World of Tanks maps have seen a lot of innovation recently. You played on night locations, tried out random events, and saw last year’s Recon Mission ‘graduates’ enter Random Battles. Maps in their classic form have also been given the attention they deserve: with Update 1.22, ten of them will receive a batch of improvements of different scales. Based on feedback and data gathered, these adjustments will make your playing experience even more enjoyable.
All changes—be they major or minor—are based on the same design principles. Everywhere, the goal was to improve map balance while also making the gameplay more varied and nuanced, allowing more tactical approaches to be employed and the strengths of various vehicles of different types to be used. Let’s have a look at the changes!
Extensive Map Changes
Mountain Pass received multiple augmentations to improve the quality of life for both sides. The zone for heavily armored vehicle clashes was expanded and refurbished. A lot of lines of fire that previously allowed for hitting vehicles en route to positions at the start of battle were blocked. The hill in the south often used by snipers and arty was significantly reshaped, and it is no longer possible to shoot at the bridge from the top of its northern counterpart.
Fisherman‘s Bay now offers more opportunities to the northern team than before. The route to the city blocks (which lost a couple of buildings) has been made safer. More view-obstructing foliage has been planted in the middle of the map, and a new firing position has appeared in the K7 square.
The brick factory on Studzianki has been made larger, creating more space for well-armored brawlers. The village has also been expanded. The trench splitting it in two now offers better protection from shots fired from the factory.
Oyster Bay has become friendlier to the northern side than it used to be. A sub-direction on the heavies’ flank (squares E6 and F7) has become more exposed to fire from the main sniping positions on the northern side; pushing it will now be less easy for the southern side. Select mountains have gained in height to give better protection from artillery fire. A few bushes and a coastal defense gun have also been moved.
Improvements to Gameplay Experience
Three more battlefields underwent lesser but still significant changes along the design principles outlined at the beginning of the article.
Selective Adjustments
Three locations have received relatively minor changes to improve the overall playing experience.
In the mountain gorge on Lakeville (squares from C1 to H2), the type of ground has been changed (both mechanics-wise and visually) and vehicles will now traverse it with more ease.
On Ensk, the locations of spawning points have been slightly changed for both teams, and priorities for spawning have been allocated based on vehicle types. For Encounter battles, the spawning points on the northern side have been rearranged for the sake of map balance, and vehicle-type priorities for spawning have been set for both teams.
For Assault battles on Siegfried Line, the attacking team’s spawning zones have been merged into a single one, located in the E3 and F3 squares.
We will monitor the influence of these changes on map balance as well as player satisfaction to ensure that our favorite game remains fun to play and that tankers’ wishes are met.
See you on the updated battlefields, Commanders!
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