Company Of Heroes 3 Loyalty Explained
The Company of Heroes 3 loyalty system is a new mechanic that was introduced as part of the dynamic Italian campaign, which forces you to make key decisions based on how you tackle the Allied invasion of Italy.
Company of Heroes 3 is an RTS like previous entries in the series, but it adds a whole new meta layer called the dynamic campaign map. This is a turn-based mode that takes place in Italy, where you control divisions of Allied troops and instruct them to take back regions, which then transitions to the real-time battle mode for missions and skirmishes.
Learning how to balance the loyalties of the three main factions in this mode is imperative, as it affects how the story eventually plays out. So, take a look at our explainer of the Company of Heroes 3 loyalty system.
- Here are all the factions in Company of Heroes 3.
Company Of Heroes 3 Loyalty Explained
Click to enlargeIn the dynamic Italian campaign, there are three main Allied factions: the Americans, the British, and the Italian Partisans. Each of these factions are represented by a leader, which is General Buckram, General Norton, and Eleonora Valenti respectively.
Over the course of the campaign, each character will make requests and suggest strategies for advancing through the Italian campaign, with them potentially gaining or losing loyalty for you based on your decisions.
For example, Buckram prefers a faster and more direct approach against the Axis, while Norton plays it more conservatively, preferring to ensure you have the resource advantage before striking. This leads to the two of them butting heads on which approach to take, which you have the final say on.
Then you have Valenti, who wants you to take a cautious approach and focus on taking care of the land and people of Italy, while also saving culturally significant places. For example, you can easily lose loyalty with Valenti by bombing towns to weaken the Germans before attacking them.
All of this leads to a constant push and pull from the three characters, and a balancing act from you as you attempt to keep all their loyalties high. Having a low or high loyalty with a character can manifest during the campaign, letting you take part in, or locking you off from story missions.
As you gain loyalty from the characters, you will also earn rewards from the loyalty tree, which can be seen in the bottom right of the screen. There are five tiers of rewards, but the most important is the fourth tier, which secures the character's loyalty in the final offensive to break the Winter Line.
This is toward the end of the campaign, and having everyone's loyalty here can make the mission much easier when you take part in it.
Company Of Heroes 3 Loyalty Explained: How To Increase Loyalty
Click to enlargeIncreasing loyalty can be done in a few ways:
- Taking control of regions.
- Listening to and acting on the strategy a character suggests.
- Selecting dialogue options that they favour.
- Accepting story missions when a character approaches you.
It takes some playing to get used to what the different characters like and don't like, but there are notifications that appear when a character loses or gains loyalty with you.
Company Of Heroes 3 Loyalty Explained: Loyalty Tree
Click to enlargeHere are the three loyalty trees, and all the perks within them:
General Buckram
- Tier 1 - Airborne Reinforcement
- Tier 2 - Advanced Landing Fields
- Tier 3 - Anti-Air Support
- Tier 4 - Buckram's Loyalty
- Tier 5 - Marston Mats
General Norton
- Tier 1 - Navigator
- Tier 2 - Naval Reserves
- Tier 3 - Amphibious Operations
- Tier 4 - Norton's Loyalty
- Tier 5 - Logistics Chain
Eleonora Valenti
- Tier 1 - Local Relations
- Tier 2 - Civilian Intel
- Tier 3 - Enigma Decrypts
- Tier 4 - Valenti's Loyalty
- Tier 5 - Captured Material
That's all for our explainer of the Company of Heroes 3 loyalty system, and now you know what it affects, along with how to increase loyalty with the three main characters.
For more Company of Heroes 3 guides, keep reading GGRecon.
