Profile of Esxile

Empowering HMG wouldn't make much sense to counter blob. Because it also impact the usual game design. Instead of blobs we would see HMG spam covering all the map killing any infantry strategy.
A single unit able to control 5 others brings the same issue as blobbing 5 units to control every aspect of the game.

IMO, the solution doesn't lie in How do I fight a Blob.
But
what Relic thinks about Blob, do they want it as part if their game.
Yes - and we can close the topic.
No - so they have to correct it.

The game + WFA is reaching is maturation after 6 months, regular players know the game, its mechanics, what works, what is useful, what is useless, which commanders are the best suited etc...
And of course, that blobbing is much more rewarding / easy to manage that other tactics. We're going to see more and more strategy based on blobs in team game. Maybe 1vs1 will be kept apart for a while but I'm pretty sure we're going to see more blob strat in this format as well. It just requires a bit more time to reach it.

From a USF player perceptive, the main issue is about LMG + shreck blobs. I meant if we take a blob as a tactical possibility, this particular way of blobbing is really powerful.

1st point

1- You can just A-move, you'll always be at your best distance.
2- It is a lot safer than SMG blobs since you do not need to close the distance with your target.
3- LMG (and I include 1919) are the most powerful light weapons in game, deadly accurate and focus 1 model per 1.
4- Shreck are the most powerful infantry anti tank weapon.

So, why should people not blobbing? Both weapons have the same range more or less, no real need in microing anything.

2nd point

The easier hard anti-infantry counter-blob are in Axis hand with the Lunch and the Ostwind. Heavy armor + deadly power vs everything that is on feet. Of course, do not expect to stop a blob alone with that but by the simple fact it kills fast any squad make it really resilient.

3nd point

Addition of 1st and 2nd point make no match. Of course, it is not like any Axis player will succeed in having A-move blob + lunch/ostwind behind but it is clearly really a good step to the victory.


I feel Relic made a wrong decision in allowing players to have LMG so early in the game, and this for every faction. LMG should remain something linked to T4 and behind a Munition sink wall. Because it simply reward defensive and non micro play style, it does not reward people taking risk in their strategy.
Looking back into Vcoh, that was well balanced between vanilla faction, LMG weren't that spamed because really expensive and many other upgrade required munition before it.

I feel like any faction should have more SMG and less LMG, it would make the game more dynamic, force people to attack and use micro, make blob less A-move like.

Then we can give them toned-down automatic weapons so they can stay relevant into the mid-to-late game.

Why would Relic do that, they don't give anything relevant for conscript to scale late game. Or you give them a Commander base upgrade.

Why do you want to give them an upgrade? The problem with Volks is whatever upgrade you give them, they going to blob as hell with. Instead of a shreck blob you'll have a XX upgrade blob.
They are the cheapest and most effective squad of the game, this is funny because Relic has probably nerf to hell conscripts for that reason, they were cheap and spamable and now they do the same with volks.

Volk are:

Cheap to build
Cheap to reinforce
Best vet in the game
Can carry shreck

The problem lie in a combination of those 4 factors. If you want to give them another upgrade, you must at least reduce one other characteristic.

Or you nerf their vet, or you seriously increase their price. But that would completely change their gameplay.

If Relic decide to give back shreck to sturmpio and wants to give a new upgrade to volk and keep this meta, the minimum to keep it balance is to link this upgrade to a commander ability, as for conscripts.

Decent players dodge RGs all day, sometimes during a hectic fight the animation and noises can get lost, but besides that other nades do similar damage from what I've seen.

If a Gren squad is at long to mid range you should be keeping an eye out for an RG, no excuses.

Just like if a Con squad or any other squad is close range you watch for molotovs or other nades, this is basic stuff.

Decent players wipe squads with RG grenades all days, You don't? maybe because you're not that decent.

Argumentation based on Decent players do or not do it is completly bullshit imo.

During a hectic fight, if you're not already microing the squad targeted, when you heard "Grenade", it is already too late. Time to select the squad and click aways to move it to short to dodge it.

Microing two squads, if you can determine what squad is going to be targeted and you probably be able to move it in time.

Microing three or more squads vs a equal force
-1 You don't have all that time to pay attention to that a little model on his knee
-2 if the grenadier squad is in range of your 3 squads, you don't really know which one is targeted.

So the only real option is to hit retreat button, which makes that grenade a bit overpowered for its cost.

Two possibilities to make it more visible if we don't want to decrease his damage power.
- A countdown at the moment the model is on his knee - red as any other so you are prepared
- "Grenade" to be called a the moment the model is on his knee - so you have more time to move your squads.

same mechanics as for any other grenades in the game.