V ideo games come in many flavors, which some people may or may not like. World of Tanks is surely one of the weirder video games, as it requires patience, planning, and good tactics. I will tell you about my experience with the game, and you will decide if you like it or not.
My Experience
When I first started, it was because one of my friends was really into World of Tanks. So, I started playing from time to time and got into it too. In the beginning, it was very frustrating, as I didn't understand the mechanics of the game. I got beaten to a pulp in most games and rarely dealt damage. That is until I tried the Artillery class.
That is when I started enjoying the game. Because skill no longer matters. I could just enjoy raining shells on skilled enemies, without them ever seeing me. That is why I would recommend if you want to try this game out, start with Arty. In this way, you will not only annoy other “Expert” players, but you will also have a safe way of learning the game mechanics. Let me now explain all of the major tank classes in this game.
Arty
Arty is the simplest class to play in World of Tanks. You just press shift, load your shell, choose a target, and shoot. Easy.
I recommend you start with an arty that also has splash damage, like the one from Germany, since you will be very bad in the beginning. With splash damage, you won't even need to shoot too well, and will still annoy your enemies! Or, if you like to shoot often try the French or British one. Whichever way you like it.
The only thing you need to be aware of, at the beginning of the game, is to hide as far away from the battleground as possible. You should hide, preferably in a bush or in a forest. If you don't hide in the beginning you will most likely die in the first 3 minutes of the game.
Other than that, rain fire on your enemies!
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Tank Destroyer
There are 2 types of tank destroyers in the game. The stealth tank destroyer and the assault tank destroyer.
The stealth tank destroyer hides in the bushes and waits for other players to spot the enemies. They then proceed in dealing a very high amount of damage to their enemies. This class requires patience and tactics, and often changing positions to get a better line of fire. For this class, you need to learn how to use bushes and vegetation to hide well. The downside of this class is that it's simply paper — it has no armor. Once you are seen, run or die.
The assault tank destroyer is a monolith of frontal armor. This is usually the first tank that goes to frontal battle and makes even the mighty heavy tanks run for their lives. They usually also pack big firepower and damage per minute. The downsides are their movement and stealth. You shouldn't really try to hide with this class.
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Heavy Tank
The heavy tanks are on the frontline, alongside the assault tank destroyers. There are some heavy tanks that rely heavily on armor, staying immobile in a nice position and shooting and getting shot at. Others are more mobile and try outflanking enemies and not waiting for enemies to shoot them too much.
This is a good class to start with since you have a lot of hit points and armor and won't die as fast as other classes. Only the assault tank destroyer may have similar survivability, but it is harder to play.
I would highly recommend you play this class after you get the hang of the game using artillery. And remember, in the beginning, follow other tanks from your class, so you know where to go at.
Medium Tanks
Medium tanks come in many flavors. Some of them have heavy armor, others pack really good firepower while others rely on speed. Some of them even have all of the above balanced.
Depending on the strength of the medium tank you play, you may have various ways in which you could play. You could join the heavy tanks, if you pack some good armor, join the stealth tank destroyers, if you have good firepower, or may even go and spot other tanks and relocate fast, if you have speed.
This is the most complicated class overall, so I would recommend you leave it for last.
Light Tank
There are 2 ways in which you can play light tanks. You can play it like you are drunk and on drugs — which means going straight into the enemy lines and dying in the first minute of the game. Or, you can play it really smart and live until the end f the battle — which is how pro players do it.
As a Light Tank, your job is to spot other tanks and not die. The most important thing is the not die part. The more you live, the more useful you are, as light tanks shine mostly at the final of the battle, when they can pick up other tanks without being seen, spot without dying fast, and also pick up enemy artillery, by outflanking the enemies .
Remember — don't die as a light tank!
Tips & Tricks
Here are some tips and tricks that will help you when you first start.
First off, remember that you become visible once you shoot, even if you are behind a bush, tree, or other vegetation! To not become visible when you shoot, be sure to back away from the bush or vegetation far enough so that vegetation becomes opaque! If the vegetation is opaque, you will shoot and be invisible to enemies. Look up some video tutorials for this, as it is a critical game mechanic!
As arty, once you press shift you can also press “ B” to change the way in which you see the hit marker. Make sure the big middle line is red after you target the enemy you want to hit. Also, be aware that the line may get red because of land obstacles and other tank wreckage. You don't want your projectile to hit other things than your enemies.
As a light tank, resist the urge to go like a crazy man to spot enemies. The best is to find a good little bush and stay hidden, so you can spot people without you getting spotted.
As a heavy tank, never be out in the open. Always try to be hidden in the city or behind rocks. Out in the open means dead for heavy tanks and assault tank destroyers. Also, look up how to position yourself so you make the best use of your armor. A video tutorial will be much easier to understand than if I wrote it, so look it up!
As an assault tank destroyer, keep your enemies in front of you. If they flank you, you are dead! Other than that, even as heavy tanks, keep to the city, if the map you play on has one.
As a medium tank, all of the above, depending on the situation.
Also, I recommend playing at low tiers in the beginning (low-tier tanks) because in the bigger tiers, these are mostly people with experience, and you will get killed fast. Try to keep it at tier 6 or less until you learn the game.
Conclusion
World of tanks is a nice game to play when you want to spend some time. However, I think it has a bad learning curve. I hope that with this article I made that learning curve a bit smaller and easier. Remember to also watch some tutorials from the official World Of Tanks developers and from other players too!
Happy gaming!
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