Hello! A guy who’s come back after years asked for a refresher on some basic stuff for their new account. Basic stuff, tiers, etcs! I’m posting it here for anyone else who is joining/returning if you can use it 💙 I hope the formatting isn’t awful for desktop, I’m on the app and on heavy painkillers! If you do read, bear in mind things are always subject to change, and it’s been years since I touched below tier 5! So if anything is different from below I apologize!

Tanks in this game are divided up by several methods, the basics being:

Tank tier: The tier of the tank is denoted by Roman numerals, I (1) through X (10). The tiers are a general guide for an idea of the tanks capabilities (to some degree) and their “level”. Tier 1 is the lowest/weakest, 10 the highest/strongest tanks. However, there is variance in this between tank types, class and even nation. Imagine tier 1 as insects and tier 10s as Goliath’s. Thankfully, there’s a system in place to avoid virtual tank David and Goliath stories (nowadays at least), in the form of matchmaking (MM). With some exceptions (See matchmaking status below), any tier of tank will only ever see tanks +2 or -2 levels from their own. Lower tiers now have a +1 -1 MM if I recall, stopping at tier 2 or 3. Back in the days some tanks had up to +6 MM! Tier 4 Light tanks could see Tier 10 matches! A Luchs could run into a Maus! Wild times.

Tank type: Tank types are a system in world of tanks to give you an idea of what that vehicle is capable of, and what suits it best! This is further refined by tanks class below. Most tech trees (divided by nation) have branches that lead you down a line of similar style tanks from that country. There are currently 5 classes in the game, some more beloved than others:

*Artillery! Loved by some, hated by others, and a few who just accept them as they are. Artillery (Arty, a square icon over your tank) is the Max Range support class, positioning at the back of the pack and providing long range fire support for your team. Artillery are slower firing units but have range for days, and can arc their shells to hit enemies in cover, and have a unique 3rd person camera angle available to utilize this range. Many higher tier artillery now have a “stun feature” that acts as temporary nerf/debuff to your enemies when it hits. These are related to the ammo you use, so make sure you look at the stats for each ammo type you have available, all have upsides and downsides. While the stun mechanic isn’t everyone’s favorite, it’s the price paid for the nerfs to their damage. Once upon a time arty could one shot a higher tier vehicle if they got lucky. Nowadays some direct hits can deal 0 damage to lower tier vehicles if you roll poorly. So the stun mechanic is a small price to pay, and can help your allies out in a pinch! As a rule of thumb, assume they’re made of paper, not steel. You’re not gonna last long on the front lines. Hold back and look for good angles to get shots on areas your allies need help with from afar!

*Tank Destroyers! Tank destroyers (TDs, a Triangle icon) can be very different from each other, but have one key feature: the gun. Each on has a gun that’s remarkable in one way or another. Some have fantastic rates of fire, allowing high damage per minute to wipe your enemy out quickly. Others pack a huge punch. Some find a happy medium, but have good mobility, or camo. Most so at least 2 of these, some more, some only one but to an extreme. Armor ranges just a much on these, so you can end up with wild combos. (This is common for non-arty tanks, so the type description helps here for the remaining 4 classes).

Heavy Tanks! Heavy Tanks (HTs, a diamond with 3 bars) are generally slower, *heavier tanks that focus on two things; health points, and armor. As with all lines, some have better things than others, mobility and armor, guns and armor profiles. A few play more like large mediums than true heavies, but usually have something to make up for their lack of armor! Heavy Tanks are the backbone of your team, holding a position while bouncing shells from the enemy, and dishing out their own in return. When Support tanks back them up and heavies can apply their presence, they break a flank wide open!

*Medium Tanks! Medium Tanks (MTs, slightly smaller diamond with 2 bars) are generally faster than HTs, but have less armor and health. They usually blend between Assault and Support roles seamlessly, though some are more specialized than others. Despite this, medium Tanks are your “jack of all trades” type of tank. Some can spot almost as well as a light tanks! Some have armor that would rival some of the toughest heavy tanks, but only in select situations. Others have a solid gun and mobility that’ll have the enemies spinning in circles! Medium Tanks are the muscles of your team, applying force or support when and where they’re needed. Help them, and they’ll help you.

Light Tanks! Light tanks (LTs, small, solid diamond) are generally the scouts of the team. Most very little in the way of armor, but are excellent with mobility and stealth. They have higher view range than most tanks, and camo ratings. With a well trained crew on camo, and a skilled player, they can slip in and see the enemy without ever being noticed. As always, there’s variety in this class, with some having better guns, camo, spotting ability or mobility. In general though, these guys are your eyes and ears, alerting you to threats and providing distractions when they can do it safely! Keep these little guys safe if you can, and you’ll have much better Intel on the enemy.

Tank class: As mentioned above, tank classes give you a better idea what your tank is best at. Assault tanks have good armor and can dish out damage during an attack. Good on the front lines. Support tanks are your helpers and mid range flanking tanks. Sniper tanks are, well snipers. Good accuracy but usually poor mobility and/or armor. They use concealment and range to keep them safe while punching though the enemies in their sights. Between these classes and types, you’ll have an idea what the tank is best at: a T110E3 American Tier 10 TD is an Assault class. It’s got heavy armor and a big gun that hits hard, but it’s slow and has a relatively long reload. It’s a strong beast that can hold a position while bringing the pain, as long as it has someone to keep their flank clear. Meanwhile, the Cromwell is a Tier 6 British Support (if I recall correctly) MT. It’s fast and has a rapid firing gun, but low alpha damage and no armor. It’s excellent for flanking unsuspecting enemies, like big slow HTs and TDs holding a position without support. (See it all ties together!)

Tank status: Some tanks have symbols over their tier in the garage. Some are golden. These are Premium tanks and Elite tanks. Premium tanks are tanks you can buy (I recommend going down a few lines first to get a feel for game mechanics before buying a tier 8 premium tank. You’ll do better, and you’ll enjoy it more). Elite tanks are tanks from the tech tree you’ve fully researched, that now earn free exp you can convert for gold, or if you click accelerate crew training above your commander’s head, you’ll train them faster instead! I recommend the latter, as it’s free. Certain other thanks you can get from missions, bond shop, and rewards are also Elite.

Tank Nation: Where they came from! Or at least, where they were drawn up an thought of mostly! Not a lot of tanks made it to production from some countries, so many are concepts! Each nation has their own tech tree, with branches of tank classes and types spilling away from a few core low tier tanks. Most branches will follow a certain tank archetype: assault TD, Assault HT, etc. Some nations have many lines, like Germany, USA, Britain and Russia. (I recommend the American tank destroyer lines if you like TDs, and the British! Loved em both). Others have very few, like Japan and Czechoslovakia.

Matchmaking status*: Some older premium and elite tanks have Preferential Matchmaking, like the German e25 Tier 7tank destroyer. They can only +1 -2 match making, so they’ll never meet a tier 9 match without being in a platoon. In platoons now, Matchmaking is the default +2 -2 for these tanks.

I hope that helps you new/returning players! This took ages to write lol, hopefully someone finds it handy! u/pacemasters here you go bud! Sorry it took so long.