Back again, commander!

Let jump straight in: today, we’ll feature our second Tribute to the Liberation of Italy Versus post. Which two new divisions can you expect this time?

Italy is characterized by its many hills and mountainous countryside, with the Apennine Mountains forming the long spine of the peninsula. This allowed for a special kind of formation to shine during the grinding combat on the Italian front: the mountain division.

For the Axis, the elite 5. Gebirgs-Division, Germany’s crack Alpine troops, will be made available. The Allies bring the British 8th (Indian) Infantry Division, a battlegroup equally versed in mountain warfare, featuring a detachment of the fearsome Gurkha fighters.

As with other mountain troops already featured in Steel Division 2 - Soviet Gornostrelki, Romanian Vânători de Munte, Greek Oplites - all soldiers considered mountaineers will get the Raider trait.

Before we kick off: Nemesis: Storming Toulon is well on its way. We hope to share some more news soon!



The 5. Gebirgs-Division was an elite formation that first saw action during the invasion of Greece and the subsequent Battle of Crete. Here, the division was airlifted in after the initial costly air drop, helping defeat the local Commonwealth defenders. Afterwards, the German mountain troops were sent to the Eastern Front, being involved in operations near Leningrad.

After a year in Russia, the 5. Gebirgs-Division moved back to a country with a topology better suited for the formation’s intended role: Italy. In 1943, it deployed on the Gustav defense line, where it supported friendly forces during the Battle of Monte Cassino. Later, the 5. Gebirgs-Division was moved to the Adriatic coast, where it distinguished itself during the fighting around Gemmano, also called the “Monte Cassino of the Adriatic.”

At the end of the war, the 5. Gebirgsjäger found itself in the region between Italy and France. It was here where the mountain division surrendered to American troops in May 1945.



What can you expect from the 5. Gebirgs-Division in Steel Division 2?

Infantry and other units

• Much like the 28. Jäger-Division’s infantry, Gebirgsjäger squads are lavishly equipped with MP-40s (and some Italian Beretta) and G43 semi-automatic rifles.
  
• All Gebirgsjäger squads (Jäger, Pionier, MG, etc) are classified with the Raider trait. However, they seldomly field anti-tank weapons, with only Geb.-Führer carrying a Panzerschreck.
  
• A unit that does feature an anti-tank launcher is the new Geb.-Streife, a well-equipped special elite squad deploying with MP-44 and two MG-42s, as well as a Panzerfaust.
  
• Much like their Indian counterparts in this Versus post, the German leader squads are meatier, being six-man strong.
  
• Geb.-Pionier trade their TNT charge for “Jerrycan Bombs”. These are petrol jerrycans with a hand-grenade strapped to them - and thrown to create a large incendiary bomb! Crude, highly dangerous for the thrower… but effective.
  
• Gebirgsjäger trained the best snipers in the German Heer; soldiers from other armed branches flocked to their marksmanship schools for additional training. As such, you’ll be able to encounter more snipers in this battlegroup, with Geb.-Aufklärer, Geb.-Führer, and Geb.-Füsilier squads all deploying with a scoped G43 ZF4.

Support weapons

• Like other German divisions in Italy, the 5. Gebirgs-Division puts captured Italian equipment to good use. This includes Autoblinda 41 armored cars in its reconnaissance battalion, Lince command cars, and a new unit, the M19 149mm howitzers (as s.FH 404(i) 149mm). This gun will also be featured in Nemesis: Storming Toulon.
  
• 5. Gebirgsjäger will field both Semovente and StuG III G - a few of each - with the StuGs only available from Combat Phase B.
  
• The Semoventes are the StuG M42 75/34(i) (Semovente 75/34) and the StuG M41(i) Füh. (Semovente M41 Commando). These two units can also be found with the Tribute to the Liberation of Italy DLC’s 26. Panzerdivision. A new unit is the short-barreled StuG M42 75/18(i) (Semovente 75/18).
  
• 5. Gebirgs-Division has access to dedicated mountain guns (meaning they will also have the Raider trait), including Flak 20mm, 75mm and 105mm artillery, LG-42 and IG 18.
  
• Like any other mountain division, the battlegroup’s heavy guns are … pretty light. AT units include PaK 36 37mm, Püppchen and a few PaK 40, while the AA units are limited to mono 20mm, either light mountain guns or Italian Breda guns mounted on trucks.

Airforce

• The Germans did not only commandeer Italian ground units but flying ones too. Air recon will be provided by CR-42 biplanes put “under new management”.
  
• Additional firepower will be provided by the Luftwaffe, which flies the Hs 129B-2 tank buster with cluster bombs (currently only used by the Romanians), as well as Hs 129B-2/R-2 with a 30mm AT gun.
  
• The new Bf 110G-4 will be available as a heavily armed fighter.
  
• More air cover comes from a select number of planes from the Air Forces of the RSI (Repubblica Sociale Italiana, which was a fascist Italy puppet controlled by Nazi-Germany, featured as one of the new nations of the DLC). These include Me-109, the new C.205V serie III Veltro fighters, and the fighter-bomber SM.79-III Sparviero. All RSI units will feature new, special Italian voice acting!

The 8th (Indian) Infantry Division was initially raised in 1940, and early in the war, sent to Iraq. Securing British interests in this country, the formation stayed in the Middle East, participating in the Syria-Lebanon campaign, before being transferred to Italy in 1943. Here the 8th (Indian) Infantry Division fought in a variety of battles, being almost in continuous action for 19 months, including Monte Cassino, Florence, the Gothic line, Bologna, and more. The division later adopted the motto "One more river.”

One thing worth mentioning is that an Indian infantry division was composed of three brigades, each consisting of three battalions: one British, one Indian, and one Gurkha (Nepalese). In reality, losses, transfers, battlefield reorganizations meant that the balance between the three components was often lost over time.

In 8th (Indian) Infantry Division’s case, the British battalions still accounted for a third of the infantry, but by the summer of ‘44, there was only one Gurkha battalion for five Indian ones. This means that one-third of the infantry (mortars, MGs, and other squads) will be regular British units, the balance new Indian & Gurkhas ones.



What can you expect from 8th (Indian) Infantry Division in Steel Division 2?

Infantry and other units

• All Indian/Gurkhas rifle squads will have two extra men, with all command squads becoming seven-man strong. This allows the 8th (Indian) Infantry Division infantry units to be more resilient on the battlefield.
  
• SMGs fielded are Thompson, not Sten. The Gurkha squads get more, highlighting their close combat prowess in battle.
  
• Both Indian and Gurkha units (riflemen, engineers, MG, etc), as they originate from mountainous regions, feature the Raider trait.
  
• To represent the Gurkha’s renowned fighting spirit, they also feature the Fanatical trait.
  
• Dedicated PIAT teams are British. While Gurkha scouts and leaders, like their foot soldiers, have extra SMGs, the Indian leaders and scouts will have access to a sniper rifle instead.

Support weapons

• The battlegroup follows a standard British equipment table when it comes to supporting units (6-pdr, 17-pdr, 25-pdr guns, Bofors). All of these units are towed.
  
• Armored units, though, are available courtesy of the experienced and highly praised 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade. This means the division can count on the following Canadian units: Sherman V (including leaders and commander), as well as a few Crusader Mk.2 SPAAG.
  
• A new unit is the ACV-IP Mk.IIA (the Armoured Carrier, Wheeled - Indian Pattern) - a wheeled reconnaissance APC used in the same role as half-track or Stuart Recce in other divisions. Lightly armored and armed with a Bren and Boys anti-tank rifle, it allows for quick and armored scouting operations.
  
• ACV-IP AOP is another Indian Pattern APC, but this one is used as an off-map artillery observer.
  
• The 75mm SP Autocar M3 is yet another new unit, a “leftover” vehicle from the North African campaign. This unit is an M3 half-track with a French 75mm Mle. 1897 bolted on top. In-game, it is featured as a recon hunter, much like a British version of the Soviet SU-57, less powerful in a tank destroyer role, but doubling as a decent fire-support vehicle.
  
• The new BL 4,5-inch 114m howitzer, which is also featured in the 6th South African Armoured Division.

Airforce

• Like other British Eight Army units fighting on the Italian front, the 8th (Indian) Infantry Division receives its air support from a motley collection of planes flown by pilots ranging from all parts of the British Commonwealth. These include the new Spitfire PR. Mk XI recon plane, unarmed but extra fast.
  
• The dreaded Hurricane Mk IV, the North African tank hunter with twin Vickers 40mm AT guns under its wing, can also be encountered. Note that this tank buster will also be featured in our upcoming Nemesis: Raid on Drvar DLC. Western allies will now have their Panzervogel too!
  
• A mix of Spitfire Mk Vb/trop, VIIIc and IXc, flow by either British or Canadian pilots will provide top cover.
  
• Additional support will be thanks to Boston and Baltimore bombers.

We’ll be back in two weeks when we reveal the next pair of battlegroups in a new Tribute to Italy Versus post.

In case you missed it: in our previous Versus post for our new DLC, we put the spotlight on two new Armored battlegroups: the 26. Panzerdivision with its special AA forces and the supersized 6th South African Armoured Division. Check out that Versus blogpost here.

Let us know what you think through our Steam forums and Eugen forums, or check our (Facebook and Twitter). Looking for an online game? Visit the kick-ass Discord server or Reddit page.

See you on the battlefield, commander!

Hello commander!

Strap yourself in tight because we are back again with some hot, juicy new details. Today is the day we’ll kick off our series of Versus posts, focused on the recently revealed Tribute to the Liberation of Italy DLC.

Keep reading to find out more!

What can you expect?

The Tribute to the Liberation of Italy DLC is a new expansion, which follows in the footsteps of our popular Tribute to D-Day DLC.

In this new DLC, we’ll put the spotlight on the Italian campaign, an often overlooked World War II front. We feature eight new divisions that fought in the Italian theater of war during the summer of 1944. The Tribute to the Liberation of Italy DLC will feature troops from nine different nationalities, including four new ones, plus plenty of new units.

We will reveal each new pair of divisions in a themed Versus blog post. Our very first Versus will highlight the two Armored battlegroups.

Let’s welcome to the stage the 26. Panzerdivision with its special AA forces going toe to toe against the supersized 6th South African Armoured Division!

26. Panzerdivision

The 26. Panzerdivision’s was the last German armored division remaining on the Italian battlefield in the summer of 1944, after the elite Fallschirm-Panzer-Division 1. Hermann Göring was moved to Poland. The 26. Panzer can be considered THE Italian theater’s Panzerdivision.

Created in 1942, it was formed out of the 23. Infanterie-Division, which took part in the invasion of Poland. Trained in France and re-equipped as an armored division, the formation was ordered to Italy in July 1943. The 304. Heeres-Flakartillerieabteilung joined the 26. Panzerdivision, providing its AA forces. This latter detachment had its origins as the special anti-air umbrella of Hitler’s close protection screen while the Third Reich’s leader traveled by train. Hitler stopped using this method of transportation, which saw the detachment fighting the rest of the war on the Italian front.



The first real engagement of the 26. Panzerdivision was against the American bridgehead at Salerno during Operation Avalanche. Afterward, the division fought several defensive battles anchored on a succession of rivers. Pulled back into reserve, the division was then sent against the new Allied bridgehead at Anzio, containing this amphibious invasion until after Operation Diadem. Retreating through Rome and Florence, it switched coasts, from the Mediterranean to the Adriatic, where it played a crucial role in Operation Olive. You might recognize this campaign as to be the centerpiece of the Nemesis: Battle of Rimini.

Being pushed back ever steadily, the 26. Panzerdivision’s was never redeployed from Italy, fighting defensive battle after defensive battle until the war’s end. Ultimately, the formation surrendered to the British near Bologna.

26. Panzerdivision’s main features

What can you expect from the 26. Panzerdivision in Steel Division 2?

• The 26. Panzerdivision’s substantial AA forces included the only twelve FAMO 88mm, officially known as the 8.8cm Flak 37 Selbstfahrlafette auf 18 ton Zugkraftwagen - rolls right off the tongue, right?This unit is a Flak 88mm bolted on a heavy SdKfz. 9 FAMO half-track, making a uniquely hard-hitting SPAAG.
  
• Furthermore, thanks to a large amount of mechanization, quite a few of the AA units are self-propelled, including single 20mm and Flakvierling AA guns (but no 37mm).
  
• The 26. Panzerdivision’s has only half the usual allocation of tanks, with Panzer IV forming the bulk of its armored arsenal. The formation has access to some Panthers, though only in limited numbers.
  
• The formation’s HQ unit, unusually so, was supplied with the Flammpanzer II, a flamethrower tank built on the chassis of a Panzer III.
  
• Like many other German divisions in Italy, the 26. Panzerdivision made plenty use of Italian equipment either captured from the disarmed Royal Italian Army or taken from local production lines.
  
• This includes the ubiquitous Lince, an Italian copy of the Humber Scout Car.
  
• The Semovente line of self-propelled guns was a common sight on the Italian battlefield, with the 26. Panzerdivision counting on the StuG M42 75/34(i) (Italian Semovente 75/34) and StuG M43 105/25(i) (Italian Semovente 105/25). In-game, the former will be classified as a Tank unit (the same as a StuG III G, but lighter) while the latter as a Support unit (due to its limited supply of AP, with the rest being HEAT rounds).
  
• Another Semovente variant will be the StuG M41(i) Füh. (Semovente M41 Commando) - a commander’s StuG, with its main gun replaced by an 8mm HMG.
  
• Lastly, the formation will have access to the rare StuG M43 90/53(i) (Semovente 90/53), several of which were lost during the Battle for Rome. The sole surviving example soldiered on, with the excellent Italian 90mm AA gun in a somewhat fragile open-top vehicle proving its worth as a powerful tank destroyer.

6th South African Armoured Division

We are more than excited to present to you the 6th South African Armoured Division (or 6th SAAD for short). Originally formed as the 1st South African Infantry Division in 1940, elements took part in the Eastern Africa campaign, and then as a whole, in North Africa during Operation Crusader in 1941, Gazala and the 1st and 2nd Battle of El Alamein in 1942.

Retrained as an armored division in Egypt after 1943, it landed in Italy in April 1944 as part of the British Eight Army. Fully involved in the pursuit of Axis forces after the Battle for Rome in June 1944, the 6th SAAD clashed with the Hermann Göring Panzerdivision before this German formation was pulled off the line and rushed to Warsaw (as depicted in our History Expansion Steel Division 2: Death on the Vistula). Next up, during the liberation of Florence, the South Africans engaged in heavy combat with the 4. Fallschirm-Division, a formation we’ll come back to on a later date. Continuing the fight during the Apennines offensive, the South Africans made their way north, as far as Treviso, before the conclusion of the war.



Interestingly, the 6th South African Armoured Division turned out to be the sole active armored division of South Africa during World War II. There was supposed to be an additional armored formation (the 1st), but this never materialized due to manpower shortages. Consolidating all available units, as well as putting volunteers into one formation destined for European combat, ensured that the 6th SAAD morphed into a supersized armored division. You can consider the 6th South African Armoured Division an Allied equivalent of the German Grossdeutschland - larger than a division, but not yet the size of a corps.

The 6th SAAD included the whole of the 1st South African Infantry Division, remnants of the destroyed 2nd South African Infantry Division, the 7th SA Motorized Brigade, as well as elements from the 3rd South African Division, a training formation. However, when landing in Italy, there was still a lack of soldiers, which meant that the British 24th Guards Brigade was attached to bolster the South African troops for most of the war.

6th South African Armoured Division’s main features

What can you expect from the 6th South African Armoured Division in Steel Division 2?

• As mentioned, one-third of the division’s infantry (and support units, including Vickers MG, 6-pdr, mortars, etc.) is actually British.
  
• While a Commonwealth division, the 6th South African Armoured Division fields an unusual mix of British and American armor. You will encounter not only the usual Staghound, Sherman V and Stuart tanks (all of them jalopied) but also Sherman Ib (American M4 105mmm), Sherman IIa (American M4A1 76mm), Priest, and Greyhound. These latter units are normally only found in US or US-equipped foreign divisions.
  
• While Fireflys rarely deployed in Italy, at least until October 1944, a handful Firefly Vc found their way into the country. They were designated training vehicles, which the division “conveniently forgot” to leave behind in Egypt. Older Firefly Ic replaced these at a later date. In-game, both Firefly variants will be phase locked.
  
• Scrouging together more units than necessary, the 6th SAAD gets its own heavy artillery - normally found at corps level - including BL 4,5-inch (114mm) and BL 5,5-inch (140mm) howitzers. What’s more, the QF 3.7-inch (94mm) AA/AT gun, a British equivalent to the German dual-purpose 88mm (although less efficient), will also be deployable.
  
• Several M10 can be fielded but more often used in an indirect fire role than as tank destroyers. As such, they were fitted with special indirect calculation devices. In-game, they will lose the .50 HMG but gain the indirect fire trait, much like the Soviet SU-76M.
  
• The division’s recon units, the Natal Mounted Rifle was mostly composed of Rhodesian volunteers, and unusually so, equipped with Sherman V Recce as a reconnaissance tank.
  
• A new unit is the 6-pdr Portee, which features the ubiquitous 6-pdr gun mounted on the flatbed of a Bedford truck, allowing it to fire above the (cut-off) cabin. Cheap, mobile but fragile - much like the modern-day technical.
  
• Like many Allied divisions in Italy, the 6th SAAD went through a manpower crisis, lacking sufficient replacements. With troops in Normandy a priority, most of the formation “recycled” underused units in the field, in this case, anti-aircraft detachments. This is represented in-game with the battlegroup only having a limited amount of Infantry slots. The Disheartened Converted Gunner squads, made up of 11 riflemen and one SMG, can also be deployed.

Coming up next

That’s all for this week. We’ll be back in two weeks, with more details in our next Tribute to Italy Versus post.

Let us know what you think through our Steam forums and Eugen forums, or check our (Facebook and Twitter). Looking for an online game? Visit the kick-ass Discord server or Reddit page.

See you on the battlefield, commander!

Hello commander!

As always, greetings from the Eugen team. Hot on the heels of our latest History Expansion launch - Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics[/b] - we turn our attention back to other exciting Steel Division 2 projects.

However, before we do that, we want to address some of the recent developments surrounding the game.

We hear you, and we are working on it

All right, first things first - in good game development fashion: you break something, you fix something, rinse and repeat. What makes a difference? We read all forum posts, messages, monitor all chat channels, and we are closely following your feedback.

We kindly ask you to have patience and to understand that we, as an independent studio, have limited manpower and resources. We are working as hard as we can to get our game in tip-top shape and update or adjust any mechanics if needed, fix bugs, update units - but Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was Steel Division 2.

So, not to worry, we are addressing all the points related to the range rework, including balancing Allied and Axis units and guns, and other game mechanics. Keep calm, and expect some updates soon!

Army General Coop Mode

We can also share new details about the upcoming Army General Coop Mode. We are getting ready to roll out this new cooperative mode, allowing you to play each Steel Division 2 strategic campaign with up to two additional players against the AI. Three players is a maximum, but you can try with less! It is not possible to play a co-op campaign versus a co-op campaign.

As we previously mentioned, within the new Army General Coop Mode, the host will be in charge of calling reinforcements. All participating players can perform other actions, such as moving formations, initiating battles, or ending turns. You have to decide when playing as a team who moves, attacks, or defends which sector of the map.

It used to be impossible to give simultaneous orders to different battalions at the same time. In the new mode, this is now possible, but the actual movement of each unit is done in sequence. Battalions already acting an order will display an “Order in Progress” label. If a unit’s move is intercepted by a previously unseen enemy, all further moves in the queue are canceled.



If you go into a Tactical Battle, the first thing players need to do is distribute the available battalions. Each player chooses a battalion to command. If there are fewer battalions than players, additional one(s) will be created (but consider them an empty shell). Players will then be offered the option to reshuffle companies from battalion to battalion (with companies retaining their phase-locked units), giving all players a chance to command.

For example, suppose a tank battalion is available in Combat Phase A and an Infantry battalion in B. In that case, players can create two combined arms battalions by mixing the companies of these formations. However, in-game, regardless of the player in command, the tanks will still deploy in Phase A, and infantry in Phase B. Battalions can also be given to the AI; especially useful if one on your team decides to become a spectator, call for a pizza, and turn into a true armchair general in the team’s direst of moments!



The income is divided equally between all available battlegroups. A player that has more available battlegroups assigned will therefore have more income. Likewise, income evolves between phases. Another feature we’ve added to the Army General Coop mode is the possibility to place flares on the map. This will allow you to indicate a point of interest to your fellow commanders quickly.





Lastly, an additional feature which will be added to all versions of Army General, not just coop, is dynamic stats for battalions depending on the terrain they are fighting. A formation’s stats are now shown in its current position, but they might change, such as a tank battalion attacking an enemy located in a forest. That’s why you’ll now get updated stats when you plan a battle before you hit “Click to prepare battle.”

We recently announced the new Steel Division 2: Tribute to the Liberation of Italy. In the same vein as Tribute to D-Day, this expansion pack will feature several new divisions, including four new nationalities. We hope to start showing each new battlegroup in typical Versus format soon!

That’s it for this week. We’ll be back in two weeks’ time!

Let us know what you think through our Steam forums and Eugen forums, or check our (Facebook and Twitter). Looking for an online game? Visit the kick-ass Discord server or Reddit page.

Keep it cool and clean, commander. See you on the battlefield.

FIXES

• fixing the missing Lit. RM-38's image
  
• fixing some Estonian names' localization
  
• fixing the Estonian SU-85's nationality (it was actually considered Soviet)
  
• fixing 1.FJ's missing Fs-Jäger if you don't own "Tribute to D-Day"
  
• fixing Estonian units being silent
  
• fixing the Flaktruppen's missing NATO icon
  
• fixing the Tannenberg's minimap
  
• fixing mods export
  
• fixing MG suppress
  
• fixing vehicles MG34 range to 750m
  
• replacing the Soviet SU-76 tank destroyer with a German one in AG's SS-Panzerjäger-Abt. 11.
  
• replacing the German battalion commander for a proper Soviet one in AG's 272nd OSNAZ Battalion.

FEATURE

• Tannenberg map will be made available for any games (4v4 by default). Yet they will only be accessible with the following criteria: Meeting Engagement + Capture the Flag

FEATURES:

• tank/anti-tank gun’s ranges v.2 (see below)
  
• new Efficient Shot smart orde. More details here: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/919640/view/2986423397426480871
  
• modifying flags on Gora & Lenina maps

FIXES:

• fixing a rare bug selecting a unit while none is under the cursor.
  
• fixing a rare bug moving a random unit to a map's corner.
  
• fixing some disorder in the friends' list
  
• fixing the improper Lifebuoy backpack on some Greek units (si pas intégré dans patch officiel Rimini)
  
• fixing Recon Spitfire LF Mk IX Browning's fx
  
• fixing P-51C-10's weapon damage.
  
• changing the type classification for the German Breda 47mm into Antitank Gun (as opposed to Infantry Support Gun as its Romanian counterpart)
  
• fixing landing gear of some Ju 88 A4 variants.
  
• fixing missing Puppchen in 1.FJ
  
• fixing Lince's MG from Bren to Bedra
  
• fixing 2nd NZ's Spitfire LF Mk. IXc model.
  
• fixing Ostlegion models (shoulder patch)
  
• fixing AG Tutorial #3
  
• fixing planes veterancy ratio
  
• fixing MG-26(t)’s model
  
• fixing SAMPO L-41 Suppress damage
  
• fixing VEKOTIN 20mm infinite sound
  
• fixing some reported missing unit images’ in Iasi AG campaign.
  
• 122. ID's Sturmfuhrer's AT icon removed

GENERIC:

• AT/TD/tanks' price rehaul, based on new range system. Too many to list here, check it ingame ...
  
• Vanguard economy changed from 140/135/100 to 140/125/90
  
• decreased 2-man flamethrower teams' availability from 9/12/24 to 6/9/12 (depending on original total), with cards changed accordingly.
  
• all MMG-armed transport h/t price set at 10 (+5)
  
• all HMG-armed (.50) transport h/t price set at 15 (+5)
  
• all recon SdKfz 251/1 & 250/1 price set at 10 (some were at 15)
  
• Increased stress when infantry is static by 40%
  
• Increased Air recon's optics by 50%
  
• Increase MLRS's dispersion.
  
• Increase MLRS's stress.
  
• Decrease MLRS's ammo consumption.
  
• HMG range nerf

ALLIES:

• French & US WC-52 renamed WC-25, as fitting the model
  
• MAORIS name changed into MAORI
  
• decrease GRUPY SZTURMOWE's price from 30 to 25
  
• increased GPA KAO (132mm)'s price from 90 to 120
  
• American APCR rounds have been modified to model the much better HVAP rounds, but their number per vehicle was reduced to 3.
  
• increased M16’s ammunition
  
• all M4A2/M4A3 (vanilla variant)'s XP ratio standardized on the US one
  
• (97GRD) decreased GPA KAO (132mm)'s availability from 1/2/3 to -/1/2
  
• (3Can) normalizing the Stormtroopers' XP ratio on par with other units with same availability.
  
• (2NZ) normalizing the NZ Maoris' XP ratio on par with other units with same availability.
  
• (2NZ) adding unarmed Willys as transport for NZ Recce
  
• (2NZ) Maori Scout & Scout (PIAT) no longer have access to 2-in. Carrier as transport.
  
• (3CID) Scout & Scout (PIAT) no longer have access to 2-in. Carrier as transport.
  
• (3Arm) AA slots changed from 1/2/3/4 to 2/3/4
  
• (1Pancerna) Armata 6-pdr 57mm's price from 50 to 45
  
• (2ndUS) Howz. M3 105mm moved from ART to SUPP as direct fire support gun. Smoke rounds removed.
  
• (2ndUS) Howz. M3 105mm (moved from ART to SUPP) doesn't come with a jeep or supply DUKW anymore
  
• (2ndUS) Howz. M2 105mm (the one remaining in ART) now comes with supply DUKW
  
• (AK) adding one C-only card of F-22 76,2mm howz.
  
• (AK) adding one C-only card of 37mm AA gun
  
• (AK) adding one C-only card of Stud. Supply

AXIS:

• all Hungarian 40mm gun use the improved Hungarian AT round
  
• Lovas Felderitok's price decreased from 35 to 25
  
• Arkaszok's price decreased from 25 to 20
  
• all Panzer IV H's XP ratio standardized on the US one
  
• PzGrenadier (MG-26) now display the proper number of MP-28 SMG
  
• Wurfrahmen's MG ammo load increased
  
• Erkundungs & Fusilier set at 25 (-10)
  
• Jäger & Skijäger Fusilier set at 30 (-5)
  
• Ski-Stumjäger set at 35 (-5)
  
• Spähtrupp (all)'s price decreased from 25 to 20
  
• decreased Reitende-Jäger (MP-44)'s price from 35 to 25
  
• decreased FLAK M.39(r) 85mm's price from 115 to 105
  
• Fs-Flammenwerfer now have the new 6/9/(12) availability pattern
  
• (14Inf) Changed JU 88 C-6 (x10 50kg)’s availability 1/2/4 to 3/4/6.
  
• (1FJ) one 3-pt AA slot removed
  
• (Ski) replacing Marder I with Marder III
  
• (5CavMot) Pusca Anticar now have access to Horsh as transport option
  
• (5SS) changed Fw 190 D-9 availibility from 1/2/4 to 2/4/0
  
• (Tartalek) 80mm AA changed from 2x cards of 2/4/- to 3x cards of 2/4/6

-------------

RANGE REWORK:
All direct fire AT/TD/tank guns' range and penetration drop-off have been reworked to better match their historical performances.
New ranges are 750/1000/1250/1500/1750/2000, with distribution depending first on caliber/gun lenght, with some over/underpeforming guns sometimes shifteed one scale up or down.
The more a gun's range is downgraded compared to the previous versions, the more its accuracy at its new range has been increased.

Range distribution is roughly:
* 88mm+ AT guns retain the 2000m marks, as well as Panther & Resita's 75mm and 17-pdr.
* 80-85mm AT guns at 1750m, with German PaK 40 & tank gun equivalent, as well as US 76mm.
* >50mm to 76,2mm at 1500m, including most US/British 75mm tank/AT guns (but PaK 40) and Soviet 76,2mm, as well as 6-pdr/57mm guns.
* 45mm to 50mm at 1250m, as well as the US 37mm "long"
* 37mm to <45mm at 1000m

Short 75mm and artillery guns' direct fire retain a 1500m+ (depending on caliber) range, since they usually only fire HEAT rounds.

HEAT & APCR rounds have their own range, which can be different from the AP one.
ATTENTION: remember that the default range displayed in the armory is the longest one for a weapon type (anti-personnal, anti-tank), hence make sure to check each ammo's range.

Today is the day! Muster the troops, start the engines, gun checks and safety off - a new battle is waiting, commander!

We are proud to release our latest History Expansion: Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics today! Get ready for the Baltic battlefields, and relive one of the last major successful German offensives of World War II - Operation Doppelkopf.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1418231/Steel_Division_2__Burning_Baltics/

What can you expect from Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics?

Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics features:

• One massive new Army General campaign set in the Baltics during Operation Doppelkopf, letting you take command of either the attacking Axis 3. Panzerarmee or the defending Allied 1st Baltic Front.
  
• Eight new Divisions, playable solo, coop, or multiplayer, including six which took part during Doppelkopf and two divisions from Army Group North’s theater of operations.
  
• 120+ new units, including a variety of new models such as Aufklärungspanzer 38(t) recon tank, Ar 196 A-3 floatplane, Soviet MT-13 160mm super-heavy mortar and the BS-3 100mm heavy AT gun.
  
• 2 new Nations: Lithuania (Axis) and Estonia (Allies) and 2 new Aces, the most decorated German serviceman, Colonel (Oberst) Hans-Ulrich Rudel, and the veteran General Major Georgiy Nefedovich Zakharov.

Some additional background

Want to get ahead of the competition? Be sure to check out our various Versus articles which detail a pair of new Burning Baltics Divisions:

• The first Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics Versus takes an in-depth look at the two Armored battlegroups: the Panzerverband Strachwitzcheck and the 19-y Tank Corpus.
  
• The second Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics Versus dives deep into the two Mechanized battlegroups: Panzergrenadier-Division “Grossdeutschland” and Rezerv 43-y Armii.
  
• The third Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics Versus puts the spotlight on the Infantry battlegroups with the 52. Sicherungs-Division z.b.V. and the Podv. Gruppa Fedyunkin.
  
• The ultimate Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics Versus highlights two special battlegroups from Army Group North theater of operations: the 11. SS-Freiwilligen Panzergrenadier-Division “Nordland” and the 7. Eesti Laskurdiviis (7th Estonian Rifle Division).

Check out a detailed breakdown of the Army General Campaign in this dedicated blog post here. If you want to know more about Burning Baltics’ Aces’, read this post here.

A new 10v10 map: Tannenberg

There is more. As a FREE DLC, today we’ll also be releasing a brand-new 10v10 map - Tannenberg.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1307591/Steel_Division_2__Reinforcement_Pack_10__Tannenberg/

This map is freely inspired by the real battle of Tannenberg Lines (also known as the Battle of the Blue Hills) in northern Estonia. It was here that the 11. SS-Freiwilligen Panzergrenadier-Division “Nordland” made its famous rearguard stand and was successful against overwhelming odds. Throughout several furiously fought battles in July and August, the Axis troops held their ground against the might of the Red Army, including weathering storms of artillery bombardments and wave after wave of assault troops.




Enough talk - hop in and join our other commanders in battle. Let us know what you think of Burning Baltics. Do this through our
Steam forums and Eugen forums, or check our (Facebook and Twitter). Looking for an online game? Visit the kick-ass Discord server or Reddit page.

Good luck on the battlefield, commander!

Hello commander!

It’s good to be back. In today’s post, we’ll be going over some of the many exciting projects we have in store for Steel Division 2.

At Eugen, we have been working hard on Steel Division 2 for years, and we have no intention of letting up any time soon! Rest assured, we plan to support and develop Steel Division 2 for the foreseeable future.

Now, let’s see what you can expect in the coming weeks and months. Some things you might know, others are a surprise…

Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1418231/Steel_Division_2__Burning_Baltics/

We are very close to release our latest History Expansion, Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics[/b]. From next week onwards, April 29th, you’ll be able to dive deep into one of the last successful German counter-offensives of the war - Operation Doppelkopf! Burning Baltics brings eight new battlegroups, two new Nations, over 120 new units, and two new Aces.

A new 10v10 map: Tannenberg

Yes! We heard you (loud and oh-so very clear): a new 10v10 map is on the way. Get ready for Tannenberg, which will launch as a FREE DLC at the same time as Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics[/b].

Situated in northern Estonia, this map is freely inspired by the real battle of Tannenberg Lines (also known as the Battle of the Blue Hills) where the 11. SS-Freiwilligen Panzergrenadier-Division “Nordland” made its famous rearguard stand against overwhelming odds. Excited? We sure are!

Nemesis: Storming Toulon

In our last post, we detailed the new units which will ship with our upcoming Nemesis: Storming Toulon expansion, which features the new battlegroups Verteidigungsbereich Toulon and 1e Division Française Libre.

The units and divisions of Nemesis: Storming Toulon are finished and being beta-tested by the Eugen Strike Team as we speak. It will only require a few balance tweaks, some new licks of paint, polish, and updated pictures of various unit cards. Expect to hear more soon!

Read about Nemesis: Storming Toulon’s first reveal here or a more recent detailed unit and battlegroup breakdown here.

Nemesis: Raid on Drvar

Our other Nemesis DLC is still being prodded and hammered on in the ever-busy Eugen workshop. Nemesis: Raid on Drvar brings the action from the partisan-run Balkans, offering the unique Unternehmen Rösselsprung and the NOV or Yugoslav Liberation Army as playable battlegroups. The army list has been finalized while our 3D artists are handling the new unit models and associated paint jobs.

Read about the first reveal here. A more detailed breakdown of the new units will come in the future.

Army General Coop Mode

The long-awaited Army General Coop Mode is just around the corner. This cooperative mode, which we are putting the finishing touches on, will allow three players in Army General to team up and compete against the AI.

In our Army General Coop Mode, the host will be in charge of calling reinforcements, but all participating players will be able to perform other actions in Strategic Mode. Some… sort of agreement might be needed in deciding who moves what or attacks where, but this shouldn’t be far removed from the whole concept of “co-operation”.



Once within a tactical battle, each player will choose a battalion to command, with the option to switch entire companies from one battalion to the other. This allows everyone to fight with a balanced battlegroup. If there are more players than battalions engaged, empty battlegroups will be created, and companies passed around until all players have a good selection of forces.



A couple of other mechanics and features of this new mode are still being worked on - or tested - but before detailing them to you, we want to validate them first in-depth.

A final note: Army General Coop will not be released with Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics, but the launch of this mode is not very far around the corner.

Tribute to the Liberation of Italy

Following in the footsteps of the successful Tribute to D-Day and with the keen interest shown by the community for the Italian theater’s divisions, we are working on an entirely new expansion: Tribute to the Liberation of Italy.

The Italian campaign is an unsung theater of operations during World War II, easily overlooked, and we wanted to shine the spotlight on a host of new divisions and units who fought in Italy during the summer of 1944. Tribute to the Liberation of Italy will feature troops from nine different nationalities, including four new ones, plus plenty of new units. These nations will have their own flag and voice acting, although some will be featured as minor partners in multinational battlegroups.

We’ll detail more about the upcoming new battlegroups, we are doing our utmost to make the new Tribute to the Liberation of Italy battlegroups exciting, realistic, and accurate Steel Division 2 formations.

A new Army General Campaign

And last but not least: we are working on the next Army General campaign. We have heard your feedback for less overwhelming and utterly massive battlefields, and as such, this time around, we decided to go for something a little bit more contained. Our new Army General campaign will be closer to the original Steel Division 2 strategic campaigns in size.

We can’t say much more, only that the new campaign will still be set on the Eastern Front, but with less of a focus on the main Soviet or Germans formations… Who, what, where?

Let us know what you think through our Steam forums and Eugen forums, or check our (Facebook and Twitter). Looking for an online game? Visit the kick-ass Discord server or Reddit page.

That’s it for today. Don’t forget, we have updated our schedule and will now post every two weeks.

See you on the battlefield, commander!

Hello commander,

It’s good to be back! We’ll be looking at Nemesis: Storming Toulon today, our fourth Nemesis DLC, which won the popular vote late last year.

We are still sweating away in Eugen’s workshop to get this mini-expansion in your hands, so no release date yet. In the meantime, we can share some more exciting details about the two new battlegroups and the host of new units Nemesis: Storming Toulon will feature.

Keep reading to find out more!

Nemesis: Storming Toulon

The French Riviera: in normal times, a stretch of Mediterranean coastline blessed by natural beauty and abundant sun. In the summer of 1944, the war is also set to arrive in this idyllic part of Southern France. Operation Dragoon, the Allied amphibious invasion, kicked off on August 15th. With local Axis troops either overwhelmed or retreating fast, liberating the critically important port of Toulon fell to the 1e Division Française Libre (DFL) or the 1st Free French Division.

Opposing the rapidly advancing Allied soldiers was a motley collection of German and Italian defenders centered around the Axis garrison of Toulon. Reinforced with a substantial amount of local artillery and AA guns, Verteidigungsbereich Toulon was a defensive force determined to make its stand of the port as long - and costly for the Allies - as possible.

Heavy urban combat followed when the Free French breached the city’s perimeter. While initially envisioned to take two months, the Allied units’ surprise and speed allowed the total liberation of Toulon to be achieved within days. Even though the port was ruined for the time being, it was repaired by September. This greatly helped the Allied drive to the north, which in turn aided the liberation of the rest of France before the year’s end.

Verteidigungsbereich Toulon

Verteidigungsbereich Toulon - meaning Defensive Perimeter Toulon - is an impromptu formation made up of various units in Toulon or its environs. The core of the battlegroup is made up of the 242. Infanterie-Division, a reserve division “upgraded” to regular status in 1943. A variety of Kriegsmarine garrison units and Italian naval infantry and scattered special forces, and even stranded U-boat crews, join the fight. A large quantity of captured heavy weapons, including AA and artillery guns, can also be found in its arsenal.



What can you expect of the Verteidigungsbereich Toulon?

• The Recon tab is limited in terms of slots and options but features some original units such as numerous Scharfschützen (snipers), as well as MEK (Marineeinsatzkommandos) squads, elite Kriegsmarine special forces.
  
• The Infantry category is where Verteidigungsbereich Toulon really shines, with lots of unique choices. From new Grenadier (MG 099), armed with Italian Breda 30 LMGs and Ost-Legionäre (introduced in Nemesis: Battle of Rimini) to new Kriegsmarine Landesschützen, KM Marineinfanterie, KM Führer (large 8-men command squads with two LMGs), KM Pionier, and Italian Maro (full SMG naval infantry) squads. Other units include elite Brandenburg special forces (with Raider trait), Sicherungs and Pionier troops. By far, one of the more original options is the new KM Boot Besatzung, which are stranded U-boat submarine crews, highly disciplined and indoctrinated (with the Fanatical trait), carrying three MG-34s and featuring a bearded officer with a captain’s cap!
  
• The battlegroup’s Tank category has only a few card slots, often limited to Combat Phase A or B. The only units on offer are old French Beute R-35 and H-39, plus a handful of StuGs.
  
• Support forces are regular, with Bef.Traction as a commander unit. The new GebK. 285(j) Yugoslav mountain gun is featured in place of the IG 18, and the new KM Kustenpolizei acts as a large military police squad armed with the French MAS-36.
  
• The battlegroup’s AT arsenal consists of several Panzerjäger RSO and Marder I self-propelled guns which (slightly) compensate the lack of tanks. Furthermore, PaK 177(i) (introduced in Nemesis: Battle of Rimini), as well as PaK 36(r) 76,2mm (Soviet F-22 used in AT role) and even a few PaK 43 88mm can be found.
  
• The AA category is very well represented, with many cheap slots and a large variety of (towed) guns on offer. These include Flak 20mm, Flakvierling 20mm, Flak 37mm, the new & deadly Flakzwilling 37mm, Flak 88mm, and the new heavy Flak 105mm.
  
• The Artillery units on offer are likewise very good, with several captured examples deployable. Once again, only towed units are featured, but the slots are cheap and plentiful. From new Italian 100mm and 149mm guns to French 105mm, new Yugoslav 100 mm, Soviet 152mm, as well as the nimble Ar 196A-3 floatplane (to be introduced first with the upcoming Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics History Expansion) which acts as the spotter plane for heavy 340mm off-map coastal artillery.
  
• Air units are rather limited, with the Luftwaffe mostly absent from the skies. Only a few Me-109 and Fw-190 in fighter or fighter-bomber roles can be deployed, backed up by Do-217 and Ju-88 bombers.

Being a static garrison division, Verteidigungsbereich Toulon is rated C (low offensive power) but features quite a few new defensive structures, deployable during Breakthrough games. These include the new Panzerstellung bunkers, which mate a tank turret to a concrete casemate. They come in three different variants: Panzerstellung Panzer II (20mm), Panzerstellung 35R (37mm), and Panzerstellung 35S (47mm).



Verteidigungsbereich Toulon is an excellent defensive battlegroup with many versatile units but lacks offensive armored firepower.

All of our Kriegsmarine and Brandenburg squads will feature brand-new voice acting, including new marching songs!

1e Division Française Libre

The “real deal” of the Free French fighting forces: the 1e Division Française Libre (DFL) or the 1st Free French Division. This illustrious veteran formation took part in battles ranging from Narvik to East Africa, Operation Exporter (Syria-Lebanon, 1941), North Africa (Egypt, Libya, Tunisia) before heading towards the Italian front and later France during Operation Dragoon.

The DFL embodies Free France in its truest form, regrouping almost all the nationalities of the French colonial empire (and beyond) and armed forces which answered general de Gaulle’s call to keep on fighting.



What can you expect of the 1e Division Française Libre?

• This battlegroup’s Recon tab is well-stocked with options and plenty of choices. This includes FFI sidecar, the new M6 Fargo heavy jeep with 37mm AT gun, as well as Greyhound, Stuart, and the new Commando d’Afrique squads. The latter are French airborne special forces, heavily armed with Garand, Thompson, and a Bazooka.
  
• The Infantry forces are very strong, with lots of variety and cheap slots. These include the new Artilleurs AA (AA gunners converted to foot soldiers), FFI Maquisards (with Raider trait), elite Légionnaires (with Fanatical trait) and Légion. Sapeurs-Pionniers (with obligatory beards). Other new units are veteran BIMP motorized infantry with two LMGs, more lightly equipped AEF (Central African) and AFN (North African) Tirailleurs squads, and Chocs (Parachutistes de Choc) units which are veteran SAS-like light infantry squads with the Raider trait.
  
• A decent selection of Tank units, but with a limited amount of slots. Players can choose between Stuarts (normal and command version) or Sherman tanks. One special tank unit is the M10A1 R.C.A. from the Régiment de Chasseurs d’Afrique, which used the M10 Wolverines tank destroyers in a traditional tank role.
  
• Support forces feature a few original new options, including the FFI Traction as a commander unit and the FFI DMA as a light logistical truck. You’ll also find Légion MG with Fanatical trait, M8 Scott, and the novel use of the M3 Howz. 105mm as a direct fire support unit. This gun is already available in the US 2nd Infantry Division “Indianhead” - the change of this unit from the Artillery tab to the Support category affects both battlegroups.
  
• The AT tab is rather average, with a decent number of slots but only light towed guns being featured. These include the new 37mm AT gun, the 57mm version, some Bazooka units and the new FFI Partisans (with captured Panzerfausts). Some leftover TD M10 R.C.A. can also be found here.
  
• The AA units are likewise very average with only two open slots, both expensive. The only unit featured is a Bofors gun.
  
• The Artillery features plentiful of units, including mortars, HM2 105mm and HM1 155mm (Long Tom) howitzers.
  
• The battlegroup’s Air forces are quite strong, with plenty of American or British-made planes flown by Free French Air Force pilots (and as such carrying the FAFL liveries). These include P-39Q, B-26G, P-47D, and Spitfire Mk. Vb trop. The new F-5B-1 recon variant can also be deployed. Furthermore, British carrier-borne Fleet Air Arm planes are also featured, including the new Seafire, Hellcat and Wildcat.

The 1e Division Française Libre excels as a boots-on-the-ground battlegroup thanks to its battle-hardened and versatile infantry.

Our new Tirailleurs infantry squads (North and Central African) will have their own voice acting.

Nemesis: Storming Toulon’s new units and models

The following new units can be found in Nemesis: Storming Toulon:

New Units

• Marine-Einsatzkommando 71 - recon special forces
  
• Grenadier (MG 099) - infantry
  
• Kriegsmarine Marineinfanterie - infantry
  
• Kriegsmarine Landesschützen - infantry
  
• Kriegsmarine Führer - infantry leader
  
• Kriegsmarine Pionier - infantry
  
• Kriegsmarine Boot Besatzung - featuring Fanatical trait
  
• Kriegsmarine Kustenpolizei - military police
  
• Italian San Marco naval infantry - SMG squad
  
• GebK. 285(j) - Yugoslav mountain gun
  
• PaK 36(r) 76,2mm - AT gun
  
• Flakzwilling 37mm - AA gun
  
• Flak 38 105mm - heavy AA
  
• Yugoslav 100mm - artillery gun
  
• Italian 100mm - artillery gun
  
• Italian 149mm - artillery gun
  
• Panzerstellung Panzer II - new Defensive structure
  
• Panzerstellung 35R - new Defensive structure
  
• Panzerstellung 35S - new Defensive structure
  
• Commandos d’Afrique - recon special forces
  
• M6 Fargo - AT gun on recon light truck
  
• Artilleurs AA - infantry
  
• FFI Maquisards - featuring Raiders trait
  
• Légionnaires - featuring Fanatical trait
  
• Légion. Sap.-Pionniers - featuring Fanatical trait (and beard!)
  
• Tirailleurs - AEF (Central African) and AFN (North African) infantry
  
• Sapeurs-Pionniers - infantry
  
• BIMP - motorized infantry
  
• Chocs - featuring Raiders trait
  
• M10A1 R.C.A. - tank
  
• FFI Traction - commander unit
  
• FFI DMA - light logistical unit
  
• M3 Gun 37mm - light AT gun
  
• FFI Partisans - AT squad
  
• F-5B-1 - recon plane
  
• Hellcat - British carrier-borne fighter-bomber
  
• Wildcat - British carrier-borne fighter-bomber
  
• Seafire - British carrier-borne recon. fighter

Nemesis DLC Overview

Nemesis: Storming Toulon will join a host of other exciting Nemesis DLC already available for Steel Division 2:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1405650/Steel_Division_2__Nemesis_1__Sandomierz

Nemesis: Battle of Sandomierz Bridgehead is the first Nemesis DLC and available for free! It features the 16. Panzerdivision and the 97th Guards Rifle Division from the Eastern Front, bringing a number of new units, including the most fearsome German tank of World War II, the Königstiger (H).

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1418230/Steel_Division_2__Nemesis_2__Lvov_Offensive

The second Nemesis DLC, Nemesis: Lvov Offensive, is available now for €4.99 / $4.99. This Nemesis DLC contains the German 20. Panzergrenadier-Division and the Allied 10th Guards Tank Corps, bringing new units such as the heavy tank destroyer Elefant, the unique Bef. Tiger (P) and Bef. Panzer V/IV tanks, Muniwagen Panzer III, Flakpanzer T-34(r) and Flakpanzer Panther, and captured T-5 Pantera..

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1477780/Steel_Division_2__Nemesis_3__Battle_of_Rimini/

Nemesis: Battle of Rimini is our third Nemesis DLC, available now for €4.99 / $4.99. It features the 1. Fallschirmjäger-Division for the Axis, and the combined Allied battlegroup of the 2nd New Zealand Division with the 3rd Greek Mountain Brigade attached.

The recent winner of our latest hotly-contested community vote, our fifth expansion Nemesis: Raid on Drvar is currently in active development. Featuring two unusual battlegroups from the partisan-infused Balkan theater, you’ll get to play with the Axis Unternehmen Rösselsprung battlegroup, featuring not only the fanatical SS-Fallschirmjäger-Bataillon 500 but also supporting Croatian troops. As the Allies, deploy as the unique partisan formation NOV - the the Yugoslav Liberation Army.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1418231/Steel_Division_2__Burning_Baltics/

In case you’ve missed the news, our new massive History Expansion,
Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics[/b] will launch on April 29th!

Let us know what you think through our Steam forums and Eugen forums, or check our (Facebook and Twitter). Looking for an online game? Visit the kick-ass Discord server or Reddit page.

That’s it for this week’s post. Don’t forget, we have updated our schedule and will now post every two weeks.

See you on the battlefield, commander!

Hello commander,

Missed us? We sure missed you! We have a bunch of news to share with you today, so sit down, strap in, and enjoy the ride.

What can you find in today’s post? A couple of interesting announcements and more details on two important gameplay changes coming to Steel Division 2 in the not-too-distant future.

Keep on reading to discover more!

Burning Baltics Launches April 29th

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1418231/Steel_Division_2__Burning_Baltics/

First off, we have a release date for our upcoming new History Expansion Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics which will be yours to play on April 29th.

What will Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics offer?

• 1 massive new Army General campaign set in the Baltics during Operation Doppelkopf, allowing you to take command of either the attacking Axis 3. Panzerarmee or the defending Allied 1st Baltic Front.
  
• 8 new Divisions, playable solo, coop, or in multiplayer, including 6 which took part during Doppelkopf and 2 divisions from Army Group North’s theater of operations.
  
• 120+ new units, including a variety of new models such as Aufklärungspanzer 38(t) recon tank, Ar 196 A-3 floatplane, Soviet MT-13 160mm super-heavy mortar and the BS-3 100mm heavy AT gun.
  
• 2 new Nations: Lithuania (Axis) and Estonia (Allies) and 2 new Aces.

Be sure to check out various articles that go in-depth into all of Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics’ new features, including detailed breakdowns of all the upcoming Divisions.

• The first Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics Versus looks at the two Armored battlegroups: the Panzerverband Strachwitzcheck and the 19-y Tank Corpus.
  
• The second Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics Versus dives deep into the two Mechanized battlegroups: Panzergrenadier-Division “Grossdeutschland” and Rezerv 43-y Armii.
  
• The third Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics Versus puts the spotlight on the Infantry battlegroups with the 52. Sicherungs-Division z.b.V. and the Podv. Gruppa Fedyunkin.
  
• The ultimate Steel Division 2: Burning Baltics Versus highlights two special battlegroups from Army Group North theater of operations: the 11. SS-Freiwilligen Panzergrenadier-Division “Nordland” and the 7. Eesti Laskurdiviis (7th Estonian Rifle Division).
  
• Check out the new Aces, which will ship out with the expansion in this detailed blog post here.
  
• Be sure to read up on the new massive Army General Campaign centered on Nazi Germany’s last successful strategic counter-offensive, Operation Doppelkopf.

Combat Ranges Rework

On to the gameplay updates coming soon. One of the elements we have been working on for a while is an overhaul of the Combat Ranges. We detailed some of our earlier thoughts in this October blog post here, but we are now ready to show you some more. Yet, remember work is still in progress, and changes may still occur.

In the current version, most of our guns (tank, anti-tank, etc.) fire at a 2000m max range. The reason for this design choice was for every type of player (from new to history aficionado) to be able to understand quickly a whole variety of WWII weaponry at a glance. However, by allowing a unifying 2000m max range, some guns were firing beyond their real-life capabilities, at which they become ineffective in-game and at best waste ammo, and at worst, get obliterated by their target in an immediate counter-attack.

The main driver behind the Combat Ranges Rework is to make tank and anti-tank engagements more effective, and more gritty, allowing this type of combat to mimic reality closer. What is the change?


We have spread AP rounds from our myriad of tank and anti-tank guns, ranging from 20mm to 152mm, across six different max range settings.

• 750m: <30mm
  
• 1000m: 30-45mm
  
• 1250m: 45-47mm
  
• 1500m: 50-75mm
  
• 1750m: “long” 75 / 75-85mm
  
• 2000m: 88-122mm (plus ISU-152)

As everyone knows: wherever there are rules, there are exceptions. Outstanding guns in their caliber category may be moved up, such as the US “long” 37mm compared to the punny German 37mm. Likewise, others keep their max range at 2000m, including the 17-pdr (76,2mm), Kwk 42 (Panther) and Resita 75mm. On the other hand, short-barreled or low-velocity guns (such as howitzers’ AP rounds) might be moved a step down.

APCR and HEAT rounds usually have a shorter range than their corresponding AP counterparts, although, once again, there are a few exceptions with certain APCR rounds.

Penetration drop-off has been adjusted for each range set to give more realistic results, and the more a gun has lost in range (compared to the current “vanilla” setting) the more accuracy it will gain. Guns reduced in range will have their chance to hit improved. i.e. those reduced to 1000m will have their accuracy increased by an average of 10-15%, for instance.

Example: Pak 38 50mm in the current & beta versions:


What does this mean? Previously, light AT guns firing at 2000m had little chance to hit and hardly any chance to deal damage. With the new Combat Range Rework, these guns will fire at a much shorter range, but when they do, will be more likely to hit on their first shot and have a higher chance to penetrate the target’s armor.

We know that these new ranges is a big change, including the actual combat effectiveness and firepower of a unit. That’s why certain unit prices will be reconsidered, especially for those tank and anti-tank guns which retain a 2000m maximum range.

New Efficient Shot

Hand in hand with our Combat Ranges Rework, we are also tackling our Efficient Shot mechanic. We have completely redesigned this feature to make it more intuitive and powerful to use. Again, remember work is still in progress, and changes may still occur.

Efficient Shot only works for penetrating weapons, designed to defeat their target’s armor. The new Efficient Shot only considers the chances of penetrating armor while the old mechanic also took into account the chance of hitting a target. The reason for this change was because a gun gains precision with any additional shot fired, and what matters to the player is if you have a real chance of penetrating the heavy armor in front of you.

The new Efficient Shot now features five distinct values, with each percentage indicating the threshold to penetrate the enemy’s armor. These values are 20%, 40%, 60% and 80%. If you set it at 20%, your gun will fire when it reaches this value or higher. This granularity gives you much better control of when a gun will fire, and if your weapon is going to be effective or not.



Depending on the percentage value chosen, the game will also show you the distance needed for your weapon to be effective.

The new Efficient Shot mechanic can be set individually or for your whole battlegroup. Not only that, depending on the value chosen, a different color icon will be displayed on top of your unit’s icon. And remember, you can always deactivate this mechanic, if you don’t feel like using it.

A new blog post schedule

You might have noticed the absence of our regular post last week. There is a reason behind this. At Eugen, we have been hard at work to develop a new expansion for your other favorite game - Wargame Red Dragon.

To shine a light on the new Wargame Red Dragon - Nation Pack: SADF, we’ll alternate each week between the two titles. This means you’ll get Steel Division 2 post one week, and the other one we dive deep into an exciting new aspect of Wargame’s new Nation Pack or other upcoming contents. After Wargame Red Dragon - Nation Pack: SADF releases, we’ll return to our original schedule.

See you in two weeks!

If you want to reach out to us, you can do this through our Steam forums and Eugen forums, or check our (Facebook and Twitter). Looking for an online game? Visit the kick-ass Discord server or Reddit page.

See you on the battlefield, commander!Welcome back, commander.

Welcome back, commander.

Hold the presses; the results are in!

Before we reveal the winner of the Nemesis DLC Run 5, we wanted to express our admiration for the hard-fought propaganda many of you dabbled in this last week. Your efforts to sway your fellow players clearly had some effect; this vote was a very close call all the way to the end.

The winner is...

And the winner of Nemesis DLC Run 5 is…

...Nemesis: Raid on Drvar!



Our fifth Nemesis DLC will take the action to the partisan-controlled Balkans, highlighting the unique [/i]Raid on Drvar[/i] which saw one of the last Axis airborne operations of the war and the subsequent Allied attempt to escape the surprise trap.

To give you the full breakdown of the vote:

• Nemesis: Raid on Drvar beat the competition with 36,3% of the vote.
  
• Number two was Nemesis: Ligurian Standoff with 35,2%. It was close!
  
• Lastly, Nemesis: Slovak Uprising came in third with 28,5%.

What to expect from Raid on Drvar?

We’ll give today’s victor another detailed look. Nemesis: Raid on Dvrar will feature:

Unternehmen Rösselsprung

• The Axis battlegroup is modeled after the real-life forces that participated in the operation, and as such, carries the name of the operation. It includes not only the fanatical SS-Fallschirmjäger-Bataillon 500, but also regular Grenadier foot soldiers, as well as supporting troops from the SS Prinz Eugen's SS-Gebirgsjäger and the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), a puppet state of Nazi Germany.
  
• A small number of Brandenburg special forces can be found in this battlegroup as well. They can count on the Raider trait.
  
• Croatian Air Force covers the sky above, equipped with a mix of old pre-war Yugoslav Air Force planes and Italian (Caproni bombers, Macchi fighters, ...) or German fighters and bombers.

NOV (Yugoslav Liberation Army)

• NOV stands for Narodnooslobodilačka vojska, meaning the Yugoslav Liberation Army. This communist-led partisan force was considered one of the most effective anti-Axis resistance movements in Europe. NOV troops as a whole feature the Raider trait.
  
• The partisans are mostly equipped with salvaged Italian small arms, from Beretta SMGs, M91 Moschetto rifles, Breda 30 LMG and Solothurn anti-tank rifles. Airdropped British weapons (Bren, PIAT, and Sten guns) can also be found.
  
• Heavier equipment all come from captured stocks, such as the German PaK 38 50mm and a handful of PaK 40 75mm AT guns, but mostly Italian Elefantino 47mm guns. Even some armored support is available in the form of light L3/35 Italian tankettes and captured German Beute (R-35 & Somua).
  
• Allied air support from the British-led multinational Balkan Air Force consists of older Spitfire, Mustang and Hurricane fighter, fighter-bomber or tank-buster variants, including the Hurricane Mk.IID with twin 40mm AT guns.

Read all about the Nemesis: Raid on Drvar in this detailed blog post.

What happens next?

At one point, further down the line, the Nemesis: Raid on Drvar will join the other paid Nemesis DLC already on offer or in active development. We will keep you updated!

What happens to the Nemesis DLC Run 5 options that didn’t make the cut? For now, we will put them away in our “ideas” Eugen cupboard. Maybe they will make a return in the future. For now, these Nemesis options have been judged and found wanting…Never say never, though!

That’s it for this week. Let us know what you think! You can do this through our Steam forums and Eugen forums, or check our (Facebook and Twitter). Looking for an online game? Visit the kick-assDiscord server or Reddit page.

We have something special in store for our Wargame fans. Wha-wait-what? That’s right: expect some exciting news in the not-too-distant future!

Thank you for your dedication to Steel Division 2. Keep up the fight! See you on the battlefield, commander!

Hey commander!

This week’s post will be a break from our installments detailing Steel Division: Burning Baltics. Instead, we are circling back to an event we promised previously: a new round of voting to decide which Nemesis DLC should be released next.

There is something special, though. Each of today’s contenders competed in a Nemesis vote last year. While these silver medalists didn’t make the cut then, today is their second chance!

You’ll be able to cast your vote on the three Nemesis divisions in the new Nemesis DLC Run 5.

Nemesis DLC Run 5

The new Nemesis DLC Run 5 community vote is now live!

You can find the Nemesis DLC voting page by following this link here.

Voting will close on Wednesday, March 10th, at 1:30 PM (CEST) / 12:30 PM (BST) / 7:30 AM (EDT).

As before, you can vote multiple times, but only your LAST vote will count! Be respectful of the vote and your fellow player. No cheating, bullying, or insults will be tolerated. You have been warned!

Before you vote, take some time to give each runner-up option a quick once-over.

Nemesis: Slovak Uprising

The first runner-up is Nemesis: Slovak Uprising. If chosen, this DLC will feature a completely new nation - Czechoslovakia - including new indigenous weaponry, vehicles and units, a complete voice-over, and more. The Slovak Uprising, which began at the end of August 1944, would be represented by this expansion.



If chosen, Nemesis: Slovak Uprising brings:

• A new nation plus one new Axis division, the German Panzerdivision Tatra, and one Allied division, the Slovak National Uprising (SNP) partisans.
  
• A select number of tanks for Panzerdivision Tatra including Panzer IV, StuG III G, StuG 40 and Panzer 38 (t). And exactly three Tiger Es. Soldier squads will be made up of Volkssturm, more reliable Hungarian SS, and elements from Sturmbrigade Frankreich.
  
• The SNP features a large amount of multinational partisans, from escaped Soviet and French POWs, to American OSS and British SOE teams, Czechoslovakian Airborne Brigade, and rebelling Slovak Army troops. New tanks can also be found, such as LT-40, Vz.33 tankette, T-35 (Panzer 35) and T-38 (Panzer 38).

Read all about the Nemesis: Slovak Uprising in this detailed blog post.

Nemesis: Raid on Drvar

Number two on the lists of number twos is Nemesis: Raid on Drvar, featuring a duo of unusual battlegroups from an equally unique front: the partisan-infested Balkan theater.



If Nemesis: Raid on Drvar is the winner, the following will become available:

• A fully-voiced new nation with the Allied battlegroup (Yugoslav partisans) and a minor new nation with the Axis (ally Croatia).
  
• For the Axis, a mixed battlegroup, Unternehmen Rösselsprung, featuring not only the fanatical SS-Fallschirmjäger-Bataillon 500, but also Brandenburg special forces and SS-Gebirgsjäger. Croatia brings its own infantry units: regular Kro. Legionäre, Domobran (Home Guard soldiers) and Ustashe auxiliaries.
  
• The Allies get the unique partisan formation NOV - the the Yugoslav Liberation Army. NOV troops as a whole feature the Raider trait and can deploy a large variety of captured material, mostly Italian weaponry, with even some limited armor support available! Not only that, they can also count on powerful air support from the multinational Allied Balkan Air Force.

Read all about the Nemesis: Raid on Drvar in this detailed blog post.

Nemesis: Ligurian Standoff

Number three is Nemesis: Ligurian Standoff, highlighting two special divisions occupying a “quiet” sector of the Italian Front in late summer 1944.



By choosing Nemesis: Ligurian Standoff, you’ll get:

• For the Axis: the 20. Luftwaffe-Felddivision with a mix of reluctant Luftwaffe ground crew fighting as foot soldiers, backed up by experienced cavalry officers and paratrooper NCOs.
  
• The Allies get Task Force 45, which very much like its German counterpart is made up of reluctant AA gunners turned infantrymen. Furthermore, it not only introduces the Brazilian Expeditionary Force but also the hard-fighting Japanese-American troops of the 100th Infantry Battalion.
  
• Several new units, including Italian AS-43 (Sahariana) trucks mounting a Flak 38mm, as well as 149mm artillery guns. The Americans will bring the powerful dual-purpose M2 90mm gun. American and British 15-men squads made up of anti-aircraft troops will be available, as well as the 8-inch/203mm howitzer.
  
• Update: it appears that many Brazilians in Task Force 45 fought with the older M1903A3 Springfield rifles. Of course, we will incorporate this to make these soldiers look even more distinct from their American counterparts.

Read all about the Nemesis: Ligurian Standoff in this detailed blog post.

Nemesis DLC Overview

Neme-what? If you have been caught unawares: our Nemesis DLC concept not only brings you new Steel Division 2 in the form of a pair of new battlegroups but puts the decision on which mini-expansion should be released first in your hands.

Each Nemesis DLC option presents two new battlegroups from a different theater of operations or front. New nations and new units are likely to be encountered in these expansions!

The following Nemesis DLCs are already out in the wild.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1405650/Steel_Division_2__Nemesis_1__Sandomierz

Nemesis: Battle of Sandomierz Bridgehead is the first Nemesis DLC and available for free now! It features the 16. Panzerdivision and the 97th Guards Rifle Division from the Eastern Front, bringing a number of new units, including the most powerful German tank of World War II, the Königstiger (H).

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1418230/Steel_Division_2__Nemesis_2__Lvov_Offensive

The second Nemesis DLC, Nemesis: Lvov Offensive, is available now for €4.99 / $4.99. This Nemesis DLC contains the German 20. Panzergrenadier-Division and the Allied 10th Guards Tank Corps, bringing new units such as the heavy tank destroyer Elefant, the unique Bef. Tiger (P) and Bef. Panzer V/IV tanks, Muniwagen Panzer III, Flakpanzer T-34(r) and Flakpanzer Panther, and captured T-5 Pantera..

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1477780/Steel_Division_2__Nemesis_3__Battle_of_Rimini/

Nemesis: Battle of Rimini is our third Nemesis DLC, available now for €4.99 / $4.99. It features the 1. Fallschirmjäger-Division for the Axis, and the combined Allied battlegroup of the 2nd New Zealand Division with the 3rd Greek Mountain Brigade attached.

Nemesis: Storming Toulon is our fourth confirmed Nemesis DLC. It contains two divisions from Operation Dragoon, the Allied invasion of Southern France in August 1944. Verteidigungsbereich Toulon and the 1e Division Française Libre. The expansion will also feature the new Panzerturm bunker, a casemate mounting a tank turret. We are hard at work on this one - we hope to tell you soon when you can expect it!
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Until next week

The voting booths are now open. Go and let us know your choice! Check in next week to see which option will become the next Steel Division 2 Nemesis DLC!

If you want to reach out to us, you can do this through our Steam forums and Eugen forums, or check our (Facebook and Twitter). Looking for an online game? Visit the kick-ass Discord server or Reddit page.