World of Tanks releases Update 9.18, one of the most significant updates ever. This time, two longstanding sources of criticism are being addressed: artillery and matchmaking.
If you ask a World of Tanks player what the biggest annoyances in the game are, two words usually come up: matchmaking and artillery. The former often mixed tanks of various tiers randomly, which often turned into a shooting gallery for the higher-tier tanks. Artillery was feared because it could strike unexpectedly and eliminate many tanks with a single shot.
Update 9.18 aims to put an end to both annoyances. This update is already live.
World of Tanks – The Eternal Cross with Matchmaking
World of Tanks is a blast when playing in a fairly balanced match where all tanks are roughly of the same tier. However, it often goes differently, and you find yourself as a tier 5 tank clearly outnumbered against a horde of tier 7 tanks.
Or you might be one of the “big guys” and clean up the small fry properly. The differences between the tiers can sometimes be so vast that some vehicles become either pointless or nearly invincible.
World of Tanks – Is Matchmaking Fair?
With such unfair setups, Update 9.18 aims to put an end to it. The patch implements a new matchmaking system that seeks a maximum tier difference of +/-2 and a 3/5/7 configuration. This means tanks can differ by a maximum of two tiers in a battle and are weighted so that a maximum of 3 tanks are at the highest tier, 5 at the second-highest, and 7 tanks at the lowest tier.
So, for example, there would be 3 tier 9s, 5 tier 8s, and 7 tier 7s in one battle. This way, the “smaller” tanks are always in the majority and can accomplish something. Only if, due to a lack of options, not enough players are available for such a match, would the matchmaking consider other setups. Furthermore, there are still a few premium tanks that follow specific matchmaking rules. Plus, light tanks at tier 10 are also now available.
World of Tanks – Artillery – From DD-God to Support-Troll
In World of Tanks, there was hardly anything more annoying than leaving cover only to be blown away by a hefty artillery shell out of nowhere. This was due to the sometimes absurdly high damage numbers that some self-propelled guns could inflict with the right ammunition.
This has come to an end now, as Wargaming has taken the teeth out of artillery and given it poison instead. Instead of dealing massive damage, artillery shells now cause a so-called “shock effect.” This means that a hit does only minor actual damage to the vehicle, but shakes up its crew so much that they can hardly operate.
The result: visibility, accuracy, and reload speed drop drastically until the shock wears off. This makes the new artillery more of a troll than a killer, as it can significantly weaken enemies and optimally support its team.
World of Tanks – New Artillery – Blessing or Curse?
Many players welcome this change, but often you also hear that the new artillery is even worse and more frustrating. A complete removal of this vehicle class would have been a better solution, according to many players.
Whether Patch 9.18 will ultimately eliminate the annoyances in World of Tanks or make them even worse remains to be seen.
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