Jon Suan
The RTS Genre isn’t what it’s used to these days but that doesn’t stop passionate developers from still making them! There are still upcoming and new RTS games out there as well as its many sub-genres thriving in the gaming space.
The newest game out there is Men of War 2 and it’s a lot different from their older games. There are a ton of new mechanics that you’ll need to know if you want to try out this RTS game for the first time. That’s why you’ll want some tips!
In this guide, we’ll show you some tips and tricks on how the new Men of War 2 game plays. We’ll go through how units are unlocked and how the different mechanics work. Now, let’s see what this new game is all about!
Complete Beginner’s Guide
If you’re new to RTS games, then this is the guide for you. Even if you’re not and are a veteran of these kinds of games and the Men of War series, there are still a lot of new features to learn. Here’s a complete guide to help you get started!
Not Your Standard RTS
At first glance, Men of War 2 looks like an RTS but it’s more of a Real-Time Tactics game. What does that mean? Well, a normal RTS will have you build bases and juggle resources much like Starcraft or Age of Empires, we don’t do that here.
You have your set units that you spawn into battle and that’s it. There is no base building. The only building you’ll get is setting up impromptu defenses like sandbag walls or entrenched positions.
The game focuses more on the units themselves instead of managing resources. No need for resource management/gathering like collecting Cash, Food, or manpower.
That also means that each loss you take or each unit you defeat is substantial and can turn the tide of battle in an instant. A single Sturmtiger shooting its giant rocket into a well-defended area to vaporize the enemies can stop a stalemate!
Game Modes And Co-op
Aside from your standard multiplayer game modes, the game also features Story Campaigns, Historical battles, Conquest, and Raids. All of these modes come with Co-op with up to 5 players, so make sure you invite your friends!
Story and Historical battles are your Campaigns for the 3 factions of the game which are the USSR, Americans, and Germans.
Raids are more like your skirmish or custom battle mode in other RTS games. If you want to jump quickly into action, you’ll go with this one. The missions here are randomly generated and you can reset the campaign any time you want.
Conquest is a Dynamic Campaign that some RTS games of this genre are starting to adopt. The mode goes through this long randomly generated campaign where you take control of multiple Battalions. You get to unlock units and let them grow as the campaign goes on.
You also choose which Battalion attacks and which ones defend adding another layer of strategy that is absent from other game modes.
Each Mission in the different modes gives you objectives that you can complete to unlock units and get currency. That’s where the rest of the progression is!
Unlocking Units
When you first start the game, you might notice that there aren’t that many units available. If you’ve seen the videos for the game, you might have seen Tiger tanks or Katyusha Rocket launchers. They are still in the game, but you’ll need to unlock them!
The most straightforward way to unlock them is through doing missions in the different game modes. Some of these modes give you units as rewards, color-coded for your convenience.
If you see a reward that has a yellow or gold color on it, then it’s a multiplayer unit. That means if you finish that mission, you’ll get to unlock that unit and buy it in Multiplayer. We’ll go through purchasing units later.
When the unit card is purple, then that means it’s a Collector’s Unit in single-player/co-op games. So, players that don’t want to play Multiplayer can still have these fun units to try out!
Most of the units though are locked behind the tech tree, which is a new addition to the Men of War series!
Tech Trees
Remember the different game modes? Aside from unlocking units through rewards when playing them, you also get a tech tree as shown below. Each game mode has its tech tree, and they use two currencies that you can get in-game. Don’t worry, there are no microtransactions in this one!
You get three currencies, a Faction-specific currency like US Dollars Free XP, and Unit XP: The Faction-specific currency is used to buy units from the Tech Tree. Unit XP is what you see in the corner of the unit card as shown below. This XP is gained when the unit performs in battle, like capturing objectives or defeating enemies. You can use this XP to unlock the next unit in the tech tree.
Free XP is a currency that is rewarded to you through completing missions just like the Faction-specific currency. It’s also used to unlock units in the tech tree and can be used on any unit regardless of the Unit XP.
NOTE: If you have extra Unit XP but there are no more units to unlock after that unit in the tech tree, a portion of the Unit XP is automatically converted to Free XP.
That means you can use Free XP to add to the Unit XP to unlock a new unit in the tech tree. This is great if you want to unlock something but rarely use the previous iteration in battle.
Multiplayer
Even with the co-op features in the game, some players want to play PVP, that’s where the rest of the Multiplayer modes are.
There are 4 different modes in multiplayer and here’s what they are and what the main differences are:
- PVP Battalions – This is where you choose battalions and edit your regiments just like in single-player. The difference is you’ll be fighting another player and you can use the gold units you’ve unlocked through single-player.
- PVE Battalions – Similar to the PVP Battalions but this time it’s a bunch of players against the AI.
- PVP Classic – Much like the battles of old Men of War games where there’s no customization in your battalions. Instead, you get a massive list of units that you can use.
- PVP Combined Arms – A combination of both Classic and Battalions where the main draw is the Front-line mechanic. You capture more map territory against the players while being given dynamic orders by the AI for bonuses.
Multiplayer also has different objectives just like single-player where you can earn different rewards when completed. There is also the League or Season Pass where you can get even more rewards as well as bonus units to add to your Battalions.
Setting Up Battalions
Now that you know how the different game modes and systems work, you’ll want to start setting up your Battalion and regiments. If you’re not playing Classic PVP, you’ll want to customize your Battalion before jumping into battle.
When setting up your Battalion, you’ll want to first know which one to choose. There is a lot to choose from and each one of them has their different specialties. You can check what they can field on the right side of the screen as shown above.
If you want to focus on Infantry units, then you should go for Infantry Battalions. Same for Artillery, Tanks, or Mechanized.
Once you’ve chosen the Battalion, you can then edit the Regiment. To the left side of the screen are the echelons with different slots for different types of units. You can only place a unit on the slot that can accommodate that type.
Echelons unlock through the battle with the first one being the first wave depending on the game mode. Make sure to spread your units out with each Echelon if you’re starting. You don’t want to be in a situation where you need infantry but they’ll only spawn on the 3rd Echelon!
With all of these tips, you’ll hopefully be ready to play Men of War 2. Now, go out there and enjoy the game! If you have questions or concerns, feel free to leave them in the comments section below.
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