World of Warships is already looking well beyond Update 15.9. For the Closed Test of Update 15.10, Wargaming has presented two substantial packages: new ships and an entire Dutch battleship line on one side, with Horror From the Abyss, European cruisers in Early Access and other changes on the other.
Two smaller but useful promotions have also been running since October 1. German Unification Day offers Emden for free, while the new Naval Museum Atlas Calendar provides a limited opportunity to try Indianapolis temporarily for free.
An important point first: Closed Test content is Work in Progress. Ship parameters, the event structure and individual conditions in particular may still change before release.
Dutch battleships take shape
The previously announced Dutch battleship line is getting a much clearer identity with the Closed Test for 15.10.
The line starts at Tier VI and runs through five ships to Tier X:
- Grote Geus ⚓ at Tier VI
- Graaf van Egmont ⚓ at Tier VII
- Prins Maurits ⚓ at Tier VIII
- Eenhoorn ⚓ at Tier IX
- Neptunus ⚓ at Tier X
The basic concept combines conventional battleship artillery with the HE Airstrikes typical of Dutch ships. The main battery is also intended to become more accurate at shorter ranges.
That points towards a line that wants to work much closer to the action than purely long-range battleships. Naturally, there is a trade-off: long reload times, fairly mediocre concealment and vulnerable citadels are intended to stop players simply sailing straight ahead while ordering aircraft on the side.
At Tier X, Neptunus's Airstrike currently reaches 12 kilometers in testing. The combination of better gunnery at shorter range and Airstrikes could be particularly interesting because both tools can cover the same part of the battle.
How well that ultimately works will depend heavily on the final parameters. The basic concept is now considerably clearer than it was in the first roadmap announcement, though.
Oswald Boelcke: a German supercarrier with six attack options
The Oswald Boelcke ⚓, a German supercarrier, is also entering testing.
Its aircraft selection is appropriately extensive. Plans include AP attack aircraft, torpedo bombers and AP bombers, plus additional HE skip bombers. There is also a tactical squadron of HE jet bombers.
Oswald Boelcke is therefore getting more than a stronger version of a familiar carrier layout. The different squadron types are intended to cover different targets and situations, giving the player more decisions to make when choosing the next attack.
The mix of Germany's AP focus with additional HE tools is particularly interesting. It is still too early in the Closed Test to assess reliably how powerful that flexibility will be.
Jiuhua focuses on main guns, secondaries and staying power
The Pan-Asian Jiuhua ⚓ is being tested as a Tier X battleship.
Its current concept combines an accurate main battery with strong secondary armament. It also has a particularly effective Repair Party and Fast Damage Control Teams with a limited number of uses.
That initially sounds like a fairly complete toolbox. However, the limited Damage Control Teams mean poor timing could prove expensive later in the battle.
Jiuhua is therefore likely to depend less on simply absorbing as much punishment as possible and more on managing its defensive resources sensibly throughout the match.
Halcón uses HE exclusively
Spain is also getting a new test ship. Halcón ⚓ is a Tier IX destroyer with an unusually clear focus: its main guns use HE ammunition exclusively.
Halcón also has an alternative firing mode. This increases HE shell penetration to 32 millimeters, at the cost of a longer reload.
That creates two different options. Against lightly armored targets, the normal firing mode can deliver steady damage. Against more heavily protected areas, the higher-penetration mode becomes an option when a suitable opening appears.
Halcón gets a Short-Burst Smoke Generator as a safety net. It does not have a large hit point pool or Repair Party, however. Mistakes are therefore likely to hurt for the rest of the battle.
Horror From the Abyss: four Operations and a modular event ship
The second major Closed Test package for 15.10 revolves around Horror From the Abyss.
Plans call for four Operations for seven players each, unlocking one after another on a weekly basis. The event is intended to continue into Update 15.11 rather than ending with 15.10.
At its center is the rental ship Expeditioner ⚓. Its distinguishing feature is a modular system that lets players adapt the ship for event battles.
Announced mechanics include rockets, shields and overheating. That sounds less like a regular Operation with a new coat of paint and more like a small PvE system of its own within World of Warships.
Testing will show how extensive the customization really is and which combinations prove effective. For PvE players, though, this is already one of the more interesting parts of Update 15.10.
European cruisers enter Early Access
European cruisers are also set to enter Early Access with Update 15.10.
Under the current test plan, two lower-tier ships will be available through free Event Pass progression. Another ship is planned for the paid progression track. Additional ships are intended to be offered for Doubloons.
Wargaming is broadly sticking to the familiar Early Access model: some of the new line can be earned through play, while higher-tier or additional ships become available earlier for Doubloons.
That does not yet establish specific costs or final conditions. The announcement comes from the Closed Test and may change before release.
Z-57 arrives first through Salvage for Victory
Z-57 ⚓ is particularly relevant for resource planning.
The destroyer is intended to become available early through Salvage for Victory in Update 15.10. Several resources are currently planned for progression:
- Credits
- Elite Commander XP
- Free XP
- Rare economic bonuses
Earnable Tokens are also intended to cover up to 25 percent of the required progress.
The crucial point comes a little later in the announcement: Z-57 is intended to join the regular Tech Tree with Update 16.0.
For players with plenty of resources, Salvage for Victory therefore mainly offers earlier access. If you can wait, the current plan does not force you to empty your reserves for the event.
That makes it especially worth looking carefully before it begins. Earlier access is nice. Emptying your resource stockpile for a ship that will become normally researchable shortly afterwards is something you really need to want.
Asymmetric Battles stay longer
There is good news for Asymmetric Battles players too: the mode is intended to remain available at least until Update 16.3 is released.
Three Brawls are also planned for 15.10 in which ships of different tiers face one another. Lower-tier ships will receive buffs to compensate for the differences.
Wargaming is also working on redesigned information screens and markers for Steam's recording feature.
These are not headlines on the scale of a new Tech Tree line, but the extension of Asymmetric Battles in particular is likely to please quite a few players.
German Unification Day: Emden for free
Away from the Closed Test, a new German Unification Day promotion has been running since October 1.
Players can claim Germany's Emden ⚓ for free. There is also a 30 percent discount on bundles with Schill ⚓ and Wiesbaden ⚓, themed random bundles and two combat mission chains.
The promotion is scheduled for the first two weeks of October.
If you do not already own Emden, the free part is well worth picking up. As always, the discounted bundles are a different matter: a 30 percent discount initially means just that: 30 percent off. Whether a bundle makes sense for your account still depends on whether you actually want the ship.
The exact conditions of the two combat mission chains were not fully available in the research provided. They are therefore deliberately left out here.
Try Indianapolis for free in October
The new Naval Museum Atlas Calendar visits USS Lexington in Corpus Christi in October.
For players, a monthly code unlocks a mission chain. Rewards include a limited-time free rental of Indianapolis ⚓.
Wargaming is making 10,000 codes available for the promotion on a first-come, first-served basis. The associated October mission runs until November 1, 2026, at 09:00.
If you want to try Indianapolis, it is probably best not to wait until the end of the month. The official mission deadline is little help if all 10,000 codes have already gone.
Honolulu gets an official explanation of its playstyle
Wargaming has now also released a Developer Diary about the already known Honolulu ⚓.
It does not introduce fundamentally new ship data. The interesting part is how Wargaming describes the concept: Honolulu is intended to be a more cautious alternative to Helena.
Its 15 × 152 mm guns remain the ship's centerpiece. Compared with Helena, Honolulu is intended to have less range and DPM, but Smoke Generator, better concealment, Hydroacoustic Search and unusually high torpedo protection should allow it to play forward positions with more control.
That largely confirms the direction already apparent from the published Supertest parameters. Smoke and Hydro are intended to enable positions closer to islands and key areas, while short range and weak armor continue to impose clear limits.
That explanation alone hardly calls for an entirely new Honolulu article. It is a useful addition to the known test data, however, because it gives a clearer statement of Wargaming's intended role for the ship.
Honolulu remains Work in Progress.
Conclusion
The Closed Test for Update 15.10 is considerably more than a simple preview of a few new ships.
Dutch battleships are getting a tangible gameplay concept for the first time, Oswald Boelcke adds a very flexible German representative to the supercarriers, and Jiuhua and Halcón bring two more ships with distinct identities.
For PvE players, Horror From the Abyss is likely to be particularly interesting. Four Operations, a modular event ship and dedicated mechanics at least sound like more than another familiar scenario with a little Halloween fog laid over it.
For resource planning, Z-57 is the one to remember. Early access through Salvage for Victory could be expensive, while the ship is already planned as a regular Tech Tree addition for Update 16.0. Anyone who enjoys throwing resources out of the window with both hands will have the opportunity. Everyone else can do a little arithmetic first.
And for anyone who simply wants something free in between: Emden and the limited Indianapolis trial are much more straightforward.
Sources
- World of Warships Development Blog: Closed Test 15.10: New Ships
- World of Warships Development Blog: Closed Test 15.10: Horror From the Abyss, European Cruisers in Early Access, and More
- World of Warships: German Unification Day: Get Emden for Free!
- World of Warships: Naval Museum Atlas Calendar -- October: USS Lexington
- World of Warships / Steam: Developer Diaries -- Honolulu