This time, I am going to be writing a little guide of sorts to the meta "roles" in the World of Tanks gameplay. The most we get told for roles by default are the tank types. However! Tank types do not define the type of play-style and role the player must adopt. While it can be generalized in some cases, it is easier to assign roles to individual tanks to give yourself an idea of what you will be best in.
This will be the first in the "Field Reports" series of guides/articles. Field Reports are designed to educate, and will help new players as well as experienced players find out things they may not have known to help up their game.
Please keep in mind that this guide is written from my perspective and fueled by my opinions. Do not treat my words as absolute facts. If you have any queries or arguments against anything I put forward, please leave a word in the comments.
What is a Role?
Speaking in WoT terms, your role is the task you perform to "contribute" to your team. So, "camping" is NOT a role, since you don't really aid your team. However, some roles do incorporate camping. Knowing which role to fill into is entirely up to you, based on better judgment after analysing stats and performance of your tank. It also helps to look up other player's experiences in tanks to compare your experience to.
Knowing what role you can fulfill with your tank to best support the team is crucial to success for yourself and your team. While it's not guaranteed success, it definitely helps towards it. I will be separating into two categories: Main Roles and Sub Roles. Main Roles are roles which should take priority in your tactics. Sub Roles are roles that can be shifted into if the situation requires it, and are generally roles that are on the sideline next to a Main Role in a tank. Typically, each Main Role has Sub Roles associated with it.
Now, let's get onto the list of roles. I will give at least one example of a tank that falls under each role to help you understand which types of tanks best fit in.
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Frontliner
Frontliners are tanks that will spear-head assaults. They sit on the frontlines of battle, lead your team and are usually the first to make contact with the enemy. Tanks that are Frontliners are usually characterized by thick armor that can bounce shots, large HP pools that absorb damage and large size that gains them attention. Heavy tanks make up the majority of Frontliners, though a select few Mediums and even Lights (on lower tiers) fulfill this role.
Your job is to get the enemy's attention and hold onto it firmly. Frontliners can be damage dealers as well, but it is not their primary role. They usually have guns that deal large alpha damage but have poor reload times. This allows them to output binges of damage per shot which will intimidate adversaries and make them aim at you. Angling and sidescraping are common tactics for Frontliners to help soak up damage. Keep in mind that kills should not be your priority unless they are right in front of you. If a Light tank suddenly emerges and drives passed your frontline, you must not pay too much attention to chasing it. If your team does chase it, it opens up a window of opportunity for the enemy team to push through, and if your team repositions to chase the Light, it also allows the enemy to re-focus. Being a Frontliner requires stalwart tactics and mindset. While it sometimes may be frustrating, this role is guaranteed to be leaving you in the thick of firefights in most matches, and is an invaluable, crucial contribution to the team effort.
The main foes of Frontliners are Flankers and Artillery. While your armor can safeguard you from snipers and other Frontliners, Flankers will take advantage of your slowness and go around you to try and coax your attention away from what is in front of you. Artillery will almost always be primed to rain down on Frontliners spear-heading an assault if they are not committing to counter-battery fire. You must also keep in mind that when you are not the top tier, your effectiveness as a Frontliner may wane, so you may end up falling back as a Second-line Support tank (see the role in list for more details). Scouts are also unsung dangers; being lit up for enemy Artillery is never a good thing.
An ideal example of a Frontliner is the Churchill VII Tier 6 British Heavy Tank. It is cumbersome, armored and packs a punch. With the right amount of angling, a Churchill VII makes an ideal frontliner that can soak damage with a large HP pool and bite back with a gun that can deal reasonable amounts of consistent damage.
A bad example of a Frontliner is the AMX 50 100 Tier 8 French Heavy Tank. While it is large and packs a payload of wallop, it is weakly armored and nimble. It can draw attention but it cannot take many shots before imploding into a burning wreck. It is better suited to other roles than a pure Frontliner.
Sub Role: Brawler
Brawlers are a type of Frontliner that specialize in close quarter combat. What usually characterizes Brawlers are guns that deal lots of damage over time but have poor accuracy and aim-time, and armor that is sloped to bounce shots. Tanks that have lots of HP but flat-surfaced armor that can be penetrated easily are not suited for Brawling. Tanks that are slow and have bad traverse are also not suited for Brawling, since this role requires a lot of positioning and reliability to retaliate should you get flanked.
Brawlers are a sub-role of Frontliners because they are almost always on the frontlines of the battle and they are well-suited to drawing attention away from your team. Whether it be only the tank you brawl with or the entire team re-focusing on you, Brawlers are guaranteed to at least draw some attention. If left alone, they can cause serious damage to other tanks and easily snowball if not tended to soon enough. When Brawling, it is important to pin-point which targets should be prioritized, and it is also ideal to watch your flanks and think ahead. It is very easy for a Brawler to jump ahead and get boxed in by enemy troops that are unseen when he first committed to his plan. The main things required are intuition and a steady pedal to keep you angled in the way you need and not exposing yourself to any potential flankers. If required, re-position. Brawlers should use their agility to keep the enemy guessing and exploit opportunities should any arise.
The main foes of Brawlers are Artillery and Snipers. Artillery will attempt to rain down on you if you are not too close to allies, and Snipers will be aiming at you since you will be ahead of your Frontliner allies a lot of the time. Sloped armor can only keep you secure for so long. If a Brawler gets tracked, everyone becomes a threat. It is important to have high Repair skills or a repair kit handy for those situations when you do get tracked. A Brawler that is immobilized is a welcoming target to all.
An ideal example of a Brawler is the IS-6 Tier 8 Premium Russian Heavy Tank. It has amazingly sloped armor on all sides that can bounce many shots, it is decently mobile and has a hard-hitting gun. Because the gun has poor accuracy and aim-time, it requires you to get up into their faces.
A bad example of a Brawler is the Panther Tier 7 German Medium Tank. While it is mobile and has well-sloped armor on the front, its gun is lack-luster in close combat and your side/rear armor are very vulnerable. The guns have good accuracy and aim-time, so it is unnecessary to be so close to ensure hits.
Second-line Support
Tanks that serve as Second-Line Supports are the backbone of a team, with Frontliners serving as the spear-head. They provide the fire support Frontliners require. These tanks are on the second line of battle since they have good guns with decent accuracy, but their armor and/or HP is not sufficient enough to keep them secure on the front-lines. Again, many Heavy tanks fall into this category, but some Mediums and TDs also fall into this role. While not crucial to success, they are vital to the success of Frontliners because of the amount of firing support they can offer.
Your job is to use cover and providing fire for the Frontliners. You should not be taking damage too often, and if the enemy does re-focus to you, hide back in cover until the Frontliners have their attention again. Angling is also a tactic usually adopted by Second-Line Supports should they draw fire, for it gives you some security against any incoming shots. Second-Line Supports are usually the tanks that will be getting kills and dealing the damage in a team. They also have more time to focus on priority targets while hiding in cover, and when an enemy does break through the front-line, it is up to you to keep the Frontliners secure and destroy the enemy who pushed forward so that they can keep focused on what is in front of them. As long as Frontliners and Second-Line Supports keep to their posts and synchronize tactics, their success is a likely outcome and it helps the entire team immensely.
It is very easy to get confused between the front-line and second-line. A lot of people tend to deviate between the two in matches. While this is usually permitted should the situation call for it, it should not be something that is done frequently. Usually tanks should remain consistent in their roles within a match. A lot of tanks suited to the front-line will often remain on the second-line as well, due to personal insecurity or laziness. Because of this, the proper second-liners may feel inclined to move to the front-line. At the end of the day, it is your call onto which role you will be more successful in. But you must always take into consideration the match-up and circumstances before devoting to a decision.
The main foes of Second-Line Supports are Snipers. While Frontliners and Artillery focus your front-line combatants, Snipers will often be aiming for you since Second-Line Supports are often less armored and more vulnerable. Try to avoid incoming fire by using cover effectively and angling your armor. Counter-sniping fire is also viable, but don't prioritize it over support for your teammates.
An ideal example of a Second-Line Support is the Tiger Tier 7 German Heavy Tank. While it is large and has good armor, it is mostly flat. The Tiger is best suited to using cover and the second-line and providing support fire with its precise and decently damaging gun. While you can transition into a Frontliner if you are one of the only Tier 7s in the match, this is the role you will adopt a lot of the time.
A bad example of a Second-Line Support is the IS Tier 7 Russian Heavy Tank. While you have a good gun that can provide support, your armor is sloped and quite formidable in terms of bouncing shots. You also have the mobility to get to the front-lines first. You can serve your team much more adequately by going into close-quarter combat and drawing attention from the rest of the Second-Line Supports.
A pseudo-sub role also exists in the designation "Assault Gun". An Assault Gun is essentially a Tank Destroyer fitted for Second-Line Support. There are not many TDs that fit into this that do not fit better into any other role, but the ones that do suit this role can pack a huge punch that greatly supports the team effort.
An example of an Assault Gun TD is the T95 Tier 9 American Tank Destroyer. While it is the slowest tank in the game, it has the thickest frontal armor and a very hard hitting gun. The gun isn't too accurate, so you cannot snipe effectively. This tank is one of the scariest Assault Guns to face in the game due to its low profile, impossible armor and devastating alpha damage gun.
Sub Role: Sniper
Snipers generally are classified as tanks with accurate, hard-hitting guns that can reliably hit from long distances. Some Snipers also have good stealth factors to help them remain hidden from enemy eyes at range, and their guns usually have high penetration to compensate for the penetration fall-off over long ranges. However, this is usually traded off with poor armor and HP that can be exploited by enemies if you become lit up. Some Snipers have good frontal armor to safeguard them from enemy Snipers.
Your main focus as a Sniper should be to find the weak targets in the enemy force and punish them. Remaining hidden and out of the way is a Sniper's strategy. If you are spotted and get fired upon, it is usually ideal to re-position. Snipers are a sub role of Second-Line Support since they usually are providing support fire for the team. While not always on the second-line, they will usually be committing to the same tasks. Keep those shots pumping out and remain out of the way, but also be careful not to camp and idle for too long without action. Snipers must often re-position even if they haven't been spotted to create better vantage points for supporting the team; sitting in a place where you cannot shoot anyone is never a good way to help out.
The main dangers faced to Snipers are enemy Snipers, Artillery and Flankers. Enemy Snipers will always be on the lookout for enemies of their own kind, since they are usually poorly armored. Counter-sniper fire is always a viable tactic to commit to, but should not be adopted if the enemy lacks Snipers. Artillery love to aim at Snipers due to their weak armor and HP. While it does get their attention away from your front-line, they are likely to one-shot or severely cripple you. Flankers also tend to effectively outwit you since Snipers are usually bad in close quarters. It also lights you up for all to see if they get close. Keep mobile as a Sniper to avoid many of these dangers.
A good example of a Sniper is the StuGIII Tier 5 German Tank Destroyer. Its gun is immensely accurate, has high penetration and good rate of fire. Your tank, although poorly armored and fragile, is nimble and has one of the highest stealth factors in the game. These traits make the StuGIII a textbook Sniper.
A bad example of a Sniper is the KV-1S Tier 6 Russian Heavy Tank. Your top gun is grossly inaccurate at long range, you have poor camo values and your overall stats are better equipped towards Brawling or Second-Line Support. Just, don't be a Sniper in this tank. Show-off.
Scout
Scouts are one of the less common but incredibly useful roles in a team setup. Composed entirely of Light tanks, Scouts are nimble, stealthy and have poor armaments. They are also usually have good view range and radio range. While scouting can be done by any tank if done right, tanks in this role specialize in it entirely. Scouts also retain their camouflage values even while on the move.
Your one and only duty as a Scout is to reveal enemy positions while remaining out of their line of fire. Whether this be by using your agility to dodge enemy fire or remaining hidden in cover is up to you and what tank you use. Generally, there are two types of Scouts; active and passive. Active Scouts will dance around enemies, keeping them lit up and dodging their strikes. They may also unleash some shots at the enemy, in an attempt to deal damage while flanking them or to damage their modules (e.g tracks). Passive Scouts sit in cover and hide from enemy sight, revealing enemies while remaining hidden. When playing passive, you must never upon enemies unless you are sure to kill them. If you ever do fire, make sure to re-position and get out of sight again. Scouts never rely on armor, and usually getting hit will cripple or kill you. They synergize well with the whole team because of their utility, but they work best with Artillery. Any Artillery player will adore a Scout that does their job right.
The main dangers that face Scouts are Snipers, Second-Line Supports and enemy Scouts. Snipers and Second-Line Supports will have their eyes open for you, wherever you may pop up from. While your agility can waver some, there will always be at least one shot that will get lucky and hit you, so be incredibly wary when dancing around enemy Frontliners. Enemy Scouts also can reveal you easily, so watch out for them. Counter-scouting can be done, but is hard to do without revealing yourself in the process. The hidden danger are Frontliners themselves. While you can flank them easily, they can also easily park into their path of movement. Ramming into them usually has more consequences for you than them.
A good example of a Scout is the M24 Chaffee Tier 5 American Light Tank. While it has a large profile for a Scout, it has great nimbleness, good stealth factors and adequate view & radio range. It can hide and be a passive Scout, but it is better suited towards active Scouting. Being able to perform both is a good trait to have.
A bad example of a Scout is the Auflarungspanzer Panther Tier 7 German Light Tank. Despite having Scout-grade Matchmaking, this tank cannot perform as a passive or active Scout due to large size and lack of agility. This tank is better suited to flanking and counter-scouting tactics.
Flanker
Flankers are nimble, hard-hitting adversaries that use their agility to flank and harass slower, bigger targets. While similar to Brawlers, Flankers are not always found on the front-lines and they do not rely on armor to bounce shots. Instead, they focus more on avoiding enemy fire. This makes them a cross between an active Scout and a Brawler. Some Flankers retain camo values on the move, increasing their effectiveness (Lights only).
Flankers are not always seen in a team set-up, but when they are they are usually a very hit-or-miss job to take on. As a Flanker, you should always examine the map and enemy team. Plan a route to the enemy that will draw little attention and label a target to go after. From then on, commit to the plan and adapt where necessary. Flankers are like wolves; you either go lone-wolf mode or create a wolf-pack. When going solo, you should do your best to remain hidden and strike at an opportune time, employing hit and run tactics. However, if you decide to pack up with some other Flankers, designate a target and hound them. Because you are many, the target will have a hard time deciding which to shoot at. And when they do decide, it is likely too late. Whether alone or in a group, stealth and enemy unawareness is crucial to success. Some enemies will anticipate your plans and watch over common routes for Flankers. If you feel this to be a scenario, employ less suspicious routes. Overall, Flankers are very useful to a team, but only in limited numbers. Effective Flanking requires map awareness, knowing your routes reliably and the ability to dodge/escape effectively if something goes wrong. Use Hit & Run tactics and only stick around if with other Flankers. The pseudo-role "Arty Hunter" is typically assigned to a Flanker that moves to hunt down enemy Artillery.
Main dangers that face Flankers are Scouts, Snipers and scenery. Yes, scenery. There is nothing worse than doing a drive-by shooting on an unaware enemy tank when suddenly your speed is waned away by a tree, or stopped dead by a rock formation. Always keep an eye on where you are going; if you think you are likely to hit something then focus more on driving than shooting. Auto-aim helps in such circumstances. As for Scouts and Snipers, the best thing to do is simply make them your new target. Just beware of support fire.
A good example of a Flanker is the Cromwell Tier 6 British Medium Tank. It has poor armor but amazing mobility and a gun that is specialized the take advantage of weak-spots. It can easily dodge incoming fire and can reliably hit on the move when in relatively close quarters.
A bad example of a Flanker is the PanzerIV Tier 5 German Medium Tank. While it has poor armor, it also has sub-par mobility and guns that are only really accurate when motionless. Both of its gun support gameplay where it requires you to stop and shoot, which is not what a Flanker does.
Sub Role: Ambusher
Ambusher is a sub role of Flanker that employ a much different strategy. They rely on stealth and high damage to combat their adversaries over nimbleness. They are a sub role of Flanker because they perform similarly in regards to hunting alone or in packs. Ambushers usually have good camouflage factors with hard-hitting inaccurate guns, but low vitality and in some cases poor mobility.
Ambusher is never a permanent role; you will likely transition into another as the match goes on longer. Your task is to find an area that the enemy is likely to come across, and set up an ambush for them; alone or in a group. Make use of bushes and cover to hide, so that enemies are sighted before you are. When you feel you can get a damaging shot in, do so. If alone, use cover to hide from retaliation fire and keep popping out of it to fire. If in a pack, the initial barrage from the group is usually enough to kill an adversary. Once the ambush is done, you either transition to a Flanker, Sniper or Second-Line Support. Attempting to setup another Ambush either takes too much time or the enemy is too aware for you to try. Ambushers make ideal guards for bottle-necks or weaker flanks, and become more effective in defensive scenarios. You can easily transition into an Ambusher if your team adopts a defensive stance as the match continues on; such ambushes are usually planned around the capture points.
Main foes of Ambushers are Scouts. While you can easily dispose of Scouts, it spoils your ambush for better foes. Furthermore, the Scouts if left unattended will reveal you eventually, so it is ideal to set up ambushes where Scouts will not attempt to do their job from.
An ideal example of an Ambusher is the Hetzer Tier 4 German Tank Destroyer. While it can serve as a Sniper, equipping the 10.5cm Howitzer turns it into a close-range Ambusher. It has good stealth and the 10.5cm packs considerable punch for its tier. It can usually one-shot tanks of its own tier.
A bad example of an Ambusher is the AT 2 Tier 5 British Tank Destroyer. While it is a slow TD, it is well-armored and has poor camouflage. Furthermore, it has a gun that deals most damage with sustained fire over a long duration rather than alpha burst, making it less suited for a surprise ambush.
Artillery
Artillery, composed entirely of Artillery tanks, sit at the very rear of team engagements and rain down heavy explosive fire onto enemy positions from the longest ranges. They are extremely incapable and vulnerable in close quarters, so they often rely on the security provided by teammates. Most Artillery specialize in low reloads and the highest alpha damages.
As an Artillery, you sit back and wait for your teams to engage the enemy. When they have done so, scan the battlefield for viable targets. A viable target is a target that is motionless, out of cover and has their front facing away from you. All these factors maximize your chance to deal full damage with your shells. Artillery typically use HE rounds, so penetrations will not come often. Because of the inaccuracy of your guns, its generally sound to aim at tanks entirely rather than on weakspots (e.g hover over their rear compartments). However, some low tier Artillery have high accuracy at the cost of less damage. In higher tiers, it is often ideal to re-position after firing since you could be at risk of counter-battery fire. Counter-battery firing is shifting your focus from enemy engagements to predicted enemy Artillery locations. You can then watch and listen for the tracers of shells fired by the enemy Artillery, allowing you to fire at them despite them not being detected. Counter-battery greatly aids the team by ridding of enemy Artillery, but it is hit-or-miss. If you miss, you reveal your intentions and waste a shell. You should also not waste too much time trying to locate enemy Artillery. It is only a viable tactic if you absolutely know where the Artillery is going to position. In maps that have many positions to use, focus on helping the team directly.
Enemies of Artillery are pretty much anything that gets near, but especially Flankers. A lot of Flankers devote themselves to hunting you down for their team, so it is good to have teammates seal off routes that Flankers may use. If you suspect one is coming, it is not a bad idea to go Tank Destroyer mode and use direct fire, though it is unreliable and reveals you to enemy Artillery. As mentioned before, enemy Artillery is always a threat in higher tiers so re-position after each shot.
There are no good or bad Artillery, though several do have pros and cons that differ. For instance, French Artillery tend to have less damage but have lots of mobility and wide traverse, whereas Russian Artillery have high firing arcs and accuracy, at the cost of stealth and damage. It doesn't affect the type of role you should adopt, however. All Artillery can re-establish themselves as a make-shift TD should circumstances come to it, but the only Artillery that can effectively employ such uses are many French Artilleries and the Hummel Tier 5 German Artillery. They can perform adequately as Ambushers, though such play is not usually accommodated in serious play.
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That concludes the list of roles I have specified in World of Tanks. If you have any feedback or questions about what I have written here, please leave it in the comments below. If you feel this list is missing something, or some data is wrong in this list, then also feel free to leave a comment.
See you on the battlefield, and I'll catch you later. Krasny out.
