by Powerbits | 0 Comments | 23/09/2026

Hello everyone,

Update 21 has arrived, bringing a range of new content, gameplay additions, balance changes and fixes to Hell Let Loose.

This update introduces:

New rifle grenades
New Soviet flamethrower
New US Springfield rifle
New loadouts
New weapon fire selectors
New Conquest game mode

We’ve also made a substantial balance pass across Armor and Anti-Tank gameplay, including:

Changes to AT Guns
Tank ammunition amounts
HE splash radius
Smoke launchers
Vehicle fuel costs and more

A number of these changes have been shaped by your feedback during our recent Experimental Branch tests. Thank you to everyone who jumped in, shared feedback and helped us continue refining Update 21 ahead of release.

Alongside all of this, Update 21 includes fixes and improvements across gameplay, weapons, vehicles, UI, progression, localization, servers and nine different maps.

Full U21 Changelog

Read the full changelog for Update 21 below.

Weapons

Five new weapon variants have been added in Update 21, alongside a model update for the existing M1903A4 Springfield Sniper for the US.

Rifle Grenades

Three new Rifle Grenade weapon variants are now available:

Karabiner 98k / Schiessbecher
M1 Garand / M7 Grenade Launcher
SMLE No.1 Mk III / No.1 Mk I Cup Discharger

Rifle Grenade weapons can be used as regular infantry weapons, while also allowing players to load and fire several different types of grenade.

The following Rifle Grenade ammunition types are available, with the exact number and type depending on the role and loadout:

HE Grenades: Feature the same explosion radius as a regular fragmentation grenade
Smoke Grenades
AT Grenades: Similar to the British No.82 Grenade, these can damage Tier 1 player-built structures, excluding Garrisons, and feature light armor penetration. This makes them capable of destroying Recon and Light Tanks, as well as damaging the tracks of heavier tanks

Rifle Grenades are intended to act as a side-grade to regular hand grenades. They can be fired over significantly greater distances and explode on impact, but take longer to load, cannot be used as quickly in succession and are less suited to engaging targets at close range.

Historically, several of these grenades would have used timed fuses. For gameplay purposes, all Rifle Grenades currently detonate on impact.

Looking ahead to Update 22, we’re aiming to expand this system further by allowing players to plant their Rifle Grenade weapon and use it for indirect fire.

Soviet Flamethrower

The Soviet Forces are receiving a fiery new addition to their arsenal with the introduction of the ROKS 2 Flamethrower.

Springfield Bolt Action Rifle

The M1903A3 Springfield bolt action rifle joins the US Forces in Update 21.

The existing Springfield Sniper has also received an updated model and will now be represented by the M1903A4 Springfield.

AT Gun Balance

While we continue to monitor feedback across many areas of Hell Let Loose, one option that currently sees relatively little use is the buildable AT Gun.

To improve its effectiveness and give Anti-Tank players more options when engaging enemy Armor, we’ve made the following balance changes:

Barrel rotation rate on all AT Guns increased from 1 degree per second to 3 degrees per second.
Pitch speed increased from 1 degree per second to 2 degrees per second.
Pitch limits have been adjusted to:
- QF 6-Pounder: -5 to 15 degrees
- PAK 40: -5 to 15 degrees
- ZiS-2: -5 to 25 degrees
- M1 57mm: -5 to 20 degrees
Barrel rotation limits have been adjusted for each faction:
- QF 6-Pounder: 40 degrees left and right
- PAK 40: 32.5 degrees left and right
- ZiS-2: 28 degrees left and right
- M1 57mm: 24 degrees left and right
Weapon turn rate increased from 1 degree per second to 10 degrees per second.
Damage has been rebalanced for each AT Gun:
- M1 57mm: 460
- QF 6-Pounder: 470
- ZiS-2: 475
- PAK 40: 485

Jump in and let us know how these changes feel. We’ll continue monitoring the balance between Anti-Tank and Armor capabilities following the update.

Weapon Fire Selector

Update 21 introduces the ability to toggle fire modes on weapons that historically supported multiple firing modes.

The following weapons now support this feature:

MG34
FG42
STG 44
M1918A2 BAR (fast and slow auto)
M1A1 Thompson
M1928A1 Thompson
Bren Gun
Sten Gun MK2
Sten Gun MK2 (Canadian)
Sten Gun Mk5
PPSH 41

Audio has also been adjusted on some weapons to support single-shot firing sounds that were not previously required.

Loadouts

Additional Loadouts

Several new loadouts have been added to support the new weapons arriving in Update 21:

New Level 6 US Rifleman loadout, armed with the M1903A3 Springfield and an Explosive Ammo Box
New Level 8 Soviet Support loadout featuring the ROKS 2 Flamethrower
New Level 8 Rifleman loadouts for all appropriate factions, featuring a Rifle Grenade with 3 HE and 1 Smoke Rifle Grenade
New Level 6 Medic loadouts for all appropriate factions, featuring a Rifle Grenade with 5 Smoke Rifle Grenades
New Level 8 Engineer loadouts for all appropriate factions, featuring a Rifle Grenade with 2 AT, 2 HE and 1 Smoke Rifle Grenade

Updated Loadouts

Engineer

All Level 1 British Engineer loadouts now use the Rifle No.4 Mk I

Anti-Tank

The primary weapon in the standard US Anti-Tank loadout has been changed to the M1 Carbine

Tank Commander

The primary weapon in the standard US Tank Commander loadout has been changed to the M3 Grease Gun

Crewman

All default Crewman loadouts across every faction now include a Blowtorch

German DAK

For historical accuracy, all German DAK M43 grenades have been replaced with M24 grenades

Weapon Skin DLC

Update 21 introduces the ability to apply different cosmetic finishes to specific weapons through Weapon Skins.

Weapon Skins are available for a selection of bolt-action rifles, including:

Karabiner 98k
Karabiner 98k x8
M1903 Springfield
M1903 Springfield Sniper
Rifle No.4 Mk I
Rifle No.4 Mk I Sniper
Mosin Nagant 1891
Scoped Mosin Nagant 91/30
Mosin Nagant 91/30

Weapon Skins can be equipped through the Loadout & Appearance section of the Barracks.

Please note that Weapon Skins cannot currently be applied to the new Rifle Grenade Launcher variants.

Conquest

Conquest, a brand-new game mode, arrives in Hell Let Loose with Update 21.

In Conquest, victory is determined by a new resource called Morale.

Both teams begin the match with 1,000 Morale. The first team to reach 0 Morale loses. If the match timer expires before either team reaches 0, the team with the highest remaining Morale wins.

Five objectives are active throughout the match, all of which can be captured at any time.

Teams lose Morale in three main ways:

I. Player Losses

Each time a player respawns, their team loses 1 Morale
This gives Medics additional strategic importance, as reviving players prevents that Morale loss
Players have a 6-second grace period after spawning, during which death or redeployment will not result in Morale loss

II. Vehicle Destruction

Destroying enemy vehicles also reduces their team’s Morale.

Morale loss by vehicle type:

Transport/Supply Trucks and Light Vehicles: 2
Recon Tanks: 5
Half-Tracks: 5
Light Tanks: 7
Medium Tanks: 12
SPAs: 12
Heavy Tanks: 17

Vehicles destroyed inside a friendly HQ sector will not incur Morale loss.

III. Objective Control

Teams controlling fewer objectives than their opponent will gradually lose Morale.

The rate of Morale loss increases depending on the difference in objectives controlled:

1 objective disadvantage: 2 Morale lost every 10 seconds
2 objective disadvantage: 4 Morale lost every 10 seconds
3 objective disadvantage: 6 Morale lost every 10 seconds

Conquest rewards consistent pressure, teamwork and map control rather than relying on a single decisive push.

At the beginning of a match, each team will have three Half-Tracks available across their HQ spawns. The Half-Track located at the middle HQ will automatically respawn after being destroyed, similar to the Medium Tanks that automatically spawn during a match.

We’ll continue monitoring and balancing Conquest after launch based on player feedback and gameplay data.

Armor Balance

Luchs Balance

The Luchs is primarily an Anti-Infantry Light Tank, but previously had very little impact when engaging enemy Armor.

We’ve made a number of changes to give it additional options against armored targets while maintaining its primary Anti-Infantry role:

Can now damage the engines of all tanks
Can damage and destroy any Light Tank from the rear
Can damage Recon Tanks anywhere on their armor
HE radius increased from 10m to 11m

Tank Survivability

Thank you to everyone who shared feedback during the Experimental Branch test regarding the new resistance percentages. The goal of the test was to gauge interest in increased tank survivability while also exploring the possibility of giving individual tanks their own resistance values.

While feedback indicated that the blanket resistance increases tested were too significant, there was positive interest in giving individual tanks their own values, similar to those tested on the Panther.

As a result, we’ll continue exploring how more individual resistance values could better suit each tank. These changes will require further development, iteration and testing, so keep an eye out for more information as we continue exploring this direction.

HE Radius Balance

Thank you for your feedback during the Experimental Branch regarding HE radius, ammunition counts and overall balance. The goal of this test was to further differentiate each tank weight class and its capabilities.

Feedback around the ammunition changes was positive, with the increased ammunition capacity of Medium Tanks helping reinforce their effectiveness against infantry. Feedback surrounding the proposed HE radius changes was more mixed.

Based on this feedback, the following HE radius values have been implemented:

Light Tank HE radius increased from 12m to 13m
Medium Tank HE radius increased from 15m to 16m
Heavy Tank HE radius increased from 15m to 18m
IS-1 and Tiger HE radius increased from 15m to 19m
Sherman Jumbo 75mm HE radius increased from 21m to 24m

While ammunition counts have also been adjusted, we’ve moved away from the idea of Medium Tank HE explosions having a greater radius than Heavy Tanks.

Instead, these new values mean that despite carrying less HE ammunition, Heavy Tanks have the potential to inflict greater damage against groups of infantry with each shot.

Smoke Launcher Balance

Since Tank Smoke Launchers were introduced in Update 20, we’ve been monitoring their effectiveness on the battlefield.

Based on feedback, we’ve made the following adjustments to increase their usefulness:

Greatly increased the overall size of smoke screens
Greatly increased the duration of smoke screens

We hope these changes provide crews with more opportunities to make effective use of smoke launchers during matches.

SPA Gunner Seat Zoom-In Levels

All SPAs now have an additional zoom level available from the Gunner seat.

They will still have one fewer zoom level than regular Armor, as projectile drop-off makes the higher zoom levels less effective for these vehicles.

Salvage Balance

The Salvage mechanic has been part of Hell Let Loose for some time, allowing players to clear destroyed vehicles from the battlefield while returning Fuel to their Commander.

Based on your feedback, we’ve made several improvements to the system:

Increased the amount of Fuel returned from all salvaged vehicles. Depending on the vehicle, this ranges from 1.5x to 2x the previous amount
Players will now receive XP for each destroyed vehicle they salvage
- The amount of XP received is the same regardless of the type of vehicle being salvaged
- Salvaging enemy wrecks will reward more XP than salvaging friendly wrecks

General Balance Changes

Following feedback and gameplay data, we’ve also made a balance pass across a number of vehicles. A key focus of these changes is ammunition distribution, helping to further differentiate the roles of different tank weight classes.

Heavy Tanks will continue to focus on survivability and armored threats, with greater access to AP ammunition, while Medium Tanks will have stronger Anti-Infantry capabilities while remaining capable of engaging enemy Armor.

Sherman Jumbo 76

AP: 55 → 50
HE: 35 → 30

Sherman Jumbo 75

HE: 65 → 70
Smoke: 6 → 10

IS-1

Fuel cost decreased from 620 to 580
AP: 40 → 45
HE: 45 → 30

Tiger

Turret rotation speed increased by 2 degrees per second, to 8 degrees per second

Panther

Turret rotation speed increased by 2 degrees per second, to 12 degrees per second
AP: 45 → 50
HE: 30 → 25

Firefly

Turret rotation speed increased by 2 degrees per second, to 14 degrees per second
Damage increased from 920 to 960
AP: 40 → 55
HE: 25 → 20

Churchill Mk.VII

AP: 35 → 50
HE: 50 → 30

Churchill Mk.III

Fuel cost increased from 600 to 610
AP: 30 → 45
HE: 50 → 35

Sherman M4A3

Fuel cost increased from 190 to 200
Improved handling in lower gears
AP: 45 → 30
HE: 45 → 60
Smoke: 18 → 15

T-34

Fuel cost increased from 190 to 210
AP: 40 → 35
HE: 45 → 65

Panzer IV

Turret rotation speed increased by 2 degrees per second, to 12 degrees per second
Fuel cost decreased from 200 to 190
AP: 45 → 30
HE: 35 → 60

Cromwell

AP: 40 → 25
HE: 35 → 50

Crusader

AP: 35 → 25
HE: 45 → 50

Vehicle Spawn Limit

Following the Fuel cost changes introduced in Update 20 and the addition of SPAs, the maximum number of vehicles that can be spawned through Commander abilities has remained at five.

With Update 21, this limit has been increased from 5 to 8.

We hope this gives Commanders greater flexibility and encourages more use of the different vehicle types available during matches.

Update 21 Full Changelist

Alongside the new content and balance changes outlined above, Update 21 includes a range of fixes and improvements across the game.

Gameplay & Game Modes

Fixed an issue where rebuilding an Artillery Gun reset the cooldown of the Commander’s Resupply Artillery ability
Fixed an issue where the Artillery Operator role could not dismantle its own blueprints

Vehicles & Armor

Fixed an issue where the winter variant of the US Medium Tank had significantly lower turning speed than the summer variant
Fixed an issue where shells could travel towards the barrel’s previous position rather than the position indicated by the Gunner sight

UI, HUD & Settings

Fixed an issue where players could report the same user multiple times during the same session
Fixed a missing title string on the Server Browser Filter Reset pop-up
Fixed an issue where the Flare cooldown displayed an incorrect wait time on the equipped loadout HUD

Tutorials & Field Manual

Updated the Munitions description under Game Objectives > Resources to remove outdated references to Static Artillery consuming Munitions per shell

Localization

Fixed missing localization for the Juno Beach loading screen date
Fixed an incorrect translation for the Sten Gun Mk.II
Fixed an incorrect translation for the Mk.2 Anti-Personnel Mine
Fixed translation issues affecting information text when hovering over the Create Artillery Unit buttons
Fixed an issue where the Operation Suvorov DLC was translated as Operation Overlord Units in French
Fixed an incorrect Spanish translation for ADS