War Thunder’s Eagle’s Shadow Update Will Rework Gunfire, Smoke, and Vehicle Effects
The changes span weapon-specific muzzle flashes, drifting tracer smoke, lingering impact dust, exhaust flames, brake lights, and more.
War Thunder’s upcoming Eagle’s Shadow update will rework visual cues across air, ground, and naval battles, from weapon-specific muzzle flashes to smoke trails that curl in the wind. Ground impacts will also leave dust hanging in the air instead of disappearing at once.
After the October 29 reveal introduced Eagle’s Shadow with a trailer but no feature rundown, Gaijin has now detailed eight visual changes in its Steam announcement.
Gunfire and impacts gain more detail
Muzzle flashes are being reworked for tank and naval guns, with effects tailored to weapons ranging from 12.7 mm machine guns to 460 mm battleship guns. Their shape and brightness will vary by gun class. Smoke and gas will follow the projectile, while a brighter flash and heat distortion add detail around the shot. Tank fire will kick up dust with its shock wave, and naval gunfire will disturb the water with foam, ripples, and a blast-driven dust wave.
Large shells striking the ground and bombs hitting surface targets will create dust clouds that spread with the wind, swirl in turbulence, and slowly settle. The lingering effect is intended to give heavy impacts more presence in ground battles.
Tracer smoke will move with the wind
Smoke from bullets and shells with tracers will have more depth than the flat ribbons used before, twisting in turbulence and drifting with the wind. The trail will start narrow at the projectile and widen as it disperses, while fading near the muzzle so it does not block the immediate view. If a shot ricochets, its existing trail will break off and a new one will begin at the impact point.
The changes cover tracer ammunition from rifle-caliber machine guns through autocannons and tank and naval guns, up to 460 mm. Systems that cannot support the new trails will keep the existing sprite effects, including their colors and lengths. Smoke from missile and jet nozzles will also stay aligned with the aircraft or missile body, making its path easier to follow during sharp turns.
Ground vehicles get exhaust flames and brake lights
Vehicles with gasoline and carburetor engines can produce brief exhaust flames. The effect is tuned for each tank and may appear when its engine starts at the beginning of a battle or after being shut down, after an engine repair, or sometimes when a stationary vehicle starts moving. It can also occur if a tank is blocked, the throttle is held, and the vehicle barely moves.
Engine damage changes the behavior. If the ignition is broken but the tank can still move, flames may appear while it is moving or sitting still with the engine running. Once the engine is fully disabled and the tank cannot move, the flames stop and smoke remains. Working brake lights are also beginning to appear on ground vehicles that have them in real life, activating during sharp braking or a change of direction.
Aircraft hits and shell bursts get clearer cues
Fire and smoke from bullets and fragments hitting aircraft will now appear at the puncture point rather than slightly ahead of or behind it. The effects have been remade, with more natural-looking fire and a thin smoke stream that curls in turbulence. Incendiary and high-explosive bullets and shells will also produce bright flashes when they detonate, on both aircraft and ground vehicles.
Which of these changes do you think will make combat easiest to read at a glance? Follow more of Eagle’s Shadow’s visual updates through X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
War Thunder
Developed by Gaijin Entertainment
War Thunder is a free-to-play vehicular combat MMO featuring aircraft, ground vehicles, and naval craft spanning from the early 20th century to the modern era. Players progress through technology trees across multiple nations, unlocking increasingly advanced military vehicles. The game offers three realism tiers for each vehicle type: arcade, realistic, and simulator modes. Originally developed as a flight simulator under the name "World of Planes," the game expanded to include tanks in 2014 and naval forces later, becoming a combined-arms experience. A mobile version was released in 2023.
- Genre Shooter, Simulator, Tactical
- Platforms Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Mac, Xbox One
- Perspective First person, Third person, Virtual Reality
- Modes Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative, Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO)
- Release January 28, 2013
- Publisher Gaijin Entertainment
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