“The Art of Warfare” Guides & Tank Reviews for Armored Warfare

Last updated: 2016 November 8, Patch 0.18.

Following in the footsteps of my “Road to Unicum” series for World of Tanks (WoT), I’ve started a video series called “The Art of Warfare” for the tank shooter Armored Warfare (AW).

In “The Art of Warfare” videos, I discuss the mechanics of various tanks, how I’m reading each PVP battle as it unfolds, and key decisions and mistakes. My hope is that these videos meaningfully help players improve their gameplay.

See the FAQs for more context about these videos and my perspective on AW.

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Episodes

1. Swingfire PVP Guide, How to Use ATGM Gameplay
2. Sheridan PVP Guide, 3.7k Damage Gameplay
3. Starship PVP Guide, 4.9k Damage Gameplay
4. Begleitpanzer PVP Guide, 5.3k Damage Gameplay
5. ERC-90 F4 PVP Guide, Epic 6.3k Damage Gameplay
6. M60A3 PVP Guide, 5.1k Damage Gameplay
7. Fox PVP Guide, 2v6 Comeback Gameplay
8. MBT-70 Review, 8 Kill PVP Gameplay
9. BMP-2 PVP Guide, 8 Kill Gameplay
10. B1 Centauro PVP Guide, How to Average 3k+ Damage
11. M2 Bradley PVP Guide / Gameplay
12. WZ-1224 Review, Is It Worth It?
13. VFM Review, PVP Guide / Gameplay
14. Type 98 PVP Guide, 6.2k Damage Gameplay
15. PL-01 Review, PVP Guide / Gameplay

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Episode #1: Swingfire PVP Guide, How to Use ATGM Gameplay

We review the Swingfire, a tier 4 AFV, with gameplay of a tier 4 Reactor battle.

Stat line: Ace Tanker, Recon, 2.3k damage, 1.6k spot damage, 6 kills, 9 spots

We also take an in-depth look at the mechanics of ATGM (Anti-Tank Guided Missile) and tips for landing your missiles consistently, including firing on targets before they enter your line-of-sight and switching targets mid-flight.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ superb camouflage (0.42)
+ excellent vision
+ high HEAT penetration (428)
+ 2 missiles per salvo (“clip”) provide compact burst damage
– low top speed and sluggish acceleration limit active scouting capability
– ATGM requires line-of-sight to the target, which means the Swingfire is exposed to counter-fire
– can struggle in close-quarters combat, compared to other AFVs which can fire-on-the-move, peekaboo, and flank

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Episode #2: Sheridan PVP Guide, 3.7k Damage Gameplay

We review the M551 Sheridan, a tier 4 LT, with gameplay of a tier 5 Pipelines battle.

Stat line: 3.7k damage, 4 kills

The Sheridan is an oft-derided light tank due to obvious weaknesses – it’s squishy, has very poor gun handling, and reloads ammo slowly – but it is fairly mobile and packs a hard-hitting HEAT round.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ superb alpha damage (472 base)
+ excellent HEAT penetration (316)
+ excellent gun depression (-8)
+ good mobility
+ 3 smokes
– very poor gun handling in terms of aim time (4.6s base) and accuracy (0.27 base)
– long reload time (14s base)
– no AP round; hitting and penetrating targets with HEAT is less consistent compared to AP
– large profile
– weak armor
– underwhelming top speed for an LT

Commander, Crew, and Retrofits

A. Commander: Juan Carlos for the accuracy and rate of fire buffs or Philipp for the accuracy and vision buffs
B. Crew: Smooth Ride/Off-Road Driving, Marksman/Shoot From the Hip, Rapid Fire/Secured Ammunition
C. Retrofits: Augmented Breech Lock or Intercom Systems (Universal slot), Chrome Barrel Lining (Firepower slot)

With a level 4 crew, ABL, CBL, and protein drink, you can improve the accuracy from 0.27 to 0.05, which is a huge difference.

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Episode #3: Starship PVP Guide, 4.9k Damage Gameplay

We review the M60A2 Starship, a tier 4 MBT, with gameplay of tier 6 Roughneck and tier 4 River Point battles.

Stat line (Tier 4 River Point): 4.9k damage, 1.5k spotted, 5 kills, 2318 base xp
Stat line (Tier 6 Roughneck): 3.1k damage, 2 kills

Like the Sheridan, the Starship has a poor reputation among players and is often referred to as the “Starsh*t”, but in my opinion the tank is widely misused based on its mechanics. The Starship has good gun handling and a hard-hitting HEAT round; therefore, the Starship is best employed as a peekaboo brawler. A common mistake is to rely primarily on ATGM, which has about the same alpha (478) as the HEAT round but the reload is more than 4 sec longer, and more importantly targeting with ATGM requires the prolonged exposure, which is a no-no given the large cupola weak spot.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ superb gun depression (-10)
+ superb alpha damage (474 base)
+ excellent HEAT penetration (316)
+ good aim time (3.3 sec base)
+ good accuracy (0.15 base)
+ good turret traverse for an MBT (34 degrees / sec)
+ has 1 smoke round for emergencies
– like most low-tier MBTs, the lower front glacis is a weak spot
– the cupola on top of the turret is a prominent weak spot, so you have to play not only hull-down but turret-down whenever possible
– no AP round; hitting and penetrating targets with HEAT is less consistent compared to AP
– large profile

Commander, Crew, and Retrofits

A. Commander: Juan Carlos for the accuracy and rate of fire buffs
B. Crew: Smooth Ride/Off-Road Driving, Marksman/Shoot From the Hip, Rapid Fire/Secured Ammunition
C. Retrofits: Intercom Systems or Augmented Breech Lock (Universal slot), Internal Hull Reinforcement (Armor slot), Chrome Barrel Lining (Firepower slot)

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Episode #4: Begleitpanzer PVP Guide, 5.3k Damage Gameplay

We review the Begleitpanzer 57, a tier 5 LT, with gameplay of tier 6 Cold Strike and tier 5 Roughneck battles.

Stat line (Tier 6 Cold Strike ): 3k damage, 5 kills
Stat line (Tier 5 Roughneck): 5.3k damage, 6 kills

The Begleitpanzer can deliver heavy burst with its ATGMs and autocannon. The missile launcher and autocannon are separate weapons, you can fire one weapon, then swap to and use the other weapon while the first weapon is reloading.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ superb damage per autocannon clip (1672)
+ hard-hitting ATGM (597)
+ excellent frontal gun depression (-8)
+ good AP penetration for an autocannon (141)
+ good mobility
+ autocannon and missile launcher are separate weapons, which allows for fast weapon swaps to keep pumping out damage
+ 3 smokes
– paper armor
– very poor gun depression on the sides and rear (-3)
– autocannon rate of fire is not fast, so the tank is exposed for several seconds while emptying the 8-shell clip

Commander, Crew, and Retrofits

A. Commander: Freja for the accuracy and salvo rate of fire buffs
B. Crew: Smooth Ride/Off-Road Driving, Shoot From The Hip/Marksman
C. Retrofits: Augmented Breech Lock (Universal slot), Chrome Barrel Lining (Firepower slot), Improved Filter Systems (Mobility slot)

I don’t find it worthwhile to directly buff aim time given how autocannons work and the fact that you can swap weapons.

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Episode #5: ERC-90 F4 PVP Guide, Epic 6.3k Damage Gameplay

We review the ERC-90 F4, a tier 5 TD, with gameplay of an epic carry in a tier 5 Roughneck match.

Stat line: 6.3k damage, 6 kills

The ERC-90 is one of the most popular tanks for any tier, which is unsurprising given its strong mechanics.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ amazing cannon depression (-12)
+ superb vision
+ superb reload time (4.9 sec base)
+ excellent top-end speed
+ excellent camouflage (0.28)
+ APS for automatic protection against ATGM (45 sec cooldown)
+ good acceleration
+ small profile
– low damage
– low penetration (219 for AP, 200 for HEAT)
– sluggish when turning
– paper armor

Commander, Crew, and Retrofits

A. Commander: Eric O’Connell for the camo and accuracy buffs or Juan Carlos for the accuracy and rate of fire buffs
B. Crew: Smooth Ride/Off-Road Driving, Marksman/Rapid Fire
C. Retrofits: Intercom Systems or Augmented Breech Lock (Universal slot), Internal Hull Reinforcement (Armor slot), Chrome Barrel Lining (Firepower slot)

Errata

1. at 0:27, I said the camo is 0.25, but it’s 0.28
2. at 12:53, I said the M60A3 has ERC, but I meant ERA (Explosive Reactive Armor), the countermeasure against shape-charged ammo such as HEAT

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Episode #6: M60A3 PVP Guide, 5.1k Damage Gameplay

We review the M60A3, a tier 5 MBT, with gameplay of a tier 6 River Point match.

Stat line: 5.1k damage, 6 kills, 1.5k spotted

The M60A3 is a well-rounded tank with solid armor and good gun handling. It’s a classic “American comfort” vehicle.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ superb cannon depression (-10)
+ superb accuracy (0.12 base)
+ excellent reload time (7.9 sec base)
+ good targeting time (2.9 sec base)
+ good turret and upper front plate protection
+ solid mobility
+ lower plate can give trollish bounces
– low damage (331 base for AP, 405 base for HEAT) relative to its peers
– the big cupola and the turret ring are weak spots
– large profile

Commander, Crew, and Retrofits

A. Commander: Juan Carlos for the accuracy and rate of fire buffs
B. Crew: Smooth Ride/Off-Road Driving, Marksman/Shoot From the Hip, Rapid Fire/Secured Ammunition
C. Retrofits: Chrome Barrel Lining (Universal slot), Internal Hull Reinforcement (Armor slot)

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Episode #7: Fox PVP Guide, 2v6 Comeback Gameplay

We review the FV721 Fox, a tier 5 AFV, with gameplay of a Cold Strike match.

Stat line: 3.3k damage, 5 kills

This match was in the first month of Open Beta, and I was too tentative in the early minutes of the battle. Part of the challenge of playing an AFV well is reading when an enemy flank is thin and breaking it wide open.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ superb acceleration, forwards and backwards
+ superb top-end speed
+ superb burst damage from 2-salvo ATGM
+ can weapon swap between autocannon and ATGM for sustained damage
+ small profile
+ 2nd best vision for tier 5 AFV, behind only the BMP-2
– over-sensitive driving controls; easily spins out
– poor max cannon depression (-5)
– paper armor

Commander, Crew, and Retrofits

A. Commander: Sabrina
B. Crew: Smooth Ride/Off-Road Driving, Shoot from the Hip/Marksman
C. Retrofits: Enhanced Sight Interface (Universal slot), Improved Filter Systems (Mobility slot), Augmented Optics (Tech slot), Chrome Barrel Lining (Firepower slot)

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Episode #8: MBT-70 Review, 8 Kill PVP Gameplay

We review the MBT-70, a tier 6 premium MBT, with gameplay of a tier 6 Port Storm match.

Stat line: 4.6k damage, 8 kills, 1.3k spotted

The key to playing the MBT-70 is understanding that even when hull-down, there are 2 prominent weak spots on top half of the turret. If the driver can wiggle to protect those weak spots, the MBT-70 can bully tanks that it faces.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ superb AP damage (478 base)
+ superb AP penetration (381), which allows you to penetrate the front hull of the Leo 2AV
+ excellent max speed
+ excellent agility
+ excellent cannon depression (-8)
+ strong upper front hull and a turret that bounces poorly aimed shots
+ premium matchmaking
– long reload time (12.7 sec base) and no Loader crew member to help bring it down
– poor accuracy (0.17 base)
– lower front plate is large and penetrable, even by AFV autocannons
– even when hull-down, the turret has 2 sizable weak spots

Commander, Crew, and Retrofits

A. Commander: Juan Carlos for the accuracy and rate of fire buffs
B. Crew: Smooth Ride/Off-Road Driving, Marksman/Shoot From the Hip
C. Retrofits: go with 3 Firepower retrofits: Chrome Barrel Lining (CBL) and Augmented Breech Lock (ABL), then take your pick of Experimental Propellant or Advanced Shell Materials

At the time of the video, I did not have ABL unlocked from the tier 8 Ariete, but I have it now. I no longer recommend a crew skills build as shown in the video, given that the MBT-70 doesn’t have a Loader crew member and CBL and ABL significantly address its poor gun handling.

CBL and ABL improve accuracy, and CBL’s 2ndary is damage, whereas ABL’s 2ndary is reload time. These are my 2 favorite firepower retrofits.

The “Merc” version of the MBT-70 comes with a maxed-out (level 5) crew, so you can select 2 skills per crew member immediately.

Errata

a. 3:25 – I stated that the max cannon depression is -10, but it is -8

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Episode #9: BMP-2 PVP Guide, 8 Kill Gameplay

We review the BMP-2, a tier 5 AFV, with gameplay of tier 6 Lost Island and Port Storm battles.

Stat line (Lost Island): 3.3k damage, 8 kills
Stat line (Port Storm): 4.7k damage, 1.9k spotted, 4 kills

The BMP-2 requires map knowledge to manage the poor gun depression, so experienced drivers have an easier time performing in this tank. I think it’s underrated by the community. I enjoy the BMP-2 so much I Battle-Hardened it and purchased gold camo.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ excellent sustained autocannon burst damage: 68 damage per round, salvo size of 27
+ excellent vision (545 with Sabrina and Augmented Optics Mk. 3)
+ good AP penetration (115)
+ good reload time for an autocannon
+ good forward speed
– poor cannon depression (-5)
– large profile for an AFV
– poor reverse speed
– hull traverse is poor, resulting in wide turns

Commander, Crew, and Retrofits

A. Commander: Sabrina for vision and camo
B. Crew: Smooth Ride/Off-Road Driving, Shoot From The Hip/Marksman
C. Retrofits: Augmented Optics (Universal slot), Chrome Barrel Lining (Firepower slot)

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Episode #10: B1 Centauro PVP Guide, How to Average 3k+ Damage

We review the B1 Centauro, a tier 6 TD, with gameplay of tier 6 Ghost Field and Pipelines battles.

Stat line (Ghost Field): 7.4k damage, 6 kills
Stat line (Pipelines): 5.7k damage, 4 kills

The Centauro is widely regarded as a difficult tank to play – and it is – but it can crank out high damage when played correctly and friendly AFVs/LTs are spotting effectively.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ superb reload (6.96 sec base)
+ superb max forward speed (100 kph)
+ excellent AP damage (472 base)
– poor cannon depression (-6) coupled with rear-mounted turret hamper hill-fighting
– glacial aim time (3.9 sec base)
– large profile
– weak armor
– awkward to drive; lacks agility
– ERA does not cover the front of the turret nor hull

Commander, Crew, and Retrofits

A. Commander: Eric O’Connell for the camo and accuracy buffs or Juan Carlos for the accuracy and rate of fire buffs
B. Crew: Smooth Ride/Off-Road Driving, Marksman/Shoot From the Hip, Rapid Fire/Secured Ammunition
C. Retrofits: Augmented Breech Lock or Braided Kevlar Wiring (Universal slot), Chrome Barrel Lining (Firepower slot), Improved Filter Systems (Mobility slot), Intercom Systems (Tech slot)

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Episode #11: M2 Bradley Guide, PVP Gameplay

We review the M2 Bradley, a tier 6 AFV, with gameplay of tier 6 Narrows and tier 8 Port Storm battles.

Stat line (Narrows): 3.7k damage, 2 kills
Stat line (Port Storm): 3k damage, 1.7 spotted damage, 2 kills

While some players try to build their M2 Bradley for offense due to its relatively low vision and camouflage for an AFV, I believe that the Bradley is still most effective with Sabrina and Augmented Optics because:
1. to the extent you can spot tanks, you’ll provide targets for your team to fire on
2. the further away you spot an enemy, the more likely you can fire on them and not get spotted
3. while you will get out-spotted by a few high vision control tanks such as the VBL, you will out-spot everything else

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ superb max cannon depression (-12)
+ excellent burst damage per ATGM salvo (441 x 2)
+ armor provides some protection against autocannons and will bounce the occasional AP shell, and ERA upgrade covers much of the tank against SC shells
+ APS provides passive protection against ATGM
+ good autocannon accuracy (0.11 base)
+ can weapon swap between autocannon and ATGM for sustained damage
– low camouflage (0.275 with Sabrina)
– low vision (510 with Sabrina and Augmented Optics Mk. 3)
– mediocre mobility
– large profile
– ATGM fires from the hull of the tank instead of the turret, so when firing missiles you have to expose your hull

Commander, Crew, and Retrofits

A. Commander: Sabrina
B. Crew: Smooth Ride/Off-Road Driving, Shoot from the Hip/Marksman
C. Retrofits: Augmented Optics (Universal slot), Internal Hull Reinforcement (Armor slot), Chrome Barrel Lining (Firepower slot)

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Episode #12: WZ-1224 Review, Is It Worth It?

We review the WZ-1224, the new tier 5 Chinese premium MBT, with gameplay of a tier 5 Coastal Threat battle.

Stat line: 5.4k damage, 6 kills, 4.5k damage mitigated

While the max gun depression (-3) is very poor and needs to be managed carefully, the WZ-1224 has beefy frontal armor, is surprisingly mobile, has solid gun handling, and benefits from premium matchmaking.

We also discuss the new Coastal Threat PVP map and lanes to play as an MBT.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ excellent upper front hull and front turret armor protection, only the lower half of the lower plate is vulnerable
+ premium matchmaking
+ good rate of fire
+ good mobility
+ 3 universal retrofit slots
– very poor max gun depression (-3)
– vulnerable to ATGM due to low SC modifiers
– mediocre AP penetration, but this is balanced for premium MM

Commander, Crew, and Retrofits

A. Commander: Juan Carlos for the accuracy and rate of fire buffs
B. Crew: Smooth Ride/Off-Road Driving, Marksman/Shoot From the Hip
C. Retrofits: Chrome Barrel Lining (Universal slot), Experimental Propellant (Universal slot), Augmented Breech Lock or Gyroscopic Stabilizers (Universal slot)

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Episode #13: VFM PVP Guide, PVP Guide / Gameplay

We review the VFM Mk. 5, a very popular tier 6 premium LT, with gameplay of a tier 7 Pipelines battle.

Taugrim’s PVP stats (@106 battles): 64% win rate, 3.1k damage and 2.11 kills per game

The VFM combines solid frontal hull armor with a turret that provides good protection from autocannons. While the VFM is excellent at flexing, players often incorrectly flank with the tank in such a way that they lose the benefit of the frontal hull armor and are impacted by the tank’s poor gun handling.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ superb max gun depression (-10)
+ solid front hull armor
+ turret provides good protection vs autocannons
+ high HP (1700 base, 1891 with Internal Hull Reinforcement Mk. 3 retrofit)
+ good mobility
+ premium matchmaking
+ 3 smokes
– poor accuracy (0.17 base)
– slow aim time (3.9 sec base)
– mediocre AP penetration (303)
– mediocre hull traverse, causing the tank to make wide circles

Commander, Crew, and Retrofits

A. Commander: Juan Carlos for the accuracy and rate of fire buffs or Philipp for the accuracy and vision buffs
B. Crew: Smooth Ride/Off-Road Driving, Marksman/Shoot From the Hip, Rapid Fire/Secured Ammunition
C. Retrofits: Chrome Barrel Lining (Universal slot), Internal Hull Reinforcement (Armor slot), Improved Filter Systems (Mobility slot), Intercom Systems (Tech slot)

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Episode #14: Type 98 PVP Guide, 6.2k Damage Gameplay

We review the Type 98, a tier 8 Chinese MBT, with gameplay of a tier 9 River Point battle.

Stat line: 6.2k damage, 4k spotted, 8.8k mitigated

The Type 98 requires careful driving due to the soft lower front plate, which is the largest weak spot of any tier 8 MBT. The key to sucess in the Type 98 is avoiding lanes where the lower front plate is exposed for prolonged periods of time. While players often (justifiably) complain about the Type 98, it performs well hull-down due to the strong turret and excellent -8 max cannon depression.

From a gameplay perspective, the Type 98 is similar to the tier 6 T-72A MBT.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ excellent max gun depression (-8)
+ strong turret
+ good gun handling
+ good mobility
+ APS countermeasure for ATGM
+ can fire ATGM, which is effective against Challenger and Ariete MBTs
– lower plate is the largest weak spot of any tier 8 MBT, limits ability to push safely across open ground
– lower half of lower front plate is very soft, vulnerable to HEAT
– tied for 2nd lowest AP penetration (547) among tier 8 MBTs, but with weak spot hunting it’s not a meaningful issue

Commander, Crew, and Retrofits

A. Commander: Juan Carlos for the accuracy and rate of fire buffs
B. Crew: Smooth Ride/Off-Road Driving, Marksman/Shoot From the Hip
C. Retrofits: Augmented Breech Lock or Experimental Propellant (Universal slot), Chrome Barrel Lining (Firepower slot), Air Induction Precleaner (Mobility slot), Intercom Systems (Tech slot)

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Episode #15: PL-01 Review, PVP Guide / Gameplay

We review the PL-01, the new tier 10 Polish LT, with gameplay of a Coastal Threat battle.

Stat line: 6.2k damage, 4 kills

The PL-01 is the most fun tank I’ve played in AW. It possesses amazing gun handling, solid frontal armor (with one large weak spot in the lower plate), great camo, and good agility.

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ superb gun handling
+ superb camo (0.40375 with paint and Sabrina)
+ excellent max gun depression (-8)
+ excellent agility
+ solid frontal armor
+ APS countermeasure for ATGM
+ 3 smokes
– upper half of lower plate is a huge weak spot for AP shells
– top speed of 70.2 kph is lower than some MBTs; running away sometimes isn’t doable
– sluggish reverse acceleration and speed
– gunner’s sight is large and easily penetrated by AP and SC shells, albeit for reduced damage due to the unmanned turret

Commander, Crew, and Retrofits

A. Commander: Sabrina to maximize vision control
B. Crew: Smooth Ride/Off-Road Driving, Marksman/Shoot From the Hip
C. Retrofits: Augmented Breech Lock or Experimental Propellant (Universal slot), Internal Hull Reinforcement (Armor slot), Chrome Barrel Lining (Firepower slot), Improved Filter Systems (Mobility slot)

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Frequently Asked Questions

• What is your opinion on AW so far?
• Which do you prefer: AW or WoT?
• Which Commander should I use in a given tank?
• What is the priority for stats?
• What are the calculations for damage, reduce reload time, and aim time?
• I’m getting “login unavailable” in the My.com game client launcher. How do I fix this?
• Is AW going to kill WoT?
• Will you continue the “Road to Unicum” series for WoT?

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What is your opinion on AW so far?

It’s a very well-designed game and legit contender in the tank shooter space.

Below is my take on the pros and cons of AW, with comparisons drawn to WoT, which is the established leader in the industry.

Pros

1. The ammo types have real tradeoffs. Each tank from tier 2+ has multiple ammo types to loadout and each ammo type has pros and cons. There is no superior “gold” ammo in AW that creates tank balance issues. Some tanks have one or more countermeasures (e.g. ERA for incoming Shaped Charge projectiles such as HEAT, APS for incoming Anti Tank Guided Missiles), so that adds to the rich complexity of the game
2. Given that these are “modern” tanks, the tanks feel polished starting at tier 4: the gun handling is good, tanks are mobile, etc. Consider this: in WoT an incredibly accurate gun for non-arty has 0.30 accuracy, whereas in AW every gun of every non-arty has much better accuracy than that
3. RNG does not play a meaningful role in determining outcomes, especially compared to WoT
4. AW’s maps provide rich complexity and options for flanking. There aren’t “ideal” sniping spots or map locations that provide an inordinate amount of control, such as the hill in Mines or Tundra in WoT
5. While there is pressure to subscribe to reduce the grind starting at tier 4, there aren’t annoying things you have to pay for, such as garage slots and trained crews
6. In AW you can get battles with tanks all the same tier or with only a 1-tier gap (e.g. tier 5 and 6 tanks only), and that’s better than WoT’s system where there is (almost?) always a 2-tier gap
7. Some tanks have smokes and special abilities, and these add to the rich complexity of playing those tanks

Cons

1. Balance across classes at tier 7+ needs work. MBTs scale too well in the upper tiers: they are very difficult to penetrate frontally and too agile to sustainably flank. That said, the balance across classes is excellent in the middle tiers (4-6)
2. The population in NA is low, therefore the queue times for NA PVP as of late April 2016 have become painfully long, although with patch 0.16 the PVP queue does pop if you are willing to queue active tiers. Apparently EU and RU have much larger populations and queues pop quickly
3. “Endgame” content hasn’t been launched yet – for PVP there are only random battles. There are player-organized tournaments but no in-game system yet for ranked play. Ranked play is coming with Lords of War

Other Observations

1. Damage-to-HP ratio is high. Many tanks can kill their mirrors in 3-4 shots. Mistakes are punished harshly, but on the flip side, good decision-making matters
2. Snapshotting doesn’t work reliably, however tanks are accurate fully aimed-in
3. The grind curve steepens noticeably once you hit tier 4+. Some players feel AW is not grindy, but I think it’s more that stock tanks are not as weak as in WoT, so you don’t have to grind with non-functional tanks. Realistically, grinding without a premium account at tier 4+ sounds tedious, so I’m subbing
4. The presence of arty still sucks. The warning indicator helps but my question is why have arty in the first place? Certain tanks, in particular MBTs, are vulnerable to arty when crossing open ground even with the warning indicator. Part of the issue is that the warning indicator tells you that arty fire is incoming, but it doesn’t tell you whether arty is firing at your current location, behind you, ahead of you (i.e. a leading shot), etc, so it’s not clear how you avoid the incoming fire. Some folks claim you can dodge arty by seeing the tracer, but in many cases you won’t see the tracer until the shell is close enough that meaningfully dodging isn’t going to happen. The number of arty per side is capped at 2, so at least you don’t get placed in situations where you have 3-4 arties per side and the battle becomes a campfest
5. You have the option to grind a given tank in PVE, especially for those tanks where there are key upgrades (e.g. countermeasures such as ERA and APS) that dramatically boost the tank’s PVP performance. I do PVP with tanks that are not fully upgraded because PVE is nowhere near as interesting to me as PVP, but it’s nice to have the option. Many stats-conscious players are fully upgrading their tanks in PVE before doing PVP. I’ve been pretty surprised at the number of players from Unicum clans in WoT who are spending a significant amount of their time in PVE. Some tanks such as the Chieftain are weak stock so upgrading in PVE is recommended

Which do you prefer: AW or WoT?

Both games scratch the same itch in terms of PVP in a tank shooter environment and they have grinds to progress to high-tier tanks, so they are competing for my play time.

By my 400th battle in AW, my preference had shifted to AW over WoT, for the following reasons:

1. The tanks in AW are much more polished in terms of their mobility and gun handling. AW tier 4 tanks drive and handle better than WoT tier 10 tanks
2. RNG in AW doesn’t play a meaningful role in determining outcomes
3. WoT’s premium ammo (“gold ammo”) is horrible for balance
4. WoT’s mod system enables cheating
5. With AW, all I feel the need to pay for is a subscription. With WoT, I need to pay for gold beyond a subscription to do things such as buy or retrain crews, do select Free XP conversion so that I can play partially-upgraded tanks instead of stock tanks, etc. When WoT was the only game in town – and I don’t consider War Thunder to be a legit competitor – the monetization model seemed fine. With AW now in Open Beta, which is technically live given that Obsidian is accepting payment transactions, WoT’s monetization model seems dated and AW’s model provides better bang-for-your-buck

I’m now at over 3000 battles in AW and continue to enjoy the game.

Which Commander should I use in a given tank?

These recommendations have evolved with patch 0.15 due to the change from reload to rate of fire.

You should unlock Juan Carlos and Freja from the tier 4 AFV Swingfire and BMD-1 so that along with Sabina and Philipp you have a good Commander option for any given tank.

Here are the recommendations:

• For AFVs, use Sabrina with Take Aim and Hidden Gunner. This applies to all AFVs. People who recommend a different commander to improve the offensive capabilities of an AFV are giving bad advice – spotting is the #1 thing any AFV provides to their team
  
• For MBTs, use Juan Carlos with Bullseye and Anti-Material Explosives or Maximillian with Leadership. Juan Carlos provides better accuracy and rate of fire, Maximillian better vision and crew skills. If you don’t have Maximillian (acquired with Founder’s Pack), it’s not a big deal, I don’t have him either and I prefer the bonuses from Juan Carlos
• For LTs aside from the Begleitpanzer 57 and PL-01, use Philipp with Take Aim, Juan Carlos, or Maximillian. Philipp provides better vision and accuracy, Juan Carlos better accuracy and rate of fire, and Maximillian better vision and crew skill. Keep in mind that even with vision, AFVs and stationary TDs will typically out-spot you. For the Begleitpanzer 57, use Freja with Bullseye and Full Auto, because Full Auto boosts how fast you fire your salvos. For the PL-01, use Sabrina given its superb camo and good vision
• For TDs aside from the Zhalo-S, use Erin with Eagle Eye and Lock On, Sabrina, Juan Carlos, or Maximillian/Philipp. Erin provides better camo sniping, Sabrina the best vision control, Juan Carlos better DPM, and Maximillian/Philipp better spotting. For the Zhalo-S, use Sabrina given that TD’s excellent vision and camo. For low-tier TDs (tiers 2-5), a strong argument can be made for Sabrina given that you can significantly out-spot non-AFVs. For the B1 Draco, use Freja with Bullseye and Full Auto to compact your burst damage

Typically LTs flex more than TDs do – a TD may settle into a good sniping spot and not move for extended periods of time, and TDs tend to have better camo values than LTs. Therefore, LTs tend to get more value from vision than TDs do, and TDs tend to extract more value from camo than LTs.

I used to recommend Viktor over Juan Carlos for Leadership’s 4% crew skills bonus for tanks with a Loader crew member, but IMO 10% accuracy and 6% rate of fire from Juan Carlos are more valuable than the 4% accuracy, 4% rate of fire, 4% aim time, and the less significant 4% to the various vehicle handling stats.

What is the priority for stats?

My priority ranking is based on the current stat mechanics, roles, and common sense.

Here are the returns for stacking various stats (by alphabetical order):

• Aim Time: stacks with diminishing returns (DR). Affected by bonuses to crew skill
• Damage: stacks with linear returns. Not affected by bonuses to crew skill
• Rate of Fire: changed in patch 0.15 to provide linear returns to DPM, whereas before 0.15 the stat was called reload time and provided increasing returns to DPM. Not affected by bonuses to crew skill for tanks that have an autoloader instead of a Loader crew member

I derived the calculations for aim time and reload time – see the next FAQ.

For all non-AFVs that have a Loader crew member:

accuracy = crew skill > damage > rate of fire > aim time > vision

For all non-AFVs that lack a Loader crew member (e.g. T-series MBTs, MBT-70, RDF/LT, etc):

accuracy > damage > rate of fire > crew skill > aim time > vision

For AFVs, here is the stats priority:

vision > accuracy = crew skill > damage > rate of fire > aim time

Rationale on Stat Priority

• Accuracy is king – it improves gun handling and greatly helps with hitting weak spots
• I don’t go out of my way to stack damage aside from what I get from Chrome Barrel Lining (CBL), given how relatively high damage is to HP in this game. I regard CBL and Augmented Breech Lock (ABL) to be the 2 best firepower retrofits in the game, as accuracy is king and their 2ndary effects (damage and reload time respectively) are good. ABL is unlocked via the tier 8 Ariete, so it takes time to acquire
• Rate of fire provides a marginal DPM benefit over damage, however your opponent can counter your reload time by moving behind hard cover. Therefore, I favor damage over rate of fire
• I used to believe that aim time was a decent stat, because faster aim time reduces your exposure. That said, aim time has diminishing returns, aim time is improved by crew skill bonuses (e.g. protein drink, Leadership skill on some commanders, and Technology retrofits) and the passive Gunner skill, and the Gunner selectable skill Shoot From the Hip seems to provide much more benefit than Quick Draw, so I’ve de-prioritized aim time as a direct stat to focus on

Here are two great videos, as edited by SoWiT on the AW sub-Reddit from footage by a Russian player on YouTube, that visually demonstrates the effect of various retrofits and crew skills:

After watching that video, I’ve started to select Shoot From The Hip instead of Quick Draw on my Gunner, and in my experience on the same tank with the Gunner, SFTH improves gun handling much more noticeably than QD.

What are the calculations for damage, reload time, and aim time?

I derived the calculations using different tanks with different setups, so let me explain the factors and math.

Before I dive into the math, you can simply look at the Details panel to see the effect of your bonuses. The ammo tooltip provides the base reload time and aim time, i.e. without any bonuses from crew and retrofits.

Damage Calculation

actual damage = rounded down (ammo tooltip damage * (1 + (sum of all increasers expressed as fractions)))

Time Reduction Calculations

The following factors affect reload time and aim time:

• Commander skills
• Selected crew skills
• Passive crew skills (increase based on experience level)
• Upgrades

Reload time and aim time are calculated differently, so let’s look at reload time first.

Reload Time Calculation

The reload time formula pre-0.15 was:

actual reload time = ammo tooltip reload time * (1 - (sum of all reload time reducers expressed as fractions))

Thankfully the formula was changed (fixed) in 0.15 as described in the My.com article Developer Diary – Reload Time Upgrade Changes. Here is the current formula:

actual reload time = 60 / ((60 / ammo tooltip reload time) * (1 + (sum of all rate of fire increasers expressed as fractions)))

Aim Time Calculation

actual aim time = ammo tooltip aim time / (1 + (sum of all reducers expressed as fractions))

Example for my Starship, with Commander Freja, Quick Draw, level 3 loader, and retrofit:

actual aim time = ammo tooltip aim time / (1 + (commander bonus + quick draw skill + gunner passive skill + magnetic actuator mk 1 retrofit))
actual aim time = 3.30 / (1 + (0.1 + 0.1 + 0.06 + 0.075))
actual aim time = 3.30 / (1.335)
actual aim time = 2.47

The calculated aim time matches what we see on the Details panel.

I’m getting “login unavailable” in the My.com game client launcher. How do I fix this?

If you are trying to login using a Twitter account, you may get this error. This may also happen when trying to login using a Facebook account, but I don’t know from personal experience.

Per YuriPup on the AW sub-Reddit, to fix this error simply logout/login of your Windows account. After that your game client launcher can successfully login with your Twitter account.

Just so you know, this is not a browser-specific issue. I’ve tested with Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Internet Explorer, and they all have the same issue.

Is AW going to kill WoT?

Every time a new game in a given space launches, this question is asked. E.g. is this the WoT killer, is this the WoW killer, is this the LoL killer?

My short answer is no, AW is not going to kill WoT.

Some WoT players (not including me) are bitter towards WG and are happy to support AW.

That said, some players are fans of WWII tanks moreso than Cold War tanks, and some WoT players have significant sunk cost (hundreds or even thousands of USD) in WoT so the perceived switching cost of starting over may be a barrier to AW adoption.

WoT has been an incredible cash cow for WG and one of the most profitable F2P games in the online gaming industry, but WG should take a hard look at the things that AW gives for free such as garage slots and trained crews. WG is not going to remove premium ammo (aka “gold ammo”), which I believe drives significant revenue for WG, but WG can improve WoT in other areas to make the experience less annoying in terms of obvious cash grabs.

Will you continue the “Road to Unicum” series for WoT?

I have footage and ideas for other videos, so I am planning to make more “Road to Unicum” videos.

As of now, that series includes 32 videos, so I’ve been able to cover a diversity of tanks, tiers, tank classes, maps, and team tactics.