“Road to Unicum” Tank Guides & Reviews for World of Tanks

Updated: 2022 May 31, Patch 1.17

When I read the World of Tanks (WoT) official forums, sub-Reddit, and WoTLabs forums, one question comes up more than any other: how do I improve my gameplay?

This is particularly challenging for players who have hit a ceiling in terms of their measurable performance (e.g. win rate, WN8 rating, etc) and are not sure what to do. While players can download replays of highly-skilled players, those replays don’t capture the thinking process of the player behind the tank – you see their actions but don’t necessarily know the how’s or why’s behind them.

Therefore, in this video series I share what I learned as I progressed towards account Unicum rating (top 1%) with silver ammo only. I talk through how I’m reading the battle as it unfolds and discuss key decisions and mistakes. My hope is that these videos meaningfully help players improve their gameplay.

When I started these videos, here were my WN8 stats:

For full disclosure, for much of my time playing WoT, I’ve been a paying customer – that is, I do spend money to purchase gold, which is used for the following: premium subscription, training/reskilling crew members, converting tank-specific XP to Free XP so that I don’t have to play tanks stock, premium consumables, and camouflage. These things do definitely improve one’s stats. That said, I have at times played without a premium subscription, and in many cases when I use Free XP, I use it to skip low tier tanks and to unlock the first functional gun of a new tank, then I grind out the remaining modules for that tank.

See the FAQs for more context about the videos.

To be notified when new episodes are published, subscribe to my YouTube channel.

If you’re new to my series, I recommend checking out the episodes in bold first.

Episodes

1. E50 Review, Flexing to a Collapsing Flank
2. E50M Review, Covering a Flank Solo
3. T-34-85 Review, Mid Control in Fisherman’s Bay
4. T-44 Review, Value of the Hill in Mines
5. T-44 Review, Contributing When Bottom Tier
6. ELC AMX Review, Creating First-Shot Opportunities
7. ELC AMX Review, Common Mistakes When Bottom Tier
8. T-54 Review, Countering Platoons
9. T-54 Review, Managing Gun Depression and Flanking
10. E75 Review, Hull Angling Without Hard Cover
11. IS Review, Timing Enemy Reloads
12. IS-3 Review, Patience in a Tight Spot
13. IS-3 Review, Contributing When Bottom Tier
14. Trolling Heavy Tanks LOL
15. T-10 Review, Heavy Medium – I Don’t Think So
16. Cromwell Review, Middle Road Control in Lakeville
17. T-62A Review, Spotting Hill in Prokhorovka
18. T29 Review, Hull-Down King
19. T32 Review, 5k Damage Blocked FTW
20. M103 Review, Recovering From a Poor Start
21. M103 Review, Creating Isolations When Outnumbered
22. T110E5 Review, 9.7k Damage and 9 Kills
23. AMX 13 90 Review, Completing LT-15 in Prokhorovka / Fiery Salient
24. AMX 12t Review, Earning 3 Marks of Excellence
25. AMX 13 90 Review, 9.3k Contribution in Tier 10 Malinovka
26. M24 Chaffee Review, 2688 XP Carry in Tier 8 Malinovka
27. Lorraine 40t Review, 9 Kills Gameplay
28. E25 Review, 4k Damage and 8 Spots in Fisherman’s Bay
29. E25 Review, Retreating and Counter-attacking Tactics
30. T37 Review, 3.6k Damage and 7 Kills Gameplay
31. Bat.-Châtillon 25 t Review, Flanking and Spanking in Cliff
32. Guide to Platoon Tactics
33. Luchs Review, Playing the Long Game When Bottom Tier
34. SP1C Review, Why Defending Correlates With Winning
35. T49 Review, 1st-Shot Opportunities for Max Derpage
36. T71 DA Review, Managing a Poor Team Deployment
37. Type 59 Review, Playing From a Position of Strength
38. Thunderbolt Review, Bullying Same-Tier Opponents
39. M4A1 Revalorisé Review, When to Snipe vs Push
40. Ranked Battles Review, Getting to Rank 5+
41. Guide to Light Tanks
42. Škoda T 50 Review, The Epic Carry Machine
43. Škoda T 25 Review, Why Ice Road/Valley/Beach Suck
44. T-34/100 and TVP VTU Review, Dealing With Poor Gun Depression
45. Strv 103-0 Review, Bouncing AP Shells Like a Boss
46. AMX 30 1er prototype Review, Dealing With Poor Team Deployments
47. Pz IV H Review, Ode to Derp Gun
48. Bat.-Châtillon 12 t Review, Earning to 3 Marks of Excellence
49. AMX 13 105 Review, Underpowered But Still Fun
50. T30 Review, Glorious 750 Alpha
51. Type 64 Review, Totally Worth It
52. LTTB Review, Methodically Using Vision and Speed
53. Löwe Review, Contributing When Bottom Tier
54. T-54 ltwt Review, Best Flanker in the Game?
55. Carrying a Losing Team in a Light Tank
56. T-54 first prototype Review, Contributing When Bottom Tier
57. M4 Sherman Review, Best Derp Tank in the Game!
58. Somua SM Review, Contributing When Bottom Tier
59. WZ-132 Review, How to Play Fisherman’s Bay in 1.0
60. WZ-132A Review, How to Play Fjords and Malinovka in 1.0
61. Progetto M35 mod 46 Review, Managing the Autoreloader
62. Lorraine 40t Review, How to Correctly Play Squishy Autoloaders
63. WZ-132-1 Review, How to Play Glacier and Prokhorovka in 1.0
64. T-100 LT Review, Spotting Hill in Prokhorovka in 1.0
65. Ru 251 Review, Spotting Province in 1.0
66. Sheridan Review, Winning Despite Lemming Train Idiots
67. AMX 50 100 Unicum Review, Playing a Squishy Autoloader in the Heavy Armor Meta
68. T20 Review, Balancing Activity and Patience
69. M 41 90 Review, Countering Opponents When a Flank Falls
70. Pershing Review, Making the Best of Tough Situations
71. AMX 13 75 Review, Guide to 3 Marks of Excellence
72. Strv 103B Review, Covering Weak Flanks For the Win
73. LT-432 Review, Totally Worth It
74. M46 Patton Review, Working Terrain to Your Advantage
75. LTG Review, Common Mistakes When Pushing
76. T-50-2 Review, Avoiding Fights You Can’t Win
77. T28 Review, Brawling as a Turretless TD
78. EBR 75 FL 10 Review, First Impressions of Wheeled Vehicles
79. AMX 13 57 Review, Maximizing Your Autoloader Efficiency
80. Emil I Review
81. T95 Review, The Quintessential Bully
82. Frontline Review, 1st Impressions and Getting to General Rank
83. AMD 178B Review, Advancing Without Over-Extending
84. EBR Hotchkiss Review, Proper Use of Great Mobility
85. Lynx 6×6 Review, Common Mistakes with Wheeled Vehicles
86. Rheinmetall Panzerwagen Review/Guide, Epic Platoon Carry in an Awful Tank
87. Lynx 6×6 Review, Vision Control and Flanking Tactics
88. T110E3 Review, Frontally Dominant but Squishy Sides
89. EBR 90 Review, Countering Enemy Light Tanks
90. EBR 105 Review, Gaining Map Control With Vision
91. Leo Review, Creating Bushes for 1st Shot Advantage
92. UDES 14 5 Review, Effectively Engaging at Intermediate Ranges
93. UDES 15/16 Review, In-Depth Look at Two Different Playstyles
94. UDES 16 Review, Positioning to Anchor Come-From-Behind Victories
95. P.44 Pantera Review, Playing the New Kharkov Map
96. Standard B Review, Carrying by Flexing at the Right Times
97. P.43 bis and P.43 ter Review, Dealing with Awkward Situations
98. GSR 3301 Setter Review, Fighting Smart with Horrible DPM
99. LHMTV Review, Surprising Results: 69% Solo WR, 2.5k Avg Contribution
100. Bourrasque Review, Blending Burst with Vision Control
101. Centurion 7/1 Review, Hull Down Over/Under Techniques
102. ST-I Review, Brawling with Sidescraping
103. Centurion I Review, Creating Situations That Favor You
104. Guide to Settings for World of Tanks
105. Progetto M40 mod. 65 Review, Managing the Autoreloader
106. T-44 Review, Creating Perpendicular Fire
107. Object 430 Review, Brawling and Visioning Successfully
108. Object 430U Review, Carrying Through Brains and Brawn
109. Leopard PTA Review, The Glassiest Cannon of Them All
110. AMX 13 90 Review, Dealing with Wheeled Vehicles
111. Object 140 Review, Aging Like Fine Wine
112. STA-1 Review, Winning With Gun Depression and Vision
113. STB-1 Review, My Favorite Tier 10 Medium
114. Manticore Review, Like Bringing a Knife to a Gun Fight
115. HWK 12 Review, Playing Smart in Tier 10 Battles
116. FV1066 Senlac Review, Is It Worth It?
117. Centurion AX Review, Thinking About Approach Lanes
118. Lansen C Review, How to Predict the Future Like a Unicum
119. T69 Review, Recognizing Positions of Strength and Weakness

Episode #1: E50 Review, Flexing to a Collapsing Flank

I review the exceptional E-50, the tier 9 German medium tank in the E50M line.

Stat line: Ace Tanker, 5.5k damage, 3 kills, 2 spots, 1.2k assisted damage

The E50 has a highly accurate gun, and the solid hull armor can be angled to deflect incoming fire. I discuss the importance of flexing to prevent a flank from collapsing and the arguments against capping too early instead of pressing an advantage.

Episode #2: E50M Review, Covering a Flank Solo

I review the E50M, the beefier of the two tier 10 German medium tanks.

Stat line: Ace Tanker, 5.2k damage, 2 kills, 2 spots, 2k assisted damage

I discuss the weighty responsibility of holding a flank solo, knowing when and where to push, and considerations when flanking the enemy near their base.

Episode #3: T-34-85 Review, Mid Control in Fisherman’s Bay

I review the T-34-85, the underrated tier 6 Russian medium tank that leads up to the T-44.

Stat line: Ace Tanker, 2.6k damage, 4 kills, 2 spots

I discuss tactics for controlling the middle lanes (E/F) of Fisherman’s Bay and how to balance exposure with inflicting damage. The value of mid control can’t be overemphasized – it provides spotting opportunities, many firing lanes, and the ability to flex to either flank when needed, which is particularly important when playing a mobile medium tank.

Episode #4: T-44 Review, Value of the Hill in Mines

I review the T-44, a tier 8 Russian medium tank.

Stat line: Ace Tanker, 3.6k damage, 3 kills, 8 spots

I discuss the value of high ground – an age-old principle of warfare that holds true in WoT on some maps – with footage of my T44 in a Mines battle. Holding the high ground provides the following benefits:

1. you have opportunities to take flanking shots on enemies below you, because they are preoccupied with tanks in front of them
2. you can cover different sides of the map with minimal repositioning
3. you control the extent of your tank’s exposure

In addition, I talk about the importance of being active – that is, playing smartly aggressive – as opposed to being passive / campy and letting the battle outcome be determined without you.

Episode #5: T-44 Review, Contributing When Bottom Tier

I discuss how to meaningfully contribute as a bottom-tier medium tank, with footage from a tier 10 Serene Coast battle in my T-44.

Stat line: 1st Class, 2.5k damage, 5 kills

As a bottom-tier tank, I have to respect the advantages of higher-tier opponents, who have more HP, stronger armor, higher alpha damage, better DPM, and superior vision control. That said, even with a low penetration gun, by carefully watching the minimap and being opportunistic, I was able to make a solid contribution.

Additional Comments

1. props to the STB-1 driver (ahmechanic2) who played very well throughout the battle
2. at 4:23, the JPE100 driver (andrewb610) made the right call to flex east and delay their tanks on that side, which bought time for us to crush their forces north and west
3. I nearly got wrecked at the 7:30 mark while typing a thank you to the STB-1. I have a tendency to be chatty during matches, and sometimes it screws me up. LOL

Feedback from [BULBA] CrackerBInebriated:

One thing I did see as a mistake was how you didn’t even attempt to engage the conqueror after he killed your IS3 at the cap. I know it has a quick reload, but you had a good side shot and time to escape after he had fired and needed to reload

I didn’t address that in the video but in real-time I realized I had made a mistake.

The mistake is that when I started pulling back, I stayed too close to the rocks on my left – as a result I a created a bigger gun depression challenge in terms of getting my gun down on the target. You can see that I start wiggling just to the right of the rock a bit, but realized I was taking too much time and lost the opportunity.

Episode #6: ELC AMX Review, First-Shot Opportunities

I review the wildly popular ELC AMX, the tier 5 French light tank, with a replay of a tier 6 Widepark battle.

Stat line: Ace Tanker, 2.2k damage, 8 kills, 7 spots, 0.8k assisted damage

I discuss how to play to the strengths of the ELC AMX – vision control, mobility, and the TD-quality gun – while managing its weaknesses – in particular its poor gun handling, extreme fragility, and low view range of 360 meters.

It’s critical to leverage these strengths to create first-shot opportunities, i.e. situations in which you spot the enemy and have sufficient time to aim before they spot you.

The ELC AMX was the first light tank above tier 2 that I played after 8000 battles. Up to that point, I’d primarily played heavies and mediums. After witnessing countless ELC AMX light tank drivers suicide or fail to meaningfully contribute, I decided to give the tank a go.

My conclusion is that the ELC AMX is the most consistently incorrectly played tank in all of WoT :)

You can learn more about playing the ELC AMX in my detailed guide.

Episode #7: ELC AMX Review, Common Mistakes When Bottom Tier

We take a second look at the ELC AMX with a replay of a tier 8 Prokhorovka battle.

Stat line: Ace Tanker, 1.3k damage, 2 kills, 4 spots, 2.8k assisted damage

All too often, ELC drivers die early and cripple their team’s spotting capability. I discuss and make two common mistakes:

1. risking exposure to take a shot with the glacial-aiming gun
2. taking a poor approach line to spot enemy tanks

I have to manage with less than 30 HP for most of the battle as a result of the first mistake!

Episode #8: T-54 Review, Countering Unicum Platoons

I review the highly-regarded T-54, a Soviet tier 9 medium tank, with a replay of a tier 10 Mines battle.

Stat line: 1st Class, 4.7k damage, 4 kills, 1 spot

The top-tier enemy platoon consists of elite players from -G-, PBKAC, and BULLS, so I discuss countering such dangerous opponents by anticipating where they’re going and beating them to the punch with area denial, then burning down their pubbies.

I also demonstrate how to leverage the terrain on hill to safely fire on target(s) while minimizing exposure to snipers in their base.

Episode #9: T-54 Review, Managing Gun Depression and Flanking

We take a second look at the T-54, with a replay of a tier 9 Sand River battle.

Stat line: Ace Tanker, 6.2k damage, 6 kills, 2 spots, 1.5k assisted damage

Key Points

1. for the T-54, you don’t need to unlock the suspension to mount all upgraded modules and all 3 equipment pieces.

Therefore, the upgrade path I recommend is 2nd turret → top gun → 2nd engine → suspension.

2. in a map that has a lot of hills / ridgelines such as Sand River, you need to carefully manage the T-54’s poor gun depression.

The T-54 thrives in flatland and does better aiming up at targets. You want to avoid situations where you have to crest a hill to fire on a target that is already pre-aiming at you.

3. you can distract enemy tanks by flanking them, which creates opportunities for your allies to safely fire on those enemies as they rotate their turret / hull to face you.

The T-54 is far and away the best flanking tank I’ve played.

Episode #10: E75 Review, Hull Angling Without Hard Cover

I review the E75, a tier 9 German heavy tank, with a replay of a tier 9 Murovanka battle.

Stat line: Ace Tanker, 6.2k damage, 6 kills, 3 spots, 2.2k assisted damage

In the previous 9 episodes, we focused on medium and light tank gameplay. Today, I discuss the responsibility of playing a beefy top-tier heavy, in terms of acting as a meat shield and playing aggressively, especially when your team is behind.

The E-75 has a fantastic armor layout that enables you to bounce a lot of incoming shots with proper angling. I demonstrate the optimal angle for the hull of the E-75 to protect the vulnerable Lower Front Glacis (LFG) while not over-exposing the thick 120mm side hull armor, especially when in the open ground where there is no hard cover. In the replay, I bounce all but 2 non-arty shots, and both times my tank was penetrated it was due to poor hull angling on my part.

Episode #11: IS Review, Timing Enemy Reloads

I review the IS, a tier 7 Soviet heavy tank, with a replay of a tier 7 Mountain Pass battle.

Stat line: Ace Tanker, 4.8k damage, 7 kills

Key Points

1. due to the long 2.87 sec aim time and 10.38 sec reload time (with 100% crew and equipment), it’s critical to keep track of enemy reload timers, so that when brawling you have time to aim sufficiently while minimizing risk
2. the side armor of 90mm is very thick for the tier, so you can angle your hull to increase the effective armor of your front hull without compromising your side armor
3. you don’t need to unlock the suspension to mount all upgraded modules and all 3 equipment pieces.

Therefore, the upgrade path I recommend is 2nd turret → top gun → 2nd engine → suspension.

Episode #12: IS-3 Review, Patience in a Tight Spot

I review the IS-3, a tier 8 Soviet heavy tank, with a replay of a tier 9 Highway battle.

Stat line: Ace Tanker, 4.5k damage, 3 kills, 3 spots

Key Points

1. when this video was made the lower front glacis (LFG) was very thick at ~245mm. The LFG was nerfed in 9.8 to ~200mm, but that’s still solid and the buff to the pikenose more than makes up for it
2. due to the weakness of the pikenose in close quarters and the incredibly soft turret roof, be aware that the IS-3 is easy-to-penetrate when face-hugging or in point-blank exchanges
3. when this video was made the lower front glacis (LFG) was very thick at ~245mm. The LFG was nerfed in 9.8 to ~200mm, but that’s still solid and the buff to the pikenose more than makes up for it
4. patience in a tight situation is key. When I was surrounded on 3 sides, I stalled to buy time for our light tanks to flank the tanks in city and bail me out
5. I rushed the kill shot on the 7/1. I should have waited a quarter-second for his side hull to be exposed, given that he wasn’t aiming at me
6. the T37 driver (1134eastlaw) provided a great example of the power of a light tnk in endgame situations

Feedback From Viewers

Many commenters disagree with me re: sidescraping. They feel that sidescraping on the IS-3 makes sense.

I can see doing that to bait shots into the side armor, so you can then expose your near-side pikenose safely while taking a free shot.

Errata

• 4:18 – what I meant here is that the IS-3 (not IS- and many tier 8 heavy tanks have very functional penetration values (e.g. 225+). There are exceptions of course, e.g. the T32 with 198

Episode #13: IS-3 Review, Contributing When Bottom Tier

I discuss how to meaningfully contribute when you’re in tier 10 battles in a tier 8 IS-3 heavy tank, with footage from two Serene Coast battles.

Stat line: over 3.1k damage in both battles

Comments / Errata

1. the silver penetration for the IS-3 is 225 not 226
2. the rear of the E100 turret is ~160mm effective armor, regardless whether you hit the hatch or not

Episode #14: Trolling Heavy Tanks LOL

I demonstrate how to troll big, tall, and slow turreted tanks in a Russian medium tank in World of Tanks (WoT), with footage of my T-62A facing E-100’s.

This works not only in the T62A but also tanks with a low profile and solid turret, such as the Object 140 and T-54.The key thing is to time your approach based on either when your target just fired or is facing the other direction, and to use the target as a shield to protect you from other enemy tanks while you whittle the target away.

Trololo!

Episode #15: T-10 Review, Heavy Medium – I Don’t Think So

I review the T-10, a tier 9 Soviet heavy tank (formerly known as the IS-8), with a replay of a tier 10 Ensk battle.

Stat line: Ace Tanker, 4.9k damage, 2 kills, 2 spots, 1k assisted damage

My team blows a 7-3 lead by not coordinating against an isolated E-100 who carries the opposing team.

Of all tanks from tier 5 to 10 in the IS-7 line, the T-10 feels the most awkward, whereas the other tanks are good to great.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Good gun penetration (258)
+ Good gun alpha (440)
+ Strong turret
+ Good top speed
+ Trolly side armor
– Pikenose armor is weak, won’t reliably bounce shots against players who aim properly
– Large, soft lower front glacis
– Poor max gun depression (-5 degrees)
– Longish aim time
– Not particularly agile

Episode #16: Cromwell Review, Middle Road Control in Lakeville

I review the Cromwell, a tier 6 British medium tank, with a replay of a tier 7 Lakeville battle.

Stat line: Ace Tanker, 2.6k damage, 5 kills, 2 spots

My side wins 3v7 with vision control, use of hard cover, and wrecking isolated tanks.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Excellent top speed
+ Excellent acceleration / agility
+ Excellent gun depression (-8)
+ Good DPM
– Weak armor
– Gun bloom

Comments / Errata

1. to be clear, gun bloom is a separate concern from gun accuracy (0.36 for the Cromwell). The shot on the St Emil @1:40 missed due to inaccuracy, not gun bloom, given that I had the time to fully aim. That said, bloom elongates the time to aim
2. the enemy Wolverine made a critical mistake late of pushing up valley without support – he isolated himself and got bullied by our Panther. Be wary of isolating yourself unless you are confident you will win any 1v1s
3. per the WoT Wiki: “Once spotted, a vehicle stays lit up for a minimum duration of 5 seconds which can extend up to 10 seconds after the spotter moves out of spotting range or gets destroyed” – so 5-10 seconds, not the 6-8 I mentioned in the video

Episode #17: T-62A Review, Spotting Hill in Prokhorovka

I review the T-62A, a tier 10 Soviet medium tank, with a replay of a Prokhorovka battle.

Stat line: Ace Tanker, 4.6k damage, 4 kills, 3 spots, 2.9k assisted damage

I also discuss how to safely spot hill from the north spawn, taking into account flanking fire from enemy tanks in the middle of the map (F5-F6). With the recent changes to view range, the T62A is even stronger now at vision control. The tactics in the video apply to the Fiery Salient variant of the same map.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Excellent mobility (speed, acceleration, agility)
+ High DPM
+ Titanium turret
+ Good vision contol
– Only -5 degrees of gun depression
– Low alpha damage (320)

Episode #18: T29 Review, Hull-Down King

I review the T29, a tier 7 American heavy tank, with a replay of a tier 8 Erlenberg battle.

Stat line: Ace Tanker, 4.1k damage, 4 kills

With its awesome hull-down capability, the T29 is one of the strongest heavies at-tier in the game. I found it to be very comfortable to play and enjoyed driving it. On paper the HP (1250) seems low, but the hull-down capability makes that a non-issue.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb turret protection
+ Superb max gun depression (-10)
+ Excellent silver penetration (198)
+ Excellent aim time (2.3 sec)
+ Good alpha (320)
+ Good speed
– Relatively weak hull armor
– Slow hull traverse / turns sluggishly
– Slow reverse speed, which can be problematic versus arty

Research Order

Assuming you have the 90mm gun from the M6 tank and want to mount 3 pieces of equipment (VS, Rammer, Vents/Optics) immediately, here’s the recommended research order:

1. Tracks (required for 105mm gun)
2. 105mm gun
3. Turret
4. Engine #2
5. Engine #3
6. Radio (optional)

Errata

@5:51: I meant the tier 7 IS not the tier 10 IS-7

Episode #19: T32 Review, 5k Damage Blocked FTW

I review the T32, a tier 8 American heavy tank, with a replay of a tier 8 El Halluf battle.

Stat line: Ace Tanker, 4.2k damage, 1.1k assisted damage, 2 kills, 5k blocked damage

In this battle, we have to overcome two notable issues:
1. the other team is stacked with tanks that can hull-down effectively, which is critical for the fighting in the northwest corner of this map
2. over half of my team is camping east or pushing south, leaving us thin northwest

For meaningful stretches of the battle, I’m able to hold my ground against multiple enemy tanks by using terrain and playing hull-down, and this enables us to overcome being outnumbered northwest.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ One of the strongest turrets at-tier in the game
+ Superb max gun depression (-10)
+ Excellent aim time (2.3 sec)
+ Excellent gold round (ACPR with 245mm pen)
+ Good front hull armor, which can be further protected with hull angling
+ Good speed
– Lackluster silver penetration (198)
– Slow reverse speed, which can be problematic versus arty

Episode #20: M103 Review, Recovering From a Poor Start

I review the M103, a tier 9 American heavy tank, with a replay of a tier 9 Westfield battle.

Stat line: Ace Tanker, 4.9k damage, 4 kills

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Tier 10 penetration (258)
+ Excellent max gun depression (-8)
+ Excellent aim time (2.3 sec)
+ Solid accuracy
+ Solid turret armor
+ Solid upper front hull armor
– Obvious weak spots (cupola, lower front glacis, side hull armor)
– Turret loses effective armor quickly when it’s not pointed directly at incoming fire
– Slow reverse speed

The M103 has excellent gun handling for a heavy tank but possesses obvious weak spots, so managing these two characteristics is key for effective M103 gameplay.

Comments

1. recommended upgrade order: 2nd gun (T112) → 2nd turret → top gun (M58) → 2nd engine. Skip the tracks and radio unless you plan on keeping the tank
2. the M58 gun is a meaningful upgrade from the T112: 0.3 sec faster aim time, 0.37 vs 0.40 accuracy, and 16 extra penetration. These 3 things combined make the upgrade definitely worth it
3. as with most tanks, you want to run with VStab and Rammer as equipment. The 3rd equipment piece depends on which gun you have mounted. When using the 2nd gun (T122), I recommend using GLD to help bring down the 2.6 sec aim time. When using the top gun (M58), I run with Coated Optics to strengthen the good 390m view range

Errata

• in the garage my Commander has Recon as his 3rd skill, but I accidentally selected that over Situational Awareness, which is slightly better (+3% view range versus +2%)

Episode #21: M103 Review, Creating Isolations When Outnumbered

We take a second look at the M103, the tier 9 American heavy tank, with a replay of a tier 9 Himmelsdorf battle.

Stat line: Ace Tanker, 5.4k damage, 7 kills, 2.6k blocked

I make several consecutive critical decisions that help our team pull out a victory, despite our being outnumbered and the other team having map control.

Key Takeaways

1. IMO 80% of the time when a team tries to cap (or calls for it in chat), it’s tactically the wrong thing to do, because either it won’t be possible to reach 100 points (e.g. the map is too small as is the case in most city battles, or cappers are very exposed to resets), or the better thing to do when you have a meaningful numbers advantage is to continue flanking the enemy.

I’m not saying you should never cap. Obviously if they are wrecking your team on the other side of the map, sometimes a miracle cap is the only way to win. Capping can put pressure on the opposing team or provide insurance.

It’s noteworthy that the WN crew found a correlation between defense points and win rate, which is why it’s included in the WN8 formula, but not between cap points and win rate.

2. on the flip side, if your team is losing and the opposing team is capping, often the best thing to do is defend your base, instead of continuing to push forward toward their base. This will take any of their base campers out of the fight and allow you to crush their isolated cappers.

Comments / Errata

a. the opposing Tiger I in tank alley was firing HE at me, which makes no mechanical sense.

HE only provides value in 3 situations: to destroy buildings, for higher damage on targets without meaningful armor such as Waffentrager TDs and American arties, and to finish off low-HP tanks that have strong armor (e.g. hull-down IS-7).

Episode #22: T110E5 Review, 9.7k Damage and 9 Kills

I review the T110E5, a tier 10 American heavy tank, with a replay of a Lakeville battle.

Stat line: Ace Tanker, 9.7k damage, 9 kills, 4.3k blocked, 1.2k spotted

This was a razor-close battle where the margin of victory was a mere 111 HP!

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb aim time (2 sec)
+ Excellent max gun depression (-8)
+ Good accuracy (0.35 base)
+ Good DPM due to fast reload time (10 sec)
+ Solid turret armor
+ Solid upper front hull armor
+ Solid mobility
– Cupola is a large weak spot and limits hull-down capability
– Soft lower front glacis
– Low alpha damage relative to other heavies
– Slow reverse speed

Comments

1. I run double repair kit with the E5, as I did with the M103. The small repair kit is mapped to the “5” key, so I can hit “5-5” to quickly repair damaged tracks. The nice thing about having the premium repair kit is that it provides a passive bonus. While not having a fire extinguisher entails risk, in my E5 and M103 I’ve been set on fire about once every 90 battles, so it’s an acceptable risk to me. You can minimize the likelihood of being set on fire by not letting tanks get shots on the rear of your tank
2. I recommend Optics over Vents as the 3rd equipment piece, as vision control is critical in mid-to-late game situations. The other two equipment pieces are the standard combo of VStab and Rammer
3. Once we cleared west, notice that some (dead) friendlies starting calling for us to cap. In a situation where your side is outnumbered, generally the better choice is to defend base. Had our T-34-2 gone to their cap, he would have been easily reset and wrecked. He defended with us, and spotted their E5 trying to flank in valley, and this was valuable intel

Episode #23: AMX 13 90 Review, Completing LT-15 in Prokhorovka / Fiery Salient

I review the AMX 13 90, a tier 8 French light tank, with a replay of a tier 9 Fiery Salient (Prokhorovka) battle.

Stat line: Ace Tanker, 3.2k damage, 2.9k assisted damage, 8 spots, 2 kills

I discuss how to complete LT-15, the light tank mission that requires 4k+ damage contribution, which is the sum of direct damage and assisted damage. IMO the most consistent way to reach 4k+ is spotting from hill, because unlike passive scouting on the 1/2 lines, you can fire on tanks and then retreat behind hard cover.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Excellent camouflage
+ Excellent gold round (ACPR with 248 pen)
+ Good burst damage (1440) in a full clip
– Poor accuracy (0.38 base)
– Poor gun handling on-the-move
– Long clip reload (38 seconds with Vents)
– Thin armor (40mm) is vulnerable to HE and is often triple-overmatched by AP, which means ricochets are unlikely
– Poor gun depression and rear mounted turret limit hill-fighting capability
– Small crew (3) hampers skill acquisition

Comments

1. it’s important to stay out of the line of fire when enemy tanks are shooting at your friendlies. E.g. at 3:49, the enemy T-54’s shell passes within a few meters of my hull, so I move up the hill a bit and point my hull towards the T-54 to make my profile smaller. By the same token, I stay away from the friendly AMX 50 100, who repeatedly exposes himself to spotting and enemy fire

Episode #24: AMX 12t Review, Earning 3 Marks of Excellence

I review the AMX 12t, a tier 6 French light tank, with footage from tier 8 and tier 9 battles.

Prior to driving the 12t, I expected it to suck. However, after playing the 12t I realized that it’s misplayed by many drivers, just as I found with the ELC AMX and the M103.

My stats after 161 solopub battles with silver ammo only: 59% win rate, 1068 dpg, 2.1 spg, 1.2 kpg, 3 marks of excellence.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Excellent camouflage
+ Good burst damage (800 HP) for a full clip
+ Fast clip reload (20 seconds)
+ Solid accuracy (0.36)
+ Solid silver penetration (144) relative to its peers
+ Excellent gold penetration (202)
– Very sluggish acceleration limits active scouting and ability to escape
– Easy to run out of ammo given low ammo capacity (30), high rate-of-fire, and fast clip reload
– Poor gun handling on-the-move
– Weak armor
– Very poor gun depression (-4) and rear mounted turret limit hill-fighting capability
– Mediocre gun elevation (+12)
– Small crew (3) hampers skill acquisition

Episode #25: AMX 13 90 Review, 9.3k Contribution in Tier 10 Malinovka

We take a second look at the AMX 13 90, the tier 8 French light tank, with a replay of a tier 10 Malinovka battle.

Stat line: Ace Tanker, 3.6k damage, 5.7k spotted, 2 spots, 1 kill

This video is “A Tale of Seven Light Tanks” because it provides clear examples of what a light tank driver should and shouldn’t do. My damage contribution of 9.3k was multiples of the other 6 light tanks combined, simply because I played my tank correctly based on light tank mechanics and the map design.

Errata

• 0:11 I meant tier 10 “Malinovka” not “Murovanka” in the narration

Episode #26: M24 Chaffee Review, 2688 XP Carry in Tier 8 Malinovka

We review the M24 Chaffee, a tier 5 American light tank, with a replay of a tier 8 Malinovka battle. We also discuss spotting on a weak flank with a replay of a tier 7 Live Oaks battle.

Stat line: Ace Tanker, 2688 XP (1792 base), 2.5k damage, 2.2k spotted, 8 spots, 4 kills

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb gun handling, even on-the-move
+ Superb max gun depression (-10)
+ Excellent top speed and agility
+ Excellent view range (390m) and vision control
+ Excellent DPM
+ Good accuracy (0.36)
– Paper-thin hull armor (25mm) is vulnerable to HE and is often triple-overmatched by AP, which means ricochets are unlikely
– Soft turret
– Large profile for a light tank
– Silver ammo penetration of 96 is lackluster

Similar to Episode 25 (AMX 13 90 in Tier 10 Malinovka), I initially scout from the E7 location, as it provides hard and soft cover, and I’m able to spot tanks at C5, on the approach to the hill, on the hill, in the ditch under the hill, and across the water to the west. I flex south to counter-spot their Cromwell platoon which threatens our southern flank and arties.

In the Live Oaks replay, I discuss why there is little value in spotting a flank when you are isolated. You won’t be able to meaningfully delay the enemy tanks pushing that flank so that your arty can fire on them. A common mistake by light tank drivers is to over-extend and spot when isolated, and in both situations the light tank often gets wrecked. Spotting is most effective when you’re doing it in such a way that friendly tank(s) aside from arty can fire on what you light, and where you have cover and an escape route.

Episode #27: Lorraine 40t Review, 9-Kill Carry in Mountain Pass

I review the Lorraine 40t, a tier 9 French medium tank, with a replay of a tier 9 Mountain Pass battle.

Stat line: Ace Tanker, 4.5k damage, 9 kills, 100 cap points

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Excellent top speed
+ Excellent acceleration
+ Excellent max gun depression (-8)
+ Good burst damage (1800 in ~14 seconds)
– Huge profile
– Paper-thin hull armor (40mm) is vulnerable to HE and is often triple-overmatched by AP, which means ricochets are unlikely
– Long clip reload time (~39 sec)
– Long aim time (3 sec) is higher than intra-clip reload time
– Below-average alpha (300) compared to tier 9 autoloaders
– Small crew (3) hampers skill acquisition

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. VStab
3. GLD (or Vents)

Optics is useful for out-spotting opponents, especially in late-game situations so that you have the first-shot advantage.

I prefer GLD over Vents as the base aim time is comparable to heavy tanks, and that is problematic for a tank that is an autoloader and has paper-thin armor.

Other Comments

1. Gauntlets was the linchpin in our victory. Check out his replay
2. while platooning with skilled players makes it easier to win in any tank, the Lorr 40t disproportionately benefits from platooning as it needs support to cover it during the long clip reloads. Many people have complained to me about this tank, so my simple advice is to platoon with friends

Episode #28: E25 Review, 4k Damage and 8 Spots Gameplay

I review the E25, a tier 7 German premium tank destroyer, with a replay of a tier 8 Fisherman’s Bay battle.

Stat line: Ace Tanker, 4k damage, 8 spots, 3 kills

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb DPM (2700)
+ Superb accuracy (0.3)
+ Superb aim time (1.5)
+ Superb camouflage values
+ Excellent top speed
+ Excellent acceleration
+ Good view range (360)
+ Small profile
+ High rate of fire creates lots of opportunities for module and crew damage
+ Preferential matchmaking – never sees tier 9 tanks
– Low alpha per shot (135)
– Armor is relatively weak (but just high enough so that HE doesn’t consistently penetrate)

The term “overpowered” tends to get thrown around a lot in online games, but the E-25 is truly an overpowered tank when played correctly, given how meaningfully the strengths outweigh the weaknesses.

It’s also an excellent money maker.

Recommended Equipment

1. Rammer
2. Optics
3. Vents

Aim-time reducing equipment is not needed given the excellent base aim time and high accuracy. While most sniping TDs get more benefit out of Binocs over Optics, the E25 is a good mobile spotter due to its view range and camouflage, so I favor Optics on it.

Episode #29: E25 Review, Retreating and Counter-attacking Tactics

I demonstrate when to retreat on a flank that is folding and how to counter-attack to recover and win that flank, with tier 8 replays of the E25 in Murovanka and Erlenberg.

I discuss reading game flow to anticipate when a flank is going to fold and how to take advantage of opponents who over-confidently push that flank by leveraging the E25’s superb vision control and highly accurate buzzsaw gun.

Episode #30: T37 Review, 3.6k Damage and 7 Kills Gameplay

We review the T37, a tier 6 American light tank, with a replay of a tier 7 Erlenberg battle.

Stat line: Ace Tanker, 2614 XP (1743 base), 3.6k damage, 7 kills, 4 spots

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Excellent silver penetration (150)
+ Excellent gun handling, even on-the-move
+ Excellent max gun depression (-9)
+ Good HP pool (680)
+ Good view range (385m) and vision control
+ Good top speed and agility
+ Good DPM
– Paper-thin hull armor (25.4mm) is vulnerable to HE and is often overmatched by AP shells of even tier 6 tanks, which means ricochets are unlikely
– Soft turret
– Huge profile

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. VStab
3. Rammer

The T37 is a popular tank for tier 6 strongholds and leads to the awesome M41 Bulldog.

Episode #31: Bat.-Châtillon 25 t Review, Flanking and Spanking in Cliff

I review the Bat Chat 25 t, a tier 10 French medium tank, with a replay of a Cliff battle.

Stat line: Ace Tanker, 5.4k damage, 8 kills, 2 spots

The Bat Chat has strong scouting capability and can carry games if the driver carefully conserves HP. It is the classic example of a tank that has a high ceiling and low floor, i.e. Bat Chat performance is highly dependent on the driver.

It is one of only two tanks where I have been able to average over both 2 kills and 2 spots per game over 100+ battles, and that speaks to the strengths of the tank.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Excellent top speed
+ Excellent acceleration
+ Excellent camouflage
+ Excellent burst damage per clip (1950)
+ Small profile
– Long clip reload (~38 sec)
– Poor accuracy (0.38)
– Long aim time (2.7)
– Paper-thin armor
– Relatively low hull traverse for a light-armored medium
– Mediocre gun depression (-6) and rear-mounted turret limit hill-fighting capability
– Small crew (3) hampers skill acquisition

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. VStab
3. GLD or Vents (I prefer GLD to improve gun handling)

Episode #32: Guide to Platoon Tactics

Have you ever wondered how Unicum platoons carry?

Today we review four of my favorite Unicum platoon tactics to wreck the enemy:
1. create 2v1 isolations
2. pinch your foes
3. set over / unders (overwatch)
4. distract FTW

Ofttimes, players in a platoon choose identical lanes and fields of fire (aka “wolf-packing”). Beyond that, Unicums use complementary positioning and setup different angles of fire to gain tactical advantage and map control.

I’ve wanted to do this video for ages, so I finally went through my saved replays to pull together good examples of platoon tactics. I hope you enjoy it!

Please let me know what platoon tactics you use that I didn’t include in the video.

Episode #33: Luchs Review, Playing the Long Game When Bottom Tier

I review the Luchs, a tier 4 German light tank, with a replay of a tier 7 Tundra battle.

Stat line: Ace Tanker, 1.4k damage, 3 kills, 2 spots

The Luchs is an incredibly mobile burst damage dealer, but the player needs to manage the autocannon carefully. By applying the tactics discussed in this guide, I averaged a 4k WN8 and 70% win rate through 100 solo battles with silver ammo only.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb turning radius
+ Excellent burst damage per clip (300)
+ Excellent top speed
+ Good silver ammo penetration relative to its peers
+ Good acceleration
+ Good camouflage
+ Good frontal gun depression of -8, goes up to -10 on the sides
– Long clip reload (~16 sec)
– Very poor accuracy (0.50)
– Gun handling is poor, lots of reticle bloom on movement
– Very susceptible to being tracked
– Somewhat large profile for a light tank

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. GLD
3. Vents: the best of the remaining options, given that the tank can’t mount a Rammer and it’s an excellent active scout so Binocs and Camo Net don’t provide as much value

Errata

1. Reload for the autocannon is ~16 sec not 20 sec
2. Per fstd on Reddit: VERY important thing that [Taugrim] neglected to mention: The 30mm cannon has a limited range, the shells just disappear after about 420m IIRC (you can see the exact range in-game if you right click on the gun). XVM users can set it up to provide you with a circle that indicates this range. The gun isn’t just bad at sniping – it is quite literally incapable of it. Don’t even bother shooting at stuff outside of view range, because the gun’s range is definitely less than 445m

Episode #34: SP1C Review, Why Defending Correlates With Winning

I review the SP I C, a tier 7 German light tank, with a replay of a tier 8 Winterberg battle.

Stat line: Ave Tanker, 4.2k damage, 4 kills, 3 spots, 100 defense points

In this guide, I discuss the unique playstyle of the SPIC due to its limited active scouting capability and its superb 3-shell autoloader.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Excellent silver AP penetration (180)
+ Excellent burst damage (720 in 6 seconds)
+ Excellent gun depression (-10)
+ Very manageable clip reload time (~17 sec) with Rammer equipped
+ Solid gun handling for an autoloader
+ Good top speed
– Lacks acceleration / agility to actively scout safely
– Paper thin armor, very susceptible to overmatch and HE damage
– Prone to ramming damage due to extremely light weight
– Slow AP shell velocity

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. Rammer
3. Vents

Per VBAddict, most Unicums select Vents over VStab as the 3rd equipment, probably due to the 3-sec intra-clip reload, decent gun handling (for an autoloader), and the fact that as a light tank you should often have the 1st-shot advantage. I’ve tried both and favor Vents.

In this battle I ran with double repair kits, but after getting set on fire 4 times in 80 battles, I switched one of those kits to a fire extinguisher.

Episode #35: T49 Review, 1st-Shot Opportunities for Max Derpage

I review the T49, a tier 8 American light tank, with a replay of a tier 10 Lakeville battle.

Stat line: Ace Tanker, 2.9 damage, 4.1k spotted damage

The T49 is a tank many players struggle with due to its very poor gun handling and low accuracy with the 152mm “derp” gun. That said, T49 drivers can leverage the tank’s speed and vision control to create first-shot opportunities to mitigate the long aim time.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb max gun depression (-10)
+ HE rounds are devastating against weakly-armored targets and can damage even strongly armored targets
+ HE rounds often inflict crew and module damage
+ Solid mobility / agility
– Very poor accuracy (0.60)
– Glacial aim time (3.6s)
– Long reload (~19-20s)
– Large profile relative to its peers

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. Rammer
3. VStab

Vents is a viable option over Optics if you stack crew bonuses (BIA, Vents, Food). I haven’t tried Vents yet as my crew isn’t ready for BIA.

I don’t recommend GLD as the gun handling is still poor even with it, and you’d have to give up Rammer or Optics. The tradeoff simply isn’t worth it.

Episode #36: T71 DA Review, Managing a Poor Team Deployment

I review the T71 DA, a tier 7 American light tank, with replays of tier 8 Fisherman’s Bay and Airfield battles.

Stat line: Ace Tanker, 3k damage, 2k spotting damage, 4 kills

I picked up the T71 DA for the first time with patch 0.9.18. It combines good scouting ability with an excellent autoloader. The playstyle fits me like a glove and it’s one of my favorite tanks in the game!

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Very manageable clip reload of ~19 seconds
+ Excellent burst damage (900 in 10 seconds)
+ Excellent view range (390)
+ Excellent shell velocity (1219 m/s)
+ Good acceleration and speed
+ Good gun depression (-7) for an autoloader
– Slightly tall profile
– Squishy
– Below average accuracy (0.39 base)

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. VStab
3. Vents

Episode #37: Type 59 Review, Playing From a Position of Strength

I review the Type 59, a tier 8 Chinese premium medium tank, with a replay of a tier 9 Highway battle.

Last month I won a Type 59 from the WGLNA Scavenger Hunt. I was eager to try this tank based on its controversial reputation. After 190 battles (58% WR, 2.7k WN8), in my opinion the Type 59 is solid in the current meta but is no longer overpowered. For those of you who don’t own the Type 59, don’t sweat it – power creep has caught up to it.

UPDATE (Patch 9.20): the Type 59 was meaningfully buffed, as the ammo capacity was increased from 34 to 50 and the aim time was reduced from 2.9s to 2.3s.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb turret protection, weak spots are very small
+ Excellent credit earner
+ Good gun depression (-7), unusual for a Chinese medium, which marries well with the turret and frontal hull protection
+ Frontal hull armor offers ~165mm of effective armor, even more when angled, and this is solid protection against tier 6 and 7 tanks
– Poor accuracy (0.39)
– Agility and acceleration are mediocre
– Low DPM compared to other tier 8 mediums

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. VStab
3. Rammer

Errata

1. I erroneously referred to the T95 as “Type 95”

Viewers have asked me to review various premium tanks that I don’t have in my garage. If you’re feeling generous and want to gift me a premium tank, let me know and in most cases I’ll be happy to review it.

Episode #38: Thunderbolt Review, Bullying Same-Tier Opponents

I review the M4A3E8 Thunderbolt, a tier 6 American premium medium tank, with replays of tier 8 Windstorm and tier 6 Sacred Valley battles.

The Thunderbolt continues Wargaming’s recent trend of releasing premiums that are mechanically superior to non-premium peers. The Thunderbolt also comes with a fully-trained crew with “zero-skill” Brother in Arms, so you not only get BIA immediately but that BIA doesn’t affect the progression of additional skills.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb frontal hull armor (~155), better than most same-tier heavies, let alone mediums
+ Superb gun depression (-10)
+ Excellent turret armor
+ Excellent gun handling, especially with VStab
– Lackluster acceleration
– Low silver penetration (128)
– Low alpha damage (115)
– Tall profile

Is it worth it? The tank’s strengths allow for a very comfortable playstyle. You can hull-down or you can brawl with hull angling while bleeding your opponents to death.

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. Rammer
3. VStab

Viewers have asked me to review various premium tanks that I don’t have in my garage. If you’re feeling generous and want to gift me a premium tank, let me know and in most cases I’ll be happy to review it.

Episode #39: M4A1 Revalorisé Review, When to Snipe vs Push

I review the M4A1 Revalorise aka “Ravioli”, a tier 8 French premium medium tank, with replays of tier 10 Malinovka and Tundra battles.

Is it worth it? I think so. The Ravioli is a fun tank to play due to its gun characteristics. As a tier 8 premium, it’s an excellent credit earner. The Ravioli is purchasable at any time as it’s part of the French tech tree.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb alpha damage (390)
+ APCR as silver ammo with very high shell velocity
+ Superb max gun depression (-10)
+ Excellent gun handling
+ Excellent accuracy (0.35)
+ Good view range (390m)
– Squishy
– Large profile
– Low top-end speed (40 km)
– Sluggish acceleration
– Poor hull traverse, circling an opponent ain’t happening
– Long reload time (12.8 sec base)
– Poor camouflage values (~24 with Concealment, BIA, and Food)

The Ravioli is a “finesse” tank but it fills its role effectively.

Recommended Equipment

1. Rammer
2. VStab
3. Optics

Some Unicums favor Vents over Optics but as you probably know from my prior videos, I place high value on vision control for lights and mediums.

Viewers have asked me to review various premium tanks that I don’t have in my garage. If you’re feeling generous and want to gift me a premium tank, let me know and in most cases I’ll be happy to review it.

Episode #40: Ranked Battles Review, Getting to Rank 5+

I review Ranked Battles with replays of three Rank 4-5 battles.

I’ve reached Rank 6 in Stage 1 and in Stage 2 of Season 1, playing exclusively in the Bat Chat. Ranked has been a steep learning curve for me as I have no experience with Clan Wars (CW), and many CW concepts are applicable in this game mode, e.g. coordinated pushes, counter-spotting, etc.

My performance significantly improved between Stage 1 and Stage 2, so I’m excited to share what I’ve learned with you.

Stats after 2 Stages
– 12 Rank Points: #331 on NA leaderboard (top 4%)
– 67% Ranked Battle Efficiency
– 58% Win Rate
– 103 Battles in the Bat Chat
– Averages: 2012 damage, 793 spotted, 2.25 spots, 1.31 kills (100% silver ammo)

Ranked Battles has been a lot of fun overall as it’s the most competitive context I’ve experienced in WoT. The players at Ranks 4-5 are quite skilled and this makes for high-quality gameplay. I love that the mode is solo queue so that premades can’t drive outcomes.

I discuss several issues with Ranked Battles, including:
1. the current reward system incentivizes selfish play instead of the shared goal of a team win
2. no risk of de-ranking at Rank 5, so players who attain Rank 5 can spam battles to farm Rating Points. Therefore the leaderboard is influenced not only by skill but also by number of battles played. The mode would benefit from a standard ELO implementation where your rank can be impacted by each match based on the outcome / your performance
3. some tanks and classes (notably heavies) struggle to perform without heavy premium ammo usage. This makes the mode a significant credit sink for many participants

Re: #2 above, Ranks from 5 and up should be an achievement, e.g. similar to 3-marking a tank in WoT, but every battle needs to carry de-rank risk for your current rank.

Let me know how your experience has been with Ranked Battles.

Episode #41: Guide to Light Tanks

Light tanks have the highest “skill cap” of any class, as they are fragile, possess relatively weak guns, and have enough mobility to get the driver into trouble.

In this in-depth guide, we review common mistakes and break down effective tactics to help you understand how to play light tanks correctly.

What Bad Looks Like

1. Suiscouting / charging recklessly
2. Spawn camping
3. Spotting in areas where spotting can be done by anyone else
4. Overexposing your tank
5. Dumb brawling / poor trading

What Good Looks Like

1. Active scouting smartly
2. Getting early spots + damage
3. Leveraging intervening soft cover
4. Exploiting low-risk opportunities
5. Knowing when to flank
6. Knowing when to back off / run away
7. Keeping your cool when you have support
8. Beware of friendlies who’ll get you killed
9. Playing with low HP

Recommended UI Options

1. Settings → General → Enable Expanded Minimap Features → Always: this tracks the last spotted location for every enemy tank
2. Settings → General → View range indicators on the Minimap: check all 3 checkboxes. The first shows the view range circle, which is how far your tank can spot. Note that doesn’t account for enemy camo. The second checkbox shows the max distance (445m) that any tank can theoretically spot. The third checkbox shows the max distance that you will render tanks that have been spotted by an ally

Recommended Equipment

1. For the vast majority of light tanks (aside from the ELC AMX), use Coated Optics
2. For the other 2 slots, typically you want one for gun handling (VStab or GLD) and the other for reload (Rammer). For autoloaders that can’t mount Rammer, go with Vents
3. For light tanks around tier 5 that can’t get to 445m view range with Optics and Situational Awareness, I have been experimenting with replacing Rammer with Binocs and having good results. This would be regarded as a controversial choice by other Unicums and I want to emphasize that I do this to help out-spot higher-tier tanks, not to sit stationary and be passive for long stretches of time

P.S. this video was something I’ve wanted to do for a couple years – light tank gameplay is so nuanced – but I knew it would be a TON of work so I kept putting it off. It took several months to collect and catalogue the illustrative footage in the video, so I hope you find it helpful. I’m so relieved to finish it :)

Episode #42: Škoda T 50 Review, The Epic Carry Machine

I review the Škoda T 50, a tier 9 Czech medium tank, with replays of tier 10 Serene Coast and tier 10 Swamp battles.

The Skoda T50 is capable of epic carries due to the combination of a superb autoloader gun and solid mobility. That said, the Skoda T50 is squishy and requires finesse to be effective.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb compact burst damage (960 damage in 3.6 sec)
+ Excellent max gun depression (-8)
+ Excellent gun handling
+ Good accuracy (0.35)
+ Good acceleration
+ Manageable clip reload (21 sec)
– Weak armor
– Large profile
– Top speed (50 km) is somewhat low relative to its peers
– Mediocre hull traverse
– Relatively low camouflage (~24 with Concealment and BIA)

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. VStab
3. Vents

Episode #43: Škoda T 25 Review, Why Ice Road/Valley/Beach Suck

I review the Škoda T 25, a tier 6 Czech medium tank, with a replay of a tier 8 Mountain Pass battle.

The Skoda T25 is a fun tier 6 tank with it’s combination of speed, gun depression, and a compact burst autoloader. The Skoda T25 is a good tank to play to figure out whether you’d enjoy the Skoda T50, which I reviewed in Episode #42.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb max gun depression (-10)
+ Excellent compact burst damage (330 damage in 2.67 sec)
+ Excellent top end speed (60 kph)
+ Excellent acceleration
+ Fast clip reload (~7.7 seconds)
+ Good gun handling
– Very large and tall profile, especially the turret
– Paper armor everywhere
– Low turret traverse
– Low hull traverse
– Low single-shot alpha (110)
– Low silver penetration (132)

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. GLD
3. Vents

Episode #44: T-34/100 and TVP VTU Review, Dealing With Poor Gun Depression

I review the T-34/100 and TVP VTU, the tier 7 and 8 Czechoslovakian medium tanks, with replays of tier 8 Overlord and Tier 9 Live Oaks battles.

Many players find these tanks difficult to play due to the combination of weak armor and poor gun depression, so I discuss how to manage those deficiencies. I found the T-34/100 to be quite functional but the TVP VTU was miserable. That said, the Skoda T50 is amazing so grinding through those tanks is worth it.

T-34/100 Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Excellent silver penetration (175)
+ Excellent top speed
+ Excellent alpha (250)
– Weak hull armor
– Weak turret armor
– Very poor max gun depression (-5)

T-34/100 Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. Rammer
3. GLD

TVP VTU Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Decent selection of guns
– Large profile
– Very weak hull armor
– Very weak turret armor
– Poor max gun depression (-6)
– Limited top end speed (50) – common with tier 8 meds, but it’s a big issue against the faster tier 8-10 tanks

TVP VTU Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. VStab
3. Rammer

Episode #45: Strv 103-0 Review, Bouncing AP Shells Like a Boss

I review the Strv 103-0, a tier 9 Swedish TD, with a replay of a tier 9 Westfield battle.

The Strv 103 is the gem of the Swedish tank destroyer line. It combines terrific firepower, mobility, and highly-angled frontal armor.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Amazing camouflage (~48 with Concealment, BIA, Vents)
+ Superb frontal protection against AP shells of 120mm caliber or less
+ Superb max gun depression (-11)
+ Superb silver penetration (308mm)
+ Superb accuracy in siege mode (0.30)
+ Superb silver shell velocity (1500 m/s)
+ Superb reverse speed (45 kph)
+ Excellent DPM
+ Excellent forward speed (50 kph)
+ Only frontal weak spot against AP is small cupola
+ Very low chance of fire (10%)
– Transitioning between Siege and Travel modes leaves the TD temporarily unable to take action
– Unable to aim gun when tracked
– Very low HP (1500)
– Side hull armor is very thin (30mm) and easily overmatched
– Vulnerable to HE shells due to thin armor (40/30/30)
– Highly-sloped but thin frontal armor vulnerable to HEAT, as HEAT won’t ricochet unless the impact angle exceeds 85 degrees
– Low caliber gun (105mm) for a TD, limits overmatch
– Lack of a turret hampers fighting around buildings and rocks

Recommended Equipment

1. Rammer
2. Binocs
3. Vents (for brawling/DPM) or Camo Net (for camo sniping)

I favor Vents over Camo Net, as that supports a more aggressive and flexible style of play.

Episode #46: AMX 30 1er prototype Review, Dealing With Poor Team Deployments

I review the AMX 30 1er prototype, a tier 9 French medium tank, with replays of tier 10 El Halluf and Steppes battles. We also discuss how to deal with poor team deployments.

With the recent buffs to its turret armor, the AMX 30 offers an extremely fast, brawly, and enjoyable playstyle.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb reload (6.9s) provides high DPM (2691 base)
+ Superb top speed (65 kph)
+ Excellent gun depression (-8)
+ Excellent acceleration
+ Good alpha (390)
+ Good frontal turret armor
– Somewhat derpy accuracy / gun handling
– Soft hull armor
– Relatively large cupola on the turret is a weak spot

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. VStab
3. Rammer

Episode #47: Pz IV H Review, Ode to Derp Gun

I review the Pz IV H, a tier 5 German medium tank, with replays of tier 7 Malinovka and tier 6 Abbey battles.

The Pz IV H is famous for its powerful 10.5cm derp gun, which with HE ammo is capable of 1-shotting opponents and outputting good DPM.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb gun depression (-10)
+ Superb HE alpha (410)
+ For a derp gun, fast aim time (2.3 sec base)
+ For a derp gun, very fast reload (8 sec base)
+ HE penetration is high enough (53) to penetrate soft opponents frontally
+ Good HP pool (480)
+ Spaced armor provides protection against HE/HEAT
+ High ammo capacity (59)
– Limited top speed (40)
– Mediocre agility
– Weak turret armor, which offsets some of the benefit of the decent hull armor
– Somewhat tall profile

Recommended Equipment

1. Rammer
2. Optics
3. Vents

You can slot GLD instead of Vents, but I find that the faster aim time isn’t as valuable as the all-around benefits of Vents, given that the Pz IV H just needs to land anywhere on a target to damage it, and the aim time for a derp gun is quite manageable.

Episode #48: Bat.-Châtillon 12 t Review, Earning 3 Marks of Excellence

I review the Bat.-Châtillon 12 t, a tier 8 French light tank, with replays of tier 10 Steppes and tier 8 Redshire battles.

The Bat Chatillon 12t is the ultimate finesse tank. Its autoloader can deal 680 damage in 6 seconds, but it often faces tier 9-10 opponents with large HP pools, so you have to pick your spots carefully and avoid trading as much as possible.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb camouflage (~37 with Concealment and BIA)
+ Good top speed (68)
+ Good gun handling for an autoloader
+ Relatively small size
– Poor gun depression (-6)
– Poor gun elevation (+13)
– Low view range (380 base), requires Optics + Vents + BIA + 58% Situational Awareness to get to 445m
– Low HP (1000)

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. VStab
3. Vents

Episode #49: AMX 13 105 Review, Underpowered But Still Fun

I review the AMX 13 105, a tier 10 French light tank, with replays of Siegfried Line and Steppes battles.

The AMX 13 105 combines a hard-hitting, inaccurate autoloader with light tank mechanics (always-on camouflage). The tank can be fun and frustrating in the same battle. I hope that Wargaming improves its gun accuracy and reduces its terrain resistances, as the tank is currently underpowered.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Excellent frontal gun depression (-8)
+ Excellent alpha (390)
+ Excellent camouflage (~37 with Concealment and BIA)
+ Manageable clip size (3)
+ Good top speed (68)
– Very poor accuracy (0.42), much worse than the tier 7-9 French lights (0.38)
– Turns very slowly for a light tank due to high terrain resistances
– Poor gun elevation (+12)
– Relative to other tier 10s, low view range (390)
– As with all tier 10 lights, suffers from high penetration loss over distance

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. VStab
3. Vents

Episode #50: T30 Review, Glorious 750 Alpha

I review the T30, a tier 9 American TD, with replays of tier 9 Abbey and tier 10 Swamp battles.

The T30 meets the standard of “American comfort” with its effective hull-down capability and packs big punch with 750 alpha. That said, the gun handling, low DPM, and lack of mobility require the driver to anticipate situations.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb gun depression (-10)
+ Excellent alpha (750)
+ Solid turret protection
+ Turreted, whereas the majority of its peers lack a turret
+ High caliber gun (155mm) provides overmatch opportunities on squishy tanks
– Lowest DPM of its peers, due to long reload
– Relatively poor gun handling
– Relatively poor camo (~20 with Concealment BIA)
– Hull armor can’t be relied on
– Relatively poor mobility, struggles to flex

Recommended Equipment

1. Rammer
2. Vents
3. GLD

Episode #51: Type 64 Review, Totally Worth It

I review the Type 64, a tier 6 Chinese premium light tank, with replays of tier 8 Paris and tier 7 Erlenberg battles.

The Type 64 is widely regarded as one of the best premium tanks of any tier, because it is overpowered relative to its peers and is a fun, comfortable tank to drive. If you’re looking for a mid-tier premium to buy, I highly recommend the Type 64 as it is always available for purchase and is relatively inexpensive (3500 gold).

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb view range (390m base)
+ Superb gun depression (-10)
+ Superb DPM (2.1k base)
+ Superb top speed (70 kph)
– Low ammo capacity (45)
– Sluggish acceleration
– Paper thin armor, even for a light tank

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. VStab
3. Rammer

Episode #52: LTTB Review, Methodically Using Vision and Speed

I review the LTTB, a tier 8 Russian light tank, with a replay of a tier 10 Airfield battle.

The LTTB is popular among Russian light tank fans, as it combines excellent mobility with functional hull and turret armor.

While the armor can’t be relied upon to prevent AP penetration by tier 8-10 guns, you can bully lower tier lights and mediums, and the armor protects the LTTB from the triple-overmatch mechanic and lowers the probability of penetrations by HE. On the flipside, the LTTB has high HE alpha which is useful for countering other lights and squishy TDs.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Functional armor for a light tank, without meaningfully sacrificing mobility
+ Excellent turning speed
+ Good accuracy (0.36 base)
+ Good DPM relative to tech tree peers (2k base)
+ Good acceleration
+ High HE alpha (300)
+ Low chance of fire (12%), so you can run food without high risk
– Very poor max gun depression (-5)
– Occasional over-turning / fishtailing
– Low ammo capacity (42) can be an issue in long battles
– Somewhat tall profile
– Difficult to reach 445+m of view range without food due to lackluster view range (380m base), unless you have a very skilled crew

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. VStab
3. Rammer

Episode #53: Löwe Review, Contributing When Bottom Tier

I review the Löwe, a tier 8 German premium heavy tank, with replays of three tier 10 battles in Murovanka, Steppes, and Serene Coast.

The Löwe was underpowered prior to 9.17 but it received buffs to its gun depression, hull armor, and turret armor in 9.17. It is now a capable hull-down fighter thanks to the combination of frontal turret protection, superb max gun depression, and good gun handling. That said, the player needs to carefully manage the Lowe’s exposure, as the tank is slow and has a very soft lower front glacis.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb max gun depression (-10)
+ Superb accuracy (0.33 base)
+ Superb silver AP penetration (234)
+ Excellent frontal turret protection, and the cupola is small
+ Excellent view range (400)
+ Good gun handling
+ Side hull armor is thick enough (100m) for sidescraping
+ High AP shell velocity (1150)
– Very low DPM (1600 base)
– Lower front glacis is very soft (~140mm effective armor)
– Very sluggish acceleration
– Very slow hull traverse, turns like a whale
– Low top speed (35)
– Large profile

Recommended Equipment

1. Rammer
2. VStab
3. Vents

Episode #54: T-54 ltwt Review, Best Flanker in the Game?

I review the T-54 ltwt, a tier 9 Russian light tank, with replays of tier 9 Fjords and tier 10 Serene Coast battles.

The T-54 ltwt has just enough armor to bully lower-tier light and medium tanks, and it has the mobility to flank most heavies. It is one of the top 2 flanking tanks I’ve ever played; the other being the tier 10 T-100 LT.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Excellent top speed (69)
+ Excellent agility, especially given the tank has decent armor
+ Good turret protection
+ Upper hull (~145mm effective) can bounce shells from weaker guns
+ Low dispersion on-the-move
– Very poor gun depression (-5)
– Very poor accuracy (0.42)
– Relatively low silver AP penetration (208)

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. Rammer
3. VStab

Episode #55: Carrying a Losing Team in a Light Tank

I review two come-from-behind victories in the T-54 ltwt, with replays of tier 10 Steppes and tier 9 Erlenberg battles.

Viewers have often asked how to carry in a light tank when your team is not shooting what you spot and especially when your team is meaningfully losing. Some situations are uncarryable, but others are carryable if the driver of a light tank correctly leverages its mobility and vision control.

Episode #56: T-54 first prototype Review, Contributing When Bottom Tier

I review the T-54 first prototype, a tier 8 premium Russian medium tank, with a replay of a tier 10 Abbey battle.

The T-54 first prototype, also known as the T-54 mod 1, is one of the most well-rounded premium tanks at tier 8. Some players regard the tank as overpowered, but I think the limited top speed and AP penetration are meaningful balancing factors.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Excellent turret protection
+ Excellent upper hull armor (200+mm effective)
+ Excellent camo (over 33 with Concealment)
+ Excellent aim time (2.2s base)
+ Good acceleration
+ DPM (1875 base) is better than its peers
– Very low top speed (44)
– Low silver AP penetration (190)
– Low HP (1300)
– Low view range (380)

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. VStab
3. Rammer

Episode #57: M4 Sherman Review, Best Derp Tank in the Game!

I review the M4 Sherman, a tier 5 American medium tank, with replays of tier 6 Sand River and Highway battles.

The M4 Sherman is the best derp tank for its tier that I’ve played, thanks to its synergistic combination of superb view range, ability to fight hull-down, and good-enough mobility.

I consider the M4 Sherman to be meaningfully better than the Pz IV H, and this is reflected in my stats – I deal ~100 more damage and ~50 more spotting damage in the M4 Sherman relative to the Pz IV H, along with ~0.4 more spots – and that was with a less-skilled crew.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Amazing gun depression (-12)
+ Superb view range (370), as good as some tier 7 light tanks
+ Superb HE alpha (410)
+ HE penetration is high enough (53) to penetrate soft opponents frontally
+ Small turret with solid protection
+ Good top speed (48)
+ Good reload (9s base) for a derp gun
– Very tall profile
– Hull armor is unreliable

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. Rammer
3. Vents

Episode #58: Somua SM Review, Contributing When Bottom Tier

I review the Somua SM, a tier 8 French premium heavy tank, with replays of tier 10 Mannerheim Line and El Halluf battles.

The Somua SM is “worth it” in terms of purchasing, as it is an enjoyable and effective tank to play. It features a 5-shell autoloader and functional armor.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb gun depression (-10)
+ Excellent silver penetration (232)
+ Excellent intra-clip reload (2.25s)
+ Good upper hull armor (~210mm)
+ Good side hull armor (90mm) allows for hull angling to increase the upper hull to ~225mm effective
– Low top speed (37km/h)
– Sluggish acceleration
– Somewhat poor accuracy (0.4 base)
– Below average HP (1450)

Recommended Equipment

1. VStab
2. Vents
3. GLD

Episode #59: WZ-132 Review, How to Play Fisherman’s Bay in 1.0

I review the WZ-132, a tier 8 Chinese light tank, with replays of tier 9 Fisherman’s Bay and Mountain Pass battles.

The WZ-132 offers unusually good firepower for a light tank, but the poor gun depression and soft turret require the player to drive it carefully. There is a stereotype that the WZ-132 is a medium tank with always-on camo, but I think it should still be played as a light tank, albeit one that delivers some punch.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb silver penetration (189)
+ Excellent alpha (250)
+ Above average HP (1100)
+ Enough hull and turret armor to prevent overmatch frontally
– Very poor gun depression (-5)
– View range is underwhelming (380), can’t get to 445m without Vents or BIA
– Below average accuracy (0.4 base)
– Below average aim time (2.3s base)
– Below average top speed (64)

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. VStab
3. Vents (no BIA) or Rammer (with BIA)

Episode #60: WZ-132A Review, How to Play Fjords and Malinovka in 1.0

I review the WZ-132A, a tier 9 Chinese light tank, with replays of tier 10 Malinovka and Fjords battles.

I discuss how to spot correctly from the Malinovka north spawn in standard mode and the changes made in 1.0 to the middle of the Fjords map.

The WZ-132A continues the trend for Chinese light tanks of packing unusually good firepower for a light tank.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb alpha (320)
+ Superb silver penetration (220)
+ Enough hull and turret armor to prevent overmatch frontally
+ Gun caliber (100mm) enables overmatch against 30mm armor
– Very poor gun depression (-5)
– Poor accuracy (0.42 base)
– Below average top speed (64)
– Below average HP (1250)
– Mediocre view range (390), but enough to get to 445m without Vents or BIA
– High silver AP shell cost impacts profitability

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. VStab
3. Rammer

Episode #61: Progetto M35 mod 46 Review, Managing the Autoreloader

I review the Progetto M35 mod 46, a tier 8 Italian premium medium tank, with replays of an all-tier 8 Murovanka battle and tier 10 Lakeville battle.

The Progetto is “worth it” in terms of purchasing, because of the flexibility of the gun. Its autoreloader can fire multiple shots like an autoloader, but the shells reload one at a time. The fewer the shells remaining in the clip (magazine), the slower each shell reloads. Therefore, the key to effective Progetto gameplay is managing your reload times, and I discuss this in-depth in the video. In addition, the gun handling is unusually good, especially compared to most autoloaders.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Flexibility: gun can behave as an autoloader or single shooter
+ Superb accuracy (0.33)
+ Excellent gun depression (-9)
+ Excellent intra-clip reload (2s)
+ Excellent aim time (2.1s)
+ Excellent top speed (55)
+ Good silver penetration (212)
– Soft turret
– Soft hull armor
– Poor camouflage values
– Requires some micromanagement of reload times for optimal play

Recommended Equipment

1. Rammer
2. Optics
3. VStab

Episode #62: Lorraine 40t Review, How to Correctly Play Squishy Autoloaders

I review the Lorraine 40t, a tier 8 French premium medium tank, with replays of tier 10 Siegfried Line and Tundra battles.

I also discuss how to correctly play autoloaders that have poor armor. Autoloaders are powerful in late-game situations, but to carry late you have to manage your HP carefully through the early-to-mid phases while still keeping your gun active.

The Lorr 40t has been my most consistent tier 8 premium tank. Through 112 battles I averaged 66% WR, 2149 damage, 1.87 kills, and 1.56 spots. Its mechanics are sound and it performs its role effectively.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb AP penetration (232)
+ Superb top speed (60)
+ Excellent gun depression (-8)
+ Excellent alpha (300)
+ Good acceleration
– Soft turret
– Soft hull armor
– Tall profile
– Low HP (1300)
– Low view range (380 base), requires BIA + Situational Awareness to get to 445m
– Below average accuracy (0.38 base)

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. VStab
3. Vents

Episode #63: WZ-132-1 Review, How to Play Glacier and Prokhorovka in 1.0

I review the WZ-132-1, a tier 10 Chinese light tank, with replays of Glacier and Prokhorovka battles.

I discuss the new Glacier map from a light tank’s perspective and how to spot the 1-2 lanes on Prokhorovka.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Excellent alpha (390)
+ Excellent penetration (246)
+ Excellent turret protection
+ Protection against explosive shells via cage on the turret and skirt covering the tracks
– Very poor gun depression (-5)
– Very poor accuracy (0.42)
– As with all tier 10 lights, suffers from high penetration loss over distance

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. VStab
3. Rammer

Episode #64: T-100 LT Review, Spotting Hill in Prokhorovka in 1.0

I review the T-100 LT, a tier 10 Russian light tank, with replays of tier 10 Prokhorovka battles.

In the previous episode, I talked about how to spot the 1-2 lanes on the west side of Prokhorovka. In this episode, I show how to spot the east hill from either spawn. Hill is much more flexible compared to the west side of the map, as you can fire on tanks on the hill and in the middle of the map, whereas on west you are sometimes reduced to only spotting for stretches of time.

The T-100 LT is widely regarded as the best tier 10 light tank. It is currently ranked at #14 overall for win rate for all tier 10 tanks at 50.82% according to vBAddict.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb camouflage (over 40 with BIA, Camo, and Vents)
+ Superb dispersion values
+ Very small, flat profile
+ Excellent protection: upper hull and turret provide ~220mm of effective armor
+ Excellent speed and acceleration
– Awful accuracy (0.46 base)
– Very poor gun depression (-5)
– Relative to other tier 10s, low view range (390)
– As with all tier 10 lights, suffers from high penetration loss over distance

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. Rammer
3. Vents

I use VStab in almost every tank, but the dispersion values of the T-100 LT are so low that VStab offers small incremental value and I mount Vents instead.

Episode #65: Ru 251 Review, Spotting Province in 1.0

I review the Ru 251, a tier 9 German light tank, with a replay of a tier 10 Province battle. I also discuss the new Province map in detail and how to play the various lanes.

The Ru 251 is a highly-mobile scout with a good-handling gun.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Excellent top speed (70)
+ Excellent view range (410)
+ Excellent aim time (2 sec base)
+ Excellent HE penetration (102)
+ Small profile
+ Good accuracy (0.36 base)
+ Good HP (1400)
+ Gun depression of -10 degrees on the sides
– Paper armor, highly vulnerable to HE
– Poor gun depression frontally (-5.8)
– Combo of alpha (240) and DPM are underwhelming

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. VStab
3. Rammer

Errata

a. This is Episode #65 not #85

Episode #66: Sheridan Review, Winning Despite Lemming Train Idiots

I review the Sheridan, a tier 10 American light tank, with a replay of a Mountain Pass battle.

The Sheridan is the 4th of the 5 tier 10 light tanks that I’ve played, and IMO it’s the weakest. The Sheridan is very unforgiving of mistakes.

I talk about how to win despite an extremely poor deployment and how to create your own bushes (soft cover) by knocking over trees. And I demonstrate the power of 1SA (1st Shot Advantage).

I recommend using the 105mm instead of the 152mm derp, as the former has much better gun handling.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb gun depression (-10)
+ Superb view range (420)
+ Excellent alpha (390)
+ Relative to tier 10 lights, good DPM (2543 base)
– Huge profile
– Paper-thin armor
– Relatively poor camouflage (~29 with Concealment)
– Low top speed (65)
– Despite size, very lightweight and therefore vulnerable to ramming
– As with all tier 10 lights, suffers from high penetration loss over distance

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. VStab
3. Rammer

Episode #67: AMX 50 100 Unicum Review, Playing a Squishy Autoloader in the Heavy Armor Meta

I review the AMX 50 100, a tier 8 French heavy tank, with replays of tier 10 Glacier and tier 8 Steppes battles.

Prior to 2017, the 50 100 was regarded as an effective albeit finesse tank, but with the introduction of the over-armored tier 8 premium heavies and armor buffs in general from tiers 8-10, the 50 100 is more challenging to play with the current meta in 1.0.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Excellent gun depression (-9), unusual for an autoloader
+ Excellent silver AP penetration (232)
+ Excellent top speed (51)
+ Good acceleration
+ Good accuracy for an autoloader (0.36 base)
– Very long clip reload (~46.5 sec with Vents and BIA) creates long windows of downtime
– Long intra-clip reload (2.73 sec) means increased exposure when dumping your clip
– Long aim time (3 sec base) exceeds intra-clip reload, so you have to equip your tank and slot BIA accordingly
– Poor armor
– Low HP (1400)

Recommended Equipment

1. VStab
2. Vents
3. GLD

Special thanks to /u/similar_observation and /u/Rakkedyman from the WoT sub-Reddit for donating gold so I could re-train my crew to/from the 50 100.

Episode #68: T20 Review, Balancing Activity and Patience

I review the T20, a tier 7 American medium tank, with replays of tier 8 Province and tier 9 Lakeville battles.

The T20 is an enjoyable medium tank that can capably fulfill the roles of spotting, flexing, and flanking. The T20 is relatively fragile compared to the American mediums between tiers 6-10. The driver should generally avoid brawling as the tank lacks the mechanics to be effective in that role.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb view range (390)
+ Superb gun depression (-10)
+ Excellent camo (~33 with Concealment)
+ Premium ammo is APCR
– Very low DPM (1531 base)
– Squishy

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. Rammer
3. VStab

Episode #69: M 41 90 Review, Countering Opponents When a Flank Falls

I review the M 41 90, a tier 8 premium German light tank, with a replay of a tier 10 Redshire battle.

The M 41 90 statistically performs better than other tier 8 light tanks, probably due to its excellent gun that offers good alpha, DPM, and gun handling. The driver has to be careful with the M 41 90 as it is a large squishy target and possesses sluggish acceleration.

I was surprised that this tank was the voted on the most in the last community poll, as it is not always available for purchase.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Excellent gun depression (-8)
+ Excellent view range (400)
+ High penetration HE round (102mm) in a non-derp gun
+ Good AP alpha (240)
+ Good AP penetration (182)
– Very large profile
– Very weak armor, subject to greater-than-triple overmatch by 90+mm guns
– Sluggish acceleration
– Shell velocity somewhat low

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. VStab
3. Rammer

Episode #70: Pershing Review, Making the Best of Tough Situations

I review the M26 Pershing, a tier 8 American medium tank, with replays of tier 10 Himmelsdorf and Cliff battles.

The Pershing has an unimpressive reputation, for good reason. While the tank provides American comfort in terms of gun depression and turret protection, it is lacking in many other ways that limit its effectiveness.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb gun depression (-10)
+ Excellent view range (400)
+ Good turret protection
– Poor silver AP penetration (190)
– Low top speed (50)
– Sluggish acceleration
– Low DPM
– Soft hull
– Large profile
– Below average camo (~27 with Concealment)

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. VStab
3. Rammer

Here is the Reddit thread on the XVM arty focus experiment: https://www.reddit.com/r/WorldofTanks/comments/97k540/the_xvm_arty_focus_experiment

Episode #71: AMX 13 75 Review, Guide to 3 Marks of Excellence

I review the AMX 13 75, a tier 7 French light tank with replays of tier 9 Fisherman’s Bay and Glacier battles.

The AMX 13 75 is often compared unfavorably to the T71 DA, but I found the AMX 13 75 to be a highly effective tank. The driver needs to carefully manage the limited gun depression, gun elevation, and ammo capacity.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb camo (~38 with Concealment, BIA, and Food)
+ Manageable clip size (4) and clip reload
+ Good acceleration
+ Good gun handling for an autoloader
+ Small profile
– Poor gun depression (-6)
– Poor gun elevation (9)
– Low ammo capacity (36)
– Poor view range (370) – can’t reach 445m of view range with Optics and without food, unless you have BIA, Situational Awareness, and Recon
– Poor armor, but enough to avoid greater-than-triple overmatch
– Low DPM

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. VStab
3. Vents

Episode #72: Strv 103B Review, Covering Weak Flanks For the Win

I review the Strv 103B, a tier 10 Swedish tank destroyer, with a replay of a Live Oaks battle.

The last time I covered the Swedish TD line was back in Episode #45 when I reviewed the tier 9 Strv 103-0, and I talked a lot about brawling.

In this episode, I show how to leverage the incredible vision control and DPM of the Strv 103B to save two failing flanks – first along railroad (0 lane) and then later covering the exit from city (A lane).

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Amazing camouflage (~47 with Concealment, BIA, and Vents)
+ Superb frontal protection against AP shells of 120mm caliber or less
+ Superb max gun depression (-11)
+ Superb accuracy in siege mode (0.25)
+ Superb silver shell velocity (1500 m/s)
+ Superb reverse speed (45 kph)
+ Superb DPM
+ Excellent silver penetration (308mm)
+ Excellent forward speed (50 kph)
+ Only frontal weak spot against AP is small cupola
+ Very low chance of fire (10%)
– Transitioning between Siege and Travel modes leaves the TD temporarily unable to take action
– Unable to aim gun when tracked
– Very low HP (1800)
– Side hull armor is very thin (30mm) and easily overmatched
– Vulnerable to HE shells due to thin armor (40/30/30)
– Highly-sloped but thin frontal armor vulnerable to HEAT, as HEAT won’t ricochet unless the impact angle exceeds 85 degrees
– Low caliber (105mm) gun for a TD, limits overmatch
– Lack of a turret hampers fighting around buildings and rocks

Recommended Equipment

1. Binocs
2. Rammer
3. Vents

Episode #73: LT-432 Review, Totally Worth It

I review the LT-432, a tier 8 Russian premium light tank, with replays of tier 10 Overlord and tier 9 Cliff battles.

The LT-432 was just released for sale and is the strongest tier 8 light tank by a significant margin. It has the same crew layout as the tier 10 T-100 LT and is therefore a good crew trainer for it.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb turret protection: 200mm effective, very bouncy
+ Superb camouflage (over 38 with BIA, Camo, and Vents)
+ Superb frontal hull protection: ~160mm effective
+ Excellent gun handling and dispersion values
+ Excellent shell velocity
+ Small, flat profile
+ Good gun depression (-7), unusual for a Russian light
+ Good DPM (almost 2.1k base)
– Difficult to reach 445+m of view range without food due to lackluster view range (380m base). To get to 445m you need a skilled crew (BIA, Situational Awareness) paired with Optics and Vents

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. Rammer
3. Vents

This tank doesn’t need VStab given the excellent dispersion values.

Episode #74: M46 Patton Review, Working Terrain to Your Advantage

I review the M46 Patton, a tier 9 American medium tank, with replays of tier 10 Sand River and Mannerheim Line battles.

The M46 Patton combines superb DPM/alpha with very strong hull-down capabilities. Look no further for the quintessential “American comfort” experience.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb gun depression (-10)
+ Superb DPM (2601 base)
+ Superb view range (410)
+ Excellent turret protection
+ Excellent silver ammo alpha (390)
+ Excellent gun handling
– Low silver ammo penetration (218)
– Limited top speed (48)
– Mediocre agility
– Soft hull armor (~135mm effective)
– Large profile
– Lackluster camouflage (~22 with Camo crew)

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. Rammer
3. VStab

Episode #75: LTG Review, Common Mistakes When Pushing

I review the LTG, a tier 7 Russian light tank, with replays of tier 9 Redshire and tier 8 Murovanka battles.

This is my 2nd stint playing the LTG and I’m doing much better this time around :)

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb camouflage (~40 with Camo + BIA)
+ Excellent DPM (1800 base)
+ Good turret protection (~120mm effective)
+ Very low profile hull
+ Solid alpha (180)
+ High alpha HE round (300)
– Very poor gun depression (-5)
– Low view range (360 base) makes it difficult to reach 445m
– Poor accuracy (0.40 base)
– Hit every ugly branch as it fell down the tech tree

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. Rammer
3. VStab or Vents

I prefer VStab for improved gun handling, but Vents improves the view range.

Episode #76: T-50-2 Review, Avoiding Fights You Can’t Win

I review the T-50-2, a tier 6 Russian award light tank, with replays of tier 8 Minsk and Mines battles.

The T-50-2 is a fast light tank with a relatively weak 57mm gun, so the drivers need to choose engagements wisely.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Excellent mobility
+ Good gun handling
+ Good gun depression (-7)
+ For incoming frontal fire, the mantlet offers some protection and the turret’s outer edges are auto-bounce
– Low alpha (85)
– Low silver AP penetration (118)
– Tall profile
– Fishtails and is relatively easy to tip over

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. Rammer
3. Vents

This tank does not have the option of mounting VStab. With the relatively good gun handling, GLD is unnecessary.

Episode #77: T28 Review, Brawling as a Turretless TD

I review the T28, a tier 8 American tank destroyer, with replays of tier 9 Erlenberg and tier 10 Himmelsdorf battles.

The T28 is a stout brawler equipped with an excellent gun. It has good camouflage, but due to its poor mobility the driver needs to stay active with positioning so as not to fall behind the pace of the battle. Don’t be too campy in the T28!

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb camo (38+ with full Camo crew, BIA, and Vents)
+ Excellent frontal armor (254mm upper hull, 240mm effective lower hull)
+ Excellent side armor (101mm)
+ Excellent HP pool (1500)
+ Good DPM (2636 base)
+ Good gun handling
– Very poor speed (22kph)
– Very poor agility
– Very poor gun depression (-5)
– Limited gun arc (21 degrees total)

The cupolas are weak spots but they are fairly small and the edges are autobounce.

Recommended Equipment

1. Rammer
2. Vents
3. Binocs

The Binocs provide value on open maps. GLD is not needed as the gun handling, armor, and camo are reliable.

Episode #78: EBR 75 FL 10 Review, First Impressions of Wheeled Vehicles

I review the EBR 75 FL 10, a tier 8 premium French light tank, with replays tier 8 Fisherman’s Bay and tier 10 Erlenberg battles.

Wheeled vehicles offer a totally different driving experience from tracked vehicles. You trade off the ability to pivot in place with much higher speed and acceleration. Wheeled vehicles have two modes for driving: one offers speed (“rapid” mode), the other turning (“cruise” mode).

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Amazing top speed (80)
+ Amazing camo (~42 with Camo, BIA, Vents, and Food)
+ Superb acceleration
+ Superb gun handling (1.2s base aim time, low dispersion from movement)
+ Superb turret traverse
+ Excellent shell velocity (1300 for silver APCR ammo)
+ Excellent gun depression (-8)
+ Excellent HE ammo (260 alpha, 75 pen)
+ Can drive in reverse as fast as forward
+ Ability to boost speed from a stand-still start
– Abysmal view range (310 base)
– Unable to pivot (turn) in place / requires multi-point turns to get around obstacles
– Long profile
– Squishy
– Low HP pool (950)
– Corner wheels are large and easy to target, resulting in meaningful loss of speed
– Turret is mounted in the middle of the vehicle, so when brawling around corners you’ll expose your hull before you get your target in view
– Can not mount Binocs

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. Vents
3. VStab

For the vast majority of light tanks from tiers 6-10, you should not mount Binocs given that Optics are a must and for the other 2 slots there are better choices (e.g. VStab + Vents for autoloaders, VStab + Rammer for non-autoloaders), but with this tank the base view range is so bad and the dispersion values are so good that I would use Binocs instead of VStab if the tank supported Binocs.

Episode #79: AMX 13 57 Review, Maximizing Your Autoloader Efficiency

I review the AMX 13 57, a tier 7 premium French light tank, with replays of tier 9 Murovanka and Pilsen battles.

The 13 57 pairs a compact burst, high DPM autoloader with excellent vision control.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb compact burst (720 in 7 sec)
+ Superb view range (390)
+ Excellent DPM, unusual for an autoloader
+ Excellent camouflage (~35 with Concealment and BIA)
+ Slightly above-average HP (890)
+ Small profile
– Poor gun depression (-6)
– Intra-clip reload (1s) is much faster than aim time (2.3s base), so if you fire as soon as the next shell has been loaded, the shot may be inaccurate
– Considering the high rate of fire, has low ammo capacity (54)
– Poor armor, but enough to avoid greater-than-triple overmatch
– Somewhat sluggish for a squishy light

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. VStab
3. Vents

Episode #80: Emil I Review

I review the Emil I, a tier 8 Swedish heavy tank, with replays of tier 10 Westfield and tier 9 Cliff battles.

The Emil 1 is the first of three Swedish heavy autoloaders that feature turrets with excellent frontal protection and amazing gun depression. The Emil I is rough around the edges but the Emil II is a meaningful upgrade at-tier in terms of penetration and frontal turret protection.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Amazing max gun depression (-12)
+ Strong frontal turret protection (245mm effective)
+ Small profile for a heavy
+ Frontal hull armor is decent (~195mm effective)
– Relatively low silver AP pen (217)
– Poor gun handling
– Long intra-clip reload of 3 seconds, although the frontal turret protection mitigates this
– Side turret armor is thin (35mm)
– Pitiful side hull armor (20mm) is overmatched easily

Recommended Equipment

1. VStab
2. Vents
3. Gun Laying Drive

Episode #81: T95 Review, The Quintessential Bully

I review the T95, a tier 9 American tank destroyer, with replays of tier 10 Fisherman’s Bay and tier 9 Lakeville battles.

The T95 is the quintessential bully. The frontal armor is incredibly strong, and the only meaningful weak spots are the two cupolas, which still have ~212mm of effective armor. The side armor is thick and sloped toward the middle of the tank, so with angling the side is difficult to penetrate.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb frontal hull armor: 305mm to over 400mm effective, aside from a thin silver at the bottom of the hull which is still ~250mm effective
+ Superb side armor (152.4mm) that is sloped and will bounce shells when you are angled 30 degrees relative to incoming fire
+ Excellent alpha (750)
+ Excellent camouflage (~34 with Concealment and BIA)
+ Good gun handling for a turretless TD
+ Low profile
– Very low top speed (20 kph)
– Very sluggish acceleration
– Cupolas are vulnerable to accurate high-tier guns
– Poor gun depression (-5)
– Lack of turret limits brawling around corners

Recommended Equipment

1. Rammer
2. Vents
3. Optics

Episode #82: Frontline Review, 1st Impressions and Getting to General Rank

I review the Frontline game mode and discuss how to reach the rank of General.

The first battle feature gameplay with the new Chinese premium light tank M41D and the second features heavy tank gameplay with the Defender.

Episode #83: AMD 178B Review, Advancing Without Over-Extending

I review the AMD 178B, a tier 6 French wheeled light tank, with replays of tier 8 Lakeville and Live Oaks battles.

The AMD 178B is the first of the French tech tree wheeled vehicles and was a delight to play. It combines excellent mobility, good gun handling, and an excellent HE round.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Amazing max gun depression (-12)
+ Superb acceleration
+ Superb camouflage (~36 with Concealment, BIA, and Food)
+ High pen HE round (75)
+ Excellent gun handling
+ Excellent top speed
– Very low view range (300)
– Paper armor
– Turret is a large target
– Tall profile
– Sub-par AP penetration (120)
– As with all wheeled vehicles, can’t turn in place and can be awkward in cramped areas

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. Rammer
3. Vents

This tank can get by without VStab due to the low dispersion values. I prefer Vents over VStab for the improvement to view range.

Episode #84: EBR Hotchkiss Review, Proper Use of Great Mobility

I review the EBR Hotchkiss, a tier 7 French wheeled light tank, with replays of tier 9 Westfield and tier 8 Tundra battles.

The EBR Hotchkiss combines a potent gun with a highly mobile platform, but like other wheeled vehicles it has horrible view range and negligible armor.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb gun depression (-10)
+ Superb acceleration
+ Superb camouflage (~38 with Concealment, BIA, and Food)
+ High pen HE round (75)
+ Excellent AP pen (160)
+ Excellent gun handling
+ Excellent top speed (70)
– Very low view range (310)
– Paper armor
– Tall profile
– Relatively poor accuracy (0.40 base)
– Relatively low DPM
– As with all wheeled vehicles, can’t turn in place and can be awkward in cramped areas

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. Rammer
3. Vents

This tank can get by without VStab due to the low dispersion values. I prefer Vents over VStab for the improvement to view range.

Errata

1. the shell velocity of the AP and HE rounds is identical. I incorrectly stated in the video that AP had higher velocity (which is often true for other tanks)

Episode #85: Lynx 6×6 Review, Common Mistakes with Wheeled Vehicles

I review the Panhard AML Lynx 6×6, a tier 8 French wheeled light tank, with replays of tier 10 Prokhorovka and Murovanka battles.

The Lynx 6×6 combines a potent gun with a highly mobile platform, but like other wheeled vehicles it has horrible view range and negligible armor. (Same summary I said of the EBR Hotchkiss, which I also enjoyed.)

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Amazing top speed (80)
+ Amazing camouflage (~40 with Concealment, BIA, and Food)
+ Superb acceleration
+ High pen HE round (90)
+ Excellent gun depression (-8)
+ Excellent gun handling
+ Excellent silver APCR pen (182)
+ Good silver APCR alpha (240)
– Very low view range (310)
– Paper armor
– Low HP (920)
– Relatively poor accuracy (0.40 base)
– Relatively low DPM
– As with all wheeled vehicles, can’t turn in place and can be awkward in cramped areas

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. Rammer
3. Vents

This tank can get by without VStab due to the low dispersion values. I prefer Vents over VStab for the improvement to view range.

Episode #86: Rheinmetall Panzerwagen Review, Epic Platoon Carry in an Awful Tank

I review the Rhm Panzerwagen , a tier 10 German light tank, with a replay of an all tier 10 Steppes battle.

The Rheinmetall Panzerwagen is the worst-performing tier 10 tanks, due to the combination of huge profile, paper armor, and very poor DPM. I would rate the Rhm Pzw as worse than the Sheridan, given that the latter has higher alpha (390 vs 320) and higher DPM.

Our platoon manages to pull off one of the rarest combination of medals – Crucial Contribution with Brothers in Arms – in what was a huge come-from-behind carry.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb gun depression (-10)
+ Excellent top speed (75)
+ Good accuracy (0.36 base), but still crap for a German tank
+ High HE penetration (120)
– Huge profile
– Paper armor
– Relatively low camo (~31 with Concealment)
– Very poor DPM
– As with all tier 10 lights, suffers from high penetration loss over distance

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. VStab
3. Rammer

Episode #87: Lynx 6×6 Review, Vision Control and Flanking Tactics

This is my 2nd look at the Panhard AML Lynx 6×6, a tier 8 French wheeled light tank, with replays of tier 9 Malinovka and Sand River battles.

I discuss vision control for wheeled vehicles given their very low view range and how to leverage their mobility to create opportunities for flanking fire.

Episode #88: T110E3 Review, Frontally Dominant but Squishy Sides

I review the T110E3, a tier 10 American tank destroyer, with replays of Lakeville and Murovanka battles.

The E3 is a curious successor to the T95. Like the T95, the E3 possesses strong frontal armor and alpha of 750. However, unlike the T95, the T110E3 has very weak side armor and so it disproportionately benefits from support and platooning.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb frontal protection from upper hull through superstructure, including the cupola
+ Excellent gun depression (-8)
+ Good view range (390)
+ High caliber (155mm) enables overmatch of greater than 3x
+ Premium round is APCR
– Side hull armor is very weak (44-76mm)
– Slow / sluggish mobility
– Profile is tall
– Relatively low camo (~21 with Concealment and BIA)
– Lower frontal hull offers ~240mm effective protection

Recommended Equipment

1. Rammer
2. Vents
3. Optics

Episode #89: EBR 90 Review, Countering Enemy Light Tanks

I review the Panhard EBR 90, a tier 9 French wheeled light tank, with replays of tier 10 Empire’s Border and Ruinberg battles.

The Panhard EBR 90 combines a low profile with superb mobility and camouflage. Its gun provides superb handling but is underwhelming relative to the other tier 9 lights.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Amazing top speed (85)
+ Amazing reverse speed (also 85)
+ Amazing camouflage (~45 with Camo, BIA, Food)
+ Superb acceleration
+ Superb gun handling
+ Low profile
+ Large wheels provide protection against HE, HESH, and HEAT
+ High pen HE round (90)
– Very poor silver AP pen (185)
– Very low view range (330)
– Poor gun depression (-6)
– Paper armor
– Low HP (1150)
– Relatively low DPM
– As with all wheeled vehicles, can’t turn in place and can be awkward in cramped areas

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. Rammer
3. Vents

Errata

1. The premium ammo HEAT penetration is 230, not 240 as stated in the video

Episode #90: EBR 105 Review, Gaining Map Control With Vision

I review the Panhard EBR 105, a tier 10 French wheeled vehicle, with replays of Karelia and Prokhorovka battles.

One thing I didn’t mention in the video is that this tank has a tendency to fishtail and spin out. I tend to deliberately slow down prior to reaching the point where I want to stop to prevent fishtailing.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Amazing top speed (95)
+ Amazing reverse speed
+ Amazing camouflage (~44 with Camo, BIA, Food)
+ Superb acceleration
+ Superb gun handling
+ Superb HE shell (500 alpha, 105 penetration)
+ Superb shell velocity (1300)
+ Good APCR alpha (390)
+ Large wheels provide protection against HE, HESH, and HEAT
– Very poor APCR penetration (190)
– Very poor view range (350 base), but you can reach 445m with Optics, Vents, Food, BIA, Situational Awareness, and Recon
– Paper armor
– Very low DPM
– Low HP (1300)
– As with all wheeled vehicles, can’t turn in place and can be awkward in cramped areas
– As with all tier 10 lights, suffers from high penetration loss over distance

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. Rammer
3. Vents

Episode #91: Leo Review, Creating Bushes for 1st Shot Advantage

I review the Leo, a tier 7 Swedish medium tank, with replays of tier 8 Redshire and tier 7 Steppes battles.

The Leo is an oft misunderstood and misplayed tank. The 10cm gun has poor gun handling and a long aim time of 3 seconds base but it hits hard. With proper use of vision control, you can fully aim in, and one of the tricks I show in this video is creating a deep line of bushes by knocking over trees so that you can repeatedly gain the “1st Shot Advantage”.

Strengths and Weaknesses (with 10cm gun)

+ Superb alpha (300)
+ Superb gun depression (-10)
+ Excellent top speed (60)
– Very long aim time (3 sec base)
– Low reload (11.2 sec base)
– Poor accuracy (0.42 base)
– Weak armor
– Large profile
– Slow shell velocity (785 m/s)

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. Rammer
3. Vents

You can run GLD instead of Vents, but I equip Vents for the improvements to view range and reload.

Episode #92: UDES 14 5 Review, Effectively Engaging at Intermediate Ranges

I review the UDES 14 5, a tier 8 Swedish medium tank, with replays of tier 10 Serene Coast and Overlord battles.

The UDES 14 5 offers a unique style of play; it blends a high-alpha gun with a low-profile platform. The hydraulic suspension enables the driver to increase the max gun depression from -6 to -13 at low speeds, but it’s not immediate gun depression and therefore has limitations in terms of practical use.

If you don’t like brawling and do like vision sniping, this is probably a tank you’ll enjoy.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb shell velocity (1385)
+ Superb camo (over 34 with full Camo crew)
+ Excellent alpha (360)
+ Flat profile
+ Upper frontal hull armor is angled, can bounce shells of 105mm or lower
– Poor accuracy (0.38 base)
– Thin armor
– Low HP pool (1400)
– Like many tier 8 meds, limited top speed (55)

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. VStab
3. Rammer

Episode #93: UDES 15/16 Review, In-Depth Look at Two Different Playstyles

I review the UDES 15/16, a tier 10 Swedish medium tank, with replays of Westfield and Murovanka battles.

The Swedish mediums support 2 different playstyles: ridge fighting and camo sniping. The UDES 15/16 excels at both thanks to a rare blend of bouncy armor and superb camouflage.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb camo (over 36 with BIA and Camo)
+ Excellent alpha (440)
+ Upper frontal hull armor is angled, can bounce shells of 150mm or lower
+ Flat profile
+ High-caliber gun (120mm) may create more greater-than-3x overmatch opportunities
+ Side skirts provide protection against HE/HESH/HEAT
– Poor top speed (50)
– Mediocre silver APCR penetration (254)
– Below average view range (390)
– APCR has below-average velocity (1000) but it’s still functional
– Thin armor, susceptible to HE / arty

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. VStab
3. Rammer

Episode #94: UDES 16 Review, Positioning to Anchor Come-From-Behind Victories

I review the UDES 16, a tier 9 Swedish medium tank, with replays of tier 10 Malinovka and Abbey battles.

The Swedish mediums support 2 different playstyles: ridge fighting and camo sniping. The UDES 16 excels at both thanks to a rare blend of bouncy armor and superb camouflage.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb camouflage (~34 with Camo and BIA)
+ Upper frontal hull armor is angled, can auto-bounce shells 135mm or lower
+ Flat profile with angled turret armor
+ Good alpha (390)
– Poor top speed (50)
– Loses a degree of gun depression (-5) relative to the tier 8 and 10 Swedish mediums, although it can still reach -13 with the hydraulic suspension
– Mediocre silver APCR penetration (234)
– Upper front hull overmatched by shells greater that 135mm in caliber
– Thin armor, susceptible to HE / arty

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. VStab
3. Rammer

Episode #95: P.44 Pantera Review, Playing the New Kharkov Map

I review the P.44 Pantera, a tier 8 Italian medium tank, with replays of all tier 8 Kharkov and Live Oaks battles.

The P.44 Pantera is the first tech tree tank in the Italian medium line that features an autoreloader gun, which combines single-shell reloading with a clip of 3 shells. The autoreloader gun provides a lot of flexibility: you can play the single-shell DPM game or you can unload your clip for maximum burst damage.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Autoreloader gun delivers compact burst (720 in 5s)
+ Superb top speed (60)
+ Excellent gun depression (-8)
+ Good accuracy (0.33 base)
+ Unusually high velocity for silver AP (1050m/s)
– Low view range (380m) makes it difficult to get to 445m without a very skilled Commander
– Armor is not good enough to rely upon, but it will give some troll bounces

Recommended Equipment

1. Rammer
2. Optics
3. VStab

Episode #96: Standard B Review, Carrying by Flexing at the Right Times

I review the Standard B, a tier 9 Italian medium tank, with replays of tier 9 Glacier and tier 10 Lakeville battles.

For many players, the Standard B is the highlight of the Italian medium line. However, the autoreloader gun needs careful management due to the extremely long shell reload times.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb silver APCR penetration (268)
+ Superb gun depression (-10)
+ Superb shell velocity (1450)
+ Excellent top speed (65)
+ Good camouflage (~32 with Camo + BIA)
– Extremely long shell reload times, which punishes misuse of the clip
– Long intra-clip reload (3s)
– Paper armor

Recommended Equipment

1. Rammer
2. Optics
3. VStab

Episode #97: P.43 bis and P.43 ter Review, Dealing with Awkward Situations

I review the P.43 bis and P.43 ter, the tier 6 and tier 7 Italian medium tanks, with replays of tier 6 Mines and tier 8 Paris battles.

The P43 bis and P43 ter tanks lead to the excellent autoreloaders at tiers 8-10, so they are worth grinding through, and both are solid tanks in their own right.

P.43 bis Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb alpha (240)
+ Good AP penetration (140)
+ Good camouflage (~31 with Camo and BIA)
+ Sides of turret are autobounce
+ Frontal upper hull provides ~135mm effective armor
– Lackluster gun handling
– Acceleration is a bit sluggish
– Very slow AP shell velocity (700)
– Somewhat large profile

P.43 ter Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Excellent AP penetration (165)
+ Good alpha (240)
+ Good acceleration
+ Good camouflage (~31 with Camo and BIA)
+ Frontal upper hull provides ~165mm effective armor
+ Sides of turret are autobounce
– Very slow AP shell velocity (758)
– Somewhat large profile

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. Rammer
3. VStab for P.43 ter, GLD for P.43 bis

Episode #98: GSR 3301 Setter Review, Fighting Smart with Horrible DPM

I review the GSR 3301 Setter, the new tier 7 British light tank, with replays of tier 7 El Halluf and tier 9 Airfield battles.

As you’ve no doubt heard, the new tier 7-10 British light tanks have horrible DPM, and the Setter is no exception. I discuss how to work around the extremely low DPM.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb silver penetration (180)
+ Superb gun depression (-10)
+ Superb camo (36 with Camo, BIA, and Food)
+ Small profile and turret
+ Good HE penetration (75)
– Anemic DPM (1379 base)
– Very low alpha (135)
– Very low ammo capacity (35)
– Low top speed (58)
– Paper armor
– Highly vulnerable to ramming damage (only weighs 7.9 metric tons)
– Mediocre view range (370)

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. Rammer
3. VStab (what I use) or Vents

If you have a 5-skill Commander (i.e. Sixth Sense, Camouflage, BIA, Situational Awareness, and Recon), you can run Vents and no food to reach 445m of view range.

Episode #99: LHMTV Review, Surprising Results: 69% Solo WR, 2.5k Avg Contribution

I review the LHMTV, a tier 8 British light tank, with replays of tier 9 Fjords, tier 10 Minsk, and tier 8 Airfield battles.

While the LHMTV suffers from very low DPM like the British tier 7, 9, and 10 light tanks, the LHMTV has the best gun at-tier for its line. The gun has superb penetration and excellent alpha, and paired with the excellent camouflage I was able to get very good results in the LHMTV.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb AP pen (226)
+ Superb camo (~39 with Camo, BIA)
+ Superb max gun depression (-10)
+ Excellent alpha (230)
+ Small profile and turret
– Anemic DPM (1.4k base)
– Very low ammo capacity (25)
– Paper armor
– Very poor gun elevation on the sides and rear
– Very vulnerable to ramming damage (only weighs 5 metric tons)

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. Rammer
3. Vents (what I use) or VStab

Even with Optics and BIA, you can’t reach 445m of view range without food unless you have Situational Awareness and Recon on your Commander, which means the Commander has 5 skills (SS, Camo BIA, SA, and Recon).

Because I prefer to run with Automatic Fire Extinguisher over food in paper tanks, I had to use Vents as the 3rd equipment to reach 445m of view range.

Episode #100: Bourrasque Review, Blending Burst with Vision Control

I review the Bourrasque, a tier 8 French premium medium tank, with replays of tier 8 Westfield and Cliff battles.

The Bourrasque marries the vision control of a light tank with compact burst damage. It is the quintessential finesse tank due to its many limitations, but when played correctly it has a lot to offer.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Insane compact burst (720 in 2s)
+ Superb camo (39 with Camo, BIA, Vents)
+ Good view range (390)
+ Good shell velocity (1000)
+ Small profile
– Poor gun depression (-6)
– Poor accuracy (0.42 base)
– Long aim time (3.5 base)
– Poor silver ammo penetration (190)
– Sluggish hull traverse for a fast medium
– Paper armor
– Lightweight and highly vulnerable to ramming

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. VStab
3. Vents

Episode #101: Centurion 7/1 Review, Hull Down Over/Under Techniques

I review the Centurion 7/1, a tier 9 British medium tank, with replays of tier 10 Cliff and tier 9 Fjords battles.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb max gun depression (-10)
+ Superb silver APCR penetration (268)
+ Superb view range (410)
+ Superb silver ACPR ammo shell velocity (1478)
+ Excellent accuracy (0.32 base)
+ Good alpha (390)
+ Good turret armor
– Mediocre top speed (50)
– Long reload (11.2s base)
– Below-average camo for a medium, not good enough to play vision games against lights and mediums
– Thin side armor
– Large, soft lower plate
– Large profile

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. Rammer
3. VStab

Episode #102: ST-I Review, Brawling with Sidescraping

I review the ST-I, a tier 9 Russian heavy tank, with replays of tier 9 Malinovka and tier 10 Ruinberg battles.

The ST-I has strong frontal turret armor and unusually thick side hull armor (140mm), and these characteristics pair up well with a brawling technique known as sidescraping.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb side hull armor (140mm)
+ Excellent gun depression (-8)
+ Excellent frontal turret protection
+ Good silver AP penetration (258)
+ Good frontal hull armor, albeit vulnerable to premium ammo
– Fairly sluggish mobility due to the heavy armor
– Long aim time (3.4 sec base)
– Long turret is a big target against flanking fire
– Front lower plate is weak (185mm effective), as is the driver’s hatch (235mm effective)
– Poor view range (380)

Recommended Equipment

1. Rammer
2. VStab
3. Vents

Episode #103: Centurion I Review, Creating Situations That Favor You

I review the Centurion Mk. I, a tier 8 British medium tank, with replays of tier 8 Mannerheim Line and tier 9 Studzianki battles.

The Centurion 1 shares the same playstyle as it’s big brother, the Centurion 7/1, however the hull armor is meaningfully weaker.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb max gun depression (-10)
+ Superb view range (400)
+ Excellent silver AP penetration (226)
+ Good accuracy (0.33 base)
+ Good turret armor
– Below-average alpha (230)
– Mediocre top speed (50)
– Very poor camo for a medium, not good enough to play vision games against lights and mediums
– Upper hull is only ~120mm effective armor, lower hull is worse
– Thin side armor
– Large profile
– Frequently ammo-racked

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. Rammer
3. VStab

Episode #104: Guide to Settings for World of Tanks

World of Tanks offers a high degree of customization with the game settings, so I sift through the ones that have been helpful for raising my gameplay.

I’m sure I’ve missed some good ones, so please share the settings you use and why.

Episode #105: Progetto M40 mod. 65 Review, Managing the Autoreloader

I review the Progetto M40 mod. 65, a tier 10 Italian medium tank, with replays of Abbey and Himmelsdorf battles.

The Progetto 65 finishes one of the most-solid tech tree lines from tiers 6-10 in the game.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Excellent gun depression (-9)
+ Excellent top speed (65)
+ Good camouflage (~31 with Camo + BIA)
+ Good shell velocity (1468)
+ Clip contains 4 shells, capable of delivering 1440 damage in 7.5 seconds
+ Upper frontal hull is autobounce against AP/APCR shells from guns up to 150mm in caliber
– Extremely long shell reload times, which punishes misuse of the clip
– Turret cheeks mostly under 190mm effective
– Weak lower frontal plate
– Below-average alpha (360)

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. Rammer
3. VStab

Episode #106: T-44 Review, Creating Perpendicular Fire

I review the T-44, a tier 8 Russian medium tank, with replays of tier 8 Abbey and tier 10 Murovanka battles.

I recently re-purchased this tank to grind the Object 430U line, as many of you have asked for a review for the 430U.

It’s been 5 years since I reviewed the T44, back in Episodes #4 and #5.

It’s worth revisiting this tank for several reasons:
1. The meta in the game has shifted towards more armor on tanks, especially heavies, and players have often asked how to deal with that in tanks such as the T-44 that have lackluster silver ammo penetration
2. The T-44 received meaningful buffs in 2018 to the turret armor, engine, gun handling, and silver penetration (+7). The first two buffs meaningfully impact how this tank can be used, especially for spotting
3. I’m a much better player now than I was in 2015

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb turret protection
+ Excellent camouflage (over 32 with Camo + BIA)
+ Good gun depression (-7)
+ Good gun handling
+ Good acceleration
+ Good alpha (250)
+ Low profile
– Poor silver AP penetration (190)
– Poor view range (380)
– Low HP (1300)

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. Rammer
3. VStab

Episode #107: Object 430 Review, Brawling and Visioning Successfully

I review the Object 430, a tier 9 Russian medium tank, with replays of tier 9 Himmelsdorf and tier 10 Overlord battles.

The Object 430 has inverted-angled side hull armor, and this allows the tank to brawl very effectively with sidescraping technique. The tank can also play the vision game thanks to its high camouflage, although the gun’s poor accuracy limits its sniping potential.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb camouflage (~36 with Camo + BIA skills)
+ Excellent HP (1800)
+ Excellent turret protection
+ Side hull armor is angled, very bouncey when sidescraping
+ Good alpha (390)
+ Good frontal hull armor (~200mm effective)
+ Low profile
+ High caliber gun (122mm) overmatches 40mm armor
– Very poor gun depression (-5)
– Poor accuracy (0.42 base)
– Long aim time (2.4 base)
– Low top speed (50)
– Lackluster acceleration
– Very poor view range (380)

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. Vstab
3. Rammer

Episode #108: Object 430U Review, Carrying Through Brains and Brawn

I review the Object 430U, a tier 10 Russian medium tank, with replays of Ruinberg and Paris battles.

The 430U has the most obnoxious hull armor of any tech tree medium and it has excellent camo, so it’s equally comfortable when brawling or playing the vision game. The gun handling is poor relative to its peers, so that does limit its ability to engage at range.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb turret protection
+ Superb upper frontal hull armor (~270mm effective)
+ Superb camouflage (~35 with Camo + BIA skills)
+ Excellent alpha (440)
+ Side hull armor is thick (90mm) and the upper part is angled, very bouncey when sidescraping
+ Good HP (2000)
+ Low profile
+ High caliber gun (122mm) overmatches 40mm armor
– Very poor gun depression (-5)
– Very poor accuracy (0.40 base)
– Long aim time (2.3 base)
– Low top speed (50)
– Mediocre DPM
– Poor acceleration, lower than some heavies (e.g. Obj 277)

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. Vstab
3. Rammer

Episode #109: Leopard PTA Review/Guide, The Glassiest Cannon of Them All

I review the Leopard PTA, a tier 9 German medium tank, with replays of tier 10 Empire’s Border and Glacier battles.

The Leopard PTA is the classic “squishy DPS” class. While it has a superb gun and excellent mobility, the tank is a squishy blimp, and that lack of armor makes it difficult to play.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb alpha (420)
+ Superb silver APCR penetration (278)
+ Superb accuracy (0.31 base)
+ Excellent shell velocity (1480)
+ Excellent gun depression (-8)
+ Excellent aim time (1.9 base)
+ Excellent top speed (65)
+ Good camo (~30 with BIA + Concealment skills)
– Very weak turret armor
– Very weak hull armor
– Somewhat large profile

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. Rammer
3. VStab

Episode #110: AMX 13 90 Review, Dealing with Wheeled Vehicles

I review the AMX 13 90, a tier 9 French light tank, with replays of two tier 10 Highway battles.

Viewers have often asked how I deal with wheeled vehicles, in particular the EBRs, when playing a light tank with tracks, so I discuss that in detail. People have also asked me to revisit the 13 90 as I reviewed it before the changes to light tanks in 0.9.18, so I cover the current 13 90 mechanics.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb camo (~36 with Concealment and BIA)
+ Good compact burst (960 in 6.62s)
+ Good shell velocity (1163)
+ Manageable clip size (4) and reload (22.52 base)
+ Small profile
– Poor gun depression (-6)
– Very poor gun elevation on the sides and back (+7)
– Below average gun handling
– Below average silver APCR pen (205)
– Poor view range (380), requires Situational Awareness and BIA to reach 445m
– Somewhat sluggish hull traverse and acceleration
– Low HP (1200)

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. VStab
3. Vents

Episode #111: Object 140 Review, Aging Like Fine Wine

I review the Object 140, a tier 10 Russian medium tank, with replays of Fisherman’s Bay and Highway battles.

About 4-5 years ago, the 140 was THE meta medium tank, but even with the powercreep over the past several years, it’s still a good tank. The combination of DPM, gun handling, vision, and functional armor make this a fun tank to play.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Excellent DPM (over 3k base)
+ Excellent gun handling
+ Excellent turret protection
+ Good camouflage (over 32 with Concealment and BIA)
+ Good mobility
+ Side hull armor is sloped and thick enough (57mm or 80mm) to prevent greater-than-triple overmatch when sidescraping
+ Laser shell velocity (1535)
+ Low profile
– Poor gun depression (-6), albeit better than the T-62A and Obj 430U
– Cupolas are weak spots, albeit small in size, and the roof can be overmatched (45mm)
– Frontal hull armor is not strong enough to reliably bounce
– Low alpha (320)

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. Rammer
3. VStab

Episode #112: STA-1 Review, Winning With Gun Depression and Vision

I review the STA-1, a tier 8 Japanese medium tank, with replays of tier 9 Kharkov and tier 10 Glacier battles.

The STA-1 is a typical finesse medium tank. While it is not fast and the armor is weak, it can win with vision control, gun depression, and DPM.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb DPM (over 2.3k base, 6.23 sec reload)
+ Superb gun depression (-10)
+ Excellent camouflage (over 31 with Concealment and BIA)
+ Good gun handling
+ Good HP (1450)
– Weak turret armor
– Weak hull armor
– Low top speed (45)
– Below average accuracy (0.38 base)

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. Rammer
3. VStab

Episode #113: STB-1 Review, My Favorite Tier 10 Medium

I review the STB-1, a tier 10 Japanese medium tank, with replays of Overlord and Prokhorovka battles.

The STB-1 combines crushing DPM with strong hull-down capability. While the tank has fragile hull armor and limited top speed, it’s ability to dish out damage is rarely matched.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Amazing max gun depression (-8 to -14 via hydropneumatic suspension)
+ Superb DPM
+ Excellent turret protection
+ Excellent gun handling
+ Good agility
+ Good HP (2000)
– Very weak hull armor, vulnerable to HE
– Limited top speed (50)
– Cupola is very soft
– Mediocre camo (28 with Concealment and BIA)
– Low alpha (360)

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. Rammer
3. VStab

Episode #114: Manticore Review, Like Bringing a Knife to a Gun Fight

I review the Manticore, a tier 10 British light tank, with replays of Karelia and Studzianki battles.

While the Manticore has some fans, I found it to be an enormously limited tank in terms of carry potential due to multiple flaws with its armament. It’s the only light tank I’ve played from tiers 5-10 where my win rate is below 56%. Simply put, it’s like bringing a knife to a gun fight.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb camo
+ Excellent gun depression (-8)
+ Small profile
– Horribad DPM
– Laughable ammo capacity (20), so you can’t blind fire or snapshot much
– Poor gun elevation (+8)
– Very bad hull traverse, turns like a whale
– Highly susceptible to ramming damage (12 metric tons)
– Armor is worthless
– Only 2 crew members, which hampers skill acquisition

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. Rammer
3. VStab

Episode #115: HWK 12 Review, Playing Smart in Tier 10 Battles

I review the HWK 12, a tier 8 German light tank, with replays of tier 10 Sand River and Ruinberg battles.

I picked up this tank based on recent requests and expected to find it frustrating. While the glacier shell velocity is a major annoyance, but the gun is otherwise good and the vision control is excellent.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb view range (410)
+ Superb gun depression (-10)
+ Excellent alpha (240)
+ Good HP (1100)
+ Small profile
– Glacial shell velocity with AP (630)
– Pathetic shell velocity with HE (338)
– Armor is worthless
– Highly susceptible to ramming damage (12.5 metric tons)

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. VStab
3. Rammer

Episode #116: FV1066 Senlac Review, Is It Worth It?

I review the FV1066 Senlac, a tier 8 British premium light tank, with replays of tier 9 Westfield and tier 10 Paris battles.

While the tech tree British lights have very poor DPM and excellent camo, this tank has middle-of-the-pack DPM and average camo. Overall, It’s a solid tank and reasonably balanced.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb gun depression (-10)
+ Excellent view range (400)
+ High pen HE shell (90)
+ Good silver AP pen (189)
+ Good gun handling
– Tall profile
– Paper armor
– Mediocre camo (~30 with BIA, Concealment)
– Poor reverse speed

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. Rammer
3. VStab

Episode #117: Centurion AX Review, Thinking About Approach Lanes

I review the Centurion AX, a tier 10 British medium tank, with replays of Karelia and Redshire battles.

The Centurion AX provides a meaningful increase in DPM relative to the Centurion 7/1, but the turret protection and hull armor don’t provide as much protection at-tier. It’s a bit of a 1-trick pony.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb gun depression (-10)
+ Good turret protection
+ Good view range (410)
+ Good silver AP pen (268)
+ Good shell velocity (1478)
+ Able to sidescrape
– Very poor camo (~25 with BIA, Concealment), loses in the vision game to peers
– Hull armor adds weight but isn’t worth it
– Low top speed (53)
– Frequently ammo racked
– Large profile

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. Rammer
3. VStab or Vents (I prefer the latter)

Episode #118: Lansen C Review, How to Predict the Future Like a Unicum

IMO this is the best episode of “Road to Unicum” that I’ve published in the past couple years. Understanding how to predict what will happen is key to pulling off huge carries.

I review the Lansen C, a tier 8 premium Swedish medium tank, with replays of tier 8 Kharkov and tier 9 Ghost Town battles.

The Lansen C blends very comfortable gun depression with a high-alpha gun and excellent camouflage. The trade-offs are armor and gun handling, but they’re worth it.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Superb gun depression (-10)
+ Excellent alpha (320)
+ Excellent camo (~34 with Concealment skill and camouflage paint)
+ Good agility
+ Good DPM (2176 base)
– Poor view range (380)
– Weak armor
– Poor accuracy (0.38 base)
– Long aim time (2.4 base)

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. VStab
3. Rammer

Episode #119: T69 Review, Recognizing Positions of Strength and Weakness

I review the T69, a tier 8 American medium tank, with replays of an all tier 8 Glacier battle and a tier 9 Fisherman’s Bay battle.

The T69 combines abysmal penetration with poor gun handling, so it can be a very awkward tank to play.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ Excellent gun depression (-9)
+ Excellent view range (400)
+ Good burst (960 in 6s)
+ Upper turret protection is solid
+ Smallish profile
– Very poor silver AP penetration (181)
– Very long aim time (2.9 base)
– Very poor gun handling
– Poor accuracy (0.38 base)

Recommended Equipment

1. Optics
2. VStab
3. Vents

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is the purpose of the “Road to Unicum” videos?
• What does “Unicum” mean?
• Who is the intended audience?
• Your account was not Unicum in some of these videos, so why did you publish them?
• Why don’t you use gold ammo (“premium ammo”) in Random Battles (pubs)?
• But gold ammo is available for credits now, doesn’t that fix the pay-to-win issue?
• How do we know you really don’t use gold ammo in Random Battles?
• Why don’t you use mods?
• What UI settings/options do you recommend?
• Why don’t you have a purple (60%) Win Rate?
• Why do you zoom out immediately upon firing and in-between autoloader shots?
• Do you play stock tanks or only fully-researched tanks?
• What crew skills and equipment do you recommend for a given tank?
• What should I spend my gold on?
• Which tank line(s) should I grind?
• How do you choose your replays?
• Can you post replays where you are the bottom tier?
• Which episodes feature autoloaders/autoreloaders?
• Do you make videos of arty gameplay?
• Do you make videos of tournaments or Clan Wars?
• Do you have any beginner’s guides that cover core game mechanics?
• What sites on WoT do you use and recommend?
• I’m feeling incredibly generous and want to support your WoT gaming with a donation, so how do I do that?
• Do you stream?
• Do you offer private coaching?

What is the purpose of the “Road to Unicum” videos?

When I read the official WoT forums, WoT sub-Reddit, and WoTLabs forums, one question comes up more than any other: how do I improve my gameplay?

This is particularly challenging for players who have hit a ceiling in terms of their measurable performance (e.g. win rate, WN8 rating, etc) and are not sure what to do. While players can download replays of highly-skilled players, those replays don’t capture the thinking process of the player behind the tank – you see their actions but don’t necessarily know the why’s behind them.

Therefore, in this video series I share what I’ve learned as I progress towards account Unicum rating (top 1%) with silver ammo only. I talk through how I’m reading the battle as it unfolds and discuss key decisions and mistakes. My hope is that these videos meaningfully help other players improve their gameplay.

For full disclosure, I spend money on the game, and that most definitely helps with stats. I believe that it’s possible to reach Unicum as a F2P player and with silver ammo, but the process would be extremely tedious and suck the fun out of the game for me.

What does “Unicum” mean?

Unicum is a term coined by the WoT community to denote players who are rated in the top 1% in terms of measurable performance (i.e. stats) that are publicly available for each player.

The most widely-used and credible community-created rating system is known as WN8. No rating system is perfect, but WN8 addressed many of the flaws from earlier rating systems.

The WN authors performed extensive statistical analysis of player data from stat sites (e.g. VBAddict and Noobmeter) to determine which stats correlate with winning. They used to manually derive “expected values” for every tank every few months, but eventually the XVM mod team automated the calculation of expected values on a daily basis.

An individual player is measured against these expected values for each tank the player has played, using the player’s data that is publicly available through the WoT API for Random Battles (aka “public battles” or simply “pubs”), and then an aggregate calculation is used to determine a single WN8 number for that player’s account.

Keep in mind that the WoT API does not provide some of the stats that you see in-game. E.g. in-game you can see assisted damage for each tank, whereas in the WoT API that data is only available at the account level. Ratings systems such as WN8 can only work with the data available in the WoT API.

Who is the intended audience?

Basically anyone who does not already have a purple WN8 Recent (2450+) and who is looking for guidance / tips for improving their gameplay.

Players who already have a purple Recent WN8 already know much of what I know. That being said, I’ve picked up useful nuggets from watching and playing with other Unicums, and vice versa. The game is richly complex :)

Your account is not Unicum in some of these videos, so why did you publish them?

The title implies the journey to get there, not already being there.

That said, I reached account Unicum (2450 WN8) at 13195 battles on my original WoT account with silver ammo only:

I reached account Super Unicum (2900 WN8) at 27160 battles on my original WoT account with silver ammo only:

Here are my most recent WN8 stats:

Beyond WoT, I have a long history of publishing guides for various online games that have meaningfully helped players improve their gameplay. Sharing knowledge and providing guidance are things I love to do.

Why don’t you use gold ammo (“premium ammo”) in Random Battles (“pubs”)?

I don’t use gold ammo in pubs because it’s very problematic for tank balance. No judgement on players who use it, it is a built-in game mechanic and is a powerful tool.

Tanks with heavy armor give up a lot for that armor: acceleration, top speed, hull traverse, turret traverse, etc. Gold ammo greatly reduces the effective armor of such tanks while leaving those tanks with all the downsides of bearing that armor.

For the purpose of these educational videos, I think it’s more illustrative and helpful to viewers to show how to perform well with silver ammo, as opposed to firing a lot of gold.

For full premade contexts (e.g. strongholds, and if I ever do them, Clan Wars, etc) and for Ranked battles, I do load and fire gold ammo. Keep in mind that WN8 only measures stats from Random Battles.

But gold ammo is available for credits now, doesn’t that fix the pay-to-win issue?

Like I said in the previous question, gold ammo is very problematic for tank balance, not just player balance. Beyond that, it’s important to recognize gold ammo for what it is: a cleverly-designed credit (money) sink.

Money sinks are typically implemented in games with an economy (e.g. MMORPGs such as World of Warcraft that have auction houses) to prevent inflation. There is no player-based economy in WoT per se (i.e. you can’t buy/sell/trade stuff with other players), but credits are used in WoT for paying for many things in-game: new tanks, tank upgrades, equipment, post-battle repairs, ammunition, consumables, crew training/re-skilling, camouflage, etc.

The effect of a credit sink such as premium ammo – which is typically 3-20 times more expensive than silver ammo – is to make it less likely that a player will turn a profit, and without a profit, a player can’t accumulate credits to pay for new things (upgrades, tanks, etc). So players are pressured into spending real money to boost their in-game income: e.g. with premium tanks, premium subscription, buying credits with real money, etc. This fosters a P4A (Pay for Advantage) environment. Nowadays most PVP games (e.g. MOBAs, Overwatch, PUBG, Fortnite, etc) sell in-game items that are cosmetic / don’t confer any in-battle advantage.

Credit sinks such as gold ammo are why WoT has the highest ARPU (by a mile) of any F2P MMO in history.

How do we know you really don’t use gold ammo in Random Battles?

I can’t offer you exhaustive proof – that would require my collecting and posting tens of thousands of screenshots or replay files, and frankly no one would go through them all anyway.

That said, I can offer meaningful proof – I have posted thousands of screenshots (over 3000) for battles in which I earned Ace Tanker or 1st class badges, and you can see from the ammo re-supply costs that I’m firing silver ammo only.

Aside from that, you’ll have to take my word for it, and the fact that no one will ever be able to post a replay of my firing gold ammo at them in a Random Battle.

Why don’t you use mods?

I’ve never used any mods in WoT, for multiple reasons:

1. The stock UI is very functional and several of the best features from mods have been incorporated by Wargaming into the UI – see next FAQ for my recommended UI settings
2. It’s not completely clear to me which mods are legal and which are not. If I’m ever accused of hacking or using cheating mods, it’s much easier to simply respond that I’ve never used any mods
3. Some mods give information (such as XVM’s player stats) which I think is depressing or distracting to see, e.g. many players react very negatively during the loading screen based on the respective teams and then play fatalistically because they assume their team is doomed. I react to game flow based on what my eyes tell me. I do keep a mental note of good players and good clans (e.g. the top 10 listed on WoTLabs)
4. It’s a hassle when mods break, especially due to game patches, and I don’t want to become overly dependent on them
5. Some people in my cross-gaming guild kept insisting that mods were essential, same with gold ammo, and I often buck the trend to prove a point. Mods can definitely help, but they’re aren’t needed to play at a Unicum level
6. Some (formal) formats don’t allow mods. I’ll probably never do tournaments and stuff, but you never know…

I do use mods in other games, e.g. WoW, WildStar. For the reasons above, I don’t in WoT.

What UI settings/options do you recommend?

I covered this in my guides to settings, Episode #104.

It’s extremely worthwhile to turn on the following features in the UI:

• Settings → General → Enable Expanded Minimap Features → Always: this tracks the last spotted location for every enemy tank
• Settings → General → View range indicators on the Minimap: check all 3 checkboxes. The first shows the view range circle, which is how far your tank can spot. Note that doesn’t account for enemy camo. The second checkbox shows the max distance (445m) that any tank can theoretically spot. The third checkbox shows the max distance that you will render tanks that have been spotted by an ally
• Settings → Battle Notifications → Log → Summarized damage: check all 3 boxes, they’re self-explanatory
• Settings → Battle Notifications → Log → Detailed damage → Display always: you should always have the damage panel up. It lets you know who is shooting you and with which kind of ammo
• Settings → General → Horizontal stabilization in Sniper mode: ensures that if you’re in sniper mode and you turn the hull the gun will stay pointed (or will try to stay pointed) at whatever you were aiming at. It makes driving in sniper mode while trying to fight much easier

Why don’t you have a purple (60%) account Win Rate?

Why WR is steadily increasing as I continue to improve my skill level.

That said, keep in mind that WR is easily padded via platooning with skilled players, since WR is a reflection of team performance. WN8 is more of a reflection of individual performance. Unicum WR is 60-64%, Super Uni is 65+%. Those are difficult WRs to sustain solopubbing (solo queuing), let alone with silver ammo only.

There is a web site that implemented “platoon ratio” calculations that give you an idea how much 2-way and 3-way padding platoons (i.e. platoons with skilled players) a given player runs. What I’ve noticed is that the vast majority of Unicums have much higher padding platoon ratios compared to other players and to me.

My guess is that I’ve solopub’d ~90% of my battles. It’s not that I don’t like platooning with people – I do – but some sessions I hop around various tanks or play tiers other people aren’t interested in, and other times I’m intentionally soloing because I’m trying to capture footage for a video.

Why do you zoom out immediately upon firing and in-between autoloader shots?

I want to see what is going on beyond the sniper view, which by definition is very focused on a small area. Occasionally I’ll notice something when I’m zoomed out that influences my next action.

Do you play stock tanks or only fully-researched tanks?

The answer is in-between those two. I typically use enough Free XP to research the first gun with functional penetration (doesn’t have to be the top gun), then grind the remaining gun(s), engine(s), and other upgraded modules.

A lot of players research engines on mediums tanks before I typically do, but if your gun isn’t functional, mobility doesn’t meaningfully matter, because you’ll just get to a place faster and start bouncing shells.

In most cases, upgraded tracks are required to mount upgraded gun(s). Depending how much Free XP I have, what I’ll sometimes do is mount suspension equipment, then forgo one piece of equipment (although I almost always use VStab for upper-tier tanks because of aim time reduction), then grind out the upgraded tracks and swap out the suspension equipment.

Keep in mind that upgraded tracks not only increase max load and track HP, they also reduce terrain resistances (which improves mobility) and in some cases dispersion (which improves gun handling). The easiest way to see this is on tanks.gg.

As an example, for the M103 I Free XP’d the middle gun (T112) and the turret, but I grinded out the top gun (M58) and the engine, and I didn’t bother to research the upgraded radio nor tracks to minimize how long it would take me to grind out the T110E5. Although if I were playing the M103 for keeps, researching the tracks would be worth it.

What crew skills and equipment do you recommend for a given tank?

Watch the first 15 seconds of the video in the garage – that will typically have the recommended and most recent setup that I’m running with for that tank.

What should I spend my gold on?

In order of priority (best options first):

1. Premium time
2. Retraining a crew member to a different tank / buying a gold crew member
3. Reskilling a crew member
4. Demounting equipment that is expensive (e.g. Optics) from a tank you don’t plan on playing again
5. Converting free XP to research modules
6. Premium tanks
7. Changing the qualification (role) of a crew member; only do this to convert an extra Radio Operator or Loader to Commander
8. Buying permanent camouflage, if appearance matters to you (it does to me). Keep in mind you can remove camouflage from one tank and apply it to another tank of the same nation. You can also rent camo for a tank for 100 battles for 75k credits
9. Converting free XP to skip tanks

The top 4 items above offer the best value. WoT could really be considered “World of Crews” so spending gold on crew members (#2 and #3) is worth it. With the introduction of the female crew members as Campaign rewards, #7 is something you won’t have to do much, as you can obtain female Commanders with immediate Sixth Sense. To get Sixth Sense instantly, you also have the option to purchase a crew training manual for 2MM credits.

Some players would rank “Premium tanks” higher on the list. Unless you are willing to spend many hundreds of dollars on WoT to buy many premium tanks, you should research to determine which particular premium tank(s) are appealing to you, e.g. because they support your preferred playstyle, they are in a nation’s line that you want to grind, etc.

There are some players who spend gold to convert free XP to skip tanks – and I used to do this years ago – but by skipping tanks you miss the opportunity to experience tanks that are underrated by the community (e.g. M103) or that you may actually enjoy, and grinding through a given tank develops your crew. That is why I ranked skipping tanks last.

Beyond these things, I don’t recommend spending gold on anything else.

Which tank line(s) should I grind?

I don’t recommend specific tanks lines to players. Several reasons why:

• I don’t know your preferred playstyle. For that matter, you may not know either. You have to try the 31 flavors at Baskin Robbins to know which is your favorite ice cream, right?
• You’ll learn more the more different tank lines you try, and that will make you a better player
• I don’t advocate playing FOTM/OP tanks/heroes/classes. You won’t learn if you always play things that are overpowered, and they may get nerfed (balanced) anyway
• I don’t want you to whine to me later

How do you choose your replays?

I chose replays based on the tank lines I’m working on, poll votes from viewers, and comments from viewers.

Let me clearly state that I don’t just upload any random or normal replay.

I intentionally choose replays where there is educational value, in terms of good illustrative gameplay and mistakes that I make. For the most part, the replays are of battles in which there is meaningful challenge, since there isn’t much to learn from a faceroll victory.

Can you post replays where you are the bottom tier?

By “bottom tier” the community has traditionally meant when a player is 2 tiers below the top tier.

Yes, I’ve been posting such replays since the 5th episode and will continue to do so.

Here are the episodes where I’m bottom tier:

• Episode 5: T-44 in a tier 10 battle
• Episode 7: ELC AMX in a tier 8 battle
• Episode 13: IS-3 in two tier 10 battles
• Episode 24: AMX 12t in three tier 9 battles
• Episode 26: Chaffee in a tier 8 battle
• Episode 33: Luchs in a tier 7 battle
• Episode 38: Thunderbolt in a tier 8 battle
• Episode 39: M4A1 Revalorisé in two tier 10 battles
• Episode 41: Guide to Light Tanks
• Episode 43: Škoda T 25 in a tier 8 battle
• Episode 47: Pz IV H in a tier 7 battle
• Episode 48: Bat Chat 12 t in a tier 10 battle
• Episode 51: Type 64 in a tier 8 battle
• Episode 52: LTTB in a tier 10 battle
• Episode 53: Löwe in three tier 10 battles
• Episode 56: T-54 mod 1 in a tier 10 battle
• Episode 58: Somua SM in two tier 10 battles
• Episode 61: Progetto in a tier 10 battle
• Episode 62: Lorraine 40t in two tier 10 battles
• Episode 67: AMX 50 100 in a tier 10 battle
• Episode 68: T20 in a tier 9 battle
• Episode 69: M 41 90 in a tier 10 battle
• Episode 70: Pershing in two tier 10 battles
• Episode 71: AMX 13 75 in two tier 9 battles
• Episode 73: LT-432 in a tier 10 battle
• Episode 75: LTG in a tier 9 battle
• Episode 76: T-50-2 in two tier 8 battles
• Episode 77: T28 in a tier 10 battle
• Episode 78: EBR 75 FL 10 in a tier 10 battle
• Episode 79: AMX 13 57 in two tier 9 battles
• Episode 80: Emil I in a tier 10 battle
• Episode 83: AMD 178B in two tier 8 battles
• Episode 84: EBR Hotchkiss in a tier 9 battle
• Episode 85: Lynx 6×6 in two tier 10 battles
• Episode 92: UDES 14 5 in two tier 10 battles
• Episode 98: Setter in a tier 9 battle
• Episode 99: LHMTV in a tier 10 battle
• Episode 106: T-44 in a tier 10 battle
• Episode 112: STA-1 in a tier 10 battle
• Episode 115: HWK-12 in two tier 10 battles
• Episode 116: Senlac in a tier 10 battle

Which episodes feature autoloaders/autoreloaders?

Autoloaders and autoreloaders take time to learn to play correctly. They are very punishing of the driver’s mistakes and also of opponent’s mistakes.

Here are the episodes where I’m playing an autoloaders/autoreloaders:

• Episode 23: AMX 13 90
• Episode 24: AMX 12t
• Episode 25: AMX 13 90
• Episode 27: Lorraine 40t (this was before this tank was made a tier 8 premium)
• Episode 31: Bat Chat 25 t
• Episode 34: SP1C (note that in 0.9.18, the autoloader was removed)
• Episode 36: T71 DA
• Episode 40: Bat Chat 25 t in Ranked Battles (Beta Season 1)
• Episode 42: Škoda T 50
• Episode 43: Škoda T 25
• Episode 48: Bat Chat 12 t
• Episode 58: Somua SM
• Episode 61: Progetto 46
• Episode 62: Lorraine 40t
• Episode 67: AMX 50 100
• Episode 71: AMX 13 75
• Episode 78: EBR 75 FL 10
• Episode 79: AMX 13 57
• Episode 80: Emil I
• Episode 95: P.44 Pantera
• Episode 96: Standard B
• Episode 100: Bourrasque
• Episode 105: Progetto 65
• Episode 110: AMX 13 90
• Episode 119: T69

Do you make videos of arty gameplay?

No, for two reasons:

• I enjoy driving tanks as well as operating a gun. Arty is more about the latter than the former. This is not to say it wouldn’t be fun – for me the timing of shell travel over distances would be interesting – but the gameplay wouldn’t be as engaging to me as other tank classes
• Arty tends to make battles much more campy since players are uncomfortable moving out of arty-safe positions

Do you make videos of tournaments or Clan Wars?

Not yet.

Both require that I play in organized groups at specific times, and I’m not interested enough to make the commitment.

My videos to-date are strictly for game modes that anyone can queue for solo, e.g. Random Battles and Frontline, since such public battles are where most players spend the vast majority of their time.

Do you have any beginner’s guides that cover core game mechanics?

Yes, I have written guides on the following essentials concepts for WoT:

1. Guide on Hull Angling: proper angling increases your tank’s effective hull armor, which can cause incoming shells to ricochet or bounce – i.e. angling increases the probability that a shell fails to penetrate armor
2. Guide on Weak Spots: weak spots are specific areas of a tank that can be penetrated more easily than other areas where the armor is thicker and/or sloped

What sites on WoT do you use and recommend?

1. tanks.gg

This is the best site for 3D models and side-by-side comparisons of tanks.

You can mouse over various parts of the 3D models to see the penetration values. You can also rotate the turret, so that you can determine side and rear turret values.

The site also provides tank data for live, test, and recent prior releases – this is super helpful for evaluating changes made to tanks between releases.

I’m feeling incredibly generous and want to support your WoT gaming with a donation, so how do I do that?

Aside from sending me stuff through WoT itself (e.g. gifts of gold, premium tanks, etc), here are other options:

• Support me on Patreon
• Donate via PayPal
• Shop on Amazon through one of these links: CA | DE | FR | UK | US
  Any purchase you make supports me and won’t impact what you pay

Before you gift me a premium tank (and thanks, that’s very generous of you!), please let me know your intention. E.g. I declined a TOG II gift because I couldn’t stomach the snail-like mobility. That said, there are plenty of premium tanks that would be interesting to try, so let me know and we’ll discuss.

Do you stream?

Not since 2012.

I was fortunate to get partnered very early with Twitch, and I enjoyed the real-time interaction with viewers. However, it was super annoying for my wife to listen to me talking with viewers non-stop. It’s like having to listen to someone on the phone for several hours 🤣🤣🤣.

Do you offer private coaching?

Short answer: no.

Longer answer: the vast majority of people would not pay a competitive coaching rate worth my time. Check out the data in the following poll: https://www.youtube.com/post/UgzUEuSLOVzQygfyuFx4AaABCQ. 93% of voters wouldn’t pay above $25/hr. Keep in mind minimum wage in California $13/hr.

A few points of comparison for private coaching in California:

• Private tennis lessons run between $75-125/hr, depending on the experience and reputation of the coach
• Same for private boxing lessons
• Same for private Pilates lessons
• When I’ve consulted independently, my daily billing rate was in the 4-figure range (i.e. > $1000/day), i.e. I billed over $125/hr

It’s not that I don’t want to help others – obviously I’ve spent hundreds of hours putting these videos together and you get to watch all of them for free – but private coaching doesn’t scale (lots of you, one of me) and most people won’t pay enough to make it worth it, because it’s work for me and I’d have to deal with the hassle of negotiation, collecting payment, unhappy clients, etc.