Commanders!

Update 1.26 introduces major improvements to the crew perk system, which aim to enhance overall gameplay, increase the value of perks, and create a more balanced experience for all players.

It introduces new perks, rebalances existing ones, and provides flexible perk management options.

The Evolution of the Perk System

We constantly strive to enhance the gaming experience, making it more engaging and rewarding for all players. Following extensive testing, including an early trial this year, the upcoming update to the crew perk system is a testament to this commitment based on your feedback.

By evolving the perk system, we aim to meet several goals:

• Create more diverse gameplay
• Increase the value of perks as a core part of the game
• Narrow the gap between new recruits and veterans

This update ensures that every battle is fairer and offers more tactical choices, regardless of your experience level.

Main Changes to the Crew Perk System

Maximum Six Perks per Crew Member

Each crew member can now have a maximum of six perks, including zero perks, which don't increase the XP cost for subsequent perks. Directives will not effectively grant you a seventh perk under any circumstances.

We deemed this change among the most essential ones to ensure balanced progression and prevent overpowered crew configurations. Plus, it allows us to add new perks without increasing the perks' combined impact on your battlefield performance.

Excess perks on existing crew members will disappear, and players will receive nation-specific Crew Books as compensation.

Bonus Perks

Crew members with multiple roles benefit from the "bonus perk" system. This allows the perks of additional qualifications to be trained alongside the main perks without requiring extra XP or increasing training time.

The new system provides flexibility and is fairer for players who utilize crew members with additional qualifications. Up to three perks can be trained for each additional qualification without any extra XP cost.

Shared Perk Effectiveness

In crews where multiple members share the same role, such as two Loaders, the effectiveness of their perks is now shared between them. To achieve 100% effectiveness of a perk, both crew members must fully train it.

This change promotes balance between vehicles with smaller and larger crews.

Rebalanced and New Perks

Over a dozen new perks have been introduced, including Commander's Coordination, which briefly improves aiming time after spotting an enemy. Additionally, existing perks, such as Sound Detection and Firefighting, have been rebalanced for greater utility.

The aim is to enhance strategic choices by offering more varied and useful perks. For example, Commander's Coordination can give a critical advantage in battle by improving aiming time after spotting an enemy.

Post-Progression System

After training all six main perks (and obtaining golden frames around their portraits), experienced crew members can help train new recruits. Half of the Crew XP earned by six-perk crew members in battles will contribute to a single Post-Progression, rewarding players with a Universal Training Guide after reaching 100,000 XP milestones.

This encourages continuous progression and rewards experienced players with valuable resources for training new crews.

Perk Reset Options

Resetting a crew member's perks will also affect zero perks, allowing you to choose an entirely new perk setup. Two new buttons in the Barracks enable players to reset and then assign perks for all crew members. Players have a 30-day grace period to reset perks as many times as needed. Afterward, each crew member (including newly created ones) will have one free reset.

We want to allow players to experiment with different perk configurations to find the best fit for their playstyle.

Changes to Directives

• The Duty Comes First directive is replaced by the Thorough Preparations directive, which gives a crew the Practicality perk.
• The Increased Focus directive is replaced by the Heightened Vigilance directive, which gives a crew the Sound Detection perk.
• The obsolete directives you already have will be converted into the respective new directives.

Proximity Spotting and Proximity Perks

Proximity perks activate when an enemy is within 50 meters of your vehicle in all game modes, ensuring these perks function effectively regardless of the gameplay context. For instance, the Close Combat perk accelerates gun loading by 2.5% when an enemy is within 50 meters.

However, the proximity spotting circle, which guarantees automatic spotting of enemies, differs by mode: its radius is 50 meters in Random Battles, Frontline, Grand Battles, and so on, but only 25 meters in Onslaught.

This means you may encounter situations in Onslaught where proximity perks activate because an enemy is within 50 meters, even though they are not spotted due to the reduced 25-meter proximity spotting radius. For example, if an enemy is 40 meters away but hidden behind a wall, the proximity indicator ("lamp") will light up, signaling the perk activation, yet the enemy will remain unspotted.

This is an intentional feature designed to enhance tactical gameplay, allowing savvy players to exploit this mechanic for strategic advantages.

Changes in Crew Setups

Currently, some vehicles have crew configurations where:

• A crew member has a secondary qualification that someone else in the crew has as their major qualification, or
• Multiple crew members have a secondary qualification that no one in the crew has as their major qualification.

In the new perk system, for the absolute majority of such crews, only a single crew member keeps this qualification as their major qualification (in the former case) or their secondary qualification (in the latter case). This simplifies the system and makes it more convenient without decreasing the effectiveness of crews. The XP invested in the perks of crew members who lose their secondary qualification will be compensated for in the usual manner.

Crew Perks Selector

Use the interactive widget below to select a vehicle, try different crew setups, and see the effects of the new and improved crew perks.

Compensation Rules

Players with crew members exceeding the six-perk limit will receive compensation in the form of nation-specific Crew Books. This allows them to invest the exceeding Crew XP into other crews without losing progress, ensuring a smooth transition to the updated system.

The amount of XP compensated in nation-specific Crew Books is equal to tanker XP divided by 4.5.

When you log in to the game for the first time after the update, you will see an informational window showing how many Crew Books you received.

Crew Interface Updates

The updated interface features an intuitive layout that makes it easier to manage and assign perks to individual crew members. You are also able to choose several perks at once during perk selection and then apply them all with a single button click.
Tooltips for each perk provide additional information, including the intended effect on vehicle parameters and more.

Upgrade to Vehicle Comparison

The vehicle comparison in-game now includes detailed crew perk information, enabling players to make more informed decisions when comparing different vehicles and their setups.

Grace Period for Crew Resets

For the first 30 days after Update 1.26, players can reset perks as many times as they like.

This grace period allows ample time to familiarize yourself with the new system, experiment, and find the ideal perk setup for your playstyle. After this period, each crew member will have one free reset to use at any time.

The revamped crew perk system is our next step in enriching the World of Tanks experience, providing more strategic depth, and rewarding progression. Whether you're a seasoned tank commander or new to the battlefield, these changes will enhance your gameplay and open up new tactical possibilities. Train your crews, experiment with new perks, and dominate the battlefield like never before!

Roll Out!