Armored Warfare is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online tactical military video game that puts you in control of modern tanks or other classes of armor! Armored Warfare features stunning next-gen visuals, dynamic destructible environments, customizable vehicles and intense team-based gameplay, where players work to crush each other with the power of modern combat vehicles in a free-to-play experience.
You can imagine this game as the natural completion of World of Tanks as it resumes the development of battles between armored vehicles in the historical context where World of Tanks ends. That’s why we decided to put it in the Angry Ducks Clan gaming platform, thinking of offering our gamers an alternative game to World of Tanks and not a his clone.
You will be able to modify and strengthen your armored vehicle in the workshop before taking it to the battlefield and immerse yourself in a legendary combat! The game focuses on the battles between players divided into two teams that collide in a battlefield, each player commands through his computer’s peripherals his own vehicle and must try to destroy enemy wagons and / or win the opposing base.
Your target in Armored Warfare is to build a powerful Private Military Company by acquiring more and more powerful vehicles. As you gain more combat experience and fight through more battles and scenarios, you’ll meet new Dealers who will give you access to advanced vehicles, improved ammunition and other resources.
GAME MODES
There are two primary modes: 30-player team PvP battles (where two 15-player teams play against each other) and 5-player PvE missions, where players battle AI-controlled opponents. Players can use both modes or just one to progress, progression content is not mode-restricted.
Each mode can be won by eliminating all enemy tanks or by winning the base of the opponent. Your target in game is to build a powerful Private Military Company by acquiring more and more powerful vehicles. As you gain more combat experience and fight through more battles and scenarios, you’ll meet new Dealers who will give you access to advanced vehicles, improved ammunition and other resources.
VEHICLES
Armored Warfare features armored vehicles from the 1950s up to the present day or the near future. Five classes are currently available:
- Main Battle Tanks
- Light Tanks
- Armored Fighting Vehicles
- Tank Destroyers
- Self-Propelled Guns
Main Battle Tanks
The MBT is the toughest class in the game, providing massive armor and deadly firepower in one package – but not only that: although its maneuverability may not be as good as that of other classes, it suffices to makes this vehicle mobile as well. The MBT class is truly universal. Apart from its main gun, MBT vehicles can be armed with guided missiles as well as equipped with advanced protection systems such as the APS. If you prefer breaking enemy battle lines while wading through a hurricane of shells in your relentless advance, the MBT is the right class for you.
Light Tanks
Light tanks are lighter but more mobile counterparts to MBTs. Where the MBT class is the hammer, light tanks are the daggers that stab into the flanks of their opponents. Their mobility is phenomenal and their firepower equals that of MBTs. Light tanks lack the armor of their heavier brethren, but they are extremely accurate when firing on the move. Being constantly on the move is the key to success when playing with light tanks – especially when driving around the enemy, targeting their weaker sides and rear. Apart from their speed, many light tanks can use smoke grenade launchers to hide from the enemy. If you like to move around the battlefield quickly while chasing down and tearing apart lone stragglers and enemy scouts, the Light Tank is the right class for you.
Tank Destroyers
Tank destroyers are fast and often wheeled vehicles with possibly the most powerful guns in the game. They can seriously threaten practically all the vehicles they run into – but beware: tank destroyers are lightly armored and have to rely on stealth to deal massive damage. Despite its powerful armament, a tank destroyer cannot take a main battle tank head on. Being smart and using all the cover to your advantage while sniping your enemies at long distances is the most important strategy when playing with the tank destroyer class. Your phenomenal accuracy will allow you to target the weak spots of even the most heavily armored targets. On the other hand the view range of this class is low – tank destroyers have to rely on other classes to spot the enemy on time. If you like to shoot at long distances while remaining hidden, the Tank Destroyer is the right class for you.
Armored Fighting Vehicles
The AFVs are the scouts of Armored Warfare. They have an extremely good view range, are very fast and usually very hard to detect thanks to their generally small sizes. Their main role on the battlefield is to spot enemy vehicles for their teammates to target and destroy. To that end they get a spotting bonus when stationary and when they are spotted by the enemy, they know the exact length of their exposure as – unlike with other vehicles – the AFV “spotted” indicator remains active as long as the AFV is visible and only switches off when the AFV disappears from the enemy line of sight. Additionally AFVs can “light up” a target with their special ability. The AFV-designated enemy vehicle will receive a major penalty to its camouflage, will be shown to your entire team (including the minimap) and every hit will result in maximum (critical) damage. And last but not least, AFVs can capture enemy bases the quickest out of all the classes in the game. On the downside, the AFVs in the game are generally less armed than other classes of the same tier, have very thin armor and a low hitpoint pool. If you like to rely on stealth to spot the enemy before they spot you and to help your team to victory by remaining unseen and capturing the base at a critical moment, the AFV is the right class for you.
Self Propeller Gun
Self-propelled guns are the indirect fire artillery of Armored Warfare. They are the only class in the game that can fire beyond their line of sight and their guns are powerful, firing large high explosive shells with large splash radius. SPG players in the game can use a special artillery point of view that allows them to fire at the enemy even if the enemy is hidden behind cover. Artillery in Armored Warfare can also fire special rounds such as illumination or smoke shells. Naturally such power comes at a price. The alpha damage of the artillery shells is not very high and artillery fire is most effective when dealing with more vehicles huddling together rather than with one lone target. Artillery vehicles are very slow and fragile and are practically defenseless against enemy scouts and light tanks at close range. The artillery shells take a while to travel making firing predictions a necessity – the best targets for artillery are stationary “dug in” vehicles. The enemy targets, however, always see through an indicator that they are standing in an artillery strike blast zone and have some time to react to artillery fire. Enemy artillery fire is a constant danger as well due to the fact that after firing a few shots from the same position, your location becomes known to enemy artillery – good artillery players move after every shot or two. These mechanisms make the Armored Warfare artillery class challenging but exciting.
PROGRESSION
In Armored Warfare, vehicles are purchased through dealers, available in the “Dealers” section of the garage. To unlock new vehicles from the dealers available in the game, players have to collect two resources:
Reputation
Reputation represents your standing with the dealers and is tied to specific vehicles (with the exception of Global Reputation). It is used to unlock vehicles, modules and other things.
Credit
Credits represent the hard currency used to actually purchase vehicles, modules, Retrofits, consumables as well as other items.
These resources can be spent either on buying new vehicles or on upgrading player-owned vehicles. Dealers sell vehicles of 10 Tiers and to unlock the next tier, players have to collect a certain amount of Reputation on the vehicle of the previous tier. Reputation can be obtained in PvP, Global Operations and PvE matches.
In Armored Warfare, vehicle progression is not tied to any particular nation – instead, dealers offer vehicles with similar characteristics but possibly from different nations in one progression branch (defined for example as “high caliber gun, light armor”).
Some dealer vehicles are locked by conditions other than just the amount of reputation needed to progress to the next tier – conditions that are usually tied to their gameplay style. Unlocking advanced scouts might, for example, require a certain amount of spotting on lower tier vehicles. Please note that premium vehicles from that respective dealer can be used to complete these requirements.
UPGRADES
In Armored Warfare, vehicles are upgraded by using a system of module upgrades – each module improving a certain aspect of the vehicle.
These upgrades are separated into four different categories:
- Armor
- Firepower
- Mobility
- Technology
Armor upgrades include various types of additional armor such as applique kits, caged armor kits and explosive reactive armor sets. Upgrading this category increases the survivability of a vehicle.
Firepower upgrades include improved gun shells, guided missiles and even entire guns and other weapons systems. Upgrading this category increases the offensive power of a vehicle.
Mobility upgrades include improved engines, tracks and suspension elements. Upgrading this category makes a vehicle move and turn faster.
Technology upgrades include various other elements such as improved gun sights, fire control systems, air conditioning or defensive measures such as APS and smoke grenade launchers. Upgrading this category usually improves the versatility of a vehicle or its secondary characteristics (such as the gun aiming time). Upgrades are purchased for reputation and credits.
Vehicles with all modules fully unlocked can proceed to allocate reputation to additional bonuses such as unlocking retrofits, new commanders, visual customization options or Global Reputation (effectively a conversion of locked to global reputation).
Additionally, vehicles with modules unlocked can be upgraded to the Battle Hardened in exchange for Gold (the amount varies per Tier). Battle Hardened vehicles earn:
- 10% more Reputation
- 25% more Credits
- 25% more Crew and Commander Experience
Last but not least, it’s worth noting that the majority of Premium vehicles comes with no upgrade options and is usually comparable to already upgraded progression vehicles.
RETROFITS
Retrofits are a unique upgrade system that allows players to customize their vehicles by improving the parameters they rely upon the most.
Each vehicle is fitted with three Retrofit Slots with the fourth one being available to Tier 9 and Tier 10 vehicles.
Retrofit slots are universal and each can be fitted with a retrofit from one of the following categories:
- Firepower
- Armor
- Mobility
- Technology
Retrofits are purchased in the Retrofit menu on vehicle by vehicle basis (it’s not possible to unequip a retrofit and use it on another vehicle).
There are two levels of retrofits:
- Level 1
- Level 2 (designated as v2 in the Retrofit window)
Level 2 retrofits give the same type of bonus as Level 1 but they improve its level significantly. For example, where a Level 1 Retrofit provides a 5% bonus, a Level 2 Retrofit of the same type provides the same type of bonus, but instead of 5%, it provides 10%.
Once a Level 2 Retrofit is unlocked, it can be used to upgrade any vehicle. Retrofits are available to regular and premium tanks.
COMMANDER AND CREW
Vehicles in Armored Warfare are manned by crew members and commanders. The amount of crew members can vary from as few as two to four, depending on the vehicle.
Commander
The Commander is a special crew member that progresses differently than the rest of the crew. Unlike the regular crew members, the commander can move from tank to tank and has a specific tree development system in place. You can choose from multiple commanders, each with a different progression tree and different skills available. Some commanders are suited for specific classes of vehicles (with their skills reflecting that), while other commanders are more universal.
Commanders progress by obtaining Commander Experience. Commander Experience is obtained by fighting on a vehicle.
Up until Level 10, the progression will work as described above. However, to unlock Level 11, players will have to own at least two Level 10 Commanders. To unlock Level 12, players will have to own at least two Level 11 Commanders and so on.
It is, however, possible to continue playing just one Commander – if that commander reaches the limit (for example, reaches Level 11 while the player has no second Level 10 Commander), the Commander Experience will continue to accumulate and will be stored until it can be used when the requirements for the next level are met.
Each commander has a set of perks at his or her disposal that can be unlocked by achieving the next level. That’s where the similarity to the existing system ends, however, as the progression is fairly different. Perks can be divided into:
Commander Main Perk
Commander Main Perks are the core of each commander’s character. They tend to be more general in nature, but do reflect the skills and bonuses required for the commander to perform in his or her role as well as his or her background, story and morals. What makes them truly special is the fact that they represent the starting place for the progression and grow in power.
These perks are automatically unlocked when you receive the commander in question and improve with each level.
Progression Perks are, as their name suggests, the improvements that can be unlocked by Level progression, one perk per level. Perks come in three qualities (Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3) that determine their usefulness – the higher the quality, the better the bonus.
Each commander has a Perk Field of a certain shape, consisting of square perk fields. Each square represents one perk and players can only unlock perks adjacent to those they already have unlocked, starting from the Main Perk.
Only Tier 1 and sometimes Tier 2 Perks are initially available and players must choose their path through the perk field for each individual commander. Reaching the most desired Tier 3 Perks will require at least several Levels worth of progression.
It is possible to reset the progress choices in three variants:
- For free (the commander loses 30% of experience)
- For credits (the commander loses 15 % of experience)
- For gold (the commander does not lose any experience)
Additionally:
While the Perk Fields for entry-level Commanders resembles a full square, other, more advanced commanders have empty spaces present in their Perk Fields to allow more interesting choices and configurations
Entry-level commanders only have Tier 1 and Tier 2 Perks along with smaller Perk Fields, only advanced specialist commanders have Tier 3 Perks
It’s possible to convert Global Reputation to Commander Experience
The basic commanders and their specializations include:
- Philipp Holzklau – defensive focus
- Sabrina Washington – sniping and scout focus
- Viktor Kirsanov – focus on close range combat
- Ioannis Sanna – mobility’s focus, scouting, sniping
- Fyodor Sokolov – crew performance focus
- Maximilian König – crew performance focus
- Rashid Al-Atassi – focus on ATGM launchers
- Juan Carlos Miramón – focus on scouting and mobility
- Freja Højbjerg – focus on sniping
- Erin O’Connell – focus on passive scouting
- Anthony Diaz – focus on close range combat
More advanced or specialized commanders can be obtained during special events or sales.
CREW
Unlike the commander, crew members cannot be moved around and are tied to the vehicle they were recruited for. The crew also has a progression system – regular crew members can choose from a range of available skills depending on the experience they have gained in combat.
Armored Warfare Crews consist of two or three (very occasionally four) crew members of three classes:
- Driver (responsible for controlling vehicle movement)
- Gunner (responsible for firing the vehicle weapon systems)
- Loader (responsible for reloading the ammunition)
The skills available to each crew member depend on their specialization and reflect the role of that respective crew member – a driver can thus learn a skill allowing him to turn the vehicle slightly faster and the gunner can learn a skill to fire even more accurately. Additionally, basic crew properties improve with experience so a gunner, for example, will become more accurate in time even without selecting special skills
Some vehicles have only two crew members – the loader is missing because the vehicle has an automatic loading mechanism (typical for rapid-fire automatic cannons, unmanned turret vehicles and Russian Main Battle Tanks). While other vehicles (specifically of the Self-Propelled Gun class) can have four crew members (two loaders).
Although a vehicle’s real life crew setup is generally adhered to (vehicles with automatic loaders will not have a loader crew member), vehicles with more than 4 crew members in real life (typical for certain artillery vehicles) will never have more than four crew members.
Crew members can be customized – players can select what they look like, (from the portraits listed – both men and women are available), their names and surnames (both from a list of allowed names).
In battle, crew members act as other internal modules. They have a certain amount of hitpoints and enemy shots penetrating vehicle armor can injure them. Injured crew members can significantly reduce vehicle performance – a vehicle with a disabled driver will accelerate and turn slower than one with an active driver. Unlike the internal modules, however, injured crew members won’t heal by themselves and require a consumable (First Aid Kit or Medical Kit) to recover.
CREW PROGRESSION – LEVELS
Each member of a crew can contribute to vehicle performance in two ways – by their level and by their skills. The development of both these attributes is essential for improving vehicle performance.
The main crew member progression system is the level upgrade. Each crew member starts on Level 1 and can be upgraded to a maximum of level 5. The crew members require a certain amount of Crew Experience to upgrade to the next level. Crew Experience is gained both in PvP and PvE battles and is equal to the amount of reputation gained from that battle (a premium account therefore improves the crew progression rate). Nevertheless, it takes a significant number of battles to upgrade crew members to Level 5 (typically in hundreds of battles).
The crew members improve the following vehicle characteristics:
Driver
- Traverse speed (increases the rate with which the vehicle steers)
- Terrain resistance (reduces the penalty for difficult terrain)
Gunner
- Aim speed (increases the speed with which the aim circle shrinks)
- Turret traverse speed (increases the speed with which the turret rotates)
Loader
- Rate of Fire (increases the amount of rounds fired per minute)
Vehicles with only two crew members (missing a loader) have their reload time improved by the Gunner level progression, unless they have an automatic loader. Automatic loaders do not receive the reload time bonus and are not influenced by crew-improving consumables either (with the exception of commander skills that improve loading times). Vehicles with Ready Rack have the Ready Rack reload times increased by Loader skills as well.
Generally speaking, a level 1 crew vehicle with a loader will have a worse reload time compared to a level 1 crew vehicle with an autoloader, but high level loaders often surpass vehicles with an autoloader in performance, especially with various crew boosts. In both cases, vehicles without a separate loader compensate for this drawback with their base characteristics. Vehicles with two loaders can achieve a double reloading time bonus compared to a vehicle with a single loader.
Crew progression rate can – apart from purchasing a premium account – be improved by certain commander skills boosters and insignia. Furthermore, some premium tanks (such as the MERC edition vehicles) come with fully-trained level 5 crews as well.
Crew vehicle performance improvement can be further enhanced by the commander’s skills, by consumables as well as certain retrofits.
CREW PROGRESSION – SKILLS
Skills are special crew member properties that provide a constant bonus to vehicle performance. Each crew member can unlock 2 skills – one at level 2, one at level 4.
Each crew member (role) can choose from four skills (with exceptions, see below). The following skills can be selected:
Driver
- Smooth Ride – improves accuracy while moving
- Battering Ram – increases damage done by ramming
- Off-Road Driving – improves acceleration on off-road terrain
- Spin to Win – improves hull traverse speed
Gunner
- Sharpshooter – improves overall accuracy
- Do the Twist – improves turret traverse rate
- Quick Draw – improves aim speed
- Preventive Maintenance – improves cannon hitpoints
Loader
- Rapid Fire – improves rate of fire
- Preparation – improves ammo swap speed (changing one type of ammunition to another)
- Explosive Shells – improves module damage
- Secured Ammunition – improves ammo rack hitpoints
The crew skills and level bonuses multiply one another. Please note that for vehicles without a separate loader, there are two possible cases:
The gunner is also the loader (the gun is loaded manually), in which case the gunner can also select loader’s skills, but the vehicle crew will always have two skills less than the crew that has a third crew member
The vehicle has an automatic loader, in which case the gunner can only select gunner skills
