World of Tanks Update 8.0 Review

World of Tanks' biggest content update; Update 8.0 is going live today. A new Physics Engine, gameplay enhancements and visual upgrades are included in this major update. World of Tanks Update 8.0 is introducing significant changes to the combat MMO game, both visually and gameplay-wise. Our World of Tanks expert has reviewed Update 8.0, and discussed its positives and negatives. You will find out about the new Physics Engine and read discover which tanks have received buffs and nerfs. 

New Physics Engine

With Update 8.0, developers are adding a new level of realism to World of Tanks thanks to the new physics engine. We will not see the unrealistic occasions where tanks bump into each other, tanks hanging off cliffs and tanks that get stuck between the rocks or any other obstable. All these unrealistic examples are about to become history with the new Physics Engine.

World of Tanks v8.0 that we had the chance to test on the Testing Server is a completely renewed game.  You will no longer be able to head into a Maus when you meet up on a bridge or a cliff. With its 188 tones of weight, Maus is the heaviest tank in the game and it has the horse-power to force drag any tank in the game. This means, with the new version; Weight DOES matter in World of Tanks!

With update 8.0, it’s no longer easy to look down a hill, fire at an enemy tank and drive back. Scouts will be able to spot you from higher grounds. This is going to make life harder for the heavy-class tanks. Heavy tanks will have to move more carefully using more cover as Arties will have them on their radar as their primary target. Medium class tanks will have to adjust their playing style as well. They are going to have to take the path through the mountains and hills and go behind the arty and heavy tanks. And finally, the tank destroyers will be looking for even higher grounds to ambush the enemy tanks. This is going to provide two advantages for them;  One being protection from enemy attack as they will be out of range, secondly; their powerful frontal armor will protect them from long range attacks. This all means that players will have to adopt their strategies according to the new physics engine.

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Revamped Maps and New Renders

Reconstructed maps will add to the game’s realism. All of these changes make World of Tanks a more lively and authentic experience. World of Tanks developers widened some of the narrow passages which caused problems to players when multiple tanks passed through. Another visual improvement is the new shadows system. This makes World of Tanks look significantly better. See the screen-shots below.

New Soviet Tank Destroyers

The new Soviet tanks being added to the game with Update 8.0 impress with their speed and strong armor. Especially the Tier 10 tank destroyer “Object 263” seems to be fantastic with its 250mm front plate, its top speed of 55kmph and amazing rate of fire. On the flipside, it is vulnerable to Arty attacks. Also the turret angle is a negative against enemies on the move. And despite its rate of fire, its damage is limited and provides less penetration than other Tier-10 tanks. Despite all these negatives, great camouflage ability and strong armor make Object 263 a decent choice. So if you are looking for a fast and durable tank with strong armor, you may give it a whirl.

New GUI and Fast On-The-Fly  Commands

Update 8.0 comes with a new interface for the tank tree. It is a more user-friendly and elegant interface that looks and functions better. For instance; you no longer have to go back to the previous tank’s tree and research, instead you will only need to click the XP button on the main tank tree. And it will only take a single click of the Credit button to purchase the researched tank.
With this update, the in-game commands in World of Tanks are improved. Let’s say you need to tell your friend to fall back, you will only need to aim at your friend and hit the Z key on your keyboard. Another new function is the “Reloading” command. This will notify your friends to cover you while you are reloading.

Battle Modes

The previous update had introduced the new game modes Encounter , Assoult and Defence. These game modes become customizable with Update 8.0. This means, players will be able to preset their favorite battle modes in Settings screen. Some players have had issues with Prokhorovka map in Assault mode. Update 8.0 solves this by giving the players the option to disable this battle mode. This is particularly a great feature that Update 8.0 introduces.

Changes with Tanks, Buffs and Nerfs...

With Update 8.0, developers tried to improve the balance between tanks by adjusting some of the tanks and their attributes. Jagdpanzer E-100, E-100 and T-54 are now stronger while American Medium Tank M48A1 has been nerfed. Jagpanzer E-100’s turning speed has been improved along with its speed. E-100 also received a 200 HP bonus. Soviet medium-tank T54’s cannon has been changed. This means, T54 has just got even better. American Tank M48A1 has received a cannon update as well but unlike T54, its cannon has been degraded. Players who fancied M48A1 will have to reconsider picking another tank…

What is the best tank in World of Tanks?

So what is the best tank in World of Tanks after update 8.0? In my opinion American Tank destroyer T110E4 is still the best tank in game. 250mm front armor, its turret and its amazing damage capacity makes it the best tank in World of Tanks. T110E4 is half a heavy tank and half a tank destroyer which you can use on any map. We shouldn’t forget about the French Tank Destroyer AMX 50 Foch(155). Remarkable front armor, its speed and damage rating, and best of all its ability to fire 3 times in 12 seconds make it a powerful tank. The only disadvantage with T110E4 is its reloading delay of 45 seconds.

Conclusion – World of Tanks Update 8.0

To conclude, I expect majority of World of Tanks fans to appreciate Update 8.0. Because of the reasons we have discussed in this article, World of Tanks players have almost a brand new game. Despite all these improvements, the game still doesn’t have multi-core cpu support causing problems to lower end computers. Some players on the Test Server had frame-rate issues and many players had to set the graphics detail at low level and disable several visual effects. Technical problems aside, Update 8.0 is a fantastic improvement after all.

Read our World of Tanks review here->

written by  _Curse_

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