Combat Engineers

Combat Engineer Squad
Army	Soviet Army
Role	Engineer Squad
Men per Squad	4
Unit Cost	170 170 5 5
Upkeep per Minute	-7.5 −7.5
Prereq.	None
Produced By	Regimental Field Headquarters
Cost to Reinforce	21 21 1 1
Health per Man	80 80
Build Time	17 seconds
Received Accuracy	1.0
Basic Weapon	4x Mosin Nagant Rifle
Firing Range	35 metres
Sight Range	35 metres
Max. Speed	3 m/s
Produces (12) Razor Wire Fence Builds a fence of barbed wire, which infantry cannot pass through. Costs nothing. Build time: 3 seconds per piece Fire Pit Builds a Campfire, preventing Infantry from freezing to death. Costs 50 50. Trip Wire Flare Creates a Trip Wire Flare, an invisible flare that once activated by an enemy infantry squad lights up, revealing their position. Requires Veterancy 1. Costs 10 10. TM-35 Mine Lays a nasty explosive trap for any unlucky Tank or Soldier, damaging Vehicles and killing Infantry. Costs 30 30. Build time: 11 seconds per piece Demolition Charge Leaves a massive bundle of dynamite on target location. Detonated manually. Destroys Vehicles, Buildings, Cover, and kills Infantry. Costs 90 90. Cooldown: 10 seconds Build time: 6 seconds Fuel Cache Builds a Fuel Cache on a captured territory, increasing Fuel income per minute by 3 3. Costs 200 200. Build time: 21 seconds Munitions Cache Builds a Munitions Cache on a captured territory, increasing Munitions income per minute by 5 5. Costs 200 200. Build time: 21 seconds Special Rifle Command Builds the Special Rifle Command, allowing you to call in more powerful units, like the Scout Sniper and Penal Battalion. Costs 160 16010 10 Build time: 24 seconds Support Weapon Kampeneya Builds the Support Weapon Kampeneya, allowing you to call in many support weapons to augment basic infantry, like the ZiS-3 Field Gun and PM-42 82 mm Mortar. Costs 160 16020 20 Build time: 24 seconds Tankoviy Battalion Command Builds the Tankoviy Battalion Command, allowing for the creation of Soviet medium armor, like the T-34/76 medium tank and T-70 light tank. Costs 240 24085 85 Build time: 45 seconds Mechanized Armor Kampeneya Builds the Mechanized Armor Kampeneya, allowing you to request power support armor pieces, like the SU-76 Assault Gun and the SU-85 tank destroyer. Costs 240 24090 90 Build time: 40 seconds ML-20 152mm Gun-Howitzer Costs 600 60015 15 Build time: 90 seconds Only available to certain commanders
Abilities (2) Repair Restores HP to any Building, Bridge, or Vehicle. Costs nothing. Cut Wire Cuts through any Razor fence on the battlefield. Requires Hazard Removal Package. Costs nothing.
Upgrades (2) ROKS-3 Flamethrower Upgrades an Engineer with a ROKS-3 Flamethrower, giving them additional anti-infantry and anti-building capabilities. Costs 60 60 Takes 20 seconds to install Hazard Removal Package Replaces one of the Engineers' rifles with a mine detector and grants the ability to cut razor wire. Costs 30 30 Takes 10 seconds to install

“Engineers, ready for assignment.”

Combat Engineers are weak but potent soldiers that fulfil a variety of essential roles on the battlefield.

Overview

Engineers, early in the game, are essential for a commander to have in order to capture points and build command buildings to call in more troops. Later on, when armor is more common, they should either stay with Soviet tanks for support or stay a bit back to repair vehicles after firefights. Armed with Mosin-Nagant rifles, Combat Engineers have less firepower than most other engineer units but a longer effective range, with accuracy and damage similar to conscripts, but fewer numbers.

Engineers are able to construct two battlefield defences: the TM-35 mine and fences of Razor Wire. The TM-35 mines are triggered by both Vehicles and Infantry, making them more versatile than specialised mines. Razor wire costs nothing, is excellent for denying the enemy access to certain zones in urban environment, and funnelling enemy troop movements. However, it is easily destroyed and driven through by any enemy vehicle. Use mines and wire in conjunction - the enemy infantry is unable to get through, so the mines are saved for the vehicles that break the wire.

One useful tactic, if you lack any anti-tank weapons, is to flank an enemy Vehicle and then quickly plant a demolition charge before the Vehicle has a chance to drive away. As soon as the engineers are a safe distance away (or if you don't care, as soon as they finish construction), set off the charge. The charge is powerful enough to destroy everything short of the heaviest vehicles.

Production

Razor Wire Fence

• Costs nothing
• Takes 3 seconds to build per piece

Barbed Wire is an anti-infantry obstacle. Infantry cannot pass through or vault over a piece of Barbed Wire, and have to go around it.

Place Barbed Wire along infantry approach-routes to funnel them into a killing zone, i.e. an area covered by machine guns and/or mortars. This ensures that the enemy cannot flank your positions, and has to come straight into your line of fire.

Barbed Wire can be run over by almost all Vehicles without a second thought, so avoid placing it in areas where vehicles (both yours and the enemies) are likely to pass.

Also, remember that enemy Pioneer Squads can dismantle Barbed Wire if they were upgraded with hazard removal kit.

Fire Pit

• Costs 50 50

This ability is available on winter Maps only. The engineers can build fire pits to keep troops warm and prevent them from freezing to death

Trip Wire Flare

• Requires Veterancy 1.
• Costs 10 10.

When deployed, can be used to reveal a large part of the map when tripped by an enemy.

TM-35 Mine

• Costs 30 30.
• Takes 11 seconds to build per piece

Mines are powerful bombs that are buried underneath the ground. Whenever an enemy unit moves over a Mine, it will detonate with incredible force, usually destroying or at least heavily damaging the enemy.

This specific type of mine is indiscriminate, detonating regardless of the type of enemy unit that passes over it. Therefore, both enemy infantry and vehicles will trigger the Mine. Your own units and vehicles can move freely over any mine set by friendly forces without detonating it.

Mines should be set as a preliminary defensive measure against incoming enemy attacks, while permanent emplacements are being set up, or as part of a more complex line of defences. You can use Barbed Wire to funnel enemies into a minefield. Mines are also useful anti-vehicle tools on ice, as the explosion of the mines combined with the weight of the vehicle will send it to an icy grave.

Note that Mines can explode if struck with enough force (for example artillery shelling), so it is possible to clear them by bombarding the area they are located in. Also, engineer-type units can dismantle mines if they were equipped with hazard removal package.

Demolition Charge

• Costs 90 90
• Cooldown: 10 seconds
• Takes 6 seconds to build
• Activation: Select Ground

When this ability is activated, the Combat Engineers will approach the ground and take several seconds setting up a large explosive charge up next to the side of the building. They will then retreat to their previous position.

A demolitions icon will appear above the planted explosives. When this icon is clicked, the explosive charge will detonate.

Fuel Cache

• Costs 200 200.
• Build time: 21 seconds

Fuel Caches are built on top of Strategic Points. Once complete, the Fuel Cache increases the Fuel income of the sector by 3 3 per minute.

Munitions Cache

• Costs 200 200.
• Build time: 21 seconds

Munitions Caches are built on top of Strategic Points. Once complete, the Fuel Cache increases the Munitions income of the sector by 5 5 per minute.

Special Rifle Command

• Costs 160 16010 10
• Build time: 24 seconds

The Special Rifle Command enables construction of more powerful infantry and the M3A1 Scout Car.

Support Weapon Kampeneya

• Builds the Support Weapon Kampeneya, allowing you to call in many support weapons to augment basic infantry, like the ZiS-3 Field Gun and PM-42 82 mm Mortar.
• Costs 160 16020 20
• Build time: 24 seconds

The Support Weapon Kampeneya enables construction of several infantry units - primarily Weapon Teams.

Tankoviy Battalion Command

• Requires Special Rifle Command or Support Weapon Kampeneya
• Costs 240 24085 85
• Build time: 45 seconds

The Tankoviy Battalion Command enables construction of light Soviet armored units, as well as the M5A1 Half-track

Mechanized Armor Kampeneya

• Requires Special Rifle Command or Special Rifle Command
• Costs 240 24090 90
• Build time: 40 seconds

The Mechanized Armor Kampeneya enables construction of core armored vehicles, as well as the BM-13 Katyusha Rocket truck.

ML-20 152mm Gun-Howitzer

• Costs 600 60015 15
• Build time: 90 seconds
• Only available to certain commanders

The ML-20 152mm Gun-Howitzer is a stationary artillery emplacement.

Abilities

Repair

• Costs nothing
• Activation: Select Target (damaged vehicle or building)
• Cooldown: none

The Engineers temporarily put down their rifles and don welding masks as they restore HP to any sort of Building or Vehicle. This ability, usable at any time, and costing nothing, makes a squad or two of Engineers worthwhile enough to keep for the entire game. They are vulnerable to attacks while repairing, less so at veterancy 3.

Cut Wire

• Requires Hazard Removal Package upgrade
• Costs nothing
• Activation: Select barbed wire
• Duration: 4 seconds per piece

The Engineers approaches a fence of barbed wire, either yours or the enemy's, and promptly cuts it down.

Upgrades

ROKS-3 Flamethrower

• Costs 60 60
• Takes 20 seconds to install

Equips the squad with one flamethrower, capable of quickly dealing with enemy infantry and burning buildings. However, there is a chance that the flamethrower can explode, damaging and potentially killing nearby friendly infantry.

Hazard Removal Package

• Costs 30 30
• Takes 10 seconds to install

The squad loses one of their rifles as a minesweeper replaces it. Allows for the detection and removal of enemy mines, and the clipping of Razor Wire.

Veterancy

As a Soviet unit, Combat Engineers can gain three levels of Veterancy. Each level brings its own specific benefits, increasing the unit's combat potential and/or survivability.

Accumulation

Combat Engineers receives experience points for killing enemy units. Once it has accumulated a sufficient number of experience points, it will automatically advance to the next level of veterancy.

Bonuses

	Level 1 Veterancy: 'Trip Wire Flare' ability unlocked.
	Level 2 Veterancy: +20% accuracy. +62.5% repair rate.
	Level 3 Veterancy: No extra damage taken while repairing. -23% Received Accuracy. -15% weapon cooldown.

Gallery

Combat Engineer with a flamethrower.

Tips and hints

- The Hazard Removal Package increases the repair speed by 0.3. Additionally, the level two veterancy repair will also increase the repair effectiveness combined with the Hazard Removal Package. This also applies to the pioneer squad from the Ostheer faction.

- The demo charge can't be seen by human players of the opposite team when they are planted behind a building or any structure. This means that the camera set in-game in most maps makes the demo charge not be seen, unless you rotate the camera. Most players in the game don't bother to change the standard camera position despite it. It could be an exploit to use since the demo charge is useless when planted in plain sight and can be detected from a distance by the opponent.

- The SVT drop from the Soviet Airborne Commander will give a slight but noticeable combat effectiveness increase to the combat engineer. Recommended by using a group of two combat engineers, they can withstand a bit longer against most standard axis units. It will increase the veterancy gained due to a significant amount of damage dealt against enemy infantry units.