World of Warplanes 2.0.4 Patchnotes

New Game Event: Operation Westwall | Game Mode: Invasion | Game Mode: Attrition | New Aircraft | Balance Changes for Aircraft | Game Locations | Bots | Paint Schemes and Decorations | Other Changes

Brace yourselves for Update 2.0.4! With this latest update, we're introducing the first opportunity to try out two brand new game modes, 'Invasion' and 'Attrition', alongside the new in-game event, Operation Westwall. Two high-flying new Premium warplanes are being added to the game as rewards for completing the event, while you can also look forward to new maps and other awesome changes. Read on to find out what's new and different in Update 2.0.4!

New In-Game Event: Operation Westwall

A brand new global event, Operation Westwall, will last across six weekends in March and April, with players being able to fight in the brand new game modes, Invasion and Attrition. The game modes will alternate every week, and will only be available during the following time frames:

• Invasion: March 2 at 18:00 UTC – March 5 at 02:00 UTC
• Attrition: March 9 at 18:00 UTC – March 12 at 02:00 UTC
• Invasion: March 16 at 18:00 UTC – March 19 at 02:00 UTC
• Attrition: March 23 at 18:00 UTC – March 26 at 02:00 UTC
• Invasion: March 30 at 18:00 UTC – April 2 at 02:00 UTC
• Attrition: April 6 at 18:00 UTC – April 9 at 02:00 UTC

Players who complete the event will be rewarded with not just one, but two grand prizes. To receive the two main rewards, players need to complete two associated marathon sets of missions, the awards for which will be the Dornier Do 335 A-1 Pfeil, a German Tier VIII Heavy Fighter, and the Curtiss XF-15C, an American Tier VIII Fighter. Missions can be completed only during the scheduled times listed above, and only on aircraft Tiers VI-X (tiers lower than this will play Conquest). On weekdays, the main game mode Conquest will instead be available.

Game Mode: Invasion

Invasion is an asymmetrical multiplayer game mode where one team must capture all sectors held by the other team in the allotted time.

An attacking combat group increases their allotted time for completing the operation by capturing enemy sectors. A defending combat group must retain control of at least one sector in their allotted time in order to win. The number of reserve aircraft is also limited: an attacking group has 20 reserve aircraft, while a defending group has only 10. However, defending teams are backed up by anti-aircraft defence and AA guns.

Sectors lost to the attacking team cannot be recaptured. Destroying all enemy aircraft will also bring victory to the team. Additionally, the attacking teams can use all aircraft types, while Fighters, Heavy Fighters, and Multirole Fighters are the only aircraft types that can be used by defending teams.

Game Mode: Attrition

Attrition is a mode for fans of gritty dogfights. The goal is to deprive the enemy team of resources by destroying their aircraft. Each destroyed aircraft deprives the enemy of one resource. By capturing sectors, players can increase the value of each enemy aircraft destroyed. Two sectors under the team's control will double the number of resources lost by the enemy, three sectors will triple the number, and so on.

The number of reserve aircraft per team is limited only by their resources. Aircraft respawn in groups with several recently destroyed teammates. A team that manages to fully deplete their enemy's resources first will win the battle.

New Aircraft

Take part in the Operation Westwall event to get your hands on the Luftwaffe's newest and most terrible weapon, and the Fighter sent in by the Allies to stop it in its tracks:

• Dornier Do 335 A-1 Pfeil - Tier VIII German Heavy Fighter
• Curtiss XF15C - Tier VIII American Fighter

Balance Changes for Aircraft

USSR

• TRS-132 rockets (Ilyushin IL-40, Ilyushin IL-40P) now have increased damage and a reduced blast radius. The effect of the top rockets will be more significant compared to the stock rockets.
• Tomashevich Pegasus: the damage model has been updated.

Germany

• Dornier Do 17 Z, Junkers Ju 88 A, Dornier Do 217 M: the aiming speed has been increased for the front turret. We have slightly changed the depression and elevation angles of the top and bottom turrets; now their fields of fire slightly overlap.
• Heinkel He 100 D-1, Messerschmitt Me 210: the damage models have been updated.

USA

• Bell XP-77: the damage model has been updated, and the chance of damage to the engine has been reduced.
• Chance-Vought XF4U-1: the damage model has been updated.

China

• 100 lb bombs (Curtiss Hawk III): we have adjusted the damage they deal to equalize them with equivalent bombs for aircraft from other nations.

Game Locations

The new game locations, Arctic Region and Albion, and twelve map layouts based on the new locations have been added for Conquest mode:

• Arctic Region: Winter War — Tier I–III
• Arctic Region: Ancient Hills — Tier I–III
• Arctic Region: Fire and Ice — Tier III–IV
• Arctic Region: Bitter Expanse — Tier III–IV
• Arctic Region: Alarming News — Tier III–IV
• Albion: Trump Card — Tier VI–IX
• Albion: Iron Will — Tier VII–X
• Albion: Final Argument — Tier VII–X
• Albion: Gordian Knot — Tier VII–X
• Albion: Balance of Forces — Tier VII–X
• Albion: Sphere of Influence — Tier VII–X
• Albion: Wings of War — Tier VI–IX

Eight map layouts have been added to the new game mode, Invasion:

• Archipelago: Pearl Islands — Tier IV–VI
• Scorching Sands: Desert Strike — Tier IV–VI
• Peripheral Mission: Cold Reality — Tier IV–VII
• Asian Border: Ancient River — Tier V–VIII
• Plateau: Expansion — Tier V–IX
• Road to Rome: Offensive — Tier VI–X
• Albion: Attack on the Coast — Tier VI–X
• Northern Bridgehead: Steel Avalanche — Tier VI–X

Eight map layouts have been added to the new game mode, Attrition:

• Archipelago: Reconnaissance by Fire — Tier IV–VI
• Scorching Sands: Edge of the World — Tier IV–VI
• Peripheral Mission: Snowy Shore — Tier IV–VII
• Asian Border: Surprise Effect — Tier V–VII
• Plateau: Weapon of Revenge — Tier V–IX
• Road to Rome: Trap — Tier VI–X
• Albion: Gordian Knot — Tier VI–X
• Alpine Gambit: Moment of Truth — Tier VI–X

A new type of sector, Stronghold, has been added to map layouts for the game modes Invasion and Attrition. Ground targets for this sector are heavily armoured, but the defence system does not include air defence aircraft, and consists of powerful batteries of light and high-altitude AA guns. The most effective aircraft types when capturing this sector are air-to-ground aircraft: Attack Aircraft and Bombers.

Moving trains transporting military equipment have also been added to the location Sea Gate.

Bots

The behavior of bots has been improved. The principles of picking targets and moving across the area of operation have been revised for them. Now, they will spread between different sectors, and will not concentrate on the pursuit of solo targets.

Paint Schemes and Decorations

A new set of paint schemes with the colours of national and military flags from World War II have been added for the following aircraft:

• Messerschmitt Bf 109 E Emil — Hungary
• Ilyushin IL-2 two-seat — Czech Republic
• Curtiss P-40 Warhawk — Turkey
• Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse — Germany
• Supermarine Spitfire V — United Kingdom
• Yakovlev Yak-7 — USSR
• Mitsubishi A6M5 Zero — Japan
• Bell XFL-1 Airabonita — USA
• Junkers Ju 87 G Stuka — Romania
• Yakovlev Yak-1 — Poland
• Grumman F4F Wildcat — Canada

Paint schemes for these aircraft can be purchased with Gold by visiting the 'Paint Shop' tab in the Hangar.

Other Changes

Battle Interface

• Messages about destroying aircraft have been added to the battle interface.

Camera

• The option of zooming in and out for free camera mode (enabled via right-click) and for Spectator mode after the aircraft is destroyed has been added.

Terminology Change

• Combat Points have been renamed to Personal Points. They will reflect the general performance of a player in battle, and will directly affect the amount of credits earned in battle.
• Influence has been renamed to Resources in the game mode Conquest.

Get Airborne!