Greetings everyone, my name is AWOLKILLER and I’m currently level 18 USA with over 70 hours of gameplay on Call to Arms. I enjoy this game immensely because of its infantry combat. Having played as much as I have, there are a few things I feel I should share with the community, and while these tactics and strategies work for me, they are not necessarily the best, nor are anyone else’s strategies wrong. This is my guide to commanding American infantry in Call to Arms. I hope these are helpful in your battles.

Here are few things that every commander should consider before executing any plan.

First and foremost, cover is your friend. Your men, no matter where they are, should be behind some form of cover. There is only one exception to this rule. Stealth. However, it can be very beneficial to prone men in order to get them into a good position. This is especially helpful for snipers and grenadiers.

Second, never move to within close range of an entrenched enemy. If the enemy has good cover, and are not hiding behind the cover, never order your men to move within 10 feet (approximately) of the enemy. The reason you will almost always lose is because the enemy only have to do 2 things to shoot you, aim and fire. Your men have to stop moving, aim and fire.

Third, the enemy will likely almost always have superior numbers. Having played against the GRM dozens of times, both AI and players, I can tell you that they tend to spawn much more infantry than the Americans. This is no coincidence, as I looked into the GRM, and it turns out that all of their infantry squads (not support squads) come in groups of 6, compared to the Americans squads of 5. Also, all of their infantry is cheaper than the Americans. Meaning, at the beginning of a standard multiplayer match, a GRM player can call in 2 militia squads (They cost 80 points) immediately compared to the Americans one squad.

Fourth, any infantry action, whether it be running to an objective, assaulting an enemy point, or defending a friendly one, can, and almost always will, be ruined by an enemy vehicle. Their superior firepower enables most vehicles to cut down any infantry they can see. Even the Technical SPG-9 will automatically fire a rocket on your infantry and can kill several per shot. Overall, you should never assault an enemy position or try to retreat if there is an alert (meaning not otherwise engaged) vehicle present.

What is the best way to conduct an attack on an entrenched enemy? Well here are a few crucial tactics to help you make sure the enemy don’t stand a chance.

a. Leap-Frogging: This is probably the most generally useful tactic I have ever used in the game. First, split up your squad into 2 teams. Then move one into long range of the enemy, andmake sure they get the enemies attention, and that you’re far enough away that your men aren’t pinned down or in danger of dying too quickly. Once team 1 has the enemy’s attention, tell team 2 to sprint to another piece of cover closer to the enemy. Once team 2 has the enemy’s attention, move team 1 up even closer. As your men get closer and closer, they will begin to pick off the enemy infantry, and be generally more effective. The reason this tactic works so well is because one team is always drawing enemy fire safely behind cover while the other is moving up. Ultimately the closer you get the more effective your men will be at neutralizing the defenders.

Team 1 Gets their Attention…


Team 2 Moves Up While Team 1 Draws Fire…


Team 1 Moves Closer…


Repeat as Needed.

b. Flanking: Have you ever seen anyone get shot in the back? They never see it coming, and they don’t have a chance to defend themselves. Quite the dirty trick if you ask me, but this is war.
Alright so here’s how you do it. First, find a good route where you can successfully sneak
past the enemy positions and afterwards have a clear shot on them. Now split your squad into 2 teams. Have team 1 get the enemy’s attention from long range, somewhere your team has good cover. You can choose to have team 2 start flanking before team 1 gets their attention, but don’t have team 2 attack until team 1 has the enemy’s attention. When team 2 attacks, try to have them attack from good cover, especially if there’s a lot of enemy’s. If there is no cover, try to make sure you aren’t vulnerable to attacks from many enemies.

Team 1 Gets their Attention…


Team 2 Sneaks Around...


Team 2 Attacks…


The Crossfire Tears the Enemy to Pieces.

When my dad taught me how to play chess, he told me that “When one of your pieces is threatened, there are 3 things you can do. You can either move your piece, block the attacking piece, or neutralize the attacking piece.” This is no different in Call to Arms. When your position is threatened by an enemy force, you can retreat, you can hide, or you can take the initiative and attack them before they attack you.

a. Retreating: If you feel that the enemy has a superior force and is going to take the point and likely kill the defenders, it is imperative that you retreat. Otherwise you are going to lose men and the position you are trying to defend. There is no point in leaving your men to die.

Don’t Waste the Lives of Your Men on an Impossible Defense Mission.

b. Hiding: What do I mean by hiding? Well one of the glorious things about Call to Arms is that the maps are full of rock walls, gates, dumpsters, benches, you name it. Within the position you are defending there are likely dozens of spots your men can take cover. Where they should take cover is totally dependent upon which direction you are being attacked from. If the enemy flank you from the north, move your men so that there is cover in between you and them. This works best when you can hide on the side of a building where they can’t see you at all.Now that your men are hidden, when the enemy moves up to take the position, they have a golden opportunity to mow them down when they get too close.

c. Attacking Before They Attack You: If your defense isn’t very strong, and you see a potential attack coming, it could be much more effective to launch an attack either before the enemy launches it or as they’re on their way. This is generally a better tactic than a static defense because you can conduct battle on your terms, rather than allowing the enemy time to gather strength and decide where they want you.

Every infantry squad has its strengths and weaknesses. Here are the strengths I’ve noticed in each squad:

Assualt Squad:
i. Pros: An Assault squad is good for close range engagements, because one soldier comes with an M1014 shotgun. They are also nice because they are cheap, and can be useful for filling slots in vehicles.
ii. Cons: Assault squads don’t come equipped to deal with infantry at long range. They come mainly with M16’s that have no attachments. Also, this team doesn't come with a medic.

Marksman Squad:
i. Pros: A Marksmen squad is really good at long range engagements, as they come with two M16 with ACOG scopes.
ii. Cons: This team doesn't come with a medic.

Defense Squad:
i. Pros: A Defense team is a very well rounded team. They come with a medic and are most notable for the M249 SAW machinegun they come with. This team, due to their M249, can excel at any task you give them.
ii. Cons: The M249 SAW machinegun is most effective at range, because of its ability to pin down enemy infantry. It’s not suited for close quarters.

US Marines:
i. Pros: The Marines are the cheapest US elite infantry. This doesn’t make them any less effective though. Marines are great at fighting enemy infantry at long range, as they come with M4’s with holographic sights, and an M27 IAR machinegun. They also come with a medic.
ii. Cons: The Marines have no AT capability, and have less armor than Rangers or Seals.

US Army Rangers:
i. Pros: Rangers are the ultimate jack-of-all-trades. Not only is every one of them a medic, they also come with upgraded M4s, SCARs, an M240 heavy machinegun, and 3 LAW rocket launchers. This allows them to be incredibly effective against all enemy infantry, close or long range, all while having AT capabilities.
ii. Cons: Rangers are a bit expensive, but well worth their price if you know how to use them.

US Navy Seals:
i. Pros: Navy Seals are the ultimate expression of US infantry training. Each Seal spends 2½ years training for any task you could possibly ask of them. As a result, they are the deadliest infantry in the game. While the Seals only come with upgraded M4s and MP5s, you won’t find any other team that dispatches infantry with such grace and speed. Every Seal is a medic.
ii. Cons: Navy Seals, while excelling at dealing with enemy infantry, have no AT. They are also the most expensive piece of infantry you can buy.

Tank Crew Team:
i. Pros: This two man team comes with MP5’s and some bandages. While they are very lightly armed, they are the cheapest piece of infantry you can buy and are great for filling slots in vehicles.
ii. Cons: This team should only ever be bought either as a last resort or to fill vehicles. They are very ineffective at combat with other infantry.

Engineer Team:
i. Pros: This two man team comes equipped with M16’s, four anti-personal mines, and the ability to fortify certain structures. This includes capture points in combined arms. If you right click on the point with engineers they will build six snadbag walls in a hexagon around the flag. These are the second cheapest infantry available and are decent combat infantry.
ii. Cons: The anti-personal mines aren’t that effective and the engineers ability to fortify structures is limited.

Support Team:
i. Pros: This three man team comes armed with two M4’s and one M16’s. One of three men is also a medic, making this the cheapest team to come with a medic, which in my opinion is extremely important.
ii. Cons: None.

Fireteam:
i. Pros: This three man team comes equipped with two M16’s and a single M249. This team can always be a good buy if you are engaged with large amounts of enemy infantry and need to put a slew of rounds down range.
ii. Cons: This team is quite expensive at 150 MP.

AT Team:
i. Pros: This three man team comes armed with an M16, two M4’s and five AT-4 rocket launchers. The AT-4’s are very effective at short ranges.
ii. Cons: The AT-4’s are single use, meaning each only gets one shot.

Sniper Team:
i. Pros: This two man team comes with an M4 w/several attachments, and of course a sniper rifle, the M24 SWS. This rifle will one shot any infantry it hits, making the sniper team very effective at engaging small groups of enemy infantry at extreme ranges. Also both men are medics.
ii. Cons: The sniper has to “sight in” the target, a three second process which greatly increases his accuracy. This may seem very helpful, but is actually quite hindering to his effectiveness, because if the target ducks behind cover, he has to start the process all over again when he pops back up. This also makes the sniper team ineffective at dealing with large groups of infantry.

Grenadier Team:
i. Pros: When I first discovered this three man team, I dubbed them “mini mortars,” because of their ability to lob explosives up to 50 meters away from behind cover. They come equipped with a single M4 and two M203A2 rifle mounted grenade launchers. These grenade launchers are very effective at lobbing rounds at larger groups of dug in enemy infantry, since you can safely engage from behind cover. This team is extremely cheap at only 135 MP.
ii. Cons: Even though the M203A2 is a rifle mounted grenade launcher, in the game it is only the grenade launcher, not a rifle with a grenade launcher. Also, the grenadiers only come with their grenade launchers, they have no pistols or rifles as a backup, and if you tell them to attack an enemy, they will pull out their knives and run at him.

Marksmen Team:
i. Pros: This three man team of marines comes armed with two M39 EMR’s and an M4A1 CQBR. This team is very effective at engaging enemy infantry at medium to long ranges. They are also cheap at 175 MP.
ii. Cons: With only three men, larger groups of enemy infantry can easily pin down this team. Also, the M39 EMR doesn’t one shot enemy infantry.

Heavy Sniper Team:
i. Pros: This team comes boasting a 50 caliber M107A1 anti-material rifle and an M4A1 CQBR. The anti-material rifle works the same as any other sniper rifle in the game, but, it can damage enemy light vehicles and even sometimes BMP’s and BTR’s. Also, both men are medics. (PS: This rifle sends it’s victims flying!)
ii. Cons: This sniper is only guaranteed to damage enemy technical’s, and will only damage BTR’s or BMP’s with a perfect shot, and even then will only do minor damage.

Well, I think that Rangers are the best squad, simply because of their versatility. But that doesn’t mean you should always buy Rangers.

When buying infantry, always consider that the more you divide your attention between different squads, the less effective each squad will be. So, if you need to be all over the map at once, buy regular infantry, not only so you can afford it, but also so that when one squad dies because your attention was somewhere else, it’s not a tremendous loss.

When you can devote most of your attention to a single team, Rangers or Seals are your best bet, because you can use every man to his full potential, which, when you have Rangers or Seals, is extreme.

Just recently the developers added medics and the revival mechanic to the game, and I've discovered several interesting things about them.

a) If any of you have ever played the predecessor to this game, Men of War: Assualt Squad 2, you probably realized that all medics carried a specific item which enabled them to revivie soldiers, morphine. Call to Arms doesn't include morphine or any item like morphine; instead, the men who begin as medics are the only ones who can revive soldiers.

b) When a soldier gets knocked unconcious, it's not guranteed that the soldier will be revivable. To me, this makes a lot of sense because in real life if you take a shot to the arm, you're probably going to survive, where as if you take a shot in the eye, you're probably not going to make it.

c) When a medic runs over to an unconcious soldier and begins patching him up, it will take around 5 seconds to revive him. Also, if you're too late, the soldier being revived can die while the medic is patching him up.

I hope this guide helped, please ask any questions you may have. Happy battles.

Special Thanks to Flashback for losing a stupendous amount of infantry to the might of the US Military.