5 Things Good Players Do More Often Than Average Players

In World of Tanks there are certain habits you see in good players, that most average players just haven't developed yet.

1. Look at the Lineup

Good players know what tanks are on their team, and, perhaps more importantly, what tanks are on the other team. They know the other team has a SkorpG that hasn't been spotted. They know the other team has a Object 430 who will likely go to the northwest corner.

During the countdown they evaluate the two lineups to determine how the battle is likely to play out given the tanks on the field.

They're also constantly checking back to the lineup during the battle to see which tanks remain and get a sense of what they still need to deal with.

To Do: Next time you're starting a battle, use the countdown time and actually read the enemy lineup, top to bottom. Build that habit.

To master this habit try out Tankers Workshop #1!

2. Look at the Minimap

This one seems obvious and it's advice you hear often, but they look at the minimap. Not only to see where their team has deployed and what enemy tanks have been spotted. They also look at the map and make educated guesses about where the unspotted enemies are likely to be. You see this all the time among the top streamers - "That E 25 is probably over there in those bushes." That's a matter of looking at the lineup (see above), looking at the minimap, and knowing what play would make the most sense for the E 25 given the situation.

Watch a good streamer who has an eye tracker. You'll find that they don't stare through their camera the whole time, they often check back to the lineup and the minimap.

To Do: Make a habit of glancing at the minimap at least twice in the first 10-15 seconds after the battle starts to see how your team is deploying. Then try to glance at the minimap during each reload, or as often as you can. ESPECIALLY if you're in an autoloader and have 10-30 seconds where you can't shoot anyhow.

To master this habit try out Tankers Workshop #2!

3. Microposition

This one they probably do almost without thinking. Good players have spacial awareness and know that there's hard-cover on their right side, and that the most likely incoming shots are from the corner of the building just ahead of them. They often move forward, or back, a meter just to maximize that hard cover while they reload (and check the minimap and lineup). They also angle, traversing their hull (and maybe their turret) ever so slightly to the left or right, to maximize their armor angles.

I often think they do that little traversal sub-consciously, they just know they need to angle a bit to increase their chances of bouncing an incoming shot. 

Micropositioning isn't about going to a particular hill or bush. It's about how you place your tank, down to the foot or meter, once you're in that spot. Turning slightly to angle your armor, pulling back just a bit to get better soft cover, wiggling your turret to make your cupola harder to hit.

To Do: Next time you're stopped and have a good idea where the next shot is likely to come from, just tap "A" or "D" once or twice to angle your armor a bit.

Work on developing this habit in Tankers Workshop #3.

4. Spend Their Hit Points

Good players don't expect to end the battle with all their hit points. They expect to take some shots. In many cases they intentionally trade some hit points to gain advantage. You'll often see good players acknowledge that they're going to take a shot (or two) but that in doing so they'll do even more damage, and/or win a key position.

Good players will sometimes drive in front of a wounded teammate and take a shot for them, just to keep that teammate's gun in the game. IF they have the armor or hit points to do so.

As long as you have at least one hit point left at the end of the battle you're still alive. Don't be afraid to get shot once or twice as long as there's a reason for it.

To Do: If you've got enough health and there's an enemy around the corner that's a one shot, consider pushing the corner and killing that enemy, even though it likely means that enemy will get a shot of damage into you. HOWEVER...make sure you've done #1 and #2 though, and that you're not likely to push around the corner into 5 TDs. Spending your hit points is good, IF you spend them wisely. Especially near the end of the battle.

Work on developing this habit in Tankers Workshop #4.

5. Know their Tanks

Which brings me to #5...good players know the basics of their tank, and of the tanks they're facing. By basics I mean things like..

• How much alpha damage your tank does. It's hard to judge how many shots it will take to kill an enemy if you don't know how much damage your tank tends to do with each shot. 

• Approximately how long the reload is...not of your tank (you can see that on your reticle) but of most of the OTHER tanks. It's extremely helpful to know if you're going to reload before the enemy tank you're brawling...or if the next shot is going to be theirs.

• Basic armor profile. Should you be getting hull down because your turret is very strong? Or should you be baiting shots into your hull? Do you have the armor to sidescrape?

• Gun depression. You don't want use most Russian or Chinese tanks on ridges because they tend to have terrible gun depression. Conversely most American and British tanks have great gun depression and can be terrific ridge warriors. If you've ever tried to deal with a hull-down T29 you know what I mean.

To Do: Next time, before you click Battle, take 5-10 seconds and just look over the stats of your tank to familiarize yourself. Yes, even if it's a tank you have 1,000 battles in. Give it a quick scan so the stats are fresh in your mind.

Work on developing this habit in Tankers Workshop #5!

Did you enjoy these tips? If so, check out the sequel! Five More Things Good Players do More Often Than Average Players.

Got a tip I didn't cover here? Tell us about it in the comments below!