Hello, everyone!
You thought this summer would be a quiet one? WRONG! At Eugen, we keep working to make Steel Division 2 a better experience. We don’t beat around the bush. That’s why we are ready to unveil the new Nemesis Divisions concept in today’s post.
Nemes-what, you’d say?
Nemesis Divisions are Eugen’s answers to our community’s prayers for more and fresh Steel Division 2 battlegroups. The best part? You get to decide which division should be launched next!
Nemesis Divisions Explained
Since Steel Division 2’s release last year, players have been asking for more divisions, more units, more of everything! We are happy to oblige. While keeping to our summer of ‘44 time frame, we did cherry pick certain cool units from other Theater of Operations and battlefields not featured in the base game or one of our expansions. In some cases, these other Theater of Operations weren’t as interesting (or original) compared to the already established settings in Steel Division 2, and they didn’t warrant a full-blown History DLC expansion with a meaty Army General campaign.
Still, some of these Theaters of Operations did feature interesting divisions or units, which we’d love to include in our game, one way or another.
How to go about it, we asked ourselves.
The answer? Let’s do smaller DLCs, featuring only two divisions, one from each side, in which we explore some alternative Theater of Operations but maintaining the chronological link to the rest of the game. Each battlegroup pair represents a specific battle and would have faced each other (or close enough) in real life, allowing us to shine a light on potentially interesting yet obscure engagements of the war.
The Nemesis Divisions concept was born! However, the fun doesn’t stop here...
Vote for your favorite Division
...because fun is better shared! We realized we wanted to give YOU a voice in choosing which Nemesis Divisions’ pair we should release next.
How does it work? Simple: we will draft a list of divisions we consider interesting, highlighting the specific Theater of Operation they faced off against each other, and you pick the pair you’d like the best. Once a set of Nemesis Divisions is voted on by the entire community - and we have a winner - we will work extra hard to get them on the Steel Division 2 battlegroup roster as soon as possible. Then, we’ll repeat the process and make a new vote on the next set of Nemesis Divisions from a list of potential candidates.
We’ll try to include something new and tasty with each Nemesis Division, be it new vehicles, tanks, planes, soldiers, or even… new nations. We’ll present each division in a blog post like the one you are reading now, letting you check all the details before making a decision.
We are open to your suggestions!
Priming the pump
We know you are overwhelmed and already halfway out the door to research THE definite list you want to propose to us, but hear us out first. To make things easier, we have locked the first Nemesis Divisions’ choice - see it as us priming the pump.
So, without further ado, the first pair of the new Nemesis Divisions. Let’s welcome the 16. Panzerdivision and the 97th Guards Rifle Division to the stage!
The upcoming Nemesis: Battle of Sandomierz Bridgehead will transport us to August 13th, 1944, to the battlegrounds of Poland. The battle from this Theater of Operation took place south of Warsaw while the more important clash of Praga/Radzymin (featured in our The Death on the Vistula expansion) at the gates of the Polish capital was dying down. Further south, the Red Army had managed to cross the Vistula and establish a bridgehead on its western banks near the town of Sandomierz, which the Germans were desperate to destroy at all costs.
What makes this particular battle interesting is that it was the first clash on the Eastern Front between the two super-heavy tanks of World War II: IS-2 vs. Königstiger! A duel that was won that day with flying colors by the Red Army.
The First Nemesis DLC detailed
Let’s take a closer look at our first set of Nemesis Divisions.
16. Panzerdivision
16. Panzerdivision was a spent shell without Panthers and only limited infantry, anti-tank, and AA forces compared to a “regular” armored division. Yet, for that counter-offensive the 16. Panzer was supported by not one but two Tiger battalions, one of them freshly reequipped with brand-new Königstiger (H). This is an up-armored version of the super-heavy tank already featured in-game with 21. Panzerdivision. That’s the top of the food chain for you.
Hoping to take the Soviets by surprise, the Germans attacked after only a brief preliminary artillery bombardment. As such, the division won’t have any off-map artillery, but a good number of Nebelwerfer units instead. Like over Warsaw, the Luftwaffe made a special effort to provide air support, allowing the 16. Panzer to field numerous fighter and fighter-bomber units.
97th Guards Rifle Division
97th Guards Rifle Division was to receive the full brunt of the German counter-offensive, yet held its ground superbly. And for a good reason. Thanks to very active Razveddozor (scout) combat patrols, the Soviets had received early warning about the timing and direction of the impending attack, and of the presence of German big cats on the prowl.
As such, the 97th Guards was heavily reinforced with anti-tank guns, close to a brigade worth of T-34/76s and T-34/85s, and even the mighty IS-2 tank. Due to the constraints of the newly established bridgehead, with its limitation on the movement of troops and vehicles across the few makeshift bridges across the Vistula, heavy artillery had to be left on the eastern shores. Air cover was also minimal, with the VVS (Red Air Force) operating almost at maximum range.
First Nemesis DLC for free
We will make the first Nemesis DLC featuring the 16. Panzerdivision versus 97th Guards Rifle Division available for FREE. This is the 10th free DLC, fulfilling our promise when we launched Steel Division 2. It will likely not be the last free one, though, rest assured!
Future Nemesis DLC will be PAID, of course, as they will also include new units, new infantry models, and maybe even new nations (with full voice acting and native swearing).
The first DLC, Nemesis: Battle of Sandomierz Bridgehead should release in September. In the meantime, starting this August, you’ll be presented with the first three pairs of Nemesis Divisions in three separate posts. After we have detailed them all, you’ll be able to pick your favorite in a community-wide voting contest before the month is through.
We can’t wait to see which ones you’ll choose!
Black Sunday History DLC
We are still hard at work on the Black Sunday DLC. We hope to release it very soon, but we can’t give you an exact date yet!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/988171/Steel_Division_2__History_Pass/
Be sure to check out Steel Division 2’s History Pass. The History Pass includes the new “Black Sunday” expansion, as well as the The Fate of Finland expansion and The Death on the Vistula expansion.
Coming up next
As always, we are keen to hear what you think! Help us make Steel Division 2 an even better game! Reach out to us via our
Steam forums and Eugen forums, or keep an eye out on our social channels (Facebook and Twitter). Looking for an online game? Check out the kick-ass Discord server or Reddit page.
See you on the battlefield, commander!
