The upcoming Battle of the North Cape campaign: some thoughts after playing it on the PTS

[K1ra_Yoshikage]

First of all: thx to WG for giving us the chance to get a free T7 BB (ok: free as long as you don't count the time you invest)

To start with: those missions are usually easier on the PTS since you should have a chance to finish them fast.

But that's lead to the first point: how much harder should they get?

The way they are now the better players may only need to invest something like a afternoon or evening to get the DoY.

The average Joe may need to invest one hour over 6-7 days to finish them.

We will not see: do 8k of damage to a German BB for 2 stars at the live server. So how much should it be? 20k? 100k?

Why did I ask? It is nice that the DoY will be the reward but the campaign will be only up for a limited time. And there are enough people here

that don't have much time around Christmas or New Year. Family, festivities or those who have to spend extra shifts (rescue services, polic, military, public transport,

logistics, power and water supply to just name a few of them) so others with kids could stay at home will limit the time players can spend ingame.

Making it too hard could lead to lots of griefing. Also because you need the reward ship to unlock the New Year campaign and maybe for the last mission also (at least it seems to be at the PTS)

Some other problem that may add some extra HCl to the server is the mission design in two of them

- be the first who spot a German BB in a RN cruiser

- be the first who spot a RN ship... in a German ship

Last years campaign showed a tendency that players log in and yolo as long as they need to finish the mission. 

The second campaign seems to be doable in co-op... or not. Some need special achievements like dreadnought or high caliber which cannot be earned in co-op. They are wrong labeled.

Rewards besides the DoY:

Let's hope we get the same number of boxes. The normal reward crates gives you 3 of the new camo or 25 flags (got only the different XP and credit flags) and 2 collectibels.

You got 1-3 of those per mission you completed for the first time plus some extra stuff like flags or consumabels. So no one has to be afraid he cannot complete the collection if it stay this way.

The collection also gave me one small Christmas container per set.

Conclusion (for me at least): hopefully they will only do a small tweak to the missions and the stars we need to complete each stage so most of the players can get their ship for free.

There will be a shortcut ofc: the DoY will also hit the store and every stage has some mission with lots of stars if you use her.

And now a picture of the camo from the boxes if you didn't see her by now.

Disclaimer: you cannot make me responsibility for any eye or mental damage you get from opening the spoiler! Be warned!

Spoiler

 

[iDuckman]

Good comments, thanks.  As a semi-competent player, I'm still mired in the quest for the Vampire (6 kills to go) only 3 days left, so I really don't have time to play on the PTS anyway - another complication.  But I would like to play a North Cape scenario.

"Frosty Fir Tree"??  n/c

[ZARDOZ_II]

42 minutes ago, Erebthoron said:

And now a picture of the camo from the boxes if you didn't see her by now.

Disclaimer: you cannot make me responsibility for any eye or mental damage you get from opening the spoiler! Be warned!

Okay, perhaps the warning should have a BIT more emphatic. 

[RipNuN2]

23 minutes ago, iDuckman said:

Good comments, thanks.  As a semi-competent player, I'm still mired in the quest for the Vampire (6 kills to go) only 3 days left, so I really don't have time to play on the PTS anyway - another complication.  But I would like to play a North Cape scenario.

"Frosty Fir Tree"??  n/c

Just do the scenario battles for easy kills.

[iDuckman]

What scenario do I qualify for at Tier IV?

 

[K1ra_Yoshikage]

Not at the PTS now but AFAIK the North Cape campaign is T5+ random or ranked battles

[Taylor3006]

1 hour ago, iDuckman said:

Good comments, thanks.  As a semi-competent player, I'm still mired in the quest for the Vampire (6 kills to go) only 3 days left, so I really don't have time to play on the PTS anyway - another complication.  But I would like to play a North Cape scenario.

"Frosty Fir Tree"??  n/c

Play Co-op, you can usually manage at least one kill a game if you are like me. Each match takes around 5 minutes so you can do it pretty quickly and if you miss out on a kill, just move to the next match. It took me about 6 or 8 hours over the course of three days to do the Vampire mission. All done in Co-op. 

[iDuckman]

[iDuckman looks at number of Taylor's battles and evaluates Taylor's "if you are like me" qualifier.]

 

[YamatoA150]

They will likely also offer DoY for sale; like they did with Graf Spee. Moreso if they're also doing a second parallel Campaign that requires owning DoY to unlock (but then can be completed normally w/o use of DoY).

[Taylor3006]

5 minutes ago, iDuckman said:

[iDuckman looks at number of Taylor's battles and evaluates Taylor's "if you are like me" qualifier.]

LOL well about 10k of those are all in PvE. In PvP play I am definitely a potato. 

[Akeno017]

30 minutes ago, YamatoA150 said:

They will likely also offer DoY for sale; like they did with Graf Spee. Moreso if they're also doing a second parallel Campaign that requires owning DoY to unlock (but then can be completed normally w/o use of DoY).

No doubt with a delayed release, graf spee style, just to farm that extra salt.

[Bill_Halsey]

My Eyes!

[YamatoA150]

Just now, Akeno017 said:

No doubt with a delayed release, graf spee style, just to farm that extra salt.

I'm not sure whether or not the new Snowfall camouflages are from the DoY Campaign, or a parallel one that requires DoY to unlock it. I assume it's a parallel campaign exactly like last year's; players could grind it out for free if they dedicate 4+ hours a day to unlock each phase of the main campaign to get DoY, then spend each day of the remaining two weeks to unlock all the parallel campaign camouflage, with Scharnhorst+Snow camo as the ending reward (instead of Tirpitz + Event Camo like last year, or Tirpitz' Doubloon Cost + Port + Event Camo for those who already had Tirpitz prior).

 

No doubt that at least one campaign will probably be time-gated. I don't think they will time-gate the DoY bundles this year though, considering they didn't for the Hood Campaign after feedback from Graf Spee's handling last December.

[K1ra_Yoshikage]

The second campaign offers 2018 credits for the main quest. Think this is the placeholder for the T6 techtree ships with premium camo you can earn.

Here the Queen Elizabeth with the new camo

There are two other camos awarded at the PTS: one for completing the collection and one for completing the New Year campaign. The first is one for the Bismarck (prop the Scharnhorst camo at the live server). The campaign will give you one for the Tirpitz. Since she is the reward my guess for the live server is a second DoY camo.

If I remember it right someone from WG EU said at reddit that the staggered releases are a bad idea. That was after the Hood campaign shitstorm.

[K1ra_Yoshikage]

19 minutes ago, YamatoA150 said:

I'm not sure whether or not the new Snowfall camouflages are from the DoY Campaign, or a parallel one that requires DoY to unlock it. I assume it's a parallel campaign exactly like last year's; players could grind it out for free if they dedicate 4+ hours a day to unlock each phase of the main campaign to get DoY, then spend each day of the remaining two weeks to unlock all the parallel campaign camouflage, with Scharnhorst+Snow camo as the ending reward (instead of Tirpitz + Event Camo like last year, or Tirpitz' Doubloon Cost + Port + Event Camo for those who already had Tirpitz prior).

 

No doubt that at least one campaign will probably be time-gated. I don't think they will time-gate the DoY bundles this year though, considering they didn't for the Hood Campaign after feedback from Graf Spee's handling last December.

Mhhh... dev vid of the 9.15 patch let me suspect the campaigns will be online till the 9.16 patch. 

[TheDreadnought]

I don't think they need to make the DoY campaign super easy.   It's always easy to farm stars by repeating missions.  DoY should be awarded to the people who put in significant time and effort to earn her, or who buy it.

[Akeno017]

1 hour ago, YamatoA150 said:

 (instead of Tirpitz + Event Camo like last year, or Tirpitz' Doubloon Cost + Port + Event Camo for those who already had Tirpitz prior).

No doubt that at least one campaign will probably be time-gated. I don't think they will time-gate the DoY bundles this year though, considering they didn't for the Hood Campaign after feedback from Graf Spee's handling last December.

1. Tirpitz has never been handed for free, I think your thinking of Bismarck.

2. The Hood was timegated in the same way as graf spee, and had the exact same community distaste.

[Carniolan]

2 hours ago, Taylor3006 said:

Play Co-op, you can usually manage at least one kill a game if you are like me. Each match takes around 5 minutes so you can do it pretty quickly and if you miss out on a kill, just move to the next match. It took me about 6 or 8 hours over the course of three days to do the Vampire mission. All done in Co-op. 

This.

Take a destroyer.  German DDs with forward firing torps are best.  Race ahead to point where you are detected.  Stop and pop smoke.  Bot DDs will pop smoke and then race out of it towards you.  Torp them.  One kill done.  Then speed to the rear and pick a big juicy BB and put eight torps in him.  Try to do it in two batches so he uses his repair.

If you can't get two kills in a Co-op game, you are doing something wrong.

[K1ra_Yoshikage]

4 minutes ago, Akeno017 said:

1. Tirpitz has never been handed for free, I think your thinking of Bismarck.

2. The Hood was timegated in the same way as graf spee, and had the exact same community distaste.

Nope the Hood was worse. You could buy the Graf Spee without a bundle about one week before the second mission ended. The Hood went only on sale without fluff after the campaign ended.

[Akeno017]

1 hour ago, Erebthoron said:

Nope the Hood was worse. You could buy the Graf Spee without a bundle about one week before the second mission ended. The Hood went only on sale without fluff after the campaign ended.

aaaaah, now I remember why I was so much more infuriated by it.

[ReddNekk]

3 hours ago, Akeno017 said:

No doubt with a delayed release, graf spee style, just to farm that extra salt.

Yeah, last year's event was a blatant money grab. In order to start the Santa Christmas Convoy, you had to have Graf Spee. In the Graf Spee mission, there was a three day delay before the next mission would unlock. By doing the GS mission and winning the FREE Graf Spee, you didn't have enough time to complete the Christmas Convoy. But if you bought the Graf Spee, which was available only in ultimate, you could finish the Convoy Mission. A blatant money grab.

I'm fully expecting WG to do the same thing with the North Cape missions.

[K1ra_Yoshikage]

8 minutes ago, ReddNekk said:

Yeah, last year's event was a blatant money grab. In order to start the Santa Christmas Convoy, you had to have Graf Spee. In the Graf Spee mission, there was a three day delay before the next mission would unlock. By doing the GS mission and winning the FREE Graf Spee, you didn't have enough time to complete the Christmas Convoy. But if you bought the Graf Spee, which was available only in ultimate, you could finish the Convoy Mission. A blatant money grab.

I'm fully expecting WG to do the same thing with the North Cape missions.

Nope, I regreted to buy the unbundled Spee since I finished the first campaign within 1 day and had 4 or 5 days to finish the other. Was doable if you had some time at that point.

[Taylor3006]

25 minutes ago, ReddNekk said:

Yeah, last year's event was a blatant money grab. In order to start the Santa Christmas Convoy, you had to have Graf Spee. In the Graf Spee mission, there was a three day delay before the next mission would unlock. By doing the GS mission and winning the FREE Graf Spee, you didn't have enough time to complete the Christmas Convoy. But if you bought the Graf Spee, which was available only in ultimate, you could finish the Convoy Mission. A blatant money grab.

I'm fully expecting WG to do the same thing with the North Cape missions.

Well not quite true. I did all the missions to get the Graf Spee free and went on to finish the other campaign to get the Tirpitz camo a day or two before the event ended. It was hectic and you had to work at it a bit, but easily doable. I have to admit I was stressed as were many people but everyone I know managed to finish both without buying the Graf Spee.  BTW near the end there was quite a bit of people helping others to get the mission requirements. The players really went out of their way to work with those who needed help. 

[iDuckman]

2 hours ago, Rear_Admiral_Crispy said:

Take a destroyer.  German DDs with forward firing torps are best

My only Tier 4 DD is Isokaze.  I'm mostly playing Myogi to kill two birds with one stone - get Vamped and grind past the POS doing it.

Thanks for the hint on Co-op DD.

 

[crzyhawk]

Nevermind, someone beat me to the punch.