KaRath's Campaign Diary

Hey everyone,

With the Confrontation Global Map starting, alongside with some changes to the game mode - I’d thought it’ll be good to get myself straight into the action, learn more about the Campaign game mode itself, take note of the changes that have occurred, and note down some overall observation, experiences, and highlights of the next two weeks!

As we were beginning the campaign, I had a few goals for myself for these two weeks as these two weeks can be very, very intense and draining.

Firstly - to try and obtain a reward tank. With only 600 spots on offer on the leaderboard and limited bonds in my account, trying to obtain a reward tank through the 1300 spots through the auction may be quite tricky. So to better my chances, although it would be a hard slog to get into the top 600 positions, I'm willing to push myself and try and make it.

Of course, there are multiple reward tanks for the player to choose if they are lucky enough to secure one of these treasured spots. The tank I am aiming for is the T95/FV4201 Chieftain - for the mobility and hull-down potential, the versatility of this tank in Advances and Clan Wars cannot be underestimated. Other excellent choices include the Object 907, a fantastic Russian Medium Tank which spots an amazing gun, backed up by mobility and versatility on the platform. 

Secondly - to grow and learn as a player as well, and to share some tips and tricks on how to play on the basic front on 10v10, as this would be the first exposure for many players on the global map front.

Finally, to appreciate the amount of planning and work that needs to go into a clan’s campaign for players - how much goes into chipping, getting teams ready, understanding how many “chips” you can place down before you head into tech territory, and what else you can do.

I haven't played a Campaign before - it sounds tough but I'm keen. What do I need?

Outside of the usual time to play some World of Tanks with a clan in the evening - you'll need to make sure you've got a clan you're comfortable playing in, as well as the tanks ready to go into the game mode.

Although the Global Map accepts all Tier X tanks, it's best to go into battle with some of the best, tech-tree meta vehicles used within Clan Wars. In this entry, I will cover some heavy and medium tanks with recommended equipment, as well as reasoning behind it.

I will be covering light tanks, alongside with tank destroyers (and artillery) in a later article entry. These vehicles are generally played by the more experienced players in Campaign, as they can change the tide of the battle much more heavily in comparison to a single heavy or medium tank.

Heavy Tanks

For Hull-Down potential and locking a position in place - you cannot go past the British Super Conqueror, for it's combined potential of HP, DPM, and ability to lock down a corridor from a hull-down position.

For HP, brawling and just making sure you can last in a fight, the superheavies E 100 and Maus are commonly used due to their armour profile and large HP pool to work with. Of course, these superheavies are not mobile - meaning they are almost only exclusively seen on urban or small maps, where rotational play is not a factor.

And of course, the positional and rotational play cannot be bested by an Object 277 - packing speed, a punchy gun, as well as just enough armour to use, the Object 277 is the go-to tank to make sure you can get your forces in position in time. Of course, detriments do include some rougher gun handling with some poorer aim time and lack of gun depression, alongside with a lack of DPM in comparison to some other tanks.

Medium Tanks

Although this is a very popular class in the base game, there's only a few medium tanks you'll commonly see in advances.

We'll have to start with the ever-popular Object 140, as it features an amazing all-around capability of mobility and firepower. However, with only a serviceable turret armour to protect you, alongside with some fragile modules, it can be quite tricky to use this vehicle in a brawl when you find yourself getting ammo racked or set on fire frequently!

The STB-1 has had a resurgence, as it can dominate a ridge line with a hydraulic suspension alongside with absurd DPM - definitely a vehicle to think about if you want to try and contest an important ridge line. However, it can be outshone by heavies once they get there - the STB-1 doesn't have any hull armour whatsoever, and doesn't have the HP to stay in a brawl for a sustained period of time.

And the CS-63 - in a game where mobility and positioning is vital, the CS-63 is an absolute no brainer, with the turbocharger allowing the tank to enter positions on the battlefield faster than almost any other tank. Of course, it's offset by the fact of unreliable turret armour, as well as a very, very iffy gun (when it works, it's amazing, when it doesn't work, you'll feel like flinging your keyboard out the window)!

So what prep work was needed on your side?

Not too much, thankfully. All I needed to do was make sure I had a few meta tanks. Luckily, I had grinded an Object 907 from the previous Renaissance Campaign at the beginning of 2021, and with the EBR 105, Object 277, CS-63 and an E100 in my garage, I was fairly confident that I would generally have the tank for most, if not all situations that was necessary.

Additionally, I had explored what I required for field mods as well as configuration of the tanks prior to the actual start of campaign. So my tanks were equipped with what the caller needed - with a focus on mobility with the Turbocharger for most tanks for rotational ability, Improved Hardening for the heavies to help increase the amount of HP in a brawl. Of course, each tank is very situational, and depending on how your caller wants your tank to be setup, your setup may differ from mine!

With tanks all setup, credits in my pocket, availability marked down and given to the clan commanders to chip with, and mindset ready for the next two weeks, it's time - to go into Confrontation.

KaRath's recommendation: Don't ask your caller "when's the next game" - you can find out what battles are happening with the very handy Battle Schedule, which can be found at https://asia.wargaming.net/globalmap

Chipping? I thought this is Tanks, not a woodworking class!

Chipping is a very important process - it determines what battles you will take for the next hour (or more depending on the circumstances), so it requires preparation before the battles even start.

Under-chip and it could potentially mean you don't get battles during certain timezones - which makes the job harder on securing land, securing victories, grabbing fame points... but chip too much, and you'll find yourself overwhelmed with too many games which you cannot field members in, leading to technical defeats - which will affect the clan's ability to chip on the global map in a negative manner. So achieving this balance requires understanding how many members you have online in a certain timezone, and whether or not you have the ability to run an additional team to protect yourself against a technical defeat in case you over-chip.

During chipping, the clan manager will often ask leaders what maps they prefer calling in. Unlike a Strongholds or a normal Advance, you don't play the same clan on different maps - instead, you play the same map, against different clans. So it makes sense to target maps the caller (and team!) feel strong in, and leave out the weaker ones in order to find more success.

So what next?

For now, we'll be heading into the battle field, with no fear and pumped full of positive energy. Let's see how long that will last!

I'll be back with more campaign entries soon tracking both progress and bringing some hot tips for the battlefield, so I hope to see you all soon!