Operation Rift Watch is officially live, bringing a dedicated defense objective to the Temporal Rift mode in World of Warships. The event tasks players with holding the line against incoming threats to "prevent oblivion," shifting the focus from standard skirmishing to hardpoint defense. With the event in full swing as of November 20, 2025, the meta for this mode demands a shift in how you manage your ship's durability and positioning.
Tactical Implications of Full Power Respawns
The most significant mechanical wrinkle in Operation Rift Watch is the ability to respawn with full power. In standard World of Warships matches, preserving your hit points (HP) into the late game is usually the primary win condition. However, this respawn mechanic flips that logic. Since you can return to the fight at full strength, the most effective tactic shifts toward high-intensity trading.
Players should look to maximize their damage output per life rather than playing passively to survive. If you are holding a defensive angle, it might be worth sacrificing your ship to halt a major enemy push, provided you can respawn and return to the perimeter quickly. This changes the value of "glass cannon" cruisers and destroyers, allowing them to play more aggressively than they would in Random Battles.
How does this change base defense strategy?
Defending a base in a respawn-enabled mode requires a different approach to map control. Instead of a static defense line, teams need to cycle their frontline presence. As ships take damage, they should rotate out or expend their HP pool to delay the enemy, knowing a fresh ship is coming back into the rotation. Successful teams in the Temporal Rift will likely be those who coordinate these rotations effectively, ensuring the base is never left without heavy armor or screening destroyers while allies are respawning.
For those jumping into the Temporal Rift, focus on area denial and keeping your guns active. The threat of oblivion is real, but with infinite resources on the respawn timer, aggressive defense is the key to securing victory.