The Public Test for Update 15.8 brings a whole series of new balance changes. The biggest intervention probably goes beyond any individual ship: all battleships with Surveillance Radar receive a preparation time of 270 seconds at the start of a battle.
This significantly limits the option of pushing forward early in a radar BB to force enemy destroyers out of a cap in the opening minutes. For DD players in particular, that could noticeably change the opening phase of a battle.
The affected ships are Borodino⚓, Turgut Reis⚓, Enigheten⚓, Gustav den Store⚓, Thor⚓, Constellation⚓, Missouri⚓, Rhode Island⚓, and Rhode Island B⚓.
Radar battleships must wait 270 seconds
The new preparation time means that these battleships cannot use Surveillance Radar during the first 4 minutes and 30 seconds of a battle.
Fast or aggressively played radar BBs in particular will lose some of their early pressure on enemy destroyers. A DD heading for a cap at the start will at least no longer have to expect a radar battleship far up the map to suddenly spot it after two minutes.
Some of the affected ships are receiving other adjustments at the same time.
Missouri⚓, for example, gets a shorter main battery reload time of 28 seconds instead of 30.
Thor⚓, meanwhile, has her surface detectability increased from 15.1 to 15.6 km.
Constellation gets stronger AP but slower shells
Constellation⚓ is also receiving substantial changes to her AP ammunition. Its values are being brought in line with the shells of North Carolina⚓.
Maximum AP damage rises from 12,400 to 13,100, while penetration performance improves by around 5 to 10 percent, depending on the range.
In exchange, muzzle velocity drops significantly from 768 to 701 m/s. The shells will therefore have more pronounced arcs and take longer to reach their target.
Overall, Constellation will hit harder but lose some of her previously pleasant, fast ballistics.
Cleveland down, Anchorage and Bagration up
There are some interesting changes among the cruisers as well.
Cleveland⚓ gets a clear nerf. Her main battery will reload in 7.0 seconds instead of 6.5.
Anchorage⚓ goes in the opposite direction. Her reload time improves from 15.5 to 14.5 seconds.
The buff for Pyotr Bagration⚓ is particularly substantial. Her main battery will reload in 9.7 seconds instead of 11. Turret traverse time also improves from 30 to 22.5 seconds.
Seattle⚓ gets more responsive turrets too. The 180-degree traverse time falls from 22.5 to 18 seconds.
The news is less welcome for Hawaii⚓ and Hawaii Golden⚓. Their reload time increases from 6 to 6.5 seconds.
German cruisers can repair more damage
The entire German cruiser line from Dresden⚓ to Clausewitz⚓ is also receiving an adjustment.
This affects Dresden⚓, Kolberg⚓, Karlsruhe⚓, Königsberg⚓, Nürnberg⚓, Yorck⚓, Admiral Hipper⚓, Roon⚓, Roon CLR⚓, Hindenburg⚓, AL Hindenburg⚓, and Clausewitz⚓.
The proportion of repairable non-citadel damage increases from 50 to 60 percent.
This lets the ships recover a greater share of the normal damage they receive in battle through Repair Party, provided they have access to a suitable repair option at their tier.
Z-44 gets stealthier, Fenyang fires faster
Z-44⚓ gets a concealment improvement. Her surface detectability falls from 7.3 to 7.0 km.
For Fenyang⚓ and Ship Smasha⚓, firepower is being improved directly. Both destroyers will reload their main batteries in 3.9 seconds instead of 4.4.
The French destroyer line comprising L'Adroit⚓, Duchaffault⚓, Le Hardi⚓, L'Aventurier⚓, Orage⚓, and Cassard⚓ also receives a uniform short AP fuse time of 0.01 seconds.
Cassard⚓ loses some concealment in exchange. Her surface detectability rises from 7.5 to 7.7 km.
Lambros Katsonis gets 86-knot torpedoes
One of the most interesting individual changes concerns Lambros Katsonis⚓.
Her torpedo armament is being changed to values similar to those of Gdańsk⚓. The new torpedoes reach 86 knots, have a 10 km range, and deal up to 11,200 damage.
Their detectability is 1.6 km, while the torpedo tubes take 106 seconds to reload.
Lambros Katsonis will lose some of the damage potential of individual hits, but in return gets extremely fast torpedoes that give enemy ships very little reaction time.
British cruisers get significantly more HE penetration
Hawkins⚓, Devonshire⚓, Surrey⚓, and Albemarle⚓ are also being improved.
Their HE penetration is increased to 25 percent of the respective caliber.
For Hawkins, that takes HE penetration from 32 to 48 mm. Devonshire, Surrey, and Albemarle each improve from 34 to 51 mm.
That is a meaningful buff, especially against more heavily armored targets.
Sevastopol gets more AP damage and stronger armor
Sevastopol⚓ also receives two improvements at once.
Maximum AP damage rises from 11,300 to 12,100. At the same time, the deck and upper belt are strengthened from 30 to 35 mm.
That improves more than just her offensive potential. The extra armor may also prevent certain large-caliber AP shells from simply ignoring these areas through overmatch.
Not every ship is getting a buff, though. Manteuffel⚓, for example, gets longer secondary battery reload times, while Barfleur⚓ has her surface detectability increased from 6.9 to 7.2 km.
Conclusion
The changes for Public Test 15.8 are considerably more interesting than an ordinary round of small numerical adjustments. Above all, the new 270-second radar lockout on battleships could change the opening minutes of a battle.
Radar BBs will no longer be able to pressure enemy destroyers immediately at the start. At the same time, Wargaming apparently intends to compensate certain affected ships, such as Missouri, through other values.
There are also some fairly substantial individual changes. Pyotr Bagration, Sevastopol, Z-44, Fenyang, and Ship Smasha benefit significantly, while Cleveland, Hawaii, and several other ships are being reined in a little.
Lambros Katsonis' 86-knot torpedoes and the higher HE penetration of the British cruisers should also be worth a closer look on the Public Test.
Wargaming has published the complete changes in the official Development Blog.
Important: all changes are currently being tested. Values and mechanics may still be adjusted or discarded entirely before reaching the live servers.