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War in the East 2 Scenario Tier List — Where to Start

War in the East 2 Scenario Tier List — Where to Start

Author: Verdict Games Editorial Team Last Updated:

The Bottom Line

In War in the East 2, where you start matters enormously. This tier list ranks scenarios by learning value, not quality: begin with the tutorials and small operational scenarios, grow through mid-sized campaigns, and save the full Grand Campaign for when you are truly fluent. The Grand Campaign is the game's summit, ranked low here only because it is the last thing a new commander should attempt, not the first.

Summary

This War in the East 2 scenario tier list ranks where to start, from the tutorials and small operational scenarios up to the full 1941–1945 Grand Campaign. It ranks by learning value and time commitment for new and growing commanders — not by quality, since even the lowest tier here is the game's pinnacle. Small scenarios teach the systems at a manageable scale; mid campaigns build fluency; the Grand Campaign is the ultimate goal once you are ready.

Who This Is For: War in the East 2 players choosing which scenario or campaign to play Intermediate

Key Points

Key Points

1

Start with tutorials and small scenarios — they teach the systems at a manageable scale.

2

Mid-sized operational scenarios build fluency with a real front and a defined length.

3

The full Grand Campaign is the summit — save it for when you have mastered the systems.

4

This ranks learning value and commitment, not quality — even the lowest tier is excellent.

How to read this tier list

War in the East 2 offers three full-map campaigns and seven smaller operational scenarios, and where you begin has an enormous effect on whether the game clicks or crushes you. This tier list ranks those options not by quality — every one of them is excellent — but by learning value and time commitment for new and growing commanders. The higher a tier, the better a starting point it makes: manageable in scale, focused in scope, and forgiving of the mistakes every newcomer makes. The lower tiers are the game's grandest and most celebrated content, ranked low only because they are the wrong place to begin, demanding fluency in every system and a commitment measured in hundreds of hours. Read this as a road map from your first turn to your first Grand Campaign, not as a judgement of which content is best.

Treat the tiers as an order of progression. Start at the top and work down as your confidence grows, and do not feel any pressure to rush toward the Grand Campaign — many players spend most of their time in scenarios and enjoy the game enormously. The goal is to match the scope you play to the time and skill you actually have.

This ranks scenarios by where to start and how much commitment each demands, not by quality. The Grand Campaign sits low here because it is the last thing to attempt, not the least worthy — it is the summit of the whole game.

The tier list

S
Tutorials The essential first stop. Worked through with the manual open, the tutorials teach the interface and core rules at zero risk. Skipping them is the fastest route to being overwhelmed, so they top the list for every new commander. Small operational scenarios The ideal true starting point: a defined front, a limited order of battle and a set length let you learn movement, combat, supply and HQs at a manageable scale. This is where the game becomes learnable rather than terrifying.
A
Mid-sized operational scenarios Focused battles like the four-month Destruction of Southwest Front give you a meatier challenge with more moving parts, while still being bounded in length. The perfect step up once the small scenarios make sense.
B
Later-start full-map campaigns Campaigns beginning after 1941 hand you a more established front and are somewhat shorter than the full grand campaign, making them a more approachable way to experience full-map play before committing to the whole war. Focused historical operations Scenarios built around a specific historical operation reward some system fluency and teach how the game models real campaigns. Rewarding once you know the basics, a poor first choice before then.
C
The 1941–1945 Grand Campaign The summit of the game and the reason many own it — the entire Eastern Front from Barbarossa to Berlin. Ranked here only because it demands mastery of every system and hundreds of hours; a magnificent destination, a terrible on-ramp. Multiplayer / PBEM grand campaign A grand campaign against a human opponent is the ultimate test, but it multiplies the commitment and assumes total fluency. Superb for veterans, entirely unsuitable as a starting point.

Why starting small wins

The reason the tutorials and small scenarios top this list is that War in the East 2's difficulty comes not from any single system but from facing all of them at once across an enormous map. A small scenario strips that down to something a human can actually hold in their head: a limited front, a manageable number of units, and a clear objective, so you can learn how supply reaches your troops, how deliberate attacks differ from hasty ones, and how HQs and railheads work without being buried. Every hour spent here pays off many times over later, because the systems you learn are exactly the ones the campaigns demand. A commander who has run a few small scenarios competently approaches the Grand Campaign with understanding; one who jumps straight in approaches it with panic.

The A and B tiers are the natural next steps, adding scope and complexity in digestible increments. Mid-sized scenarios introduce more moving parts while remaining bounded; later-start campaigns give you full-map play without the full length of the 1941 epic. Progressing through these, rather than leaping to the summit, is how you build the fluency that makes the biggest content enjoyable instead of overwhelming.

Do not measure your progress by whether you have played the Grand Campaign. Many experienced players spend the bulk of their time in scenarios and love the game for it. Play the scope that fits your time and skill, and treat the Grand Campaign as an option you have earned, not an obligation you owe.

Reaching the summit

The Grand Campaign sits at the bottom of this list, but make no mistake: it is the pinnacle of War in the East 2 and, for many, the whole point of the game. Commanding the entire Eastern Front from the opening of Barbarossa through to the fall of Berlin, across hundreds of turns and hundreds of hours, is an experience no other wargame can offer. It is ranked low here purely because it is the last thing a new commander should attempt — it assumes fluency in logistics, combat, air war, command and weather all at once, sustained over an enormous span. Approached after the tutorials, small scenarios and mid campaigns have done their work, it is a triumph; approached first, it is a wall.

So use this list as a path. Start at the top, earn your way down, and arrive at the Grand Campaign as a commander ready to enjoy it rather than one drowning in it. For the systems you will need along the way, see our logistics guide and combat guide, and the beginner guide if you are just starting out.

The Grand Campaign is not a beginner scenario, no matter how eager you are. Attempting the full 1941–1945 campaign before you are fluent in the game's systems is the classic way to burn out and abandon it. Respect the progression — the summit is far more rewarding when you are ready to climb it.

FAQ

FAQ

Start with the tutorials, then the smallest operational scenarios. These give you a defined front, a limited number of units, and a set length, so you can learn movement, combat, supply and HQs without the entire Eastern Front demanding your attention at once. The full Grand Campaign, though it is the game's pinnacle, is the worst possible starting point because every system is active across a colossal map. Learn small first, then scale up — it is the single most important choice a new commander makes.
Not at all. The 1941–1945 Grand Campaign is the summit of War in the East 2 and the reason many players own the game. It ranks low in this list only because the list measures where to start and how much commitment each option demands, not quality. The Grand Campaign is the last thing a new commander should attempt, not because it is poor, but because it requires fluency in every system and a commitment of hundreds of hours. It is the destination, not the on-ramp.
It varies enormously. Small operational scenarios can be finished in a reasonable number of turns and are ideal for learning, while mid-sized operational scenarios like the four-month Destruction of Southwest Front offer a focused, meatier experience. The full-map campaigns, especially the complete 1941–1945 Grand Campaign, can absorb hundreds or even thousands of hours across a single playthrough. Choosing a scenario whose length matches your available time and experience is a big part of enjoying the game.
As a newcomer, play scenarios; as you gain fluency, move toward campaigns. Scenarios are focused, with a clear front and a defined end, which makes them the right tools for learning and for shorter sessions. Campaigns, especially the Grand Campaign, are open-ended epics that demand mastery and a large time commitment. Many experienced players happily spend most of their time in scenarios, so there is no obligation to graduate to the Grand Campaign — play the scope that suits your time and skill.
The scale of the scenario matters more than the side, but the two interact. In early-war scenarios the Axis is usually attacking, which teaches you to manage supply as you advance, while the Soviets are often defending and trading space for time, which teaches resilience and rebuilding. Both are instructive. Pick a small scenario first, choose whichever side appeals, and focus on learning the systems rather than on the outcome; you can explore the other side once the fundamentals click.

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