With the new DLC “No Step Back” and the free 1.11 patch there are some significant changes to how supply and logistics work. Let’s take a closer look on how it works now.
 
 

Intro

The core of the supply system works the same as before. Your supply comes from the capital city, but how the supply gets to your army has changed. It now comes via supply hubs and railways.
 
 
Supply is now handled at a province level, rather than a state level. Each individual province has a local supply pool that Divisions can draw from. The local population level and the state’s infrastructure determine how much supply is in that pool. If there is more supply than needed, then it goes to your national supply network.
 
 
Your supply originates from your capital and is sent outwards via your rail network to supply hubs. A supply hub is only active when there are divisions nearby that need to draw supply. Otherwise the supply is sent to the next active hub.
 
 
So if the local province doesn’t provide enough supply for your army, your supply hub will give them the needed supply.
 
 
 

Hubs and railways

The amount of supply a hub can give out depends on the level on the railway network between the capital and that hub.
 
The lowest railway level in that chain is capping your supply limit.
 
 
A level 1 railyway has a cap of 15. With every level the cap is increased by 5.
 
So:
 
level 1: 15
 
level 2: 20
 
level 3: 25
 
level 4: 30
 
level 5: 35
 
 
When you have a railway with three segments between a hub and the capital, and one the segments is level 2 and the others are level 3, then your supply hub can only have 20 supply. The level 2 railway segment is the bottleneck here.
 
So planing and carefully upgrading your supply network is more important.
 
 
Hubs have no upgrades and can be freely build whereever you need them, but they are very costly. One hub needs 20000 production.
 
 
When you have a supply hub with a low supply limit and can’t see which railway segment needs an upgrade, then you can click on the supply hub (with activated supply map mode) and automatically upgrade the railway to this hub to the next level.
 
 
 

Trains

Now you know about the supply hubs and railway, but you also need trains to get the supply from the captial to your hubs.
 
So you need a stockpile of trains. Trains can be damaged and when you have no trains, then no supply will go to your hubs.
 
 
The civil train can be upgraded via research. The upgraded civil train costs less in production.
 
With the DLC you can research armored trains. These trains work like the civil trains, but they have armor and last longer when the enemy tries to destroy your supply network.
 
 
 

Supplying your armies

Divisions carry a basic amount of supply with them all the time, but they need some replenishment once in a while.
 
 
The supply is in the hub and now it needs to be distributed to your divisions.
 
There are several factors that influence the distribution.
 
– The infrastructure level of the state
 
– The motorisation level of the supply hub
 
– The division has access to more than one supply hub
 
 
The motorisation level can be controlled via the army or the supply hub.
 
With a click on the supply hub (with activated supply map mode) you can control the motorisation level for this specific hub.
 
When you click on a army you can decide which motorisation level should the supply hub in the near use for this army. If the army moves out of range of a hub, then it will use his original setting again.
 
The motorisation level increases the range an the amount of supply that can be distributed from the supply hub.
 
The supply range from a hub is visible while hovering over the motorisation icon.
 
 
There a 3 motorisation levels.
 
The basic is supply via horses and is the default setting for the supply distribution. This has the lowest range, but also has no additional costs.
 
The two other levels use trucks from your national stockpile.
 
 
 

Some tipps

Don’t forget to build trucks and trains for your supply network.
 
 
Transport planes can carry out supply missions and help supplying your divisions.
 
 
The length of the rail route doesn’t matter. The level of each sections matters.
 
 
Use the upgrade button from supply hubs to easily upgrade your railway that leads to this hub.
 
 
Additional hubs and railways can be build via the construction interface.
 
 
Motorisation can increase the range and amount of your supply hubs.
 
 
Divisions have supply, but they need replenishment.
 
 
Some rivers work as a level 1 railway and can’t be upgraded.
 
 
 

Notes on DLC related features:

Notes on DLC related Features:
 
With the DLC you can use Logicistics Strike air missions, which targets trains and railways.
 
You can also use Scorched Earth in the state interaction, that will damage infrastructure and railways.
 
Additionally you can construct Mulberry Harbours to help supply your naval invasions.
 
 

 
 
Hope you enjoy the Guide about Hearts of Iron IV – No Step Back – New DLC Gameplay Information, if you think we should add extra information or forget something, please let us know via comment below, and we will do our best to fix or update as soon as possible!