Update 1.14: Common Test 1 Incoming!

Summer is heating up as we keep working to bring you fresh content, Commanders!

The first Common Test of Update 1.14 is going live and will feature the long-awaited Czechoslovakian heavy tanks with their hallmark unusual gameplay and autoloaders. The performance of popular Premium vehicles was improved, and you’ll have the opportunity to try out a fresh Random Battles map—Safe Haven. Plus, you can explore our special training mode, Topography. Finally, we’re changing the conditions of Personal Missions for artillery and giving you a sneak peek of Frontline 2021. Jump in and share your feedback!

CONTENTS

Czechoslovakian Heavy Tanks Are Coming!

There’s great news for those of you who enjoy playing heavy tanks! In Update 1.14, we’ll add an entire Czechoslovakian heavy tank branch to the game. It will consist of four researchable brawlers from Tier VII to Tier X. Researching the new branch of Czechoslovakian heavies will start at Tier VII, after the Škoda T-25. Let's take a closer look at the lineup.

The new branch kicks off with the Vz. 44-1, a Tier VII heavy. This tank easily performs the duties of a brawler, but its gameplay is more like that of a medium tank. It boasts good maneuverability and comfortable gun handling, as well as decent frontal armor. The Vz. 44-1 is a transitional step from medium to heavy tanks and will be a good training vehicle for Czechoslovakian crews.

Tier VIII is represented by the TNH 105/1000, which is in some ways an improved version of its Tier VII predecessor. This brawler has a solid turret with additional armor and a decent hull with well-sloped frontal armor. But its main feature is the choice of two top guns. Starting from Tier VIII, all Czechoslovakian heavies will have this unique feature.

The first gun fires in classic (cyclic) mode, while the second features a two-shell autoloader. Both guns are equal in battle performance and have the same caliber (105 mm), alpha damage, and depression/elevation angles. You’ll have the opportunity to choose the gun that best suits your personal playstyle.

The next warrior in the Czechoslovakian branch is the TNH T Vz. 51. This is a mighty, heavily armored brawler with an even more durable hull and a decent top speed of 50 km/h. You can also choose between its two 122 mm top guns (one cyclic, one autoloading) with the same parameters.

The crown jewel of the new heavy line is the formidable Vz. 55. This is a versatile heavy tank with a low silhouette, incredibly solid turret with additional armor, and thick lower frontal plate. It features two 130 mm top guns to choose from—one firing in cyclic mode, the other a two-shell autoloader with a short reload time between shells. Pick the one you like the most!

With 490 points of alpha damage and good gun stabilization, the Vz. 55 can become a real menace on the battlefield. Its top speed won’t impress, but it keeps up well and accelerates fast for a heavy tank. It’s able to close in on enemies and come out on top in a duel thanks to its excellent armor and the firepower of both top guns.

Take the menacing Czechoslovakian heavies for a spin and share your impressions!

Premium Vehicle Rebalancing

A new update is coming, and a new group of Premium vehicles are going to receive their long-awaited share of improvements! This time, we're updating the combat parameters of many tanks from different nations. Check out their improved characteristics below:

Welcome to Safe Haven!

Starting with Update 1.14, a brand-new Random Battles map, Safe Haven, will become available. This 1000x1000-meter summer map is set in 1960s Japan and will give you the opportunity to battle in a demilitarized civilian port that is gradually crowding out a small fishing village.

Safe Haven is divided into two large and distinct gameplay sectors. The first is the harbor area with plenty of cover where brawlers and heavily armored tank destroyers will fight face-to-face to decide who’s the strongest. The second is a picturesque green area where faster vehicles will feel more comfortable. There are also favorable firing points for artillery and ambushing TDs.

The main feature of the port is a huge bunker with a system of tunnels that are completely shielded from artillery fire. They will be an excellent shelter for heavy tanks, as well as a place for them to engage without being exposed to SPGs.

We’ll tell you more about Safe Haven and its gameplay features in a dedicated article shortly before its release, so stay tuned!

Improve Your Skills in Topography!

The most experienced commanders may sometimes find themselves returning to the Garage too soon because they've chosen the wrong direction or flank, even on the most familiar maps. And for those who have recently joined our tank community and don’t know where the key positions and shelters are in different locales, this can be even more frustrating. To help newcomers navigate maps in World of Tanks, we're introducing a new training mode—Topography.

In this single-player mode, you’ll be able to master the basics of playing on maps of different difficulty levels. The training will take place in a single mission format. First, you need to choose a map and one of four scenarios on it. The scenarios differ according to the base where you start the mission, as well as the vehicle type: armored or maneuverable.

Entering the battle, you’ll find yourself on the selected map with the objective of destroying AI-controlled opponents. To do this, you will need to move in different directions and travel to firing positions. A map is considered explored if you complete all 4 scenarios on it.

Completing all missions and exploring all maps will significantly improve your skills and prolong your time in battles. We'll tell you more about Topography in a dedicated article coming soon!

Ruinberg Map Rebalancing

Balance changes for the Ruinberg map have been added to the Common Test. The purpose of these changes is to fix the imbalance between the teams that is presently in favor of the lower base.

In the current version of the game, the team at the lower base has a significant advantage in taking control and holding positions in the suburban area in the eastern part of the map. This allows seizing the initiative in battle and significantly increasing the chance of winning it. The area is captured through the effective use of a convenient position in the central part of the map, which allows firing at enemy vehicles in the suburban area while staying relatively safe. Also, the arrangement of structures in the suburban area allows the lower base team to extend their advantage and control the battle both in the open part of the map and in the area of the city’s central crossroad and square.

The following changes are coming to the Update 1.14 Common Test:

• The arrangement of structures in the suburban area has been changed to make this area equally convenient for both teams
• The convenient position for the lower base in the central urban area has been changed
• The firing positions in the southeastern part of the map will become more dangerous for supporting allies in the suburban area as the chance of being spotted will be increased

Other Map Changes

During the Common Test, we want to test fixes for incorrect vehicle behavior on slopes and large objects such as stone blockages. On these surfaces, tanks can slide and roll down as if they were on ice.

We have a solution to fix this issue, but changing the required mechanics may lead to situations where vehicles can gain access to non-playable zones on the maps and cause gameplay issues. Our task is to identify as many of these situations as possible and assess the likelihood of fixing them before Update 1.14 hits live servers —or, if there are too many fixes, to migrate those improvements to the next version.

Your help with fixing this issue will be invaluable, so please let us know of any new surfaces where you experience this phenomenon, or non-playable zones on maps that have now become noticeably more accessible with the release of Common Test 1.

Interface Improvements

We're also adding a handy improvement to the Research Screen, module auto selling. Now, when purchasing a new module, you can check the box to sell the old one. You can even get more credits by selling the old module!

Plus, we’re introducing visual module dependency. If the cursor is hovering over any unmounted module that requires the installation of another module, such as a turret needing a certain chassis, the module is highlighted.

Changes to Personal Missions for Artillery

In Update 1.14, we'll simplify some Personal Missions for artillery. When reworking missions, we focused on more challenging tasks because they greatly affect your overall progress in Personal Missions. Less complex missions such as SPG-2.1, 2.2, SPG-4.1, 4.2 etc. do not require updating, because they are already achievable and easy to complete.

We tried to rework the missions for a certain amount of stun and damage, because these are the parameters that were changed in Update 1.13. The rest of the missions, in our opinion, do not require updating. The missions' changes, in numerical terms, are not so significant, because SPGs can still effectively stun enemy vehicles with the first shell and deal damage with the second one.

Check the reworked conditions out:

• The Long-Awaited Backup campaign:

• The Second Front campaign:

Frontline Is Back!

Epic battles in this 30v30 format are returning to the game, Commanders! There will be four Stages of Frontline in 2021, with the first one kicking off in August. Frontline’s core gameplay remains unchanged, but we’ve made some adjustments to this mode to make it more enjoyable. You may even be able to unlock Tier IX tanks to replace your Tier VIIIs during the course of the battle! Learn more details in our dedicated article.

Now’s the time to try out all these new features, Commanders! Join the Common Test and share your impressions!