Unless that one person in chat tells you so, winning in World of Tanks isn’t always guaranteed, and it’s often seems more difficult if you’re placed as a bottom tier tank. Some tankers feel like they’re always entering a battle as anything but a top tier tank, so it’s important to know how to improve your chances of being competitive and winning when bottom tier.
Veteran Tankers: What tips would you give to someone who’s trying to help their team win as a bottom tier tank?
For those that aren’t in the know, the term “bottom tier” refers to entering a battle of World of Tanks and finding that your Tier 6 tank is actually up against sevens and eights. This situation means you'll be trying to punch above your weight, something that Connor McGregor appears to have mastered, but not most World of Tanks players. Thankfully, there are a few things you can do to help your team and improve your chances of winning.
How to Win When Bottom Tier
There are multiple tips you can keep in mind to improve your chances of winning when bottom tier. Most of them are common sense to elite tankers, and can be applied to other concepts, but they're easy to forget. The more you use, the higher your chance of helping your team, which is going to increase your overall chances of walking away with a victory. Maybe you'll even survive the match! No? Okay.
Know the Maps
Knowing the maps is often half the battle for most players, regardless of tier. For those just starting out, knowing what area of the map top tier Heavy tanks will be is essential. Knowing the common places that TDs like to hide will prevent you from taking shots that you simply cannot survive. Map awareness in World of Tanks, like any game, is one of the biggest factors when it comes to multi-player success. This is even more true when you're bottom tier.
Read: Maps we want brought back to World of Tanks
Stick With Teammates
Your higher-tiered teammates will be your biggest help in winning a match when bottom tier. Because you’re bottom tier, players won’t be expecting you to save the day or be the backbone of the match. This gives you a little more leeway in what you can do and what roles you can fulfil.
If you’re a Heavy tank and sticking with your Heavy tank allies, they won’t expect you to be the one bouncing shots. Instead, opt to play in a support role, using your gun to pester and distract enemies, affording your allies more opportunities to win the fight.
Play Passively
Playing passively ties into sticking with your teammates, but can also be done when alone. In the event you’re a Light, Medium, or Tank Destroyer, try playing a bit more passively to help increase your chances of winning when bottom tier. This doesn’t mean sitting still and forgetting about the game, it means taking a backseat and letting someone else take the lead.
Light tanks can always do well as passive scouts, as can Medium tanks. Tank Destroyers often have the advantage of sitting back and sniping. You can also try different tactics when bottom tier, as no one is going to complain if a low-tier Heavy isn’t holding a flank by itself. Well, they probably will, but what can you do?
Shoot Premium Rounds
Premium rounds are a contentious topic, but they are extremely useful when you are bottom tier. As a Tier 6 tank fighting Tier 8 enemies, you might find yourself struggling to penetrate Mediums and even Light vehicles.
In this situation, loading up any spare Premium rounds and firing a shot or two can significantly improve your chances of helping your teammates. That’s not to say you should spam Premium rounds – even knowing a tank’s weak points can help when firing standard rounds.
Understand Your Tank
There are some tanks that work well when bottom tier, while others struggle even fighting their own tier. If your tank has some unique advantage, exploit this advantage to the best of your abilities. Alternatively, if your tank has a glaring weakness, be it slow speeds or a tall profile, hide these from your enemies or avoid getting into situations where you must rely on your tank’s speed.
Winning when bottom tier can be challenging for even the most seasoned tanker. All the odds are stacked against you with enemy tanks able to remove you from the battle with ease. However, if you can keep in mind the above tips, you should find that your chances of helping your team to victory when bottom tier significantly improve.
