I am 100% new to grand strategy games besides stellaris. Main tips for dh?

[Colonizor48]

Title. Hoi4 is too expensive with all the dlc and i heard darkest hour was better so here I am. Does anyone have a simple to understand guide for the USA or some other easy country? I have a few main questions.
1. What should i build for ground units?
2. How do you rush technology?
3. HOW DO YOU DO ANYTHING NAVAL RELATED?(also is there a way to put stategic bombers and stuff on aircraft carriers?)
4. How do you get more resources? Does building infastructure increse resources like it does in hoi4?
Thks.

PS i'm having late game lag issues. With a cpu about as old as this game( a very old xeon form 2009 i wana upgrade soon)
Is that causing the lag and is there anything i can do to reduce lag?(i fixed the mouse lag)

 

[TemporalAnomaly]

I wouldn't recommend the USA for your first game, as the convoy system can be tricky to get your head around. Russia is probably the best to start with - land and air only over one front.

1. Army composition: mostly leg infantry and a small number of fast units to create break-troughs and consumate encirclements (You want to take enemy units off of the map not just fight the same units over and over again.) Something like ~150 INF, 3 ARM, 6 MOT as a ratio is a good place to start. Not having enough leg infantry to cover your whole front puts you in a very bad place.

1b. Aircraft: ground strike missions can really chew up moving land units. However stationary, dug-in units are immune to air attack.

2. Tech: In general, researching techs before their historical dates is VERY expensive (referred to here as AoT, ahead of time penalty). It can be worth it, though, to say have a single team research torpedo techs regardless of date. You will have fewer total techs but very good torpedos. I <i>think</i> having a blueprint removes the AoT penalty. There are some fancy dance moves you can do with the research investment decisions (some levels guarantee a print for a tech you are researching).

3. Navy: Speed and (gun) range are very important. Obsolete escorts in a fleet can put you in a very bad place. Keeping up to date with Fire control, Float planes, and CAGs helps a lot.

4. Resources: trade & stockpiling, mostly. This can put you on a timer as a Axis power.

Lag is mostly from number of units on the map

Also, welcome and enjoy!

 

[Colonizor48]

I wouldn't recommend the USA for your first game, as the convoy system can be tricky to get your head around. Russia is probably the best to start with - land and air only over one front.

1. Army composition: mostly leg infantry and a small number of fast units to create break-troughs and consumate encirclements (You want to take enemy units off of the map not just fight the same units over and over again.) Something like ~150 INF, 3 ARM, 6 MOT as a ratio is a good place to start. Not having enough leg infantry to cover your whole front puts you in a very bad place.

1b. Aircraft: ground strike missions can really chew up moving land units. However stationary, dug-in units are immune to air attack.

2. Tech: In general, researching techs before their historical dates is VERY expensive (referred to here as AoT, ahead of time penalty). It can be worth it, though, to say have a single team research torpedo techs regardless of date. You will have fewer total techs but very good torpedos. I <i>think</i> having a blueprint removes the AoT penalty. There are some fancy dance moves you can do with the research investment decisions (some levels guarantee a print for a tech you are researching).

3. Navy: Speed and (gun) range are very important. Obsolete escorts in a fleet can put you in a very bad place. Keeping up to date with Fire control, Float planes, and CAGs helps a lot.

4. Resources: trade & stockpiling, mostly. This can put you on a timer as a Axis power.

Lag is mostly from number of units on the map

Also, welcome and enjoy!

Thank you very much for this. Do you have any advice on navy composition? Also can you deploy a bomber with a nuke from an aircraft carrier?

 

[Colonizor48]

Another thing. In some provinces i can't build factories. Why can't I in these provinces?

 

[Haze340]

Another thing. In some provinces i can't build factories. Why can't I in these provinces?

Probably due to the infrastructure level. IIRC, you need at least 4/10 infra to build factories.

 

[Colonizor48]

Okay another thing i forgot about

Probably due to the infrastructure level. IIRC, you need at least 4/10 infra to build factories.

Ight i suspected it was that. Thks. Also i've noticed a bug where the ai makes empty naval groups. This is probably causing lag. Any mod that fixes this? And what techs should i particularly focus on?

 

[Haze340]

Not that I know of. It has been many years since I've touched DH and I don't remember any mods that were concerned with improving performance/bug fixing. Other than some suggestions found on reddit all I can say is play around with your resolution.

 

[Colonizor48]

What tech should i focus on and what is the best way to micro my units. Can someone give me a list of what i should be using every kind of land division for and if its worth it?

 

[Altruist]

Also i've noticed a bug where the ai makes empty naval groups. This is probably causing lag. Any mod that fixes this? And what techs should i particularly focus on?

I guess that's not a bug. Those are some pre-fleets to help the AI handle fleets and will fill up once the AI-player gets to building ships.

Can someone give me a list of what i should be using every kind of land division for and if its worth it?

Looking into the manual is quite recommended. It's really helpful, well written and to the point. Also probably the best and shortest overview for missions you can order your units to do:

• Darkest Hour Manual (excellent & short introduction to naval missions, so I didn't feel any need to describe them in this guide)
• Tables with all the data for units and brigades for DH (can be downloaded)

For Navy buildup, a few month ago I wrote a guide. It introduces you also to naval tech and doctrines and has some further links to some strat adn tact discussions:
How to build a powerful Navy

Another good way is to read an AAR to get a feeling for DH.

Does building infastructure increse resources like it does in hoi4?

No. Infra influences ESE (effective supply efficiency), also how fast IC and other stuff gets repaired after bombing or conquest. ESE is a multiplier to your combat stats, influences how fast units move and how fast they regain organisation. It's per region. You can see the ESE value for each unit here:

and if you hower of it, the calculation is shown as a tooltip. Hovering over stuff to see wether an explanation is given is a worthwhile thing, there are lots of helpful tooltips.

Addon: Make sure to have an uptodate DH. Present version number is 1.05.1, shown in the launcher. If yours is lower or lacking the last .1, here you can get the fix. In the bottom right of the launcher you can load mods, for a starter Darkest Hour Full is the vanilla DH. I'd recommmend to start with it.

Once you have jumped into DH and run into problems, this forum has a friendly crowd, the more specific you ask, the better the answeres will be.

 

[Colonizor48]

I guess that's not a bug. Those are some pre-fleets to help the AI handle fleets and will fill up once the AI-player gets to building ships.


Looking into the manual is quite recommended. It's really helpful, well written and to the point. Also probably the best and shortest overview for missions you can order your units to do:

• Darkest Hour Manual (excellent & short introduction to naval missions, so I didn't feel any need to describe them in this guide)
• Tables with all the data for units and brigades for DH (can be downloaded)

For Navy buildup, a few month ago I wrote a guide. It introduces you also to naval tech and doctrines and has some further links to some strat adn tact discussions:
How to build a powerful Navy

Another good way is to read an AAR to get a feeling for DH.

Addon: Make sure to have an uptodate DH. Present version number is 1.05.1, shown in the launcher. If yours is lower or lacking the last .1, here you can get the fix. In the bottom right of the launcher you can load mods, for a starter Darkest Hour Full is the vanilla DH. I'd recommmend to start with it.

Once you have jumped into DH and run into problems, this forum has a friendly crowd, the more specific you ask, the better the answeres will be.

Thanks. I will go more in depth into that later. Four more questions.
1. Is there a way to deploy nukes from aircraft carriers(was in a stalemate with japan due to me not knowing how to navy in 1947 as the usa in a noob game i played and my strat bombers didnt have enough range to nuke japan)
2. Are there any good mods that add more ahistorical paths whilst keeping the historical ones?(ex italy joining the allies or germany restoring the kaiser).
3. How do you defend agianst barbarossa as the USSR?
4. How do you build IC faster?

PS do people usually start in 1933 or 1936?
PSS any mods that add heavy and super heavy tank divisions?(not brigades) Just so i can meme and do super heavy tank only. Maybe some artillary divisions too idk?

 

[Altruist]

1933 or 1936 is both possible... or later. Many mods are optimized for 1933 or even before. I usually start 1933.

2. Are there any good mods that add more ahistorical paths whilst keeping the historical ones?(ex italy joining the allies or germany restoring the kaiser).

Mods are in the sub-section: Darkest Hour - User Modifications
There are... many.
Some like Edge of Darkness (EoD) or WiF2 (World in Flames) are optimzed for 1933 with much more content and also some changes to the game mechanics. Kaiserreich is also a mod...

 

[kazoo]

Nukes can't be deployed from aircraft carriers, you'll need strategic bombers or rockets - and an airfield within range of the target.

 

[Altruist]

3. How do you defend agianst barbarossa as the USSR?

Try it out... have fun... after you have lost 3 times (or perhaps not!) and get desperate...
then give us some screenshots and your army-, tech setup, your general strat and ask again... would be my suggestion.

 

[Colonizor48]

Try it out... have fun... after you have lost 3 times (or perhaps not!) and get desperate...
then give us some screenshots and your army-, tech setup, your general strat and ask again... would be my suggestion.

is this good for 1936 starting in 1933? Or should i restart?

 

[Colonizor48]

My doctrine is to get tank destroyers and use those against a primaraly tank based forced combined with artiliary. Basicly use infantry with tank destroyer and artillary brigades. I really wish there were tank destroyer and artillary divisions.

 

[Colonizor48]

Nukes can't be deployed from aircraft carriers, you'll need strategic bombers or rockets - and an airfield within range of the target.

ight thks.

 

[Colonizor48]

Another question. Are special forces any good? How should i use special forces(mountaneers, paratroops, marines)

 

[TemporalAnomaly]

Another question. Are special forces any good? How should i use special forces(mountaneers, paratroops, marines)

All special forces units are expensive and trade unfavorably with normal infantry in a 'fair' fight.

• Paras are extremely fiddly to use, but once you are skilled with them it is like playing with cheats on.
• Marines are practically required to bust into heavily fortified islands.
• Mountaineers can be useful depending on where in the world you are fighting. I find that when I use them they tend to 'wander off' and I don't get my money's worth. (I pull them off of their home turf because of an opportunity / emergency elsewhere) They also do naval invasions better than anyone but marines.

Since you are new, I would recommend ignoring them for your first games (except 3-6 marines if you are playing a sea-power).

 

[Haze340]

Only thing I can add is that some special forces have better movement speeds in different terrains and weather. For example, Mountaineers get a -10% penalty to movement in mountains while Infantry gets -20%. Marines move better in Jungles and Swamps, etc. The extra speed they have can end up making quite a difference in a prolonged campaign in rough terrain.

 

[Colonizor48]

All special forces units are expensive and trade unfavorably with normal infantry in a 'fair' fight.

• Paras are extremely fiddly to use, but once you are skilled with them it is like playing with cheats on.
• Marines are practically required to bust into heavily fortified islands.
• Mountaineers can be useful depending on where in the world you are fighting. I find that when I use them they tend to 'wander off' and I don't get my money's worth. (I pull them off of their home turf because of an opportunity / emergency elsewhere) They also do naval invasions better than anyone but marines.

Since you are new, I would recommend ignoring them for your first games (except 3-6 marines if you are playing a sea-power).

Thanks. Another few questions.
1. Where should you build infastructure?
2. Is infastructure worth it if the province might be taken by an enemy?
3. When and how do you use orders other then attack?
4. How do you go on the defensive?(I usually take the approch of the best defense is a good offense but this doesnt seem to be working for me.)
5. Is there a way to cancel stuff in production without the popup box?
6. How do you build depots to store stuff?
7. How do you supply units by air?