h2]British[/h2]
[h3]Staghound[/h3]
- Now replaces the Stuart Light Tank instead of the Command Tank.
- Hitpoints: 450 → 250
- Armour type: Stuart → M8 Greyhound
- Fuel cost: 45 → 40
- Damage multiplier vs Marder III: 2 → 1.2 (now requires 5 shots instead of 3)
- Added Armor Skirts upgrade:
- Cost: 50 munitions
- Increases hitpoints by 50
[h3]Sherman Firefly[/h3]
- Main gun range: 55 → 50 (52.5 with Command Tank nearby)
- Fixed gun recoil animation (wind_down: 0.5s → 1s)
- Base reload time: 8.5s → 7.5s
- Removed long range -35% reload multiplier (effective base reload time: 7s → 7.5s; with command tank: 4s → 5.5s)
- Removed close range +20% reload multiplier (effective base reload time: 10.7s → 7.5s; with command tank: 6.6s → 5.5s)
[h3]Button vehicle (Infantry Section, Bren Carrier)[/h3]
- Fixed inconsistent duration time; now unified at 15s
- Reduced mobility penalties are now applied at a 2s delay instead of on ability activation. Sight range reduction & secondary weapon penalties are still applied instantly.
- Sight range reduction: -99% → -85%
- Now also applies the following modifiers to the casting squad:
- Weapon accuracy multiplier: 0.2
- Weapon reload multiplier: 0.5
- ]Weapon cooldown modifier: 0.5
[h2]Maps[/h2]
- Constanta Port (4):
- Reworked several areas for better map flow and visual appeal.
- Added Pripyat Marshes (2)
- Added Zmievka (4)
- Removed Kholm (4)
[h2]User interface[/h2]
- Added Eastern Front logo to the taskbar
[h2]Localization[/h2]
- Added language support for Traditional Chinese.
[h2]AI[/h2]
We received feedback that the AI is too difficult to beat for new and inexperienced players. That's why we rebalanced the difficulty scaling for a more level playing field.
From now CPU - Easy is penalized compared to the player. CPU - Easy will thus receive less income than the player and with that scale slower throughout a game. We also tweaked the income multipliers for CPU - Hard and CPU - Expert to reduce the scaling potential in the late game.
[h3]AI income multipliers[/h3]
- Easy
- Manpower: 1 → 0.9
- Munitions: 1
- Fuel: 1 → 0.9
- Normal
- Manpower: 1
- Munitions: 1
- Fuel: 1
- Hard
- Manpower: 1.1 → 1.2
- Munitions: 1.1 → 1.2
- Fuel: 1.2 → 1.1
- Expert
- Manpower: 1.65 → 1.6
- Fuel: 1.6 → 1.3
[h3]Behavior improvements[/h3]
- Adjusted ostheer throw blendkorper target filter so the AI uses it against vehicles instead of infantry
- Added purchasing logic to AI for PE G43
- Adjusted purchasing logic for PE Panzerschreck
- Adjusted purchasing logic for PE T3 and T4 buildings
- Removed Sherman 105 from Tank Depot spawner list so AI cannot use it
- Brit AI should now always deploy trucks
- Adjusted purchasing rules for ostheer AI panzerwerfers
- Made AI purchase decision of Stuart/Staghound higher if enemy vehicles present before T3 truck available
- Increased AI purchase priority of Firefly if enemy armor is present
- Added starter build orders for brit AI
- Fixes for brit AI to make better unit and upgrade purchasing decisions
- Fixed AI not using some artillery abilities
- remove military cap from expert AI (it will continue to make units even if it matches player military strength)
- Greatly increased AI priority of purchasing men against tanks and PTRS if enemy vehicles are fielded
[h2]Bug fixes[/h2]
- Fixed pink Panzer III tracks during certain weather settings.
- Fixed Krankenwagen wreck/recover visual bugs.
- Fixed field defenses (Sandbags, Barbed Wire, etc.) counting as building kills.
- Fixed Anti-Tank Guns counted as heavy vehicle kills (light vehicles now).
- Fixed Ostheer Mortar Team barrage weapon z-coordinate, addressing an issue where shells would collide with nearby tall objects such as hedgerows right after being fired.
- Fixed Mortar rate of fire inconsistencies .
- Fixed Panzergrenadier Veterancy upgrades visibility (were hidden behind squad upgrades).
- Panzergrenadiers receiving double veterancy bonuses.
- Fixed Naval Infantry Zeal retaining heroic criticals when fully reinforced.
- Fixed a plethora of inconsistent damange, accuracy and penetration values for mines, artillery and handheld weapons against light and medium tanks (mostly Zrinji II, T34, SU 100, T-60 and Bt-7).
- Fixed pak97/38 range to be in line with other AT guns.
- Fixed Cage armour bonuses not properly applying to SU-100.
- Fixed a bug where Sherman Beutepanzer could use self repairs.
- Fixed a bug where Wehrmacht and Ostheer sniper would automatically camouflage and move slowly in cover.
- Fixed RPG-43 Anti-Tank Grenades overthrowing targets.
- Fixed an AoE inconsistency on Molotov Cocktails.
