World of Tanks Tips for Good Tankers

World of Tanks Tips for Good Tankers by SeasonEnd

There are lots of good guide in this section. I just want to add some tips or you can say point of view about what should you do and what’s not from lots of battle I did and evaluated, I try to put reasons for it.

1. Learn about your tank

This is the basic. Means you understand what your tank can/can’t do, which advantage u have over enemy. This include :
– Speed. You rely on this to cut your range between you and your target. Useful to cross an open field, or to get next to enemy’s TDs so he unable to turn around while u can shoot his side/rear. High speed means less shots u gonna get before you get where you want to.
– Engine power. Mostly I use this advantage along with track traverse speed to outmaneuvered TDs or SPGs because you can get higher speed faster after you stop so you can keep avoiding their gun on you. In some case you can use this advantage to show yourself, shoot and get behind cover again before they can shoot you or more shells coming for you. It’s not always working tho.
– Track traverse speed. Along with engine power allows you to traverse faster when you try to outmaneuvered TDs. Take note that good(doesn’t means the best engine you can get) engine also allowed you to the highest traverse speed allowed by your track.
– Turret traverse speed. Can be adjusted by turning your tank if you flanked at close range.
– Gun. Include loading speed and what range you can penetrate various tanks (front,side,rear).
– Armor thickness. Not to give away your lower frontal plate, side or rear. Always put your front on em even if they can penetrate your because you don’t take extra damage. I killed a Tiger I with Tiger I 1 by 1 by flanking him and shoot his rear while he’s on my front, we both has full hp (1450) and same gun.
– How many shot(s) you can take from various tank/TDs? In some situation allow you to know when you should/not stand toe to toe with other tanks (if you have to). With armor thickness you know if you good/not to be on the front of an advance.

2. Learn about other tanks

With these you can use your advantage over enemy tanks and anticipate when they trying to do it to you.

3. Know your/enemy team’s strength

This is great, you know type and numbers of your/other team has. Bigger tank doesn’t always means tougher,bigger gun,etc. It’s about what it can do. Example having PzIV while other team T1 HT as your highest tier in team doesn’t means T1 better because both can penetrate each other at same range tho T1 has a bit more hp.

You can observe or if you can see their hp & hp left (you can download from www.mirtankov.net) you’ll be able to know which turret they use which leads to which gun they use right now. Example, Tiger I with 1350 hp means it’s stock turret also means it’s not 88 L/71 gun which also means not as much as threat if it’s L/71.

4. Tactical observation

I’m talking about paying attention to mini map time to time. Know how many tanks alive (count it if u have to), where and what are they. If you see 2 mark of heavy you can ask nearby teammates. With this you know where the “problem” are.
This could tell you when you should push or not.

case : Say map is Prokorovka, your team has 4 left, 2 dying Lowe, Tiger I(you), and SPG. You camping west side while the Lowes moving forward on east side. Enemy has 6 left, 2 heavies (Tiger II and T1), rest are low tier med and TD. On their progress, Lowes spot 4 tanks include the Tiger II.

What did you get after reading it? There’re 2 on your side or not at all.
What you gonna do?
–Keep camping. If Lowes gone, you gonna get rolled.
–Push west. If those 2 on west side you know one of em is T1 and they’re not a big deal for you. Aside Lowes dies or not you not camping like stupid for the entire match.

Another situation may need push other side to relieve a pressure on teammates when they advancing. Drawing some guns to you could help the chance of success of your teammates because each gun pointing at you means less guns at your advancing teammates. If they don’t, make em feel sorry dare to ignore you.

5. Learn about maps

Learn which route you must take if you’re scout. Learn where you can hide, ambush, which spot good for defending and which one for advancing. Try to get them into your killing zone but not yours into them, also how to avoid their killing zone (this doesn’t mean camp and wait but how to get your gun at them wherever they’re). It’s about you pick your own battlefield to get as many advantages as u can.
Note : Try to learn which spot can get you pinned and avoid it. Also help teammates who pinned.

6. Think as a team

This game ask you to work as a team to win, so play and think as a team. Try to understand what’s your team doing by observing them, I know it’s hard but try. It’s like playing chess, sometimes you need to sacrifice something valuable to get something, this “something” could be breaking enemy concentration behind something where arty can’t get them. It may not to be proved useful for now but could proved to be the “thing” which makes your team win. I’m talking about taking hits or could be your death to safe valuable asset to your team, say you lure enemy(es)’s gun toward you instead your team’s dying “heavy puncher” which hiding.

Hide behind teammates if you want but never block their way if they moving back. It’s stupid if you caused teammates’ death or tracked because you accidentally blocked him.

If your team pushing and you not guarding, then help to push or at least give support. I ever saw some guys stayed behind with many excuses, know this when they’re wiped out and teams balance favor em they’ll charge and you’re next to be wiped out.

If your team’s advances stopped at a choke point where a few tanks hid behind something big, think how to solve the situation, flank em, sometimes just by letting enemy knows your presence threatening their rear enough to force them to move.

Stop going where your heavies or most of team goes. If they going into a bottleneck like west side on Lakeville those tanks are useless, can’t shoot from behind, can’t move either cause some tank/TDs(say Ferdi/Obj.) guarding it and they too scared to push forward due heavy damage they’ll take if they try.

Some people just want medal(s), getting medals not prove you’re a good player. I’m gladly moving side by side with someone who know how to watch my back and support me tho he had bad stats, 0 kills, we both dead, or team lost because he knows what to do.

7. Read team chat

Always pay attention on what your team say. And for the love of God and anything holy don’t spam!! If you pissed by your team effort or such just exit battle and play your other tank (if you don’t, play loltracktor it’s free).

8. Giving away your position

Some experienced player did this sometimes. I saw this alot at Prokorovka and you charging from west side, they don’t know you moving forward until u get close or u opened fire because you see scout or sometimes bigger tank spotted in the middle of map which lead they knows what your plan and you get shot by one or more, or even arty. The bad thing is you not always see who shot you if it’s TD or with camo means your team can’t shoot back, even if you do it take times to move your turret and by the time you get there you can get another shot. Say there’re 4 tank/TDs and say each shoot twice you can do a quick math do count how many damage you get and ended up dead or not, even if you survived your not full hp anymore means only need some more to get you killed and your effort to push failed.

Such mistake like this could lead to the loss of your team a few good asset if it’s you.

9. Taking cover from arty

This mistake also happened to experienced player. There’s a saying “If you can hear the explosion, means you not get hit. But if you don’t means it explode on you.” If arty have sight on you, then move dude you might not live for another round!! Find some cover, don’t think about shooting an easy target you see you could pay it with your life. It helps alot if you understand how long it takes to reload, higher tier arty = longer = you have plenty time to get behind cover.

Another thing is to observe what kind of arty they have (loading speed) and where you should go, I mean if you know they have 4 or more arties don’t even think about going through open field like Siegfried Line map especially if you’re slow. If you’re fast you might get hit when you stopped to shoot.

10. Moving in a pack

Moving in a pack gives plenty of advantages :
– More tanks. More body to take the hits (of course not working if enemy focused at shooting one target).
– More guns. More damage per minute to well covered target which you can’t shoot from base
– Longer line of sight for arty. “Dead tanks tells no tale”, team lost sight on where you were there when you died, more tanks means longer sight at least until everyone is dead. This however need a good radio on bigger maps.

You’re not Rambo and there’s no Rambo I/II,etc this isn’t a movie, this’s real live with people who can aim right. Sometimes it’s better to regroup or wait for back up than moving alone, you can trench yourself while waiting.

11. Bad scouting

It’s become common at the start of battle some light tank running to enemy’s base I don’t know for what reason, medal, try to knock arties out, felt useless cause can’t do any damage, or simply want to die. Personally for me it’s idiot and useless for team, why? Your teammates still moving to position when you spot the enemy, when you move alone you’re a single target means all gun available trying to kill you, and why you giving yourself away just to let your team knows which tanks moving where, they not even reach their hiding/ambush position yet…

Which one you needed most, knowing enemy exact location so you know where to shoot or knowing their number and last position heading somewhere?

How about moving with the packs so you won’t be easy target? If they targeting you means the bigger guy take less shots while they shoot at enemy’s big guy if they ignore you, you can get pass thru em and knock the arties and again back after you did. Or load your HE and try to aim for ammo rack or stuff, it’s annoying if you get racked when face to face with enemy especially when there’s no place to hide.

Some maps asked you to be the eye, it’s not a pathetic job. Think like this, what it would be if you can see all of your enemy in mini map? How you can beat someone who can read your mind?

12. Priority your target

Put priority on enemies based on their capabilities to do damage to your teammates and their hp(this include serious threat a scout can bring to your team). Sometimes you’ll want to kill dying less priority target if you think it could be a threat, or let your teammates do it, less tank = less shot a minute = less damage taken

13. Keep as many teammates alive as you can

Sometimes it’s hard to do because you reveal your ambush position or you going to get some hits. A tank, even dying, damaged in many modules, crew died still a living tank, it can shoot/kill/cap and stuff.
Note : Please remember by revealing your position might invites some arties’ shells especially if you a top priority target.