Crew lock is a game mechanic that applies to all game modes. Its effect is to “lock” the lineup, preventing locked crew slots from being used in battle, changing vehicles, or changing to a different preset. It is applied to a lineup when a player leaves the match prematurely, including:
- self-inflicted loss of vehicle (crashing or leaving the vehicle/"J-ing out”)
- returning to hangar before using all spawnable vehicles in a lineup
- disconnection from the match due to game crash or network connection issues
Leaving a battle due to not having enough spawn points to spawn any other vehicles in the lineup, or any vehicles for which a vehicle backup would not be used, is not penalised.
However, if the spawn cost of a vehicle could have been lowered by adjusting the weaponry options in-battle in order to allow it to be spawned, a crew lock will be given.
Crew lock runs for nine minutes, starting from the beginning
of the match. If the above conditions occur after nine minutes into
the match, crew lock will not be applied. A counter at the bottom of the screen above the line-up/roster bar will appear, displaying the remaining time until the locked vehicle slots can be used. The player may switch to a different nation with an un-locked crew to continue playing battles within this period.
In game modes where multiple vehicle spawns are available, all vehicles that were used and destroyed naturally in the battle will not be affected by crew lock. Vehicles that were not available to be used in the battle (vehicles under repair, vehicles incompatible to the game mode), will also not be affected by crew lock. “Reserve” vehicles are never affected by crew lock.
