Dev Brief #216 | Conquest v2 Playtest
Hell Let Loose Patch Notes — April 10, 2026
Aggregated from Steam, cross-tracked with Battle.net coverage on GamePatchNote.
Conquest Testing #2
Hello everyone, and welcome back to Conquest.
Since our last test in February, we have been hard at work iterating on the mode based on your feedback, and we are excited to bring you the latest version in our Conquest v2 test.
Your feedback has been essential in shaping this iteration, and we want to continue building the mode alongside you. This test is another opportunity for you to jump in, experience the latest changes, and help guide the future of Conquest.
Conquest is also one of the brand new modes coming to Hell Let Loose: Vietnam later this year. If you want to help shape the experience across both titles, now is the perfect time to get involved.
Let us know your Conquest feedback here
As a reminder, this test will be available on the Steam Experimental Branch and will run throughout the weekend.
TDLR: What is Conquest Mode?
For those who missed our previous Conquest test, here is a quick overview of how the mode works and what sets it apart from Warfare and Offensive.
In Conquest, victory is determined by a resource called Morale. Both teams start with 1000 Morale, and the first team to reach 0 loses. If the match timer runs out, the team with the higher remaining Morale wins.
The mode features five active objectives, all of which can be captured at any time.
Teams lose Morale in two main ways:
Player Losses
Each time a player respawns, their team loses 1 Morale
This makes medics more valuable, as reviving players prevents Morale loss
Objective Control
Teams holding fewer objectives will suffer a Morale bleed over time
The rate of bleed increases depending on the objective difference:
1 objective disadvantage = 2 Morale lost every 10 seconds
2 objective disadvantage = 4 Morale lost every 10 seconds
3 objective disadvantage = 6 Morale lost every 10 seconds
Conquest rewards consistent pressure, teamwork, and map control, rather than a single decisive push.
Check out our February Dev Diary where Matt and Xander from our dev team introduced us to the Conquest game mode.
Now, onto the updates and new additions coming in this V2 test.
Updated: Capture point layout
Much like previous version of Conquest, there are five objectives arranged in a cross pattern. Each team has one objective positioned closer to their respective HQ, with the remaining three located centrally.
The key difference in this latest iteration is that the two side objectives are now controlled by their respective teams at the start of the match. This gives players time to establish garrisons and set up defences without needing to capture the territory first.
V2 Conquest Starting Map
V2 Conquest Side Objective Captured
Another key difference from the first Conquest test is how the side objectives affect territory control.
Previously, capturing a side objective would flip entire rows of territory. In this latest iteration, capturing a side objective will now only secure the four grid squares surrounding that objective, as shown in the image above.
This means the sectors above and below these objectives will remain permanently under the control of their respective teams. As a result, players will have more reliable areas to establish garrisons that cannot be lost when objectives change hands.
Similar to the Offensive game mode, players must be within the strongpoint to contribute towards capturing an objective.
Capture time remains at two minutes, though this may be adjusted based on player feedback.
New: “Rally the Troops” Commander Ability
One of the new additions to Conquest is a commander ability currently called “Rally the Troops.”
This ability costs 400 manpower and has a 15-minute cooldown.
When activated, it provides a 2-minute window during which the team will not lose Morale from player redeployment or vehicle destruction. Morale loss from objective control (bleed) will still apply.
This creates an opportunity for teams to coordinate high-impact pushes without being penalised for casualties.
We are also considering modifying this ability to halt all forms of Morale loss while active. However, we want to hear from you first, so please share your feedback on the current values before our next iteration.
New: Morale loss on vehicle destruction
During the previous playtest, we found that tanks were especially powerful, often achieving very high kill-to-death ratios. Players also noted that destroying enemy vehicles did not feel as impactful as it should in this mode.
To address this, vehicles will now apply a Morale penalty to their team when destroyed. These values are applied independently and do not include any additional Morale loss from the vehicle crew.
Morale loss per vehicle type:
2 - Transport/Supply Trucks and Light Vehicles
5 - Recon tanks
5 - Half tracks
7 - Light tanks
12 - Medium tanks
12 - SPAs
17 - Heavy tanks
This change places greater emphasis on armor and SPA crews staying alive, whilst also rewarding well-coordinated armor squads that successfully destroy enemy vehicles. It also increases the impact of effective anti-armor players by allowing teams to inflict greater Morale damage through vehicle destruction.
To prevent players sneaking into enemy HQs and destroying recently spawned vehicles, vehicles destroyed within HQ sectors will not incur any Morale penalty.
These values are subject to change based on feedback.
New: Half-track Spawns
At the start of the match, each HQ sector will now spawn with a Half-track. Similar to SPAs, these vehicles will not automatically respawn if they are destroyed.
New: Spawn protection
To address concerns around spawn camping and players dying immediately after spawning, a short grace period has been introduced.
For the first 6 seconds after respawning, the team will not lose any Morale if the player dies or redeploys.
Once this window expires, Morale loss will apply as normal.
Community Feedback Form
We cannot wait to hear your feedback and hope to see many of you in the Experimental Branch this weekend for some Conquest games.
Let us know your Conquest feedback here
Community Update
Our Community Manager, Ben, will be going live on Friday alongside Xander and Matt from the development team to talk through Conquest and what is new in this latest iteration of the mode.
Join the stream and jump into the Experimental Branch to catch the action live and ask your questions.
Today at 9am PDT | 12pm EDT | 5pm UK | 6pm CEST
War Correspondents Content
As always, our War Correspondents have been on the front-lines creating some incredible content. Check out some of their latest releases below: