World of Tanks armor and weak points: angles, shells and cover

Armor in World of Tanks does not work as one number above a vehicle. The same silhouette contains different plates, angles, screens and exposed areas, while the shell also affects the result. Before peeking, therefore ask which part of your vehicle a particular opponent will see and what they can fire at it.

A strong position simultaneously hides a vulnerable area, allows the gun to aim and permits withdrawal after trading. Hull rotation alone does not make a tank protected: increasing one plate's angle can expose another or remove cover from the lower front.

This guide covers armor and shells in Wargaming's PC version, weak-point selection, angling, sidescraping and practice. The numerical thresholds below describe ordinary shell mechanics; individual vehicle systems, including Shell Calibration System, need separate consideration.

Thickness, angle and shot direction

Nominal thickness describes a particular plate. Effective thickness depends on the shell's path through it. The angle is measured from the normal, meaning the perpendicular to the surface, rather than automatically from the hull's travel direction.

In a simple geometric model of a flat plate without normalization, path length equals thickness divided by the cosine of the angle. A hypothetical 100 mm plate gives 100 mm at 0°, approximately 115.5 mm at 30° and 200 mm at 60°. This illustrates geometry rather than calculating an actual penetration result.

It shows why “every additional 10° gives the same protection percentage” is incorrect. The game also considers shell type and further checks. Turning the hull a particular number of degrees does not guarantee the same impact angle on every part of a complex model.

AP and APCR use normalization, changing how they interact with sloped armor. Avoid comparing two threats through average penetration alone. A particular shot depends on the available plate, its angle and the selected shell's properties.

Ricochets and the three-caliber rule

The strict inequality matters. This diagram tests the no-ricochet condition for ordinary AP/APCR rather than promising the outcome of any shot.

Ordinary AP and APCR can ricochet above 70° from the normal; HEAT's threshold is above 85°. AP and APCR have an important exception: when caliber is strictly greater than three nominal plate thicknesses, this rule excludes a ricochet.

Avoid turning absence of a ricochet into a promise of penetrating any path through the silhouette. The shell must hit the intended plate, and subsequent interaction with armor and screens still matters. A visible track or attached component is not necessarily the main armor whose thickness you compared with caliber.

Likewise, a two-to-one caliber-to-thickness ratio does not mean automatic penetration. Avoid deciding from one proportion without examining the angle and actual impact point. Change one condition at a time in practice; otherwise the cause of a result is difficult to establish.

Update 2.4's new German branch has Shell Calibration System. Calibrating AP/APCR improves normalization and ricochet angle at the cost of damage per shot; for HEAT it improves performance against screens. The ordinary threshold reference therefore does not describe every state of such armament.

Where to look for a weak point

Avoid transferring knowledge of one American vehicle's hatch to every American turret. Soviet heavies likewise have no universally penetrable area in an identical place. Remember the model, side and shot conditions rather than only the nation.

Keep separate notes for Chieftain, Object 279(e) and BZ-176. Establish the exact vehicle name first: the Chieftain family includes different variants. Then record the visible plate, opposing caliber and observation direction. Without checking the particular area, avoid declaring their roofs automatically penetrable by every large gun.

In the Garage, open Vehicle Management and ARMOR. Armor Inspector shows nominal and effective armor as well as hit angle. In Penetration Chance mode, select the attacking vehicle, its gun and shell type. Compare the same plate from different directions and save the conditions in your notes; an estimated chance does not replace hitting the selected point.

The penetration indicator helps assess the selected point but does not force the shell to hit it exactly. For a small or moving target, separately assess the probability of hitting the intended area. Preparing a flatter side shot can be more useful than spending resources on an awkward hatch.

Making hull rotation useful

Begin with hard cover. Hide the most vulnerable frontal area, check the nearest threat's direction and establish gun access. After rotating, reassess the side: gaining frontal protection can lose protection on the adjacent plate.

There is no single angle for every heavy or medium. A flat front, a complex nose and a rear turret require different placement. Also account for opponents above or below you: elevation changes the impact line against roofs and sloped areas.

Sidescraping uses hard cover to screen the front while presenting a suitably angled side. Move only as far as the job requires; excessive rotation can open the side to a more direct hit. If firing requires exposing the lower plate, rebuild the position.

Reverse sidescraping, with the vehicle positioned the opposite way, is not a compulsory upgrade over the ordinary version. First establish whether turret geometry, hull geometry and the retreat route suit it. Check the whole movement path rather than only an attractive stationary pose.

A turret above terrain and preparing the shot

In hull-down, terrain hides the hull while the gun can still engage. Check depression: if aiming requires climbing higher, you may expose more hull or roof than intended. Turret armor also does not make all its areas identical.

Brief forward and backward movement can complicate enemy aiming without making the mantlet guaranteed protection. Watch side fire and the artillery direction. A position against one gun can become dangerous when a second appears.

Prepare aim before peeking and complete the maneuver deliberately. A sharp hull turn before shooting changes both armor angle and aiming conditions. Instead of a compulsory two-second pause, judge your aiming circle, the available target and enemy readiness.

When tracked, decide whether immediate repair is needed to escape. If several opponents gain a line on the immobilized vehicle, continuing to fire can cost all remaining hit points. However, avoid automatically spending the kit without understanding where cover is and where you can withdraw.

Choosing a shell around the actual line

Compare AP and APCR through penetration, normalization and the available angle. APCR is not a universal solution against a sloped turret. HEAT also does not automatically fail against every track: account for the screen, the path to main armor and the shell's own characteristics.

Since the 1.13 rework, ordinary tank and TD HE shells have no artillery-style splash against multiple vehicles. If the shell fails to pass a screen to the main armor, or there is no hull behind the struck module, hit-point damage may be absent. “HE guarantees tracking and damage” is therefore incorrect.

Against light armor, choose HE only after assessing the accessible area and miss risk. Resetting capture needs an effective shot rather than merely loading HE. SPG shell mechanics differ and cannot automatically be assigned to an ordinary tank.

Carry a suitable ammunition mix for the vehicle and expected jobs. Change type after assessing the target rather than solely because the previous shot failed. In a replay, distinguish a miss, a screen, a ricochet and non-penetration: their causes differ.

Applying the principles to different vehicles

A super-heavy benefits from controlling one dangerous gun and retaining lower-plate cover. A light tank will often do better by avoiding an extended trade and preparing withdrawal. Quickly reaching a side line does not guarantee penetration when it exposes you to loaded opponents.

On an autoloader, select a vulnerable area and an exit after the sequence beforehand. Avoid continuing to empty the magazine at a disappeared or screened target merely to complete the sequence. For a turretless TD, establish whether the position allows target tracking without unnecessary hull rotation.

A medium benefits from movement that creates a more useful line rather than constantly maintaining a supposed class angle. An armored TD and a concealed TD also have different needs: the class label does not prescribe identical positioning.

Three exercises and recording results

1. Place the vehicle beside a hard corner and have a partner fire APCR at the exposed side. Adjust positioning in small steps, recording the exposed plate, caliber and result. 2. Choose a particular weak point and practise a brief peek with the gun pre-aimed. Measure exposure time and the ability to return without declaring one duration safe for every vehicle. 3. Test caliber relative to one known plate. Retain the angle and impact point while changing only the required condition; separate absence of ricochet from the subsequent result.

The journal needs only both vehicle names, shell, distance, hull placement and a replay frame. Revisit entries after model or balance changes. This preserves useful knowledge about shot conditions rather than an outdated promise to penetrate every similar silhouette.