In early June, the test recruitment for “Kingdom of War World,” under the umbrella of Penguin, was launched. It seems that the game is nearing its final open beta stage.
The game, which had begun as early as 2018, had previously released demo footage. However, it was likely that Tencent was uncertain about its future, and the game was subsequently remade. After a period of refinement, it was recently made available. However, with time passing, the players’ anticipation has waned, making the game’s future uncertain. The recent re-release might be due to the lack of a successful open-world game in Tencent’s portfolio, and the company’s anxiety to see other competitors succeed. Nevertheless, Tencent is reluctant to take a different path, which will only make things more challenging.
In reality, with Tencent’s size, it might be more prudent to focus on a niche genre rather than trying to produce a hit open-world game. For instance, the naval genre is nearly monopolized by World of Warships, with very few competitors. While World of Warships is of top quality, the 14.5 update offers a rich array of content.
The core content of the 14.5 update is the grand summer festival event, which comes with a plethora of rewards and a highly esteemed “Firepower Support Premium Supply Box.” This box is highly valuable, as it contains all 17 ships, each rated as a Tier 10 coal ship. Moreover, these ships are of excellent performance, allowing players to experience their unique strength or high entertainment value. In terms of strength, Naples, an I-series ship that has been in circulation since 2021, is a very good choice. It boasts the I-series SAP secondary guns, which can be roughly described as “high-damage low-penetration AP,” with fixed penetration and no decay, making it quite effective. The DPM of Naples’s secondary guns is nearly 4.2 million, which is a doubling of firepower compared to other European heavy cruisers, and even more potent when within its secondary gun range.
Another advantage of Naples is its I-series legacy smoke machine, which is known for its small but potent effect, allowing ships to go invisible in place. Unlike other smoke machines with speed requirements, the fuel smoke allows ships to travel at high speeds. Therefore, it is suitable for both closing in quickly and retreating.
In addition to the ships in the supply box, other channels in the 14.5 update also offer ships with decent strength. In the steel ship and research agency, ships like the CW series’s Unblocked and HL series’s William I are available. The former is a reiteration of the avant-garde hull design, equipped with 16 234mm main guns, providing ample firepower; the latter is a PLUS version of the Y series’s Duncan class, with the HL series’s orange bomb as its most distinctive feature, offering both entertainment and strength.
Besides the “strength beauty,” the 14.5 update also provides a historically rich naval fleet for players. In the “Navy Legacy” event, players will encounter a special version of Johnny, the battleship dedicated to the Johnstone, a ship that sank heroically during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. It carries the same SAP main gun as the original, along with a special loading system, maximizing its output capability.
The 14.5 update of “Kingdom of War World” is as stable as ever, with naval content not only offering strength but also historical depth. For fans of naval warfare, this is definitely not to be missed.