Content Type: Gaming Guides
No Steps Back and the Barbarossa update introduced a new way to specialize your military with the Officer Corps. This powerful tool allows you to manage your high command, generals, and doctrines in one location. The main benefit of the officer corps, however, is the introduction of spirits.
Spirits are potent boosts that you can apply to each branch of your military in exchange for Army Experience. Keep in mind when selecting a spirit that you can only have one of each type active at once.
Army Command
Here you will manage your Chief of Army, land doctrine, and your army spirits. Army section gives you a unique option over the other military branches — the ability to select a preferred tactic. Selecting a preferred tactic increases the chance it will appear in combat by 25%. Army spirits are divided into three sections, each providing boosts to different aspects of the army.

Army Spirits
Spirits in this section will provide bonuses to your army officers. They each cost 20 Army Experience to activate.
Spirit | Effects | Requirements |
![]() | Army Leader Cost: -30% Starting Army Leader Level: +1 Commander as Advisor cost: -75% New officers have no personality traits when hired | Ideology: ![]() |
![]() | Starting Army Leader Level: +2 Army Intelligence to others: -5% New officers have no personality traits when hired | Ideology: ![]() |
![]() | Officers have a 50% chance to gain +1 Attack on level up | None |
![]() | New officers have a 50% chance to start with the Armor Officer Trait Panzer Leader trait XP gain: +20% | Doctrine: ![]() |
![]() | New officers have a 50% chance to start with the Engineer Officer trait. Engineer trait XP gain: +20% Fortress Buster and Scavenger trait XP gain: +10% | Doctrine: ![]() |
![]() | Trickster, Commando, Naval Invader trait XP gain: +20% New Officers: 50% chance to begin with one of Trickster, Commando, or Naval Invader | None |
![]() | Officers have a 50% chance to gain +1 Planning and Logistics on level up | None |
![]() | Military Leader Cost: -50% Party Popularity Stability: +15% New officers start with either the Politically Connected or the Media Personality trait. | Ideology: ![]() ![]() |
![]() | Officers have a 50% chance to gain +1 Defense on level up. | None |
![]() | New officers have a 50% chance to start with the Infantry Officer trait. Infantry Leader trait XP gain: +20% | Doctrine: ![]() |
![]() | New Officers: 50% chance to start with either the Brilliant Strategist or Inflexible Strategist trait. All terrain traits XP gain: +20% | Doctrine: ![]() |
This spirit has a selection of battalion bonuses and miscellaneous enhancements for your army. It costs 35 Army Experience to activate one.
Spirit | Effects | Requirements |
![]() | Army Experience: +5% Daily Command Power: +0.20 Land Doctrines Cost -5% | None |
![]() | Supply Penalties on Cored Territory: -20% Cavalry Attack: +5% Cavalry Unit Design Cost: -100% | None |
![]() | Entrenchment Speed: +10% Railway Gun Bombardment: +5% Engineer Company Unit Design Cost: -100% Engineer Trait XP GainL +25% | None |
![]() | Planning Speed: +20% Daily Command power: +0.20 Command Abilities Cost: -20% | None |
![]() | Army Experience Gain: +25% Army Advisor Cost: -50% | Ideology: ![]() |
![]() | Weekly Manpower: +500 Encirclement penalty: -20% | Ideology: ![]() |
![]() | Political Power: +10% Conscription Laws Cost: -25% | Ideology: ![]() |
![]() | Naval Invasion Capacity: +10 Extra Paratrooper and Marine Supply Grace: +24 Hours Naval Invasion Planning: +20% Marine, Mountaineer, and Paratroop Unit Design Cost: -100% | Doctrine: ![]() |
![]() | Doctrine: ![]() | |
![]() | Doctrine: ![]() | |
![]() | Doctrine: ![]() |
Spirits of Division Command offer boosts to your battle stats and increase the chance of using specific tactics. Each spirit costs 50 Army Experience to activate.
Spirit | Effects | Requirements |
![]() | Entrenchment speed: +10% Max Entrenchment: +10% Chance of Elastic Defense or Overwhelming Fire Tactic: +100% | None |
![]() | Divisions speed: +5% Organization Loss when Moving: -15% Preferred Tactics Selection cost: −15 | None |
![]() | Reconnaissance: +15% Intel from combat: +15% Chance of Infiltration Assault Tactic: +100% | None |
![]() | Division training time: -15% Chance of Elastic Defense or Overwhelming Fire Tactic: +100% | None |
![]() | Organization loss when below 25%: -15% Chance of Elastic Defense or Overwhelming Fire Tactic: +100% | None |
![]() | Doctrine: ![]() | |
![]() | Breakthrough: +5% Chance of Elastic Defense or Overwhelming Fire Tactic: +100% | Doctrine: ![]() |
![]() | HP: +10% Chance of Elastic Defense or Overwhelming Fire Tactic: +100% | Doctrine: ![]() |
![]() | Divisions Speed: +5% Coordination: +5% Chance of Elastic Defense or Overwhelming Fire Tactic: +100% | Doctrine: ![]() |
Naval Command
This section lets you manage your Chief of Navy, naval doctrine, and three naval spirits. Similar to the army spirits, the naval spirits are divided into three sections, designed to enhance different aspects of your navy.

Naval Spirits
Spirits in this category will improve your admirals. The cost to activate one is 20 Navy Experience.
Spirit | Effects | Requirements |
![]() | Admirals have a 20% chance to gain +1 Attack on level up | None |
![]() | Admirals have a 20% chance to gain +1 Defense on level up | None |
![]() | Admirals have a 20% chance to gain +1 Maneuvering and Coordination on level up | None |
![]() | Navy Leader Cost: -40% Starting level of new navy leaders: +1 New Admirals have no personality traits gained on hiring | None |
![]() | Starting level of new navy leaders: +2 -5% Navy intelligence to others New Admirals have no personality traits gained on hiring. | None |
![]() | Superior Tactician trait XP gain: +20% Ironside trait XP: +20% New Admirals have a 50% chance to begin with the Gunnery Expert trait. | Doctrine: ![]() |
![]() | Sea Wolf trait XP gain: +20% Blockade Runner trait XP: +20% New Admirals have a 50% chance to begin with the Sea Wolf or Blockade Runner traits. | Doctrine: ![]() |
![]() | Fleet Protector trait XP: +20% Air Controller trait XP: +20% New Admirals have a 50% chance chance to begin with the Aviation Enthusiast trait. | Doctrine: ![]() |
These spirits help you improve your ships before they are deployed to battle. Activating one costs 35 Navy Experience.
Spirit | Effects | Requirements |
![]() | Destroyer Research Speed: +20% Light Ship Design Cost: -60% | None |
![]() | Cruiser Design Cost: -60% Naval Designer Cost: -80% | None |
![]() | Ship Modules Research Speed: +20% Naval Research Speed: +20% | None |
![]() | Navy Experience: +15% | None |
![]() | Ship Refitting Speed: +25% Ship Repair Speed: +15% | None |
![]() | Battleship Research Speed: +20% Heavy Cruiser Research Speed: +20% Heavy Ship Design Cost: -60% | Doctrine: ![]() |
![]() | Submarine Research Speed: +20% Submarine Design Cost: -60% | Doctrine: ![]() |
![]() | Carrier Research Speed: +20% Carrier Design Cost: -60% | Doctrine: ![]() |
This section provides boosts to your navy when they are in battle. It will cost 50 Navy Experience to activate one.
Spirit | Effects | Requirements |
![]() | Screen Attack: +5% Torpedo Screen Penetration: +5% | None |
![]() | Night-Time Attack: +10% Night-Time Spotting: +10% Visibility: -5% | None |
![]() | Positioning: +15% | None |
![]() | Bad Weather Penalty: -40% | None |
![]() | Retreat Decision Chance: -5% Critical Hit Chance: +15% | None |
![]() | Torpedo Hit Chance: -10% | Country: ![]() |
![]() | Naval Hit Chance: +10% Retreat Decision Chance: -10% Fleet Speed while Retreating: -10% Torpedo hit Chance: +10% | Doctrine: ![]() |
![]() | Retreat Decision Chance: +10% Fleet Speed while Retreating: +10% Screening Bonus with only capital ships: +20% | Doctrine: ![]() |
![]() | Retreat chance after initial combat: +10% Retreat speed after initial combat: +10% | Doctrine: ![]() |
Air Force Command
Last but not least, we have the Air Force section of the officer corps. As you might expect, here you can manage your Chief of Air Force, air doctrine, and your air force spirits. Unlike the other sections, however, you only get two spirits to choose from here.

Air Force Spirit
This category of spirits is focused on researching and designing new aircraft. They cost 50 Air Experience to enable.
Spirit | Effects | Requirements |
![]() | Air Advisor Cost: -75% | None |
![]() | Light, Medium, Heavy, and Naval Aircraft Research Speed: +15% | None |
![]() | Air Wing Training Experience: +25% | None |
![]() | Air Experience Daily Gain: +0.1 Airforce Intelligence to others: -5% | None |
![]() | Air Accidents Chance: -25% Air Doctrine Cost:-15% | None |
![]() | Heavy Aircraft Research Speed: +5% Strategic Bomber and Jet Strategic Bomber Design Cost: -75% | Doctrine: ![]() |
![]() | Close Air Support Research Speed: +5% Close Air Support Design Cost: -75% Carrier Close Air Support Design Cost: -75% | Doctrine: ![]() |
![]() | Tactical Bomber Research Speed: +5% Tactical Bomber and Jet Tactical Bomber Design Cost: -75% | Doctrine: ![]() |
These spirits provide general bonuses to your air force. Each one of these also costs 50 Air Experience to activate.
Spirit | Effects | Requirements |
![]() | Escort Efficiency: +5% Ground Attack: +5% | None |
![]() | Air Wing Experience loss when defeated: -25% | None |
![]() | Fighter Detection: +10% Air Mission Efficiency: +10% | None |
![]() | Air home defense: +10% | None |
![]() | Air power projection: +10% | None |
![]() | Carrier night penalty reduction: +33% | Country: ![]() |
![]() | Untrained Pilot Penalty: -33% | Ideology: ![]() |
![]() | Strategic Bombing: +10% | Doctrine: ![]() |
![]() | Air Support Mission Efficiency: +25% | Doctrine: ![]() |
![]() | Air Superiority: +5% | Doctrine: ![]() |
The officer corps provides a great quality-of-life feature for managing the direction of your military in a single location, and spirits are a powerful tool to add to your arsenal while preparing for war. Optimizing spirits to fit your goals and military composition can give you an important edge in Hearts of Iron IV.