Tier I - Leichttraktor The reputation of German tanks of World War II makes the Leichttraktor a popular choice as a players first tank as they journey forth to such titans of reputation such as Tiger, Panther and Maus. Leichttraktor offers a taste of different playstyles between the destructive autocannons common to many lower-tiered German light tanks or the quick-firing penetrators encountered through the medium lines. The following video showcases the Leichttraktor and covers some of the fundamentals of Tier I gameplay.
Tier II - Panzer II One of the workhorses of the early-war German Blitzkrieg in Poland and France, Panzer II can carry this tradition into your battles. Like his historical basis, Panzer II's 20mm autocannons lack the punch to go head-on with enemy tanks with Standard AP, and thus relies on using its mobility to find exposed flanks and land repeated withering bursts on enemy vehicles. A popular seal-clubber for those stubborn Daily Missions, the 51mm penetration on its Premium APCR keeps Panzer II relevant in most situations the match-maker offers. The following video covers some of the gameplay fundamentals when players start to encounter over-tiered vehicles at lower tiers, particularly those of the seal-clubber variety. The nature of its autocannon means this is an area where Panzer II will struggle, and changes to ammunition choice and angle of attack may be required.
Tier III - PanzerKampfwagen III Ausfuhrung E
The first "fork in the road" of the German tech tree, Panzer III ausf. E starts to diverge from the German Light Tanks and starts to adopts many of the characteristics of the Medium Tanks that follow. Good mobility allows Panzer III E to start in a forward position to neutralise enemy light tanks with superior firepower, while its armour will shrug off many of the light autocannons at-tier (although not much else). For new players, this is a great time to familiarise oneself with the double-bush mechanic where Panzer III ausf. E can excel in the "scout sniper" role. Patience is key at medium ranges and beyond, as the wide dispersion can yield disappointment for all but the most well-aimed shots. The commentated replay below demonstrates effective use of mobility to reposition to where it can be most effective, even when bottom-tiered against well-armoured opponents with greater firepower.
Tier IV - Panzer III ausf.J - Gameplay Pending
Another fork in the tech tree road, players choosing the path of the Panzer III ausf. J mark commitment to the Medium and Heavy workhorses of the German tech tree. In spite of this, your armour for tier requires a timid playstyle, allowing the play to develop before looking for opportunities to harass the enemy in their flanks. A choice of top-tier guns offers a variety of playstyles, with a 5cm L/60 allowing Panzer III ausf. J allowing a high-rate of accurate fire or a somewhat derpy 7,5cm L/24 landing high damage per shot. Recognising the situations where your Standard AP will or won't work is key to playing Panzer III ausf J, as a stubborn resistance to using premium shells will leave you unable to influence the fight against over-tiered opponents.
Tier V - Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. H - Gameplay Pending
The last medium tank on-track to Maus, Panzer IV H gives you a choice of playstyle with the top armaments available. While you can't really count on its armour, its mobility is sound and allows you to play effectively as either play the mid-range flanker/sniper with the 7,5cm L/48 or become an all-in brawler with the highly-destructive 10,5cm L/24. Your battlefield role will vary wildly depending on the tiering you load into, noting the HE rework in v1.13 has limited the effectiveness of the latter weapon to same-tier and below. The penetration values of the 7,5cm L/48 may relegate the tank to fighting enemy medium and light tanks from the second line, but with 10° gun depression you can present a very small target in spite of the weak turret facing.
Tier VI - VK 30.01 (P) Once a medium tank until WoT v1.09, VK 30.01 (P) is the first heavy tank encountered on track to Maus. It is slightly better protected than the VK 36.01 (H), owing to a thick gun mantlet (160-290mm), but maintains weak hull armour and a large cupola weakspot. Slightly more agile than other HT's at Tier, its playstyle will depend on your matchmaking. Loading in top-tiered gives you license to use your mobility to bully medium-lines, while for other matches it may be wiser to play in support of the heavy pack using the 8,8cm L/56 to seek tracking shots or opportunistic damage. Check out one of our earlier videos, where our subject gets an Ace Mastery in a 3xSPG matchup in VK 30.01 (P) on Prokhorovka...
Tier VII - Tiger (P)
Even in its top configuration Tiger (P) can feel like a downgrade against VK 30.01 (P) having lower mobility, the same turret, and significantly worse damage-per-minute. The hull armour has been buffed significantly however, with 80mm side armour and 200mm thick upper frontal plates. These enable Tiger (P) to bait shots via poke or sidescrape reasonably effectively provided its weakpoints remain concealed. Unfortunately low DPM and DPS limit Tiger (P)'s effectiveness in brawling and landing killshots respectively, so many players will resort to second-line or sniper work for this tank. Check out this replay on my channel, where this Tiger (P) user has been able to make good use of their armour with sniper gameplay...
Tier VIII - VK 100.01 (P)
Probably the most effective examples of German Super-Heavy tier-for-tier is VK 100.01 (P), owing to a lack of obvious weak spots and a turret capable of blocking most incoming fire found at tier without dragging the main armament off-target. With the top turret unlocked from the get-go, the stock grind doesn't feel so painful aside from the desperately-needed upgrades to engine and undercarriage for mobility's sake. The stock 10,5cm L/52 main armament is accurate with higher DPM than the 12,8cm L/50, although the latter weapon boasts higher penetration and alpha while the loss of accuracy is less concerning in the up-close-and-personal bouts you'll be chasing. We have a couple of commentated replays on this vehicle, with FastaPasta showing us why VK 100.01(P) is a beast straight out of the box with the 10,5cm L/52 and azmania3000 demonstrating the punch of the 12,8cm L/50 with an unconventional play
Tier IX - Mauschen Mauschen exists to prepare you for everything that comes next in the tech tree, bearing many of the same features of VK 100.01 (P). Penetration, gun handling and HP pool are significantly improved however the increase in armour is only marginal and you have a rather obvious cupola weakspot to contend with. The biggest catch however is in the turret armour, which is its weakest (240mm) when facing the enemy. Pointing the turret corner at the enemy will increase effective armour to ~275mm either side of the corner, however this will probably only work on same-tier-and-below opponents if they're kind enough not to load premium ammunition. Side-scraping remains effective regardless of the tier matchup, and you can divert a lot of fire from your team-mates to nil effect, while your generous 2,300HP pool can place an existential pressure on a flank that can relieve an enemy of their battlefield initiative. With your weakest armour presenting while aiming at the enemy, your main focus should be to stay alive while blocking damage while treating the infliction of damage as an opportunistic side-gig. Consider this commentated replay, where we still collected an Ace Mastery badge on Mauschen with less than 2,000HP damage inflicted on the enemy...
Tier X - Maus The end of the line is the heaviest vehicle in World of Tanks, and one that is very well known to amateur history buffs. This vehicle is an across-the-board improvement over Mauschen, and while it carries the same 12,8cm L/55 main armament you will enjoy improved accuracy and rate of fire. Survivability is also improved with a massive 3,000HP hitpoint pool, all-around improvements to armour and removal of the cupola weakspot. While the 260mm of turret facing armour will still let many Tier IX Standard AP shells through, corner angling of the turret is now much more reliable thanks to the addition of another 50mm to the turret sides. This will allow you to present 330mm+ effective armour either side of the corner. Side-scraping still remains extremely effective at bouncing incoming fire. Unfortunately the continued inability to present effective armour while aiming downrange hurts the combat effectiveness of this tank, at least as far as accruing damage in a same-tier engagement is concerned. In a shoot-and-cover exchange, you'll often find yourself either trying to lay your gun on an enemy that's fired and retreating to cover, or you're waiting for them to poke while hoping you can return your massive turret cheeks to an effective blocking angle after firing. Still, there is much to be said for the battlefield pressure your mere existence can exert on a flank provided you don't give the enemy too many opportunities to wear down your hitpoints. Of course, that's not to say you can't do both as demonstrated in this exemplary replay:
See Also
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