Colonelcool's guide to armor.

[Colonelcool125]

Okay, no one likes reading big walls of text, so I present to you a list of general rules to obey when you play armor.


These rules are directed mostly at maps like Kashan, where there are lots of assets on both sides. Different rules apply on maps like Basrah and Ejod. These rules apply mainly to tank vs. ground asset combat.


1. Don't go out alone- if you go out alone, you're going to have a hell of a time flanking. If you can't flank, good luck taking on more than one of anything without dying.

2. Communicate- Make sure you have effective means of communicating with your driver/gunner as well as your SL.

3. If the enemy can see one of your squad's tanks, he should not be able to see the others- For many reasons, this is the most critical rule. First, if the enemy can see more than one tank, that means you are bunched up. Bunched up tanks have a nasty habit of getting bombed back to the stone age by airpower. Second, if you're bunched up, not only can you not possibly get around the enemy and hit them in the flanks, but the enemy is able to concentrate all their firepower on your tanks very easily.

4. Flank- Getting around to the sides or rear of enemies is important because they'll have a tougher seeing you. It's doubly important against other tanks because their side and rear armor is weaker.

5. Flank, Pt. II- Flanking is good, but it's tough to flank unless you give the enemy a reason to point one direction for a while. This is where multiple tanks come into play. Have one tank take potshots at the enemy with a focus on not getting hit rather than hitting the enemy. While you do this, send your other tanks around to the sides or rear of the enemy(s). Then, the enemy tanks will be taking hits from multiple directions at once and be essentially pinned down.

6. Positioning- Despite the awesome view the top of that ridgeline gives you, it makes you an amazingly easy target. Always remember that the better a view you have, the better a view everyone has of you. Try and always have the other tanks covering your six, and try to make sure that anything that comes into your view you can kill without worrying too much about getting hit from another direction. Hills and the base of ridges make excellent ways to create a killzone.

7. Be aggressive, but patient- One of the most difficult situations to navigate in tank vs. tank/APC/AT vehicle combat is when each vehicle has pulled out of sight of the other, possibly damaged. Enemies rarely expect you to be aggressive in this situation, and by pushing them hard and fast, you can often catch them off guard and vulnerable. Aggression is often the way to go in a tank. Don't rush your attack, but once you have actually engaged, commit and crush the enemy.

8. Repair/Rearm- Despite my tendencies towards aggression, I'd always advise that if any of your tanks have taken hits/are low on ammo, they should all pull back and repair and rearm, even if they don't really need it. Unless you are simply holding a static defense position, three tanks are always much better than two. If holding a static defense position, pull the tanks back one at a time and then when they return, send another tank back so that they all get repaired and rearmed but the defensive position stays intact.



In short, here are my condensed rules to armor:
1-Get a full squad of tankers.
2-Make sure everyone has a mic.
3-Spread out, but be able to cover the other tanks.
4-Attack from multiple sides at once.
5-Cover other tanks and set up a killzone. Avoid ridgelines and exposed areas.
6-Be aggressive in combat.
7-Try to enter combat with a full load of ammo and fully repaired.



Remember that most tank combat comes down to tactics rather than skill. Three well positioned first time tankers will always defeat poorly positioned veterans.

[Wilkinson]

Interesting Guide. Although I would suggest putting on when To be aggressive. When you just engaged a tank and you got out of his sight or he got out of yours. Patience is key. Stay calm and watch your surroundings. This has worked wonders.

Times when my bud and I were 1 T72 Squad as the other Armor Squads were full, we sat in the hills and waited. Because of patience, the PR Gods set us up with taking out a count of 5 tanks 2 Bradleys 1 BH and an A10 before being taken out by f16. And in my mindset, when 1 tank= 9 Assets down, I call it a good day. But even when your damaged you should regroup and return to base. And getting more ammo is always nice from Base.
You can be attacking when you go around the corner and that 1 Tank just found cover with his other 3 buddies.

[Colonelcool125]

Originally Posted by Wilkinson

Interesting Guide. Although I would suggest putting on when To be aggressive. When you just engaged a tank and you got out of his sight or he got out of yours. Patience is key. Stay calm and watch your surroundings. This has worked wonders.

Agreed. I've edited it slightly to reflect this. I agree that watching your surroundings is good in that situation, but staying still and being observant will get you nowhere. You need to try and surprise the enemy while being observant.

[DesmoLocke]

Thanks for posting this Colonelcool!