Platoons | World of Tanks - top online free team-based massively multiplayer war game dedicated to armoured warfare | Guide

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A Platoon is a unit of several players who will go into battle on the same team. You can play in a Platoon in the following modes:

Random Battle (Standard Battle, Assault, Encounter, and Grand Battle)
Frontline
Steel Hunter
Some special modes for game events

You must select a mode before creating a Platoon.

The number of players in a Platoon depends on the selected mode.

Mode	Random Battle	Frontline	Steel Hunter
Number of players	2–3	2–3	3

Your actual player name is displayed to your Platoon mates even if you selected Anonymize your nickname in battle in the game settings.

Playing in a Platoon brings additional bonuses per battle.

These bonuses do not work for Dynamic Platoons.

Creating a Platoon

To play in a Platoon, you can create a new Platoon and invite your friends, or choose find players to be matched with random Platoon mates.

To create a new Platoon:

Click Create a Platoon to the left of the Battle! button.
In the drop-down menu, click New Platoon. The Platoon window is displayed.

Right after the Platoon is created, you are the only player in it. To form a Platoon, invite your friends or find random players.

You can also create a Platoon with one of your friends using Contacts

at the bottom left of your Garage. To do this, right-click the player name on the contacts list and select Create Platoon. After accepting your invitation, the player will join the Platoon and appear in the Platoon window.

Searching for Players

An automatic search allows you to find players who want to play in a Platoon and correspond to your mastery level and search preferences.

An automatic search considers the following criteria:

World of Tanks Rating (WTR). Players in a Platoon should have a similar WTR.
Number of battles in each vehicle tier. The system compares the number of battles that each player has fought in a specific tier. Only tiers of vehicles that are present in the player's Garage and ready to battle are considered. Players with similar numbers in each available tier join the same Platoon.
Server. The search is performed within one server.
Available vehicles. Players are matched according to the number of vehicles of each tier in their Garages. Only ready-to-battle vehicles are considered.
The selected vehicle does not affect the search results. You can select a different vehicle before going into battle with your Platoon.
Players of the same clan. Your clan mates have a higher chance of joining a Platoon with you.

In addition to the main criteria, you can set your own search preferences:

Vehicle tiers. Select vehicle tiers for Platoon players, and the system will search only for players with vehicles of the corresponding tiers.
Voice chat. Select this parameter if you want to use the voice chat to communicate with your Platoon mates. This option is not available if you disabled the voice chat in the game settings.

You can use the Platoon menu in your Garage and search for players before creating a Platoon. In this case, the Platoon is created automatically and includes you and the players found.

If the Platoon has already been created and has vacant places, you can activate the player search in the Platoon window. Note that starting an automatic search cancels all sent but unanswered invitations.

For example:

You sent an invitation to your friend and then then decided to use the automatic search. When the search starts, your friend can no longer to accept the invitation.

Search From the Garage
Search From the Platoon Window

If there are no players with the selected tiers, the system continues to search for players with other tiers.

The Platoon Commander is marked with a special icon . The player with the highest WTR becomes a Commander in the following cases:

If the search is performed before the Platoon is created
If the search is performed from the Platoon window and there is only one player in a Platoon

WTR is shown under the player name of each Platoon member.

The Commander will not change if the Platoon already consists of two players.

For example:

You created a Platoon and invited your friend. Your friend accepted the invitation. After that, you decided to use the automatic search to find one more player for your Platoon. The WTR of the found player is higher than yours, but you will still be the Platoon Commander.

A Platoon Commander can transfer their permissions to another player. To do this, right-click the necessary player in the Platoon window and select Transfer Commander's permissions.

Inviting Players

If the Platoon is created and has vacant places, you can invite players to join you. You can send invitations to several players. However, the number of places in a Platoon is limited and only those who accept your invitation sooner than others join the Platoon.

Only the Platoon Commander can invite players.

To invite players to a Platoon:

In the Platoon window, click Invite Players.
In the Invite to Tactical Unit window, drag the players from your contact list to the right part of the window. If a player is not among your contacts, click Search Outside Contact List.
Add a message to your invitation if you want.
Click Invite. The invitation is sent to the selected players. They will be added to the Platoon as soon as they accept the invitation.

You can also use Contacts

in the bottom left of the Garage to invite a friend to your Platoon. In the contact list, right-click the player name and select Invite to tactical unit.

Accepting an Invitation

If you are invited to a Platoon, a special notification appears in the bottom right of the Garage. It shows who sent you the invitation and a message, if there is one.

To accept the invitation, click Accept. The Platoon window is displayed.

The invitation expires after a while. You also won’t be able to accept the invitation if the Platoon is full or dismissed.

You can set from whom you want to receive Platoon invitations. In the game settings, go to the General tab and select Accept invitations only from friends in the Garage. Apply changes.

Excluding Players

The Platoon Commander can exclude a player from the Platoon before the battle starts.

To exclude a player, right-click the player in the Platoon window and select Exclude from tactical unit.

If you search for players after this, the excluded player will not appear in your Platoon again.

For example:

You excluded a player from the Platoon and started a search to find another player to the vacant place. The excluded player will not appear in your Platoon again in this case.

However, if you leave the current Platoon and start searching for players to form a new Platoon, you can be matched with the excluded player.

If you want to leave the Platoon yourself, click Leave Platoon in the Platoon window.

Communication in a Platoon

Platoon mates can exchange text messages in the Platoon chat and talk to each other using the voice chat. The chats are available both in the Garage and during the battle.

Platoon Chat

In the Garage, find the Platoon chat in the right part of the Platoon window.

During the battle, two chat modes are available: for the whole team and for your Platoon mates. Press Tab to switch between modes.

Voice Chat

To enable or disable the voice chat click in the Platoon window or press H during the battle.

The voice chat is disabled in Dynamic Platoons by default.

If the voice chat is enabled and you want to say something to your Platoon mates, press and hold Q. Release the button when you are done.

You can disable the voice chat with specific users in battle or in the Garage. Right-click the player's name in the formation or ally team roster and select Disable Voice Messages.

If you do not plan on using the voice chat at all, you can disable it in the game settings. To learn more, read this article.

Final Preparations

Careful preparation for battle is one of the most important factors when playing in a Platoon. Use Platoon and voice chats to discuss vehicles for the battle, excluded maps and battle types, tactics, and other important questions.

Vehicle Selection

There are several rules that determine which vehicles you can select while playing in a Platoon:

Platoon players can only select vehicles of the same tier with the Platoon Commander’s vehicle.
Only one SPG per Platoon is allowed.
A Platoon for Frontline must include only Tier VIII vehicles.
A Platoon for Steel Hunter must include only special vehicles for this mode.

There are certain vehicles in World of Tanks which benefit from Preferential Matchmaking. This means that they can't go into battle with enemies above a certain tier. If you play in a vehicle with Preferential Matchmaking but at least one of your Platoon mates doesn’t, you cannot benefit from this feature.

Excluded Maps and Battle Types

The Platoon cannot play on maps and in battle types excluded by the Platoon Commander. Note that only the Commander’s settings are counted.

For example:

You have excluded Encounter Battle and the Himmelsdorf map, but they are not excluded by your Platoon Commander. While playing in a Platoon, you can find yourself both in the Encounter Battle and on the Himmelsdorf map.

Once you have selected your vehicle, click Ready! to confirm that you are ready to fight.

When all players have confirmed that they are ready, the Commander can send the Platoon to the battlefield. To do this, click Battle!.

After players confirm that they are ready, their vehicles are displayed in your Garage. This function can lead to low performance or graphics issues. To disable it, unselect Display vehicles of Platoon members in the Garage in the game settings on the General tab. Apply changes.

Dynamic Platoons

You can also create a Platoon during a battle. This is known as a Dynamic Platoon.

To create a Dynamic Platoon:

During a battle, hold Ctrl and mouse over an ally’s name in the Team Panel.
If the player can be invited to a Platoon, the icon is displayed to the left of the player’s name.
Click (Add to Platoon) to send an invitation to your ally.

The icon is displayed next to the ally’s name. Your teammate is notified of the invitation and can accept it during or after the battle.

If you want to cancel an invitation, hold Ctrl and right-click the player’s name. Select Withdraw invitation to join Platoon.

Joining a Dynamic Platoon

If you are invited to a Platoon, you'll receive a notification in the battle chat and see an icon next to the player who invited you. To accept an invitation, hold Ctrl and click the icon—you’re now in the Platoon!