The second phase of our Halloween celebrations begins. Get ready to enjoy the new Raid for the Filth game mode, which will see three teams scrambling for a very precious resource; new permanent camouflages for Tier VIII–X ships; and an array of other rewards.

A Portal to another dimension has opened up inside our game. Dare you step through the gate into another world to engage into a brutal fight against the forces of darkness and compete with other treasure hunters? Welcome to a new game mode called Raid for the Filth!

In this article, we'll tell you about the rules of the new mode, features of the new event ships, and rewards available in the Armory.

• In the new mode, three teams of three players each fight against each other and a horde of dark forces controlled by AI. It’s possible to participate in the Raid for the Filth as part of a Division.
  
• Enter battle on the unique ships of a new temporary nation! Players will have three branches available: destroyers, cruisers, and battleships, with three ships in each branch. All the ships have their own special features and consumables.
  
• The main task is to collect the new resource—Filth—from special zones on the map and from the wreckage of sunk ships. Filth can be exchanged for rewards in the Armory.
  
• There are no winners or losers in the new mode: a battle’s success is defined by the amount of Filth collected by the entire team.
  
• Exit through the Portal at the center of the map when it opens to finish the battle. Bring a haul of Filth back to your world and add it to the team's spoils.
  
• If you perish or fail to escape through the Portal before the end of the battle, you'll score only a part of the Filth you collected for your team.

A new tab—Halloween—has been added to the Armory.

• All the rewards are visible in advance: the bundles’ contents and their amounts are displayed when viewing the currently available bundle.
  
• After each exchange, you’ll be able to see the contents of a new random bundle.
  
• Having collected all the bundles, you're guaranteed to have obtained all the available rewards.

• Halloween Ghost: 18 bundles are available, with one of them including the Infernal permanent camouflage for Tier VIII ships. Cost: 500 Filth.
  
• Halloween Demon: 21 bundles are available, with one of them including the Infernal permanent camouflage for Tier IX ships. Cost: 2,000 Filth.
  
• Halloween Monster: 24 bundles are available, with one of them including the Infernal permanent camouflage for Tier X ships. Cost: 8,000 Filth.

Thus, if you extract at least 1,000 Filth per battle from your excursions through the Portal, you'll only need to play 8–10 battles in order to collect all the Halloween Ghost bundles, or 40–50 battles to obtain all the Halloween Demon bundles.

However, it’s going to take some effort to get all the Halloween Monster bundles. If your team exits through the Portal with full cargo holds, carrying at least 2,500 Filth from each battle, you'll need to play about 100 battles to obtain all the most valuable bundles.

Permanent camouflages designed in the style of the new mode’s monster ships are available in the game for X Yamato, X Montana, IX Alaska, X Shimakaze, X Khabarovsk, and X Henri IV. When obtaining these camouflages from the Armory, you'll also get a Commander with 10 skill points. If you already have any of them, you'll receive full compensation equal to their cost in doubloons when making the exchange in the Armory.

A new type of permanent camouflage has appeared in the game, and the Infernal permanent camouflages are the first to represent it. The main difference with conventional permanent camouflages is that these new ones aren’t tied to specific ships by default; but instead you get to decide which ship to tie them to.

• They can only be mounted on certain ships. For example, the different Infernal permanent camouflages are specifically intended for Tier VIII, IX, and X ships.
  
• An unlimited number of the camouflages can be stored in the Inventory.
  
• Once mounted on a ship, such a camouflage acquires the properties of a typical permanent camouflage and is assigned to the ship.

Example: the Infernal permanent camouflage for Tier VIII ships can be mounted on VIII Bismarck, VIII Lightning, VIII Cleveland, or other Tier VIII ships. Once mounted on any of these ships, it will become their permanent camouflage and you won't be able to mount it on another ship.

The Infernal permanent camouflages can't be mounted on the following ships: aircraft carriers, Azur Lane ships, High School Fleet ships, Arpeggio, or VIII Cossack.

From Wed. 30 Oct. 06:00 CET (UTC+1)
Until Wed. 27 Nov. 06:00 CET (UTC+1)

• Battles in the new mode are only played on the unique event ships and on a special map.
  
• At the beginning of each battle, the Portal is always sealed. The time that passes before it opens is selected randomly and can be 3, 7, or 11 minutes.
  
• Participants begin each battle without any consumables. A random charge for any one of the consumables available for a ship can be earned upon destroying an enemy, and two charges can be obtained when an ally is lost.
  
• The forces of darkness will do everything in their power to prevent you from escaping their world: as the battle unfolds, the enemy's power will grow, but so will the amount of Filth you can collect from them. The longer you fight in battle, the higher the risk of encountering their dangerous overlord—Rasputin.
  
• Friendly damage and the risk of magazine detonation are disabled.

Will you take a risk and engage the powerful enemies that await you in battle for the most valuable loot, or will you be satisfied with a smaller portion of the available resources but a safe escape through the Portal? The choice is yours!

Please note: to gain access to the Raid for the Filth, players must have fought 70 battles in any accessible battle mode.

• To collect Filth, a ship has to enter a special zone on the map. Some of these zones are available from the very beginning of a battle, others will appear at spots where bot opponents and players carrying collected Filth were destroyed.
  
• The amount of Filth available in the zones which appear in battle gradually reduces over time, so be quick to collect it!
  
• Cargo hold capacity and the speed of Filth collection depend on the type of your ship:
  
  • Destroyers: cargo hold—up to 500 Filth; collection speed—5 Filth per second.
    
  • Cruisers: cargo hold—up to 700 Filth; collection speed—10 Filth per second.
    
  • Battleships: cargo hold—up to 1,000 Filth; collection speed—30 Filth per second.
• Have you successfully returned through the Portal with your haul of Filth? Then all the resources you've collected will be added to your team's spoils. If you perish or fail to escape through the Portal before the end of the battle, you'll score only 20% of the Filth you collected.
  
  • Each participant will receive an amount of Filth equal to the total amount of Filth that their team earned.
    
  • You won't receive Filth for inactivity in battle.

Filth can be collected until November 27. With the release of Update 0.8.11, it will be converted into credits at the rate of 1 : 50.

Enter battle on unique ships of a new temporary nation!

• Three branches will be available to players: destroyers, cruisers, and battleships, with three ships in each branch.
  
• Progressing through a branch will cost 30,000 XP and 1 credit.
  
• The first 15 battles played on each of the initial ships with at least 100 base XP earned will bring you an additional 1,000 XP per battle.
  
• Each ship comes with a Commander with 19 skill points.
  
• Halloween Commanders earn Elite XP that can be spent on training Commanders of the in-game nations.

Please note: some Commander skills are disabled due to the specific features of the mode and peculiarities of the ships. Only signals and flags can be mounted on the event ships.

As you progress through the branches, the ships within them will gradually transform from man-made machines into gigantic sea monsters. These changes will impact the ships’ consumables as well—magic will replace the usual technologies bit-by-bit. The second and third ships of each branch are equal choices in respect of their battle performance and are different not in terms of their features but in the unique gameplay they offer. The second ship is designed to support the team, while the purpose of the third ship is to destroy enemies.



IX Steel Lancet is a typical representative of the dying world, based on X Gearing.

• A fast ship with standard armament for a destroyer. Her main guns function in a similar way to those of the secondary battery and are operated by artificial intelligence.
  
• She carries a set of consumables that have similar effects to Repair Party, Torpedo Reload Booster, and Engine Boost.
  
• Stay close to your allies, conduct reconnaissance, and attack large enemy ships with torpedoes.

X Angler is destroyer X Shimakaze, enhanced with the help of Twilight technologies.

• She’s equipped with long-range torpedoes, while her main guns are operated by artificial intelligence.
  
• Her unique set of consumables provides the team with continuous bonuses to HP recovery, maneuverability, or armament reload time.
  
• She’s best-suited to team work. At the beginning of a battle, you should focus on destroying bot enemies and collecting consumables, as the ship is inferior to other ships in terms of her battle performance in the initial stages of combat. Activate any collected consumables close to your allies and improve the combat characteristics of your team.

X Mutantovsk is an ideal hunter. Destroyer X Khabarovsk served as a prototype for this ship.

• Unbelievable speed, good artillery, and effective torpedo armament.
  
• She’s able to reduce her detectability range and restore HP when the ship hasn’t been spotted by the enemy. The consumable in slot 2 allows her to make an instant turn and accelerates her torpedo reload time. Engine Boost with special mechanics can be found in slot 3, and when activated, the ship can only be destroyed by ramming.
  
• This is a destroyer for players who appreciate speed, concealment, and surprise attacks! Close in on your enemies using her high speed and carry out crushing torpedo attacks. After an attack, you can always hide due to her reduced detectability and restore some of her HP that might have been lost in battle.

IX Rust Nightfall is a cruiser for which X Hindenburg served as a prototype.

• Typical armament for a cruiser: good artillery and torpedoes.
  
• She carries a set of consumables that have similar effects to Repair Party; Main Battery Reload Booster; and Hydroacoustic Search with an unlimited number of charges and torpedo acquisition range of 12 km.
  
• For players who like to rely on the versatility of cruisers. Due to her good speed characteristics, you can quickly collect Filth. Her main battery guns will easily cope with any destroyers or cruisers, and torpedoes will allow you to confront battleships in close quarters combat. We don’t recommend getting separated from your team, as the ship doesn't have the biggest HP pool or the best armor.

X Octodroid is the best support ship on this side of the Portal. Engineers of the Twilight World built her from the wreckage of cruiser IX Alaska.

• Although she’s a support ship, her main battery guns are no less powerful than those of other cruisers.
  
• The ship’s consumables are designed to function in support of her allies, and her HP restoration charges are particularly outstanding. Apart from this, the ship has a consumable which instantly restores a large amount of HP for all her allies. She also enjoys the Surveillance Radar consumable with an unlimited number of charges and an action range of 15 km.
  
• A great choice for those who love to work in a pack. Assist your allies with her impressive artillery and save them from being destroyed with the help of her consumables.

X Fossil is a terrifying monster in which one can recognize the features of X Henri IV.

• Powerful artillery and good torpedo armament.
  
• Spot your enemies using Hydroacoustic Search with an acquisition range of 12 km, and destroy them with inversion charges that reduce the main battery reload time and absorb your target's HP. To protect yourself from enemy attacks, use the consumable that reduces the damage received and restores your HP.
  
• A fast and well-armed ship that can cope with almost any situation in battle. Use her protection from damage in case of torpedo attacks or when surrounded by enemies. Restore your HP and increase the amount of damage caused with the help of inversion charges. Spot hiding enemies with her effective Hydroacoustic Search.

IX Maverick is a battleship assembled from X République on the remnants of the destroyed world.

• Deadly main battery guns and a large HP pool.
  
• She carries a consumable that has similar effects to Repair Party, as well as the ability to reduce the amount of damage she receives.
  
• Her large HP pool and defensive consumables make this ship perfect for carrying a large amount of Filth.

X Scorpioid is designed to protect her allies. Battleship X Yamato was taken as the prototype for this ship.

• Even alone, she's capable of collecting a huge amount of Filth due to her powerful main battery guns and strong armor. She’s almost invincible when deployed with well-coordinated team work.
  
• Restores the HP of all allies around her and temporarily provides them with invulnerability.
  
• Lead your team, destroy any enemies, and move from one Filth source to another while protecting the team with her consumables.

X Crocosaur is X Montana, turned into a gigantic sea monster with the help of dark magic.

• Her guns can destroy an unwary enemy with a single salvo, but sinking the battleship herself is an almost impossible task.
  
• The ship can enjoy temporary invulnerability and restore her HP. The more enemies that are nearby, the more effective her regeneration abilities are.
  
• It's in the cargo hold of this monster where the collected Filth will have the greatest protection. If you’re ready to sacrifice speed for incredible firepower and survivability, Crocosaur is the right choice for you.

You can play the event ships only in the Raid for the Filth mode. With the release of Update 0.8.11, all special ships and Commanders will be removed from player accounts and their XP will be transferred to cruiser I Orlan.

Fight against the forces of darkness, collect Filth, and exchange it for rewards!

Today, she’s permanently berthed in Laboe Naval Memorial, where she serves as a museum U-boat.

VII-class submarines alarmed even Winston Churchill himself, and presented a substantial threat to Allied vessels in the Atlantic Ocean in the early 1940s. This is perhaps one of the world's most numerous classes of boats in terms of units built.

What military history can the U-995 submarine boast of? Watch our video to find out!

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Use the Recruiting Station – Get Valuable Rewards!

Did you know that you can earn 15 Premium Ships, along with mountains of Doubloons and other resources without spending a dime? All you need to do is invite friends with a Recruiting Station link, stock up on the in-game currency – Recruitment Points – and play. It's easier than you think!

• Recruitment Points
  
  • How to Earn: Earned mostly by playing battles with your Recruits, and every time your Recruits play a battle.
    
  • Where to use: Can be spent in-game, much like any Armory currency: on your Port Screen, go to 'Your Account', then click on the 'Recruiting Station' tab.
    
  • Rewards: Can be exchanged for Recruiting Station Containers, which can hold anything from Premium Ships, to Doubloons and Coal!
  
  
• Doubloon Cashback
  
  • Requirements: Recruit at least 2 players into World of Warships. through the Recruiting Station.
    
  • Rewards: Each time any one of your recruits makes a purchase in the Premium Shop, you will receive 10% of the value of that purchase in the form of Doubloons.
    
  • How to get: If one of your Recruits makes a purchase in the Premium Shop, you will be able to claim your Doubloons at the start of the month, at least 30 days after the purchase was made.
  

Did you also know that since the launch of the Recruiting Station in June 2019, a large amount of Doubloons and Recruitment Points have been left unclaimed by the Recruiters that earned them?

Open through the World of Warships Client

Or log in on our website






The main way to earn Recruitment Points, like all resources in World of Warships, is through battle! But before you rev up your engines, be sure to grab youself some freebies!
x1 FREE Junior Recruiting Station Container

If you haven't engaged with the Recruiting Station yet, be sure to claim your free first container simply by logging in to the Recruiting Station and then creating 3 invitations and sending them out. They don't even need to be accepted – Just send and you will receive!
The very first time one of your invitations is accepted by somebody, you will get 400 Recruitment Points. 
50 Recruitment Points

Offer ends: Fri. 15 Nov. 01:59 CEST (UTC+2)

https://steamcommunity.com/games/552990/announcements/detail/1592499063132217547
Note: for the Steam version your friends shouldn't create an account through an invitation link. Instead they should do these:

1. Log in to World of Warships on Steam at least once.
   
2. Click an invitation link. It should be from a player of the same region you've selected.
   
3. Select "Log in".
   
4. On the right-hand side select "Log in with your social profile: Steam."
   
5. Sign in to the Steam website.
   
   • If you accessed the invitation link via Steam's overlay browser, you will already be signed in.

Cruiser Diana Lima should appear in your Port after playing one battle. If she doesn't, please restart the game and repeat the aforementioned steps, being sure to check that you haven't mixed up your accounts. Be wary that after playing 15 battles you can no longer use an invitation link.

On October 23, the seventh Clan Battles Season starts, offering a great opportunity to obtain Steel and other valuable rewards.

This publication will tell you about the main rules and rewards of the Season. We'll also tell you what Clans are, why it’s a great idea to join one, and what in-game bonuses they can provide.

A Clan is a community of players who want to play together. Having joined a Clan, you'll be entitled to regular economic bonuses, and you'll always have a team of players willing to fight in a Division, complete Operations, or take part in Clan Battles with you.

You can either apply to join an existing Clan, or establish your own in the special Clan section in the Port.



Under the Recommendations tab, you can indicate your personal playing preferences and preferred language for communication. The game will present you with a list of Clans that meet the specified criteria.

Please note: to join a Clan and participate in Clan Battles, players need to unlock them in their Service Records. Doing so requires 200 battles to have been played in any accessible battle mode.

The Naval Base acts as the virtual territory of a Clan in the Port. Here, the Clan's leaders can build various structures that provide bonuses for all Clan members. The details of the bonus itself depend on the type and level of the structure. To build structures, Clans require a special resource—Oil. This can be earned by participating in various Clan activities or obtained from most types of in-game containers.



Naval Base structures can provide the following bonuses:

• Discount on the cost of researchable ships—up to 15%
  
• Reduction of the cost of all ships' post-battle service—up to 15%
  
• Increase in the amount of XP gained per battle—up to 5%
  
• Increase in the amount of Commander XP gained per battle—up to 10%
  
• Increase in the amount of Free XP gained per battle—up to 25%
  
• Increase in the amount of Coal gained—up to 10%
  
• Increase in the amount of Steel gained—up to 10%

Example: the Coal Port structure at Level 3 increases the amount of Coal the Clan obtains. Thus, opening a daily container with 400 Coal would actually mean 440 Coal is dropped with this structure built.

The Clan Treasury is a place where the Clan's in-game resources are stored. Members can replenish these resources by participating in various Clan activities.

Clan leaders can distribute accumulated resources among participants at their own discretion. For active participation in the Clan's activities, you can get a bonus in the form of Steel or Coal.

Clan Battles are a specific battle type with their own rules, where Clans fight one another. Unlike Random Battles, it's not only the result of an individual battle that’s important here, but also general progress. By winning battles, your Clan progresses and can earn more valuable rewards and Steel, the latter of which can be exchanged for unique ships in the Armory— X Bourgogne, X Stalingrad, X Somers, IX Neustrashimy, VII Flint, and IX Black. Steel is also a useful substitute when you don't have enough Coal to obtain any in-game items.

Save Steel with a 25% discount on ships in the Armory.

You can take part in Clan Battles only as part of a Clan Division, and on ships of a designated tier. For example, the seventh Season will be played on Tier X ships.

But what should you do if you want to participate in Clan Battles, but don’t have a Tier X ship or perhaps want to try out a new ship type? Well, you can rent a Tier X Clan ship! All you need to do is fight one battle playing a Tier VIII–X ship in a Co-op, Random, or Clan Battle.

Clan Battles are available during prime times only: every Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday at the scheduled times.

Remember that you’re part of a team—in Clan Battles, it’s the result of the battle that’s important, not your individual achievements. All participants receive the same amount of XP and credits, with the amount of each depending on the outcome of the battle.

• Victory: 2,500 base XP and 300,000 credits (without modifiers applied)
  
• Defeat or draw: 250 base XP and 150,000 credits (without modifiers applied)

All Clan Battles are divided into 5 leagues: Squall, Gale, Storm, Typhoon, and Hurricane. The more often your Clan is victorious in battles, the higher your Rating and more illustrious the league you’re placed in is. By climbing up the Rating table, you'll receive greater rewards, but you'll also face way more dangerous rivals.

Players can earn Steel by winning battles in the various leagues. The maximum available amount of Steel depends on each specific season, and usually amounts to 11,000 Steel. But even if you don't make it to the Hurricane League, you'll still obtain valuable rewards on your journey. For instance, victories in the Squall League during the seventh Season can reward you with up to 2,000 Steel.

Do you need to replenish your stocks of Steel and Coal quickly, but don't want to participate in a long Clan Battles season? Then we have a new format of Clan Battles just for you—it’s called Clan Brawl.

• Battles are held during the course of a single day
  
• The final Rating position of the Clan depends only on their number of victories
  
• There are no leagues

Clan Brawls offer a great opportunity to earn credits, Coal, Steel, and other valuable resources within just one evening of playing in a team with your Clanmates.

During Update 0.8.9, the seventh Season of Clan Battles—Crash Zone Alpha—is set to take place.

• Teams of eight players are invited to fight in Clan Battles
  
• All Tier X ships are eligible, except for aircraft carriers
  
• Due to the increase in the number of players in battle, each team can bring up to two battleships to the fight

From October 23 until November 6, all players who participate in at least one Clan Battle will be able to redistribute the skill points of their Commanders for free. Get yourselves ready for Clan Battles!

Start: Wed. 23 Oct. 13:30 CEST (UTC+2)
End: Mon. 09 Dec. 05:00 CEST (UTC+2)

Gaming sessions are available on: Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday.

On the days of any update releases, Clan Battles are held only during the prime time of your server.

• ASIA 11:30 – 15:30 UTC
  
• CIS 16:00 – 20:00 UTC
  
• EU 17:00 – 21:00 UTC
  
• NA 23:30 – 03:30 UTC

Please note: due to the reversion to standard time, the prime times for the EU and NA servers will move one hour forward.

• Starting from October 27, the EU prime time will change to 18:00 – 22:00 UTC
  
• Starting from November 3, the NA prime time will change to 00:30 – 04:30 UTC

During the Crash Zone Alpha Season, players can earn expendable camos, signals, commemorative achievements, and up to 11,000 Steel!

You can complete the combat mission chain only once, and only in the specified sequence. The reward for completing the chain is 30 days of Warships Premium Account.

You can complete the combat mission chain only once and only in the specified sequence. The final reward is 1x Clan Token.

You can complete other combat missions in Clan Battles, too. Completing the following combat missions will bring you extra Free XP per battle and Oil for your Clan. You’ll also be able to replenish your supplies of signals and other valuable in-game goodies.

Please note: the combat mission updates take place at a time that corresponds to the start of each new game session day on your server—05:00 UTC.

Clans with Ranks 1–50 in the Global Rating will receive 5,000–25,000 Steel.

* Each following step brings 250 less Steel.

Depending on the league and group, all Clans will replenish their Treasury’s Steel and Coal stocks.

Battles will rage on the following seven maps in the new Season: Hotspot, Warrior's Path, Sea of Fortune, North, Land of Fire, Crash Zone Alpha, and Shards. All battles will use Domination mode.

• Number of Key Areas: three (four on the Sea of Fortune map)
  
• Capture time: 40 seconds
  
• Points from a captured Key Area: 3 points per 4 seconds (2 points per 4 seconds on the Sea of Fortune map)

When the Season starts, any player who plays a Clan, Co-op, or Random Battle steering a Tier VIII–X ship, will be given a set of three special Tier X ships for temporary use: X [Conqueror], X [Zaō], and X [Gearing]. On November 7, these will be replaced by X [Montana], X [Moskva], and X [Shimakaze]. The final trio— X [Yamato], X [Hindenburg], and X [Grozovoi]—will arrive in your Port on November 22.

We wish you the best of luck in Clan Battles, and new records for your Clan's Rating!

Destroyer Błyskawica was one of the most powerful and fastest ships of her type built in the 1930s.

She took part in the battle for Norway and the landings in Normandy, defended British cities from the raids of German bombers, and hunted for submarines. After World War II, the ship remained in service in the Navy of the Polish People’s Republic until 1976, becoming a museum ship afterwards. Błyskawica is the world's oldest surviving destroyer. Now you have a chance to take command of her in World of Warships!

In the early 1930s, the small Polish Navy was in great need of new modern warships. In May 1933, Rear Admiral Jerzy Świrski, the Commander of the Polish Navy, announced a tender for the construction of two new destroyers. It was originally planned that French shipbuilders, who had already built two Wicher-class destroyers for the Polish Navy (based on the design of the Bourrasque-class ships), would do the job. However, negotiations with all the French shipyards failed. In early 1934, the order was offered to Swedish shipbuilders, but they rejected it as well. Finally, in 1935, the Poles chose the British project proposed by the famous J. Samuel White company. In September of the same year, the construction of two ships began at the shipyards in Cowes in the south of England. The ships received their names in accordance with the traditions for Polish Navy destroyers—in honor of weather phenomena: Grom (Polish for "thunder") and Błyskawica (Polish for "lightning").

The new class of destroyers turned out to be extremely powerful. Błyskawica, which entered service on November 25, 1937, was armed with seven 120 mm main battery guns (more than some World War I cruisers), two twin 40 mm AA guns, four twin machine gun mounts, two triple torpedo tubes, and a large reserve of depth charges. Most of the weapons were made in Sweden. On top of the aforementioned features, the new Polish ship reached speeds of up to 39 knots during her trials, beating other similarly armed destroyers of that period, such as the British Tribal-class destroyers. This was achieved at the price of reduced seakeeping characteristics, but they were still considered sufficient for the Baltic Sea.

Just prior to the outbreak of World War II, Błyskawica, Grom, and an older French-built destroyer, Burza, were transferred from the Baltic to the U.K. Błyskawica joined the British Navy as an Allied ship, taking part in battles under the Polish flag.

The destroyer debuted in combat just a week after the war began—on September 7, 1939. Błyskawica attacked a German submarine, but without success. However, the real action for the Polish sailors began in April and May 1940, when their ship took part in the Norwegian campaign. Błyskawica bombarded German positions, managed to shoot down two aircraft, and returned to the U.K. safe and sound. Grom wasn't so lucky—she was destroyed during a German bomber raid.

Right afterwards, Błyskawica participated in the evacuation of British troops from Dunkirk during Operation Dynamo, and then she was mainly engaged in escorting convoys and hunting German U-boats in the Atlantic. Błyskawica accompanied the liner, Queen Mary, which had been converted into a military transport ship. Most British destroyers found it difficult to keep up with the world's fastest liner, which was capable of maintaining an average speed of 28.5 knots while crossing the Atlantic. It didn’t pose a problem for the Polish "Lightning."

From June to November 1941, the destroyer underwent an overhaul and repairs, which included refurbishment at her native shipyard in Cowes. During this, her Swedish 120 mm guns were replaced with eight British 102 mm dual-purpose guns in four twin mounts. In April 1942, a storm damaged the ship's propulsion unit, which put Błyskawica out of action until mid-July. On the night that bridged May 4 and 5, 1942, 160 German bombers attacked Cowes. During the raid, Błyskawica supported the Allies with fire from her AA guns, while her crew actively participated in firefighting and rescuing the injured. In 2004, a town square in Cowes was named Francki Place, in honor of Błyskawica's Commander, komandor porucznik Wojciech Francki.

In 1944, Błyskawica, as part of the 10th Destroyer Flotilla, along with British and Canadian destroyers, took part in Operation Overlord, supporting the landings of the Allied forces in Normandy. On June 9, in the English Channel, eight Allied destroyers discovered and attacked a detachment of three German destroyers and one torpedo boat. The battle at Ushant was the only engagement involving surface warships in which destroyer Błyskawica took part. At the same time, it was the last action of large German ships in the west and the final major naval battle in the European theater. This battle marked a decisive victory for the Allies—the Germans lost two of the four ships, and were unable to complete their missions.

In May 1946, flags were taken down on Polish ships and their crews were demobilized. The ships were formally transferred to the British Navy reserve, but Royal Navy flags were never raised on them. Between 1951 and 1952, the ship underwent another overhaul. This time, the British artillery was replaced with Soviet 100 mm B-24 guns.

In 1956, the ship reached an incredible 33 knots on measured distance, but recurrent technical challenges with her propulsion, as well as radio and electronic equipment, were indicative of a need for more repairs. The ship underwent overhauls in 1957–1961 and 1965–1966, but in 1967, a serious propulsion unit accident occurred, killing several crew members. Since the restoration of the ship would have required replacing all her steam pipelines, it was decided that her further operation was inexpedient. She was converted into a coastal AA defense ship, and in 1976, was permanently berthed in Gdynia as a museum ship. In 1987, the Polish Navy veteran ship was awarded the Golden Cross of the Virtuti Militari Order—the country's highest military award. Before her, not a single ship under the Polish flag had received such an honor. In 2006, Błyskawica was "twinned" with her long-time comrade-in-arms, Canadian destroyer Haida, which is also preserved as a museum ship in Hamilton.


In the game, the ship is featured in her state as of 1939, when World War II began.


Main battery: Seven 120 mm/50 Bofors guns in three twin and one single turrets.


Torpedo armament: Two triple 533 mm torpedo tubes.


Anti-aircraft armament: Two twin 40 mm Bofors AA gun mounts and four twin machine gun mounts with 13.2 mm Hotchkiss machine guns.

• Priority Target
  
• Last Stand
  
• Survivability Expert
  
• Concealment Expert

• Priority Target
  
• Last Stand
  
• Survivability Expert
  
• Concealment Expert
  
• Inertia Fuse for HE Shells
  
• Basic Firing Training
  
• Jack of All Trades

• Main Armaments Modification 1
  
• Steering Gears Modification 1 or Engine Boost Modification 1
  
• Aiming Systems Modification 1
  
• Steering Gears Modification 2

One of the strongest destroyers of her time. Polish Navy ship VII Błyskawica stands for first-class mobility, top-notch artillery guns, and effective torpedoes. A true gift for those who value diversity in their choice of tactics.

• Excellent speed of 39 knots
  
• Nice HP pool for a destroyer
  
• Seven rapid-firing 120 mm guns with a good reach and comfortable ballistics
  
• Effective torpedoes with a range of 8 km and a fast reload time—within 70 seconds
  
• She earns extra credits per battle, and her permanent camouflage provides 50% more XP and reduces the cost of the ship's post-battle service by –10%

• IX Georgia’s Japanese anti-torpedo defense!
  
• Shock! Is I Orlan overpowered?
  
• Discover VII Vauquelin’s true power!
  
• IX Musashi strikes back!

Would you like to discover what’s behind these stories? Then watch the new episode of the WoWS Show!

Did you enjoy this episode? Subscribe to our channel to stay informed about the next instalments!

Subscribe to the Channel

You need to log in to the website https://replayswows.com using your Wargaming account credentials. Then click the "Upload Replay" button and share your in-game stories! Don't forget to write the names of the show and your ship in the "Title" section, to ensure that we don't miss your replay. Example: #WOWSHOW (Tirpitz).

To be approved for our show, a replay should correspond to the following criteria:

• Duration of an episode or a pack of mini episodes shouldn't exceed one minute.
  
• Episodes should be funny, interesting, or just plain epic. The more entertaining; the better!

Any player can send us an unlimited number of replays. Players will receive a reward for every replay chosen for the show!

In the dark night that bridges October 31 and November 1, hordes of dismal evil creatures squeeze out of their shelters and creep all around the earth, set on conquering new lands!

But don’t be afraid—World of Warships Commanders are out on the hunt for them in the name of glorious tradition. Last year's Operations and a new game mode are coming soon!

• The first takes place throughout Update 0.8.9. It will mark the return of the Saving Transylvania and Sunray in the Darkness Operations.
  
• The second takes place between October 31 and November 28. You'll be able to try out a new game mode—Raid for the Filth!

From this article, you'll learn about what changes to expect in comparison with last year's Operations and new rewards. We'll provide you more details about the new mode in a separate dedicated article. Stay tuned for news on our website!

Both Operations will be available as Operations of the Week. They can be completed in a Division at three different difficulty levels.

Having completed the Operations, you'll be rewarded with expendable camos, signals, and Warships Premium Account time.

This year, you'll be able to try your hand in the Operations in a Division, not only at the Normal and Hard difficulty settings, but also at Super Hard difficulty. The first completion of a Super Hard Operation with three stars or more will bring you Halloween 2018 Premium containers. These might include expendable camos, doubloons, Free XP, and a certain chance of dropping permanent Halloween camos from the previous years.



Operation Saving Transylvania is available at Normal difficulty as an Operation of the Week from October 17 to 24, and from October 31 to November 7. Also, the Operation can be completed in a Division of 4–7 people throughout Update 0.8.9.

The main task is to escort a ship called Transylvania on her winding route to a safe place, protecting her from the attacks of catapults and Zikasa ships possessed by the darkness on the way. At the end of this journey, players will face the final boss—the evil and dangerous battleship Rasputin.

• Destroyer III Blade with Commander Abraham V. Hellsinger
  
• Cruiser III Igor with Commander Victor F. Einstein
  
• Battleship III Jackal with Commander Henry J. Hide

Halloween Commanders earn Elite XP that can be spent on training Commanders.

Escort and protect ship Transylvania.



Apart from the main task—escorting Transylvania to the Portal—players can complete five secondary tasks which will enhance their reward for completing the primary task:

• Transylvania must not lose 50% or more of her HP during the voyage.
  
• Destroy at least 16 Zikasa ships.
  
• Neutralize all catapults on the map.
  
• Transylvania must not stop until reaching the end of the route. To ensure that this condition is completed, at least one player should always remain near the ship.
  
• Sink battleship Rasputin.

• One Star—5x India Delta, 5x Juliet Charlie, and 5x Mike Yankee Soxisix signals
  
• Two Stars—5x Sierra Mike, 5x India X-Ray, and 5x Juliet Whiskey Unaone signals
  
• Three Stars—5x Type 3 – Halloween camos
  
• Four Stars—5x Halloween camos
  
• Five Stars—1 day of Warships Premium Account

• One Star—5x Type 3 – Halloween camos
  
• Two Stars—5x Halloween camos
  
• Three Stars—5x Wyvern signals
  
• Four Stars—5x Hydra signals
  
• Five Stars—5x Ouroboros and 5x Scylla signals and 1 day of Warships Premium Account

• One Star—5x Halloween camos
  
• Two Stars—5x Type 59 camos
  
• Three Stars—1x Halloween 2018 Premium container
  
• Four Stars—1x Halloween 2018 Premium container
  
• Five Stars—1x Halloween 2018 Premium container

The Sunray in the Darkness Operation is available as an Operation of the Week from October 24 to 31, and from November 7 to 14. Also, the Operation can be completed in a Division of 4–7 people throughout Update 0.8.9.

Operation Sunray in the Darkness acts as a kind of sequel to Operation Saving Transylvania. When Transylvania and her defenders return to their home realm, they face an even bigger evil. Now, the entire kingdom is at risk! The most advanced ships of the royal fleet are awaiting your orders to put a stop to the invasion and save the civilians!

The Forces of Darkness are breaking through the Portal. Your mission is to fend off their attacks, but you won't be alone. The security towers will try to seal the Portal, and your mission is to protect the towers from enemy ships. Along with the monsters flooding through it, the Filth—a dense green mist—is leaking through the Portal and endangering all life itself. Beware! When in the Filth, your ship receives damage each second. The amount of damage you receive depends on the type of your ship. Besides this, visibility decreases significantly when in the Filth. Adversely, the Filth heals your enemies, restoring their hit points, and reduces the amount of damage they receive. Keep in mind that your main task is to protect the towers while they are sealing the Portal.

• Destroyer VIII Urashima with Commander Mina Hurray
  
• Cruiser VIII Svyatozar with Commander Ivan K. Ulibin
  
• Battleship VIII Magnu-S with Commander Klaus V. Teslau

Protect the towers until they seal the Portal.



Players can also complete five secondary tasks which will enhance their reward for completing the primary task:

• Successfully defend at least two towers.
  
• Destroy Rasputin.
  
• Destroy the Great Gorgon.
  
• Destroy 30 enemy ships in the Filth.
  
• Successfully defend Transylvania.

• One Star—5x India Delta, 5x Juliet Charlie, and 5x Mike Yankee Soxisix signals
  
• Two Stars—5x Sierra Mike, 5x India X-Ray, and 5x Juliet Whiskey Unaone signals
  
• Three Stars—5x Type 3 – Halloween camos
  
• Four Stars—5x Halloween camos
  
• Five Stars—1 day of Warships Premium Account

• One Star—5x Type 3 – Halloween camos
  
• Two Stars—5x Halloween camos
  
• Three Stars—5x Dragon signals
  
• Four Stars—5x Red Dragon signals
  
• Five Stars—5x Basilisk and 5x Leviathan signals and 1 day of Warships Premium Account

• One Star—5x Type 3 – Halloween camos
  
• Two Stars—5x Type 59 camos
  
• Three Stars—1x Halloween 2018 Premium container
  
• Four Stars—1x Halloween 2018 Premium container
  
• Five Stars—1x Halloween 2018 Premium container

Please note: only the special ships are available for each Operation! When Update 0.8.10 is released, all special ships will be removed from your accounts. Once the event is over, any XP earned playing the special ships will be transferred to Tier I cruiser Orlan.

Pumpkin-like containers are traditional elements of celebrating Halloween. From these containers you will be able to get the Halloween camouflages from Operations "Saving Transylvania" and "Sunray in the Darkness".

The container holds one of the following items:

• Special camouflage for destroyer Wakatake—Blade
  
• Special camouflage for battleships Nassau—Jackal
  
• Special camouflage for cruiser St. Louis (U.S.A.)—Igor
  
• Special camouflage for destroyer Kagero—Urashima
  
• Special camouflage for cruiser Chapayev—Svyatozar
  
• Special camouflage for battleship Tirpitz: Magnu-S
  
• Special camouflage for aircraft carrier Lexington—Nobilium
  
• Special camouflage for destroyer Benson—Ghoul
  
• Special camouflage for cruiser Charles Martel—Scarab
  
• Special camouflage for battleship Bismarck—Varg
  
• Special camouflage for aircraft carrier Shokaku—The Great Gorgon
  
• Special camouflage for battleship North Carolina—Leviathan
  
• Special camouflage for destroyer Kiev—Razorworm
  
• Special camouflage for destroyer Z-23—Steel Rat
  
• The first animated special camouflage for cruiser Mogami—Octopus
  
• 15x "Type 3 – Halloween" camouflage patterns
  
• 15x "Halloween" camouflage patterns
  
• 15x "Storm Wind" camouflage patterns
  
• 15x "Restless Fire" camouflage patterns
  
• 15x "Blue Lagoon" camouflage patterns
  
• 25,000 Free XP
  
• 2,500 doubloons

Complete the themed Operations, protect the world from the Forces of Darkness, and claim your rewards!

Please note that the servers will be temporarily unavailable due to the release of an update. The schedule is available below.
Maintenance times are tentative and subject to change. Please accept our apologies for any inconveniences.
The new update will go live some time after it's been downloaded because the client and server sides are updated separately. While the client begins to update immediately, it takes time for the servers to be updated across all regions.

If there are problems with downloading or launching the update—please perform files integrity check.

Subtitles can be enabled in the video player separately.

Italian Tier V–VIII cruisers in Early Access; the return of some familiar Halloween Operations; a new temporary game mode—Raid for the Filth—with three teams in each battle; a new Season of Clan Battles; and much more!

• Excellent maneuverability
  
• Starting from Tier VI, cruisers are equipped with powerful 203 mm guns
  
• Semi-armor-piercing (SAP) shells that combine the features of both AP and HE shells
  
• The Exhaust Smoke Generator consumable that can conceal a ship in smoke without it having to reduce speed

Complete Directives to earn "Italian Cruisers" containers which have a certain chance of dropping a combat mission that unlocks Early Access to one of the Italian cruisers: V Raimondo Montecuccoli, VI Trento, VII Zara, or VIII Amalfi. Two more containers will be available via Daily Shipments.

Completing missions and Directives will bring you signals, expendable camouflages, Elite Commander XP, credits, Free XP, Coal, Italian Cruisers containers, and a new temporary resource—Italian Tokens.


The new game event tasks you with completing 42 missions across four Directives. You can start progressing in the next Directive only once you've completed six missions from the previous one. To obtain the final award, you have to complete eight missions of the fourth Directive.

Directives are available for players with open access to combat missions in their Service Record. Novice players will have to play 70 battles in any accessible battle mode in order to unlock them.

A new tab dedicated to the Italian cruisers has been added to the Armory.

Exchange Italian Tokens for "Patria e Onore" random bundles with valuable rewards. One of the 22 bundles contains the main reward—Italian cruiser V Genova.

• Regia Marina expendable camouflages
  
• Credits
  
• Days of Premium Account
  
• Signals
  
• Italian Cruisers containers
  
• "Grigio-azzurro chiaro" permanent camouflages for cruisers V Raimondo Montecuccoli, VI Trento, VII Zara, and VIII Amalfi

Italian Tokens will be available throughout Update 0.8.9 only. After Update 0.8.10 goes live, they will only be obtainable from Italian Cruisers Premium containers. With the release of Update 0.8.11, all Italian Tokens will be converted into credits at a rate of 1:4,500.

https://steamcommunity.com/games/552990/announcements/detail/3310634471611718526

In the dark night that bridges October 31 and November 1, hordes of lurking evil creatures sliver out of their shelters and creep all over the earth, set on conquering new lands! Join forces with other players to save Transylvania, and defend the waters of the Silver Spear Archipelago—fight back the forces of darkness in these frighteningly familiar Operations! This year, you'll be able to try your hand in the Operations as part of a Division, not only at Normal and Hard difficulty settings, but also at the new Super Hard difficulty. The first completion of a Super Hard Operation with three stars or more will bring you Halloween 2018 Premium containers. These can include expendable camouflages, doubloons, Free XP, and have a certain chance of dropping one of the permanent Halloween-themed camos from the previous years.

• Destroyer III Blade with Commander Abraham V. Hellsinger
  
• Cruiser III Igor with Commander Victor F. Einstein
  
• Battleship III Jackal with Commander Henry J. Hide

• Destroyer VIII Urashima with Commander Mina Hurray
  
• Cruiser VIII Svyatozar with Commander Ivan K. Ulibin
  
• Battleship VIII Magnu-S with Commander Klaus V. Teslau

Operations become available only after unlocking access to them in the Service Record. Novice players can unlock access to Operations by playing 30 battles in any accessible battle mode.

https://steamcommunity.com/games/552990/announcements/detail/1557608851912200290
Welcome to a new game mode called Raid for the Filth!

The new mode will be available from October 31 till November 28.

In the new mode, three teams with three players in each fight against one another, as well as a horde of dark forces controlled by AI. Your primary task is to collect a special resource called “Filth.” A dedicated section of the Armory will let you exchange Filth for various rewards, including camouflages styled as monster ships, and a new type of permanent camouflage for Tier VIII–X ships.

More details about the new mode and its rewards will follow in a separate article. Stay tuned for news on our website!

The seventh season of Clan Battles, codenamed "Crash Zone Alpha," will be held between October 23 and December 9 in an "8 vs. 8" format.

More details about the rules of the Season and its rewards will follow in a separate article on our website.


After listening to the numerous requests of our players, we’ve introduced some changes to the spotting and detectability system.

Now, the penalty to a ship’s detectability after firing a shot will be reset 2 seconds after she leaves an enemy ship's line of sight (e.g. by hiding behind an island).

We've also added a period of guaranteed acquisition: if a ship is detected by an opponent, it will remain visible to the enemy for at least 2 seconds. This change will eliminate those cases when an enemy ship "flickers" at the edge of the line of sight—i.e. appearing and disappearing from the map in rapid succession.

As a result, if your ship leaves an opponent's line of sight 1 second after you were detected, you'll continue to be visible to the enemy ship for a further 2 seconds. However, if your ship was visible to the enemy ship for 2 seconds before leaving the enemy ship's line of sight, you'll disappear from the enemy's view immediately.

• Main battery reload time has been reduced from 6.5 to 6 seconds

VII Błyskawica was one of the first Premium ships to appear in World of Warships. Since her release, the game has changed a lot, and there are new ships now that are played in a similar style. The accelerated reload time of her main battery will increase the damage she can deal and strengthen the role of the destroyer in the current meta.

• New Type 91 mod. 0 torpedoes have been installed instead of the previous Type 91 mod. 1. The new torpedoes have a speed of 40 knots instead of 50 knots
  
• The speed of torpedo bombers returning to the carrier has been reduced by 40%

Due to the high cruising speed and returning speed of torpedo bombers, experienced players were able to safely rely on the use of torpedo bombers only. Both changes listed above will increase the amount of damage taken by torpedo bombers. Now, the climb after an attack will be slower, and to effectively attack, torpedo bombers will also have to fly closer to their targets. The new speed will reduce the effectiveness of torpedo bombers against destroyers, giving them an opportunity to maneuver and evade.

Having powerful torpedo bombers is one of the main features of Japanese aircraft carriers. With these changes, we plan to balance the performance of Tier IV carriers, but will also continue to monitor the situation and, if necessary, make further changes.

• Torpedo speed has been reduced from 57 to 52 knots
  
• Main battery reload time has been increased from 4.8 to 5.2 seconds

• Torpedo speed has been reduced from 57 to 52 knots
  
• Main battery reload time has been increased from 6 to 6.6 seconds

• Main battery reload time has been increased from 6 to 6.6 seconds

Unlike their higher-tier counterparts, these low-tier French destroyers don’t yet have the explicit gameplay of gunboats, and therefore their damage output is roughly divided equally between their torpedoes and main battery.

The proposed changes are designed to reduce the total damage these ships deal without changing the ratio of damage dealt by torpedoes and the main battery. Moreover, the torpedoes carried by II Enseigne Gabolde and III Fusilier were previously too fast for these tiers, taking their range into account.

• Sigma parameter has been changed from 1.7 to 1.6

The battleship's main battery had excessive firing accuracy. By changing this parameter, we are reducing her firing accuracy at all ranges of combat, without changing the specific accuracy settings of Soviet battleships.

• For AP shells, we’ve reduced the maximum damage from 15,500 to 14,500, and changed some other related parameters
  
• For HE shells, we’ve reduced the maximum damage (from 6,600 to 6,500), the chances of causing fire (from 48% to 45%), and some other related parameters

The efficiency of X Kremlin was higher than that of other battleships at Tier X. To balance the ship, and at the same time have minimal impact on the defining features of the battleship, we’ve changed the characteristics of her shells. Along with the above changes, we’ve slightly changed the armor penetration and ballistics.


In Update 0.8.8, we rolled out a massive update to the audio component of the game. Unfortunately, it was only after the Update went out that we came across certain bugs. Most of them were fixed with the release of Update 0.8.8.1, but we are continuing to work on the game audio in Update 0.8.9.

• The fire alarm siren that goes off when a ship is on fire will now be played back only if the ship has at least three zones afflicted by fire.
  
• Reduced the playback volume of the sound of forts firing in Operation "Narai."
  
• Reconfigured the loudness of gunfire for main and secondary batteries, AA guns, and torpedo launchers for friendly and hostile ships.
  
• Fixed an issue which disabled the gunfire sounds of the main and secondary batteries, AA guns, and torpedo launchers on ships mounted with Post-Apocalyptic camouflages.
  
• Fixed an issue which disabled the playback of the sound notifying a player that the main battery has been reloaded on ships mounted with a Space camouflage.
  
• Fixed some glitches which, once Space or Halloween-themed camouflages were mounted, disabled the playback of aircraft engine sounds after activating the Spotting Aircraft/Fighter consumables; the playback of fire alarm sounds; and the engine sounds for aircraft carriers.
  
• Fixed an issue which prevented the playback of special voiceovers for certain Commanders.
  
• Fixed an issue which caused a ship's horn on certain ships to malfunction after mounting a permanent camouflage.
  
• Fixed an issue which sometimes unexpectedly disabled weather-related sounds on certain maps.
  
• Fixed other minor issues affecting the playback of sounds.

The "Ultra" quality option is now available in Audio settings:

• Intensified sounds of gun fire
  
• Vibrant post effects of shell hits
  
• Distance-specific sound delays: the greater the distance, the longer the delay for the sounds of explosions, hits and shots
  
• Increased the 'reach of sound' distance for battle sounds
  
• Set maximum quality for the conversion of many frequently-reproduced sounds
  
• Enhanced ambient sounds
  
• Fire alarm sound now depends on the number of fires on the ship
  
• Improved aircraft engine sounds: more realistic sound behavior in space with the Doppler effect added

A new group of ships—special ships—has been added, uniting the following categories:

• Rental ships
  
• Event ships
  
• Early Access ships
  
• Non-researchable ships without increased profitability

The new group will appear in the filtering criteria of the ships' carousel in the Port, so as to help players distinguish between Premium ships with increased profitability and other types of non-researchable ships.

Apart from that, we’ve updated the descriptions for all groups of ships in the Modules section.

Previously, with the display of special camouflages in the Port disabled, ships in battle would be displayed without any camouflage. This could lead to a player believing that an allied or a hostile ship didn't have any combat bonuses applied from a camouflage. In Update 0.8.9, we've resolved this issue. Now, if a player disables the display of special camouflages, in battle they will see the permanent camouflage of a ship instead, and if that’s not available—the Type 5 expendable camouflage.

Please note: players that have disabled the display of special camouflages will still not be able to mount them on their ships.

To make it more convenient to hold tournaments and other activities, the Training Room will now offer an option to enter battles in Spectator mode, i.e. without a ship.

Read more >>>



We've added a "Battle of Leyte Gulf" commemorative flag and the "Type 21" and "MS-21" expendable camouflages with the following characteristics:

• −3% to the ship's detectability range by sea
  
• +4% to the dispersion of shells fired by the enemy at your ship
  
• +100% XP per battle
  
• +20% credits per battle

More info on how to obtain them will be available later. Stay tuned for news on combat missions on our website!

The following ships have been added for testing by developers, supertesters, and community contributors: Italian cruiser VII Gorizia and German cruiser VIII Mainz.

• The Naval Base Port is now available to all players.
  
• Coach screens have been replaced with pop-up hints for upgrades, signals, camouflages, and flags.
  
• We’ve enhanced the system for the rendering of trees.
  
• Camouflages will now be divided into 2 categories in the Port: permanent and expendable.
  
• A player's progress in the Service Record will no longer be displayed in post-battle statistics.
  
• We've changed the settings of the scale reflecting the maneuverability characteristics of a ship in the Port to ensure that ships with a high maximum speed are displayed correctly. This resulted in a minor change in a ship's maneuverability value compared to the previous Update. The ship's characteristics, however, have not changed.
  
• Players that don't have Warships Premium Account will be able to get it via the "Credits and XP" tab of the post-battle statistics screen.
  
• The Clan Base loading time has been reduced.
  
• The restriction on the use of the "Attention to Sector" command has now been lifted in the Training Room, in Clan Battles, and during Operations pursued by a Division at full strength.
  
• We’ve fixed the incorrect placement of a pop-up hint about a ship's armor in the Port.
  
• Fixed an issue which sometimes caused the filtering criteria for Commanders in the ships carousel to be reset after logging back in to the game.

Version 0.8.9 starts a cycle of Updates focusing on Italian cruisers.

In this article, you'll find out how to unlock early access to the ships, and what you can acquire in exchange for Italian Tokens.

• 42 missions across four Directives
  
• Completing the missions of the Directives and special combat missions for Italian cruisers will bring you a new temporary resource—Italian Tokens
  
• Italian Tokens can also be obtained from Daily Shipments and for completing Daily Missions
  
  • For one chain of Daily Missions, you'll earn 10 Italian Tokens
    
  • For both Daily Mission chains, you'll acquire 20 Italian Tokens
• Italian Cruisers containers can be obtained for completing Directives and from Daily Shipments
  
  • The containers have a certain chance of dropping a combat mission that grants you early access to Tier V–VIII Italian cruisers once completed
• In Update 0.8.10, Tier I–X Italian cruisers will become available for all players to research in the Tech Tree

All players will have access to the Daily Shipments’ rewards: Italian Tokens, doubloons, credits, camos, Premium Account time, and Italian Cruisers containers.

Playing smoothly in Update 0.8.9, and having completed six missions in each of the first two Directives, players will be able to obtain up to four Italian Cruisers containers and 690 Italian Tokens—equivalent to one of the following rewards in the Armory:

• 5 days of Warships Premium Account
  
• 57 Regia Marina camouflage patterns
  
• 5,100,000 credits
  
• Up to 280 signals
  
• Permanent camos for researchable Tier V, VI, or VII Italian cruisers
  
• 9x random Patria e Onore bundles that offer a chance of obtaining cruiser V Genova
  
• 9x Italian Cruisers containers that have a certain chance of dropping you doubloons or missions that unlock early access to Italian cruisers

Having completed all of the four Directives, players will receive 10 Italian Cruisers containers and 1,470 Italian Tokens that can be exchanged in the Armory for the following rewards:

• 12 days of Warships Premium Account
  
• 122x Regia Marina camouflage patterns
  
• 10,950,000 credits
  
• Up to 610 signals
  
• Permanent camos for researchable Tier V, VI, VII, or VIII Italian cruisers
  
• 21x random Patria e Onore bundles that offer a chance of obtaining cruiser V Genova
  
• 21x Italian Cruisers containers that carry a certain chance of dropping you doubloons or missions that unlock early access to Italian cruisers

The top players who have completed all missions of the four Directives and all Daily Missions will receive 2,330 Italian Tokens which can be exchanged for the following rewards in the Armory:

• 19 days of Warships Premium Account
  
• 194x Regia Marina camouflage patterns
  
• 17,400,000 credits
  
• Up to 970 signals
  
• Permanent camos for researchable Tier V, VI, VII, or VIII Italian cruisers
  
• 22x random Patria e Onore bundles with a guarantee of dropping cruiser V Genova
  
• 33x Italian Cruisers containers that have a certain chance of dropping you doubloons or missions that unlock early access to Italian cruisers

The main feature of Update 0.8.9 is the chance that it offers to be among the first to try out the researchable Italian Tier V–VIII ships. But what makes Italian cruisers so special?

The newcomers are notable for their maneuverability and powerful 203 mm guns with heavyweight broadside salvoes on Tier VI cruisers and higher. The unique features of Italian cruisers include semi-armor-piercing (SAP) shells and the Exhaust Smoke Generator consumable.

• SAP shells may ricochet after hitting their target, but have smaller ricochet angles than AP shells
  
• If your hit doesn't ricochet, the armor penetration mechanics are similar to those of HE shells
  
• They can't overpenetrate targets
  
• They can't start fires on enemy ships
  
• They cause higher damage and can penetrate thicker armor than HE shells

SAP shells can steadily inflict large amounts of regular damage to enemy ships.

The difference between the Exhaust Smoke Generator and the standard Smoke Generator is that the former conceals a ship without her reducing the speed. This consumable works for 25–40 seconds, with smoke dissipating in 10 seconds.

In this Update, players will be able to unlock early access to Tier V–VIII Italian cruisers.

The new game event tasks you with completing 42 missions across four Directives. A new Directive will open each week, and you can start progressing in the next Directive only once you've completed six missions from the previous one. To obtain the final award, you have to complete eight missions of the fourth Directive.


Missions can be completed in Random and Co-op Battles. Some missions can be completed in Clan Battles, Operations, and Twilight Battles—a temporary battle type dedicated to the celebration of Halloween. You’ll find more details in the game client.

Please note: starting from Update 0.8.8, the opening and closing time of Directives corresponds to the beginning of each new game session day—07:00 CEST (UTC+2).

The first Directive will become available after Update 0.8.9 is released and the maintenance downtime is over. The opening dates of the second, third, and fourth Directives are October 22, October 29, and November 5, respectively.
Directives can be completed until: Tue. 12 Nov. 07:00 CEST (UTC+2)

Completing missions and Directives will bring you signals, expendable camouflage patterns, Coal, Elite Commander XP, Italian Cruisers containers, and Italian Tokens.

After completing the fourth Directive, you’ll gain access to the Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame lets you cross swords with the best players out there. Rewards will be issued to every Commander who scores at least one point by the special rules of the Hall.

For more details, check out the rules for rewards and crediting of Hall of Fame points, available in the game client.

You can earn Italian Tokens for:

• Completing all the missions and Directives of the Italian Cruisers event—up to 1,790 Tokens
  
• Completing Daily Missions October 17 through November 12—up to 540 Tokens
  
• Completing combat missions on V Genova, V Raimondo Montecuccoli, VI Trento, VII Zara, and VIII Amalfi—100 Tokens per mission
  
  • To complete the mission, it's necessary to earn 15,000 base XP in Operations, Random, Clan, or Co-op Battles

Combat missions can be completed until: Thu. 14 Nov. 07:00 CEST (UTC+2)

In total, you can earn 2,830 Italian Tokens throughout the Update. After the release of Update 0.8.10, they can be obtained only from Italian Cruisers Premium containers. With the release of Update 0.8.11, all Italian Tokens will be converted to credits at a rate of 1 : 4,500.

• Regia Marina expendable camouflage pattern
  
• Credits
  
• Days of Warships Premium Account
  
• Signals
  
• Italian Cruisers containers
  
• Grigio-azzurro chiaro permanent camos for ships Raimondo Montecuccoli, Trento, Zara, and Amalfi. The camo is painted in shades of light blue and gray—the standard coloring for the Italian Royal Navy ships of the initial period of World War 2
  
• Random Patria e Onore bundles

• Detectability range by sea: −3%
  
• Dispersion of shells fired by the enemy attacking your ship: +4%
  
• XP per battle: +100%
  
• Commander XP: +50%
  
• Free XP: +100%

The Italian Cruisers section of the Armory will offer random bundles at the price of 70 Italian Tokens each.

• All the rewards are visible in advance: the bundles’ contents and their amounts are displayed when viewing the currently available bundle
  
• After each exchange, you’ll be able to see the contents of a new random bundle out of 22 available
  
• Having collected all 22 bundles, you're guaranteed to have obtained all the available rewards, including Italian cruiser V Genova

If you obtain V Genova from a random bundle and already have this ship in your Port, you'll get a Commander, Port slot, and compensation for the ship in the form of doubloons.

Daily Shipments and the event’s Directives will bring you Italian Cruisers containers.

• 1x Regia Marina camouflage pattern
  
• One of the following: 1x special signal (Dragon, Hydra, Ouroboros, or Red Dragon), 100x doubloons, or 1x Type 59 camo
  
• One of the following: 1x special signal (Dragon, Scylla, Leviathan, or Basilisk) or 500x Free XP
  
• A chance to get a special combat mission for one of the Italian cruisers: V Raimondo Montecuccoli, VI Trento, VII Zara, or VIII Amalfi

• 50x Italian Tokens
  
• One of the following: 10x special signals or 150x doubloons
  
• One of the following: 7x Regia Marina camos or 7x Type 59 camos
  
• A chance to get a special combat mission for one of the Italian cruisers: V Raimondo Montecuccoli, VI Trento, VII Zara, or VIII Amalfi

The chances of getting a combat mission from Italian Cruisers Premium containers is higher than from standard containers.

• The mission for any particular ship can be dropped only once
  
• To complete the mission, you'll need to earn 10,000 to 16,000 base XP playing Tier V–X ships in Operations, Random, Clan, Ranked, or Co-op Battles
  
• Combat missions can be completed until December 31
  
• All ships come with a Port slot and Commander with 3 skill points
  
• In Update 0.8.9, you won’t be able to research the next ship in the Italian cruiser branch

During Update 0.8.9, if you log in to the game during the period from October 17 through October 31, you can get the following rewards via the Daily Shipments section.

You can get a total of 10 rewards, while the shipments are available for 14 days. This means that after you enter the game for the first time, you'll have 14 days to obtain 10 rewards—one per day. Thus, you can skip four days out of two weeks and still claim all the valuable rewards.

• 3x Regia Marina camouflage patterns
  
• 50,000 credits
  
• 25 Italian Tokens
  
• 1 day of Warships Premium Account
  
• 1x Italian Cruisers container
  
• 3x Regia Marina camouflage patterns
  
• 50,000 credits
  
• 50 doubloons
  
• 25x Italian Tokens
  
• 1x Italian Cruisers container

Be among the first to try out Italian cruisers!

Read this article to learn the history of the original ships. We hope you'll find this information interesting, our aim is to provide you with a detailed overview of every cruiser in the new branch!

Let's take a closer look at the newcomers!




Sloop Eritrea was developed by the Ansaldo company between 1932–1934 to serve in the Italian African colonies. By her concept she was close to the French aviso Bougainville, that had been commissioned shortly prior to her. To increase her operational range, engineers installed 650-horsepower Marelli electric engines, similar to those used on Balilla-class submarines, in addition to two FIAT diesel engines. The ship's equipment also included a hospital, workshop, and generator rooms for servicing two submarines, as the sloop was able to serve as a base for them. She also carried minesweeping equipment.

Eritrea was laid down on July 15, 1935; launched on September 20, 1936; and commissioned on June 28, 1937. Right after her commissioning, the ship sailed on various missions during the Spanish Civil War. At the end of the 1930s, she served as a flagship for the Italian forces in the Red Sea. At the beginning of 1941, due to the threat of an Allied invasion of Ethiopia, Eritrea sailed to Japan, camouflaged as a ship from a neutral country. In Japan, the sloop served as a support ship for Italian submarines, transporting special cargo between France and Japan. After Italy capitulated in September 1943, the ship was transferred to Colombo, where she was used by the Allies for training purposes. In October 1944, Eritrea returned to Italy, and in 1948 she was given to France as part of the reparations. In 1950, the sloop, renamed Francis Garnier, joined the French Navy. She served in Indochina as an escort ship, before being transferred to the Pacific Ocean. In 1966, ex-Eritrea was decomissioned and sent to the reserve at Papeete; in October of the same year, she was sunk to be used as a practice target.

Between 1939–1940, the Royal Italian Navy planned to build the second ship of this class, but the outbreak of World War II interfered with these plans.



At the beginning of the 20th century, the idea of a fast reconnaissance cruiser acting together with a fleet was popular within the naval commands of many countries. The armored-deck cruiser Quarto, built between 1909–1913, became the first ship of this type (called "esploratore" in Italian) in the Royal Italian Navy. She was the first in the Royal Italian Navy to receive Parsons steam turbines. This feature allowed her to reach speeds of up to 28 knots. Two cruisers of the Nino Bixio class built between 1911–1914 became the development of that class. They were larger than their predecessor and were distinguished by a more convenient artillery layout.

Nino Bixio was laid down at the Castellammare di Stabia shipyard on February 15, 1911; launched on December 30, 1911; and commissioned on May 5, 1914. During World War I, the cruiser, together with her sister ship Marsala, served in the fleet based at Brindisi, fighting off the raids of Austro-Hungarian ships and defending the Entente's transports that were supplying the Serbian army. After the war, both ships served in the Navy until the end of the 1920s, when they were sold for scrap, because of their highly depreciated power plants and the necessity to reduce the naval budget.



As a result of World War I, the majority of surviving ships from the defeated countries—Germany and Austria-Hungary—were divided between the victorious countries. German cruiser SMS Strassburg was turned over to the Royal Italian Navy in July 1920.

SMS Strassburg was laid down in April 1910 at the Imperial shipyards in Wilhelmshaven; launched on August 24, 1911; and commissioned on October 9, 1912. Having completed a voyage to South America, the cruiser joined the reconnaissance forces of the High Seas Fleet. During World War I, the ship took part in the Battle of Heligoland Bight, raid on Scarborough, and Battle of Moon Sound. After the war, Strassburg was turned over to Italy and renamed Taranto. During her refit at the beginning of the 1920s, the cruiser received a floating reconnaissance plane and new anti-aircraft guns. The interwar period saw Taranto serve in the Mediterranean. Between 1936–1937 she was re-equipped for colonial service: two boilers were removed, resulting in a drop of her maximum speed to 21 knots. In World War II, the cruiser saw limited use in minelaying and patrol service. In September 1943, after Italy and the Allies had signed a peace treaty, Taranto was scuttled at La Spezia to prevent her from falling into German hands. Between 1943–1944, the Germans made two attempts to salvage the ship in order to restore her, but both times the former cruiser was sunk by British bombers. After the war, the ship's hull was scrapped.



After World War I, the Royal Italian Navy's cruiser forces were in quite a deplorable state. Their core was made up of three scout cruisers (esploratori) from the Quatro and Nino Bixio classes, armed with 120 mm artillery, as well as two Austro-Hungarian cruisers (with 100 mm main batteries) and three German cruisers (with 152 mm main batteries) received as reparations. These spoils were heavily worn-out from their service in the war, and were in a deplorable technical state. That's why, when France—the main potential adversary of Italy in the Meditarrenean—laid down three modern light cruisers of the Duguay-Trouin class between 1922–1923, and began the construction of 12 contre-torpillieur of the Jaguar class, the Italians had to come up with an adequate response. As a result, the construction of four large modern esploratore commenced in 1928 (later, they were re-classified as light cruisers). All the ships were named after Italian condottieres from the Middle Ages, which is why the series itself was named Condottieri. The ships were commissioned between 1931–1932. They were almost unarmored—their outstanding speed of 37 knots was intended to be their best defense. Their powerful armament, including four twin mounts with 152 mm guns, would have allowed them to easily oppose French cruisers and destroyers. All four cruisers were lost in World War II.

Alberto di Giussano was the first to be laid down on March 29, 1928, at the Ansaldo shipyards in Genoa. She was launched on April 27, 1930, and commissioned on February 5, 1931. Before World War II, she served in the Mediterranean and participated in the Spanish Civil War supporting the Francoists. At the beginning of the war, she took part in the Battle of Punta Stilo, then she was engaged in minelaying and convoy escorting. Between December 11–13, 1941, the cruiser and her sister ship Alberico da Barbiano were transporting a cargo of gasoline to North Africa. On the night of December 13, the Italian ships were intercepted by British destroyers. A short but fierce battle broke out in which both Italian cruisers were sunk by artillery and torpedo fire.



Having built four Giussano-class cruisers, the Royal Italian Navy ordered two more ships with a slightly improved design that guaranteed better seaworthiness (Condottieri B or Cadorna-class). However, their armor remained absolutely inadequate, and any potential battles against the latest French heavy cruisers would have brought deplorable results. That's why the program of 1930–1931 provided for the construction of two light cruisers with considerably reinforced armor, while preserving the maximum speed. This led to an increase in the displacement and dimensions of the new ships. The weight of their armor grew more than twofold—from 575 to 1,350 tons. Two cruisers of the new Condottieri C class were laid down in 1931–1933 at shipyards in Genoa and Trieste, and were commissioned in 1935.

Raimondo Montecuccoli was laid down at the Ansaldo shipyards in Genoa on October 1, 1931; launched on August 2, 1934; and commissioned on June 30, 1935. In the interwar period, the ship took part in the Spanish Civil War as a station ship and escorted the Italian expeditionary corps. Between 1937–1938, the cruiser participated in a voyage to the Far East and the Pacific Ocean. At the beginning of World War II, Montecuccoli was engaged in the Battle of Punta Stilo, performing minelaying and escort duties. On June 15, 1942, the ship took part in the Battle of Pantelleria island. The cruiser mostly spent the end of 1942 and the entirety of 1943 at Italian naval bases, due to fuel shortages and Allied air supremacy. After Italy capitulated in September 1943, Montecuccoli, together with the entire fleet, sailed to Malta under constant assault by German aviation on their journey. Throughout the remainder of the war, the cruiser served as a fast transport. After the war, the ship remained in the Royal Italian Navy and between 1950–1964, she was used for training. On May 31, 1964, Raimondo Montecuccoli was decommissioned, and was eventually sold for scrap in 1972.



After World War I, the Italian cruiser forces, apart from scouts and obsolete armored-deck ships, consisted of four armored cruisers of the Garibaldi and Pisa classes, built at the beginning of the 20th century. These ships weren't adequate for the task at hand, because they were too slow. That's why, after the Washington Naval Treaty defined the limits for cruisers (total displacement of 10,000 tons and primary armament caliber not higher than 203 mm), Italian engineers started designing their own "Washington" cruiser. The ship was to be capable of high speeds. Armor wasn’t the priority, but nevertheless, a 70 mm-thick armored belt was implemented into the design. In 1924, the project was ready, and in 1925, two ships of the new class were laid down—Trento and Trieste. The cruisers were commissioned during the winter of 1928–1929. Both of them were lost during the course of World War II.

Trento was laid down on February 8, 1925, at the Orlando shipyard in Livorno. The cruiser was launched on October 4, 1927, and commissioned on April 3, 1929. She immediately became the flagship of the newly-formed Cruiser Division. In 1932, Trento sailed on a cruise to the Far East. At the beginning of World War II, the ship participated in the Battle of Punta Stilo as the flagship of the 3rd Division of the 2nd Squadron. On November 12, 1940, during the air raid on Taranto, the cruiser was hit by a British air bomb, which luckily didn't explode. On November 27, 1940, Trento participated in the Battle of Cape Teulada; and on March 28, 1941—in the Battle of Cape Matapan. On November 8 of that year, the cruiser was engaged in the failed defense of the Duisburg convoy. On March 22, 1942, the ship participated in the Battle of Sirt. In all these battles, Trento didn't inflict any damage to enemy ships, nor did she suffer any damage herself. On June 15, 1942, while escorting a convoy to North Africa, the cruiser was hit by a torpedo from a British aircraft and then finished off by the British submarine, P-35.



In parallel with Italy, France was building its own "Washington" cruisers with 203 mm guns. The Royal Italian Navy required a more balanced ship to oppose them, whose protection wouldn't be sacrificed in favor of speed. The shipbuilding program of 1928–1929 provided for construction of four cruisers of the new Zara class. The new ships received a raised forecastle as opposed to the flush-deck design of Trento, which reduced their seaworthiness, but allowed for weight economy and the addition of several hundred tons of armor. Also, a new lightweight powerplant was installed, similar to that used on light cruisers of the Condottieri A and B classes. It allowed for an increase in armor belt thickness to 150 mm. The ships were laid down in early 1929–1931 and entered service between 1931–1932. All of them were lost in World War II.

Zara was laid down on July 4, 1929, at the Odero-Terni-Orlando shipyard in Muggiano, near La Spezia; launched on April 27, 1930; and commissioned October 20, 1931. In September 1932, the cruiser became the flagship of the 1st Squadron and served in this role for six years. In April 1939, Zara led the support operation for the Italian landings at the Albanian city of Durrës. On July 9, 1940, after Italy had entered World War II, the ship participated in the Battle of Punta Stilo as the 1st Division's flagship. At the end of that engagement, the cruiser was bombed by their own Air Force, but fortunately didn’t take any damage. On March 28, during the Battle of Cape Matapan, Zara and her sister ship Fiume were searching for cruiser Pola, which had been hit by a torpedo and lost propulsion. In the darkness, they stumbled on the main British forces and were fired upon at point blank range by battleships Warspite, Valiant, and Barham. The cruiser was finished off by the British destroyer HMS Jervis during the night of March 29.



Once the civil war was over, Spain was looking for ways to reinforce its navy. Good relations with Italy allowed the Spanish to work directly with the suppliers of the Italian Royal Navy—the Ansaldo company. One of the heavy cruiser variants they proposed in March 1940 (Crucero acorazado, anteproyecto preliminar IX-203) was basically a larger version of the Zara class, but with three 203 mm triple turrets.



A hypothetical further development of the heavy cruiser project for the Spanish Navy, combining the features of Anteproyecto preliminar VIII-203 (four 203 mm mounts) and Anteproyecto preliminar XII-152 (four triple artillery mounts).



A hypothetical development of the Italian heavy cruisers which pushed towards a further increase in the number of 203 mm main battery guns.