World of Tanks Misc Tips

World of Tanks Misc Tips by superiormirage

Rookie guides have been done and done very well. Instead of trying to imitate a polished product, I am going to put out some alternate tips the major guides have not covered.

1) Don’t shoot teammates on purpose.

I don’t care if you think it’s funny. I don’t care if you’re equipped with the .50 Browning and don’t have a hope of penetrating my armor. If I see you blatantly firing at a friendly my next round is going in you.

NOTE: There is a wide gulf between shooting a teammate on accident and doing it on purpose. If I pull in front of a teammate’s tank just as he is about to shoot and get a round in my side, I cannot (and do not) get mad. Same goes for an errant arty strike when I am Facehugging the IS-4.

2) Don’t abuse the ctrl + click map feature.

What? You didn’t know you could hold down control and then click on the mini map to ping that location? Well, now you do. Don’t abuse it.

There’s a term for repeatedly mashing a button causing the same message to flood our screens. It’s called spamming. It’s obnoxious and it’s pointless. You cannot convey any more information with five or six clicks than you can convey with a one. All you’re doing is annoying your team and potentially causing them to miss important information someone else was typing. If you do this repeatedly, even after being asked to stop, it makes me wish I could slam your sexual organ in a car door.

3) Ditto the ‘Help!’ Macro

At the start of the round tou go charging off down the map at top speed. Now you’re surrounded and being picked off. You spam the ‘Help!’ macro hoping someone in another tank will ride in on a white horse to your rescue. You’ve acted stupidly, you got punished for your stupidity, and are now asking more teammates to join you in the meat grinder.

4) Don’t rant about “wallet warriors”, “Credit card crusaders”, etc.

This is the rant I see people go on when they are killed by a premium tank. “I got killed by a premium tank! Premium tanks MUST be overpowered since I am Lord Commander Supreme at all games! Wallet warriors are da Gay!”

All you’re doing with these rants is showing your ignorance of economics and low level of skill. The premium tanks are all balanced and, in some cases, have bigger downsides than the other ‘regular’ tanks of their tier. Yes, the Type 59 has insanely sloped armor. It’s also constructed entirely of ammo racks and accelerates slower than the local glacier. The KV-5 may have armor made of pure adamantium, but it’s gun shoots spitballs and it has weakspots the size of Texas. The only upside premium tanks have is their ability to generate a high-number of credits, which makes grinding to the next high-tier tank much, much easier. Instead of ranting about them and sounding like an ignorant hick, hop on the forums and learn their weakspots.

Furthermore, do you understand how economics work? The game developers did not create and maintain this game as an act of charity. What do you think pays their salaries, server costs, and day-to-day office bills. They do not charge for WoT, and allow all of us to play for free, as long as we want. They have to cover costs somehow. Premium Accounts and premium tanks are how they do that. That guy in the Type 59? He’s one of the reasons you get to play for free.

5) Don’t Suggest Crackpot Tactics

“Let’s all rush down the center! They will never expect that!”, “Arty, don’t shoot unless you can hit at least two targets.”, and “Light tanks, bunch up. You’ll look like a big heavy from afar!” are all examples I have actually heard in game. Do not follow these people’s example. Unless you know what you are doing and can suggest rational ideas, leave the battle planning to those more experienced. At best, your team will ignore you at worst will openly mock you. Just don’t do it.

**NOTE** I know there are legitimate high-risk tactics suggested in some of the other guides. (“All In” and “Maus Trap” to name a few.) While the author calls them ‘Crackpot Tactics’, they are well-thought out strategies that carry high risk vs. reward. They are not what I am referring to here. I am taking about the substance-inspired ideas an armchair Sun Tzu will spout off early battle.

6) Don’t Act Like an Asshole
Suggested by tiadashi

“You are all n00blet #$%&tards;! Fail team! Die in a fire AND REINFORCE THE RIGHT FLANK!11!11!!!”

Yeah, do you think I am going to follow that suggestion? The right flank could be collapsing like the Berlin wall and my tank could save the day, but I am going to dismiss that “suggestion” because I assume whoever wrote that drivel is a 12 year old who just figured out he can curse on the internet. Inversely, “Right flank needs reinforcing” will get my attention and may get me to do what you want.

Ranting and raving, name calling, and general dickery are all uncalled for and makes you look like an uneducated asshole. If you have information you want to convey, you will get more flies with honey than with vinegar. And what exactly are you accomplishing by calling players names or railing against the team? Do you really think your rant will cause them to go: “Wow! Herpderp952 was right! I am a nooblet and a @#$%tard. I need to rethink the entire way I play this game!” No. No one in the history of WoT has ever been “inspired” by a rage-driven rant.

Communication in any form is built on trust. If I cannot trust what you are saying, I am going to ignore it. Swear-laden messages demanding things or demeaning others is the fastest way for others to realize you cannot be trusted and start ignoring you.

7) Punish an Enemy for His Mistakes
Suggested by knaT_sdrawkcaB

It could be as obvious as the newly-minted heavy driver who comes charging down the center, or as subtle as the T1 H that is playing peek-a-boo with the Derp KV. Learn to spot a bad move and exploit it. A mistake not capitalized on is, essentially, a mistake not made.

Mistakes on the battlefield can take many, many forms. Often the best way to exploit a mistake is to track the offender. A tracked tank cannot retreat and is now food for the other guns and arty. Even small tanks can track heavies if they aim well. Learn this tactic and use it.

To quote knaT_sdrawkcaB: “Don’t ever let the enemy get away with making a mistake. Often the best strategy when an enemy comes from behind cover out into the open is to shoot the track instead of the tank. You won’t do any damage with the first shot, but your entire team, including arty, can take shots at him while he repairs. If possible continue to track him repeatedly.”