Ministry of Balance Reports: Big Small Changes!

January 12, 2023

In this short update, we’re making a bunch of changes to gameplay, including revamps for the French destroyer and Italian cruiser Tech Trees.

French Destroyers

First, let's take a look at the changes to French destroyers. In the past, these ships have acted primarily as torpedo destroyers due to a combination of factors like the Go All Out skill, their fast torpedo reload, and their high speed. To make these ships match their ship designs more closely and change their role, we’re transforming them into gunboat destroyers. After all, they were designed to counter less well-armed counterparts.

That said, this change comes in the form of increased charges of Main Battery Reload Booster and improvements to their main battery shells, at the cost of torpedo performance:

III Bourrasque

Main battery armament
- Main battery reload speed improved from 6.6 to 6.3 s
- HE shell damage increased from 1,900 to 2,050
- AP shell damage increased from 2,300 to 2,450
Torpedo armament
- Stock torpedo reload speed reduced from 75 to 80 s
- Upgraded torpedo reload speed reduced from 73 to 75 s
- Upgraded torpedo speed increased from 58 to 59 kts

IV Jaguar

Main battery armament
- HE shell damage increased from 1,900 to 2,050
- AP shell damage increased from 2,300 to 2,450
Torpedo armament
- Stock torpedo reload speed reduced from 90 to 95 s
- Stock torpedo speed increased from 57 to 66 kts
- Upgraded torpedo reload speed reduced from 88 to 90 s
- Upgraded torpedo speed increased from 59 to 68 kts
- Both stock & upgraded torpedoes:
  - Torpedo detectability range increased from 1.2 to 1.4 km
  - Torpedo damage decreased from 18,400 to 14,833
  - Torpedoes are less likely to disable modules

V Guepard

Main battery armament
- HE shell damage increased from 2,000 to 2,200
- AP shell damage increased from 2,600 to 2,850
  - AP shell service cost increased from 0 to 12 credits per shell (this is fixing it to normal for a 138.6 mm shell)
- Main Battery Reload Booster charges increased from 1 to 2
- Main Battery Reload Booster cooldown time decreased from 150 to 120 s
Torpedo armament
- Stock torpedoes
  - Reload speed reduced from 90 to 95 s
  - Speed increased from 57 to 66 kts
  - Torpedo detectability range increased from 1.2 to 1.4 km
  - Torpedo damage decreased from 18,400 to 14,833
  - Torpedoes are less likely to disable modules
- Upgraded torpedoes
  - Speed increased from 59 to 68 kts
  - Torpedo detectability range increased from 1.2 to 1.4 km
  - Torpedo damage decreased from 18,400 to 14,833
  - Torpedoes are less likely to disable modules

VI Vauquelin

Main battery armament
- HE shell damage increased from 2,000 to 2,200
- AP shell damage increased from 2,600 to 2,850
- Main Battery Reload Booster charges increased from 1 to 2
- Main Battery Reload Booster cooldown time decreased from 150 to 120 s
Torpedo armament
- Stock torpedoes
  - Reload speed reduced from 90 to 95 s
  - Speed increased from 59 to 66 knots
  - Torpedo detectability range increased from 1.2 to 1.4 km
  - Torpedo damage decreased from 18,400 to 14,833
  - Torpedoes are less likely to disable modules
- Upgraded torpedoes
  - Reload speed reduced from 87 to 90 seconds
  - Speed increased from 61 to 68 kts
  - Torpedo detectability range increased from 1.2 to 1.4 km
  - Torpedo damage decreased from 18,400 to 14,833
  - Torpedoes are less likely to disable modules

VII Le Fantasque

Main battery armament
- HE shell damage increased from 2,000 to 2,200
- AP shell damage increased from 2,700 to 2,950
- Main Battery Reload Booster charges increased from 1 to 2
- Main Battery Reload Booster duration increased from 15 to 20 s
Torpedo armament
- Stock torpedoes
  - Reload speed reduced from 90 to 95 s
  - Torpedo detectability range decreased from 1.9 to 1.8 km
  - Torpedo damage decreased from 18,400 to 16,667
- Upgraded torpedoes
  - Reload speed reduced from 86 to 90 s
  - Speed increased from 70 to 72 knots
  - Torpedo detectability range decreased from 1.9 to 1.8 km
  - Torpedo damage decreased from 18,400 to 16,667
  - Torpedo range decreased from 8.3 to 8.0 km

VIII Mogador

Main battery armament
- Main Battery Reload Booster charges increased from 1 to 2
- Main Battery Reload Booster duration increased from 15 to 20 s
Torpedo armament
- Stock torpedoes
  - Torpedo damage decreased from 18,400 to 17,200
- Upgraded torpedoes
  - Torpedo damage decreased from 18,400 to 17,200

★ Kléber

Main battery armament
- Main Battery Reload Booster charges increased from 1 to 2
- Main Battery Reload Booster duration increased from 15 to 20 s
Torpedo armament
- Torpedo reload speed reduced from 77 to 85 s
- Torpedo damage decreased from 18,400 to 17,200

Tier IV Premium Siroco, Royal Navy Tier VII Premium Caprice, and German Tier VII Premium ZF-6 have also received the following changes to their Main Battery Reload booster:

• Main Battery Reload Booster charges increased from 1 to 2
• Main Battery Reload Booster cooldown time decreased from 150 to 120 s

This is because these ships share the same Main Battery Reload Booster as the tech tree ships (except Le Fantasque, Mogador, & Kleber), and therefore received the same improvements. This was not intended, but we consider it a happy accident as it should not cause any issues for game balance with these ships.

Italian Tech Tree Cruisers

In this update, the Italian Tech Tree cruisers from Tier II to Tier VII are receiving the option to equip Semi-Armor-Piercing (SAP) shells. You will have the choice of using HE or SAP shells when helming these ships, like with their Premium counterparts and Marco Polo. A few of these ships have also received improvements to their standard AP shells.

In regard to the increase in reload time for SAP shells, the majority of Italian cruisers have been performing well, with the exception of the lower tier ships. The results of testing show that giving SAP shells to a ship markedly increases her performance, so we aim to make this addition without overcooking the ships. If needed, changes can always be made in the future.

II Taranto

Upgraded main battery AP shell damage increased from 3,700 to 4,000

Added SAP upgrade module — Artillery: 150 mm/45 SK L/45-2 SAP

Increases reload time to 13 s
Changes HE to SAP ammunition
- SAP shell damage: 3,550
- Penetrates 42 mm of armor
- Ricochet angles: Can ricochet at 70 degrees; guaranteed to ricochet at 80 degrees

III Giussano

Added SAP upgrade module — Artillery: 152 mm/53 Ansaldo 1926 SAP

Increases reload time to 16.5 s
Changes HE to SAP ammunition
- SAP shell damage: 3,850
- Penetrates 42 mm of armor
- Ricochet angles: Can ricochet at 70 degrees; guaranteed to ricochet at 80 degrees

IV Montecuccoli

Added SAP upgrade module — Artillery: 152mm/53 OTO Model 1926 SAP

Increases reload time to 15.5 s
Changes HE to SAP ammunition
- SAP shell damage: 3,850
- Penetrates 42 mm of armor
- Ricochet angles: Can ricochet at 70 degrees; guaranteed to ricochet at 80 degrees

V Trento

Upgraded Main Battery AP Shell Damage increased from 4,800 to 5,100.

Added SAP upgrade module — Artillery: 203 mm/50 Ansaldo 1929 SAP

Increases reload time to 16.5 s
Changes HE to SAP ammunition
- SAP shell damage: 4,850
- Penetrates 55 mm of armor
- Ricochet angles: Can ricochet at 70 degrees; guaranteed to ricochet at 80 degrees

VI Zara

Added SAP upgrade module — Artillery: 203 mm/53 Model 1927 SAP

Increases reload time to 16 s
Changes HE to SAP ammunition
- SAP shell damage: 5,050
- Penetrates 55 mm of armor
- Ricochet angles: Can ricochet at 70 degrees; guaranteed to ricochet at 80 degrees

VII Amalfi

Upgraded main battery AP shell damage increased from 4,800 to 5,100.

Added SAP upgrade module — Artillery: 203 mm/55 Model 1934 SAP

Increases reload time to 17.5 s
Changes HE to SAP ammunition
- SAP shell damage: 5,200
- Penetrates 55 mm of armor
- Ricochet angles: Can ricochet at 70 degrees; guaranteed to ricochet at 80 degrees

HE Penetration Logic

This is a fundamental change to how all high-explosive (HE) munitions work in the game (main battery guns, ATBA guns, carrier bombs).

Before this change, HE of all types had to have greater penetration than the armor the shell (or bomb) struck. So, if an HE shell had 25 mm of penetration, it could only penetrate up to 24 mm of armor. This was called the "Greater Than" or "–1 Rule."

After this change, HE of all types will now penetrate armor that is thinner or equal totheir penetration value. So, if an HE shell has 25 mm of penetration, it can penetrate up to 25 mm of armor. We call this the "Equal To" rule.

In effect, this improves the effectiveness of HE shells and secondary battery guns in the game, the most improved ships will be light cruisers armed with 6-inch (152 mm) guns at Tiers V and VI. We’re aware of a few additional changes that may need to be made and will be watching impacted ships closely—in particular, the battleships at these tiers.

Miscellaneous

VII Vanguard

Finally, let's start the new year with a time-honored tradition—a Vanguard buff! This change makes the ship more consistent with the rest of the British battleship Tech Tree while marginally improving her overall performance.