WoWS: [Update] Public Test 0.6.8

What to expect in Public Test 0.6.8?

The first session of the Public Test will be running from 06 July at 18:30 CEST until 10 July at 15:00 CEST (UTC+2). Keep in mind that this is a testing environment, and unannounced maintenance and patch deployments can happen at any time during the Public Test phase.

Because the version update is still being tested, the information in this Bulletin is tentative and reflects the state of game development at the time of publication. Certain changes and new features may be stripped or implemented in a different way by the time the final version of this 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.

Very soon we’ll be launching a new in-game event called “Dunkirk”. We’ll offer you the first historic operation, a whole new collection, rewards, and even a new Port!

Operation Dynamo

You’re invited to join the new operation—Operation Dynamo—that was inspired by the events that occurred during the Dunkirk evacuation. The Operation will take players back to the period of the French campaign that unravelled in the vicinity of Dunkirk (Dunkerque) in France. The Operation will require players to reach (backed by allied forces) the evacuation point, carry out the evacuation, and proceed to the safety zone with minimal losses! Perils will encompass you everywhere:

• Air strikes
• High-precision fire from onshore batteries
• Torpedo boat attacks
• Even underwater you won’t be safe—beware the minefields!

The Operation will be available for players who have reached Level 8 in their Service Record. We will also give two special-purpose Tier V destroyers: the Cyclone (France) and the Anthony (U.K.).

Will you accept the challenge and be able to successfully carry out the important Operation Dynamo?

Please note that the awards for completing the Operation during the Public Test may differ from the awards on the live server.

Dunkirk Collection

Please welcome our new collection which will be dedicated to the events of Operation Dynamo. It’ll consist of 16 elements designed as desktop miniatures of various military vehicles which took part in the operation. The elements will be hidden in containers that will serve as rewards for completing a chain of server side event (SSE) missions. Join the Public Test to be amongst the first to assess the collection!

Quick Commands

Another new feature that will come with Update 0.6.8 is a system of Quick Commands! Select an appropriate command: bring your allies’ attention to enemy aircraft, or ask for fire support or a smoke cover for your ship! You can do all this with a new radial panel with a list of commands that we’ve significantly extended.

To give a command: press the “B” key, move your cursor over the appropriate text in the radial panel and release the key. Your command will be aired and also appear in the battle chat in the game as well as on the Minimap.

If you pressed “B” by accident or changed your mind about sending a command, move the cursor to the centre of the QC panel and release the hotkey “B”. The panel will disappear without sending a command.

Supercontainers

At the request of players we decreased the chances of getting special upgrades in supercontainers and completely removed the 5 and 10 million-credits rewards. Credits were not perceived by the players to be a valuable reward, because it was believed that those amounts could be obtained more efficiently by selecting the “More Credits” containers.

At the same time, we added new ships, sets of camos, and standard and special signal flags to supercontainers. All rewards will be described in detail in the full list of changes to be released with the update.

Balance Corrections

Japanese Destroyers

The Torpedo Reload Booster consumable is a unique and efficient instrument. For ship balance purposes, we changed the reloading time for the torpedo tubes mounted on certain Japanese destroyers carrying this consumable.

To encourage a more aggressive gameplay and to improve the competitiveness of that consumable against the Smoke Generator, the reloading time of torpedo tubes when this consumable is activated was reduced from 30 to 8 seconds for Kagero and Yūgumo.

For Akizuki and Shiratsuyu, a reloading time of 5 seconds turned out to be too efficient as compared to other same-tier ships. Therefore, the reloading time with this consumable activated was increased from 5 to 8 seconds. For Shiratsuyu, the consumable was placed in the same slot with the Smoke Generator.

Soviet Destroyers

Ognevoi, Tashkent and Grozovoi failed to achieve the desired level of in-battle efficiency among similarly-tiered ships and we, therefore, improved their performance characteristics:

• Ognevoi: reduced the torpedo reloading time from 115 to 92 seconds for hull B, and reduced the torpedo reloading time from 69 to 55 seconds for hull A
• Tashkent: increased the number of hit points for Hull B from 19,600 to 21,800
• Grozovoi: reduced the standard detectability range from sea from 8.3 to 7.6 km. The reloading time of the main guns was reduced from 4.2 to 4 seconds
• Khabarovsk: unconditionally the strongest Tier X Destroyer without any weaknesses in terms of fire power. In order to reduce the versatility of its roles in a battle, the ship will now carry only one type of torpedo armament–the ET-46. The detectability range of its torpedoes was reduced from 1.1 to 0.6 km. Apart from that, players that already have Khabarovsk in their Ports will get Credits and Free XP.

Special Upgrades

In response to numerous requests of our players, we made a number of changes to special upgrades. Now, almost all special upgrades will appear in a different slot, and the Smoke Generator Modification 1 upgrade will now have a smaller reduction in smoke lifetime.

Surveillance Radar Modification 1 was moved to slot 4.

Hydroacoustic Search Modification 1 was moved to slot 4.

Defensive Fire Modification 1 was moved to slot 4.

Damage Control Party Modification 1 was moved to slot 1.

Spotting Aircraft Modification 1 was moved to slot 1.

Smoke Generator Modification 1 – smoke lifetime penalty reduced from 12% to 5%.

Changes in Ship Appearance, Maps, and Locations

We changed the appearance of the “Solomon Islands” and “Big Race” maps. These changes will not affect gameplay. On these maps, we enhanced textures and placed more natural objects on islands. We also reconfigured lighting. In Update 0.6.8, we improved the appearance of Tier IX ships using a special technology for better-quality rendering of thin elements (mostly the ships’ rigging).

Attention! In Update 0.6.8, we optimised the loading time for the models of ships and islands when entering battle. Because of that, certain PC configurations now allow players to load into battle faster than certain texture elements that were not subject to any changes regarding their loading time. As a result, the ‘black sky’ effect that players occasionally used to see has been occuring more frequently. A similar situation may happen to a camouflage on a player’s ship. We are aware of this issue and will rectify it in one of the future major updates.

Join the Public Test of Update 0.6.8 and be among the first to try out the brand new Operation Dynamo, complete the collection, and try the updated Quick Commands in a battle. Gather all rewards and share your impressions with us!

Give your feedback and earn some goodies!

Image	Flag Name	Flag Effect
	Dragon	+333% Commander XP
	Wyvern	+50% Credits
	Ouroboros	+777% to Free XP
	Hydra	+50% to XP +150% to Commander XP +250% to Free XP
	Red Dragon	+100% to XP +100% to Commander XP

You will be able to claim your rewards on the dedicated website. Information regarding when you will be able to redeem them will be sent to your registered Test Account email address on the day of the release of the update or slightly after. Please note that only players with a Public Test account registered to the same e-mail as their live server account will be able to redeem their rewards.

What resources will you get on the Public Test server?

• 10 Epic lootboxes
• 2 Dunkirk event lootboxes
• 2 Bismarck special camouflages
• Tier IV ships with 15 Skill point Commanders, as well as the Ships Anthony and Cyclone, will be credited to all players at the start of the test, together with 15-skill-point commanders.
• Research prices of Tier IV+ ships will be discounted so that players can easily reach the top tiers.
• Research prices for modules will be discounted.
• Account Level 15 upon first login.
• Premium Account for 14 days upon your first login.
• 30,000 Doubloons.
• 500,000,000 Credits.
• Assorted signal flags for testing: 10 of each Signal Flag, except the Dragon Signal Flag.
• Ability reset for Commanders will be discounted: 1 Doubloon = 1 Skill Point.

Please note that resources from the previous Public Tests have been wiped.