War Thunder News

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The ‘Skilled Marksman’ Battle Pass War Bond Shop will be open from July 24th to October 23rd.

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Check out the War Bonds store and the bonds that you earn by completing Battle Pass challenges! As usual, we’ve prepared decals, decorations, player icons, camouflages, a new stylish pin-up that starts a new series, and six premium vehicles. The themed decal trophy will allow you to complete the new Zodiac collection, and reward you with a special decal if you manage to collect every decal!

This time, three vehicles are available for the first time in the War Bonds store: the Finnish Fokker fighter, the Soviet A-20G-30 frontline bomber and the French destroyer, Aigle!

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The Warbond shop is available to players that have vehicles of rank III and up and is part of the Battle Pass. You can purchase items with the special ‘Warbond’ currency that can be obtained by unlocking Battle Pass levels.

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• More about Warbonds

[h2]Fokker D.XXI (Sweden) - first time in the store[/h2]

The Finnish licensed copy of the Dutch Fokker D.XXI fighter is a master of agility. Two 20 mm cannons and two 7.7 mm Browning machine guns are ready to shred hesitant opponents!

[h2]Aigle (France) - first time in the store[/h2]

A very mobile and tenacious destroyer, its guns are protected with anti-fragmentation armor. Great for fighting other destroyers and smaller boats!

[h2]Chi-Ha Short Gun (Japan)[/h2]

A late modification of the Japanese Chi-Ha Kai medium tank with a 120 mm naval gun. Despite the fact that it only fires HE shells, their power allows it to effectively destroy almost all ground vehicles at its BR!

[h2]A-20G-30 (USSR) - first time in the store[/h2]

A US bomber and attack aircraft, supplied to the USSR under Lend-Lease. Six 12.7 mm machine guns will easily destroy weakly protected ground targets - while bombs and torpedoes will deal with the rest!

[h2]PT-174 (USA)[/h2]

Mounted on the bow of this nimble torpedo boat is an excellent 40mm Bofors autocannon—accurate and fast-firing. A salvo of torpedoes will spoil the day for larger naval targets, and 12.7 mm machine guns and a 20 mm Oerlikon autocannon will ward off annoying enemy aircraft.

[h2]Pz.Bef.Wg.IV J (Germany)[/h2]

A Pz.IV J medium tank with additional mesh screens on its sides. Great for sniper and ambush roles: its 75mm cannon can penetrate almost any enemy from afar, and five crew members make the tank a little more survivable.


[h2]Pinup “Muerte”[/h2]

The decals this time around include a trophy with Zodiac collection decals, as well as a new pin-up, "Muerte", which starts a new series of themed decals. In the “Road Signs” trophy you will find decorations geared towards motor enthusiasts. The player icons in the corresponding trophy this time depict German tankers. Trophies with random camouflages like always will become available as new store levels are unlocked.

A large number of useful items are also available in the store: boosters, universal backups, wagers and orders, rentals of premium vehicles, and at high store levels - talismans.

You can see the full inventory of the War Bonds store for the current season, as well as the conditions for receiving them in the game by opening the Battle Pass window or “Store” → “War Bonds Store”.

Today we’re showing you in more detail the Italian Alcione that features 76 mm cannons, anti-aircraft guns and the Hedgehog mortar! This ship is the main reward in the Flight of the Albatross event.
[h2]Alcione: An Event Vehicle Gunboat for Italy at Rank V[/h2]
Features:

• 76 mm autocannons with slow overheat!
  
• Shell with a radio fuze.
  
• Hedgehog mortar.
  

[h3]Vehicle History[/h3]
Alcione (Italian for “Kingfisher”) became the second in a series of eight small ships that were intended to patrol the coastal zone and hunt submarines. Alcione was laid down at the Navalmeccanica Shipyard in 1953, launched the following year, and put into service in 1955. Like other ships in the series, the main Alcione’s main caliber gun was the first Italian 76 mm automatic SMP-3 cannon, and to combat submarines, it was equipped with depth charges and Hedgehog mortars. In 1991, Alcione was scrapped for metal.


[h2]Meet Alcione![/h2]
This is the Italian Alcione corvette, the vehicle reward in the Flight of the Albatross event and essentially an event vehicle variant of the Albatros that’s in the Italian Coastal fleet tree! Today, we’ll be taking a look at the strengths and weaknesses of this vehicle, and also see what it’s capable of in battle.

Like the Albatros, the Alcione can be a fairly versatile choice when playing the Coastal fleet higher ranks. The secret to Alcione’s success is its pair of 76 mm autocannons that are located at the front and back of the ship. While these guns have a high rate of fire, they overheat very slowly, and their 14-round magazines reload very quickly. The ammo for this gun includes no armor-piercing shells, but instead two conventional HE and a HE-VT shell with a radio fuze that can effectively destroy both boats, crews of larger ships as well as aircraft at fairly far distances.

Interesting: In honor of the launch of Alcione, a commemorative medal was issued with an image of the ship, an albatross flying over the waves (in honor of the name of the class) and the motto of the ship, NIHIL ME DEFLECTIT (Latin for “nothing deflects me”).

Among the additional set of weapons is a pair of 40 mm Bofors, depth charges and a pair of Hedgehog mortars that are more of a situational weapon due to the limited firing range, but destructive with a successful salvo at close ranges. Alcione’s speed does not exceed 36 km/h, but may not be enough for fast gameplay at the frontlines of attack.


Both in battles against other small boats and against larger ships, Alcione is a handy choice if you’re experienced. This boat will be especially good at defending capture points in shallow waters or for ambushing destroyers among small islands, where its Hedgehog mortars can cause fatal damage in one full salvo!

You can now start to earn Alcione in the Flight of the Albatross event that started today! Play naval battles, earn points and get 7 stages and this cool ship will be yours.

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/236390/view/4356753293366574441

In this update we have solved a complex problem with damage to bases and due to that damage multipliers for bases have been corrected for some weapons.

[h3]Which bugs have been fixed?[/h3]

• Missing multiplier for the long-term fire of napalm bombs has been fixed. Prior to the fix fire damage was 13 times lower than it should have been. Now fire from napalm bombs deals serious damage to bases again. (Report).
  
• Due to the lack of armor of the bases the damage of bombs and rockets that have less than 25 mm pen (approximate thickness of base armor) was 1.7 to 20 times higher than it should have been. (Report).
  
• A bug that caused the reward multiplier for base bombing to be higher than it should have been for pods with bombs and rockets has been fixed. Prior to the fix the amount of weaponry in the pod was not taken into account.
  
• A bug that caused the reward multiplier for base bombing to be higher than it should have been for presets with large amounts of low-caliber bombs and rockets has been fixed. Prior to the fix the reward was calculated from the combined explosive mass of the weaponry, not from the sum of damage of said weaponry.
  
• The reward multiplier mechanic for base bombing has been expanded to affect rockets, as many rocket weapon presets are equivalent to or even outperform bomb presets.
  

These changes are improvements to the Bomber repair costs and bombing reward adjustment and are intended to equalize the reward for bases for different secondary weapons. These fixes are not related to the changes in rewards for base bombings which we planned to bring up for discussion which we mentioned on the release of separate BRs for aircraft for different modes.

• Su-25T, Su-39 — a bug that caused the permitted launch zone indication to not account for roll angle has been fixed.
  
• Su-22M4 (Germany) — a bug that caused the BR to change in ground battles has been fixed. The BR has been changed to the correct one — 11.0.
  
• The weaponry tracking camera now turns off automatically after the explosion of tracked weaponry. (Report).
  

• A bug that caused the replenishment progress to continue decreasing even after it reached “zero”, which allowed some vehicles to replenish their ammo faster than they should by driving away from the point and back into it has been fixed. (Report).
  
• A bug that caused glow from overheating to not disappear on destroyed vehicles has been fixed.
  
• Object 279 — a bug that made it possible to penetrate the hull between the exhaust grids and hull roof using low-caliber guns has been fixed.
  
• PLZ83-130, PLZ83 — a bug that caused the low-caliber HE shells to be able to penetrate the armor when hitting the box near the driver has been fixed.
  
• A bug that caused the debuff on the turret traverse speed to persist after the healing of the crew has been fixed.
  

• A bug that caused depth charges with a set fuze timer to fall through the naval vessel and to not explode until reaching the seabed has been fixed. It also led to a lack of damage to tnaval vessels from direct hits. (Report).
  
• USS Flagstaff — a bug that caused target tracking to not work when the 40-mm gun was installed has been fixed. (Report).
  
• Bernau — detailed missile characteristics are now displayed in battle when hovering over the icon in the action bar.
  

• A bug that caused the nickname of the message author in the chat to be displayed incorrectly in some Custom Battles sessions when joining a battle after it has started has been fixed. (Report).
  

Please, note that the following points from this changelog have been removed as some changes were reverted and will be reintroduced in one of the coming updates.

• Churchill VII, Churchill Crocodile — a bug that prevented track marks from affecting the depth of snow on winter maps has been fixed.
  
• A bug that caused the use of marker target track to not always select the target which was being looked at and instead aim the camera to the previously selected target has been fixed
  

Patch notes reflect only key changes, meaning they may not include a complete list of all improvements made. Additionally, War Thunder is constantly being updated and some changes may not require an update. Changes reflected in patch notes are formed by taking reactions and requests of the community from the bug reporting service, forums and other official platforms into account. Bug fixes and changes are implemented in order of importance, for example a game-breaking bug will be worked on and implemented sooner.

There’s a skilled marksman in town! Meet season 16 of the Battle Pass, featuring a flying boat and the main reward, the devastating Sholef Israeli tank destroyer. This tank features a 155 mm gun that’s capable of taking out a range of enemies thanks to its ammunition range. All in season 16!

To receive Battle Pass rewards, you’ll need to regularly log into the game and complete tasks and challenges. Each level of the Battle Pass will earn you a prize, be it a player icon, loading screen, title, decals, decorations, or 2 brand-new premium vehicles!

NEW! For the naval vehicle this time, we’ve created a trophy featuring 3 naval Battle Pass vehicles from previous seasons that were not available in coupon form, and 1 naval event vehicle. When opening this trophy, you’re guaranteed to get either the PT-658, MTB-422, Z25 or TKA-106 if you don’t already have them. If you have them all, you’ll get some Silver Lions and Collector Golden Battles Wager instead.

In the future, we’re planning to rotate different Battle Pass trophies that contain a different set of event vehicles that were not available in coupon form too.

The maximum reward for this wager is 1000 GE. You need to win 12 battles using rank III — VIII vehicles while destroying at least one player vehicle in each match. If you lose your match or don’t destroy a player three times the wager will be over.



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When: July 24th until October 23rd.

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[h2]This Season’s Rewards[/h2]

We’ve got a new set of decals, decorations, a profile icon a trophy containing previous naval Battle Pass vehicles, and two vehicles lined up for you this season! See the full list in the Battle Pass tab in the hangar, or check them out on our Wiki. Here’s some key rewards for Season 16:

[h2]Trophy with a previous vessel[/h2]
1 random naval vehicle (PT-658, MTB-422, Z25 or TKA-106) from previous Battle Pass seasons or events.

Opening this trophy will give you 1 random naval Battle Pass vehicle from the previous seasons, or one from a previous event. If you already own all of them, you’ll be given Silver Lions.

[h2]PBM-5A Mariner[/h2]
A Premium Hydroplane / Torpedo Bomber for the USA at Rank III

The PBM-5A is a huge flying boat featuring 100, 500, 1000 lb, AN-MK1 bombs and Mk.13 torpedoes. For defensive armament, there’s 8 machine guns. A fun aircraft for naval, ground and air battles!



[h2]Sholef V.1[/h2]
A Premium Tank Destroyer for Israel at Rank IV

The Sholef V.1 is a tank destroyer featuring a huge 155 mm gun fitted onto a Merkava Mk.1 chassis. This gun is housed in a large turret, can fire HE and fuze shells and has an autoloader. Perfect for taking out a range of enemies!




[h2]Decals[/h2]

4 decals!







[h2]Decorations[/h2]

3 decorations!



[h2]Profile Icon[/h2]

Skilled Marksman


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All Rewards and Challenges for Season 16

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[h3]About the Battle Pass[/h3]

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If you’ve got two Coupon Upgrades from stages in the previous season, then you can claim the new Battle Pass for free! Exchange them in the purchase menu of the Skilled Marksman season.

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The Battle Pass is a seasonal event where players can earn many rewards, from Silver Lions and boosters to exclusive season prizes: decorations, profile icons and premium vehicles. The rules are simple: you earn progress points and use them to unlock new stages, earning valuable prizes in the process.

You can unlock new stages and receive awards at any time during the season.


You can access the “Battle Pass” window through the promo block on the right side of the hangar screen.

[h3]How to participate[/h3]
Play

• You get progress points every day for entering the game.
  
• From 1 to 5 points.
  

Complete Battle Tasks

• You can check your Battle Tasks in the game. Complete them and receive progress points.
  
• From 2 to 5 points.
  

Complete Season Challenges

• One Challenge is available at the start of the season. Every week you get a new one, while three more can become available by unlocking stages.
  
• 30 points.
  

Learn more about the Battle Pass

We loved getting to see the screenshots you captured last week, thanks for sharing them with us! Summer is heating up, so find a place to cool down! The three most popular and three selected by us will get 300 GE. See the winners down below!

[h2]Let’s begin the 129th edition of our competition![/h2]

Create a stunning screenshot and submit it on the War Thunder Steam Community Hub with the tag #WTscreen129. You have time until the 26th of July to submit your screenshot.

After that date, 6 winners will be selected (3 of which will be the highest rated by the community and 3 selected by our judges), each of which receive a reward of 300GE.

[h3]Terms:[/h3]

Take a screenshot on a map with snow and ice.
You must add the #WTscreen129 tag (title cannot have any other text in it).
Artists may only win by popular vote once per four screenshot competitions.
• Screenshots need to be compliant with the War Thunder rules.
  
• You need to be the author of the screenshot.
  
• Screenshot needs to be new. You cannot use those which have previously been published or used in other competitions.
  
• We will only accept raw screenshots from the game. You cannot use any editing software nor any other visual enhancements (like Nvidia Ansel filters).
  
• You can use filters and settings built into War Thunder.
  
• You can use the replay functionality built into War Thunder.
  
• Rewards will be delivered to the author's account within 14 working days.
  

[h2]And now, time for the winners of the competition’s 128th edition – Three’s Company![/h2]

[h3]Winners selected via community votes:[/h3]
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3289496592
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3288258589
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3288211501

[h3]Winners selected by our judges:[/h3]
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3289581820
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3288205194
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3292241380

Each winner will get 300GE! Congratulations and see you next week!