Expansion, whatever the term may mean in any given context, is often a driving force of change for those involved—sometimes good, sometimes bad. We couldn't bring you something bad, of course, so meet the new Early Access battleships of the Italian fleet. These ships further expand its ranks and are ready to add their deep voice to the chaotic symphony of naval battles.

Researchable Battleship Line

Despite the Regia Marina already having in-game access to ships of the heaviest type for some time, namely Giulio Cesare at Tier IV and Roma at Tier VII—we will talk more about her below—the battleships' arrival in the welcoming harbor of Early Access with personal missions for each of them is a significant step forward in terms of variability.

The branch will, of course, become fully researchable in the next Update. This will create a lot of options for BB players and even bring a new game mechanic to the table—more on that later!

Let's quickly check in with the Early Access framework. In short, nothing has changed—you can get the Italian battleships from Tier III Dante Alighieri all the way to Tier VI Francesco Caracciolo in the dedicated crates, both regular and big ones. Italian Battleships Big Crates have the guarantee system active, which means a ship, including Tier IV Premium battleship Giulio Cesare, will drop at least once per each 20 containers opened. To check the exact drop rates, please visit https://wowslegends.com/containers/. The ships come with personal missions—one each, available to complete until May 16—and they will reward you with Commander Progression items and doubloons. Tier VII Vittorio Veneto, the crown jewel of the line, will be up for grabs when the next Update hits, as usually happens with the ultimate ships of Early Access branches. 

As for the aforementioned new mechanic, it touches the very core of the game, albeit only slightly for now. Secondary batteries of all Italian battleships of the new line are equipped with Semi-AP (SAP) shells. These shells are an alternative to HE shells and deal high damage when penetrating armor but no damage in case of ricochets or no penetration. SAP shells do not cause fires or splash damage.

The current Update also sees the addition of Azur Lane Littorio—a new Commander specifically designed to helm Italian battleships. Her Base Trait and unique skill substantially increase your ship’s survivability, while her skill tree is focused on improving the accuracy of your artillery. That's a neat combination! You can acquire her either directly or from Azur Lane III crates, with duplicate protection turned on. 

All in all, the new line offers pretty straightforward gameplay. You may start with Dante Alighieri, a dreadnought equipped with 12-inch (305 mm) guns in a 4x3 configuration. Dante will also give you your first taste of SAP secondaries, which can shred unaware destroyers, but you have to get very close—too close for comfort in fact. Conte di Cavour very much builds on the strengths of her predecessor with extra armor and HP, and her guns are mounted in 2x2 and 3x3 configurations. Tier V Andrea Doria ups the ante with 12.6-inch (320 mm) guns and a significantly boosted AA suite. At Tier VI, we find Francesco Caracciolo—quite a unique offering with guns now reaching 15-inches (381 mm) in caliber; Exhaust Smoke Generator (!!!); and the farthest reach for SAP-slinging secondaries, which is only 4.5 kilometers. Otherwise, the ship is quite well-rounded. One of the weak links of the whole line is their comparatively low speed and average maneuverability, but let's be honest, those are rarely the advantages of battleships. 

The next Update will bring in the key piece of the line—Tier VII Vittorio Veneto, which keeps the guns but switches up the configuration from 4x2 to 3x3, gets some more meat in the hull, and offers up plane consumables to choose from in place of Enhanced Secondary Targeting. The SAP secondaries also reach as far as 5 kilometers, so perhaps some attempts at secondary meme builds are warranted but that's obviously not the main strength of the ship. Vittorio will be researchable along with all the previous ships starting March 7.

Roma, Tier VII Premium Battleship

Sure, Roma is not a new ship. She has been in the game for quite some time, but she was a pretty rare sight. With the right amount of Global XP saved—750,000, to be precise—you can now add her to your collection. Her speed, maneuverability, solid armor, and torpedo defense, along with her heavy-hitting guns, make for a pretty compelling case to pick her up! 

To make the glorious ship look even better, check the Store to pick up an Azur Lane-themed look for Roma.

Gorizia, Tier VI Premium Cruiser

A scary potential opponent for the cruisers of her time, partly due to her displacement exceeding the Washington Treaty limitations, and partly thanks to strong armament and thick armor. Gorizia is making her debut in our waters—access to Exhaust Smoke Generator calls for a specific playstyle pattern, but there's no need to narrow her potential and flexibility to only that. She's also subject to the latest Tier VI Premium ship cost decrease and will arrive in the Store at the price of 12,500 doubloons.

Expand your fleet, and turn the tide!