Wargaming is handing out a free Tier IX ship just for logging in. That is the absolute headline for Update 14.11, and quite frankly, it is one of the most generous login rewards we have seen in the game's history. Starting December 1, 2025, World of Warships kicks off its holiday season with a massive giveaway, a new Dockyard construction event, and significant changes to Operation matchmaking.
The Tier IX Giveaway: What Should You Choose?
From December 1 through December 31, logging into the game grants you a specific container allowing you to choose one of five Tier IX ships. For new or intermediate players, this is a massive boost to your port, effectively skipping hundreds of thousands of XP and millions of credits in grinding.
The available ships are:
- Lepanto (Italian Battleship): A brawler with SAP secondaries and Rolling Smoke. Excellent for close-quarters pushing.
- Izumo (Japanese Battleship): A long-range sniper with high-velocity shells. A staple of the meta for years.
- Riga (Soviet Cruiser): A tanky heavy cruiser with powerful AP shells, great for island-hugging radar plays.
- Sejong (Pan-Asian Cruiser): A light cruiser focused on deep-water torpedo spam and high DPM, though extremely fragile.
- Fletcher (American Destroyer): The quintessential hybrid destroyer. Good guns, good torps, and excellent utility.
If you already own all of these—or simply don't want them—you can opt for 225,000 Free XP instead. This resource injection is perfect if you are eyeing a Research Bureau reset or skipping a painful stock grind on another line.
How does the new Dockyard work?
The Hamburg Dockyard opens its gates for the construction of the Roussillon, a French Tier IX battleship. As with previous Dockyard events, you will need to complete combat missions to progress through construction phases. Reaching the halfway point rewards the Montcalm, a French Tier VI cruiser.
French battleships at this tier typically rely on speed (Engine Boost) and high shell volume, often at the cost of armor thickness. If Roussillon follows the national flavor, expect a flanker capable of punishing broadsides, though you will likely need to invest Dubloons to finish the final few construction phases if the pattern holds from previous events.
Map Updates and PvE Changes
The update introduces "Sunset Isles," a new map designed for Tier VI and higher ships. Map variety is crucial for keeping the tactical meta fresh, especially for destroyer players who rely on island geometry for ambushes.
Perhaps more impactful for the casual player base is the overhaul to Operation Matchmaker. The system now groups ships into three distinct brackets: Tier VI–VII, VIII–IX, and X+. This is a significant quality-of-life improvement. Previously, tier disparities in PvE could lead to awkward scaling issues where lower-tier ships struggled to contribute meaningful damage. This change should standardize the difficulty and make farming Operations for XP much more consistent.
Holiday Event Pass
The update also brings a two-chapter Event Pass. Grinding through these lines yields rewards including Commanders Stig Lundgren and Sailor Paws, along with the premium ships Nürnberg ’44 and Lanzhou. The Advent Calendar also returns on December 1, replacing the standard daily login rewards with 24 days of unique holiday prizes.
With a guaranteed high-tier ship on the table, this is the best time to log back in if you have been taking a break. The update is live now, but remember: the free ship claim window opens strictly on December 1.