I unexpectedly had some significant free time for modding,combined with lots of feedback due to the HerzogSieg youtube playthrough of the main Battlefield Europe scenario with my Locarnus Addon (version 2026-04b).
This is a normal update for all the non-BE campaigns (OC, GC, AC, SC).
But for the Battlefield Europe scenario there are several major changes and "experiments".
1) One of those experiments is the return of the camo mode for submarines and a reduction of their spotting in all modes!
1a)
Submarines now have that camo trait when in deep dive mode. But in return they have less ground defense in deep dive than in the normal dive mode. This hopefully means that deep dive mode is a risky alternative choice when trying to evade enemy naval units, not a super defensive stance drawing out its destruction when encircled.
1b)
The spotting reduction for subs hopefully gives air recon a bigger role in the battle of the Atlantic. Without that, the submarines are now rather blind. And 1 spotting in deep dive makes that mode even more situational.
2)
The strategic transport purchases with strat bombers have been moved to the separate Libyan desert area. So you can not trade in your existing strat bombers for transports anymore. But it also declutters Germany, no more checking which airfield is safe to land on with strat bombers.
3)
The boat purchases have been moved to Denmark and centralized. They now also use the safety trigger mechanic.
Thus even those two airfields are safe to land on as well.
=> I still need to work on those safety triggers, but it imho works much better than before.
4)
The Strat Bomber to Bf 109 trade-in scripts and the fighters/Ju 87 to Fw 190 upgrade scripts have all been reworked. They were all moved to a unified location near the Swiss border in Southern Germany. This location imho makes them better suited for historical scenario plays, where Vienna can be at risk late in the war and the trigger units in Lake Balaton could distract enemy units.
4a) The
strat bomber to Bf 109 trade-in scripts are available much later, in turn 56 instead of turn 2. Their number has been reduced from 4 to 2, but their retraining time has been reduced from 5 to 2 months. They are not limited to "KG" named starting strat bombers anymore and they now use the safety trigger mechanic as well.
4b) The
fighter to Fw 190 script is available later in turn 32 instead of turn 22. The number has been reduced from 3 to 1 and that script does not anymore accept units which are in strat bomber upgrade families (eg Ju 88, He 111, Do 217).
4c) The
late Ju 87 D-5 or G (or Bf 110, Me 410, heavy fighter from the strat bomber families) to Fw 190 scripts are available sooner, in turn 56 instead of turn 69, just like the Strat bomber to Bf 109 scripts. Their number is unchanged (2), but they also do not accept heavy fighters from strat bomber families anymore (Ju 88, He 111, Do 217).
4d) The
experience drain without two more oil fields starts in early 1942, not only in 1943.
4e) The script that should have
auto upgraded JG 2 to Fw 190 is now working and moved to turn 18 (from 11).
4f)
KG 76 strat bomber has been deleted from the start of Operation Barbarossa.
4g)
JG 1 with Bf 109 fighters spawn in mid 1942, without having to use the first strat bomber trade in script as before.
4h)
Heavy fighters in their non-fighter modes have been nerfed again, after many were overbuffed in the last patches since 2026-04b.
=>
The aircraft balancing needs more work. But imho these changes already push it further towards what happened historically.
=> One major counterbalance to all the fighter nerfs above are the many
strong starting fighter heroes, which were also added after 2026-04b.
=> And the recent added ability to use
heavy fighters other than the Bf 110 / Me 410 in tac bomber mode was also a major survivability boost for them. Especially on the Western front, where they can now fulfill their historical role as bomber killers (as long as they keep close to real fighters).
2026-07 Update "Locarnus Addon" Download: https://bit.ly/45yb9zb
This is only an update to the Addon and requires the 2026 base version of the Locarnus Addon to be installed already on top of BE 2.5.1 and the bugfixed PzC patch 1.32 first. All previous updates to the 2026 base version are included in this one.
UI & Library changes, thanks to eskuche BE playthrough
- DE, RU and FR translations of the main BE scenario removed again
- Will probably do another attempt in the near future, hopefully with better formatting
Technical fixes and graphics, thanks to eskuche BE playthrough:
- BE JG 2 should now correctly auto-upgrade to Fw 190, but in turn 18 instead of 11
- BE Tank to Panther script internally reworked, incl name change for trigger unit
- BE Bomber triggers changed, specific situation meant no new bombers over Germany
- BE Some graphical terrain fixes, eg NE of Ljubljana or Caucasus mountain tiles clipping
- BE Southeastern Baltic coast line unified look (flattened), same for Lake Ladoga
- BE Two Bf 109 upg family separators now assigned to correct Axis nations
Battlefield Europe main scenario, thanks to HerzogSieg
- BE Submarines deep dive mode less def than normal mode, no resup, but camo trait
- BE Submarine spotting minus 1 in each mode, thus more dependent on planes
- BE Axis naval transport (6 to 9) and trains (45 to 90) have much more movement
- BE So faster movement between theaters and thus shorter strategic reaction times
- BE 28cm K5 and Würzburg radar have more rail movement
- BE Strategic Transport unlocks reworked, moved to enclosure in Libyan Desert
- BE Purchasing ships with strat bombers reworked, now in Denmark with safety triggers
- BE All Aircraft to fighter scripts reworked, location changed to Lake Constance
- BE Strat bomber to Bf 109 scripts much later in turn 56 instead of 2, only 2 scripts not 4
- BE Fighter to Fw 190 script later in autumn 42 instead of turn 22, only 1 script not 3
- BE Ju 87 and such to Fw 190 upgrade scripts half a year earlier turn 56, still 2 options
- BE JG 1 new Bf 109 fighter unit spawns in mid 42, without strat bomber trade-in
- BE KG 76 with Ju 88 A bombers removed, thus 1 fewer strat at start of Barbarossa
- BE German air force experience drain due to lack of oil starts early 42 instead of 43
- BE UK Bomber trigger rework above changes UK bomber spawn pattern
- BE Strait of Messina changed from strait to port tile, including naval capability
- BE Rail and road network now passes through the Strait of Messina to Sicily
- BE Italian ports Salerno and Brindisi added
- BE Bizerte airfield added, Feld-Division (L) spawns in transport above Tunis airfield
- BE Manych river reservoir added, and much wider in the West
- BE Panzer III to Panzer IV special upgrade unit available much later in March 43
- BE Leningrad T-34 counterattack does not spawn directly in front of Vyborg
- BE Uralsk is now a Soviet victory hex, surrounding terrain and defenses adjusted
- BE Removed the airfield between the Don river and Stalingrad
- BE A few minor adjustments to German starting pilot heroes
- BE AG 12 renamed FAGr. 22, the Ju 88 D recon in turn 24/25 is now only its replacement
Unit Changes
- Axis naval transport (6 to 9) and trains (45 to 90) have much more movement
- Rebalancing of german heavy fighters, some previous update buffs partially reverted
- Esp Do 217 fighter variants nerfed and several Bf 110 rebalanced
- Ju 388 fixed, split into trad strat/tac bomber and heavy fighter/tac bomber variants
- Several minor availability changes, mostly a few weeks around mid to late 1942
- He 111 NJ available about 4 months earlier in mid Sep 1942
- Fw 190 F-9+ availability fixed (orig campaign, AK, GC and so on) and stronger
- Naval attack values of many german bombers adjusted
- Some very late fighter costs somewhat rebalanced
- Captured german SU-152 available from mid 1943, mainly for KV arty training
- Shortened several bomber names, eg R-2 is just R, if there is no other R-x
- Panzer III L has one less air defense
- Sturmtiger nerfed attack and ground defense
- RSO tracked transport cheaper
- Finnish Bf 109 G-6/U2 added, Finnish Inf and Jäger rebalanced
- Italian Inf values adjusted
- Yak-3 air defense buffed by 1
- Soviet T-28 has one more soft attack (but normal rof compared to new T-35)
- New Soviet T-35 rof 12 tank, thanks to bondjamesbond, and guille1434 graphic!
- 88mm Flak 41 now uses proper graphic thanks to the PAK mod!
