Italian Tank Destroyers Have Arrived!

With Update 1.18, a brand-new branch of Italian tank destroyers will make their Tech Tree debut in the game. Join the Common Test to try out six researchable Tier V–X vehicles, all with decent frontal armor and great gun depression angles! Most importantly, these tanks feature a classic autoloader with an unusual configuration for Tier VII–X vehicles.

Researching the new branch will start with the P26/40 medium tank at Tier IV, followed by the Semovente M41 at Tier V and the Semovente M43 Bassotto at Tier VI. These transitional vehicles offer the unhurried gameplay of classic tank destroyers without a turret.

However, starting from Tier VII, the branch begins to take on its main features, and the gameplay of these Italian tank destroyers noticeably changes. The versatile Semovente Controcarro mod. 1956 (a Tier VII TD) has a tough rotating turret with a limited gun traverse arc (30 degrees to either side, 60 degrees in total). The gun depression angles are great (–10 degrees), allowing you to make the most of hull-down tactics.

At this tier, you’ll get the chance to try out an autoloader with an unusual configuration. In a way, it is a hybrid of an autoloading system and a classic cyclic (regular) gun, with a long loading time for each shell, but fast reloading for the entire drum (read on for more information).

With each new tier, the Italian TDs get stronger armor and become more versatile assault vehicles. However, they still feature a turret with a limited gun traverse arc and decent gun depression angles. The Controcarro mod. 67 (a Tier VIII TD) is a natural-born hunter with solid frontal armor and an accurate 120 mm gun. As such, it will feel confident both on the front line and as a powerful support vehicle on the flanks.

The characteristics of the Controcarro 1 Mk. 2 continue to improve and are similar to its top-tier counterpart. The vehicle features a well-armored turret and makes use of uneven landscapes to deal massive hits from its menacing 127 mm gun with an autoloader.

However, the most dangerous warrior in this new branch is the formidable Controcarro 3 Minotauro. Like the legendary mythical beast itself, this vehicle boasts tremendous power and can sweep any opponent out of its path. The combination of its large, incredibly tough turret and thick upper frontal plate will help you survive (and thrive!) in one-on-one duels. While its top speed isn’t very impressive (35 km/h), the Minotauro keeps up well and accelerates fast for a well-armored vehicle.

Nevertheless, it is the 130 mm gun, featuring a classic autoloader with an unusual configuration, that makes the Controcarro 3 Minotauro unpredictable and extremely dangerous. The drum has 5 shells with 530 HP of alpha damage and excellent armor penetration. However, the reload time between shots is … 6 seconds! The autoloader’s full reload time is only 24 seconds, which can be considered a tolerable price to pay for the ability to fire out 5 quick and devastating shots. With this firepower, you can outshoot many heavies and emerge victorious from almost any duel. Play in this vehicle just like you would in a regular tank with a classic cyclic gun in order to fully appreciate the crushing power of the minotaur!

We will share more details about the Italian tank destroyers and their gameplay in a dedicated article soon. In the meantime, join the Common Test and be among the first to try them out in battle!

Vehicle Rebalancing

We are resuming our work on vehicle rebalancing. In Update 1.18, we’ll adjust the technical characteristics of many vehicles. Once those changes are applied to the live server, we plan to monitor the outcomes for a few months and then decide on the next move. We hope to get back to you with more information early next year.

The Kranvagn and the Emil II

These vehicles are both the dominant heavy tanks in their tiers and showcase very decent battle performance. In order to make them less formidable opponents, while retaining their key gameplay features (decent turrets and an autoloading system), we will reduce their combat effectiveness in several ways:

• The  XKranvagn ’s forward speed will be reduced from 60 to 45 km/h, and the reverse speed from 18 to 12 km/h. Shooting comfort will also be reduced through an increase in the autoloader reload time from 21.5 to 25 seconds. Accordingly, the vehicle’s DPM will be reduced from 2,933 to 2,596 HP/min. These adjustments will all make the Kranvagn a more “positional” vehicle, and its commander will pay a higher price for any mistakes in battle.
• The  IXEmil II  will undergo similar changes. Like its brother-in-arms, this brawler will become slower. We’ll reduce its forward and backward speeds to 40 km/h and 12 km/h, respectively, as well as decrease the firepower of one of its guns (12 cm akan L/40) by increasing its dispersion from 0.38 to 0.42 m and magazine reloading time from 25 to 30 s.

The AMX M4 mle. 54

Since their introduction to the game, the French cyclical heavy tanks have not performed as well as their same-tier opponents. Among all these vehicles, only the AMX M4 mle. 51 has managed to compete on equal footing with other heavy tanks. To improve the survivability of French heavies and make them more competitive in close combat, we’ll significantly revamp their characteristics.

• The top vehicle, the  XAMX M4 mle. 54 , will undergo a complex rebalance. This tank will have more hit points (2,400 instead of 2,200), and its side armor thickness will be increased from 60 to 85 mm. The 120 mm gun will have more penetration with the standard shell, while the 130 mm gun will have increased penetration with the special shell. To counterbalance these improvements, we’ll slightly decrease the vehicle’s hull traverse speed.
• The  VIIIAMX 65 t , sitting at Tier VIII, will receive improvements to its 120 mm gun dispersion. Plus, we’ll slightly increase the vehicle’s HP pool (up to 1,600 HP) and improve its crossing capacity.
• The  VIIAMX M4 mle. 45 , a Tier VII heavy, will also feel more confident in close combat. To improve its survivability, we’ll strengthen its frontal and turret armor, as well as total hit points (up to 1,400 HP).

American main branch heavy tanks

We’re also updating the battle characteristics of all heavy tanks in the American main branch, excluding the  XT110E5 , which has showcased decent performance since the previous rebalancing. We’ll improve various characteristics of the following vehicles:

The characteristics of the  VIIT29  will also be adjusted to match the parameters of other vehicles in the branch. As such, we’ll decrease the T29’s dynamics, aiming, and loading time.

Changes to individual vehicles

But wait, there’s more! We’ll also update the characteristics of several other mid-tier vehicles of different nations and types. Depending on the tank’s performance compared to other same-tier vehicles, we’ll either improve or reduce their effectiveness in battle. Check it out:

Plus, to maintain the integrity of characteristics, we have adjusted the combat performance of the following vehicles:

Finally, we will adjust the performance of the VIM44   to reduce its influence on other vehicles in battle, meaning it will now deal less damage.

Join the Common Test, take these rebalanced vehicles for a spin, and let us know what you think about their new performance characteristics!

New Random Battles Map: Outpost

Did you get a chance to explore the Outpost map during Recon Mission 2021? If not, you’re in luck! As the winning location of the very first season of Recon Mission, the Outpost map will be introduced to our pool of unique arenas in Update 1.18.

Outpost is a picturesque summer map with more than enough space for all vehicle classes to test a variety of battle tactics. The city ruins are perfect for heavy tanks, while well-armored tank destroyers will be forced to fight face to face to vie for the upper hand. The southern and eastern parts of the map are at the mercy of light and medium tanks, and are favorable for long-distance sniping.

Stay tuned for a dedicated article to find out more about this new map!

We’re also getting ready to release your second favorite map from the first season of Recon Mission: Oyster Bay. This map will arrive in early 2023, once we’ve made all of the finishing touches. In the meantime, pick up your favorite vehicles and go to the Outpost map to explore its battle directions!

Map Balance Improvements

In addition to vehicle rebalancing, we are continuing our constant efforts to improve Random Battles maps. After analyzing the statistics and looking at your feedback, we decided to refine a large pool of locales with various gameplay issues. The most extensive changes were made to the following 6 maps:

We have also improved the 3 locations below, but their changes were less significant:

• Ghost Town

Balance changes have been made to improve the comfort of gameplay for heavily armored vehicles and protect them from tank destroyers firing from a long distance.

• Paris

The most significant change is the addition of a terrace model on the corner of the house in square H7. Players from square E3 will now have a harder time hitting vehicles crossing this street.

• Abbey

In square E5, we’ve removed the ability to “hoist up” to an area not intended for playing.

Finally, we’ve updated the pool of maps below to address minor gameplay issues we noticed:

All of these balance adjustments have been covered in more detail in a dedicated article. All rebalanced maps will be available during the Common Test, so jump in and share your thoughts!

Matchmaking Changes

To improve your battle experience, we’re introducing new rules for balancing light and wheeled tanks. The matchmaker will now be stricter when balancing light tanks between teams and will always try to match light tanks so that both teams have identical vehicles. This means that there will be far fewer battles in which the two teams have an unmatched number of light tanks. Plus, wheeled vehicles will now be more strictly balanced with other wheeled tanks. We will also limit the number of wheeled tanks to 1 vehicle per team.

To support these changes and avoid a significant increase in the waiting time for light tanks in a Platoon, we are also introducing a limit of no more than one light/wheeled tank in a Platoon from Tier VII onward.

The second important change concerns the number of SPGs per team. The majority of battles will have 0–2 SPGs per team. From now on, the matchmaker will aim to keep the number of battles with 3 SPGs per team to an absolute minimum. The 3 SPG per team scenario will only occur when absolutely necessary.

In all situations, the matchmaker will prefer to choose another vehicle from the queue instead of selecting a 3rd SPG, but in rare cases in which no other vehicle type is available or the SPG queue becomes too big, the matchmaker will fill that slot with a 3rd SPG to decrease the waiting time.

For the initial implementation of this limit, the matchmaker will try to strictly assemble battles with no more than 2 SPGs per side. However, after a certain period of time, this hard rule will become a soft one, meaning that if the queue has a significant number of SPGs waiting (or not enough other vehicles in the queue), the matchmaker will allow 3 SPGs per side. The number of battles with 3 SPGs will greatly depend on the time of day and day of the week, as well as the state of the queue and the number of artillery players waiting in it.

Updated Scenarios in the Topography Mode

We’ve updated the “traffic pattern” scenarios in Topography, our single-player training mode. These updated scenarios will be available on most of the Topography maps, including:

The scenarios are all based on heatmaps from Random Battles. They will help you navigate maps more efficiently and understand where to expect enemies, as well as make you a better tanker overall.

Tank Academy: Training Missions for Novices

If you have just started your tanking journey and recently completed the World of Tanks Bootcamp, be sure to boost your battle performance in Tank Academy! This series of special training missions will familiarize you with many game aspects of Random Battles. Here’s where you can find Tank Academy:

For each completed mission, you will receive useful rewards, such as credits, directives, and other goodies.

Improved Visuals for Destroyed Vehicle Tracks

Starting with Update 1.18, vehicle tracks will begin to look more “natural” and will interact with objects as an independent physical model. To better understand how this works, just remember how the tracks of American Yoh tanks look visually when they are knocked down. Now, the tracks of all vehicles in the game will unwind correctly when hit, fly off and stay on the ground if the vehicle was hit while moving at high speeds, etc.