Need help with the Ammo types please

[sickle1986]

Can someone tell me what the different ammo types are for please?

I normally use the standard AP ammo, but there are options for another one, maybe even two others sometimes.... What are these Ammo types for?

[Elite911]

Armor Piercing (AP) Shell

This shell does the damage listed in the gun and ammunition specifications if it penetrates the enemy's armor. However, if the shell does not penetrate the target, it will not do any damage. It can also damage tank modules and crew members. AP shells have 5 degrees of normalization, and lose some penetration at over 100 meters. This will differ from gun to gun. The AP shells are the default shell type on most tanks except all tier 10 mediums and tanks with howitzer type guns.

Armor Piercing Composite Rigid (APCR) Shell

APCR ammunition as a premium shell will have higher penetration values than AP, while maintaining the same damage. It has 2 degrees of normalization. This means that it is more effective against angled targets than HEAT ammunition, but not more effective than AP for angled targets because APCR has lower normalization values.. APCR has a higher muzzle velocity than AP, meaning that a shell leaves your gun at a higher speed, making it easier to hit moving targets at long distances. APCR loses more penetration value over the same distance as AP. However, APCR used by high tier guns will still have more penetration than standard AP at longer ranges.

Some tanks, such as the all tier 10 mediums, Centurion 7/1 (maxed) and the IS-3 Defender, will fire APCR as its default ammunition, replacing AP. APCR used in place of AP rounds will not cost gold or a large sum of credits to purchase, while still featuring the standard characteristics of APCR ammunition. Tanks with this option will have HEAT and HE or HESH as their second and third type of ammunition.

High Explosive (HE) Shell

This shell has the highest damage value among all the shell types in the game, but it generally has very low penetration values. These rounds have a splash damage area, making it possible to damage multiple enemy vehicles within close proximity of each other. Unlike the other ammunition types, HE does not need to penetrate to damage the target, but the damage drops off quickly as the difference between the target's armor and the shell's penetration value increases. If it manages to penetrate the armor, it will explode inside the tank for the damage listed in the specifications. Additionally, HE rounds can deal damage to multiple internal modules and/or crew. Given these characteristics, High Explosive shells are VERY useful for damaging modules, or for getting guaranteed (or more likely) chance of damage on a heavily armored/low HP vehicles.

High Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) Shell

This ammunition type has a higher penetration value than AP, but unlike APCR, HEAT does not have normalization, and therefore must penetrate the effective armor value at the given impact angle. As a result, HEAT rounds will have more trouble dealing with very sloped, and/or spaced armor when compared to the other ammunition types. This also means that shells that hit the tracks are likely to be absorbed, dealing no damage to the enemy tank. However, also unlike AP and APCR, HEAT does not lose penetration value over distance. HEAT usually has a slower muzzle velocity than AP and APCR, similar to HE. Users should be aware that HEAT, like AP, will bounce off if it does not penetrate the armor of a target.

Penetration mechanics through spaced armor are as follows. When the HEAT round strikes the spaced armor, it instantly loses the thickness of the spaced armor in pen. After that, every 100mm between the spaced armor and the primary armor, the HEAT shell will lose 5% of its penetration.

High Explosive Squash Head (HESH) Shell (HE)

This shell has similar functions as an HE shell, but with comparatively higher penetration values. If a HESH round does not penetrate, it still behaves in the same way - it will explode on the surface of the armor, dealing some damage to the enemy. It will lose damage as the difference between the penetration value and armor thickness increases.

HESH is used as the premium ammunition on several high-tier British tanks. The Centurion Mk. 7/1 (with the 105mm Royal Ordinance L7A1) and the FV4202 use HESH as their premium ammunition type. They also use HESH as what would normally be regular HE, but this HESH has greatly reduced penetration compared to the premium variant. Though not directly stated as HESH ammunition, the high explosive ammo for the 120mm L1A1 gun on the Conqueror and FV215B are in fact HESH, as they have double the penetration of regular HE ammunition on similar caliber guns. This type of ammunition is only available for British tanks.

[graystripe]

for HE ammo, kindly aim the sides or rear of the tank to do the most damage.

it also depends on how high the burst radius is as well.

e.g su-100y's HE ammo burst radius is 2.78 which is most likely the highest in WOT blitz. but its AP ammo is also deadly as well, so to use su-100y, kindly get 15 AP ammo and 15 HE ammo. don't get APCR ammo, its penetration is lower than AP ammo.

HE ammo will deal max damage to tanks like SP IC as SP IC's armor is 10/10/10 (front, rear and sides)

also, some tanks their AP ammo penetration is very high but if you look closely at their APCR ammo, you will notice that its penetration is lower than AP ammo.

[sickle1986]

Do you have any examples?

[graystripe]

e.g su-100y's HE ammo burst radius is 2.78 which is most likely the highest in WOT blitz. but its AP ammo is also deadly as well, so to use su-100y, kindly get 15 AP ammo and 15 HE ammo. don't get APCR ammo, its penetration is lower than AP ammo.

i'm sure you know that su-100y is a premium tank. i bought the tank myself and uses it, i notices that its APCR penetration is lower than AP.

[sickle1986]

Quick question, but as you mentioned the Premium tanks, what are the purpose, or benefit, in using them?

[graystripe]

premium tanks is used to earn exp and then convert that exp to free exp through gold.

other than that, you can use it to complete missions that give credits/silver.

:)

[sickle1986]

So it's not really free EXP if you have to use Gold, which is a purchased item.... Well anyway, thanks for the help Gray.