World of Warships: Update 0.9.2 – European Destroyers: Part 1
16 min readNow that the British heavy cruisers arc is over, it’s time to start the Pan-European destroyer arc! This update, we are also getting the Inertia Fuse for HE Shells rework and a significant change to the platings of cruisers.
The Update 0.9.2.
General Informations
The update size is 2.3 GB.
The servers will be unavailable as usual during the installation of the update.
On the European server, it will be down on Thursday 12 March from 06:00 CET (UTC+1) until 09:00 CET (UTC+1).
On the North American server, it will be down on Wednesday 11 March from 03:00 AM PT until 06:00 AM PT.
On the South-East Asian server, it will be down on 12/03/2020 from 05:00 (UTC+8) until 08:00 (UTC+8).
Because of the changes being made to the Inertia Fuse for HE Shells skill, resetting Commander skills will be free of charge from the release of Update 0.9.2 until 08:00 (CET) on March 16. Follow this link and click the button to activate the free respec.
EUROPEAN DESTROYERS
Tier V–IX European destroyers hit the high seas in Early Access!
Features of the new Tech Tree branch
Long-range torpedoes with high speeds are the hallmark features of the new branch. European destroyers carry rapid-firing main guns from Tier VII and, starting at Tier V, the Repair Party consumable. With their decent AA defenses and access to the Defensive AA Fire consumable at Tiers VIII–X, they can effectively fend off hostile aircraft.
- Their long-range, high-speed torpedoes deal relatively moderate damage. The torpedoes can be set to fan out in two spreads: narrow or super-narrow.
- Good AA defenses with a solid reach. Starting from Tier VIII, the European destroyers are equipped with the Defensive AA Fire consumable.
- Destroyers of Tier VII and above are equipped with rapid-firing main battery guns. They are efficient in close quarters combat, but less comfortable when exchanging fire over long distances because of their extended shell-hang time and short range of fire.
- While they are not equipped with Smoke Generator, they enjoy good concealment (just 6 km for Halland). Ships of Tier V and above have access to a variant of the Repair Party consumable that restores 1% of any lost HP per second, but has an action time of just 10 seconds. At Tiers VIII, IX, and X, the active duration of the consumable is 4 seconds longer.
The entire branch of European destroyers will become available to research with the release of Update 0.9.3.
To get European destroyers in Early Access, you can exchange a new resource—European Tokens—for bundles in the Armory that include V Visby, VI Västerås, VII Skåne, VIII Öland, and IX Östergötland.
You will find European Tokens in Europe containers, which in turn can be obtained by progressing through Directives or picked up from Daily Shipments. You can also receive up to ten additional containers for participating in official World of Warships streams. Activate bonus codes and complete special combat missions to get them.
The Tech Tree now features X Småland—available for 2 000 000 Free XP. It’s the first Tier X ship to be made available in exchange for this resource type.
X Småland stands as one of the largest and strongest destroyers in the Swedish Navy. Just like her researchable European counterparts, Småland lacks Smoke Generator, but has access to Surveillance Radar, an efficient Engine Boost consumable, and Repair Party. She also has a rapid-firing main battery. Småland is a multi-purpose warship that can pose a real threat to Key Areas and is highly effective at chasing down hostile destroyers.
Key Features
- Four 120 mm main guns with a reload time of just 1.7 seconds.
- Eight torpedoes with a 12 km reach and speed of 76 knots, but with rather low maximum damage. The ship has one quintuple-tube and one triple-tube torpedo launcher to carry her torpedoes.
- The ship’s unique Engine Boost consumable provides a 30% speed increase (by default: 8%), but operates for just 60 seconds. When activated, this consumable makes it possible for Småland to reach speeds of up to 45.5 knots.
- On Småland, the Defensive AA Fire consumable is replaced by Surveillance Radar. It has an action time of 20 seconds and is capable of detecting ships at distances of up to 7.5 km.
New Port
A new Port called Fjords is set to appear in the game. The Port’s design is inspired by Scandinavian landscapes.
New Emblems
European Fleet emblems are now available in the game. They can be obtained in the same way as the emblems of other nations, i.e. by winning a certain number of battles playing Tier VIII–X ships, and ranking among the top base XP earners on your team for those battles.
Three Crowns Camouflage
We’ve added a new permanent camouflage designated “Three Crowns” for V Visby, VI Västerås, VII Skåne, VIII Öland, IX Östergötland, X Småland, and destroyer X Halland which will become available for research in Update 0.9.3. You can obtain the permanent camouflages by completing special combat missions.
CLAN BRAWL
Date: 04/04/2020
Prime times:
- CIS 15:00 — 20:00 UTC
- EU 17:00 — 22:00 UTC
- ASIA 11:00 — 16:00 UTC
- NA 0:00 — 05:00 UTC (on the next following day)
Format: Battles will involve Tier VIII ships in a 4 vs. 4 format.
Restrictions: a maximum of one ship of each type per team.
Rewards: up to 350 Steel; 3 500 Coal; and 2 500 000 credits
Maps: Hotspot, Shatter, Trident, and Northern Waters with reduced action zones; and Big Race, with a standard map size of 30×30 km.
More details will follow in a dedicated article.
CHANGES TO THE INERTIA FUSE FOR HE SHELLS SKILL
Reasons behind the changes and their impact on your gameplay:
- To simplify interactions between same-tier cruisers. For example, HE shells fired by cruisers with 152–155 mm guns should be capable of penetrating the plating of same-type ships without the effects applied by any extra conditions. These changes are aimed at shifting the Inertia Fuse for HE Shells skill out of most players’ first-choice set of skills.
- To improve the durability of cruisers in battle: changes to the thickness of cruiser plating will make these ships more resistant to battleship salvos if positioned wisely.
- To enhance the distinction between cruisers carrying guns with a caliber of, or exceeding, 190 mm, and cruisers with 149–189 mm guns, by changing their armor protection: the former will feature thicker armor for their central “box,” while the latter will have thicker armor only for the central part of their decks.
- To keep the armor protection of battleships as it is: without the Inertia Fuse for HE Shells skill applied, cruisers with 152–155 mm guns will still be unable to penetrate the plating of same-tier battleships.
- We wanted to balance the Inertia Fuse for HE Shells skill in such a way that the combination of its positive and negative characteristics would influence players’ choices, making the skill less of an ultimate “go-to” option when training Commanders.
We’ll keep a close eye on how these changes affect game balance and the battle performance of certain ships. If required, additional balance corrections will be applied to the skill and some ships to preserve their battle performance.
Changes to the Inertia Fuse for HE Shells skill
- The bonus applied to the armor-penetration capabilities of HE shells has been changed from 30% to 25%.
- The skill will now reduce the chances of causing fire by half, instead of subtracting 1% or 3% from them, depending on the caliber. It is only the standard chances of a fire being caused by HE shells that are reduced by half. Other bonuses to the chances of causing fire will function as before, such as the bonuses provided by the Victor Lima signal or Demolition Expert skill.
- Example: the standard chances of a fire being caused by HE shells for cruiser Helena are 12%. With the Inertia Fuse for HE Shells skill mastered, the chances of causing fire are reduced to 6%. With the Demolition Expert skill, the chances increase to 8%.
- This skill previously provided a significant advantage with a minimal penalty, which made it too impactful. The updated version of the skill brings it more in line with the efficiency of other skills.
The rules for calculating armor-penetration have been changed for all HE and SAP shells: a new rule—”a shell penetrates armor if the armor-thickness value is less than or equal to the shell-penetration value”—will now be applied instead of the old rule—”a shell penetrates armor if the armor-thickness value is strictly less than the shell-penetration value.” For example, 152 mm shells fired from a Tier VII cruiser will be able to penetrate armor plating with a thickness of up to 25 mm, as opposed to the 24 mm it used to be.
For Tier VIII–X cruisers carrying 152–155 mm guns, the armor-penetration capabilities of their HE shells have been changed. Previously, they were calculated in accordance with the 1/6-caliber rule. Now, they will be calculated following the 1/5-caliber rule. When firing HE shells, these ships will be able to penetrate each other’s armor plating, as well as the plating of Tier VIII–X cruisers that is up to 30 mm thick, without use of the Inertia Fuse for HE Shells skill.
Changes to cruiser and battleship armor protection
The changes to cruisers’ plating will make these ships more resistant to fire from battleships when positioned wisely: AP shells will ricochet off the plating if they impact at a sharp angle (watch our How it Works video for more info how AP interacts with armor). Tier X cruisers already benefit from adopting proper positioning. At the same time, the central parts of the hulls and decks of cruisers carrying guns with a caliber of 190 mm or more now have thicker armor, while cruisers with guns of a smaller caliber have thicker armor only for the central parts of their decks. These changes emphasize the distinction between light and heavy cruisers.
Due to changes to the rules for calculating the armor penetration of HE and SAP shells, the armor plating of Tier VI–VII battleships has been changed to 26 mm in order to keep interactions between ship types consistent.
Table of changes to the penetration mechanics
Caliber of main and secondary battery guns | Armor penetration prior to the change | Armor penetration after the change (armor thickness that the shells can penetrate without the Inertia Fuse for HE Shells skill) |
---|---|---|
180 mm | 29 mm | 30 mm (can penetrate the plating of same-tier cruisers) |
152 and 155 mm (Tier VIII–X cruisers) | 24 mm (unable to penetrate the fore- and aft-ends of same-tier cruisers) and 25 mm | 30 and 31 mm (can penetrate the plating of same-tier cruisers) |
150 and 152 mm (Tier I–VII ships) | 24 mm | 25 mm (can penetrate the plating of same-tier cruisers) |
150 mm (German ships, except destroyers) | 37 mm | 38 mm (can penetrate the plating of same-tier battleships) |
128 mm (German ships, except destroyers) | 31 mm | 32 mm (can penetrate the plating of same-tier battleships) |
113 mm | 18 mm (unable to penetrate the plating of same-tier destroyers) | 19 mm (can penetrate the plating of same-tier destroyers) |
100 mm (Japanese Tier VIII–X ships) | 24 mm (unable to penetrate the fore- and aft-ends of same-tier cruisers) | 30 mm (can penetrate the plating of same-tier cruisers) |
Please note: the table indicates the minimum plating thickness for each ship tier!
Table of changes armor protection
Armor thickness prior to the change | Protection prior to the change (AP shell caliber, chance of a ricochet) | Armor thickness after the change | Protection after the change (AP shell caliber, chance of a ricochet) | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Tier IV–V | ||||
Cruisers (except for British light cruisers) | Central part: 13 mm | Up to 186 mm, off the central part | Central part: 16 mm | Up to 229 mm, off the central part |
Tier VI–VII | ||||
Cruisers carrying guns of a caliber exceeding 190 mm | Central part: 16 mm | Up to 229 mm, off the central part | Central part: 25 mm | Up to 357 mm, off the central part |
Cruisers carrying 149–190 mm guns (except for British light cruisers) | Deck: 16 mm | Up to 229 mm, off the central deck | Deck: 25 mm | Up to 357 mm, off the central deck |
Cruisers London, Devonshire and Surrey | Broadside: 19 mm | Up to 272 mm, off the plating | Broadside: 25 mm | Up to 357 mm, off the plating |
Tier VIII–IX | ||||
Cruisers carrying guns of a caliber exceeding 190 mm, and Mogami | Central part: 25 mm | Up to 357 mm, off the central part | Central part: 27 mm | Up to 386 mm, off the central part |
Cruisers carrying 149–190 mm guns (except for British light cruisers) | Deck: 25 mm | Up to 357 mm, off the central deck | Deck: 27 mm | Up to 386 mm, off the central deck |
Cruisers Cheshire, Albemarle, and Drake | Broadside: 25 mm | Up to 357 mm, off the plating | Broadside: 27 mm | Up to 386 mm, off the plating |
Tier X | ||||
Cruiser Smolensk | Central part: 30 mm | Up to 429 mm, off the central part | Central part: 16 mm | Up to 229 mm, off the central part |
Cruiser Colbert | Central part: 30 mm | Up to 429 mm, off the central part | Broadside: 21 mm | Up to 300 mm, off the plating |
Deck: 16 mm | Up to 229 mm, off the central deck | |||
Cruisers Salem and Des Moines | Broadside: 27 mm | Up to 386 mm, off the plating | Broadside: 30 mm | Up to 429 mm, off the plating |
ARMORY
With the release of Update 0.9.2, all British Tokens will be converted to credits at a rate of 1:4 500.
The cost of signals in the Research Bureau has been reduced by half. Now, experienced players can stock up on any missing signals, enabling them to focus on gathering the Research Points needed to get other rewards available via the Research Bureau.
OTHER CHANGES
Check under the spoiler for more information on balance-related changes, content changes and additions, and other improvements.