Patch Notes & Videos (1 Viewer)

SunKenRock · Jan 29, 2019

Game Balance Changes

We changed the Concealment Expert skill: ships of all types will now receive a 10% bonus. Previously, it equaled 16% for aircraft carriers, 14% for battleships, 12% for cruisers and 10% for destroyers.

Aftereffects for various types of ships:

Destroyers will have more time to initiate a maneuver should they unexpectedly find themselves in a dangerous vicinity to a cruiser;
Cruisers can be less fearful of battleships tweaked for better concealment;
For battleships, this skill will no longer seem a must, allowing more flexibility in what concerns configuration choices.

This change to the skill will remove weird situations when a ship with huge dimensions could get a bigger bonus to concealment than a smaller-sized ship.

We'll keep a close eye on how these changes affect gameplay experience with these ships and take measures if needed.

In update 0.8.0, fire duration on certain large cruisers has been increased from 45 to 60 seconds. This change is systemic and affects the following ships: Kronshtadt, Stalingrad, Azuma and Alaska.

The excellent armor of these large cruisers created an excessive advantage in survival during long battles. With the correct positioning of the ships, the only way to deal a lot of damage to them is through setting fires. Increasing the time required to extinguish the fire for these cruisers will improve their combat efficiency compared to conventional cruisers, keeping their distinctive features: high damage from the main battery salvo, a well-armored citadel and a large amount of hit points.

The ships listed below showed a statistical lag in comparison to other ships of their tier and type. Taking into account their individual characteristics, we made a number of balance edits with the intention of increasing their efficiency.

Japanese battleship Izumo, Tier IX:

Increased the sigma parameter from 1.8 to 2.0 to achieve tighter grouping of shells inside the dispersion ellipse.

The battleship will become more potent in battle due to the increase in accuracy of the guns, compensating for the specific arrangement of the main battery.

Japanese battleship Kii, Tier VIII:

Main Battery reload time was reduced from 31 to 30 seconds
We changed the following parameters of torpedo armament:
- Range was increased from 6 to 10 km
- Speed was reduced from 63 to 62 kts
- Maximum damage was increased from 14,600 to 17,233

This turns Kii into a battleship with more opportunities to use her torpedo tubes, elevating them beyond being a weapon of "last resort". Previously using them required players to expose the ship's broadside to enemy fire, due to the restrictive launch angles.

Japanese battleship Nagato, Tier VII:

Main Battery reload time was reduced from 32 to 30 seconds.

By reducing the reload time of the ship's guns, we emphasize the role of Nagato as a battleship with good maneuverability, with her small number of accurate guns coming at the cost of armor protection.

U.S. battleship Colorado, Tier VII:

Increased the sigma parameter from 1.9 to 2.0.

The new sigma will distinguish the battleship as a slow ship with decent maneuverability, good armor, and a small number of accurate guns.

French battleship Dunkerque, Tier VI:

Reduced the main gun reload time from 28 to 26 seconds.

Reducing the reload time will compensate for the small caliber of Dunkerque's main guns, making the battleship better balanced against other battleships at Tier VI.

U.K. battleship Hood, Tier VII:

Increased the sigma parameter from 1.8 to 1.9, improving the ship's firing accuracy with a tighter grouping of shells inside the dispersion ellipse.
AP fuse delay was increased from 0.015 to 0.033 seconds.

Due to the new fuse timing, armor-piercing shells will detonate more often inside the citadel of armored ships, but more frequent overpenetration of lightly armored targets should be expected.

French destroyer Aigle, Tier VI:

Torpedo range was increased from 7 to 8 km.

Increasing the range of the torpedoes will grant the French destroyer a larger window within which to launch torpedoes whilst remaining unspotted by the enemy. This will allow for more opportunities in battle to strike battleships.

U.S. destroyer Mahan, Tier VII:

Main Battery reload time was reduced from 4 to 3.3 seconds.

Despite the fact that the destroyer has one of the best damage-per-minute statistics for her tier, the specific ballistics of her guns often prevents this ship from realizing this advantage when engaging other destroyers. The new parameter won't change the features of her main battery ballistics, but will significantly increase her efficiency in combat with enemy destroyers at close range.

U.S. destroyer Sims, Tier VII:

The stock torpedo stats were changed:
- Range was increased from 5.5 to 7 km
The alternative torpedo stats were changed:
- Range was increased from 9.2 to 10.5 km
- Maximum damage was increased from 8,500 to 9,667
- Reload time was increased from 72 to 76 seconds

Changing the characteristics of the stock and alternative torpedoes emphasizes the difference between the two styles of gameplay available to Sims:

"High risk, high reward" gameplay, employing torpedoes with a short range and good speed, capable of causing a great deal of damage.
The comparatively safe option with a longer range, meaning that torpedoes can be fired from a greater distance, but with less damage and low-speed.

Soviet destroyers Ognevoi, Tier VIII, and Udaloi, Tier IX:

"Repair Party" consumable was added to an extra slot:
- Number of charges: 1 (Repair Party I) and 2 (Repair Party II)
- Reload time: 120 (Repair Party I) and 80 (Repair Party II) seconds
- Duration: 28 seconds
- HP regeneration speed: 0.5% of HP per second

Soviet destroyer Kiev, Tier VIII:

"Repair Party" consumable was added to the slot with "Smoke Generator":
- Number of charges: 2 (Repair Party I) and 3 (Repair Party II)
- Reload time: 120 (Repair Party I) and 80 (Repair Party II) seconds
- Duration: 28 seconds
- HP regeneration speed: 0.5% of HP per second

Adding the "Repair Party" consumable will allow for more effective duels with enemy destroyers, making the progression to Tier X more logical.

Link for more World of Warships Patch