How to Play as Panzer Elite

[Hauk11]

Hello. Almost every time i play as Panzer Elite, i lose the game, i really dont know how to play them correctly. The infantry are too small in numbers and they get killed very quickly. And the only tank they get is the Panzer IV Support Tank, and the Panther Battlegroup, but that is expensive and difficult to obtain. Witouth tanks my soldiers gets killed by all the enemy tanks, and the PE antitank vehicles are too weak to face the enemy vehicles.
And they have too meny upgrades, for example, the infantry starts empty, you have to upgrade the everything, what upgrades do you recomend i get first, or what upgrades never purchase?
And i never understand how the Funkwagen Vampire Halftrack and Bergetiger Repair Vehicle works.
And another problem i have with this faction, is that they cant play defensive, the only defenses are the Flaks and AA guns from Luftwaffe tactics. THat is a very big problem because, when i conquer a victory point i dont have anything to defend it and then the enemy comes and conquer it again.
Can someone please tell me the tactics to play correctly this faction?. Thanks.

[Hauk11]

Thanks for the tips. And, yes, i find really hard to defend with this faction, they really lack defensive emplacements, and they dont have machine gun soldiers, i find that as a problem, with the other factions US and Wehrmacht, for example i use the machine gun teams to defend in a building, or place a MG emplacement or bunker, the British dont have machine gun team too, but they can place MG emplacements. The only thing like that they have arte the AA, but i find them expensive and not very useful, and also they have soldiers with STG44 assault rfiles and Fallschirmjagers with FG42, but they never are like a machine gun, i really think this faction needs a MG squad or the ability to place normal MG emplacements or bunkers. And another problem is that they cant place medic emplacements that heal and rescue wounded soldiers from the battlefield granting a new squad, the most similar thing they have is reinforcing a building, but that only reinforce squads and heals them.

[Arcamis]

PE can do defense well. They have mortars and FHQ for that, you don't need anything more. But you can also get booby traps, sector arty, henschel, 88, vierling, wirble, butterfly mines, teller mines, cloaked kettens and what not.

PE medics is the bergertiger.

PE is a faction that is more useful the more micro you have. If you think it needs HMG teams and what not then you are playing them very badly. PE is OP at high skill levels as you get so much more value from each unit with every point of increase in skill.

[Hauk11]

Thanks, i will have that in mind. I can see that this faction plays very differently from the others and requires another tactics, i see that i dont have to try to play them like Wehrmacht and US or British.

[MadDog]

Originally posted by wilraul:

Thanks for the tips. And, yes, i find really hard to defend with this faction, they really lack defensive emplacements, and they dont have machine gun soldiers, i find that as a problem, with the other factions US and Wehrmacht, for example i use the machine gun teams to defend in a building, or place a MG emplacement or bunker, the British dont have machine gun team too, but they can place MG emplacements.

The MG scout car somehat fills this role. It's lockdown ability slightly increases the resoure gain in that sector. The car cost zero fuel to build, much like a machinegun team.

[Hauk11]

I tried to use the Scout Car for that, at the start it was very useful, the problem i encounter was later, when the enemy get better equipment they destroy it very easly, i needed to have an infantry squad close all the time to repair it.

[Richartonio]

Originally posted by wilraul:

Thanks for the tips. And, yes, i find really hard to defend with this faction, they really lack defensive emplacements, and they dont have machine gun soldiers, i find that as a problem, with the other factions US and Wehrmacht, for example i use the machine gun teams to defend in a building, or place a MG emplacement or bunker, the British dont have machine gun team too, but they can place MG emplacements. The only thing like that they have arte the AA, but i find them expensive and not very useful, and also they have soldiers with STG44 assault rfiles and Fallschirmjagers with FG42, but they never are like a machine gun, i really think this faction needs a MG squad or the ability to place normal MG emplacements or bunkers. And another problem is that they cant place medic emplacements that heal and rescue wounded soldiers from the battlefield granting a new squad, the most similar thing they have is reinforcing a building, but that only reinforce squads and heals them.

About this... The Panzer Elite is a faction with a lot of anti infantry killing power, due to having great starting infantry. Giving them easy access to a machine gun would have broken the balance.

That being said, you can still create suppression with the Panzer Elite: Panzer Grenadiers equipped with G 43s can deliver Volley Fire, which quickly slows down the targeted enemy squad, for the cost of 20 munitions. Especially vulnerable squads, like Engineers with Flamethrowers (which received extra suppression) are pinned almost instantly.

However, by reading that paragraph I really get the idea that would be more confortable playing the Wehrmacht, a traditional defensive faction (until late game, that is) Panzer Elite is also not recommended for beginners because while their vehicles are powerful, they are also fragile to compensate, and require *a lot* of micromanagement to simply keep them alive (and that is not considering the pathfinding of the halftrack screwing you over)

Compare, for example, the SdKfz 250 Infantry Halftrack with the SdKfz 251 Halftrack of the Wehrmacht: the latter is much more resilient, and can shrug off most small arms fire, while the former quickly melts under focus fire from a couple of Riflemen.

[Hauk11]

The combination of Halftracks and infantry upgraded with STG44 and G43 was very good at the start of the game, i manage to dominate the map and the victory points. The problem was later, when the enemy started to build tanks, they almost destroyed all my units.

[Rovira]

Listen to Sabaton's "Ghost Division" while playing with the Panzer Elite = Instant Win

[Hauk11]

That music "Ghost Division" will sure motivate the Panzer Elite soldiers so they can win

[Charcharodonto]

Originally posted by wilraul:

The combination of Halftracks and infantry upgraded with STG44 and G43 was very good at the start of the game, i manage to dominate the map and the victory points. The problem was later, when the enemy started to build tanks, they almost destroyed all my units.

To counter tanks, build Marders, but keep them back, let the tanks engage Panzer IV while you flank with the marders or blast them from a safe distance.

If you went Tank Destroyer doctrine, you will eat tanks for breakfast with Hetzers and eventually a combination of The Jagdpanther and panthers.

Tankbuster infantry in halftracks can flank tanks but are fragile so keep an eye on them, they are good at chasing down injured tanks though. Full defense vetted halftrack with offensive vetted tankbusters can quickly dispose a single vehicle.

[Charcharodonto]

PE Panthers are the toughest vehicles headon outside of any doctrine specific tank like the tiger/kingtiger/panther/persing. Just keep them safe from being glfanked by escorting them with a Bergetiger repair tank and IV or STG infantry to counter anti tank infantry.

[Hauk11]

That was very helpful. I used a combined force to defeat the enemy. I manage to defend key positions from enemy tanks with Marders and Hetzers supported by infantry and halftracks. The Panthers did alomst all the job, i manage to maintain them alive at all costs.
I think this is one of the hardest factions to play, but now that i know the tactics im better playing with them, thanks everyone for the help.

[1580377308]

Originally posted by Hauk11:

Can someone please tell me the tactics to play correctly this faction?. Thanks.

Yes. Do it easy by playing Americans instead. You'll save yourself pointless grief.

PE were MASSIVELY nerfed in the final 'patch' just prior to the release of DLC cash cow COH2. Faction for faction, I can confirm as someone who has played all factions from the original release of the game, the OF and then TOV add-ons that they are NOW extremely hard to play in 1v1, exacerbated by the current map rotation almost all US favouring maps.

Touching upon a couple of your points and the silly unformed and unhelpful comments made by others.

PE never needed high defensiveness as a prime characteristic when they were once a faction which could be used offensively effectively right from the start, and were originally meant to play that way to make them different from Wehr. No longer since the nerf.

Toughest infantry in the game? Now that's funny, really funny. Ancient history. They used to be very resilient, but now they are made of paper mache. FRAGILE AF. Vs 50 muni flamer upgraded 140MP 3 man US engineers anyone? Exacerbating that, just 3 men in opening and early game who fall like flies even to even ungraded 140MP engineers if they don't have G43s.. In nearly every situation vs US engineers or rifles, PE PGs have to retreat, or be annihilated. Once they get G43s at a whopping 50muni apiece, they are far more effective vs BAR unupgraded riflemen, but ONLY AT RANGE and from behind green cover, but still suffer from numerical inferiority when rifles are blobbed as they do. Blob PE and a cheap OP US blast grenade will wipe out squads at a time, literally.

PG build very slowly, and are the most expensive inf to reinforce in the game. If you lose a whole 3 man squad, done very easily, then ..well you can figure out the early disadvantageous odds yourself.

Capping, well you already know about this. 1/2 cap -and decap, rate until upgrading at significant cost from an entirely different building from needed for 4 man squad upgrade, Ridiculous repair rate until buying that too. Can't rely upon the Ket or Schwim who can't even shoot back at engineers. And building more than one on most maps. GL with that that's a slow second squad hitting the field vs 2 engies and at least a rifle.

With the MEGA NERF to PE vehicles health and firepower rendering them uberfragile among their so many other deficits already intrinsic, slow repair should have been 'patched' too, as in totally removed. And don't give me that doctrinal "but if you go Lufwaffe" requirement nonsense. The MG HT which was once the backbone of early PE PG support in offence & defence is now completely redundant, obsoleted by the nerfs to its health, suppression and killing power. Formula to lose if you build them. Multiple fragile ACs are a high risk rush strat very micro and if you observe of the players who use it, Luftwaffe doctrinal repair dependent. I'd rather play Wehr than Luftwaffe. I just don't enjoy the doctrine.

The immobilisation or breakdown bug applicable to all German vehicles Wehr and PE is just ridiculous as are US sticky bomb -homing insta crippling missiles permitting everything and anything else to finish off any vehicle. Devastating to PE whose Panthers have no anti-inf defence, not even an MG until vetted. No not even a Nahverteidigungswaffe unlike that ridiculously OP canister of the Brit Stuart. Speaking of canister OP, I chased down as fast as they ran so that I once wiped out a retreated blob of 7 whole PG squads with a single canister shot from a single Stuart just as they arrived back at base (on Beau Lowlands) and their retreat protected icon lifted but before they could move or disperse. I have a screenshot of it somewhere. Balanced? LOL.

Even the Hetzer copped it in the nerf. Once it could stand its own well vs US inf if kiting it microed well. No longer. And against Brit PIATS now with their uberbuff and always soft top hitting power? Just don't. You'll need at least Panthers vs PIATed 'Roos escorted by perpetually suppressing '16 shots from a Panther 75LL to kill' (that's hyperbole but not far off) bugged uberStags. TD doctrine has been rendered tantamount to useless vs Brits unless they are an sim city type for the double 'shrecks. But they are a double edged sword (dropped 'schrecks) and AT magnetic mines work just as well if not better as you have the muni.

PE used to be fun to play, But now, I'd rather chew off my own arm and club myself to death with it finding that less masochistic than PE versing Americans.

[Hauk11]

Thanks for the comment, you're right on all you say, the panzer elite faction is completely broken, is almost impossible to play with them, I rather play the other factions, I wish one day they update the game and finally fix the panzer elite...

[FrostButt Irelia]

I agree that PE got nerfed hard. They are still playable but require tons of macros and good coordination. With kettencrad you gotta cap constantly while looking at your other troops. That's how they win...

I find them useful in 2v2 or 3v3 where burgetiger can repair dead vehicles, like bringing dead tiger up or something. Other than that, there are still good players who are at the high level of gameplay which means the faction is still OK to play but not as great.