Captains, welcome to the Public Test of Update 0.10.0!

Updates to the Commander skill system, Brawls, and other new features. Take a look through the Developer Bulletin, and welcome to the Test!

Starts: Thu. 17 Dec. 17:30 CET (UTC+1)
Ends: Tue. 22 Dec. 06:30 CET (UTC+1)

• The rewards for activities on the Public Test Server may differ from those on the Live Server.
  
• Please note: Lunar New Year ships, camouflages, and Commanders will not be available on the Public Test Server.

The Public Test Server will host Brawls in a 3 vs. 3 format in the Arms Race mode, playing Tier X ships. To participate in these Brawls, it's enough for only the Commander to be a member of a Clan—up to two mercenaries can be invited to each team.

One Wargaming container provides 1 day of Premium Account.

• At the start of the Public Test, every participant will have all researchable Tier VIII ships, helmed by Commanders with 19 skill points, as well as one Commander of each nation with 21 skill points, credited to their PT accounts.
  
• Research prices for ships and ship modules will be substantially discounted.
  
• Players will be able to reset Commander skills free of charge.

If you're joining the Public Test for the first time since Update 0.9.11, you'll be awarded the following additional bonuses:

• 500,000,000 credits; 30,000 doubloons; and 90 days of Premium Account.
  
• 50 signal flags of all types (except special signals) will also be added to your PT account.

If you played at least one battle on the Public Test Server during the 0.9.6–0.9.11 Public Tests, your account will be copied from the Live Server to the Public Test Server.

https://steamcommunity.com/games/552990/announcements/detail/2716184589232191867

Updates to the Commander skill system, Clan Brawls, Lunar New Year, and other new features.

IMPORTANT! Because the Update is still being tested, the information in this Bulletin is tentative and reflects the state of game development at the time of its publication. Some changes and new features may be removed entirely or implemented differently by the time the Update goes live. Screenshots, specific values of certain characteristics, and details of in-game mechanics will not necessarily be relevant after the Update is released.

Please note: the rewards for activities on the Public Test Server may differ from those on the Live Server.

World of Warships is constantly evolving. New mechanics and ships with unique gameplay appear in the game on a regular basis. To ensure that Commander skills correspond to the current state of the game, we're carrying out a large-scale update by adding new skills and changing the old ones. Changing the Commander skill system will make it more flexible and convenient, and give you a choice between several effective loadout options instead of one ultimate go-to option. This will enable you to customize your ship to more precisely suit your playstyle. In addition to updating the Commander skills, we've revamped the interface and made it more comfortable to use the Commander system, as well as retrain and level up Commanders.

• Each Commander now has separate skill sections for each ship type. Skill points in each section are distributed independently of each other.

• The skill section corresponding to the chosen ship type is active in battle.
  
• As skills have become more specialized and their total number has increased, the maximum possible number of Commander skill points has increased from 19 to 21.

• Commanders who don't have the maximum number of skill points will additionally bring you Elite Commander XP in the amount of 5% of the Commander XP gained.
  
• For Commanders with 21 skill points, any XP earned is converted into Elite XP; the additional 5% is not credited.
  
• When dismissing a Commander, you can convert some of their Commander XP into Elite XP:
  
  • Up to 25% of the Commander XP, at the cost of 10 credits for 1 XP.
    
  • Up to 50% of the Commander XP, at the cost of 1 doubloon for 150 XP.

For example, if a Commander has 10,000 XP, then upon dismissing this Commander, you can receive up to 2,500 XP for 25,000 credits; or up to 4,950 XP for 33 doubloons.

• The ability to accelerate Commander retraining in exchange for credits has been removed, but the amount of XP required for retraining has been halved.
  
• Skills will not work until the Commander's retraining is complete.
  
• Each skill section is reset separately from the others.
  
• A Commander without a specialization for a ship can't be assigned to that ship without retraining. This rule doesn't apply to Premium and special ships.

The cost and number of skills for recruited Commanders will change so that, if necessary, a player will be able to recruit a Commander with more skill points.

• Commander without skills: recruited free of charge.
  
• Commander with 6 skill points: available for 900,000 credits.
  
• Commander with 10 skill points: available for 1,750 doubloons.

You can enter battle playing a ship without an assigned Commander. In this case, you will not earn Commander XP.

You can learn more details about the changes to the Commander skill system on the Development Blog.

The upcoming Update ushers in two Brawls with a 7 vs. 7 format:

• From January 26 to February 1 for Tier VIII ships.
  
• From February 9–15 for Tier X ships.

Battles will be fought in the Arms Race mode without aircraft carriers and with a limit of two battleships per team. To participate in these Brawls, it's enough for only the Commander to be a member of a Clan: up to six mercenaries can be invited to the team.

Please note: new ships, camouflages, and Commanders will not be available on the Public Test Server.

• We've added special content dedicated to the Lunar New Year: Wujing and Sanzang in the Sha Wujing and Tang Sanzang permanent camouflages, together with themed Commanders; Fen Yang with the Lunar New Year permanent camouflage; and two types of the "Journey to the West" containers. To mark the celebrations, we've updated the Dragon Port.

• To make it more explicit, we've updated the display of Early Access ships in the Tech Tree, as well as the description of their features.
  
• The segment split of torpedo bombers' reticles now depends on the number of aircraft in the attacking flight. This fixes an issue that prevented the display of some of lines in the reticle.
  
• Pressing the F key after attacking with the last flight in a squadron will skip the attack animation and transition you to controlling the ship.
  
• When a squadron takes off, the aircraft models no longer disappear from the deck of an aircraft carrier all at once, but rather disappear in turn.
  
• We've updated the interface for carrier armaments in the Port.
  
• The message about the return of a squadron to their carrier has been removed.
  
• The game now loads while a video is played on the loading screen.

Update 0.9.12 is going to see large-scale changes to the Ranked Battles system.

• Ranked Battles seasons are now going to be held on a regular basis with short breaks between each one. This will mean that you will always be able to choose between Random, Co-op, and Ranked Battles in the Port screen, as the latter battle type will be more regularly available.
  
• The higher the league, the better the rewards. You can progress through the Bronze League at a smooth and leisurely pace. The Silver League will require more effort, but offers bigger rewards. Seasoned sea wolves will be able to collect the most impressive haul of rewards in the Gold League.
  
• Demonstrate your skills in the qualification, during which you'll fight against players from the next league to determine whether you'll progress to the next league or stay in your current one. Please note: if you qualify for the next league, you won't be able return to the previous one until the end of the season.
  
• Rewards are granted for achieving victories, reaching Rank 1 in a league, and qualifying for a new league.
  
• Ranked Battles aren't available at night. This is necessary to ensure high-quality matchmaking.

• Each season is divided into several sprints. The duration of a single sprint is approximately 1–3 weeks, and this may differ from season to season.
  
• There are three leagues in the first Season: Bronze, Silver, and Gold.

• In order to enter the next league, you need to reach Rank 1 in your current league and then qualify.
  
• During a single sprint, players can only progress through their current league and qualify for the next one.
  
  • If you don't manage to qualify for the next league, you'll start the new sprint in your current league at the lowest rank of this league. All the rewards will be available to collect again.
    
  • If you qualify for the next league, you'll start the new sprint in that next league with the lowest rank of that league.
    
  • After achieving Rank 1 in the Gold League, you can continue fighting only in the next sprint in the Gold League. You will start with the lowest rank and be able to collect all the rewards again.
• Qualification is a special rank. To qualify and move up to the next league, you need to collect a certain number of Stars. You cannot drop to the preceding ranks during qualification.
  
• Battles in a particular league are fought between only the players in that league. However, during the qualification, battles are fought according to the rules of the next league, and involve those who are trying to qualify for the higher league and the Captains of that higher league.

• The rewards are refreshed and updated for each new sprint and can be collected again—fight in your preferred league over and over again, and you'll collect rewards every time.
  
• Steel hasn't gone anywhere: achieve victories, reach Rank 1, and accrue it to spend on items you desire in the Armory.
  
• Doubloons are granted as a reward in each league: the higher the league, the more doubloons you can get.
  
• The Bronze, Silver and Gold expendable camouflages are granted as rewards in the corresponding leagues.

• The “Jolly Roger—Bronze League,” “Jolly Roger—Silver League,” and “Jolly Roger—Gold League” achievements are granted once per season for achieving Rank 1 in the corresponding leagues.

• A commemorative flag is awarded at the end of each season for achieving Rank 1 in the Bronze League.

• Ranked Tokens are awarded for achieving Rank 1 in the Gold League. You can earn four Ranked Tokens during the first Season. The cost of permanent camouflages available in the Armory in exchange for Ranked Tokens has been increased from 3 to 10 Tokens. The number of Ranked Tokens that players have at their disposal has been increased by a factor of four.

• Maps, ship tiers, and the number of players per team may differ from league to league, depending on the season.
  
• Team lineups are always strictly mirrored in terms of ship types and tiers. Divisions aren't allowed in Ranked Battles.
  
• The player with the most base XP in a team doesn't lose a Star upon their team’s defeat.
  
• Ranked Battle emblems remain unchanged. A unique Star is a Star that's obtained for the first time in a season. If the league is played again in the same season, the Stars will not be counted.
  
• Season achievements aren't inherited from previous Ranked seasons, and won’t transfer to those that follow.
  
• The Ranked Battles interface and statistics in the profile have been updated.
  
• Unusual modes, for example, 1 vs. 1 or 3 vs. 3, are going to become part of the updated Brawls. These can be played without being a member of a Clan. More details about this will be published later.

To access Ranked Battles, you must have fought at least 23 battles in the available battle types.

• CIS: 06:00 — 23:00 UTC
  
• NA: 16:00 — 09:00 UTC
  
• ASIA: 01:00 — 18:00 UTC
  
• EU: 08:00 — 01:00 UTC

7 vs. 7

• Tier VIII in the Bronze League
  
• Tiers IX–X in the Silver League
  
• Tier X in the Gold League

Battles will be fought in Domination mode on all maps.

Six sprints, each lasting 1 week. Each new sprint starts immediately after the end of the previous one.

During the Season, you can participate in no more than six sprints in the Bronze League, or five in the Silver League, or four in the Gold League.

The rewards in each league will be refreshed and available again at the start of each new sprint.

• Bronze League: up to 400 Steel; up to 200 doubloons; up to 1,000 Coal; up to 5x Bronze camouflages; and up to 5x "Type 3 — Ranked" camouflages.
  
• Silver League: up to 500 Steel; up to 300 doubloons; up to 3,000 Coal; up to 3x Bronze camouflages; up to 3x Silver camouflages; and up to 10x "Type 3 — Ranked" camouflages.
  
• Gold League: up to 600 Steel; up to 400 doubloons; up to 5,000 Coal; up to 3x Bronze camouflages; up to 3x Silver camouflages; up to 8x Gold camouflages; and one Ranked Token.

• −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
  
• +200% Free XP per battle

• −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
  
• +200% Free XP per battle
  
• +100% Commander XP per battle

• −3% to the ship's detectability range by sea
  
• +4% to the dispersion of shells fired by the enemy at your ship
  
• +150% XP per battle
  
• +200% Free XP per battle
  
• +100% Commander XP per battle

Following the first Season, additional changes may be made to the new Ranked Battles system in order to improve it. In future seasons, the format, rewards, combat missions associated with Ranked Battles, and other details may differ from the current ones.

Captains!
We've prepared something interesting for you—a historical cinemarathon! Together, we'll watch a series of documentaries that have been prepared jointly with the Russian Geographical Society’s Underwater Research Center. Join our festive event and expect gifts!

The first episode goes live on December 14—be sure to watch it!

  Subscribe to the channel

Curious about the gifts? Subscribe to our channel in order to claim your well-deserved reward—if we get the required number of subscribers prior to the start of each next episode, its viewers will be shown a bonus code that unlocks a special chain of combat missions.

• Completing all parts of the chain will reward you with 1,000,000 credits and one Santa's Gift container.
  
• In total, you can get up to four bonus codes—one for each episode.

If we get the specified number of subscribers for all episodes, completing the combat missions will bring you a total of 4,000,000 credits and four Santa's Gift containers!

The Underwater Research Center is a special research unit of the Russian Geographical Society that has been set up to study underwater spaces and objects. The research center has absorbed the best professional expertise of specialists from the ranks of the Russian Emergencies Ministry, the Navy, the Defense Ministry, and the National Underwater Research Center. Fitted with specialized equipment, the Underwater Research Center—since the very first years of its existence—has become a core organization in Russia in the field of underwater research.

In addition to expeditionary activities to study sunken objects and underwater spaces, the research center pays close attention to educational and awareness-raising projects. Since 2017, together with the Orlyonok Russian children's center, the Underwater Research Center has been implementing the Oceanautica program. The organization also hosts exhibitions and produces documentaries. One of the most important missions of the Underwater Research Center is to create a 3D interactive map of all Russian underwater terrain and sunken objects thereon.

Starting December 10, Prime Gaming members will gain access to a special combat mission that offers one of each Santa’s Gift container type as a reward:

• 1x Santa's Gift
  
• 1x Santa's Big Gift
  
• 1x Santa's Mega Gift

Offer available until: Thu. 21 Jan. 22:00 CET (UTC+1)

• IV Imperator Nikolai I
  
• V Gremyashchy
  
• V Kamikaze
  
• V Fūjin
  
• V Giulio Cesare
  
• VII Flint
  
• VII Belfast
  
• VIII Mikhail Kutuzov
  
• VIII Enterprise
  
• IX Neustrashimy
  
• IX Missouri
  
• IX Musashi
  
• IX Kronshtadt
  
• IX Benham
  
• IX Jean Bart
  
• IX Pommern
  
• IX Ägir
  
• IX Georgia
  
• IX Alaska
  
• IX Azuma
  
• IX Friesland
  
• VIII Siliwangi
  
• VIII Graf Zeppelin
  
• VIII Roma
  
• VIII Vanguard
  
• VIII Kii
  
• VIII Massachusetts
  
• VIII Champagne
  
• VIII Tirpitz
  
• VIII Gascogne
  
• VIII Alabama
  
• VIII Indomitable
  
• VIII Irian
  
• VIII Wichita
  
• VIII Cheshire
  
• VIII Pyotr Bagration
  
• VIII Ochakov
  
• VIII Mainz
  
• VIII Lenin
  
• VIII Saipan
  
• VIII Kaga
  
• VIII Prinz Eugen
  
• VIII Bayard
  
• VIII Atago
  
• VIII Orkan
  
• VIII Z-35
  
• VIII Cossack
  
• VIII Le Terrible
  
• VIII Asashio
  
• VIII Kidd
  
• VIII Loyang
  
• VII Duca degli Abruzzi
  
• VII Nelson
  
• VII Duke of York
  
• VII Hood
  
• VII California
  
• VII Poltava
  
• VII Scharnhorst
  
• VII Ashitaka
  
• VII Atlanta
  
• VII Nueve de Julio
  
• VII Gorizia
  
• VII Boise
  
• VII Lazo
  
• VII Indianapolis
  
• VII Yūdachi
  
• VII Z-39
  
• VII Haida
  
• VII Leningrad
  
• VII Sims
  
• VII Błyskawica
  
• VI W. Virginia 1941
  
• VI Prinz Eitel Friedrich
  
• VI Duca d'Aosta
  
• VI Arizona
  
• VI Mutsu
  
• VI Warspite
  
• VI Erich Loewenhardt
  
• VI Ark Royal
  
• VI London
  
• VI De Grasse
  
• VI T-61
  
• VI Dunkerque
  
• VI Admiral Makarov
  
• VI Huanghe
  
• VI Perth
  
• VI Admiral Graf Spee
  
• VI Aigle
  
• VI Monaghan
  
• VI Molotov
  
• VI Gallant
  
• VI Anshan
  
• V Oktyabrskaya Revolutsiya
  
• V Viribus Unitis
  
• V Genova
  
• V Texas
  
• V Kirov
  
• V Mikoyan
  
• V Exeter
  
• V Yahagi
  
• V Marblehead Lima
  
• V Marblehead
  
• V Murmansk
  
• V Krasny Krym
  
• V Hill
  
• V Siroco
  
• V Okhotnik

Don't forget about the standard rewards that are also available to new Prime Gaming members:

• Commander Ashley Violet, available only to Prime Gaming members
  
• 500 doubloons
  
• 3 days of Premium Account
  
• 1,000,000 credits

Commander Ashley Violet can helm U.S. ships.

1. Create a Prime Gaming account.
   If you do not have an Amazon account yet, sign up and upgrade to a Prime Gaming account.
   
2. Create and link your World of Warships Account to your Amazon account.
   You can create a World of Warships Account and link it after.
   
3. Click the crown icon on Twitch.tv and then click “Claim Now” on the World of Warships Loot.
   You can try Prime Gaming here.
   
4. Log in to the game and redeem your items!

Attention! Even if you’ve already linked your Twitch account to World of Warships in the past, you still need to link your Amazon account to your World of Warships Account.

If you play World of Warships via the Steam or Microsoft Store platforms, you’ll first need to link your account to a http://wargaming.net/r/wows_game/ Account, then create a Prime Gaming account (If you don’t already have one) and link it to your Wargaming.net Account as well. Your next actions are the same—claim the World of Warships offer from the Twitch homepage, log in to the game and redeem your loot.

Please note: after you claim the offer and connect your accounts, you need to log in to the game, redeem the items and complete the mission before the offer expires.

Commanders!

We’re holding a special and easy-to-enter giveaway—one lucky winner will be picked at random.

1. Click here
   
2. Click the Like button
   
3. Then leave a comment—and that's it!

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2311984476

• Winners will be picked at random from the pool of participating unique users—only one comment per user will be taken into consideration.
  
• Any comments that break the discussion rules may be deleted or excluded.

• Premium Ship VI container

We wish you good luck and following seas!

Previous winners:

• YagizByz
  
• paradox_artemix

The time has come!

Our brave warriors have assembled—an epic battle looms on the horizon! Make sure to watch our livestreams on both Saturday and Sunday to catch a glimpse of some of the best action World of Warships has to offer!
Saturday stream starts: Sat. 05 Dec. 14:30 CET (UTC+1)
Sunday stream starts: Sun. 06 Dec. 14:30 CET (UTC+1)

Join us LIVE on our official channels:

Twitch

YouTube

Tune in to our official Twitch Channel to watch the Verizon Warrior's Championship on both days of the competition, and you will be able to claim two Santa's Gift containers for yourself—one on each day of the broadcast, as well as a unique tournament flag!

Additionally, the final military teams that will be taking part in the Verizon Branches Challenge have been selected and are ready to compete!

We’ve joined forces with Verizon to invite players from all realms to participate in a special tournament with a grand prize pool of $30,000 and the Verizon Branches Challenge — an exhibition tournament featuring four teams of U.S. Army, Navy, Marines and Airforce veterans competing to support their charity of choice.

Dates: 27/11/2020 — 06/12/2020

Participate in our special Clan battles season, place among the top four teams on your server and we will invite you to participate in the tournament and have a shot at the grand prize pool of $30,000!

Qualifications run from: 27/11/2020 — 29/11/2020 — Friday, Saturday and Sunday
Format: 9 vs. 9 playing Tier VIII ships

Restrictions: Up to two battleships per team, up to five cruisers per team, up to four destroyers per team and no aircraft carriers

Times

• Asia 10:00 — 16:00 UTC
  
• CIS 14:00 — 20:00 UTC
  
• EU 16:00 — 22:00 UTC
  
• NA 22:30 — 4:30 UTC

Rewards

• 10,000 doubloons per clan for Top 25 clans (globally)
  
• 5,000 doubloons per clan for clans ranked 26th -100th (globally)
  
• An invitation to the Verizon Warrior’s Championship for the top 4 clans of each region

Maps: North, Islands of Ice, Mountain Range, Warrior’s Path, Sleeping Giant, Greece, Northern Waters

The qualification season will be held in the standard clan battles setup with alpha and bravo ratings, there will however be only one league. Any amount of divisions from the same clan can play together.

The Mercenaries feature will be disabled during the qualification season.

• Participate in our special qualification clan battles season and place among the top four clans in your region.
  
• Clan commanders of the top four teams in each region will be contacted via the e-mail address linked to their account and invited to participate in the tournament.

Note: Due to the short time frame between qualifications and the tournament, you will have only 24 hours to respond and provide us with a full roster of participating players from your clan.

Regional Playoffs: 05/12/2020

Times

• ASIA 13:00 — 17:00 UTC
  
• CIS 13:00 — 17:00 UTC
  
• EU 16:00 — 20:00 UTC
  
• NA 16:00 — 20:00 UTC

International Playoffs: 06/12/2020

Times

• All regions 14:00 — 19:00 UTC

Note: All teams must be available to play during the specified time frames. Detailed match times will be communicated to Clan Commanders following a successful qualification. If a team fails to show up, it will be disqualified.

Clan Commanders of the top-4 clans from each region will be contacted via the E-mail linked to their accounts by December 1st and are required to respond to this invitation within 24 hours. This response needs to include:

• Username, In-Game Player ID and Real Name of each participating player.
  Note: A player may only be a member of one team, regardless of region.
  
• Commanders may nominate between 9 and 12 players to participate.
  Note: Nominated players must be part of the qualifying clan when this information is sent.
  
• A team logo

Note:  In case this response is not sent in the allotted 24-hour time frame, the tournament organizer will contact the next-placed team and the qualifying clan will forfeit their qualification for the tournament. The same rules apply for the next-placed team when contacted.

Players or Clans are ineligible to participate in the tournament if:

• They are suspended in-game due to a violation of the game rules at the time of the nomination.
  
• They have been previously warned for the use of forbidden modifications according to paragraph 8 of the Game Rules.
  
• They have an inappropriate nickname / clan name that violates paragraph 4 of the Game Rules or in any way disparages the developers, tournament organizers, tournament sponsors or participating teams.
  
• They have an ineligible clan logo that violates the Game Rules or the restrictions set out in the Contest Rules document.
  
• There is any indication that they were violating the Game Rules or EULA during the qualification stage, including sharing accounts with other players or allowing other players access to their accounts.
  
• Should an ineligible player be submitted as part of the roster, the clan commander will be required to nominate a replacement that is eligible within 24 hours.

• All tournament games are to be played on the EU server.
  
  • Regional qualifiers are played on regional servers.
  
  
• Appropriately fitted out tournament accounts will be sent to teams to ensure all teams can compete on an equal footing. Players can decide whether they want to use the designated tournament account or their private account.

Note: Tournament accounts may only be used in training rooms and any violation of the Game Rules with these may lead to an exclusion from the tournament and sanctions may be applied to a player’s main account. Tournament accounts may only be used by their assigned player, as communicated by the Clan Commander. Violations of this rule may lead to an exclusion from the tournament and sanctions may be applied to a player’s main account.

• The language of the tournament is English. As such, the clan commander needs to be able to communicate in English, or nominate a team spokesperson who is able to handle communications for the team.
  
• Clan commanders and team spokespeople (where applicable) are required to join a dedicated discord server which will be used for all communication related to the running of the tournament, picks/bans, disputes and questions.

The top 4 teams from each region will play a single elimination tournament during regional playoffs.

• Round 1 — Best of 3:
  
  • Game 1: 1st placed team vs. 3rd placed team
    
  • Game 2: 2nd placed team vs. 4th placed team
  
  
• Round 2 — Best of 3:
  
  • Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2

The winners of each regional qualifier will play a double-elimination tournament during International playoffs.

• Round 1 — Best of 3:
  
  • Game 1: Winner ASIA vs. Winner CIS
    
  • Game 2: Winner EU vs. Winner NA
  
  
• Round 2 — Mixed:
  
  • Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 — Best of 5
    
  • Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 — Best of 3

All games will be played with 9 players and Tier 8 ships in the following configuration:

• 0-2 Battleships
  
• 3-5 Cruisers
  
• 2-4 Destroyers
  
• 0 Aircraft Carriers

Clan Commanders will be able to undergo a pick/ban process for ship selection prior to each series.

• For the purposes of the pick/ban process, the tournament organizer will select a random team to go first.

Each team will ban one ship (this can be the same ship)

• In case a ship with an alternate version is banned, the alternate version is also considered as banned. (i.e. VIII Massachusetts and VIII Massachusetts B or VIII Atago and VIII ARP Takao)

• North
  
• Islands of Ice
  
• Mountain Range
  
• Warrior’s Path
  
• Sleeping Giant
  
• Greece
  
• Northern Waters

All maps will be played in the Clans Domination game mode.

Clan Commanders will be able to undergo a pick/ban process for the map pick prior to each series. If a team is not ready to start the pick/ban process at least 10 minutes before the round’s scheduled start time, random picks and bans will be chosen for that team.

• For the purposes of the pick/ban process, the tournament organizer will select a random team to go first.
  
• Each team will ban one map (this can be the same map)
  
• Each team will choose one map and spawn
  
• For the Best of 5, teams will alternate picking two maps each.
  
• The tournament organizer will select a random map as the final map, with a random spawn allocated to each team.

• 1st place — $15,000 (fifteen thousand US dollars)
  
• 2nd place — $10,000 (ten thousand US dollars)
  
• 3rd place — $5,000 (five thousand US dollars)

Note: The amounts of the Prizes are specified per winning team and will be divided in equal parts among all the team members. Please make sure to check the detailed information on the payouts in the Contest Rules.

The tournament organizers have final say in regards to any and all disputes and complaints.

• In case a team wants to submit a complaint, they must do so on the dedicated discord server, immediately after the action in question has taken place.

• During each game series, each clan commander has the right to ask for one game to be restarted, if no more than 2 minutes of game time have elapsed, for the following reasons:
  
  • A player was disconnected
    
  • A player experienced a client crash
    
  • The training room’s settings were configured incorrectly
  
  
• In case a game has restarted, players have to ready up as soon as possible with the same ships, loadout and captain skills as they started the game with initially.

Note: When asking for the restart, the reason has to be provided and approval has to be given by the tournament organizer or his designated representative on discord.

• Players may only use modifications from the official World of Warships ModStation.

• In the unlikely event of a tie during the tournament, the teams will be required to play an additional deciding match on a random map with random spawns.

On December 5th and 6th, veterans from the United States military will face off on the high seas to raise money for charity. Tune in to our coverage of this Verizon Branches challenge and find out which branch of the US military has what it takes to stand victorious.

December is a time of gifts in World of Warships, and this year we have an unprecedented number of rare and unique gifts—not just for playing the game, but also for watching it!

• For the first time in a giveaway, you can win historic British battleship VII Duke of York, bundled with her rare Arctic permanent camouflage in our Epic Drop.
  
• Get rare New-Year-themed camouflages by completing our three Twitch Challenges.
  
• Keep your eyes peeled for Santa's Gift containers during our official Verizon Warrior's Championship broadcasts, as well as our holiday charity stream!

Twitch | Follow

This December, we're hosting two special events on our official Twitch channel that you won't want to miss—not least because you can get up to five Santa's Gift containers just for watching them!

Day 1 starts: Sat. 05 Dec. 14:30 CET (UTC+1)
Day 2 starts: Sun. 06 Dec. 14:30 CET (UTC+1)

On the weekend of December 5–6, World of Warships is hosting its most competitive tournament yet! Tune in to our official Twitch Channel to watch the Verizon Warrior's Championship on both days of the competition, and you will be able to claim two Santa's Gift containers for yourself—one on each day of the broadcast, as well as a unique tournament flag!


The following rewards can be collected for watching any streamer while they're playing World of Warships—as long as they have Drops enabled!

Rare—a chance to win a Premium ship, delivered straight to your Port when watching streams. Can be obtained only once per viewer. This month, not only will you get VII Duke of York, you'll also get the rare and icy Arctic permanent camouflage for her!

When watching streams during Update 0.9.11, combat missions will be unlocked directly in your Port. Each Thursday of the Update, a new mission will become available.

Starts: Thu. 03 Dec. 06:00 CET (UTC+1)
Ends: Thu. 17 Dec. 06:00 CET (UTC+1)

You can complete this combat mission only once.

Starts: Thu. 10 Dec. 06:00 CET (UTC+1)
Ends: Thu. 24 Dec. 06:00 CET (UTC+1)

You can complete this combat mission only once.

Starts: Thu. 17 Dec. 06:00 CET (UTC+1)
Ends: Thu. 31 Dec. 06:00 CET (UTC+1)

You can complete this combat mission only once.

A special Twitch container delivered straight to your Port when watching streams⁠—no strings attached! You can receive up to five of these during Update 0.9.11. Contains:

• 100,000 credits
  
• Assorted signal flags

Twitch Drops can be earned by watching the Official World of Warships channel's livestreams, or those of any other Twitch streamer who is playing World of Warships with Drops enabled. Take care to ensure that your Twitch account is linked to your Wargaming Account, else it won't work!

Find out how exactly to link your account via the link below:

Instructions

Official Stream Schedule

Commanders!

We’re holding a special and easy-to-enter giveaway—one lucky winner will be picked at random.

1. Click here
   
2. Click the Like button
   
3. Then leave a comment—and that's it!

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2305228564

• Winners will be picked at random from the pool of participating unique users—only one comment per user will be taken into consideration.
  
• Any comments that break the discussion rules may be deleted or excluded.

• Premium Ship VI container

We wish you good luck and following seas!

U.S. battleships Kansas, Minnesota, and Vermont have become available for all players to research.

Read our article below to learn how to effectively play these new steel giants.

• Numerous main battery guns with a solid salvo weight and firing range, which come at the expense of longer gun reloading times.
  
• Great maneuverability for battleships, but they are rather slow.
  
• Good anti-torpedo protection, but VIII Kansas and IX Minnesota have rather mediocre armor.
  
• Powerful AA defenses and the availability of the Defensive AA Fire consumable.

Due to their great firing range, the new U.S. battleships feel most comfortable at combat distances over 15 km.

At the beginning of a battle, the most important thing to do is take up a suitable position. Despite these battleships having relatively good maneuverability, it will still be difficult to quickly change the direction of your attack or escape from focused enemy fire due to their low speeds.

Their great firing ranges (more than 30 km for X Vermont!), in combination with their weighty salvos, will enable you to keep the enemy at a distance. However, each salvo must be carefully prepared, as the ships of the new sub-branch have rather long reloading times.

Effective air defenses, additionally reinforced with the Defensive AA Fire consumable, will help you fend off enemy aircraft.

If possible, you should avoid approaching the enemy. VIII Kansas and IX Minnesota lack good armor, and furthermore, all the new ships have long main battery reloading times. However, if you can't avoid a close quarters engagement, your advantage will be the weighty salvo of your numerous guns. The ships' decent anti-torpedo protection will reduce the damage they take from torpedoes.

For a Commander with 10 skill points we recommend:

• Priority Target
  
• Adrenaline Rush
  
• Superintendent
  
• Fire Prevention

For a Commander with 19 skill points, we recommend choosing the most appropriate skills for your playstyle. Consider applying the following variants:

• Basics of Survivability
  
• Concealment Expert
  
• Expert Marksman

The following upgrades will be useful:

• Main Armaments Modification 1
  
• Damage Control System Modification 1
  
• Artillery Plotting Room Modification 1
  
• Damage Control System Modification 2
  
• Concealment System Modification 1
  
• Artillery Plotting Room Modification 2

Captains!

Starting December 1, you'll receive some nice New Year and Christmas presents—the World of Warships Advents Calendar is here! Recall your battle merits, collect gifts, and get additional rewards—including Santa's Gift and Santa's Big Gift containers—for completing quests! Make sure to share the Calendar with your friends—let no one remain without a present.



Each day, you'll have an opportunity to open a card that offers some interesting info about your own game statistics and receive a present—various types of flags or camouflages.

The Advent Calendar will be active between December 1 and 31. You'll have 1 week to collect each present. If you miss more than 7 days, you'll lose an opportunity to open a card.

By visiting the Advent Calendar and opening its cards every day, you'll get guaranteed gifts and be given opportunities to complete special quests that offer additional rewards. Having finished each simple task, don't forget to press the "Complete the Quest" button.

Each special quest will not be considered complete until you press the button!

For completing 6, 12, 18, and 24 of such quests, you'll receive doubloons and 1 day of Premium Account, as well as Santa's Gift and Santa's Big Gift containers.

To complete some of the tasks, you'll be required to log into your personal account, launch the game, or perform another similar action. The detailed requirements will be described on the cards.

Happy holidays, Captains!