Men of War II: All New Gameplay Features Compared to MoWAS2

Men of War II (MoW2) is finally here, bringing a host of all-new gameplay features that long-time fans can’t help but compare to Men of War: Assault Squad 2 (MoWAS2).

To say the very least, veterans of the Men of War franchise are finding the newest game’s changes and features rather… controversial. Nonetheless, we won’t be giving our personal opinions on the changes here. 

What we’ll do is list all the known new gameplay features and changes that MoW2 has compared to MoWAS2. Hopefully, this will help you decide whether Men of War II is worth your time or not!

All New Gameplay Features | MoW2 Compared to MoWAS2

General Changes

• Buildings and vehicles now have HP bars, except in Classic mode. This is an overview of their remaining integrity, but the damage is still modular. For example, you can still blow holes in specific parts of buildings.
• Explosions don’t create massive craters anymore. This acts as a nerf against Infantry units, as the smaller craters in Men of War II prevent them from hiding efficiently.
• Flamethrowers shoot flames in short bursts instead of continuous streams.
• Smoke Screens now properly hide what’s behind them, not just what’s inside the smoke. There’s a massive penalty to Accuracy when targeting anything behind a Smoke Screen.
• You can’t commandeer abandoned weapon emplacements anymore if you don’t have enough Command Points.

Infantry

• Infantry units can now run and gun at the same time.
• Infantry can be pinned down in cover by suppressive fire.
• You can now see a preview of a grenade’s arc and range when throwing them.
• Units can automatically initiate melee combat if they engage hostiles within melee range.
• Units will automatically vault over fences and low walls if they are on their way to a target.

Buildings

• Buildings are now marked as “Entities” by the game. As such, they can’t be completely destroyed and Infantry units will automatically use all openings to attack hostiles.
• Ruined Buildings can still be used as cover. This is thanks to the previous change, as you can’t fully remove buildings anymore.
• You have access to new buildings to set in the field, primarily meant to keep your troops supplied in the frontlines. These included Medic Tents, Ammunition Tents, and Fuel Depots.
• You can improve any building’s defenses by fortifying entry points like doors and windows.

Fortifications

• Explosions can cover Trenches with the resulting dirt. That said, the dirt can be removed by digging it to restore the Trenches anyway.
• Machine Gun Emplacements can now be set inside of Trenches.
• Weapon Emplacements can be covered up and camouflaged with foliage.
• You can now build a variety of Bunkers and Watchtowers. 
• You get more freedom on how to build Trenches. Their shape can be altered thanks to a modular building system and you can connect multiple Trenches together.

Vehicles and Aircraft

• All types of Anti-Air now automatically target any aircraft in range. However, aircrafts can’t target each other. 
• Certain Vehicles now have access to Smoke Screens.
• More Vehicles get special ammo types such as Shrapnel Rounds and Phosphorous Shells. Additionally, you can now choose ammo types for airstrikes.
• Most Vehicle types can now Entrench and use foliage for camouflage.
• Vehicles can swap between ammunition types without reloading. 
• You can enter First-Person View while commandeering a Vehicle.
• You’re now able to angle airstrikes manually.

Special Units

• An icon will signal the location of Snipers when they are spotted.
• Certain game modes now give you AI-controlled squads. All units in these squads will stick together, making them less customizable. However, they aren’t available in Classic mode.
• Clicking on a wounded soldier will make Medics appear near them and heal them. These Medics will avoid the enemies’ Field of View as they attempt to heal others.
• Commandos can see enemies’ Field of View.

Artillery

• Artillery units can now Entrench and use foliage for camouflage. 
• Firing consecutively in the same area will increase the artillery’s precision when targeting that area.
• Most Artillery units will be in Stealth and only be revealed after their first shot, except for most Heavy Artillery units.