New Company of Heroes 3 DLC transforms your battlefield tactics alongside a massive update for the WW2 strategy game

New Company of Heroes 3 DLC Endure and Defy has just launched, but there's far more reason than that to check back in with what Relic Entertainment has been cooking up. The new battlegroup pack adds four fresh playstyles across the USA, Britain, and Germany, and it's accompanied by the launch of Company of Heroes update 2.2, a colossal changelog featuring mountains of gameplay changes. With core systems tweaks, balance adjustments, enemy AI improvements, and more than 2,000 new voice lines, it's a total overhaul for CoH 3, and you can grab it right now at a huge 60% discount on Steam.

Company of Heroes 3 never earned the affections that its predecessors did, most of which rank among the best strategy games of their era. 2025 has been a transformative year for CoH 3, however; Relic has been gradually deploying an extended rollout of improvements over the course of the past twelve months. That all culminates with the Scarlet Bison update, its most substantial yet, and the accompanying Endure and Defy battlegroup DLC.

Endure and Defy adds four new battlegroups, designed to bring new tactical options to the WW2 game's most prominent and familiar factions. For the US forces, we have the Italian Partisans, utilizing resistance fighters and saboteurs on the ground alongside sneaky tricks such as tunnel networks, resource siphoning and underground detonations so that your enemy never knows what direction to look in next.

The Polish Cavalry are available for the British forces. With elite Polish Lancer troops, Sherman Firefly tanks, and support from 'decapitation' air strikes and the Land Mattress artillery, this is a squadron that will thrive against veteran foes.

Germany gets two additions. For the Wehrmacht, Last Stand is all about holding down the fort with whatever it takes. Fortify your defenses, immobilize enemy vehicles, and make use of anti-tank options such as the Pantherturm fortified turret and Borgward Wanze converted demolition vehicle.

Down in the South, the Dutsches Afrikakorps bring the might of the German Navy to bear with the Kriegsmarine battlegroup. Its infantry adds both flexible combat options and engineering know-how to your army. While your ground troops secure hardpoints that allow you to call in supply drops, your air and sea forces will offer support including Stuka Bombers, Fritze glide bombs, and naval salvos.

Company of Heroes 3 DLC Endure and Defy is out now on Steam, with a 10% launch discount meaning it's priced at $22.49 / £17.54 until Thursday December 11. You'll find it here. As mentioned, however, that's just the start of what's new, and the most substantial changes are included in the free Scarlet Bison update.

The full Company of Heroes 3 patch notes for this new update are so big that it's tough to pick a starting point, but I'll run down all the major additions. Relic has rolled out improvements for several core mechanics, most notably infantry loading, tank riding, vehicle pathfinding and collision, and reinforcements and garrisons. It's also targeted 'a number of critical issues" with enemy AI "that were making it less satisfying to play with and against," based on several rounds of focused playtesting and iteration.

Following the update, you'll notice computer-controlled squads are better at positioning, making less adjustments during short-range encounters but also implementing flanking tactics with infantry and light vehicles. The AI is also better at utilizing indirect fire abilities, anti-vehicle tools, and emplacements. It'll retreat less frequently from engagements, and will make smarter use of battlegroup-specific bonuses such as heavy tanks.

Relic has introduced four new maps that are playable across all modes: Bologna (1v1), Wadi Darnah (2v2), Oliveto Citra (4v4), and Powderkeg (4v4). It's also been investigating "some of [its] most heavily downvoted maps," and has recategorized three that were determined to be "too large for the number of players they were originally made for." The trio have been adjusted slightly to accommodate these larger player counts.

Last but certainly not least, there's a spectacular list of multiplayer balance changes across the board. Among the key targets for adjustments are battlegroups featuring call-in infantry units that cost no command points, and the strength of heavy tanks (too effective in small game modes but too slow to turn up in team games). There are quite literally hundreds of lines of changes to dig through, however, so your best bet is to check the complete patch notes courtesy of Relic if you're interested in specifics.

All in all, it's a good chance to check back in with Company of Heroes 3 and see whether it's matching up to the established standards of the long-running strategy series. With a 60% discount on the base game right now, you can even do so without breaking the bank. If you're trying it for the first time, I'd recommend starting with that before committing to the new add-on pack, which is on sale for a little longer in case you decide to grab it later.

Company of Heroes 3 is 60% off on Steam through Friday December 5. Expect to pay $23.99 / £19.19 for your copy, down from its usual price of $59.99 / £47.99. "We hope Scarlet Bison closes out 2025 with a bang as we gear up for a busy 2026," Relic concludes.