Weapons

In the Wargame series, there are many different types of weapon systems from small arms like the M16 to powerful Anti-tank rockets and missiles like the SMAW and the RBS 56. Each class of weapons has unique traits that make it better in specific situations or near useless in others, and each weapon system in turn has its own set of traits that can enhance the effectiveness of an already powerful weapon, or diminish its effectiveness. Learning, knowing offhand, and being able to apply each trait is essential to being successful at Wargame.

European Escalation traits

As the first game of the Wargame series, European Escalation does not have too many traits that need to be learned right of the bat as the game is far more abstracted then its sequel AirLand Battle. However, there are still a number of things to take note of:

Missile Guidance:

There are three forms of missile guidance in European Escalation, MCLOS (Manual Command Line-of-Sight), SACLOS (Semi-Active Command Line-of-Sight) and SALH (Semi-Active Laser Homing):

• MCLOS is used in the weakest and earliest of guided missiles where accuracy is generally low. The operator must track the missile and the target simultaneously and guide the missile to the target.  it requires that the unit stay still for the duration of the missile’s flight time until impact, moving would cause it to go off target. 

• SACLOS is the dominant guidance system, the operator has to continually point a sighting device at the target while the missile is in flight. Electronics in the sighting device and/or the missile then guide it to the target. it is generally far more accurate than MCLOS although it shares the same weakness, moving while the missile is in flight causes it to go off target.

• SALH is only found on either high tier Soviet tanks or the AH-64 Apache, it generally represents the most powerful and accurate ATGMs in the game. A laser is used to mark the target and the ordnance detects the scattered laser reflection and homes on the marked target. These missiles do not require that the shooter remain stationary and are instead “Fire and forget” weapons that can be shot and then left to fly on their own to the target.

AirLand Battle traits

AirLand Battle is where the trait system really took off from where it had originally been in European Escalation, more than a dozen different traits were present and their proper usage could impact the battlefield in dramatic ways.

Weapons traits

• HEAT: High Explosive Anti-Tank, typically found on the ATGMs both ground and air-launched as well as the various LAWs used by infantry, this trait allows for the weapon to deal the same damage to the target whatever the range to the target is.

• KE: Kinetic, typically found on most tank’s main guns and autocannons, this is one of the most important traits as it allows for greater damage to be dealt the closer the target is to the shooter. It allows even normally weak guns to do reasonable damage at close quarters.
  • Note: it is important to know that the armor-piercing value shown on the unit card is the damage done at the maximum range of the gun.

• AoE: Area of Effect, the HE damage of the shooter is applied over an area.

• F&F: Fire and Forget, generally found on the more accurate and powerful missiles, it allows the shooter to fire and be free to move without further action.

• GUID: Guided, found on most missiles in the game, it requires that the shooter remain still and continue aiming until the missile impacts.

• SA: Semi-Active, the missile is guided but the operator can still move about with some freedom as long as the target is within line-of-sight.

• RAD: Radar, the weapon has radar that can be targeted by SEAD Aircraft, the weapon can be turned off to prevent SEAD from targeting the unit.

• SEAD: Suppression of Enemy Air Defences, this trait allows a missile to lock on to a unit with the RAD trait and is guided for as long as the RAD weapon is active, they tend to be incredibly accurate and damaging, almost always one-shotting the vehicle it was aimed at, they also tend to fire at the first radar vehicle in sight.

• SMK: Smoke, allows for the firing of smoke shells, only artillery units have this ability.

• CORR: Corrected shot, allows for the firing of shells over obstacles, accuracy can be improved if an allied unit has direct line-of-sight, only artillery units have this ability.

• NPLM: Napalm, this term is generically applied to all units with flame weapons, it allows for the burning of forests and buildings and all deal high morale damage.

• CQC: Close-Quarters Combat, this trait is applied to specific machineguns that allow for them to be used on the move, making them very effective in urban combat.

• STAT: Stationary, this trait means the weapon can only be fire if the unit is stationary, applies to a variety of weapons.

Red Dragon traits

The traits on Red Dragon are mostly the same with AB, but for ships (and anti-ships), there are additional new traits

• SHIP: Anti-Ship, this weapon can only be targeted at ships
• DEF: Defensive, this weapon can fire at incoming anti-ship missiles

Hidden

• Salvo:
  • Salvo length refers to hitrolls made independent of moral before the weapon needs to be reloaded. Infantry MG is particularly affected by this since the mg rebalance. Minimi and MG3 have the highest salvo length(20) since the mg rebalance, while LMG-944(3), Galil ARM(6), Bren(3) and C2A1(3) have the lowest therefore more affected by moral.
  • Shot reload refers to the time needed for the next shot within a salvo, this time is unaffected by moral. Ripple firing vehicles such as AH-64D longbow has a shorter shot reload(0.6s) than salvo reload(4s). Therefore it fires two missiles with a reload of 0.6s between then have to wait 4 seconds before firing another salvo of 2 missiles.
  • Tanks and autoloaders: autoloaders are coded with a salvo length of the total ammo(salvo length of 28 for T-72M1 Wilk for instance).
  • Salvo reload : Time between each salvo, for instance the Nana-yon Shiki G fires 4 shots with a reload time of 4s between each, then enters a reload phase of 12 seconds before firing another salvo of 4 shots

• CQC: Following is a hidden trait in CQC
  • BR: -50% Accuracy
  • Carbine: +30% Accuracy. As carbine are displayed as assault rifles in-game, they can only be recognized with armory tool, a third party software or by looking at the weapon stability. Regular training infantry with carbine will have a 20% stability rather than the 15% from assault rifle and 10% from battle rifle, shock infantry have a stability of 30% compared to 23% and 15% and special forces is at 40% (with the exception of G11 used by Fallschirmjäger '90) instead of 30% and 20%
  • SMG: +100% Accuracy
  • Bolt action rifle (only used by a few militia units) : -87.5% Accuracy(40% to 5%)
• IFC: A hidden trait signifying very rapid aim by a howitzer.