Hell Let Loose Teases Stunning VFX and Lighting Upgrades in Stalingrad Refresh

There are some big news for Hell Let Loose fans, as The developers are about to launch a fresh wave of visual improvements focused on the Stalingrad map, plus updates for legacy maps. These changes aim to boost atmosphere and immersion with better lighting, new ambient effects, and a dynamic weather system. Plus, there’s a PTE session planned for August 15, so you might get to try it yourself soon!

Alright, let’s see what the Technical Art team has been cooking up…

Stalingrad PTE Announcement

Unlike the usual long weekend testing, the Public Testing Environment (PTE) for the refreshed Stalingrad will be a shorter, special session on Friday 15th August. Some devs might even jump in to play alongside you. Will you be there to catch the new vibe firsthand?

Stalingrad PTE will take place on Friday 15 August

Technical Art Team Updates

Ambient VFX

New ambient VFX volumes are being added to Stalingrad, tuned to blend smoothly with the volumetric fog and updated lighting. There’s also ongoing work on a fire pass for the POI building, where they’re using mesh distance field shadows on point lights. The result? More dramatic lighting effects without hurting performance. Sounds fancy, right?

Ambient VFX Improvements

Lighting

Lighting gets a serious makeover with refreshed directional light colors and intensities. The skybox now packs more drama but won’t blow out highlights, thanks to a new material update. HDRI lighting is tuned to match the skybox better, and post-processing tweaks reduce warmth and add contrast to fight that flat overcast feel. Ever wondered how much lighting can change the mood? Yeah, it’s wild.

Directional light colours and intensity tuned
Skybox tuned for more drama without highlight blowout
HDRI lighting updated to match new skybox
Post-processing adjusted to reduce warmth and add contrast

Lighting Tuned for Updated Skybox

They’re also updating lighting scenarios for Russian and German Offensive and Skirmish maps, working closely with Art Direction and Level Design teams. Your feedback on these versions will matter a lot.

Check out these lighting variations:

Morning:

Dusk:

Overcast:

Vehicle Explosion VFX (WIP)

They’re prototyping new, more varied vehicle explosion effects to add serious punch and realism. It’s still a Work in Progress, but the sneak peek video shows promising improvements. Yikes, explosions have never looked this intense!

WIP Vehicle Explosion VFX: https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/”SwtN8zbfbX4?fs=1&modestbranding=1&rel=0

Weather Manager

Localised fog is coming to Stalingrad thanks to a new fog volume tool that will also support embers and fire particles. The weather manager, first seen in Tobruk’s sandstorm, will create dynamic fog and dust rolling across the map during battles. Imagine fighting through that—wow.

Dynamic Fog and Dust in Stalingrad: https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/”bCx95WejD1M?fs=1&modestbranding=1&rel=0

Legacy Maps

The weather manager is expanding to more legacy maps, including Carentan. Lighting updates accompany this to better fit the weather. Dynamic rain now falls in Carentan Offensive US and GER modes. Rainy battles? Count me in.

Carentan Offensive US
Carentan Offensive GER

Dynamic Rain in Carentan:

Lighting Update to Match the Updated Weather Manager

That’s quite a list, huh? The team’s hard at work, and these visual upgrades will definitely make battles feel more alive. I’m kinda hyped to see dust and fog roll in as I’m trying to hold a point.

Community Updates

‘Best of the Community’ Livestream – Thursday 7th August 2025

Episode #4 of the Best of the Community is happening on Thursday 7th August 2025 on the Hell Let Loose Official Twitch channel. This time, SoulSniper joins as co-host. Expect some wild clips and moments from the community. Missed past episodes? Check out the June show with TheFreshBakedGoods on YouTube.

Hell Let Loose YouTube Channel – Best of the Community