World of Warships: Legends will be the console version of Wargaming’s naval warfare MMO. However, there will be some significant changes compared to the PC version. This includes famous heroes and more focus on action. Our author Jürgen took a closer look at the game at Gamescom.
What is World of Warships: Legends? When I first heard about World of Warships: Legends, I thought, “Hmm, is there going to be a Warships online card game? Like Elder Scrolls Legends?” Anyway, the console version of Wargaming’s naval warfare was not the first idea I had about the title.
Why Legends? So at the Wargaming presentation at Gamescom 2018, I also asked the question about the title. The answer was: We want to cover primarily two things on the console:
- More action
- Legendary ships and commanders
Legendary ships and captains on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One
What are legendary ships? On PC, Wargaming follows the usual course and brings not only truly existing ships but also curious “paper ships.” These are concepts that only existed on paper and were never built.
That is why there are also strange objects like the giant battleship “Großer Kurfürst” or the never-built German aircraft carrier “Graf Zeppelin” on PC.
No paper ships on the consoles: Such engineering fantasies will not be in Legends. Rather, they want to focus on as detailed models of ships that actually fought in the naval battles of past wars. Therefore, you will find ships like:
- The imperial flagship Yamato
- The powerful USS Iowa
- The notorious Bismarck
No Germans at launch: However, you will only get the German battleship and the rest of the navy after the release of Legends. Initially, only Japan and the USA will be available at launch.
What types of ships will be available? Wargaming plans to bring all 4 ship classes (cruisers, destroyers, battleships, and aircraft carriers) to the consoles. With the carriers, you should have a rough control over the planes. On PC, carriers behave more like in a real-time strategy game, where you move the squadrons around on the map.
When will Legends be released? Currently, the game is in closed alpha. The release is expected to occur in 2019.
Legendary captains, but no historical figures
In addition to the famous ships, special commanders will be on the bridge. You will be able to recruit special naval warfare heroes who not only boost the stats of the ship but also have unique skills.
No real persons: However, Wargaming is expected to refrain from bringing historical figures such as US Admiral Chester Nimitz, Japanese fleet commander Isoroku Yamamoto, or German commander Karl Dönitz into the game.
The reason for this is likely political. Some commanders from World War II were war criminals or otherwise problematic. It is likely that the playable commanders will be based on existing captains.
Faster battles for more action
To optimize the gameplay of World of Warships for consoles, Wargaming has made some changes to features. The strategic element of the game will remain, but overall more action is expected.
Smaller teams on the consoles: On PC, 12 ships per team fight for victory. On PS4 and Xbox One, the teams consist of only 9 ships each. This makes battles conclude much faster.
Smaller battlefields: The same applies to the maps. They are also smaller. This leads to quicker battles and avoids the typical long setup phases of the PC version. There, it can happen that you sail around for a long time without encountering enemies.
Target assist instead of auto-aim: The battles have also been optimized for console controls. You therefore have a target assist that makes hitting enemies easier. However, you still have to aim. It is not auto-aim.
Crossover and progression?
Are the PC and console versions compatible? Legends and the regular World of Warships are different games from different development teams. Therefore, there is no crossplay or shared progression.
You will therefore start completely anew on the console. Even premium accounts and gold are not transferable.
What are the prospects for success of Legends?
World of Warships is a successful title on PC. Therefore, it is only understandable that Wargaming wants to bring the game to PS4 and Xbox One after the successful World of Tanks console version.
I couldn’t play at Gamescom 2018 myself. But a developer showed us live how the game feels, and what I saw convinced me. The controls seemed to work well, the interface was intuitive, and the graphics were stunning.
If all of this stays the same and appears as bug-free and well-balanced as possible, Legends could be a good success for Wargaming.
