Company of Heroes 3 (CoH 3) currently has two types of in-game currency: War Bonds and Merit. War Bonds are purchased through in-game microtransactions. Merit is earned through completing assigned daily and weekly challenges.
Introduced in the Operation Saphire Jackal update, both War Bonds and Merit can currently only be used to purchase cosmetic reskins for units and buildings inside the CoH3 store. However, if Relic decides to implement some of the microtransaction strategies from Company of Heroes 2, players may see commanders available for purchase in the future as well.
The developers have stated that they do not want CoH3 to be a pay-to-win game and that all of the items that can be purchased with War Bonds can also be purchased with earned Merit as well. However, it is worth noting that due to the limited nature of Merit earnings, and the nature of a weekly rotating featured skin selection, players who are willing to spend money on the game will be able to unlock cosmetics much more quickly than those who do not.
Here is a breakdown of how to earn and use the two types of in-game currency in CoH 3:
Merit
Earned by completing daily or weekly challenges.
Can be used to purchase an individual unit, vehicle, or team weapon skin in the store.
Currently cannot be used to purchase skin packs in the store.
Purchasable items are limited to the four skins in the highlighted section of the featured tab in the store, or skins with the Merit icon displayed in the cosmetics tab in the store.
War Bonds
Purchased as a microtransaction with real money.
Can be used to purchase all items in the store. This includes skin packs as well as the individual unit, vehicle, and team weapon skins available in the store.
How to Get War Bonds
To purchase War Bonds in CoH3, a player can hit the “+” that is to the right of their total War Bond count on the home screen of the game.
The current rate of CoH3 War Bonds in USD is as follows:
600 War Bonds - USD $4.99
1200 + 100 Bonus (1300) War Bonds - USD $9.99
2400 + 300 Bonus (2700) War Bonds - USD $19.99
4200 + 800 Bonus (5000) War Bonds - USD $35.99
6000 + 1500 Bonus (7500) War Bonds - USD $49.99
How to Get Merit
Merit is earned in CoH3 by completing daily and weekly multiplayer challenges. These challenges give the opportunity to complete in-game objectives in both Multiplayer and Co-op vs A.I. matches. Daily challenges reset every day at 0:00 UTC (midnight). Weekly challenges also reset at 0:00 UTC, however instead of daily, they reset every Sunday.
The maximum number of challenges a player can have at any given time is four. This includes two daily challenges that reward 100 Merit and 30 Merit respectively upon completion and two weekly challenges that reward 400 Merit and 250 Merit upon completion. This means, per week, a player can earn a total of at most 1560 Merit.
Here are some tips for completing challenges in Company of Heroes 3 to ensure you get your 1560 Merit per week:
Read the Challenge Carefully. Some challenges require specific factions or units to be used. Ensure you understand what you need to do in order to complete the challenge.
Plan Your Challenge Approach Before Your Matches. Planning ahead can streamline your challenge completion rate. For example, if you need infantry kills on an infantry unit, picking a commander with infantry buffing abilities can make the challenge easier!
Use Co-op vs A.I. or Custom Matches. While it’s arguably more fun to attempt the challenges in multiplayer matches, some challenges are much easier to complete when your opponent is not human. You can complete challenges in the Co-op vs. AI mode, or in custom matches where you face A.I. playing the opposite faction.
Check out our CoH3 Challenges Tips and Tricks article for a more in-depth guide on Company of Heroes 3 challenges!
How Much Cosmetics Cost
Cosmetic prices vary from unit to unit and also between War Bonds and Merit. Relic also places four individual cosmetics that may not normally be attainable individually in the highlighted section of the store so available cosmetics vary from week to week.
The general cost of cosmetics is as follows:
Cosmetic Packs
War Bonds: Cost anywhere from 540 to 1900 War Bonds. Generally 540 to 600 War Bonds for infantry and team weapon packs, and 1000+ War Bonds for vehicle packs.
Merit: Packs cannot be bought with Merit at the moment.
Individual Light Vehicles and Heavy Team Weapons Cosmetics
War Bonds: Light vehicles and heavy team weapons generally cost 120 to 180 War Bonds.
Merit: Generally costs 2000 Merit, though not all light vehicle and heavy team weapon cosmetics can be purchased with Merit.
Individual Light Team Weapons and Squads Cosmetics
War Bonds: Light team weapons and individual squad cosmetics cost 60 War Bonds.
Merit: Each cosmetic for individual squads and light team weapons cost 1000 Merit.
For more information on the introduction of currency and cosmetics in CoH 3, check out Relic’s blog post about the Operation Sapphire Jackal major update!