World of Tanks – Improving Battle Balance for Frontline Episode 5

~ Sebastianul

Commanders!

The fifth episode of Frontline 2019 will start on 17 June at 07:00 CEST and will be available until 24 June at 04:00 CEST (UTC+2). This is your next chance to experience epic 30v30 battles, win heaps of rewards, and join the race for formidable reward tanks!

We also have news concerning the next Frontline episode. The sixth episode will take place between 15 July at 07:00 CEST and 22 July at 07:00 CEST (UTC+2).

A new Frontline Episode is a great opportunity to earn consumables, gold, Bonds, Credits and other rewards, including exclusive reward vehicles! Starting from this Episode, the most successful and skilled Frontline fighters will be able to get their hands on the Emil 1951, a Swedish Tier VIII Premium heavy tank with an autoloader. A number of important changes designed to make your battle experience more dynamic are also about to be implemented.  Read on to find out more!

Rebalancing Combat Reserve Slots

Our statistics and your feedback illustrate that light tanks still feel right at home in Frontline. They are very effective and can easily reach the main objectives, leaving other vehicles behind.

To even the odds between different tank classes, we decided to change the number of combat reserve slots that are available to each class. The new number of slots is as follows:

This change will provide especially significant support for heavy tanks that need more time to get to the epicenters of battles, and which are more vulnerable on the large map. At the same time, light tanks should still be able to fulfil their roles on the field.

Pillbox Surveillance

Pillboxes have now gained the ability to spot attackers and provide intelligence to allies. Their spotting mechanics will work exactly in the same way as for any other vehicles in the game; accordingly, all standard visibility and concealment rates apply to them as well. For example, if you shoot a pillbox, it may be easier for enemies to spot you, and if your Crew members have concealment skills, it will be more difficult for pillboxes to detect you.

IMPORTANT: The maximum spotting range of the pillboxes will be 445 meters. However, pillboxes can transmit radio intelligence to all allies without distance limits.

Finally, if you inflict assisted damage on vehicles spotted by pillboxes, this damage will be calculated without penalty.

These adjustments will prevent situations where fast light vehicles get behind enemy lines and deal a great amount of damage while staying unspotted. Defenders will be able to better control the areas around pillboxes, and attackers will have to try different tactics to succeed.

Reducing Cooldowns and Restoration Time

We have reduced the technical cooldown on respawn to 10 seconds, instead of 30. Now you have less downtime in the game – play and farm at your pleasure!

In addition, we’re increasing the restoration time for destroyed vehicles to 7 minutes instead of 5. This change will raise the cost of a mistake in battle and encourage you to play more carefully with your favorite tanks. Your team needs you, so be careful and plan your actions a few paces ahead!

Furthermore, by destroying a specific tank, you will effectively have reduced the choice of available machines for your opponents in their Garages. This means that you should be fighting certain classes of vehicles in Frontline less often.

Feel free to visit our forum and share your thoughts on the upcoming balance tweaks. Good luck in the fifth Episode, Commanders!