World of Tanks Advanced Light and Med Tactics Replays

World of Tanks Advanced Light and Med Tactics Replays by Kalis

Hello tankers,

I’m thinking of doing a series of replays on potential tactics that can be used in pub matches, which would be superior to the ones that are commonly used. Feedback would be appreciated! I’m going to start with light tanks for several videos, then move on to mediums, and finally to heavies. However, if there is a certain tank or tactic you want a video on, feel free to ask.

Part 1: T-50-2 – Active Combat Method
Most T-50-2 drivers seem to think that the only way to drive it is to suicide scout in early game style. This leaves them with little to no knowledge on how to play a T-50-2 when they get placed in a low tier battle such as a tier 7 battle. In such battles though, the T-50-2 gun can be hideously effectively if used properly. Here’s an example replay. Of note is the end-game, where it became 1 T-50-2 and 1 M7 Priest against an IS and T29 on Himmelsdorf. To be honest, I didn’t even think it was winnable, as I stated during the game in the replay. However, wearing them down slowly worked out quite well.

To be fair, the against tier 8 and up opponents, this kind of strategy is almost useless since they have more armor, more hp (require too many shots to kill), and are harder to penetrate, but it is a useful playstyle to learn for a T-50-2. Mediums and Chaffees utilize a very similar combat method to be effective.

Replay Link Here

So, key points that can be taken from this replay are:
1. The secret to playing a light tank is to avoid getting shot. This means making use of camera angles to see where the enemy tank is aimed at, and avoiding risky engagements where you can get hammered to death.
2. The maneuverability of the T-50-2 allows it to get away from the enemy at will.
3. Similarly, use that speed to always attempt flanking maneuvers. High tier tanks and TDs have trouble shooting you if you do that.
4. Notice what I did when engaging the IS on my cap. I moved in and was spotted by their IS. Rather than continue on the same way, I turned around, so that his tank and turret was aimed the wrong way. I did switch to gold rounds in this video, but in hindsight, I was shooting the side of the IS, and it really wasn’t necessary.
5. If you don’t think you can cap out the enemy, get off the cap and move to a better location! It’s not worth dying pointlessly and futilely, especially when you can potentially do more harm to the enemy later on.

The next 3 videos I plan to do will apply primarily to light tanks, and will cover: active scouting (which is primarily for T-50-2, which is arguably the only scout with the speed and traverse to do it properly), arty hunting (Which applies to all high speed light tanks), and passive scouting (which can be used for lights as well as mediums). I’ll probably release 1 video per week. Hope this replay gave you some insights on tank combat, and happy tanking!

Part 2: Active Scouting
Recommended Requirements
For this to be truly effective, your crew (especially the driver for speed and acceleration, and commander for view range) should be 100%. The coated optics equipment is also recommended if you can afford it – the better your view range, the better you can scout.
The best tanks for this are the T-50 and the T-50-2, although some of the other faster tanks can do it decently (such as the A-20). Generally, however, it ends up being a suicide run in other tanks (because of lower top speed and poor tank traverse).
Have a crew with camo skill leveled up is also highly recommended, as it makes you harder to spot at longer ranges.

Overview
In an active scouting role, there is 1 main goal:
To light the enemy for as long as possible, in a situation where those enemies can be shot (either by friendly arty or tanks). It is not to run into the enemy, light them all up, and then get shot by 8-15 tanks from all sides and die.

Enemies that are scouted stay visible for roughly 5-10 seconds.

The combination of these 2 facts means that, what you want to do is move forward enough to scout 1-4 enemies, and then start turning to go back to your base (the looping moves you a bit more toward their base, which should result in a few more tanks lit up). Once you get disengaged, you should decide whether to make another looping scout run, or to change tactics. If you cannot disengage, then find cover to hide behind, and stay there as long as you can, while your allies pound them.

A side effect of active scouting is that it gives information on how the enemy tanks are spread out, so that you (and your team) can assault potentially weak areas.

A useful fact to know: enemies that you scout and keep lit, which allies harm, give you a value equal to 50% of the XP they receive. So if a Ferdinand kill is worth 150XP, you would get 75XP. The longer you stay alive and keep enemies lit (for allies to harm), the more XP you get! I’ve had battles where I got over 1000XP without firing a single shot in a scout tank.

I will post 3 videos for this week, because active scouting generally leads to other tactics being used.

Replay Link #1 Here
– Traditional Active Scouting Role on Malinkova, before switching to arty hunting and general combat.
– Note I only scouted where I had fire support from allied tanks who would be behind me.
– In terms of engaging enemy tanks, I did so only when the odds were more in my favour.

Replay Link #2 Here
– Here, I initially made a scouting loop on the 1 line (which was actually stupid and useless since we only had 1 tank there. I took a risk for no real returns, even though I didn’t take any damage)
– I then turned around to the ravine, which turned out to be a weak point. Note I had a type 59 and IS to support me.
– Avoided engaging their tanks solo. When the t59 ran into their cap, I did the same rather than stay around trying to fight a higher tier tank alone.
I actually had a T-50-2 video on Steppes where my T-50-2 and an allied T-50 successfully capped their base for the win, even though the tanks remaining was around 4 tanks (For us) vs 11. Unfortunately, I seem to have deleted it. Nonetheless, it played out very similar to this game (scout through the ravine, and it was a weak point, and then we rushed their base while killing their arty, as the other sides held long enough and no enemy tanks returned to their cap).

Replay Link #3 Here
– Another example of a more traditional active scouting style, this time on Sand River
– Whenever I went after tanks, I tried to be coming in from a direction where their guns weren’t aimed.
– Against the Ferdy, I actively kept it lit by hiding behind the buildings close to it, while keeping it lit up (and it was killed by allied tanks and arty).
– The main goal was to light up targets for teammates and arty to shoot. I took the occasional shot on the move when I was very close to the enemy (and thus unlikely to miss even with a large reticule), but didn’t really slow down to fire.

Key Points to take from the Videos
1. A properly performed active scout allows your team to do damage to the enemy. Malinkova is the best example of that in allowing massed fire from your tanks. However, coordinating with your arty so they pre-zoom ahead of you is incredibly effective too (tier 8 arties, for example, do anything from 700-1800 damage with a single shot depending on splash or direct hit).
2. If at all possible, you don’t want to stop unless you are behind cover or disengaged. At 50-70km/hr, you’re very hard to hit. But go below that, and it’s quite easy to shoot you if you aim in front of the tank in sniper mode (how much depends on how far away the tank is).
3. When possible, try to come in from a direction the enemy tanks would not aim their turrets towards. It makes it really hard to hit you, and gives you a few free shots at the enemy (even better, if they start turning their gun towards you, your allied tanks may be able to move forward and take a free shot or 2!)
4. Weaving left and right in a T-50-2 is quite useful to avoiding shots because they don’t lose that much speed when turning. That’s not really the case for other scouts which do lose a lot of speed when turning.
5. Plan out what you want to do, but be sure to adjust accordingly! If all the enemy are there, you have to weave back and forth as you disengage, or find cover (generally, suicide – a stopped T-50-2 can’t get away anymore), and making a second run is likely to get you killed unless your team can fire on them (when a tank is hit, your aiming reticule maxes out). You might want to delay a minute or 2 (till their tanks get bored and start moving) or go somewhere else entirely.
6. Use the information that is gathered from your scouting run! It can mean the difference between victory and defeat.
7. Do not scout if nothing can fire at what you spot. This can be that arties aren’t loaded or zoomed in the right area, or you ran so far ahead no tanks can fire at the enemies that you spotted (due to radio range or they’re still moving into position).

I did get some feedback that the 3 battles (especially the Malinkova) were too perfect, so I’ll post 2 additional videos related to active scouting tonight (will update this post with the movies tonight).

Specifically, they were scenarios where the active scouting was performed, but the result wasn’t as perfect as in the above videos:

Malinkova battle 2:
Replay Link Here
– Active scouting performed, but the enemy team has some good snipers who damaged my tank severely. Furthermore, few allied high tier tanks remained in base to fire at the enemy.
– Rotated to playing defense from the small hill as they rushed our base.
– Notice that the VK3601, which has 420m view range, & T29 (430m) could not detect the T-50-2 behind a bush firing at roughly 350m away.
– However, the Stug III (350m view range), at roughly 250m away, did detect the T-50-2 (which led to dying against the enemy T-34)

Be aware that I don’t know what the crew level of the enemy tanks were though. However, having a 100% camo crew makes it harder for your tank to be spotted at long ranges. Generally, the T-50-2 is guaranteed to be invisible at 400+m away, even if you fire. On the move without firing behind bushes, it’s possible to get within 100-200m range (which is rare, because you have to be behind bushes the whole time as you move towards the enemy, or they are not looking in the right direction. But is possible on maps like Prokhorovka, Murovanka, and Malinkova).

Komarin battle:
Replay Link Here
– performed some passive scouting initially. However, I noticed our tanks were massed on the 1-2 line, with almost no base defense.
– Tactic change to active scouting of their defenders (which had been passive spotted moving into position, but disappeared).
– Most defenders were successfully killed, however, their arty made a nice shot as I tried to cross the bridge.
– Nonetheless, the removal of most of their defenders convinced the team to move up to cap, which won the game (which was still closer than it should of been due to some tanks not capping properly).

The final light tank strategy we will be covering is passive scouting. This one will be short and sweet.

Part 3: Passive Scouting
Recommended Requirements
The ideal setup for this is to have 100% camo crew. It’s been shown to make a huge difference on how close the enemy has to be before they spot you (roughly the difference between 150m and 50m assuming you’re behind a bush).
My preferred setup for scouts is binocs / optics / crew vent. However, some people use binocs / optics / camo net.

Overview
Passive scouting has the same goal as active scouting:
To light the enemy for as long as possible, in a situation where those enemies can be shot (either by friendly arty or tanks).
However, the method of accomplishing this is different. With passive scouting, you find a bush to hide behind, quickly zoom to it, and stay there, spotting enemies for your allies, without firing your gun (which causes you to temporarily lose all camo value, making you visible to the enemy).

This video is from 0.7.1 rather than 0.7.1b. However, it can still be viewed.

Replay Link Here
– Passive scouting on Malinkova
– Note that once I fired my gun, the t-43 saw me and shot at me, forcing me to leave my passive spotting bush
– However, my job was done (most of the enemy tanks there were already annihilated), so it was acceptable.

Key Points to take from the Videos
1. Have a plan that involves you moving as soon as the game starts to a fairly forward bush that will be able to spot enemy tanks passing it 300-400m away shortly after you move in.
2. You will be slightly behind the bush (only the front of your tank is inside it).
3. Don’t move your tank, but you can traverse your turret about.
4. Do not fire your gun! Once you do, you will be spotted!

Although not every map has amazing passive scouting bushes (like this one on Malinkova), quite a few of them do have pretty good ones. Almost every map has a few good passive scouting bushes.
I’ll also mention that the passive scouting bush from the replay relies upon you spawning in the right spot: namely, the bush is straight ahead of you. It’s a high-risk, high-reward passive scout. Trying to move into it from a bad spawn is generally suicide, as you will be spotted while moving in. However, Malinkova has several other great passive scouting spots The key to finding these spots is trial and error! So take your light tank out, and don’t be afraid to try finding some great spotting areas!

The maps I know that have some spots are:
Prohorovka, Malinkova, Mines (extremely high-risk ones – only really reachable with T-50-2s), Murovanka, Lakeville, Komarin (from the North side), Karelia, El Hallouf, Cliff (very temporary, early spot – only really useful for T-50-2s).

I get the feeling swamps has a few, but I haven’t really put any time into my scout tanks to find them yet.

For medium tactics, I think I will begin with a sample video of how each T9 medium should be played (because it is actually very different). Let’s begin with the T-54.

Part 4: T-54 Combat System – Facehugging
Overview
The T-54 has several distinct characters. It accelerates faster than the Patton and E-50, has an incredibly low profile, has amazing armor on its turret, and its gun has a long aiming time (2.5 aim time on 0.34 accuracy). This mean it’s best used in very close ranges, and it is brilliant when facehugging the enemy tanks (so that they can only shoot your turret).

As with all mediums your goal is to generally roll up a side that has few/no heavies. T9 mediums, however, are capable of taking on T8 tanks and below very easily.

Replay Link #1 Here
– Facehugging battle where I specifically focused on areas enemy mediums would be (the Abbey and the West side).
– Facehugging in the Abbey meant only 1 shot actually did damage to me there.
– Notice the 11:00 mark. Even being roughly 25m away from the enemy let them shoot the hull of my tank and penetrate. However, once I got within 13m or so, they didn’t.

Replay Link #2 Here
– Aggressively moved to a position where the enemy ended up being stuck in the open, while I had some cover to duck behind (and still be in a close range engagement)
– Used terrain and the destroyed tanks for cover for the hull when possible.
– With allied support, cut through this whole flank and we were into their base.
– Note at around 9:58 left, the T95 bounced off my turret. The slight hill in that location combined with the low profile of the T-54 left that the only possible spot he could shot.

Replay Link #3 Here
– Noted the enemy team was really heavy on mediums, and avoided the 9-0 line as a result. Went center (which is a flexible position where you can react).
– When all the enemy med’s were found to be on the 9-0 line, and most heavies were in town, I went arty-hunting. (I went where I did because their arty just killed one of our tanks, and generally they can only do from the A6 to A0 area.
– It was really mop up after that.

Key Points to take from the Videos
– Act depending on where the enemy tanks are on the minimap and the enemy team’s tank composition!
– The T-54 should be used fairly close with the enemy. However, care should be taken so you’re not fighting enemy heavies if at all possible.
– Use terrain and your ridiculous turret armor to your advantage! Even a slight amount of cover can make it so your tank is almost impenetrable.
– Your primary targets to kill (whenever possible) are t8 and below mediums, arties, and heavies below tier 8. These targets have a really high chance of bouncing on your tank. T9 meds and heavies above T8 can and will go through your tank’s armor consistently.

As an add-on, it’s not like the T-54 can’t snipe. Because it’s quite capable in that role too (Example Here. But the tank is really at its best in close range engagements, where it can bounce enemy shots really easily and don’t need to sit in a spot for long periods of time to aim. And frankly, if you want a sniping medium, you should get the E-50 (videos of that tank will be available later)

Note: These replays are from January using 0.7.1 again (I rarely play my E-50 right now as I’m putting every game I can into the Lorraine to get a Batchat). But they work with 0.7.1b.

Part 5: E-50 Combat System – Quick Response Sniper
Overview
The E-50 is quite an interesting medium. It has the most accurate gun in the game. It’s armor is high enough on the front that if your angle your tank, it will generally bounce shots that are below 200 penetration. When shot at long ranges and angled, if the shot doesn’t hit your hull’s upper plate, it will bounce IS-7 and Maus shots.

The E-50’s biggest selling point is it’s gun.
Incredible accuracy at 0.28, an aim time of 1.8 (the lowest of end tier guns I believe), and great damage at 390. It does have a 7 reload rate (which is actually the slowest of the T9 meds). This makes it best used as a sniper platform, although it can be used close up as well (although in that scenario, the longer reload time and poor traverse for a medium is against you). The greatest thing about this gun is that it’s accurate enough that you can use it to fire on the move at 200-300m, and expect the shots to hit (effectively, it firing on the move is almost like other tanks firing fully zoomed in).

As a result, the E-50 is best used as a quick response tank, where you use your mobility to move around the map and outflank enemies, while hammering them with your gun.
You will definitely want to avoid facing enemy T10 heavies head-on if at all possible, or only face them when you got allies who can help deal damage and absorb hits.
This means that even more so than the other mediums, you really need to pay attention to the minimap to see where the enemy tanks are.

A final note is that the E-50 is shockingly heavy. It’s 64.3 tons fully upgraded (so 65 tons with equipment) – this is slightly heavier than an IS-4! With it’s high speed, the E-50 is one of the best ramming tanks in the game. Be aware, however, that this tank has the worst traverse speed of the 3 T9 mediums. It’s still better than almost all the heavies, but it’s not as agile as the Patton or T-54.

Replay Link #1 Here
– Battle on Fisherman’s Bay
– I went to the 1 line initially, but quickly moved to respond to the enemy scouts once they showed up on the minimap (and sniped them down – 420m to take down the AMX 13 75, Chaffee was much closer).
– Completely changed sides after this because the only enemy tank pushing the 1 line was the IS-7 (which is the bane of T9 mediums with it’s crazy armour and firepower combination – plus, I figured arties and heavies could handle him.).
– Saw the arties were spotted on the minimap, so I moved towards that direction to support the tanks kill them (wasn’t necessary in this case, but good practice – our arties may have missed/splashed, or our meds could of gotten shot and killed, and I would of had to finish them off).
– Flanked their heavies in town after this, and basically wiped them out. Notice the ram on the T34 after I missed my shot (T9 heavy!) where I took 0 damage, and it died.
– Finally, process of elimination meant that their Ferdy has to be somewhere on the 1 line (either camping their base or pushing ours). I went towards our base because everyone else went the other way, and their ferdy was pushing, with got me my top gun
Replay Link #2 Here
– Sniping on Abbey
– Went to Abbey taking the lower road, (which generally gives you shots on the enemies going up to the Abbey).
– Fighting the 13 90, keeping my front pointed at him kept me from taking much damage. The key is I stopped moving forward, and only traversed my hull (moving forward while traversing significantly reduces your traverse rate). Also note that I didn’t fire my gun until I was certain the shot would hit. The reload really painful if you miss, especially in close range. Better to take the extra 3-4 seconds to guarantee a hit in close range than to fire, miss, and have to wait for a reload.
– The KT had the long 88 rather than the 105, but fired constantly at my lower plate (and penned every shot but 1 as a result – that one bounced due to a combination of luck and properly angling of my tank slightly to improve my armour value).
– Once the tanks around abbey were eliminated, I just went up into the abbey and fired into their base defenders. Killed 3 enemies this way, and knocked the E-75 down to 317hp.
– Also took out their GW Tiger once it was lit by our attacking tanks.
– Note that when I was fighting that GW Panther after it shot me in the back, I couldn’t ram it as I came down the Abbey. The other 2 T9 meds could of rammed the GW Panther, but the E-50 lacked the traverse to do so.

Replay Link #3 Here
– Another Abbey Battle, performing a similar strategy as in replay #2. This time, however, I went up to Abbey directly since the T-50-2 scouted in front of me (which suicided and showed a Patton, E-50, and IS-7 coming up – as well as an enemy GW Tiger).
– Ignored them and went to Abbey because a GW Tiger was lit. Didn’t see it again until it moved, but got the kill.
– Turned around and began fighting their Abbey-attackers. Tried to rotate to where I could shoot the IS-7’s side, but failed (noticed he forced me to only have shots on his front, which caused me to bounce both shots). So I went off Abbey and focused on the AMX 13 90 attacking our arties instead.
– Kept going on the 1 line to support the heavy push. To be honest, I should of died to that E-100, but he chose not to shoot me. Notice the E-100 has the lower plate vulnerability frontally (just like the every German tank but the Maus and Tiger P).

Key Points to take from the Videos
– As a E-50, use your mobility and incredibly accurate gun to change fronts at will! Do not sit on 1 side and get into a slugging match against the enemy!
– Watch the minimap! Keep mobile, and flank the enemy whenever possible. All of this can only be done if you pay attention to the minimap.
– Linked to the above point, identify the targets you can and should engage (basically everything that’s not a T10 or IS4, Ausf B, E-75), and take those out! Leave the big heavies to your team (or engage them only with support). If you’re matched against the tanks you shouldn’t engage, run away if possible!
– Don’t be afraid to ram with an E-50. You’ll heavy, so you will do lots of damage in a ram (I find it ranges anywhere from 150-300)!
– Angle your tank 20-30 degrees away from the enemy when possible. This angling will increase your armor value, while also keeping them from shooting your sides. 45 degrees is too much and will give them a shot into the side of your tank. This applies to all German tanks especially, although certain other tanks (Any tank that doesn’t have a ‘pike nose’ like the IS-3 and IS-7 – such as the KV, IS, IS-4) will benefit from it too. Be aware that if there is an extreme difference between the armour and the gun’s penetration value (such as KV vs a KT gun), then no matter what kind of angling you do, you’re going to take damage. But it’s still good practice.
– Realize that when traversing, moving forward at the same time reduces traverse rate. This applies to every tank, whether it’s medium or heavy. Do not move forward if you’re traversing against an enemy that is circling you!

I thought I’d just take a short break from the med coverage to talk about the best way to take out TDs. This is a strategy generally done with lights and mediums.

Part 6: Taking out TDs in Lights and Meds

Note: As stated by Tazilon later, this should not be done by any tanks equipping a mortar/derp gun, such as the VK2801 with the 105mm. At point blank range, a shot will damage you as well as the enemy.

Overview
The concept is simple. Get in close, and stop the enemy TD from turning. Most players, I’ve seen, ram themselves into the side of the enemy TD.
That generally is enough to let you get 1-3 shots at the enemy TD, before it manages to move back far enough to fire at you.

However, there is a better way which lets you kill it, which is to part yourself perfectly beside the enemy TD.
Rather than ramming into him perpendicularly, ram into him with a slight angle, then slowly adjust yourself till you are perfectly parallel to him (while still rammed in his side).
And once you are parted into his side, just turn continuously into him by holding down A or D (depending on which side he is on relative to you) so that you are ‘jammed’ up against him, preventing him from retreating. Here’s 2 sample videos of this tactic being performed.

Replay Link #1 Here
– T-50-2 scout on Ensk
– Encountered ISU-152 in the field
– I rammed myself against him perfectly by doing a loop, and used his tank as cover for fire from enemy tanks while I killed.
– Unfortunately, due to the weird bug in the game with ramming and the side of the map, I ended up being stuck too.
– Still, a T-50-2 killing an ISU-152 is a more than fair trade, especially on a map like Ensk
Replay Link #2 Here
– T-59 on swamps.
– The ramming only occurs at the end of the battle (near the 10:00 mark)
– Got myself rammed perfectly against the Ferdinand, and it couldn’t do anything as a result.
– Do note that the T-59 is actually quite a slow tank, so this tactic can be done with some luck and proper driving even in slow tanks!

Key Points to take from the Videos
– Ramming into the side of a enemy TD is not as effective as parking yourself perfectly parallel against it while ramming it.
– It involves first ramming it at a slight angle (say 30-60 degrees), and then slowly adjusting until you’re perfectly parallel.
– He can’t fire at you, and you can take all the time you need to finish him
– The enemy TD can also be used as a useful shield from enemy fire, but only if you’re on the right side!
– Ramming into him this way also prevents him from firing at your allies (unless they are stupid enough to walk into his lane of fire).

Using this tactic, I’ve killed countless TDs (Ferdys, object 704s, jagdtigers, T95s, the list goes on and on) in wide assortment of tanks (such as Chaffees, T-50-2s, Type 59s, etc.). I’ve even done this before on a Jagdtiger with the T6 French Heavy – the ARL 44. So despite it being predominantly a light and medium tactic, a bit of luck can let a heavy do the same thing. It’s generally not recommended with a heavy because if they manage to ram you, you lose all speed, and they lack the acceleration to build up any speed to get out of there (or rammed against the TD’s side effectively).

As requested by Silty, I played 4 battles in my Pz4 and am going to post them here for demonstration purposes.

Part 7: Panzer 4 Combat System – Long Range Sniper
Overview
With only 460 hp, average horsepower to weight ratio (440hp on roughly 31 tons is like 14hp/ton, which is actually lower than some heavies!), an accurate and quick firing gun with respectable penetration, and an amazing 810m radio – the Pz 4 is a pure sniper platform, shooting enemies from extreme ranges behind bushes whenever possible.

In terms of equipment, I run binocs (greatly increased sight once you stop in a firing spot), crew vent, and rammer.

Crew Skills to get are camo first, then repair, and finally fire (although it’s highly unlikely you’d get a crew that would have the firefighter skill).
These battles are played with a crew that has 100% camo and around 60% repair skill.

Replay Link #1 Here
– First battle takes place in Prokhorovka
– I do miss numerous shots this battle (among other things, I was still figuring out the shell velocity for this tank’s gun – been a very long time since I played it).
– I basically found long range firing spots and blasted the enemies that were lit up by allied tanks. Such as shooting from base towards the hill

Replay Link #2 Here
Note: I left the game at around 8:30 accidentally.
– Second battle takes place on Steppes
– Like before I found a sniper spot, and fired away.
– Noticing their heavies were really damaged, I flanked it and killed their IS. In hindsight, I should of moved down the hill a bit before firing (would of taken less damage from enemy fire as a result that way). Still, I killed the IS and survived (although I had to repair my tracks and accept a damaged ammo rack to do so).
– After that, went towards their base (at 100hp or so, trying to engage a tier 7 is futile and stupid). From looking at the mini-map previously, I knew their arty would be on the 1-2 line (although not specifically where) so I was rotating my turret around.
– Also hindsight, but after I killed the grille, I should of ran away rather than moved forward (waited for tank support that could take hits, and then sniped from behind them). By moving forward at low HP, I was instantly killed when that slugger came along.

Replay Link #3 Here
– Third battle occurs on Westfield
– Like before I found a sniper spot, and fired away. This spot had to be unfortunately close to the enemy due to my starting position (and, frankly, Westfield doesn’t really have any extreme range sniping spots).
– As before, moved to engage the enemy at need, and got some good XP from this battle.

Replay Link #4 Here
– Finally, tier 5 battle on Cliffs.
– As before, sniping primarily (Leopard, and BDR from bushes).
– Noticed their KV was pushing around the lighthouse, so I ran in behind it and finished it off easily.

Key Points to take from the Videos
– The Pz 4 is all about finding a sniping spot from a bush, moving there, and then firing at whatever targets pop up. This means knowledge of the maps, especially good spots to fire from is critically important to success.
– Your gun isn’t all that good against the front of tanks (as in video 1, it would bounce off the front of one of those T6 VK mediums), but it has enough penetration and accuracy to go through the side of T8 heavies (like the Lowe).
– Camo skill on your crew is a necessity! The harder you are to spot, the bigger your advantage while sniping.
– Watch the minimap, and move to firing spots based on that.
– Learn the maps, especially spots where there are bushes you can hide behind to fire at the enemy.

Part 8: BatChat / Lorraine/ AMX 13 90 Combat System – Scouting and Flanking
Overview
The French Light/Medium Tank line, from the AMX 13 90 on, can all be played similarly. Essentially, they offer high speed, a gun with a 6-shot canister, and no armor.

This combination means they are suited to 2 primary combat styles: scouting (like T-50-2s), and flankers with heavy firepower. They are also amazing when used to mop up damaged enemy tanks.
However, under no circumstances should you engage a healthy enemy that is aimed in your direction, as you will lose hit points instantly.
When engaging the enemy, you should always try to be in a combat environment where there are very few enemy tanks (so they can’t fire at you much, and your 6 shot limit with long reload time will be used to best effect).

Unlike the AMX 13 75 and AMX 12t, these 3 tanks have enough hit points to absorb shots, sitting at 1050, 1300, and 1600 respectively. You should avoid taking damage whenever possible of course, but sometimes there is no choice but to take a hit.
However, unless you are passive scouting, do not sit in a single spot without moving, as arty shots will penetrate and do full damage to your tank (getting 1-shot is very common if you get direct hit by arty).

French Tank Analysis
The French tanks get progressively faster with better horsepower to weight ratios:
AMX 13 90: 350hp on 15.5 tons (22.6hp per ton)
Lorraine: 950hp on 39 tons (24.4hp per ton)
BatChat: 720hp on 25.5 tons (28.2hp per ton)
Note: Despite the stats, the AMX 13 90 seems to struggle when it comes to turning, as it loses speed and has a large turning radius.

Another thing to note is that the ideal guns for each tank is the following:
AMX 13 90: 90mm F3
Lorraine: 90mm DCA 45 (2.5 second reload between shots, as opposed to 3.33 for the 100mm is a big difference. Also, the canister reload difference of 36 vs 49 seconds is a big deal).
BatChat: 100mm SA 47

Finally, the best equipment for French tanks is:
– Vertical stabilizer (to reduce recticle)
– Coated Optics (spotting the enemy from farther away where you can hammer them)
– Crew Vent (slight boost to stats)
The AMX 13 90 should use the Gun laying drive rather than the Vert stab (which it cannot equip).

Do and Don’t Comparison Videos
Replay Link #1 Here
Replay Link #2 Here
– Compare the following 2 battles, both of which take place on Arctic Region
– Battle 1, I go to a position which commonly has lots of tanks in a slugfest. 3:30 into the game, I’m dead.
– Battle 2, I pick a spot which is hard to be attacked, and offers flanking fire (like my long range shots at the IS-3). Note that this position can be hammered by arty, but they had SU-5s which can’t one-shot a Lorraine. That said, even SU-5s do 200-300 damage per shot to Lorraines!).

However, in general, Arctic Region is one of the worst maps for French tanks, as it offers no real paths for flanking the enemy, lots of open areas for arty to hit you, and almost every battle position is a slugfest.
So, now that it’s clear that the only real way to drive the French lights/meds is to flank, here’s some sample battles of doing so.

Flanking Tactics
Replay Link #3 Here
– I went to positions where I could fire on enemies that would be lit up by allied tanks, which the enemy would not aim at initially.
– I would take some damage and fire as a result, but dish out far more in return as a result. Ended with 5 kills, 6 damaged, and 2440 XP battle.

Replay Link #4 Here
– In this battle, after sitting in base initially, I noticed their island path had almost no tanks from the minimap.
– Moved in aggressively and lit up (and killed their arty) as a result.
– I stayed in my island position because I noticed no fire directed at me there (which meant they had basically 0 base defense).
– From then on, it was flanking the enemy whenever possible, which was possible because of the complete lack of base defense.
– It went so well I used all 30 of my shots by the end of the game, and sadly could not kill the IS-4 for my 9th kill. However, a 12035 XP battle (2407XP, but with today’s 5x) with 8 kills is more than welcome!

Scouting Tactics
In the scouting roles, the AMX 13 90 is best used as a passive scout (due to fairly poor turning – I don’t have any replays saved of the AMX 13 90 unfortunately).
the Lorraine and BatChat are effective as active scouts like the T-50-2, and in passive scouting too.

Replay Link #5 Here
– Malinkova.
– Active scouting T-50-2 style, followed by passive scouting, followed by arty defense combat, followed by passive scouting (and firing), followed by arty hunting (and death).

Replay Link #6 Here
– Malinkova, purely active scouting like a T-50-2, until I was killed by an arty (1 hit from the GW Panther took off my remaining 888hp).

Mopping up Damaged Tanks (quick response)
Replay Link #7 Here
– Karelia. Initially, went to a position where 1-2 enemy tanks were spotted, and killed one of them.
– After that, returned to base to finish off a lot of heavily damaged enemy tanks. French Tanks are amazing for this due to the rapid reload between shots in a canister, and the ability to move quickly from 1 area to another.

Replay Link #8 Here
– Malinkova. Just basically ran to various locations where I had shots on tanks, and finished them off quickly. Quite a few mid to long range shots.

Key Points to take from the Videos
– French light/medium tanks function best in 3 roles: scouting, flanking/sniping, and being a mop-up tank.
– At all costs, avoid engagements in areas where there are large numbers of tanks on both sides (unless you are shooting them from the side).
– When fighting, fight from cover (preferably with bushes), and max zoom before firing. The reticule on French guns is really large if you are not zoomed (basically guaranteed misses), and aiming time is long. Even max zoomed, the recticle is such that your shots will go astray quite often, and get bounces off the weirdest tanks (or tank locations – like aiming at the hull of a tank and bouncing off the turret).

Of note, I had wanted to get a battle on Erlenberg hill fighting in the Patton before doing this entry, but the lack of playing time prevented me from doing so. However, do note that fighting on the hills on that map lets you smash up multiple tanks for little damage in return, and generally earns you above 1500XP per battle.

Part 9: Patton Combat System – Hill Fighting, Flanking and Scouting
Overview
The Patton is a rather odd medium.
First, it is the slowest of the T9s, capping out at 48km/hr. Despite that, it’s acceleration is quite good.
Second, it’s turret is nearly impenetrable frontally. However, it’s hull armor is a joke.
Third, it has the longest view range of any tank in the game, at 480m.
Fourth, it has one of the best gun depressions in the game. Put it in a spot where there’s lots of hills, and it’s ability to reverse quickly and gun depression just allow it to take shots one enemy tanks, whereas the enemy tank would have to charge down (and expose itself to heavy fire) to shoot you.
Finally, it’s gun is fairly inaccurate at 0.37. However, and it’s 2 second zoom time generally makes its aiming the equal of the T-54, if not even better. In general, the gun is very dependable, except vs tier 9 and 10 heavies. Against those, you’ll generally go through the sides, but bounce the front (unless at close range and aiming at weak points). You should also expect odd bounces to occur as the inaccurate gun leads to it hitting odd spots on enemy tanks. Yet despite these negatives, there is one huge plus: 7.79 rounds per minute with 390 damage per shot means a Damage Per Minute of 3038. To my knowledge, that’s the highest of any tank in the game.

The end result is that it functions best in 3 distinct roles
1. Combat on hill areas, where you can use the slope as cover for your hull (and sloped hills make it very luck based for arty to actually hit you).
2. A medium range (ideally 200-400m away) sniper/flanker
3. Passive scouting at long range

Replay Link #1 Here
– First battle takes place in El Halluf
– I ended up covering base because almost all our other tanks went northwest.
– As a result, the whole battle consisted of me taking opportunity shots at range, moving to spots where I could fire on enemy tanks that were occupied fighting other tanks (generally firing at 400+m, where I was too far to be spotted with 100% camo).
– Of note is the fairly poor performance of this gun at long ranges. For example, I missed a lot of shots on the T20s (although part of that was also failure to lead the enemy tanks enough). Nonetheless, from 10:15 to 9:05, I fired a total of 7 shots on the enemy E-75 that was 410-490m away. Of those 7: 2 missed entirely, 5 bounced off its frontal armor. I also bounced off the back of an E-75 at around 7:14 while firing on the move.
– Notice at around 8:15 or so, when I engaged the IS. It never had the gun depression to fire at me, but I had enough to fire at him (and keep my gun aimed on his tank while staying below him on the hill). This is the one big advantage of driving a Patton: the ability to engage and fire on tanks from positions where you cannot be shot at using the slope of hills.

Still, despite all the bounces, the fact I fired 26 shots and hit 19 meant there were a good 10-13 shots which actually did damage in this game.

Replay Link #2 Here
– Battle takes place on Murovanka, with a very medium heavy team.
– Due to the high number of mediums, I aggressively went for a point where I could fire away at their tanks from a sloped position that’s fairly hard to hit.
– Poked out for shots on enemy tanks, and pulled back into cover as needed (wasn’t necessary later on since allied tanks were pushing their tank, and drew all the attention).
– There were multiple bounces off the side of IS-4s this game.

Replay Link #3 Here
– Battle takes place on Malinkova
– Played passive scout (because they had no real mediums, this was a map where that was very possible, and my platoon-mate was an arty)
– Do note that once I started firing, I was lit up and got hit by splashed by their arty as a result (moving back resulted in a splash rather than direct hit, thankfully).
– Near the end of the game (around 6:50), the Lowe bounces a shot off my turret because I moved back down that slight slope.

Replay Link #4 Here
– Battle takes place on Steppes. This is an older vid, but it still works with the current patch.
– This is a battle where 2 T9 meds engaged T9 heavies and won. Of course, a large reason for the success was because of the very close range which allowed the T9 meds to easily pen the T9 heavies. The first E-75 could be shot in the weak lower glacis plate, and the subsequent T9 heavies that came in were easily shot in the side as I repositioned to the side, while BauBau drew their attention. In this kind of scenario, DPS rules, and the patton has a freakish 3038 damage per minute (390 damage * 7.79). The E-50 is close at 2730. Comparatively, the IS-4 are both at roughly 2200 or so. More significantly, they fire fewer high damage shots, so if they miss, they lose a lot of that damage.
– And in this scenario, their T9 heavies did miss shots, but this was a combination of luck and proper positioning of the tanks (The E-75 missed because he had to rush his shot due to his 3% health, the IS-4 miss hit the side of the hill because I was rapidly moving back into cover, and the KV-3 only tracked me because I was inching out very slowly – partly due to my dead driver of course).

Key Points to take from the Videos
– The Patton’s ideal scenario is fighting from hilly terrain when possible. However, it can be driven in several secondary roles with incredible effect: flanker (fire support) and passive scouting.
– Still, whenever possible, you want to make use if its amazing gun depression, nearly invulnerable turret armor (only frontally – the sides and rear are a joke), and crazy gun depression
– Do note that the Patton has the highest DPS out of any tank in the game. It’s very capable of fighting its way out of trouble, provided you shoot at the right spots.
– 0.37 accuracy means it’s not a great sniper. It’ll get the job done and hammer enemy tanks, but that is not its ideal role at all as it’ll miss quite a few shots, and get bounces.