Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor

Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor is the second and final standalone expansion to Relic Entertainment’s legendary 2006 World War II real-time strategy game. Released in April 2009, this expansion took a radically different approach compared to the massive, faction-introducing scope of Opposing Fronts.

Rather than adding entirely new armies or sprawling, dozen-mission campaigns, Tales of Valor zoomed the camera in. It focused on intimate, highly detailed “micro-campaigns” that highlighted individual squads and tank crews, while simultaneously introducing experimental, highly action-oriented multiplayer modes that flirted with the booming MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) genre.

The Narrative: Three Micro-Campaigns

The single-player experience was divided into three distinct, shorter “episodes.” Instead of commanding massive bases, players managed a tiny handful of elite units with RPG-like progression systems.

Tiger Ace (German Wehrmacht): Highly inspired by the real-life exploits of tank commander Michael Wittmann, this campaign puts you in control of a single, heavily armored Tiger I tank and its elite crew. You must navigate the ruined streets of Villers-Bocage, devastating British armored columns. This campaign introduced the Direct Fire mechanic, allowing players to manually aim and fire the tank’s main gun and machine guns using the mouse, completely changing the traditional RTS control scheme.
Causeway (American Forces): Following the paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division (Able and Baker companies) immediately after the D-Day drops. The campaign is a grueling, defensive meat-grinder where your isolated squads must secure and hold the vital La Fière causeway against relentless German counter-attacks.
Falaise Pocket (German Wehrmacht): A desperate, tragic campaign set at the very end of the Battle of Normandy. You command the remnants of the German army attempting to hold off overwhelming Allied forces just long enough to let their retreating comrades escape the encirclement of the Falaise Gap.

Experimental Multiplayer Modes

Tales of Valor heavily shook up the multiplayer sandbox by introducing three brand-new game modes that completely stripped away base-building in favor of pure, hero-based action:

Operation Panzerkrieg: A tank-only battle mode highly reminiscent of a MOBA. Players choose a single tank class (like a heavily armored bruiser or a speedy scout) and fight in a lane-based map, leveling up their specific vehicle, unlocking unique abilities, and capturing strategic points.
Operation Assault: A mode where players control a single elite “Hero” unit, pushing alongside waves of AI-controlled grunts to slowly grind down the enemy’s defensive lines and destroy their headquarters.
Operation Stonewall: A highly praised, purely cooperative survival mode. You and up to three friends share control of a small French town and must defend it against increasingly difficult, massive waves of AI enemy forces.

Reward Units and the Competitive Meta

While it didn’t introduce full new factions, Tales of Valor significantly impacted the standard competitive multiplayer meta by introducing Reward Vehicles.

If you owned the expansion, you were allowed to permanently swap out specific vehicles in your faction’s tech tree for brand-new alternatives before a match began. For example:

The US Forces could swap the M8 Greyhound for the heavily armored T17 Armored Car, or swap the M10 Tank Destroyer for the speedy M18 Hellcat.
The Wehrmacht could replace their motorcycle with the amphibious Schwimmwagen.
The British could deploy the Kangaroo Carrier (a notoriously heavily armored personnel carrier) or the Staghound.
The Panzer Elite gained access to the French-captured Hotchkiss Light Tank.

Development and Legacy

Released in 2009, Tales of Valor received a mixed reception from critics and hardcore fans. While the Tiger Ace campaign and the cooperative Stonewall mode were highly praised, many players felt the expansion was vastly overpriced for the relatively short amount of single-player content it provided. Furthermore, traditional RTS purists disliked the experimental MOBA-lite multiplayer modes, preferring the classic base-building skirmishes.

However, the addition of the new Reward Vehicles made the expansion a mandatory purchase for anyone playing the game competitively online. Today, just like Opposing Fronts, you do not need to buy this expansion separately. It is fully integrated into the Company of Heroes – Legacy Edition on Steam, serving as the final, action-heavy chapter of Relic’s groundbreaking 2006 masterpiece.

Key Features:

Intimate Micro-Campaigns — Experience the war from the perspective of individual squads and tank crews across three deeply personal, narrative-heavy episodes.
Direct Fire Control — Take physical control of your tank’s turret, manually aiming and firing to devastating effect in the Tiger Ace campaign.
Action-Oriented Multiplayer — Ditch the base-building for experimental, hero-centric game modes like the tank-brawling Panzerkrieg and the cooperative Stonewall survival.
Alternative Reward Vehicles — Customize your classic multiplayer tech trees by swapping in brand-new units like the American M18 Hellcat and the British Kangaroo Carrier.
The Final Chapter — Fully preserved today as part of the definitive Company of Heroes – Legacy Edition package on modern PC storefronts.