Developer Diaries: Orzeł

European submarine Orzeł, Tier X

Lead member of her class of two submarines built for the Polish Republic in the Netherlands during the 1930s. With the outbreak of the Second World War, Orzeł operated in the Baltic before being interned in Estonia, but her crew took back the submarine and sailed to the United Kingdom without navigational aids. She would serve alongside the Royal Navy in the Norwegian Campaign before going missing in 1940.

Orzeł is a little different from your usual submarine; she's designed for aggressive gameplay and resilience rather than pure stealth. Let's check it out!

• High surface speed, with access to the Engine Boost consumable

• Good survivability, with access to a variant of the Torpedo Defense System consumable

• Rotating torpedo launchers provide flexible firing angles, while the ship carries numerous torpedo groups.

• No access to the Hydrophone consumable

• Slow ping velocity

Orzeł sports an unusual torpedo layout, combining four fixed tubes at both the bow and stern with two rotating twin launchers positioned near each end of the ship. As for the loaders, there are 4 single loaders in the bow, 2 twin rotating loaders mounted in the hull, and 4 single loaders in the stern. While surfaced, the rotating launchers give you additional flexibility, allowing you to attack targets while maneuvering your fixed bow or stern tubes into firing position. Her ping is a little slower than most other submarines', so you'll need to adjust your aim carefully to land it against fast, maneuverable targets.

To make full use of her strengths, you'll want to spend most of your time surfaced. That's where her speed is at its best and where you get your full torpedo angles. Of course, staying surfaced also makes you easier to detect, and she has no access to Hydrophone to warn you of nearby surface threats. This is where her signature consumable comes in: a special version of Torpedo Defense System. Time it right and you'll mitigate 70% of incoming torpedo and depth-charge damage for a short time, opening the door to daring and more aggressive plays in close-range engagements. This resilience lets you survive encounters that would sink most other submarines outright.

To see the exact statistics, visit our Devblog:

Development Blog

Please note that all information in the development blog is preliminary. Announced adjustments and features may change multiple times during testing. The final information will be published on our game's website.