Wargaming's tank shooter has run since 2010 and reached Steam in April 2021, carrying more than 800 vehicles across ten tiers and eleven nations. Standard play is 15 versus 15, where penetration mechanics, view range and camouflage decide far more than raw aim. It is free to play, and the real price is the grind from tier 1 to tier 10.
World of Tanks features distinct areas with increasing difficulty. This guide covers every major location in progression order: what to do, what to get, and when to move on. For the step-by-step path, see our walkthrough.
Area Progression Order
| Order | Location | Difficulty | Key Rewards | Recommended Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prokhorovka | Tiers 6 to 10 | Long-range gun handling, spotting damage, patient trades | Medium tanks |
| 2 | Malinovka | Tiers 4 to 10 | Windmill hill control, church flank, early spotting damage | Medium tanks |
| 3 | Himmelsdorf | Tiers 3 to 10 | Hill control, rail yard crossfire, close-range armour practice | Light tanks |
| 4 | Mines | Tiers 3 to 10 | Central hill vision, fast early impact for lights | Light tanks |
| 5 | Lakeville | Tiers 4 to 10 | Lane discipline, town brawling, valley crossfire | Light tanks |
Prokhorovka: Starting Area
A long open field split by a railway embankment, with a hill line on one side and a town edge on the other. Sniping and spotting decide it, and anything that drives into the field without support dies to crossfire.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Tiers 6 to 10 |
| Key Rewards | Long-range gun handling, spotting damage, patient trades |
| Recommended Role | Medium tanks |
| Key Weapons | APCR shells |
What to Do Here
- Learn the basics of Penetration and armour angling. This is where you practice without heavy punishment.
- Collect starting resources and your first weapons upgrade.
- Clear all main content before moving to Malinovka.
- If you're struggling, read our beginner's guide.
Malinovka: Early Game
Famous for the opening minute where half of both teams sit still in the field. The windmill hill and the church side are the real decision points, and the hill overlooks almost every sightline on the map.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Tiers 4 to 10 |
| Key Rewards | Windmill hill control, church flank, early spotting damage |
| Recommended Role | Medium tanks |
| Key Weapons | APCR shells |
What to Do Here
- Focus on mastering View range and camouflage. It's critical from this point on.
- Farm for APCR shells if you don't have it yet.
- Complete all objectives for maximum rewards.
- Prepare for the difficulty spike in Himmelsdorf.
Himmelsdorf: Mid Game
A dense German town with a castle hill on one flank and a rail yard on the other. It rewards heavy armour, corner sidescraping and short-range brawling, and it punishes turretless tank destroyers.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Tiers 3 to 10 |
| Key Rewards | Hill control, rail yard crossfire, close-range armour practice |
| Recommended Role | Light tanks |
| Key Weapons | APCR shells |
What to Do Here
- This is the main skill check. Bring an optimized build.
- AP shells becomes accessible here. Prioritize getting it.
- Master Crew skills and perks for the boss encounters.
- Check our boss guide if you get stuck.
Mines: Late Game
A small map built around a central hill that overlooks nearly the whole battlefield. Whoever takes the hill in the first ninety seconds usually wins, which makes an early light tank rush decisive.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Tiers 3 to 10 |
| Key Rewards | Central hill vision, fast early impact for lights |
| Recommended Role | Light tanks |
| Key Weapons | AP shells |
What to Do Here
- Full build optimization is expected by this point.
- AP shells should be your primary, fully upgraded.
- Tier spread matchmaking mastery starts mattering here.
- Farm resources for the push into Lakeville.
Lakeville: Endgame
Three lanes: a valley, a town and a narrow middle. The valley is a trap for slow tanks and the town is a heavy corridor, and teams that split evenly across all three tend to lose all three.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Tiers 4 to 10 |
| Key Rewards | Lane discipline, town brawling, valley crossfire |
| Recommended Role | Light tanks |
| Key Weapons | AP shells |
What to Do Here
- This is endgame. Best-in-slot gear and a perfected build are mandatory.
- See our boss guide for endgame fight strategies.
- The reward loop: clear content → upgrade → push harder content.
- Experiment with Self-propelled guns for variety once you've mastered the meta.
Exploration Tips
- Clear areas in order: Prokhorovka → Malinovka → Himmelsdorf → Mines → Lakeville. Skipping areas means missing resources you'll need later.
- Check every corner: Hidden caches and secrets are often in non-obvious locations.
- Match your weapons: Some areas favor different weapons types.
- Read the walkthrough: Our walkthrough provides exact progression milestones for each area.
- Don't rush: Clearing an area fully gives more resources than speedrunning two areas.
More World of Tanks Guides
- World of Tanks World of Tanks Overview
- World of Tanks Best Builds
- World of Tanks Tier List
- World of Tanks Walkthrough
- World of Tanks Beginner's Guide
- World of Tanks Tips & Tricks
- World of Tanks Weapons Guide
- World of Tanks Combat Guide
- World of Tanks Boss Guide
- World of Tanks Crafting Guide
- World of Tanks Classes & Characters
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