As someone who has gotten to FG-42/M2 Carbine I want to chip in now to the campaign has several balance issues right now.
Issue 1: FG42>M2 Carbine
People whine how we shouldn’t have the M2 Carbine, but honestly the M2 Carbine makes you into a subpar assault. (Can’t pick off long range targets due to M1/M2 have such ass recoil.) The FG-42 allows you to essentially turn all your class roles into T1 Gunners. It’s kinda hilarious seeing a german kill me than pick up the M2 to find them in a now open field at medium range to get one tapped by an M2 as they hit maybe once and miss every other shot with it’s hard recoil expecting it to be as good as the FG-42.
FG42 vs Breda 30
FG-42 is pretty much a faster ROF, less side recoil (for more up recoil), weights less so you can move faster with it Breda.30… But now the M2 is pretty much the M1 carbine but automatic as you use it as a pocket hipfire cannon and equip an M1 Garand to pick off range targets. Playing it as your only weapon using your iron sights is really a bad idea as it just has too much recoil. But really the big issue is these weapons honestly just replace classes.
Why run Assault squads, when you can just run infantry with M1 Garands and M2 Carbines? Run the 2 best guns in USA’s side as the M2 Carbine as a hipfire gun is way better than the SMG’s with faster ROF. FG-42 just suffers from making every class work like a T1 LMG user, with the current lmgs being god tier run and gun, and amazing single fire guns. Also it’s hilarious how the 1 shot gun has less recoil…
Suggestion
Make M2 Carbine an assault gun. Replace the FG-42 for the MP44 (something on par with the M2 and assault only. This way it’s a medium range gun for assault class.)
M2/M3A1
Issue 2: America is littered with X gun but again!
M1903A1 vs A4
Germany gets the Sniper G42… USA get the M1903A1 but WITH A 4 AT THE END WOOOO YEAH WOOO, with 6 more RPM! OH YEAH 0.2 second faster BOLT WOOOOOO SAME GUN AGAIN WOOOOOO I HAVE TO WAIT TIL 21 TO GET A SEMI AUTO SNIPER! ALSO COSTS MORE TO UPGRADE DUE TO MORE STARS! Wait what does the German sniper 3 get an FG-42… FFS so great now the German can dual equip a bolt action rifle, and be amazing upclose/medium range with a FG-42. Where the American squad is playing catch up?
Suggestion
Remove the A4 & FG-42 from snipers, remove sniper 3. Make max level 25.
Browning A1 vs A2
I only posted one gun, why waste the servers connection reuploading the same picture but with an A2 at the end of it. The A2 is literally the same gun, BUT YOU HAVE TO SPEND MORE TO UPGRADE IT!
Suggestion
Give the A2 the 40 round Antiair Box, so we get a high capacity lmg like the MG42.
M3 vs M3A1
Unlike the previous the M3A1 is an upgrade from it’s previous just a very slight one of ROF. Which comes in the issue that the M3A1 doesn’t really compare to the german line up smgs and America is just playing the slightly worst catch up from there. But the big issue is the M3 and the M3A1 have the same RoF in history, they just gave M3A1 magic buffs for it to not have the above issues. The only real difference with the M3A1 was reliability and it being slightly more light weight.
Issue 3: American Lineup is just suffers from not having advantages versus the German lineup, mostly because we’re being used to test British/Canada guns?
Bolt Actions
Lee Enfield/Ross are clear winners in the USA lineup, but the big issue with good bolt actions is with most maps in Normandy (outside of D-Day). Bolt actions become so quickly replaced by semi-auto rifles. You’re generally within 0-150m from the point A/B/C which means you’re in the one shot range of semi-auto rifles. There is not enough playing room for BA to see much use for it.
Clear Winner
USA, til the change and we lose the british/canadian bolt actions.
Semi-auto Rifles’s
G43 wins, less recoil, more bullets in a clip, more bullets leftover for a slightly slower bullet.
10/30 (40)
8/24 (32)
Suggestion
Give the M1 Garand an extra clip of ammo so they have the same total ammo, or 2 extra clips so more total ammo vs larger clip.
GARAND VS G43
SMG’s
USA is just playing catchup the entire time… We get the M3 which is slower more accurate, they get the MP34 which is faster but more recoil. But they’re close on par- and than you get pretty much a 40 round clip M3A1… at level 5. So we’re playing catchup. Than we unlock the Sten which is more RoF than the MP40… but more recoil and for some reason the worst hipfire accuracy/recoil than running and gunning with BREN/BAR/BREDA.30/MG38/MG42? While standing still. But you have gotten the Beretta 1918 is a faster RoF if you’re going for TTK on assault or MP35/I is just a better STEN. Than we get the Lancaster which is the same SMG as your 26 but no bipod and less RoF.
Clear winner
Germany, America is too busy being used to test low tier British SMG’s for any balance to be made.
Solution
None til we’re no longer the British Beta Test
LMG
Bren/Bar/Breta.30 are pretty much all the same, the Breta.30 is the inbetween gun. But than GE gets high capacity, low recoil, hipfire spray machines but with 50 bullets and 800RPM.
Clear Winner
Germany because USA is just Tier 1 LMG from British/USA, where Germany gets a Tier 2/Tier 3 LMG.
Solution
None til we’re no longer the British Beta Test
Grenade K98 vs Grenade M1 Carbine
It’s really a mixed bag, but how I see it the grenade launcher is great when you have height range and a bit of range. I favor the K98 but that’s because if I’m using a grenade launcher I’m in medium range wanting to take a squad out, or fire into a building.
If I fire into a building now knowing as a german seeing that. I’ll charge out with the G43 as they wont be able to fire back… where the K98 will be further away firing in and less vulnerable. Really it’s do you want a pocket pistol with a grenade launcher or a bolt action that you can fire down upon with your terrain advantage to take a squad out with a single bullet.
Running Solo though K98 is viable (a good BA that can become a grenade launcher), m1 is not (A high capacity pocket pistol that can be a grenade launcher.)
FNAB vs M1 Carbine
FNAB is a great assault weapon, having the advantages of an 40 round clip and on par of the next tier smg for USA in stats. The M1 Carbine… is alright until you just unlock the Garand, it really becomes a pocket pistol if you have slot 2 gun unlocked… But that it’s issue.
Infantry/Radio
EH at being an extended clip 15 round pistol til the M2, but the big issue here is the pistol is pulled out quicker and better for that role. But if you where to use it exactly like a pistol in pulling it out mid fight… the pistol is better since you pull it out quicker and reload it really quickly. So if you use it as a pocket pistol for running out of ammo with your M1 Garand, the Pistol is a better hip fire spray gun for CQC with it’s faster pull out time.
Engineer/Flame/Bomber/Mortar
M1 Garand/Tool/Pistol is pretty much better than M1 Garand/M1 Carbine. Because if you’re using the M1 Carbine as it’s only good role a pocket pistol… the pistol pull is sub 1 second w/o perks and the m1 Carbine is the same as pulling bolt/semi auto rifle of close to 2 seconds. With that you can drop 16 pistol rounds faster than 15 rounds with the M1. You also move around faster with the pistol allowing you to be a harder target
Garand → 1 second pull → 8 rounds → 2 second reload → 8 rounds (3 second down time total, 1 second to start which can save you from the enemy firing a second BA shot.)
Garand → 2 second pull → spray 15 rounds (2 second down time right at the start BUT that could lead to you being dead.)
FNAB is assault only, but it’s a great high capacity smg. That USA gets nothing close to stat wise til the M3A1 (but still has 10 less bullets)
FG42 vs M2 Carbine
FG42 makes you turn every soldier into a T1.5 armed gunner soldier. The M2 Carbine turns you into an assaulter who’s gun is ass and recoil if you try to iron sight it.
The big issue is the FG42
It one shot’s, so if you single fire it becomes a 20 round G42. If you go full auto it becomes a superior Breda .30
The big issue is the M2: It’s essentially an auto M1 carbine, but a 30 round pocket hipfire pistol. That you can’t iron sight (too much recoil to reliably kill long range with making it worst than most smgs for long range engagements.
Clear winner
Germany (trade 10 bullets for less recoil, 1 shots instead of 2 shot to kill, same rof.)
Suggestion
Remove FG42. Replace it with the MP44. Make the M2 Carbine/MP44 assault only gun and act as their better gun for mid range engagements. (SMG for CQC & M2/MP44 for mid range engagement.)
You pretty much make the assault class pointless for a hip fire gun with the M2 (though the pump shotgun is good.)
Sniper
Pretty much pointed out above, USA is playing catch up
Issue 4: Nice tank balance… than the planes…
Tanks
Puma > Stuart
Stuarts front armor isn’t enough to really do anything but safe it from a poorly thrown/ severe angle shots from AT. But it’s HE round is pointless. 60-70 KPH Max Speed
Puma can be one shot from a side HE shell from higher tier tanks… BUT it’s HE cannon has splash unlike the Stuart’s HE cannon which is pointless (no point from swapping shells, just stay AT shells. Starts with 90 KPH, 100KPH maxed out. Making it better for going fast, flanking and than repositioning
PZ.III N > M8
M8 exposed machine gunner which you cant tell to not expose himself, less armor, same power, no turret mg. PZ.III N has armor, same power and a turret MG.
PZ.IV = Sherman
Pretty much on par with each other. PZ.IV has better front armor,
Sherman has better side armor making angle side shots not as powerful and great Turret armor
Sherman Jumbo > PZ.IVH
should have better side armor to make side penetration harder with angled shots. But the Sherman’s side armor is fine with how slow it is.
Clear winner
Both, Germany has the better tank destroyer and light tank. USA has the better high armor tank. Puma is amazing for getting behind Sherman’s and 1 shoting their engines.
Planes
BF110 > P-38
Better Ground to Air and Air to Air Armament’s. (BF110 single burst fire will one shot all planes.) People will point out that the P-38 out turns it but BF110 keeps more energy going up, IF you try turn fighting a P-38… I’m sorry but you’re dumb. Do up and down maneuvers while turning so it wastes all it’s energy going up and down yourself.
BF109 >P51
250kg bomb vs 100 pound bombs… both good fighters but the air to ground power with 250kg makes the BF109 on a tier of it’s own as it also has cannons which tear apart bigger planes like the A-20 Faster and has a better bomb (just can only drop 1 instead of 2)
A20 ??? JU 188: Hard to tell since the additional squad doesn’t get put in.
IF no one interrupts you in the air: JU 188 is the better bomber
If both bombers are in the air A20>JU188
Big issue is though the A20/JU188 is about as effective as the BF110 with the current missiles they have. But the BF110 can out turn/out speed/ out climb the A-20.
Winner
Germany, they get fighters that are as good as bombers. USA has a better bomber til the crew thing is fixed. After that than… JU188 is a clear victor (more bombing run/turreted front gun cannon + rear gunners)
Edits: Cleaning up the text, forgot grenade weapons
TLDR
America has: Lee Enfield, Sherman Jumbo, and A20 as they’re clear victors. But the A-20 is because we only have the whole crew thing for bombers working.
Also for Sturm/PIAT
They work the same
German tanks past the Puma the PIAT are immune to front shots in,
American tanks past the Sherman are immune to front shot penetration.
The Sherman Jumbo is immune to side shots mostly, forcing you to go for rear/top shots.
So Germany gets access to PIAT immune from the front tanks earlier (PZIII has decent front armor, M8 can get 3/4 the crew destroyed by a single spicy bottle) but USA gets access to side immune from handheld AT at T4.) I honestly only use the PUMA, why? It’s so easy to drive at 100kph tank at 5 star and 1 tap a sherman Jumbo, than run away before someone can TNT/PIAT me.
Possible solution for the M8 and always a fun tank → M3 Lee