Look, it's no secret that the launch of the third installment in this storied franchise was... rocky. You know it, I know it, and Relic Entertainment definitely knows it. But something changed recently. If you’ve been tracking the meta or lurking in the CoH3 forums, you’ve probably heard everyone buzzing about the Company of Heroes 3: Fire and Steel expansion. It isn't just a handful of skins or a couple of recycled maps. This feels like the developers finally sat down, looked at the player counts, and decided to actually deliver on the promise of a "next-gen" RTS experience.
I've spent dozens of hours into the new content. Honestly? It's intense.
The Fire and Steel Combat Re-work
When we talk about Company of Heroes 3: Fire and Steel, the first thing that hits you isn't the new units—though we’ll get to those—it’s the way the battlefield actually feels. There was a persistent complaint that the base game felt a bit "floaty." Tanks didn't have weight. Infantry felt like they were sliding on ice.
Relic addressed this with a revised physics engine update that shipped alongside the DLC. Now, when a Churchill AVRE drops a petard shell, the ground doesn't just show a texture swap; the displacement affects unit pathing. If you're trying to retreat a squad through a fresh crater, they’re going to struggle. It forces you to think three steps ahead.
The "Fire" part of the title isn't just flavor text either. Flamethrowers have been completely overhauled. In the previous patches, fire was basically a damage-over-time "dot" that you could mostly ignore if you had a medic nearby. Not anymore. The new thermal mechanics mean that if a building is hit with a flamethrower or an incendiary mortar, the "Heat Stress" builds up. Infantry inside will eventually break and bolt—even if they still have 80% of their health. It makes urban combat in the Italian campaign significantly more terrifying.
New Battlegroups that Actually Matter
We’ve all seen DLCs that add "fluff" factions. This isn't that. The Fire and Steel expansion introduces the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps for the British Forces and the Fallschirm-Panzer Division 1 Hermann Göring for the Wehrmacht.
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The Canadians are a riot to play. They specialize in "Aggressive Recon." You get access to the Otter Light Reconnaissance Car early on, which can actually designate targets for off-map artillery without needing a formal line of sight. It’s a game-changer for breaking those stubborn Axis defensive lines. On the flip side, the Hermann Göring Division is all about that "Steel." They bring in heavy hitters that focus on defensive sustainability. Their "Fortress Italy" passive allows pioneers to reinforce existing bunkers with extra plating, making them nearly immune to small arms and light AT fire.
It's a chess match. A very loud, very explosive chess match.
Why the Italian Dynamic Campaign Finally Works
Let's be real for a second. The Dynamic Campaign Map at launch was a bit of a mess. It felt like a diet version of Total War that didn't quite know what it wanted to be. With the Company of Heroes 3: Fire and Steel update, the strategic layer finally has some teeth.
The AI is actually aggressive now. It won't just sit in Rome and wait for you to encircle it. It will launch counter-offensives, cut your supply lines, and force you to divert your best companies to defend captured airfields. I had a run last week where a single German paratrooper company jumped behind my front lines and cut off my fuel supply for three turns. I almost lost the entire southern front because I got cocky. That never happened in the 1.0 version of the game.
Technical Performance and Visuals
Relic also took the opportunity to fix the "plastic" look of the models. The Company of Heroes 3: Fire and Steel update introduces high-fidelity weathering. Your tanks actually get muddy. They get charred. If a Panzer IV survives three different engagements, it looks like it’s been through hell. It sounds like a small detail, but in a game where you're supposed to care about your "vetted" units, it adds a massive layer of immersion.
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The sound design deserves a shout-out too. The "crump" of a 17-pounder anti-tank gun has been beefed up. It’s got that bassy thud that makes you winced a little even if you're the one firing it.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Meta
I see a lot of people on Reddit complaining that the new Canadian units are "broken." They aren't. They’re just different. Most players are still trying to play the British Forces like they did in CoH2—building a "SimCity" of emplacements and waiting for the enemy to come to them.
Company of Heroes 3: Fire and Steel punishes that. Hard.
Between the new mobile artillery and the reworked fire mechanics, if you sit still, you’re dead. The meta has shifted toward high mobility and combined arms. You can’t just spam tanks and win. You need infantry to screen for AT guns, and you need those flamethrowers to clear out the bunkers. It’s balanced, but the learning curve has definitely spiked.
If you're struggling, stop focusing on the big tanks. Focus on the "Fire" part of the expansion. Use the new incendiary tools to deny area. Force your opponent to move into your kill zones.
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The Road Ahead for CoH3
Is it perfect? No. There are still some pathing bugs when units try to navigate narrow streets in the Sicily maps. Sometimes the airborne drops land in really weird spots. But compared to where we were six months ago? It’s night and day.
Company of Heroes 3: Fire and Steel feels like the real launch of the game. It’s got the grit, the tactical depth, and the "just one more turn" addictive quality that made the original Company of Heroes a legend in the RTS genre.
If you walked away from the game after the first month, it might be time to come back. The community is growing again, and the competitive ladder is actually starting to feel diverse. Just make sure you bring some fire extinguishers. You're gonna need 'em.
Actionable Steps for New and Returning Players
If you're jumping into the Company of Heroes 3: Fire and Steel content today, follow this progression to avoid getting stomped in multiplayer or frustrated in the campaign:
- Master the "Heat" Mechanic: Spend ten minutes in a skirmish match against an easy AI just using flamethrower teams. Watch how the "Heat Stress" bar fills up on buildings. Once you understand the timing of when a squad will "break" and exit a building, you can time your MG fire to suppressed them the moment they step outside.
- Prioritize the Otter for British Play: In the new Canadian battlegroup, the Otter is your best friend. Don't use it as a combat vehicle. Use its "Mark Target" ability. It increases the damage taken by the target from all sources. Mark a Tiger tank, then hit it with your AT guns. It melts.
- Update Your Drivers: Seriously. The new physics and weathering effects are heavier on the GPU than the base game. If you haven't updated your Nvidia or AMD drivers since the expansion dropped, you’re likely losing 10-15 FPS for no reason.
- Check the Line of Sight (LoS) Tool: Use the tactical map (default 'N' or 'M' depending on your binds) to check the new LoS blockers created by craters. The Fire and Steel update made these much more relevant. A well-placed artillery barrage can actually create "soft cover" in an open field where there was none before.
- Don't Sleep on the Wehrmacht Bunkers: If you're playing the Hermann Göring Division, remember that the "Fortress Italy" upgrades are permanent. Even if you lose the territory, the bunker stays upgraded. If you recapture it later, you have an instant powerhouse waiting for you.