The PERFECT Guide to HOI4 Micro

[@NTVDM]

Micro is fun at the beginning, but by 1944 or 45 it just gets tiring. If you have millions of manpower and tons of equipment and factories then you might as well battleplan. There's really nothing to lose besides time or street credz.

[@andrijaobradovic9665]

micro is meant to be used only in the beginning, of course after you've encircled 50 division you will start using battleplans because the enemy is weakened

[@polskitygrys4951]

​@@andrijaobradovic9665 Millenium dawn couldn't relate

[@andrewreil3938]

Battleplan all wars. Be a chad with divisional planning.

[@meta671games]

U cant battleplaned 15 division in each provinces

[@andrewreil3938]

@@meta671games sir i can battle plan 24 divisions per army each with separate goals. Click execute order.

[@parkerthompson5819]

I have a frankly embarrassing number of hours played in this game and didn't know about shift clicking field marshal front lines

[@StenWasTaken]

Same, how did I only find this out after 400 hrs 😭

[@crit-c4637]

For an advanced tutorial you need to talk about pinning adjacent enemy divisions to prevent reinforcement of an area you're trying to push into to start an encirclement.

[@stipelelas]

Really surprised he didn’t mention this.

[@-John-Doe-]

This is what I was expecting in this video. If you don’t pin with a random division, enemy divisions in an adjacent province are just going to pin/tie up your spearhead/movement/etc as they pass

[@_Anti_dote_]

you might also focus on capturing supply hubs while encircling, for example, when i invade poland with germany, i capture the supply hubs first, so my tanks can continue effectively@@-John-Doe-

[@cirokistermann7834]

Literally, is the historical Blitzkrieg doctrine, encircle, stop the reinforcements, eat.

[@JTTimba]

Thank you man i was taking horrific losses relying on pushing the front line back with the battle plan this helped me so much

[@FeedbackIRL]

You got this!

[@KorZniev]

I just scream "ESPORT!" to my monitor and all the micro happens by itself, you guys need guides?

[@lorenz178]

real?!

[@IceKnight678]

@@lorenz178The spirit of Dankus helps you

[@iltizioerrante7239]

I have 700 hrs and did know nothing about the ctrl+number shortcut, Jesus this is going to be such a quality of life improvement while playing thank you my man

[@SilentHotdog28]

I try that in every strategy game I play because most let you do it.

[@IntotheLighttt]

Micro itself isnt really hard but making smart micro decisions is the difficult part (like to click a german tank with support attack or not depending on the situation)

[@thundee7356]

I’ve been playing HOI4 for about 2 years now and i just realised the purpose of support attacks

[@-John-Doe-]

Pinning divisions is really important. Just have a division attack a province and those units will be unable to move/respond/reinforce. Otherwise they’re going to tie up your spearheads/movements/etc as they pass by.

[@saudade7842]

And in the Spanish Civil War, you can effectively pin units forever once the frontlines solidify, provided neither side plans offensives in that state. It's a super micro-heavy war

[@anate9]

There is a cheese for bypassing pins

[@michailshatkus9250]

Damn, that could really save time. I have no idea why I dint even think of a possibility of control groups. I spend time trying to find my devisions and armies. That is why I usually just hate micro and rely on battle plans. Thanks for the video.

[@HasturSejanus]

fr

[@Septimus_ii]

It's odd that the UI doesn't give any indication that control groups exist

[@carterowen1241]

Civil wars and China are some of the best places to learn micro. Next step is Russia with tanks and such to just the different divisions and planes all moving. Then navy and etc

[@carterowen1241]

Also start with watching the green lines of org and how many with pushing at your advantage and retreating and some moving and small snacking when the enemy retests to fully exploit it

[@andrewcorbett3368]

wow about the planning bonus for unassigned units to the front line

[@ZunamiRevert]

Bro out here doing the lords work. Thanks so much for the tutorial, I didn’t even know there was an assist mechanic. I was just throwing my troops into the fray and hoping to just overwhelm. I’ve won many games like that but I feel like I’ll elevate my game now with this video

[@Mustang-wt1se]

I typically just make holding infantry and spam beefy tank battalions and micro those towards the supply depots. Works every time

[@peka003]

how do you make enough tanks?i see all these crazy templates but bro how to equip them

[@thatguywiththeface9463]

@@peka003 You need to be playing a major power if you want to use large tank divisions. (also China if you succeed in reclaiming all of the fractured provinces). Major nations have a large enough factory count to pump out enough infantry/support equipment + tanks in the mid to late game. If you aren't already - you need to stay on top of your economy (i.e. your factory count) throughout the course of the game.

[@peka003]

@@thatguywiththeface9463 ikr,but i play germany and in 1940 i have huge tank deficit,i guess i just should stop playing its not for my brain

[@crunch.dot.73]

​@@peka003Bittersteels No Step Back Germany Guide helped me so much, I knew nothing about the game and couldn't even beat Poland but with his guide I am now able to play as essentially any major power and win the war. If you're still invested in the game I would give it a watch

[@ooo_Kim_Chi_ooo]

Thanks Dave!!! I literally asked you for this a few days ago and you delivered.

[@arthursandomine5464]

Thank you Dave, I learned a lot and the Assist Attk. is just a GAME CHANGER! So glad I took the time to watch this one ;)

[@DirkusTurkess]

Don't forget to yell Esports and Oman for that extra soft attack.

[@chengzhou8711]

Don’t forget to pin or do large-scale offensives to distract from pushes. Also keep your tanks somewhat concealed, or use them to outrun, block, or pin enemy reinforcements.

[@DioKiwi]

Thank god i did a screenshot of the gigachad thumbnail

[@lazorus4888]

I have 725 hours and I didn’t know about control groups, supporting attack, or queueing move orders. Thanks lol

[@mitchotoole9876]

I love the way he says "H" dunno why, oddly satisfying. Also this is super helpful as someone who struggles with this part of the game.

[@MrPureblindman]

love this i will def be rewatching this a bunch. i'd love more stuff like this

[@ThekaiserXD]

This was brilliant! Trying to properly get into hoi4 and this has been immensely helpful :)

[@joecureton]

I didn't know about the "unassigned divisions" button, that's going to make my life so much easier!

[@jeremyglass4283]

Very helpful video, I envision a video incorporating tanks/motorized would also be useful.

[@sofartsogood3932]

Another nice tip, try to advance alongside railroads and capturing supply hubs on the way. Otherwise you might end up in a bad supply zone surrounded by well supplied enemies. Not a big problem in single player but multiplayer or Expert AI Mod and your divisions are gone.

[@donbass4russia313]

Japan AI with expert AI is worse than without mod.

[@ChristianVonCarmian40kVtuber]

that was well paced and good recap at the end

[@jajordan2106]

i am looking this up video up today because i'm playing a low manpower faction in Old World Blues and I needed a better way of playing the early game to save man power for the legion sieging hoover dam. Tons of good info, might need to watch a few more times to get it to sink in

[@MeltedKendal]

Very informative thanks dude

[@here_bedragons]

Thanks for this. I sorta like this game…but man is it dense and hard to learn. I had no idea what the numbers in the red/green battle bubbles meant until now. Game never explained it and I was too busy trying to learn wtf the difference between soft and hard attack xD

[@sacredscars5758]

Hahahaha I totally understand! Hoi4 isn't even as brutal at eu4 which I recently jumped back in to! That is dense!!

[@sacredscars5758]

The way I learned was by watching tutorial vids on yt and now I'm moderately ok. Lol I like to tweak it too much with mods... 😅

[@Deepblue417]

@@sacredscars5758 I dont understand why people say this truly. it took me 10 hours to learn EU4(including all DLC) while im here at 35 hours (NO DLC) in HOI still mindfucked on certain things. EU4 combat is braindead easy, have more troops than the enemy + carpet siege = win. Diplomacy easy click “improve relations” (even as catholic to muslims.. +100 opinion really…. youre kidding me..from 1 button...). trade is easy = spam light ships and use the easy ass combat to take over highest value nodes= win. I snowball around 1510-1520 every single game.. havent played a single game past 1600 because of this. Once you learn the UI in EU4 its simple seriously and got bored as fuck after 25 hours of EU4. Once you learn the UI in HOI the learning has just begun. EU4 i was playing as minors and majors coasting through on both by 15 hours. Feel 0 pressure at all outside of historical events (even then minimal pressure because EU4 so easy). HOI4; once again, im at 35 hours still getting my ass handed to me regularly as a minor nation and playing as a major is overwhelming anytime ive tried. Constant pressure inside and outside historical events. HOI4 is infinitely more mechanically complex hands down .

[@gor2056]

80 hours on eu4 no idea what im doing, 30 hours on hoi4 and i atleast know how to play the game@@Deepblue417

[@crunch.dot.73]

​@@Deepblue417i completely agree, I seriously struggle to see how people say Eu4 is more complex

[@thetf8142]

I’m surprised you glossed over pinning, when pinning is very important to understand so the enemy can’t send reinforcements into a tile you’re attacking

[@tays715]

this was quite helpful, thank you

[@hydranmenace]

So glad you did this and it popped up on my feed. Thank you for doing it. Again with tanks? Unless you already did.

[@Aleesb]

oh my god, I had no idea about the assist. I was so frustrated coming from HOI II to IV thinking there was no assist function. Now I feel like a moron.

[@F2MF2M]

great video, we need second video with advanced micro with tanks+motorized+motorized artillery with in depth division review. third video can be with planes

[@harryp829]

As a beginner this was very helpful!

[@snowgoon8955]

lol i didnt even know that control groups were a thing

[@SBragg88]

Nice video, thanks. Clear and concise

[@hollow7981]

1k hour and feedback needs 15 mins to help me getting better. ty

[@rookie5026]

I think micro isn't really that good if you can for sure beat the enemy, it's almost like a battle plan on cautious except you have full control of what happens. However it can clutch some sticky situations

[@kaboom81_cz]

Microing saves a lot of manpower and equipment. Also how you said, you have full control of what is happening.

[@lovablesnowman]

​@kaboom81_cz I'm sorry but anyone who saves micro isn't that good fundamentally doesn't understand the game. At all

[@kaboom81_cz]

@@lovablesnowman True

[@peka003]

i mean its easier to draw battle plan but you save more man and equipment when doing micro encirclement

[@jakubsomka3945]

it was trully needed for everyone.

[@samlecasse7332]

Why do you put 30 divisions in each army ? Maybe the penalty for exceeding the limit of 24 is not that bad ?

[@timhand3380]

He's hacked the +6 division organization cap general trait. Duh😆

[@johansoons8413]

a verry good guide, thank u for it, it wil help the game community

[@Michalt001]

Finally I know where I make my mistake :) thanks for the tip and guide

[@louiswinterhoff334]

Yes! Make that video!

[@Auser1235]

Thank you my teacher.

[@orlandoparraguez9069]

In this video y learn more than my 1000 hours in game. TY

[@agew13p]

Thank you! . . . Now I just have to learn how to play HOI4. . .

[@MLGcog]

Please make more guides

[@h.l.malazan5782]

Please make more micro tutorials!!!! Thank you!!!

[@pablo_escanor1681]

How do you edit an existing frontline though

[@GustavoGplay]

My personal guide to micro: have good divisions, click and see if it works

[@jackwheeler609]

Do you have any advice for naval invasions most notably Britain? Because I've gotten to the point where I can steamroll most countries (assuming I'm a major) but I've never been able to consistently defeat Britain. I'm just not sure what to do if I can't get air or naval superiority in the channel or the north

[@DrPastah]

Can you explain how to do this via multistage battle plans?

[@tradford]

Great video!!! Very informative! Do more!!

[@ThePenguinMejia]

Very solid video

[@RedCactus23]

Thanks for the video Dave, it's quite useful. I would definitely like to see more tutorials on plane and tank micro.

[@henex1296]

I've got almost 2k hours in the game and even I learned something new

[@CARL_093]

👍👍 great ideas bro

[@SLKoolKats]

It's not fair Feedback, how are you able to read my mind so quickly?! (I was just thinking yesterday, how I need a video on micros)

[@Histingame]

"haytch"

[@JosephDobosz]

This video, is just, *chefs-kiss

[@JosephDobosz]

weirdly enough to support attack i have to press ctr + alt and then right click and I don't know why

[@dylanandmolly3739]

Please keep the unit template on the screen for much longer. I'm new and trying to learn. Cheers.

[@darkequation]

Sometimes ai would put a dozen divisions at the pincer or non stop pinning and I just couldn't complete the encirclement, what to do?

[@OverlordMalarkey]

so when it comes to assign hotkeys on divisions, how do you unassign them?

[@Marin_SinceApril]

great video thx !

[@michelewang6983]

Thank you so much 💖💛🧡💖❤💝

[@adamvifrye2690]

i do this based on my frontlines as they form naturally, as well as my tanks which also get special frontlines which i then micro from... idk what this goofy ass thing at the start was tho... i've never used that. idk maybe i'm missing out on some extra battleplan bonuses

[@nostromoglasseye8340]

So you assign a group to the field marshal f/l, but manually send it to a certain spot, and it gains planning bonus but is in the right place to start an assault when you unassign it, but still gains planning bonus?

[@wkurnikumnieniema]

After 1000 hours, now I know that I can do assist order instead of stopping divs after battle :D

[@gabork5055]

Despite knowing just a bit about micro in this game i honestly prefer giving orders to the units one by one as the AI tends to not execute the way i want them to. Ofc. using a country like the Soviets where it gets difficult and annoying to do this that way you got to micro this way but even then it's worth saving some units to support your main armies. Normally it's a good idea to have some armies with a general even in peacetime just as a designated training unit if nothing else plus giving your armies the bonuses during wars but most of the time they feel unnecessary. I'm not the type of guy who rushes through these at 5X speed though and popups annoy me to no end, i'm annoyed if the enemy gets a millisecond of advantage whether it's research, national focus or military oriented. And yes, this makes me burn out quick in this game, lmao. But even despite my shitty preferences the AI really doesn't always work the way it should. I wish we could hire ministers to take care of the issues in the popups, even when you get the hang of managing things at 5X a popup ruins the pace.

[@General_Karl4350]

Thank you, now I can fight the Soviets'

[@anormalspanishguy7883]

Theres no perfect guide for this topic

[@leehodge2415]

Stuff like this. Yum. Thx

[@mikoajsieczko1635]

I hate to see KZbinrs don't assign units to offensive orders and not use planning bonuses, they should see this ;_;

[@MLGcog]

More advanced video!

[@thegrumpyraccoon]

Can you do Hardly anything Severs with last patch?

[@pootispow791]

How do you assign planes to a general

[@farcloud3701]

Really good advice, glad I found this video. The dismal "autoplan AI" makes horrible, illogical decisions, AND disconnects you from the game. Booo Paradox.

[@tristanasbreuk8137]

If I have the industry I will ALWAYS use tanks for encirclements, you'll save a lot of manpower and thus some of your war support This way it helps fighting wars in the long run. If I don't have the option to, I would just look for oppurtunities and push, building supply hubs along the way. And btw, if you're playing commonwealth or something, prevent making mr.mustache angry cause a two-front war is a certain doom.

[@canalanimegames9388]

I have 600 hours and watch this is kinda funny

[@TitlefluidImperator]

lol green arrow = many green bubbles

[@kindasimpson9704]

It's basically pincer movement, a classic millitary maneuver.

[@glitterkommando2060]

Cool motti you made 💪

[@stickmouse5002]

imagine microing instead of battle planning 😂😂😂😂😂

[@davidoblenis7388]

Your explanation of the bubbles at 7:20 is wrong. The numbers indicate the number of days remaining before the battle ends.

[@european-one]

That's not true

[@TankBoii]

hi, love the video

[@EurofighterTyphoon_]

Does Micro Managing not taking more Time? Because my Strategy as Germany is to Cap all Romanai and such stuff so i can Parartroop The Ports in The UK even Before they got a stable Defense...

[@punk_noodles]

It's tiring sitting in a chair

[@logoncal3001]

Virgin esport micro vs Sigma line go brr battleplaner

[@emily697]

I became the best player of the town by doing this haha

[@Lgrneto]

I don't know if this guide is planned for beginners or advanced players, but I'm a beginner and I'm having sort of a hard time to follow your speed. For a feedback for future videos, if you plan on create content for this type of public, please be a little bit slower in editing and explanation, please :) I have to pause and rewind several times to understand what army or unit are you clicking.

[@Lgrneto]

Just to be clear, it's more in the beginning of the video. In the middle and beyond, it works great.

[@colbyhipkins2132]

Expand please, very informative

[@rake2008]

i have wasted my life. 3100 hours and I was battleplanning for all of them wondering why i can't win....

[@FlaminPigz7]

I swear to god, just learning about the shift click field marshal lines is going to save me much frustration and millions of Soviet lives. I didn’t know about this, and just got fucked last night bc of the 5 iq default army repositioning bringing an army in Ukraine to defend near Leningrad, leaving a giant hole for the fascisti!!!

[@ADobbin1]

How do you micro? Carefully.

[@weareeverywhere8851]

Why overstack your generals?

[@Psiurex]

why is he wearing a jacket?

[@meta671games]

My best micro guide was war on Austria-Hungary-Czechoslovakia against german

[@luisdelvalle4862]

Be aware...