Improved equipment comes in six types, each offering permanent boosts to various tank and crew systems when they are equipped. The only downside is that normal and improved equipment of the same type cannot be stacked. Directives are far more temporary, offering single battle boosts and crew skill unlocks to give an advantage during a fight.
So how do you get all of these new toys? You collect bonds: “Bonds are rewarded at the end of each stage, with the amount you earn tied directly to the rank you’re at, as well as by the end of the Season, with the amount depending on your final standing in the leaderboard. If you finish a stage at, let’s say, Rank IV, you gain 400 Bonds. Rank III brings in 300, Rank II gives you 200, Rank V earns you 500, and finally, if you don’t make it past Rank I, you get 100 Bonds.”
Update 9.19 is now live, and you can get a brief overview of its salient details after the break.