World of Tanks: update 8.2 brings Chinese tanks

Wargaming today announced details for Update 8.2 for its armored MMO free-to-play action game World of Tanks. The release will add to the game a new line of steel behemoths from China.

Update 8.2 will invite players to experience the very best in Chinese tank development, across 17 new armored vehicles. The new Chinese tech tree will be composed of modifications on the Soviet, French, British, and American combat machines, and will also include a number of the Chinese-made tanks that never went into mass production.

A large majority of the Chinese designs were influenced by the Soviet Union, but also modified with Western technologies. Thus, Chinese tanks often featured the best possible traits from their foreign counterparts: the maneuverability of the American tanks, the shooting accuracy of the Brits, the fast firing of the French and the sheer power of the Soviets. Some notable names on the list include the light tank Type 62 (WZ131), the medium tank Type 59, and the heavy IS-2U.