Knowing the ins and outs of the maps in World of Tanks takes time but is a huge factor in doing well. Figuring out the influential spots, small cubbyholes, firing lanes, etc. will help you survive longer and increase your chance of winning. World of Tanks is primarily knowing maps very well and which areas are beneficial to you and which areas will result in you being torn to shreds. These World of Tanks map strategy guides tailored for specific maps will outline specific areas for both sides on each map along with key routes and tactics to use.
World of Tanks Map Strategy Guides Updated for World of Tanks 1.0
Abbey
Abbey is a smaller map that is decided very quickly which team will have the upper hand. This map has 3 key locations located in the center of the map that are crucial to obtaining map control but at the same time require one another to prevent being flanked.
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-abbey/
Airfield
Airfield is a love hate relationship for many. On the surface it has multiple routes and flanks to use. It is also largely mirrored on both sides giving both teams an equal chance of winning. But when it comes to most battles Airfield boils down a few small areas on the map. This is due to the design funneling both sides into cramp positions that provide little to no wiggle room when it comes to tactics early on. Both teams pile into the rocky brawl area and hill. Artillery and tank destroyers support these areas mowing down people from afar. It isn’t until mid to late game does Airfield open up more and shine.
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-airfield/
Berlin
Berlin is a new map that is being introduced with the World of Tanks 1.9.1 update. Being 1050m x 1050m in size, this makes Berlin the largest 15 v 15 map in World of Tanks PC. Size is one thing that sets Berlin apart from other maps. Another thing is the plethora of cover and tactical positions that dot the map allowing either side to leapfrog across to the enemies side of the map. This World of Tanks Berlin strategy guide shows key positions, early-game routes to take, and general strategies to use on Berlin.
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-berlin/
Cliff
Cliff is an old time favorite of many World of Tanks players since it has been around for quite some time. This map has most of the action funneled into 3 specific areas with the deciding factor of the match depending on which team can break through one flank without losing the others. Updated for World of Tanks 1.10
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-cliff/
Empire’s Border
Empire’s Border is a map set in China along the Great Wall of China. Originally added to World of Tanks in 2014 as a Chinese server exclusive. Empire’s Border was released updated with new graphics in 2018 to all servers. The map is a large map in World of Tanks and has two distinct areas. South of the wall receives the bulk of the fighting due to the proximity to the bases. North of the wall features a town in a valley, a ridge line, and a pathway to a monastery.
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-empires-border/
Erlenberg
Erlenberg can be a very tricky map to figure out since it incorporates many different areas onto the same map, unlike other maps that generally favor one type of gameplay over another. You have plenty of wide open areas, elevated ridges, choke points in the form of the three bridges crossing the river that divides the map, and plenty of buildings to take cover behind.
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-erlenberg/
Fisherman’s Bay
Fisherman’s Bay is a large map with plenty of cover near the harbor for heavies and also plenty of wide open spaces to cater to other types of tanks.
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-fishermans-bay-2/
Fjords
Fjords is a very difficult map to decide where you should head to at the beginning of the match and where to move after that. The map is “split” into 3 main areas which require specific tanks to exploit.
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-fjords/
Ghost Town
At its core Ghost Town is a rare symmetrical map in World of Tanks. Both the north and south are almost identical mirrors of one another. Only minor differences occur, mainly being in the 9-0 lines, but the routes/tactics are still the same on both sides. Broken down Ghost Town reminds me somewhat of a smaller Hinterland(the 30v30 grand battle map).
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-ghost-town/
Glacier
Glacier was introduced to World of Tanks in update 1.0 which brought with it a revamped graphics engine. This map is an ambitious map with numerous areas and unique set pieces that make it standout from other maps. The map features sunken warships, hot springs, a sunken aircraft carrier, and frozen ridges. With many different elements on the map you can easily find a spot that will work for any type of tank.
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-glacier/
Highway
Highway has been around in World of Tanks since being introduced in 2013. Although it did take a brief hiatus from the game when World of Tanks 1.0 hit until it was reintroduced in patch 1.2. The reworked Highway received several changes, primarily to the NW area, and an aesthetic overhaul. The framework of Highway still plays like it just did prior to its 1.2 re-release. There are two primary flanks on the edges of the map and the center is largely void of any fighting. Sound familiar? The other map set in North America Live Oaks probably rings a bell.
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-highway/
Karelia
Karelia mainly focuses the fighting in the northwestern corner and southern area of the map. The center is dominated by a large swamp with numerous bushes and very little hard cover. Although the fighting is focused on two “main” flanks. Unlike other maps Karelia avoids becoming stale since both main flanks can be played either offensively or defensively. Albeit the ideal outcome is to contest and win both flanks.
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-karelia/
Kharkov
Kharkov boils down to two very distinct areas. The western part of the map consists of rolling hills, open fields, and trenches. Both teams have a support / TD nest that watches over the entire open area from a distance. The eastern part of the map has many buildings and clearly defined routes. However, even with the buildings funneling you place to place. This part of the map a team can thrive off of flanking or a well designed layered defense.
https://wotguru.com/world-of-tanks-kharkov-strategy/
Klondike
Klondike being one of the larger maps in World of Tanks poses several challenges for players. Being a grand battles map the sheer size of Klondike leads to countless different outcomes. This World of Tanks Klondike strategy guide will help you learn the nuances of this map. Below Klondike is broken down into two teams. Yellow being the team starting in the northeast. Blue being the one to start in the southwest.
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-klondike/
Lakeville
Lakeville is a favorite map of many in World of Tanks given its simple design that consistently rewards executing certain tactics. With a large lake dominating the center of the map you have two main areas flanking either side. Cut off from the rest of the map is the infamous valley that has angered many armchair generals.
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-lakeville/
Live Oaks
Live Oaks is a pretty simple map to play once you break it down into the main flanks. Unlike most maps in World of Tanks that have at least 3 different flanks to focus o. Live Oaks only has two. How a particular match plays out depends on choosing between the town and railroad. Yes, there is the swamp in the center but no team would should ever push a ton of tanks there early. The center is reserved primarily for spotting, support, and late game movements. Typically the southern railroad is the more important flank to win since it can be won with an initial push.
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-live-oaks/
Mannerheim Line
Mannerheim Line used to be known as Arctic Region in World of Tanks until patch 1.0. With the new name came several changes that tweaked how Mannerheim Line plays. Most notably is the deafening katyusha rockets that announce the beginning of the battle. While Arctic Region provides several different flanks to use the map largely boils down to two key areas. The Northwest corner and Southeast coast.
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-mannerheim-line/
Mines
Mines is a classic in World of Tanks and most likely was the first map most players had in their first PvP battle. Being a small map Mines often leads to frustration at tier 8-10 given the cramp space available. No matter the tier it often is decided early on in a battle which team will be favored to win. This is due to the heavy emphasis on winning the hill and the brawling that ensues there in the first minute of the fight.
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-mines/
Minsk
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-minsk/
Overlord
Overlord since being introduced into World of Tanks has been a map many love to hate on. The map design is difficult to pick up since there aren’t many pre-defined flanks for players to know where to go and what to do. There is also the infamous Overlord beach that has provided many epic cliff dives and have sunk many teams from focusing too much on it.
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-overlord/
Paris
Paris was first introduced through the now defunct rampage mode. The map was reworked and added several patches later as a regular map. Paris features a layout reminiscent of Ruinberg with its urban layout but is more dynamic with more flanking options.
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-paris/
Pearl River
Pearl River is a gorgeous map and has some of the best visuals for a map in World of Tanks PC. This World of Tanks Pearl River strategy will go over the key routes, areas, and tactics to use on Pearl River in random battles.
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-pearl-river/
Pilsen
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-pilsen/
Prokhorovka
Prokhorovka is currently the most open map in World of Tanks without very much hard cover such as buildings. Scouting and vision control are keys to winning on Prokhorovka, along with teamwork (gasp).
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-prokhorovka/
Redshire
Redshire has been in World of Tanks since nearly the beginning of the game. It has underwent several reworks but still plays similar to the original map all those years ago. Redshire features rolling hills, a lot of open ground, and plenty of cover to use to your advantage. The map is largely separated into two main flanks where the bulk of tanks will go in standard battles. The first being the Zeppelin where heavier tanks shine in the E0 area. The second being the castle in the E1 area where faster tanks usually secure the area early on. In between you have the central hills to support the two flanks while making headway when opportunity presents itself.
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-redshire/
Ruinberg
Ruinberg is an iconic map in World of Tanks being in the game since the early days of the game. The map is split into two distinct areas. The bombed out town and the fields separated by a small cluster of buildings
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-ruinberg/
Sand River
Sand River has been around in World of Tanks since nearly the beginning. Over the years it has received several changes but the core of the map hasn’t changed much. Sand River is just as it sounds. Sandy. Oh, and it has a River. Most of the fighting will revolve around that center river area that really is more like a gully. The outer areas no undoubtedly play a vital part in each match. Some more so than others.
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-sand-river/\
Serene Coast
Serene Coast is one of the hardest maps in World of Tanks to nail every battle. This is due to being unlike most maps in design and not having easy defined flanks to focus on. The western part of the map consists of both hills, lowlands, and a sprinkle of cover. On the eastern side you have an isolated peninsula and seaside town that plays completely different. More brawling and calculated mid-game pushes.
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-serene-coast/
Siegfried Line
Siegfried Line has been in the map rotation since 2013 in World of Tanks. Throughout the years and all the updates the map for the most past hasn’t changed significantly over the years. Siegfried Line is based on the iconic defensive line Germany built opposite to the Maginot Line in World War 2. The map reflects this with half of the map being a sprawling field with bunkers. The other half a small town featuring some fortifications. Separating both are dragon’s teeth to funnel tanks to certain crossing points.
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-siegfried-line/
Steppes
Steppes has been a staple map in World of Tanks since the early days of the game. Throughout the years it hasn’t underwent many major changes and is considered well balanced. With World of Tanks 1.0 Steppes receives a major rework for the northeastern area of the map. The changes largely make the flank a little less reliant upon massive pushes early in the battle. As a whole Steppes is a fairly open map that has sprinkles of cover to protect from SPGs. Most of the areas on the map that see fighting reward gun depression and having good teamwork.
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-steppes/
Studzianki
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-studzianki/
Tundra
Tundra is one of those maps in World of Tanks that is difficult for individual players to shine and tends to be decided very quickly early on. The map isn’t very large and has a ton of different routes, elevations, and nooks to throw a wrench in your plans. Usually the outside flanks decide the battle since the majority of the brawling happens there early. The center is often forgotten. However, it can swing the battle with fewer tanks as long as your team doesn’t die early on.
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-tundra/
Westfield
Westfield has been a staple in World of Tanks since the early days of the game. Remaining mostly unchanged throughout its tenure in World of Tanks it is deceptively difficult to play. Westfield features a small town dividing both sides in the center of the map. Flanking it are wide open fields, hilly terrain to the NW, and a large valley to the SW. Tucked away furthest from starting locations in the SW corner is an elevated ridge line with sparse cover. With hard cover being the most difficult part about playing on Westfield. Setting up in the right place is critical to surviving long into each battle.
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-westfield/
Pre-1.0 Strategies | Needing of Updating
Arctic Region
Arctic Region is the only completely winter/snow covered map in the game(others only have snow here and there). The map itself has a blend of safe arty cover defensive locations which allow tanks to duel it out but to get to these locations and/or advance from them you are exposing your flanks. There are only a few main routes to each base and attacking either the northwest/southeast defensive locations requires playing intelligent and securing both routes to assault the defenders.
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-arctic-region/
El Halluf
El Halluf can be a difficult map due to its large size and the unique terrain elevations compared to other maps. Most of the map is very elevated and the center of the map is very low making it a “bowl” that is easy to get into but hard to get out of. At the same time it is very important to control the map since El Halluf rewards spotting and playing as a team to keep enemies pinned into their starting areas.
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-el-halluf/
Ensk
With Ensk being on the smaller size when compared to other maps in World of Tanks it can lead to some difficulty for newer players since engagements/initial positions are crucial to succeeding. This map plays roughly the same for both sides with only minute differences. Both sides benefit greatly from initial aggressive movements by small groups of tanks to pin the enemy close to their starting points.
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-ensk/
Mountain Pass
Glancing over Mountain Pass like its name suggests is has mountainous terrain the segments the map into corridors. Although the map is limited to four routes that connect each team you have the depressed creek bed in the center of the map that joins them together. The key for a team winning Mountain Pass is to be organized and grab as much map control early on as possible without receiving much damage. Since the map boils down to 4 corridors/flanks not holding ground sees you at the mercy of the enemy team.
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-mountain-pass/
Murovanka
Murovanka has gone under several reworks throughout World of Tank’s lifespan but has settled on this version after the map was expanded to a larger size. Prior to the expansion Murovanka was dominated by tanks with high camouflage values combined with the lack of hard cove. In its current version Murovanka provides a good balance allowing different types of tanks to either spearhead through the enemy at the start or by slowly advancing across the map. The map is broken down primarily into the 1-3 lines, 4-6 lines, and 7-0 lines as far as “lanes” go.
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-murovanka/
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Ruinberg
Ruinberg is one of the more urban based maps in World of Tanks currently. More than half of the map is covered with buildings but at the same time leaves enough openings to not feel as closed off as a map like Himmelsdorf. This map is split into 3 main areas which will be referred to as the city, the city edge, and the field. Each is vital to a team succeeding and requires it’s own tactics to be played without dying very quickly.
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-ruinberg/
Maps Currently Not in Rotation Post World of Tanks 1.0
Fiery Salient
Fiery Salient is a unique version of the original map Prokhorovka with minor changes to the terrain features, destroyed tank hulls(cover), and bush placement. Both maps play virtually the same with slight changes between the two. Prokhorovka compared to Fiery Salient has less cover across most of the important locations you will often be fighting from. Fiery Salient has more destroyed tanks to use for cover in the 1-2 lines, different bush placement, and different terrain features. In the center the ridge that cuts it in half also is slightly steeper and over on the hill there is more cover for the yellow team in E0/F0 to protect them from shots from the center. Since Prokhorovka has different features and has less cover it typically makes matches snowball easily if one team gains map control + vision over the other more than on Fiery Salient.
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-fiery-salient/
Hidden Village
Hidden Village is a recent addition to World of Tanks and although it is new it is very easy to pick up and play. This is due to it having three main “lanes” to go down since the map is divided into the village, central field area, and then the heavy passage(surrounded by rocks/ridges). Each lane provides different gameplay and is focused around a specific play style that heavily favors some tanks over another in specific areas.
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-hidden-village/
Port
Port is a very unique map when compared to the other maps in World of Tanks. It is very confusing to know where to go the first few times playing this map as it doesn’t have many clearly defined choke points.
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-port/
Province (Pre-1.0)
Province is a very small map and only available for tier 3 tanks and lower in World of Tanks. Originally Province was available for any tier and for matches tier 5 and higher the map was simply to small to function properly. When Province was reworked it was changed to only allow tier 3 tanks and under since the map plays best with the lower view range and sizes low tier tanks have. The layout of Province features two ridges running north to south on both edges of the map where tanks start and the bases located in the valley below.
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-province/
Sacred Valley
acred Valley is a very complex map at first glance since it has many obstacles, terrain differences, and lack of cover for advancing tanks. However, after you break the map down into key areas and routes it becomes easier to manage and understand how the map unfolds in most fights. Although very different from Redshire I like the compare Sacred Valley to it since in a sense it is an “open” map however it is extremely difficult for either team to push across the map without being spotted/torn to shreds.
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-sacred-valley/
Swamp
Swamp has underwent numerous changes over its stint in World of Tanks and its current iteration is vastly different than the initial version of Swamp released years ago. This map has seen its initial spawning locations rotated and essentially 90%+ of the map has received significant changes since its initial release. As its name suggests Swamp features a large swamp in the center of the map with two estuaries that extend north/south out of the centralized swamp to divide the map into two.
With roughly 35% of the playable terrain falling into the “poor” category it makes maneuvering quickly very difficult in these areas. Outside of the swamp/water areas you have the elevated north/south areas that see the highest elevations in the corner that slope down as you head towards each team’s base/flag. Swamp provides unique challenges with its different terrain types and most importantly it has the most “poor” terrain(difficult to move through) of any map currently in World of Tanks.
https://wotguru.com/map-strategy-swamp/
Windstorm
Windstorm can be a difficult map for players setting tracks on it for the first time and even for veterans since it is a very complex map with many different potential routes. This map features urban areas, hilly areas, areas with many choke points, a few flanking routes, and steep drop offs that could destroy you if you aren’t careful. The amount of landscape changes are not always apparent at first glance but they are very important to where you will end up going and how well your team fares on Windstorm.