World of Warships Is Receiving Submarines

During Gamescom 2019, Wargaming made a huge announcement for World of Warships: Submarines are coming to the game! A brand-new cinematic reveals the mighty submersed vehicles, and three nations will receive these stealthy vehicles first:

• The United States: the Cachalot (Tier VI), Salmon (Tier VIII) and Balao (Tier X).
• Germany: the U-69 (Tier VI), U-190 (Tier VIII) and U-2501 (Tier X).
• USSR: the S-1 (Tier VI), L-20 (Tier VIII) and K1 (Tier X)

Over the next few weeks, players will get ready for the upcoming Super Test phase, and commanders can also look forward to this fall’s PVP event, where submarines will be available for use (for a limited time). This will be to evaluate the changes brought to the new class. Wargaming is, of course, looking to expand the submarine offering to other nations in the future, with Japanese fleet to follow. Additional researchable and premium ships will also become available.

The uniqueness of submarines resides in their ability to appear in places where they are least expected, dislodging enemy ships from chokepoints via surgical torpedo volleys before disappearing again. Submarines will have the best stealth capabilities in the game, as they will be able to dive below the ocean surface and evade visual detection as long as their supply of oxygen allows it. This brand-new ability will let players launch surprise attacks on the enemy team and become invulnerable to most types of damage. However, submarines will be relatively slow and have the least amount of hit points requiring prospective commanders to be thoughtful in their use of their submarine’s unique mechanics, as well as good positioning and situational awareness to turn the tides of battle.

Though submarines do lose vision of their enemies while submerged, they can lot a course and detect other ships with a new mechanic, the hydrophone. This will let them determine the direction to the nearest enemy ship, and visualize their surroundings when diving. Players will also gain the ability to adjust their aim after firing and to alter their torpedoes’ course by pinging certain parts of an enemy ship using their sonar. This new feature will, however, be a double-edged blade, as it will show the submarine’s position on the minimap for a short period of time.