World of Tanks Suicide Scouting Guide
World of Tanks Suicide Scouting Guide by knaT_sdrawkcaB
I guess I should start by saying I do not Suicide when I scout (any more). I cannot say I don’t die in the first 30 seconds by accident sometimes trying to reach a good spotting bush, but I don’t go full speed across the map and die.
This is written just from experience. A great deal of my time is spent in Arty and this is how I wish other players would suicide. I cannot say I agree with someone’s choice to suicide across the field, but if they are going to do it they may as well do it right.
It is honestly very fine line between being a useless suicide scout and a help to the team. Just follow a few simple suggestions.
1. Wait 20 seconds before your suicide run – This gives your Arty time to set up and load their guns. It also lets tanks and TDs get into firing positions. If you are dead before everyone is ready you have done no good for your team.
2. Remember you get experience for damage done to the enemy while you are spotting them; if you are alive – There is no reason to sit around for the 20 seconds at the base. Go forward and try to do a little spotting while you wait. You will be surprised at how many you spot while halfway across the field behind a bush (bring binoculars). When you get near the enemy base find a rock to hide behind while they are spotted and your team is tearing them up. Keep them spotted as long as possible. Don’t worry, you will still die quickly if that is your goal, but in the meantime you may double the experience you get. It is a win for everyone.
3. Let your team know your plans before the match – This lets them prepare. The Arty won’t fire the first blind shot or run to a distant hiding spot. The tanks will take cover and make sure they have good shots at the enemy. Simply say, “I am going to suicide scout in 20 seconds.” Some of your team won’t like it, but it is better than no warning at all.
4. Make sure you are not going to hurt your team – Please do not suicide unless you are in the bottom 5 tanks on your team. You don’t sacrifice a knight to take a pawn in chess, neither do you want to sacrifice a tank that can make a difference for no benefit.
I am interested in your thoughts and any tips I might have missed.
knaT
If you have a low tier artillery (II/III) in your battle, there is no point to doing an early suicide spotting run. Most low tier artillery can’t reach beyond the halfway point of a map like Prokhorovka. We just can’t hit anything that far up the map or beyond from where we start at.
The only way for an SPG to try and take a shot would be for us to follow you up the map…which we are not going to do; because some light tank yahoo from the other side is doing his suicide run and is going to eat us up while we are running in the open.
Somewhere like Monastery we can go across the map from side to side, but can’t go corner to corner. For Mountain pass…forget about it unless we are moving along behind you. If you are the only person doing a run down one of the three paths in Mountain pass and you make first contact you are alone until your buddies get behind you. The SPGs don’t have the range to put steel on target.
Even if we have the range, if you do a quick suicide run most of those targets you “found” will disappear off the map before we have the slightest hope of getting an accurate shot away. Even if we do get one shot away…that’s only one shot. Don’t trade your soul for one volley from a low tier arty. It’s not worth it.
For most large maps you almost have to draw the enemy onto our half of the map for SPGs to do our work in the early stages of the battle. Better yet, don’t do anything and let them come to you. The ignorant will die early.
If you want to do an early run to go after their arty be my guest. They are easy kills, but your mindset should be seek and destroy arty…not scout.
When things start to go well for our side we will slide up the map.
If you want to use artillery and you are not already hidden: when you make contact, turn around or hide (and you can switch to full coward mode if you want). Hide behind a building/rocks anything so there is no way he can see you or shoot you unless he exposes himself. You will be hiding from his artillery and him. Keep making movements back and forth. They need to be big enough to keep his arty confused about where you are going to be when his shot arrives (it takes a couple seconds from trigger pull for the shell to reach you), but stay behind an obstacle. Wait for him to come out after you and then shoot him. We will hit him if we have had time to notice what you are doing and line him up. If he chooses a bad hiding spot we will hit him their too.
The trick is to take advantage of your ability to “see” around corners/rocks. It is one of the features of the game. If his red dot is on the map he is “seen”. He won’t be able to take a clear shot at you, but often we can take shots at him. You see him, arty punches him. You live…they die. If he sticks his nose around the corner you punch him too. The combined effect makes you look like a much bigger threat and hopefully they will back down.
I don’t know how often I have had one of my guys sitting in a perfect hiding spot with arty dropping shells on several of the red dudes only to have my guy be the one to poke his nose around the corner first and get killed. Pay attention, if the enemy is around a corner and taking damage from on high. Thank God, then arty and stay put. We need you to stay alive.
Good post, good comment – major problem is getting a random team to understand what you are up to – sometimes I have lit up 80% of the enemy only to die without any losses on the other side – maybe this post should be required reading for everyone else!
SnipeSenior
Hey
Usualy scouting wit A20, i mostly wait more than 20 seconds :
1. take place near the base survey the weakest flank to avoid surprises.
2. when ennemies lost 6 or 7 tanks (usualy the fast small ones) i take another fast tank with me an rush at the ennemy base : coming near to the cap circle, one goes right other left.
It's mostly the time when your heavy doubt going to cap and your arty is starving for aims …
And third positive point : you will distract the ennemy arties from being near them (they go off sniper mode to aim you or to runaway..)
Ok you don't live long, but arty will then let fire rain and heavy know how to cap …
With a bit luck you may in the meanwhile kill one or two arties …
That's my small tactic :-)
Steelheart99