A few weeks ago, after months away from COH2, I sat down and jumped into a game as my beloved Germans. I was rusty at first, but gradually my build orders and capping strategies came flooding back, and I was once again in my groove.

MY GROOVE! I inwardly exclaimed. TIS BACK! MAKE WAY, SOVIET SWINE, FOR MY GERMAN MIGHT!

There was only one problem…I kept losing.

Over, and over, and over, and over again. I was consistently losing 4 infantry squads a game, my map control was…did I mention the lost infantry squads?

Eager to find answers, I looked to my opponents. Even way back in VCOH I made it a habit, at the end of every loss, to ask the other player what I could have done better. People usually are eager to help, especially since I’m essentially complimenting them on their obviously sick top-tier COH skillz brah.

About a week ago, my victorious opponent, after bragging that he had been eating a pint of Ben and Jerry’s during our match, made this little suggestion:

“Go back and look at the recent patch notes. You can’t blob anymore.”

Sandbags are your friends, now more than ever

WHAAAAAA? I gasped. What is this? I no longer automatically beat your engineers who are behind green cover just because I rush my half-health grenadier squad in their general direction? My pgrens can no longer charge and shoot into your conscripts’ well-covered face while I laugh maniacally and roll out my eight-minute flamer halftrack?

That sounds like…dare I say it?…that sort of sounds like VCOH!

So, after shaking my disbelief, I was determined to put this ice cream-loving stranger’s wisdom to the test. I was careful with my infantry, kept them behind cover at all times in support of my mgs and armor, and I immediately started winning. All because the game was rewarding the fact I was setting up overlapping planes of fire and using cover whenever I could.

All this is to say one simple thing: I can’t speak for everyone, but I feel confident saying that COH2 is now essentially the game I was hoping it would be. Think I’m wrong? Come see for yourself. You may still hate where it is, but I have a feeling you might like what you see: Infantry in cover are deadly, use of combined arms is a must, and blobbing is almost always a sure way to die against an opponent who knows what he’s doing. Honest!

Now, for the trolls: there are clearly still problems with the game. I know Hans for one has been complaining about Shocks, and the ISU-152 is still as insane as it was way back when. Still, though, I don’t find either of those or any other questionably-balanced units to be game-breaking anymore. The game is fun again, I promise. At least I think so.

Come see what you’re missing.