In a new twist to the Advance Wars franchise, your Commanding Officer (CO) can now be a direct part of the battle. Being a capable strategist in the war room is one thing, but being an admired warrior on the battlefield – that’s the true test of a commander.

When a unit is situated on your HQ or its corresponding Factory, Airport or Port, you can choose to add your CO to the unit. This CO Unit is surrounded by a CO Zone, an area where other units within that zone can take advantage of the CO’s strengths through firepower or defence bonuses. The size of the zone depends on the CO you’re using, but it’s normally a two- or three-square area around the CO Unit. 

Each time a unit within the zone damages an enemy unit, your CO Meter starts to fill up – a morale boost of sorts.

When the CO Meter is half-full, the CO Zone expands by an additional square. When the meter fills completely, you can use a special CO Power which also affects your troops outside the CO Zone. These CO Powers can give mobility boosts, firepower bonuses, attack range bonuses, replenish unit numbers and more.

If at any time your CO Unit becomes destroyed, the CO Meter empties, but you can insert your CO into a new unit and start the process over.