Salamon aleikum, priviet, and hello dear readers.

In light of the recent flare up of events in north-western Syria, specifically Aleppo and Idlib (Hama soon), I've decided to use the absurd amount of footage coming out to teach whatever is left of this game's players how to properly conduct THE syrian warfare. I've also noticed the severe lack of useful guides for this game outside of Russian guides, so I thought I'd bless the 5 players that are left.

I am not a professional nor have I ever conducted an actual study on this, but I have an even greater certification which is that I watch Tahrir al-Sham GoPro videos, making me the smartest man on earth.

This guide will be discussing Rebel tactics, because as we have seen in the current operation, the SAA tactics seem to crumble when it's not a 4 year stalemate.



Make no mistakes, this post doesn't have any political standpoint, the SAA is simply being steamrolled at the moment.

So, how does one Syrian warfare?

First, we have to discuss the most basic thing about warfare, movement. How you move your troops through open fields, Urban areas, and so on. This is something that the Syrian rebels have historically been exceptional at, as per the footage below.


There's a reason why these guys blitzkrieg'd their way into Aleppo, took Idlib, and then reached Hama in the span of 3 days, rebel groups are much superior at movement than conventional armies.

The Usage of Vehicles



Vehicles are a must-have for conducting warfare. Not only for the superior firepower but the ability to move multiple troops quickly at a time and ensure their safety—aslong as there's no ATGM watching you. Rebels and Daesh, both of which have been known for conquering large amounts of land at small periods of times, have shown mass uses of such vehicles, they allow for a quick transportation and even quicker disembarking, allowing you to surprise and overwhelm the enemy before an RPG can even track you.

So what vehicles are best for such movement across the battlefield?




The glorious BMP is a Soviet IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle) meant not only for fighting infantry, but also for carrying them in a safer environment than their flesh.

The BMP is famous for it's use in the hands of Rebels in many successful assaults—allowing for safe transportation due to it's heavier armor making it more durable to RPGs. If available it should be a number one pick for a troop carrier. It allows for quick and safe transportation, and a safe dismount due to the available firepower from it's turret.



The BTR Series of vehicles are armored personnel carriers—who's russian name translates to "armoured carrier", shocking.

Similarly to the BMP, they are made for keeping the soft and vulnerable flesh of your soldiers safe from bullets, but are far more vulnerable and easier to destroy than the BMP, 1-2 RPG shots or a correctly aimed TOW and they are out of the game.

However, the BTR's also have powerful automatic weaponry on top, making them still highly useful against infantry or lighter vehicles—although the BTR itself is vulnerable to machine guns mounted onto technicals / used by infantry.

They are great for moving around urban areas quickly and combat dismounts similarly to the BMP, but will give you paranoia because if the wind is too powerful—it might just blow up.


Transport trucks, depending on the variant—can carry up to a dozen soldiers, and while allowing for the quick transport of multiple squads at a time, it is incredibly vulnerable to bullets, mines, RPGs, and TOWs.

Transport trucks should only be used in the backlines or generally in areas where the enemy will have zero view on you and should only enter areas already cleared out by your forces—a good usage for example is transporting reinforcements quickly while a certain point is under attack, dropping them off behind the point allows for safe and quicker transport without putting your trucks in danger.



A middle easterner's favorite toy, the Toyota Hilux and an uparmored trucks. The most useful vehicle in combat and the cheapest—before going all out on Tanks and APCs, make sure to invest in cars, a lot of cars.



Unlike the vehicles mentioned above, unless you are storming a building or a trench—you rarely should ever dismount your Infantry. These uparmored vehicles that can store infantry are widely and commonly used by Rebels to conduct gangsta-like drive-bys instead.


^ Example


Infantry, the fighters of all wars and bringers of victory, all battles and all wars are won in the end by the infantryman. While Cavalry are a great tool, what are Cavalry without the Infantry to support them?

How do you ensure the safety of your soldiers while causing maximum losses for the enemy?


While the engine of Syrian warfare and the AI that doesn't like to listen to commands don't allow for proper formations, it is still possible to recreate them to your best ability in Syrian warfare and put them to good use as they were meant to.

Syrian Warfare's engine comes with built-in formations that you can pick your Squads to be in—these are useful for crossing through urban / dense environments and open fields.

Note: The first mission of the game will be used here, for comfort reasons.


When in an Urban setting, it is recommended to place your troops in a straight line—Syrian warfare only allows for a horizontal line but by placing your troops sideways, you are able to put them in a formation optimal for urban warfare.


The squad file shown above allows for limited firepower to the front and rear in exchange for maximum firepower to the flanks (perfect for Urban Warfare), and is most common not only for Urban environments but generally dense terrain.

It is also recommended to use armed vehicles in order to ensure stronger firepower and a quicker response to engagement from both the front and rear of the line as shown in the illustration above.


For crossing environments such as open-fields, for example the majority of the third mission in Syrian warfare's main campaign—a formation that spreads your troops out is recommended.

There are two options:

Wide Line

A wide line allows for maximum firepower to the front of your squad while moving and gives enough space between your troops to not allow for them to be mowed down. It permits maximum fires to the front or rear, but minimum fires to the flanks, is the most difficult formation from which to make the transition to other formations, and is great for assaults as it allows to maximize firepower while moving.





Spread Out

The spread out formation is the squad's main formation for environments outside of dense terrain. provides good dispersion both laterally and in depth without sacrificing control, and it facilitates maneuver, it allows for troops to quickly transform into other formations and makes it so if an RPG is fired at your troops, it won't be able to strike multiple at once due to the dispersion.



Additionally, for open field maneuvers where your troops can be caught in the open by superior enemy firepower, it is always suggested to have an overwatch team watch over your maneuvering troops—preferably a vehicle due to their superior range. This allows for suppression or complete elimination of the enemy forces upon contact.

There are 3 movement techniques: traveling, traveling overwatch and bounding overwatch, i will go over these techniques.



I also suggest watching this video to get a good example of how these movement techniques look, as my explenations might not be the greatest and a visual example is always better.


Traveling is used when contact with the enemy isn't likely and allows for faster moving, in traveling you will have one squad atleast 20m infront to act as a "recon" so if the enemy does make contact with your force the rest will be able to act on their own instead of being engaged with the enemy, but it is more likely they will also come in contact due to the closeness of the 2 units, in syrian warfare since you move around with squads and not individual soldiers, you will need 2 squads for this and the rest of the movement techniques mentioned in this section unlike in real life where one squad breaks into 2 fireteams with the "point" fireteam leading the way.

Traveling overwatch is used when enemy contact is possible, Traveling overwatch is characterized by a fireteam leading the squad, with the leading fireteam being atleast 50m infront of the rest of the squad as a recon unit, so if they get engaged, the rest of the squad will be behind and ready to manuever around the leading team and engage the enemy.


Bounding is used when enemy contact is very likely. Bounding is the most fundamental movement tactic, also referred to as "leapfrogging", it is defined as "a movement from one position to the other in which a leading element, covered by a trailing element, moves to a predesignated limit.”. In simple terms, it is a movement tactic where one man watches for any enemies while the other moves. This can also be implemented with squads, where one squad watches while the other moves, this movement tactic is really useful for urban environment as it allows for one squad to quickly move from cover to cover with the safety of fire support.



There are 2 types of bounding movements as shown in the picture above, Alternative and Succesive.

The successive bound is characterized by the bounding elements bounding to a more or less parallel position when advancing.
If Squad A for example bounds to a car, Squad B will bound to a car parallel to Squad A.

The alternate bound is a bit different. When Squad A bounds up to a car, Squad B will bound up to a car further across and perpendicular to Squad A.


Syrian warfare contains the ability for your troops to 'take cover'—when taking cover, remember that your troops do not differentiate between cover and concealment, so bushes too count as cover.

The cover feature allows to conceal your troops, allowing for you to carry out ambushes such as in the Latakia mission in the main game's campaign, but also allows for your troops to get behind small objects when not inside of a building in order to gain slight cover from enemy fire. It also allows for small micro-adjustments of your troop's positions. Double tapping it makes your troops crawl.

This section of the guide will discuss the proper tactics that must be employed in order to conduct a safe assault and maximize casualties on the enemies while minimizing yours.

Before I get into the tactics, make sure that if available, you use the Assault Squad. The troops in the Assault Squad have both a grenade launcher and an RPO, literally meaning "rocket-propelled infantry flamethrower". This squad is the most optimal for clearing out buildings, either by destroying the entire building or because of their superior close-combat abilities and explosive power.


Before getting into the actual combat, I must mention the most crucial element of an assault: Smoke Grenades. Smoke can be fired from certain vehicles and most infantry units.

Smoke grenades allow for concealment, blinding your enemy to your assault until you're already inside of the building, infront of their faces.

Enemy troops rely heavily on a clear sightline, especially machinegunners, ATGM operators, and snipers—which inflict the most damage on assaulting troops due to the Linear path towards a building. Using a smoke grenade forces them to either reposition in order to get a clear sight on your troops, or fire blindly into the smoke—reducing their accuracy and wasting ammunition.

Additionally, smoke can be used to isolate enemy forces in a building you're planning on assaulting. By throwing smokes around the building during the assault you take away the enemy's ability to engage your assaulting troops from surrounding areas.

Example of an assault i did on Blitzkerig on Al Fath made by Tovarish Lieutenant





Armored vehicles have two main uses for assaults, those being Dismount and Overwatch. Armored vehicles such as the BMP allow for a safe dismount of your troops right next to an enemy-held point (Aslong as you mix it with the other tactics shown in here) due to the heavy armor and turret—allowing for both suppressing fire and movement.



Depending on the building you are assaulting, this could also allow for you to get your troops in the enemy's blindspot in a quick manner.



Additionally, armed vehicles (Technicals, APCs, Tanks) allow for the suppression and quick elimination of entrenched enemy forces as your infantry assault a point. Vehicles can also be used to divert enemy attention, letting their infantry fire aimlessly at your armored vehicle as your infantry creep closer.



Take note that armored vehicles should never be maneuvered individually. The smallest maneuver level for armor is a section (Two Vehicles)


Similarly to what is mentioned above, if you have no vehicles or they are occupied fighting in a different sector at the time of the assault, infantry overwatch can also be used to cover your assaulting forces. It won't distract enemy fire as armored overwatch would, but still suppresses and allows for the elimination of enemies before your troops get inside—allowing your troops to have an easier time when they reach the target.

Snipers, Machinegunners, or Infantry armed with Grenade launchers are preferable as they allow for the most accurate / damaging suppressive fire.


If you have multiple squads at your disposal at the time of the assault and your path towards the target isn't completely linear, it is suggested to flank the enemy position by sending your squads in through multiple paths—causing the enemy to have to direct their fire either towards two different positions, weakening it. Or ignore one of the assaulting squads while focusing on the other.




Mortars are an infantryman's greatest tool for assaults, it allows you to wipe out entire enemy squads and soften the defenses of the target point without your troops ever being in sight of the enemy. Mortars allow you to clear out entire defense lines with enough ammunition and allow you to check how many enemy troops you have killed, giving you an estimate of how well fortified the area is.

Anytime an enemy is eliminated, your troops gain XP and additionally have the number show up in their statistics by pressing on the green button containing their experience rank and then checking the specific unit.

Note: When defending your point, make sure to NOT use SAA tactics!!!

Many of the game's missions put you in the position of the defender, only later on in the mission conducting a counter-attack. So, how do you defend a point from an overwhelming enemy that has infinitely-spawning hordes?


For a proper defense, you must use the terrain of the area you are defending for your advantage, creating Linear Danger Areas where the enemies are wide in the open for your troops to mow down and creating unpassable choke points.

As an example, take the first mission of the game, where you're forced to defend a police station from a rebel assault, where they have a constant infinite supply of rebels to throw at you.

Their main path towards the police station contains a slope and buildings above it, allowing for you to thwart any assault attempt as long as you have a few snipers and RPG squads watching over it. This is a great example of how to use terrain to your advantage, forcing your enemy to walk through imminent death zones.


Buildings offer excellent cover for infantry but are vulnerable to indirect fire (ie. mortars, RPGs, Tank fire). As a defender you must use structures and open firing positions to maximize maneuverability incase of a need to retreat.

Tall buildings, and in general high ground gives you much better visibility of the enemy while making it harder for them to spot / engage with your troops, it is always suggested to place your troops in a tall position to allow for maximum range and visibility towards your enemies, while in some cases making it impossible for them to hit you. This is shown greatly in the Damascus Suburbs mission, where enemy troops placed in the taller buildings are impossible to shoot unless you storm the buildings.


Creating a multi-layered defense instead of one line built on hopes and dreams that your enemy does not flank you is what makes a good defense. It ensures your enemies face additional obstacles and makes sure that when getting past your first line of defense, they'll still face tough resistance.

Divide your defense into at least three lines: frontline, support line, and reserve line. Place lighter forces at the frontline to delay the enemy while heavier units hold the support line and always have troops in reserve to either reinforce the frontline or stop an enemy attack on an undefended area.


You rarely are ever supplied with engineers, but when you are, make sure to fill the choke points created by your forces with anti-tank and anti-personnel mines. Anti-Tank mines go first so the enemy armor doesn't detonate your anti-personnel mines.

Minefields can stop entire attacks without your troops even needing to lift a finger, additionally Engineers have the ability to place TNT, allowing you to boobytrap entire buildings incase the enemy takes hold of them, and detonating it on the enemy forces after the capture.


Syrian warfare gives you the ability to drive most vehicles in your surrounding area, this allows you to use civilian vehicles / unused vehicles as obstacles, allowing for either the complete blockage of certain entrance points into your defense, or creating additional chokepoints for your enemy to have to pass through under your troops' fire.

For example, in the first mission you are flanked by multiple enemy technicals and troops—the entire assault can be thwarted by simply placing the starting car in the middle of the road and then placing an RPG Squad on the building infront, making them still targets.

As can be seen in the following screenshot, most vehicles got stuck behind the car, the ones that made it past wasted so much time figuring their way around that my RPGs already managed to get them as my infantry destroyed their engine.




Setting ambushes up along the way to your defense disrupts enemy momentum and can neutralize key threats before they even reach the point. Syrian warfare allows you to set your troops into Ambush mode where they do not fire unless commanded to or fired upon.

Small but powerful groups such as snipers, machinegunners, or ATGM squads are perfect for ambushes as they allow for quick movement after firing (due to their small nature) and are impossible for enemy troops to spot unless in an active engagement.

Incase you'd like to go all out, you could also place some RPG squads in dirt patches next to roads that will be able to ambush enemy convoys on their way to attack your point.




Wait... Smokes? I thought you only use those for assaults? Why would you want to cover your enemies?

Smoke grenades can be useful for retreats or to cover reinforcements as they reach the frontline of the defense. If you are overwhelmed by enemies and don't want to sacrifice all of your frontline, instead preferring to drag the enemy deeper into the point where most of your heavier troops are, smokes are a great way to do so without leaving your troops running in the open, similarly to what's been happening in the past few days.


Another similarity between defense and offense! Mortars are a great tool for defensive operations, allowing you to thwart enemy waves attempting to assault your position, mortars force the enemy troops to get into crawling position and stand still in an attempt to not die, allowing for your troops to pick them off if the explosions of the mortars haven't already done so.

War exists for one reason and one reason only, that being profit. So what's the point of Syrian warfare if not to make money?



Syrian warfare contains an economy system, your currency is "control points" which I prefer to NOT be using the acronym for. Using these points you can purchase infantry units, tanks, vehicles, and helicopters.

During a mission, you can capture as many enemy vehicles as you like and sell them for profit, not having to sacrifice any of your initial units, or you could use the enemy's vehicles against them in future missions, both save points.

Additionally, every enemy soldier killed grants you a small amount of points, making this game far more immersive to real life, more death = more profit. It also gives you more of an incentive to keep your own troops alive as it causes a loss of points.

Thanks for wasting your time on reading this, if you'd actually like me to get in-depth into tactics such as Armored Warfare then feel free to ask me to, I just lazied out on this one, love you all.