Beginners Guide to Tanks in War Thunder

What dominates the ground battles are the tanks. Primarily, there are three types of tanks in War Thunder: light tanks, medium tanks, and heavy tanks.

Light tanks are rather small and can move quickly. They are also the fastest tanks, though they lose when it comes to armor.

Medium tanks are a combination of everything. They are decently fast and have average armor and average firepower. Nonetheless, they are slower than light tanks and weaker than heavy tanks.

Heavy tanks are the strongest category of tanks in this game. Moreover, their armor can take in huge amounts of enemy fire and they have also been given some of the best firepower. However, they are not very mobile, which works against them considering how big of a target they are during the battle.

There are also tank destroyers whose sole purpose is to counter these tanks!

All of these War Thunder tanks have weak spots where you must aim and fire to take them down effectively. As a ground player, you must know about all the strong and weak spots of a tank.

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Weak Spots for a Tank in War Thunder

By learning these weak spots, as a tank player, you know how to defend your tank while also knowing where to shoot the enemy tank, so let’s get started!

Each tank has different weak and strong spots in this game. To know about it in more detail, select a tank in the game and go to customization. Select armor and then go to Protection Analysis.

From here, you can learn everything about that specific tank and yes, you should learn about the weak and strong spots of all the most used tanks in this game to become a good player.

Here are the universal weak spots for most tanks in War Thunder

  • For most tanks, hatches are their weak spots; try shooting at them.
  • Shooting at the driver’s hatch at an angle with the default ammo will prove to be super effective.
  • When flanking, if you cannot get a good angle on the enemy, shoot at the engine block to cause fire.
  • You can also shoot the enemy tank cannon to render it useless.
  • Shoot at the turret to kill the gunners. The number of gunners affected will depend on the tank model.
  • If you can manage to hit the ammo rack, it does massive damage to the enemy tank. This requires skill and once you master it, you become a huge threat to your enemies.
  • A good rule of thumb is that the sides of the tank are always the weakest. Another common point to remember is that the flattest spot of the armor is the weakest.

These are a few of the common points to remember when playing as a ground player. Some pro players remember all the weak spots of each tank by name; it comes with experience. So, the more you play, the more you learn.

Now that you’ve learned where to shoot, it’s time to learn how to shoot!

How to Aim as a Tank Player in War Thunder

First things first, go to your keybind settings and assign a key to the rangefinder. You can find this in Controls > Ground Vehicles > Miscellaneous.

There are different types of rangefinders but the purpose is the same, to find out how far the target is.

When scoped in, press the rangefinder key to get the estimated distance of the target.

Now take advantage of the horizontal lines on your scope and aim accordingly. Each horizontal line represents 200 meters. If you find a tank at 600 meters, aim with the 3rd line. Look at the image below for a better understanding!

Also, make sure to use your binoculars to spot the enemy tanks easily. Make sure to share that information with your squad with radio commands and squad markers.

You now know how and where to shoot, but what about how to protect yourself and position yourself properly?

How to Position Yourself as a Tank Player in War Thunder

Two of the most important things you need are mini-map awareness and learning the actual map itself.

Looking at your minimap from time to time will provide you with so much information. You can use this to engage, retreat, or position yourself properly during the battle.

Do not continuously move as a tank player, especially in open areas. Position yourself properly in bushes or behind buildings and stay in cover. Take advantage of the terrain and you can launch a surprise attack on the enemy.

Learning the actual map itself and learning about the covers, terrain, and hiding spots will give you a great advantage.

Flanking means getting behind the enemy without them knowing and attacking when they’re unaware.

Flanking is great but do not do it mindlessly. A player might look unaware but sometimes they have a squadmate or other players covering for them.

Do not flank, especially when you do not have an exit plan. It is as important to stay alive as it is to defeat an enemy tank.

This brings us to the end of our beginner’s guide to tanks in War Thunder! There is so much to learn in this game, like tank ammunition, different types of tanks from different nations, and so much advanced stuff. We will soon be bringing in more War Thunder guides. Stay tuned!

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