Gaijin Entertainment announces that Eagle’s Shadow major content update for the online military action game War Thunder is available now. It brings extensive improvements to the game’s graphics engine, completely reworked visual effects, more realistic weather conditions, and a new mechanic that allows players to adjust the Battle Ratings of certain aircraft by choosing different weapon configurations. Two familiar Ground Battles locations, Sun City and American Desert, have undergone extensive visual overhauls while preserving their gameplay layout. Besides the F-15EX Eagle II jet fighter, which gives the update its name, Eagle’s Shadow introduces dozens of other military vehicles, including the giant German H-39 battleship, the British Fulmar Mk.II naval fighter, and the BT-3F amphibious infantry fighting vehicle developed in Russia for the Indonesian Marine Corps.
Watch the “Eagle’s Shadow” Trailer
The German Bluewater fleet receives H-39, the largest researchable ship in War Thunder and the longest vessel in the game at approximately 277 meters. Originally conceived as a successor to the legendary Bismarck but never completed, this massive battleship carries eight devastating 406 mm guns in four twin turrets, capable of penetrating the armor of enemy battleships at most combat ranges. Its improved internal armor layout offers better overall protection than Bismarck, while eighteen 533 mm torpedoes provide an additional surprise for opponents who venture too close.
The British Fulmar Mk.II is an iconic WWII fighter that will fill a gap in Britain’s early aviation research tree. Although relatively heavy and not particularly agile, this carrier-based plane boasts exceptional ammunition capacity. Its eight 7.7 mm machine guns make it a formidable opponent for early aircraft, while optional bombs allow it to attack ground targets as well.
Eagle’s Shadow introduces major improvements to War Thunder’s visual effects. Muzzle flashes have been completely reworked for guns of all calibers, and naval gun shells now create realistic ripples and foam on the water surface. Bullet and shell tracers leave volumetric smoke trails that twist in turbulent air, making dogfights more spectacular and helping pilots track incoming fire. Other improvements include more realistic aircraft damage effects, flames bursting from the exhaust pipes of certain ground vehicles, and fan-favorite working brake lights.
The game’s rendering engine has also received a major overhaul, making lighting and shadows more natural across the entire battlefield. Ray-traced shadows are now more widely available, even without dedicated RTX hardware. New local tone mapping technology automatically balances exposure between bright and dark areas of the screen, allowing players to see details both inside a shadowy hangar and on a sunlit airfield beyond its doors. Improved ambient occlusion produces more convincing shadows beneath vehicles, inside buildings and wherever the sky is obscured. A refined brightness curve preserves details in dark areas, while improved reflections make tank armor, aircraft fuselages, wet roads and snowy surfaces look more realistic. Most of these improvements come with virtually no impact on performance.
Alongside major graphical improvements across all platforms, War Thunder players with GeForce RTX 50 Series graphics cards or RTX Spark devices will be able to take advantage of NVIDIA DLSS 5 technology to push the game’s signature visual realism even further.
One of the most significant gameplay innovations is the introduction of customizable Battle Ratings for selected aircraft and helicopters. These vehicles can now have different Battle Ratings depending on their equipped weapons, directly affecting matchmaking. Players can choose advanced missiles to take on more powerful opponents or opt for a less sophisticated loadout to compete at a lower Battle Rating.
More information about the Eagle’s Shadow update is available on the official War Thunder website.