World of Tanks vs World of Warships: Which One Suits You Better?
World of Tanks and World of Warships are both flagship titles from developers Wargaming. When it comes to authentic war PvP games featuring period-accurate vehicles and ships, no one does it better. So if you haven’t played either, you’re probably wondering which one suits you best. You’ve come to the right article. Here’s the run-down on what to expect from both games if you’re looking for a new PvP time filler.
The Basics
Before we get to the nitty-gritty, let’s go over what these games are all about. Simply put, you are the commander of a tank or warship. You have full access and control to your vehicles via the garage. You’ll be able to upgrade your tanks and ships with better armaments, weaponry and crew. When beginning, you’ll start with a select variety of Tier 1 vehicles, which begins your journey. The vehicles can be selected from a nation’s roster, so you’ll see choices such as Russia, China, Britain, United States and Germany. Expect to see period appropriate vehicles, from WWII to modern day. You will need to take part in PvP matches and depending on your performance, can earn varying amount of experience points and currency. These will be used for research to obtain higher tier vehicles, and the currency will be used to buy ammunition and vehicles too.
So far, pretty straightforward yes? Let’s go over battles. Standard mode PvP matches pits two teams of 15 (Tanks) or 12 (Warships) against each other. Your objective will be to destroy all players on the opposite side or capture their base to win. Both games now have a variety of modes with different objectives should you wish to break the monotony. Matches will be your primary source of daily fun to earn your XP to progress and research.
Gameplay
When it comes to gameplay, both games offers that unique style that other online games can’t match. You’re literally controlling and driving your tanks and ships in battle. Players are given full control over everything – from steering, aiming and pulling the trigger. It’s hugely satisfying. The one key difference between the two is the setting obviously. Tanks is primarily a land battle game, while Warships takes place on sea. Both have similar aspects within a match, such as earning points for spotting/scouting, long range artillery strikes and more.
Between the two, World of Tanks have been around longer, so expect it to have a larger player base. There’s plenty of players online no matter which region you select. This makes finding matches quick and easy. World of Warships is the newer title, and as such it’s still growing. However, Warships is the more refined of the two. Wargaming has taken all its experience from making Tanks and used it in Warships. As a result, the gameplay is a lot more modern, integrating player feedback from World of Tanks too. For example, in Warships, you get XP for capturing points too, which you don’t on Tanks.
Pacing is another key difference when it comes to these two. Matches on World of Tanks are meant to be fast paced and all action. Each match can vary for players, lasting the full 15 minutes or you could get knocked out in 3 minutes, at which point you simply head back to the garage and queue for another. World of Warships slows things down by just a hair. Navigating the seas for battles in large navy cruisers isn’t like riding a speedboat, and thus it feels authentic with its pacing. Of course there are faster, smaller ships for scouting too, but expect the pace of matches to be different here.
Weather Mechanics
What sets these two games further apart are the unique mechanics that affects matches too. In World of Warships, weather is a factor that plays a role in your success or failures in mid to high tier matches. Random cyclones and storms will be introduced at different points during a match, which reduces the spotting range of ships. It’s a pretty realistic feature that sadly, World of Tanks does not incorporate.
The Grind
If you’re not familiar with the two games, then pay attention to this point. Because there are so many Tanks and Ships to earn, research and buy beginning from the lowest tier to the top, it can take a long time to get there. Hence, the grind. Therefore, which game’s grind is more accommodating to new players?
In World of Tanks, the grind is very noticeable early on. The starting Tier 1 and Tier 2 tanks (stock tanks) are incredibly under-powered early on which is expected, and the XP gains comes painfully slow. Because of how matchmaking works, each match will pair you against tanks of different Tiers. So you can expect to be getting hammered an awful lot and you’ll be playing a lot of matches in the low tier brackets before you feel like you’re progressing or making a difference. Once you get to Tier 4 and move from a Light tank to a Medium tank, things get a lot better, but again, it takes a long time to get there.
In World of Warships, it’s easy to see that they want to make it a more streamlined experience for players coming from Tanks. The early tier and stock ships are actually competitive. Not all of them are of course, but the XP gains are a lot more friendly here, as compared to World of Tanks, there are multiple ways to gain them besides just spotting and damaging.
Social Aspects & Community
Community are important for online games like these, and both have social systems in place to foster your gaming groups and the wider player base. Both games have guild or clan systems where like minded players can join a company, where you can chat and form groups. You can also form a smaller 3-man platoon for matches, but unlike in World of Tanks, platoons in Warships do get its own separate chat box. This is a feature that the developers have added from player feedback.
As for the community itself, World of Tanks is the veteran of the two, but its community can vary. Frankly, it can get toxic sometimes, as there are plenty of elite players around that’s been playing for years since release. It can be hard for new players to integrate, but that’s entirely down to your mileage. And World of Warship’s community is still growing, and it’s a lot less hostile. On their good days however, both communities are welcoming and it’s rewarding to be a part of.
Graphics & Aesthetics
While World of Warships is the newer title, the graphics aren’t that far off from World of Tanks. Both run on a similar engine and the tanks, ships and map landscapes look good on any setting. As is the case with these games, it’s more about performance rather than looks. From a UI point of view, World of Tanks has the better layout – it’s easy to navigate and simple to understand. World of Warship’s UI is a little cluttered especially in the Shipyard (Garage), but you will get used to it over time.
Which One Should You Play?
Now that you know a little bit more about these games, which one should you play? If you prefer a faster-paced and chaotic land based battles, go with World of Tanks. If you like a slower, more strategic and laid back approach, World of Warships is the better option. It is also a lot more modern with its systems, such as offering players more ways to gain more XP and reducing the grinds somewhat. But ultimately, go with what you want and really, the correct answer is to just play both! It’s free anyway!
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