Stronghold Mode Revision: When’s and How’s

Commanders,

Update 9.17.1 is heading into release tomorrow, bringing massive changes to the Stronghold mode. (In case you missed the announcement.) Today we’re detailing the release plan, outlining how changes will affect existing Strongholds, briefing you about compensation for Structures and Reserves, which will soon be removed, and more. Here we go!

Launch Schedule

Update 9.17.1 marks the starting point in our quest to bring the fun back to Strongholds. Our goal here is to make battle scenarios less frustrating for seasoned Clan players and aspiring tankers alike. That’s quite a mission! To ensure it goes as planned, we’ll implement changes step-by-step, guiding you through each stage. It'll take us about a month to introduce all the changes.

• Stage 1 (23 February). When 9.17.1 goes live, the Stronghold mode will be down for maintenance. We’ll take a day to move data and compensate players for removed Structures and Reserves.
• Stage 2. The mode will be back up with Skirmishes (available in the test mode*). You’ll have access to Structures (construction and upgrading) and Resources (production and activation).The new format, Advances, won’t be available just yet.
• Stage 3. Skirmishes will become available again in full functionality, and Advances in test mode.
• Stage 4. Advances will become available again in full functionality, and we’ll unveil War Games (at this point, in test mode only).
• Stage 5. Once we make sure War Games run smoothly, we’ll fully introduce them, which will also mark the full release of the revised Stronghold mode.

*At this point, additions will be tested in a reduced functionality, without final profitability settings, limitations to the number of servers, etc. that will be lifted upon the full-scale feature release.

Structures and Reserves: Transition

• Structures. War Departments and Quartermaster Units are no longer relevant in the updated setup and will be removed. As for the other Structures your clans built—there is nothing to worry about; they’ll all remain intact, retaining the building Level they currently have.
• The removal of pillages means that nothing can reduce your Structure’s durability. So, this basic attribute will leave the Stronghold mode for good, too. Here’s some good news for players who have a Structure with less than 20% durability - not only is the Structure there to stay following the mode’s full update, but it’ll be fully operational.
• Reserves. If your clan’s Structures are producing Reserves, they’ll be cancelled. You’ll receive the amount of Industrial Resource that you spent on it. This will be credited to the new joint Stronghold Storage that will replace separate storages for Structures.
• The sum of all Industrial Resource kept at your Structures’ Storages will be transferred to the joint Stronghold Storage at a ratio of 2.5. For example, if you have 5000 Industrial Resource across all Structures, the joint Storage will receive 5000x2.5 = 12,500 Industrial Resource.
• If you have Special Instructions and Evacuation in the storage, they’ll be converted into Industrial Resource, which will transferred to the joint Storage.

War Departments and Quartermaster Units: Compensation

Pillages and mandatory battles will soon become a thing of the past, as will War Departments and Quartermaster Units. We wouldn’t want these changes to undermine the economic wealth Clans have built. To ensure a harmless transition to the new setup, clans that have these Structures and Reserves prepared in them will get top-level Reserves as compensation. For instance, if you have Level IX–X Structures, you’ll receive advanced Level XI–XII Reserves that can’t be produced, just won.

Head to the updated Stronghold Guide for more details about advanced Reserves.

Following the changes to the very setup of Stronghold mode, we also tweaked the cost of building Structures and preparing Reserves. You can read up on the new costs, Reserves preparation processes, and their efficiency in different modes in the Strongholds Guide.

Economic Reserves will generate more rewards in clan battles than they do in Random Battles, while Combat Reserves will influence the amount of Industrial Resource earned in Advances and Skirmishes. If you really want to rake in the money, play clan battles!

Detachments in Skirmishes and Advances

Your input from the 9.17.1 Common Test encouraged us to reconsider the idea of replacing the 10-vs-10 format with 7-vs-7 for detachments in Tier VIII vehicles. A 10-vehicle setup proved to be way more popular with clan players. We wouldn’t want to spoil the fun with a less suitable option. So if you and your clan mates embark on a Skirmish in a Tier VIII detachment, you’ll fight in 10-vs-10 battles. If your team chooses Tier VI tanks for a Skirmish, you’ll fight in 7-vs-7 battles. Tier X detachments will engage in 15-vs-15 Skirmishes.

Finally, only Tier X vehicles are allowed to compete in Advances.

One Final Note

With the mode revision, progress on Skirmisher, For Decisive Battles, Capturer, Fortress Crusher and Retaliation medals will stop. We’ll move them to “Special Achievements” in one of the future updates.

The Soldier of Fortune medal is here to stay with no changes to its earning conditions. You can receive it for participating in Skirmishes.

We're grateful to everyone who has taken the time to share feedback on the Stronghold mode during 9.17.1’s tests and are looking forward to seeing more of your thoughts about these changes as the update goes live. Give it a try and discuss it in the dedicated forum thread.

One last thing before you lead your clan into battle; be sure to check out the Stronghold Guide for everything you need to know about getting started with the updated combat setup:

strongholds guide