MeinMMO editor Caro was selected from the editorial team to drive some rounds in tanks during the Closed Beta of World of Tanks: HEAT. The problem: She likes neither tanks nor military shooters. Here you get the first impression of the genre-foreign player.
When I was ambushed by our editor-in-chief Leya with access to the Closed Beta of World of Tanks: HEAT, I must admit… let’s say I was “not very excited.” My previous experience with World of Tanks is limited to trailers or other clips, which I merely chuckled at with a shake of my head. I just find tanks silly, and the military vibe tends to push such games to the end of my gaming waitlist.
In principle, HEAT is a hero-based PvP tank shooter where you demonstrate your strategic skills in 5v5 or 10v10 battles and fight for map control. When I realized this, a revelation woke up in me:
I would play it as a hero shooter fan just like Overwatch!
My Introduction to the Closed Beta
When I started the Closed Beta for the first time, I was greeted by a nice menu where you can take a closer look at the agents along with their tanks and customization options. A genre fan would delight in the possibilities and find a favorite based on the abilities and vehicle characteristics. I, however, went by vibes.
Only one character was locked behind the Battle Pass (the only female agent in the game, but okay). I tested myself in AI battles with a few of the different agent-tank dream teams and eventually settled on one favorite: Hound.
Not only did I like Hound’s feel in battle, he was also significantly more “lowkey” than the somewhat forced laid-back sunny boy Kent or the dad one-liners of the defender Chopper. Hound, on the other hand, was quieter, and his edgelord mask with matching remarks made him a bit cringe, but I mean that in an endearing way.
(A bit too far) into the fray
With Hound and his LEO 1A6A1 (which still means nothing to me today), I initially joined other players once again for AI matches to at least give my non-existent tank driver skills a bit of dignity.
As a sniper archetype, I gracefully distanced myself from my team to explore the map and contribute nothing to the battle until I finally experienced that certain feeling every sniper fan knows: Perfect position, strong view, unsuspecting (AI) enemies.
One by one fell victim to my excellent positioning, and this was despite my seemingly superhuman reflexes being hampered by the somewhat cumbersome speed of a tank. And this was exactly what I had to get used to.
I may play like a Widowmaker, but the LEO 1A6A1 cannot aim as quickly as I’m used to in hero shooters like Overwatch. And this created another problem.
After my ego was fed too much by the glorious positioning, I thought it was a good idea to jump straight into the battle. And here I realized – not only is aiming with a tank slow.
Quick peeking behind buildings as well as pushing at the right moment to then retreat in time is much easier said than done with a tank. I couldn’t just quickly flee from a battle to win high ground. I was simply subjected to the clumsiness of this bulky vehicle. Due to my Overwatch expectations, I was mercilessly blown up in World of Tanks in split seconds. But I kept wanting to say “just one more round” because I wanted to get better.
I actually learned…?
The solution to my lack of synergy between shooter knowledge and complete misunderstanding of tank speed: Hound’s wonderful primary ability “Decoy.” Through a deployable tank decoy that perfectly resembles the LEO 1A6A1, opponents are supposed to confuse it with the player and target it instead. When the decoy is destroyed, it “heals” the original.
The decoy regularly became my lifesaver in battle, not as a distraction – but as a protective barrier when I had unfortunately positioned the sniper tank right in the line of fire.
You can place up to 3 decoys with respect to a cooldown, which create a perfect barrier of “fake LEO 1A6A1s” when placed side by side. Maybe I have created a great trick here, or perhaps future players will just be smart enough to choose the right positioning.
Despite zero motivation, HEAT did quite a bit right
In my first hours, it quickly became clear to me: When my honest zero-motivation attitude meets a lack of know-how – how can I report on it fairly? But that created a strong plus point. Because the entry was really easy even for someone as extremely noob as me, despite some bravado.
The UI is clear and understandable, and even if you have no idea about tanks and what they are capable of, both the controls and the gameplay and missions are intuitive, self-explanatory, and not complicated at all. I never felt overwhelmed by the game at any moment. And I caught myself in moments when I found the game fun … I mean, of course, not as terrible as expected.
Have I become a fan of the genre through the Closed Beta of World of Tanks: HEAT? No – but I don’t have to.
You can’t expect every game to truly engage every gamer. Especially when it already has a large fanbase full of players who are absolutely crazy about tanks, who develop from fellow players to friends, and are absolutely ecstatic when a tank gets a new paint job. That’s what it’s all about.
What I can say: I still find tanks silly and additionally just too cumbersome and slow, but… if I ever – for whatever reason – get invited by friends to a round or two of HEAT… then Hound, LEO 1A6A1, and I will be ready to ruin the opponents’ sight together.
Before World of Tanks was blessed by my humble self, it had already welcomed a significantly more famous personality. And this is a hero you actually know from another genre: In World of Tanks, “Doctor Strange” will soon be hiding in your garage, and you can even score him as a commander
Your opinion is important to us!
Do you like the article? Then let us know!