#DevDiaries
Hey everyone!
We’re back with more insights into our new mechanics—and today’s topic is Morale.

Yes, that morale—one that has sparked many design debates internally. But in the end, we decided it was worth doing. Why? Because infantry shouldn’t behave like mindless bots that follow orders no matter what. We want players to feel what it means to make a bad call—like ordering a frontal assault straight into fortified positions.

From now on, every soldier in the game has a Morale stat—referred to in-game as Combat Spirit. This value is summed up at the squad level, and it’s affected by another key stat: Stability.

Stability determines how quickly morale drops under external stress. For example, a squad with high morale but low stability might still break and run quickly when under artillery fire. On the other hand, high stability helps squads hold the line longer, even under pressure. But stability is not permanent—it can degrade based on what the squad experiences.

Morale can recover over time, but stability, once shaken, won’t return to its original level.
That said, both morale and stability can be reinforced by sergeants, command vehicles, or command squads. Morale also regenerates slowly if you pull units back behind the front line and give them time to rest.

Morale directly affects the state a squad might fall into during combat. These include conditions like “Suppressed” or “Pinned”—triggered by enemy actions or specific weapon effects.
Certain weapons now have a “suppression” trait, and depending on a squad’s morale, they may enter a suppressed state when targeted. The lower the morale, the higher the chance of being affected.
There are plenty of events that can impact morale, but the main one is, of course, taking fire. Even if a squad isn’t taking direct hits, prolonged exposure to fire with low stability can cause morale to drop. If things go badly, the squad may abandon their position and retreat.
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