Today we’d like to tell you more about the upcoming Shockwave Mode release plan and about the way it is coming to Armored Warfare.
As you know from the trailer and the past articles, the mode will be released on October 29, 2024 along with the rest of the update and will be available exclusively for Tier 10 vehicles. Players will be able to join either alone or in standard platoons. The mode uses a heavily modified version of the Al Dabbah map where the central base was completely overhauled in order to accommodate the intended gameplay.
The currency rewards will be comparable to Special Operations and, additionally, we’ll be launching a simple event where playing the mode daily will be rewarded with exclusive camouflages, gold and other valuable items, including an animated avatar.
The mode will be initially available during all hours but for one month only and will therefore go away somewhere along the launch of the upcoming Seahawks Battle Path which is planned for November.
During this initial “Season 0” period we’ll be gathering your feedback in order to improve the mode for the next season as much as we can. We’ll be opening special feedback-gathering polls as well as paying close attention to all our official channels. After that, we’ll let you focus on the Seahawks Battle Path (as well as other events we have prepared for December) and will focus on improving the Shockwave experience for proper Season 1, which is planned for 2025.
Since creating an entire new mode is a huge undertaking, there certainly will be some things we’ll only be able to address for Season 1 and that we are aware of. Most notably:
Ladder mechanism and a more elaborate reward system are still being worked on
Additional mode-specific items, events and other things are yet to be added (we’ll discuss them later on, for now we want to focus on the pure experience)
We hope that you’ll enjoy what we have built and will continue building as the ultimate endgame mode of Armored Warfare and, as always:
See you on the battlefield!
XK3 Name Contest: Voting
Commanders!
As you already know, we are running a contest to give the XK3 MBT a proper name. We have gathered your submissions and would now like you to vote for your favorite one.
As you already know from the Shockwave announcement, we’ll be overhauling the mechanism of all PELE shells in the game.
The reason for that is that, currently, PELE shells internally use no fewer than three or four separate mechanisms and their variants. That is why there are PELE groups that behave consistently while other PELE shells seem to not work at all. In the Shockwave update, we’ll be unifying them all under one mechanism.
The core mechanism in question is that of the HESH shells. Some of the older players might remember that this is how the PELE shells first started before being changed several times. This represents a compromise between realism and usefulness which we tested several times (both internally and by selected groups of players). We developed several variants but in the end, this one had the best feedback and offered the most utility while being sufficiently different from armor-piercing shell mechanics.
The difference was important as PELE shells are inert in real life and a fully realistic introduction would just turn them into AP shells with potentially higher damage but considerably lower penetration and that just doesn’t work very well based on your feedback. Most PELE shells in the game belong to autocannons and pretty much each of those already has its own AP shells. We wanted to introduce something different that would be more usable than simple AP in certain situations. The mechanics are, of course, somewhat modified compared to the standard HESH rounds in order to accommodate higher rates of fire and other aspects.
There are two rather special cases when it comes to PELE shells – high-caliber PELE rounds of the Arjun (Penetration Cum Blast) and Wilk XC-8. Here’s how we dealt with them.
Wilk’s PELE shells will become considerably more powerful, no way around it. Given how fragile the Wilk is, we don’t feel it’s that big of an overkill to return the powerful PELE rounds it was once known for
Arjun already has HESH rounds and PELE (PCB) shells will serve simply as an upgrade to them
We hope you’ll enjoy the new PELE shells and, as always:
See you on the battlefield!
Offer: AbramsX
Commanders!
Today we’ve prepared the following items for you:
M8 Ridgway skin for M8-120 Thunderbolt II
Warhammer Skin for M1A2
AbramsX Tier 10 Premium Main Battle Tank
MPF Tier 10 Premium Light Tank
Griffin 120mm Tier 8 Premium Light Tank
Bradley AAWS-H Tier 8 Premium Tank Destroyer
Stryker ADATS Tier 9 Premium Tank Destroyer
M1A1 Storm Tier 7 Premium Main Battle Tank (with Desert Storm bundle)
Treasure Trove with 10.000 Gold
Battle Path Boosters
Between October 17 and October 24, 2024, the following items will be available:
M8 Ridgway Skin
This skin for the M8-120 Thunderbolt II Tier 9 Light Tank is based on our idea of what would the M8 have looked like, had it been a part of Operation Just cause, the American invasion of Panama. Its look is based off an existing M551 Sheridan “Airborne Thunder”, which participated in the said operation. You can read more in our dedicated article.
The skin is available as a part of the Ridgway Bundle, which contains the following items:
This skin for the M1A2 Tier 8 progression Main Battle Tank is based on the real American Abrams tanks, which were seen and photographed during the Iraq War. You can read more about it in our dedicated article.
This skin is available in a bundle along with the following items:
Iraq War ochre base paint (used by the U.S. Army)
U.S. Cavalry decal
U.S. Company decal
Thunderbolt decal (this historical decal appeared on a real early Abrams in honor of General Creighton Abrams’ personal Sherman tank during the Second World War)
Please note that the bundle includes the skin but not the M1A2 MBT itself. This tank needs to be obtained via progression directly in the game.
This bundle is available in our Web Shop.
AbramsX
AbramsX is an advanced technology demonstrator. It was built as a private venture by General Dynamics Land Systems and unveiled in 2022 to show what the future of the Abrams MBT could look like. It is considerably lighter than a fully upgraded Abrams while retaining its protection levels and firepower thanks to its cutting edge systems. You can read more about it in our dedicated article.
In Armored Warfare, the AbramsX is a Tier 10 Premium Main Battle Tank. While still maintaining the basic Abrams line features such as a 120mm gun, it is considerably lighter and less armored. On the other hand it is also faster, more agile, stealthier, and features a 30mm autocannon that can reduce most light vehicles to a pile of scrap in seconds thanks to its new ammunition. As a result, this tank can dish out a lot of damage but requires careful and skilled gameplay.
The AbramsX Tier 10 Premium MBT is available in our Web Shop via Loot Crates. Collect 100 blueprint pieces from these crates to obtain the vehicle.
MPF Light Tank
The General Dynamics Light Tank prototype is one of the contenders in the U.S. Mobile Protected Firepower program to replace the Stryker platform in the fire support role for the U.S. Airborne forces. It is one of very few modern Light Tanks in existence. You can read more about it in our dedicated article.
In Armored Warfare, the MPF is a Tier 10 Premium Light Tank. Within its class, it’s one of the heaviest and the best protected specimen with its hull protected by NERA armor capable of absorbing damage in the initial stages of battle. With its powerful 120mm gun and decent mobility, it is a decent front-line fighter, holding its own even in the thickest of fighting.
The MPF Tier 10 Premium LT is available in our Web Shop via Loot Crates. Collect 100 blueprint pieces from these crates to obtain the vehicle.
Griffin 120mm
The Armored Warfare version of the Griffin Light Tank is based on an early 2016 tech demonstrator, intended to show the U.S. military during the AUSA 2016 conference that General Dynamics meant business. It was built as a private venture; effectively a scaled-up example of General Dynamics was capable of providing when it came to highly mobile vehicles with a lot of firepower for the U.S. airborne forces. The U.S. Army was impressed and the design has since evolved into what is generally referred to as the MPF Light Tank. You can read more about this vehicle in our dedicated article.
In Armored Warfare, the Griffin 120mm is a Tier 8 Premium Light Tank and a powerful, fast machine, armed not only with its 120mm cannon, but also with special ammunition types, making it deadly at any distance. Few Tier 9 vehicles can match its sheer ferocity on the battlefield.
This bundle is available in our Web Shop.
Bradley AAWHS
The Bradley AAWS-H Tank Destroyer was an attempt by Loral Vought to mount four kinetic guided missiles on an extendable arm while using the Bradley IFV chassis as a platform. Kinetic missiles were cutting edge tech back in the 1980s – unlike standard ATGMs, they destroyed the target by their kinetic energy instead of a HEAT warhead, accelerating to several times the speed of sound. There was little to no defense against them, although they did have some drawbacks, which was why they were never adopted in real life. You can read more about the vehicle in our dedicated article.
In Armored Warfare, the Bradley AAWS-H is a Tier 8 Premium Tank Destroyer. It’s an ATGM-based TD, carrying special kinetic missiles that actually become more effective with increasing distance to your target. It is the embodiment of a long-range missile carrier and is perfect for players who prefer sniping to close combat.
This bundle is available in our Web Shop.
Stryker ADATS
ADATS stands for “Air Defense Anti-Tank System,” describing its purpose very well. The system is intended to engage both air and ground armored targets. It was developed in the 1980s by a Swiss company called Oerlikon-Contraves and was offered as an interesting hybrid that would be able to deal with both Soviet tanks and helicopters or attack planes. Unfortunately for it, it came too late – only Canada would actually accept it in service and the end of the Cold War meant the end to all attempts at its large-scale introduction. The ADATS missiles were quite large but, more importantly, extremely fast and were certain to be extremely destructive to any Soviet armored targets, even though this thankfully never had to be tested in real combat. The ADATS turret was offered for a wide variety of platforms and was actively installed on a vehicle that is kind of like a cousin to the Stryker, the Canadian LAV-III. In this configuration, the vehicle was called MMEV.
In Armored Warfare, Stryker ADATS is a Tier 9 Premium Tank Destroyer. It is a wheeled vehicle armed with two weapon systems – powerful long-range guided missiles and short-range unguided rockets, offering it some survivability in short range combat as well as the ability to deal tremendous damage if left to its devices.
This bundle is available in our Web Shop.
M1A1 Storm with Desert Storm bundle
In 1985, the Abrams was upgraded with, amongst other things, the 120mm M256 smoothbore cannon. Over 5000 M1A1 tanks were produced until 1992. This tank participated in Operation Desert Storm, which forged its legendary reputation.
In Armored Warfare, the M1A1 Storm is a Tier 7 Premium Main Battle Tank. The M1A1 Storm look was inspired by Operation Desert Storm, including a gorgeous camouflage net model. But, more importantly, this tank is equipped with a massive frontal dozer blade, adding extra armor and ramming damage to the long list of its advantages.
This vehicle is also available in the Desert Storm Bundle. As its name suggests, the bundle contains several Operation Desert Storm and War in Iraq-related items, including:
M1A1 Storm Tier 7 Premium MBT
Warhammer skin for the M1A2 Tier 8 MBT
Iraq War ochre base paint (used by the U.S. Army)
American Red Desert MERDC camouflage
American Grey Desert MERDC camouflage
U.S. Flag decal
U.S. Flag banner
This bundle is available in our Web Shop.
Treasure Trove
Today, we have a special offer for you. A veritable treasure trove of 10.000 Gold awaits you at a discounted price.
Please note that this item can only be purchased once per user. You can find out more about Gold and its uses in our dedicated article.
The following Battle Coin booster bundles are available:
5 Battle Coin boosters (15% off)
10 Battle Coin boosters (30% off)
15 Battle Coin boosters (40% off)
20 Battle Coin boosters (50% off)
Please note: In order to use boosters, you need to obtain the access to the Tales from the Dark Battle Path
This bundle is available in our Web Shop.
We hope that you will enjoy this offer and, as usual:
See you on the battlefield!
Server Maintenance
On the 17th of October 2024, starting from 8:00 CEST, the server will not be available for 2 hours due to a planned server maintenance.
Please note that the maintenance can be extended beyond the abovementioned timeframe. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Introducing the Shockwave Update
Commanders!
We’re finally happy to introduce “Shockwave”, the largest Armored Warfare update in recent history, is coming this autumn.
Without further ado, here’s what you can look forward to.
Shockwave – Part 1
Shockwave mode – a new endgame cooperative PvE in-game mode in which players must survive progressively tougher enemies to see who survives the longest. The mode will be accompanied by a special event with unique prizes. You can read more about it in our dedicated article
New sounds – the T-72 series and several other vehicles are getting new engine sounds as the first step in the announced sound overhaul. You can read more about them in our dedicated article
Pipelines map overhaul – we have overhauled the visuals of the Pipelines PvP map to improve the graphics of Armored Warfare. You can read more about it in our dedicated article
Dynamic decals – you can now place your decals pretty much anywhere on the vehicle. You can read more about it in our dedicated article
PELE overhaul – all PELE shells are changing their mechanics to improve their usefulness. No more various PELE shells with a different mechanic each. This feature will be described in a future article
This update will be followed by its second part:
Shockwave – Part 2
Drones and Anti-Drone Measures – a new type of gameplay is making its appearance in Armored Warfare. Several existing vehicles will be equipped with attack or recon drones. Other vehicles will receive new airburst shells to fight them as well as active abilities. You can read more about them in our dedicated article.
The Shockwave update will of course come with its own bug fixes and other smaller quality of life improvements to the game. Additionally, we’re working on the recently announced Seahawks Battle Path that’ll give you even more things to do in the game.
We hope that you’ll enjoy the update and, as always:
See you on the battlefield!
In Development: Dynamic Decals
Commanders!
This autumn’s update is bringing a lot of features. There are the drones, a new game mode, overhauled Pipelines, engine sounds for the T-72 series... and that’s still not all. Today we’d like to tell you about yet another feature that’s making its way to Armored Warfare, the Dynamic Decals.
Now, the entire idea is really simple. The in-game decals can now be moved, rotated (by holding Alt and scrolling your mouse wheel) and their size can be changed (by holding Shift and scrolling your mouse wheel). Here’s a demonstration of the system:
Please note that the system still has some limitations:
This system only applies to decals, not to battalion emblems
There still are just two decals per vehicle
Decals cannot be placed on ERA or other additional armor plates, they will always appear on the base hull of the vehicle
As you can see, this is only the first iteration of the system. We will continue to develop it so it is more practical in the future. Until then:
See you on the battlefield!
Contest: Name the XK3
Commanders!
If you are following our news, you know already that the top prize of the upcoming Battle Path (called “Seahawks”) is the XK3 Main Battle Tank. And you already know that we have promised to let you name it in a contest. This is that contest.
The rules are really simple. Write your suggestion (along with your in-game name) in this form until October 20, 2024 (23:59 CEST). Once the submission phase is over, the acceptable names will be put to a vote by you.
The winner will receive the access to the Seahawks Battle Path along with 225.000 Battle Coins (enough to unlock the XK3 on the first day). Additionally, the vehicle will be named so in the game with a mention of the winning player’s name in its description.
Please note:
The submission phase ends on October 20, 2024 at 23:59 CEST
The name has to be in English or at least written with Latin alphabet
Foreign names are translated to be in English. Names in foreign languages will not be accepted (so, for example, the Russian word Bars would have to be submitted as “Snow Leopard”), the manner of translation is your responsibility
One submission allowed per player
If two players make the same suggestion, only the earlier one will make it into the voting
Suggestions must not include inappropriate words, terms or connotations
We reserve the right to discard any such inappropriate submissions based on our judgment
The prize will be handed out with or after the launch of the Seahawks Battle Path
We hope that you’ll enjoy the contest and, as always:
See you on the battlefield!
In Development: Endgame PvE Mode
Commanders!
We’d like to finally unveil the single largest feature of the upcoming autumn update (alongside drones), which is a brand-new endgame competitive PvE mode.
The mode will be the first full (that is, constantly available) game mode since the introduction of Special Operations.
The idea behind it is simple. You find yourselves somewhere in the desert in Sudan. A corporation hired your team to defend the last solar-powered water purification plant in the region. But what they failed to mention is that there’s a veritable army of hostile mercenaries coming to take control of it and you are all that stands between them and their prize. There’s no coming out of this one... or is there?
In this mode, a team of 5 players (much like standard PvE) defends the plant against incoming waves of enemies with each wave progressively more difficult than the last. The enemies are after the base and their objective is to get to the center of it and capture it (or destroy all of you).
Your goal is to survive for as long as you can because that’s the true measure of success in this mode. But there are other differences compared to regular PvE modes:
This mode will be available for Tier 10 vehicles only, no exceptions
There is no time limit – you die or the enemies capture the base, but you cannot outlast them by passive gameplay
There is no vehicle limit – it’s up to you what you take in the match but you will need every bit of firepower to perform well
There are no respawns – once you’re dead, that’s it
Enemy vehicle waves spawn together and each wave arrives from one of several different directions (the types of enemies and directions are randomized so no two matches will be identical)
Enemy vehicle wrecks despawn immediately upon destruction and therefore cannot be used for cover (this is to accommodate large numbers of hostile vehicles)
New enemy types will appear in this mode (vehicles that cannot be seen in any other mission)
Ammunition will replenish automatically (periodically, with a sound indicator) – ammo is effectively infinite
You will not be able to complete contracts or Battle Path missions in this mode (at least, initially)
Difficulty-wise, as you can guess from the term “endgame”, this mode will be punishing – the ultimate test of skill. But the rewards will be major as well with plenty of Credits, Experience and Battle Coins awarded to active players. And that’s not all, of course:
An event will be tied to the launch of this mode, allowing you to earn epic camouflages, Gold or even an animated avatar!
In the next iteration, we will add a public, seasonal scoreboard with kills/survival times and special (epic) prizes for top players
The launch of this mode can be regarded as “Season 0” or, more appropriately, a limited trial run. We’ll be gathering your feedback, of course, and will act upon it – so don’t hesitate to let us know what you think.
Rest assured that we are committed to this mode and will be steadily improving it in the months following the release with new mechanics, new events and everything else we have in plans.
We hope that you will enjoy this new experience and, as always:
See you on the battlefield!
Seahawks Battle Path: Info and Preorder
Commanders!
Today, we’d like to tell you more about the upcoming Seahawks Battle Path campaign as a whole along with the changes and improvements we’ve prepared for you.
Preorder
You can now secure the access to the Battle Path early (and with preorder-exclusive items) in the Web Shop “Battle Path” section. The following bundles are available:
Seahawks access with the Seahawk (Early) camouflage and the Desert Hawk decal
Seahawks access with 50.000 Battle Coins, the Seahawk (Early) camouflage and the Desert Hawk decal
Seahawks access with 10 Battle Coin boosters, the Seahawk (Early) camouflage and the Desert Hawk decal
The Seahawk (Early) camouflage is based on the woodland pattern used by the Seahawks during their early Balkans campaign. For more details about the Battle Path, please read below.
The shop can be accessed in the game by pressing the shopping basket icon in the upper left corner.
Seahawk Legacy
The concept of this Battle Path ties in to what’s going on with Armored Warfare right now. As you can see from the multiple “autumn update” posts, we’re having a bit of a renaissance here. With that come new players and judging from the popularity of the Special Operations mode and the questions being asked, some are definitely interested in Armored Warfare’s lore.
With this Battle Path, we’re going back to the concept of story-driven events and diaries. The Seahawks Battle Path narrates the Seahawks story which the Black Company Special Operations directly follow, from the very beginning (introducing the world of Armored Warfare) to the events that took place right before the beginning of Rate of Decay.
Now, some of you know the story already – perhaps you have even been playing since 2017 when the tale got told for the first time. Not to worry, we’ve prepared a lot of other things to motivate you to enter this Battle Path than just the story – although it’ll be great to see it come to life with brand-new Diary illustrations instead of just texts. For the first time, the story will also be available in Russian.
Prizes
Speaking of motivating, there will be 50 levels packed full of prizes. As usual, we’ve prepared three brand-new vehicles for you:
Cheonma-2 Tier 10 Premium MBT for reaching Level 20
These aren’t directly tied to a story but each of them represents a looted Clayburn Industry facility as Andrew Clayburn does like to acquire interesting prototypes for his R&D department. Each of these is a Tier 10 Premium vehicle with a separate, unique gameplay but we’re just getting started. This Battle Path will offer three Premium commanders as well:
Joshua Seagrove for reaching Level 11
Kathryn Grey for reaching Level 15
Fedor Sokolov for reaching Level 17
These commanders have been around for a long time but, for this event, we have decided to give them an overhaul that will be available for the Battle Path’s release (and yes, the overhaul also includes Samuel Thorpe from the previous Battle Path). If you have these commanders already, you will receive Battle Coins instead.
But that’s still not all. We took a lot of inspiration from the 2017 Storyline Campaign and included a number of other prizes that had appeared in it before. Specifically:
Stingray “Black Eagle” Premium LT and all the Black Eagle skins
T-72 Victory Premium MBT
Sabre Premium AFV
And, of course, there’s the Abrams AGDS Tier 9 Premium Tank Destroyer that originally appeared as the event’s top prize. The rest of the prizes (camouflages, decals and more) are brand-new or reimagined.
And last but not least, there will be several Seahawk Loot Crates waiting for you, which include:
If you have one of these vehicles already and it drops for you, you will receive its full price in Gold.
All that – for the same price as before. Lower in fact, as we reduced the price per Level from 5.000 Battle Coins to 4.500 Battle Coins.
Battle Coin Shop Update
As usual, we’re updating the Battle Coin shop. However, instead of simply adding new things, we are (based on your feedback) lowering the prices across the board. The prices now follow this system:
All Tier 10 vehicles now cost 75999 Battle Coins
All Tier 9 vehicles now cost 55999 Battle Coins
All Tier 8 vehicles now cost 35999 Battle Coins
All Tier 7 vehicles now cost 21999 Battle Coins
All Tier 6 vehicles now cost 12999 Battle Coins
All Tier 5 vehicles and below now cost 5999 Battle Coins
Camouflages and base paints now cost 5999 Battle Coins
Most skins now cost 19999 Battle Coins (except for the most epic ones which now cost 44999 Battle Coins)
Mission Overhaul
Once again, we are changing the mission requirements but this time, we updated the Elite missions as well. In Seahawks, the mission chains will include:
Bulwark vehicles (older German and Soviet machines)
Mauler vehicles (cutting edge German machines)
Remnant vehicles (Polish machines)
The Elite missions are replaced by Seahawk missions (requiring Seahawk vehicles). In case these faction names are unfamiliar to you, they come from a story that preceded even the Seahawk tale and we’ll refresh your memory (or introduce them again) in the future. For now, the important part is that:
Each of the three chains rewards you with Battle Coin boosters and a single Seahawk Loot Crate
The Seahawk missions (previously Elite missions) award you with Abrams AGDS (or its full price in Gold if you have it already)
Conclusion
The rest of the Battle Path remains mostly the same. The Battle Path is currently planned to launch in November but, as usual, the specific date will be announced a bit later.
We hope you’ll enjoy this Battle Path as much as we enjoyed designing it and, as always:
