21 May 2019

Ranked Battles: the Twelfth Season



It's time for a new season of Ranked Battles, and this one’s going to be played on Tier X ships!

Aircraft carriers return to the competitive mode, along with a number of rental ships which will allow you to join the fight even if you don't have any Tier X ships in your Port yet. The rewards for this season include camouflage patterns, signals, and doubloons, as well as Steel, which can be exchanged for unique ships in the Armory.



Key Rules of the Season

Dates


Starts: Thu. 30 May 08:00 CEST (UTC+2) 
Ends: Tue. 25 Jun. 07:30 CEST (UTC+2) 
  • All players who have access to Ranked Battles in their Service Record can participate in the new season. Newcomers to World of Warships will need to play 200 battles in any game mode to unlock this possibility.
  • Only Tier X ships are allowed.
  • Battles are held in a 7 vs. 7 format, and team line-ups will be completely equivalent in terms of ship types.
  • The new season has 18 ranks. For simplicity, they have been combined into Leagues: Second, First, and Premier.
  • Those who are new to Ranked Battles will start the season from Rank 18. Participants of the eleventh Ranked Season will receive bonus stars: one for each rank reached.
  • By winning battles, players earn the stars needed to climb the ranking ladder. At the majority of ranks, a defeat means a lost star.
  • Ranks 18-15, and 12, are irrevocable. You cannot lose a star for a defeat at Ranks 18-17. Be the first on your team in terms of XP earned, and you get to keep your hard-earned star even for a lost game.
  • A bonus star is granted for reaching a new rank at Ranks 18-11.
  • Only stars obtained for the first time are counted towards progress for the Ranked Battles emblem.
  • Flags given for reaching Leagues will be removed from players' accounts once the season ends.
  • From now on, you’ll receive a commemorative achievement for reaching the first rank in the twelfth season and the seasons that follow. Additionally, this achievement will be credited to all players who earned the first rank in the eleventh season.
  • All of those who reached Rank 15 will receive a commemorative flag which will remain in your collection.


Aircraft Carriers



In consideration of the many game balance changes, aircraft carriers are now ready to make their return to Ranked Battles. It's an important event, both for the updated ship type and the competitive game mode. In Update 0.8.4, interaction between aircraft carriers and other ship types has been improved:

  • The altitude of bomb release has been increased for dive bombers carrying high-explosive payloads, and the reticule's ellipse has become narrower and longer. Bombs will now fall near the ellipse's edge more often than in its center. Active maneuvering will make it harder to hit a small target and destroyers will have more possibilities to oppose this aircraft type.
  • Reticule aiming settings of bomber planes carrying high-explosive bombs have been changed in order to preserve the interaction between these aircraft and other ship types. Aiming will begin during the preparation stage for an attack and will happen quicker, while flight maneuvering will have less of an effect on it.


A group of ships presents the most difficult target for aircraft carriers, but a solitary ship is always desirable prey. Maps and game modes for the new season are selected with that peculiarity in mind, so that ships are able to provide support to each other while repelling air raids. Key areas are located in a way that makes it easier for both teams to control them without spreading out.

In the new season, each team has a hard limit of one aircraft carrier.

Game Maps and Modes

Battles will be held on the following maps: North, Sea of Fortune, Tears of the Desert, Shards, Riposte, and the new Greece map. There are two game modes:

  • Domination: several variants of key areas in the layout are provided, partially borrowed from Clan Battles.
  • Epicenter: the center and rings are captured independently. The capture of outer rings will not be blocked if any of the inner rings are being captured by the enemy.







Ranked Rental Ships



Do you want to test your skills in the competitive mode, but don't have a Tier X ship? In the twelfth season you’ll be able to use rental ships in Ranked Battles.

Play a Random or Co-op battle on a Tier VIII ship or higher and receive a Ranked rental ship of the same type. You can also obtain Ranked rental ships by playing a Ranked Battle on a Tier X ship you already own.


List of rental ships for Ranked Battles:

  • Destroyers  X [Shimakaze] X [Gearing], and  X [Grozovoi]
  • Cruisers  X [Moskva] X [Zao], and  X [Hindenburg]
  • Battleships  X [Montana] X [Conqueror] X [Yamato], and  X [Großer Kurfürst]


Rules for Ranked rental ships

  • Ranked rental ships are given for temporary use and will be removed from accounts with the release of Update 0.8.5.
  • The ships will be available for Ranked Battles only.
  • A special timer near the ship’s image in the Port will indicate the expiration of the rental period.
  • You can't install camouflage on these ships.
  • You’ll be able to reassign Commanders to Ranked rental ships without any penalty.
  • Ranked rental ships will deliver the same rewards as researchable ships.
  • When these ships are removed, their Commanders will automatically be sent to the Reserve. Their upgrades, consumables, and signals will be moved to the Inventory.
  • Alternative modules (i.e. torpedoes on Gearing) can be mounted for free.
  • If a Commander is recruited for a Ranked rental ship separately, their specialization will be changed for the starting ship of the corresponding nation.
  • If a Commander was recruited for a Ranked rental ship and then reassigned to another ship, their specialization will remain the same after the former is removed from the account.
  • Ships are credited together with a Port slot, which will be written off with the ship once the rental period is over.


Bonus Stars for the Previous Season

According to established tradition, all of your achievements from the previous season will be accounted for, so you won't have to start from the scratch. Depending on the Rank at which you finished the previous season, you’ll be granted a certain number of bonus stars. The maximum possible number is 17 stars. If you earned the maximum number of stars in the previous season, you’ll start the new season at Rank 10. Rewards issued for the preceding ranks will be added to your account automatically.


Rewards

The main reward for ranks remains the same—a total of 5,500 Steel and 1 Copper which you can exchange in the Armory. In addition, you can earn a commemorative flag, sets of signals, expendable camouflages, and doubloons.

Please note: compared to the previous season, the amount of Steel in the Second League has been reduced by 300 units, and increased by 300 units in the First League.

Rank 
League 
Reward 

17 

Second 
10x each of the following signalsSierra MikeNovember Echo SettesevenVictor LimaIndia X-RayJuliet Whiskey Unaone, and Mike Yankee Soxisix. 200 Steel. 

16 

Second 
10x each of the following signalsIndia DeltaIndia YankeeJuliet Yankee BissotwoJuliet CharlieNovember Foxtrot, and Hotel Yankee. 200 Steel. 

15 

Second 
Flag of the Second League (Bonus: –5% to the cost of a ship's post-battle service) and a commemorative flag for participating in the Season. 

14 

Second 
10x each of the following signalsSierra MikeNovember Echo SettesevenVictor LimaIndia X-RayJuliet Whiskey Unaone, and Mike Yankee Soxisix. 200 Steel. 

13 

Second 
10x each of the following signalsZuluIndia Bravo TerrathreePapa PapaEqual Speed Charlie London, and Zulu Hotel. 200 Steel. 


12 


Second 
10x each of the following signalsSierra MikeNovember Echo SettesevenVictor LimaIndia X-RayJuliet Whiskey UnaoneIndia DeltaIndia YankeeJuliet Yankee BissotwoJuliet Charlie, and November Foxtrot. 200 Steel. 
11 
Second 
300 Steel and 250 doubloons. 
10 
First 
Flag of the First League (Bonus: −10% to the cost of a ship's post-battle service). 
9 
First 
10x "This is your dayCommander!" camouflage patterns and 400 Steel. 
8 
First 
10x "Huntercamouflage patterns and 400 Steel. 
7 
First 
10x "Victory Salutecamouflage patterns and 400 Steel. 
6 
First 
5x Dragon signals and 500 Steel. 
5 
Premier 
Flag of the Premier League (Bonus: –20% to the cost of a ship's post-battle service). 
4 
Premier 
5x Red Dragon signals and 500 Steel. 
3 
Premier 
5x Ouroboros signals and 500 Steel. 
2 
Premier 
5x Wyvern signals and 500 Steel. 
1 
Premier 
50x "Type 3 – Rankedcamouflage patterns; 2,500 doubloons; 5x Hydra signals; 1,000 Steel; and 1 Copper. 

See you on the battlefield, Captains!