The monocle did not sit properly. Von Krieger put it aside and took out of his secretary desk the old glasses he wore when he defended his thesis many years ago. Since then, his eyesight had worsened a little, but the glasses were enough to go through the papers in front of the engineer.

"The nerve of these people!" von Krieger finally snorted, then he snatched one sheet from a pile of papers. "Look what they say. They could have at least stated my full name. Is it a personal file or what? 'Max von Krieger, formerly known as Hoffman.' What am I to them—a fugitive lab assistant or what? My name is Maximilian Leonard von Krieger-Witthoffen, Baron zu Ledensburg. They could have learned it in all those years I worked for the Alliance. They owe me a lot, but I guess it's hard for the Harriers to memorize so many words at once."

Von Krieger took a pencil from behind his ear and moved it along the line, muttering what he was reading under his breath. His eyes, trained to read all the time, were able to catch all the important information in the text, but the university habit of following a line with a pencil never left him.

"'Born in 1900'—okay, correct. 'Technical University of Munich'—sure, close enough. But they could have specified the Mechanical Engineering Department. What do we have here? A scientific degree, publications in magazines, patents... Not bad. They managed to unearth most of it. Once again, I am convinced that professional life is more important to them than personal life. 'Max von Krieger.' Sounds like some countryside milkman! Oh, look what else they say: 'Was inspired by the works of Nikola Tesla and the developments of Thomas Edison.' Inspired! Yes, of course, I am familiar with their works, but all my main inventions are original and unique. The fact that I became close friends with electricity does not mean I was 'inspired by Tesla.' I might as well have been 'inspired by Zeus or Thor.'"

The engineer took a sip of the now cold coffee that Ermelinda made in the morning. Without coffee, he couldn't really work, collect his thoughts, and concentrate. This was probably his only bad habit.

"Oh, here's the paragraph about my relationship with the Alliance!" von Krieger exclaimed triumphantly. "Time to learn what nasty picture they're painting of me to their mercenaries. Let's see... 'Bypassed the ban on the construction of a combat vehicle weighing up to 80 tons.' Of course I did! What platform do they think I needed to mount the Gungnir on? The Opel Blitz? Or whatever kind of army tractor they have... 'Deliberately sabotaged the development of the project, destroying most of the technical documentation.'" At this point, the engineer suddenly laughed and threw the sheet of paper back on the desk.

"Do you hear what they're saying? Destroyed! Of course they cannot tell the truth to their watchdogs, because it greatly discredits them in the eyes of their mercenaries. I did not destroy anything—I made copies of all the documents I was interested in and made changes to the originals that were insignificant at first glance and completely invisible to their inexperienced eyes. Here, I changed 10 to 0.1 in the formula. I made some changes to the circuit diagram there. Somewhere else, I made some changes to the blueprints. For two years, they tried to assemble a mechanism that was designed to be inoperative! For two years, they didn't understand that they were following the wrong trail. And I worked hard. With such a head start, it wasn't difficult to make up for the mess that the Alliance caused by taking the laboratory and all the workshops. I basically built from scratch this entire industrial center, which is about to start assembling and modernizing itself! I created... WE created an indestructible barrier that Alliance amateurs can only dream of. You did a great job. I am very grateful to you for this dossier. The best gift imaginable—these papers only confirm that my opponents are completely helpless. See: 'Unmarried, no children.' Why do the Harriers even need this line? Not only is it useless, it's also a complete and utter lie. If only your mother knew that my former employer would brand me as a bachelor."

Von Krieger took another sip of coffee and took a hard look at Ermelinda.

"Do you know why they haven't found us yet? They don't know that outside their world of bureaucracy and corporate dominance, there's also this one where you and I are right now. They cannot even assume that I've not only learned to pass through the subspace (which they call 'teleportation' like simpletons!), but that I'm also able to stay in it for as long as I need. Needless to say, I brought all my developments here along with my laboratory and established a base. They're looking for us on the surface, you see? But they have no way to get here—both of our clashes only took place because I wanted them to. I needed it, not them. I needed a proving ground to perfect my work, so they sent the Harriers. You needed to fine-tune the Sentinels in a real battle, so they sent the Harriers. The Alliance, without knowing it, continues to help with my research—and even help with the technical progress for the whole world! Represented by me. We fooled them for the second time! The second time, we went into the shadows—here again, in the subspace, where we will continue our work for as long as it is required. Maybe I should send them a thank-you note via carrier pigeon? The experience gained is enough for several interesting technical solutions. Such a pity that we have to leave our impregnable Asgard to resupply... Here you can build an entire empire of technocrats. The perfect world I dreamed of when I was still a student..."

Von Krieger went silent and shoved the scattered pages of his own dossier into the secretary desk.

"Do you know what their main problem is? They consider me the enemy of all mankind. Almost all of them." The engineer took the letter from Villanelle that was laying separately on his desk and carefully put it in a folder with personal notes and important documents. "But all the aggression I show is aimed only at them. And only because they once betrayed me and deprived me of the opportunity to work for the good of humanity. Who knows if we will face them again, but trust me, daughter. We will be ready. One day, the Blitztrager will be history. One day, our photos will appear in textbooks, and I will return to the Technical University of Munich, at least in this form. In the meantime... Put the kettle on—time to get back to work."

Greetings, Commanders!

From September 27 through October 11, World of Tanks will host the Return of the Waffenträger event. Battles will be fought in the 7-vs-1 format on a select of maps. The Harriers will face the extremely powerful Blitzträger auf E 110, the creation of the formidable Max von Krieger. Let’s dig into the details.

CONTENTS

Return of the Waffenträger: Event Summary

• Battles take place in the 7v1 format on one of three lightly redesigned maps: Murovanka, Siegfried Line, and Steppes.

• Before the battle starts, you can choose one of the sides in the conflict.
  • The Harrier Squad (either a team of seven random players or a Platoon of up to three players—Dynamic Platoons are allowed) will rush into battle in extensively modified special vehicles: the Object 140, Bat.-Châtillon 25 t, and M48A5 Patton.
  • The Engineer faces them in the Blitzträger auf E 110, an incredibly powerful tank destroyer manned by a single player. He will be flanked by AI-controlled guards called Sentinels, which will be the third type of vehicle you will spot in the mode.
• Each team has its own objective. The Harrier Squad must disable the Blitzträger auf E 110’s protective energy shield and destroy this menacing vehicle within the allotted time. The Blitzträger auf E 110 must eliminate the Harrier Squad or hold out until time expires.
• To enter the battle in the Blitzträger auf E 110, you need to have a Key. You can earn it while playing the game mode or receive it as a part of special bundles in the Premium Shop. Keep reading to find out about one more way to get a Key for the Blitzträger auf E 110!
• The Return of the Waffenträger progression consists of four Stages and involves assembling the Harriers' Collection and the Engineer's Collection with different elements. Upon collecting a certain number of elements and reaching each Stage, you will receive valuable rewards. To fill the event progression meter and grab all rewards available in the event, you need to complete both Collections.
• The event’s main reward is the ASTRON Rex 105 mm, a brand-new Tier VIII Premium American medium tank, which can be obtained from the Vehicle Gate (more about this below) with a certain drop chance.
• You can also purchase it with the Engineer's Starters, special in-game keys you can earn during the event to activate the Engineer’s Gate which contains valuable loot. The Engineer's Starters will also be available as part of bundles in the Premium Shop.
• There are also the Harriers' Starters you can use to activate the Harriers’ Gate, which has a chance of dropping useful in-game items—and sometimes even the Engineer's Starters.

How to Start Playing

1. In your Garage, choose the “Return of the Waffenträger” mode in the drop-down menu to the right of the “Battle!” button.

2. Click the event banner in the lower-right corner of the screen.

3. Click the interactive 3D portal in your Garage.

The Harriers

On September 27, you will find three special vehicles to choose from in the event Garage - the Resistor, Thunderbolt, and Foudre. Choose one of the tanks and click the “Battle!” button to take on von Krieger's empowered vehicle!

Each Harrier Squad's battle hounds features its own battle role and general and several combat abilities.

The Harriers have three Lives (including the starting one), which means they can respawn just twice in a single battle.

How to Play

When the battle starts, the Blitzträger auf E 110 will be protected by an almost impenetrable energy shield, so it doesn’t make sense to shoot at it while this shield is active. From time to time, AI-controlled vehicles called Sentinels will spawn at certain points on the battlefield to assist the Engineer. When destroyed, Sentinels leave a load of Plasma that you need to pick up and deliver to Generators, indestructible power structures that appear in different parts of the map, changing location each time. They also create a protective shield for the Engineer.

The Harriers collect and use Plasma to overload Generators, thereby disabling the Engineer's shield for some time. Overloading a Generator with the Harriers works just like capturing the base in Random Battles. The more tanks in the cap circle, the faster it happens.

When you first pick up a load of Plasma, a certain amount of HP is restored for the entire team. Plus, having Plasma on board your vehicles increases the damage caused to von Krieger, so try not to miss any loads.

Once the Blitzträger auf E 110 is temporarily left without its protective shield, you have some time to deal full damage to it—don't forget to use your unique combat abilities! After that, the shield will be restored, and you’ll need to overload and destroy the next Generator. The damage you cause through the shield is greatly reduced, but it increases with each destroyed Generator.

After overloading and destroying the fourth and last Generator, the shield on von Krieger's machine will be permanently disabled, so take this opportunity to finish it off. But if the timer runs out with the Blitzträger still operational, von Krieger will win, so push yourself to the limit in the final stage of the battle!

Keep in mind that the Blitzträger auf E 110 has a new ability: Teleportation. It allows the Engineer to teleport to a selected point on the map with some delay. But when the protective shield disappears, Teleportation becomes unavailable, and after the destruction of the fourth Generator, this ability is blocked.

To succeed, the Harriers’ battle hounds must work together and act as a close-knit team. Fight in packs of three or four vehicles, destroy the Sentinels assisting the Blitzträger auf E 110, collect Plasma, and pay attention to the timer. Coordinate your efforts, as the chances of a single Harrier vehicle defeating the Engineer are close to nonexistent!

The Harriers’ Mission

Completing the Harriers’ mission will reward you with Keys that allow you to play as the Blitzträger auf E 110. Some of them will also reward you with Harriers' Starters (more on them below).

The Blitzträger auf E 110

To fight in the mighty and powerful Blitzträger auf E 110, you need a Key. There are three ways to get it:

1. Complete a special mission in Random Battles to earn one Key. The mission will be available on September 27 at 11:00 CEST (UTC+2) and will remain active until October 4 at 11:00 CEST (UTC+2). You need to win five Random Battles in Tier IV–X vehicles and be among the top 10 on your team by experience earned.

2. You can also earn Keys by completing special Harriers’ missions in the event.

3. Keys will also be available as a part of bundles starting from September 27 at 11:00 CEST (UTC+2) in the Premium Shop during the event.

There will be no compensation for unused Keys when the event ends on October 11 at 11:00 CEST (UTC+2).

The Blitzträger auf E 110 is a formidable tank destroyer with overwhelming firepower. Designed by Max von Krieger, this incredible feat of engineering is equipped with a gun with an autoloading mechanism. One penetrating shot can easily take away well over half of a Harrier vehicle’s entire HP pool. Plus, the Blitzträger auf E 110 features four additional (three active and one passive) combat abilities.

AI-controlled Sentinels are autonomous guards that spawn across the map. Their role is to deal damage to the Harriers and act as spotters for the Blitzträger.

How to Play

Although the Blitzträger auf E 110 is incredibly powerful and your shield reflects most of the damage you take, always keep in mind that you will be facing seven dangerous Harriers at once. If, at the end of the battle, the opposing team remains at full strength, you’ll be in trouble.

Try to confuse enemies, pick off stragglers, and support your Sentinels—don't let opponents collect loads of Plasma that can disable the Generators. Make full use of your combat abilities, constantly move around the battlefield, and take advantage of the new Teleportation ability. Protect the Generators at all costs, because if the Harriers destroy all four of them, the shield will disappear permanently and you will become vulnerable.

The Engineer’s Mission

Completing the Engineer’s mission will earn you Engineer’s Starters and the Engineer’s Collection Items (more on them below), including the von Krieger crew member.

Overtime Mechanics

The initial battle time is 6 minutes, but this can be increased to up to 15 minutes, thanks to the overtime mechanics, which can only trigger once per match. If at least one Harrier vehicle has a load of Plasma on board their vehicle, then the battle time will increase by the time remaining until it disappears (provided that the overtime mechanic has not yet been triggered).

If there are several loads of Plasma in the battle, then the load with the most time left will have its time added to the battle timer. The minimum amount of time that will be added to the battle timer when any of the Harrier vehicles is carrying Plasma is 30 seconds.

What happens if a Harrier vehicle with Plasma on board is within the Generator's capture radius?

• If overtime mechanics have not been triggered, then additional battle time will be added according to the rules above.
• If overtime mechanics have already been triggered, then the timer will remain at zero, but the battle will not end.
• If the Generator is captured, the battle will increase by the same amount of time as during a normal capture.
• If the player leaves the Generator's capture zone and the battle time expires, the Harrier Squad will lose and the match will end.

The Blitzträger auf E 220

If Lady Luck is on your side, you may encounter a special version of the Blitzträger in some battles: the E 220. This is a vehicle that only certain Wargaming employees and famous content creators can unlock. It features a unique camouflage pattern so you can easily identify it, should you meet it during the special Prime Times.

The Blitzträger auf E 220 has the same stats as the E 110. If you and your team manage to destroy the E 220, everyone on your team will receive a special medal and one Engineer’s Starter. Check out the dedicated article for additional information about the big E 220 hunt, including a list of participating content creators and prime hunting times!

The Medals

Achieve at least one victory over the Blitzträger auf E 110 or the Harrier Squad, and you will be decorated with the corresponding medal. There’s a third one, but getting it requires a bit of luck, as you need to defeat the Blitzträger auf E 220.

The Collections

The Return of the Waffenträger progression consists of four Stages and involves assembling the Harriers' Collection and the Engineer's Collection with different elements. Upon collecting a certain number of elements and reaching each Stage, you will receive valuable rewards. Join the event and gather event-themed vehicle customization elements from both the Harriers' and Engineer's Collections! To fill the event progression meter and grab all the event rewards, you need to complete both Collections.

Every customization Item in both Collections is unique—each one will drop just once. The Collections include styles, camos, emblems, inscriptions, decals, and, of course, the Harriers and Max von Krieger himself. These characters will become your crew members and come with exclusive voiceovers and 100% trained Sixth Sense as a zero perk. 

Each Harriers’ or Engineer’s Collection Item adds 1 Point to the event’s main progression meter. Completing each Stage of the main progression will yield you prizes, with the final reward being 3,000 bonds.

Dimension Gates and Rewards

For completing event missions, as well as for defeating the rare Blitzträger auf E 220, you will receive Starters, which are special keys for activating Dimension Gates. Through activated Dimension Gates, you’ll be able to get valuable loot, including Collection Items.

You can earn the Harriers' Starters for completing event missions while playing in Harrier Squad vehicles. These keys will allow you to activate the Harriers' Gate.

It will drop a unique Harriers’ Collection Item or a guaranteed prize from the list below:

By completing the missions, you earn Engineer’s Starters. These keys are used to activate the Engineer's Gate.

You can also get Engineer's Starters upon completing certain progression milestones, as well as from special bundles in the Premium Shop or when activating the Engineer's Gate (with a 5% drop rate) or the Harriers' Gate (a 1% drop rate).

Upon each activation, the Engineer's Gate may bring you in-game items from four different categories, each of which has its own drop rate. First, you will receive a guaranteed item from the following list:

But if the stars align for you, you have a 5% chance to get an Engineer’s Starter or a striking Harrier-themed 3D style for the Object 140, Bat.-Châtillon 25 t, or M48A5 Patton. Each 3D style can only drop once.

But the sweetest prizes are the menacing Tier VIII Premium tanks, including the brand-new ASTRON Rex 105 mm. Apart from this predator, you may receive a Premium vehicle with a Garage slot from the following list with a 2.4% drop rate:

If you spent 49 Engineer's Starters but still did not receive a Premium vehicle, then with the 50th activation of the Engineer's Gate, you are guaranteed to receive a random Premium tank with a Garage slot from the list above that you don't have yet.

If you receive a vehicle that is already in your Garage, then it will be replaced by any vehicle from the above list, and a Garage slot will also be added. If you already have all the vehicles from the list, then the cost of the dropped tank will be compensated with gold. These rules also work with Premium Tanks (guaranteed reward) if you spent 49 Engineer's Starters.

ASTRON Rex Gate

There’s also a special ASTRON Rex Gate that requires an Engineer's Starter to activate.

From it, you can receive a particular reward: the ASTRON Rex 105 mm, a brand-new Tier VIII Premium American medium tank.

To activate the ASTRON Rex Gate and get this menacing hunter, you need to collect 60 Engineer’s Starters. But if you get this tank from the Engineer's Gate before that, the Vehicle Gate will become inactive.

After the end of the event on October 11 at 11:00 CEST (UTC+2), all unused Keys to play in the Blitzträger auf E 110 will disappear, and the corresponding number of Dimension Gates will be activated automatically. All items from them will be automatically credited to your account. All event vehicles will be deducted and XP earned in them will be moved to the MS-1. All Collection Items, rewards, and loot from Dimension Gates remain with you permanently.

Special Bundles

These bundles include Keys that are required to play as the Blitzträger auf E 110. Plus, each bundle contains a certain number of event-themed decals to customize your vehicles, as well as Engineer’s Starters to activate the Engineer’s Gate for valuable loot. Additionally, three of the four available bundles include days of WoT Premium Account.

GET THE BUNDLES

Prime Gaming: Claim the High Voltage Package!

Along with the Return of the Waffenträger event, a new Prime Gaming bundle will become available, featuring Ermelinda Jung. The talented assistant of von Krieger, Ermelinda will be able to join the ranks of your commanders. Follow the news on official World of Tanks resources to learn all the details.

Catch the Drop  

Get ready to take on an empowered monstrosity of a vehicle and earn the right to command the Blitzträger auf E 110—and fight like the final boss!