Call to Arms - Gates of Hell: Ostfront Tier List: Current Rankings

Q: Which factions are in the base game?

Germany and the Soviet Union, with the German Ostfront campaign and the Soviet Za Rodinu campaign. Finland comes with Talvisota, the United States with Liberation and Airborne, and Britain, Scotland, Canada and Poland with Finest Hour.

Q: Is this a real-time strategy game or a tactics game?

Both, and you switch freely. You can play it top-down like a conventional real-time strategy game, or drop into first or third person on any single soldier or vehicle crew position and aim manually, which the game calls direct control.

Q: How does armour damage actually work?

There is no hitpoint bar. Vehicles carry historical armour layouts and shells carry historical penetration values, so the game resolves impact angle, range and shell type, then applies the result to whatever component or crewman sits behind that plate.

Q: Can the campaigns be played in co-op?

Yes. The historical singleplayer missions support cooperative play, and the game also carries a PvE Dynamic Campaign, Conquest, and multiplayer matches from 1v1 up to 4v4 across more than 30 maps.

Q: Do I need the DLCs to play multiplayer?

No. Germany and the Soviet Union in the base game are fully playable in multiplayer and the Dynamic Campaign. The DLCs add their own factions, campaigns and unit rosters rather than gating the base modes behind a purchase.

Call to Arms - Gates of Hell: Ostfront tier list ranking every build and equipment option. Updated rankings with detailed reasoning.

EarlyGuides Editorial Team

Researched and editorially reviewed. Updated August 12, 2026.

This Call to Arms - Gates of Hell: Ostfront tier list ranks every major option by overall effectiveness. Rankings factor in damage output, survivability, versatility, gear requirements, and how well each option scales.

Tier definitions: S = best in class, always a strong pick. A = strong and competitive, minor weaknesses. B = solid but clearly outperformed in most situations. C = viable only for players who enjoy the playstyle.

Builds Rankings

Tier	Build	Rating	Playstyle
A	Germany	8.5/10	Balanced approach
A	Soviet Union	8.5/10	Balanced approach
A	Finland (Talvisota)	8.5/10	Balanced approach
A	United States (Liberation and Airborne)	8.5/10	Balanced approach
A	Britain and Commonwealth (Finest Hour)	8.5/10	Balanced approach

Detailed Builds Analysis

Germany (A-Tier)

Germany is a competitive option in the current meta.

Best with: Tiger I. See our builds guide for full setup. Stat focus: Balanced stats

Soviet Union (A-Tier)

Soviet Union is a competitive option in the current meta.

Best with: T-34/85. See our builds guide for full setup. Stat focus: Balanced stats

Finland (Talvisota) (A-Tier)

Finland (Talvisota) is a competitive option in the current meta.

Best with: StuG III Ausf. G. See our builds guide for full setup. Stat focus: Balanced stats

United States (Liberation and Airborne) (A-Tier)

United States (Liberation and Airborne) is a competitive option in the current meta.

Best with: MG 42. See our builds guide for full setup. Stat focus: Balanced stats

Britain and Commonwealth (Finest Hour) (A-Tier)

Britain and Commonwealth (Finest Hour) is a competitive option in the current meta.

Best with: PPSh-41. See our builds guide for full setup. Stat focus: Balanced stats

Equipment Rankings

Equipment	Best With	Notes
Tiger I	German long-range defensive overwatch on open maps	An 88mm gun behind roughly 100mm of flat frontal armour.
T-34/85	Soviet armour that has to be numerous rather than individually superior	The 85mm ZiS-S-53 gun in a three-man turret gives the Soviet mainstay a real chance against German heavies at closer ranges, and its sloped hull front bounces rounds that would defeat the same thickness laid flat.
StuG III Ausf. G	German ambush and overwatch positions where you never need to turn a turret	A turretless assault gun mounting the 7.
MG 42	Pinning German defensive frontages and covering open approaches	A general purpose machine gun firing at roughly 1,200 rounds per minute, which produces so much suppression that an advancing squad simply stops moving.
PPSh-41	Soviet close assaults in Stalingrad-style street fighting	A 7.

Check our weapons guide for in-depth stats and comparisons.

Equipment Analysis

Tiger I: An 88mm gun behind roughly 100mm of flat frontal armour. At long range it is close to untouchable from the front, but the flat plates mean angling does little for it and its slow turret traverse makes a flanking T-34 genuinely dangerous.

T-34/85: The 85mm ZiS-S-53 gun in a three-man turret gives the Soviet mainstay a real chance against German heavies at closer ranges, and its sloped hull front bounces rounds that would defeat the same thickness laid flat.

StuG III Ausf. G: A turretless assault gun mounting the 7.5cm StuK 40 L/48 behind 80mm of frontal plate, sitting far lower than any turreted tank. Hull-down in a fold in the ground it is extremely hard to spot, and it costs far less than a Panther for similar gun performance.

MG 42: A general purpose machine gun firing at roughly 1,200 rounds per minute, which produces so much suppression that an advancing squad simply stops moving. It burns through belts fast, so a team without an ammunition carrier stops being useful within a couple of minutes.

PPSh-41: A 7.62x25mm submachine gun with a 71-round drum and a very high rate of fire, worthless past about 100 metres and devastating inside it. Whole Soviet squads carry it, which is why urban and forest fighting flips in Soviet favour.

Meta Analysis

The current meta in Call to Arms - Gates of Hell: Ostfront centers on Plate by plate armour penetration and Direct control of any unit. Builds that leverage both systems outperform those that focus on only one. Our combat guide explains these interactions in depth.

What's strong right now:

Germany with Tiger I is the benchmark. Everything else is measured against it.
Individual crew and seat swapping builds are gaining ground as players find new combinations.
Finland (Talvisota) remains essential for learning hard content. See the boss guide.

What's underrated:

Soviet Union is consistently overlooked despite being the most flexible option.
StuG III Ausf. G offers excellent performance for its investment level.

What's overhyped:

Pure Britain and Commonwealth (Finest Hour) builds. High ceiling but the consistency isn't there for most players.

Quick Picks by Situation

Situation	Best Build	Best Gear	Why
Overall best	Germany	Tiger I	Highest consistent performance
New player	Soviet Union	T-34/85	Most forgiving, teaches mechanics
Hard content	Finland (Talvisota)	StuG III Ausf. G	Survivability when you need it
Group play	United States (Liberation and Airborne)	MG 42	Utility and team support
Experienced player	Britain and Commonwealth (Finest Hour)	PPSh-41	Unique challenge and high ceiling

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