Which Chinese Tank Line is Right for You?

Choosing which tank line to play in World of Tanks can feel like an impossible challenge. Given that the game has over 50 complete tank lines that span from tier 1 to tier 10 you have a wide array of tanks at your disposal. This World of Tanks which Chinese tank line is right for you guide will help guide you through the Chinese tech tree.

Each tank in the Chinese tank line is broken down into a quick synopsis of the general characteristics of each tank. Also, how well the tank line as a whole performs and ease of grinding is covered.

If you find yourself wanting to see a specific tank played, please hop over and catch me live on my Twitch channel. I take tank requests every stream and I own most tanks(595+) in the game. Even if I don’t own a particular tank I will gladly field any questions you have about one or a specific tank line.

For other nations pop over to the complete which tank line is right for you guide below.

https://wotguru.com/which-tank-line-is-right-for-you/

World of Tanks Which Chinese Tank Line is Right for You?

Click Here For A Large Image Of The Chinese Tech Tree

World of Tanks Chinese Tanks | Primary Heavy Tank Line | NC-31 (Tier 1) -> WZ-111 5a (Tier 10)

NC-31 (Tier 1)

VAE Type B (Tier 2)

Currently you have to go through the same tier 2-5 tanks to get to either the medium or heavy line for the Chinese.  At tier 2 the VAE Type B is interesting tank since it can equip the Pom Pom which makes the British low tanks so fun to play but it is not required on any future tanks. You can either bypass the tank very quickly and never look back or stick around for a while and have a great gun at tier 2.  

Chi-Ha (Tier 3)

Tier 3 brings the Chi-Ha which doesn’t sport tons of speed or mobility like other light tanks but it makes up for it with it’s great top gun that packs a mean punch.  The top 47mm gun can chew through anything(even tier 5 tanks) the Chi-Ha sees and the only real downsides is the combination of poor mobility for alight and armor. Good tank nonetheless.

M5A1 Stuart (Tier 4)

At tier 4 the line shifts towards a “scout” tank with the M5A1 Stuart which many go into expecting it to be as bad as the American M5 Stuart which is not the case. The M4A1 shares the same 47mm of the Chi-Ha but on a more mobile platform capable of being a very good scout/spotter for tier 4.  The gun is good enough to be able to contribute to the fight and sway skirmishes in your team’s favor or to pick off fellow scouts.  While scout tanks might not be for everyone this is not a bad tank.

Type T-34 (Tier 5)

Following the M4A1 however is the Type T-34 which is nothing “special”  It doesn’t an amazing gun since the top 57mm lacks the staying power at tier 5 as far as alpha goes since it requires you to get multiple shots in to keep up in damage.  This tank is pretty painful to grind through and often you’ll find yourself outclassed by many other of your tier 5 counterparts.

Type 58 (Tier 6)

The medium tank line that starts with the Type 58 and ends with the Type 34-2.  The Type 58 like the Type T-34 before it is a very bland tank with nothing going for it.  The gun options are decent but not amazing, mobility is average, and the armor won’t stand up against your peers. Overall the Type 58 is not a terrible tank and the stock grind isn’t very painful but in the end it isn’t anything worthwhile and should be pushed through quickly.

IS-2 (Tier 7)

The Chinese heavy line starts off at tier 7 with the IS-2 that is unlocked via the Type 58.  The IS-2 is very similar to the IS in the Russian line(Russian line is a blend of the IS-1/IS-2 versions) and is slightly better overall.  The IS-2 is somewhat is a heavy medium tank since it’s armor is adequate at bouncing some rounds but not enough to rely upon and it’s mobility is decent for a heavy tank.  The guns on the IS-2 are hard hitting with good penetration but low accuracy/bad aim times so fighting at close range(brawling) and slugging it out suits this tank the best.  Avoid open areas or uneven terrain and the IS-2 is a very good tank to play.

110 (Tier 8)

At tier 8 the 110 will also draw comparisons to the Russian tier 8 heavy tank the IS-3. Armor wise they share the same “pike nose” layout which is best when pointing directly at the enemy and the frontal layout is very good at tier 8.  The lower glacis is rather weak at over 150m but if you fight at 50-100m you can have enemies “shoot down” into it thus making it fairly strong and frustrating the hell out of them.  Aside from the increased armor protection the 110 plays similar to the IS-2 in that it is decently mobile, has iffy gun depression, and packs a hard hitting arsenal of guns. Unlock the 100mm before moving onto the tier 9 WZ-111 to save yourself the horror of a tier 9 stock grind.

WZ-111 1-4 (Tier 9)

Tier 9 sees your armor drop a tad since at tier 9 the WZ-111 1-4’s armor will not protect you against tier 9/10 guns.  The turret is protected somewhat and the hull armor will bounce poorly aimed shots due to it’s angles but overall the armor is not a strong point of this tank.  What the WZ-111 has is very good speed for a heavy tank and it equips a monstrous 130mm top gun with 490 alpha that at tier 9 is very deadly.  Aside from the slightly low armor you play this similar to the IS-2/110 and try to poke out, hit someone for 490+ damage, and then move back into cover.  Avoid open fields or places where you find yourself needing to fight at long ranges.

WZ-111 5a (Tier 10)

The newer tier 10 for the Chinese is the WZ-111 5a.  It takes what worked at tier 9 with the WZ-111 1-4 and dials it up a notch at tier 10.  Compared to the 113 you have a higher alpha gun with 490 damage per shot instead of 440.  Penetration is virtually the same and accuracy is slightly worse at .37.  Frontally the WZ-111 5a’s armor is slightly better head on than the 113’s.  Both share the same weak lower glacis that will be difficult to protect.

The WZ-111 5a has slightly worse mobility versus the 113 which is most noticeable climbing hills.  With the turret located more towards the front than the 113.  The WZ-111 5a can shoot slightly better, albeit not great, over uneven terrain.  However, the 113 shooting over the sides will still beat out the WZ-111 5a.  The main difference between the two is the WZ-111 5a has 50 damage more per shot at no cost to DPM.  The 113 is more mobile and has a gun where missing a shot is less of an impact given the higher RoF.

World of Tanks Chinese Tanks | Light Tank Line | (59-16 (Tier 6) -> WZ-132-1 (Tier 10)

59-16 (Tier 6)

The light tank/scout line starts with the 59-16 at tier 6.  The 59-16 has two gun options with a stock 57mm and upgraded 76mm.  The stock gun is more accurate but has less DPM and lower damage per shot.  With premium rounds the 57mm gains a little penetration over the 76mm.  The upgraded 76mm is typically the better gun.  It has more DPM, higher damage, and more penetration on the standard round.  With .38 accuracy(100% crew) and decent on the move accuracy with a vertical stabilizer it gets the job done.  The 59-16 is very compact and elite is very mobile.

Being a light tank the armor is extremely poor on both the hull and turret.  360 view range is the lowest for tier 6 lights and this trait remains throughout the rest of the Chinese lights.  The 59-16 is great at zipping in and out of fights unloading damage and scurrying off to safety.  While it can scout it will be slightly inferior to lights like the T21 and T37 in the vision department.

WZ-131 (Tier 7)

The WZ-131 at tier 8 keeps the same basic characteristics of the 59-16.  Low armor, low view range(for a light), good mobility, and a punchy gun.  The top 85mm gun does 200 damage per shot and has 159mm standard penetration.  Accuracy sees a significant improvement with a .35 value(100% crew) and on the move accuracy is superb.  Like the 59-16 you are towards the bottom of your tier with 370m view range.  Your mobility is top notch however with a 60 km/h top speed and killer power to weight ratio.  Gun depression can be an issue with only 5 degrees making fighting on hills out of the question.

WZ-132 (Tier 8)

The WZ-132 starts off a little slow until you gain the top 100mm gun that lets the tank shine.  Your accuracy takes a hit coming from the WZ-131 by dropping to .38 (100% crew).  With the 100mm you gain best in class 250 damage per shot with an excellent 189mm penetration for a tier 8 light.  The 5 degrees of gun depression still remains and makes fighting on hilly terrain difficult.  While your mobility still remains excellent you no longer have a leg up over most light tanks in your tier.  The difference is minor but is important to know you are at a slight disadvantage.

Keeping with the trend the WZ-132 only have 380m view range which lags behind most other lights.  For comparison the HWK 12 has 410m and the M41 Bulldog has 400m.

WZ-132A (Tier 9)

From this point on the Chinese light line simply improves upon the WZ-132 design.  The WZ-132A’s upgraded gun gives you a 320 damage round on a tier 9 light tank.  Only the T49’s howitzer gun beats this value and the T49 sacrifices a lot for the alpha.  The WZ-132A compared to the WZ-132 does lose some accuracy, .4 from .38 and terrain resistance.  Due to an increase in engine power the WZ-132A moves around slightly better than the previous tank.

Compared to its peers the WZ-132A still lacks a pinch of view range(390m) compared to the 410m values on the T49 and RU 251.  However it has similar DPM to the baseline of tier 9 lights while having a huge damage per shot advantage.  This means you require less shots to reach your full DPM value.  Only the T49 with the 90mm edges out the WZ-132A when it comes to DPM.  Like previous Chinese lights you are still handicapped by 5 degrees of gun depression.

WZ-132-1 (Tier 10)

The pinnacle of Chinese lights is the tier 10 WZ-132-1.  The WZ-132-1 finally incorporates armor into the mix by having excellent turret armor for a light tank. The values are 200/160/65 in mm thickness compared to the 55/35/20 values found on the tier 9 WZ-132A.  View range also gets bumped up to 400m which no longer is at the bottom of the pack.  The T-100 LT and AMX 13 105 only have 390m while the Rhm. Pzw. and Sheridan have 420m.

Compared to tier 10 lights the WZ-132-1 does sacrifice some mobility sinc eit has a poor power to weight ratio for a tier 10 light.  Compared to the WZ-132A is still is an improvement and you’ll still outpace medium tanks.  The most important part of the WZ-132-1 is its firepower since Chinese lights have focused on that area the entire light line.  The WZ-132-1 has the best damage per shot at 390 which nearly equals tier 10 heavy tanks.  DPM is only surpassed by the Sheridan by roughly 160 DPM.  Penetration is also best in class for your standard round at 246mm penetration.  You do still have to contend with 5 degrees of gun depression and .4 accuracy.

Looking at the complete package the WZ-132-1 is the most medium-like light tank of tier 10 lights.  It sports excellent turret armor, packs a 390 damage round, and improves its predecessors vision issues.  It doesn’t perform well on hilly terrain but provides excellent damage support to your team being on a mobile chassis.

World of Tanks Chinese Tanks | Medium Tank Line | (T-34-1 (Tier 7) ->121 (Tier 10)

T-34-1 (Tier 7)

Moving into the T-34-1 you’ll feel at home since it mostly improves upon the Type 58. The mobility of the T-34-1 is good for a medium for its tier. However due to a poor power to weight ratio you’ll lose a lot of speed going uphill.

The top 100m packs a punch but lacks penetration and accuracy which forces you to fight a bit closer than you would like with the low hull armor protection. The turret front does pack a bit of armor for you to use against tier 5 & 6 tanks. Its not advised to use the smaller 85mm despite the higher DPM since you’ll struggle with penetration against most tanks that you face off against.

T-34-2 (Tier 8)

The T-34-2 is similar to the T-34-1 expect it gains improved guns to use for its tier. Your armor isn’t that impressive. But your turret can block some shots from low penetrating guns. Until you are able to mount either the top 122mm or 100mm gun you won’t see any improvement coming from the T-34-1.

The top 122mm is widely inaccurate and difficult to land shots. However, it packs a massive 390 damage round which gives you more alpha than most tier 8 heavy tanks. The more consistent and popular gun is the top 100mm. 250 damage per shot is good for a tier 8 medium and its easier to use than the 122mm. Penetration is a bit low considering that the 100mm is still less accurate than most other tier 8 mediums. Play style is mostly limited to closer ranges, brawls, and flanking. But due to your poor hull armor you’ll want to stick with other tanks to soften the blow.

WZ-120 (Tier 9)

The tier 9 WZ-120 is an extremely hard stock grind and probably one of the hardest in the game. You start off with 100mm from the T-34-2 and have 3 additional guns to unlock to reach the top gun that ‘makes’ the tank.

 The WZ-120 doesn’t have a great deal of armor except for the turret and the HP is enough to allow you to soak up some shots. The top turret like the tanks before it allow you to shrug off some lower tier tanks. However most tier 9 and 10 tanks can penetrate you unless they aim poorly.

Like the previous Chinese tanks the mobility is above average, but you lose speed rapidly when trying to climb uphill for prolonged periods. The gun depression takes a massive hit and is almost non-existent in this tank at -3 degrees. The top 122m is the main reason to play the tank since you have 440 damage rounds. Compared to the previous high-alpha mediums your accuracy sees much needed improvements and penetration no longer is anemic for your tier.

121 (Tier 10)

At tier sits the 121 which is an improved WZ-120 in many ways.  The gun depression is still poor at -5 degrees, however it is massively better than the -3 degrees on the WZ-120.

The 122m gun / 440 damage gun gets additional improvements to penetration and also accuracy. While not laser accurate you can get the 121’s accuracy to .32 which shouldnt pose any issues with hitting where you aim.

The HP pool is great for a tier 10 medium and the armor is strong enough to start bouncing some upper glacis hits & the turret can take some direct hits from non-tier 10 TDs.  The main drawback is simply the lack of gun depression. Otherwise it hits hard, mobility isn’t an issue, and the armor is okay for a medium.

World of Tanks Chinese Tanks | Tank Destroyer Line | SU-76G FT (Tier 4) -> WZ-113G FT (Tier 10)

This line starts off leaning towards mobile / fast firing platforms. And finishes off at average mobility / hard hitting / slower firing guns. Chinese tank destroyers typically are compared with the Russian Object 268 tank destroyers. The Chinese in low/mid tiers tend to be more mobile with less accurate(but more upside) guns.

SU-76G FT (Tier 4)

The tier 4 SU-76G FT kicks off the Chinese tank destroyer line. This zippy tank destroyer is a quick and painless grind. Your main downsides are the lack of armor and somewhat poor accuracy. However, the top gun has great DPM, Damage, and penetration. Mobility also is very good at 45 km/h and a high specific power ratio.

60G FT (Tier 5)

At tier 5 the 60G FT doesn’t deviate from how the SU-76G FT plays and simply improves upon it. Once again the grind is easy with few modules to unlock and a to-so terrible stock tank.

The 60G FT has non-existent armor and overall is pretty mobile. It is capped at 45 km/h but does have an awesome 18 km/h reverse speed. The main feature of this tank is the top gun that has awesome damage per minute and okay damage/penetration. The main issue comes with somewhat low accuracy for long range shots.

While the tank isn’t perfect its fun to play and performs well.

WZ-131G FT (Tier 6)

Further advancing a mobile / fast firing TD the WZ-131G is another hit in the Chinese TD line. It does start off with a harder stock grind since the stock gun lacks penetration needed against many tier 7/8 tanks. However, once upgraded that zippy TD gameplay is in full force.

Mobility is very good with a great specific power ratio and a good 18 km/h reverse speed. The top 50 km/h is capped a little lower than some of the more mobile tier 6 TDs but isn’t a huge issue. Not surprisingly your armor doesn’t exist and don’t expect to bounce any shots.

The WZ-131G FT is centered around the top 100mm gun that has great penetration and now accuracy for its tier! DPM is above average and the damage per shot is average as well.

The main quip against the WZ-131G FT is that unlike say the SU-100 you only have one way to play the tank. Whereas the SU-100 has a 100mm and 122mm top gun option, the WZ-131G FT only has the 100mm upgraded gun. The upside is that with less distractions the complete tank focuses on one type of TD gameplay that works well in mid tier battles.

T-34-2G FT (Tier 7)

At tier 7 the T-34-2G FT is the ‘transition’ tank between the zippy mid tier TDs and the high alpha high tier Chinese TDs. The stock grind isn’t terrible since you essentially have a WZ-131G FT pushed up a tier. However, it does struggle against tier 8/9 tanks until you upgrade to the 122m top gun.

Mobility wise you still retain a high top speed of 50 km/h and an above average 15 km/h reverse speed. However your specific power ratio does take a small hit compared to previous TDs. Armor wise you can bounce some tier 5 tanks but its not advised to expect to bounce shots regularly.

Like most TDs the top 122m is the main draw of the T-34-2G FT. Compared to previous guns it is a very odd transition. Now you have a 390 damage round and poor .38 accuracy. DPM is excellent for tier 7 and penetration is actually not half bad at 192mm. Compared to the SU-152 with its 122m you lose out on a lot of DPM but gain better penetration.

WZ-111-1 FT (Tier 8)

Completing the shift to higher alpha and a bit beefier platform is the WZ-111-1 FT at tier 8. Your mobility is capped at 35 km/h but the unique trait of the high 18 km/h reverse speed remains. Armor is capable of blocking low penetrating tier 6/7 guns. Starting off stock is a struggle until you unlock the first upgraded gun since it provides needed penetration.

Once you have the top 130mm the WZ-111-1 FT turns into a hidden gem of sorts at tier 8 for a TD. 560 damage is towards the upper end for this tier, but isn’t high enough to ruin the other stats of the gun. You have an impressive 271mm standard penetrating round and excellent .35 accuracy for a high caliber gun. DPM isn’t the highest but is close to average for a tier 8 TD.

The upgraded WZ-111-1 FT isn’t always the most popular tier 8 TD. But it does check all the boxes for a tier 8 tank destroyer. The main downsides would be poor armor against tier 8-10 tanks and a difficult stock grind. Otherwise, enjoy surprising people with the top 130mm gun.

WZ-111G FT (Tier 9)

Typically at tier 9 you’d find a difficult stock grind since they often equip the tier 10 tank’s gun options for upgraded modules. The WZ-111G FT does have the upgraded 152mm from the tier 10 WZ-113G FT. However, the 130mm that you carry over from tier 8 is adequate until you unlock the top gun.

The main change is the much more resilient front armor that is capable of bouncing a lot of rounds. You don’t deflect many tank destroyer or higher penetrating rounds. But its a noticeable improvement from the tier 8 TD. Mobility drops a little specific power wise and also the reverse speed is now 16 km/h.

Overall the tier 9 WZ-111G FT is a fun tank destroyer to play. With the top 750 damage gun you hit tank hard and have “FU” penetration with a base 290mm standard round. Accuracy can be a little derpy at longer ranges but the short aiming time helps get shots off faster.

WZ-113G FT (Tier 10)

The pinnacle of the Chinese tank destroyer line is the WZ-113G FT. This tank improves upon the previous WZ-111G FT mainly in frontal armor for its tier. Frontally you have well sloped 230mm thick armor that can bounce non-TD & non special shells with ease on the upper hull. The lower glacis is a large weak spot however.

Your 152mm that carries over from tier 9 sees a RoF buff and slight accuracy buff. However, compared to its closest peer, the Object 268, you have less DPM, penetration, and accuracy. Your mobility is also 10 km/h less than the Object 268.

If you like the added frontal armor then the WZ-113G FT is a fun tank with above average armor and a hard hitting gun. However, you are taking a hit to mobility and firepower wise for this armor protection.

World of Tanks Chinese Collection Tanks

T-26G FT Tank Destroyer (Tier 2)

This tier 2 tank destroyer packs a very fast firing, high penetrating gun into a small chassis.

M3G FT Tank Destroyer (Tier 3)

The M3G FT is a very fast tier 3 tank destroyer that packs a high damage per shot round into an unarmored tank destroyer.

113 Heavy Tank (Tier 10)

The 113 is a medium/heavy hybrid type of heavy tank which can be a bit frustrating to driven incorrectly.  The gun depression is below average which leads to cresting hills or operating on uneven terrain frustrating.  The gun depression on the sides of the tank is slightly better.  This sometimes allows you to take shots you otherwise cannot make. The mobility is very good for a heavy tank allowing it to keep up with most medium tanks.  Use this to your advantage to stay one step ahead of slower heavies and tank destroyers.

The 122m it equips does 440 alpha and has a good amount of DPM.  The gun doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses unless you come across a tank with 750+ damage.  With the nice blend of damage per shot, DPM, and penetration it dishes out damage easily. The frontal glacis is heavily angled and is not very thick.  You can easily angle the upper glacis a bit more on your own to achieve auto-bounce levels.  Be aware that the side armor is extremely poor on the hull and to not expose it to much.

113 Weak Spots: https://wotguru.com/weak-spot-guide-113/