War Thunder Beginner Guide
A first-week plan for War Thunder: how the loop works, what to do in session one, and the mistakes that waste the most time.
What War Thunder actually is
War Thunder is Gaijin's combined-arms vehicle shooter: planes, tanks, and ships across realistic and arcade modes. The economy and battle ratings are the long game. The loop you will repeat: Research a line, take a lineup that can actually spawn twice, play the objective, then crew the vehicles you keep dying in.
Your first session
Start Arcade to learn lead, then Realistic when spawn and ammo matter. Build a lineup at one battle rating. A single top tank with reserve backups is how you get uptiered into misery. Aim for weak spots, not the armor paint. The protection analysis view is a teacher. Crew skill and spare crews matter. A 0-skill crew is a stat stick.
Mistakes that end runs
Rushing the enemy spawn in a lone tank. You are ammo. Flying with no ammo belt plan and no awareness of energy. Turn fighting a BnZ plane is a donation. Buying a premium that is two BRs above your crew. You will not enjoy it. Ignoring repair costs in Realistic until the silver lions go negative.
What 'good' looks like after a week
You should be able to explain War Thunder's core loop in one sentence, recover from a bad session without rage-reinstalling, and know which mode or map is for learning versus for ego. If you are still lost, re-read the first-session steps instead of hopping to a random viral build.