HOI4 Combat Width Tutorial Guide - You WILL Get It

Combat Width in Hearts of Iron 4 is NOT difficult - But MANY videos out there overcomplicate things, and they MAKE IT DIFFICULT...
So let's start simple, we'll go through what makes combat width, why it matters, what's better, why, and why it then varies under various situations. DLC is off (although it doesn't matter, same rules apply regardless!)
BEFORE the end of this video, you WILL get it. As this video gets towards the end, I will repeat everything in a different way at least once, so everyone can understand it.
Contents:
00:00 Combat Width in HOI4 made Easy!
00:39 How We Will Demonstrate Combat Width
3:14 We Are Now at War with Poland
4:03 What is a Tile?
4:43 Let's Focus on 1 Tile in Combat
5:02 Understanding Attacking vs Reserve Divisions
5:12 What is a Reserve Division?
5:35 Attacking Division Combat Width of 10
6:00 How many Combat Width fit on a Tile?
7:01 Where to get Division Combat Width Info?
7:44 How Modifying Divisions Impacts C. Width
8:48 The Lazy Mans Way of Figuring CombatWidth
9:07 It says 105 Combat Width! Wasn't it Just 70?
9:30 It's a Pincer Movement Simulated in War
10:08 Easy so far - Now for the 1 Tricky Bit...
11:17 Hang on.. You Can EXCEED the Limit?
11:59 The Perfect Division for All Situations
13:24 Understanding Combat Width Penalty
14:34 Moving Divisions to Show C.W. changes
15:33 Why are the Reserves Not Fighting Yet?
15:44 To Cover This Let's Go All Official
18:48 A Reserve Has Chance to Join Battle Hourly
19:48 Imagine a Big Invisible Dice Rolling
21:52 A Reinforcing Division aka More Combat Width
22:56 Now a Motorised Div Makes 44 v 18 CW!
24:08 98 Combat With And... Breakthrough!
24:17 Is Everyone on the Same Page?
26:16 Design Divisions 4 Combat Widths Sake!
26:54 Why Not use Narrow Combat Width?
27:39 Stats from Double Combat Width 2 to 4
28:39 a STRONG 30 CW Infantry Battalion
30:23 So I Need MORE COMBAT WIDTH?
32:56 Really? 280 Combat Width!!

[@captdude81]

I've been playing for a few years, and usually my approach to combat has always been just blob, and throw them at tiles. I've recently gotten a better understanding of combat, but this has definitely cleared up nearly everything. Best video I've seen on combat width. Thanks.

[@Juicio87]

Omg, english is not my first language and this video was a big insight. Finally I understand why is not worthy to make tons of divisions with, lets say, 1 or 2 combat width. They are not gonna start the battle at once (because reserves) and foremost they are gonna leave the battle early...now it seems easy to understand but that's because you explained combat width very well. When others youtubers starts doing maths they over complicate the theory xD. Very good video sir

[@weird_al77]

I've got over 1000 hours in HOI but haven't played since before combat width changed, this video has been really helpful for me! Thanks :D

[@billzander3928]

Thank you so much! I have done a couple of playthroughs as US and was successful just due to overwhelming manpower and resources. I wanted to try something different and more challenging and to do that I really need to understand this concept. This was a great tutorial.

[@Bomse]

Really really good guide. Im a new player and i beginning to understand now :D

[@neilproctor5163]

Thanks for all your videos ... Really helpful 👍🏻

[@barrysworld640]

Don't own the game yet, but your great videos are helping me wrap my head around this game prior to making a buying decision. Many thanks, sir! :)

[@user-vl6tk3xo3x]

Perfect thank you ❤❤

[@cameronicheddarcheese]

Very helpful video again. Do you have a video on what comprises a good infantry/motorized/tank division? I always see that beginners lose battles because of their division and I have yet to figure it out

[@gameswithbrains]

Hi, no I haven't made such a video yet. I only ever touched on editing division templates to prove individual points here and there. I think it's a great suggestion for my next video though. I'm away just now, but hopefully I'll get chance to make one this weekend... And it won't just be what makes a good division, it will include WHY. Cheers!

[@unofficialstatus3877]

@@gameswithbrains yes please, gotta see a template that you usually use, I always see in discord some people saying to others "your template must suck thats y u losin" and stuff about "width" that I dont understand in the past which now I do, now I really just need sample templates for different divisions. Also can you make a tutorial about invading others from the sea with troops and ships? I have zero idea and mostly just plan invading countries on my continent LOL

[@muzzy5914]

Yep, great stuff again.

[@LiCiTone]

Awesome video for new people coming to hoi4 like me

[@jasonmillbauer312]

I believe either the comma or period button will get rid of italys battle plans from your view

[@gameswithbrains]

That's really good to know, I'll definitely try that next play. Thanks

[@theOzz13]

Great info... you're right.. I got it!

[@jimmyj3944]

Hey bro love your content could you do a video regarding spies in HOI4

[@gameswithbrains]

I will get round to then one day, as I'm now dedicating the channel to HOI4. I'll keep the topics coming, and if you don't see it within a few weeks, keep bugging me until I get it.

[@georeb7040]

New player here, if you assign an order to general do they choose the best division for the tile regarding the width? Not sure if you mentioned it or not.

[@Oats2900]

Hello, love your content. I would conclude from your video that combat width sweetspot is 25? 30?most of tiles has 50-70 plus additional attack is always 35, assuming that 1 tile would be attacked from at least 2 others its giving us combat width 85-105 so it would make sense to have divisions with 25 as it could fit 3 division at least without penalty. And it we consider lower width division, for example 20/21 withd, which would fit 4 of divisions without penalty, with that regard, which would be better to stuck with? Assuming addition width would be from the main unit like infantry not an arty pieces. Theoretically with 2more battalions it would be 120% "better" if comes to stats, but how it would play out confronting 3 of such a divisions vs 4 divs with combat withd of 21? Sorry for long and probably wrongly formulated question

[@gameswithbrains]

It's a great observation. I don't have the perfect answer found sadly, although I found (perhaps just being lazy) that the 18 combat width divisions that the game likes to default are actually pretty good. The kicker really is, the support divisions do not count towards the width, and the allowed excess combat width. For eg, We take 2 divisions all infantry, one 18, the other being 36, but stack them both up with 5 support companies (say motorised, engineers, FH, AA & arty) then for the same C.width, we get twice as many supports up front with the 18 width Div. We could repeat this method down all the way to 2 width (so just 1 battalion of infantry) although the defensive stats would be so weak, the cost of getting, and keeping this division equipped (with all 5 support companies) I am guessing would be astronomical.

[@Oats2900]

@gameswithbrains thank you very much for your reply, I do have grasped concept much better now. Keep up good work my dude, will link you to my other newbies friends! 🍻

[@nm7358]

Okey, beginner here... but what's stopping a player to design bloated divisions so that two divisions of 30-35 combat width fit unto a 70 width tile, then? They will be twice as strong as individual divisions at 15-18 divisions. So what is the counterbalance, here? Is it because these will be slower to recruit, and harder to command, control, and supply?

[@kiwinesss]

Even though I am not playing this at the moment, I still like to watch your videos of it

[@fuglbird]

In the first example you have two divisions each combat width 10 trying to attack a tile combat width 70. Only one division is shown attacking while the other is in reserve. Why is one division reserve and not attacking in your example. I never had this problem. Are you doing something wrong?

[@martintekula]

youll get it... if you wont fall asleep in 30 minutes

[@DeoFavento]

Excellent, thank you, subscribed

[@ryanthodyfirmansyah2791]

ive had 1944 Tech while enemy had 1941 tech, and make deathstack still cant beat them, i hate hoi4 now

[@Wipeoutzone1]

Does total combat width share space with enemy units or does it just indicate your own unit capacity?

[@dmitriykinzhebulatov]

Your own unit capacity

[@junglelands9119]

Can you get a PHD in HoI4. ...because this game would fry your f**kin head. I need to go to bed for a wee lie down, I'm exhausted.😊

[@theblackmagician758]

Can you imagine if "Combat Width" was a real thing. US Invading IRAQ via Kuwait - "We'd like to send in the armoured support but you're too wide". Combat Width is such a let down to what could be a brilliant game!

[@billwiley7216]

Combat width in certain environments is a very real thing such as narrow urban streets, canyons or mountain passes or even in thick jungle . swampy areas. I think that HOI4 using terrain type to determine allowable combat units at one time is actually a genius mechanic that even promotes more diversity in building specialized units. Also figuring in entrenchment bonuses and attacking/planning bonuses is another battlefield mechanic that can change the outcome of any given battle. The fighting style of lining up men in a line as far as you could see and standing in a field shooting each other ended a long time before WW2!

[@deltabravo1371]

Dude 5 mins in and still nothing on the topic of combat width, you views and engagement would massively increase if you started the video with the topic.

[@RDH376]

I think that's a bit harsh considering he's timestamped the video so you can just jump to the relevant part. I haven't found a better explanation of combat width anywhere else

[@Kotoy1]

if your attention span cant stand 5 minutes then idk how you would even play this game to begin with

[@DeanRasmussen]

Video is long as fuck bro

[@27Pyth]

I nearly bailed on this vid -- I'm super glad I stayed as the information ended up being clutch -- but the lengthy explanation, with analogies, about the concept of how if you have too many large things they won't fit into a small container, seriously, wtf? Im here to learn HOI4 combat width... the concept of "doesn't fit" didn't need to be explained to me once let alone a dozen times... BUT our video maker's focus on explaining everything and -- investigating things carefully -- looking at changes -- was fantastic when actually demonstrating combat width and how to observe it in game. Really appreciated it and I learned things I needed and that no one else teaches.

[@user-xk3ss3fd9i]

Yes. People with ADD have hard time watching this video and shouldn't be playing such complex games as HOI4. Go play with Barbies​@@DeanRasmussen

[@dennisdebijl9492]

Thanks for making this video! Been looking for a vid explaining a bit how it works. Finally having a grasp of the mechanic, thank you @gameswithbrains