It’s hardly a surprise to see a successful online game adding a Battle Royale mode these days, but it is a surprise to see a game doing it in a way that can genuinely be called “new and interesting”. The game is World of Warships, the naval tactics multiplayer offering from the makers of World of Tanks, and the mode is part of Rogue Wave, coming in the game’s 0.85 update.
The mode swaps real world ocean conflicts for a new map which is more Mad Max or Waterworld than the Pacific theater. “You’ll find yourself surrounded by the ruins of a world on its knees in the aftermath of a global catastrophe”, says Wargaming, revealing a new port map populated by “abandoned skyscrapers, motionless trains, and devastated factories”. Players will battle to the death for the only resource that matters in this new world: fuel.
Matches feature four teams of three fighting to the last ship sailing, and as is traditional for Battle Royale games everyone starts with no consumable items which must be scavenged from around the map. A ring of fire closes in, forcing ships into close quarters skirmishes and damaging anyone foolish enough to be outside the ring when it contracts.
The update also adds four new mission Directives, each containing ten objectives. Completing these will earn you Fuel Tokens, ship upgrades and more. The first of these Directives is live now and the season runs until July 22.
There are three new ship classes to use in the core Savage Battle game mode. The Octopus class is hard to detect and packs a powerful punch, making it the sniper equivalent of the Warships universe. Moray Eels are agile and fast, but their torpedoes are slower and less powerful. The Barracuda class is the behemoth of the group – and the only one where you can control the main battery guns manually. Each class has three tiers, with a new and more powerful variant unlocked as you level up.
The Savage Battle mode won’t be available to all players though. Newcomers to the game will need to rack up 70 World of Warships battles to qualify. It’s also a temporary addition to World of Warships, so if you fancy giving nautical battle royale – dare we say, boat-le royale? – a try then don’t hang around.
For the full lowdown on Rogue Wave head over to the official World of Warships site, where a detailed blog post lays it all out for you. And while you’re there, be sure to check out Warships’ Recruitment Rumble, where recruiting shipmates can nab you in game perks, and Amazon rewards! Click here for more info.
