Dutch Cruisers: Early Access

Dutch Tier IV–IX cruisers have arrived in Early Access.


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The "Dutch Cruisers: Part 1" Event[/h2]
What are the features of the new branch?

• Good concealment and maneuverability, but a short firing range.
  
• Tier VIII–X cruisers are armed with main battery guns that have large calibers for cruisers:
  
  • VIII Haarlem—203 mm
    
  • IX Johan de Witt—240 mm
    
  • X Gouden Leeuw—283 mm
• At higher tiers, the new cruisers have solid armor that provides decent protection against HE shells.
  
• The Hydroacoustic Search, Fighter, and Spotting Aircraft consumables are available from Tier IV.
  
  • Fighter and Spotting Aircraft are not available for VIII Haarlem, IX Johan de Witt or X Gouden Leeuw.
• An enhanced version of the Repair Party consumable and Defensive AA Fire are available from Tier VIII.
  
• The new Airstrike armament is available from Tier VI.

[h2]Airstrike[/h2]
Airstrike is a new type of armament that's set to make its first appearance on Dutch cruisers. It allows you to call in aircraft that bombard a specified area with HE bombs. Airstrike was created based on the low altitude bombing principle that was actually used in battle. Bombs dropped from aircraft in this manner had drogue parachutes which slowed their descent.

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[h3]Operating principle:[/h3]

• When you activate Airstrike by pressing 4, an aiming reticle appears. This represents the location the bombers will strike. The strike area is comparable in size to two battleships.
  
• Clicking the left mouse button calls in a squadron that bombards the specified area after a certain period of time. The aircraft cannot spot enemies and cannot be directly controlled.

• The bombs have drogue parachutes which slow their descent.
  
• The indicator near the drop area shows how long it will take for the bombs to reach the target after the aircraft are called in.

Preparation of Airstrike begins at the start of each battle, similar to the loading of main battery guns and torpedo launchers. Tier VI–VII cruisers can call in only one attacking squadron, while Tier VIII–X cruisers can call in two squadrons. The armament is reloaded in successive order. Airstrike has a maximum operating distance of 10–13 km, depending on the ship tier.

When using Airstrike, you should take the long time it takes for the bombs to fall into account. It's best to deploy this armament against low-mobility targets such as battleships and large cruisers. You can also use it to strike any enemy ships that might think they are safely hiding behind the cover of islands.

We've prepared a gift for you. Stay on the lookout for Community Tokens in this and other articles on our website! You can exchange them for containers that hold Premium ships and other items in the Armory. Make sure to keep up to date with the news, and be sure to share the articles with your friends so they can also claim gifts!
The reward can be claimed before: Tue. 27 Jul. 15:00 CEST (UTC+2)

Watch our official streams and participate in the Public Test and other activities to earn Community Tokens. In total, you'll be able to find up to 1,630 Community Tokens on our website until the end of Update 0.10.6.

[h2]Things to Know About Early Access[/h2]
Dutch Tokens : a temporary resource for the Dutch Cruisers event. They can be obtained by completing combat mission groups; from random bundles, free daily bundles, and bundles that are available in exchange for Community Tokens.

Combat mission group rewards: Dutch Tokens; the "Dutch Cruisers: Part 1" commemorative flag; and the Kinderdijk Windmill patch; as well as V Celebes and VII Eendracht with Port slots and Commanders with 3 and 6 skill points, respectively.

Rewards for Dutch Tokens: sequentially available bundles with IV De Ruyter, VI Kijkduin, and VIII Haarlem with Commanders and Port slots; permanent camouflages for VII Eendracht, VIII Haarlem, IX Johan de Witt, and X Gouden Leeuw; and other rewards in the Armory.

You can get the following rewards free of charge:

• V Celebes and VII Eendracht—by completing all combat mission groups.
  
• IV De Ruyter, VI Kijkduin, and the Royal Netherlands Navy permanent camouflage for VII Eendracht—by collecting all Tokens that can be earned by completing combat mission groups.
  
• The Royal Netherlands Navy permanent camouflage for VIII Haarlem—by additionally collecting Tokens from free bundles and bundles that are available in exchange for Community Tokens.

Rewards from random bundles available for Doubloons: IX Johan de Witt with a 10-skill-point Commander and Port slot; Dutch Tokens; Flying Dutchman, Asian Lantern, Mosaic, and Spring Sky expendable camouflages; and special signals.

Added a new Port—Rotterdam.

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When Update 0.10.8 goes live, the Dutch cruisers will become available for all players to research.

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Combat Missions of the "Dutch Cruisers: Part 1" Event[/h2] Start: Thu. 15 Jul. 07:15 CEST (UTC+2) End: Thu. 12 Aug. 06:00 CEST (UTC+2)

You can look forward to accomplishing twenty-four missions spread across four groups. The first group will become available with the release of Update 0.10.6, while those that follow will be unlocked on a weekly basis. Rewards for completing missions and groups: Dutch Tokens; special signals; the "Dutch Cruisers: Part 1" commemorative flag; and the Kinderdijk Windmill patch. In terms of ships, completing the second group will reward you with V Celebes, a 3-skill-point Commander, and a Port slot; completing the fourth group will bring you VII Eendracht with a 6-skill-point Commander and Port slot.

Detailed information about the mission completion criteria can be found in the game client.

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Dutch Tokens[/h2]
Dutch Tokens can be obtained:

• By completing the "Dutch Cruisers: Part 1" combat missions—up to 280 Tokens.
  
• From free random bundles in the Armory—up to 20 Tokens.
  
• In exchange for Community Tokens in the Armory—up to 25 Tokens.
  
• From random bundles that are available in exchange for Doubloons in the Armory—up to 780 Tokens.

For more details about Community Tokens, follow this link.

With the release of Update 0.10.8, Dutch Tokens will be converted into Credits at the rate of 1:60,000.

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Rewards for Tokens[/h2]
You can exchange Dutch Tokens for sequentially available bundles and other rewards in the Armory.

[h2]Sequentially Available Bundles[/h2]

If you already have IV De Ruyter in your Port, you will receive 1,100,000 Credits as compensation, as well as a Commander with 3 skill points and a Port slot.

[h2]Other Rewards[/h2]
[h2]

Free Bundles[/h2]
The Armory is offering free random bundles—Batavian Supplies. Within them, you'll find Dutch Tokens, 1 day of Premium Account, Doubloons, and other desirable rewards.
The bundles are available until: Mon. 02 Aug. 08:00 CEST (UTC+2)

You can obtain only one bundle per day. A total of 12 bundles will be available, so you can skip 6 days and still be able to collect all the rewards.

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Random Bundles[/h2]
The "Dutch Cruisers: Part 1" section of the Armory is now offering random bundles that can each be obtained for 1,000 Doubloons. Within them, you can find IX Johan de Witt with a 10-skill-point Commander and Port slot; Dutch Tokens; Flying Dutchman, Asian Lantern, Mosaic, and Spring Sky expendable camouflages; and special signals.