World of Tanks Quick and Dirty

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World of Tanks Quick and Dirty


Contents

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Updates

  • 26Mar- Clarified Clan Wars a little. Added T-40 to DERP Tanks. Added the 'I learned the Hard Way' and 'Map Strategies' section.
  • 13Mar- Added list of Derp Tanks, and added to strategy tips.
  • 07Mar- Added Garage section and updated info within it.
  • 04Mar- updated Free to play, WOT Premium, WOT Money sections and added Premium vs Elite blurb under the basics.
  • 22Feb- Reorganize guide, adding new info on upgrading in The Basics and Strategy sections.
  • 18Feb2013- Established Guide
  • 19Feb- tweaked image placement, corrected some typos, and adjusted the flow of info.


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Introduction/Disclaimer

Magazine articles come and go. This guide is a work in progress intended as a permanent compilation of quick tips and links for World of Tanks (WoT), a PC game. WoT is an impressive free game that allows players to match wits and use strategy to prevail in a 100% exclusive tank combat environment. The game includes a huge assortment of tanks from 6 countries, USA, Great Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and China. Controls are simple, but learning proper strategy can be challenging. I am prone to errors. If you see one, please send me a PM- Huntn (Dave Peck) or post to MacRumors thread.

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Play It On Your Mac!

PS2 is Windows only, but can be played on your Intel Mac. I'm using a 2011 MBP (MBP, 2.2 GHz intel i7, 4GB Ram, Radeon HD 6750M (1GB VRAM), Bootcamp: 64bit W7) and get 50-100 fps in WOT. You'll need to purchase a copy of Windows (Windows, preferably Windows 7 or 8*) and then use Apple's Boot Camp to install windows on a separate partition on your Mac. Read about Boot Camp. Note: Different versions of the MacOS only support specific versions of Windows. Be sure to understand what version of Windows your Mac can support. For example Snow Leopard & Lion (10.6, 10.7) only supports Windows 7. I believe Leopard (10.5) supports Vista.

  • As of Feb 2013, Windows 8 may not be officially supported by Apple's Bootcamp although I found this Arstechnica.com Article which describes how to do it.

- Update Windows 8 is supported on BootCamp 5.0, with OSX 10.8.3 http://support.apple.com/kb/ht5612

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MacRumor Threads


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Official WOT Links

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Related Links

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General Info

Tons of Tanks!

Media:USA Tank Tree.jpg-full size

  • 15 Minute Matches- scenarios with two bases, allied and enemy. Capture the enemy base or kill all of the enemy. Teams are not allied with any particular country so you'll see a mix of tanks.
  • One Shot Kills- Depending on the tank matchup, they are possible.
  • Simple Controls with Challenging Strategy- As a rule, rushing to the center of the map gets you killed especially when dealing with higher tier tanks.
  • Tiered Matches- Battles are organized by the server into a 3 tier spread. If at you're the bottom, it's better letting the big boys charge into battle first and be more strategic.
  • Maps- As compared to Planetside 2, smaller arenas, the equivalent size of a valley.
  • Free to Play- There are two avenues to play WOT. IMO WOT can be played effectively for free if you limit the number of tank lines you want to experience. The game includes 8 garage slots, but if you get hooked on it, you will be compelled to purchase extra garage slots at approx $1.75 each.

At low to mid levels, WOT offers fast XP and Silver accumulation, or better said, items don't cost as much at low levels so good progress can be made upgrading. Of course this depends upon your effectiveness in battle. At the higher levels, if the desire is to move ahead quickly, acquiring resources to purchase new tanks becomes a GRIND, especially when a Tier 10 tank cost 6 million in silver. However, I have been told that low tier battles are just as, if not more fun than the high tier battles, so my suggestion is to not be in a rush. Enjoy the level and battles where you are at. It's not as if the "WOT End Game" is any better than in any level of the game. At higher levels, the tanks are bigger, and badder, but it's all relative.

  • WOT Premium Subscription- Avenue number two is to buy the Premium subscription and see gains XP and Silver accumulation at a 50% increased rate...something to consider if you like the game. See the Benefits of Gold link for a list. A WOT Premium Subscription, costs about $12 a month or $10 per month for a 6 month subscription. However, premium can be purchased for a day ($1), 3 days ($3), a week ($8.79 in Gift Shop as a single purchase) or 1250 gold (approx $5 as part of a 3000 gold purchase), a month, six months, or 12 months. Six and twelve month subscriptions as well as tanks, can be purchased in the WOT Gift shop. A 6 month subscription can be purchased for $56.70 as a gift for yourself which pushes the price below $10 a month. If not buying Premium Subscriptions in the Gift Shop, payments to subscribe are made in gold after you have purchased it. A 6 month subscription is 13500 gold. However, the evil bastards don't sell gold in that amount. You'd have to purchase 12000 gold for $49.95 and then another 3000 gold at $14.95. (total purchase $64.95). But after purchasing a 6 month subscription in this manner, 1500 gold would be left over for whatever. See the Six or Twelve Month Premium link.
  • Pay to Play (Tanks 4 Sale)- Want to buy a $50 tank? In WOT you can! Option number three is to spend real case for "Premium", fully upgraded tanks which are scattered through all Tiers which can be done as part of the basic or Premium subscription. However Premium tanks are separate from the tank lines and can't be used to earn XP to progress to another tank. Primarily they are good for giving you an edge in battle, fighting in battles, and earning extra silver. The rumor is that Premium tanks have a XP/Silver edge. Gold tanks earn more gold, not because they necessarily do better in battle, but because they are endowed by the game Gods with a silver edge. For all tanks, silver is used to upgrade components and purchase consumables, but upgrading components is not a concern in an elite, purchased tank, however it can be used to buy upgraded ammo which can be purchased with silver or gold. Yes, they charge for just about everything, but only gold costs real $$! :P
  • WOT Money- Participating in battles earns the player both experience (XP) and silver. XP, is used to research upgraded components in your current tank and eventually to be applied to access the next higher tiered tank in the line. Silver is used to make the purchase. Silver can be earned in game or purchased. Gold always represents real $ you've spent. While a lot of items can be purchased, tanks in tier progression can only be earned with XP. So the game, must be played, and XP earned in a tank line to progress up through the tiers. If you decide to spend real $ on WOT, a $15 investment equals 3000 gold. If an item cost 1250 gold, it can be purchased for $6.95 in real money (knock off the zeros and divide by 2). See this WOT Gold Economy link. Extra slots in the garage cost 300 gold ($1.75 each) and some of the higher tier elite tanks can cost $50 and up.

In an attempt to lure you into spending money, the game frequently offers sales and discounted gold prices and tries to get you to subscribe to premium by offering a +50% increase in experience and silver battle rewards.

  • Game Modes- WOT does not provide a persistent-world game environment. Random Battle Mode, the most common way to play are the 15v15 fights organized by the server in a 3 tier spread. WOT is not conducive to larger group/outfit/guild action. As a Premium member, the max in your group is 3 teammates. For Free Play the max number is 2 teammates. For Random Battle Mode your group of (2-3) of platoon teammates, will be on the same side, but you have no idea of what map you are on or where you will appear in the hierarchy of participating tanks. This is determined by the server. See WOT Platoons below. I know a little about Clan Wars and Company Battles. They use the same Battle maps used for Random Battle Mode. Clan Wars offer a progression across a geographic area, but they require a nightly team commitment (I believe). Company Battles allow a group (normally a guild) to organize and take on another group. It is not a large persistent world such as Planetside 2 offers.
  • 'WOT Platoons- In Random Battles for f2p (free to play), a platoon consists 2 members (they call those platoons?. If you are a Premium member or know a premium member online, you can group into a platoon of 3. The advantage of platoons is that your platoon team mates will be on the same team, and will show up on the minimap as yellow instead of green. The trick is getting a group larger than 2 or 3 on the same team. I don't believe you can control that. Company Battles, are a premium account feature, but I don't know how many players can be invited or how they are organized. In contrast PS2 has all ready grouped players into factions so you know you'll always be on the same team and you don't have to be a premium member as you do in WOT.
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The Basics

  • 'T' References in this article as in 'T2' refers to Tier, Tier 2 in this example.
  • Battle Mechanics- Read up.
  • 6 Basic Tanks- WOT starts you with 6 basic tanks, one from each country lines and 8 garage slots.
  • Battle Damage- When you are damaged in battle, say a tread or engine, in some cases your crew will be able to repair the damage allowing you to become mobile once again, that is if you are not filled full of holes in the meantime. See consumables.
  • Premium vs Elite- There are two types of elite tanks in the game, earned "elite" status and purchased Premium tanks which are also considered "elite". To avoid confusion, Premium tanks are referred to as Premium. Once a tank has all it's upgrade avenues researched (purchase not necessary) including the next tank in its line, it achieves "elite" status. A message pops up telling you this, a golden icon appears on your tanks icon in the garage. On the garage page, your tank crew is now eligible for accelerated training. Just check the box.
  • Practice Room- Within the game, a practice room can be set up to get a feel for playing before you get into battle. I'll add the description of how to do this in the future.
  • Using Consumables in Battle- Under the Garage Section of this guide, see Servicing/Consumables. Once the battle starts, long the bottom of your screen you'll see little boxes with your shells and consumables. From left to right they are numbered 1-5. Become familiar with how to select them. For the small repair kit, if you loaded it in the first consumable box (in the Garage), it will be selected with 4, then a new set of icons representing different parts of the tank appear. If your tracks are damaged, they are selected and repaired with 5.
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The Garage

  • The Garage- central management page for your tanks.
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Upgrading Tanks

  • On the main garage page, select "Research" on the right side of the page. A new page loads displaying available upgrades. New turrets usually have higher shell capacity, more armor, and longer view range. Upgraded radios enable a farther view in the game when teammates are spotting enemy tanks. Upgraded tracks are stronger, allow more weight carrying capacity, and give the ability to carry upgraded turrets and guns. Upgraded engines allow your tank to go faster and climb hills faster.
  • When considering an upgrade, first XP (signified by a star icon) is acquired, the item is researched, and then it is purchased and mounted. If you're offensively minded, you may want to upgrade the gun or engine first. Mobility equals life and provides both offensive and defensive benefits. For defense, running away comes to mind. ;) Turrets provide both offensive and defensive capabilities, more armor, father view range, and increased ammo capacity, but not always, so compare stats of current gear against an upgrade and decide if it's worth the silver.
  • However with this relationship, it helps to know if you buy that new gun, can your tank currently handle it? On the main garage page, with the tank displayed, along the right side of the page is a stat regarding weight capacity. If your tank is at capacity all ready and a new turret or gun weighs more than the currently installed turret or gun, you won't be able to mount it until you've upgraded your tracks. In this case if you have enough XP, consider upgrading what can be researched, purchased, and mounted.
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Recycling Tank Parts

  • Also known as recovering funds.
  • As you play the game, tanks will be sold as you move up tiers. Upgraded equipment for tanks and new tanks themselves are researched by means of experience "XP" that is earned in battle. They are paid for by silver that is earned during battle. When a tank is sold, you get silver back, and it's upgraded components are sent back to "depot" (examine the sell screen), it's crew is sent back to the barracks. This means you can end up having a substantial amount of unused equipment sitting in the depot that can be sold for silver.
  • You'll find that some of these items can be used on new tanks you acquire and if something is sitting in your depot, it will be able to be purchased on the new tank for free. However, do you really want 40k in silver tied up in unused equipment? There is no penalty to sell and buy back later. Here's how: in the Garage, select: Depot > Modules. Select "all" and "not compatible with my vehicles". If you've been playing for a while, most likely their will be a list of components. Click on each one and select "sell". The same thing can be done with Shells: Garage > Depot > Shells. Sell'm!
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Adding Equipment

  • WOT Equipment.
  • At the bottom of the Garage Page are 3 empty boxes where additional 'expensive' equipment can be installed such as Camouflage Net, Binocular Telescope, and gear that reduces loading time, reduces aiming time, reduces damage from being rammed ( a common tactic in game), and more.
  • Reusable Equipment (Camo, Binocs, Toolbox) can be moved from tank to tank for free. Not verified!
  • This gear is so expensive, other than the removable equipment that can be moved from tank to tank, IMO, it should only be purchased for tanks that you plan on keeping.
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Upgrading Crews

  • When a tank is sold, the crew is sent to the barracks (see the sell screen). Don't dismiss them! You want them and their experience. New crews are trained to 50% effectiveness for free, but when you sell a tank and then buy the next tank in a tier, most likely you'll be able to take advantage of your existing crew and their experience. In this situation, buy the tank with no crew (check box in "buy" screen). On the Garage Page, the new tank will then appear with a red label advising there is no crew. Select the tank. On the left side of the Garage Page, are slots for crew members to fill. These slots can be hard to see and if you are unfamiliar, may not realize they are there. Different tanks have different number of crew members. Click on a slot. Crew members are limited to tanks of their country. If you have an eligible crew member in the barracks, his/their names will appear to the right of the slot. Pick the one with the most experience. If no crew members appear, you will be offered to recruit a new member. Either select 50% training for free or upgrade to 75% training which costs about 20k silver. Be advised there will be situations where you've got a crew that can be moved onto a new tank, but if their experience shows with red values, a message will advise you that this crew's former experience can't be used on the new tank, most likely because it is a different class of tanks (light vs heavy, vs SPG). In this case, you'll have to retrain the crew, but right clicking on an individuals name, select Personal File, Select Training, Click Current Vehicle, and retrain them at whatever level you desire. I believe that some of their former experience will be carried forward.
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Upgrading Ammo

  • At one point in time, upgraded AP (Armor Piercing) ammo cost real money (gold)! However the developers saw the error of their ways and now allow upgraded ammo to be purchased with silver. Convert the gold icon over to silver prior to selecting it. However these shells can be very expensive, the most expensive I've seen is 2000 silver per round. If your tank is full of standard ammo, you'll have to reduce the standard ammo amount to add upgraded ammo. As a practice, before battle check your consumables page to be sure it's what you want. I've gotten into the habit of paying for 4-6 rounds of upgraded AP ammo. I've noticed situations where upgraded ammo is lower priced, 400 silver per round or free. I'm not sure of the mechanic that causes this, but you are missing out on a capability if you're not using this upgrade. If you don't fire upgraded ammo in a battle, it will stay on the tank for the next round.

The battle starts with standard ammo loaded. Along the bottom of your screen you'll see little boxes with your shells and consumable. From left to right they are numbered 1-5. Become familiar with how to select them. Paid for ammo appears in the second box from the left and is loaded by hitting the number 2 twice. There is a slight delay while the new ammo is added.

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Servicing/Consumables

  • While in the garage, and especially after buying a new tank, click on "Servicing" to load up on consumables. At the top of the new page is ammo. Premium ammo provides higher damage and higher likelihood of success. It is initially set to gold, but can be changed to silver. You need silver to operate, so before loading up with premium ammo, which most likely you can't afford, see how battles go. At some point, you may want to buy some premium ammo. Just keep in mind that it cost money and will slow your accrual of silver for upgrades, unless you are the ace of the base.
  • Below ammo, there will be empty boxes. Place the cursor on them and you'll see a variety of consumables, the most important, small repair kit, med pack, and fire extinguisher. When you first start off, most likely you'll not want to spend the silver for these items, but eventually you will. They make a difference. For every new tank, make your selections, and check the boxes so these items will be automatically refilled when used. Otherwise you'll find yourself in battle missing something you wanted. Fortunately the game seems to warn you if you are about to enter battle with no ammo.
  • Using Consumables in Battle- Under the Garage Section of this guide, see Servicing/Consumables. Once the battle starts, long the bottom of your screen you'll see little boxes with your shells and consumables. From left to right they are numbered 1-5. Become familiar with how to select them. For the small repair kit, if you loaded it in the first consumable box (in the Garage), it will be selected with 4, then a new set of icons representing different parts of the tank appear. If your tracks are damaged, they are selected and repaired with 5.


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Strategy

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Strategy Links

  • WoT Tactics- Valuable tips on how to conduct combat (added 0313).
  • T34 vs Lowe Video- You Tube. (added 0313)
  • World of Tanks Wiki- Read about any tank you plan on playing, on this wiki site.
  • World of Tank Maps- Get familiar! Valley of Death Maps, maps with open central areas like Prokhorovka, Province, and Malinovka, most of the dead tanks will be in the center open areas.
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Strategy Tips

  • Artillery: Fear It- Artillery can reach out over most of the map and nail you. At the beginning of the battle, check out the enemy list. Get to know the artillery. At the lower levels, it will be T-57, Bison, Renault BS, Su8-18, M37, SturmPanzII (StPz2) and more. Artillery appears at the bottom of the enemy tank list and usually has a distinctive profile, a barrel pointing upwards. Realize that if a fast enemy tank flies by, you are now illuminated on the map. Artillery can kill you. Keep in mind cover such as close proximity to buildings and large rocks on the side away from the enemy arty can shield you. If enemy artillery is in the game shoot and scoot or shoot and take cover. An artillery round that drops close by includes a big vertical plume of smoke and yellow fire. Additionally realize that if you plan on killing artillery, approach it from the side or back. From the front, they can lower their big gun and probably one-shot you.*Don't rush into battle- This is not an arcade game. If you are new to a map, unless you know exactly what you want to do, wait a few seconds and see where everyone goes.
  • Derps- Be aware! Derp is a nickname for a gun that causes a lot of damage with one shot, usually having a very long reload time and low penetration. Usually associated with short, High-caliber guns that load high explosive (HE). Arty's guns are not considered derps (e.g. the 'derp gun' on the USSR tank KV-2). Mostly Tank Destroyers wield Derps, but other tanks have them too. For close-in fights they are nasty. The first tank I ran into with a Derp was theU.S. T-18 (T2 Tank Destroyer) with a 75mm Howitzer. Derps lend themselves to up-close, in-town fighting. On wide open maps, caution and cover is required or the tanks with the longer range guns will be putting holes in the Derp equipped tank. See more Derps under Good Tanks.
  • Flow of Battle- Keep track of the flow of battle. If you side is winning by 30% or more, and you are sniping, consider moving forward.
  • Learn the Maps- If you have the patience in-game open a practice room and go explore WOT Maps or you can do this by just experiencing the maps during combat. See Map Strategies Section of this guide.
  • Light vs Heavy- Light tanks are lightly armored and usually faster than Medium or Heavy tanks which can take more of a beating. You'll have to gain some experience and see what type of equipment you prefer.
  • Light Tank Play Style- The advantage of light tanks is they are fast but with less armor. Light tanks are designated as scouts and normally are expected to go 'light up' the enemy. When you spot them, depending on the range of your radio, friendlies will also see them on the map. This is very helpful for artillery and can show where the enemy thrust is going to be. As a fast light tank, you can cause distraction zipping around in close proximity to the enemy, however this activity usually results in a shortened life span. It is very helpful to be or get familiar with the map so you can move under as much cover as possible and know escape routes. Don't let the speed go to your head and be erratic. Players become quite good at leading fast moving targets.
  • Order of Battle- Usually WoT battles consist of a 3 tier spread, however there are cases where there will be 4 tiers. At the top of the list, you can be more aggressive. While it's always good to be strategic, at the bottom of the list, caution is more important. Realize that there could be tanks in the battle that your shells will just bounce off. Options include, (1) hang back and defend the base, pick a good ambush point and be ready to flee, (2) go with a large pack of tanks, and provide distraction value, just realize that the death rate of tanks charging forward is high, especially if you are the bottom of the tank list. (3) If you are in a fast tank, scout out enemy artillery, just stay on the move and plan on dying.
  • Sniper Play Style- Distained by some macho players, sniping can result in large kill numbers especially when equipped with a Derp. This is the ideal mode for Tank Destroyers, many of which are not equipped with movable turrets. (Without a turret, outside a limited aiming arc, the entire tank has to turn to require the target.) Find your favorite bush ideally next to a rock so you can peak out over a known approach avenue and wait for them. They will come. It's important that you watch the flow of the battle on your mini-map. Move to reinforce, ideally by flanking, if a concentration of enemy look like they will break through to your flag (Standard Battle) or the common flag (Encounter Battle). If you side is winning by 30% or more, and you are sniping, consider moving forward. Some snipers stay close to base and if the tide of battle turns against them, can rack up several kills as the enemy approaches.


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I learned The Hard Way

  • Cover- Always seek cover. You'll be amazed at how far away a tank can kill you.
  • Don't Abandon Your Flag- I'm saying it but unless you do it (protect your flag), or are working with a Clan Battle, there is not much you can do if everyone rushes at the enemy and a couple of tanks sneak into your base for a quick Base Capture especially if you are a slow, heavy tank on the other side of the map. I'll distinguish between Standard Battles, where each team has their own flag and an Encounter Battle where there is one flag unowned by either team initially, to capture. Keep in mind that for Standard Battles, base capture happens about twice as fast as it does in an Encounter Battle with a single flag. In Encounter Battles you have more time to Battle the Enemy, but you must be ready to move to the Flag, depending on circumstances around 50%. Be aware that if you fire on and hit a tank in the Flag zone, it will knock the timer back. The worst situation is when a group of enemy heavies takes possession of a flag zone, time is running out, and there is no way to knock them out of the zone. Or worse yet, you are on the other side of the map pursuing an enemy tank, while the mass of the enemy takes the flag.
  • Don't Rush Into The Fray- and avoid the center of open large areas, at least the middle of them! Realize that when the battle starts, many players will rush to a concealed position, say a bush, relatively close to their starting point and wait for you to come. They will see you before you see them. After a while, you'll know where there is a high probability of ambush.
  • Numbers- Never throw yourself at a superior number of tanks, unless there is no doubt your hardware outclasses the sum of them combined. Once you realize you are outnumbered, keep your tank facing the threat, stay engaged shooting as you withdraw.
  • Outclassed in Tiers- When in a Heavy, actually for most tanks, when seriously outgunned (by higher Tier tanks, better armed and armored) stay on the periphery of the fight, follow top tier heavies into battle for pot shots, or guard the base.
  • Running Away-- Never run away in a straight line, unless that line is the shortest route to cover and you are not being shot at directly from behind. It's easy to kill a moving target that has no left or right drift from a great distance.
  • Shoot and Scoot- A good motto. If sitting quietly you won't be seen on the map until you fire, because someone got close enough to fire at, then most likely you are illuminated. I say this, but I know in most cases for maps like Malinovka and Province, I can sit in a bush and fire all day as long as there is no enemy artillery and I've not come into the visual range of an enemy tank. Bushes don't stop shells.
  • Never sit still when taking hits- A different variation of Shoot & Scoot, unless you know for certain you outclass what is shooting you, have a return shot, and know there is no enemy artillery left. There are cases when a lower tier tank, can't really hurt you. Their shells bounce.
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Map Strategies

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Malinovka

  • This is one of the Valley of Death maps, although it's really not a valley, but a field, and the term applies as far as death goes. The central focus of this map is the large Central Field (A) and the Hill (B).
  • For Standard Battles the team flags are located at I and II. For Encounter Battles, the spawn location is C & D with the Flag on the NE End of the field (at least as oriented in this graphic).
  • Mexican Standoff- For Standard Battles, this map is the perfect example if you rush across the field at the start of the battle, most likely you will die. I'm not saying it's not possible, just not wise in most cases. Right after the spawn most teams will fan out along the two lines adjacent the field and park next to a building or a rock. If you blast out of the gate running across the central part of the field, you'll have 4 or 5 people, if not more shooting at you and the odds are you won't make it. So usually it's a Mexican standoff with players foolish enough to show themselves being picked off. Depending upon how many foolish players there are, you'll usually see at least several carcasses out on that field in short order. Some players try to sneak up the East and West ends of the field. They rarely make it and if they do, they usually have a welcoming party to greet and finish them off.
  • Option 2 is to rush the Hill at B. In my experience, in most cases, especially in the Encounter Battles due to the close proximity of the North spawn position, the team on the North side can get to the top first. They have the advantage of hiding behind the crest of the hill and a barn. You are at a distinct disadvantage climbing that hill. There is no place to hide behind. For an Encounter Battle, the South Team should pick some choice location South of C and wait for them to come down the hill at you. When they come down, they have no place to hide.
  • Favorite sniping positions are Numbers 1-5. Just be careful if there is Arty (artillery) once an enemy vehicle pops up, you have an initial advantage of being stationary and behind/in a bush so you will see them before they see you. However once you fire at them, they will see you and you will be illuminated for Arty. Consider moving in short order. After you die a couple of times at the hand of Arty, you'll get a better feel for the situation.
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Tank Match Ups

  • T2 Light vs Panzer 1 Ausf. C- They may seem similar, they are both fast light scouts, but a T2 (Tier2) can't take on a Panzer 1 Ausf.C (Tier 3) head to head. The Panzer has almost double the front armor thickness. You'll have to hit it from the side or preferable (as with all tanks) from behind.
  • AMX40 vs M5 Stuart- The AMX40 is called a light tank, but has more armor than most of its Tier 4 contemporaries. Head on, don't think a M5 Stuart equipped with a DERP will take this tank down before killing you.
  • KV1 vs T14- Never take a KV1 (Hull= 75, Turret= 95) head on with a T-14 (Hull = 50, Turret =101) unless you in the T-14 can protect your hull.




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Good Tanks

  • 'T' References in this article as in 'T2' refers to Tier, Tier 2 in this example.
  • M4 Sherman.
  • Tank Destroyers- with links. Are usually designed with a big gun and substantial front armor. Many do not have turrets, a distinct disadvantage. One exception is the U.S. line of TDs which starting with the T4 U.S. M8A1 includes a turret.
  • Light Tanks List with links.
  • Medium Tanks List with links.
  • Heavy Tanks List with links.
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Derp Tanks

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Huntn's Favorite Tanks

Note as of March 2013, my highest earned tank is a Tier 5- Hunt'n.

  • U.S. T-18 (T2 Tank Destroyer) with a 75mm Howitzer. In combination with massive front armor, this is a tank to avoid going head to head with. Gives an early taste of power to new WoT players.
  • German Panzer I Ausf.C (T3 Light)- surprising little and fast tank, relatively well armored for its tier, that can kick the crap out of the competition with it's fast firing 7.92mm gun. Note, individual bullets don't cause nearly as much individual damage until you count the rate at which they are fired. Coming from the German Pz.Kpfw.I (T2 Light), you'll get a taste for fast firing weapons, but the PzI is slower.
  • U.S. M2 Medium (T3 Medium)- when equipped with a 75mm 'Derp' it is quite formidable during close-in fights. However with it's second open turret, it is susceptible to HP and Artillery hits.
  • [http://wiki.worldoftanks.com/Matilda British Matilda (T4 Medium)- Slow as a turtle but potent when it finally gets to the fight. Has a good gun with fast relatively fast reload. As the heaviest armored T4 tank, always present front armor.
  • U.S. M4 Sherman (T5 Medium) is a good all around tank. With a 105mm Howitzer it is better at close-in fighting. Turret has better armor than hull. Keep in mind the Howitzer is not that accurate for long shots and has a slow rate of fire.


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WOT Mods

  • Pogs Contour Icon Mod- places a customized icon over every tank showing their armor ratings, hit points, and visual ranges. A great idea, but on the team list of tanks displayed during battle, I found them to take up too much space, blocking my view. (Feb13)
  • There is a mod out there that uses tank skins to illustrate the weak points on the tank (to shoot at). Investigating. (Feb13)
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Tank Combat WOT vs Planetside 2

  • Overall, if you are looking for persistent world action on an epic scale, Planetside2 is the answer. If you are looking for short quick matches with smaller teams (15v15) in a non-persistent environment WOT is the choice. I can see many players liking to participate in both games.
  • Larger Scale, Persistent World, More Realistic Combat Environment, Winner: PS2- PS2 is more epic, larger scope, overall, more going on, in a more realistic combat environment with a spectrum of armor, air, and infantry threats. However, (in armor) lots more sitting around waiting for a facility to cap.
  • Fast, Quick, Intense Fights Winner: WOT- WOT is more focused, quick fun matches, on smaller maps, where you'll hardly ever sit, and includes more consistently, intense tank fights. Less realistic combat environment where all there is, is tanks.
  • Voice Comms: Tie- Both have in-game comms. There is an advantage to having independent voice comms via (TeamSpeak, Ventrillo, Mumble) so you don't have to listen to the idiots, however in WOT due to the reality of consistent PUGs (Pickup Groups) there seems to be more incentive to get into in-game voice so you can coordinate with strangers if they are so inclined.
  • Large Group Play Free Mode, Winner: PS2- Everyone in your faction is on your team, as many as you can bring to the party. In the most common WOT game mode, Random Battles, the max you can have is 3 on your personal team, although you'll be participating in a team of 15 tanks.
  • Tiered Matches Advantage: WOT- You'll never fight anyone more than 2 tiers above you. In PS2, you can face highly upgraded opponents, but this is consistent with PS2's the "outfit" persistent world concept.
  • Comparing PS2 to WOT for Free-to-play (f2p) micro-transaction models- each game has advantages.
  • Not Allowing Wallet Warriors, Advantage: PS2- Yes you can buy upgraded guns, but all of hardware upgrades, performance, defensive, etc, must be earned. Gains in XP are VERY SLOW for a casual player. Equipment, such as upgraded guns can be purchased and is extremely expensive from an earned cert standpoint. A casual player (1 session per week) depending on their effectiveness, let's say 50 certs for 3 hrs of play would take about 3 months to earn enough certs to buy an upgraded gun (700 cert) using certs. On the other hand you can purchase this gun for $7 and save your certs for items that can't be purchased, such as all of your equipment upgrades. This is relatively cheap compared to a World of Warcraft, pay $50 up front and then $15 a month subscription.
  • Benefits of Premier/Premium Memberships: Tie- More of less, each game gives you accelerated XP, and other benefits if you are a premium member. PS2 costs $15 a month (less for a 6 month subscription) vs WOT which is about $10 a month for a 6 month subscription. In WOT you can premium for just a day if that fits your schedule better.
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