Battleplan Complex Attack Guide: Multi-Step Orders That Win Battles
Learn how to build a Battleplan complex attack: multi-step orders, phased assaults, supply lines, and exit plans that hold up in real time.
What Makes a Battleplan Complex Attack Different From a Simple Push
A battleplan complex attack is not just a longer arrow drawn across the map. It is a sequenced operation in which artillery, engineers, armor, infantry, and reserves each receive their own task, their own timing, and their own fallback position. Get the sequence right and one division can crack a fortified town. Get it wrong and a month-long mission falls apart in an afternoon.
That distinction matters more in Battleplan than in most WW2 strategy games. Battleplan on the official Steam store page describes itself as "a historical, WW2 real-time strategy game of unparalleled realism and simulation," and the realism is not just marketing. Missions run from one week to about a month, simulated second by second, and you never click individual soldiers into cover. You draw orders, and your officers and companies carry them out autonomously.
So a Battleplan complex attack lives or dies on the quality of the plan you drew before contact. This guide breaks down how to build those plans, which tools the game gives you, and where most commanders — historical and virtual — go wrong.
The game launched on October 12, 2026 from developer Foolish Mortals Games and publisher Slitherine, priced at $29.99. Steam user reviews currently sit at "Mixed," with roughly 68% positive out of 195 reviews. Community reports suggest that split has less to do with the simulation's ambition than with how punishing the order system can feel for new players. Learn to write good orders, and that learning curve flattens fast.
Simple Push vs. Complex Attack
| Element | Simple Attack | Battleplan Complex Attack | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Objective | One town, one flag | Multiple sequenced objectives | Splitting the division captures more ground per mission |
| Units | Whatever is closest | Task-organized battlegroups | Engineers, armor, and infantry each solve different problems |
| Timing | One order, one push | Timed phases with pauses | Lets artillery finish before infantry steps off |
| Reserves | None | A held-back company or battalion | Answers counterattacks on flanks and rear |
| Exit | Fight until you win | Planned withdrawal if supply fails | Prevents a stalled attack from becoming a rout |
| Supply | Assumed | Actively routed and protected | Terrain dictates supply flow, not your intentions |
The Six Requirements Every Complex Attack Order Must Meet
Military planners have studied urban and set-piece assaults for a century, and the same handful of requirements show up again and again — from Stalingrad in 1942 to the Tet Offensive in 1968. Battleplan's simulation rewards commanders who respect them. Every battleplan complex attack should satisfy all six before you unpause.
| Requirement | What It Means | In-Game Tool |
|---|---|---|
| Objective | Know exactly why you are committing troops and how the target fits the wider mission | Mission briefing and victory conditions |
| Speed and Surprise | The opening assault must be fast and unexpected | Pre-drawn orders executed the moment contact begins |
| Momentum | Do not let defenders regroup, dig in, or slow you down | Timed follow-on waves rather than one continuous push |
| Resupply | Cut the enemy's logistics while protecting your own | Supply depots, terrain-aware supply flow |
| Security | Watch for counterattacks, especially on flanks and rear | Reserve units, anti-tank screens, scouts |
| Exit Strategy | Decide in advance when and how you withdraw | Planned withdrawal orders drawn on the map |
The single most common mistake in a Battleplan complex attack is skipping the exit. Players draw a beautiful three-phase assault with no phase four, then watch a stalled attack dissolve because nobody planned the pullback.
Drawing a Multi-Step Battleplan Complex Attack, Step by Step
The game's core selling point is that you create elaborate, multi-step, multi-unit plans by drawing directly on the map. That freedom is also the trap — a plan with forty overlapping arrows is not complex, it is cluttered. Here is a phase structure that scales from a small town assault to a divisional breakthrough.
| Phase | Duration | Typical Units | Order Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Recon | First few hours | Scouts, light armor | Move and observe; mark enemy positions |
| 2. Preparation | 1–3 days | Artillery, bombers | Preparatory bombardment on known strongpoints |
| 3. Breach | 1–2 days | Engineers, infantry | Assault on a narrow front; clear obstacles |
| 4. Exploit | 2–5 days | Tanks, mechanized infantry | Push through the gap toward follow-on objectives |
| 5. Consolidate | 1–3 days | Infantry, anti-tank guns | Defence in depth on captured ground |
| 6. Reserve or Withdraw | As needed | Held-back battalion | Counterattack or planned withdrawal |
Practical Tips for Cleaner Orders
- Draw phases, not simultaneous pushes. Overlapping arrows confuse autonomous officers and stall momentum.
- Use the terrain data. Elevation maps are real-world accurate, so put artillery on high ground and expect swamps to slow your exploit phase.
- Split late, not early. Keep the division concentrated for the breach, then split it to take multiple objectives.
- Respect the clock. A mission can run a full month. Two extra days of preparation is often cheaper than a wrecked battalion.
- Pause and review. You can pause, play in real time, or fast-forward at will. Use the pause to fix a plan mid-mission.
Officers, Chain of Command, and Order of Battle
In Battleplan, every division is modeled with a headquarters, regiments, battalions, and companies. You customize the entire chain of command and order of battle, combine divisions into corps, or split them down to companies. Officers matter: keep them alive and they gain veterancy and quirks, and their advice is sometimes worth taking.
That structure is what makes a Battleplan complex attack more than a drawing exercise. A perfect plan handed to a green, badly led battalion will underperform. A simple plan handed to a veteran formation will often beat it.
| Unit Type | Best Role in a Complex Attack | Common Mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Scouts | Find the gap before you commit | Sending them in with the main assault |
| Artillery | Suppress strongpoints during preparation | Firing after infantry already engaged |
| Engineers | Breach obstacles and clear buildings | Held in reserve too long |
| Tanks | Exploit the breach at speed | Pushed into intact defenses without infantry |
| Anti-tank guns | Anchor the consolidate phase | Left in the open on the approach |
| Infantry | Hold ground and clear urban terrain | Spread too thin across objectives |
| Reserves | Answer flank and rear counterattacks | Committed on day one |
A useful rule of thumb from player experience: if your reserve is already fighting during the preparation phase, you no longer have a reserve.
Where Complex Attacks Fail: Supply, Security, and Exits
Logistics decide more missions than firepower. Supply in Battleplan is realistically simulated, with terrain dictating how it flows. That means a road through a swamp or a rail line running past an enemy-held town is a vulnerability, not a convenience.
Starve the enemy by cutting their supply lines, fuel your own advance by capturing depots, and pull back when your units run low. A battalion out of ammunition on the wrong side of a river is a battalion you have already lost.
Security is the second silent killer. Defenders who are not destroyed tend to counterattack, often from behind or on the flanks, precisely where your arrows point away. Hold a company back, orient anti-tank guns toward the most likely axis of counterattack, and give scouts a job in the consolidate phase.
What History Teaches About the Battleplan Complex Attack
| Battle | Year | Core Lesson | Modern Takeaway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stalingrad | 1942 | Industrial terrain becomes a fortress; attackers get pinned in a labyrinth | Study the map's buildings and factories before drawing phase three |
| Tet Offensive | 1968 | A militarily costly attack can still achieve political objectives | Objectives are not always flags on the map |
| Fallujah | 2004 | Room-to-room fighting gives and expects no quarter | Never send infantry into built-up areas without support |
In all three cases, the plan was not the problem. The problem was a plan that ignored resupply, security, or a realistic objective. The same failure states exist in the game.
FAQ: Battleplan Complex Attack Questions Answered
What exactly is a Battleplan complex attack? It is a multi-step, multi-unit operation drawn directly on the map — usually combining preparatory bombardment, a breach, an exploitation phase, consolidation, and a reserve or withdrawal plan. Instead of one push, you sequence tasks so that artillery, engineers, armor, and infantry support each other in order.
How long should a single complex attack take? Missions range from one week to about a month of simulated time, so a well-built attack often spans several in-game days. Give preparation and consolidation real time on the clock; rushing both is the fastest way to lose a division.
Do I have to micromanage units during the attack? No. You issue high-level orders, then watch your officers and companies carry them out autonomously. Your job is planning, adjusting when the situation changes, and using the pause, real-time, and fast-forward controls to stay ahead of the battle.
What is the quickest way to improve at planning? Practice supply and exits first. Cut enemy logistics, protect your own routes, and always draw a withdrawal order before you need one. A Battleplan complex attack with a boring exit plan survives contact with the enemy far more often than a brilliant one without.