In my first guide, we talked about France, and honestly, Italy is the exact opposite of France while also fulfilling a similar 'game time' niche. Whereas France relies on a strong defense, Italy primarily relies on a hard-hitting, rapid offense, while still possessing a valuable set of defensive tools for when the going gets tough. As you see, Fascist Italy borrowed a little idea from their German friends, and I'll be getting into that shortly, as well as having some genuinely interesting and surprisingly effective units, along with blindingly fast troops in general and no real obvious hole in their arsenal, unlike France, who lack strong AA, Japan, who lack effective armor, or the US, who lack affordable early to mid-game artillery.

So, without further ado, let's get right into it.

As I said in the previous guide, this verse is going to SEEM the same as the first, but only from a glance. Let's just get on with it and get the most glaringly obvious item out of the way.

PROS

+GOD TIER AA/AT CANNON

Oh, what's that, you want an 88mm gun but you don't want to play Germany? For the low, low cost of 40 credits, an AT base, and anything resembling a functional armored force, you get the AA 90mm, because if YOU don't get to have any awesome tanks, then f--k it, no one else is getting any either. The 90mm in real life was superior to the 88 due to better engineering, but in game, they're identical, but WHO CARES HAHA PLANE GO BOOM BOOM TANK GO BOOM BOOM. This absolute monster comes in quite a few flavors, including an AT gun (this'un), a Tank Destroyer (the Semovente TD), an Emplacement (The AA Emplacement), and a prototype unit (the Breda truck), so you're going to learn to love this little pocket cannon.

+Ridiculously cheap units

A funny function of Italy in Ruse is that almost all of its researched units cost exactly the same as their predecessor, in the case of the upgrades. Their upgraded medium tank? Same as the first. Their upgraded armored recon car that can tangle with medium tanks? Same as the first. Their elite infantry that can absolutely dropkick the Parmesan cheese out of all but the most powerful infantry and armored units when properly positioned? Same. As. The. First. And those base costs are rock-bottom. Their prototype heavy tank costs a whopping 25 cred, and their mediums come in at a strapping 15, because why the heck not?

+ Capable Air Force

While not nearly at the level of late-game Germany or the UK, the Italian Air Force is, in my opinion, a capable match for the US. The Falco is the fastest recon unit in the game, the Folgore shock troops are just a little better than most other paratroopers, the Saetta and Veltro are basically on par with their American counterparts, the Spaviero slaps buildings around like they owe him rent money, and properly escorted, the P108 can absolutely crush all but the most fortified buildings and positions. Oh, and did I mention that these units are also astonishingly cheap for what you get? Because they are, because why the hell wouldn't they be?

+ Three Disgusting Prototypes

Hey, you? Yeah, yeah, you. Ignore that fourth slot in the Italian Prototype Base, we'll talk about him, but look at that.

You see those other three prototypes? See how cheap they are?

Remember what I said about the AA gun?

The Breda 90/53 is a ridiculously fast-moving AA/AT platform that's literally just the engineer truck with a 90 mike-mike strapped to the back of it like the world's most gesticulative, culinary-gifted technical. The Lanciafiamme turns infantry rushes, structures, and supply lines into lava-filled wasteland, and the M15 Contraereo hits so ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ hard that full-on TANKS have trouble fighting a group of them. The Prototype Base is ALWAYS a sound investment for the Italian player.

+ Surprisingly Effective Recon

A point I don't often see brought up in favor of Italy is their extremely strong Recon game, which basically makes the Spy Ruse almost entirely unnecessary, save to cover areas of the map too dangerous for you to put direct eyes on. The Sahariana recon infantry, available from the jump, are small, cheap, effective, and get from point A to point B at a relatively brisk pace, and can, in numbers, clear out enemy ambushes with something resembling competency. The Autoblinda armored cars, both unupgraded and upgraded, are some of the best in class, and make excellent anti-infantry and light/medium tank hunters when placed in town squares and forests. The Falco, meanwhile, doesn't have any attack capability, but comes with a speed that allows it to rapidly reach a recon target, make a pass, then retreat when the enemy sends retaliation. Intel is golden, and Italy has a fine mint.

+ Early Game Annihilation

Italy absolutely demolishes much of its competition in the early game. Even nominally stronger factions, like America, Germany, and Britain, struggle to answer the early game rush potential of Italy, and those that can match it, such as the Soviet Union and Japan, have worse early game units. Besting a competent Italian player isn't about beating him to the punch, it's about surviving the beating he's going to give you in the first five to ten minutes of the game.

CONS

- Abysmal Armor

The issue with the aforementioned Italian tanks and their cheapness is that you get what you bloody well paid for. The Carro Veloce and its AT-mounted equivalent, the M11, are extremely quick, snappy early-game terrors, but can both be reliably bricked by early-game AT guns on all sides, infantry in ambush, even armored cars in the open field. The M11, in particular, struggles unless thrown at the enemy en masse. The M13 and M15 aren't much better, able to slug it out respectfully against most light tanks, but losing most one-on-one fights against anything Panzer-III sized or larger. And that's not even getting into...

- The Worst Prototype Heavy In the Game

The Carro P26 is the Italian prototype tank that I mentioned earlier, and it is possibly the most underwhelming prototype in the game. For the cost of a Prototype Base + 25, you pay for a tank with a 76mm gun, decent armor, and a low price, which can barely match up to non-prototype heavies, much less Super-Heavies. The price is about the only saving grace you get.

- No Meat On Them Bones

While the 90mm gun available to the Italians on various platforms is solid, and their infantry and air power are solid, in every other aspect, Italy cannot, and MUST NOT, take a straight fight with any other faction. Their tanks, infantry, and other units are simply not equipped for it. About the only theater in which they can afford a knock-down, drag-out brawl with the enemy is in the air, and even then, it's a losing proposition unless you have capable teammates. Italy's strength entirely relies on fighting as dirty and ugly as possible, as if you play the game in anything resembling a straightforward, traditional manner, you are basically just feeding your points to the enemy with a comically large spoon.

-Execution-Heavy Playstyle

As a fighting game veteran, a 'high execution' character has a 'high execution threshold', meaning that the character requires a baseline of skill to play. You can't just button mash or use basic game knowledge, you have to either adopt an entirely new playstyle, or advance your knowledge beyond the basic fundamentals to a point where you are playing chess while every other guy at the table is playing tic-tac-toe. I would say that Italy fits the bill as a high-execution character. Unless you have a competent enough ally or are playing someone stupid enough to allow you to amass enough economy to drown the map in M15s and Contraeros, you're not going to win a straight up brawl. More than any other faction save, perhaps, Japan, Italy forces you to rethink your gameplan, use and abuse Ruses to create an advantageous opening, and be willing to throw away dozens upon dozens of points to get three knuckles deep in the enemy base and maybe, just maybe, pull out the win.

WHAT THE ♥♥♥♥ AM I LOOKING AT

???The Obice

Did you forget about this thing? Because I did.

Apparently it has the best range of any artillery piece in the game??? And ridiculous damage??? And it's the single most expensive unit in the game???

HUHHHH????

I wouldn't say it's worth the 70 credit price tag, but if you think you can make one work, then be my guest. It's a hell of a lot better than most other heavy artillery pieces, and the long range can force an enemy to react to your very, VERY long finger of God.

Italy is an extremely technical faction with high strength in the early to mid game, and relies heavily on cheap units that are available with little investment in both credits and time, and powerful only with competent micromanagement. However, once you find your rhythm, you're an infuriating opponent for just about any faction.

AA 90mm - The Left Hand of God

The 90mm is by far the hardest-hitting weapon in the Italian arsenal, and it's not even close. The 90mm serves a functionally identical, if slightly more expensive, and slightly more improved, function to the German Flak 88, and should be used as such. While your tanks aren't going to singlehandedly fold a Russian or German Heavy Tank, one or two of these most certainly will.

Notably, the 90mm comes in multiple flavors, including the Breda 90/53 truck, the Anti Air Fortification, the Semovente Tank Destroyer, and its default form.

Italian Infantry

Yes. All of them.

The Sahariana, though weak, have a powerful ability to completely shut down enemy infantry ambushes while maintaining their own concealment and ambush capabilities, making them efficient for their cost at sniffing out dug in enemy positions or overwatching an important route. The Bersaglieri are pound for pound the best light infantry in the game, and for a research investment, and not a single dime more, the Granatieri serve an equally good, but much more efficient purpose as a general purpose infantryman.

Autoblinda 43- I See You in the I-C-U

The Italians have solid armored recon options, only matched in power by German and French prototype units and upgraded British ones. The AB-43, for the same price as its initial cousin, delivers a hefty punch at a rapid speed, like all Italian units, but its use as a recon unit that can travel through forests makes it especially deadly against enemy infantry and armored vehicles, especially in groups.

Folgore- Thunder Drop

The Italians have much better airborne infantry than most other factions, matching up fairly evenly with the German Fallschrimjager. While their AT capability leaves some to be desired, in ambush they still get the job done fine, and against infantry, they *shred*. Don't be afraid to use them.

M15 Contraero- Cheese Grater

Like all AA tanks, the Contraero hits HARD, though it struggles against tanks. Notably, it's one of the only SPAAGs that can actually damage Level 5 Armor, if used en-masse. Not something to be discounted. The Contraero alone is worth the price of admission for the Italian AA base, and if nothing else, when combined with the Breda 90/53, enemy air attack is of very little concern to you.

Italy Mirror Match- OH GOD OH F--K OH GOD OH F--K

When playing against another Italy, the key is in action and reaction. See your opponent's patterns, see what aspect of Italy's powers he wants to lean on, and react accordingly. Early game armor rush? Get some AT guns and 90mms out there and stop it dead in its tracks. Infantry and recon ambushes? Reply with air recon and a crushing air force. Enemy aircraft? Breda guns and 90's. It's a matter of pure skill, at the end of the day, and you should focus all your efforts on knowing your opponent's next moves.

Italy vs. France: Sting Like A Bee

Covered this in the France guide, but for each of these guides I'm mostly going to focus on the matchup FROM the perspective of the faction being spotlighted, so here goes:

Against France, Italy wants to immediately establish air superiority. France has no answer to your air power, and will never find it outside of the FCM. He cannot touch your aircraft without incurring significant losses, and while your infantry match his in an even fight, your armor does not even come CLOSE to comparing to his, even at its most powerful. Use the 90mm gun, the air force, and artillery to your advantage to keep out of the French player's stalemate, and crush him with speed and aggression.

Italy vs. Germany: Race Against Time

You cannot, and WILL NOT, beat a competent German player with Italy at any point after he's researched the Tiger and the Me-262.

His air force is better than yours. His tanks are FAR better than yours. His artillery, while not your equal in range, is sometimes just as powerful, and always more accurate. With the aid of a prototype base, which rarely comes into play early save for an act of desperation, you can match up to an early-mid game, somewhat competent German player, but if you don't immediately take the brawl to him, cripple his economy, and bleed him out, you WILL fail. Your best bet is to bleed his economy dry with an early game rush targeting his supply lines. Starve him, and victory will be yours.

Italy vs. U.S.A.: Race Against Time: Rashomon Style

See above.

The U.S. needs much less economic backbone to throttle you a-la Germany, but by extension, it can't throttle you quite as hard. Your air forces are approximately equivalent, his armor is only a *bit* better than yours until the late game, his infantry require an upgrade to match yours in the open field, and your artillery outmatches him. Your goal is to end the fight early with speed, numbers, and aggression, before the US's affordable Shermans and Wolverines drown your equally affordable M15's and P26's in numbers and lead. Use your artillery units and superior A.T. to negate his numbers advantage.

Italy vs. Britain: Float Like A Butterfly...

A bit more of an even match than the last two, Italy vs. Britain will be contested entirely on the ground.

You cannot stop him in the air, and your AA is capable of mauling his superior aircraft with numbers and proper positioning. With Italy, the key is leveraging your 90mm carriers (Breda Truck, Semovente, 90mm towed) to slap his aircraft out of the sky and mutilate his meat shield Matildas and Churchills. Keep the fight standing, use your speed and affordable elite infantry to your advantage, and mind his artillery, and you will succeed. If you establish air superiority with your AA, the battle is yours to win.

Italy vs. Russia: The Approaching Storm

It's a battle of two affordable early game rushers, and brother, you really need to win in the first ten minutes.

At the start of the match, you and Russia are on pretty even footing. His armor is slower and more cumbersome than yours, if superior in the case of the pricey, but effective KV-1. His infantry are cheaper and easier to produce, but far inferior to yours. His air force is utterly pathetic compared to yours up until the very latest of the late game, and even then you still outpace him. You must establish air superiority as SOON AS POSSIBLE, because once you get to the midgame, your advantage is gone. The T-34 is capable of matching everything you have, easily, and his tank destroyers and assault guns are likewise very capable of ruining your best laid plans. The Gvardiya guards infantry come out faster than your Granatieri and about match them in battlefield prowess, and their entire prototype base is simply better than yours. Hit them hard from the air, and end the fight quickly.


Italy vs. Japan: Finally, A Worthy Opponent!

In the early game, outside of the air, you dominate an inexperienced Japanese player. His infantry cannot stand up to you in a straight fight, his armor is somehow weaker than your barracks tanks at match start, and his later armor hits harder than yours, but it about as fragile and is a bit more expensive. The key here is to leverage that strength and prepare for tricky counterplay. The Japanese faction relies on trickery and unique unit interactions to catch you off guard. In my opinion, your most valuable asset in a matchup against the Japanese is the Autoblinda line, as they give you solidly armored assistance against any ambush while being well protected from all but the highest-tier Japanese armor. Rely on a combination of solid coordination and intel with your strong AA, and you will prevail.

The Meat Grinder - Italy + Russia

This duo hits hard, hits fast, and hits OFTEN, and unlike a solo Italy, they cover each other's late game weaknesses flawlessly. Russia's underwhelming air force and lack of static fortified defensive options? No sweat, Italy's got you covered. Italy's atrocious late-game armored development and middling offensive power? Russia makes up for this and then some. Even in the early game, this duo can drown you in cheap infantry and equally cheap and rapidly-produced tanks, and the longer the game goes, the worse it gets. You're going to get a lot of points in this matchup, but what good are points if you don't actually WIN?

The Hibachi Grinder - Italy + Japan

Plays similarly to the above, but with more of a focus on air power and tricky tactics from both players. If you don't want to think and just would rather monkey your ass onto the enemy and beat them to death, then by all means, the above is not a bad option, but if you prefer to think things out and play mind games with your opponent, try this tandem. Italy is a bit better in a stand-up slugfest, and their late-game units are far cheaper, but nothing beats the Japanese Air Force in the late game except maybe Germany, and what good are your advanced units if they're getting pounded into the dust by solid air power and drowned in a sea of cheap Italian steel.

Axis of Evil - Italy + Germany

While Germany's early game units are expensive by most faction standards, and they take a considerable amount of resources and time to get going, they more than can hold their own in the early going. That being said, Italy is far stronger from out of the gate, and far more capable of fielding massive units quicker than Germany can without a robust economy. With a competent pair of players at the helm, this pairing is *evil*, rapidly securing the front line supply lines and raiding yours with cheap, lightning fast Italian light armor to keep you bleeding while the German big cats slowly skulk from their factories and begin the hunt. Surviving to the late game against such a team vastly improves your chances of victory, but surviving that long will be a daunting task...

Axis of Evil 2.0 - Italy + Germany + Japan

Take the above, and then add Japan, and what do you get? An extremely technical team with a vicious triple-threat approach to tactics. Italian armor, while cheap like that of the Japanese, is slightly better in a straight slugfest, and their infantry is far stronger in the same. Combine that with the highly technical, extremely niche, but equally lethal Japanese specialist units, along with the excellent German mid-to-late game, and you have a daunting fighting force that, in the right hands, can only be stopped by the thickest of concrete walls or an equally talented team on the back end.

Early Game Hell - Italy + France + Russia

Every single one of these three specialize in delivering a bruising early, and each of them brings their own special toys to the table. Infantry-mulching early game units? Foreign Legionnaires, Bersaglieri, Carro Veloce, T-26, Hotchkiss tank. Lightning fast blitz units? M-13, M-11, Laffly, Autoblinda. Punishing early-game walls? KV-1, B-1 bis, French fortifications. Tank-mulching TDs and AT guns? Laffly, the KV-1 again, the 90mm emplacement. In short, in the early game, you can do everything you need to do to keep the ball in your court. It's a matter now of who's the better player. Don't mess it up.

After two years, I return to write this summary-

Italy is fast, REALLY fast, but they say the candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long. That is never more true in RUSE than it is for Italy- you may feel like you're suffocating your opponent in their bed, but if you take your hands off that pillow or loosen your grip on their neck for one moment, they will likely crush you. Remember this- Lions might be brave, but no one's ever seen a mouse-skin rug.

If I write a guide any time in the next two years, it'll be for the U.K., who are my actual main.