Update 0.8.3

Developer Bulletin Update 0.8.3 News article

The cycle of Soviet updates begins! With Update 0.8.3, the new friendly “Victory” competition starts. By taking part in it, you can get early access to Soviet battleships. Fight for your right to be among the first to lead battleships of the USSR into battle.

Friendly "Victory" Competition

A series of Soviet updates commences with the “Victory” competition. Two teams—Glory and Honor—will contend each day for valuable rewards and places on the Wall of Valor.

Players with access to combat missions and challenges according to the level of their Service Record will be able to participate in the competition. Beginners will have to play 70 battles in any available modes to unlock access.

The competition starts: Thu. Apr. 25 3:00 AM PT / your local time: Thu. Apr. 25 5:00 AM 2019

Each day you will choose one of the teams:

Team Honor values the great traditions of the Soviet Navy. Join the team and fight fearlessly for justice! Team Glory triumphantly copes with all missions. Join the team and write your own legend into history alongside the heroic deeds of Soviet sailors! The rules of the competition are fairly simple: go into battle on your favorite Tier V–X ships and earn points for the team and your personal rating!

For achieving good results in battle, you will receive Allowance Tokens that can be exchanged in the Armory. Use them to acquire valuable prizes: “Victory” expendable camos, special permanent camos for Tier VIII Soviet ships— VIII Chapayev, VIII Kiev, VIII Ognevoi, and VIII Vladivostok — and, of course, containers that provide a chance to gain early access to Tier V–VIII Soviet battleships. The special feature of the “Victory” competition section in the Armory will be an opportunity to obtain Tier VII Soviet cruiser VII Lazo!

Each day, the team with most points wins. The following day, the tasks for the winning team will become harder, and the rewards more valuable. At the same time, the losing team will receive a modifier to the points they earn that day, helping them to close the gap quicker.

Besides that, for your loyalty to a team and the “Will to Victory” you will receive personal rewards—patches and commemorative flags.

Choose your side, compete in battles, and strive for new heights!

Please note that Directives won't be available during the Victory competition.

Clan Treasury

In update 0.8.3, the Clan Base gets a new building which is erected free of charge—the Treasury. For constructing it the Clan will receive 2,000 Coal.

As soon as the building is erected, the Clan obtains access to the Treasury, where Steel, Coal, and doubloons are stored. All Clan members will be able to view the accumulated resources, but only the Clan Commander and Deputy Commanders can distribute them among players.

The Treasury will be replenished for reaching high places in the Clans global rating. In the future, there will be other ways to gain various resources for the Treasury. Thus, the Clan will be able to encourage its distinguished players by rewarding them for their successes.

When Clan Battles of the "Land of Fire" season cease to rage, those Clans with Ranks 1 to 50 in the global rating will receive 5,000 to 25,000 Steel.

Place in the global rating Steel

• 1 25,000
• 2 22,500
• 3 20,000
• 4 17,500
• 5–50 16,250–5,000

Each next step results in 250 Steel less.

Even if your Clan doesn't make it into the Top 50, but achieves particular success in Clan Battles, your Steel and Coal stocks in the Treasury will increase anyway.

The amount of resources earned depends on the Clan's best results in the previous season:

• League, Group Steel Coal
• Hurricane, 1 2,500 25,000
• Typhoon, 1 1,500 25,000
• Typhoon, 2 1,000 20,000
• Typhoon, 3 0 15,000
• Storm, 1 0 12,500
• Storm, 2 0 10,000
• Storm, 3 0 7,500
• Gale, 1 0 5,000

The replenishment of the Treasury isn't associated with the rewards that players receive for in-game activities, such as Ranked and Clan Battles, the completion of combat missions, tasks within certain campaigns, etc. Rewards for missions and achievements in modes remain the same.

Please note: The World of Warships Team does not interfere with the in-Clan activities of players and is not entitled to consider complaints relating to conflicts within Clans, including issues relating to the Clan Treasury! Responsibility for resolving such conflicts lies with the Clan Leaders and their Deputies. By appointing Clan members to certain positions, Clan Leaders confirm their trust in the persons concerned. In their turn, all rank-and-file members accept the Clan's rules when joining it.

We remind you that the direct sale of memberships/slots in Clans to obtain any in-game items, achievements, or other benefits is prohibited in accordance with the Game and Clan Rules, clause 12.1. Clan members who violate this clause might be deprived of the in-game items or achievements that were obtained in breach of this rule, or can even be stripped of their access to the game, including permanent access.

Azur Lane

If you are an anime aficionado, it's time to celebrate! In update 0.8.3, there's a surprise for you—the continuation of our joint project with the popular Azur Lane mobile game. World of Warships will see the addition of:

A new room-like Port with music familiar to all admirers of Azur Lane. Special Commanders Neptune, Prinz Eugen, Dunkerque, Atago, Azuma, Montpelier, Yukikaze, and Kaga, with unique voiceovers. Two special ships with unique camos: Tier VIII American cruiser VIII AL Montpelier and Tier VIII Japanese destroyer VIII AL Yukikaze. A new thematic collection, which, when completed, will reward you with the special Commander Azuma! Containers, some of which can bring you collection items, camouflages, signals, and special Commanders. Please find more details on our portal in a special article published on May 3. To obtain Azur Lane content, you need to press a special button in the Azur Lane-related news article, or purchase the relevant packages in our Premium Shop.

Attention! If, for whatever reason, anime is not your cup of tea, you can hide the special camos and Commanders in the filter carousel by unticking the "Azur Lane" field in the "Custom ships" section.

Related article

Cessation of Support for DirectX Versions Below 10.1 and the Addition of an x64 Client

World of Warships is undergoing continuous development, both technically and in terms of new in-game content. Currently, graphics cards that don't support DirectX 10.1 or higher are considered to be outdated, and their characteristics don't meet our minimum system requirements. Maintaining support of outdated technology requires a lot of effort from the developers, slowing down the game's development.

Thus, with update 0.8.3, we cease our support for DirectX 9, and launching the game with DirectX 9 will no longer be possible. Players who use graphics cards that support DirectX 10.0 will still be able to launch the game, but we can't guarantee stable operation of the client, or that it will launch at all with future updates.

You can find more details on the reasons behind these changes in our article. You can find out how to update DirectX right here.

This update adds the x64 client. When you launch the game, it will automatically determine which version of the client to use. On computers with RAM of 6 GB or more, the x64 client will be used; if your PC's RAM is less than 6 GB, it will use the x86 client. You don't need to download or configure anything extra. This variant of the client makes good use of the advantages of the x64 architecture that’s so important for the game—and full use of the PC's RAM.

In case the logic of automatic selection of which version of the game client is launched doesn't suit you, WGC will enable you to select the client to launch manually. The ability to select a client is available under a drop-down menu on the Play button.

Aircraft Carrier Improvements

We are working on performance in battle. So, in this version we have improved the game's performance when you play on an aircraft carrier by optimizing the interface for some computer configurations.

The India Delta signal will increase the efficiency of the Repair consumable for squadrons by 5%. The descriptions of the Victor Lima and Juliet Whiskey Unaone signals are going to be further clarified in relation to their impact on aircraft torpedoes.

Port Improvements

In the coming update, we'll optimize the Port even further. The Exterior section now enjoys improved performance—the mounting of signals, camos, or flags will be much faster for players. This will be especially noticeable if you have many signals, camouflages, and flags to mount.

Barely noticeable, but also very important changes have been made to the Port's interface. Now, by pressing the ESC key, you can close all tabs at once and get straight to the Port. Previously, when you pressed ESC in some sections, the settings window opened. For a more compact view, you can minimize the ship's technical specifications in the Port tab. Unique Commander ribbons will be displayed differently. The ability to view the ship's armor layout in the Exterior section has been removed. Thus, you won't be distracted by irrelevant functions when mounting signals, camos, or flags on the ship. The armor layout can still be seen in the Port. To optimize the interface, ship XP is now displayed in the Port section only. Interface performance in the Tech Tree has also been improved: The heading with ship types always remains at the top and doesn't disappear at low screen resolutions when you scroll down. The Tech Tree no longer overlaps with the chat panel.

Armory Update

• We’ve added the possibility of multiple exchange of resources for in-game items. Now, you can decide how many signals, camos, upgrades, and other non-unique positions you would like to receive. Please note that coupons apply when exchanging only one in-game item. This option will become available since April 29.

Neustrashimy

• In update 0.8.3, the Armory will offer you a new ship—Tier IX Soviet destroyer IX Neustrashimy, available for 20,500 Steel. Ship features:
  • Armed with four 130 mm guns mounted in two turrets, with a reloading time of 4 seconds and maximum firing range of 12.75 km. Her turrets can rotate 360 degrees.
  • Equipped with two quintuple torpedo tubes that reload within 125 seconds. Her torpedoes can deliver a maximum of 17,933 damage, and travel at 65 knots up to a distance of 10 km.
  • High survivability due to a large HP pool (20,500) and low detectability range by sea (7.1 km). By using camos, upgrades, and Commander skills, this can be further reduced to 5.6 km.
  • Neustrashimy has a large hull, making her relatively clumsy and vulnerable.
  • Defensive AA Fire consumable and enhanced Repair Party consumable that restores 1.5% of maximum HP per second. This is 3 times better than the standard for this consumable.

New Camos

Now, the Armory contains Makoto Kobayashi camouflages for VIII Roma (7,000 doubloons), VIII Kii (7,000 doubloons), and VII Ashitaka (6,000 doubloons). These camos will be available for purchase in the Armory until the release of version 0.8.4.

The camouflages bring you the following bonuses:

−3% to your ship's detectability range by sea

+4% to the dispersion of shells fired by enemies at your ship

−50% to the cost of the ship's post-battle service

+20% credits earned per battle

+100% XP per battle

Allowance Tokens

Additionally, the Armory will have a special tab with various assets dedicated to the Soviet battleships and with a new resource— Allowance Tokens — which you can earn in the “Victory” competition. In the same tab, you will be able to obtain containers that carry a chance of unlocking early access to Soviet battleships. You can find more details about this in a special article.

Expiring Currencies

Following the release of update 0.8.3, all Florins that you haven't spent will be exchanged for credits at a rate of 1:4,000. The “Fly! Strike! Win!” section will be no longer available. Ironium and Space Battle items will be available throughout 0.8.3. With the release of version 0.8.4, Ironium will be exchanged for credits at a rate of 1:16,000.

The option to purchase special missions with Ironium will disappear from the Armory.

Game Balance Changes

• Update 0.8.3 sees the parameters of the Spotting Aircraft consumable become unified: all ships will have 3 charges for standard consumables, and 4 for enhanced consumables. The special consumable settings for cruiser VI Perth and battleship IX Musashi have been preserved. These changes are intended to bring this consumable into line and unify it across various ships.

• The duration of the Fighter consumable on Japanese battleship Musashi has been increased from 60 to 80 seconds. Prior to the updated aircraft carrier gameplay, fighters taking off from Musashi were different from those of other battleships. This can now be stated again about Musashi's consumable.

• We've completed successful testing of the changes to French destroyer VIII Le Terrible, and in version 0.8.3 we'll implement them for the main version of the ship. Here's what has been changed:
  • Initial armor-piercing shell velocity has been increased from 800 to 840 m/s.
  • The Krupp value for an armor-piercing shell has been increased from 2,100 to 2,400, improving its armor penetration capacity.
  • The air-drag coefficient has been reduced from 0.3498 to 0.234 for high-explosive and armor-piercing shells.
  • Distribution of HP within the ship has been modified. This will enable the destroyer to survive under intense enemy fire for longer periods of time.
  • Changing the air-drag coefficient of HE shells will help the destroyer feel more comfortable in battles at medium and long ranges, while her improved armor penetration will allow her to confidently attack cruisers with her AP shells. However, you'll have to carefully consider the armor features of each enemy ship, as well as the distance to target. With correct positioning, the destroyer will be able to inflict significant damage to light cruisers at distances of up to 10 km, especially if the Main Battery Reload Booster consumable is activated.

Content Additions and Changes

Yamato

In version 0.8.3, we’re updating one of the oldest ship models in the game — X Yamato. After conducting extensive research, we've managed to make the model’s appearance even more detailed and historically accurate. She now looks as she did at the moment she set off to her final battle. Along with the update of the battleship’s model, her AA defense system also enjoys slight changes that increase its effectiveness: continuous damage per second within her AA defense range has increased from 851 to 955.

The camos that can she can be mounted with have also been updated.

Camouflage patterns

• A new Makoto Kobayashi camouflage for battleship X Yamato has been added that provides the following bonuses:

−3% to your ship's detectability range by sea. +4% to the dispersion of shells fired by enemies at your ship. −50% to the cost of the ship's post-battle service. +20% credits earned per battle. +100% XP per battle.

The camo can be purchased in the Premium Shop, Armory, and in the Exterior section for 7,000 doubloons. The camouflage will be available for purchase in the game client until the release of Update 0.8.4.

• The contest-winning camos for destroyers VII Leningrad and VII Minsk have been added to the game:

−3% to your ship's detectability range by sea. +4% to the dispersion of shells fired by enemies at your ship. −10% to the cost of the ship’s post-battle service. +50% XP per battle. These camos can be obtained as rewards for completing the Daily Challenge chains. Details will be published in the news related to combat missions.

• The Armory continues to offer new camouflage patterns that can be obtained in exchange for Copper and Molybdenum. In 0.8.3, battleship X Bourgogne acquires the Rhino camo which can be exchanged for Copper. The camouflage provides the following bonuses:

−3% to your ship's detectability range by sea. +4% to the dispersion of shells fired by enemies at your ship. −50% to the cost of the ship's post-battle service. +20% credits earned per battle. +100% XP per battle.

You can obtain Molybdenum and Copper for victories in the Typhoon League in Clan Battles, and for achieving Rank 1 in the main Ranked Battles season.

Test ships

The following ships have been added for testing by developers, supertesters, and community contributors: IX Mogador, X Kleber, VII Yūdachi, VIII Bayard, IX Benham, X Yoshino, and X Pobeda (the latter to be renamed to Slava in Update 0.8.4).

Privateers

A flag, symbol for patches, and an emblem have been added for Privateers. Read more about the program on the forum.

Other Changes and Improvments

• Returning aircraft are no longer displayed to allies on the Minimap, since this information is only valuable to the Commander of the aircraft carrier they took off from.
• Fixed a bug with the display of unnecessary interface elements that occurred when the squadron was lost while the F key was pressed.
• Fixed a bug which prevented players from returning to the aircraft carrier with the F key after a squadron was destroyed.
• Fixed a bug where the engine-overheating indicator didn’t display while the W key was pressed.
• Fixed a bug where the aircraft carrier's control panel was displayed during attacks carried out by the last flight of a squadron.
• Improved the display of the arc indicating the direction of shells that hit your ship.
• Fixed a bug where the squadron detection indicator was not displayed during takeoff.
• Fixed a bug which displayed the visual effects for a shell hitting the water, despite it actually hitting the ship.
• Fixed a bug where it was possible to use the Repair consumable on a squadron with full HP.
• Fixed a bug that prolonged the time it took to close the game client. Now the client closes quicker.
• Fixed a bug that doubled the aiming reticle after opening the game menu and then closing it during battle.
• Fixed a bug that caused jerky animation for aircraft taking off from battleship X Yamato.
• Fixed a bug which resulted in playback failure of the sound of shots from cruiser VIII Cleveland’s main battery guns with the Freedom and Azur Lane camos mounted.
• Rounded up the detectability range to 2km for DDs II Sampson, II Smith, II Medea, III Valkyrie, II Tachibana, II Tachibana Lima, II Storozhevoi, III Derzki, II Longjiang, and III Phra Ruang for situations in which they fire their main battery guns from smoke. This range was previously less than 2 km, which led to incorrect situations where it was impossible to detect these ships at the 2km range of assured acquisition.
• The interface in the account menu in the Port has been slightly improved.
• The description of the Incoming Fire Alert skill has been corrected: "A warning about a salvo fired at your ship from a distance of more than 4.5 km."
• Visuals of the Containers banner have been improved. Now, when a daily container becomes available to you, a special icon is displayed.
• The viewing distance of some ships has been increased to a value that enables you to see the maximum shooting range with all modifiers applied.
• Fixed a bug with texture streaming. This bug was the cause of us disabling texture streaming in update 0.8.2. Texture loading in battle is now back on again.