- Introduction and Context
This post suggests a new progression mechanic and reward for veteran War Thunder players: upon reaching 10,000 kills with a specific ground vehicle, that vehicle would permanently become premium for that player’s account.
Currently, after mastering a tech tree vehicle and spading it, there is no continuous reward for continued use beyond personal familiarity. This suggestion aims to encourage loyalty to certain vehicles, reward long-term dedication, and provide a meaningful long-term goal for the community.
- Objective of the Suggestion
· Encourage Long-Term Vehicle Usage: Many players stop using a vehicle after researching all modifications. This mechanic would give a reason to keep playing with their favorites.
· Reward Skill and Dedication: Reaching 10,000 kills is a significant milestone that demonstrates mastery. This rewards veteran players without breaking game balance.
· Increase Battle Variety: It could result in more “off-meta” vehicles or lower BR vehicles being used by experienced players, diversifying matches.
- Proposed Mechanic Description
· Milestone Requirement: 10,000 kills in Realistic Battles (RB) or Arcade Battles (AB) with the same non-premium ground vehicle (tank, tank destroyer, etc.).
· Reward: Upon reaching the milestone, the vehicle becomes permanently premium for that specific account. Kill count could continue to be tracked as a “prestige layer” for stat-tracking purposes.
· Premium Status Effects:
· +100% Research Points (RP) and +50% Silver Lions (SL) bonus.
· Ability to efficiently research all lower ranks and the immediately higher rank, similar to standard premium vehicles.
· Note: The vehicle remains a tech tree vehicle for all other aspects, such as spawn cost and matchmaking balance.
- Impact and Feasibility Analysis
· Economic Impact on Gaijin: While this might appear to be a potential loss of revenue, the number of players who reach 10,000 kills on a single vehicle is extremely low (likely less than 1% of the player base). In practice, this would function more as a prestige trophy and a goodwill marketing tool, showing the company values long-term dedication—similar to prestige systems in other games.
· Gameplay Balance:
· Does not cause imbalance: The mechanic does not alter any performance parameters of the vehicle (armor, ammunition, mobility).
· Grind Control: Players reach this kill count organically after hundreds or thousands of hours; it is not a fast way to gain economic advantage.
- Potential Objections and Solutions
· Objection: “10,000 kills is too high / impractical.”
· Response: The high number is intentional to ensure this mechanic functions as a prestige reward rather than something common. The difficulty is what makes the achievement meaningful.
· Objection: “It may encourage anti-gameplay behavior (spawn camping).”
· Response: Since kills count across regular battles and the number is extremely high, players who only farm kills without contributing to the team would have worse overall performance and win rates, making this strategy inefficient in the long run.
- Conclusion
Implementing the conversion of a tech tree vehicle to premium upon reaching 10,000 kills would be a positive addition to War Thunder. It offers a long-term goal for veterans, encourages continued use of diverse vehicles, and demonstrates recognition for the time and skill invested by the most dedicated players.
Thank you for your attention, and I am open to feedback and discussion to refine this idea.
