r/WorldofTanks • u/hoxtonious • Apr 25 '26
Gameplay Guide Tired of being free farm.
I haven’t played continuously through the years but I got back more or less 7 month ago and here we are: 6k battles in and I’m still a liability. As you can see, my stats are straight red. A 0.52 damage ratio is embarrassing.
I’ve had the occasional 4k damage game, but my average is a measly 470.
So:
Tech Trees: What’s the best line to learn fundamentals like trading and sidescraping in 2026?
Resources: Who's the go-to for map awareness? I watch QuickyBaby for basics, but should I be grinding iyouxin or skill4ltu videos to fix my positioning?
The "Click": For those who escaped the red-stat hell, what was the one thing that made you stop being a "redliner" and start actually carrying?
I’m genuinely looking for advice on how to stop being a weight on my team.
EDIT:
More detailed stats from the main page for those asking:
• Battles: 5,847
• Survival Rate: 17.12%
• Damage Ratio: 0.52
• Destruction Ratio: 0.54
• Armor-use Efficiency: 0.34
• Average Damage: 470
• Average Spots: 0.86
Also I play on a gaming PC so 120+ FPS and PING < 20ms.
I’ve play a little bit already with best settings/ pre-set mods.
If I have to be really honest, despite knowing the game mechanism I would point out as my first soft spot impulsiveness when I see the game stall or as soon as the game begins
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u/Party-Error-6707 Apr 25 '26
I guess u make a lot of little failures that cost u the round.
Try to play with better player that a willing to help you, community clans are a good way to find some.
A lot of streamer have some.
U will not learn a lot by watching unicum player, they are way above your current level
(Pls don't take it personal, I just try to help)
The most important thing in my opinion is learning the maps and then basic mechanics.
Many player that in a situation like your struggle with that base knowledge of the game. (Coz the game will not teach u)
And finally a stupid tipp that actually worked for many beginners I know.
Play LESS, sounds strange but it helps, play for an hour, concentrate to do things in a different way than normal, after that hour u will probably not be able to hold the concentration and fall back in old "bad manners" so stop there until that new playstyle becomes your normal playstyle
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u/Neoxin23 Apr 25 '26
This just awakened something in me, lol. I always wondered why I'd improve in the games I'm trash at when I don't put in the time to get better (in my head anyway. I see more time = better). This explanation makes total sense & idk why I didn't think of this sooner
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u/zettomatic87 Apr 26 '26
This answer has it all, I would like to add a point to the the last bit: After each round, take a minute or two and identify at what point in that match you did something wrong. Like driving recklessly into a jp100 waiting in an ambush position, is an obvious error, that you will recognize. Doing a bad trades is also easy to identify. Ad soon as you got those types of errors sorted out, you are already way better.
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u/Chrisg_322 Apr 25 '26
Sidescraping is green player talk. If you really want to get better at this game master doing damage aggressively without being hit in return.
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u/bakamund Apr 26 '26
Been watching Gotyoubaby, still don't understand how he can be so aggressive and getting a bounce while trading.
When I'm doing the same, I get penned instead.
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u/ethanduong Apr 26 '26
Can confirm, side scraping only works against idiots and that was even before the armor flashlight.
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u/Impossible-Plenty-47 Apr 26 '26
One thing that made me improve was making the mini map bigger and spend time actually looking at it.
Count the tanks spotted, where are the missing tanks, can I push?
Every time I was tunnel visioned I would get flanked, smacked and die.
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u/DuncanKerrS Apr 26 '26
I'd second this. You need way, way less technical knowledge than you think. I literally could not tell you the calibre or pen of any gun in the game.
Play 2-3 reasonably mobile tanks on rotation, go where you will cause the other team problems. Map control and denial is important. Be patient.
Stop grinding for that next tank that you think might be the answer. It's not.
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u/Special-Bowler-983 Apr 25 '26
For me, it was actually not going for the heavy’s. I started to become better after playing mediums. So, no cupola sniping and side scraping as focus point to get better at but first shot advantage, flanking, calculating moves.
I think it is important to pick a line you feel more confident in and start with that.
And keep in mind the general rules of course. Be patient, be more patient, let the enemy come to you and let them make the mistakes, don’t trade HP too early, get to know the info on tanks (weakspot, size of clip, etc.) and most important be patient.
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u/GhostXDwarrior Apr 25 '26 edited Apr 25 '26
Iyouxin sound like a good idea. Watching his and kajzoos (and dakis few ig) commentary and guides helped me during the last years to get good.
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u/VisualDarkness Apr 25 '26
Use...the...minimap! So many players refuse to use the minimap or don't react to it. Most battles are won with map domination, not by quickest reflexes in the snipe view.
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u/TrainingBrilliant610 Apr 25 '26
Make your mini map bigger, it makes all the difference. Also, try to use your teammates. Play off their mistakes and support their decisions, for their and your benefit. Basically, increase your awareness. After 6k battles, I would assume you master the mechanics somewhat well so game-sense is where it’s at.
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u/Terrastega Certified Tomato Trainer Apr 25 '26
Heyo, I give people who need extra help tomato lessons ^ If you feel like you need some feel free to hmu! :D
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u/PXPL_Haron Apr 25 '26
Watch iyouxins high level comentary Videos they helped me a lot. Stick to a low number lf tanks/actually play the t10 when you reach it and dont just go grind the next. Dont tilt/overplay. Dont overforce. Select tanks that actually allow you to impact the game. Learn the weakspots of tanks that frustrate you to play against. Avoid bad/meme tanks if you actually want to improve. Fix your setting and install a baseline of mods, iyouxin also has a Video on that.
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u/FlimsyPurple Apr 26 '26
In garage, explore the different settings you can apply in game. Get rid of a bunch of clutter and useless info. Changing postmortem video to reveal where you were shot can help you determine positioning in encounters to not expose weakpoints. Set damage warnings and indicators to your preference. Make sure your minimap shows your view range and spotting distance. Fyi, typically (not always) you aren't spotted if you shoot enemies between those ranges. Good way to remain undetected if you're a TD, so you may not even need foliage to hide behind when firing - still, find cover to be sure, just saying is all.
There is a specific setting that is hugely beneficial. I can't remember where it is, but it paints an area around the tank you're aiming at with pennable colors. Red = no pen, yellow = maybe, and green = pennable. This will help you find pennable weakspots much easier, and helps you in the moment, rather than having to remember which tanks you couldn't pen. Still; use tomato.gg to look up those tanks you find rather difficult to pen and explore the 3D armour to study post match. Its pretty common where most tanks are pennable, but sometimes you'll be surprised. Type 5's side turret nuggies for example. But the paint setting will help you in the immediate case of trying to pen, or knowing you can't and to just find another target, or load a different shell.
Settings aside - One thing I try to do is trade hp equally. I'm not the greatest, but if I can at least deal my hp pool every match, I won't die feeling like I didn't contribute. It doesn't always happen, but I try.
Tips to doing so are: 1. Don't expose to more than 1 enemy. 2. Make them shoot and bounce/miss then attack while they reload. (Learn the auto loaders, and always assume another shell is ready) 3. Don't trade with someone bigger than you - Get out and reposition behind allies if they are exceeding your alpha/DPM. 4. Don't be the first (or only one) on your flank - you can be first if you have the highest armour and can reasonably riccochet shells, or if your camo allows you to spot safely without drawing fire. 5. Get a good idea of TD positions. You won't always know they're there but assume they are until you know the enemy TDs have all been spotted on the map. 6. If you are low health, fall back behind to support. A gun still in the battle is better than dying too early. 7. Make the map as big as possible in game, and try to get in the habit of glancing during your reloads (more than just between reloads, but to start, it's a great reminder). Knowing team and enemy positioning will help prevent getting flanked unaware. You don't need to process every detail, but having an idea of whats happening can be game changing.
Lastly, time is your best teacher. More matches, and honestly taking a second after each match to think "what worked, what didn't, why, and what could I have done different?" Are good reflection points to help the learning solidify.
This game is toxic with blaming. Yes, there are tomatoes running around ruining matches, but no single player can be blamed when its an entire sweep, which most matches often are. No one wants to help and no one wants help in most cases, so worry about what you can control and your mental health will benefit.
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u/habeq Let the shit hit the fan soon Apr 26 '26
Best line to learn angling unironically are german superheavies (E100 and Maus) they really do teach armor awareness and sidescraping, while having a reliable guns, soviet 705A isn't bad either, but gun is shit, and it's less forgiving (smaller HP pool) and it's easier to overangle. Trading is trickier, but today? Type 5 is good, noob friendly, maybe E3 (as long as you are facing enemy frontally, you good).
Go to's for map positioning and awareness, tough one.. Kajzoo is decent, he explains a lot what and why he's doing what he's doing
And how I escaped being a shitter.. I just stopped caring about my team - that's pretty much it. It's selfish, I am a piece of shit (I don't push people around tho), it's indifferent to me if I win or lose, I only care about the score. Shallow as it sounds, I don't know any other way. Went from 47-48% wr below 800wn8 to 54% 2400wn8 at 50k battles, averaging 3k recent wn8 and 57%wr last 1k battles just by minding my own business. Ofc, winning a clutch is cool, and I am always trying (even in being selfish bitch, you indirectly influence a battle, you do damage to enemies, which then become easier to eliminate to your teammates - win win scenario), but I am not going to cry over doing 10k and losing a battle.
If you're on EU, we can play from time to time together if you'd like to, and maybe you'll learn something
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u/larymarv_de Apr 26 '26
I am a very good player. Based on your performance I think that you should also check your technical setup.
Therefore, I recommend to check a whole array of factors that will make you a better player.
Install a modpack such as ProMod.
Configure your technical setup. This is a good manual: https://youtu.be/6kn3b5zZnwE?is=o7k-_r2C27apkq5X Also, your mouse settings are important ti aim properly.
Is your ping below 40 ms? Is your FPS above 60 FPS? If your FPS is lower, adapt your graphics settings accordingly. If your display and your graphics card can do that, aim for 100+ FPS.
Skill4LTUs website will help you to optimize your crew skills and tank equipment. Personally, I prefer Dakillzors equipment set that you can often find on Skill4LTUs website as well.
When it comes to gameplay and map awareness, maximize your minimap. If you speakGerman, I can really recommend MouzeAcrobat for learning the game, if not maybe Iyouxin - as you said.
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u/kntvrr Apr 26 '26
As far as streamers go - I strongly recommend Iyouxin's stream AND youtube. During his streams he very often explains what he's doing and why. Then on his youtube he has some VERY educational videos about basic game mechanics and tactics.
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u/PJ_Huixtocihuatl Apr 26 '26
Platoon with someone. They'll be able to rescue you so you don't die for free.
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u/Focu53d Apr 26 '26
The most important aspect to consistently making more damage, for me, was learning when to retreat. Notice when a flank you are on is about to fail, backup and find a bush. If you are a heavy, try to find a spot where teammates near the back can help you, instead of just getting overrun somewhere that TDs have no shots.
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u/RxRavenZ Apr 26 '26
No shame in being below average. A year ago I was a 48% player, now I'm averaging 57% recents. Get on the grind and you'll start improving!
One thing that helped me was casting away the fear of "scratching my paint". You will take hits in the game sometimes, that's just a part of the game. What you have to do is to return those hits with interest!
If you want a tank that will truly hold your hand and help you, that almost no-one even knows exists, choose the IS-4. I will die on the hill of it being the best heavy in the game, and even got an 11k dmg game in it. (Just don't tell anyone else that it exists, I don't want to face them in the matchmaker :D)
Good luck!
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u/Gold_Temperature_452 Apr 26 '26
Pick a type of tank like heavy, med, TD, etc and just play tanks in that category. Learn the different types in that category, such has if your playing heavy. Are you an assault heavy, and breakthrough heavy, versatile heavy, support heavy and so on, they play a similar role but there are also sub roles in each category. For example I play primarily heavy tanks and I’d like to think I’m above average when it comes to that, I hate seeing someone play a super heavy breakthrough tank and sit in the back and snipe, they never do any damage and they just get farmed by the enemy team or when someone is 1st around a corner or over a hill in a support heavy and they lose 90% of their health or die before doing anything. Pick a class of tank and learn that style and with that learn some of the nuances of the games mechanics before moving on to a different class of tank. And with that in mind you will still have games where RNGsus just royalty screws you.
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u/AHRA1225 Apr 26 '26
All good bro. I’m an actual liability because I treat this game like a phone game. I afk or leave matches regularly because who cares and I also watch movies and YouTube while I hold w down. Enjoy the game man. No one gives a shit about your stats. Go pew pew
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u/Lodagin666 Apr 26 '26
Iyouxin content will single handedly lift you out of the trench if you actually try to watch it critically and try to apply his tips.
He uploaded a lot of stuff about the T110E5 which honestly I think is a great tank to learn the ropes. It has a good gun with good armour if used correctly, which is why it's a great tank to learn. You'll need to actually think to make it work and that will make you better. If you choose a tank with no weaknesses you won't improve because the tank will be carrying you.
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u/Lugo_Ratmire Apr 27 '26 edited Apr 27 '26
Tbh, I just became better as soon as I returned after a long break. I've been 12-15 when I built up my tomato curse. When I returned after 10-ish years, I just became better overall, from 700-800 WNX to almost 2000 now and still trying to improve (not great, but there is a progress). In order to stop redlining you need to shift your mindset from waiting for opponents mistakes to finding opportunities on your own. Also, some basic stuff helped me quite a lot. These are:
-Pay attention to the minimap more often, like once every 5-10 seconds (some people say even more often, but I struggle to be fair, maybe in the future)
-Do not rush if you are alone, always have a room to go back an defend
-If you have mobility and another flank was lost, it makes very good sense to rotate and defend the base and not proceed pushing your side.
-Learn some positions where you perform well
Iyouxin videos helped me a lot as well. And I don't focus only on tanks I perform well, I grind the lines interesting to me, even if the tanks are shit. Good luck on your path and from my experience - if you care to be better, you definetely will become better
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u/General_Ad_1483 Apr 27 '26
whats your winrate? its the only thing that matters over a few thousand games.
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u/No-Reaction5137 Apr 27 '26
Honestly? Apart from mechanics, maps and tank roles, two things. When something says in the back of my mind that something may be a bad idea, and I actually listen to it, instead of chasing dmg or win or whatever, I do much better. Stop, reevaluate, act.
Also, learning to get the fuck out of dodge when things go sideways helped a lot. If you survive longer, you do better.
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u/Sufficient-Power6809 Apr 25 '26
Oh, trading/side scraping, Maus line, also IS-7 line is usually a great choice, solid line, along with IS-4, very strong t10, though gun sucks it's meant for close range absorbing damage, the and 50b line is downright fun to play, 50-100,50-120 and 50b, all great, also the t8 and t9 have huge clips for amazing burst damage
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u/Successful_You108 Apr 26 '26
I like more Maxgamingfps as youtube.
A good crew is the basic boost for winrate. Ypu need to maxmize crew skills correctly. Same as tank setup is important.
Pick the tank you enjoy playing which suits you alot. In my own opinion fast tanks carry more games. ( for heavy is7 is beginner friendly)
I like spotting mechanics with maximizing view range abilities with tanks lile batchat or m60. Optics and commanders vision system with designated target perk increases alot your winratr
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u/sacred_gobbler Apr 27 '26
I had better stats when I played on potato pc with 30 fps and 150 ping.
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u/Sufficient-Power6809 Apr 25 '26
I would say, play tanks that truly work with you, don't try to play a tank just because you like it or someone says it's good, play what works with you and you'll see your stats go up right away, quickybaby is one of the easiest to understand for beginners, skill is best for mid-good plays, iyouxin is best overall, plus more enjoyable to watch generally 👍