Hello ladies and gents!
The once a year guide is back in this updated edition. Buffs, nerfs, and additions have made some serious changes to the game. We still have upcoming buffs/nerfs/balancing changes this upcoming year, along with at least 2 and possibly 3 more branches. So here is hoping that next year's guide is just as fun to update and put out.
A common post here is "I am a new player, and I have a token for a Tier 6 tech-tree tank. What should I pick?" This question is really important to the new player. Take it from an in-game veteran that has unlocked every tank in the game and has been playing since the game released – it is indeed important, just not the way you -the newbie – imagine.
The proper token pick for you will help you enjoy the game, give you a great place to start grinding towards upper tiers, and be part of the reason you decide to stick around for years to come, so that we can enjoy the game together. In years to come, you may not even play that initial tank you picked anymore. But getting the right initial taste of the mid-tiers is still important to helping you build a solid base of enjoyment.
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When it comes to a tank (or branch of tanks), as a new player, you should be asking or thinking about these 3 basic criteria:
Forgivable Learning. Mistakes are harshly punished in this game. Tanks that help you survive those mistakes help reduce potential frustration. Also, comfort of play as you learn is a big thing, as tanks with more gun depression are more comfortable to play than tanks with poor gun depression, and good gun handling is easier to deal with than bad gun handling, etc.
Shared Research. Getting a leg-up on research in other branches of a tree can be very crucial to new players. A tank that lets you share gun, engine, and radio unlocks on many other tanks in the same tree helps you get more tanks in other branches of the same tree faster due to needing to research fewer parts. As a bonus, shared research can help you avoid "stock tank syndrome", which you will come to heavily appreciate.
Future Fun – Are tanks further on in the branch worth grinding to? Even though tier 10 isn't the end-all be-all of this game, new players will want to know if there are going to be tanks worth their time and effort for grinding to past their free tier 6. Maybe the line peaks at tier 8 or 9, and going further isn't really worth it other than for completion sake.
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The tables I have below will have 3 parts.
They will be split into Nations, with each table having 3 Columns: Tank Name, Overall Endorsement, and Comments/Observations. Overall Endorsement will have a score for quick reference.
1 – It will be a perfect first tier 6 to ease you into the game, with a good or great tier 10 that you will likely enjoy. These tend to have lots of shared research, great comfort of play, and should give you that perfect hook to want to keep playing. This tank and branch just feel 'right'.
2 – A great 2nd choice. Often – but not always – has good amounts of shared research. It is usually a branch or branches full of great tanks. Honestly, you would likely still be just as happy picking this tank first, but those with an endorsement of 1 have just that little extra something-something.
3 – Often involves a game mechanic or play style that can be punishing to learn to play, but rewarding to learn and get skilled at. Sometimes, it is just a tedious grind to get to the payoff at tier 9 or 10. Often little or to no amounts of shared research.
4 – There is something seriously wrong with this tank branch and you just shouldn't bother until you get more experienced and want to try something different, or just want to complete a national tree to 100%. These usually have massively gameplay or mechanic issues or have been hit with the nerf hammer so hard, they are still laying on the ground in a daze.
Note 1: I can only go over current branches in the tech tree in game as of this post. I am unable to speculate about new upcoming branches (Like the 2nd Japanese HT branch or the UK Wheeled MT branch) because they are not in the game yet. I will not cover any collector's tanks (tanks that used to be in the tech tree, but are now removed and only accessible if you have a tank of that nation/tier already unlocked). I will also not cover any premium tanks, as the Tier 6 Token is only good for a tank currently in the active tech trees.
Note 2: I will straight out say I will never recommend using your token for a free Tier 6 on Arty. You will eventually want to get them because of in game missions that specify their use. However, as a first Tier 6, they are in my opinion (and the opinion of many other players) a terrible first choice. A 2nd or 3rd choice then? No. At best 4th choice, and again, mostly for the missions that require their use. Thus, I will not have them in the charts below.
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USA
| TANK | Overall Endorsement | Comments and Observations |
|---|---|---|
| Jackson | 2 | Slower and more armored than the Hellcat. Leads into the armored casemate behemoths of the T95 and T110E3 at tiers 9 and 10. This line ends up being great at being in close brawlers. Both TD branches share guns all the way up. |
| Hellcat | 2 | Quicker and less armored than the Jackson. Leads into the turreted TD's that give up armor for a bit more flexibility. This line is less about brawling, and more about supporting the heavies up close when the enemies make mistakes. Both TD branches share guns all the way up. |
| M6 | 2 | Poor mobility and lacking the armor it needs hurts this tank. It does have a great 90mm gun that still packs a punch at tier 7 of this branch. Speaking of, one of the most powerful tier-for-tier tanks in the game is the T29 at Tier 7. This is a great line of hull down brawlers up to Tier 10. This branch shares guns up to tier 7 with the Mediums, and engines with several TD's and the auto-loading Heavies. |
| Pawlack | 3 | Similar to the M6, it just isn't mobile enough or armored enough, but has a good gun and also leads into decent hull-down heavies. Lack of shared research means I wouldn't take this branch first, as it won't help you speed up your grinds elsewhere in the USA tree. Tier 10 is disappointing, and the secondary track mechanic isn't really worth it outside of very rare situations. |
| M4A3E8 | 2 | Not the greatest gun, but quick and teaches you how to play a supporting role. Leads to underappreciated upper tier mediums. Also, branches into a pair of good auto-loading heavies at tier 9 and 10. Tons of shared research between engines, guns, and radios. |
| T37 | 3 | This branch leads up to the iconic T49 at tier 9. It is hard to recommend for new players as even a 2nd scout branch. The HE nerf was harsh to this branch, but smiles can still be had when RNG smiles upon you, with the T49. Little shared research aside from radios. |
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GERMANY
| TANK | Overall Endorsement | Comments and Observations |
|---|---|---|
| Jg Pz IV | 2 | A average TD thats leads to some very loved TD's, especially the JgPz E100 at Tier 10 with its meme 420 pen blaze-it rounds. Shares guns with the other TD branch up to tier 7 and engines with the E-50M branch. |
| Nashorn | 3 | Awkward TD's until tiers 8 and 9, which many players love. The Tier 10 is seen by many as a downgrade from the Tier 9. Paper thin armor makes this branch very unforgiving of mistakes . Helps force you to learn camo/spotting mechanics. Shares guns with the other TD branch up to tier 7. |
| VK 30.01P | 2 | Ugly duckling that grows into a beautiful Swan. A bit awkward to play, though recent buffs to Tiger P at tier 7 make this grind a lot more comfortable. You will not be disappointed, and will probably giggle as you drive your proto-Mauses and hear all the bounced shells pinging off. The alternate PzKpfw VII branch is a rear turreted, thus they are very difficult to learn to play effectively – especially for new players, so look to try them out later on when you are more comfortable with the game. Shares guns with the E-100 line up to tier 8. |
| VK 36.01H | 2 | Great gun handling and dpm makes this branch very fun and often comfortable to play. Armor isn't going to impress you until you fully upgrade the tier 9 E-75. Great gun handling most of the way up that evolves into down-n-dirty heavily armored brawlers at tier 9. Many players start here because of the Tiger, and to be honest, its a great pick. Shares guns with the Maus line up to tier 8. |
| VK 30.02M | 2 | A Panther in all but name at one tier lower than the tech tree Panther. Leads to 2 great branches of mediums – one a heavy brawling hard punching line that is infamous for ramming other tanks (E-50M branch), the other known for being lightly armored highly mobile super-snipers (Leopard 1 branch). Shares guns with the heavy tanks up to tier 7, and shares engines with several TD's up to Tier 9. |
| VK 28.01 | 3 | Recent buffs have given this line some life. No longer destined to be forgotten by the dustbin of history. However, still not worth taking as your first branch of lights. They are great as anti-scouts, and can now fight back and defend themselves. But time will tell if the buffs have given them real teeth, or just dentures. |
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USSR
| TANK | Overall Endorsement | Comments and Observations |
|---|---|---|
| SU-100 | 2 | A powerful TD that leads into 2 powerful Tier X's with branches full of fun TD's. The big issue is lack of shared research modules all the way up which is what keeps me from giving this an endorsement of 1. But once you have some time in game and some free xp banked up – give this TD and the following 2 branches a look. |
| KV-2 | 3 | This score hurts me on a personal level. This is my favorite tank of all time in this game. But I have to be real. This isn't a good heavy. This isn't a good tank. But what it is good for is the laughs, and once you learn how to take advantage of its unique strengths, one of the most fun tanks still in the game to this day. I recommend every player to have this in garage if for nothing else than to take it out for a match or 2 for laughs to change up a grind and relax your mind. |
| KV-1S | 1 | An average heavy that leads to 3 good-to-great tier 10's. I'd probably start with the classic hull down heavy in the IS-7. The Object 277 is a great heavium. The Object 705A is extremely tough. A lot of shared guns, radios, and engines with the rest of the tree in this branch. |
| T-150 | 2 | This tank will serve a newbie well, with a line of very tough tanks all the way to the IS-4 at Tier 10. The IS-4 is good in the hands of a newbie, and an armor-god in the hands of an experienced player. Also, the very unique double-barrel heavies comes from this branch, though I'd personally recommend leaving them for later as the gimmick gives up too much for what it is. There are a lot of shared guns, radios, and engines down to the IS-4. Very little shared research on the double barrel branch. |
| T-34-85 | 2 | A branch generally based around decent guns, mobility, and good turret armor. Decent at brawling or sniping, depending on gun choices. Poor gun depression and poor penetration can make these branches a little rougher to play, though the Tier 10s are definitely worth it. A lot of shared research in guns, radios, and engines. |
| A-43 | 3 | Rear turreted vehicles are awkward enough for veterans that know what they are doing. They will be massive turn-offs for a newbie that is struggling to learn. However, as a 3rd or 4th branch, these lead into the highly underrated K-91, which has extremely high DPM, extremely comfortable gun handling, and great mobility to go with it. Shares some gun and engine research. |
| MT-25 | 2 | While the MT-25 itself isn't great, it leads into a line of very good combat scouts. Lack of shared research hurts this line. This would be a good spot to learn how to scout with light tanks that can punch back. Lack of shared research hurts a bit. |
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UK
| TANK | Overall Endorsement | Comments and Observations |
|---|---|---|
| Achilles | 3 | This is branch of fun TD's that lead into the meme-tastic FV4005. This branch is full of very poorly armored turreted td's that get punished severely for mistakes. Tier 8+ HE/HESH though, when it connects and works, will make you smile. Shares guns with the non turreted td branch all the way up to tier 9. Engines are shared with other TD branch, mediums, and heavies. |
| AT-8 | 1 | What more can a newbie ask for? A whole branch full of great armor that forgives mistakes, great guns, and arguably the most powerful Tier 9 tank in the game in the Tortoise. Tier 10 Badger is good, but tier-for-tier is nowhere near as powerful as the Tortoise Shares guns with the turreted TD line up to tier 9. Engines shared with other TD branch, mediums, and heavies. |
| Churchill VII | 3 | The Churchills are terrible. Extremely Slow. Anemic Guns. Armor that barely works when top tier, much less same or bottom tier. Tiers 8+are all worth the pain of the grind, though, as they are amazing. Shares guns with the Mediums up to tier 8, and engines with the mediums and both TD branches. |
| Cromwell | 2 | The Cromwell is great fun, and many like the Tier 7 Comet. The Centurions at tier 8+ were recently buffed, and are finally worth more than a glancing look. Overall, this a just a generic, average medium tank branch you'll probably enjoy. Shares guns with heavies up to tier 8, and engines with the turreted TD's up to tier 9. |
| Crusader | 4 | One of the most awful branches and terrible grinds in the game. Ignore this branch until you feel comfortable passive scouting. When you do, then do what you can to speed grind to the Manticore. The Manticore at Tier 10 is monstrous in the hands of an experienced passive scout player. It is the best tech-tree passive scout in the game. The rest of the branch past tier 5 is just not worth your time. |
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FRANCE
| TANK | Overall Endorsement | Comments and Observations |
|---|---|---|
| ARL V39 | 3 | While there are some great guns in this entire branch, it comes at the expense of often having awkward gun handling and terrible armor weak spots to back them up. Highly mobile at upper tiers. Auto-loaders start at tier 8. Probably not worth your time unless you like waiting for those rare special moments to unload the pain. Shares engines with the heavy tanks. |
| ARL 44 | 2 | This heavy leads into 2 branches with many tanks you will likely enjoy playing. The only really bad tank in either branch after this one is the tier 8 AMX 65t, the worst heavy in the game. It is followed by easily one of the best Tier 9 heavies in the game in the M4 51, though it and the succeeding M4 54 were recently nerfed. The auto-loading branch leading to the 50b is poorly armored, but mobile and dangerous with the burst damage from their clips, especially when you gain more skill at the game. Shares guns with heavies and mediums and engines with the TD's. |
| AMX 12t | 2 | Stealthy little assassins that get more and more powerful as the game goes on. It splits into the Bat Chat 25t and AMX 13 105 at Tier 10, both tanks worth having. Definitely worth taking as your first scout tank branch, though not as your first branch in the game. Shares some guns on the medium branch, and engines on the light branch. |
| AMD 178b | 3 | As a new player with your lack of knowledge and skill, you will be a liability to your team in these. The speed of play, lack of view range, needed map knowledge, and knowing how to survive to late game to keep vision up is just too much for a new player, and honestly, is too much even for many long-time players. Entire branch is very powerful in the hands of skilled players, which will make you curse the good wheelie drivers on the enemy team as you curse the bad ones on your team. Only shares radio research. |
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CZECHOSLOVAKIA
| TANK | Overall Endorsement | Comments and Observations |
|---|---|---|
| Skoda T25 | 2 | There are 2 branches past this – auto-loading mediums and heavies. It is commonly agreed upon that the tier 7 and 8 mediums are terrible, with the Tier 9 being quite powerful when fully upgraded. The Heavies are very durable and have a big burst with their 2 shot auto-loaders. Lack of shared research of any kind other than radios hurts both branches and keeps this from getting an endorsement of 1. |
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JAPAN
| TANK | Overall Endorsement | Comments and Observations |
|---|---|---|
| O-I | 4 | Big, heavy, slow, and with thick flat armor. Near invincible against lower tiers and at the same time XP Pinatas to equal and higher tiers. Supposed to see balance changes later this year, so things may change. I cannot currently recommend it to anyone unless you really want to complete the Japanese tree. |
| Chi-To | 3 | A line of softly armored mediums with good to great guns and good to great mobility and often generous gun depression. Score suffers because of the line being punishing to new player mistakes thanks to soft armor. Add in lack of shared research and it is a grind that makes you wonder if the payoff is worth it. The tier 10 STB-1 is very good, and extremely powerful in a skilled player's hands, so it does have a worthy pay-off. |
| Type 95 Ji-Ro | 2 | Time may change things, but in the early days, the line appears to be a good old fashioned 'jack of all trades' branch of TD's. Not the best at anything, but no slouch at anything, either. Armor that works against lower tiers and semi-works against same tiers while being tissue paper to higher tiers for the whole branch. Good guns with good gun handling and good ammo. Lack of shared research will make for a slower, if comfortable grind. |
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CHINA
| TANK | Overall Endorsement | Comments and Observations |
|---|---|---|
| WZ 131G FT | 3 | Total fabrications by the company that used to control the Chinese Server (Khong Zhong). Believable designs that look like they'd fit into history. However, they all tend to be average at best. Serviceable TD's, but just barely. Lack of shared research hampers an already mediocre grind. Tier 9 is a bit of a hidden gem, though. |
| Type 58 | 2 | Chinese rip-off of the Russian T-34 that is worse in every way. However, it leads to a powerful branch of heaviums ending in the WZ-111 1-5A. The mediums are often an afterthought, especially with the poor gun depression. However, they are great brawlers. The recently added rocket-boost heavies also branch from here. We are still early in their life, but they are generally seen as not really worth your time, though they have great early game potential for positioning, or late game potential if you save your boosts. Non-Rocket Heavies and mediums share guns and radios all the way to tier 9. |
| 59-16 | 3 | Chinese Rip-offs of the Russian lights. Combat lights just like their Russian Cousins. This branch stands pretty well on its own merits and you will likely enjoy them. The peak of this branch is the Tier 8 WZ-132, with the tier 9+ both feeling like side-grades or downgrades so grinding past tier 8 is up to you. Shares some engines and radios. |
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POLAND
| TANK | Overall Endorsement | Comments and Observations |
|---|---|---|
| 40 TP | 2 | A very rough grind for new players. However, starting at tier 7, the heavies get much better. Tier 7+ has decent stock grinds, and when fully upgraded they become battlefield bullies. The 60TP at tier 10 is loved by many. Lack of shared research doesn't hurt as bad here, since the toughest part of the grind is so gentle with how decent they are at stock configs. Best as a 3rd branch that you will likely find a lot of fun with. Just be aware that the grind below tier 7 is probably the worst stock grind in the game. |
| B.U.G.I. | 3 | The B.U.G.I is a hidden gem in this game. The mediums after can be a bit bland, as they are sort of just average mediums with terrible gun handling all the way up. The tier 10, CS-63, however, has become one of the meta mediums in the game with its Turbo mode helping it out race all but the quickest scouts to the most important points on any map, as well as having the ability to brawl effectively once there. Lack of shared research makes this grind less pleasant, along with only The CS-63 at Tier 10 having the turbo mode mechanic in this branch. |
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SWEDEN
| TANK | Overall Endorsement | Comments and Observations |
|---|---|---|
| IKV 65 II | 3 | A line of very mobile, very dangerous TD's. High penetrations on standard rounds at tiers 8+ often mean you rarely need premium rounds. Extremely stealthy and often hard to root out. However, with needing to learn siege mode mechanics starting with the tier 8, and also needing to learn how to use spotting and camo mechanics to their fullest, this will better serve you as a second or third TD branch. |
| Strv 74 | 2 | An average medium in itself, it leads to hull-down auto-loading heavies from tier 8 to 10 that were recently nerfed a bit, but still are quite good. The medium branch, while not super powerful in itself, is great when it gets to fill its niche of being a ridge brawler. Not a lot of shared research on either branch. |
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ITALY
| TANK | Overall Endorsement | Comments and Observations |
|---|---|---|
| P43 BIS | 3 | The P43 series itself is actually extremely newbie friendly and super easy to play/grind through. However, nerfs to the auto-reloader mediums at tier 8+, along with a nearly universally derided auto-reloading heavy branch that leads into arguably the worst Tier 10 heavy in the game, means this is definitely not a good place to start for a new player. The Mediums can still be fun, especially the Tier 8 Pantera. However, the heavies will probably leave you unhappy. Very little shared research aside from Engines and Radios. |
| Bassotto | 3 | The Bassotto itself can be forgettable. The rest of this TD branch is controversial. Strong when hull down or in head-on fights. Terrible gun handling and mobility, with armor that is easy to exploit once you know the secrets. Often just as equally frustrating to play as, as it is to play against. Stock grinds are terrible with no shared researches aside from radios. |
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