Hello everyone,
Firstly, a huge thank you to everyone who has jumped into the Experimental Branch to test the Remagen refresh over the past week. We have already received a significant amount of feedback from the community, and the team has been reviewing it closely as we continue to refine the map ahead of the next update.
For those who may have missed the previous briefing, you can read more about the Remagen refresh here: Dev Brief #214 – Remagen Refresh
This refresh focuses on improving the overall gameplay flow of the map while maintaining the core identity of Remagen as a tense and contested river crossing. Key improvements include:
Updates to the Ludendorff Bridge, including widening and improved access to the gangways beneath.
Additional river crossings to reduce the bridge bottleneck.
Terrain adjustments to create more opportunities for airhead placements.
Capture point improvements, including testing the bridge as the default middle capture point.
We will dive into the full details of the Remagen refresh, including the reasoning behind these changes, in the Patch 19.1 changelog closer to release.
The Ludendorff Bridge has been widened as part of the Remagen Refresh
One of the key discussion points we have seen following the refresh is the addition of pontoon bridges and their historical relevance.
As part of the Remagen refresh, the historical date shown on the map has also been updated. The date displayed on both the loading screen and tactical map now reads 12 March 1945, replacing the previous date of 7 March 1945.
Updated Loading Screen
This adjustment reflects the wider timeline of the battle and the operational use of pontoon bridges used by Allied forces to cross the Rhine. Historical references indicate these crossings were constructed by 11 March 1945, following the initial capture of the Ludendorff Bridge, and prior to the bridge’s collapse on 17 March 1945. Updating the in-game date allows the map to better represent this later stage of the Operation.
A U.S. antiaircraft battery guards a pontoon bridge built by the 291st Engineer Combat Battalion. [Source: The Bridge at Remagen by Victor Kamenir of Warfare History Network]
Alongside continued testing of the Remagen refresh, tomorrow (Friday 13th March 2026) will see a brand new Experimental Branch build introduced, featuring a range of artillery and SPA changes that will be coming to the game in the next patch.
These adjustments focus on improving balance, squad roles, and overall gameplay interactions around artillery systems.
Feedback Form: Hell Let Loose - Patch 19.1 – Fill in form
Bug Form: Hell Let Loose - Patch 19.1 - Bug Form – Fill in form
Several changes have been made to how artillery interacts with the wider resource and support systems in Hell Let Loose.
Artillery gameplay changes include:
Artillery guns will now slowly generate ammunition when positioned near munitions nodes.
The current rate is one shell every 30 seconds affecting both HE and Smokes at the same time.
The total can’t go above the normal cap of 50 HE and 35 Smoke.
The munitions cost for artillery resupply has been reduced. Was previously 150 munitions, is now 120 munitions.
The dismantle time when an enemy player is attempting to dismantle a friendly artillery gun has been increased to 30 seconds.
Static artillery placement has been updated to improve positioning and usability.
The Operator role can build an artillery gun anywhere in the first two sectors of their team’s side of the map.
It can not shoot through walls.
The cooldown between this placed artillery gun, and the versions found in HQs are shared.
These adjustments aim to improve resource management and reduce some of the frustrations surrounding artillery placement and usage.
Static Artillery is loaded by the Artillery Squad
The artillery squad has received several updates to better define its role and responsibilities on the battlefield.
Artillery squad changes include:
The Artillery Squad has seen a few name changes:
‘Artillery Engineer' role has been renamed to 'Operator'
'Artillery Support’ has been renamed to 'Gunner’
The Artillery Squad now receives credit for kills performed by artillery weapons.
This kill sharing applies to all members of the artillery squad.
This only works with the Static Artillery gun and the primary gun of the SPA, infantry weapons and the MGs of SPAs don’t count for this.
Adjustments to the Observer loadout, including weapon changes for improved faction authenticity.
The Observer has had it’s sidearm removed from the first loadout.
Their AP mine has been moved from the first loadout to the second loadout.
The default bolt-action rifle of the Soviet artillery squad (for arty support and arty engineer) has been changed to the Mosin Nagant M38
A rebalance of the flare gun, which now operates on a universal cooldown across artillery and recon roles.
The Artillery Operator’s buildable options have been reduced to streamline the role.
They can no longer build barbed wire and bunkers. These felt too powerful to be included in the kit and instead should be a strength of the regular Engineer role
These changes aim to improve coordination between artillery crews and the wider team.
Static Artillery in action
Self-Propelled Artillery vehicles have also received several improvements designed to make them feel more distinct and effective.
SPA changes include:
SPA vehicles can now move and fire while travelling at first gear speeds or slower. They will not be able to fire while moving faster than this.
Adjustments to SPA firing behaviour so that rounds now travel more directly toward their target.
The range calculation has also been corrected, meaning raising the barrel now increases range as expected. This should also reduce instances where shells followed unnatural trajectories.
Players can still elevate the barrel beyond the calculated range to compensate for terrain elevation differences.
Balance adjustments and stat changes to help differentiate each SPA vehicle
The full stats tables will be added to the Patch 19.1 Changelog.
The operational range limit for SPAs has also been removed
These changes are intended to make SPAs more flexible and tactically useful on the battlefield.
US SPA on the Ludendorff Bridge
To help gather more gameplay feedback, we will be hosting an organised Experimental Branch playtest session on Friday after the Experimental Branch update goes live.
This session will be hosted by Community Manager Ben B live on the Hell Let Loose Official Twitch channel, where we will be playing matches on the Experimental Branch alongside members of the development team and the community.
Playtest Start Time: Friday 13 March 2026
10:00 PST
13:00 EST
17:00 GMT
18:00 CET
04:00 AEST (next day)
If you want to take part, make sure you have the Experimental Branch installed on Steam and jump into the servers when the session begins.
If you are unable to join the matches directly, you can still tune in to the stream and join the conversation in chat as we discuss the changes and gather feedback.
We hope to see many of you there!
Feedback Form: Hell Let Loose - Patch 19.1 – Fill in form
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US SPA in action on the Ludendorff Bridge
