Pack your rations and your repair kits, Commanders!
Frontline, the most epic mode in World of Tanks, will return to the game in the first quarter of 2020 in a revamped format, including a shared progression with Steel Hunter. Frontline’s core gameplay and economy remain unchanged, but some adjustments have been made to make the mode even more enjoyable. Let’s take a closer look.
Frontline Stages
This year, Episodes will be replaced by Stages. Every calendar month from March to June, Frontline will kick off and take place for one week. Between each of the four (4) Stages, Frontline is unavailable.
Frontline 2020: | BEGINS: | ENDS: |
---|---|---|
Stage 1 | March 9 at 04:00 PT | 06:00 CT | 07:00 ET | March 16 at 01:00 PT | 03:00 CT | 04:00 ET |
Stage 2 | April 6 at 04:00 PT | 06:00 CT | 07:00 ET | April 13 at 01:00 PT | 03:00 CT | 04:00 ET |
Frontline Tiers
You earn Ranks (from Private to General) during the battle, but at the end of the battle, depending on the Rank you received, you will be credited with the Frontline Experience. Frontline Experience is used to increase your Frontline Tier and your progress in the 2020 Season.
Frontline has a total of 15 Tiers; reaching each Tier brings you rewards:
FRONTLINE EXPERIENCE REQUIRED | |||||||
Tier 1 | Tier 2 | Tier 3 | Tier 4 | Tier 5 | |||
0 Points | 400 Points | 500 Points | 600 Points | 700 Points | |||
Tier 6 | Tier 7 | Tier 8 | Tier 9 | Tier 10 | |||
800 Points | 1,000 Points | 1,100 Points | 1,200 Points | 1,300 Points | |||
Tier 11 | Tier 12 | Tier 13 | Tier 14 | Tier 15 | |||
1,400 Points | 1,500 Points | 1,600 Points | 1,700 Points | 2,000 Points | |||
* Each number is the total number of Frontline Experience points needed to reach a new Tier. To go from Tier 10 to 11, for instance, you must earn 1,400 points. |
Progression System
The Frontline 2020 core mechanics are the same as last year, but here’s a quick refresher just in case:
- Battles take place between two teams with 30 players on each side.
- Only Tier VIII vehicles are allowed in this mode.
- You’ll climb the Ranks from Private to General based on your battle performance.
- Earn special "Frontline Experience" for reaching new Ranks and use it to boost your Frontline Tier.
- Get rewards for reaching certain Frontline Tiers — 15 total!
One of the main changes coming this Season is the reduction of Frontline Tiers from 30 to 15. Completing them will require less Frontline Experience than last year, but not by half as you might think.
If you managed to reach the maximum Tier in last year’s Frontline and found yourself wishing you could earn more rewards, you’ll be glad to know that special daily missions with even more valuable prizes will be available this year. They unlock upon reaching Frontline Tier 15. The sooner you reach Tier 15, the more missions you can complete during the current Stage and, consequently, the more rewards you can earn!
- Do...
- ...or do not...
- ...there is no try.
Rewards:
- 25 Bonds
- 1× Personal Reserve: +300%Crew XP (1 hour)
Conditions:
- Cause at least 5,000 HP damage to enemy vehicles in three (3) battles by shooting, ramming, or using Combat Reserves.
Restrictions:
- Frontline only
- Once a day
- Player must have maximum Frontline Tier
- Progress resets daily
Rewards:
- 25 Bonds
- 1× Personal Reserve: +300%Free XP (1 hour)
Conditions:
- Get the Rank of Captain three (3) times.
Restrictions:
- Frontline only
- Once a day
- Player must have maximum Frontline Tier
- Progress resets daily
Rewards:
- 25 Bonds
- 1× Personal Reserve: +50%XP (1 hour)
Conditions:
Play 3 battles and block at least 2,000 damage in each battle. Ricochets and non-penetrating hits are included.
Restrictions:
- Once a day
- Only in Frontline
- Only for players who have the maximum Frontline Tier
- Progress resets daily
After the completion of each Stage, progress is reset and you’ll begin the next Stage the following month from Tier 1. Note that you won’t be able to play Stages you missed.
Finally, we’re retiring Prestige Points. Instead, you will earn tokens, the event currency, which can also be obtained by playing Steel Hunter. Use these tokens to redeem any two of the three exclusive vehicles below.
Rewards & Exclusive Vehicles
There’s a total of 15 Frontline Tiers. Reaching each Tier brings you fixed rewards: Credits, Regular and Premium Consumables, Directives, and Personal Reserves. Check them out.
For each Frontline 2020 Stage, you can earn a maximum of 3 tokens — one at Frontline Tier 5, one at Tier 10, and one at Tier 15. In total, you can get 12 tokens for playing all four Stages. The most successful players who collect all 12 tokens can exchange them for one of the following exclusive Tier IX reward vehicles:
Object 777 Variant II | Char Futur 4 | AE Phase I |
---|---|---|
A brand-new Soviet heavy tank. | A unique new French medium tank. | An American heavy tank with four segmented tracks. |
You can get a second reward tank (or collect the missing tokens for the first) by playing and earning tokens in the Steel Hunter event, which kicks off in the second half of 2020.
Tank Rental 2020
In the previous Season, only one base tank, the T-44FL, was available for credits. Now another formidable warrior, the T-32FL, has been added to the list of basic vehicles that will be available throughout all Frontline Stages. In addition, these tanks have special vehicle status — this means you can move crew members from another tank of the same nation and class into them without incurring a penalty.
Now all rental vehicles available for gold will be accessible during all Stages. The list of them will be set for the entire Season. They are all replicas of existing Premium tanks.
As in the previous year, all Gold spent on rentals will accumulate in a special fund. It can be used to get a discount on the purchase of the original version of any of the leased tanks.
Airstrike Rework
This Combat Reserve will be more effective against mobile and poorly-protected vehicles, but less effective against heavy tanks. Also, the deployment of the Airstrike will be faster, which will allow you to inflict more damage.
For example, if you are playing in a slow brawler and find yourself surrounded by light tanks, or a wheeled scout is circling you, you can activate the reworked Airstrike and rest assured your enemies will take more damage than you. Also, this Combat Reserve will allow you to smoke out tank destroyers from hard-to-reach shelters.
Revamped Respawn Selection System
In the previous Season, you could only choose the direction in which to respawn, and the specific point of your entry into the game was determined automatically. This time, players on the attacking team will have up to four (4) dynamic respawn points to choose from, and the defending team up to six (6), including those behind the front lines. The defending team has more respawn points because they must be able to fall back and repel the enemy’s attack if it breaks through to the Pillboxes.
Respawn points that are under attack will be highlighted in red.
Maps Rebalancing
Both existing Frontline maps, Normandy and Kraftwerk, will receive a slight balance revamp:
- Kraftwerk: Will feature new buildings and landscape changes that will hopefully create new opportunities for the attacking team.
- Normandy: Zones B and C will be rebalanced. Changes in zone B will allow defenders to better repel attacks while zone C will be easier to capture. These tweaks are intended to provide a more balanced and dynamic gameplay experience.
More details will be available at a later date. Stay tuned!