World of Tanks Is Still Worth Playing In 2018

As it stands, World of Tanks enjoys a whopping player base of around 130 million gamers. For good reason – they stick around due to the sheer amount of content available to them. This free-to-play MMO tank ‘em up is a great indulgence for any gamer, let alone fans of 20th century war machines. Over 550 unique vehicles are waiting for their commander to take command inside a lovingly built game with tank authenticity at the forefront of World of Tanks’ design. Players are spoiled for choice with swift light tanks, all-rounder medium tanks, powerful heavy tanks, long-range tank destroyers, and tactical artillery vehicles mixing up a strategic playstyle every session.  It’s all about leveraging that strategy as best you can to dominate in PvP matches. 

What will strike new players from the get go is that World of Tanks offers a gameplay cocktail of several genres all mashed into one experience. It offers a combination of first-person shooter, action-RPG, simulator, and strategy genres to create a dynamic and believable tank experience. An intuitive control scheme makes the game engaging and universally accessible from the very first moment you begin so don’t be put off by all this talk of strategy and variety. Even short play sessions add replay value to the experience as the result of each battle. Each vehicle is modelled with respect to its real-life specs and handles as such. Each encounter is designed to teach and encourage you to take advantage of game features in different ways.

Players have a choice of what PvP modes they’d like to partake in. They could duke it out with real opponents in 15-vs-15 Random Battles. Perhaps players will choose to join forces with friends in Platoons, or prove their worth in massive 30-vs-30 Grand Battles. If you were in a particularly strategic mood, you could create a Clan and fight for control on the Global Map. A universe of unique vehicles is ready to be unlocked, upgraded, and mastered.

Here's what you can expect from World of Tanks in its current state on PC:

• 550+ tanks from the U.S.S.R., China, Germany, the U.S.A., France, the U.K., Japan, Czechoslovakia, and Sweden
• 30 locations to explore, from war-torn European villages and snow-capped Nordic wilderness through to the sand dune desert landscapes of Middle East
• 10-tier progression system with a set of skills and perks for your tank crew to grow into
• 5 vehicle classes each with its own vulnerabilities, strengths, and combat focus
• Deep gameplay to get your teeth into from the get go, with a variety of PvP modes
• Immersive world design that compliments realistic battle scenes for every session

Like I always say with free to play – it’s free! So get it on the download and whether you’re a tank fan or not, you’re sure to be surprised at the depth on offer from a game that has too often gone under the radar. 

So Here’s What You Do

Got it downloading? Good, take the time to read on for a handy set of beginner’s tips so you can start tanking strong. While the mechanics of World of Tanks are wonderfully accessible for gamers of all kinds, they can take time to master. Let’s get you on the path to being a tank master by leveraging the early tier tanks (that you’re not likely to use later down the line) to your best possible advantage.

1. Face The Enemy At An Angle

Bit of a contradiction there, but you’ll see what I mean in a moment. As you’ll quickly learn, every tank has its weak points but it’s fair to say that taking a direct hit to front of your trundling armour is always going to be bad news. Preempt this little issue by getting into the habit of turning your tanks slightly with main barrel pointing at around the two o'clock direction from the centre of your armour.  

In the early tiers, it’s generally a good idea to stay out of sight and provide supporting fire from afar. Who knows, you may even get a few cheeky kill steals! Although if you do start taking fire, angle your tank to negate the incoming hits as much as possible. This how the pros stay alive for that little bit longer. Don’t be like the rest of the noobs, constantly taking direct hits!

2. Choose Your Shots With Thought

Sure, this tip may be a little obvious. However, when overcoming a tank that may be better equipped than yours, it becomes so much more of a big deal. Understanding the most likely spots to penetrate weak armour is the key to your climbing up the ranks! If you’re going to get anywhere in World of Tanks, it is crucial to get your head around this. 

If we imagine a Tier 1 tank going up against a Tier 5 tank, it may be an intimidating prospect for sure! However, taking a closer look at the scary tank in the distance, we can see that our rule of thumb holds true – at the front, the armour is weakest at around 102mm in most cases, allowing for your shots to apply more damage no matter what kind of Tier you’re running. This is always a good way to start chipping away at any frontal turrets the tank may have, eventually putting them out of commission. The undercarriage, while tricky to nail will generally be a weak spot for every tank you encounter. However, with all the variety in World of Tanks, be sure to take the time to carefully examine every tank you encounter to begin the learning process of making kills quickly and effectively.

3. Be Mindful Of Your Tank Crew

Part of the crew, part of the tank. Take good care of your crew to keep you tank as responsive as you’d like in the heat of battle. Here’s the consequences of what will happen for each crew member that takes a bad hit:

• Commander – reduced detection range
• Gunner – lower accuracy, turret rotation and longer aiming time
• Loader – increased cannon reload time
• Radio operator – smaller signal range
• Driver – reduced tank movement, max speed and acceleration

To take care of this lot you’ll need to use first aid kits and fire extinguishers as quickly as you can. With these items being tied to buttons 4, 5 and 6 it can be a little stressful in a hurry to even look away from the screen, should you need to. So, as a quick workaround for this, you stick with mashing 5 for bandaids as a quick solution to your problems.

There you have it! Three great tips for a World of Tanks beginner. Hopefully most of your download is complete by now. In case you missed our earlier link, you can always get World of Tanks for yourself from the official website. Happy tanking to you and your crew! See you on the battlefield :-).