Instead of using more sophisticated unit combinations and better unit positioning, the game simply throws more enemy units at you. Upping the difficulty to hard however turned the missions in messy, frustrating affairs. On normal, I never ran into trouble or failed a mission, breezing through the campaign in less than ten hours. However, these design elements never really came into focus for me, mostly due to the limited difficulty options and predictable AI.

These design elements are fairly unique for a RTS, and they could have made this expansion tense and highly replayable in the same way X-com: Enemy Unknown or Faster Than Light are.

To increase the stakes, you only have one save file to work with, meaning if you screw up badly, you have to restart the entire campaign. However reinforcing a company will reduce its veterancy, and if a company’s strength falls to zero, you can no longer use them.

If a company gains enough veterancy they will be granted bonuses such as better starting units and increased experience on unit call-ins. When you complete a mission with a company, their veterancy increases but their strength goes down in correspondence with the losses you sustained during the mission. Each company can be separately upgraded, but also have separate strength and veterancy levels. After a few introductory missions, you get to move three different companies around on a sort of grand campaign map somewhat akin to that in Dawn of War 2. While Company of Heroes 2’s original campaign saw you throwing masses of conscripts at enemies with little regard for unit preservation, Ardennes Assault requires you to move more slowly and try and keep your units alive.

Company of heroes 2 - german campaign