Waterline 2025: A Vast Array New Content, Balance Changes, Dockyards and a hint of New Ship Lines
Captains, it's time to take a look at what's coming to World of Warships in 2025. Lots of new additions, this is their plans and goals for 2025!
Here's a quick overview of what is planned.
- Add new types of mechanics and ships, as well as provide more ways to play the ships you already have.
- Work on evolving the PvP aspect of World of Warships and expand the PvE content.
- Put more focus on historical and navy-based content.
- Implement changes to the aircraft carrier and AA mechanics.
New Approach:
Over the years, WG have added numerous mechanics to diversify gameplay, but this has made the game increasingly complex, challenging both new and experienced players.
WG plan to be more selective with new ships and mechanics, aiming to avoid making the game harder. The idea is to introduce time-limited content that will evolve over several updates before being removed. This allows WG to rotate mechanics and remove those that don't pass the test of time. If any prove popular, WG may bring them back. These additions will complement, not detract from, the core gameplay, offering an extra layer of quality content.
Classified Documents:
Based on your feedback WG have decided not to introduce Classified Documents to Random Battles in Update 14.2. they will share with you their further plans regarding this mechanic in later publications.
Classified Documents, first introduced in D-Day Operations, are making a return as a tool to enhance your ship and add depth to gameplay.
The key difference is that they will now be available in regular game modes—initially in Random Battles and Operations with Flagships, and later in Clan Battles. You will have immediate access to the full list of Documents, with their bonuses being personal and non-stackable.
In Random Battles, Classified Documents can be equipped at the start of the battle, and they provide bonuses against specific ships, allowing you to target and weaken particular threats.
Based on your feedback on our Waterline publication, we've made changes to Classified Documents. One of the key concerns was that multiple players could use Classified Documents to focus on specific individuals. We don’t expect many players to choose the same Classified Document for a single target, as using them against ships that don’t pose a significant threat would be inefficient. For example, if you're playing Shimakaze, it's more beneficial to apply a Classified Document against destroyer-hunters rather than focusing on a single player in a Yamato. We know that every player brings their own experience and playstyle to the battlefield: some will choose a Classified Document to counter a ship they personally dislike, others will select based on what they consider the strongest option, and some will decide based on their spawn position and the terrain challenges ahead. Ultimately, the choice is yours to make based on what you see as necessary for each individual battle, thus creating a natural diversity of picks on every team. Nevertheless, we understand the frustration around being overly targeted, so, as a safety measure, we've decided to adjust Classified Documents in Random Battles by removing their offensive bonuses. Now, they serve purely as a defensive tool—reducing raw damage taken from enemy ships the Classified Documents are used against. With this change, targeting a specific strong player will be less relevant—what matters more is shielding yourself from the ship that counters you best.
In Clan Battles (Season 30), Documents will function similarly, but you'll choose them in the Port instead – allowing a sort of mind game against the opposing Clan.
In Operations with Flagships, Classified Documents will have a different application and can even be upgraded!
| Random Battles (14.2) | Operations with Flagships (14.2) | Clan Battles (Season 30) |
| Bonuses against specific ships | Bonuses against specific ship types | Bonuses against specific ships |
| Tier VIII-X ships and superships | Tier IX-X ships | Tier X ships and superships |
| Equipped at the start of the battle | Equipped at the start of the battle | Equipped in Port |
| Cannot be upgraded | Upgradable starting from Update 14.3 | Cannot be upgraded |
| 3 slots available Please Read Devs Notes Above |
1 slot available | 2 slots available |
| Classified Documents | ||
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Classified Documents for Operations with Flagships:
| Battleship | Cruiser | Destroyer |
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Attack capabilities: Defense capabilities: |
Attack capabilities: Defense capabilities: |
Attack capabilities: Defense capabilities: |
| Attack capabilities: +10% Fire damage +10% Damage from all HE ammunitions to an enemy on fire Defense capabilities: -5% Damage taken from secondary battery shells |
Attack capabilities: Defense capabilities: |
Attack capabilities: +10% Fire damage +10% Damage from all HE ammunitions to an enemy that is on fire Defense capabilities: -10% Risk of catching fire or flooding |
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Attack capabilities: Defense capabilities: |
Attack capabilities: Defense capabilities: |
Attack capabilities: Defense capabilities: |
Note that these buffs apply to all enemy ships in Operations with Flagships, not just the Flagships themselves - you can use these not only to prepare against specific opponents, but also to complement your preferred playstyle (for example, playing a torpedo destroyer and choosing to buff your torpedo damage against enemy battleships).
Due to the strong interest in last year's D-Day and STAR TREK events, we're bringing more PvE content with a new iteration of Operations with Flagships.
In each Operation, you'll face three flagships—two identical and one with a unique vulnerability type. You can use Classified Documents to counter them, as they provide bonuses against specific ship types and weaponry, affecting both flagships and regular bots.
In 14.3, the difficulty will increase with new abilities for the flagships, giving you a reason to upgrade your Classified Documents for better bonuses. You can earn the currency for upgrades through combat missions.
Experimental Ships:
Based on your feedback WG have decided not to introduce Classified Documents to Random Battles in Update 14.2. they will share with you their further plans regarding this mechanic in later publications.
Experimental ships will be available until the end of Update 14.6. They can participate in all battle types and may receive balance changes. With the release of Update 14.7, they will be removed from player accounts.
The first three ships are:
VIII Metz (Heavy Cruiser) Ship Page
IX Vyazma (Heavy Cruiser) Ship Page
X Oregon Ship Page
Details of the ships can be found in the links above.
A second batch will include:
VIII Protector (Heavy Cruiser) Ship Page
IX Hotaka Ship Page
X Varese (Heavy Cruiser) Ship Page
These ships will retain the Fight or Flight and Limited Shells features while focusing on secondary armament that becomes more powerful as their HP decreases.
You can unlock these ships using Credits and a special currency earned through dedicated missions. Progressing in the event will reward you with customization and commemorative items.
| Experimental Ships | ||
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Tech Tree Ships:
A new line of American destroyers is planned this year:
VII HughesVIII OsborneIX ChristopherX Burrows,these ships will have both high damage output and rate of fire, as well as a unique smoke mechanic, though WG can't talk about that just yet, as for their disadvantages, the ships will have large hulls and rather subpar concealment.
WG can drop a hint about another line: you can expect some new large cruisers in the future!
Changes to Aircraft Carriers and AA:
WG haven't forgotten about changes to aircraft carriers and AA. After testing the concept last summer, we were pleased with the results but identified the need for balancing, UI improvements, and more polishing. Based on feedback, we've made adjustments and are ready for the next phase.
Aircraft will have three modes: Travel, Attack, and Recon. The goal is to improve the player experience, as the first iteration wasn't intuitive enough.
Here are some changes compared to the previous test:
- Recon Mode, which allows you to descend and spot enemies, is going to be simpler and more immersive.
- Defensive AA Fire will no longer prevent planes from spotting—a change made after player feedback showed the mechanic was too complicated.
- Priority sector will now cover 360 degrees around the ship and buff AA damage.
- A new AA consumable is in the works, with details to be revealed later.
- It will be clearer which planes are dangerous, and which are not.
- The speedometer will return.
Aircraft carriers will still be able to use their secondaries as main guns when not controlling the aircraft, and Fighters and Patrol Aircraft will no longer be able to spot ships.
Additionally, some Commander skills for aircraft carriers will be reworked. WG are also considering a mechanic that provides a small chance to dodge AA fire, allowing you to deal some damage even against strong defenses. AA bubbles will also receive improvements.
If you haven't tried the new mechanics yet, now's the time, as WG plan to release them in 2025. Stay tuned for more updates on our website.
Respawn Event:
A new event is coming in Update 14.3 where you can respawn after your ship is sunk. A timer will appear, and once it hits zero, your ship will reappear on the map. There's no limit to how many times you can respawn.
Convoy Operations:
In Update 14.4, we're giving Convoys a new twist. You'll be able to play them as Operations across all Convoy maps. The primary task will remain the same, but secondary tasks will be random to add variety, similar to D-Day and STAR TREK Operations. Eventually, standard Operations will receive similar updates to their secondary tasks.
Mastery Badges and Marks of Excellence:
First Mastery Badges and later Marks of Excellence will be added to the game. If you've played other Wargaming titles, you might be quite familiar with them but for those who aren't, they are similar to achievements.
To earn Mastery Badges, you'll need to achieve more Base XP in a single Random Battle than the average XP of other players in the same ship within a set period.
Marks of Excellence are earned by consistently achieving exceptional results in the same ship across multiple battles.
Customization:
After the positive feedback for enemy destruction effects last year, WG plan to add more of them. Additionally, new customization options are in development!
Event Pass:
been refining the Event Pass, and we plan a major overhaul this year. The focus will shift to medium- to long-term goals, with the Event Pass lasting 2–3 updates and being more accessible for casual players.
Historical Content:
WG have received great feedback from historical enthusiasts, especially about events like the Battle of Java Sea and the Battle of Leyte Gulf, so WG are bringing more of them.
An adventure dedicated to the Battles of Narvik and Dunkirk is in development and will span Updates 14.3 and 14.4. To commemorate Dunkirk, WG are also adding a small-scale event introducing a new type of PvE gameplay, outside of regular battles.
WG are also celebrating the anniversary of Operation Ten-Go with a new collection, two Historical Commanders, and other thematic items.
Two Dockyards will feature historical ships, including 
IX Blücher. Additionally, two past Dockyard ships are returning: 
VIII De Zeven Provinciën and 
IX ZF-6 later on.
Collaborations:
While 2025 will focus mainly on historical content, there will still be room for collaborations. WG don't plan to introduce new IPs to World of Warships (unless something cool comes along!), but you can expect to see plenty of familiar and beloved titles.
Future Plans:
Here are some things we would like to do in the future, though no specific timeline is set yet. WG haven't forgotten about them!
- WG are well aware that you would like a new map, and it is on our to-do list for the end of 2025 or early 2026, but WG want to rebalance some high-tier maps first.
- WG are considering introducing Operations for low-tier ships as a sort of tutorial. These will take place on small maps and use shortened versions of existing Operations, making player progression smoother and preparing them for future battles. It also gives PvE players a way to start their journey directly in this mode.
- Low-tier ships will receive quality-of-life balance changes to reflect their respective branches better.
- WG would like to experiment with Brawls by introducing modifiers that affect ship parameters, rather than just restricting by tier and ship type. For example, destroyers could get a buff to torpedo damage, while battleships might have passive HP recovery.
- As mentioned earlier, WG want to give you more opportunities to play the ships you already have. The same applies to Commanders—introducing unique Commanders to Operations is something WG are exploring, but details are not available yet.
