AP vs HE

[Qui Shon]

This is pretty much how to do it, however I used to run a full AP set on the Batchat as it ran through the rounds so quickly (30 total) having to change to HE for the last (usually higher tier) mid-low HP tanks will result in a horrible death on your part.

Batchat like all tier 9's is roughly 100mm guns, and given the targets they face HE is pretty much useless, as in will do ZERO dmg vs heavily armored parts, and if you hit soft spots AP will penetrate and do more damage. I carry no HE on any of them (T-54, Patton, BatChat).

8 HE shells in my E-100 152mm and 2-5 in all 120mm or larger guns. Only 2 in IS-7 because it doesn't carry 45 shells like German or American tanks.

Yes there's the very odd exception where an IS-4 with its 30mm roof will let you put he on it from your 100mm gun, but usually you're always better off with AP.

[Tordin Varglund]

carry 5 HE in the E-50. Does well enough if you absolutely positively have to decap every single shot.

[Protik]

I must be playing a different game to you guys who never carry HE.

So what about a 20HP IS-4 who is 500m away and you just bounced with AP? A light tank or squishy french med when you have the time to change ammo? Surely its better to do 950 damage instead of 750? My first ever shot with the BL-10 was to track a leopard for no damage. Plenty of times i have missed with HE but was close enough to hit the ground next to the tank and do a bit of damage and track them still.
Most of the time sure, AP is the superior choice. When you just bounced with AP though, and they are ~100HP (depending on what gun you are using etc), you are better off loading HE for the next shot.

[hXc]

I must be playing a different game to you guys who never carry HE.

So what about a 20HP IS-4 who is 500m away and you just bounced with AP?

IS-4 who is 500m away and you just bounced with AP?

who is 500m away

I think I found the problem


also last time I used HE was when I was trying to solo Maus from full hp with IS-4 and then suddenly OUT OF AMMO and I was pinging him for 100hp in the ass. Arty finished him after I died, he was at 150hp at the end

fuck HE, now I only carry one round per tank because that's the amount you'll need once in 1000 games

[dzajic]

Well on all tanks that carry really little ammo (T-34, Type, M103... long long list) I carry only 3 to 4 HE rounds. Even on tanks with truckloads of ammo space I never carry more than 1/4 of full load of HE.

[Al Simmons]

I barely use HE any more, it's pretty bad except in superfatty calibre guns or arty.

Funny story, I soloed 2x IS-4s in my IS-4 because they were too agressive, and I was dealing with a Tiger, when a derp KV rolls round the corner and kapow! Dead IS-4. That was so facepalm-worthy.

[Stormscion]

HE is not THAT reliable
Second thing is if you have to use HE to defeat someone you are probably better doing something else , repositioning shooting something else etc ( for high velocity guns ).

For instance with IS4 and Jgtiger that have small number of shells i carry only two on IS4 and one on JGdtiger HE shells. I had several games where i run out of AP shells with jgtiger , IS4 is notorious in that as well ( it runs out of shells often due to very few shells it carries into battle ) so i carry very limited amount of HE shells for flag stopping or against some specific hull down tanks like T30 ( still probably more viable to shoot for weakspot then to spam HE ) ... also on those guns you can pretty much penetrate everything.

On other tanks that have like tons of shells to carry like maus and tiger yes you can carry a lot of HE shells but in reality you will almost never use more then one or two for exact purpose i mentioned above.

Again if you have to use HE with tiger then you are probably better doing something else , repositioning to flank or shooting other targets ofc there might be case where he has 100hit points and he is last one alive but they are rare. So in those circumstances yes HE might be ok IF you cant flank him , otherwise if you have opportunity to reposition , it is better option then risking with HE.

Remember early game DAMAGE PROJECTION is so so important , you often dont have time to waste shooting HE for 5 minutes on something while enemy is grinding other side of the map. You often have to go in take few shots but destroy enemy tanks quickly with AP.

So HE on long barrel high velocity guns ( majority of the guns in the game ) should be used mainly against capers when you need safe damage to break the cap or even AOE splash them behind cover or wreck when they are flag capping ( with higher caliber guns like 15cm guns etc ). Or only in certain situations that are really really rare ( like coming form behind IS7 with like object or e100 or t30 and shooting HE in the ass might give you huge damage but it might botch as well and give only 300 or 400 if not penetrates instead of expected 1000 damage and almost certain fire outbreak in his engine compartment ).


On short barreled guns HE and AP now have swaped usages. AP has very low and situational use. That means HE should be used almost exclusively.
There are certain situations where AP is better for instance 10.5 howitzer can penetrate 3002 side armor at 90 degrees almost always doing ~320 damage damage while HE rarely penetrates doing at best ~200 damage so in that case i know it is great to use AP ( same is with 152 of KV that can penetrate side of the tiger with AP easy while on KT it is possible but gamble ). But again those situations are rare and you should not be carrying more then 10 or 15% of shells as AP when using those guns.

[Varcaus]

Use HE in my Tiger to one hit scouts also.

[Dahak]

For the most part I've dropped the HE loadout in my vehicles to 4-5 shells, or even just two in the IS-4 (probably being eliminated entirely in the future, the new version has more damage/magazine but empties it even faster). I've dropped them entirely on the Type 59, which has ammo problems during extended games. I've actually had to resort to ramming on at least a couple occasions. It is useful a few times, though. My Maus CW loadout is 24 APCR, 24 AP and 20 HE (pub 48 AP 20 HE), since the rear of the T110 and sides/rears of the 50B and BatChat are all essentially assured penetrations. One occasion I've had the opportunity to blast a T110 in the back with HE, they light on fire quite well when you do that.

[Lana Torrin]

I'm also not sure im playing the same game as you guys.. HE almost always done a little bit of damage for me.. Enough to warrant taking say 10 rounds or so in most guns.. I mean im never going to go through 70 rounds of AP anyway so why not drop that to 60 and on the off chance I find someone I keep bouncing on, switch to HE and at least stop them charging right at me..

[PraetorNZ]

a lot of the high tier tanks if you play a decent game but decide to take 10 HE thats half the shells you need at the end that are HE instead of AP

[MicrosoftSam]

batchat, 50/120, 50b are highest tier non arty. 0 HE on any of those. If I can't pen, HE is not gonna help.

[ctrlchris]

ap makes me so mad when it *should* pen but bounces

[Lana Torrin]

ap makes me so mad when it *should* pen but bounces

http://wiki.worldoftanks.com/Battle_...tion_Mechanics

[ctrlchris]

ap makes me so mad when it *should* pen but bounces

http://wiki.worldoftanks.com/Battle_...tion_Mechanics

I, too, have read the wiki.

e-
Im talking like when a Hummel bounces a round from a KT at close range and you just sit there going :boggle:

[Thukker]

8 degree bounces, track absorbs, etc etc. It happens.

[Stormscion]

ap makes me so mad when it *should* pen but bounces

http://wiki.worldoftanks.com/Battle_...tion_Mechanics

I, too, have read the wiki.

e-
Im talking like when a Hummel bounces a round from a KT at close range and you just sit there going :boggle:

It happens when you hit the gun of the arty , you have to aim because they have quite huge guns compared to the rest of the spg that is why it happens often.

[Dr Halberstam]

My Su-85B's top gun has 160 AP and 280 HE damage - the latter with only 44 pen, though.

First couple matches I had only AP as I considered HE worthless due to no penetration. Recently though I have started rolling with 13 of my 43 rounds HE - I found using HE on bottom tier targets can be very rewarding:

even the 44mm penetration suffices for soft, little (~200 hp) targets like low tier SPGs and Marders, and the vastly improved (almost 1,5x) damage of HE guarantees an OHKO (whereas I might have needed a second shot with AP for that pesky 10% of hp left on the target - e.g. Marders have 170 hp for my 160 dmg)

And of course there was that embarassing time when I had no HE, and plinked like 10 (!) times in a row at a hull down, 50hp T29 for no effect while he was killing someone else. HE would have killed him, I think.

[RazoR]

I now have 50% AP ammo on my KV-2 for oneshotting anything up to tier 5 heavy tanks.

Also HE works great on frenchies. AMX 50 100 oneshot from a GWP is always a good laugh.

[Lusulpher]

i always have terrible rolls using HE on arty so just stick with AP. dont usually carry more than 5 HE on any tank

Yeah, seriously. HE is so bad now it doesn't even do reasonable damage to open top arty, I always have AP loaded. Only exceptions are the specialist guns and resetting cap.

5 HE, rest AP, unless you are in an arty/derpmobile. And even derpmobiles can be placed on a flank and use AP.