In early June, the world of Honor of Kings, under the umbrella of Tencent, initiated a new round of beta recruitment tests. It seems that they are nearing the final public testing phase.
The game, which began its preparations in 2018, had previously unveiled real gameplay footage but, with a plethora of open-world games emerging at the time, the company was uncertain about its future. Eventually, they decided to revamp the game, refining it for some time before releasing it again. However, years later, the enthusiasm of the original players has significantly diminished, and there is no clear indication of the game’s future success. Now, the release is likely due to the absence of a successful open-world game within the Tencent portfolio. Seeing competitors making substantial profits, the company is eager to follow suit. However, they are unwilling to take a different path, fearing that such a move would only lead to narrower avenues.
In fact, with Tencent’s size, it might be more prudent to explore a niche genre. For instance, the market for naval warfare is almost monopolized by World of Warships, with few competitors. Although the game’s quality is unmatched, its recent 14.5 version has a rich content update, with a grand summer celebration event offering ample rewards and a highly regarded “Power Support Premium Supply Box.” This box is highly valuable because it contains all 17 ships in the Tier 10 Coal category, which are all exceptional in terms of performance.
The ships are also highly functional, offering unique strengths or high entertainment value. For instance, the Naples from the I-series is a standout choice, having been released in 2021 and maintaining its value. It boasts the I-series SAP dual-purpose guns, which can be roughly described as “low penetration, high damage” AP, with a fixed and non-decaying penetration depth, making it very effective. The DPM of its guns reaches nearly 420,000, significantly higher than European heavy cruisers, and its effectiveness increases dramatically once it enters the gun range.
Another advantage of the Naples is its I-series legacy smoke screen, which is designed to create a small but powerful smoke screen, allowing ships to remain invisible on the battlefield. Unlike regular smoke screens, this type of smoke allows ships to move at high speeds. Thus, it is suitable for both closing in on the enemy and fleeing from danger.
In addition to the ships in the supply box, other channels in the 14.5 version offer ships with strong performance. In the steel ship and research department, ships such as the CW series’ Unobstructed and HL series’ William I are notable. The former is a reinterpretation of a forward hull design with 16 234mm main guns, while the latter is a PLUS version of the Y series Duncan class, featuring HL’s orange bombs, which provide both entertainment and military utility.
Besides the “strength aesthetics,” the 14.5 version of Warships also offers a deep historical perspective. In the “Naval Heritage” event, players will encounter a special version of Johnny, the battle from the Johnston, which was sunk during the Battle of Midway. This ship retains the SAP main guns from the original and features a special ammunition loading system, maximizing its output.
The 14.5 version of Warships continues to be stable, offering both strength and historical depth. For fans of naval warfare, it is definitely worth trying.