Company of Heroes 3: best infantry for all factions
Infantry in Company of Heroes 3 may not be as impressive as a tank or as devastating as an artillery barrage, but when it comes to versatility and capturing territory, you need good men on the ground to do the dirty work. Aside from snipers, which are single-entity units, all infantry units in Company of Heroes 3 consist of squads containing between three and six men, who all have their own weapons and HP.
That means that if a squad has lost half its members, it’ll also have lost about half of its firepower. Retreating in time to preserve a squad and its experience is a key skill to have in Company of Heroes 3, as detailed in our beginner tips. Don’t let your men fight to the death for nothing – keep them alive to fight another day.
While all four of Company of Heroes 3’s factions have different strengths and weaknesses, they all have elite infantry units of some kind. We’ll introduce you to all the best Company of Heroes 3 infantry units for all factions in this guide, telling you in which area they excel.
Best US infantry – Company of Heroes 3
If you’re playing as the US Forces, you’ll need to check your Battle Groups for the best infantry your faction has to offer – don’t get us wrong, your standard Riflemen are not too shabby at all, especially once you give them some BARs, but the regular tech tree doesn’t offer much in terms of upgrades.
First up are the Paratroopers, which you can find in the Airborne Battle Group – surprised? You can access these troops very early in a match, which is great, and since they’re Paratroopers you can easily drop them wherever you need them to show up.
Paratroopers are available very early in the game, providing lots of flexibility.
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Coming in at six models with 110 HP each, they are some of the toughest troops in the game. Having Frag Grenades and Satchel Charges at their disposal, Paratroopers don’t lack explosive weaponry either. You can also decide between upgrading them with Bazookas for anti-tank capabilities or giving them some LMGs for more firepower against fellow infantry.
US infantry gains an ability as they reach Veterancy 1 and Paratroopers can choose between getting Camouflage for easier ambushes and Quick Capture for fast territorial gains.
Another fantastic pick for the US are SSF Commandos found in the Special Operations Battle Group. These guys have six models at 95 HP each and come equipped with BARs as well as LMGs and Bazookas. They have the ability to freely switch between LMGs and Bazookas any time, making them incredibly versatile. They also have access to Phosphorous Grenades.
SSF Commandos are probably the most versatile infantry in the game.
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They can gain a Timed Demolition Charge ability at Veterancy 1 or you can choose to give them the Knife Throw ability for some additional close quarters capabilities.
Another thing worth noting is that the US Forces have an upgrade giving their infantry plus ten HP at the Infantry Support Center.
Best British infantry – Company of Heroes 3
The British Forces have an excellent late-game option for anti-tank infantry in their Foot Guards, which can be produced from the Company Command building. Each squad contains six models at 110 HP each and is automatically equipped with Bazookas for easy vehicle hunting.
Foot Guards are excellent tank hunters.
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They also unlock an ability at Veterancy 1 to boost their anti-tank damage even further. Their array of bombs and explosive charges adds another fiery arrow to their quiver.
If you need something that shreds enemy infantry, you should look no further than the Gurkha Rifles in the Indian Artillery Battle Group. Gurkhas come in with six models, each of which packs 110 HP, and can be upgraded with Thompson SMGs or Bren LMGs. We recommend going for the Thompsons, which make the Gurkhas absolute monsters in close-range combat.
Gurkha Rifles shred enemy infantry once they've got their Thompson SMGs.
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This fits well with the rest of their kit, which contains the Grenade Assault ability and Smoke Grenades. The latter allow the Gurkhas to get near their target safely and unleash a powerful volley of grenades with the former.
At Veterancy 1, they also gain the Ayo Gorkhali! ability, which debuffs nearby enemy infantry. Can’t blame anyone for browning their uniforms with a horde of Thompson-wielding Gurkhas charging at them from a smokescreen.
Best Wehrmacht infantry – Company of Heroes 3
The Wehrmacht excels in long-range infantry thanks to their Jäger squads, which are recruited from the Luftwaffe Command building. Each unit has five models with 110 HP per man and may be upgraded with a Panzerschreck – literally ‘tank scare’ – giving them anti-tank capabilities or some G43 rifles and recon flares, making them an excellent sniper unit able to pick off infantry from afar.
Jäger squads can be specialized to fight infantry or vehicles.
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Both configurations massively benefit from their Camouflage ability unlocked at Veterancy 1, allowing them to ambush enemy infantry and vehicles alike.
The ultimate infantry the Wehrmacht can field are Stoßtruppen squads. These only consist of four models with 120 HP each, but thanks to their G43 rifles and MG42 LMG they bring a huge amount of firepower to the field, especially in long-range combat. Two types of grenades let them ward off close combat infantry, while their Veterancy 1 ability boosts their stats for a short amount of time.
Stoßtruppen are the most elite German infantry in the game, packing huge firepower.
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If you’re going with the Mechanized Battle Group, you can unlock an upgrade that equips your Stoßtruppen with the powerful STG44 assault rifles, making them more powerful at mid-range battles.
Best Afrikakorps infantry – Company of Heroes 3
Just like the US Forces, the Afrikakorps has some of its best infantry locked in Battle Groups. We’ll start off with a unit you can only get through the faction’s mechanized reinforcements mechanic, however: the Panzerjäger squad. If you know a bit of German, you’ll immediately know what that unit does – it hunts tanks. Each squad has five models with 85 HP and is automatically equipped with anti-tank rifles, but can be upgraded with a MG34 as well to better combat infantry.
Panzerjäger squads come equipped with anti-tank rifles and can add a LMG to their arsenal.
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Unlike the Allies, the German factions don’t have easy access to anti-tank weaponry on infantry aside from their trusty Panzerfaust, which costs Ammunition to use, so those Panzerjäger squads are nice to have. They also gain some bonuses when fighting near vehicles, which really plays into the Afrikakorps’ entire style and identity.
The other two units we want to highlight are from Battle Groups: You’ll find the Guastatori in the Italian Infantry Battle Group very early on. These guys come in squads of six with 105 HP each and are pretty fearsome. They are assault engineers equipped with close-combat weapons and can be upgraded with two deadly Lanciafiamme flamethrowers.
Guastatori are strong assault engineers, especially once they've got their flamethrowers.
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Anti-tank charges and smoke grenades complete their arsenal. In addition, they have a passive ability that buffs them when attacking through smoke. You really want to get close and personal to the enemy with these guys.
Finally, the Bersaglieri are available from the Italian Combined Arms Battle Group. Initially, they have no upgrades and field five models with 90 HP.
Bersaglieri take a while to upgrade fully, but they make a solid infantry backbone for the DAK.
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However, additional upgrades are available from the Battle Group, giving them an additional soldier, an automatic Breda LMG upgrade, and the possibility of getting a second LMG on each squad – while this takes some investment, this is not a small amount of firepower on infantry that’s relatively cheap to field. They also have the best hats in the game.
