There are also extensive improvements and revisions to the graphics and audio in the game since Update 12.7. With this update, Arpeggio of Blue Steel -Ars Nova- also returns to the game, there are four new gore and the continuation for building a Tier X destroyer in the shipyard.

All aboard for the eighth birthday of World of Warships.

To kick off World of Warships' eighth anniversary celebrations, update 12.8 has been released. Beginning September 14, players will be able to unlock a number of rewards in the form of combat performance bonuses and celebration tokens. These tokens can be redeemed for rewards of the player's choice, including camouflage, discounts for level VIII ships, the level VIII French cruiser Bayard, containers and super containers, as well as a number of general, special and rare economic bonuses. The birthday celebrations go even further, however, as Warships welcomes the level IX European battleship Charles XIV Johan to the game! Along with this new ship comes a special permanent camouflage, three commanders each with their own voice, and of course their own flag and patch.

Airship escort mode joins the random battles

After two previous versions as a standalone battle mode, a new and improved airship escort will now be integrated into Random Battles to add variety to the battles. In 12-on-12 formats for ships of all classes, from Tier VII to Super Ships, players lead their allied airship along a set route and beat the opposing team to the finish line or destroy their convoy to claim victory. The revised version of this mode includes updated routes and spawn points on a number of maps, some new indicators for the airship's speed and location, and new rewards in the economy of random battles.

Graphics and audio updates

Since update 12.7, there have been a number of graphics and audio updates for Warships. Highly detailed textures have been incorporated into several maps, including the New Dawn, Polar, and Islands maps. This hyper-realism also extends to the water, which enjoys improved animations for waves lapping at ships and better quality splashes. There are also improvements in the animals, and a greater number of fish, birds, dolphins and sharks appear on the maps. On several islands there are improved collision models that prevent passing ships from coming into contact with each other. In addition to these environmental updates, there are also improved combat effects, both graphically and acoustically. Shots from main, secondary battery and anti-aircraft guns, as well as explosions, will have improved effects depending on the speed of the target ship and the caliber of the projectile. These effects are accompanied by improved audio reproduction to mimic the effect of fighting from a distance. In addition, Warships' soundscape adapts to the battle situation at hand, ranging from combat sounds during engagements with enemy ships to ambient sounds heard during quieter moments of combat.

Spanish Cruisers and the Return of Arpeggio of Blue Steels

Concluding the brand new content in this update, Spanish cruisers leave Early Access and become available to all players, and Arpeggio of Blue Steel -Ars Nova- returns to the waters of Warships to once again take on the Fleet of Fog. 12.8 also welcomes four new skirmishers, each with their own unique division formats, and sees the continuation of the construction of the Pan-Asian Tier X destroyer Lüshun in the shipyard.