A long time ago, I posted my very first guide: How To Get Started as Tibet. It was woefully inadequate for a guide.
A year later, I now return to my roots, in a time where people need entertainment, and newer players need assistance. As such, I view it as my obligation to redo my past guides to fit the new circumstances.
DISCLAIMER FOR MOBILE: All guides written by me are for the 25 player historically accurate map!
With all of this out of the way, it's time we got into it: How To Get Started As Tibet.
Tibet is a small, crammed, and landlocked country in East Asia, bordering India, China, and Xingjiang, none of which are friendly, and all of them ready and armed to the teeth. You begin with poor research, weak industrial capabilities, and some players that could be (and usually are) out for your blood. Then begs the question: how should you survive such bloodthirsty conditions?
Before you can learn to play as Tibet, a crucial first step people often overlook in both playing as and invading Tibet is to take stock of what you have. I cannot tell you how many times people stopped playing as a smaller country purely because they didn't account for how to use them.
Tibet has 5 cities, as is now the bare minimum in Call of War. Previously, these 5 cities gave you an edge over some of your neighbors (i.e. Xingjiang and Mongolia), but this edge has been dulled, and the playing field is now level. As such, a wise move would be to get these two countries on your side - effectively encircling China. India and China are your most immediate threats.
The good news is that you have the Pan-Asian doctrine, which works perfectly for your terrain. In other good news, you also have increased movement speed - which is vital if you're going to use your 6 militia units to do anything. Additionally, you're surrounded by terrain that is virtually impossible to efficiently invade with armor vehicles, meaning that your enemies will have to come at you with infantry - and that's where we begin our guide.
As for resources, you're stretched a little thin initially, but you have enough provinces to make up the difference. Your two most abundant resources are Metal and Rare Materials.
Resource provinces: (NOT including cities)
Food: 2
Oil: 2
Goods: 2
Metal: 3
Rare: 4
Research will not be an issue for you, given your resources. Additionally, I strongly recommend using excess rare materials to build local industry in ALL of your resource provinces. Don't worry about manpower yet, you have plenty. Build recruiting offices only as necessary. If your manpower production per hour dips below 200, that's when you need to start recruiting more men. START WITH YOUR HIGHEST MANPOWER PRODUCTION PROVINCES FIRST. NO EXCEPTIONS.
Let's begin with the actual guide now, shall we?
Day 1
Your first priority is to begin some research. I would personally recommend researching some higher-tier militia units to increase the strength of your already existing army. Seeing as you only have 6 units, this is currently your best course of action. Additionally, if you want to start fresh, then begin setting up some ordinance: AT guns, Howitzers, and/or rocket artillery can work well, though I personally recommend howitzers.
Next, build an air base in EVERY SINGLE CITY. No exceptions. Air Superiority has never been so crucial before, thanks to the new 1.5 update. Seeing as tanks are effectively useless in your terrain, the next best thing is attack bombers. Personally, I research attack bombers before interceptors, but don't fault yourself if you research interceptors first. Both are necessary, and you will be researching both at some point.
Armor might not be useful at the moment, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't begin looking for more advanced tanks. You'll thank yourself for it in mid-late gameplay.
Navy research is completely unnecessary. Don't research it until you have a coast.
With your air bases built, you can either:
A. Patch the holes in your barracks count, and make sure every city has a barracks.
OR
B. strengthen your local industry in your Oil, Goods, and Grain provinces. You can ignore metal and rare for now, you have enough for the time being.
Day 2
Now that you have some decent research done, start mass production. Once again, tanks are not an option here. Instead, focus on either Infantry, Ordinance, or Aircraft. Secret Tech is neat, but has marginal amounts of uses, so I personally recommend working on that later. Early game, there's really no reason for you to have them.
Additionally, I strongly suggest researching Commandos AS SOON AS YOU CAN. Commandos, for the Pan-Asian doctrine, are essentially militia units on steroids. They are much, much faster, do much more damage, and gain an even larger terrain bonus in the mountains (+70%!). They are essential to defend your homeland!
If Commandos prove to be too expensive, there is actually no shame in simply mass producing militia units. Your coffers won't forgive you, but they work well in a pinch, and ONLY work well if you're using the Pan-Asian doctrine. With Pan-Asia, militia units move almost as fast, if not faster than, conventional infantry in other doctrines, and with their increased terrain bonus, do just as much damage.
So, when in doubt, Militias and Commandos are not bad options. Just be sure to watch your resources, and build more industry as needed.
As for your air forces, Attack Bombers can't defend themselves. Like I said earlier, it is a good idea to have both interceptors and attack bombers researched at the same time. The optimal squadron consists of about 3 attack bombers and 2 interceptors, but early game, a good rule of thumb is just to have 1 interceptor in the squadron for every attack bomber. It's simple, yet very effective.
If you want to go even further, you can begin researching Tactical Bombers. Like Attack Bombers, Tac. Bombers work extremely well against ground units, but the difference is that Tac bombers have much longer range, and aren't as effective against naval units - not that this matters, because you are landlocked.
Day 3
If you haven't yet befriended Xingjiang, check to see if they are inactive. If they are inactive, you can attempt an invasion by getting your ordinance together with your militias/commandos, and punching a hole through the mountains. Ordinance is devastating in the mountains, hills, and just in general. Bombard the enemy before you sweep up the cities, and your hit points will remain mostly intact. Remember, Pan-Asian units have about 10% fewer hitpoints than other doctrines.
If you followed my instructions and started building an air force, now is the time to use it. Remember to build an airstrip at the nearest point to your enemy. You can't hit them if you can't reach them.
You may be wondering: why research attack bombers before tactical bombers? Well the simple answer is that attack bombers are better at fast responses. They are much faster, and are much easier to produce. They have shorter range, and are less effective against infantry, but they are easier to call upon in times of crisis. Tactical bombers are more expensive, and take longer to build, with the trade off being that they are much better against infantry, and have a lot more range.
Late game, tactical bombers will outrank attack bombers in almost every way, shape, and form, seeing as they can be researched to a greater level than attack bombers, but that's very late game, and until then, I personally recommend using both. Just be sure to pick the right aircraft for the right situation.
Because despite the similarities in naming, they are not the same, and are not interchangeable.
Once you establish a bridgehead in Xingjiang, I personally recommend researching motorized infantry. Don't produce them right away, but if you're struggling to capture some cities, use your stronger divisions of ordinance to clear a path, and use your motorized infantry to quickly swoop in and take the undefended cities. They don't gain any bonuses on mountains, hills, or forests, but they do gain a bonus in urban territory - making them crucial to capture cities.
Day 4
By now, you should have a solid understanding of how Tibet works, but just to be sure, here's a few final tips:
1. Diplomacy is your friend. If you can't fight off your enemies, then make friends.
2. Once you can replace militia units with commandos, do so. Once you can produce commandos quicker and more efficiently, militias wear out their usefulness to an extent. They are still excellent home defense units, but due to the quicker, more powerful commandos, their uses shift more to defensive purposes.
3. When it is convenient, be sure to upgrade your unit production facilities, including and not limited to your barracks and air bases. This doesn't unlock any more units, but it does dramatically cut down on the time needed to produce them, which is key with stronger units.
4. Always remember to upgrade your units when you have the chance. Weaker units just slow down your army, so never forget to do so!
And finally, 5:
Never, ever neglect your resources. Be sure to keep upping your industry to increase your production. Early game, you might have a lot to spare, but once you start getting your army off the ground, you'll need every drop of oil, and every bushel of grain you can spare. As far as rare materials go, you might just be set for life.
This concludes my new, and dramatically improved, guide for getting started as Tibet. Even if you aren't playing as the historically accurate map, I can even argue that all of this logic still applies. The Pan-Asian doctrine is turning into arguably my favorite, and it serves Tibet well. Thank you for reading, and I hope this helps.
A year later, I now return to my roots, in a time where people need entertainment, and newer players need assistance. As such, I view it as my obligation to redo my past guides to fit the new circumstances.
DISCLAIMER FOR MOBILE: All guides written by me are for the 25 player historically accurate map!
With all of this out of the way, it's time we got into it: How To Get Started As Tibet.
Tibet is a small, crammed, and landlocked country in East Asia, bordering India, China, and Xingjiang, none of which are friendly, and all of them ready and armed to the teeth. You begin with poor research, weak industrial capabilities, and some players that could be (and usually are) out for your blood. Then begs the question: how should you survive such bloodthirsty conditions?
Before you can learn to play as Tibet, a crucial first step people often overlook in both playing as and invading Tibet is to take stock of what you have. I cannot tell you how many times people stopped playing as a smaller country purely because they didn't account for how to use them.
Tibet has 5 cities, as is now the bare minimum in Call of War. Previously, these 5 cities gave you an edge over some of your neighbors (i.e. Xingjiang and Mongolia), but this edge has been dulled, and the playing field is now level. As such, a wise move would be to get these two countries on your side - effectively encircling China. India and China are your most immediate threats.
The good news is that you have the Pan-Asian doctrine, which works perfectly for your terrain. In other good news, you also have increased movement speed - which is vital if you're going to use your 6 militia units to do anything. Additionally, you're surrounded by terrain that is virtually impossible to efficiently invade with armor vehicles, meaning that your enemies will have to come at you with infantry - and that's where we begin our guide.
As for resources, you're stretched a little thin initially, but you have enough provinces to make up the difference. Your two most abundant resources are Metal and Rare Materials.
Resource provinces: (NOT including cities)
Food: 2
Oil: 2
Goods: 2
Metal: 3
Rare: 4
Research will not be an issue for you, given your resources. Additionally, I strongly recommend using excess rare materials to build local industry in ALL of your resource provinces. Don't worry about manpower yet, you have plenty. Build recruiting offices only as necessary. If your manpower production per hour dips below 200, that's when you need to start recruiting more men. START WITH YOUR HIGHEST MANPOWER PRODUCTION PROVINCES FIRST. NO EXCEPTIONS.
Let's begin with the actual guide now, shall we?
Day 1
Your first priority is to begin some research. I would personally recommend researching some higher-tier militia units to increase the strength of your already existing army. Seeing as you only have 6 units, this is currently your best course of action. Additionally, if you want to start fresh, then begin setting up some ordinance: AT guns, Howitzers, and/or rocket artillery can work well, though I personally recommend howitzers.
Next, build an air base in EVERY SINGLE CITY. No exceptions. Air Superiority has never been so crucial before, thanks to the new 1.5 update. Seeing as tanks are effectively useless in your terrain, the next best thing is attack bombers. Personally, I research attack bombers before interceptors, but don't fault yourself if you research interceptors first. Both are necessary, and you will be researching both at some point.
Armor might not be useful at the moment, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't begin looking for more advanced tanks. You'll thank yourself for it in mid-late gameplay.
Navy research is completely unnecessary. Don't research it until you have a coast.
With your air bases built, you can either:
A. Patch the holes in your barracks count, and make sure every city has a barracks.
OR
B. strengthen your local industry in your Oil, Goods, and Grain provinces. You can ignore metal and rare for now, you have enough for the time being.
Day 2
Now that you have some decent research done, start mass production. Once again, tanks are not an option here. Instead, focus on either Infantry, Ordinance, or Aircraft. Secret Tech is neat, but has marginal amounts of uses, so I personally recommend working on that later. Early game, there's really no reason for you to have them.
Additionally, I strongly suggest researching Commandos AS SOON AS YOU CAN. Commandos, for the Pan-Asian doctrine, are essentially militia units on steroids. They are much, much faster, do much more damage, and gain an even larger terrain bonus in the mountains (+70%!). They are essential to defend your homeland!
If Commandos prove to be too expensive, there is actually no shame in simply mass producing militia units. Your coffers won't forgive you, but they work well in a pinch, and ONLY work well if you're using the Pan-Asian doctrine. With Pan-Asia, militia units move almost as fast, if not faster than, conventional infantry in other doctrines, and with their increased terrain bonus, do just as much damage.
So, when in doubt, Militias and Commandos are not bad options. Just be sure to watch your resources, and build more industry as needed.
As for your air forces, Attack Bombers can't defend themselves. Like I said earlier, it is a good idea to have both interceptors and attack bombers researched at the same time. The optimal squadron consists of about 3 attack bombers and 2 interceptors, but early game, a good rule of thumb is just to have 1 interceptor in the squadron for every attack bomber. It's simple, yet very effective.
If you want to go even further, you can begin researching Tactical Bombers. Like Attack Bombers, Tac. Bombers work extremely well against ground units, but the difference is that Tac bombers have much longer range, and aren't as effective against naval units - not that this matters, because you are landlocked.
Day 3
If you haven't yet befriended Xingjiang, check to see if they are inactive. If they are inactive, you can attempt an invasion by getting your ordinance together with your militias/commandos, and punching a hole through the mountains. Ordinance is devastating in the mountains, hills, and just in general. Bombard the enemy before you sweep up the cities, and your hit points will remain mostly intact. Remember, Pan-Asian units have about 10% fewer hitpoints than other doctrines.
If you followed my instructions and started building an air force, now is the time to use it. Remember to build an airstrip at the nearest point to your enemy. You can't hit them if you can't reach them.
You may be wondering: why research attack bombers before tactical bombers? Well the simple answer is that attack bombers are better at fast responses. They are much faster, and are much easier to produce. They have shorter range, and are less effective against infantry, but they are easier to call upon in times of crisis. Tactical bombers are more expensive, and take longer to build, with the trade off being that they are much better against infantry, and have a lot more range.
Late game, tactical bombers will outrank attack bombers in almost every way, shape, and form, seeing as they can be researched to a greater level than attack bombers, but that's very late game, and until then, I personally recommend using both. Just be sure to pick the right aircraft for the right situation.
Because despite the similarities in naming, they are not the same, and are not interchangeable.
Once you establish a bridgehead in Xingjiang, I personally recommend researching motorized infantry. Don't produce them right away, but if you're struggling to capture some cities, use your stronger divisions of ordinance to clear a path, and use your motorized infantry to quickly swoop in and take the undefended cities. They don't gain any bonuses on mountains, hills, or forests, but they do gain a bonus in urban territory - making them crucial to capture cities.
Day 4
By now, you should have a solid understanding of how Tibet works, but just to be sure, here's a few final tips:
1. Diplomacy is your friend. If you can't fight off your enemies, then make friends.
2. Once you can replace militia units with commandos, do so. Once you can produce commandos quicker and more efficiently, militias wear out their usefulness to an extent. They are still excellent home defense units, but due to the quicker, more powerful commandos, their uses shift more to defensive purposes.
3. When it is convenient, be sure to upgrade your unit production facilities, including and not limited to your barracks and air bases. This doesn't unlock any more units, but it does dramatically cut down on the time needed to produce them, which is key with stronger units.
4. Always remember to upgrade your units when you have the chance. Weaker units just slow down your army, so never forget to do so!
And finally, 5:
Never, ever neglect your resources. Be sure to keep upping your industry to increase your production. Early game, you might have a lot to spare, but once you start getting your army off the ground, you'll need every drop of oil, and every bushel of grain you can spare. As far as rare materials go, you might just be set for life.
This concludes my new, and dramatically improved, guide for getting started as Tibet. Even if you aren't playing as the historically accurate map, I can even argue that all of this logic still applies. The Pan-Asian doctrine is turning into arguably my favorite, and it serves Tibet well. Thank you for reading, and I hope this helps.
