Hell Let Loose: Vietnam Commander Guide — Abilities & Costs
Published 2026-09-215 min read
How to play Commander in Hell Let Loose: Vietnam: every US and NVA ability with fuel and munitions costs, cooldowns, and the chain of command that wins maps.
What does the Commander do in Hell Let Loose: Vietnam?
The Commander runs the team, not a rifle: you spend team resources on abilities and vehicles, coordinate Squad Leaders through the chain of command, and shape where the 50-player team spawns and pushes. The community's top-rated Steam guide on the role is blunt about it — a clear microphone and calm orders win more battles than any individual gun skill, and commanders belong alive doing logistics, not dying on the front line. Ability costs below are from the community Detailed Guide (checked September 21, 2026, Update 1.5).
US Commander abilities
| Ability | Cost | Cooldown | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recon Plane | 150 Munitions | 08:00 | Surveillance pass over a map area |
| Strafing Run | 150 Munitions | 04:00 | Gun run, effective vs infantry |
| Artillery Strike | 200 Munitions | 05:00 | Multi-shell barrage, effective vs infantry |
| Supply Drop | 150 Munitions | 02:00 | Parachuted supply crate |
| Precision Strike | 250 Munitions | 20:00 | Single heavy ground strike vs vehicles, fortifications, garrisons |
| Napalm Strike | 300 Munitions | 08:20 | Lingering fire pools vs infantry and light vehicles |
| Reinforce | 200 Manpower | 05:00 | Doubles sector capture power for 2 minutes |
| Encouraged | 400 Manpower | 10:00 | Nodes generate ×2 resources for 5 minutes |
| Dismantle Garrison | 100 Manpower | 05:00 | Instantly removes a friendly garrison |
| Rally the Troops | 400 Manpower | 15:00 | Halts morale loss (Conquest mode only) |
| Resource Convert | 100 | 05:00 | Convert 100 of one resource into 60 of another |
NVA Commander differences
The NVA kit mirrors most US abilities but makes three meaningful trades:
- Bombing Run (300 Munitions, 10:00) replaces the US Napalm Strike — area bombs instead of fire pools.
- Supply Drop costs only 50 Munitions (vs 150 for the US) — the tunnel-and-garrison faction resupplies far cheaper.
- Dismantle Tunnel (100 Manpower) lets command reposition the tunnel network; there is no Rally the Troops equivalent.
Vehicles: the fuel half of the job
The commander's fuel menu spawns everything with an engine: transport and supply helicopters (75 fuel each, 30s), trucks (100 fuel), the M48 Patton or T-54 (250 fuel, 4:00) and the river boats (200 fuel, 5:00). Fuel comes from fuel nodes your Engineers build, so a commander who ignores node placement will find the armor menu greyed out exactly when the tanks are needed.
Chain of command: how orders actually travel
- Commander → Squad Leaders on the command channel: set the strategy, request garrison placement, call out where abilities will land.
- Squad Leader → squad on prox/squad channel: marks, orders, Outpost placement (every unit leader can also place Garrisons — 8 per team).
- NVA twist: garrisons double as tunnel entrances, so the commander's garrison plan is also the NVA's fast-travel map — connect tunnels on the tactical map and the whole team can move undetected between them.
New commanders should start every match with three habits: check node income, place or upgrade garrisons with Squad Leaders, and save Precision Strike for garrison-and-armor problems instead of single infantry. Spamming abilities early is the fastest way to lose the resource war.