Under the current matchmaking system, it is extremely difficult to find a battle during non-peak hours, often requiring 3-10 minutes to enter a match even with the “join ongoing battle” option selected. This issue worsens in high-tier battles. We all know the naval player base is small, creating a vicious cycle: prolonged queue times accelerate player attrition. In previous years, we could start battles with 2v2 or even 1v1 configurations, but now the system enforces a minimum 4v4 requirement—a near-impossible condition during off-peak hours.
Moreover, naval battles shouldn’t be 16v16. The maps are too cramped, forcing all players into chaotic clusters with poor gameplay experience. While battleships might survive slightly better due to their durability, cruisers and destroyers struggle immensely in 16v16 environments, especially in BR 6.7-7.0 brackets. New naval players endure terrible experiences: persistent server lag, connection failures, excessive queue times, and matches where they’re destroyed within 3 minutes after waiting 10 minutes—an unsustainable ecosystem.
War Thunder’s naval mode has exceptional core mechanics, and I hope to see it thrive. Before Gaijin addresses balance issues and tech tree gaps, the urgent priority is revamping the matchmaking system. At minimum, naval queues should mirror Air and Ground modes where matches start in under 1 minute. A functional player base must come first.
