MMORPGs

Dozens of new ships, tanks and jets are waiting for the players in the Ixwa Strike update.

Gaijin Entertainment announces the release of the “Ixwa Strike” major Content Update for the military online action War Thunder. Players now have a new RSA ground vehicles branch in the British tech tree, as well as dozens of other ground, air and naval military vehicles. Variable-sweep wing aircraft and aircraft HUD devices have been added to the game. Finally, the abandoned Soviet military town of Seversk-13 and its environment that will become a new battleground for the armoured vehicles and aircraft of War Thunder.

Exploring the RSA vehicles branch will give the players the unique opportunity to follow the history of original South African ground vehicle development, starting from World War II era armoured cars and going all the way to the more modern vehicles. A good example is the TTD (Tank Technology Demonstrator) project, the South African MBT designed locally and built from locally-produced components. Although TTD stayed on the prototype stage, its technological know-how have been used later for the modernization of Olifant tanks to Mk2 standard (those are also available in War Thunder).

The Su-17M2 fighter-bomber jet became the first variable-sweep wing aircraft in War Thunder .Despite its large mass, the variable sweep of the wing makes it sufficiently maneuverable at low speeds and fast enough for a top-tier attack aircraft – it can reach speeds of almost Mach 2. The payload of the Su-17M2 is 4,000 kg and it is possible to install cannon pods, bombs of 100 to 500 kg calibres, S-5, S-8, S-3 or S-24 rockets, as well as guided missiles: the R-60 air-to-air; as well as Kh-23M, Kh-25 and Kh-29L air to surface class missiles. The update also brings other legendary aircraft, like the powerful French Mirage III E and US carrier-based F8U-2 Crusader fighter with interesting variable-incidence wing mechanics, which simplifies takeoff and landing.

The Heads-Up Display (HUD) device is a must for all modern aircraft. It is located right in front of the pilot’s eyes, displaying the most important information about the current condition and attitude of the aircraft or helicopter and can even show the impact points for shells, rockets or bombs, calculated by the ballistic computer. War Thunder players have already seen modern helicopter HUDs, while the “Ixwa Strike” update brings similar devices for the aircraft, i.e. F-4 Phantom II and Harrier family war machines. This new feature is especially important for players that prefer realistic or simulation modes of War Thunder that do not use markers for target assisting, so that the fighting feels as close to the real thing as possible.

Finally, naval fans also got several cool vessels of various classes for different nations. A good example is the Japanese light cruiser Isuzu that took part in the invasion of Hong Kong and Guadalcanal battles. It’s volley of eight long range Type 93 Long Lance torpedoes could become a serious argument in fierce War Thunder blue-water navy battles.

For full information on the changes brought by the “Ixwa Strike” update is available at the official website.

Update 0.10.1 features the debut of the new Italian Battleships, an updated Taranto port, as well as new format of Ranked Battles, new Clan Battles and updated Brawls

Wargaming, developer and publisher of the widely popular, free to play naval combat game World of Warships (WoWS), has today revealed update 0.10.1 for the game that will launch on February 18th 2021.

The headline addition is the maiden voyage of the long awaited, Tier IV–IX Italian Battleships. Players can now set sail for battle with these all new vessels, available in Early Access on the Live Server.

The Italian Battleships
The new update adds six all-new Italian Battleships to the game listed below and imagery for these vessels can be found here:

• Dante Alighieri (Tier IV)
• Conte di Cavour Tier V)
• Andrea Doria (Tier VI)
• Francesco Caracciolo (Tier VII)
• Vittorio Veneto (Tier VIII)
• Lepanto (Tier IX)

The Italian Battleships come armed with a host of interesting features for players to try out. These include semi-armor-piercing shells to deal significant damage to weakly protected targets, and a large number of guns, balanced by their shorter range and lower accuracy. The new ships also feature higher maneuverability and armour protection for the ship itself. Tier VIII–X ships also can deploy the Exhaust Smoke Generator consumable, which allows them to hide from the enemy without having to reduce their speed.

Players in the early access can obtain the majority of these new ships by earning a new temporary resource, the Italian Tokens. These can be acquired by completing combat mission groups including a special chain of combat missions, as well as from random bundles purchased with dubloons, free random bundles, Recruitment Point bundles in the armory and by completing combat missions from the official WoWS streams.

The number of tokens that can be obtained by completing combat mission groups will be enough to obtain Tier IV-VI Battleships, with VII Francesco Caracciolo available as the final reward for completing the last combat mission group and IX Lepanto obtainable from random bundles purchased with Dubloons. Full details can be found here in the Italian BB overview article.

Visit the official World of Warships website now for more game info and to sign up to play World of Warships for free!

Tame the Oxen in two special time-limited events

With the Lunar New Year celebrations kicking off as we welcome the Year of the Ox today, World of Tanks is unleashing a unique themed event to mark the occasion.

World of Tanks is introducing the Lunar Challenge, which will run from February 12th through 22nd. This special event will see tankers test their skills with 10 stages which offer up great rewards. There will be two ways to complete each stage: missions for commitment (available for Tier VI-X vehicles) and the more challenging missions for mastery (exclusively for Tier IX-X).

For completing all 10 stages, players will get their hands on the tanking embodiment of the Ox, the brand-new 122 TM, as well as a unique Lunar New Year 2D style, which can adorn any vehicle. Additionally, tankers who have already got their hands on the 122 MT can take on daily missions; those who complete 8 of them will be rewarded with a stunning 3D style exclusively for the Chinese medium. For more information about the Lunar Challenge, please check the dedicated article HERE.

For more information on World of Tanks, visit the games official website.

The legendary free-to-play shooter is “coming soon” to the new platform

Today, Wargaming announced its plans to bring World of Tanks to Steam. Once live, both players of the regular PC version and Steam users will be able to fight side by side in the immersive PvP battles the legendary F2P strategic shooter is known for. The Steam version will be available to new accounts only but will feature everything its PC counterpart has to offer.

“We’ve always wanted to make sure World of Tanks was available to everyone, so it’s a natural step that we welcome the Steam community to our family,” states Max Chuvalov, Global Publishing Director, World of Tanks. “Soon, Steam users will be able to enjoy the hard-hitting battles only our game provides, and we really hope they enjoy them!”

For the first time, Steam players will be able to master more than 600+ vehicles, hone their tanking tactics and skills and experience World of Tanks’ unique combat. The Steam version will launch later this year. For more information, check out the Steam page.

About World of Tanks

World of Tanks is the first team-based, massively multiplayer online action game dedicated to armored warfare. Throw yourself into the epic tank battles of World War II with gamers all over the world. Your arsenal includes over 600 armored vehicles from 11 nations, carefully detailed with historical accuracy.

For more information on World of Tanks, visit the games official website.

Featuring: Italian heavy tanks, a modified Platoon system, and interface improvements

The beginning of a new year is the right time to start a new journey with fresh content and features deploying in World of Tanks. Update 1.11.1 brings a new sub-branch of Italian heavy tanks with an improved autoloading mechanic to the game. The updated Platoon system will allow you to find gaming buddies easier (without being limited to friends and contacts), and a few interface improvements make the gameplay even more enjoyable.

The new Italian heavy branch begins with the Tier VII Carro d’assalto P.88 and consists of four vehicles with great gun depression angles, well-armored turrets, and stylish exteriors. The top animal in the pack, the Tier X Rinoceronte (‘Rhinoceros’), reminds us that Italy is famous for its automotive design traditions. A distinctive feature introduced with the new sub-branch is the improved autoloading mechanic. As well as being able to choose between firing intermittent shots or salvos, with Tier VIII–X Italian heavies you get a rebate (up to 50%) for the reloading time of your next shell—if you had to shoot just before an extra round would be fully loaded into the clip.

Along with the new branch, four sets of battle missions are being introduced, each one dedicated to a separate tank in the sub-branch and giving out an Ancient Roman-themed emblem, inscription, and decal as rewards, with the Rinoceronte set also yielding the “Testudo Formation” 2D style. The style fits Italian vehicles only, and all other customization elements can be applied to any vehicle. Each mission set is to be completed by its ‘own’ new Italian heavy, but all of them are also doable in the Rinoceronte or in the Tier VIII Premium tank, the Bisonte C45.

“Around 3 years ago, in May 2018, we revealed the Italian tech tree, with Gianluigi Buffon as an ambassador,” says Max Chuvalov, World of Tanks Publishing Director. “The players spent some time mastering the new mechanic, and they really liked the Italian tanks. Now we’re adding new researchable vehicles that not only complement the Italian tree, but bring their own distinctive features, in order to make the experience even more diverse and exciting. Take these awesome machines for a spin and enjoy the highly-tactical gameplay!”

Also coming with Update 1.11.1 is the Platoon 2.0 system. Available for Random Battles, it allows you to find battle buddies with ease: it’s fully automated, and the search can be performed using filters you apply. Moreover, you can team up with a friend the old-fashioned way and find a third partner using the new system if you want, and once the Platoon is complete, you’ll see the allied vehicles side by side with your current ride in your Garage.

The interface improvements that will arrive along with the update continue the tradition of integrating the best solutions from popular UI mods into the client. In the game settings, you can now activate such options as the Proximity spotting circle (showing the radius of ‘unconditional’ spotting on the mini-map) and a repair timer for damaged vehicle modules.
Fight tactically in the new Italians alongside your new buds, earn the new Roman style and don’t let any brutes stab you in the back! If you need more info on Update 1.11.1, take a look HERE.

Get ready to take on Chuck’s Challenge as part of Holiday Ops 2021

2020 might have been a bit of a strange year, but it’s nice to see a familiar face: Holiday Ops in World of Tanks! This Christmas and New Year celebration will see players focused on two things: battles and baubles. From 9th December to 11th January, a cosy little mountain town will be ready for tankers to decorate as they wish, all while earning great and valuable rewards. But that’s not all… This town has an extra special resident: Chuck Norris!

Chuck has crafted his own challenge for every tanker: one which will test their resolve and mettle. Every day, a new mission will become available with 32 to take on in total. While all valuable, some of the rewards are extra special so players won’t want to miss out on them, including a special vehicle slot for Holiday Ops—which will allow players to choose their own vehicle bonuses—and Commander Chuck himself!

“Players like to say I must have been on the other side when they lose a battle; well, now it might just be true,” says Chuck Norris, World of Tanks Ambassador. “As you all know, even when the chips are down, I’m not one to shy away from a challenge and I hope that my fellow tankers do me proud when they take on Chuck’s Challenge!”

Just like last year, Holiday Ops is all about earning a collection of ornaments while decorating the special festive garage. There’s plenty to find in this snow-laden town, from a pianist performing for the residents to an enormous Christmas tree which takes center-stage. By dressing up the town, players will increase their festive atmosphere and their present yield. Tankers will be rewarded with various ornaments and decorations for creating their own firework displays (albeit, using enemy vehicles) and completing special missions. There are hundreds of ornaments to collect and 4 collections to complete so players will be able to decorate to their heart’s content.

Additionally, the Snow Maidens are back and are giving out special gifts daily. Each of the four Snow Maidens is responsible for a specific collection: Christmas, New Year, Lunar New Year or Magic New Year. By selecting rewards from the same collection each day, a special meter will fill up and lower-tiered ornaments will be excluded from your daily gifts.

“2020 is drawing to a close and we want to give the community something to remember,” states Max Chuvalov, World of Tanks Global Publishing Director. “Holiday Ops is always our biggest in-game event and it’s the perfect way to see off the year! We hope that this will really get everyone in the festive spirit!”

And finally, the holidays are a time for giving and this year, while crazy, is no different. All players—whether they’re on the Nice List or Naughty List—will be find a token of appreciation when they log in: the brand-new Pz.Sfl. IC, a Tier IV German tank destroyer with an autoloader! Thanks, Santa!

Watch the Holiday Ops: Presents, Bonuses, and Missions From Chuck Norris video HERE.

For more information about Holiday Ops 2021, click HERE.

The ‘New Power’ update brings a new engine, next-gen consoles version, battleships, new aircraft carriers, VTOL aircraft and more

Gaijin Entertainment announces that the military online action War Thunder just got “New Power”, which is the biggest update in the history of the game, as well as PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions of War Thunder that fully utilize the next-gen consoles power. War Thunder has also switched to the Dagor 6.0 engine, thus significantly upgrading the game visuals on all platforms. PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X players can enjoy the new look at a steady 4K@60FPS resolution, while the PC version supports DLSS technology for RTX graphics cards. The ‘New Power’ update also introduces battleships, VTOL aircraft and lots of other new military vehicles, i.e. the T-90A and Leclerc S2 tanks.

Visual enhancements are the first thing that players will notice in the updated game. The War Thunder engine simulates a natural-looking sky with clouds of various types, fog and the correct distribution and scattering of sunlight. The game now has the means to draw a realistic sunset on Mars or a nuclear bomb explosion if needed. Shot and explosion effects, as well as fires and vehicle destruction physics are also enhanced. Physically correct armour scars appear on ground vehicles in places where shells hit and in some cases the projectile can even get stuck in the armour.

War Thunder naval players will now have the chance to fight using battlecruisers and battleships – like the famous HMS Dreadnought that marked the beginning of a new era in military shipbuilding or the Imperatritsa Mariya (“Empress Maria”), which is one the dreadnought-class battleships built by the Russian Empire right on time for World War I. USA, Germany and Japan also got their own battleships. The update also changes the naval fleet progression system, allowing new players to skip torpedo boats and start with destroyers to get to the largest ships much faster.

Aircraft fans are getting VTOL machines in the Harrier and Yak-38 families. They are equipped with a thrust vectoring propulsion system. In flight, pilots can vary the thrust nozzles’ angle to alter the flight characteristics of the aircraft – for example to perform tighter turns. Additionally, pilots will be able to perform helicopter-style attack runs or avoid enemy detection at low altitude. War Thunder players are also getting aircraft carriers that are suitable for machines of this era, namely, HMS Ark Royal, USS Forrestal and the Soviet aircraft cruiser Baku.

T-90A tank is finally arriving in War Thunder. It’s most distinctive feature is the Shtora electro-optical jammer and laser/IR warning system. Two groups of Shtora sensors on the tank turret look like giant eyes – that’s how you can easily recognise the T-90A in photos. Other nations also get interesting examples of modern armoured vehicles, like the US M1128 Stryker MGS, German Leopard 2A6 and French Leclerc S2.

“New Power” update brings numerous new features, like the interactive hangar or illuminating shells. There is going to be a Battle Pass system as well, allowing players to get prizes for participating in battles and completing daily and seasonal tasks. Rewards include not only cosmetic items, but premium vehicles as well, i.e. US F2G jet and Soviet Т-10А tank. Reward vehicles can be added to a player’s hangar or sold to other players on the market.

The full list of updates is available at the official War Thunder website.

Battlecruisers and battleships, including HMS Dreadnought, will join the battle

Gaijin Entertainment announces that the next major Content Update will bring battlecruisers and battleships. The Blue-water fleet with destroyers, cruisers and battleships will become the fifth type of military hardware in War Thunder, along with ground vehicles, aircraft, helicopters and coastal fleet.

War Thunder naval battles began with clashes of light and fast coastal forces ships, like torpedo boats, gunships and submarine chasers. Other types of ships including frigates, destroyers and cruisers were added to War Thunder later. The “New Power” update will bring colossal battlecruisers and battleships boasting heavy armor and large calibre guns.

These large ships will include the British battleship Dreadnought (“Дредноут”), the German battleship Westfalen, the US heavy cruiser New Orleans and many other famous ships. Dreadnought is probably the most famous from the list. The construction of this battleship at the beginning of the 20th century made fleets from other nations obsolete because of two key features: an “all-big-gun” armament scheme, with an unprecedented number of heavy-calibre guns, and steam turbine propulsion. Other countries rushed to counter this threat with similar war machines and as a result a whole generation of battleships from that era was commonly referred to as “dreadnoughts”.

The gameplay experience was always quite different for small and large vessels and this difference will only increase when the battleships arrive in the game. This is why the fleet tech trees will be split into two separate trees – coastal fleet and blue-navy fleet with separate progression schemes. Players will be able to use any ships they’ve already unlocked and to train existing ship crews to use any other ships. This decision will allow newcomers that are interested only in larger ships to skip small vessels altogether, start with destroyers and get to cruisers and battleships faster, while the developers will get more freedom to choose the ships for the upcoming updates. War Thunder massive naval battles will still involve all types of vessels from both coastal and blue-navy fleets meaning that fast torpedo boats and gunboats will fight together with large ships and aircraft to achieve team victory.

More information on fleet restructuring in War Thunder is available at the official website.

World of Warships sees the arrival of the new powerful U.S. battleships sub-branch in the game’s early access today with Update 0.9.9, including the Tier VIII Kansas and the Tier IX Minnesota. They form part of a new U.S. Battleships event available now. The update also includes new Directives, an upgraded Naval Base Port, and a new season of Clan Battles, among other things.

A new World of Warships trailer can be viewed here.

The new U.S. battleships feature powerful main armaments, good anti-torpedo protection, and great maneuverability. However, while their rudder is very responsive, the ships are rather slow for their type. Numerous main battery guns with a solid salvo weight and decent firing range can be found, but they come at the expense of longer gun reload times. Rounding out the battleships are their decent AA defenses which can be reinforced with the Defensive AA Fire consumable.

Players can obtain the VIII Kansas by completing Directives, and the IX Minnesota by opening random bundles in the Armory in exchange for Doubloons. By completing Directives players can get American Tokens, a new temporary resource that can be exchanged for bundles and other rewards in the Armory, including Gold Eagle permanent camouflages for U.S. Battleships.

The new update also starts a new Clan Battles Season in 7 vs 7 format for Tier X ships. Furthermore, Division Commanders will now have additional options to invite mercenaries – players outside their Clan to join their Divisions for Clan Battles.

With the release of Update 0.9.9, players will also be able to play on all World of Warships servers within one game client, without the need to install separate game instances for each region. The game server will be determined by the currently selected account in the Wargaming Game Center.

Update 0.9.9 also brings new visual and general improvements to World of Warships, follow this link for more details.

Visit the official World of Warships website now for more game info and to sign up for World of Warships for free!

World of Tanks launches brand-new event that will see the return of the notorious Waffenträger – pitting players against the beast in 7v1 battles

World of Tanks is excited to announce the launch of a brand-new event between September 28 and October 12, The Last Waffenträger! For the first time in World of Tanks history, players will be tasked with taking on a single enemy tank, a colossal Tier 10 tank destroyer – the Waffenträger Auf E 110.

Played across three breath-taking maps (Fisherman’s Bay, Studzianki and Redshire), tankers must work together as a team to vanquish the Waffenträger, destroying its AI-controlled sentinels to unlock upgrades for their tanks – and making the Waffenträger easier to attack.

The event will introduce 6-minute asymmetric warfare – and players can win a bespoke reward pack and earn the chance to command the Waffenträger themselves!

To take on the might of the Waffenträger, players will crew modernised T-55 tanks, using teamwork to outwit the immense power of the boss – and becoming more powerful as they destroy its sentinels, leaving the Waffenträger vulnerable to destruction.

At the apex of the event, the challenge becomes even more interesting; with tankers getting the chance to take on a Waffenträger Auf E 220 crewed by World of Tanks developers and celebrity guests! If a team destroys the Waffenträger Auf E 220 in these battles – then the whole team will win premium reward packs!

“Many tankers will remember the Waffenträger was previously playable in game, but its power proved too much, and so we had to address the balance by removing it” states Max Chuvalov, Publishing Director, World of Tanks. “But it seems that players were still attached to this mechanical behemoth, and asked us to bring the Waffenträger back. So, for this time limited event, we did. Get ready for fearsome battles and amazing prizes – because the Waffenträger is back with a vengeance!”

In game, separate battle missions will unlock exciting reward packs – including event themed vehicle customisation elements (2D styles, unique decals, emblems), in-game goodies and even the chance to play as the Waffenträger Auf E 110.

Watch the all new The Last Waffenträger: Riding the Legend Trailer HERE.

For more information on World of Tanks, visit the games official website.