World of Warships: Update 0.9.2 Public Test
7 min readIMPORTANT! Because the Update is still being tested, the information in this Bulletin is tentative and reflects the state of game development at the time of its publication. Some changes and new features may be removed entirely or implemented differently by the time the Update goes live. Screenshots, specific values of certain characteristics, and details of in-game mechanics will not necessarily be relevant after the Update is released.
European Destroyers: Early Access
Update 0.9.2 sees the launch of an event dedicated to the release of the European destroyer branch of the Tech Tree. The new ships will be available on the live server only after the release of the Update. In the meantime, you can take part in the testing of the event.
Please note: the rewards for activities on the Public Test server may differ from those on the live server. The European destroyers themselves won’t be available on the Public Test server.
Rewards from Daily Shipments and for completing Directives: event containers, which can drop the European camouflage, Coal, and a new temporary resource—European Tokens.
Items available in the Armory in exchange for Tokens: credits, expendable camouflages, signals, and days of Premium Account.
Bundles providing Early Access to European destroyers: these are available in the Armory in exchange for Tokens. There are five bundles which are opened in sequential order. You’ll find a Tier V destroyer in the first bundle, the next bundle will contain a Tier VI destroyer, etc., up to Tier IX.
A new Port—Fjords: inspired by Scandinavian landscapes.
European emblems
With the European destroyers, we are also getting a new series of emblems dedicated to the European “nation”.
European Fleet III
Win 15 battles in which you were among the top 3 XP earners on your team.
European Fleet II
Win 25 battles in which you were among the top 3 XP earners on your team.
European Fleet I
Win 50 battles in which you were among the top 3 XP earners on your team.
European Fleet Elite Forces
Win 100 battles in which you were among the top 3 XP earners on your team.
Changes to Inertia Fuse for HE Shells, as well as Cruiser and Battleship Plating
In Update 0.9.2, the thickness values of cruiser and battleship plating have been updated and the Inertia Fuse for HE Shells skill has been modified.
We’ll keep a close eye on how these changes affect the game balance and 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 penetration mechanics
- The armor-penetration capacity of HE shells of Tier VIII–X cruisers carrying 152–155 mm guns, which was previously calculated in accordance with the 1/6-caliber rule, will now be calculated following the 1/5-caliber rule.
- The rules for calculating armor-penetration capacity have been changed for all HE and SAP shells: now the new rule “a shell penetrates armor if the armor-thickness value is less than or equal to the shell-penetration value” will be applied instead of the 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 Helena 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.
These changes will allow cruisers to penetrate the armor of most same-tier ships without using the Inertia Fuse for HE Shells skill.
Changes to cruiser and battleship armor protection
The changes to cruiser plating will make these ships more resistant to battleship salvos if they are positioned wisely: AP shells of certain calibers will ricochet off the plating of the central part of a cruiser if they impact at a sharp angle. At the same time, the central part of the hull and deck of cruisers carrying guns with a caliber of 190 mm or more now has thicker armor, while cruisers with guns of a smaller caliber have thicker armor only for the central part of their decks. These changes result in a greater distinction between light and heavy cruisers.
The armor thickness of Tier VI–VII battleships has been changed to preserve their ability to withstand shells fired from cruisers, taking into account the above-mentioned changes to the HE shell penetration rules.
Changes to the Inertia Fuse for HE Shells skill
- The bonus applied to the armor-penetration capacity of HE shells now depends on the ship’s tier.
- 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’s only the standard chances of a fire being caused by HE shells which 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 the Demolition Expert skill.
- This skill previously provided a significant advantage with minimum penalty, which made it too ultimate. The updated version of the skill brings it more in line with the efficiency of other skills. This will result in players exploring a wider variety of skill options for their cruiser and destroyer Commanders.
Table of changes to the penetration mechanics:
| Caliber of main and secondary battery guns | Penetration capacity prior to the change | Penetration capacity 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 ships) | 24 mm (unable to penetrate the fore and aft ends of same-tier cruisers) and 25 mm | 30 mm 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) | 37 mm | 38 mm (can penetrate the plating of same-tier battleships) |
| 128 mm (German ships) | 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) | 25 mm (can penetrate the fore and aft ends of same-tier cruisers) |
Please note: the table indicates the minimum plating thickness for each ship tier!
Table of changes to 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 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 | 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 | ||||
| Cruisers Colbert and 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 |
| Cruisers Salem and Des Moines | Central part—27 mm | Up to 386 mm, off the central part | Central part—30 mm | Up to 429 mm, off the central part |
Change to the time between plane attacks
New settings for the minimum time between plane attacks will be tested on the 0.9.2 Public test.
The minimum time between attacks for bomber squadrons except Indomitable increased depending on the Tier and specific aircraft carrier;
British bombers except Indomitable have their acceleration time and acceleration coefficient right after they drop their bombs increased, meaning they will accelerate to a higher speed directly after a drop. This will make it easier to conduct the next attack.
These changes will fix the situation where it was possible to bypass enemy AA defenses by using the temporary invulnerability state directly after the previous attack.
Visual and Other Enhancements
- The Islands of Ice, Strait, Tears of the Desert, and Mountain Range maps, as well as the Ports of New York, Zipangu, and Hawaii have been adapted to the new lighting model and enhanced HDR technology. The Port of Zipangu got back its initial spring design, while the Port of New York has returned to its summer design.
- The Infernal camouflage will be available for Tier VIII–X aircraft carriers, and Tier VIII aircraft carriers will get access to the New Year camouflage.
It’s finally time for Santaprise!!!
- Replacing Commanders or some modules, mastering or resetting skills, fitting or mounting camouflages which don’t affect ship geometry, and mounting signals will now happen faster.
Round 1 Schedule
Special Features of the Test
European destroyers 
V Visby, VI Västerås, VII Skåne, VIII Öland, and IX Östergötland are not available to research in the Tech Tree on the Public Test server.
Combat Missions and Rewards
| Round | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | ||
 | |  | Play a Random or Co-op Battle. Reward on the live server: 3x signals of each type, except special signals. |
| |  | Score one victory playing an aircraft carrier and one victory playing a ship of any other type in Co-op Battles Reward on the live server: 10x Type 6 camouflage patterns |
|  | Earn 10,000 base XP in Random Battles Reward on the live server: 1x Wargaming container | |
|  | Earn 500 “Set on fire,” “Incapacitation,” or “Target hits” ribbons Reward on the live server: 5x each of the following special signals: Dragon, Wyvern, Red Dragon, Ouroboros, and Hydra. | |
One Wargaming container provides 1 day of Warships premium account.
About Author
A port called Fjords? Time to put Tirpitz there…