Updated version with the new knowledge tree

I've met a lot of players, lower and higher levels who are struggling with the different components of the game from the start. I wrote a quickstarter that will help you to play as efficient as possible the first eight days of the game to give you a head start:

With the new knowledge tree resource management will be very important. Chose your spendings wisely depending on your resource production and the terrain you are in. If you are low on oil and you are playing with a country like Turky with a lot of mountains and little flat grounds where tanks get a 50% bonus, you can amagine that going for armor branch would not be wise.

1) The first thing you do when the game starts is buy all the goods, grain, oil, steel you can on the market. They are cheap now and you will need them. Also buy the rare resources cheaper than 10 a unit.

2) Knowledge tree: knowledge is really important in this game because it gives your troops more strength. In the infantry branch start with researching infantry this will unlock all the other infantry branch units. When you are done with infantry go for artillery.

I prefer not invest in militia because they cost a lot of manpower, have a high daily upkeep and low offensive strength.

In the armor branch research armored car as this will unlock all armor branch units. Don't produce or invest in armored cars because they are weak, go for tanks. With the new knowledge tree you have the possibility not to waste any resources and knowledge on Light Tanks but to go straigt for Medium Tanks. If you opt for this you will easily beat players that produce light tanks. They are much more powerful then LT compared to the cost to produce a Medium Tank

3) Construction:
- Start with building barracks in every Core territory that has an industrial complex. They will provide a 10% increase in manpower production and 25% increase in unit production speed.

- When you are on a coastline or on an Island ships will be important to protect yourself against an invasion. Building a naval base takes only 15 minutes and gives you the opportunity to produce some ships early on.

- When the barracks and or naval bases are finished build infrastructure where you have industrial complexes, you need them to produce artillery and tanks.

- If you can spare the resources then build also infrastructure in provinces that produce resources that you lack. It is highly recommended to build infrastructure early on in double resource icon provinces as those have a double production. Remember: Infrastructure level 3 produces 50% more in that province.

- Don't build industrial complexes because they are expensive, update them! The higher the level of an industrial complex the faster your troops train. An industrial complex level 5 also gives you 50% extra resource production. Sometime you don't have an industrial complex in a oil, rare or steel province and as these are resources that you will need a lot in this game it can be smart to build one industrial complex there and upgrade to level 5 because they are expensive to build but cheap to update. (you will not always be able to spend as many goods as is described here. Building infra in ALL your resource provinces when you start might not be in your best interest. Building all the infra might mean that you will not be able to build units, do research or upgrade your IC later on.)

4) Troops: don't train infantry as you start already with enough of them and you don't want to have a problem with food consumption a bit later in the game. Try to diversify your army so build first 5 artillery, 5 artillery in one stack are extremely powerfull. They shoot enemy troops from a distance without taking damage themselves. Protect your artillery well and they will serve you the entire game.

Artillery is weak against air attack and other units so it is wise to train 5 Anti Air afterwards and put them in the stack with the artillery.

Next you train 5 Anti Tank (this is perfect to attack armored vehicles and as defensive unit against light tanks). As many players love to produce tanks even though they lack the oil and don't have a favourable terain, the AT will protect you perfectly against them.

You now have your start units, a stack with 5 arty and 5 AA, 5 AT as protection against tanks. Now the time has come to build some tanks of your own: you either build 5 Light Tanks if your steel production permits it or you produce 2 Medium tanks. To produce two medium tanks you will need two infrastructure level 2 where you have an industrial complex. Favorably you build an infrastructure level 2 in a city where you have an industrial complex that produces resources that you need a lot as the infrastructure boosts the economy in that province.

The unit build depends on your enemy, though as a standard it is decent, there is no sure way to be safe the further you are away of the start of a map.

5) Attack AI: on day 2 you can attack AI (computer players) make two groups of 3 infantry and one armored vehicle and attack. You have now 8 units in attack, the other units you use to defend your cities and important resource provinces. Know that with each country you are in war with your moral drops with 5% up to a maximum of 25% if at war with more than 5 players.

6) Attack players: on day 4 you will have 5 artillery, 5 AA, 5 AT and a couple of tanks. You are now ready to attack a player. if he hasn't done the exact same thing like you, he will overrun.

!!!Before you attack a player click on the "I" in the diplomacy menu to see the level and the stats of that player. If he is a good player you might want him as an ally rather then an enemy!!!

When you want to play aggressive you can attack a player on day one. Just make sure that you take out his cities before he has trained his first infantries. Know that all the industrial complexes will be severely damaged when they are not level 2 yet.

Knowledge is power and spies are no luxury item. Read the newspaper to see who is in war with who. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. If two players are in war and you see in the newspaper that they both are taking huge losses you might want to invade when the fight is almost over and take everything for grasps.

7) On day 2 you have to upgrade the infantry knowledge straight away, this gives you an advantage over players who didn't research them yet. If you have a coastline research submarines, they are perfect to attack embarked troops at sea and to protect your coastal provinces. Research fighters they are perfect to protect your ground units against tactical bomber attacks. Research tactical bombers, a stack of 5 of them together with fighter planes as protection will be a huge difference in battles against troops that have not anti air cannons to protect them. Try saving your rare resources during the next days because on day 8 new knowledge is open to research and existing knowledge can be updated.

8 ) Day 4 is crucial, your industrial complexes and infrastructure should be level 2 by now so you can build medium tanks and tank destroyers and also the secret branch is open for research. Now you should be upping your barracks to level 2 to build motorized infantry. Your airbases should be level two too by now and you should have tactical bombers trained in the past 8 days. Now is the time where you chose your strategy. If you want to focus on an air force update your interceptors and bombers first. Do you prefer armor units then update the light tanks, research medium tanks. Never go for only one branch but diversify a bit.

9) Day 8 unlocks more armor units. SP artillery is a strong and fast unit, SP anti air give good cover against air units when in a stack. Mechanized infantry is one of the fastest and strongest units in the game. Mech Infa is available on day 4 but due to its high building requirement of barracks level 3 rather on day 8 to be produced.





I have tried to write a simple guide but still advanced enough to stand your ground against more experienced players. I have met quite a few level 40 players who didn't have the knowledge and efficiency of this guide and who would lose against a beginning player that masters what I wrote. When you follow this guide you will have a balanced army and a strong economy that will serve you well trough out the game.


Recommended links:
- How to build a strong economy: forum.callofwar.com/index.php?…3292-resource-production/

- What to do on day 8 and 16 that are important knowledge and tactical moments: forum.callofwar.com/index.php?…-days-%E2%80%93-8-and-16/

- How to use planes: forum.callofwar.com/index.php?…ng-some-in-decent-damage/

- How to use artillery: forum.callofwar.com/index.php?…26427-guide-to-artillery/

- How to use and defend against armored units: forum.callofwar.com/index.php?…26427-guide-to-artillery/

Yes, of course. That's why i wrote to start attacking AI earliest at day two so that you can conquer an industrial complex that is not destroyed/severely damaged and needs a lot of resources to be repaired. This isn't interesting as a non core province only gives you 25% of the production so it takes 4 times longer to have a return of investment.

The Quickstarter has been updated with the remarks from other players, let me know if there is anything else.

Yes i focus more on air too but after day eight. Most players rush tanks, if you don't do the same you have a big disadvantage as you can't have produced enough bombers yet to stop the tanks. Only once the inf, AT, arty and LT is researched I start with interceptors and tacticals.

Yes indeed, that's why my quickstarter says not to produce infantry but AT. AT is the first unit I produce, then 5 arty and then 5 tanks. With those units you will stop a tank rusher aspecially when he comes in cities. Once i have those 15 units i produce planes.

I tried to write a simple beginners guide for the first eight games as those days make or break your game. After day eight like you suggest the possibilities and different tactics are endless. Everyone needs to figure out what works best for them. If I add your suggestion then i would complicate things.

No guide is waterproof as there are countless strategic options and you never know what your opponent does but if you go for a diversified army of 5 AT, 5 arty and 5 LT plus your starting troops you will at least stand a chance.

building one IC is a good strategy but then you don't have enough rares for knowledge. Infrastructure level 3 is faster build then Industrial complex level 5. I prefer to build an industrial complex only once my Infra is level 3 because both buildings do the same they produce 50% extra.

It is possible to build a lot of infra if you follow step one which is buy all goods and steel on the market that you can.