Guide for WARNO Beginners: How to Set Up Controls and Win

The real-time strategy game WARNO is dedicated to an alternate Cold War where the USSR and the Warsaw Pact did not collapse but are fighting in Europe against the USA and NATO on land and in the air. Realistic unit characteristics allow you to compare the power of Abrams, Leopard, and T-80 tanks; Navy SEALs, SAS, and GRU special forces; F-15 and F-16 fighters with Su-27 and MiG-29. However, victory depends on the player's skill. In this guide, we will explain how to get started in WARNO and play at least at a basic level.

WARNO is a third-person wargame with a huge unit tree and a core mechanic of calling in reinforcements on the battlefield instead of producing them on-site. It places a strong emphasis on realism: all distances, speeds, characteristics, and variety in the armament of combat units are close to reality. Even elements that are difficult to simulate at the RTS level, such as damage to a tank depending on the point of impact, are still calculated using formulas close to reality.

If you want results at higher difficulty levels, be prepared to study the strengths and weaknesses of each unit as well as class mechanics. For example, an infantry squad is usually armed with rifles, machine guns, and anti-tank missiles, each with its own firing range and targets. Meanwhile, the «artillery» class has different firing options, from mass-launching unguided rockets to precise artillery shell shots, and the latter is not necessarily worse.

Inevitably, vegetation, (in)visibility from other units, friendly fire, and so on will intervene. There are many mechanics at the «low» level, and all must be considered when giving commands. The entry threshold is high: it can take about 6 hours to grasp the basics, but understanding the fundamentals of gameplay can take about 12 hours. This does not include the global «Army General» mode, where the game turns into a TBS with its global map. We will not touch upon this in this guide.

Although the variety of mechanics in WARNO is vast, several key ones can be highlighted, without understanding which there's no point in playing the game.

Firstly, the core mechanic of calling in reinforcements — the method of introducing new units or performing necessary actions during the game. Instead of producing an army on-site at some base, you call it in from beyond the map's borders. Each summoned squad first reaches the map independently and then moves from its edge to the line of engagement under your control. This makes it difficult to quickly respond to changing conditions and prevents overwhelming enemies with a zerg rush.

Units themselves are acquired for call points (in the early version — command points), and no one will give them to you for free. This is a key game resource that is gradually awarded during the game, but you get significantly more for successfully completing various tasks or achieving goals. Before the battle begins, you will have a starting budget that you can spend on calling specific combat units of the selected army. You choose the army earlier, at the party creation stage.

At the beginning of the round, soldiers and equipment are deployed in the starting zone, usually at the edge of the map. On the other side, your opponent similarly deploys their battle formations. Control points are also scattered across the map — key objects on the map that players fight for. Capturing such a point provides a strategic advantage and gives additional resources (the same call points), but requires careful defense. Holding control points can significantly influence the outcome of the battle.

There is indeed a fog of war, although the map is fully visible from the start, which can confuse beginner players. Unlike other RTS games, the authors of WARNO did not cover the entire map with a fog of war but retained its principle of operation — as a commander, you will not see the position of enemy units until your soldiers see them on the ground.

This leads to another principle — personal line of sight. Each unit in WARNO has its own field of view, limited by a certain radius within which it can detect enemies. This area varies depending on the type of soldier, their characteristics, and their position. For example, scouts have a wider field of view compared to regular infantry, and visibility from a height will be better than in a lowland.

In early access, the game showed the field of view only for a specific unit (the middle button under the map), but the fields of view were summed between squads, and information about the enemy was spread immediately. When one combat unit detects an enemy and engages in battle, neighboring groups, if their firing range allows, will support the first.

Soldiers do not always occupy suitable positions, whether it's defense or attack. This is because the units in the game have behavior patterns that replace micromanagement. Soldiers and equipment will not stand rooted to the spot where you commanded them to go but may look for a point with better protection in the vicinity. Therefore, always check their position after they reach the selected area.

Also, make sure that the firing sector faces the threatening direction and is not turned away from it. This sector is present, for example, in tanks. If the tank's gun is facing the direction from which the enemies will come — it means everything is correct. Otherwise, it will lose precious seconds to turn the turret, or even the whole hull, and will most likely be destroyed.

In WARNO, unit movement is more complex than in most other RTS games. If it's infantry — they need to gather and form up, or disembark and spread out. If it's vehicles — they need to start the engine, turn in place, and only then move out. Paved roads accelerate movement so much that soldiers often want to jump onto the road, travel 300-500 meters, and then turn back into the field, instead of traveling a kilometer or two off-road.

Every action on the battlefield — capturing a control point, destroying an expensive (in points) enemy unit, or successfully defending a position — is a tactical success. These small victories accumulate and will eventually lead you to victory. A player's skill lies in achieving the best possible outcome in each skirmish by changing combinations of combat groups and applying different approaches to each situation.

But the banal «losing fewer of your soldiers and destroying more of the enemy's» will not suffice here, as you command the entire army as a whole. A successful tank breakthrough can be nullified by an arriving squadron of enemy helicopters, and stubbornly sitting in defense will quickly end when the enemy rolls up artillery.

Victory is achieved comprehensively. First and foremost, reconnaissance — the eyes and ears that go a step ahead of the main forces and reveal the enemy's location. Therefore, sending them into battle like regular infantry should only be done in extreme cases.

The main action is usually handled by the tank-motorized infantry combo, which moves at roughly the same speed and has enough armor and firepower to secure enemy positions. Try to create several such groups. They should support each other but not stray too far from regular infantry. Using the advantages provided by buildings, forests, and rivers, the infantry effectively dislodges the enemy from entrenched positions.

At the beginning of the battle, find the key points and transport hubs on the map, occupying which you will gain an advantage. For example, the enemy will not be able to advance until they capture a transport hub of several roads.

Move combat groups to such points and spread out. But do not hold onto territory aimlessly; instead, position your units to form a unified combat link or continuous chain. This will allow you to attack identified enemy groups with your entire army, passing them along the chain from one of your squads to another and effectively «chasing» them across the entire front line. In case of an enemy breakthrough at one point, your neighboring squads can act as a «fire brigade» until reinforcements arrive.

When your forward squads firmly take positions, call in more infantry and give them time to deploy at control points and key transport hubs. This way, you will get strongpoints and can start pushing the enemy between them. During an attack, avoid clustering your units in one spot and attacking from only one side. Ideally, you should engage the enemy in battle with one group and quickly pull up allied combat units from nearby positions.

It won't hurt to have AA and artillery from the start of the game. Calling in a plane or helicopter is an expensive pleasure, which cannot be said about protecting against them. Even simple AA will become a thorn in the enemy's offensive plans.

Artillery plays a key role in supporting your troops and destroying enemy fortifications. It effectively pushes back entrenched enemies or weakens and slows down their units from a long distance. But artillery is only effective with accurate data on enemy positions. Reconnaissance should constantly update information so your artillerymen can aim and deal maximum damage. Identifying a concentration point and striking it is a classic move in wargames like WARNO.

Don't forget to include artillery in your offensive. While tanks and infantry advance towards enemy positions, artillery provides suppressive fire. But don't forget about counter-battery warfare — in such a case, immediately move the artillery to another location.

Note that only a command unit can capture control points. Such a unit is marked with a star (see screenshot above) and belongs to tanks, infantry, or supply. Squads without command insignia will not be able to capture a point even if they occupy it. Or if there is an enemy commander at the point and yours is not, the enemy will capture the point despite it being occupied by your troops. Your commander's presence is essential.

In the early access version of WARNO (spring 2024), there were already good scenarios for learning the basic gameplay elements. And it's not just about deploying and moving units, although that's also included. In training, you will learn many nuances through various examples.

For example, how to capture key points with commanders and why simple soldiers won't manage. Or that scouts have a class feature and can be positioned further than regular soldiers. You'll learn how tank battles occur and that a more powerful tank is not always stronger than a weaker vehicle. And you will also learn to manage aviation, which is always somewhere beyond the horizon. You'll understand how the supply system works.

Importantly, during training, you will receive feedback from all branches of the military — you will understand how infantry, motorized infantry, tanks, artillery behave and what to expect and not expect from them. What are the rules of engagement (also known as «orders») and what behavior patterns each squad has. In general, it is definitely not worth ignoring.

After training, open the «Operations» section and complete the story missions for the Soviets and NATO. These campaigns will take only 10-20 minutes each but will help you learn to command an entire army rather than individual units. You will gain valuable experience and tips on how to fight in different conditions, such as assaulting bridges, and become better at handling the game. We also recommend completing the campaigns on easy and medium levels to see how the AI's behavior changes and what breakthroughs it invents.

In the spirit of old-school RTS, the authors of WARNO have integrated gameplay mechanics into the game settings. That is, you can choose certain unit behavior patterns, and they will be applied to control your entire army. These settings will be pulled by default at the beginning of each skirmish, but you can change them in the process.

Open «Settings» and select «Gameplay». For example, in the «Behavior: advancement» line, which is responsible for troop movement, you can choose «move with attack» or «normal movement». We recommend the latter, as the hotkey Q allows you to send troops into attack at any moment. Several other settings:

We hope it is now clear why you need to look into the settings section. We have listed only the main gameplay settings of WARNO; you can set the rest yourself.

So, in WARNO, you command an entire army, earning call-in points for successes on the front. But armies can be different — infantry, tank, airborne, balanced. They are formed from various branches of the military. You can familiarize yourself with the entire roster in the «Arsenal» section. The tree is large and may even be intimidating at first, given the vast selection.

There's nothing you can do about it — you'll have to carefully study the available options and characteristics. Each unit is represented by a 3D model, basic parameters, and class specialization. In the characteristics section, you can get detailed information about combat capabilities, armor, speed, and other important parameters.

Before choosing an army for battle, familiarize yourself with the units that comprise it and how well this particular division is suited for fighting the opponent. A well-balanced army is more flexible and resilient in combat, whereas a specialized one, such as an armored division, is better suited for breakthrough tasks and a specific style of play. Units not listed in the roster cannot be called in; for example, an armored army may have a rigid set of aircraft.

During your first acquaintance with WARNO, you won't be able to remember all the troops. Therefore, choose one Soviet and one American army, then conduct several battles in the single-player campaign on an easy difficulty level: first for the Soviets, then for NATO, against each other.

This way, you will not only get used to the general mechanics of the game but also understand the strengths and weaknesses of specific units of both armies. This will help you understand which squads are effective in different situations and who can defeat whom in battle. With such experience, you will be able to look at the map and, just by the icons of the combat units, understand the current situation. And take action.

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The entry threshold to WARNO is indeed high, but the efforts invested in mastering the game will quickly pay off. You will be able to make faster and more accurate decisions in battles, significantly increasing your efficiency. Moreover, this will prepare you for more challenging matches with other players, where your skills and strategies will be truly tested.