Recent reviews by K3nokis

As a casual player, the game is quite fun. However I personally have not been able to join a PvP game simply because there isn't enough people playing PvP when I'm on.

In a nutshell this game is probably like a space MOBA, though at the casual level it is quite approachable if you have a keen eye going through the UI elements.

Excellent game made by skilled artists and 3D modellors. The team that manages the engine and physics are quite good, though not the best. Aircraft and vehicle modelleling is the greatest I've seen for a game with such a variety of vehicles. Gameplay is amazingly smooth and simple.

I cannot recommend it due to many controversial decisions made by the developers. Ignoring the playerbase in terms of balancing the matchmaking. Gaijin have created a problem that only becomes worse. When there are many players playing a large range of vehicles, (generally) effective matchmaking would clump a few evenly matched vehicles together for an intense fight.
However if a vehicle was introduced/"balanced" to be too effective/ineffective, naturally people would flock/avoid that vehicle. This creates increased queue times due to the inbalance of demand of vehicles. People complain and Gaijin allows a wider variety int he one game, this can (and did) lead to further imbalance. Thus, more people avoid it/leave. This makes the balancing act harder and both Gaijin and the playerbase stressed.

Of course, this depends on your reason on playing War Thunder and the matchmaking may not be a concern, also Gaijin isn't doing too badly at the moment, it's just greatly inconsistent matchmaking leading to either utter defeat or victory simply due to vehicle selection and not player skill.

Any aircraft could easily kill a much higher tiered aircraft if they're not using their speed advantage or experience. I have killed MiG-15's in an F6F Hellcat. However in ground forces, it is practically impossible to kill a much higher tiered tank due to their armor and firepower keeping you at a massive disadvantage.

Game Modes:
Arcade Battles:
Best place to learn the ropes, manoeuvres target leading, positioning, awareness and map knowledge. Physics have been tweaked for faster gameplay and easier to handle aircraft. This mode is where I spent about half of my time on, learning how to fly different types of aircraft and their weapons. Ground forces arcade is very intense and can be very much run, gun, die repeat. Dodging cannons rounds and ramming enemies off cliffs.

Realistic Battles:
Common for more skilled players like myself. Vehicles perform closely to historical documents (which aren't the most accurate due to multiple sources). Requires extensive knowledge of own vehicle, enemies and map to effectively defeat the enemy. In this game mode, teamwork and communication is also introduced. (Yes, teamwork and communication is almost non-existent in arcade) NOTE: Although teamwork is indeed key, people are people and will sometimes be selfish or ignorant which can lead to many losses. You basically have to hope that your team isn't braindead to charge the enemy into a disadvantaged position.

Simulator Battles:
What is this? DEAD :(
In aircraft used to force cockpit views and requires a joystick (although with practice you can go without). It tries to have the primary components of real combat without having to worry about issues real pilots have. Can be very intense however it has an extreme learning curve and almost certainly requires a wingman. Like RB, however these skills are truly put it to the test.


The game indeed has its great moments, when the odds are stacked even greater against you than the developers intended and you still break through. However too often you'll just die hopeless, with the only way of avoiding it is to drag out the match.