Tiips for starting out on PVP?

[Aldeveron]

After reaching Tier 9 on PVE, I have just started trying PVP (Random Battle and Global Ops). OMG, it's tough in comparison! I seem to get my ♥♥♥ shot off incredible quickly, even when there is no enemy in sight. Can anyone offer any general guidance? Do any of the non-premium vehicles particularly suit someone starting on PVP?

[Valrynn the Dragoness]

High tier PvP is a bit of a mess right now since there is a huge power gap between tier 9 and 10 vehicles.

The key to PvP is to always err on the side of caution unless you're extremely confident you can pull off a move without getting hit back for it.

MBTs will be at the front lines but that doesn't mean you can rush forward mindlessly. You still need to hide your tank because people will snipe your weakspots from a distance. Scouts will be sitting in spots overlooking important routes or flanking behind your team if they aren't covering the map well enough.

Load plenty of AP and a little bit of HEAT or HE.

Even more so than in PvE you must be aware of where to shoot tanks in order to deal damage to them effectively. You must know what tanks are capable of what. For example, the Altay has a 5 round magazine and high mobility. You do not want to let it close the gap or get in an extended trade with it. You must be even more wary of your tanks orientation. Sure, turning your turret to the side may let you hit a tank that isnt paying attention to you, but is it worth getting shot by the three other tanks waiting for you to turn your turret just like that? Your HP pool is all you get in PvP, there's no way to restore it. So you must make it last. Never go off alone unless youre positive you will massively impact the battle from you doing so.


Global Operations is a bit different since you can respawn. But it doesnt mean you should play foolishly. Generally the same rules of PvP apply, but if you see a cap is failing, get over there as soon as possible, rush in and start shooting in order to delay the cap. Dying for stopping a cap is worth it if it means your team retains control over it, because taking a cap back is much more difficult. Wildcards arent usually worth contesting unless youre in the area aside from the AC-130. If you see an enemy trying to take an airstrike or ATGM bunker, sure, go after them if youre close, but dont ignore caps just to take them out unless youre absolutely sure they cannot have it because itll destroy your team.

Use repair points if youre nearby, or youve taken a cap successfully and teammates are there to cover it while you go heal. Otherwise it's not worth it to drive back all the time to keep repairing.

Try to shoot drones down if you have a shot but don't bother if you can't kill them after 1-2 shots. Leave the drone for someone with a proper gun like an autocannon to kill it. Bunkers are ok though because bunkers can deal a lot of damage if left unattended.

For both PvP and Glops ALWAYS pay attention to the minimap. If a flank is failing and you're nearby you gotta go. Be wary of newly placed bunkers, where your team is concentrated and where your enemies are, where airstrikes might be, when cap zones have switched, when the AC-130 has spawned in.


I dont really know what tank would be suited for someone starting out in high tier PvP, but I guess I'd cast my vote for the Leopard 2A6 since it has high penetration. The armor isnt the best, but the gun will at least be able to stand a chance at harming most tier 10s.

[Aldeveron]

Thank you kindly for the detailed guidance; very helpful.

Do we gain any reward, such as XP, for destroying bunkers and aircraft?

How does the 'wildcards' thing work? I know how to access them, but I'm not clear what they do, or how to evaluate them, and what happens when we pick one.

Thanks again...

[Valrynn the Dragoness]

Originally posted by Aldeveron:

Thank you kindly for the detailed guidance; very helpful.

In my latest Glops attempt, I got the impression that I destroyed a number of AFVs yet I registered no kills. Would that be because they were AI vehicles?

Then I got destroyed - by an airstrike I suspect, because I was well hidden and there were no enemy vehicles in sight, but I could hear aircraft). Is the sound of aircraft the only warning of airstrike danger? Is there any tactic for avoiding death from airstrikes?

Do we gain any reward, such as XP, for destroying bunkers and aircraft?

How does the 'wildcards' thing work? I know how to access them, but I'm not clear what they do, or how to evaluate them, and what happens when we pick one.

Thanks again...

AI kills dont really count for much. They do reduce the enemy point counter but I dont think you get much reward for killing them. You should still take them out if you can though. Points are points.

Airstrike the only indicator is the sound and the aircraft in the air. You can usually predict where its going to strike by the sound. The bombs always drop when the sound starts to drop in pitch. You also get an indicator on your HUD if youre about to be hit by an airstrike but by then its usually too late. If its a friendly airstrike you will see the drop zone on the minimap. The blast radius extends outside of the drop zone indicator though. Airstrikes are nearly always fatal and if you survive youll be missing most of your health.

The AC-130 makes a slight aircraft noise as it circles around the map shooting at targets. Generally it doesnt make much noise and the first indicator its targeting you will be you getting struck by shells. Best to shoot it down asap.

No reward for shooting down aircraft or bunkers but because they can hinder your team you should deal with them when you can.

Wildcards appear as a small capture zone on the map. They come in a few forms. After you cap one, you press Q by default to bring up the minimap then click on a deployment zone, pre-selected for each wildcard, except for the airstrike, and the locations vary by map. A wildcard can be held for up to a minute after capturing and is lost if you die before activating it.

UAVs are the most common. It deploys a drone that flies in a circle above an area of the map of your choice, spotting any enemy tanks and deployed bunkers, etc. It will continue to spot until it's shot down. Helpful for determining where the enemies are pushing or where those annoying snipers are hiding. Generally not worth capping unless there's nothing better to do. They have low HP and are easy to shoot down with autocannons, tank guns can do it too but the UAVs have ♥♥♥♥♥♥ hitboxes so hits sometimes dont register. Cap one if its in your way or its nearby and you see an enemy trying to grab it, but don't prioritize it over an actual cap.


ATGM bunkers deploy two 2000 HP bunkers that fire dumb-fire rockets at targets that enter their range. Theyre not very accurate (they cant lead targets) but they can really hurt anything staying still. They are always deployed in the same spot when you put them down on the map, so if someone suspects bunkers of being there they can shoot them even if theyre unspotted in order to destroy them. Generally good for helping slow down a push, they can sometimes net a kill or two. Note that bunkers can friendly fire and they can ♥♥♥♥ you up if you get into their line of fire while theyre trying to hit something else. An ok grab, can be useful if say, you're on the other side of the map and cant help teammates elsewhere. Bunkers can help defend a position from being taken over, or slow down the enemy team from reaching the cap in time to contest it. Still, don't prioritize caps over them.


Airstrikes are what they say on the tin. Calls in an aircraft to do a rectangular-shaped bombing run over a target area. They don't have predetermined areas to be used. You click anywhere on the minimap. This determines the start point of the airstrike. The second click determines the endpoint (the minimap will preview the area to be bombed. just note that the second click calls in the airstrike, so be absolutely sure thats where you want it). The only wildcard really worth grabbing, can turn the tide of battle if used right since anything caught within it is guaranteed to die, and anything on the edges will take heavy damage. Generally used on spots with lots of enemies, either to clear them out, or to stop them from coming closer. Very strong, but takes a bit of thinking ahead to use. Enemies will always start running if they suspect an airstrike is coming. Also be wary that the airstrike can kill teammates and friendly bunkers very easily too.


AC-130 appears on two maps, Waterway and Roughneck, and always in the same spot. Heavily contested due to it's power, it calls in an AC-130 gunship that randomly targets enemy tanks as it flies twice around the map before leaving or it is destroyed. Generally very helpful for applying pressure and being a general nuisance since the enemy team will either get pummeled by it or have to spend time destroying it, creating opportunities for you to take capture points or push forward, or stopping the enemy from taking your caps. Always worth fighting for if you can afford to. Theres only one spot to deploy it in by the center of the map.


Artillery only appears on the Grindelwald map. First an ammo pick up appears on the map. This must be obtained then brought back to your base, which spawns three friendly SPGs to fire at the enemy. Generally grabbed regardless by someone on this map. I dont think the SPGs can respawn if killed so if you can drop an airstrike on them or kill them you rid your team of the nuisance for the rest of the match.


Helicopter also only appears on Grindelwald. Spawns a 500 HP helicopter that flies around shooting at enemies much like an ATGM bunker does. Can be strong but is very easy to shoot down. Generally not worth fighting over.

[Aldeveron]

That's exceptionally helpful. Thank you so much, on behalf of myself and other new PVP players who have been looking for some clarification.

[Valrynn the Dragoness]

Forgot to mention that the announcer will say sometimes what wildcards have spawned in or what wildcards the enemy team has just activated. But its best to pay attention to the minimap in addition to this.

As well, don't try to hide say, under a roof to get away from an airstrike. It's still fatal. The only way to survive is to get out.

[Aldeveron]

Originally posted by Break:

As well, don't try to hide say, under a roof to get away from an airstrike. It's still fatal. The only way to survive is to get out.

Thank you. I think I'd like glops more if they removed the airstrikes. I seem to get killed by them every time, usually before I have even killed two opponents. Earlier. you mentioned about defining where a friendly airstrike should target. I'd like to know how to do that. Is that feature available every time I capture a capture zone?

The last four glops I took part in were defeats... Makes me wonder...

[Valrynn the Dragoness]

So say you capture the airstrike. You press Q to activate it. This brings up the minimap. The first click determines where the airstrike will start to deal damage, and the second click determines the direction and endpoint. Once the airstrike is called in, allies will see where the bombs will land on their minimap, so they can get away from it. Enemies will not have this preview.

If you're asking if you get an airstrike if you capture a zone no you don't. Wildcards and cap zones are separate.

You can ping the minimap if an ally gets an airstrike but they more often than not will use it where they see fit and not where you want them to use it

[Aldeveron]

Originally posted by Break:

So say you capture the airstrike. You press Q to activate it. This brings up the minimap. The first click determines where the airstrike will start to deal damage, and the second click determines the direction and endpoint. Once the airstrike is called in, allies will see where the bombs will land on their minimap, so they can get away from it. Enemies will not have this preview.

If you're asking if you get an airstrike if you capture a zone no you don't. Wildcards and cap zones are separate.

You can ping the minimap if an ally gets an airstrike but they more often than not will use it where they see fit and not where you want them to use it

Thanks.. but how does one actually gain the ability to direct an airstrike, the way you described)?

Is a 'wildcard' a type of zone then? (I thought a wildcard was a thing you could click on, to select it, after entering a zone.) What is the symbol used on the map to indicate the type of zone that gives one the ability to direct an airstrike, using the method you described?

Sorry if I seem dense... ;-)

[Valrynn the Dragoness]

Wildcards are a type of zone yes. They appear as a small capture circle on the ground. Each one has their own icon on the minimap. The airstrike one looks like a couple of bombs.

So say you find an airstrike wildcard. You drive into it and capture it. You now have an airstrike that expires after one minute if you haven't used it.

Press Q to open the minimap after you capture it.

Now, click on the spot, *anywhere* on the minimap, where you want the airstrike to start. In other words, where the airplane should start dropping bombs.

Once you do that, you'll see an animated arrow. This arrow points in the direction where the airstrike will travel. Think of it like connecting dots.

Moving the mouse around, you can move the arrow too. It's like a clock hand. The point you first clicked represents the center of the clock. You can rotate the hand, in this case, the arrow, anywhere around that fixed center point in order to determine what direction the bombs will be dropped.

Once you are happy with your selection, click one more time, and the airstrike will commence. It takes time to happen so don't just expect instant death.

I really can't describe it any better than that. If you're still lost you're going to have to find someone to show you the ropes or watch youtube.

[Aldeveron]

That clarifies it perfectly. Thank you so much for the help.