World of Warplanes Fighters Tier 6 to 10 Guide

World of Warplanes Fighters Tier 6 to 10 Guide by AdmiralKird

Since a lot of people always ask “How is X,” I figured I would just write this guide for everyone since not all people have the chance to reach all of the upper-tier fighter planes, nor the time to master them. Keep in mind, a lot of this is subjective, and not everyone will agree with everything listed here, but this is to serve as a guide for new pilots to know beforehand what tier paths they should pursue to get their later-game craft. I have also not played with every plane listed here equally, but after 2,000 battles, I have a decent understanding of the upperclass warplanes. Every plane listed here I have flown with and against, many times. A lower tier guide may be posted, or this post itself amended at a later date with tiers 1-5.

The grade is a subjective overall statement at how the plane compares to other planes in its tier, above, and below. Anything a B or above means it will hold its own a tier above, an A two tiers above (of course, these are theoretical for a tier above ten, or two tiers above a nine). C means it will do decent against its own tier, D or below means its meat against its own compadres and those below.

Tier Six:

F4U Corsair – Best used at long-range with the 20mm, and can really punish bombers. Decently fast, and can take a pounding. It can stave off the supremacy counter with rockets in the late round game, or it can snipe people from far away. Solid plane, but the others will get behind it and shred it to pieces if you’re not careful. It’s best to not get involved in a dogfight with and run away and/or call for help. It is also better to not use as a ground attacker, as you more often than not put your fighters/base defense in jeopardy by not participating in the anti-fighter screen. In real life, it was better than almost every other WW2 plane at dogfighting, but not here.
Bonus: It’s a Corsair – so cool.
Grade: C

P51A Mustang – Same cannon upgrade as the F4U, but better turning, and has the same speed at low altitude. It’s a very fun plane to fly, and is generally more effective at its role than the Corsair. In real life, the P51A was… bad. It wasn’t until the P51D that the plane saw any competent performance to other fighters.
Bonus: People wondering how you could turn and kill them from so far away.
Grade: B

BF109G – Similar to the P51A, but even more maneuverability and speed. Guns include cannons that have a lot of recoil. These are better used at close range than the Corsair/P51As.’ Overall, its a very solid fighter.
Bonus: Me209al is next.
Grade: B+

La-5 – ZOMG I love this plane. Packs powerful cannons, great speed, better maneuverability than the others (except the P39), and maintains its energy well. Fun plane to fly. You better account for these things in the air or you’re dead.
Bonus: People typing “WOW” in chat because they have never had a plane get on their six, or witness it get on another’s tail, and just see its target explode.
Grade: A+

P39 – Best maneuverability at its tier, but you will miss often with the main cannon as it has a speed than the machine guns, gving it less than advertised firepower. It loses its energy pretty fast though, and can’t climb worth a damn. Solid plane, but its like a poorman’s La-5.
Bonus: Instant Tier Six! Just add gold.
Grade: B+

Tier Seven:

F2G – Some people praise it, others loathe it. I mostly used mine as a sneak attack bomber that people ignored. It is kind of like the P51, but its just really a dog at dogfighting (ironic). It does have nice long rage guns though, and can pack a serious loadout punch of GT killing power. Normally I don’t recommend using a carrier plane for ground attack, but this one I do, as its just too outclassed against the other fighters at its tier. If matchmaker has a less-than-favorable loadout of fighters versus the other team, you’re probably best off dropping the bombs and participating with the other fighters. It’s best attribute is probably the punishment it can take before dying.
Bonus: Most people will forget about you, til ten ground targets are smoldering.
Grade: C-

P51 Mustang – There’s not much to love about this plane. It has speed, but its guns are worse than the F2G, P51A, and Corsair (only has machine guns). It’s kind of a jack of all trades plane, but it doesn’t really do anything well; rather forgettable. Don’t use it to go for ground targets though. I see players put the rockets on and do this all the time. Leave them for other planes, you are very much needed in the fight to help teammates or be a warm body to attract someone else from being double, triple teamed.
Bonus: You feel like you were in the battle at least.
Grade: C+

Me209al – Probably better than all other tier 8’s above it. This plane is incredibly maneuverable, high speed, and packs a large punch in the cannons. I’ve killed everything in this thing. IL-40’s, TL’s, HG III’s. It’s almost invincible in the right hands. It is the plane to have in the game right now, as most fights are Tier 7 or below.
Bonus: Most versatile, most deadly plane in the game.
Grade: A+

La-9 – Meh. It climbs well. It’s just Meh. It’s not bad, but its not a Me209. Not really a fun plane IMO, so I don’t have much to say about it. It’s pretty easy to kill with anything else.
Bonus: I believe this plane was nerfed in the past, so you get to see the effect of what a major nerfing can do
Grade: B

Tier Eight:

Note: The All-Or-Nothing tier. Each one of these planes has a specific role and most people do not use them right. These should only be used in a certain way to be effective. There are things you can kill well, and things you definitely cannot. The Me262 and La-150 have a completely different feel than the tier 7’s and below, so it will take time to get used to them. It is also to be noted the planes above tier eight suffer from some game mechanics that make jets play very odd compared to the fighters. The jets, at present, do not… feel right.

F5U – Mr. Pancake. It has very potent guns with decent turning and decent speed. It also has a smallish hitbox and causes enemy planes to laugh on sight. This thing flips around like a monster and its pretty difficult to pickup where its headed and hit until you get more accustomed to following the thing, since its design is unlike any other plane. Don’t use the bombs on this. You’re not a bomber in the pancake, and hitting targets will cause your team to lose. It’s best to just get into the fight.
Bonus: Making the enemy team laugh.
Grade: B

P51JP – Probably the best all around tier eight. It has decent turning, the guns of a Sabre (albeit, spread out on the wings w/ inaccuracy), and
high speed. Handles like most tier 7’s, so there’s nothing really to get used to on this one. It’s probably the best out-of-the-box stock plane in the
game, and only gets better with upgrades. You can mow down piston engine fighters, while almost all other planes T8 or higher will have major problems
killing them.
Bonus: Spray-N-Pray
Grade: B+

Me262 – It has its problems, including a very steep learning curve. it can’t turn at all, and can’t outrun most things, but the guns will lay waste to anything in front of you. Don’t stick your neck into the fight first thing. Wait until someone needs help then flame in and blow them up immediately. The Last engine makes this thing much more survivable by adding a rocket booster. Remember, friendly AA is your friend. Lead other planes to their death. It flies a lot like the later F7U, but it can’t outrun a La-150 which is the largest problem with this plane. Best used against bombers and planes already per-occupied. Do not use the R4M missiles on this plane, as they do not work.
Bonus: Seeing that enemy plane explode in a second.
Grade: B-

La-150 – Man, this thing has pea shooters. It’s not good for killing much. You will be ripped apart by many a tail gunner if you go for bombers, and you can’t attack ground targets. You will often be at the mercy of losing to Supremacy. It’s hard to hit, and can kill Me262’s real well with its speed and accurate guns. But you can’t turn on a pancake, and you can’t turn on a JP, so don’t get yourselves involved with one in a fair fight. Stay thirsty my friends.
Bonus: You get to say “Pew-Pew-Pew” in chat.
Grade: C+

Tier Nine:

F6U – It’s better than the FJ-1. That’s about all I can say about this plane. You can pick off bombers with it well, and its guns have decent kick, but it is a complete no-thrills plane. It can out-turn an FJ-1 and can use the element of surprise to strike, but you’re going to have to be smart to get anywhere with this thing. It will completely die at sea-level if you drop the thrust below 300mph. By die, I mean it will be stuck skimming the ocean without going anywhere.
Bonus: It’s not the FJ-1
Grade: D

FJ-1 – The FJ-1 is by far the worst aircraft I have flown in this game so far.  The the aircraft is horrible in a turn and can’t hardly catch piston driven aircraft unless it’s in a dive.  I just got this airplane a couple of days ago and just got my first upgrade.  You’ve Gotta be kidding me just another 2 MPH in top speed and a -0.01 turn radius.  That is a joke!!!  Other players go after this plane because it’s a very easy kill. It can’t outrun its pursuers and the other aircraft easily out turn and out throttle this one. It also becomes extremely difficult in fact almost impossible to get behind an aircraft and stay with it to get a kill.
Bonus: If you take a ‘shot after every loss in this plane, you can experience the best solo drinking game of all-time.
Grade: F-

Me109TL – Possibly better than all the tier tens. It can out turn everything at high tiers in a prolonged fight, has great guns, great climb, stores energy well, great speed. There’s really no learning curve, as it flies like most lower tier planes. There’s nothing to not love about it. It’s only downfall might be its engines are easy to pick off sine they lie closer to the wingtips of the plane, but their separation also makes it so you will rarely lose more than one at a time, unless its hit by the spray of a P51JP.
Bonus: You are afraid of NOTHING.
Grade: A+

La-160 – A favorite of many, and its best attribute is its small size. It’s guns are very underwhelming though, and is possibly the worst grind to full status in the game. The guns can’t take care of a T7 on a single pass with near perfect aim – I am often left passing a T7 fighter in a turn with 1-10% HP remaining. It cannot out turn a TL, EVEN when one of that TL’s engines is red and flaming. It can’t outrun a TL, but it can out-climb it. You’re going to run into gun issues with this plane like the La-150, especially since you’re going to be screaming for more turning power.
Bonus: Frustrating the enemy by making them miss.
Grade: B-

Tier Ten:

F7U Cutlass – The fastest plane in the game. It can’t turn worth a damn, but packs a solid long-range gun punch with no recoil. If you can line up behind any other plane traveling straight at range – it will die. Against planes in a turn, you will likely only be able to hit them for a few hits, but you can usually knock their engines out to get away. It’s best to not fly this plane high – as it loses too much speed at upper altitudes. It is a bonafide 100% boom and zoom, what the Me262 should be at tier 8, except it can escape all other planes, save for maybe the Me262HG III and a Sabre with energy. The kicker, are the four 1,000lb bombs that reside under the ‘spaceship,’ which you can use them to knock out enemy GTs – but they’re best used as rearward bomb defense. Since you have to run from just about anything, these are the feature that make this plane. Have a TL on your tail? No problem. Bomb him. Me262HG III? Bomb it. Sabre? Goodbye. Enemy bomber coming at you head on at low level? Lay down an egg in his path and he will burn. It is probably the most annoying plane for the enemy team, because you can’t catch it and if you try to catch it – it will still probably kill you.
Bonus: You can put a ‘murican flag on the back.
Grade: A-

F86A Sabre – Best known to be flown by Killbot, the Sabre is a beast when it is at high potential energy with stored boost. It can kill almost anything, and its guns are very, very forgiving. They have a decent spray with high damage, and quick recharge. These are the same guns used on the JP and FJ-1, but they are more concentrated in the nose for more accurate firepower. These guns are great at eating away the engines of other planes, as the spread means they damage more than just a single area of the enemy plane. It is the best turning plane at tier 10, and can make it around on a TL if it has most of its speed, but it will bleed this speed fast in turns. Five complete circles and you’re going to be moving at just around 200mph, and the boost won’t give you much more but to last you a turn after that. If you are being hunted in this fight by multiple planes and have to avoid their shots, you better pray your teammates pick up a few kills cuz you will be useless pretty quickly. It is very fast – but because it doesn’t store energy well; it almost never hits top speed. If you win an engagement, you’re probably going to spend the next minute or two flying level by yourself, trying to regain altitude and energy.
Bonus: Overwhelming close-range firepower.
Grade: B

Me262HG III – Like the Cutlass, this plane’s main asset is its speed, but it also can do a pretty decent turn – but not near as good as the La-15 or Sabre. It maintains its energy well, but suffers from hard to aim guns and massive recoil. It also doesn’t really have a single strength. You can’t run from a Cutlass, and you can’t turn on a Sabre, TL, or La-15. What it can do best is hit and run and pickup a tail for a friendly to kill. It can also scout, turn, and get away from a horde, allowing your teammates to dive in and pick-off the followers with target fixation. It’s personally my least favorite of the Tier 10’s to fly, but it can hold its own if used properly.
Bonus: Most badass looking plane in the game.
Grade: C

La-15 – This plane is all about energy, energy, energy. It has decent guns that are very good at long-range with little to no recoil. It is the best climbing plane in the game, and can fly high vertically, and pull just about any other plane into a stall. It can’t turn on a TL or Sabre though, which can be a major problem. If you pick up multiple planes at a time, you’re going to be in trouble. It’s the slowest tier 10, but it is very forgiving because you don’t need to really manage your energy/boost, and it is incredibly hard to hit because of its size. This is a favorite tier ten of several Aces, but I find it to be only the third best of the T10 fighters. Its inability to deal with a skilled TL is its major caveat.
Bonus: You know MotherRussia will be proud.
Grade: B-