Glory to the Heroes PvPvE is a hybrid military simulation mode that pits player squads against opposing human forces and dynamic AI combatants simultaneously across real-world Ukrainian battlefields. Developed by Kyiv-based Deaf Tone Games on Unreal Engine 5, the game bridges large-scale combined-arms squad warfare (similar to Squad or Arma) with the high-stakes economy, persistent stash, and survival mechanics of extraction shooters. Players deploy as regular enlisted soldiers rather than elite private military contractors, meaning tactical coordination, situational awareness, and cautious movement take precedence over arcade reflexes.
Contact vs. Operations: The Two PvPvE Structures
Multiplayer engagements in Glory to the Heroes are divided into two distinct structural formats: matchmade battles in Contact and persistent servers in Operations. Both formats incorporate PvPvE mechanics, but they cater to different operational tempos and objective styles.
| Feature | Contact Mode | Operations Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Matchmaking-focused session | Persistent, drop-in/drop-out server |
| Player Capacity | 24 to 48 players | Up to 48 players (PvPvE) / Up to 24 players (PvE Co-op) |
| Flow of Battle | Sequential objectives forming a moving frontline | All capture objectives open from the start |
| Pace & Stakes | Short, dense, and high lethality | Long-running strategic warfare across the sector |
| Stash Access | Stash access restricted to deployment/menu | Available at secured friendly objectives |
| Extraction / End Condition | Retreat window upon defeat or extraction finale on timer | Safe extraction at secured positions anytime |
Contact: Sequential Frontline Engagements
Contact operates as a high-stakes, linear battle where opposing factions clash over consecutive objectives. As teams capture or lose ground, the frontline shifts dynamically. Once a match ends via objective completion, team attrition, or match timers, players face retreat windows or extraction finales. Failing to extract or falling in combat puts all carried personal gear at risk of permanent loss.
Operations: Persistent Open-Sector Warfare
Operations servers host continuous battles where players can deploy without waiting in standard matchmaking queues. The entire map's strategic objectives remain active from the beginning, granting squads tactical freedom to assault enemy positions, set ambushes along transit corridors, or defend key infrastructure. Crucially, securing an objective allows soldiers to access their personal stash and bank field loot mid-battle or execute a safe extraction back to headquarters when needed.
AI Combatants on the PvPvE Battlefield
Unlike traditional shooters where bots follow rigid patrol routes or occupy static defense rings, AI units in Glory to the Heroes participate as organic combatants within PvPvE servers.
The developer designed AI units to share the exact same gear, weapon arsenals, and ballistics rules as human players. In multiplayer matches, AI units appear in varying skill levels and specialized squad formations:
- Roaming Sabotage and Reconnaissance Groups (SRG): Mobile infantry patrols operating in contested zones.
- Hidden FPV Drone Operators: Specialized units that launch explosive loitering munitions from concealed spots.
- Sniper Pairs: Recon teams holding long sightlines and punishing exposed advances.
- Regular Infantry Formations: Standard riflemen ranging from green recruits to experienced soldiers defending entrenchments.
Because AI units engage both human factions and fight among themselves, gunfire in the distance does not guarantee player contact. Furthermore, positive target identification (PID) is challenging. Players must visually check uniforms, gear, and armbands to prevent friendly fire, as the game lacks automatic teammate HUD markers and floating crosshairs.
Persistent Progression, Stash Rules, and Gear Loss
Glory to the Heroes links its PvPvE and PvE experiences to a single persistent soldier profile per faction. Progress, currency, vendor relationships, and personal stash inventory carry over across all online multiplayer modes.
Loadout Choices and Risk
Before deploying, players choose between risking personal equipment or using faction-issued kits:
- Free Faction Kits: Players can deploy using standard-issue roles (such as rifleman, medic, gunner, driver, or drone operator). These kits mitigate financial risk, allowing players to recover carried spoils from fallen enemies without gambling their own stashes. However, unextracted standard-issue items do not convert into permanent stash gear.
- Custom Loadouts: Built using over 380 modular gear pieces, tactical vests, armor rigs, backpacks, and an extensive gunsmith system featuring modular assemblies (such as over 80 interchangeable parts for the AK-74 platform). Bringing high-end custom weapons, multi-class body armor, or active headsets provides a tangible tactical edge, but dying leaves those items behind on the battlefield.
Securing Gear and Extraction
Surviving and winning a battle allows players to secure recoverable equipment. If a player dies, their carried gear drops as physical, interactable world loot. Squadmates winning the engagement does not automatically recover a deceased teammate's loadout; items must be extracted physically or safely stored at an objective stash point.
Modern Battlefield Threats: Drones, Artillery, and Combat Hazards
Surviving in PvPvE environments requires navigating severe modern-warfare hazards integrated into the simulation:
- FPV Drones: Remotely piloted suicide UAVs equipped with High Explosive (HE) or Thermobaric (TBG) warheads represent an immediate lethal threat. Drone operators must remain stationary with transmitter and goggles while piloting, leaving their physical bodies vulnerable to enemy patrols.
- Artillery and Munitions: Shelling and strikes disorient players, destroy cover, and can wipe an entire squad instantly. Explosions and gunfire also affect hearing, with active headsets changing battlefield audio and offering protection in some situations.
- Concealed Landmines: Anti-personnel and anti-vehicle mines remain completely invisible until triggered, necessitating deliberate movement through choke points and dirt paths.
- Detailed Medical Damage: Health does not regenerate over time. Characters suffer specific bodily injuries, including fractures, active bleeding, blood loss, and localized limb trauma requiring targeted medical intervention from more than 12 specialized medical supplies.
Launch Battlefields Supporting PvPvE
The Early Access release incorporates three photogrammetry-scanned environments based on real combat zones in the Russo-Ukrainian conflict:
- Fight for Krynky (2.0 × 1.4 km): Covers the contested Dnipro bridgehead, challenging squads with flooded terrain, dense reeds, foggy riverbanks, and devastated rural homesteads in an asymmetric engagement.
- Chasiv Yar - Canal: A ruined urban landscape marked by apartment blocks, deep basements, fortified industrial entrenchments, and harsh winter/early-spring weather conditions.
- Izium Machine-Building Plant: A dense industrial sector featuring cavernous factory floors, vehicle depots, underground bunkers, and narrow CQB corridors set around the 2022 counteroffensive.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I play Glory to the Heroes entirely in PvE?
Yes. Aside from PvPvE Operations and Contact modes, the game includes a dedicated online PvE co-op mode where up to 24 players fight exclusively as Ukrainian forces against AI combatants. An offline PvE training mode with customizable bot numbers is also available, though offline training does not progress your online character stash or vendor quests.
How does matchmaking differ between factions in PvPvE?
In PvPvE, battles represent opposing forces of the conflict, allowing participants to deploy as either Ukrainian or Russian forces to contest operational objectives. Progress, equipment stashes, and vendor quests are tracked separately for each faction character.
What vehicles are available in PvPvE at Early Access launch?
Launch transport options focus on light infantry mobility, specifically Humvee and Ural-63095 tactical transport vehicles. Crewed armored infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), main battle tanks, and player-operated heavy artillery are slated for later Early Access roadmap updates, specifically during the planned large-scale Battle of Izium expansion.
