There’s been so much Company of Heroes news in the last couple months, we knew we had to recap it all and showcase some of the amazing content our players have been creating! With CoH3’s launch approaching fast this month on February 23rd and the Multiplayer Tech Test behind us, we’re not going to waste anymore time. Let’s get into it!


Our final public test of Company of Heroes 3 concluded in January, and we want to thank all 154,000 players who took part! This last push allowed us to iron out any remaining technical issues before launch and it was a great opportunity for our team to get a head start on your feedback. You can find all the details here[community.companyofheroes.com], along with the results of our testing and an outline of how we plan to tackle your top points of feedback. You can also check out our video recap!

We’re incredibly excited to be bringing Company of Heroes 3 to our fans on Xbox Series S and X and PlayStation 5 later this year with the support of our SEGA partner studios. You can find all the details and our FAQ here[community.companyofheroes.com], along with our reveal trailer and console gameplay reveal here.


We just completed the third installment of our Deep Dive series looking at CoH3’s launch factions. This time we “risked it for a biscuit” as we hit the field with the British Forces. Check out the behind-the-scenes insights from our developers Matt Philip and Will “MonolithicBacon” Ward.

Stay tuned for our Deutsches Afrikakorps Deep Dive coming in the next couple weeks!

Want to start theory crafting and learning the ins-and=outs of all four factions before launch? Check out our detailed Tech Trees, now available in the https://www.companyofheroes.com/en/media.

Company of Heroes 3 is going to be the biggest game at launch in the franchise’s history. If you still have questions about what you’re getting in the game at launch, you can find all the answers here[community.companyofheroes.com], along with details about our post-launch content plans. Don’t forget to check out our Community Schedule for the remainder of February and March!


We were thrilled to be joined in London by two of our partners, A_E and VulcanHDGaming, for an exclusive preview of CoH3 at the end of November. Be sure to check out their channels for the matches from the preview and their coverage of last month’s Tech Test!

Coming out of last month’s Tech Test, Greyshot117 seems to think the Italian L6/40 is overpowered! What do you think? Can it dominate the meta at launch?


During the Multiplayer Tech Test, we hosted a screenshot contest for players to show off their coolest moments from CoH3. This entry from Vetkin showing off the Italian Guastatori was one of our favorites!

Our community moderator, DemonicSpoon, wrote up a terrific new player guide for PvP in CoH3. If you’re hesitant about jumping into competitive play, this is a good place to start! Find the link to it here[community.companyofheroes.com].

Inuki over at The Iron Cast has put together 12 awesome tips for beginner players. Check it out so you’re ready for launch!

Sarge is an old hand at RTS games and has been creating some great new tutorials and videos for both CoH2 and CoH3. In this video he shows off how to turn a tactical retreat into an advantage.

We also love seeing the projects, screenshots, art and more that you are creating and working on! Be sure to tag us @companyofheroes and use the hashtag #CoHCommunity so we can check out and share your amazing creations.

KingDarBoja on Discord has been working on some amazing models of WW2 Italian tanks, and we can’t wait to see them when they’re finished!

That’s a wrap for our second Wire Report! With CoH3’s launch in just a few weeks, we’ll have another recap of all the news and updates soon. Submit your content for consideration by using the hashtag #CoHCommunity or by sharing screenshots, links and videos on our Discord or Forums.


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We wanted to thank everyone who took part in our most recent Company of Heroes 3 Multiplayer Tech Test! This was our last push to test our online infrastructure and to nail down any pesky bugs and crashes before we launch on February 23rd. Over 154,000 players took part in the Tech Test, which was four times more than what we had for the Mission Alpha in July! We can’t thank you enough for helping us with this crucial step.

Over the course of the test, we received over 650 bug reports from the community through our new online form.[support.sega.com] Your testing also helped us identify crashes well before launch so that we can already investigate fixes. All these reports along with your feedback is going to help us deliver a great Company of Heroes experience when we launch just over a month from now!


So, what did we want to accomplish with this test? And did we achieve those objectives?

• Test server load and overall stability. This includes things like match performance, player logins and overall matchmaking.
  
• Test matchmaking queues and how they worked individually.
  
• Test wider array of different PC setups, hardware and software compatibility, and game client stability.
  
• Optimize the game by discovering and reducing crashes and bugs.
  
• Test client and server-side maintenance and patching.

On all counts, this test was extremely successful for our team. We had 4x our estimated players and we had no server issues. Our average gameplay latency or matchmaking times were both lower than our targets, and we continue to look at ways to improve both. We were able to test over 1,400 different processors and video cards across different hardware setups, and we found and fixed several crashes related to configurations, rendering and game mechanics. Additionally, we found some fun bugs related to AI and economy exploits.

Our data also showed that certain GPU models that are slightly older were experiencing worse performance than they should have been getting. The Tech Test allowed us to identify this issue early, and we’ll continue to make improvements based on that player data and feedback. Our goal is to make the game playable on as many configurations as possible at launch.

After our first hotfix, we were also able to cut our crash rate almost by a third. We’re going to continue this work over the next month to reduce our crash rate even further. No game can ever have a 0% crash rate, but we can try to get close!

The team at Relic accomplished our goals with this test, but we also want to let you know how we plan to tackle your feedback.


One of biggest topics of discussion during this Tech Test focused on the look, feel and readability of the game right now. First, the version of the game we used for the Tech Test was about a month old, and a major lighting pass wasn’t quite ready for this build of the game, but you’ll see updated versions in our upcoming Deep Dives. We’ve also identified a couple of key issues that were contributing to degraded visuals. For some users, game scaling was defaulting to a Low setting, meaning they were seeing subpar resolutions and blurriness. Additionally, we found two rendering and map bugs that were causing lighting shadow artifacts and missing terrain details, so we really appreciate everyone calling these out! We have most of these fixes internally already and look forward to showing the game again closer to launch.

Before: Tech Test with bugs

After: Latest version with bugs now fixed

Before: Tech Test with bugs

After: Latest version with bugs now fixed

Additionally, we plan to start vehicles in a state that is slightly more weathered, so they don't feel as 'clean' when they are first produced.

Before: Original vehicle starting state

After: New vehicle starting state - slight weathering

Reference: Full weathering state


There was a lot of discussion about CoH3’s sound design and some concerns that it didn’t quite meet expectations. We found an issue where Sound Output Quality was defaulting to Low or Medium for some players instead of High, which would significantly degrade the audio experience. We approached CoH3’s sound design with an emphasis on realism with gunshots and explosions having more of a “crack,” whereas past CoH titles had more of an old-school Hollywood “kapow!” Therefore, the team is re-working and optimizing several audio FX including cannons, machineguns, explosions, off-map artillery and more to give them that heavy impact. Not only that, but the team is working on the final audio mix and will be completely re-mixing the audio for all our tanks for launch.


We’re happy to be providing more quality-of-life options for players including things like WASD camera controls, customizable keybinds, and more camera settings. We did see that some players had frustrations when navigating those settings menus or when things weren’t controlling in-game as they were used to in CoH1 or CoH2. Your feedback has been critical in identifying those pain points, and we hope to improve on those systems post-launch.


Finally, we know there’s been a ton of discussion about balance, systems, unit abilities and more. Though this recent test was more focused on testing our online infrastructure, all these discussions are giving us a head start on fixes, balance patches and quality-of-life changes that we want to address in the first few weeks and months after launch. We’re continuing to work on features and systems we know players want, and your feedback is helping to shape and inform what those systems look like, and we want to deliver them in the best state possible without compromising the core game at launch. We’ll have more news on some of those big post-launch updates as soon as we have all the details.

Be sure to keep your feedback coming in the weeks and months ahead, as that’s going to help us prioritize it and continue improving this game and franchise that we all love so much. From everyone at Relic, thank you for taking part in the Multiplayer Tech Test and we can’t wait for you to play the full game at launch.

Get ready for our public Multiplayer Tech Test which starts on January 11th! This test will be available to all players for free. All you need to do is visit Company of Heroes 3's Steam store page to register.

• Navigate to the Steam store page for CoH3 here
  
• Underneath "Pre-Purchase" you'll find "Join the Company of Heroes 3 Playtest"
  
• Click "Request Access"
  
• That's it!

If you've registered before the test goes live on January 11th, you'll be notified once it has begun to download it. If you register after the test has started, you should be prompted to download it right away.

We'll have more information on the test, it's contents and an FAQ going live just before testing begins, so keep an eye out for that. Otherwise, we'll see you on the battlefield on January 11th!

It’s been a whirlwind year for Company of Heroes! With only a couple of months before we launch CoH3, we wanted to recap all the news we’ve shared with you, along with some of your feedback that made it into the game.

Our team will be taking some time to rest over the holidays, so things will be quiet for a bit. We hope that you and those close to you will also get a chance to enjoy the holiday season and will ring in a happy new year! Our team will be back in full swing as we get ready for January’s Multiplayer Tech Test and CoH3’s launch in February.

The start of 2022 was quiet, as the team was heads down working on the game and getting some big things ready. We had some great announcements this year and kicked those off in July with our North Africa reveal. We announced that CoH3 will not only include the Italian Dynamic Campaign, but also the North African Operation giving players the chance to see the Deutsches Afrikakorps with their Italian Battlegroups in action for the first time in the series. Players had a chance to test them out in the Mission Alpha, and a few thousand lucky folks got a chance for more hands-on time at both Gamescom and PAX this past Summer.

The great thing about the Mission Alpha (and the Multiplayer Pre-Alpha and Pre-Alpha Preview before it), is that these public tests give us an opportunity to review your feedback, process it, and make changes in CoH3 to improve the experience.

Another important aspect for us when it comes to CoH-Development is being as transparent as possible – both when it comes to the development process and the decisions we’re making. As an example, we grilled our Executive Producer with your questions while we were at Gamescom in August!

In December we also revealed that CoH3 will be coming to consoles later in 2023, giving so many more players a chance to experience the action, strategy and tactics of the Mediterranean theatre. The team has had tremendous support in this effort from our SEGA partner studios, ensuring Relic can focus on delivering an amazing PC experience at launch, while also overseeing the work to bring the game to Xbox and Playstation 5. The major design difference for the Console Edition[community.companyofheroes.com] is to adjust the HUD and to build out controller support. The team is adamant that we have to deliver on our intended vision for CoH3, regardless of platform.

One question we see a lot is “what sets CoH3 apart?” or “what am I actually getting?” The answer is … a lot! CoH3 will be our biggest game at launch, and we have a ton of plans to keep supporting it in the future. You can find an exhaustive list of everything coming on launch day here[community.companyofheroes.com]. In September we also announced that mods will be coming to CoH3 at launch, and you can find more details on modding support here[community.companyofheroes.com]. You can also check out our developer diary from July that outlines our plans for the future.

Showing off gameplay throughout the development process has been incredibly important for us, even if the game was early, had some obvious bugs, or needed a bit more polish. Fancy trailers are great to get hyped up, but we know gameplay is paramount. We hope that you’ve been able to see the iteration and progress since we started showing footage in the Summer of 2021. Though we had to move our launch date[community.companyofheroes.com] from November to February, we knew it was the right call. There’s been a lot of improvement along the way, especially if you compare this video from last December with our Campaign Update livestream in June or our recent US Forces Deep Dive in October.

Our team is also developing a lot of programs to support the cool things our community is working on. In March we first launched a Support Request Form[community.companyofheroes.com] for community run events and tournaments, and then in July we debuted our official Creator Program[creators.companyofheroes.com], which we’ll be expanding down the road!

Launching our first Wire Report[community.companyofheroes.com] in November was a labor of love, and we can’t wait to showcase the work of the development team, plus all the awesome content from the community. If you want us to see your content and get a chance for us to share it in future Wire Reports, don’t forget to include the hashtag #CoHCommunity when you post!

We have so much planned for the coming months, including a public Multiplayer Tech Test, more faction deep dives and even some chill play sessions between the community and the team. Oh, and, you know... CoH3’s launch! February 23rd is getting so close, and we can’t wait for you to start playing and sharing your experiences. Enjoy the holidays and we’ll see you in January!

Check out our latest faction deep dive with the Company of Heroes 3 Gameplay team. We review two action-packed multiplayer games (including one with the legendary DevM!), discuss main rosters, Battlegroups, and all the new ways to play this classic faction.

As we approach the November 17th launch date for Company of Heroes 3, our team has decided the game is not quite up to our players’ or our own high standards. There are still bugs to squash, pixels to polish, gameplay to adjust and feedback to address.

As a result, we’ve decided to move the launch date to February 23rd, 2023. While we know many of you are itching to get your hands on the game, we believe this to be the best decision for CoH3, our players, and our studio. This provides our hard-working team and partners with the necessary time to deliver CoH3 in a better overall state.

So, what does this all mean? It means we’re spending this additional time polishing and finalizing features while also squashing bugs. Every day we remove bugs and finalize assets and features to help guarantee a better moment-to-moment experience for our players. Over the next 4-months we will not be adding any new features — the factions, units, modes, campaigns and modding tools for CoH3 are all set for launch. Now it’s just a matter of tuning and polishing everything to deliver on that core experience.

We are incredibly proud of the dedication our community has shown throughout CoH-Development. Your feedback has been critical in these last stages of development and will continue to be a driver for our team for years to come. Since we first revealed Company of Heroes 3 in July of 2021, your feedback across all areas of the game has been considered, processed, and in many cases, implemented. Some examples include:

• Improvements to the Dynamic Campaign Map, such as a new supply system, UI improvements, a more aggressive A.I., and faster travel across the map through seaport and airport improvements.
  
• Adding a stronger focus on visual grit and details during battles, by improving shader technology and FX. A great example of improved visual grit is the new vehicle weathering system[community.companyofheroes.com] that we’ve implemented, seeing vehicles now slowly accrue more dirt and mud based on the terrain they are navigating through. You will see more impact damage, scarring, burning and damage on their vehicles as you progress on the battlefield.
  
• Overhauling the lighting system to provide higher fidelity and to ensure clear unit readability
  
• Enhancing moment-to-moment gameplay by making changes to the camera positioning and providing clearer mini map information. Changes are still being made to the HUD layout and the UI.
  
• Seeing players experiment with the Multiplayer Pre-Alpha in November 2021 really helped the team make significant improvements to Battlegroups, their upgrade trees, units, and call-in abilities.
  
• Reviewing and improving parts of voice-over lines to ensure they are authentic to specific characters and their native accents featured in the game.

Our team will continue sharing news and details with you week-to-week in the lead up to launch to keep you updated on our progress. Over 5 years ago, we set out to deliver the best Company of Heroes game in the franchise’s history, and with your continued feedback, we intend to do just that.


When will CoH3 be launching?
CoH3 will be launching on February 23rd, 2023, on Steam.

Why did you decide to change the launch date?
We know we want to deliver the best game possible, and we feel that we are not there yet. Your feedback helped guide our decision to ensure CoH3 is up to the high standards of both the development team and our players. This additional time allows us to work on overall improvements, balancing, and fine-tuning of CoH 3 to ensure the game will meet player expectations and deliver the deepest tactical experience in the series yet.

Will you be adding new features, modes, factions or units for launch?
No, all the content that is to be included for CoH3’s launch is set. With 4 factions available at launch, two singleplayer experiences, 12 battlegroups, and over 120 units, the scope of CoH3 is bigger than any prior game in the franchise. We’re taking this time to polish, tune and bug-fix to ensure that everything will add up to an amazing experience for all our players.

Will you be adding new content post-launch?
Absolutely! We plan to support CoH3 for years to come, and you can find out more about those plans in this dev diary.

Where can I leave my feedback for CoH3?
You can leave a comment or post on our forums[community.companyofheroes.com] or jump into our Discord[discord.gg]. Our team is active in both of those spaces reading everything we see.

Where can I learn more about CoH-Development and CoH3?
Learn more by heading to https://www.companyofheroes.com/ or our community forums[community.companyofheroes.com]. You can also follow us on YouTube, Facebook[www.facebook.com], Twitter, Instagram[www.instagram.com], Twitch [www.twitch.tv]or join our Discord[discord.gg].

What will happen to my pre-order?
If you’ve already pre-ordered CoH3, nothing has changed. You’ll be ready to play on our new launch date of February 23rd, 2023. You can still pre-order CoH 3 here[www.companyofheroes.com].

We’re making Company of Heroes history! The Company of Heroes 3 Essence Editor and modding will be supported day 1. That means when the game launches, it will come with the latest that our brand-new Essence Engine 5 has to offer, and new capabilities to build more incredible Company of Heroes experiences than ever before. We aim to make the creation, sharing, and playing of mods as seamless as possible for both creators and players.

Once created, mods can be published to the Steam Workshop to enable an easy and familiar path to downloading and playing community content. At launch, we’ll be sharing comprehensive documentation for these new tools to help guide new and experienced creators.

At launch, you will be able to create:

• Maps & Scenarios
  
• Game Modes
  
• Tuning Packs

[/b] [/list]
We aim to continue growing these tools with your feedback for years to come! Find all the details below, including a handy FAQ to answer your top questions.

• Create new RTS maps to battle A.I. in Skirmish or play with and against friends in Custom Games.
  
• Modify existing maps – change city layouts, or start from scratch and sculpt and paint a custom terrain.
  
• Choose HQ and Capture Point locations.
  
• Drag and drop squads, vehicles, or buildings anywhere on the map.
  
• Change the lighting from day to night, add atmospheric fog, carve out rivers and more.
  
• Upgrade your maps by adding a scenario script or custom logic. Be your own game director and create exciting stories and nail-biting missions.

• Create new Game Modes to battle with or against the A.I. and other players and friends.
  
• With SCAR (Scripting at Relic) at your fingertips, the possibilities are endless - configure your own starting setup, win conditions, mid-match behavior and more.
  
• Direct the A.I. – get them to attack strongholds, capture or hold ground, defend positions, push or home-in on enemy forces, patrol and guard objectives and more. Create options for your game mode that hosts can use to change the match parameters.
  
• Script your own UI to implement custom functionality or add custom UI elements to the HUD

• “Be your own balance designer” by creating a Tuning Pack to modify your matches in Skirmish and Custom Games.
  
• Edit squad, vehicle or building properties like cost, build time, production output, health, armor levels, and damage.
  
• Modify tech trees and alter the progression path to units, buildings and abilities.
  
• Experiment and tune population caps, resource gain, economy, build speed and more! Caution: use responsibly as performance could be affected - many CPUs and GPUs were pushed to their limit while testing this feature!

After purchasing Company of Heroes 3, creators will be able to download the Company of Heroes 3 Essence Editor from the Tools section of their Steam library​. A full suite of documentation will be available on the web, guiding players through both simple and complex features in the toolset​. Launching the Editor will present you with the Mod Wizard, which asks you which mod type you would like to create and sets you up with the files and panels you need to get started​. When you are ready to test your creation, you just need to press the Build Mod button and launch the game – your mod can now be selected in a Custom lobby!​ When you are ready to share your creation, just Publish the mod from within Company of Heroes 3 – the mod will then be available on Steam Workshop for all players to see and download!​

Pro Tip: Start with an existing scenario when learning the tools. Starting from scratch can be daunting but building from an existing template will help when creating your first mods.

To play Company of Heroes 3 mods, players can browse the Steam Workshop to download a compatible mod and then select it in-game as a Skirmish or Custom match host​. Players can also simply join a Custom match that has a modded Map, Game Mode, or Tuning Pack (or a combination) selected. They will then automatically subscribe to, download, and play the mod in moments. Any mods that a player subscribed to will automatically download updates that are published by the mod creator​. Players can unsubscribe, report, and view mod details from the Mod Manager, available from the Home screen’s Mod tab​.

Post-launch we plan to continue supporting, refining, and adding capability into the Company of Heroes 3 Essence Editor and in-game mod manager well into the future. We can’t wait to see the cool stuff you create!


How do I download a mod for CoH3?
You can browse the Steam Workshop for Company of Heroes 3 to download a compatible mod and then select it in-game as a Skirmish or Custom match host. If you join a custom match that is using one or several mods, you will automatically subscribe to and download those mods. You can manage your mods from the Mod tab in CoH3’s main menu.

As a player, will I have to pay for mods?
No. All mods will be available for free via the Steam Workshop.

As a modder and creator, how do I access the modding tools?
Starting at launch, the Company of Heroes 3 Essence Editor is available to anyone who pre-orders or purchases Company of Heroes 3.

What types of mods can I make?
At launch, the Company of Heroes 3 Essence Editor will support Maps & Scenarios, Game Modes, and Tuning Packs.

Will you be adding more functionality so we can make different types of mods?
We plan to support the Company of Heroes 3 Essence Editor post-launch and will look to add new capabilities and quality of life improvements in the months and years ahead.

Can I make a total conversion mod?
Total conversion mods are not supported at this time

Can I create custom skins for infantry, vehicles, capture points or faceplates and profiles?
We are not supporting this type of mod at launch.

Can I port a mod I made in CoH1/CoH2 to CoH3?
Any mods you would like to see from CoH1 and CoH2 will need to be recreated to function in CoH3. Due to innovations in fidelity and systems, along with new massive capabilities added to the engine, all aspects of Company of Heroes had to be rebuilt by Relic for CoH3. We’re all starting over together.


Please keep your questions and feedback coming! We will continue to add to the modding FAQ above and further discussion helps us ensure we cover everything in our official modding documentation at launch.

Company of Heroes 3 is now available for Pre-Order! [www.companyofheroes.com] Get the Launch Edition now and receive the Devil’s Brigade DLC pack featuring Legendary skins for Infantry, Vehicles, and other Legendary tier cosmetics.

Play the Mission Alpha by clicking here [community.companyofheroes.com] to get a first look at the long-awaited Deutsches Afrikakorps faction. [EDIT: This has now concluded. Thanks for playing!] Mobile, mechanized, and elite, the DAK are an innovative new faction developed in conjunction with our players through CoH-Development. If you already signed up for CoH-Development and you played our first Pre-Alpha Preview in July or our Multiplayer Alpha in December, you’re ready to jump into the Mission Alpha!

Make sure to watch the new North Africa Trailer. Experience the sweeping desert combat, new factions, and the compelling story all offered by our North African Operation.

Take a closer look at the Devil’s Brigade DLC Pack that comes with our Digital Launch Edition. If you really like what you see, you should check the Digital Premium Edition for even more Legendary tier cosmetics, as well as Expansion Pack 1 [Coming 2023].

Relic Entertainment is delighted to present this exclusive first look at multiplayer gameplay in Company of Heroes 3. This Pre-Alpha experience will give you a taste of our multiplayer vision, and we can’t wait for you to play.

This Multiplayer Pre-Alpha will be available to play from 9am PT / 5pm GMT, Nov 30th, until December 6th.

Head to http://community.companyofheroes.com to sign up and get the build. Please note, if you previously played the July Pre-Alpha Preview, you should already have the Multiplayer Pre-Alpha in your Steam Library.