Tankers Workshop #5: Know Your Tank

This is the 5th in the series of Tankers Workshops designed to help you build habits that good players have in World of Tanks. These come straight from my article "Five Things Good Players Do More Often Than Average Players."

If you missed the first four you can find them right here:

1. Look at the Lineup
2. Use the Minimap
3. Micropositioning
4. Spend Your Hit Points

Today's workshop is about being comfortable in your own skin...well, your tank's skin. When you're in a battle should you work a ridge? Push to a forward position? Snipe from the back? Well the answers to those questions depend a lot on the characteristics of your tank.

There's another benefit to learning about your tank - you're going to face other players in the same tank and it helps you to beat them if you better understand what the tank is capable of.

To do: Select 3 characteristics that you care about for your tank. For me it's:

• Alpha Damage
• Gun Depression
• Camo Value

You can select any three that you find important.

Tip: Don't choose things that are apparent in the battle interface. For example: You don't need to learn the hit points of your tank because those are readily displayed in the tank status box at the bottom left corner of the display. Likewise ammo capacity.

I note penetration values, but I don't dwell on them because I know my aiming reticle will give me a green/red indicator showing my likelihood to penetrate the shot.

Whatever characteristics you think are most important, before you click "BATTLE!" take a moment to review the characteristics list for your tank. In just a few seconds you should be able to familiarize yourself with those stats - go ahead and head into battle.

Even if you think you know what those values are...test yourself. Is the turret face REALLY 100mm thick? Is the specific power really 22HP/Ton? Don't assume that just because you think you know that you no longer have to check; confirm it.

This habit is the last of our original five things that good players do more often than average players do. I'm already working on the sequel to that article: Five More Things That Good Players do More Often Than Average Players. If you have suggestions for that article (or a third one!) please leave them in the comments below.

Also I'd love to hear what you think of this series so far. Has it been useful? Too easy? Too hard? Things I can do better with it? Let me know below.

GLHF!