War Thunder News

[h2]Other[/h2]

• A bug that caused some location bushes to not be destroyed by shots has been fixed.
  
• A bug where damage was incorrectly calculated in Naval battles has been fixed.
  
• A bug that caused the commander’s sight to rapidly twitch when turning the camera has been fixed.
  
• A bug that caused the ATGM icon to not be highlighted when it was selected as a controlled weapon has been fixed.
  

[h2]Sound[/h2]

• A bug that caused some automatic cannons to sound like machine guns has been fixed. (Report)
  
• A bug that affected the audibility of allied and enemy ground vehicles at lower RPMs has been fixed.
  

The current provided changelog reflects the major changes within the game as part of this Update. Some updates, additions and fixes may not be listed in the provided notes. War Thunder is constantly improving and specific fixes may be implemented without the client being updated.

The M551 Sheridan light tank was named in honor of General Philip Sheridan, an American Civil War General. Equipped with a 76mm M32 cannon, this tank is the main reward of the 14th Battle Pass Season in War Thunder!

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New! You’ll now automatically receive all Battle Pass rewards that you earn, even if you forget to claim them on time. At the end of the season, all unclaimed rewards will be credited to your account when you first log into the game. This new feature has already come into effect, which means that you’re guaranteed to receive your earned rewards in the current 13th Battle Pass Season, which ends on January 24th.

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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 3 brand-new premium vehicles!



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When: From January 24th until April 24th.

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[h2]This Season’s Rewards[/h2]

We’ve got a new set of decals, decorations, a profile icon and 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 14:

[h2]Le Triomphant[/h2]
A Premium Destroyer for France at Rank III.

Le Triomphant is now going to be one of the fastest Destroyers in the game. Thanks to its amazing speed, this ship is able to quickly get to advantageous positions on the seas. Combining this with its 4 x 138.6 mm main caliber cannons, you’re going to be giving any enemy at this rank a hard time!



[h2]IL-8 (1944)[/h2]
A Premium Strike Aircraft for the USSR at Rank III.

A modernized variant of the IL-2 attack aircraft, equipped with a new engine and a bomb load up to 1000 kg. Fast and easy to use, this aircraft is going to be fun to play in both ground and air battles.



[h2]M551(76)[/h2]
A Premium Light Tank for the USA at Rank IV.

The “Airborne General” Sheridan, who’s given this season its name! This is the M551 Sheridan with the M41 Walker Bulldog’s gun, a two-plane stabilzer and an increased turret traverse speed — perfect for an aggressive playstyle!




[h2]Decals[/h2]

4 decals!







[h2]3D decorations[/h2]

3 decorations!



[h2]Profile Icon[/h2]

US Paratrooper


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All Rewards and Challenges for Season 14

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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 Airborne General 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

The screenshots all of you submitted last week looked great! Heavy vehicles have some obvious advantages over their lighter weight alternatives, but the lighter vehicles are far more versatile! The three most popular and three selected by us will get 300 GE. See the winners down below!

[h2]Let’s begin the 103rd edition of our competition![/h2]

Create a stunning screenshot and submit it on the War Thunder Steam Community Hub with the tag #WTscreen103. You have time until the 26th of January 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]

Your screenshot must feature a naval aircraft, amphibious tank, or naval vessel.
You must add the #WTscreen103 tag (title cannot have any other text in it).
• 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 102nd edition - Lightweight![/h2]

[h3]Winners selected via community votes:[/h3]
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3139879805
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3138921128
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3140059349

[h3]Winners selected by our judges:[/h3]
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3141733905
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3139186940
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3138505291

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

Today we’re showing you the rather interesting M551(76), an American light tank coming to the game in the upcoming Battle Pass season called “Airborne General”!

[h2]M551(76): A Premium Light Tank for the USA at Rank IV[/h2]

Features:

• Effective APDS shell.
  
• Gun stabilizer!
  
• High turret traverse speed.
  
• Light armor.
  

[h2]Meet the M551(76)![/h2]

The M551(76) is a premium light tank and the main prize of the upcoming Battle Pass season in War Thunder, which we’ve named “Airborne General” in honor of this tank. What do you get when you combine the M551’s chassis and turret and stick the M41 Walker Bulldog’s 76 mm gun in it? You get the M551(76), which will offer you a lot of advantages! Let’s take a closer look.

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Interesting: The M551 was given the nickname Sheridan in honor of Philip Sheridan, a United States Civil War General.

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In an attempt to solve problems with the Sheridan’s 152 mm gun, engineers proposed to use a gun that had lower recoil, one of which included the M32 76 mm cannon which is found on this tank. Capable of firing a high-penetrating APDS shell, the 76 mm cannon has great accuracy and is backed up by a two-plane stabilizer, something not found on the M41 Walker Bulldog. Combining this new addition and a higher turret traverse speed than the M41 (a whopping 40 degrees a second on a top crew!), the M551(76) can be put to good use while on the move, and is great at reacting to new threats quickly thanks to the fast turret traverse.



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Did you know? The M551 Sheridan light tank could not only parachute from aircraft, but also float. To do this, the crew needed to install a special set of equipment which literally made it look like a boat. We’ve not got this in War Thunder because the gun couldn’t be used while amphibious, and it would simply take too much time to set up!

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Moving onto the M551(76)’s chassis, which stays the same and is generally no different from the standard M551 already in the game: very light armor so that mass remains as low as possible, decent driving characteristics and a great top speed of 69 km/h.



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In your matches by Tom, Community Management Team Leader:“The key element this vehicle offers is reaction time, so it’s important to factor this advantage into how you play. An aggressive flanking playstyle will work well here — you want to try to catch enemies out while they’re on the move as you can fire at them accurately before they can in the majority of cases, which is a huge advantage. Try to avoid sitting still and playing defensive, if you’re just sitting there covering a signline your main advantages aren’t being utilised, and you’d be better off playing another tank. Keep moving, keep being aggressive, and the nukes will flow.”

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The premium M551(76) can be yours by completing tasks in the upcoming Battle Pass season that’s set to start on January 24th, named “Airborne General”. We’re sure that this new Sheridan is going to be a popular one amongst those of you who enjoy light tanks and premiums! Make sure to keep an eye out for the news regarding the upcoming Battle Pass on Monday January 22nd. Until then, see you!

We present to you the experimental IL-8 which is an improved variant of the famous IL-2 attack aircraft. What’s the difference? It has an increased bomb load and signature survivability that’s common to the IL series of aircraft. This new aircraft is available in the new season of the upcoming Battle Pass!

[h2]IL-8: A Premium Soviet Attack Aircraft at Rank III[/h2]

Features:

• Bomb loads up to 1000 kg.
  
• Good survivability.
  
• No rockets.
  
• Low speed.
  

[h2]Meet the IL-8![/h2]

Welcome to the main aircraft prize of the upcoming Battle Pass season — the Soviet IL-8 attack aircraft! This is a modernized version of the earlier versions of the IL-2 that features a new engine and an increased bomb load. You’ll be able to earn this aircraft in the Battle Pass for free by going through Battle Pass levels. Let’s take a closer look!

The IL-8 is fitted with a brand-new AM-42 engine, which in turn has made it noticeably faster at higher altitudes despite its increased weight. Of course the IL-8 is heavy and can only dream of being a fighter aircraft, but reaching speeds of over 400 km/h is now quite possible even when using a medium-sized bomb loadout.



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Interesting: Unlike the IL-2, the gunner on the IL-8 is also protected by armor on the sides and bottom. The total mass of armored parts on the IL-8 was 1110 kg!

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However the main changes to the IL-8 in the game are at its secondary weapons. There’s some good and bad news: the bad news is that this aircraft does not have any unguided rockets, and the good news is that the total payload has increased to 1000 kg! Thanks to this, at your disposal, you’ll now have a pair of 500 kg bombs and access to the secondary weapon menu, allowing you to place bombs wherever you wish on available bomb pylons.



Along with the increased bomb load and improved speed, playing the IL-8 will be a very similar playstyle to playing the IL-2 attack aircraft. After you’ve dropped your bombs, using the 23 mm cannons against AI columns in aircraft battles and in shooting open-top or the sides of some lighter tanks in ground battles is ideal. With a bit of practice, you’ll also be able to easily shoot down enemy fighter aircraft at lower altitudes with the deadly 23 mm cannons. As for survivability, the IL-8 can survive a good amount of hits from machine guns, where it’s capable of returning to the airfield to repair any damage. This is thanks to the armored area around the cockpit and frontal area that protects the pilot and engine from incoming bullets. In addition to this, just like on later IL-2s, the back gunner has a 12.7 mm machine gun, where on the IL-8 this area is also protected by bulletproof armor.



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In your matches by Ilya, Community Manager: “Finally, pilots of the USSR have an IL with a 1000 kg bomb load! At its rank, it’ll be a very good option for both air and ground battles. In ground battles, I would advise flying into the combat area with tanks at extremely low altitudes so that you can avoid SPAA and in-coming aircraft. In air battles, look for cover from allied fighters or other attack aircraft. The slow IL, despite its survivability, can still be chewed up quickly if alone. Always use delayed fuses on your bombs, and always invest crew points into your tail gunner, which is a key to survival!”

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That’s everything! You’ll be able to receive this cool, plus easy-to-use attack aircraft as a free prize in the upcoming Battle Pass season — the IL-8 will come in handy in any gamemode, so don’t miss your opportunity to grab it. Tomorrow we’ll be telling you about the main tank prize, and on Monday we’ll announce the full list of prizes and conditions for the upcoming season. Stay tuned!