History VideoGame / WorldOfTanks

** The Soviet 57 mm [=ZiS-4=] and 413 guns deal rather low damage per shot, but can send shells out every 2 seconds.

** Taken in an almost comical direction with the French ARL V39 tank destroyer, when one of its guns sticks out the front so much as to double the total length of the tank.

** Premium ammunition (which can also be purchased for an account draining sum of Credits post-0.8.1) are either AP rounds with higher penetration ([=APCR/HEAT=]) or HE rounds with a bigger bang. They can still bounce off armor if the shooter is really unlucky, and a miss with these is still a miss.

** A more recent addition to the Brits is a line of tank destroyers, which start as tiny and lightly armored, with big guns, and turn into massively armored, lumbering behemoths.

*** The Soviets have an autocannon as well. It's a 37mm that packs a decent punch but doesn't quite have the penetration to suit the tanks it's mounted on - the T-46 and the T-50.

** [[RammingAlwaysWorks Ramming]] usually causes a small amount of damage. Oftentimes, a heavier tank will ram a lighter vehicle that is at low health, rather than wasting expensive ammunition.

*** Special Achievements: Capture the enemy base without being seen by any of the enemy team, kill a higher tier enemy by [[RammingAlwaysWorks ramming it]], [[OneHitPolykill kill two enemies with one shot]]...

** [=SPGs=] fire shells over long distances, at the cost of rate of fire and endurance. Ammunition for their cannons is also very expensive and they cannot carry many into battle.

** Chinese tanks from Tier 5 onwards tend to be either direct copies of Soviet designs or modified copies of Soviet designs. Their tier 1-4 tanks are a hodgepodge collection of copies from four different nations.

* KatanasOfTheRisingSun: Another faction announced by developers. Their tanks are said to be either more like [[FragileSpeedster decently fast]] [[GlassCannon support tanks]] or [[MightyGlacier heavy moving turrets originally created to defend the Home Islands and to deter naval attacks]] (and hold [[{{BFG}} ship-size shells]]), [[MightyGlacier with good all around armour]].

*** A well-coordinated platoon of three TOG II*s is a Lethal Joke Team. Between them, the three could have more hit points than the entire rest of their team, allowing them to shrug off attacks while throwing out enough firepower to practically vapourize anything they meet as they move towards the enemy flag at a [[OminousWalk casual stroll]].

** The humble Cruiser II, a Tier III British light tank. Not too many people play it, as most everyone take it's relative the [[LightningBruiser Cruiser IV]]'s tree. It's slow, its armor isn't very strong, its starting gun is average and it doesn't have a ton of HP. However, once you equip [[{{BFG}} the 3.7 inch Howitzer]], a cannon firing tooth-loosening HE rounds that annihilate almost any other tank of its Tier [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill in a single shot]]. Get one or two kills in a match this way and people will begin to approach you a bit more cautiously or avoid you altogether. Faster tanks might attempt to close the distance and attack, but this usually winds up lethal to [[SeeYouInHell all]] [[TakingYouWithMe parties]]. To give an idea of how powerful this gun is at this level, you find it on the Cruiser II's '''Tier VI''' cousins, the [[JackOfAllStats Cromwell]] and the [[MightyGlacier Churchill VII]].

** As well, there is a medal for bouncing 10 or more shots in a row(not non-penetrations, but outright ricochets) called Cool-Headed.

** The IS-7, while not an example itself, receives an honorable mention because the 130mm cannon it mounts was originally for naval use.

* NazisWithGnarlyWeapons: You get to drive some of the gnarliest in history, including the famous Tiger, King Tiger and Panther tanks, as well as the Maus, the largest tank ever built.

** The VK 3601(H)(and with patch 8.5, the Aufklarerpanzer Panther) have the unique [=7.5cm KwK41 L/58=] Konisch gun.

** The Alecto, the Tier 4 British TD, gets a unique 25-pounder gun-howitzer that isn't used on any other tank in the British tree
** The infamous 122mm D-2-5T and D-25T guns are often associated with the KV-1S and IS series heavy tanks.

** Ramming a heavier enemy with better armor will hurt you much more than tour opponent even if he is lower tier. Quite a lot of Kamikadze awards [[note]]Award for destroying enemy tank at least a tier higher via ramming.[[/note]] were actually failed TakingYouWithMe attempts.

** Light tanks scout and harass the enemy artillery and light tanks. [[FragileSpeedster They can't even dent most other tanks, and are easily destroyed should they be hit]].[[note]]Light tanks usually are fully capable of delivering damage to any tank of the same tier as they are. The problem comes from the fact, that they almost always thrown to the battles with up to 4 tiers higher tanks. Which is somewhat rational, since tier doesn't affect scouting abilities much.[[/note]]

* [[CarFu Tank Fu]]: Ramming does damage based on the speed and weight of the tanks involved, and is rather effective against turretless vehicles if they're rammed from the sides, as it can't turn its gun to target the rammer. If the rammer rams a vehicle too heavy, though, the lighter vehicle will blow up or at least be worse off from the collision. There is a [[CosmeticAward Title of Honor]] for destroying a tank that's higher tier than yours by ramming it. Appropriately, it's called "Kamikaze".
** The E-50 weighs in at 65 tons and can still reach a top speed of 60kph. Ramming is quite effective in this vehicle. Players have reported knocking 20-35% health off the T-54 just by ramming it once at top speed.

** Ausf. Panter is as almost fast as best light tanks and as heavy and armored as a Panter. Usually one ram and one shot from 105mm cannon is enough to finish of any light tank in the game save for Panter itself and top tier Chinese LT.

** There ''[[InvertedTrope is]]'' such a thing as overkill in the case of artillery, especially if they're blasting tanks with only a couple of hitpoints left instead of the completely healthy ones mauling the rest of the team.
*** Debatable since it is top priority to reduce the number of guns at the opposing team.

* GuideDangIt: World of Tanks is notable in that it '''doesn't''' have any kind of in-game guide, which means many of the important mechanics -- like penetration, spotting distances, and camo effects -- are left unexplained, leaving new players clueless on how to actually play ''smartly'' (which in turns leads to bad playing habits as said clueless players rush through the tiers). While a patch added a beginner's tutorial, it's generally derided as a mediocre effort, especially as it advises things that are NEVER marks of smart play (for example, hiding IN a bush instead of behind it, or using auto-aim to hit a moving tank).

* RammingAlwaysWorks: The tank itself is your last-resort weapon when you run out of ammo. "Always" is a stretch because a ramming tank needs to be heavier than the target or else it will die on contact.

** The humble Cruiser II, a Tier III British light tank. Not too many people play it, as most everyone take it's relative the [[LightningBruiser Cruiser IV]]'s tree. It's slow, it's armor isn't very strong, it's starting gun is average and it doesn't have a ton of HP. However, once you equip [[{{BFG}} the 3.7 inch Howitzer]], a cannon firing tooth-loosening HE rounds that quite simply annihilate almost any other tank of it's Tier [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill in a single shot]]. Get one or two kills in a match this way and people will begin to [[ReluctantWarrior approach you a bit more cautiously]] or [[OptOut just avoid you altogether]]. Faster tanks might attempt to close the distance and attack, but this usually winds up lethal to [[SeeYouInHell all]] [[TakingYouWithMe parties]]. To give an idea of how ungodly powerful this gun is at this level, you find it on the Cruiser II's '''Tier VI''' cousins, the [[JackOfAllStats Cromwell]] and the [[MightyGlacier Churchill VII]].

** The humble Cruiser II, a Tier III British light tank. Not too many people play it, as most everyone take it's relative the [[LightningBruiser Cruiser IV]]'s tree. It's slow, it's armor isn't very strong, it's starting gun is average and it doesn't have a ton of HP. However, once you equip [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill the 3.7 inch Howitzer]], the high-explosive lobbing gun that quite simply annihilates almost any other tank of it's Tier in a single shot, people will begin to [[BrownNote approach you a bit more cautiously]]. To give an idea of how ungodly powerful this gun is at this level, you find it on the Cruiser II's '''Tier VI''' cousins, the [[JackOfAllStats Cromwell]] and the [[MightyGlacier Churchill VII]].

** Light tanks scout and harass the enemy artillery and light tanks. [[FragileSpeedster They can't even dent most other tanks, and are easily destroyed should they be hit]].

** Damaged and poorly armored tanks that ram highly armored enemies will explode on impact while doing almost no damage.

* InTheBack: Most tanks have its strongest armor on the front and its weakest on the [[CaptainObvious rear]] and the top. Shooting a tank in the back is also more likely to set it on fire, since the engine and fuel tanks are usually placed there. The rare aversions are usually heavy tanks designed for assaults on fortified positions.

* InTheBack: Every tank has its strongest armor on the front and its weakest on the [[CaptainObvious rear]] and the top. Shooting a tank in the back is also more likely to set it on fire, since the engine and fuel tanks are usually placed there.

** Premium tanks in general, and especially the Tier 8 ones. At such a high tier, these tanks will often be the top vehicle in a match, which are often far more powerful than those on the bottom. Good playing from the top will often ensure victory, while poor playing usually guarantees a loss. There are no qualifications necessary to use these premium tanks beyond a sufficient amount of paid-for Gold, so a high level battle can end up in the hands of a player short on experience, but long on disposable income.

** The German VK 3601 (H) has what is probably the most varied and flexible selection of guns of any tank. It can mount the rapid-fire 7.5cm L/58 Konisch, the JackOfAllStats mid-range 8.8cm L/56, the sniping oriented 7.5cm L/70, or the close range heavy hitting 10.5cm L/28.
** Ausf. Panter [[note]]Light tank, essentially a Panter with Leopard turret and enhanced engine[[/note]] offers reliable and accurate 75mm conical gun and somewhat random, but powerful 105mm HE gun. Whether you choose the ability to provide long range support or the ability to one-shot light tanks and excellent DPM at close ranges [[note]]While it requires gold ammunition to reliably damage heavy tanks, its rate of fire means that in the end it won't cost much. [[/note]] is up to you.

** The M18 Hellcat tank destroyer goes UpToEleven since it set records as one of the fastest large [=AFVs=] of all time, easily reaching speeds of around 60 mph on good terrain, but only having 13mm of armor even on the front. In-game, it's as fast as the ''[[DemonicSpider T-50-2]]'' and is capable of mounting a 90mm main gun. The American T49 Tier 5 TD also qualifies.
*** Can be hilariously averted. Its turret armor is much better and gun mask also adds up creating a potent frontal protection. In the right cover the gun mask can be the only part of the Hellcat visible to opponent. It is quite a show to see how heavy tank starts to trade shots with Hellcat and gets himself killed because [[NoSell none of his shots managed to penetrate.]]

*** Can be hilariously averted. Its gun mask has 60mm thick armor at excellent angles. In the right cover it can be the only part of the tank visible to opponent. It is quite a show to see how heavy tank starts to trade shots with Hellcat and loses because [[NoSell none of his shots managed to penetrate.]]

* DemonicSpider: In middle-tier fights, the enemy's top player(s) is usually this. Often applied to the T-54[[note]] And before it appeared, to the T-44.[[/note]] which has the mobility of a medium tank and the armor of a heavy.
** The Type 59 to a lesser extent. It's a Chinese knockoff of the T-54, but requires no grinding to acquire, only real money. Also, since it's rated a tier lower than the T-54, you can start seeing these guys as early as Tier 6. The matchmaker also has a habit of several of them on the same team, which in addition to how common they are, ruins game balance and diversity. This has lead to the developers removing it from the shop, though players who already had one were allowed to keep them.
*** The introduction of the Chinese tech tree gave us the [=WZ=]-120, a more direct copy of the T-54, which has better damage and penetration than all of the Tier 9 medium tanks (its best gun is pretty much the same one mounted on the IS-4), except for the Centurion Mk. 7/1, and it has better turret armor than the T-54, though the T-54 is more agile and has better hull armor.
*** The [=WZ=]-132 is the Chinese Tier 8 light tank with a 100mm gun that is actually ''better'' than the one on the T-44. Compared to the [=AMX=] 13/90, it's able to make sharper turns without losing speed; it has a more accurate, slightly higher penetration and faster aiming gun which is also more accurate when firing on the move. The tank also possesses fairly strong sloped armor on the front and the turret.
** T-50-2s for artillery players, before they were removed in patch 8.7. They're insanely fast and very hard for anyone to land hits on, can survive a shot or two from most things trying to keep them off you, and are quite capable of taking you down quickly.
** The French Tier 7 and 8 light tanks, the AMX 13/75 and /90 are this. They are almost as fast and maneuverable as the T-50-2, present a relatively small target and can ''kill just about anything Tier 7 and below with one salvo!''
** The American T18. Simply put, it is a Tier 2 Tank destroyer tank that [[LightningBruiser can hit up to 40+kph]], OneHitKill [[LightningBruiser tanks ABOVE its tier with the 76mm howitzer ''and'' has armour equal to the ''Tier 4'' Tank destroyers]].
** The T95 can be this in high tier matches, since its armour is so insanely heavy that it can NoSell even ''artillery shells'' head on, and it has a [[{{BFG}} 155mm gun]] that can badly wound or OneHitKill almost any tank in the game.
** The KV-2, especially when equipped with the (in)famous [[{{BFG}} 152mm]] [[FanNickname Derpgun]].
** The KV-1S, which is a heavy tank with medium tank armour, speed and agility and the deadly 122mm D-2-5T, with alpha damage ''exceeding the health of all Tier 4 tanks and Tier 5 tank destroyers''. To show how dangerous that weapon is, the two Tier 7 Soviet heavies only get a version of this gun with better fire rate as their best equippable gun!

** More recently, and a shining example of this trope, the British TOG II* premium heavy tank. It tends to get mocked by everyone on ''both'' teams in a match and has been dubbed "Train", "Boat" or simply "Ugly as shit". It's painfully slow, comically large (Longer than the Maus) and its armour is totally inadequate for it's tier. However, it's 80 ton bulk makes ramming suicidal, 1400 hitpoints--double the Churchill III's health--allows it to absorb ridiculous amounts of damage, and it mounts the deadly OQF 17 Pounder Mk.VII, with very good accuracy, excellent RoF and very good damage. Late game, it can go on enormous rampages, considering most tanks it will encounter will be injured by the time it reaches them.

*** A well-coordinated platoon of three TOGs is a Lethal Joke Team. Between them, three TOGs could have more hit points than the entire rest of their team, allowing them to shrug off attacks while throwing out enough firepower to practically vapourize anything they meet as they move towards the enemy flag at a [[OminousWalk casual stroll]].

** The KV-2 exemplifies this trope: a hilarious one-shot kill "derpcannon" of pain and lulz, described by the game's own wiki as strong enough to send "the tank on the receiving end of the shell ... off the map and hurled into the sun". Unfortunately, it takes a good thirty seconds to reload, has abysmal accuracy, turns slower than two legged cattle, and has a turret so massive you have to put effort into missing it. Absolutely suicidal to venture out alone with and so must be played in a support role. Still, if you want a good laugh and the chance to [[OhCrap put the fear]] of RandomNumberGod into the enemy team, this is the tank to grab.

** The KV-2 heavy tank is large and rather slow, meaning that it's an easy target for most enemy tanks. It can be armed with the 107mm gun, which bites quite hard, but slows the tank even more. One other option KV-2 players can take, however, is a 152mm howitzer - a gun known among the fandom as the [[FanNickname "derpgun" or the "trollcannon"]] for its low accuracy, incredibly lengthy reload time - and truly ridiculous damage with HE shells, dealing noticeable damage to even Tier 10 tanks.

** More recently, and a shining example of this trope, the British TOG II* premium heavy tank. It tends to get mocked by everyone on ''both'' teams in a match and has been dubbed "Train", "Boat" or simply "Ugly as shit". It's painfully slow, comically large (Longer than the Maus) and its armour is totally inadequate for it's tier. However, it's 80 ton bulk makes ramming foolhardy, 1400 hitpoints--double the Churchill III's health--allows it to absorb ridiculous amounts of damage, and it mounts the deadly OQF 17 Pounder Mk.VII, with very good accuracy, excellent RoF and very good damage. Late game, it can go on enormous rampages, considering most tanks it will encounter will be injured by the time it reaches them.

** The old KV-2 was this trope! Super 1 shot kill derp cannon of pain and lulz, just add button click. Unfortunately, it took at least a good thirty seconds to reload, had a maximum range of 200 meters (150 maximum effective), turned and moved slower than two legged cattle, and was so massive you had to put effort into missing this thing. On top of all of this it absolutely required medium tank support. Some tanks can get by with just a handful of other tanks just like themselves, but the KV-2 was as good as dead without an escort of dakka flingers. Still though, if you wanted a good laugh this was the tank to grab.