We’ve got exciting news to share with you — in the next major update, Rank VIII ground vehicles are coming to the game! First up, we’re going to be talking about two upcoming Rank VII premium vehicles: the Challenger 2 (OES) for Golden Eagles and the M1A1 HC as a pre-order pack!

Brand-new ground vehicles of Rank VIII will now be coming to War Thunder, which will be added in the upcoming major update. This now means that you’ll be able to play with the most modern tanks that are currently in service with different armies around the world! The addition of this rank is just the start, as with future major updates, additional modern vehicles will be added over time. We’ll soon be unveiling exciting news about the first tanks of Rank VIII in a series of dev blogs, so be sure to keep an eye out for that!

For now though, let’s take a look at these two brilliant Rank VII premium vehicles. You’re able to pre-order the M1A1 HC pack right now in the Gaijin Store, and get the Challenger 2 (OES) with the release of the next major update for Golden Eagles. These vehicles will allow you to become more familiar with top tier tanks, and of course will allow you to research vehicles in their respective research trees faster. Meet two magnificent MBTs — the British Challenger 2 (OES) and the American M1A1 HC!


This pack can be pre-ordered from the Gaijin Store from the hangar. Shop > Online Store.

• M1A1 HC “Click-Bait” (Rank 7, USA)
  
• 2500 Golden Eagles
  
• Premium account for 20 days
  
• Pre-order bonus: “Devil Dog” title
  
• Pre-order bonus: unique “Teufel Hunden” decal
  
  

An option for upgrading regular M1A1 Abrams tanks was the Heavy Common (HC) variant, equipped with armor inserts made of depleted uranium. In addition to this, an electro-optical active protection system to act against anti-tank guided missiles with a semi-active guidance head is also present. This Abrams displays the text “CLICK-BAIT”, plus victory ring markings on the barrel, which have the names of tanks that this Abrams can face in-game. In addition to this, other equipment is placed on this tank, including a chair on top of the turret.



Without exaggeration, this is one of the best high tier tanks in the game — great mobility, excellent turret protection and very effective ammunition. This tank’s soft-kill APS will be very useful against certain ATGMs too, including some fired from helicopters. A fantastic tank that sets the rules in battles!





The Challenger 2 Operational Entry Standard (OES) has recently been showcasing the latest British tank technology. Just like its predecessor, the Challenger 2 TES, this tank is kitted out for urban combat environments, and is equipped with 3 types of protection: composite armor, slat armor and ERA. Slat armor is added particularly at the back of the Challenger 2 (OES) which helps to protect against shaped-charge ammo, however this does increase the tank’s overall weight. Armed with a 120 mm rifled cannon that is able to fire a good selection of ammo, the Challenger 2 (OES) is a fantastic premium tank capable of striking a deadly blow to any top tier opponent.

On November 30th Scotland celebrates St. Andrew’s Day, and for this occasion we’re temporarily bringing back the Scottish Saltire decal for Golden Eagles. Grab yourself this awesome flag and proudly display it on your vehicles and learn about the history of this day below.




History and Legend
Feasts honoring St. Andrew dates back to the year 1000 AD, and the holiday has been observed throughout Scotland for more than a millennium. But he didn’t formally become Scotland's patron saint until 1320, when the Declaration of Arbroath was signed, legally declaring Scotland’s independence. Ever since, St. Andrew has grown to be a vital component of Scottish culture. The ancient town of St. Andrews was given its name because it is purported to be the ultimate resting place of St. Andrew.

Today, we’ll be going over some of the core fixes and quality of life improvements that we’ve worked on during the past 2 weeks, including from the update released today. Thank you for all of the reports you’ve created and the feedback that you’ve left!

If you’ve found a bug that you’d like to report, you can do so on our community bug reporting platform.




We’ve fixed a number of issues relating to the reloading process of tank autoloaders. For example, autoloader reloading took longer than normal, as well as the autoloader reloading even though the first-stage ammo stowage was empty.

One of the main problems that we’ve fixed with autoloaders involved the inability to fire even though a shell was loaded into the gun.




Earlier this month, we added the option to enable night battles for Ground Realistic Battles, where participating in them allows you to earn sweet night-themed rewards for mission score. As mentioned previously, enabling night battles and queueing for them would put you into two queues, for night and day.

We’ve realized that the chance of getting a night battle was a bit too low, so last week we tweaked the matchmaking algorithm slightly, meaning you’ll now have more of a chance to get into a night battle!




For years, there’s been an option for automatic camouflage selection for camouflages that you own, this automatic selection depends on the map type. This option is useful so you don’t end up using a snow camo on a non-snow map for example. However, this option didn’t take into account camouflages that had been purchased from the Gaijin Market.

Thanks to some feedback, we’ve adjusted the algorithm to take this into account. Now, when using the automatic camouflage option in battle, the priority is given to Market camouflages that are suitable for a given map.


The Service Record on your profile is a handy place to see important statistics of vehicles that you’ve used in battles. Over the years, hundreds of vehicles have been added and the Service Record hasn’t quite caught up.

We’ve now added a search bar to this area as well as an additional option to filter by vehicle rank. Amongst the hundreds or even thousands of vehicles that you’ve played with, you’ll finally be able to find the exact one you want with a quick search in seconds!

The full list of bug fixes and improvements are in each Update note below. Here’s a couple of other changes and fixes: when using the air alert radio command in ground battles, allies will have an aircraft icon displayed on their compass. And, switching to ACM and HMD modes for radars on the F-16C Block 50, F-16D Block 40 Barak II, Mirage 2000-5F and J-8F now works in the same way as the radars on all MiG-29s and on the Yak-141.

Updates in the past 2 weeks:

• Update 2.31.1.45 Update 2.31.1.49

• Switching to ACM and HMD modes for radars on the F-16C Block 50, F-16D Block 40 Barak II, Mirage 2000-5F and J-8F now works in the same way it worked for radars on all MiG-29s and on the Yak-141. From standby mode, radars are switched by “Lock Radar/IRST on target” command into “HMD” mode and by “Radar/IRST beyond/within visual range combat” command into “ACM” mode.
  
• APP-73 RWR used on the JA37 will detect radar illumination for SARH missiles.
  
• Saab A32A, Saab A32A Röd Adam — a bug that caused the area where chaff is released from to be covered has been fixed. (Report)
  
• Bf 109 F-4 (Hungary) — a bug that caused cannons on the wings to be displayed in X-Ray mode when bombs were equipped has been fixed. (Report)
  
• Mirage 2000D-R1 — the sequence of firing the countermeasures has been corrected. (Report)
  
• A-4H Skyhawk — a bug that caused RWR indication to not be displayed in the cockpit has been fixed. (Report)

• HMS Renown, USS Des Moines, USS Newport News, USS Texas — information about armor and maximum speed in the stat card has been corrected.
  
• A bug where after hitting an enemy ship, smoke from its funnels were displayed as clouds rather than a continuous smoke stream has been fixed.
  
• Opytny, La Combattante, SMS Sachsen, IJN Yamashiro — the camera position and its distance to the ship has been changed in accordance with ships of this class. The roll force (heel) during a circle turn has been adjusted.

• Priority has been added to Market camouflages when using the Auto camouflage option in battle, which depends on the type of map.
  
• A search bar and the possibility of filtering by vehicle rank has been added to the Service Record.
  
• A bug that made it impossible to report repairs from the radio command menu while repairing an aircraft has been fixed.
  
• While in replays, a bug that caused tooltips to blink when hovering over the action panel has been fixed.
  
• The text that displays the number of online players and battles in the hangar has been given a slight shadow so that it’s easier to read whilst against the backdrop of clouds/sky.
  
• An aircraft icon has been added to the compass when a player uses the air alert radio command.

The current provided changelog reflects the major changes within the game as part of this Update. Some updates, additions and fixes may not be listed in the provided notes. War Thunder is constantly improving and specific fixes may be implemented without the client being updated.

Until December 11th (07:00 GMT) play 3 battles using the Su-25K to get the special “Wiki approved: Su-25K” decal.

“A modern hangar without it isn’t a hangar at all, but merely a shed”

One of the more famous Soviet assault aircraft boasts incredible survivability and a wide selection of weaponry. This “front line worker” deserves your respect and our “Wiki approved: Su-25K” decal. Today we’re flying the Su-25K “Grach”.



“Wiki approved: Su-25K” — unique decal for each new vehicle.

Read more on our Wiki.






Our video reviews add to and complete the pages of the War Thunder Wiki. Use the knowledge base created by players, for players.

Contribute to the wiki with your own articles and receive Golden Eagles for your contribution!

Some of those burning wrecks were seriously impressive! Can you even tell what many of the burned out wrecks once were? The three most popular and three selected by us will get 300 GE. See the winners down below!


Create a stunning screenshot and submit it on the War Thunder Steam Community Hub with the tag #WTscreen95. You have time until the 1st of December to submit your screenshot.

After that date, 6 winners will be selected (3 of which will be the highest rated by the community and 3 selected by our judges), each of which receive a reward of 300GE.

• Your screenshot must include a player vehicle and poor weather conditions (Not sunny!).
  
• You must add the #WTscreen95 tag (title cannot have any other text in it).

[/b]

Screenshots need to be compliant with the War Thunder rules.

You need to be the author of the screenshot.

Screenshot needs to be new. You cannot use those which have previously been published or used in other competitions.

We will only accept raw screenshots from the game. You cannot use any editing software nor any other visual enhancements (like Nvidia Ansel filters).

You can use filters and settings built into War Thunder.

You can use the replay functionality built into War Thunder.

Rewards will be delivered to the author's account within 14 working days.

[/list]


https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3087146598
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3090852428
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3089248974

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3087077746
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3087857327
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3091262881

Each winner will get 300GE! Congratulations and see you next week!

The beginning of the German invasion of the USSR found 15 year old Ekaterina Mikhailova near Smolensk, where she lied about her age and enlisted as a nurse into the local rifle unit. She went through the entirety of the war from February 1943 as a nurse instructor in the Marine battalion, where she repeatedly participated in dangerous landing operations. On December 4th 1944, during the battle of the fortress of IIok, while being seriously wounded and soaked in icy water, she saved drowning wounded soldiers and fought off advancing enemies. For this, she was presented with the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

You can immediately purchase this profile icon for Golden Eagles until January 3rd, 11:30 GMT without completing tasks. To find it, go to your Nickname → Achievements → Pages of History.

Completion of each individual task will bring you a trophy with one of the following rewards:

• 20-50% RP booster for 3-10 battles;
  
• 20-50% SL booster for 3-10 battles;
  
• 3-5 universal backup vehicles;
  
• 1 day of premium account;
  
• A random camouflage for ground vehicles (out of the selection of camouflages currently obtainable in game for completing tasks, or purchasing with Golden Eagles).

• Tasks are available from 11:00 GMT until 11:30 GMT on the final day of each task.
  
• Tasks can be completed in random battles, except for “Assault” mode.

At the beginning of December 1944, Soviet command began a landing operation designed to prevent the transfer of German reinforcements to Budapest. Near the city of Ilok, a small reconnaissance group of marines, which included Ekaterina Mikhailova, distracted enemy fire for a long time on a flooded island in the middle of the river. The heroism of the reconnaissance group allowed the main forces of the USSR and Yugoslavia to take the enemy by surprise, defeat them and take the city of Ilok.

From December 1943 to March 1944, battles took place for Sio on the Huon Peninsula (Papua New Guinea). Allied forces, at the cost of minor losses, crushed Japanese forces and captured their cryptographic systems, which significantly accelerated the liberation of nearby territories.

On December 9th 1940, Great Britain and its allies launched an offensive on the North African front. Despite having superiority in the number of troops and weapons, Italian forces were defeated and driven out of Egypt and most of Cyrenaica. The Allied advance was halted only to move a significant portion of troops into Greece to defend it from the German invasion.

From December 12th to December 24th 1942, Germany carried out an operation to rescue the Sixth Army of Friedrich Paulus, surrounded in Stalingrad. However, good defense and a successful counter-offensive of the Red Army ruined German plans. As a result, having lost almost all of their equipment and having suffered heavy losses, they were forced to retreat.

On December 16th 1944, the last large-scale German offensive on the Western Front began. Germany sought to recapture the port of Antwerp, divide and defeat the Allied armies in order to conclude a separate peace with them on favorable terms. More than a million people took part in the fighting, with both sides suffering heavy losses. But by the end of January, the Allies had won a landslide victory along the entire front line and began the invasion of Germany.

At the end of December 1941, when the threat of the enemy taking Moscow had passed, Soviet leadership launched a counteroffensive in different directions. In Kursk-Belgorod, the forces of the Red Army were clearly insufficient to achieve strategic goals — therefore, after long battles and significant losses, they stopped without much results.


The commander of the Japanese 11th Army, Korechika Anami, disobeyed the orders of command, hoping to easily capture the Chinese city of Changsha at the end of December 1941. However, the city put up serious resistance — having captured it, the Japanese found themselves surrounded and, retreating, suffered serious losses.

On December 31st 1942, the German Fleet, which included heavy cruisers Hipper and Lützow, as well as several destroyers, overtook a British Arctic convoy heading to Murmansk in the Barents Sea. Because of the date, this skirmish was called the “New Year’s Fight”. The stronger German forces failed to sink a single cargo ship in the convoy. This defeat forced Hitler to abandon operations involving ships and concentrate on the use of submarines.

The series of tournaments dedicated to 11 years of War Thunder has come to an end. Those of you who have watched the live streams on Twitch have received unique camouflages and a decorator through Twitch Drops and were the first to witness who won in the tournaments!

Now, the time has come to reveal the results and award the champions.

• 1st place — MRCLS team
  
• 2nd place — DODEC team
  
• 3rd place — 25F.P.S team

The list of prizes include coupons for the E-100, T18E2, Type 62 (USSR), Golden Eagles and Esports merch.

• 1st place — EXOTIC team
  
• 2nd place — RESTART team
  
• 3rd place — NEXT team

The list of prizes include coupons for the Bf 109 E-7/U2, Bong’s P-38J-15, Ki-94-II, Golden Eagles and Esports merch.


Introducing a new trophy with camouflages created by authors from the Live.WT portal! The new Esports trophy includes 21 camouflages for various vehicles: 12 aircraft, 8 tanks and 1 helicopter. Among them are both — those that could be seen in Twitch Drops and on our streams, as well as completely new ones. The full list is below.


Some camos in this trophy:
[expand type=details]









[/expand]

Like the Esports I trophy, the new trophy can be obtained by simply playing regular War Thunder battles. In the future, it will be possible to obtain with an increased chance by participating in Esports events and War Thunder tournaments. PlayStation and Xbox players can purchase the trophy in the Item Shop and open it with Golden Eagles. Read more on our Wiki.

To open it, you’ll need to purchase a key on the Market (income is shared with the authors of the camouflages). You can either activate the coupon on your account, or trade it on the Market to get Gaijin Coins (GJN). A trophy can be sold as well!

To unlock the trophy, you'll need an “Esport” key that can be purchased on the Market for GJN.
Read more about the Market and Gaijin Coins on our Wiki.

For War Thunder Esports fans, don’t forget about this small but very cute pack that contains a unique decal and title.

Meet the updated “Snailonidas” pack!



The Kit Includes:

• “Hoplomachus Snail” decal
  
• “Snailonidas” title
  
• 300 Golden Eagles

• Fixes to automatic gun loaders:
  
  • The “idle” reload cycle where it was impossible to shoot even though a shell was loaded into the gun has been fixed.
    
  • Incorrect reload time multiplier has been fixed.
    
  • A bug where the gun could start reloading even though the first stage ammo stowage was still empty has been fixed.

• A bug that caused some aircraft and helicopters to incorrectly display gun caliber and the amount of ammunition in X-Ray mode has been fixed.

• A bug where the language selected on Steam, and not in the game settings, was the language used in game has been fixed.

• A bug that made it possible to drive into buildings that had been damaged by artillery on some maps has been fixed. (Report)

• A bug that caused a difference in the position of missiles on the client and server has been fixed. (Report)

The current provided changelog reflects the major changes within the game as part of this Update. Some updates, additions and fixes may not be listed in the provided notes. War Thunder is constantly improving and specific fixes may be implemented without the client being updated.

There’s been a lot going on in War Thunder in 2023, with a fair share of challenging and uplifting moments. Alongside our regular schedule of major updates that contain bug fixes, new maps, vehicles, and overall new content, this year we’ve been working hard on fulfilling the Roadmap thanks to your feedback.

Many of you have been with us for a long time, with lots of you having joined us for the first time this year in 2023. Record player numbers were hit on Steam, with an all-time player peak happening just this month, which is a testament of the enthusiasm in the community.

To each and every one of you, whether you’re still playing after all these years or you just joined us in 2023, the War Thunder team would like to thank you for being with us and playing the game that we’ve all come to love for so long!


The Steam Awards are back this year, so let’s win this award together. Have we earned your nomination? That’s for you to decide. Nominate War Thunder in The Steam Awards for the “Labor of Love” category — to nominate, click on the nominate button at the top of this news article or from the Steam Awards Nomination page.

Thank you and see you around in War Thunder!

The Steam Autumn sale has started, and for this occasion the Black Shark Pack and all Starter Pack DLC are on sale with 50% off!




https://store.steampowered.com/app/1557850/War_Thunder__Black_Shark_Pack/


https://store.steampowered.com/app/1108450/War_Thunder__US_Starter_Pack/?curator_clanid=4649813


https://store.steampowered.com/app/2054413/War_Thunder__German_Beginners_Pack/?curator_clanid=4649813


https://store.steampowered.com/app/1233370/War_Thunder__USSR_Starter_Pack/?curator_clanid=4649813


https://store.steampowered.com/app/1368801/War_Thunder__British_Starter_Pack/?curator_clanid=4649813


https://store.steampowered.com/app/1368800/War_Thunder__Japanese_Starter_Pack/?curator_clanid=4649813


https://store.steampowered.com/app/1937490/War_Thunder__Chinese_Starter_Pack/?curator_clanid=4649813


https://store.steampowered.com/app/1368110/War_Thunder__Italian_Starter_Pack/?curator_clanid=4649813


https://store.steampowered.com/app/1423760/War_Thunder__French_Starter_Pack/?snr=1_16_16_creator_curator-tabs&curator_clanid=4649813


https://store.steampowered.com/app/1582830/War_Thunder__Swedish_Starter_Pack/?curator_clanid=4649813