# Hell Let Loose Update 19 | Changelog | Smolensk, SPAs & Artillery Updates - Product: Hell Let Loose (https://whatsnew.fyi/product/hell-let-loose) - Vendor: Expression Games - Date: 2025-12-02 - Original notes: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/686810/view/499465242293568295 - Permalink: https://whatsnew.fyi/product/hell-let-loose/releases/2025-12-02-update-19-changelog-smolensk-spas-artillery-updat What's New is an index, not a publisher: every entry below links to the vendor's own release notes, which are the authoritative source. Entries are labelled where they are hand-curated sample data, pre-releases, or drawn from a secondary source such as a developer blog. Reuse: the summaries, labels and curation here are © What's New. Quote freely with attribution and a link back; wholesale republication of the corpus is not permitted — terms: https://whatsnew.fyi/terms. The vendors' own release notes remain their publishers'. --- - **added** — Add new Eastern Front map Smolensk featuring dense urban environment with vertical fighting, wade-able river, and dramatic night-time setting - **added** — Add new Artillery Squad - **added** — Add Self Propelled Artillery vehicles - **added** — Add new helmets and armor cosmetics to player inventory Hello everyone, Welcome to Update 19, launching tomorrow on Wednesday 3 December. This update brings major new additions, including our brand new Eastern Front map, Smolensk, along with significant changes to artillery. You will find a new Artillery Squad and the introduction of Self Propelled Artillery vehicles that bring an entirely new layer of strategy to the battlefield. We cannot wait for you to jump in and experience everything first-hand. We also want to say a sincere thank you to everyone who has continued to support us over the past few months. Seeing so many of you test new builds on the Experimental Branch on Steam has been incredible. Your patience and feedback after Update 18 meant a great deal to the team, and it played a major role in helping us shape this update. As a small thank you to the community, you will find some new items in your inventory when you return to Hell Let Loose. This includes a selection of new helmets and armor cosmetics for you to try out in game (see the DLC section below for details). Now let us take a look at what is new in Update 19. ##### New Map: Smolensk Our newest map brings the fight to the Eastern Front along the Dnieper River. Smolensk is the result of extensive research and development by our team, with the goal of creating a dense urban battlefield that feels authentic and intense. The map features a wide range of distinct areas, including industrial zones, tight urban streets, and key riverside positions. We cannot wait to see players push through these locations and fight for control of the city. We have also put a great deal of work into building a dramatic night time scenario. Fires rage across the skyline and illuminated buildings can be seen from almost anywhere in the city, creating a striking atmosphere as battles unfold. We hope you enjoy the experience. ##### Map Rationale After listening to the community, the brief was for Eastern Front and urban combat. Research into key battles led to the selection of Smolensk, resulting in one of the largest and most ambitious maps created for Hell Let Loose, featuring: - The largest and densest urban environment in any Hell Let Loose map - An emphasis on vertical fighting, with triple-storey enterable buildings, multiple level routes that create literal combat occurring above and below players - A fully wade-able river spanning the entire width of the map, complete with both intact and destroyed crossings - Multiple hero buildings, including the Tram Depot, Train Station and the Citadel with its medieval walls - A dramatic night-time setting, where burning buildings illuminate the skyline and can be seen from across the city The dense urban layout enables memorable gameplay moments throughout the city, from room-to-room assaults through shattered buildings to flanking armored vehicles using a maze of alleys and doorways. _Smolensk - High Resolution Tactical Map_ ##### Capture Points ##### Panzer Loading Station One of the closest Capture Points to the German Forces Headquarters. The narrative behind this Capture Point was that the German Forces were using trains to transport tanks, trucks and supplies to the front line, and this area served as a loading and unloading station for that. ##### Tram Depot The city of Smolensk had a tram network that weaved through the city. This Capture Point features the depots where trams were stored and repaired. Walkways positioned both above and below the trams create exciting firefights within this Capture Point. A large multi-storey building sits opposite the Tram Depot, giving both sides strong cover when pushing into this area. ##### Smolensk Outskirts In the south-west of the map lie the remains of Smolensk’s outskirts. This area shows traces of rural Russia, with natural landscapes and traditional izba-style buildings. The terrain around this Capture Point offers strong attacking opportunities, whether approaching from the hills to the south or the river to the n _[Truncated at 4000 characters — full notes: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/686810/view/499465242293568295]_