Best Marine Template 2026
Article · Marines template
Best Marines template in Hearts of Iron IV
Two working templates for the shore and the water: a light one for a minor, a heavier Marsh one for a major. Not the Marines role — finished templates.
Which template you need
First
For a minor
Light, no Trucks. For a small country, a beginner, or when you need Marines on several coasts and rivers at once. Almost any country can field at least four of these under the Special Forces limit.
Second
For a major
Heavier and dearer: more Artillery, a Field Hospital, Trucks. For a great power or a narrow front where you push through Marsh. Two divisions fill the tile.
How to choose. Unsure — take the minor one. The second only if Artillery, Trucks and Marines II are in reach, and you want one fat Marsh breakthrough, not many beaches at once.
What to field
Two templates. The first is for a minor, a beginner and a long front. The second is for a major or a tight Marsh, if industry can actually output Artillery and Trucks.
Marines 15-width
- For a minor
- For landings
- For a long front
This is the template I build as a minor, when I am about to land, or when I need a long front along coasts and rivers. Simple, no vehicles, and the Special Forces limit usually lets any country field four of these from any start.
Marines are the spine: they hit on a landing, in Marsh and across a river. Line and Support Artillery add Soft Attack so the division does more than get wet — it actually pushes infantry. The Engineer Company is entrenchment, defense and terrain bonuses, plus a little attack on Amphibious. No Trucks: you do not need rubber.
Only six special-forces battalions. Any country can usually field at least four of these. That is enough for a Naval Invasion and river crossings to punch a bot. The division is fairly cheap on Manpower (7100). Artillery wants 36 per division: 24 from the line and 12 from the company — noticeable for a minor, but you field few of them, so it is livable.
| Resource | Per division |
|---|---|
| Manpower | 7100 |
| Infantry Equipment | 910 |
| Support Equipment | 30 |
| Artillery | 36 |
| Combat width | 15 |
| On a Marsh tile without overflow | 3 (four already overflow) |
Total for all divisions
Totals from the table above, for the number of divisions of this template.
- Manpower
- 28,400
- Infantry Equipment
- 3,640
- Support Equipment
- 120
- Artillery
- 144
Pros
- Cheap enough on Manpower, and no vehicles.
- Fits a minor: at least four divisions from almost any start.
- Lands decently and fights in Marsh and on rivers.
Cons
- Will not print thousands of Breakthrough — this is not a tank fist.
- Already a lot of Artillery for a minor: 36 per division.
Verdict. A working template for a beginner, a minor or a wide front. Use it where it belongs: Marsh, a river crossing, a Naval Invasion. Not the prettiest stats in the designer — but it is built from what almost everyone already has. Marines II is worth it, or Organization and Soft Attack stay soggy.
Marines 25-width
- For a major
- For marshes
- For a narrow front
Already an expensive template. Two of them fill a Marsh tile cleanly. Usually a major or a narrow front: eight special-forces battalions make the cap count, and Artillery plus Trucks cost a lot more.
8× Marines
3× Artillery
Engineer Company
Field Hospital
Three line Artillery is 72 guns and fat Soft Attack. In Marsh this division pushes infantry much more willingly than the light one. Line Artillery still takes a Marsh attack penalty: Marines ease the terrain, guns do not. The result is still better than regular infantry. Engineers cover defense and movement in Marsh. The Field Hospital returns some Manpower losses and cuts experience drain — for 20 Trucks and another 30 Support Equipment.
Eight special-forces battalions. Any country on the minimum cap can usually field at least three of these. Supply for infantry is already high: lots of guns plus the hospital. If supply is bad, two fed divisions in the tile beat three starving in a dead end. Without Marines II, Organization is miserable: plenty of Artillery, barely more Marines than the minor template.
| Resource | Per division |
|---|---|
| Manpower | 10300 |
| Infantry Equipment | 1210 |
| Support Equipment | 60 |
| Artillery | 72 |
| Truck | 20 |
| Combat width | 25 |
| On a Marsh tile without overflow | 2 |
Total for all divisions
Totals from the table above, for the number of divisions of this template.
- Manpower
- 20,600
- Infantry Equipment
- 2,420
- Support Equipment
- 120
- Artillery
- 144
- Truck
- 40
Pros
- Lands well and attacks Marsh.
- High Soft Attack from three line Artillery.
- Field Hospital cuts irrecoverable losses.
Cons
- Without Marines II, Organization is pretty grim.
- Needs Trucks and a lot of Artillery.
- The terrain penalty still shows — lots of guns, and Marsh hates guns.
Verdict. A template for a major or a narrow front. A strong division, exactly two per Marsh tile, fat Soft Attack. Almost any country can field at least three on the Special Forces cap — if factories actually deliver guns and Trucks. Do not start the “main offensive through Marsh into a strong enemy” without the second Marines tech.
Which of the two to take
The question is not which template hits harder on paper. The heavy one always hurts more. The question is whether you can field two to four divisions, the Artillery, the Trucks and the Special Forces cap without stripping the rest of the front of regular infantry.
| Item | For a minor | For a major |
|---|---|---|
| Line | 6 Marines + 1 Artillery | 8 Marines + 3 Artillery |
| Companies | Support Artillery, Engineers | Engineers, Field Hospital |
| Combat width | 15 | 25 |
| Per Marsh tile | 3 without overflow | 2 exactly |
| Special forces in the template | 6 battalions | 8 battalions |
| Minimum divisions on the base cap | 4 | 3 |
| Manpower | 7100 | 10300 |
| Artillery | 36 | 72 |
| Truck | None | 20 |
| Who | Minor, beginner, long front | Major, tight Marsh |
Marines can attack — landing, Marsh and river is their job, not “stand in port and wait for a steamer.” The minor template attacks “hard enough to take a beachhead.” The heavy one — “the Marsh is yours, if it is not tanks and if you have supply.” Do not drag either onto dry plains: no terrain bonuses, and you already spent the Special Forces cap.
Bottom line
You build Marines for water, not for “the whole line from sea to sea.” Six Marines, line Artillery, Support Artillery and Engineers is the working answer for almost everyone: landings, rivers, several points at once. Eight Marines, three Artillery, Engineers and a hospital — if you push Marsh and can feed guns and Trucks. Marines II is worth it on both: Organization and Soft Attack are not cosmetics.