A World of Tanks Primer
If you have recently found yourself taking command of a tank and taking part in the mass battles of World of Tanks, only to find yourself a wreck within the first few minutes then maybe it is time to tweak your play style. After all, World of Tanks has tried to keep the tanks close in power within their respective tiers. Having evenly matched tanks creates a game that relies strongly on individual player skill and team tactics, and it is here that everyone can use improvement.
But what you do as a player to not only stay alive in the game, but to rack up kills as well? The simplest explanation is to know how to take as little damage as possible via placement of your tank. Tank placement is the single most important factor in staying alive – in my opinion – and knowing where and why you should put your tank in a spot will make a noticeable change in your game-play immediately.
The Light Tank
Play as a light tank is very straightforward: At the very early tiers (I – III), you are on par with many of the tanks you will be facing and should play as you would a medium tank. From tier Iv on, you serve the role as scout tank. It is your job on the battlefield to find the enemy for your tank destroyers and artillery (henceforth called arty) to take care of.
You need to rely on the speed of your tank to dodge shots, and it is good practice to travel through as much cover as possible in your scouting to avoid return fire. Many players do a quick trip through the enemy line and return to base to play as they choose, their scouting mission accomplished.
An advanced tactic for light tanks is to run along the very edge of the map straight to where you believe there arty are and play the role of tank assassin. After all, arty typically plays the second-most important role in the game behind good scouting, which can and win battles on its own. The team who can see the enemy first wins. So provide that for your team.
The Medium Tank
When you hit a medium tank, give yourself a small pat on the back. It is with mediums and more that the real gameplay begins, as medium tanks tend to have both a decent armor value and a decent gun. This means not only can you wound, even one-shot things, but you can actually take return fire and not die instantly. Unless you aggravate something of a much higher tier than you, and words alone can’t fix that action.
Medium tanks play a variety of roles, and is sort of a call-it-as-you-go playstyle. Advance with your team and support the heavy tanks of your front line, but focus more on picking off scouts and other mediums than taking on heavies. A little bit of tank-fighting can occur, but is still a good idea to hug cover with your tank.
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This looks like fun- tankies!