This strategy guide is intended for players who want to graduate from a supporting role to learn how to effectively lead a squad and to win battles playing as an infantry or assault squad NCO (Frontovik, Cossack, K.u.k Trupp, and Infanterie), with the ability to call-in gas, mortars or smoke. You can definitely help win any battle playing as an experienced, skilled and strategy-minded support player (non-NCO), but on some maps you can have dramatically more impact on your team’s chances for winning the game playing as an NCO using strategic call-ins to turn the tide of battle.

While the NCO tactics I will be discussing in-depth will be for Frontovik and Cossack NCOs, they will easily translate for K.u.k Trupp and Infanterie NCOs.

Although I have chosen the Carpathians map to demonstrate NCO strategy, this guide teaches strategies that can be implemented on virtually all the maps.

USING THE MAP - CRITICAL COMMUNICATION TO YOUR SQUAD

As an NCO, you will need to refer to the overview map constantly. The default key to open the overview map is "M", however, I find that quite awkward. Having quick and easy access to the overview map is too critical for it not to be an easy and natural motion. I recommend using the 'TAB' key instead. You can set the TAB key as an alternate key-binding to open the overview map by going into your Settings (Options, Keybindings), clicking on the Alternative box and then hitting the TAB key (see below).



Get into the habit of checking your map (now reset to TAB key), at minimum, each time you reload.

DRAWING ATTACK ROUTES

As a squad leader, you will be drawing attack routes (the green line) on the map (which are essentially orders) that will direct your squad along paths of advance and to capture points. Hit TAB and use the mouse to draw these lines. (You can also use the Q key / Left Mouse Click to set attack routes, but I find using the map to be easier and more precise.) Update these orders as situations change. As you place a new attack route, a whistle will sound alerting your squad mates that a new attack route has been set.



Note: Even if you have a squad of bots, it is still worthwhile to issue orders using the map. They will generally follow your orders, though there are definitely matches where they seem to be wandering off on their own.

NEAR ORDER RADIUS

Notice the little ‘x’ at the end of the green line (actually a pair of crossed swords), around which is a white circle? This is the “Near Order Radius". When your squad mates are within this white circle (or aura / radius) they are receiving buffs / bonuses. These buffs can significantly boost your squad's performance. You will want to set this zone in a way that gives your squad mates the greatest opportunity to operate within its radius when attacking a point. Once you've taken a capture point, immediately reset this zone over the capture point in the optimal area where your squad mates will be deploying themselves to defend the position. Be aware of where your squad mates are located so you can always optimally reset the Near Order Radius so that they receive these buffs while they are capturing or holding this position.

THE YELLOW NCO AURA

NCOs have a yellow aura surrounding their location that also acts as a zone (or radius) that grants buffs. When the yellow NCO aura and the white Near Order Radius zones coincide, squad members are receiving maximum buffs.






THE MINI-MAP



In the lower left of your screen is the "mini-map". Press ‘N’ to adjust the zoom on your mini-map. The min-map comes in handy under many circumstances. The mini-map becomes highlighted as enemies enter its zone. This feature is incredibly useful when you have just cleared and are taking a capture point. Also, you will see skulls replacing team mate dots as they are killed, alerting you that an enemy is close by and actively taking out team members around you.

SPAWN AWARENESS

Be aware of where the three green dots are on the map – these are your squad mates. Regularly check if they are active and ready to help an assault, or if they are waiting to respawn and if they can spawn on you. If they can spawn on you your spawn status will say "Squad Reinforcements can spawn near you" or it will be blank. However, you may have to wait until the timer line moves all the way to the left before they can spawn in. It's important to note that squad mates can spawn on an NCO (actually any squad member) when he is in enemy territory, however, if you are under heavy fire or are being cut off, this ability may be temporarily shut down, so squad members will not be able to spawn on you.



If you are in enemy territory, check your map to see if your team is gaining territory and you can hold your ground and soon be a spawn point or if your team is losing ground or about to be cut off. A scenario in which it may be wise to retreat.

Strategic use of your position as a spawn point in (or adjacent to) enemy territory can shift the tide of battle and is an important tool for an NCO to remain conscious of throughout a match. My squads routinely win the end of game award "Best Squad of the Match" and one of the reasons for this is I know where to place myself on the map to position my squad for a capture. I get where I need to be and wait for squad members to spawn in on me, then we go in for an easy capture. (This strategy works well with a squad of bots, too.)

Spawn Awareness is one of the key tips I learned from Some Rando, who has written a great guide to Tannenberg squad tactics. Hit him up for a copy - he can send it to you through Discord. He is #7 on the global Tannenberg leaderboards.

TIMING IS EVERYTHING

You have two timers below your mini-map. The timer on the left tracks your special Right Mouse Q key ability (discussed in the next section). The timer on the right tracks the time remaining until you can make your next call-in (for mortars, gas or smoke). Your ability is ready for activation once the circle is complete. Timer awareness is important because knowing when you can activate one of your abilities will allow you to maximize your leverage as an NCO to impact the course of a match.

THE MAGIC OF THE Q KEY

Your next super power as an NCO are abilities activated by use of the Q key. When you hit Q, this overlay will pop up:

Here you see two timers. On the left is the Left Mouse ability timer, which is used to set objectives on the map. You place the red map marker you see between the two timers on your objective and click the Left Mouse Button. This will draw a green attack route line on the overview map. This ability is virtually always available (except for a three second delay right after you set an objective). While you can target objectives with the Q key, as I said previously, I prefer to use the map (TAB or M) for that.

On the right you see the Right Mouse ability timer. The Right Mouse Q key ability is unique for every squad and usually augments strengths notable for that squad type. I will go into the special Q key ability for Cossack and Frontovik NCOs below.

When you activate your Q key / Right Mouse special ability the Right Mouse ability timer circle on the left below your mini-map will start to blink, until the ability is timed out. In the picture to the right, notice that the circle is currently white: this is part of its blinking phase.

All squad members will be alerted that a special ability has been activated with one long or three short whistle blasts and by their own blinking ability circle.

Not blinking:











Blinking:










KNOW YOUR SUPPORTER'S ABILITIES

The squad member in the third position is your "Supporter". The Supporter carries a phone, an ammo crate or a grenade crate, depending on your squad type, which he can place on the battlefield at a strategic spot. He will also be able to provide you with a call-in, grenades or ammo when you are near him. Always know the abilities of your Supporter. Be sure to ask him to drop the support item (ammo crate, grenade crate, phone) where you think it will be of most use. Often times, players will not know they have the ability, so tell them they need to hit Q to access it.

UNDERSTAND YOUR SQUAD'S STRENGTHS

While it is easiest to think in terms of assault, support and (line) infantry when separating squads into categories, it is more useful to actually drill down and know the specific strengths of each squad. Knowing these strengths helps you understand the unique advantages of every squad type, and how best to deploy your squad. I will cover these strengths as I discuss NCO strategy for Cossack and Frontovik squads.

A WORD ABOUT SQUAD WEIGHT

While the squad weight factor is mentioned prominently in the squad type description (see picture below) and is a basis by which many players define how to use their squad, I personally don’t believe that you should let your squad’s weight dictate how you deploy your squad. It simply is not important enough to get in the way of your soon to be elevated understanding of NCO tactics.



So, what is squad weight? Every team member has weight. The more weight that supports offense (a factor of how many of your teammates are in the capture point and how much “capture” weight they collectively represent), the faster a team will capture a point. The more weight that supports defense (again, a factor of how many of your teammates are in the capture point and how much “defensive” weight they collectively hold), the slower your enemies will capture a position while you have team members (and thus weight) still in that capture point, valiantly trying to defend it. A player can represent 50%, 100% or 150% of the average capture or defensive weight. Support squads have greater defensive weight, assault squads have greater capture weight.

The only way this really impacts the game is that the faster you capture a point, the sooner your teammates will be able to spawn in the capture point and help defend it or push forward from that position. If your squad has a weak capture weight, it can feel like an eternity until you turn the capture point blue and your “relief” arrives – fresh teammates spawning on the position to help reinforce it. The best way to off-set a less than ideal squad (or even team) weight distribution is good communication in the chat to let teammates know when support is needed.

Keep in mind that for most matches the Central Powers will have a stronger capture weight and a weaker defensive weight and the Entente will have a stronger defensive weight and a weaker capture weight.

Pro tip: When the opposing team is taking a capture point, you can watch on the overview map how quickly the point is turning red. If the point is turning red fast, it is likely there are a bunch of players in the capture point. An ideal target for a mortar strike.

WORKING TOGETHER

Now that you have chosen to lead a squad, the first step in leveraging your position as an NCO will be to say “hi” to the members of your squad at the start of the match (hit Enter to open Chat, then TAB for your Squad Chat channel). Get a measure for how on-board they are for working as a unit. Let them know you will be drawing attack routes on the map. If you feel shy about this aspect, start with a few '"warm up" chats, such as "hey guys, who won the last match?" or "everyone happy with this squad type, or should we change?" or "hey, what rifle are you using?".

As the game unfolds, let your squad know (even better, the whole team) when you are making a call-in on a position or spot danger. More direction and communication are always better than less. My most enjoyable matches have been the ones I’ve played with squad mates I have known for a long time who want to work as a coordinated squad and communicate constantly throughout the match. (Shout outs to drfever, DroZdOVsky, Johann Rhein, Гусев/dagot, Some Rando, Spieluhr, The Dark Ranger, and Vill.) I have noticed a pattern amongst new players for finding other new players to clique with and who become regular squad mates and I think that is great. If your squad members are willing to follow orders and work as a unit, then be sure to update them on your plan of action throughout the match.

The Carpathian map is essentially a big valley, or bowl, as a result there are commanding positions with good cover for snipers everywhere. Elevated MGs also cover significant portions of the map and can rack up lots of kills. You will need to move quickly from cover to cover to travel safely on this map.

Like most Tannenberg maps, the layout and terrain favor the Central Powers. Thankfully, on this map the Central advantage is marginal, unlike the Przemysl or Baltic maps.

In general, Central will hold on to the Church and Entente will hold on to the Entrenched Buildings. They might change hands briefly, but barring some exceptional defense, they are usually recaptured shortly. The Hilltop Entrenchment will change hands many times, as this is an easy position to take for either team. The 305mm Gun is a key position which we will cover in depth.

COSSACK SQUAD STRENGTHS

Cossacks have notable strengths. Number one is stamina. They inherently have 50% more stamina than infantry or support squads, which means they can cover a lot more ground before being reduced to a walk, making them ideal for deep captures.

COSSACK Q KEY

The Q key ability for Cossacks is the "Cossack Charge", a bonus that freezes stamina drain for 30 seconds. This is ideal to activate when attacking a position or going for a deep capture, allowing your squad mates to arrive at the objective with maximum health, ready to sustain damage during your attack. Use it right after you issue an attack order to give your squad mates an edge as they rush a position. If you want to alert squad members that a bonus is coming you can type "stamina boost in 10 seconds" in the chat to give the head's up.

ZONE BONUSES

If a squad member remains in the NCO’s aura while sprinting, they have 25% decreased stamina drain – so going for those deep captures as a squad and staying close to the NCO makes great sense.

The Near Order Radius bonus applies 50% more suppression on enemies, which is significant.
So placing an optimal Near Order Radius is critical as NCO.

BUILT FOR ASSAULT

Between greater stamina, the Q key stamina boost, the zone bonuses, and the ability for two squad members to deploy gas grenades, Cossacks are a powerful assault squad to use for pushing the enemy back and capturing territory.

COSSACK NCO STRATEGY

Gas, gas and more gas. The key to winning this match for the Entente is either holding the Church or keeping massive pressure on the Church. The key weapon that can aid this strategy is gas. Gas needs to be on the Church constantly to keep Central from spawning there. A powerful role on this map is the Cossack NCO armed with a pistol, sword (don’t forget about your shashka – it is a great weapon for taking a capture point) and a gas grenade. The best weapon among the three really being the grenade.



Use call-ins to put gas on the Church (mustard, if available) and then hit the Church constantly with gas grenades. First hit the bombed out building south of the Church, then hit the trenches to the west of the Church and eventually hit the far side of the Church, where you can assault through the northern-most door, shashka in hand.

You can usually toss a grenade and then run back to get a second grenade immediately at the Entrenched Buildings without waiting for an ammo timer to expire. If you can get a Roumanian or Latvian Supporter teammate to put a grenade crate in the trench next to the bombed-out building on the approach to the Church, this will help a ton.





Usually even sluggish teammates will start helping the assault on the Church when they see they have little resistance, due to the massive gas clouds.

Pro tip: As a Cossack, you can run with an active grenade. Hold down the G key and run toward the enemy position to the point where you want to deploy or toss it. If you get killed along the way, the grenade will still go off, which will help push your advance further.

Once you see that your team is taking or holding the Church, immediately switch your focus to the 305 Gun, if you have not taken it. (Alternatively, keep putting gas in the face of the enemy on the approaches to the Church and defending the Church.) Taking the 305 Gun is the other piece to winning for Entente. It is a tougher position to take then the Hilltop Entrenchment, so best to leave other team members to go after that target and put your focus on the 305 Gun. Gas it up with a call-in and a couple of gas grenades, then hit it from either the north side from the line of bushes, or the south side from the bushes all the way up to the small trench and then diagonally to the 305 Gun.

A FURTHER NOTE ABOUT GAS

In addition to killing enemies and preventing spawning, gas slows the enemy down. I think most players get a little claustrophobic and don’t strike out as bravely when there is heavy gas or smoke in their face. If you are playing a match with half bots (or more), gas will kill a ton of bots when placed directly in the enemies’ approaching path. Especially:



(when the Church is held by Central): between the Church and the Entrenched Buildings around the entrance to the Church and the bombed-out building.






(when the 305 Gun is held by Central): the hillside that stretches between the Entrenched Buildings and the 305 Gun.






(when the Church is held by Entente): the eastern road running beside the Church just north of the Church.













I like to think of gas as “the Great Equalizer”. Even when playing with mediocre teams against strong teams on maps that heavily favor the Central Powers (like the Baltic map), just one Cossack NCO can keep constant gas in the face of the enemy and over enemy advance points to help neutralize those advantages.

I don’t recommend going for a deep capture as a Cossack NCO, but rather making sure that you and your team are holding one or both of these two critical points: the Church and the 305 Gun. Let others attempt to go for the deep capture, as you really waste your ability to shut the offense down with your gas grenades by going for the deep capture.

If your team is holding both the 305 Gun and the Church handily, then you could go for the Hilltop Entrenchment, to take that spawn point away from the enemy. Otherwise, focus on defending the two key points. If you take your focus away from the Church and the 305 Gun, it is likely that your team will lose the Church, the 305 Gun or both (not good) and the other team will start gaining momentum (and getting cocky). If you can hold the 305 Gun (an easier spot for less experienced players to defend than the Church) for 40% (or more) of the game and hold the Church for 25% (or more) of the game, you will win.

Communication tip: Always take note of who is playing as a Frontovik NCO and ask them to hit the 305 Gun right after your call-in when there is gas on the target (and the enemy can’t spawn there). Then launch a gas grenade (grab another one to use immediately once you get up to the 305 Gun) and wait for the mortars to strike for an easier capture.

SUPPORTER ABILITIES

The Cossack Supporter (Razvedchik) can drop a field telephone. More importantly, he carries grenades, which both you and other players can access. Acquiring gas grenades from your Supporter while on the battlefield is a critical piece for you to keep gas in the face of the enemy.

Additionally, your Supporter may be armed with a gas grenade as a loadout option. The two of you may want to coordinate your grenade activity for even greater impact on the enemy.

FRONTOVIK SQUAD STRENGTHS

The Frontovik squad has greater inherent suppression (100% more) and rifle/carbine reload time (20% reduction) than any other Entente squad type. Additionally, the Frontovik bonuses are all designed to increase your squad's rate of fire.



This is a squad that should be firing at the enemy constantly. They are designed for the thick of battle and can both hold and put pressure on a position, which makes them flexible. This is a key reason why I think the Frontovik NCO should put so much emphasize on the 305 position (capturing it and defending it) on the Carpathians map (I will go into details on this below).

FRONTOVIK Q KEY

The Q ability for Frontoviks is the "Urrah Charge". For 30 seconds squad members will have no suppression. Use it whenever your squad is under heavy fire or right after you issue an attack order to give your squad mates an edge as they rush a position.

FRONTOVIK ZONE BONUSES

Squad members receive an additional reduction in reload time of 25% by staying within the NCO's aura.

The Near Order Radius bonus reduces rebolt time by a whopping 35%, increasing your squad's rate of fire dramatically. As always, make sure you reset your Near Order Radius for optimal squad buffs as you change position.

FRONTOVIK NCO STRATEGY

While holding or keeping pressure on the Church is the best way to win this match for the Entente, you can indirectly put pressure on the Church by targeting the capture points that are most vulnerable to mortar or canon fire and helping your team take these capture points. There is more than one way to win this battle and support your team, and the Church should not be the first priority for a Frontovik NCO.

There are three main capture points you should concern yourself with as a Frontovik NCO: the 305 Gun, the Hilltop Entrenchment and the Entrenched Buildings. Dropping shells on the Church is almost useless – you will usually get minimal kills and there will always be survivors inside the Church who don’t get killed. When we drop shells what we are looking for is no survivors (ideally) – scorched earth – so we can rush in and take that position. That’s why I drop 12 and that’s why I suggest you choose targets where the enemy is vulnerable and you have a realistic chance of killing all of them.

Russians deploy both a type GR mortar, from which you can fire 3 shells and a 76 mm light field gun, from which you can fire a barrage of 6 or 12 shells. These are two of the most powerful weapons in Tannenberg.

You can call in a barrage of 3, 6 or 12 shells, which is essentially a choice for how frequently you can use your guns. as less shells equals a shorter time between barrages. I always fire 12. I never, ever, ever fire 3 or 6. If you are making a choice to light up a target, it is better to wait and drop 12, then drop 3 just because you can. Let me explain my strategy for artillery call-ins as they relate to this map.

The 305 Gun and the Hilltop Entrenchment are the most vulnerable targets to artillery fire and are the two spots you should focus most of your attention on. The 305 Gun is a key position to hold, as it is fairly easy to defend and puts Central at a significant disadvantage when Entente holds that capture point. Once the match begins, when playing as a Frontovik NCO, I usually focus on this position until it is captured, as capturing it immediately swings the momentum of the match in your favor. Holding the 305 Gun protects the Entente star from assault from the east and Central will end up focusing a significant enough amount of its resources trying to retake the 305 Gun that they will be weaker at other critical points on the map (like the Church). As a Frontovik NCO, it would not be surprising to find that you have spent a significant part of the game capturing and defending this spot.



As I said earlier, the Hilltop Entrenchment is a fairly easy position to take by either team and it can be a bit frustrating to take that position and then see it change hands less than two minutes later, but retaking it is still worthwhile as it keeps the enemy off your flank, where they would be in a position to threaten your rear (Trail Defenses) and keeps pressure on the Church.

Dropping 12 shells on the Hilltop Entrenchment will routinely kill every defender. While I will attempt to take this position repeatedly as a Frontovik NCO, I do not spend time defending it, as it is too easy to be overrun. If our team is holding both the 305 and Hilltop, then I focus on capturing the Church or the Artillery Redoubt.

If your team has both the 305 Gun and the Hilltop Entrenchment and you are capable of calling in an artillery strike, you might want to wait until the enemy is taking one of these positions if the capture points have been changing hands steadily. (There is nothing quite as satisfying as bombing a capture point as the enemy is rushing in to support the capture and killing a bunch of them before the point turns completely red.) On the other hand, if your team has been holding these points, then go ahead and hit another target when you get your next opportunity for a call-in, such as the Church, an enemy hot spot, a recon-revealed concentration of the enemy or a deep capture point, depending on the circumstances. If your team has momentum, going for a deep capture point or even a cut-off will make sense and an artillery barrage comes in handy for that.

The Frontovik NCO should primarily be concerned with offense, but they also carry a defensive burden for this match. The defensive burden you need to be aware of is Central capturing the Entrenched Buildings. Dropping 12 mortars on that capture point is the best way to take it back, and you need to take that capture point back quickly or the enemy will start to advance to the west and the southwest, making things quite difficult. Dropping the mortars when gas is on the target is ideal, as respawns are prevented and you will have less resistance as you rush in after your mortar strike to take the Entrenched Buildings back. When the game is hanging in the balance, I let team members know a mortar strike is immanent on a critical capture point.


SUPPORTER ABILITIES

The Frontovik Supporter (Navodcik) can drop an ammo crate (not surprising, since this squad should be firing at the enemy constantly). They also carry pigeons for call-ins.

Hopefully this guide has shown you how the Tannenberg gaming experience can look completely different through the eyes of an NCO.

If you want to take this game beyond hiding, shooting, sneaking up on defenders and racking up kills, then playing in a unified squad and especially as an informed, strategy-minded NCO is the way to go.

I actually also love playing as a support player in a squad that works together with a teammate that knows how to play as an NCO. There are only a few of them out there. I encourage you to become one of them.

Great video of Гусев/dagot demonstrating many of the points I make in this guide for a Frontovik NCO, including map use, Q key ability, dropping 12 shells on appropriate targets, keeping pressure on the Church and prioritizing the Entrenched Buildings point when it is under threat of capture:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOAtVFsrzU8

Video of Cpt. DoeJohnson having a kill fest in the Church:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfD_jIp6_I8

The secret sniping spot:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUoyRzGFqhA

Гусев/dagot's video with 15 more Carpathian sniping spots to explore:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcFGQdFSDhw&t=6s

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