World of Tanks Blitz - Tips and Tricks for Winning All Your Battles
World of Tanks isn’t your typical shooter game. Instead of gruff and tough military people running around maps shooting each other, this game is solely about tank battles, and the mobile version, World of Tanks Blitz, is no exception. True to its name, however, Blitz offers a few key differences from the original PC version, mostly revolving around making the matches shorter, with smaller maps, and slowing down the gameplay, in general, so as to accommodate players gaming on phones. The result is a very intense game that retains the same mechanical complexities of the original, while also allowing players to enjoy it on the fly.
However, the combat in World of Tanks and World of Tanks Blitz isn’t quite as straightforward as in other shooters like the Call of Duty series, mostly because, since it’s all about tanks vs tanks, players need to take into consideration, ammo types, tank types, armor, positioning, movement, and a bunch of other factors, to outplay their enemies. We gave a quick introduction to all these elements in our beginner’s guide to the combat in World of Tanks Blitz, which we strongly recommend you read if you’re new to the game.
This time around, however, we want to give a few more general tips that could help you to shine in the field and win all your battles.
When in Doubt, Shoot for the Rear or Flanks
Aside from the role differences between the four main types of vehicles in the game, every tank in the game has varying stats, which makes them suited for unique roles and playstyles. Similarly, every tank can have different armor distributions, making certain parts of their hull stronger against direct attacks, and others weaker and easy to penetrate, even with the weaker ammo types.
The vehicles in World of Tanks Blitz are quite complex, with many moving parts, and a direct hit to certain areas can cripple them in many different ways. If you shoot their tracks, they might be temporarily stuck in place; if you penetrate the armor and shoot the crew inside, you’ll deal tons of damage, and so on. However, as we mentioned above, all tanks have different armor layouts, and learning all of them can take quite a while. Luckily, you can use this tool to take a look at all the tanks in the game, their stats, and their armor distribution; it’ll definitely come in handy for the long run.
However, since you really don’t have time to pull up a database of tanks and check in real time their armor placement, a general rule of thumb is to always aim for either the tracks, flanks, or in the best case scenario, the rear. These are often less armored than other places and you could deal lots of damage if you manage to outmaneuver the enemy and get into a favorable position.
Just remember one important thing: if you’re aiming for the main body where the crew is, always try to use HE ammo so you can deal maximum damage if you manage to penetrate their armor by shooting at a weak spot. Alternatively, if you’re aiming to disable the mechanical parts of the enemy vehicle, use AP rounds as these can penetrate and deal maximum damage most of the time.
This brings us to our next point…
Use the Right Type of Ammo
While the above pointer about properly using HE and AP ammo is valid, in general, there’s one more nuance you must consider when choosing the right ammo for the occasion: the type of tank you’re fighting against.
There are four main types of tanks in the game: Heavy, Medium, and Light tanks, and Tank Destroyers. Each of these have their own strengths, weaknesses, and specific roles in every match. Similarly, they all have different amounts of armor, with heavies having the most, and light tanks having the least armor, but with the highest speed of all.
When it comes to general engagements, you’ll almost always be using AP rounds, which are the default and standard ammunition you’ll get from the very beginning. However, you could benefit considerably from using HE when going up against light or unarmored vehicles since these rounds will almost always penetrate and deal maximum damage. Furthermore, since light tanks are very fast, they can frequently maneuver to put themselves in positions where your AP ammo will bounce off and deal no damage. HE rounds don’t suffer from this drawback as they always explode on impact and never bounce off.
In a nutshell: Use AP on most occasions, but switch to HE when engaging against light and unarmored tanks.
Use Your Speed to Your Advantage
While it might sound like a no brainer to use the tanks with the highest armor and HP all the time, this sturdiness comes at the cost of their speed. Heavy and medium tanks are bulky and cumbersome, and light tanks can easily outrun them most of the time. This is particularly important to know in the beginning since your first few vehicles will be light tanks, and you’ll easily be destroyed if you’re not careful.
Luckily, the speed of light tanks is more than just for allowing them to get from Point A to Point B faster than the others; it’s also a combat tool in the right hands. Specifically, light tanks are so fast that they can run circles around heavies quick enough that their turrets won’t be able to keep up, effectively rendering them unable to fight back.
For this reason, a good combat tip when playing with light tanks is to always use your speed to your advantage and NEVER stay in one place, unless you’re sitting behind cover, that is. Also, if you’re going to outrun the enemy, always try to run perpendicular to them so they’ll have a harder time aiming at you.
Position Yourself Correctly Before Shooting
It’s possible for your shells to bounce off the enemy tanks if you shoot from an awkward angle. Specifically, when it comes to AP rounds, an impact angle lower than 70° will ALWAYS result in your projectiles bouncing off and dealing minimal damage. And while you can nullify this penalty with HE rounds, this ammo has little penetration and does low damage if exploding against the hull.
Whenever you’re trying to shoot at an enemy, always try to position yourself in a straight line directly towards their rear or flanks. Never shoot diagonally at the enemy since this will increase the odds of your bullets bouncing off.
And there you have it; four great tips and tricks to help win all your battles in World of Tanks Blitz. As you continue practicing, you’ll unlock many different types of vehicles and will get more familiarized with their intricacies and mechanics. Until then, however, these pointers will give you a solid foundation on how to score some wins from the very beginning.
