If you’re looking for a historical warfare game that does it all, you needn’t look any further than War Thunder. Offering battles in the sea, sky, and on land, with hundreds of real-life vehicles and war machines to control, the game is a veritable playground for military enthusiasts.
When you’re not dropping bombs or patrolling the seas, you’ll be engaging in an altogether more direct form of combat, the tank battle. Handling these epic mechanical beasts takes a little getting used to, but once you’ve got an understanding of their specialties and capabilities, you’ll be able to put yourself behind the driver’s seat and storm into battle.
Given their size, heavy armor, and powerful guns, the tanks of War Thunder are extremely popular among players, but a little hard to grasp if you’ve no prior knowledge. We’ve put together this quick guide to tell you what to look out for when choosing your tank, right on the eve of the colossal La Royale update, which brings 18 new tanks to the game.
Tactical tanks
Tanks are powerful but can be unwieldy, so make sure your every move is pre-planned as far as possible. For example, you’ll want to make sure you know from what angle you’re facing the other tanks, usually a nice clean 45 degrees is perfect. Although it exposes your side, it provides a boost to your armor stat due to plating thickness, so it’s a nifty little trick for first-timers to practice.
Equally important to your defensive angle is your relative position on the map. War Thunder maps vary in terrain type and elevation, but whenever possible, you want to keep your vulnerable parts from being exposed. At the start of your game career, you’ll need to try and keep yourself low down, so your underside is covered, and use your raised turret to hit vehicles on higher ground than you. You should also look to stay “hull down”, which means to keep the body of the tank behind cover, while the turret is exposed, firing at enemy tanks.
Learning about each individual tank can prove invaluable. This insider knowledge can sometimes make all the difference, so try picking one vehicle and getting familiar with it, then moving on to the next, comparing how the two handle and shoot.
Pick your nation
Different nations have different starter tanks, tech trees, and top-tier vehicles. Some might suit your purposes better than others, so it’s worth shopping around a little at the start of the game, practicing with different styles of starters.
For example, American starter tanks make for a great beginner’s choice, as they are roundly versatile, with good mobility, armor, and quick-fire cannons. Using them might not offer much of a challenge to the seasoned player, however, who might opt for something more specialist, like German tanks, which have lower armor stats and firing range, making it an up-close firefight in most instances.
USSR and British tanks aren’t glass cannons exactly, but they lack strong armor on the whole, sacrificing it for speed and gun penetration, requiring a more tactical edge to combat. French tanks are much the opposite, able to withstand a pummeling but not so able to dole it back out. Japanese tanks are agile and make for good fast shooters, while Italian tanks move slowly and clumsily but offer fantastic firepower.
These are all generalizations, but as you play you’ll find which style works for you. Working up the tech tree will also reveal some more powerful and coveted tanks for you to add to your collection.
Vehicle varieties
Tanks come in many shapes and sizes (although they’re pretty much all huge), meaning that each category has a different role on the battlefield. They can be fairly flexible when you know what you’re doing, but for beginners, it’s worth keeping these rough parameters in mind.
Light tanks are generally nimble and sport the minimum of armor, but often have a decent gun installed. You’ll probably start with these; at Rank I, they’re the most common type. You can approach combat with these much like you’d approach it on foot, firing from behind cover, then moving forward to the next cover.
In the same way you’d keep moving on foot, you’d do well to keep moving in a light tank, as heavier enemies will be able to make short work of you if they get you in their sights. The La Royale update adds the iconic Soviet BTR-80A to the game, armed with a 30mm 2A72 automatic cannon with armor-piercing shells, but offers very little armor, needing constant protection and stealth to get the job done.
Medium tanks boast the most flexible approach, being equipped with a decent covering of all bases, including armor, mobility, and gun power. You’ll most likely move onto medium tanks as you progress up to at least Rank IV, allowing you to take a bit more of a hit while experimenting with increased firepower.
Added in the La Royale update is the American M4/T26, an experimental medium tank that promises the ultimate ‘Sherman’ experience, while still offering the challenge of no armor-piercing capabilities. Although these might seem like the ideal tank, their weakness stems from their flexibility in battle – meaning they aren’t good enough at any one thing to truly specialize.
Heavy tanks are absolute monsters, colossal beasts with solid armor and a slow crawl. They are perfect bullet sponges, offering cover for the light and medium tanks, but don’t have much in the way of their own firepower. Angling is imperative with these big boys, making sure the enemy doesn’t hit any weak joints in your armor, and instead blasts the solid sheets.
Anti-tank options
It’s not just other tanks you have to look out for, as planes will also swoop down and plant a bomb squarely on top of your vehicle. However thick your armor is, it’s unlikely you’ll come out in one piece, so keep an eye out for these airborne foes. You can effectively destroy them by manning an anti-aircraft vehicle if you’re feeling brave enough, using rapid-fire cannons or machine guns to blast the enemy right out of the sky.
Tank destroyers will also be on your case, but turreted and glass-cannon casemate structure varieties often have little to no armor, allowing you to keep ahead if you stay alert.
La Royale adds Italian infantry fighting vehicle (IVF), Freccia VBM, to the lineup with its fire-and-forget anti-tank missiles – perfect for if you fancy going on the offensive. Armored casemate structures may be a little more difficult to deter, but take advantage of their often slow speed and large profile.
Now you’re fully equipped for a tank battle, why not download War Thunder and give their sky, sea, and land battles a go. The latest La Royale update adds loads of new items and vehicles to collect, so check it out today and operate some of history’s most impressive machines. If you’re looking for more War Thunder content, check out our guides on air battles and sea battles.
