Hearts of Iron IV: Open Beta

Naval Command: The Open Balance Beta is Live

Greetings, Commanders!

I am Zwirbaum, Game Designer for Hearts of Iron IV. Today, I am excited to introduce a dedicated Open Balance Beta that will remain active for the foreseeable future. Unlike our recent “War Effort” updates, such as patch 1.17.4, this initiative is strictly focused on mechanical refinement. You won’t find new focus trees or narrative paths here; instead, the primary goal is to share our current balance theories with the community early.

This allows you to test these adjustments in live play and provide the feedback necessary for us to fine-tune the experience. Our aim is to ensure the final implementation results in a more polished and enjoyable game for everyone.

What to Expect in This Beta

Provided development continues smoothly, we intend to update the beta build on a weekly basis. Some updates will be substantial, featuring experimental or “outside-the-box” changes, while others will focus on incremental value adjustments. Throughout this process, I will be active in the community—monitoring discussions, gathering feedback, and providing context for our design choices.

Please keep in mind that constructive criticism is essential. While we monitor data, your direct experience provides the nuance we need to get these changes right. Furthermore, unlike our standard patches, the tweaks tested here may not be integrated into the live game immediately. We will carefully evaluate their impact on global balance and AI performance before a final rollout.

Naval Streamlining and Accessibility

The initial batch of changes targets naval inconsistencies and “spiky” progression curves. We are also lowering the Service Manpower requirements for several ship classes to make naval play more accessible for nations with limited populations. This should lower the “barrier to entry” for aspiring sea powers.

That is all for the initial announcement. Thank you for your continued support, and I look forward to your feedback.

— Zwirbaum

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Accessing the Open Beta

The current beta client is Musketeer v1.17.5.1.e15e (4e4e).

To participate, follow these steps:

1. Right-click Hearts of Iron IV in your Steam Library.
2. Select Properties from the menu.
3. Navigate to the Betas tab.
4. Select open_balance_beta from the dropdown list.

To report bugs or provide feedback, please visit the official bug report forum. Ensure you mention the specific version number so our team can track issues accurately.

Open Beta Patch Notes

Naval Balance Adjustments

Supply Consumption Reductions

• Carriers: 1.2 → 0.8
• Battleships: 0.8 → 0.56
• Battlecruisers: 0.48 → 0.32
• Heavy Cruisers: 0.4 → 0.24

Destroyer Refinements

• Early Destroyer: Range increased (1500 km → 2000 km)
• Basic Destroyer: Range increased (1800 km → 2500 km); Manpower reduced (325 → 300)
• Improved Destroyer: Range increased (2000 km → 3000 km); Manpower reduced (400 → 350)
• Advanced Destroyer: Range increased (2500 km → 3500 km); Manpower reduced (500 → 400)

Cruiser & Capital Ship Scaling

• Improved Cruiser: Range adjusted (4000 km → 3500 km); Manpower reduced (1200 → 1000)
• Advanced Cruiser: Range adjusted (4500 km → 4000 km); Manpower reduced (1400 → 1200)
• Torpedo Cruiser: Range adjusted (4000 km → 3500 km); Manpower reduced (960 → 900)
• Panzerschiff: Manpower reduced (1800 → 1200); Hull Cost reduced (3500 → 3000); Visibility reduced (22 → 20)
• Coastal Defense Ship: Range increased (1500 km → 2000 km); Manpower reduced (1800 → 1000); Hull Cost significantly reduced (3500 → 1500); Visibility reduced (20 → 18)

Heavy Hulls & Carriers

• Pre-Dreadnought Hull: Range increased (2250 km → 2500 km)
• Basic Heavy Hull: Manpower reduced (5200 → 4300)
• Improved Heavy Hull: Manpower reduced (6000 → 4650)
• Advanced/Modern Heavy Hull: Manpower reduced (6000 → 5000); Modern Hull IC cost reduced (4000 → 3600)
• Carrier Conversions: Range adjusted (4000 km → 3000 km); Battleship conversion manpower reduced (5000 → 3500)
• Basic Carrier: Range increased (3000 km → 3500 km); Manpower reduced (4500 → 4000)
• Improved Carrier: Range increased (4000 km → 4250 km); Manpower reduced (5000 → 4500)
• Advanced/Modern Carrier: Manpower reduced (Advanced: 5500 → 5000; Modern: 6500 → 6000)
• Escort Carrier: IC Cost reduced (1500 → 1250); Manpower reduced (2500 → 1500)
• Super Heavy Hull: Manpower reduced (9000 → 7000)

Naval Experience Gains

(Ratios relative to standard Naval Training rates, currently set at 1.0)

• Patrol, Raiding, Escort, Mine Operations: Increased to 0.2
• Strike Force: Increased to 0.05

Developer Commentary: These changes introduce a more standardized approach to resource costs in naval production. Previously, inconsistent module costs meant battleships could be oddly cheap while destroyers drained massive amounts of Steel. We have shifted most resource costs to the hulls themselves, with modules now primarily affecting the Industrial Capacity (IC) cost. This means more complex ships will still consume more resources indirectly through longer build times. While some base hull costs may look higher, the removal of module costs should result in overall similar or lower total investment for most designs.

Resource Cost Overhaul

Most naval modules (guns, armor plating, hangars) no longer have independent resource costs. Only Armor Schemes and Anechoic Tiles retain specific costs.

Specific Hull Adjustments:

• Advanced Destroyer: Steel 4 → 3
• Cruisers (Early/Basic/Improved): Slight increase in Steel; Improved and Advanced now require 1 Chromium.
• Panzerschiff: Steel 2 → 3 (+1 Chromium)
• Heavy Ships: Significant shift toward Steel and Chromium requirements to reflect their scale.
• Carriers: Increased Steel requirements across all tiers to align with production complexity.
• Ice Carrier: Steel 5 → 10 (maintaining its niche status).

User Interface (UI)

• Updated tooltips to clarify that 60% naval superiority (previously 66%) is required to establish dominance in a sea zone.

Source