Vehicle Rebalances in Update 9.20

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With major work on the matchmaker and artillery out of the way, we are once again able to focus on building stronger national lines. Before we start explaining the balance tweaks vehicle by vehicle, let’s outline the overall approach we took with Tech Tree revision, its goals, and how we’re planning to achieve them.

Mirroring the same way we managed the German tanks earlier this year, we’ll be taking on a series of tanks in a national line and revising their combat parameters all at once. It should ensure Tech Trees stay coherent and provide a unique experience with definitive characteristics of vehicles classes within each nation. The changes we’ll be making in 9.20 and further down the line are designed to define and bring forward these unique gameplay attributes.

Update 9.20 goes through five nations—France, the U.S.A., the U.S.S.R, Germany and Japan. We’ve got a decent bit to cover and know you’re anxiously awaiting these details, so let’s get right to it!

Soviet Tech Tree

As the game evolved, some Soviet tanks grew underwhelming, while the line’s expansion messed with the progression at higher tiers. Update 9.20 attempts to restore coherency throughout the Tech Tree with comprehensive changes to tank destroyers, medium, and heavy tanks.

MEDIUM TANKS

The medium tank revision should cement their role as active MTs with strong turret armor through significant increases in frontal armor thickness. It will allow Soviet tanks to soak up damage with their turret while hiding the hull behind cover.

T-44, T-54 first prototype and the T-44-100

The T-44’s top turret received 200mm of effective armor on the turret front (previously 120–140mm) and up to 300mm of effective side armor, so it should no longer shy away from same-tier opponents and can march on after a duel with enemies of higher tiers. The T-54 first prototype and Т-44-100 had their top turrets bolstered in just the same way. In addition, the gun choices didn’t really give you a sense of diverse gameplay. So we went on to tweak the 100mm LB-1 and the122mm D-25-44 guns. The 122mm got a boost in fire rate and is now the alpha-brawling gun of choice. The 100mm now has a better chance at making successful shots when firing on the move and while standing, thanks to improved stabilization and aiming time. It’ll shine in more careful mid-range engagements.

T-54

The intimidating Tier IX T-54 can put virtually any medium tank to shame. However, its tough and angular turret lost some of its value with time, and the T-54 doesn’t feel as good as it used to in mid- and long-distance engagements. We strengthened its turret armor (the area by the gun mantlet) to restore its confidence.

Also, the T-54’s top guns were revised to stress the difference in advancing from the T-54 to the T-62A or to the Object 140. The T-62A with its better aim and gun handling is unlocked with the 100mm D-54, which suits mid to long-range gameplay. The Object 140 is more mid- to close-range and thus is unlocked with the close-quarter combat style D-10T2S. We also took the opportunity to buff the turret to allow the T-54 to up its competitive ability.

Object 140

The blend of decent speed, easy gun handling, and solid protection make the Tier X Object 140 extremely versatile—it can do anything from scouting to flanking. However, its weak turret roof is way too easy to overmatch and spoils an otherwise great picture. To fix it, we increased its turret roof armor thickness to the level of the T-62A. Note though, that vulnerable hatches remain. Be careful when you take the rebalanced Object140 for a stroll, or you may end up with a face full of AP real quick.

HEAVY TANKS

TANK DESTROYERS

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French Vehicles

Once great, the French line is now a shadow of its former self: its TDs have been crippled to the point that no one wants to unlock them, while the АМХ 30 and AMX 30 B play the same as the German Leopard 1 and Leopard Prototyp A. We attempt to bring it back to relevance with 9.20:

• We rebalanced Tier IX and X medium tanks so they play as mid-range sniper support, lending them a unique look and feel.


• To let its TDs work wonders again, we leaned into what the French line likes to do and gave them autoloaders that matter. We also fixed the imbalance in mobility and the inconsistency with their armor and weak spots.

MEDIUM TANKS

АМХ 30 and AMX 30 B

The АМХ 30 and AMX 30 B getting more resilient thanks to significantly reinforced turret armor and can leverage uneven terrain to pick off enemies. Be mindful that the hull stays thin and vulnerable to enemy shells.

The two also receive better gun stabilization, which, paired with their decent speed and maneuverability, lets them move across the battlefield quickly and bring their guns to places they are needed. Regarding guns, the АМХ30 and AMX30B now sport the best damage per minute of all medium tanks. So you can get the jump on your enemies, shell out large damage, and duck back behind cover. To make them most efficient at mid-range, we slightly reduced their accuracy and penetration with AP shells.

HEAVY TANKS

TANK DESTROYERS

We know how many of you hold the Bat.-Châtillon 25 t. dear. So do we! Upon considering your feedback on the changes we planned to introduce, we took a step back to review the testing results and didn't find a solid enough reason to rebalance this treasured vehicle. We will leave it unchanged for now.

German Vehicles

HEAVY TANKS

Mäuschen

The Tier IX Mäuschen doesn’t require any major balance tweaks, except one: it was proving to be frustrating in its standard configuration, so we gave it more mobility, making it more enjoyable to play. This should also streamline the progression down the Maus line.

Maus

The Maus returned to its position as the great damage-soaking fortress. However, in our eagerness to improve the tank we went a little too far with its damage output. We wanted to retain its powerhouse nature, while also shining a little spotlight on the E100. So we cut its HP pool and slowed down its reload speed. While this superheavy won’t deal as much damage as it used to, these changes shouldn’t affect its overall gameplay. It remains an armored fortress.

TANK DESTROYERS

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American Medium Tanks

M48A1 Patton and M46 Patton

The M48A1 Patton and M46 Patton are loved by veteran players. At one point, they dominated the battlefield. However, over time, they fell out of favor and survivability. The weakened turret wasn’t strong enough to reward good ridge and hill play. The cupola was also too easy to target. We gave them a new turret with a smaller cupola and better protection to make them a dangerous weapon in the hands of experts again.

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Japanese Heavy Tanks

The Japanese heavy line called for a refocus and rebalance from Tier V all the way to Tier X. We put balance and complementary gameplay styles at the center of design, tweaking its every vehicle with the only exception of the O-Ni. These changes should give the superheavies a feel of their own: more “break out and assault” in style with great frontal armor and two choices of gun styles.

O-I Exp

The huge-for-Tier-V penetration with the 105mm gun made the O-I Exp. a one-shotting monster. We removed it, which should encourage players develop a more elaborate battle plan than peek-a-boom. Mobility takes a hit as well, but the tank receives a considerable addition to its frontal armor thickness. This should even the odds against higher tiers, bringing its gameplay more in line with the rest of the Japanese heavies.

O-I

If you ever crossed paths with the Tier VI O-I while playing a lower Tier, you should know how terribly difficult it was to break through its thick armor. Even flanking wouldn’t work. Update 9.20 cuts down on its rear armor thickness ramping up your chances at outflanking it.

O-Ho

Tank guns should offer an incremental benefit or a different play style. For example, the 10cm Experimental Tank Gun Kai was supposed to offer the O-Ho a faster firing gun with lower alpha than the 15cm. Going with the upgraded option, you benefited from 30 more damage and could punch through higher tier tanks, aiming carefully at weak spots. However, when the battle is raging you don't always have time to take careful aim and would rather use Premium ammo to damage a higher tier before this opportunity disappears. The O-Ho's 10cm gun didn't offer this choice—now it does.

 

Type 4 and Type 5 Heavy

The tweaks the Type 4 and Type 5 Heavy received back in 9.17.1 fared well—at least partially. Once sluggish and vulnerable to their peers, these tanks went away with a significantly thicker frontal plate which, together with a boost in firepower, carved them a spot among heavies. However, we admit we went a bit too far with the armor. These two have almost no weak spots on the front, which made them immune to damage from Tier VII–VIII vehicles. To restore the balance, we revised their frontal armor, adding several thinner areas (240–260mm for Tier X and 220–240mm for Tier IX).

Join us on the forum to share your thoughts on these balance tweaks. We read your comments, even if we don’t respond right away, and will consider your requests as we continue working on 9.20.