# WARNO Infantry Tactics for Towns and Urban Fighting

> How to fight infantry battles in WARNO towns: which squads clear buildings, how smoke gets them there, and what really does the killing. It is for players who can already move infantry around but keep losing town fights to grinding building clears and enemy shelling.

- **Game:** WARNO
- **Category:** Tactics
- **Author:** LongBeam (https://guides-factory.com/about)
- **Difficulty:** Intermediate
- **Reading time:** 6 min
- **Published:** 2026-09-08
- **Updated:** 2026-09-08
- **Tags:** Artillery, Battle rifles, Engineers, Flamethrowers, Infantry tactics, Submachine guns, Urban combat, WARNO
- **Adapted from:** [WARNO Unit Guide: How to Use Infantry](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqvQdNSA9-M)
- **Canonical URL:** https://guides-factory.com/guides/warno-infantry-town-tactics

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Town fights in WARNO happen at a range where much of your infantry cannot shoot at all: sniper rifles cannot fire below 177 m and medium machine guns cannot fire below 35 m. This guide covers which squads to send into a building, how smoke gets them across the last stretch into close range, and why the squads doing the clearing are still not the ones doing most of the killing.

## Quick answer

| What | Answer |
| --- | --- |
| Best building clearers | Engineers and special forces with submachine guns |
| Flamethrower units | RPOS and Flash |
| Getting into range | Smoke, then demolition charges and shock troops at very short distance |
| Sniper minimum range | Cannot fire below 177 m |
| Medium machine gun minimum | Cannot fire below 35 m |
| Battle rifles | Stationary defense only, accuracy drops very low on the move |
| Weaker baseline infantry | German, French, and Dutch |
| Biggest killers | Artillery and bombers, not infantry |

## Why towns change infantry fights in WARNO

WARNO infantry tactics towns starts with accepting that town fights are a separate use case from other infantry work. Close range matters because demolition charges and shock troops need very short distance to work, and most clears require entering the enemy building.

Most of the time, the squad has to get into the enemy building to finish the fight. Infantry fights there are often a grind, and numbers are super important.

Specialist infantry matters more in this setting. Engineers and special forces with submachine guns can have a lot of impact, and flamethrower units such as RPOS and Flash can also be impactful. Infantry still are not the biggest killers in town fights, artillery and bombers are.

## Close-in squads and smoke: how to clear enemy buildings

<ol class="checklist">
  <li>
    <label><input type="checkbox"><span class="name">Use infantry use in urban WARNO around squads that can fight at close range. Engineers and special forces with submachine guns are especially impactful in towns.</span></label>
  </li>
  <li>
    <label><input type="checkbox"><span class="name">Bring the clearing squad close enough for demolition charges and shock troops to work. They need to get very close before those tools matter.</span></label>
  </li>
  <li>
    <label><input type="checkbox"><span class="name">Plan the clear around entering the enemy building. Most of the time, the squad has to get into that building to finish the fight.</span></label>
  </li>
  <li>
    <label><input type="checkbox"><span class="name">Use smoke to help the squad reach the enemy building. Smoke is useful when the squad needs to cross the last distance into close range.</span></label>
  </li>
  <li>
    <label><input type="checkbox"><span class="name">Prefer close-in weapons for the actual building fight. Good submachine guns and flamethrower units can be impactful once the fight collapses into short range.</span></label>
  </li>
  <li>
    <label><input type="checkbox"><span class="name">Keep enough squads committed for the grind. Town infantry fights often come down to numbers, not a single squad winning instantly.</span></label>
  </li>
</ol>

### What are infantry’s strengths and weaknesses in town fights?

| Squad type | How it fights in a town |
| --- | --- |
| **Close-in specialists** | WARNO infantry strengths weaknesses in towns favors specialists when you need to force entry into a building. Engineers and special forces with submachine guns can be especially impactful, and flamethrower units such as RPOS and Flash can also have strong impact in close town fighting. |
| **Defensive rifle squads** | Battle rifles are good on defense in towns. Do not rely on them while moving, because their accuracy drops very low when firing on the move. German, French, and Dutch infantry can be more problematic in these scenarios because of their normal baseline infantry behavior. |
| **Range-limited weapons** | Sniper rifles cannot fire below 177 m. Medium machine guns cannot fire below 35 m, so they cannot shoot with those weapons when another unit is in their building. |

Even when the infantry fight is happening inside a town, infantry are not the biggest killers. Artillery and bombers are the biggest killers in town fights, and bombs and artillery can kill faster than infantry can.

## How to defend town chokepoints

<ol class="checklist">
  <li>
    <label><input type="checkbox"><span class="name">Use battle rifle infantry in a stationary defensive role. Battle rifles are good on defense in towns.</span></label>
  </li>
  <li>
    <label><input type="checkbox"><span class="name">Avoid firing battle rifles while moving. Their accuracy drops very low when they fire on the move.</span></label>
  </li>
  <li>
    <label><input type="checkbox"><span class="name">Account for baseline infantry that can be more problematic in these town scenarios. German, French, and Dutch infantry are specifically affected by this issue.</span></label>
  </li>
  <li>
    <label><input type="checkbox"><span class="name">Keep enough squads in the town fight. Infantry fights in towns are often a grind, and numbers are super important.</span></label>
  </li>
  <li>
    <label><input type="checkbox"><span class="name">Do not expect the infantry line alone to out-kill every threat. Artillery and bombers are the biggest killers in town fights.</span></label>
  </li>
</ol>

## Repositioning, flank security, and surviving artillery

<div class="tipbox alt"><span class="tag">Watch out</span>

**Keep squads moving in town fights**

Keep infantry moving once the town fight starts. Infantry should keep moving so the enemy cannot easily zero in on them.

Static town infantry is vulnerable because artillery and bombers are the biggest killers in these fights. Bombs and artillery can kill faster than infantry can, so be very careful about leaving squads fixed in place.

Movement does not replace numbers. Town infantry fights are often a grind, and numbers are super important even when engineers, special forces, submachine guns, and flamethrowers are doing the close-range work.

</div>

<div class="tipbox"><span class="tag">Takeaway</span>

Town fights reward close-in squads, smoke-assisted building entries, and enough infantry to survive a grind. Use engineers, special forces, submachine guns, demolition charges, shock troops, and flamethrowers when you must clear buildings, but keep repositioning because artillery and bombers kill faster than infantry.

</div>

<p class="note">Accurate as of 19 April 2025, the upload date of the most recent WARNO video this guide draws on. Balance patches move unit costs, ranges and menu options, so check anything decisive in your own game.</p>

## In this series

- [WARNO Battle Goals, Morale, Squad Cohesion, and EW Plane Uses](/guides/warno-battle-goals-morale-and-squad-cohesion)
- [WARNO keybinds and controls](/guides/warno-keybinds-and-controls)
- [WARNO Interface Settings and HUD Customization](/guides/warno-interface-and-hud-settings)
- [WARNO Gameplay Settings to Adjust First](/guides/warno-gameplay-settings)
- [WARNO Micro Control Tips for Faster Unit Management](/guides/warno-micro-control-tips)
- [WARNO Favorable Map Side: How Side Choice Can Matter](/guides/warno-favorable-map-side)
- [WARNO Deck Copying Tips and Adjustment Guide](/guides/warno-deck-copying-and-adjustment)
- [WARNO Infantry Basics: Strengths, Weaknesses, and Terrain Use](/guides/warno-infantry-basics)
- [WARNO Infantry Forest Tactics for Ambushes and Defense](/guides/warno-infantry-forest-tactics)
- [WARNO Infantry Choke Points: Holding and Breaking Bottlenecks](/guides/warno-infantry-choke-points)
- [WARNO Deck Archetypes: Division Styles and Play Patterns](/guides/warno-deck-archetypes)
- [WARNO Army General Basics: Campaign, Formations, and Action Points](/guides/warno-army-general-basics)

## Sources

- [WARNO Unit Guide: How to Use Infantry](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqvQdNSA9-M), SD League

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## FAQ

### What infantry should I use to clear buildings in WARNO?

Squads that fight well at close range: engineers and special forces with submachine guns are especially impactful, and flamethrower units such as RPOS and Flash also hit hard in town fighting. Demolition charges and shock troops only work at very short distance, so the squad has to be brought right up to the building, and most of the time it has to go inside to finish the fight.

### Why do my battle rifle squads miss so much in towns?

Battle rifles are good on defense in towns but their accuracy drops very low when they fire on the move. Use them in a stationary defensive role rather than relying on them while moving.

### Why will my snipers and machine guns not fire inside a town?

They have minimum ranges. Sniper rifles cannot fire below 177 m and medium machine guns cannot fire below 35 m, so they cannot shoot with those weapons when another unit is in their building.

### Do infantry win town fights in WARNO?

Infantry do the clearing, but they are not the biggest killers even when the fight is inside a town. Artillery and bombers are, and bombs and artillery can kill faster than infantry can, so keep squads moving instead of leaving them fixed in place, and commit enough of them for a grind where numbers matter.