The remaining upgrades and abilities are unlocked automatically once research for the doctrine is complete. While granting access to one of two heavy-tanks for the British is the most obvious difference between the two doctrines, there are some other very useful abilities as well. You must choose between the “Hammer” and the “Anvil” doctrines, which will determine which heavy-tank you have access to, as well as a variety of other useful abilities. The biggest choice you will make comes when you unlock your third and final base structure.

Medics can heal nearby troops when outside of combat with a free ability, while spotters can call in artillery strikes that make use of the artillery guns every British base has equipped.

The standard infantry squads you get from the starting structure can be upgraded at this point as well you can upgrade them to be medics or spotters. Once you make your choice, the other unit will be unavailable to you. Right off the bat, you have to choose between an AA-emplacement that is great against infantry and light vehicles, or a surprisingly hard-hitting armored car that will give you early mobile anti-armor capabilities. The choices begin once you establish the first base structure beyond the starting building. The British are the first faction where you will probably build all of your base structures in every match, however that does not mean you don’t have any important choices to make when it comes to which units and abilities you want access to. Choosing a commander with units that help fill in the gaps in your ranks left by the missing base structures is a typical strategy. In most standard multiplayer games it is rare to see an OKW, Wermacht or Soviet player build all of their available base structures it is much more cost effective to build only some of them and spend the extra resources on units whose benefits are far more immediate on the battlefield.

Having to make on-the-fly choices that will determine what units and abilities you will have access to in any given CoH 2 match is nothing new.

Played faction on company heroes 2