World of Tanks Peek-a-boo Tactics Guide

World of Tanks Peek-a-boo Tactics Guide by Scaevola

This is very simple. I come from the soviet branch of mediums and I am usually the forward spotter for one important area of the map. I’ve now moved to the IS from the KV-13 and I’m having a blast playing as a mobile heavy.

The problem I run into is that almost every player that has gone straight up the heavy branch and has no experience with other branches plays ultra conservatively (Peek-a-boo) regardless of situation. Occasionally the peek-a-boo play style is useful, but in some cases it is not.

I’ve played many games where I notify our top tier players that the enemy’s top tiers have almost all been stacked on my front. In some cases they respond and aggressively push, but what I find is that they continue to play peek-a-boo as our enemies realize that my front is weak and break it.

Please realize that high tier heavies are generally there to force a breakthrough, not provide area denial. If you wish to play area denial exclusively do so in a TD. If scouts report that their high tier heavies are not on your front it is your responsibility to advance at your lane, lower tier heavies generally won’t do it. When you have significant amount of teammates behind you and you know there are no high tiers ahead of you you should advance; only stop to shoot, then advance again. Most maps provide terrain on the enemy side of map that enhance your positions (hill on El Halluf, hill on Karelia, church in Malinovka, etc.)

Keep in mind that although high tier TDs are fearsome, most have less HP than same tiered heavies and will go down under sustained fire (from your teammates, less so from you as you’re the target.) If the TDs are popping in from the corner to shoot (Objects in Himmelsdorf come to mind,) you should advance while they are around the corner. When you get close enough to that corner TDs (actually all tanks in general) have to expose themselves before they can turn their guns to you.

By then your buddies behind your will have garnered the courage to take the initiative and move more aggressively. You’ve essentially opened a flank after all, even if the defenders of that flank have not yet been fully destroyed.

If you’re worried about the costs to your tank, keep in mind that at higher tiers it’s not the repair costs that nail you, it’s the ammo. If you can end the match earlier while firing less shells, you should do it even at the cost of health.

On a final note if you only have two buddies it’s better off not to push. Although your lane does not have high tier defenders their lower tier guys can still take chunks out of you unnecessarily. Here is where doing peek-a-boo is good, as you intimidate a larger force of lower tiers and provide area denial. Your buddies can then push on the other fronts instead.

My writing is all over the place and messed up, but basically this is a plea for more situational awareness with regards to the most influential members of a team, the high tier heavies.