Company of Heroes 3 just took its largest patch yet. Relic Entertainment released the 3.0 update on Steam on November 5, and the studio's patch post calls it "the biggest release for Company of Heroes 3 since its initial launch in 2023." Inven Global, which carried Relic's press release, reports that the update is free on PC.
The headline features are the weather and the co-op, but the part most likely to change your matches is the multiplayer rework.
What changes in a fight
Relic's update briefing on Steam says it is improving team games, with "a focus on making tactics and positioning more important." Its list includes a major economy rework, an artillery rebalance and less massing of vehicles. One battlegroup has been reworked and several others adjusted.
The faction list is specific. Relic says US Forces combat variants will always be accessible, and Assault Engineers become a separate unit. Wehrmacht gets more late-game versatility, the British Forces Infantry Training Center changes, and the briefing promises "a major change to Operation Skorpion."
The AI is changing too. According to the briefing, the biggest shift is how it calculates unit strength, so it can judge fights more realistically and make better choices about what to build and in what order. Relic's press release, as reported by Inven Global, adds that the AI should play better in the late game and retreat more sensibly.
Weather, sound and maps
The visual pass brings snow and rain effects, terrain that shifts between dry and wet, and new winter, autumn and industrial environments. Soldier lighting has been improved for readability. Weapon fire, impacts, explosions and vehicle destruction have all had audio work, and the soundtrack now includes classic tracks from Company of Heroes and Company of Heroes 2.
Maps come with a small wrinkle. Relic's Steam briefing names four new ones: Vire River Valley (2v2), Foggia Winter (3v3), Turin Steelworks (4v4) and Radarstation Mammut (4v4). The press release reported by Inven Global lists five, adding Ancona Railyard and naming Foggia Airfield instead of Foggia Winter. Neither post explains the difference. Both agree that Langres Winter, Mignano Summit and Rapido River Crossing have been refreshed.
Final Stand and the campaign
Final Stand, the roguelike standalone, gets its headline addition: co-op for up to three players. Relic says enemy events scale with the number of players, and the update adds unit unlocks, passive technologies and ability unlocks. Inven Global reports a new Battleground, Dam Busters, where weather changes battlefield visibility and unit range.
The campaign changes Relic lists are visual and clarity work. Its briefing describes neutral lighting that makes cities, hospitals and ports easier to spot on the campaign map, revised lighting and atmosphere across campaign missions, and optimisation for the costlier parts of the map.
What costs money, and what's next
The update may be free, but not everything in it is. Relic's briefing says a new Ultimate Set of cosmetics goes on sale with the update, though it gives no price. The set covers Climb to Glory for US Forces, Edelweiss for Wehrmacht, Bloody Baltic for British Forces, Cold Snap for the Deutsches Afrikakorps and an Industrial Victory Point.
Operation Torch, which Relic calls the game's first major campaign DLC, follows on November 25. Inven Global also reports that Relic pointed to an upcoming Company of Heroes: Definitive Edition.
Beau's take: New weather sells a trailer, but I'd start with the economy rework and the vehicle massing changes. If you drifted away from team games, those are the two lines worth reading before you decide whether to reinstall.
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