WoWS: Almirante Oquendo at the Dockyard, Colorful Regatta and more – Closed test 13.7

The sun is out, and we’re busy with two things: getting a sweet tan and preparing content for Update 13.7! Let’s take a look at what we’re cooking, shall we?

Dockyard – Almirante Oquendo

We already gave you a little tease of our next Dockyard ship in DevBlog 534, but let’s make it official: the next Dockyard ship is going to be the Tier IX Spanish Cruiser Almirante Oquendo!

Named after the famous naval commander Antonio de Oquendo, this cruiser packs not just one punch, but TWELVE punches (one for each of her 203mm barrels) that provide some pretty solid damage-per-minute. We also gotta talk about her special alternative fire mode called Modified Shells. When activated, these already impressive guns get even more dangerous, as their dispersion is lowered by 20%. That’s gotta hurt!

Now, while she does have a powerful main battery and is pretty speedy, Almirante Oquendo has quite a vulnerable citadel. Be sure to not draw the ire of Battleships or heavy Cruisers, or else you might find yourselves literally sleeping with the fishes.

The Dockyard itself will be broken into 20 phases. As always, you can complete combat missions that will award you with Dockyard phases. However, you will need to obtain 2 phases outside of these combat missions. The great news is that similar to the Wisconsin Dockyard, players will have the opportunity to complete this Dockyard without buying additional phases! The Tier VI German Cruiser Leipzig will be offered as an intermediate reward, and those captains who were lucky enough to obtain her already will be awarded 2 phases after reaching her assigned phase. Who doesn’t love a free ship?!

Additionally, each phase can be purchased for 2,000 Doubloons. There will also be starter packs available for 3,000 Doubloons (which includes 2 phases) and 8,000 Doubloons (which includes 7 phases) for those who want to jumpstart their progression. These packs will only be available until you achieve 5 phases through combat missions, so be warned! Regardless of how you get there, the final reward for this event is the Almirante Oquendo with the special War Paint permanent camouflage and the Almirante Oquendo flag.

This Dockyard event will last until the start of Update 13.10, with combat missions available until the end of Update 13.8. Once 13.9 rolls around, you will only be able to progress the Dockyard by purchasing phases for Doubloons, so make sure you get cracking as soon as the event rolls around!

 

AP Skip Bombers Test

We’re testing out a new plane type with the release of Update 13.7: AP skip bombers. These squadrons will be added to the testbed German Aircraft Carrier Werner Voss (a clone of the Manfred von Richthofen) and will largely function as the existing HE skip bombs but with AP ordnance. Along with skip bombers, Werner Voss carries air squadrons of AP rocket attack aircraft and torpedo bombers analogous to Manfred von Richthofen’s.

You can check out the stats of the squadrons below:

These squadrons are designed to deal significant damage to broadsides with a higher maximum potential damage than AP rockets, but are less accurate and can be countered effectively by angling, as the richochet angles are worse than the rockets, with the bombs also traveling slower than the rockets. You can treat AP skip bombs similarly to how you would AP shells – angle your ship to avoid penetrations and encourage ricochets. Another thing to remember is that these particular skip bombs have parameters that change with each skip, such as the reduction of penetration and change of the armor threshold for bomb arming. So when going against battleships,it’s better to hit them with your first skip, and If cruisers are your target, then it’s better to hit them with your second skip.

Additional Content and Changes

The Colorful Regatta is coming back and making a splash in Update 13.7! As a result, we have added the Zaō CLR and the Colorful Regatta flag to the game.

We’ve also updated the contents of the Colorful Regatta Premium Container, replacing credits in the first slot with Colorful Tokens.

We’ve added the following content for an upcoming event:

• The War Emergency Flag
• The Battle Honor Permanent Camouflage for Thunderer

• The Heart of Oak Container

• The Heart of Oak Premium Container

• Historical commander William Taylor
• The Royal Navy Challenges Patch

• We’ve also added one more flag to the game! The Slovak National Uprising Flag.

• We’re adding more commanders which were previously available for a limited time during events to the armory! All commanders will have 10 skill points and be obtainable for 1,500 doubloons.

Last but certainly not least, we have some new Unique Upgrades on the way! Vermont and Cristoforo Colombo are receiving some new, shiny modifications that will change the way these ships play. Both upgrades will cost 19200 Research Points.

• The “Improved Electric Power System” Upgrade for Vermont changes the ship’s tactical role by enhancing the firepower and allowing for more effective countering of submarines and aircraft.

• The “Improved Rangefinders” Upgrade for the Cristoforo Colombo increases the efficiency of long-range attacks.

Alright, we’ve been out in the sun for long enough! We’ll see you back on the virtual seas!

Please note that all information in the development blog is preliminary. Announced adjustments and features may change multiple times during testing.