Frontlines - Westwall: No Shooting Back

[Tassadar]

Time for the most amiable army imaginable. With Slow Reaction, the American force will be politely waiting for their turn and letting the Germans attack as they please. After all, might as well give the enemy a fighting chance if he is loosing anyway? I never got to try out this negative trait yet, so it is time to test it out.

Difficulty - Generalissimus

Traits - Liberator, Old Guard, Terrain Expert, Slow Reaction

Ideally, Slow Reaction would be slightly addressed by an abundance of good defensive heroes. Not having them reliably since I am staring a new campaign, I would need to rely on other means. Grand encirclements would be effective, but ultimately not that fun, as they would reduce the difficulty a bit too much. Massive overstrength and just overrunning things with best units possible would similarly lessen the challenges. Terrain Expert seems the most fair solution, reducing the damage taken by just a little bit, especially on Generalissimus. I also take Old Guard in case the negative trait makes me loose a unit by accident and Liberator to slightly improve my prestige situation, as I expect increased losses compared to more standard runs.

Frontlines: Westfall - To the Wall

Starting Prestige: 1541

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

1st Infantry Battalion - Rangers - *
2nd Infantry Battalion - US HW Inf 43 (M3 Halftrack) - *
1st Engineer Combat Battalion - US Engineers 43 (M3 Halftrack) - *

Tank

1st Tank Battalion - M5A1 - * - Cheap Replacements, Leadership, Sixth Sense

Recon

1st Reconnaissance Battalion - M8 Greyhound - OS11 - * - Field Repairs, Low Profile, Tank Killer

Anti-Tank

1st Tank Destroyer Battalion - M10 Wolverine - *

Artillery

1st Field Artillery Battalion - 75 mm HMC M8 - OS11 - *

Highlights


I cannot deploy any new units, but with Custom Army I can at least reinforce existing ones on turns 0.


One way to make sure Slow Reaction does not cause issues on the enemy turn is to destroy the enemy on your own. Things will not always go so easily, but I take what I can get.


Free target practice I guess? Probably won't have the time for this.


Yes, so far things are going well with minimal damage taken and not much in terms of organized German defense.


Reinforcements? How nice, I'll take free units as they are much better then the ones I started with.


Slow Reaction is a flaw that really emphasizes moving in support fire formations. While not always possible, it should be a priority when I can afford it, as taking free hits is a sure way to loose a unit.


Roth seems too well defended for me to attempt an attack, especially due to not having enough artillery. I just make some relatively safe shots for the experience.


Similarly in the south I do not dare to approach Pruem. The hex there is not worth enough prestige to justify it. Even if I managed to take it, it would cost me more than I'd earn.

Summary

Final Prestige: 3183 (up 1642)

Overall

I am taking things slow for now, learning how to play with Slow Reaction. It is a good thing this mission was not too difficult, as it allowed me to try a few ideas out and see which pay off, and which don't work too well. The two last bonus hexes are in theory possible to get if focusing all the attention on them, but it would probably require a really powerful combination of heroes from Killer Team and traits, or at the very least, prior map knowledge. That's fine, since it was meant to be a reconnaissance scenario, so it is actually good there's an objective that's not easily achievable.

[Tassadar]

Frontlines: Westfall - Bitburg

Hero:


Adding this hero to 2nd Infantry Battalion. He is not going to be as good as he normally would given that the trait will not work on defense, but still should reduce damage taken when attacking.

Starting Prestige: 2005

New Units Commissioned:

3rd Infantry Battalion - US Infantry 43 (Dodge WC63)
2nd Engineer Combat Battalion - US Bridge Eng (Studebaker Truck)
2nd Tank Battalion - M4A1 (field mod)
3rd Tank Battalion - M4 Crocodile
4th Tank Battalion - M4A3E2
2nd Tank Destroyer Battalion - M18 Hellcat
2nd Field Artillery Battalion - M7
3rd Field Artillery Battalion - M12 GMC - OS11
1st AAA Auto-Weapons Battalion - OS11 - M15 MGMC

Time to go on a massive shopping spree! I could use extra infantry, especially bridge engineers specifically for this mission. Additional tanks will also be useful including a flamethrower for clearing fortifications and a Sherman Jumbo that can take some hits. Another self propelled AT piece is a must, as well as some extra artillery and AA cover. Two of these units carry over from earlier in the previous mission, which saves me some prestige. I continue to follow the trend of a more collector-focused approach, as it is more fun given the wide roster of American equipment available. Of course given the traits I do not entirely rule out duplicates, but I'll try to avoid them if possible.

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

1st Infantry Battalion - Rangers - **
2nd Infantry Battalion - US HW Inf 43 (M3 Halftrack) - * - Fist Strike
3rd Infantry Battalion - US Infantry 43 (Dodge WC63)
1st Engineer Combat Battalion - US Engineers 43 (M3 Halftrack) - *
2nd Engineer Combat Battalion - US Bridge Eng (Studebaker Truck)

Tank

1st Tank Battalion - M5A1 - * - Cheap Replacements, Leadership, Sixth Sense
2nd Tank Battalion - M4A1 (field mod) - * - Field Repairs, Low Profile, Tank Killer
3rd Tank Battalion - M4 Crocodile
4th Tank Battalion - M4A3E2

Recon

1st Reconnaissance Battalion - OS11 - OS11 - M8 Greyhound - **

Anti-Tank

1st Tank Destroyer Battalion - M10 Wolverine - *
2nd Tank Destroyer Battalion - M18 Hellcat

Artillery

1st Field Artillery Battalion - OS11 -75 mm HMC M8 - *
2nd Field Artillery Battalion - M7 - *
3rd Field Artillery Battalion - OS11 - M12 GMC

Anti-Aircraft

1st AAA Auto-Weapons Battalion - QS11 - M15 MGMC

Highlights


Ready to advance! Also, trying out some new camo and insignia on the units with special heroes.


Good I brought my engineers! Getting rid of these mines would be a massive pain otherwise.


Moving a small force down south to scout for potential points of interests and to warn against any counterattacks.


Bridge engineers made my life easier and allowed to bypass the tougher German defenses. The map is designed in a way that's just begging for this approach and I have a strong feeling this was intentional.


I need to remember my fighter planes do not shoot back on their own and be cautious when using them. This time they got attacked by a relatively weak enemy, but jet fighters will not be so forgiving.


Two out of three objectives captured. I move slowly and in formation to avoid too many losses.


I also try to encircle the Germans when possible to gain some prestige by capturing. With all the free attacks the enemy is able to do, keeping my prestige situation good is a top priority.


Quite a nasty counterattack from the south! Panthers are really dangerous, as they make short work of my defenseless units. Time to end this mission by capturing the last victory hex and not extending the scenario. Normally I'd take my time to convert prestige into experience, but with Slow Reaction, I much rather preserve my assets, as the ratio of such a trade would not be favorable.

Summary

Final Prestige: 5341 (up 3336)

Overall

Good results overall, but almost every unit in my core took at least some damage. Nobody is safe and the AI will go out its way to aggressively push forward. I guess I need to learn how to abuse this behavior if possible. So far, I learned a few important lessons. Aside form having to be careful about the use of aircraft, it also became quickly obvious that keeping infantry in close terrain is not beneficial aside from a few niche cases. Even tanks can freely attack it, so open terrain where I can use my ground defense instead of close defense is almost always the better choice.

Regarding the mission itself, this was a solid difficulty spike compared to the first scenario, but within reasonable levels. Once again the map is designed in a way that any attempt to capture more ground is strongly discouraged and offers nothing of real value, but still can be attempted by a strong force just for the sake of clearing a self-set goal (especially since while some approaches are clearly encouraged by the designer, the map is large and offers a lot of freedom in decision making). Special heroes given to the player are also powerful, but not game-breaking, at least so far.

[Tassadar]

Frontlines: Westfall - Stolberg Corridor

Hero:


Hero assigned to 3rd Infantry Battalion. River Assault in some rare cases can be useful, but this only applies to very limited circumstances and is map defendant, so we will see how often it will benefit me.

Starting Prestige: 5330

New Units Commissioned:

4th Field Artillery Battalion - 8 Inch M1 (Studebaker Truck)
1st Fighter Squadron - P-47C
1st Reconnaissance Squadron - OS12 - F4
1st Bombardment Squadron - OS11 - A-20G Havoc

Last mission clearly showed the need for more artillery to suppress some of the more dangerous guns and to have some counter battery capabilities. The two fighter units inherited from the previous scenario will surely be worth using as well. I get a recon plane to supplement my air force, as it's a cheap way to get map knowledge.

New Equipment Provided:

1st Fighter Squadron - P-47D25

If my fighters are expected to perform decently, I need to upgrade them to some better variants.

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

1st Infantry Battalion - Rangers - **
2nd Infantry Battalion - US HW Inf 43 (M3 Halftrack) - ** - Fist Strike
3rd Infantry Battalion - US Infantry 43 (Dodge WC63) - River Assault
1st Engineer Combat Battalion - US Engineers 43 (M3 Halftrack) - **

Tank

1st Tank Battalion - M5A1 - ** - Cheap Replacements, Leadership, Sixth Sense
2nd Tank Battalion - M4A1 (field mod) - ** - Field Repairs, Low Profile, Tank Killer
3rd Tank Battalion - M4 Crocodile - *
4th Tank Battalion - M4A3E2 - *

Recon

1st Reconnaissance Battalion - OS11 - M8 Greyhound - ***

Anti-Tank

1st Tank Destroyer Battalion - M10 Wolverine - *
2nd Tank Destroyer Battalion - M18 Hellcat - *

Artillery

1st Field Artillery Battalion - OS11 - 75 mm HMC M8 - **
2nd Field Artillery Battalion - M7 - *
3rd Field Artillery Battalion - M12 GMC - *
4th Field Artillery Battalion - 8 Inch M1 (Studebaker Truck)

Anti-Aircraft

1st AAA Auto-Weapons Battalion - QS11 - M15 MGMC - *

Tactical Bomber

1st Reconnaissance Squadron - OS12 - F4

Reserve

2nd Engineer Combat Battalion - US Bridge Eng (Studebaker Truck)
1st Fighter Squadron - P-47D25 - * - Fast Rebase, Learns from Mistakes, Lightning Attack
1st Bombardment Squadron - OS11 - A-20G Havoc - *

I put most of my planes in reserve, as the placement of airfields does not seem to be ideal. Bombers and fighters would mostly operate around the edge of their range, which would limit their impact. I'd rather just have more ground troops this time.

Highlights


Can't say no to free units. It's just infantry, which will result in some duplicates in my core force, but also gives me some flexibility regarding army composition depending on requirements. Plus two such units with transports would be worth more than 500 prestige anyway, not even counting the experience they have.


Sherman Jumbo battalion helps defend Roetgen. For now only some infantry tires to sneak up on me, but who knows, more dangerous enemies might appear, so I selected my toughest tank for defense.


Kelmis falls without much effort, opening up the road north and northeast.


North of Raeren some Germans try to make a stand, but are quickly encircled, which helps my prestige situation.


I had a hunch those Sherman Jumbo tanks might be useful! Some light armored vehicles and more infantry try to make their way to Roetgen, but are no match for my tanks.


Area west of Aachen secure. As per orders, I do not approach the city itself, but focus on the secondary objective of clearing the hills south of it.


As the bulk of my army moves east, German resistance become much tougher and losses start to pile up.


Great award for the optional objective. Fast Deployment is great already, but the true treasure for this run is First Aid, as it will greatly help me offset the damage taken due to Slow Reaction trait. I will assign this hero to 1st Engineer Combat Battalion as soon as possible.


Panther tanks go for a free hit on my infantry, but recklessly position themselves in a close combat hex.


Just two more main targets to go, and the German defense is slowly crumbling.


Brand captured, but that heavy gun on the hills further north is a real nuisance!


Walheim falls last, and much easier than other targets, as there are no more enemy reinforcements harassing my army, not counting a few planes buzzing above.

Summary

Final Prestige: 7237 (up 1907)

Overall

Very interesting mission, as the map is large and objectives spread out, requiring some thought as to how to split the forces sent each direction. Even more interestingly, with my trait set I needed to make sure to have AT support in close terrain around the hills as well, where in usual runs most players should be fine with just artillery. The targets can be approached form a few different angles and the other goal of not ever loosing control of two towns further makes things spicy, as some defenses need to be kept there at all times. As with many missions, there is a critical point after which the enemy resistance breaks and things become much easier afterwards, but until that moment the AI puts up a decent fight. One thing to also note is what I mentioned earlier about airfield placement. This, coupled with German fighter cover and multiple AA units, limits the usefulness of planes in breaking resistance. While both in Bulge and Westwall I appreciate the attempt to make things much more focused on ground combat, I hope that one of the future DLC for the allied side will finally allow to unleash a massive air force.

[armedevil]

Always nice to read the AARs of missions you played yourself earlier (otherwise: beware of spoilers...).

Slow Reaction is one of the traits I would never consider, because a good commander would try to plan for all contingencies rather than accept slow response (and corresponding unnecessary casualties) from their troops. But respect for the challenge to make the game harder on Generalissimus. Maybe 10% less core slots would be more pure as a handicap.

[Tassadar]

Frontlines: Westfall - Sittard

Hero:


Finally a good hero that goes well with the run. Field Repairs is always welcome for dealing with chip damage, more so in this situation. Adding the hero to 4th Tank Battalion combined with sturdiness of Sherman Jumbo tanks means that I should hopefully not worry about replacements on that unit.

Starting Prestige: 8475

New Equipment Provided:

1st Bombardment Squadron - B-25H Mitchell

I need slightly better bombers, as the Havoc has poor stats and barley does meaningful damage for this stage of the war. Previous missions convinced me that a good plane to damage tanks and other heavy vehicles could be a good addition to the force.

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

2nd Infantry Battalion - US HW Inf 43 (M3 Halftrack) - ** - Fist Strike
3rd Infantry Battalion - US Infantry 43 (Dodge WC63) - River Assault
1st Engineer Combat Battalion - US Engineers 43 (M3 Halftrack) - ** - Fast Deployment, Fast Entrenchment, First Aid

Tank

1st Tank Battalion - M5A1 - ** - Cheap Replacements, Leadership, Sixth Sense, Steamroller
2nd Tank Battalion - M4A1 (field mod) - *** - Field Repairs, Low Profile, Steamroller, Tank Killer
3rd Tank Battalion - M4 Crocodile - *
4th Tank Battalion - M4A3E2 - * - Filed Repairs

Recon

1st Reconnaissance Battalion - OS11 - M8 Greyhound - ***

Anti-Tank

1st Tank Destroyer Battalion - M10 Wolverine - *
2nd Tank Destroyer Battalion - M18 Hellcat - *

Artillery

1st Field Artillery Battalion - OS11 - 75 mm HMC M8 - **
2nd Field Artillery Battalion - M7 - **
3rd Field Artillery Battalion - M12 GMC - **
4th Field Artillery Battalion - 8 Inch M1 (Studebaker Truck) - *

Anti-Aircraft

1st AAA Auto-Weapons Battalion - QS11 - M15 MGMC - *

Fighter

1st Fighter Squadron - P-47D25 - * - Fast Rebase, Learns from Mistakes, Lightning Attack

Tactical Bomber

1st Bombardment Squadron - B-25H Mitchell - *
1st Reconnaissance Squadron - OS12 - F4 - **

Reserve

1st Infantry Battalion - Rangers - **
4th Infantry Battalion - US HW Inf 43 (M3 Halftrack) - **
5th Infantry Battalion - US Infantry 43 (Dodge WC63) - **
2nd Engineer Combat Battalion - US Bridge Eng (Studebaker Truck)

Highlights


One group moves east, so far encountering only minimal resistance.


German airfield in sight, capturing it in 5 turns is no real challenge. I have lots of time to spare.


That Panther could have been very dangerous, but fortunately it stumbled into an ambush and was wiped out immediately. Interesting thing by the way that is useful to know - even with Slow Reaction, ambushes still trigger!


Some tough German forces counterattack east of Margraten, but they all fall to the power of good old encirclement tactics. Despite dealing a lot of damage in the process, they ultimately do not have a chance.


While this DLC does not have an overabundance of Vigilant tanks (in fact I don't think I've seen one yet), this is the second Last Stand hero I see. Not nearly as game-changing, but still requires to adapt accordingly, as just surrounding it simply won't work. Lowe Profile and Butcher also seem to be common enemy hero choices in Westwall so far.


With Margraten secured, I now focus on the optional objective and move all my forces north.


Slowly, but surely, my armies meet up just south of Sittard and prepare to besiege the city.


Optional objective secured for a really worthwhile award. A perfect hero choice for 1st Bombardment Squadron, should make my aircraft deal a lot more damage against priority targets while also being a bit safer without escorts.

Summary

Final Prestige: 10505 (up 2030)

Overall

Slightly easier mission that the few recent ones. This is because the map incentivizes to not split forces into more than two groups, which in turn makes them all much more resilient against German counterattacks. The timer is generous, so there's no need to rush after capturing the airfield and that little bit of experience gained so far helps put op a better fight as well. I also got somewhat luckily with a few poor choices the AI made, not of its own fault really, just pure chance, which saved me from some more difficult encounters. Still, I cannot drop my guard at any time given how easy it is to get attacked in positions that on a normal run I'd consider well defended. Recon is also important, allowing me to choose my fights and not stumble into overwhelming forces by accident. Lastly, if things go not as planned, there are always some auxiliary units that can sacrifice themselves for the greater good.

Always nice to read the AARs of missions you played yourself earlier (otherwise: beware of spoilers...).

Slow Reaction is one of the traits I would never consider, because a good commander would try to plan for all contingencies rather than accept slow response (and corresponding unnecessary casualties) from their troops. But respect for the challenge to make the game harder on Generalissimus. Maybe 10% less core slots would be more pure as a handicap.

AARs are always something I'd consider reading only after playing the campaign myself, but I guess most of the forum users happen to finish these campaigns, or at least some scenarios, so it is not as risky (I also try to be clear in the titles which campaign I'm running to avoid surprises). At this point I so got used to adding them here that it would feel very strange to play this game without a report.

Regarding Slow Reaction, I always try to make my campaigns somewhat unique, be it due to traits, or some self-imposed challenges. Mostly I'd consider longer, linked campaigns more interesting for the latter, since following some restrictive rules beyond what the game has pre-set can be tons of fun. The shorter, unlinked campaigns like this one I mostly treat as testbed for trying out general traits and other features. Slow Reaction so far has been an interesting one, since it completely changes how units need to be used and how the game needs to be played. Standard tactics will simply not work. I'm not yet completely sure about judging the fun factor it brings, but it is certainly challenging and keeps me focused. Certainly it is better than Inept Logistics (the -10% core slots trait), as that one is rather boring in what it does. Fewer core slots certainly have an impact on difficulty, but were not too thought provoking when I tried that out. They just mean fewer units and can be easily compensated by a lucky hero pull. On the other hand, things like Poor Ground Control, Green Army, Inefficient Supply or Slow Reaction require re-learning the game, which is refreshing once in a while (but certainly not something that I'd consider a standard).

[armedevil]

Yes, Slow Reaction requires damage control, Terrain Expert, Artillery/AT support, units with solid defensive values, and lots of repairs. Maybe meticulous planning would have been a good trait here (in fact it is always a good trait to have...). Combine both 1) prompt surrounding/neutralizing/capturing of attacking enemy units and 2) necessary repairs. Liberator and Old Guard seem much less useful.

A bit surprising that ambush still works, a camouflage hero would be useful then.

[Tassadar]

Frontlines: Westfall - Teveren

Hero:


Perfect for the M10 Wolverine unit to guard my forces against increasingly dangerous German tanks. In normal circumstances not that fascinating of a hero, but in this run he's a lot more useful.

Starting Prestige: 11124

New Equipment Provided:

1st Infantry Battalion - Rangers (Dodge WC63) - transport added

Just adding a transport to the rangers, as maps are simply too large to reliably use infantry without trucks.

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

1st Infantry Battalion - Rangers (Dodge WC63) - **
2nd Infantry Battalion - US HW Inf 43 (M3 Halftrack) - ** - Fist Strike
3rd Infantry Battalion - US Infantry 43 (Dodge WC63) - * - River Assault
1st Engineer Combat Battalion - US Engineers 43 (M3 Halftrack) - ** - Fast Deployment, Fast Entrenchment, First Aid

Tank

1st Tank Battalion - M5A1 - ** - Cheap Replacements, Leadership, Sixth Sense, Steamroller
2nd Tank Battalion - M4A1 (field mod) - *** - Field Repairs, Low Profile, Steamroller, Tank Killer
3rd Tank Battalion - M4 Crocodile - ** - Steamroller
4th Tank Battalion - M4A3E2 - * - Filed Repairs, Steamroller

Recon

1st Reconnaissance Battalion - OS11 - M8 Greyhound - ****

Anti-Tank

1st Tank Destroyer Battalion - M10 Wolverine - ** - Double Support
2nd Tank Destroyer Battalion - M18 Hellcat - *

Artillery

1st Field Artillery Battalion - OS11 - 75 mm HMC M8 - **
2nd Field Artillery Battalion - M7 - **
3rd Field Artillery Battalion - M12 GMC - **
4th Field Artillery Battalion - 8 Inch M1 (Studebaker Truck) - *

Anti-Aircraft

1st AAA Auto-Weapons Battalion - QS11 - M15 MGMC - *

Fighter

1st Fighter Squadron - P-47D25 - ** - Fast Rebase, Learns from Mistakes, Lightning Attack

Tactical Bomber

1st Bombardment Squadron - B-25H Mitchell - * - Evasive, FastLearner, Precision Weapon
1st Reconnaissance Squadron - OS12 - F4 - ***

Reserve

4th Infantry Battalion - US HW Inf 43 (M3 Halftrack) - **
5th Infantry Battalion - US Infantry 43 (Dodge WC63) - **
2nd Engineer Combat Battalion - US Bridge Eng (Studebaker Truck)

Highlights


The recently discovered fact that ambushes still function is something that works in my favor. I do not have means to abuse this, but sometimes I might be able to set up traps for unwary enemy units.


First hidden supply depot found. I do not plan to use equipment stored in these caches, at least not in this run, but I would still like to complete all optional objectives.


Second depot found and it is defended by a surprisingly unexpected enemy. It is a fresh idea to use Goliaths for the AI side. I don't think this was ever attempted before, unless my memory of Allied Corps is fuzzy at this point.


German panzer counterattack in the north...


...and in the south. Luckily both waves are not strong enough to do anything more than stall my advance.


Sometimes I am granted a real freebie. The AI was so desperate to retake this little village that it placed its precious Panther tank in a horrible spot.


Landgraf surrounded and slowly falling, two more main targets left.


Finally, I found the third supply depot! I was quite a bit off the beaten path, but luckily I had my forces moving in that direction anyway.


Kerkrade secure. It was poorly defended and thus all it took to capture it was some artillery and infantry. Armored vehicles did not see much action in the area.


Teveren also captured, but I decide not to advance towards Geilenkirchen. I could probably secure it just fine, but I don't think there would be any award other than prestige. I would likely loose more than I'd gain while attacking this location.

Summary

Final Prestige: 12368 (up 1244)

Overall

First of all, a small note. It has been a week since I reported on the previous mission, Sittard. I expect that updates to this AAR will unfortunately continue to appear at a much slower pace than my previous ones and might even extend into October. It's not the fault of the game itself, there are simply a few things that keep me occupied right now and affect my free time greatly. There might even be a small hiatus sometime in September. Luckily, I don't expect this to me anything more than a temporary inconvenience, but it does feel strange to add posts at this greatly reduced pace.

Back on topic, the scenario was a nice one that continues all the design trends of Westwall so far, which is limited usefulness of aircraft due to their range, enemy forces counterattacking in various areas, and large maps that offer a lot of freedom in decision making. Goliaths appearing were a really unexpected and cool addition. Finally, I am a big fan of the dragon teeth obstacles, as they serve a valuable role in curating the map layout and making the terrain really feel like full off fortified structures. I almost wish this new element could be retroactively incorporated into past scenarios, be it in the core campaign or even Axis Operations, as it can elegantly solve some of the concerns that mines and even 99 strength bunkers couldn't.

I am also getting more and more used to my set o general traits in may ways. Not only do I start to feel naturally what each formation needs to be able to operate independently and safely, but I am also less concerned with incremental losses during the mission. Even taking some heavier damage here and there does not change my net positive prestige situation, so I can afford to take some risks and play more aggressively than I initially thought I'll be allowed to.

Maybe meticulous planning would have been a good trait here (in fact it is always a good trait to have...). Combine both 1) prompt surrounding/neutralizing/capturing of attacking enemy units and 2) necessary repairs. Liberator and Old Guard seem much less useful.

I didn't want tot take anything that would make encirclement even better than it already is for me, as I feared it would trivialize the drawback of Slow Reaction. I went for Old Guard just as a precaution (I find it a good placebo for runs where I'm not sure how devastating the results can be for me, even if I ultimately never use the ability), while Liberator just to help in case I struggle for prestige overall. As it turns out so far, both are not really needed and if I were to choose, I'd probably swap them out for AA Veteran or something along these lines, as aircraft seem to have limited use so far.