Tips and Tricks From an Amateur (2020)

Some tips and tricks I picked up while playing this game. By no means is this a complete guide or tutorial, but you might find something interesting!

Tips and Tricks

None of these tips are in any particular order. I've just written them in the order that I remember.

1. Creating uniform front lines
   
   If you want a uniform front line instead of the front line that's split into the individual armies, hold down the shift key while placing the front line. Uniform front lines can more evenly distribute your divisions and prevent messy front lines that can occur when moving into foreign lands.
   
   
2. Dispersed over concentrated industry
   
   
   
   
   Although you mess out on the additional 5% factory output on each level of dispersed over concentrated industry, the addition perks of dispersed is worth it. The production efficiency base and retention is very helpful if you end up switching productions a lot. The additional decrease in factory bomb vulnerability can also help if you end up losing the air war. Concentrated industry is helpful, however, if you play a nation that doesn't end up switching productions a lot. For example, if you play as china, you might just want to stick with the 1918 infantry weapons. In this case, the additional factory output can help.
   
   
3. Don't lose the air war
   
   Air power if super critical in Hoi4. If you don't have air superiority you will end up being stuck and unable breakthrough the enemy front line. You will also have a hard time holding back enemy advancement with no air power. If you're playing as one of the majors, build air! If you're playing as a minor, get in a faction and get allied air support or build some AA.
   
   
4. Add armored car recon if you can
   
   
   
   Adding armored car recon can give you more breakthrough and most importantly, armor. With only an additional 24 armored cars for each division, you get plus one armor for the division. For early game when most nations don't have much piercing it could be a pretty good advantage for pushing.
   
   
5. Exercise your fleet
   
   One of the best ways to get early naval experience is to exercise your fleet. Simply group all your ships into one task force, toggle auto split off repair and start exercising. The early naval experience can be critical to help reformat auto generated ships and speed up naval research
   immensely.
   
   
6. Watch your manpower
   
   Manpower is the most important component of Hoi4. If you run out of manpower, you cannot deploy air planes, ships, or additional divisions. You will also end up being stalled in pushing front lines. The worst thing that can happen is pushing and being stalled only to find out you ran out of manpower. Always keep an eye and get addition conscription laws before you run out.
   
   
7. Don't be afraid to use anti-tank (AT)
   
   AT can come really handy if you play a country with a weak economy. It's cheaper than a tank and can give you the piercing you need to stop tank advancements.
   
   
8. Trade with your allies
   
   Not very well known, but when you trade with other countries, they get the civilian factories from the trade deal. If you want to help boost the economy of your allies, trading with them can help give them additional civilian factories.
   
   
9. Use the execution modes
   
   
   
   The execution modes can be used to toggle careful, balanced, or aggressive battle plan execution. In most cases, balanced will be the most useful, however, if you come across a weakly defended front line with a lot of holes, aggressive can help push through those holes. Aggressive execution will force divisions to all attack or advance. If you know you're going to win, using aggressive can help end the war way faster.
   
   
10. Don't be scared to rush victory points
    
    The capitulation requirements are determined by how much victory points the country holds. If you rush victory points, you can make a country capitulate without having to take most of their land. If you see a weak front line, rush in a secure them for an easy capitulation. However, be careful not to get encircled.
    
    
11. Encircle, not encircled
    
    
    
    Encircling enemy divisions in this game is devastating. It gives a huge debuff to the enemy divisions and makes them suffer more and more attrition as time passes. If you manage to encircle a large amount of enemy divisions, you can change the tide of the war. In the same way, if you get encircled, it could lead to your demise.
    
    
12. Attrition is no joke
    
    Attrition can happen in many ways. Most common being encirclement and lack of supply. When divisions gain attrition, they will slowly lose supply and manpower. This is the worst way to lose valuable resources. Be sure to build ports, infrastructure, and add logistical support to keep your divisions from gaining attrition. If left unchecked it could drain your valuable manpower.
    
    
13. Artillery is cool
    
    Did you know that artillery was responsible for about 70% of casualties in World War 2? Artillery is what will give your infantry divisions the defense and breakthrough. I recommend to always have artillery as a support or add them to the main template. Here is an example of what I usually use mid game.
    
    
    
    
14. Emergency Factory Conversion
    
    
    
    Emergency Factory Conversion is a decision that costs 100 PP and instantly converts 5 civ factories into military factories. The PP cost is high and the lost in war support and stability isn't nice, but when you need to produce weapons, this decision can come really handy. If you lack the economy to really pump out military factories, then use this decision to get every help you can.
    

Well, these are some of the things I picked up while playing, I will be sure to add more as I remember more while playing. Please feel free to correct anything wrong I have stated or give addition tips and tricks you want to share. I hoped you found at least one thing on the list interesting.

[PixelBender]

The first one? Are you sure about that?

[Cosokabe]

i mean the first one sry

[Cosokabe]

well the problem with the last one is if you play mp a lot you get banned for this because its an exploit well but if you just play with your friends or against your friends just ask if it is ok for them

[GTninja]

6) Don't underestimate heavy fighters. Once again, if you're a nation with a shit economy and an air force that can't resist fighter spam, heavy fighters may seem like the worst direction possible; As their heavy cost and resources seem only to be a drain on your economy. But, the investment does pay off, as heavy fighters--through their greater range and air attack--can absolutely devastate any enemy fighters or CAS that come its way. Combine that with proper air defense, and you could consider the air war as good as over.

Those were just a few tips that I could recollect that--I hope--could help with your HOI4 experience. Well, that is until they patch them out of course, so enjoy it while it lasts.

(4/4)

[GTninja]

5) Never underestimate light tanks. If you're a nation with an economy equivalent to that of Zimbabwe, then light tanks can prove to be a steady and resolute way to win wars that you may be fighting. Their light weight and speed can rush around the battlefield faster than a German Soldier on Morphine, which can be quite a quick way to grab an encirclement for your infantry, or grab up a victory point needed to capitulate the enemy. Their only downside is their combat effectiveness, as good AT or air support can instantly end your dreams of a light tank only army. Overall, light tanks can be speedy and, somewhat, effective.

(3/4)

[GTninja]

2) If you find it a pain to constantly add on planes to an airfield all the time, then increase the aircraft reinforcement limit to your desire capacity. To do this, click on the reinforcement icon, and then increase the slider. This is mostly for simplicity's sake, and doesn't really transform the game overall.

3) If you're playing in La Resistance, then definitely start puppeting nations far more. You will get more manpower, industry, and equipment.

4) Always maintain a balance between hard and soft attack in Tank Divisions. If you have too much hard attack, your units will win the battles, but never push; whereas if you have too much soft attack, then tank divisions would be a waste, unless...

(2/4)

[GTninja]

Absolutely Amazing Guide, I'd like to add a few more tips of my own as well:

1) If you choose to take the Base Strike Naval Doctrine, stack your carriers with as many planes as you want. Now at first this does seem incredibly inefficient, as overcrowding your carriers render your planes null in effective combat. But, the base strike doctrine grants you an effects of -20% carrier overcrowding out of a total of 100% carrier overcrowding--effectively making 20% of the planes viable for combat. What this essentially means is that 80% of the TOTAL plane count is rendered null, whereas the remaining 20% can still be used for combat. For example, if you stack 1000 planes on a carrier, 800 of them will be unviable for use, while 200 planes will be totally ready and available to bomb the enemy fleet to sender.

(1/4)