Update 0.10.2 – Italian Battleships: Part 2

Please note that the servers will be temporarily unavailable due to the release of an update. The schedule is available below.
Maintenance times are tentative and subject to change. Please accept our apologies for any inconveniences.

The new update will go live some time after it's been downloaded because the client and server sides are updated separately. While the client begins to update immediately, it takes time for the servers to be updated across all regions.

If there are problems with downloading or launching the update—please perform files integrity check.

Subtitles can be enabled in the video player separately.
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Read this article until the end to claim a gift! Share the article with friends and Clanmates to help them stay tuned about the details of this update.

[h2]

Italian Battleships: Part 2[/h2]


With Update 0.10.2, Italian battleships continue to shine bright in the dedicated event that takes center stage!

[h2]Features of the Ship Branch[/h2]

• Semi-armor-piercing shells instead of HE shells. These shells can deal significant damage to weakly and moderately protected targets and vulnerable ship parts, but do not cause fires.
  
• A large number of guns with relatively short firing ranges and not the greatest accuracy.
  
• Decent maneuverability and armor protection.
  
• Tier VIII–X ships have access to the Exhaust Smoke Generator consumable, which allows them to sneak away from enemies without having to reduce speed. However, shooting from within a smoke screen while retreating isn't recommended—battleships have high detectability when firing their main battery guns from within smoke.

[h2]Early Access[/h2]
Italian battleships of Tiers IV–VI, as well as the Tier VIII and IX Italian battleships that hit the seas in Early Access with the release of Update 0.10.1, continue to be available in sequential and random bundles in the Armory.

In Update 0.10.2, Italian Tokens will only be obtainable from random bundles available for Doubloons in the Armory. Players can spend Italian Tokens until the end of Update 0.10.2. After Update 0.10.3 goes live, all Italian Tokens will be converted into Credits at the rate of 1:2,250.

When Update 0.10.3 goes live, Italian Tier IV–X battleships will be available for all players to research.

[h2]Combat Mission Group Rewards[/h2]
Italian Battleships containers, signals, Credits, and the Legion permanent camouflage for IX Marco Polo.

If you already own the Legion permanent camouflage for IX Marco Polo, you will receive compensation in the form of 6,000 Doubloons.

An Italian Battleships container may drop one of the following Premium ships: VI Leone, VII Duca degli Abruzzi, VIII Roma, or IX Marco Polo, as well as special signals, Free XP, Regia Marina expendable camouflages, days of Warships Premium Account, and Doubloons.

[h2]Free Bundles[/h2]
The Armory is offering free random bundles. Inside, you can find Italian Battleships containers, 1 day of Premium Account, Doubloons, and other rewards.
The bundles are available until: Mon. 05 Apr. 07:00 CET (UTC+1)

The bundles will be available for 18 days. 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.

[h2]

Big Hunt[/h2]


Update 0.10.2 brings a new temporary battle type called "Big Hunt"—a revamped version of the Key Battle that went live in Update 0.9.10. Demonstrate your skills as you stand against foes in an engaging competition of the future by assuming command over a ship that represents one of three corporations!

The new battle type pits 16 players against each other and AI-controlled monsters on the gigantic Polygon map.

• Your main objective is to exit the Polygon via the Portal located at the center of the map. Be cautious—the Portal opens up only some time after the battle starts.
  
• You start out alone, but you can gather a team directly in battle.
  
• It’s now possible to enter battle as part of a Division, but each player still starts the battle on their own. To coordinate their efforts, Division mates will need to locate each other on the map and build up their team.
  
• The Big Hunt ends when all surviving players exit through the Portal, or when the battle time expires.

[expand] [/expand]
A temporary resource—Battle Points—will be issued to players for destroying monsters and other players.

• Specifically for the Big Hunt, we've added a new boss ship called Aurora. Defeating her won't be smooth sailing, but doing so will bring a huge amount of Battle Points to the team that sinks her.

• Having accrued a certain number of Battle Points, you can reinforce your ship directly in battle.
  
• Any Battle Points you earn won’t be lost or spent in battle. You can exchange them for rewards in the Armory.
  
• Successfully exiting the Polygon will double the amount of Battle Points you get.

Grab the helm of one of a total of six ships, and try your luck in the Big Hunt! Each ship has a wide variety of modules that can have a significant impact on gameplay.

The first three ships, which you are likely to already be familiar with from the Key Battle, are available immediately with all of their modules. The three new ships—X Hector, X Avenger, and X Whirlwind—and all of their modules will become available after completing chains of combat missions.

[expand] [/expand]
Each ship is equipped with distinct types of weapons and consumables that can have a drastic impact on gameplay. X Hector, for example, can dive underwater, where she has greater speed and maneuverability, and can also ignore enemy shells and torpedoes for a short period of time. X Avenger can be equipped with large-caliber mortars that have a big impact zone. X Whirlwind offers a wide selection of torpedo armament and is capable of regenerating HP by damaging her enemies.

More details on the Big Hunt rules, as well as the available rewards in the Armory, will come in a dedicated article on our website.

[h2]

Visual Improvements[/h2]


Update 0.10.2 ushers in a large-scale makeover of the in-game visual effects. All effects in the game—from shell tracers and fires on board ships, to gunfire, water splashes, and AA fire explosions—have been enhanced. New visual effects have been added for ricochets; fires on ships; citadel hits; incapacitated weapons; and active operation effects for the Damage Control Party, Repair Party, Main Battery Reload Booster, Defensive AA Fire, and Hydroacoustic Search consumables.

[expand] [/expand]
More details about the visual effects enhancements are available in a separate article.

[h2]

Division Star[/h2]


Throughout Update 0.10.2, Clan members will have access to special victory bonuses in the form of a Division Star.

• You can get a Division Star by playing as part of a Division with your Clanmates.
  
• A Star is issued to each member of a Division for the first victory gained by that Division during Update 0.10.2.
  
• A Star can be obtained in Random, Co-op, and Clan Battles, as well as in Operations.
  
• Earning a certain number of Stars unlocks access to various rewards.
  
• If you switch Clans, any Stars and rewards you previously earned remain with you.
  
• To see the roster of Clanmates who you can combine your efforts with in a Division, as well as the list of rewards you can get, navigate to the Division Star tab in the Clans section.

[h2]

Armory[/h2]


[h3]New ships[/h3]
X Austin, available for 29,000 Steel, is a U.S. cruiser that was designed at the end of World War II. The ship is armed with twelve dual-purpose 127 mm guns in six turrets, and carries two quintuple-tube torpedo launcher mounts. The cruiser has an unlimited number of charges for the Main Battery Reload Booster consumable, which reduces the reload time of her guns by 75% instead of the standard 50%. She also has the Hydroacoustic Search and Defensive AA Fire consumables in separate slots. Her AA defenses are efficient, and she’s armed with SAP shells instead of AP shells.
IX Marco Polo, available for 228,000 Coal, is an Italian battleship that was designed in the 1930s. As a further development of the Vittorio Veneto-class battleships, Marco Polo is equipped with nine 406 mm guns in three turrets. Like her researchable Italian counterparts, Marco Polo relies on AP and SAP shells, but her guns are more accurate. Instead of being equipped with the Exhaust Smoke Generator consumable, she has a choice between Spotting Aircraft or Fighter in a single slot. The ship boasts good concealment and decent armor protection. This ship may also drop from Italian Battleships containers.

A permanent camouflage named "Eagle" for X Franklin D. Roosevelt is now available in the Armory in exchange for 10 Ranked Tokens.

With the release of Update 0.10.2, X Somers will cease to be available in the Armory. When Update 0.10.5 goes live, VI Erich Loewenhardt, VII Nelson, VI T-61, VII Haida, VII Z-39, VIII Asashio, VIII Lenin, and VI Admiral Graf Spee will also cease to be available. The ships are being removed from the game due to a combination of their popularity and combat efficiency. In order to maintain the proper level of diversity in teams in terms of ship composition, these ships will cease to be available for an indefinite period of time, but may return in future.

We understand that accumulating resources for ships is a long process, which is why we wanted to warn you in advance. Any interested players still have time to steer these ships into their Ports before Update 0.10.5 goes live in about 3 months' time.

[h2]

Other Changes[/h2]


[h3][h3]Content additions and changes[/h3][/h3]


Ships VII Weimar and VIII Tiger '59 have been added for testing by developers, volunteers, and community contributors.

[h3][h3]Other changes and improvements[/h3][/h3]

• The aiming sights of aircraft carrier squadrons will now display a land-hit indicator similar to that displayed for the main battery guns of ships.
  
• The post-battle service costs for Tier II–VII Premium and special ships have been reduced.
  
• We've improved the operation of the ship's autopilot when moving backwards and when changing course.
  
• Performance of the game chat is now more stable.
  
• We've made changes to the set of recommended Commander skills for X Småland and researchable Italian battleships.
  
• Fixed an issue that could sometimes make IX Lepanto's firing range longer than her viewing range: for Lepanto, the viewing range has been increased from 25.3 to 28.3 km.
  
• Fixed an issue that could freeze the dropping container animation on the barge when minimizing the game client window.
  
• Fixed lighting effects for the Port of Marseille.
  
• Fixed the ship's position in the Designer's Table Port.
  
• Fixed an issue that caused the cost of Commander retraining to be displayed incorrectly.
  
• Fixed an issue that made it impossible to display a selected ship's stats for a particular Ranked Battles season in the Port.
  
• The player profile preview window now offers a player search option.
  
• We’ve added an option to view stats for a hidden player profile if the viewing and viewed players are members of the same Clan. Profile settings can be configured on the game website.
  
• Fixed an FPS drop that occurred in the Port when the camera moved to a certain position.
  
• Other improvements and changes. For a complete list, please refer to Player Support.

Attentive readers can claim a reward. Click "Collect your gift" to get

The reward can be claimed before: Sun. 04 Apr. 14:00 CET (UTC+1)