World of Warships News

Captains, welcome to the Public Test of Update 0.10.4!

The Battle of the Beasts event, new German Destroyers collection, and other new features await you. Take a look at the Developer Bulletin, and welcome to the Test!


[h2]Round 1 Schedule[/h2] Starts: Thu. 22 Apr. 18:30 CEST (UTC+2) Ends: Tue. 27 Apr. 07:30 CEST (UTC+2)

[h2]Special Features of the Test[/h2]

The rewards for activities on the Public Test Server may differ from those on the Live Server.

[h2]Combat Missions and Rewards[/h2]

One Wargaming container provides 1 day of Premium Account.

[h2]Starting Bonuses[/h2]

• The research prices for ships and ship modules will be substantially discounted.
  
• Players will be able to reset Commander skills free of charge.

If you're joining the Public Test for the first time since Update 0.10.2, you'll be awarded the following additional bonuses:

• At the start of the Public Test, every participant will have all researchable Tier VI and VIII ships, helmed by Commanders with 19 skill points, credited to their PT accounts.
  
• 500,000,000 Credits; 30,000 Doubloons; and 90 days of Premium Account.
  
• 50 signal flags of all types (except special signals) will also be added to your PT account.

[h2]How to Enter[/h2]
https://steamcommunity.com/games/552990/announcements/detail/2716184589232191867

IMPORTANT! Because the update is still being tested, the information in this Bulletin is tentative and reflects the state of game development at the time of its publication. Some changes and new features may be removed entirely or implemented differently by the time the update goes live. Screenshots, specific values of certain characteristics, and details of in-game mechanics will not necessarily be relevant after the update is released.

Please note: the rewards for activities on the Public Test server may differ from those on the Live Server.

[h2]

Battle of the Beasts[/h2]
Our new update brings a new temporary event called "Battle of the Beasts, " which is inspired by Germanic mythology.

• The event lasts 4 weeks. Once a week, you can stand up for one of four teams:
  
  • Welthund: a huge black dog with a sole big eye on its forehead.
    
  • Feuerputz: a demon that can take various guises but most often appears as a flaming horseman.
    
  • Glühschwanz: a night ghost in the guise of a dragon.
    
  • Lindwurm: a wingless creature with a dragon's head and a serpentine body.
• Complete personal missions that are issued daily to everyone who participates in the event.
  
• The missions can be completed throughout the day in Random, Co-op, and Ranked Battles.
  
• The mission results count towards your personal and team's progress.
  
• Achieve certain personal and team milestones in order to obtain rewards as you progress through the event.
  
• Rewards include themed patches, flags, Commanders, and Beast Tokens—a new temporary resource.

[expand] [/expand]

You can exchange the Tokens in the Armory for various rewards, including containers with items from the "German Destroyers" collection.

[h2]

"German Destroyers" Collection[/h2]
Another feature of the event dedicated to the release of German destroyers in Early Access is a brand-new collection that tells the story of those warships, highlighting their outstanding features and armaments—and the men of courage who served on them.

The collection consists of four sections, with four elements in each.

[expand] [/expand]
The reward for completing each of the sections is 1 day of Premium Account.

The rewards for completing the entire collection include the Iron Cross permanent camouflage for VIII Gustav Julius Maerker and a commemorative flag.

Elements of the collection can only be obtained from German Destroyers containers.

[h2]

Auction[/h2]
As part of Update 0.10.4, we’re adding a new method by which you can obtain in-game items. We call it the "Auction"—a place where you can find rare goodies. The Auction will feature rare collectibles, and offers another way of replenishing supplies of resources and other in-game valuables.

[h3]Key Rules[/h3]

• Each Auction has a limited duration.
  
• It comprises the following stages:
  
  1. A lot that is offered in an Auction is announced with details of its starting price and the number of possible bid winners.
     
  2. The Auction begins, and bids can be placed.
     
  3. The results of the Auction are summed up; bids are no longer accepted.
     
  4. The Auction winners receive their rewards, while the other Auction participants receive their bids back.
• You can change your bid amount at any time, as long as bidding for that lot is still available.
  
• Players will only be notified of the starting bid for a lot and the number of possible winners.
  
• Depending on the lot, you can use various in-game resources for your bid.
  
• The number of lots is limited; the highest bids win; the winning bids will be used as payments for the lots.
  
• It's a no-risk adventure! Any bid that doesn't win will be returned to the bidder when the Auction closes.

For example, if there is a lot for 500 commemorative flags, the 500 players with the highest bids will receive one flag each.
[h2]

Changes to Commander Skills[/h2]
In Update 0.10.4, we've enhanced the following skills:

• Survivability Expert (cruiser skill)
  
• Extra-Heavy AP Shells and Fearless Brawler (destroyer skills)
  
• Enhanced Reactions (aircraft carrier skill)
  
• Super-Heavy AP Shells (battleship skill)

The parameters of these skills were inferior to other "same-price" skills in terms of combat efficiency, which affected their popularity.

For battleships, the Dead Eye skill is replaced with the Swift in Silence skill, giving battleships a 10% increase in speed while the ship remains undetected. This way, we add more options for battleships in terms of positioning, allowing them to engage in combat or change position in a skirmish faster. When Update 0.10.4 goes live, all Commanders with the Dead Eye skill mastered will have their battleship skills reset free of charge. Skills related to the other ship types will not be reset.

[h2]The Next Steps[/h2]
Further changes to Commander skills should be expected in autumn at the earliest, because it takes time for such enhancements to be designed and tested. We’re going to focus on balancing a number of skills as well. The least popular skills will either be improved or removed from the game entirely.

Once Update 0.10.4 and the changes it brings hit the servers, we'll continue monitoring the balance of specific ships that are most affected by the Commander skill changes, based on incoming statistics and your feedback. We'll make selective fixes if needed. When making these changes, we’ll make it possible for all players to reset Commander skills free of charge during the second stage of tweaks in autumn.

[h2]

Updated Achievements Interface[/h2]
We've updated the interface to make navigating through the Achievements section and tracking progress in the game more convenient:

• Updated the appearance of the Achievements screen.
  
• Added categories and updated the sorting of achievements.
  
• Updated pop-up tooltips in the Port and for the post-battle statistics.

We have disabled the rewards that were previously issued for earning achievements. On the Live Server, they will be replaced by special chains of combat missions for Base XP in victorious battles. You can complete the missions in Operations; Brawls; and Ranked, Random, and Co-op Battles. This means that you can replenish your stocks of signal flags in the majority of battle types. The mission conditions take into account the varying difficulty of their completion depending on which type of battle you choose. For example, you can be a frequent winner in Co-op Battles, but receive less XP per battle, or you can quickly obtain the rewards by earning more XP per battle in a smaller number of victorious Random or Ranked Battles. The available rewards include More Signals containers and Gift containers.

The updates to this section will allow us to add more achievements to the game in the future.

Join us on Twitch


Join us on YouTube

[h3]Episode 10[/h3] Premieres: Mon. 26 Apr. 19:00 CEST (UTC+2)

This month we're trying out a new time slot for our historical talk show – join us on Twitch, YouTube or Facebook next Monday, April 26 at 19:00 CEST and tune in to our panel's discussion of the naval battles of Narvik. In April 1940, British and German destroyer forces engaged in brutal close-quarters combat in the claustrophobic confines of the Norwegian Fjords as both powers vied for the strategic control of the nordic country.

This month, our panelists are YouTuber Drachinifel, naval historian Dr. Alexander Clarke, and World of Warships' own Tuccy, and MrConway.

• You can leave your questions and comments for our panel at our dedicated Discord server at the link below. If you're not a member of our server, you can join here. If you're already a member, you can follow the direct link below. You can also fill out the traditional question form if you're not comfortable with Discord.

Ask on Discord

Fill out the form

[h3]The Battles of Narvik[/h3]
For months after Britain's and France's declaration of war against Germany, the world held its breath as neither side seemed to want to be the first to escalate the conflict. In this period, which came to be known as the 'Phoney War', faith in a diplomatic solution to the war still remained, and actual military actions were limited to a small scale. 

The balance was disrupted when in April 1940, Germany buckled and made an aggressive move to occupy Norway —Operation Weserübung— with the aim of gaining uninterrupted access to Swedish iron ore, as well as strategic ports in the British-controlled North Sea. This sudden campaign was costly in general for both sides, and for the Kriegsmarine in particular: heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper suffered damage after being rammed by destroyer HMS Glowworm on April 5, and her sister Blücher was sunk by Norwegian coastal defenses in Oslofjord on April 9.

While this was happening, a force of 10 German destroyers assaulted the sparsely defended northern port of Narvik and landed troops to garrison the city. Due to a delay in refueling, the German destroyer flotilla was forced on April 9 to stay another night in the frigid waters of Ofotfjord before retreating back South.

In the early morning of April 10, the first Royal Navy units slipped into the fjord, setting the scene for a spectacular end to the 'Phoney War'.

How did it play out? Join our stream next Monday and find out!

Captains!

An epic and unpredictable confrontation between the two Titans is coming to World of Warships. Godzilla and Kong will soon face off against each other in a grand battle, and it will be up to you to decide who emerges victorious. Both Titans are set to appear in World of Warships as themed camouflages and Commanders for a limited time only.

We invite you to take a look at a new trailer, comic page, and some beautiful renders.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Godzilla and Kong will be represented by unique camouflages for VIII Amagi and VIII North Carolina, as well as Commanders with recognizable phrases and voiceovers.

Our collaboration with the Titans will also bring a lot of new features, including special containers, themed combat missions, expendable camouflages, commemorative flags, and patches.

More details about the collaboration will be announced later.

©2021 Legendary and WBEI. All Rights Reserved. GODZILLA TM & © TOHO CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved.

Italian battleships Dante Alighieri, Conte di Cavour, Andrea Doria, Francesco Caracciolo, Vittorio Veneto, Lepanto, and Cristoforo Colombo are now available for everyone to research.

Read the article below to learn how to effectively play the newcomers.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h2]

Key Features of the Branch[/h2]

• Semi-armor-piercing shells instead of HE shells. These shells deal significant damage to weakly and moderately protected ship parts, but do not cause fires and can ricochet.
  
• Numerous main battery guns on Tier IX and X battleships.
  
• Their main guns have short firing ranges, low accuracy, and long reload times.
  
• Good protection thanks to their decent armor that ensures a high level of defense against high-explosive shells; as well as their good maneuverability.
  
• Tier VIII–X ships have the Exhaust Smoke Generator consumable, which allows them to hide from the enemy without having to reduce their speed.

[expand] [/expand]
[h2]

Tactics[/h2]
Decent maneuverability and armor coupled with low accuracy and short firing ranges define the Italian battleships' gameplay—they are medium- and close-range fighters.

Thanks to their powerful semi-armor-piercing shells with high penetration and damage capabilities, the Italians can boast of having a heavy salvo weight. This applies to Tier IX–X battleships in particular, due to their large number of main battery guns. You can inflict considerable damage to cruisers, as well as the ends, superstructures, and even some of the better-armored casemates of battleships. As for destroyers, they take not more than 1/10 of the maximum damage dealt by a semi-armor-piercing shell. Moreover, semi-armor-piercing shells can ricochet—the "14.3 caliber rule" applies to them, which is something you also need to consider when choosing a target.

You can learn more about the "14.3 caliber rule" by watching a dedicated video.

Italian armor-piercing shells don't have the largest caliber—it's 381 mm for Tier VII–X battleships. However, unlike semi-armor-piercing shells that explode upon contact with armor, armor-piercing shells can strike a ship's citadel, even if it's protected by the casemate's armor belt or plating.

The Italians can enter battle more confidently thanks to the Exhaust Smoke Generator consumable, which appears on high-tier battleships starting with VIII Vittorio Veneto. It allows you to stealthily approach an enemy, escape focused fire even out on open water, or retreat entirely — all without even having to reduce your speed. Exhaust Smoke Generator can also give you the advantage of firing the first salvo, but keep in mind that afterwards you'll be most likely detected due to the high detectability of battleships after firing main battery guns even from within smoke.

Just like other battleships that specialize in fighting at close and medium ranges, the main role of the Italians is to define the attack direction of their team. Make sure to watch the situation on the battlefield carefully though. Despite the Italian battleships having decent armor that provides good protection against high-explosive shells, in case of heavy focused fire from several opponents, it's best to withdraw and change position. That's when Exhaust Smoke Generator and the ships' good maneuverability will come in handy. If the situation allows it, push forward using your numerous main battery guns and powerful semi-armor-piercing shells.

[h2]

Upgrades[/h2]
The following upgrades will be useful:

• Main Armaments Modification 1
  
• Damage Control System Modification 1
  
• Aiming Systems Modification 1
  
• Damage Control System Modification 2
  
• Concealment System Modification 1
  
• Main Battery Modification 3 or Gun Fire Control System Modification 2

In Update 0.10.3, you’ll be able to start building a new German destroyer, ZF-6.

IX ZF-6 is one of the unfinished Le Hardi-class French destroyers that were captured by Germany when France capitulated in 1940. The project that was conceived to finish building the ship involved her complete rearmament with German-manufactured weapons. She has decent concealment; AP shells that can inflict significant damage and have enhanced ricochet angles; and the Engine Boost, Smoke Generator, and Defensive AA Fire consumables. When countering destroyers, the ship can take advantage of the Main Battery Reload Booster consumable. When it comes to heavily armored targets, her fast torpedoes that can inflict heavy damage and have a decent reload time may come in very handy, despite their quite high detectability.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h2]

Rules of the Event[/h2]

• The construction process at the Dockyard comprises 22 phases.
  
• These shipbuilding phases can be progressed through by completing Dockyard combat missions, or by spending 2,200 Doubloons to pass through each phase.
  
• If you want to complete shipbuilding phases at a discount, you can purchase Starter Packs: eight shipbuilding phases in exchange for 8,950 Doubloons and three shipbuilding phases in exchange for 5,000 Doubloons.
  
• The Dockyard combat missions span two updates—0.10.3 and 0.10.4. Players will be able to complete shipbuilding phases in exchange for Doubloons until the end of Update 0.10.5.
  
• In total, you can progress through 19 out of 22 shipbuilding phases by completing Dockyard combat missions.
  
• The rewards for progressing through shipbuilding phases are Credits, Elite Commander XP, Free XP, Coal, Premium Account time, special signals, expendable camouflages, and Gift containers.
  
• Upon completing the 22nd shipbuilding phase, you'll receive IX ZF-6 in the War Paint camouflage, a Commander with 10 skill points, a Port slot, and a commemorative flag.

[expand] [/expand]

If you complete the construction of IX ZF-6 by spending Doubloons, make sure to keep completing Dockyard combat missions—each phase will bring you 3,000 Coal and 200 Steel.

The process of creating IX ZF-6's design drawings is the main new feature of the Dockyard in comparison with its previous iterations. The drawing process occupies the first four phases. Once you have progressed through them, the ship's construction begins.

[expand] [/expand]
[h2]

Combat Missions[/h2]
The new game event tasks you with completing 72 combat missions spread across eight groups. The first group will become available with the release of Update 0.10.3, while those that follow will be unlocked on a weekly basis.

Completing each of the first five groups will progress you through two shipbuilding phases—one phase for accomplishing a specific mission, and one phase for finishing the entire group.

Completing each of the last three groups will progress you through three shipbuilding phases—two for specific missions and one for finishing the group.

The Dockyard combat missions will remain available until the release of Update 0.10.5. Detailed information about the mission completion criteria can be found in the game client.

[h2]

Rewards[/h2]
By progressing through the Dockyard combat mission groups, you can complete 19 out of 22 shipbuilding phases and obtain the corresponding rewards at the Dockyard.

By finishing the first three combat mission groups, you can complete up to six shipbuilding phases and obtain the following rewards:

• 3,000,000 Credits
  
• 2,000 Coal
  
• 1 day of Premium Account
• 15x Hunter camouflages
  
• 5x "Black, White, Red" camouflages

Finishing seven out of eight combat mission groups will allow you to complete up to 16 shipbuilding phases and obtain:

• 200,000 Elite Commander XP
  
• 3,000,000 Credits
  
• 2,000 Coal
  
• 4 days of Premium Account
• 15,000 Free XP
  
• 15x Hunter camouflages
  
• 15x "Black, White, Red" camouflages
  
• 10x signals of each of the following types: Hydra, Basilisk, Red Dragon, Ouroboros, Wyvern, and Dragon

By finishing all the combat mission groups, you'll complete 19 shipbuilding phases and obtain:

• 200,000 Elite Commander XP
  
• 3,000,000 Credits
  
• 2,000 Coal
  
• 4 days of Premium Account
• 15,000 Free XP
  
• 15x Hunter camouflages
  
• 15x "Black, White, Red" camouflages
  
• 10x special signals of each type
  
• 5x Gift containers

In order to complete phases 20—22, in addition to progressing through all the combat mission groups, you'll need to spend Doubloons to progress through any three shipbuilding phases.

• The reward for completing the 20th shipbuilding phase is 10,000 Coal.
  
• Completing the 21st phase will bring you five Gift containers.
  
• Upon completing the 22nd shipbuilding phase, you'll receive IX ZF-6 in the War Paint camouflage, a Commander with 10 skill points, a Port slot, and a commemorative flag.

If you complete the construction of IX ZF-6 by spending Doubloons, make sure to keep completing Dockyard combat missions—each phase will bring you 3,000 Coal and 200 Steel.

If you want to complete shipbuilding phases at a discount, two Starter Packs are available to purchase:

• Eight shipbuilding phases for 8,950 Doubloons
  
• Three shipbuilding phases for 5,000 Doubloons

However, these packs will only be available to purchase prior to the point in time when you complete three shipbuilding phases by finishing combat missions. Once you've purchased both Starter Packs or completed three shipbuilding phases by finishing combat missions, you'll be able to purchase further phases individually for 2,200 Doubloons each.