‘Rule of Thumb’ Tank Checklist for Strongholds Tier 8

Version 3.41.30 – Updated 27th of February of 2023

A few rule of thumb to cover the basics for the Tier 8 Strongholds. In general Tier 8 consist of a two group split with 1 very heavy battalion supported by fast and nimble burst damage vehicles. The very skilled teams often picks and prioritizes a majority of fast medium tanks with burst damage potential rather than heavies. Alternatively your tank selection can indicate a very defensive strategy and utilizing tank destroyers alongside super heavies. The more lighter tanks requires in general the most skills and is more dependent on a well performed strategy whereas the defensive strategy can in theory be performed with a majority of legionnaires in your ranks.

Tier 8 (Competitive) – Strongholds

The 1,2,3… scale should be strongly considered as the difference between number 1 and 2 can often be extreme!

Heavy Tanks

• 1. BZ-176 (Alpha, Armor, Burst Mobility)
  • 2. Object 252U/Defender (Alpha, Armor)
  • 2. KV-5 (HP Pool, Overall Armor)
  • 2. IS-3A (Burst dmg, Alpha, Armor)
  • 2. K-2 (HP Pool, Epic Side Armor, )
    • 3. Skoda T56 (Alpha, Burst dmg)
    • 3. Object 703 II (Burst dmg, Alpha, Armor, Gun handling)
      • 4. IS-5 (Alpha, Armor)
      • 4. IS-3 (Alpha, Armor)

Medium Tanks

• 1. Progetto 46 (Burst Damage, Mobility, Gun handling)
• 1.  Bat.-Châtillon Bourrasque (Burst Damage, Mobility)
  • 2. P.44 Pantera (Burst Damage, Mobility, Gun handling.
  • 2. Kpz 07 RH [3200+ DPM] (DPM+, Mobility, Gun handling)
    
    • 3. ASTRON Rex (Burst Damage+)
    • 3. AMBT (Burst Damage, Penetration)
    • 3. M47 Iron Arnie (Armor, Gun Depression)

Tank Destroyers

• 1. ShPTK-TVP 100 (DPM!, Mobility, Gun handling) – (Note: Should be classified/played as a Medium Tank)
  • 2. SU-130PM (Alpha, Mobility)
  • 2. STRV S1 (DPM, Camo)
  • 2. Rheinmetall Skorpion (Alpha, Mobility)
    • 3. GSOR 1008 (Burst Damage, Mobility)
    • 3. TS-5 (DPM, Armor)
    • 3. ISU-152K/ISU-152 (Alpha!!)

Light Tanks

• 1. EBR 75 FL 10 (Extreme Mobility)
  • 2. LT-432 (Low Profile, Mobility, Camouflage, Gun Handling)
    • 3. Lynx 6×6 (Good mobility)
    • 3. ELC Even 90 (Extreme Camouflage)

Tier 8 HoKx Clan – Skirmish

In the HoKx clan we put primary effort into aggressive push strategies to catch the enemy off guard and win by sheer power of numbers, dpm and surprise. As a default we utilize 6x heavy tanks (2x Defenders + 4x IS-3A) alongside 3x medium tanks (Any of the meta tanks), alongside 1x Light tank (EBR 75).

Heavy Tanks

• 1. IS-3A / (Hardening, Rotation, V Stab) / Usage (Burst dmg, Alpha, Armor)
• 1. Object 252U/Defender (Hardening, Turbo, Rammer or V Stabs) / Usage (Alpha, Armor++)
• 1. BZ-176 (Hardening, Turbo, Rammer)
• 1. K-2 (Hardening, Turbo, Rammer) / Usage (HP Pool, Epic Strong Side Armor)
  • 2. KV-5 (Hardening, Turbo, Rammer) / Usage (HP Pool, Overall Armor)
    
    • 3. Object 703 II / (Hardening, Vents, V Stabs) / Usage (Burst dmg, Alpha, Armor, Gun handling)
    • 3. Skoda T56 (Alpha, Burst dmg)
    • 3. IS-5 / (Hardening, Rammer, V Stabs) / Usage (Alpha, Armor+)
      
      • 4.  IS-3 / (Hardening, Rammer, V Stabs) / Usage (Alpha, Armor)

Medium Tanks

• 1. Progetto 46 / (Vents, V Stab, Optional) / Usage (Burst Damage, Mobility, Gun handling)
• 1. Bat.-Châtillon Bourrasque / (Vents, V Stab, Optional) / Usage (Burst Damage, Mobility)
• 1. ASTRON Rex / (Turbo, Vents, V Stab) / Usage (Burst Damage+)
• 1. Kpz 07 RH [3200+ DPM] / (Vents, Rammer, V Stab) – Usage (DPM, Mobility, Gun handling)
  • 2. AMBT / (Turbo, V Stab, Rotation) / Usage (Burst Damage, Penetration)
    • 3. P.44 Pantera / (Vents, V Stab, Optional) / Usage (Burst Damage, Mobility, Gun handling)

Tank Destroyers

• 1. ShPTK-TVP 100 (DPM!, Mobility, Gun handling) – (Note: Should be classified/played as a Medium Tank)
  • Currently no other alternatives due to the generic Aggressive HoKx Field Commander Tactics

Light Tanks

• 1. EBR 75 FL 10 (Extreme Mobility)
  • 2. LT-432 (Low Profile, Mobility, Camouflage, Gun Handling)

Tier 8 HoKx Clan – CLAN WARS

(Tier 8 clan wars has not taken place in ages and therefore below list will first be updated when Wargaming finally announces tier 8 Clan Wars again)

When looking at the HoKx Preferred tank selection for clan wars then we try to utilize various strategies where player vs. player skill success is not vital but playing well as a team is. Further clan wars details are only for HoKx members.

(Depends on map and team setup and availability of the tanks)

Heavy Tanks

¹ Open/Flat Maps

• 1a. AMX 50 100 / (Hardening, V Stab, Rotation) / Usage (Mobility, Burst Damage) 
  • 2. IS-3A / (Hardening, Rotation, V Stab) / Usage (Burst dmg, Alpha, Armor)
    • 3. K-2 (Turbo, Hardening, Rammer) 
    • 3. Bisonte C45 / (Hardening, Optional, Optional) / Usage (Burst dmg, Turret Armor, Gun Depression)
      • 4. Object 703 II / (Hardening, Optional, Optional) / Usage (Burst dmg, Alpha, %active armor)
      • 4. Skoda T56 / (Hardening, Optional, Optional) / (Burst dmg, Turret Armor)
        • 5. IS-3 / (Hardening, Rammer, V Stabs) / Usage (Alpha, Armor)

² Closed/Small Maps

• 1. VK 100.01 P / (Hardening, Turbo, Rammer) / (Armor+++, HP+, Alpha)
  • 2. Object 252U/Defender / (Hardening, Rammer, V Stabs) / Usage (Alpha, Armor++) 
  • 2. K-2 (Hardening, Turbo, Rammer)
    • 3. VK 168.01 P / (Hardening, Turbo, Rammer) / Usage (Armor+, HP+, Alpha)
    • 3. KV-5 / (Hardening, Turbo, Rammer) / Usage (HP++, Armor)
      • 4. KV-4 Kreslavskiy / (Hardening, Turbo, Rammer) / Usage (HP++, Armor)
      • 4. IS-5 / (Hardening, Rammer, V Stabs) / Usage (Alpha, Armor)

³ Hull Down Maps

• 1a. Bisonte C45 (Burst dmg, Turret Armor, Gun Depression)
• 1b. Renegade (Gun Handling, Turret Armor)
• 1c. Skoda T56 (Burst dmg) ((note 8 degrees only))
  •  2. Somua SM (Burst dmg, Gun Depression)
    • 3. Charlemagne (Alpha, Gun Depression)
    • 3. Skoda T56 (Burst dmg) ((note 8 degrees only))
      • 4. Löwe (Gun Precision, Gun Depression)

Medium Tanks

• 1. Kpz 07 RH [3200+ DPM] / (Vents, Rammer, V Stab) – Usage (DPM, Mobility, Gun handling)
  • 2a. Progetto 46 / (Vents, V Stab, Optional) / Usage (Burst Damage, Mobility, Gun handling)
  • 2b. Bat.-Châtillon Bourrasque / (Vents, V Stab, Optional) / Usage (Burst Damage, Mobility)
  • 2c. ASTRON Rex / (Turbo, Vents, V Stab) / Usage (Burst Damage+)
  • 2d. AMBT / (Turbo, V Stab, Rotation) / Usage (Burst Damage, Penetration)
    • 3a. P.44 Pantera / (Vents, V Stab, Optional) / Usage (Burst Damage, Mobility, Gun handling)
      • 4b. CS-52 Lis / (Rammer, Vents, V Stab) / Usage (Gun handling)

Tank Destroyers

¹ Closed/Small Maps

• 1. TS-5 / (Gun Rammer, Turbo, Hardening) / Usage (DPM, Armor, Alpha)
  • 2. ShPTK-TVP 100 (DPM!, Mobility, Gun handling) – (Note: Should be classified/played as a Medium Tank)

² Open Maps

• 1a. ShPTK-TVP 100 (DPM!!, Mobility, Gun handling)
• 1b. GSOR 1008 / Usage (Burst Damage, Gun Precision & Depression)
• 1c. Strv S1 / Usage (DPM, Camouflage, Gun Handling & Precision)
  • 2. Rheinmetall Skorpion
  • 3. ISU-152/ISU-152K

Light Tanks

• 1. EBR 75 FL 10 (Extreme Mobility)
  • 2. LT-432 (Low Profile, Mobility, Camouflage, Gun Handling)
    • 3. ELC Even 90 (Small Profile, Camouflage)

Artillery

• 1. Tetris (Uninstall WoT & Play Tetris ;)

Artillery in tier 8 Strongholds? No… Did you opponent bring Artillery? Then yes you got a tank advantage already by utilizing the correct push strategy as you are already 1-0 ahead…. 

Clan Wars Alternatives

• • Heavy Burst Damage
    • AMX 50 100 [2x minimum]

Artillery can be a viable option in Clan Wars when utilizing correct & proper defensive strategies.

Tier 8 Maps

• Abbey
• Airfield
• Cliff
• El Halluf
• Ensk
• Erlenberg
• Fisherman’s Bay
• Himmelsdorf
• Karelia
• Lakeville
• Mines
• Mountain Pass
• Murovanka
• Overlord
• Prokhorovka
• Redshire
• Ruinberg
• Sand River
• Serene Coast
• Siegfried Line
• Steppes
• Tundra
• Westfield

Quick Rule of Thumb

Tier 8 consist of way more advanced strategies when you compare it to Tier 6 both in tank numbers, amount of maps and the sheer selection of tier 8 tanks. As these lists are and will be updated as more content is added then we listed a few basic rule of thumbs that more often than not are advisable are as follows;

1. “One Commander to Rule them all” – The Commander is always right, if you are asked to drive into the water to drown yourself then you do it. Any disagreement or questions of the commanders orders should be taken after the battle.
2. “Not Random Battle” – The Strongholds is a team effort and your only and single objective should be to support the team to win and not train your crew, deal most damage, most kills or whatever personal goal you set. If you are new to the Strongholds your biggest challenge will be to forget the random battle strategies.
3. “Use your brain” – Make the best out of the scenario you are put into. Do whatever you can within the orders of the commander but as your commander isn’t and should not be a puppet-master, then stick to the plan and use the opportunities that will be served in front of you as the battle evolves.
4. “Voice Com Discipline” – Keep the communication related to the game at hand and keep it at bare minimum. In the heat of the battle having 7 people talking simultaneously or listening to a very interesting story of how your shell missed a tank might seem very interesting but it is not adding anything to the battle at hand.
5. “Focus Fire” – The single most important rule to get an advantage in any team battle. Cant shoot at the target? Take out the one with lowest health. There are too many battles lost 0-7 or similar where the enemy team has all their tanks at a one shot. 2 nearly dead tanks are stronger than one at full health if played correctly.
6. “F7 – Spotted!” – Did you get spotted? Click F7, so the commander knows what your opponent teams know. Yelling “spotted” takes valuable time away unless your voice is unique. The combat intelligence is one of the most important aspects to the game, this only increases as you progress further up in the Strongholds Tier.

Strongholds – Few Extra Tips;

• If you decide to bring slow loading auto loaders (not re-loaders), then make sure to bring at least 2 and keep them working in pairs with enough potential damage to take out a full health enemy tank in 1 clip.
• If you do not have an EBR 75 FL 10 or Lynx 6×6 among your ranks and/or if your team struggles then think about either bringing a super aggressive LT-432 to counter it or support your light tank with a fast auto loader in the beginning of the battle (Bourrasque/Lorraine 40t).

Tank Checklist for Strongholds – Tier 6

A few rule of thumb to cover the basics for the Tier 6 Strongholds. In general Tier 6 consist of a wide variety of tanks as this tier provides a good entry level to start their journey into the competitive WOT gameplay. When encountering better teams they will most often consist of 6 medium tanks alongside a single light tank. 

Version 3.11.02 – Updated 16th of June 2022

Tier 6  (Competitive)

The 1,2,3… scale should be strongly considered as the difference between number 1 and 2 can often be extreme!

Medium Tanks

• 1. T 34-85M (Alpha Damage, Mobility, DPM, Gun Handling)
  • 2. T 34-85
  • 2. Rudy
    • 3 Cromwell B (Mobility, DPM)
    • 3. Cromwell

Heavy Tanks

• 1. Object 244 (Overall Strong)
• 1. VK 36.01 H (HP, Alpha)

Light Tanks

• 1. Type 64 (Mobility, DPM)
  • 2. VK 28.01 mit 10,5 cm L/28 (Anti Light Tank)
    • 3. T-50-2 (Mobility, Gun Handling)

Tier 6  (HoKx Clan)

In the HoKx clan when training new Field Commanders or when introducing players to tier 6 Strongholds or training tank push strategies, then we utilize 6x VK.36.01 H alongside 1x light tank as this setup usually provides a gigantic HP pool advantage (1800-2500+) and better allows both the commander and the players to do minor mistakes during the battle.

Tank & Strategy Review/Explanation: VK.36.01 H Tank Review

Our Most Common Tier VI Tank Setups

• 6-0-1 – 6x VK.36.01 H/Object 244, 0x mediums, 1x Type 64
• 5-1-1 – 5x VK.36.01 H/Object 244, 1x T-34-85M, 1x Type 64
• 4-2-1 – 4x VK.36.01 H/Object 244, 2x T-34-85M, 1x Type 64

Heavy Tanks

• 1a. VK 36.01 H (HP Pool, Alpha Damage, Gun Handling)
• 2b. Object 244 (RNG Side Armor, Gun Handling, Alpha Damage)

Medium Tanks

• 1. T 34-85M (Alpha Damage, Mobility, DPM, Gun Handling)
  • 2. T 34-85 (Similar to T-34-85M but weaker)
  • 3. Rudy (Similar to T-34-85M but weaker hull armor & worse DPM)
    

Light Tanks

• 1. Type 64 (Overall Superior)
  • 2. VK 28.01 mit 10,5 cm L/28 (Anti Light Tank)

Equipment Expectation

• Heavy Tanks
  1. Improved Hardening
  2. Turbocharger
  3. Gun Rammer or Rotation Mechanism

• Medium Tanks
  1. Gun Rammer
  2. Rotation Mechanism
  3. Optional

• Light Tanks
  1. Coated Optics
  2. Optional
  3. Optional

Tier 6 (Alternatives)

• 1. KV-2 / KV-2 (R) (Alpha Damage)
  • 2. O-I

• 1. M4A1 FL 10 (Mobility, Gun Handling, Burst Damage)
  • 2. Strv m/42-57 Alt A.2

Artillery? Never for Tier 6 Strongholds.

Tier 6 Maps

• Airfield
• Cliff
• Ensk
• Karelia
• Mines
• Prokhorovka
• Ruinberg
• Siegfried Line
• Tundra

Quick Rule of Thumb

Tier 6 consist of the most basic strategies but this does not mean that its a “Free for All Fest“. A few rule of thumbs that more often than not are advisable are as follows;

1. “One Commander to Rule them all” – The Commander is always right, if you are asked to drive into the water to drown yourself then you do it. Any disagreement or questions of the commanders orders should be taken after the battle.
2. “Not Random Battle” – The Strongholds is a team effort and your only and single objective should be to support the team to win and not train your crew, deal most damage, most kills or whatever personal goal you set. If you are new to the Strongholds your biggest challenge will be to forget the random battle strategies.
3. “Use your brain” – Make the best out of the scenario you are put into. Do whatever you can within the orders of the commander but as your commander isn’t and should not be a puppet-master, then stick to the plan and use the opportunities that will be served in front of you as the battle evolves.
4. “Voice Com Discipline” – Keep the communication related to the game at hand and keep it at bare minimum. In the heat of the battle having 7 people talking simultaneously or listening to a very interesting story of how your shell missed a tank might seem very interesting but it is not adding anything to the battle at hand.
5. “Focus Fire” – The single most important rule to get an advantage in any team battle. Cant shoot at the target? Take out the one with lowest health. There are too many battles lost 0-7 or similar where the enemy team has all their tanks at a one shot. 2 nearly dead tanks are stronger than one at full health if played correctly.
6. “Arty Ready” – When the Commander yells ‘Arty Ready’ look upon the skies for artillery shells if your groups location is spotted by keeping the vehicle mobile. This is especially important for heavy slow targets.
7. “F7 – Spotted!” – Did you get spotted? Click F7, so the commander knows what your opponent teams know. Yelling “spotted” takes valuable time away unless your voice sounds unique. The combat intelligence is one of the most important aspects to the game, this only increases as you progress further up in the Strongholds Tier.

‘Rule of Thumb’ Tank Checklist for Strongholds Tier 10

A few rule of thumb to cover the basics for the Tier 10 Strongholds which is a gigantic step upwards in difficulty when moving up from tier 8 because of the general player skill level is much higher!

Version 3.14.054 – Updated 9th of September 2022

Tier 10 (Competitive) – Strongholds

Heavy Tanks

• 1a. T95/FV4201 Chieftain (Mobility, Turret Armor)
• 1b. Object 279(e) (StronK All-round Armor+++)
  • 2a. Object 260 (Armor++, mobility)
  • 2b. Super Conqueror (Mobility, Turret Armor)
  • 2c. IS-7 (Armor++, Turret Armor+++, mobility)
  • 2d. Kranvagn (Turret Armor++, Burst dmg)
  • 2e. Vz.55 (Burst dmg, Alpha)
    • 3a. Object 277 (Alpha, Mobility)
    • 3b. WZ-111 5A (Alpha, Mobility)
    • 3c. 60TP (Alpha++, Armor)

Medium Tanks

• 1. Object 907 (DPM, Mobility, Gun Handling)
  • 2a. STB-1 (DPM, Gun depression)
  • 2b. Object 140 (DPM, Mobility+)
  • 2c. CS-63 (Mobility+++, Gun Handling)

Light Tanks

• 1. Panhard EBR 105 (Extreme Mobility, Alpha)
  • 2. LT-100 (Low Profile, Mobility, Cammo, Gun Handling)
    • 3. AMX 13 105 (Mobility, Alpha, DMG Potential)

Tank Destroyers

• 1a. Object 268 4 (Armor++, Mobility)
  • 2a. T110E3 (Armor+++, Alpha)
  • 2b. Jagdpanzer E100 (Alpha++, Armor+, Penetration+++)
  • 2c. T110E4 (Armor, Alpha)
  • 2d. Grille 15 (Mobility, Alpha)

Artillery

• 1. Conqueror Gun Carriage (Alpha, Splash Area, Gun Arc)
  • 2. No preference (excluding B-C 155 58)

Tier 10 HoKx Clan – Skirmish

Heavy Tanks

• 1. Object 279(e) (Hardening, Turbo, Optional) / Usage (StronK All-round Armor+++)
  • 2a. Object 260 (Hardening, Optional, Optional) / (Armor++, mobility)
  • 2b. IS-7 (Hardening, Turbo, Optional) / Usage (Armor++, Turret Armor+++, mobility)
  • 2c. T95/FV4201 Chieftain (Hardening, Turbo, Optional) / Usage (Mobility, Turret Armor)
    • 3a. Vz.55 (Hardening, Optional, Optional) / Usage (Burst dmg, Alpha)
    • 3b. Object 277 (Hardening, Turbo, Optional) / Usage (Alpha, Mobility)
    • 3c. WZ-111 5A (Hardening, Turbo, Optional) / Usage (Alpha, Mobility)
      • 4a. Kranvagn (Hardening, Optional, Optional) / Usage (Turret Armor++, Burst dmg)
      • 4b. Super Conqueror (Hardening, Turbo, Optional) / Usage (Mobility, Turret Armor)
      • 4c. 60TP (Hardening, Turbo, Optional) / Usage (Alpha++, Armor)
      • 4d. AMX 50 B (Hardening, Turbo, Optional) / (Burst dmg)

Medium Tanks

• • 1. Object 907 (Gun Rammer, Optional, Optional) / Usage (DPM, Mobility, Gun Handling)
    • 2a. STB-1 (Gun Rammer, Optional, Optional) / Usage (DPM, Gun depression)
    • 2b. Object 140 (Gun Rammer, Turbo, Optional) / Usage (DPM, Mobility)
    • 2c. CS-63 (Turbo, Other modules are role dependant DPM or Spotter?) / Usage (Mobility+++)
      • 3 Progetto 65 (Optional, Optional, Optional) / Usage (Flexibility, Burst dmg)
        • 4a. B-C 25 t (Optional, Optional, Optional) / Usage (Burst dmg)
        • 4b. TVP 50/51(Optional, Optional, Optional) / Usage (Burst dmg) 

Light Tanks

• 1. Panhard EBR 105 (Extreme Mobility, Alpha)
  • 2. AMX 13 105 (Mobility, Alpha, DMG Potential)
    • 3. LT-100 (Low Profile, Mobility, Cammo, Gun Handling)

Tank Destroyers (Tank Class not often requested)

• 1. Object 268 4 (Armor++, Mobility)
  • 2a. T110E3 (Rammer, Turbo, Hardening) / Usage (DPM, Armor, Alpha)(Armor+++, Alpha)
  • 2b. T110E4 (Rammer, Turbo, Hardening) / Usage (DPM, Armor, Alpha)(Armor++, Alpha)
  • 2c. Minotauro (Turbo, Hardening, Optional) / Usage (Armor, DPM/Burst)

Tier 10 HoKx Clan – CLAN WARS

Heavy Tanks

¹ Open/Flat Maps

• 1. 279 (e) (Hardening, Turbo, Rammer) / (StronK All-round Armor+++)
  • 2a. Object 260 (Hardening, Turbo, Rammer) /(Armor++, Turret Armor++, mobility+)
  • 2b. IS-7 (Hardening, Turbo, Rammer) / (Armor++, Turret Armor+++, mobility)
  • 3c. VZ-55 (Hardening, Turbo, Optional) / (Burst Dmg, Turret Armor, mobility)
    • 3a. Object 277 (Hardening, Turbo, Rammer) / (Alpha, Mobility)
    • 3b. WZ-111 5A (Hardening, Turbo, Rammer) / (Alpha, Mobility)
    • 3c. AMX 50 B (Hardening, Turbo, Optional) / (Burst dmg)

² Closed/Small Maps

• 1. E 100 (Hardening, Turbo, Rammer) / (DPM, Armor, HP)
  • 2. Maus (Hardening, Turbo, Rammer) / (Armor++, HP+)
    • 3a. T110E5 (Hardening, Turbo, Rammer) / (Armor, DPM+)
    • 3b. 60TP (Hardening, Turbo, Rammer) / (Alpha++, Armor)
    • 3c. AMX 50 B (Hardening, Turbo, Optional) / (Burst dmg)

³ Hull Down Maps

• 1. T95/FV4201 Chieftain (Hardening, Turbo, Rammer) / (Mobility, Turret Armor)
  • 2a. Super Conqueror (Hardening, Turbo, Rammer) / (Mobility, Turret Armor)
    • 3a. Kranvagn (Hardening, Turbo, Optional) / (Turret Armor++, Burst dmg)
    • 3b. Vz.55 (Hardening, Turbo, Optional) / (Burst dmg, Alpha)
    • 3c. AMX 50 B (Hardening, Turbo, Optional) / (Burst dmg)

Medium Tanks

¹ Open/Flat Maps

• 1. CS-63 (Hardening/Optional, Turbo/Optional, Rammer/Optional) / (Mobility+++, Gun Handling)
  • 2. Object 907 (Hardening, Turbo, Rammer) / (DPM, Mobility, Gun Handling)
    • 3. Object 140 (Hardening, Turbo, Rammer) / (DPM. Mobility+)
      • 4a. STB-1 (Hardening, Turbo, Rammer) / (DPM+, Gun depression)
      • 4b. Leopard 1 (CVS, Optics/Binos, Optional) /(Shell Velocity = EBR Hunter)
      • 4c. TVP T50/51 (Hardening, Turbo, Optional) / (Burst Potential, Mobility)
      • 4d. B-C 25 t (Hardening, Turbo, Optional) / (Burst dmg)
      • 4e. M60 (Hardening, Rammer, Turbo/Optional) / (Gun Handling++, Mobility++)

² Closed/Small Maps

• 1. Object 907 (Hardening, Turbo, Rammer) / (DPM, Mobility, Gun Handling)
  • 2a. Object 140 (Hardening, Turbo, Rammer) / (DPM. Mobility+
  • 2b. CS 63 (Hardening/Optional, Turbo/Optional, Rammer/Optional) / (Mobility+++, Gun Handling)
  • 2c. STB-1 (Hardening, Turbo, Rammer) / (DPM+, Gun depression)

³ Hull Down Maps

• 1. STB-1 (Hardening, Turbo, Rammer) / (DPM+, Gun depression+)
  • 2. Udes 15/16 (Hardening, Turbo, Rammer) / (DPM+, Gun depression)

Light Tanks

• 1. Panhard EBR 105 (Extreme Mobility, Alpha)
  • 2. LT-100 (Low Profile, Mobility, Cammo, Gun Handling)
    • 3. AMX 13 105 (Mobility, Alpha, DMG Potential)

Tank Destroyers

¹ Open/Flat Maps

• 1. Strv 103B (Gun Rammer, Optional, Optional) / (Gun Handling, DPM, Camouflage)
  • 2. Grille 15 (Gun Rammer, Optional, Optional) / (Alpha, Mobility)

² Closed/Small Maps

• 1. T110E3 (Gun Rammer, Turbo, Hardening) / Usage (DPM, Armor+++, Alpha)
  • 2a. Minotauro (Turbo, Hardening, Optional) / Usage (Armor, Burst)
  • 2b. Object 268 4 (Gun Rammer, Turbo, Hardening) / Usage (DPM, Armor, Alpha)
    • 3. T110E4 (Gun Rammer, Turbo, Hardening) / Usage (DPM, Armor, Alpha)

³ Hull Down Maps

• 1. T110E3 (Gun Rammer, Turbo, Hardening) / Usage (DPM, Armor+++, Alpha)
  • 2a. Badger (Gun Rammer, Turbo, Hardening) / Usage (Armor++, DPM)
  • 2b. Minotauro (Turbo, Hardening, Optional) / Usage (Armor, DPM/Burst)

Artillery

• 1. Conqueror Gun Carriage (Alpha, Splash Area, Gun Arc)
  • 2. No preference (excluding B-C 155 58)

Quick Rule of Thumb

Tier 10 is generally battled by the best clans in game where you risk facing the best players. This tier is not only hard but can get very expensive quickly as you should expect to be required to fill plenty of gold shells together with directives and premium consumables.

1. “One Commander to Rule them all” – The Commander is always right, if you are asked to drive into the water to drown yourself then you do it. Any disagreement or questions of the commanders orders should be taken after the battle.
2. “Not Random Battle” – The Strongholds is a team effort and your only and single objective should be to support the team to win and not train your crew, deal most damage, most kills or whatever personal goal you set. If you are new to the Strongholds your biggest challenge will be to forget the random battle strategies.
3. “Use your brain” – Make the best out of the scenario you are put into. Do whatever you can within the orders of the commander but as your commander isn’t and should not be a puppet-master, then stick to the plan and use the opportunities that will be served in front of you as the battle evolves.
4. “Voice Com Discipline” – Keep the communication related to the game at hand and keep it at bare minimum. In the heat of the battle having 14 people talking simultaneously or listening to a very interesting story of how your shell missed a tank might seem very interesting but it is not adding anything to the battle at hand.
5. “Focus Fire” – The single most important rule to get an advantage in any team battle. Cant shoot at the target? Take out the one with lowest health. There are too many battles lost 0-7 or similar where the enemy team has all their tanks at a one shot. 2 nearly dead tanks are stronger than one at full health if played correctly.
6. “Arty Ready” – When the Commander yells ‘Arty Ready’ look upon the skies for artillery shells if your groups location is spotted by keeping the vehicle mobile. This is especially important for heavy slow targets.
7. “F7 – Spotted!” – Did you get spotted? Click F7, so the commander knows what your opponent teams know. Yelling “spotted” takes valuable time away unless your voice an tank is unique. The combat intelligence is one of the most important aspects to the game, this only increases as you progress further up in the Strongholds Tier.

Brand new Strongholds Communication Guidelines – Free to Use by any clan and any tank commander to their liking ;o)

This checklist consist of the various Quick Communication methods that the HoKx Clan is utilizing in their Strongholds / Skirmish / Clan Wars and other competitive game modes.

Version 1.06 – Updated 14th of July 2021

 

– General Quick Rules of Thumb –

1. “One Commander to Rule them all” – The Commander is always right, if you are asked to drive into the water to drown yourself then you do it. Any disagreement or questions of the commanders orders should be taken after the battle.
2. “Not Random Battle” – The Strongholds is a team effort and your only and single objective should be to support the team to win and not train your crew, deal most damage, most kills or whatever personal goal you set. If you are new to the Strongholds your biggest challenge will be to forget the random battles strategies.
3. “Use your brain” – Make the best out of the scenario you are put into. Do whatever you can within the orders of the commander but as your commander isn’t and should not be a puppet-master, then stick to the plan and use the opportunities that will be served in front of you as the battle evolves.
4. “Voice Com Discipline” – Keep the communication related to the game at hand and keep it at bare minimum. In the heat of the battle having 7 people talking simultaneously or listening to a very interesting story of how your shell missed a tank might seem very interesting but it is not adding anything to the battle at hand.
5. “Focus Fire” – The single most important rule to get an advantage in any team battle. Cant shoot at the target? Take out the one with lowest health. There are too many battles lost 0-7 or similar where the enemy team has all their tanks at a one shot. 2 nearly dead tanks are stronger than one at full health if played correctly.

– Commander’s Battle Planning –

• Before the battle the Commander 100% selects the tanks to use
  • *The only temporary exception is if you do not currently have the tank in your garage.
  • *No HoKx Clan members will ever be forced/required to purchase any Premium vehicles, but every member is expected to grind towards the tech tree alternatives as the whole team suffers until then.

• During the first 30 seconds of the Battle Countdown then all non-commander communication is banned.
  • The only Exception is when there are client issues with slow loading or other technical reasons that prevented you from understanding the commands.

– Commander’s Voice Commands –

# Aggressive

• Strong/Full/Aggressive/Yolo Push (can often be noticed in commanders voice level)
  • Fire on the move! Do not Stop and Push Past the tanks for Side and Rear located shots but also to give your team the space to shoot at the Primary Target.
  • Do Not Ram into the Enemy Tank unless you are certain that you will destroy it, as you might be blocking your Comrades shots.

• Slow Push
  • Push, but play the encounter as you would in a random game where precision and trading shots are advantageous.
  • This is not an aggressive push, if preferred then stop to aim.

# Defensive

• Defend!
  • Stay ground with the primary focus of staying alive
  • Staying alive in this case has higher priority than trading shots
• Regroup / Retreat
  • Retreat slowly to live another day

• Fall Back / Run away!
  • Run away immediately at all costs as fast as possible to a safe destination

# Cap Zones

• Cap! or Cap! (Player 1, Player 2, Player 3)
  • In a cap command situation the first 3 tanks that enter the cap does the following
    1. Position your tank as far away from the known enemy location.
    2. Do NOT fire or move your tank unless you are absolutely sure that you are spotted

• • If a capping tank is destroyed;
    • Use it as cover if needed
    • If you are in the cap and are certain that destruction or decap is imminent then look for opportunities to place your “soon to be a tank wreck” in a advantageous defensive location for the remaining capping tanks.
    • If you are destroyed and there are still nearby comrades alive then let the commander known by stating
      • “Only X in cap” (X = number of players in cap)

• •  If Enemy Artillery Has NOT been used;
    • Do NOT place yourself in obvious bush / behind a rock locations
    • Do NOT get super close to your comrades
  • If Enemy Artillery Has been used then;
    • Take the best possible cover unless the enemy has an artillery and your expected location is obvious.

• Defend Cap! (1 player or more)
  • Your first and utmost priority is to stay alive long time enough to make those important “decap” shots count!
    • If there are more than 3 targets inside the cap, then a skilled team would place their non cap points tanks in the front.
    • If enemy is seconds away from capping you out, then try to decap as many tanks as possible.
  • If solo against a complete enemy team where your destruction is imminent upon an attempt;
    • It can often be more useful to let the enemy team gather lot of cap points (5-10 seconds left), perfectly enough for you to remove as many cap points as possible in that vital single shot attempt.

• Clean Cap! (Player 1 or more)
  • Destroy all buildings in the cap circle and/or buildings close by that potentially later during the game could prevent a fast decap attempt by your team.

– Tank Squad Communication Commands – 

# When Spotted

• “F7 Button (Help!)”
  • When spotted click instantly “F7″ to make your team aware that the enemy team knows your position
  • This has to be utilized during the course of the match

# Receiving Fire from long range without being engaged in direct combat

• Click on the Map where the shots you are receiving shots from
  • Speak “Shots from (Tank Name)” of the vehicle firing at you
    • “Shots from “Multiple Tanks“
    • “Shots from “Several Tanks“
    • “Shots from “Loads of tanks“
    • “Shots from “Their whole team“
    • “Shots from “X tanks or (tank names)” if you are certain”

# When enemy artillery has been used

• If you notice enemy artillery has been fired then speak “Enemy Arty X“(X = amount of tanks it destroyed)
  • If unknown whether it killed any speak “Enemy Arty fired“

# When Forced to Disobey Orders

• When you are absolutely sure your tank will be destroyed upon following a certain order without any form of tactical benefit;
  • Speak “Negative” and click “F6” for the commander to notice which tank it is on the map that is held down by the enemy forces.
  • If the commander repeats the order directly at YOU then you Push no matter the outcome, disobeying orders here are not allowed under ANY circumstances (All feedback is taken after the game).

– Forward Observer (Artillery Barrage) – 

# General Communication

• When Artillery is 15 seconds from being ready to Launch
  • Speak “Arty 15 seconds“
• When Artillery is Ready to fire
  • Speak “Arty Ready“
• When Arty is fired
  • If Successful – “Arty X” (X = amount of tanks it destroyed)
  • If Unsuccessful – “Arty 0”
    • If Partially – Add “0.5″ (if tanks are survived but damaged 40%+)

# General Guidelines

• It is advisable to agree with the commander whether he wants “Free Arty“, meaning it is 100% up the dedicated forward observer (has a green icon next to his nickname in the Skirmish team group selection) to make the calls.
• If it is NOT free arty then only use it in the following scenarios if not approved;
  • If you are certain that death is imminent then it is ALWAYS your obligation to make sure it is used whether it is on a target or not. (This is due to that the Clan receives bonus resources every time the forward observer artillery has been used)

# Free Arty Guidelines

• In general use the Artillery Barrage in these scenarios;
  • Enemy tank is extremely slow and his movement of direction and placement is 95%+ certain during the next 5-6 seconds.
  • Enemy tank has not moved during the last 6-10 seconds and you find it to be very unlikely that he would be moving any time soon with 95% certainty.
  • When tank squadrons fully engage in point blanc range then tanks very often tend to stay still and not move.
    • It is often here where squadrons tend to gather very closely together and it is here where a well placed artillery can instantly change the outcome.

– New Field Commander Tips & Guidelines –

• Wear the Rank! – In the end it is YOUR responsibility whether the team wins or looses – Try to keep a good commanding tone, don’t be a #### ;o)
• Distribute the responsibility based on experience and skill and as a general rule of thumb you want the most important role to be handled by the best player on your team
  • Most Experienced Player –  Light Tank
    • (Primary role = Providing intel, staying alive, annoying enemy team and delivering support fire)
  • Experienced Players – Medium Tanks
    • (Primary role = Firepower (DPM) & Mobility to quickly & effectively reposition on the battlefield.
  • General Player Base – Heavy Tanks
    • (Primary role = Armor & HP for spearheading aggressive attacks)

• Being a Field Commander can be very stressful therefore it is important to make it as easy for yourself as possible by for example;
  • • Consider playing in a heavy tank and be the first tank to spearhead any attack.
      1. You should not mind sacrificing yourself first as this give you full focus on concentrating on the battlefield tactics.
      2. By taking the charge in a push you lead by an example and your comrades in the rear will easier follow super aggressive pushes.
      3. Use the possibility to give another heavy tank the Forward Observer role (Artillery).
      4. For the ultimate stressful experience = Field Commanding + Arty + Light Tank role (facepalm)
• It is highly recommended to start out leading Tier 6 and move your way up first when you feel that you are absolutely confident in this tier, as for example tier 8 is a gigantic step up and will require 5x times more from you as a Field Commander unless you are blessed with a unicum team of players.