Booster application change

Game Discussion General Discussion
1

Hello fellow Thunderers! It is a common joke that after activating a big booster, the trees, ground, a stray missile or your internet is going to kill you in the game. After wasting many boosters, an idea popped in my head. How would you like to see this topic under the suggestion posts?

Currently, War Thunder requires players to activate boosters before entering a battle. These boosters (for example, + %10, 50, 100, 250 etc RP and SL) only apply to a single match or a short period of time in simulator battles. This system in practice introduces unnecessary frustration and waste due to factors often outside of the player’s control.

Problems with the current system:

  • Unpredictable Match outcomes: Players have no way of knowing how the next match is going to go. There are many other factors than a simple “skill issue” such as disconnection, teamkill, an accident, unbalanced teams or it could be just a poor round. This makes the boosters a gamble rather than a reward.

  • Encourages hesitation instead of engagement: Many players hesitate to use their boosters at all fearing waste. This defeats the purpose of boosters as an incentive to play.

  • Unfair to consistent players: Even skilled players can have unlucky matches. And wasting your boosters on those matches feel like the game is punishing your “bad” (for whatever reason) match rather than rewarding your good one. This leads to frustration which defeats the purpose of playing a game.

Suggested change: Allow players to apply the boosters after a match, to any result they have completed. For example, after finishing a match, players could see a list of their boosters and choose to apply one to that match’s result.

Benefits of the new system:

  • Reward for actual performance: Players could choose to apply boosters to their good matches, directly linking reward to effort and skill.

  • Reduced Wastage: War Thunder has come a long way by introducing item recycling. The new system would move the game in the same positive direction a step further.

  • Encourages more active play: Instead of gambling boosters, players will focus on improving performance to make the most out of their boosters. Perhaps, a medium level game play would not be good enough anymore and they would push it for a better match next time.

In the end, changing the booster system to allow post-match application would make the progression feel fairer, reduce frustration and strengthen player trust in War Thunder’s reward mechanics. It’s a small quality of life improvement that would have a major positive impact on how players engage with the game and their fellow War Thunderers!
Thank you for your time.

3 Likes
2

I agree with the suggestion and would stress an even more concrete issue: server instability on Gaijin’s side. Elevated ping, packet loss spikes, desync, and sudden disconnects are not rare events. These are not player mistakes and not “bad performance”, they are infrastructure failures. Under the current system, activating a booster before a match means accepting the risk that server-side problems can nullify it entirely. Getting kicked from a match, frozen in place due to packet loss, or dying because the server fails to register inputs turns boosters into a liability rather than a reward. Allowing post-match booster application would directly mitigate this problem. If a match is compromised by lag or disconnects, the player simply does not apply the booster. This is not exploitation; it is basic protection against factors outside player control. As long as server reliability is imperfect, and it demonstrably is, the current booster system remains fundamentally unfair. Post-match application would be a rational, minimal fix that aligns rewards with actual playable matches instead of punishing players for network failures they did not cause.

2 Likes
3

Good idea.

And since it would actually lock in the functionality, and thus value, of the booster it would be advantageous for Gaijin too as they would definitely sell a lot more.

5

Hi!
Please use this topic to discuss boosters:

If you want to suggest change, please use Suggestion Section.