Want to get this game but not sure what campaigns I should get.

[MANKIND]

Can someone advise me on what to buy? there seems to be a lot of stuff

[longcheck]

I recommend Battle of Stalingrad for your starter. You'll have several fighters and attack aircraft to choose from. If you like it, you can add planes and other battles such as Kuban. There are many opportunities to die in BOS.

[shadowgravy]

There is a lot of stuff, and you practically need a flow chart to understand the "if/then" combinations... The new bundle combinations may make it easier for newcomers, or more confusing--not sure. The il2sturmovik.com website breaks down the components a little better.

Battle of Stalingrad is the base game. Honestly, if you aren't sure if you'll like this style of game I recommend you just start here for now and learn the ropes; and maybe wait for a deep-discount sale on the DLC content. The game comes with a built-in career mode so there is plenty of value for single-player.

The scripted campaigns that are compatible with Battle of Stalingrad are:
- Blazing Steppe
- Fortress on the Volga
- Ice Ring

Collector Planes
All of the Collector Planes are flyable on any map; however, each are only usable in specific campaigns. For Battle of Stalingrad, the usable Collector Planes are:
- La-5 Series 8 ... Soviet fighter
- Hurricane Mk. II ... British made, Soviet fighter
- P-40 E-1 ... American made, Soviet fighter
- U2-VS ... Soviet recon biplane
- Li-2 ... Soviet transport
- Fw 190 A-3 ... German fighter
- MC.202 Series VIII ... Italian made, Axis (German) fighter
- HS 129 B-2 ... German attack plane
- Ju52/3m g4e ... German transport plane

Expansion Packs
The "Battle of X" Packs each add eight additional flyable aircraft; new theater maps; and corresponding campaign careers. Additionally, some of the flyable aircraft are usually compatible with a historically adjacent campaign (examples: Battle of Moscow aircraft like the I-16 may be used in Battle of Stalingrad; or chronologically later Battle of Kuban aircraft like the A-20B bomber may be used at the end of the Battle of Stalingrad career.)

1) Battle of Moscow. This campaign historically precedes Battle of Stalingrad. If you purchase both BoS and BoM at the same time, you can begin a Moscow career, play it through, and continue your pilot into the Stalingrad campaign.
The compatible scripted campaigns are:
- Ten Days of Autumn * Included in the Battle of Moscow Deluxe bundle

The Compatible Collector Planes for BOM include:
- P-40E-1 * Included in the Battle of Moscow Deluxe bundle
- MC.202 Series VIII * Included in the Battle of Moscow Deluxe bundle
- Li-2
- Ju 52/3m g4e

2) Battle of Kuban. This is my favorite expansion in the series for scenery, balance, and overall playability. Take a look at the Battle of Kuban Deluxe bundle; it is thorough including two scripted campaigns: Steel Birds and Sky Nomads.

Two additional scripted campaigns are available at the il2sturmovik website:
- Achtung Spitfire
- Havoc Over The Kuban

Compatible Collector Planes for BOK include:
- La-5 Series 8
- La-5FN Series 2 ... Soviet fighter
- P-40E-1
- Spitfire Mk. VB * Included in the Battle of Kuban Deluxe bundle
- Yak-1b Series 127 ... Soviet fighter
- Yak-9 Series 1 ... Soviet fighter
- Yak-9T Series 1 ... Soviet fighter
- U2-VS
- Li-2
- Bf 109 G-6 ... German fighter
- HS 129 B-2 * Included in the Battle of Kuban Deluxe bundle
- Ju 52/3m g4e

[shadowgravy]

3) Battle of Normandy. On the historical timeline this follows Battle of Kuban, if you would like to continue a Luftwaffe pilot career. However, this is set in Western Europe, and therefore one of the two titles that is USA and Great Britain vs. Germany. The chronology is before D-Day through the summer of 1944 as the western Allies get a foothold in France.

Scripted campaigns: none available as DLC. (Battle of Normandy includes one scripted campaign.)

Default aircraft: 8 Battle of Normandy Aircraft (P-51B/C, P-47D “Razorback”, Typhoon Mk.Ib, Mosquito F.B. Mk.VI, Bf 109 G-6 “Late”, Fw 190 A-6, Ju 88 C-6a and Me 410)

Collector Planes that are compatible with BON:
- Spitfire Mk. XIV ... British fighter. *Included in Battle of Normandy Deluxe Bundle
- Spitfire Mk. VB
- P-38J-25 ... American fighter
- C-47A "Skytrain" ... American made transport; used by the Allies.
- Bf 109 G-6 ... German fighter
- Bf 109 G-6 AS ... German fighter
- Ar 234 B-2 ... German jet powered bomber. *Included in Battle of Normandy Deluxe Bundle

* Some of these aircraft are in the new Western Aircraft bundle.

4) Battle of Bodenplatte. The in-game career is titled Battle of Rheinland. In the historical timeline this continues the Western Allies' drive through Belgium and the Netherlands into Germany, from August 1944 until V-E Day in 1945. Many of of the aircraft from Battle of Normandy are cross-compatible with Battle of Bodenplatte; and vice versa. (Of the two packs, I prefer Bodenplatte to Normandy.)

Default aircraft: 8 Battle of Bodenplatte Aircraft (P-51D, P-47D, Spitfire Mk.IX, Tempest Mk.V, Bf 109 G-14, Bf 109 K-4, Fw 190 A-8 and Me 262)

DLC Scripted campaign: Hell Hawks Over The Bulge. (BoBP includes four other scripted campaigns by default.)

Collector Planes that are compatible with BoBP:
- Spitfire Mk. XIV. * Included in the Late War Bundle
- Spitfire Mk. XIVe ... British fighter; bubble top variant
- P-38J-25. * Included in the Late War Bundle
- C-47A
- Bf 109 G-6 AS
- Fw 190 D-9 ... German fighter. * Included in the Late War Bundle
- Ar 234 B-2
- Ju 52/3m g4e

* The new Late War bundle includes Battle of Bodenplatte, three of the compatible Collector Planes, and Hell Hawks Over The Bulge.

----------------------------
I'll make a quick plug here for two major skin packs for the campaigns above:
- Migmadmarine's Battle of Normandy Career Default Skins[forum.il2sturmovik.com]
- Bodenplatte Career Skins Mod V3 [Custom Blanks for Tactical Codes][forum.il2sturmovik.com]

[shadowgravy]

Flying Circus Vol. I and Flying Circus Vol. II are World War One-themed expansions that use the same game engine as the World War Two content. All aircraft can use any map; and you can even mix aircraft from the two wars into the same dogfight if you want to. In general, Flying Circus is fun in VR. Each of the two titles includes a career mode and some scripted campaigns.

The Collector Planes for Flying Circus are:
- SSW D.IV ... German fighter
- Sopwith Snipe ... British fighter

Tank Crew is operable German and Soviet tanks, themed around the Battle of Kursk. The content was designed for multiplayer, and is an arguably shallow and incomplete single player experience. Still, it is a lot of fun especially in VR and if you are generally interested in World War II tanks and would enjoy experiencing their interiors and driving these vehicles around. Steam has a bundle that includes Battle of Stalingrad and all four Collector Vehicles; just click on the Tank Crew DLC for its description. You can also get all of the tanks and vehicles by buying the Tank Crew Premium Edition[il2sturmovik.com] from the website.

Default vehicles: Ten legendary combat vehicles - T-34-76, KV-1s. M4A2 “Sherman”, SU-122, SU-152, PzKpfw III Ausf.M, PzKpfw IV Ausf.G, PzKpfw V Ausf.D "Panther". PzKpfw VI Ausf.H1 "Tiger" and Sd. Kfz. 184 "Ferdinand"

The associated Collector Vehicles for Tank Crew are:
- Churchill IV heavy tank,
- StuG III Ausf. G assault gun
- GAZ-MM 72-K (25mm) vehicle mounted anti-aircraft gun
- Sd.Kfz. 10/5 Flak 38 (20mm) vehicle mounted anti-aircraft gun

You can buy any of the Collector Vehicles separately. The Quick Missions generator in the game includes a simple tank battle generator, and gunnery missions for the Anti-Aircraft trucks. There are also scripted missions included in Tank Crew. Remember though, Tank Crew is primarily designed for multiplayer use.

[longcheck]

There you have it

[Shawn]

Shadowgravy’s opus should be pinned

[MANKIND]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von shadowgravy:

There is a lot of stuff, and you practically need a flow chart to understand the "if/then" combinations... The new bundle combinations may make it easier for newcomers, or more confusing--not sure. The il2sturmovik.com website breaks down the components a little better.

Battle of Stalingrad is the base game. Honestly, if you aren't sure if you'll like this style of game I recommend you just start here for now and learn the ropes; and maybe wait for a deep-discount sale on the DLC content. The game comes with a built-in career mode so there is plenty of value for single-player.

The scripted campaigns that are compatible with Battle of Stalingrad are:
- Blazing Steppe
- Fortress on the Volga
- Ice Ring

Collector Planes
All of the Collector Planes are flyable on any map; however, each are only usable in specific campaigns. For Battle of Stalingrad, the usable Collector Planes are:
- La-5 Series 8 ... Soviet fighter
- Hurricane Mk. II ... British made, Soviet fighter
- P-40 E-1 ... American made, Soviet fighter
- U2-VS ... Soviet recon biplane
- Li-2 ... Soviet transport
- Fw 190 A-3 ... German fighter
- MC.202 Series VIII ... Italian made, Axis (German) fighter
- HS 129 B-2 ... German attack plane
- Ju52/3m g4e ... German transport plane

Expansion Packs
The "Battle of X" Packs each add eight additional flyable aircraft; new theater maps; and corresponding campaign careers. Additionally, some of the flyable aircraft are usually compatible with a historically adjacent campaign (examples: Battle of Moscow aircraft like the I-16 may be used in Battle of Stalingrad; or chronologically later Battle of Kuban aircraft like the A-20B bomber may be used at the end of the Battle of Stalingrad career.)

1) Battle of Moscow. This campaign historically precedes Battle of Stalingrad. If you purchase both BoS and BoM at the same time, you can begin a Moscow career, play it through, and continue your pilot into the Stalingrad campaign.
The compatible scripted campaigns are:
- Ten Days of Autumn * Included in the Battle of Moscow Deluxe bundle

The Compatible Collector Planes for BOM include:
- P-40E-1 * Included in the Battle of Moscow Deluxe bundle
- MC.202 Series VIII * Included in the Battle of Moscow Deluxe bundle
- Li-2
- Ju 52/3m g4e

2) Battle of Kuban. This is my favorite expansion in the series for scenery, balance, and overall playability. Take a look at the Battle of Kuban Deluxe bundle; it is thorough including two scripted campaigns: Steel Birds and Sky Nomads.

Two additional scripted campaigns are available at the il2sturmovik website:
- Achtung Spitfire
- Havoc Over The Kuban

Compatible Collector Planes for BOK include:
- La-5 Series 8
- La-5FN Series 2 ... Soviet fighter
- P-40E-1
- Spitfire Mk. VB * Included in the Battle of Kuban Deluxe bundle
- Yak-1b Series 127 ... Soviet fighter
- Yak-9 Series 1 ... Soviet fighter
- Yak-9T Series 1 ... Soviet fighter
- U2-VS
- Li-2
- Bf 109 G-6 ... German fighter
- HS 129 B-2 * Included in the Battle of Kuban Deluxe bundle
- Ju 52/3m g4e

I appreciate this alot mate, big thanks. I'm an aviation lover and been playing Warthunder Simulator, but I'm feeling like trying something more realistic. I have the Joystick and Track Ir and also got VR although I don't use it alot. Been keen on some battles full of aircraft in the sky and strafe bombers and such.

[shadowgravy]

I agree the AI leaves a lot to be desired. Some missions are perfectly fine. Others just leave me scratching my head in disbelief, usually about how useless the friendly AI can be. However, for me this series is consistently the most fun I have with my VR headset. So from that perspective I think the current body could stand on its own legs for several years to come, even without any further development.

[F.U.D.F.]

Sale wait.

Oll purchase.