Panzerpioneer Squad Symbol

Panzerpioneer Squad

symbol
Infantry
Panzerpioneer Squad
Panzerpioneer Squad Portrait
Afrikakorps Icon

Support infantry that can provide limited anti-infantry combat support, repairs, and build defenses. Can reveal nearby camouflaged units. Combined Arms bonuses when near combat vehicles.

The Panzerpioneer Squad is a DAK infantry unit. In skirmishes a single Panzerpioneer Squad will always spawn as a starting unit, and additional squads can be produced from the . However, they are also available as a call-in from the faction's Deployment System, specifically the Panzer III Assault Group (which deploys a transporting a Panzerpioneer squad upgraded with the GrB Grenade Launcher package).

As an engineer unit it is capable of repairing damaged vehicles and emplacements, constructing defences and resource caches, as well as laying mines. They can be upgraded with one of three packages, including a flamethrower, minesweeper, or grenade launcher. More info about their upgrades and associated abilities can be found below.

The Panzerpioneer also counts as a detector unit, allowing them to reveal enemy camouflaged units at a larger 25 meter range instead of the usual 12.5 range.

Unlike other factions, the DAK are not reliant on only Panzerpioneers to repair, as many of their infantry units are also capable of repairing. However, these infantry repair at a lower rate compared to Panzerpioneers. As with most DAK infantry, Panzerpioneers receive the Combined Arms bonus when near combat vehicles, making it ideal to fight near vehicles when possible. They also benefit from several Battlegroup perks, as well as various upgrades from the .

Panzerpioneers are armed with rifles instead of submachine guns, and so their damage curve is far more linear compared to other engineer units. This means that while they will not have a surprising burst of damage when in close quarters, they are far more consistent at farther ranges whereas other engineer units are only effective at close range.

While this unit is fairly lacking in durability and damage (especially as it has one of the lowest health in the game), it is a very cheap squad to produce and field. By default they are most effective in numbers and when supporting other units that are more suited for direct combat, especially when fighting with vehicles that grant them the Combined Arms bonus. As with other engineer units, upgrading them with one of their available packages can dramatically increase their utility and combat effectiveness.

Note that units that are performing repairs/construction will take significantly increased damage from enemy fire. Thus, be careful when ordering these tasks in a fight!

Veterancy


Veteran Star FullVeteran Star EmptyVeteran Star Empty

650 XP

Unlocks veteran ability. Unit is harder to hit and fires faster.
Veteran Star FullVeteran Star FullVeteran Star Empty

1950 XP

Increases accuracy, rate of fire, and unit is harder to hit. Improves repair and construction speed.
Veteran Star FullVeteran Star FullVeteran Star Full

3900 XP

Increases accuracy, rate of fire, and health. Unit no longer takes extra damage when repairing.

Veterancy Abilities

  • Stun Grenade: Active ability. Throws a stun grenade at the target area which will debilitate infantry by disabling their weapons and greatly reducing their movement speed and vision range for a few seconds. The Panzerpioneer squad throwing the stun grenade cannot stun themselves, but the grenade can affect other friendly troops. Note that the duration still continues even if the affected infantry retreats after being stunned (but not if already retreating), meaning they will still be slowed until the duration ends.

Upgrades


Flammenwerfer 35 icon
Flammenwerfer 35
Upgrades the squad with a flamethrower. Flamethrowers ignore cover and deal area of effect damage that is effective against infantry, buildings, and emplacements.
Munitions Cost

50

GrB 39 Grenade Launcher icon
GrB 39 Grenade Launcher
Upgrades the squad with a grenade launcher. Grenades have a small blast radius and are effective against infantry at range.
Munitions Cost

85

Advanced Hazard Removal Package icon
Advanced Hazard Removal Package
Upgrades the squad with a minesweeper, wire cutters, and better repair tools.
Munitions Cost

45

  • Advanced Hazard Removal Package: Equips the squad with one Minesweeper, allows the squad to destroy barbed wire via the Wire Cutters ability, and increases the squad's repair rate. While the Minesweeper is equipped, any nearby enemy mines the squad encounters will automatically be detected, revealing it and preventing it from triggering regularly (can still explode from being damaged). The squad can then defuse the mine (either automatically or by right click from the player), removing it from the field completely. Note that the soldier holding the Minesweeper effectively has no weapon, so in combat situations the squad will actually deal less damage. The Minesweeper can be unequipped or equipped via a toggle ability, allowing the squad member to use his weapon again but forgo detecting mines if the Minesweeper is not equipped.

  • Flammenwerfer 35: Grants the squad one flamethrower. The flamethrower is very effective against units in cover or garrisoned inside structures, but it cannot be fired on the move. Overall the weapon dramatically improves the squad's anti-infantry and anti-structure performance. If the entire squad is killed, the flamethrower will drop to the ground and can be picked up by any infantry with available weapon slots, including the enemy!

  • GrB 39 Grenade Launcher: Grants the squad one grenade launcher, as well as the Smoke Rifle Grenade ability. The grenade launcher uses indirect fire projectiles that land with a small blast radius, creating area of effect damage. Due to the projectile's travel time it is less effective against moving targets, though it boasts impressive range for a small arms weapon. As such, it is effective against stationary targets especially infantry in cover or garrisoned, though it can damage light vehicles too. If the entire squad is killed the grenade launcher will drop to the ground and can be picked up by any infantry with available weapon slots, including the enemy!

Note that once the squad has been upgraded, this decision cannot be reversed/changed.

Armory Upgrades

  • Veteran Squad Leaders: Globally adds combat bonuses to all infantry. +25% veterancy rate gain, -10% incoming damage. Increases Panzergrenadier squad size by 1.

  • Advanced Field Repairs: Globally increases the repair speed of all infantry by +2.5 health a second.

Abilities


Booby Trap Territory icon
Booby Trap Territory
Deploy a Booby Trap on the targeted point that explodes and makes the point more difficult to capture when enemies attempt to capture the sector.
Increases capture and decapture time by +100% for %2% seconds.
Munitions Cost

45

Time Cost

30

Wire Cutters icon
Wire Cutters
Destroys a section of barbed wire, enabling access to infantry.
Defuse Mine icon
Defuse Mine
Defuses the selected mine.
Force Recon icon
Force Recon
Increases the Line of Sight of infantry when they are near vehicles.
Smoke Rifle Grenade icon
Smoke Rifle Grenade
Fires a smoke rifle grenade at the target.
Time Cost

180

Stun Grenade icon
Stun Grenade
Throws a stun grenade at the target that can temporarily debilitate infantry.
Reduces target vision by -100%, -75% speed, and disables weapons. Lasts for %3% seconds.
Munitions Cost

25

Time Cost

60

Combined Arms icon
Combined Arms
Increases accuracy, speed and makes unit harder to hit when near combat vehicles.
+10% accuracy, +15% speed and squad is 10% harder to hit.
Advanced Repairs icon
Advanced Repairs
Orders the unit to repair the target vehicle, building, emplacement or bridge. Has increased repair rate. Hold CTRL to override repair command, allowing the unit to garrison structures or vehicles.
Restores +%1% health per second. Unit takes +%2%%% additional damage and is +%3%%% easier to hit while repairing.
Repair icon
Repair
Repairs the target vehicle, building, bridge, or emplacement over time. Hold CTRL to override repair command, allowing the unit to garrison structures or vehicles.
Restores +%1% health per second. Unit takes +100% additional damage and is +200% easier to hit while repairing.
Plunder icon
Plunder
Plunder a vehicle wreck for leftover weapons that is dependent on the wreck being an Allied or Axis vehicle. Panzergrenadiers - M1918 BAR or Breda 30 Light Machine Gun. \nAssault Grenadiers - Thompson SMGs or StG 44 Assault Rifles. \nPanzerjäger Squad - Panzerbuchse AT Rifle or M9 Bazooka. \nPanzerpioneers - M1919 Light Machine Gun or G43 Scoped Rifle.
Vehicle Support - Secure Location icon
Vehicle Support - Secure Location
Increases the capture and decapture rate of infantry when they are near vehicles.
+25% capture and decapture rate.
Minesweeper Disabled icon
Minesweeper Disabled
Orders the squad to equip or unequip a minesweeper. When equipped, minesweepers allow the unit to find and defuse enemy mines.
  • Combined Arms: Passive ability. The squad will gain +10% accuracy, +15% movement speed, and -10% received accuracy when near friendly vehicles. This encourages fighting while near friendly vehicles due to substantial combat bonuses.

  • Repair: By default Panzerpioneers can repair at the standard engineer rate of +8 health per second. Their repair rate can be increased with the Advanced Field Repairs upgrade from the Armory, increasing it by an additional +2.5 per second for a total of +10.5 per second.

  • Minesweeper Toggle: Toggle ability only available when the squad is upgraded with Advanced Hazard Removal Package. Toggles equipping or un-equipping the minesweeper. While the minesweeper is equipped the squad can detect mines. Note that while the Minesweeper is equipped, one squad member effectively has no weapon in combat and thus the squad will deal less damage overall.

  • Smoke Rifle Grenade: Active ability. Available only when equipped with GrB 39 Grenade Launcher. Fires a smoke round at the target area, creating a smoke cloud that obscures line of sight. Smoke is useful for a variety of offensive and defensive purposes.

  • Wire Cutters: Active ability only available when the squad is upgraded with Advanced Hazard Removal Package. Allows the squad to remove a targeted barbed wire section.

Construction Options

  • Sandbags: Creates a line of heavy cover that can be utilized by infantry. Counts as an obstacle that can vaulted over by infantry. Can be crushed by most vehicles.

  • Barbed Wire: Creates barbed wire that cannot be passed through by infantry, but can be crushed by any vehicle.

  • Schu-Mine 42: Lays down a mine that is triggered when any enemy units pass over it. The explosion is significantly damaging to infantry and will initially suppress them. Also deals significant damage to light vehicles, and guarantees 'Engine Damaged' to any vehicle.

  • Resource Cache: Constructs a resource cache over a captured resource node at a Manpower cost. Resource Caches increase the resource granted from its node by 50% (Munitions or Fuel). Does not increase Manpower income if built over a Manpower node. The territory itself cannot be captured until the structure is destroyed.

Additional construction options can be gained from the Defensive Operations perk available within the Italian Infantry Battlegroup (see below for more info).

Battlegroup Abilities

This unit can benefit or unlock additional capabilities below:

Armored Support Battlegroup

  • Salvage Kits: Enables Panzerpioneers and Panzergrenadiers to use the Rapid Salvage active ability. Rapid Salvage will salvage a targeted vehicle wreck for resources, granting more fuel proportional to how expensive the wrecked unit was (i.e heavier tanks will salvage for more than light vehicles).

Italian Combined Arms Battlegroup

  • Vehicle Support - Secure Location: Passive ability. Increases the capture and decapture rate of infantry when they are near vehicles.

  • Vehicle Support - Force Recon: Passive ability. Increases the vision range of infantry when they are near vehicles.

Italian Infantry Battlegroup

  • Territory Booby Traps: Enables Panzerpioneers and Guastatori to plant Booby Traps on captured territory and Victory points. These traps are triggered after a short delay when an enemy unit (including vehicles) moves into the capture radius.

  • Defensive Operations: Enables Panzerpioneers and Guastatori to build Teller Mines, Tank Traps, HMG Bunkers and Reinforced Barbed Wire.

    • Teller Mines: Lays down more expensive mines that only triggers upon vehicle contact. Deals far more damage than regular mines, and is quite capable of taking down many light vehicles on its own. Guaranteed to cause 'Engined Damaged' state to any vehicle.

    • Tank Traps: Creates a series of tank traps that cannot be passed through by most vehicles. They also act as scattered heavy cover for infantry. These are hardy obstacles that are durable to damage and cannot be crushed by anything but the heaviest of vehicles.

    • HMG Bunker: Construct a directional facing HMG bunker for Manpower costs. The HMG bunker effectively acts as a stationary HMG structure that can suppress enemy infantry.

    • Reinforced Barbed Wire: Replaces the regular Barbed Wire construction option. Creates a line of reinforced barbed wire that cannot be crushed by several light vehicles. Takes slightly longer to build compared to regular barbed wire.

Battlefield Espionage Battlegroup

  • Intel Disruption Beacon: Enables Panzerpioneers, Panzergrenadiers and Funkpanzerwagens to construct Intel Disruption Beacons (). Intel Disruption Beacons camouflage infantry and team weapon units. Detects nearby enemy units on the mini-map. Enemies are warned when near a beacon. This perk conflicts with Sector Subterfuge.

  • Sector Subterfuge: Enables Panzerpioneers, Panzergrenadiers and Funkpanzerwagens to construct Siphon Radio Beacons (). Siphon Radio Beacons reduce the income of enemy territory points and transfers the difference to the beacon's owner. Enemies in the sector also have reduced capture rates. This perk conflicts with Intel Disruption Beacon.

  • Plunder: Plunder a vehicle wreck for leftover weapons that is dependent on the wreck being an Allied or Axis vehicle. This perk conflicts with Transfer Depots.

    • Panzergrenadiers - M1918 BAR or Breda 30 Light Machine Gun.

    • Assault Grenadiers - Thompson SMGs or StG 44 Assault Rifles.

    • Panzerjäger Squad - Panzerbuchse AT Rifle or M9 Bazooka.

    • Panzerpioneers - M1919 Light Machine Gun or G43 Scoped Rifle.

  • Transfer Depots: Resource Caches are upgraded to the that allow for the trade of Fuel or Munition for Manpower. Conversion rates are improved when placed on higher value resource points. Panzergrenadiers can also build Transfer Depots.

  • Advanced Ambush Training: Improves the First-Strike ambush accuracy bonus of infantry squads from +40% to +50%, damage bonus from +25% to +35%, and the duration is increased from 5 seconds to 7.5 seconds.

Weapons


Kar98k-panzerpioneer-ak
Near
Mid
Far
Accuracy0.750.6880.625
Range72235
Penetration1.500
16


Change Log

1.7.0 Onyx Shark July 16 2024

Panzerpioneer

  • Accuracy increased from 0.6/0.55/0.5 to 0.75/0.688/0.625