Morale

Morale is a large game mechanic in Cross of Iron. Morale can shift the face of a battle for better or for worse. When a player has high morale, the player will move faster and have greater accuracy, and generally be more successful in battle. When a player's morale is low, however, the player will move more slowly and aim less accurately, and probably die much faster. Also, if it gets very low, the player will become panicked and barely able to function in battle, leaving them very vulnerable. There are many ways to get or lose morale. Firing a weapon in can decrease morale quite a bit for enemies, although this is offset by the inherent morale generated by teammates. However, if teammate's morale is lowered, so is the morale that they generate. Morale can be generated by Morale Boosters, Commanders and friendly units like vehicles. Morale can be lost by suppression, or enemies with Rage or other morale-lowering features.

Suppression is an effect that occurs when any projectile weapon is fired towards the player. Any weapon can cause suppression, including indirect fire weapons like mortars and artillery. Suppression is generated based on what type of weapon was fired (i.e. a massive artillery shell will cause a lot more suppression than a pistol) and what vicinity to the player the projectile was (near misses will cause more suppression than extreme misses). Suppression also occurs when a hit is achieved, and a hit on friendlies or on the player himself will cause massive suppression. Suppression goes away over time, making rapid fire weapons like machine guns the most effective weapons for direct suppression. Suppression greatly lowers morale, and can cause panic relatively quickly unless it is lifted.