World of Tanks Scouting Guide

World of Tanks Scouting Guide by Spambung

I see people asking for help all the time on the forums, so I thought I would write all that I can remember for now down and share my knowledge. Feel free to add your ideas and views in the comments and I will add them in this post. Hopefully I will get some drawings to go with this when I get a little more time. Also, another great guide (aimed at Leos) is here World of Tanks Scouting with a Leopard Guide

XP and credits

• If someone shoots a tank and the only way they see the tank is because of you, you get 1.5 credits and they get -0.5 credits for that shot. Other people have said the XP works the same, but I can’t say for certain until I see it in writing.
• You get points for being the first to spot a tank.
• There are modifiers for damaging tanks in a higher tier than yourself. I don’t know for sure whether you get more XP for spotting higher tier tanks, but I seem to get more credits for spotting the higher tanks.
• More credits for spotting and damaging arty.

Basics

• A high driver and commander skill is a must. Investing in training your driver and commander skill is a very good idea. The better your driver is the better you accelerate and the less you lose speed on turns. The higher your commander skill is the further you can see and it will give the rest of your crew a bigger bonus. I personally use ventilation in my scout.
• Tracks and engine over guns and turret every time. You will see better results upgrading these first.
• Carry a repair kit. You probably won’t get to use it, but if is just a random guy alone, you can repair quickly and get going again. Put your repair kit on the middle slot. That way you can hit 5 for the repair kit and 5 is the number for your tracks.

Methods
There are many methods to scouting. Bonzai rush, forward scout, and ambush scout are a few. Everyone has their favorite. My personal is the bonzai rush.

Bonzai rush
– Also known as the suicide scout, is where you rush in as fast as possible, spot as much as possible and try to stay alive as long as possible.

Basic strategy

• Rush as quickly as possible as it is hard for arty ( and tanks perpendicular to you ) to hit you. Speed is your only advantage as an agile scout.
• Before you even spot someone, start zigzagging early. I usually start about halfway across the map. But feel free to start earlier, as some maps need it.
• Try not to fire until someone takes a shot at you. I know it is tempting, but they may not see you. You firing is only giving them warning and showing your position.
• Be random in your zigzag. Make long sweeps and quick jerks. The more you can make them guess, the longer you stay alive. A good driver will be a tremendous help.
• If you see a tank with a slow turret ( most of the heavies ), get an angle where their gun can’t quite catch you. Then drive as close to them as you can without hitting them. This makes the other tanks either hold their shots (giving you time to get away) or risk shooting an ally. Either way, it is good for you.
• If you see arty, don’t circle around it and kill it. I know a lot of people will tell you otherwise, but the second you slow down or stay in one place too long, you die. Only circle arty if there is no one else around.
• Know when to run. If you see a wall of death in front of you, circle behind cover and try again from a new angle.

Why it works

• when you get good at it, you spot a lot.
• You get a lot of credits and decent XP.
• When you get really good at it, you stay alive and make multiple runs.
• If you have other tanks, you can make a quick run and die. Exit the battle and play another tank till that battle is done.
• It breaks up the monotony.
• And you usually get the scout award which gives another modifier.

Risks

• Get one shotted by the first tank
• They see you first
• Tracked, tracked, and tracked again. Being tracked in this tactic is almost always a death sentence.

Variation

• Same as above, but you wait for their scouts to rush first, or long enough for them to spread out a little.
• You can chase down their scouts and help out your team while you wait
• You probably won’t get as many initial spots and hence won’t get the scout award. (But who wants chest candy anyway right?)
• Camper tanks aren’t on the move anymore and can take good aim at you quicker.

Forward Scout
-You are the most forward tank, but you are still close enough to run back to allies for protection. Your basic job is to increase their view range.
Basic Strategy

• Concealment is a good thing. Stay hidden as much as possible, while still leaving yourself a good view of the battlefield.
• Stay close enough to your main force to run when you need to.
• You move up when your force gets close enough so you will be the guy spotting.
• You found someone and are going to die if you run. Now what? Now you hide behind that rock or building and just let your backup pick off guys. Sit back and watch out for incoming arty. This works pretty good on Campinovka. If you can make it to the buildings, just sit on your side of the building and soak up the credits.
• Oh no! A lone tanks decided to pass me up and run headlong into the unknown. What do I do? Its your choice.
  • Run up and help him see a little more even though your team is too far away to help much.
  • Let him die a glorious death.
• Note: TDs also play this role fairly well. They hide a little better and are used to sitting around for long periods.

Why it works

• you still get to spot, though you may not spot as much.
• You get to have more fun because you aren’t a smoking wreck.
• You make up for the massive spotting XP and credits by staying alive longer and maybe even fire a few shots yourself.

Risks

• You can’t run away safely.
• They spot you and blow you away before you even know what hit you.
• Your team camps in the bushes and never moves forward. At all.
• Arty likes tanks that sit still

Ambush Scout
-Your entire job is to run to a major thoroughfare and hide. Better suited for veteran players
Basic Strategy

• Getting there before you opponent is your main goal. You need to be quick and know the quickest way there.
• Know the maps inside and out. You need to know where people usually go (the hill in campinovka, north pass in El Halluf, etc.)
• Fall back as their force advances. Stay out of their reach and take cover. You only need to spot them for your guys to attack. You want to live don’t you?

Why it works

• You get the bad guys to come to you.
• You soak up the points by just being there.

Risks

• They don’t go your way.
• You have no support and are overrun.

Vehicles
This chart only covers light medium tanks that have a top speed of at least 45 kph and aren’t heavily armored enough to be mainly played as a traditional medium.

As you can see from the chart, a lot of these tanks will not get placed in the high tier battles unless they are platooned with a tank that will. Also, some have limited radio range. While most arty will have a great radio range that will compensate, the rest of your team may not. The most feasible tanks for strictly scouting are the A-20, A-32, PzIII (fully upgraded), Leopard, PzV-IV (and Alpha), M5 Stuart, and the M7

As you can see from the chart, a lot of these tanks will not get placed in the high tier battles unless they are platooned with a tank that will. Also, some have limited radio range. While most arty will have a great radio range that will compensate, the rest of your team may not. The most feasible tanks for strictly scouting are the A-20, A-32, PzIII (fully upgraded), Leopard, PzV-IV (and Alpha), M5 Stuart, and the M7

PzKpfw III (PzIII)
The Good

• 64 kph top speed
• Agile and turns decently quick
• Good acceleration

The Bad

• Most tanks tier 5 or higher always one shot this guy.
• You don’t get put in high matches unless you get drug in by a platoon mate. Apparently I was mistaken on this, though I never remember getting in that high of a match.
• Your arty’s radio and gun may not reach where you are unless you are fully upgraded.

Leopard
The Good

• While I have yet to play this one, it seems to be the best at surviving.
• Superior armor
• Guns that actually do damage
• Very good speed
• Good turning
• Small profile

The Bad

• Easily tracked if hit from the side
• Not the fastest on top end or acceleration
• If you are just worried about getting better tanks, this one is a dead end.

A-20
The Good

• Fastest tank in the game
• Fastest acceleration with the remove speed governor and a good crew (not proven yet, but if enough people help out we will see)
• Decent armor
• Not a dead end tank

The Bad

• Bigger profile
• Guns are near worthless in even mid tier battles
• 380m view range. The least of any “get thrown in high tier battle” scout.

M5 Stuart
The Good

• Very small profile
• Great acceleration
• Guns aren’t the worst.

The Bad

• Weak armor
• 300m view range
• Slower than other countries

M3 Stuart
The Good

• Very small profile
• Great acceleration
• Guns aren’t the worst.

The Bad

• Very weak armor
• 320m view range
• Slower than other countries

M7
The Good

• Decent armor
• Decent guns
• Great speed for a medium

The Bad

• Slow acceleration
• Slow top end (for a scout)