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.
Your choice of weapons defines your damage output and playstyle. This guide ranks every major option, explains what makes each one strong, and tells you which builds they pair best with.
Weapons Rankings
| Weapon | Tier | Best For | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| AP shells | S | Same-tier and lower-tier targets, and any shot where your listed penetration comfortably clears the plate. | The default round on most guns, with normalisation against sloped plate and the three-calibre overmatch rule letting large guns punch through thin armour outright. |
| APCR shells | A | Close and medium range shots at heavy armour, and fast duels where shell travel time decides the hit. | Higher penetration and much faster shell velocity, but it loses penetration over distance faster than AP and normalises less against slopes. |
| HEAT shells | A | Flat heavy plate with no screens in front of it, such as a Maus upper front seen straight on. | Very high penetration with no distance falloff and no normalisation, but spaced armour, tracks and external modules stop it dead. |
| HE shells | B | Artillery, derp guns such as the KV-2's 152mm, open-topped tank destroyers and finishing a target on a sliver of health. | Explosive rounds that deal reduced damage without penetrating, reworked in Update 1. |
| Premium ammunition | B | Bottom-tier matches, tier 10 heavies, and the specific shots standard ammunition cannot make. | Every gun carries a premium round, buyable with credits rather than only real money since 2013. |
S-Tier: AP shells
The default round on most guns, with normalisation against sloped plate and the three-calibre overmatch rule letting large guns punch through thin armour outright. Cheapest per shot by a wide margin.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | S |
| Best For | Same-tier and lower-tier targets, and any shot where your listed penetration comfortably clears the plate. |
| Key Mechanic | Penetration and armour angling |
| Recommended Role | Light tanks |
How to get it: Available from mid-game onward. See our walkthrough for the exact progression point.
Best builds using AP shells: Pairs naturally with Light tanks thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
A-Tier: APCR shells
Higher penetration and much faster shell velocity, but it loses penetration over distance faster than AP and normalises less against slopes. It is the premium round on most mediums and lights.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | A |
| Best For | Close and medium range shots at heavy armour, and fast duels where shell travel time decides the hit. |
| Key Mechanic | View range and camouflage |
| Recommended Role | Medium tanks |
How to get it: Accessible in the early-to-mid game. Check our maps guide for the location.
Best builds using APCR shells: Pairs naturally with Medium tanks thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
A-Tier: HEAT shells
Very high penetration with no distance falloff and no normalisation, but spaced armour, tracks and external modules stop it dead. It is the premium round on many high-alpha German and Soviet guns.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | A |
| Best For | Flat heavy plate with no screens in front of it, such as a Maus upper front seen straight on. |
| Key Mechanic | Crew skills and perks |
| Recommended Role | Heavy tanks |
How to get it: Accessible in the early-to-mid game. Check our maps guide for the location.
Best builds using HEAT shells: Pairs naturally with Heavy tanks thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
B-Tier: HE shells
Explosive rounds that deal reduced damage without penetrating, reworked in Update 1.13 so they no longer push damage through armour the way they once did. They still strip modules and wound crew.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | B |
| Best For | Artillery, derp guns such as the KV-2's 152mm, open-topped tank destroyers and finishing a target on a sliver of health. |
| Key Mechanic | Equipment and field modifications |
| Recommended Role | Tank destroyers |
How to get it: Found in later areas. Our walkthrough covers when you can access this.
Best builds using HE shells: Pairs naturally with Tank destroyers thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
B-Tier: Premium ammunition
Every gun carries a premium round, buyable with credits rather than only real money since 2013. It costs several times more per shot and will turn a good battle into a credit loss if you fire it at everything.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | B |
| Best For | Bottom-tier matches, tier 10 heavies, and the specific shots standard ammunition cannot make. |
| Key Mechanic | Tier spread matchmaking |
| Recommended Role | Self-propelled guns |
How to get it: Found in later areas. Our walkthrough covers when you can access this.
Best builds using Premium ammunition: Pairs naturally with Self-propelled guns thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
Weapons Progression Path
The order you should acquire weapons as you progress:
- Starting gear → Enough to clear Prokhorovka
- APCR shells → Your first real upgrade, available early
- HEAT shells → Mid-game upgrade with good scaling
- AP shells → Best-in-slot, aim for this by late game
- Upgrade to max → The power spike from max upgrades is enormous
Weapons Tips
- Always upgrade your primary weapon before diversifying. One strong option beats three mediocre ones.
- Match your weapons to your build's stat priorities for maximum scaling.
- Effective armour rises with angle, so 120mm of plate at 45 degrees behaves like roughly 170mm. Sidescraping, where you back into a corner at a steep angle and expose only the front of your side, makes many mid-tier heavies unpennable to same-tier guns.
- Check our tier list for how weapons rankings affect overall build effectiveness.
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 Combat Guide
- World of Tanks Boss Guide
- World of Tanks Maps & Locations
- World of Tanks Crafting Guide
- World of Tanks Classes & Characters
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