We’re making Company of Heroes history! The Company of Heroes 3 Essence Editor and modding will be supported day 1. That means when the game launches, it will come with the latest that our brand-new Essence Engine 5 has to offer, and new capabilities to build more incredible Company of Heroes experiences than ever before. We aim to make the creation, sharing, and playing of mods as seamless as possible for both creators and players.
Once created, mods can be published to the Steam Workshop to enable an easy and familiar path to downloading and playing community content. At launch, we’ll be sharing comprehensive documentation for these new tools to help guide new and experienced creators.
At launch, you will be able to create:
- Maps & Scenarios
- Game Modes
- Tuning Packs
We aim to continue growing these tools with your feedback for years to come! Find all the details below, including a handy FAQ to answer your top questions.
Maps & Scenario Mods
- Create new RTS maps to battle A.I. in Skirmish or play with and against friends in Custom Games.
- Modify existing maps – change city layouts, or start from scratch and sculpt and paint a custom terrain.
- Choose HQ and Capture Point locations.
- Drag and drop squads, vehicles, or buildings anywhere on the map.
- Change the lighting from day to night, add atmospheric fog, carve out rivers and more.
- Upgrade your maps by adding a scenario script or custom logic. Be your own game director and create exciting stories and nail-biting missions.
Game Mode Mods
- Create new Game Modes to battle with or against the A.I. and other players and friends.
- With SCAR (Scripting at Relic) at your fingertips, the possibilities are endless - configure your own starting setup, win conditions, mid-match behavior and more.
- Direct the A.I. – get them to attack strongholds, capture or hold ground, defend positions, push or home-in on enemy forces, patrol and guard objectives and more. Create options for your game mode that hosts can use to change the match parameters.
- Script your own UI to implement custom functionality or add custom UI elements to the HUD
Tuning Pack Mods
- “Be your own balance designer” by creating a Tuning Pack to modify your matches in Skirmish and Custom Games.
- Edit squad, vehicle or building properties like cost, build time, production output, health, armor levels, and damage.
- Modify tech trees and alter the progression path to units, buildings and abilities.
- Experiment and tune population caps, resource gain, economy, build speed and more! Caution: use responsibly as performance could be affected - many CPUs and GPUs were pushed to their limit while testing this feature!
Making & Sharing Mods
After purchasing Company of Heroes 3, creators will be able to download the Company of Heroes 3 Essence Editor from the Tools section of their Steam library. A full suite of documentation will be available on the web, guiding players through both simple and complex features in the toolset. Launching the Editor will present you with the Mod Wizard, which asks you which mod type you would like to create and sets you up with the files and panels you need to get started. When you are ready to test your creation, you just need to press the Build Mod button and launch the game – your mod can now be selected in a Custom lobby! When you are ready to share your creation, just Publish the mod from within Company of Heroes 3 – the mod will then be available on Steam Workshop for all players to see and download!
Pro Tip: Start with an existing scenario when learning the tools. Starting from scratch can be daunting but building from an existing template will help when creating your first mods.
Playing & Managing Mods
To play Company of Heroes 3 mods, players can browse the Steam Workshop to download a compatible mod and then select it in-game as a Skirmish or Custom match host. Players can also simply join a Custom match that has a modded Map, Game Mode, or Tuning Pack (or a combination) selected. They will then automatically subscribe to, download, and play the mod in moments. Any mods that a player subscribed to will automatically download updates that are published by the mod creator. Players can unsubscribe, report, and view mod details from the Mod Manager, available from the Home screen’s Mod tab.
Post-launch we plan to continue supporting, refining, and adding capability into the Company of Heroes 3 Essence Editor and in-game mod manager well into the future. We can’t wait to see the cool stuff you create!
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I download a mod for CoH3?
You can browse the Steam Workshop for Company of Heroes 3 to download a compatible mod and then select it in-game as a Skirmish or Custom match host. If you join a custom match that is using one or several mods, you will automatically subscribe to and download those mods. You can manage your mods from the Mod tab in CoH3’s main menu.
As a player, will I have to pay for mods?
No. All mods will be available for free via the Steam Workshop.
As a modder and creator, how do I access the modding tools?
Starting at launch, the Company of Heroes 3 Essence Editor is available to anyone who pre-orders or purchases Company of Heroes 3.
What types of mods can I make?
At launch, the Company of Heroes 3 Essence Editor will support Maps & Scenarios, Game Modes, and Tuning Packs.
Will you be adding more functionality so we can make different types of mods?
We plan to support the Company of Heroes 3 Essence Editor post-launch and will look to add new capabilities and quality of life improvements in the months and years ahead.
Can I make a total conversion mod?
Total conversion mods are not supported at this time
Can I create custom skins for infantry, vehicles, capture points or faceplates and profiles?
We are not supporting this type of mod at launch.
Can I port a mod I made in CoH1/CoH2 to CoH3?
Any mods you would like to see from CoH1 and CoH2 will need to be recreated to function in CoH3. Due to innovations in fidelity and systems, along with new massive capabilities added to the engine, all aspects of Company of Heroes had to be rebuilt by Relic for CoH3. We’re all starting over together.
Please keep your questions and feedback coming! We will continue to add to the modding FAQ above and further discussion helps us ensure we cover everything in our official modding documentation at launch.