Node Building Tips - Where? Why? & How? - Hell Let Loose 

I agree with basically everything here and I follow many of these tips. The way I prefer to build nodes is a mix of hints from this video: use the solo-swap out method and build nodes spread well out from each-other so that satchels are not effective on more than one at a time, and, it will sometimes make recon think it is a random single node, not part of a set. Then I have them hidden with the environment somewhere at least 100m away from the HQs, usually to the far corners of the map or well forward of the HQs, and somewhere that won't be immediately noticed by recon when they do stroll through HQ. However depending on map as noted in the video, sometimes there are a lot of buildings near an HQ that make great hiding spots for nodes. Fuel nodes can often be placed next to fuel barrels, pumps, and other map assets in the HQ that look like the fuel node. Turn the soviet and german fuel nodes 180 degrees and up against a building or fence and it will often look like a map asset lean-to or shed structure. While manpower nodes aren't the easiest to blend in, they can still go in some bush or near other tents and many people will probably run right past them without noticing. Nothing is more conspicuous than a big mess of barbed wire and structures and not only can enemy recon use the OP trick to jump the fence, any vehicle can drive straight through. Including jeeps/kubelwagens; which are the ultimate node hunting vehicle. My other tip is that sometimes just putting nodes right next to the friendly artillery is a good idea. At a minimum, if anyone is actively using/defending artillery the enemy recon may well know the nodes are there, but will have more important things to do. Any time they try and spend the time on dismantling a node is a time they are easy pickings for HQ defenders. In that case you want the nodes in a very conspicuous spot where anyone near them will be plainly visible by someone who deploys at HQ. However, if no-one is using artillery or an enemy satchel player manages to use a jeep to get close, they're again a very easy target for a satchel hit-and-run. So the best is to still spread them somewhat around by the arty.

I miss when nodes provided more resources the closer they were to enemy HQ. Riskier to build them behind enemy lines, but it often paid off with the amount of resources you could gain.

Thanks for the video. More people need to build nodes for the team and for their own XP / loadout grinds. I started playing commander a lot and it's so hard to get all nodes built in public games.

Didn't know about that outpost spawn into barbed wire. I've been driving into barbed wire instead, but good to have both options available.

Thank you for explaining the best practices, especially the building methods. This will be extremely helpful to link to whenever someone asks about them. For the first method, which I've often heard called the "slow build", I prefer to just fully build the manpower node first, distribute mines fairly close, rearm, place the last two blueprints, distribute the second batch of mines a bit further away and then swapping to Support. Updating the blueprints so they don't time out can be done after the second drop. The time inbetween the mine laying bridges the 2.5 minute gap pretty well (and often quite exactly). If done right, 5 minutes is all you need without assistance from other players. "Slow build" is a misnomer though. It feels longer but after 5 minutes you are ready to rejoin the squad. If you border build and use the first free spawn supply truck (and thanks again for emphasizing how important the first truck for two initial free garrisons is), the slow builder has a head start of up to 2 minutes... or 3 minutes left. You'd probably be by the border anyway by that time and it is really only a matter of actual build time. If you don't use the first truck, you can't start before the CO drops another one which takes whatever the supply truck's cooldown is, then making the trip to the border before having them built. However either way, it then comes the issue of not abandon that supply truck (again thank you for specifically mentioning that). Bringing it back to HQ or to someone/somewhere useful takes up additional time away from the squad or wherever you need to be. Unless the first supply crate was dropped for you and you don't have to worry about the supply truck, it's likely to take longer. Perceptive COs sometimes drop supplies for the HQ build, asking for one can however lead to getting a supply truck instead. Even if communicated clearly to your SL or even the CO directly via prox or text chat, there's still the potential of falling victim to language barriers or the CO accidentally falsely assuming you were going for the border regardless or that you misspoke. It may not be a huge deal but unused assets are at risk of being taken out by an HQ raiding recon tank for example. BTW did they change which cooldown abilities benefit from what node? I'm pretty sure the manpower node is (or at least was) responsible for both the supply box and the first aid box. Also out of curiosity, how much of the content is based from active playtime compared to debates on the subject?

Another nice video. As a frequent node builder and recon spotter I think placing nodes just inside HQ squares is too predictable unless the other side has terrible recon. What I do sometimes is go to the outer edge of the next square on the opposite side of the map from capture points. Recon rarely patrols there but the risk is if your team loses second to last point you lose your nodes. Most of the time though if you have lost the second to last point all your HQ nodes are about to go down too as the enemy swarms the last row

Thanks. Informative video. One thing I was thinking could prevent the OP tactic vs. the barbed wire triangle "method" would be to double up the barbed wire and fill in the gap(s) with something else (maybe mines and/or anti-tank roadblocks). Everything can go boom boom, however, with a well-placed satchel anyway.

Love the long detailed strategy videos. Great stuff man

It's a great video for Engineers and Support players, for every player/class i would say so they know what's going on; some times i like to build a Man Power node in the strong point that we're ordered to fortify, so the Support players can have another supplies crate in 2.5mins instead 5 to build barbed wire, walls, tank obstacles or lay down that last crate to finnish a bunker or place some defensive AT guns.

If I am doing the solo swap, I typically also space out the nodes. Sometimes I will even put one at each HQ hidden away. It takes longer, but they stay up longer too.

Sometimes you get lucky and somebody will see you and drop their box too

Great vid thanks!

Thank you for your very good videos. You always have something to add!