# Hell Let Loose Update 18 | Changelog | Stalingrad Refresh & Armor Rework

- Product: Hell Let Loose (https://whatsnew.fyi/product/hell-let-loose)
- Vendor: Expression Games
- Date: 2025-10-06
- Original notes: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/686810/view/497207731782944344
- Permalink: https://whatsnew.fyi/product/hell-let-loose/releases/2025-10-06-update-18-changelog-stalingrad-refresh-armor-rewo

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- **changed** — Refreshed Stalingrad map with adjusted player spawners, capture point hard caps, and map-wide cover, VFX, terrain, and destruction passes
- **changed** — Added five new lighting scenarios to Stalingrad
- **added** — Implemented first phase of armor rework
- **fixed** — Improved Stalingrad map performance to make it accessible across various platforms
- **added** — Added Skirmish setup for Stalingrad

Hello Everyone,

Update 18 is almost here, and will deploy across all platforms tomorrow on Tuesday 7 October.

With this update, we’ve returned to one of our favourite legacy maps, Stalingrad, giving it a major refresh. We’ve also rolled out the first phase of our highly anticipated armor rework, alongside several quality-of-life improvements and important bug fixes.

**Update 18** marks the first of **two major updates** planned before the end of 2025, with **Update 19** arriving in **November**. We can’t wait to hear your feedback and see you back on the battlefield of Stalingrad.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support.

##### Stalingrad Refresh

##### Stalingrad - Map Refresh

After reviewing the map and filtering through player reports and community posts across various platforms, the most contentious problems with the map were identified. The main goal was to fix performance, making the map accessible to people on various platforms.

##### General improvements include:

- Adjusted the player spawners balancing the HQs

- Adjusted the scale and placement of the capture point’s hard caps

- General map-wide cover pass where needed (making sure to retain the legacy map’s openness)

- General map-wide VFX pass

- General terrain adjustments

- General destruction pass

- Updated roads meshes

- Updated the consistency of buildable behaviour when trying to place objects inside buildings

- Addressed floating assets

- Added five new lighting scenarios

- Skirmish set up

The intention behind Stalingrad’s map refresh was to balance and enhance gameplay, expanding on the legacy map’s existing theme and retaining what makes Stalingrad so iconic.

##### Mamayev Approach

- Alternative routes across embankments (new player paths)

- Additional road-side cover to block long lines of sight (helps with defending and approaching)

- Added more destroyed buildings in empty lots

##### Nail Factory

- Opened up various fences and brick walls to provide alternative player routes

- Reviewed and addressed vehicle routes throughout the factory, unblocking previously blocked paths

- Added trench bridges to provide alternative player routes

- General cover pass around the factory and throughout the trenches

- Added more destruction to the factory building as a whole to aid theme

- Added a trench network and cover to combat the dominance of the enterable 3 storey building with roof top access

##### City Overlook

- Opened up various fences to provide alternative player routes

- Additional cover along the roads to block long lines of sight

- Added more destroyed buildings to aid the theme and provide cover

- Added a trench network to the outskirts (helps with defending and approaching)

##### Dolgiy Ravine

- Added a trench network to the south east of the point to aid defenders of the point

- Added cover within the ravine that players can dip in and out of

- Added additional destroyed buildings with the existing buildings to add cover and provide alternative player routes

##### Yellow House

- Added destroyed vehicles to the central open field - creating cover and alternate player paths (while creating more destruction and adding to the maps overall demolished theme)

- Additional road-side cover to block long lines of sight (helps with defending and approaching)

- Added trench networks to provide cover from the wide open areas

- Added a new point of interest building to the outskirts creating a distinctive landmark that is based on real-world reference

##### Komsomol HQ

- Added cover along side the road to address long lines of sight

- Added additional destroyed buildings with the existing buildings to add cover and provide alternative player routes

- Added cover and a trench networks on the approach to the central two storey building to combat the dominance of it’s position

##### Railway Crossing

- Added new carriages, adding more destroyed variants, scattering some in disarray to emphasise the maps theme

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_[Truncated at 4000 characters — full notes: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/686810/view/497207731782944344]_