Light in World of Tanks is called enemy detection. This is very important aspect game mechanics, which, unfortunately, many simply do not pay attention to. Most players with at least a thousand battles know how to shoot accurately and “tank” with a strong forehead, but only a few know how to give competent and long-lasting light that will allow the team to achieve victory.
Good lighting can really decide the outcome of a fight. Often in random battles you can see how the formidable heavy ones, which are very dangerous due to the high one-time damage, remain completely defenseless for open maps against opponents who, although they do not have such armor or damage per shot, are different good review. In many high-level battles, the team wins thanks to a skilled player on a light tank of the fourth or fifth level.
What are the benefits of proper lighting?
Smart lighting in World Of Tanks will not only bring your team victory, but you will also receive a large number of experience and silver if, according to your intelligence, the allies fired a lot of effective shots. When playing on a light tank, you may not fire a single shot at all, stand in the bushes for the entire battle, and end up gaining more than a thousand experience and a significant amount of silver.Naturally, not everything is so simple. It’s not for nothing that a relatively small number of players know how to shine correctly; there is a lot to learn here. Light is divided into active and passive:
Active light in World of Tanks
Active lighting represents movement across the battlefield on maximum speed. You need to actively maneuver so that the enemy doesn’t hit you, effectively use obstacles and hills, show enemy tanks only observation devices, and not expose yourself with your entire corps.Don't also forget about danger of losing the caterpillar because of another jump on a bump. When turning sharply high speed the tank skids heavily, which leads to a significant loss of speed and, as a result, probable destruction. To make it more difficult for the enemy to aim, you need to slightly change the direction of movement every about three seconds, and between such wobbles, pick up speed and move in a straight line.
Racing at high speed and literally dodging enemy shots is quite fun, especially since it is relatively simple, so most players prefer this type of light. But simply does not mean effective. Moreover, it is becoming more and more difficult to actively shine. A significant blow here was the introduction of physics into the game in update 0.8.0; before that there was no danger of losing the track due to a bump or hill.
In, one might say, the iconic T-50-2 on the MT-25. Many people took this change very painfully: T-50-2 was the fastest firefly in World of Tanks, the game on it was very dynamic and fun, you could rush in front of confused opponents, expose the whole team, shoot self-propelled guns and even escape undamaged. The MT-25 cannot boast of such outstanding speed or maneuverability. In general, you need to shine on it not actively, but passively.
Passive light in World of Tanks
Passive light, at first glance, is easier to master than active light. Indeed, stand in the bushes, what could be difficult here? But this is only at first glance. After all, you need to not just stand in the bushes, but detect the enemy and remain unnoticed yourself.How to choose the place where the lighting will come from?
Choosing a convenient bush behind which you can hide involves good knowledge maps and main routes of movement of equipment. You should see as many enemy tanks as possible, and your allies should be able to shoot at them. In general, it makes sense to highlight an enemy that your allies cannot hit only if you need to control the situation and the movement of enemy tanks in a given area.For example, the allies left the other without any protection. It only makes sense to shine light in such an unprotected direction so that the allies know when enemy tanks will appear there and in what quantity. But this is rarely required, in most cases you need to highlight enemies so that allies deal damage to them. Moreover, this is exactly what you get silver and experience for.
As mentioned above, select a good place For passive light it is quite difficult. It must be some kind of bush that provides effective camouflage. For a passive firefly, the first minute of the battle is extremely important. Don't waste time and take your time suitable bush, due to which you can highlight moving opponents.
What to do if the enemy gets too close?
As soon as an enemy tank approaches you, you need to immediately retreat, since even if you can penetrate it, you still will not inflict a large amount of damage on it, and with a return shot, you will most likely be sent to the hangar. Your task is completely different. In most cases, in a passive light position, you should immediately turn in the direction of the route you will take to retreat in case of danger. If necessary, immediately stand with your stern facing the enemy, he will still punch you in any projection.If you are going to passively shine, this does not mean that you should occupy some bush at the beginning of the battle and stand in it until the very end. In most cases this is ineffective. If you cannot detect the enemy for some time due to one cover, you need to move around and look for another, more suitable one. In this case, it often makes sense to choose not a direct route, but a circuitous one, so as not to allow yourself to be detected by the enemy.
Tank review. Selection of equipment for active and passive light.
With passive and active light, the most important thing is overview of your tank, which can be increased by equipment such as a stereo tube and coated optics. The first one only works when your tank is stationary (three seconds after stopping) and gives a bonus of 25% of basic overview. The bonus of coated optics is only 10%, but it always works. It is quite obvious that a stereo tube is ideal for passive light, while an active firefly needs to use coated optics. On some tanks it makes sense to install both types of equipment. Vision is also increased by the skills Eagle Eye (by 2%) and Radio Interception (by 3%), which can be learned from the commander and radio operator, respectively.It is the visibility indicator of your tank that should be the guideline by which you need to choose the distance separating you from the enemy. Naturally, you need to try to illuminate him at the maximum distance in order to remain unnoticed yourself. And for this you need disguise.
Camouflage - plays an important role when playing firefly
It can be improved with a camouflage net, which gives a bonus of 25% of the base value and is valid only when your tank is stationary, camouflage, which gives a bonus of 5%, is active in motion and is purchased for silver or gold, as well as the skill of the same name, which can be upgraded for the entire crew. If you are going to play the role of a firefly, then camouflage should be chosen as the first perk, but this does not apply to the commander, who needs to take the sixth sense.Sixth Sense- an extremely useful skill that will come in handy on many tanks, but the sixth sense is very important for a passive firefly, as it signals that you have been detected. One has only to say that this skill works with three second delay, so it often makes sense not to wait for the light to come on, but to run away immediately. For active light, the sixth sense is not so important, because in this case the defense is not secrecy, but active maneuvers.
Naturally, the best suited for highlighting enemies are light tanks, which have an extremely useful bonus compared to all other vehicles: the camouflage of a moving light tank is equal to its camouflage when stationary, for all other vehicles it is half as low. It is also worth saying that when fired, the camouflage of any tank is reduced by about six times.
But you can shine on almost any equipment; here you need to look at the ratio of size and visibility. Many medium tanks are characterized by relatively small in size and high visibility, which allows them to effectively illuminate the enemy on a par with light tanks. Many “ambush” tank destroyers, which are small in size, can provide good passive light if you install a camouflage net and a stereo tube on them.
"Light" (that is, detection of enemy tanks) is one of essential elements victory. Very often, competent light is much more important than thick armor or a weapon with high damage. It is quite difficult to learn how to bring benefit and victory to the team, and silver and experience for yourself on light tanks, which are primarily designed to detect the enemy. At least more difficult than playing well on heavy or medium tanks.
Many inexperienced players in light tanks rush at full speed towards the enemy base at the beginning of the battle. There is very little sense in such a stupid action: you will highlight the entire or almost the entire enemy team... so what? Your allies may even cause a little damage to the enemy based on your light. If you are very lucky, you or allied self-propelled guns will even destroy the enemy self-propelled guns. But in the end, your team will lose a light tank for the rest of the battle.
Remember, you must highlight the enemy constantly, and not just once, that is, one of your tasks (although not the most important) is your own survival. Don't think that playing a light tank is synonymous with a quick death at the beginning of the battle. Such death is the result of an unsuccessful and inept game. And the point here is not even that you will not bring any benefit to the team, you will not earn experience and silver with your stupid death!
It is also worth remembering that although destroying enemy self-propelled guns is one of the tasks of light tanks, this must be done carefully, somewhere in the middle of the battle, when the enemy team has suffered serious losses and you notice a gap in their defense. Of course, in random battles such gaps can appear at the beginning of the battle (the whole team went in the same direction), but how do you know where this gap is? This will become clear only in a few minutes.
Light in World of Tanks is divided into active and passive. Let's start with the last one. With passive light, you detect the enemy while standing motionless behind some bush. In this case, the equipment Camouflage Network and Stereo Tube will be irreplaceable. The first will allow you to remain undetected, and the second will allow you to notice the enemy from a much greater distance than without it.
Of the skills, Camouflage is a critical skill; ideally, it should be upgraded to 100% for the entire crew, and to increase visibility, you should take the Eagle Eye skill from the commander, and Radio Interception from the radio operator. The commander also has an extremely useful skill: the Sixth Sense (“Light Bulb”), which signals that you have been detected. You just need to remember that this skill does not work immediately, but with a delay of three seconds, which in many situations can be critical.
Separately, it is worth paying attention to how you should stand behind the bush: you need to stand behind the bush, and not in it. You should approach the bush at such a distance that the bush becomes almost transparent through the sniper mode. This means that the bush does not interfere with your view, but at the same time hides you from the enemy.
If you are performing passive light, then you cannot take actions that will lead to enemies detecting you. This is movement and shooting from a gun. You need to shoot only as a last resort, for example, at an enemy light tank that is rushing at full speed towards an allied self-propelled gun.
You only need to move if you are discovered, then you need to hide from the enemy as quickly as possible. To do this, you should always immediately turn in the direction of the intended escape route. Remember that the Sixth Sense skill triggers with a delay. So if an enemy tank points a gun at you, don’t wait for the light to light up, run right away!
With the light active, you must constantly move around the battlefield in such a way as to illuminate the maximum number of enemies, but not expose yourself to being shot. To do this, you need to choose a route so that you appear to the enemy only for a moment.
On maps with a lot of hills, you need to show the enemy only the very top of the tower, so it will be very difficult to hit you. Naturally, on hilly maps you also need to constantly move, but be careful: even a small bump can cause you to jump too high, which will damage the track. Under enemy fire, this can be a deadly mistake.
Camouflage Net and Stereo Tube are useless with active light, since they do not work while moving. But you should install Coated optics, which gives, although a smaller bonus to visibility than the Stereo Tube, but always works.
The entire crew should also learn the Disguise skill. The fact is that for light tanks the value of Camouflage while moving is not halved compared to a stationary position, like for all other vehicles. So this skill is critical even with active light.
Also important are the Eagle Eye skills for the commander and Radio Interception for the radio operator. The Sixth Sense skill is not so necessary, since when moving it is not so important to know whether the enemy has noticed you or not. In most cases, he will notice you, but if you play correctly, you will escape the fire in time. To increase speed, it is advisable to take the Off-Road King skill from the driver. It would also be useful to have the Virtuoso skill, which will increase maneuverability.
Remember that your task is not just to detect the enemy. You must interact intelligently with your allies so that they deal maximum damage to your light. Of course, in random battles there is no need to talk about coordinated team play, you just need to shine so that your allies can deal damage. That is, if the whole team has gone, for example, to the left flank, then there is practically no point in shining on the right.
World of Tanks is primarily a team game. It is very difficult to defeat all enemies alone, even if they do not act together. Therefore, for a team to achieve victory, each member must know their role and perform it correctly.
Some novice players give up when they find themselves in a battle against clearly stronger opponents. For example, if you are armed with a light or medium tank, moreover, not fully equipped, you shouldn’t be upset. Hiding behind the backs of your more well-fed brothers in the hope of finishing someone off will not be of much benefit to you or your team. All the same, your wreck is useless in battle and, most likely, will soon be destroyed. But there is another option for the development of events.
You can, so to speak, expose enemy tanks, that is, reveal their location to your team. In this way, you will help your comrades and you yourself will not be left without a reward. In the statistics window after the battle, you will be able to see how much damage the enemies received thanks to your heroism thanks to the patch from Wargaming.
First of all, you need to know and adequately evaluate the characteristics of your tank. What speed can he develop, how much will he slow down on uneven terrain and, in general, will he have time to get to the desired point faster than the enemy.
What you should pay attention to:
1. You need to know the map well; in any location there are positions for spotting. Remember that the forest, dense bushes or the crown of a fallen tree can hide you from enemies. When the battle takes place on a map with the ruins of a city or town, it is best to find some kind of window or loophole. Your task is to hide the entire body of the tank, and only the turret surveillance devices peek out.
2. Look carefully at the command grid. It often turns out that the enemy scout gets to the desired place faster, or at the same time as you. In the event of such a meeting, you will have to destroy the enemy or find a place so that you can shine on the enemies without him detecting you. This is where mobility plays a key role.
3. Do not forget to take into account the visibility and camouflage indicators of equipment. For example, light tanks have a camouflage bonus (due to their class): this characteristic remains unchanged no matter how the tank stands or moves. If your tank is discovered, you can move back a little, hide behind some wall or embankment. It will be better if your team helps you deal with the enemy.
So, this was a description of passive illumination. But, if your tank is well equipped and has high speed characteristics, then you can shine more actively. In this case, the task is to show your team where the enemy tanks have gone at the very beginning of the battle. Moreover, it is not necessary to expose all enemies; it is better to save your tracks and engine and retreat than to merge in the first seconds of the battle. Try to keep enemy tanks illuminated for as long as possible, and hide behind the hills, constantly be on the move, go around the flank and even the rear, and, if possible, do not get involved in battle. The thing is that the longer the enemy is highlighted, the more “goodies” he will receive from your brothers-in-arms. And the artillerymen will kiss you, of course, if you remain unharmed.
It often happens that passive fireflies quickly merge. This happens because they open fire on the enemy. This is absolutely not necessary, since shots remove camouflage. But when you see that the enemy is moving directly towards your cover in the thickets and no one is attacking him, you need to crawl back a little (until the thickets are no longer transparent) and, opening fire, attract the attention of your friends.
The principle is that, being 10-15 meters from the bushes, you are covered by them as a visual barrier and invisible, while the enemy will still be in residual light. Another principle can be used in the city: if you drive close to a house with an enemy tank behind it, you will expose it. Just use this “X-ray” wisely, because it will also expose you to light.
Crew perks will be a good help in your activities. The commander will need a “light bulb” and an “eagle eye,” and the radio operator will need “radio interception.” Also helpful: “with all your might”, “vindictive”, “king of the off-road”, “virtuoso”, “disguise” and “combat brotherhood”.
Now that you are armed with this information, being a firefly will bring you joy and victory for your team. Shine on your health!
Every WoT player wants to lead his team to victory. However, based on the fact that this is a team game, he alone can defeat the entire opposing team only in exceptional cases.
It so happened that many players chose the “bright” path for themselves, in other words - to shine for their team. For example, you have in your hangar a LT or ST in a non-top configuration, which can do little in battle. This technique is not capable of causing a lot of damage, but if used correctly, even it will bring tangible benefits to your allies. In one of the latest patches (0.8.0) Wargaming company entered additional information into the post-battle statistics window. Since then, a player who has illuminated for his team can see with his own eyes the amount of damage inflicted on enemy vehicles by his exposure. Agree, such information brings moral satisfaction and a sense of significance to those who, at the beginning of the battle, write in the general chat “What am I even doing here?” So this article is about how to properly shine on LT and ST.
First of all, you must clearly understand the performance characteristics ( performance characteristics) the equipment you use to enter the battle. What speed your tank will develop, how it will slow down on bumps, slopes and soft soils will directly affect your actions. An important criterion for behavior in battle is the setup of both teams and the map on which the battle will begin. You must understand whether you can get to a strategic point undetected and before the enemy, and whether you will not interfere with a more maneuverable ally.
The most important tasks:
1. Analyze the map. On any map, be it a city or open field, there are places that are ideal for light. Any vegetation, be it bushes or the crown of a fallen tree, can completely hide you from the enemy team, and if the battle takes place on a city map, then there are almost always windows, loopholes and embankments that hide almost the entire silhouette of your tank, leaving only a tower with observation devices.
2. Analyze the command grid. Sometimes it may happen that the enemy team's LT or ST gets to a good spot before you. There are two options here: destroy the enemy firefly yourself (or leaving it to be torn to pieces by the team), or find a point on the map from which you can shine the enemy team, without fear of being discovered yourself. From this point it becomes clear that the technique with the best dynamics and mobility is most preferable for light.
3. Consider the visibility and camouflage of your and enemy equipment. At the same time, remember that LTs have a class camouflage bonus (the camouflage indicator is the same when moving and at rest). If there is a possibility that you yourself will be overexposed, it is better to roll back a little, using houses, shelters and folds of the terrain, let your team deal with the equipment that may expose you.
What was described earlier has the term “passive light”. However, if your equipment has excellent dynamics and speed, do not neglect the “active light”. This technique is to give your team an idea of the movement of enemy equipment in tactical directions in the first minutes, and sometimes even seconds of the battle. Just don’t repeat the mistakes of many players who, after the phrase “candle in the center!” immediately sent to the hangar. The initial task is not so much to expose the entire opposing team, but to preserve units of strength and vital components of your equipment: engine, tracks and surveillance devices. Maneuver, make sharp unexpected turns and leave after you have lit up (the “light bulb” perk, which we will talk about later, will help you understand this).
If possible, keep enemy tanks in constant light, do not take damage and constantly move, appearing where enemy tanks are not expecting you at all. Remember the fact that the longer the enemy tank glows, the more guns on your team will be turned in its direction. Ride along the hillside on the side of your allies, showing only the tower to your opponents, this will make it harder for you to be hit. After a good exposure, the artillery may express great gratitude to you for the work done.
It is also worth noting why many passive fireflies do not live long: they themselves cause damage to the opponent’s equipment. As you know, shots reveal, so the desire to shoot can sometimes play with you cruel joke. However, it may happen that the enemy approaches the bushes from which you are shining, and no one deals damage to him, and you can quite deal with him. Use the current situation most effectively for you: roll back until the bushes from which you were shining cease to be transparent and begin your insidious business, shoot down the tracks, remind your team that the enemy still exists and we need to end it!
The fact is that being fifteen meters from the bushes, you are covered by them as a visual barrier. The enemy is in residual light, and you are invisible, you can inflict damage on him with impunity. Also, do not forget about “X-ray” on city maps: when you drive close to a house, you will illuminate the enemy standing closely behind it, this feature of the game mechanics is very useful on city maps, but be careful, the enemy will also illuminate you.
The perks of the tank crew will help you in this difficult “light” task. Pump up the “light bulb”, “eagle eye” for the commander, and “radio interception” for the radio operator. The perks “extreme strength”, “vindictive”, “king of off-road”, “virtuoso” will also be useful, and in general the entire crew should master “camouflage” and “combat brotherhood”.
IN online games very important team strategy and the tactics of each member individually. Only the correct execution of one's role can lead the platoon to victory.
Why do you need to shine?
In battles, fireflies play one of the main roles, helping the team determine the location of the enemy. Typically, light and nimble tanks take on this task. It is also very important to know how to shine correctly. After all, the number of enemies found will affect not only the player’s results, but also the overall outcome of the battle.
Improved performance
Before playing World of Tanks, you should understand all aspects of the task. Proper development of the machine will increase the player's efficiency on the battlefield. It is advisable to make improvements depending on the chosen strategy. This could be the speed or viewing range of the tank.
In addition to the machine, it is also necessary to upgrade the train servicing it. A well-trained team can increase efficiency in battle.
Having decided on active actions and constant movement, the player must improve the speed and ability of the car to maneuver. Non-stop driving at the highest possible speed will increase your chance of surviving and highlighting your enemies.
Improved equipment related to signal transmission, camouflage and vision will suit more passive play. Staying hidden in one place can pay off.
We should not forget about consumables. A variety of items that provide a one-time bonus in some stats sometimes tip the scales in the player's favor. Consumables vary in their actions. Some of them affect the tank's crew, while others affect the vehicle itself.
There are also items for maintaining the vehicle during battle. They do not affect how to shine in tanks, but they will significantly increase the chance of survival.
For example, using a vehicle repair kit will allow a damaged tank to continue fighting, and using a first aid kit will remove negative effects from the command staff. It is worth mentioning a fire extinguisher, which is very important for the firefly, saving in emergency situations.
Installing additional equipment will also pay for itself. Some things significantly increase the percentage of the tank, and as a result the vehicle receives a good passive bonus.
Active tactics
Movement is one of the methods of how to shine in World of Tanks. Active actions are appropriate if the machine is well equipped and has a high speed rating. However, in addition to speed, maneuverability is also needed. Only with such a set of qualities will a tank fulfill its duty completely.
The scout's task is to take a roundabout route to the enemy as quickly as possible. Thus, the firefly allows the team to attack the targets it sees.
The main thing in this tactic is to make the most efficient use of the map’s landscape, all the hillocks and rocks, thereby hiding from enemy revenge.
The wrong decision on how to shine in World of tanks would be to drive straight into the clutches of the enemy. There is little that can be achieved with this impulse. But the clever use of bushes, rocks and discreet movements from one to another will be a very correct solution.
It is not necessary for the tank to completely move out from behind the cover; a sticking out turret or direction finding devices will be enough. Using this method will make the scout an incredibly difficult target.
Passive tactics
More in a simple way There will be an improvement in the vehicle's visibility systems and its stealth. Having chosen this path, how to shine in World of Tanks, the player will have to stay in one place for a long time, with rare moves.
When the battle begins, the vehicle must go to the most appropriate place for downtime. Having selected the bushes, the player needs to wait for the enemy to appear and simply give visibility to the team.
In the case of the passive method, the player is highly discouraged from moving, much less attacking the enemy. Having illuminated the enemy, you should wait for the allies to realize their advantage.
The ideal solution would be to develop stealth; it is possible to install additional equipment in the form of a camouflage net. A machine located in one place would also benefit from upgrading its detection functions.
The choice of where to shine on the cards depends entirely on the player. World of Tanks is replete with locations for ambushes and camouflage. However, choosing the ideal point is quite difficult; you will have to spend some time searching.
Bottom line
Each of the ways to shine in World of Tanks has its own advantages and disadvantages. Only after trying everything can you choose perfect style games. It is only important that the scout’s actions bring benefits to the entire team.