The single biggest structural change this season: if your city is destroyed, it's gone permanently - there's no rebuilding it, unlike every previous season. Plan faction placement and city defense with that in mind from day one, since a loss here is a genuinely lasting setback, not a temporary one.
Outpost Conquest runs across three separate windows through the season - attacking enemy Outposts destroys them permanently, while defending your own protects your territory links and Sanctuary approach routes. Coordinate attack and defense assignments across each window rather than leaving it improvised.
Hero Awakening debuts alongside Exclusive Weapons this season, with Kimberly (Week 1), DVA (Week 3), and Tesla (Week 6) the first heroes to receive it - a second progression track worth planning for on top of whichever EW path your alliance is already running.