1.17.4|Feb 11, 2026
View on Steam↗No Compromise, No Surrender - 1.17.4 Open Beta Client Update
3/5 Moderate
Soviet mastery gain is significantly buffed while CAS damage is reduced to prevent it from being overpowered.
Key Changes
- 1Soviet mastery gain significantly increased from -50% to -15%
- 2CAS organization and strength damage reduced to balance air-to-ground combat
- 3Armor mastery gain multiplier increased from 4 to 10
- 4Soviet AI now produces and utilizes T34 tanks much earlier
- 5Fixed frozen naval dominance bug and reserve fleet repair pathing
- 6Division AA buffed to negate air superiority more effectively
- 7Soviet focus durations for 'The Means to Wage War' and 'Superior War Machines' halved to 35 days
- 8Strike forces now allowed to repair while in harbor
All Changes
⚖️Gameplay Balance(13)
- buffSoviet Union: Soviet mastery gain increased to -15% (previously -50%), though still affected by the purge.
- buffSOV_the_means_to_wage_war: Reduced focus duration of 'The Means to Wage War' to 35 days.
- nerfSOV_the_means_to_wage_war: Nerfed the bonuses provided by 'The Means to Wage War' focus.
- buffSOV_superior_war_machines: Reduced focus duration of 'Superior War Machines' to 35 days.
- nerfSOV_superior_war_machines: Nerfed the bonuses provided by 'Superior War Machines' focus.
- nerfMastery System: Reduced maximum monthly mastery gain from 50 to 40.
- buffArmor Mastery: Increased Armor mastery gain multiplier from 4 to 10.
- nerfArtillery Mastery: Decreased artillery mastery gain multiplier from 10 to 8.
- nerfCAS: Reduced Close Air Support (CAS) organization and strength damage.
- newAir Combat: Added specific air-to-ground dice roll settings for modding and balance tweaking.
- changeDivision AA: Division Anti-Air (AA) damage to CAS is now more consistent and less spiky.
- buffDivision AA: Division AA now negates air superiority more effectively when strong, and less when weak.
- buffStrike Forces: Strike forces are now permitted to repair while in harbor.
🤖AI Behavior(11)
- changeAI Research: Updated AI research weights for armor, air, and anti-tank technologies.
- changeAI Templates: Updated equipment templates for England, Germany, and the Soviet Union.
- buffGermany: Tweaked historical German focuses for a stronger start and better historical alignment.
- buffSoviet Union: Soviet AI will now produce T34 tanks earlier in the game.
- changeSoviet Union: Soviet AI now relies more heavily on T34s in their division templates and production lines.
- changeSoviet Union: Adjusted Soviet focus selection order for a more accurate historical timeline.
- changeMa Cliques: Ma Cliques will no longer take the mutual guarantees focus until the late game.
- changeSinkiang: Sinkiang (SIK) AI will not become a Soviet puppet unless they fully control all owned states.
- buffSoviet Union: Soviet AI begins constructing military factories earlier.
- changeNaval AI: AI will now utilize its reserve fleet to create new task forces when needed.
- changeNaval AI: AI now prioritizes required task forces before building optional ones.
🐛Bug Fixes(6)
- fixYunnan: Fixed Yunnan's decisions disappearing after switching focus trees.
- fixRif: Fixed an issue preventing the Rif from forming Arabia.
- fixNaval Dominance: Fixed an issue causing naval dominance to become frozen.
- fixVandervelde: Fixed Vandervelde's death event to ensure it only fires once.
- fixNaval AI: Restricted AI task force repair splitting to only strike forces, fixing a bug where all task forces could split.
- fixReserve Fleets: Fixed a bug preventing reserve fleets from traveling to repair bases.
Summary
This beta update focuses on the critical balance between Germany and the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union receives a major boost to mastery gain and earlier T34 production to improve their defensive capabilities. Conversely, Close Air Support (CAS) has seen its organization and strength damage reduced to bring it in line with historical expectations. The update also introduces significant AI improvements for naval task force management and historical focus pathing for major powers.