Now that the Advance Wars: Re-Boot Camp remakes have arrived on the Switch, fans new and old are ready to do battle. Of course, the grid-based strategy format has many facets to learn. Among the core priorities of any army are its leaders.
Advance Wars 2 boasts several commanding officers, both new and returning. With so many options, it's tough to know where to start. What soon becomes apparent is that each officer has unique advantages and drawbacks. In other words, it's another aspect of strategic gameplay to learn. Thankfully, most players will find the best in no time.
6 Olaf
Most officers affect their subordinates, but not many can change the weather. Olaf does just that. His CO Power calls forth a blizzard, causing snow to fall across the field for one turn. This slows opponents' mobility to a crawl. The Super CO Power takes that one step further. With this move, the blizzard damages enemy units by 2 Health Points (HP). One would think that snow hinders everyone on the map, but that's not the case.
Snow is where Olaf is in his element, and that extends to those serving him. Troops under his command can move freely in such weather. The downside is that rain slows them down instead, but that's what the CO Powers are for. With them, players can make sure they always have the home-field advantage.
5 Hawke
This general is notorious for his ruthless tactics, and that translates to his leadership. Hawke's presence boosts units to 110% of their normal strength. In addition, his CO Powers both boost defense by 10%. These perks ensure his garrisons are equipped to win. That said, Hawk's powers have another effect.
Namely, they can suck up health like a leech. The officer's Black Wave drains 1 HP from foes and puts it toward his own units' recovery. Black Storm bumps that up to 2 HP. These abilities create a convenient method of turning the tide, but players must be careful. Hawke has a larger CO Power meter, so it takes longer to charge. Activating it at the wrong time can severely diminish his use.
4 Jess
Otherwise known as "Hannah," Jess is the officer to have for those prioritizing vehicular warfare. He boosts those vehicles' firepower by 110%. Sadly, that doesn't extend to regular troops; they only get 90%.
However, Jess's CO Powers compensate for that drawback. Turbo Charge brings vehicles' attack to 130% and grants them 1 movement point. In conjunction, it offers all units a small defense boost of 10%. Finally, it refills all fuel and ammo. Overdrive has similar effects, with the difference being an additional movement point and another 20% attack boost to vehicles. With Jess in the driver's seat, players' war rigs will be unmatched.
3 Sturm
A returning figure from the first game, Sturm is just as beneficial here. He provides a hefty boost to the army's stats, bringing both their attack and defense to 120%. His Super CO Power jacks up the former to 140% and the latter to 150%. Sturm doesn't just toughen up his forces, though.
He also aids in positioning. His units can move across all kinds of terrain with no issue. The only exception is snow. Thankfully, he lessens even that small frustration with the same area damage range, which the Super CO Power also enhances. These attributes let Sturm's troops hit hard from any position.
2 Sensei
Also known as "Yamamoto," this old soldier acts as a mentor figure to both troops and other officers. In gameplay terms, he motivates them to higher attack stats, increasing foot soldiers' attack by 40% and battle copters' by 50%. He also bestows an additional movement point to transport units. The downside is that vehicles on both land and sea decrease their offensive stats by 10%.
Sensei offsets that minor issue with airborne benefits. His CO Powers grant upgrades to the aforementioned copters. Both his normal and Super moves boost their attack by 175%. The former supplements this with infantry units in every conquered city while the latter does the same with mech units. These facets demonstrate supreme command of his troops. Players will be glad to have such a seasoned vet on their side.
1 Hachi
Hachi may not have much firepower, but he wields a much mightier weapon: commerce. His skills as a smooth businessman let him buy units at a 10% discount. He amplifies that haggling ability with Barter: a CO Power which puts all units at half their listed price. This gives Hachi an advantage on any map, whether it has high or low funding. Rapid purchases can overwhelm enemies before they even know what's happening. The silver-tongued devil's uses don't stop at offense, though.
He's also a mighty boon when it comes to keeping conquered lands. His Super CO Power, Merchant Union, deploys units in every city under the player's banner. Those cities normally need factories to garrison them, but this eliminates that condition, letting fans fortify any location against attack. For the icing on the cake, Hachi fills the Tag Break meter quickly, meaning he can execute deadly combos with other COs. With all of these ways to minimize cost and boost gains, Hachi can easily break the game.
Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp is now available on Nintendo Switch.