Noobs in Combat Loadout Planner Checklist
Build V6.1 decks inside tix and slot caps without forgetting AA or supply.
Why loadouts fail before turn three
Most losing Noobs in Combat presets are not “bad units”—they are missing roles. Players stack two Battle Tanks, skip a supplier, forget AA after the V6.1 air-slot shuffle, and wonder why the push dies to empty magazines or helicopters. This planner is a practical checklist you can run every time you edit a preset in the V6 deploy UI.
Deep recipes live on Best Loadout. Unit definitions sit on Units. Letter grades are on Infantry and Vehicles. Unlock order belongs to the Tech Tree.
Constraints you must respect
- Starting tix — common teaching budgets hover near the mid hundreds (many guides discuss ~600-tix campaign opens). Count every squad.
- Unit slots / category slots — V6.1 moved AA trees into air slots and added +2 air slots. SPAAG, SAM battery, and offensive air now compete on related budgets.
- Research reality — if Tank hunter or Wheeled IFV is locked, plan the APC/older AT substitute, then swap after unlocks.
- Map type — plains want Battle Tank; dense cities want gunners/engineers; air-heavy briefs want SPAAG/SAM first.
Skins never help here—ignore Skins until the deck functions.
Role slots (fill all four)
1) Mainline — capture + radio bodies
Job: take buildings, absorb chips, spot for artillery.
Default pick: Troopers evolving into Grunts.
Budget rule: if mainline costs so much you cannot afford a supplier, you overbought Marksmen. One niche Marksmen max unless the mission is a special sniper puzzle.
2) Wincon — the thing that breaks the enemy plan
Job: delete armor, collapse a fort, or own the air.
Default pick: Battle Tank on land campaigns.
Alternates: artillery packages with reliable radio, Tank hunter / Heavy AT Gun on armor-soak maps, limited helicopter pressure when air slots allow.
Budget rule: one true wincon before a second luxury wincon.
3) Support — answers and tempo
Job: clean infantry, ferry troops, deny air, lay mines, repair.
Default package:
- Light Gunner for AI infantry blobs
- APC or IFV / Wheeled IFV for tempo
- SPAAG (or SAM battery when range matters) for air
- Combat Engineer for mines/repairs
Support is plural. A deck with only a wincon and Grunts still fails to helicopters and AT trenches.
4) Supplier — ammo and staying power
Job: refill and keep the wincon honest.
Default pick: Supply Truck (upgrade toward Carrier when researched).
Budget rule: if you cut the truck to afford a second heavy tank, you built a highlight reel, not a campaign clearer.
Step-by-step build flow
- Pick the map tab (Historical / Campaign / PvP / etc. after V6.1 reorg).
- List threats: enemy air? heavy armor? infantry walls?
- Lock supplier first if the map is long.
- Lock mainline Grunts (or best researched stand-in).
- Lock wincon Battle Tank or mission-specific AT/air.
- Spend remainder on support until anti-infantry, transport, and AA each have an answer.
- Re-count tix and slots. If over, cut niche Marksmen or duplicate armor—not the truck.
- Save multiple presets and switch in the deploy picker (V6 QoL).
Example PvE skeleton (adapt costs to your patch)
- Grunts (mainline)
- Light Gunner (support)
- Battle Tank (wincon)
- APC or IFV (support/tempo)
- SPAAG (support/AA)
- Supply Truck (supplier)
- Flex: Combat Engineer or Tank hunter or one Marksmen
Compare each name against current tier lists after hotfixes. Troopers radio changes in 6.1.1 notes mean you should confirm which infantry actually spot for your guns today—read the Changelog.
Slot accounting after the AA move
Before V6.1 you could mentally treat AA as “just another vehicle.” After AA trees moved into air slots, every SAM or AA cannon evolution fights attack helis and related toys for capacity. Practical rule:
- Need mobile umbrella on the advance → SPAAG
- Need long-range denial on wide maps → SAM battery
- Need neither → spend air slots on offense or leave them empty rather than forcing a dead AA piece
PvP vs PvE checklist forks
PvE: bias durable Grunts, Light Gunner, supplier, Battle Tank. AI forgives slower play.
PvP: raise Ambush AT, vision games, and bait potential. Consider radio-ban lobbies when hosts enable that V6 tool—artillery-heavy plans need a backup wincon.
Either mode still fails without a supplier on long fights.
Pre-deploy 60-second audit
- Who captures?
- Who radios for artillery?
- What kills enemy tanks?
- What kills enemy infantry?
- What contests air?
- Who resupplies?
- Who repairs / mines if the map is urban?
- Am I under tix?
- Am I inside slot caps including air/AA?
- Did I migrate to the correct place (V6 Migration) so unlocks are real?
If any box is empty, fix the preset before queueing.
Learning aids
Watch the embedded tips video for visual pacing ideas, then rebuild with this checklist instead of copying costs blindly—patches shift sticker prices (Troopers, IFV, Wheeled IFV). Use Getting Started if the V6 UI still feels foreign, and claim Codes only after confirming you are on the live place.
Related tools and guides
Strong commanders do not memorize twenty unit names first—they refuse to queue a deck that leaves a role blank.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the most common questions.
What four roles should every loadout cover?
Mainline capture/radio infantry, a wincon damage piece, support answers (gunner, transport, AA, engineer), and a supplier for ammo and staying power.
Should I cut the Supply Truck to afford another Battle Tank?
Almost never on long PvE maps. An unsupplied heavy tank becomes a stranded paperweight once ammo or momentum breaks.
How did V6.1 change loadout planning?
AA trees moved into air slots and air slot count increased, so SPAAG/SAM planning competes with offensive air. New Tank hunter, Heavy AT Gun, and SAM options also change flex picks.
Where do I find full example decks?
Use this planner for the checklist, then open the Best Loadout guide for concrete recipes and the tier lists for unit priority inside each role.