Wargaming is spinning the wheels of celebration once again. This time, they are taking us into the realm of Chinese myths and legends to mark the arrival of the Lunar New Year of the Fire Horse. To celebrate the occasion, the Jade Emperor’s Challenge event has launched in World of Tanks, promising everything the average tanker needs to be happy. Alongside a new 7v7 game mode on modified maps, loot boxes return—this time under the name Blazing Treasures.
While WG is giving us boxes with content that puts the recent Black Market to shame, I won’t be focusing on what´s inside them in this article. I can’t shake the feeling that my garage is turning into a junk shop. Does my tank really need a Chinese lantern or a tea set on the turret to shoot better? WG keeps shoving these useless 3D accessories down our throats just to dilute the drop chances of anything that holds actual value for players.
Jade Emperor’s Challenge
To let you fully enjoy the New Year celebrations in World of Tanks, Wargaming has prepared a special 7v7 Tier VIII game mode on four modified maps: Steppes, Mines, Empire’s Border, and Sand River. Playing SPGs is not allowed in this mode, but honestly, anyone with at least half a functioning brain wouldn’t want to play artillery in a special event anyway.
Each tank class possesses different special abilities in battle. Heavy tanks have boosted ramming damage and mobility, medium tanks feature improved gun handling and reload times, light tanks get increased view range and concealment, and tank destroyers gain higher penetration and the ability to “knock out the Spirit”. This means that when a tank destroyer penetrates the armor of an enemy currently carrying a Spirit buff, they “knock it out” of them, and the Spirit buff remains available on the ground.
Although the event system might seem complicated at first glance, essentially all you need to do is play and complete the daily missions. In the end, it doesn’t matter where you rank on your team, or whether you finish as a winner or a loser. This has been noticed by some perceptive players who are already lively discussing the paradoxical mechanics of the Jade Emperor’s Challenge on Reddit.
Jade Emperor’s Challenge!
by u/Bryrup1 in WorldofTanks
Observations on how the event functions were briefly summarized, for example, by Bryrup1 in his post, where he identified mission completion as the only significant factor. People debating under the post agree with him, pointing out the only exception where it actually pays off to follow the “spirit of the game”.
„If they had missions to hold it, deliver it, or even get points? Then sure,” acknowledges Balc0ra in his comment, admitting there is a situation where you must put in the effort to deliver the Spirit buff to the enemy Drop Zone. Otherwise, the event is being received rather negatively among players.
Reddit players have hit the nail on the head – the system is designed so poorly that nothing actually forces you to win. You just need to complete your daily missions for damage or team ranking, and essentially, you could drown your tank in the nearest river (but please DON´T do that). Balc0ra is right that if the missions were tied to delivering the Spirit buff to the Drop Zone, it would at least make some sense gameplay-wise. As it stands, it’s just about “checking a box” and going back to playing random battles.
Boxes for Free
The biggest rewards from the Jade Emperor’s Challenge are undoubtedly two Blazing Treasures for free. How can you get them? It’s quite simple.
You just need to earn 40 Jades, the event’s progression currency. You earn these by completing daily missions. You can earn up to 77 Jades per day, making this a relatively quick and easy task.
Conclusion
This likely isn’t an event that Wargaming will be particularly proud of, especially considering the community feedback. Perhaps WG hopes to win us over with the new maps, and as a result, they’ve slacked off a bit on this event.
On the other hand, I actually welcome what many others are criticizing – the fact that it doesn’t matter whether you win or lose. Finally, I don’t have to get frustrated when I get teammates who might not be as experienced or skilled at World of Tanks as I would wish. It’s a pleasant change from the Onslaught mode, where your entire progress is influenced by the skills of six other players and their judgment during tank selection.
Nevertheless, the only real positive of this event remains the two boxes for free, which are quick to obtain, so you don’t have to spend hours grinding for them.
How do you like this event? Let me know in the comments!
