All of their buildings are already built at the start of the game meaning that they do not need to be as cautious with their builders as other factions. IMO the most powerful faction in the game but also by far the hardest to play well. They also have the most powerful commander abilities and call in units in the game, meaning that commander choice is far more important and situational than other factions. They have no static defenses either meaning that any attempted defenses will be extremely micro intensive, though possible. Their core armor is relatively weak compared to other factions. Their Core infantry units and weapon teams all have 6 men per unit, making them some of the most durable units in the game, which combined with their low reinforcement costs make them one of the best factions for ballsy Infantry pushes. Red Army: Has the most aggressive options and builds in the game. They are also the only faction that can set up their buildings outside of their base which can help lock down a portion of the map, though if overextended or placed too close to enemy lines can prove disastrous, outside of that they have very few options in terms of defenses.

Adding to this is the fact that they have a very difficult time massing large amounts of fuel and ammo without Ostheer support due to their inability to create resource caps and that unlike other faction’s units (which have a maximum Veteran level of 3) OKW units can reach Veteran level 5 meaning that they can reach levels of performance level far above that of other factions by the late game but at the same time means that every Veteran unit is all that much more devastating of a loss, a problem that is especially significant during the mid-game phase. Their core units are some of the best aggressive units in the game, though they are all very expensive to both produce and maintain so knowing when to fight and when to run is even more important for them than other factions.

OKW: I would say they are the most unique of the factions. Pretty much defensive in nature until tanks arrive to aid in offensive actions and pushes, though there are a few commanders and builds that can be a bit more aggressive in the early game. Their biggest weakness lies in their small unit sizes and high unit costs meaning that they must be very cautious not to take too many losses early on. Ostheer: Very balanced, straightforward and can be played in just about any way the player wants depending on tech and commander choices.

Company of heroes 1 playable factions