War Thunder Basics

I'm not even going to install this I don't have a joystick...
This game is extremely mouse friendly in all but the strictest simulation mode. You point your mouse where you want to go and the plane will go there. If you do want to fly with a stick there is a simulation mode which is essentially a lighter version of IL-2. Everyone will be stuck in cockpit view and have to use either a real bad form of mouse input or a stick, so you won't be at a disadvantage. Otherwise you should definitely use a mouse.

What is even going on with this launcher?
It's a big piece of ♥♥♥♥ and you might need to actively change settings to make it work and sometimes it destroys your network if you have an old wireless router. Also weirdly it will sometimes go (much) faster if you set your language to Russian and then restart so try that if you're having problems. If you still can't fix it many people suggest using Peer Block[forums.peerblock.com] to limit connections and just complete their updating overnight.

Free to play? More like pay to win!
Despite really encouraging you to spend money, this game is surprisingly free of that sort of ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. Paid options allow you to either reduce or bypass the grind entirely, and paid vehicles are either reskins of other nations or weird gimmick planes and prototypes that are generally evenly matched with their free counterparts and often not especially functional outside their niche. There are no premium-only upgrades / ammunition or anything like that and when you lose it will probably be because you did something dumb, not because you didn't pay an extra five dollars.

But what if I do want to spend money?
I put a lot more information in the "Research and Currencies" section but in short you should probably limit yourself only to buying premium aircraft and premium time, unless you absolutely MUST have a pin-up decal or one of the thirty camouflages for the P-40. If you want to spend a good amount of money and get a great deal, this pack on Steam gives you a good amount of premium time, a ton of premium currency and a couple solid planes.

World War 2 MMO? What does that even mean?
That's probably not the most accurate way to describe it. In nearly every mode this is an arena shooter with fixed teams, like Counter Strike or Overwatch. You pick a vehicle or group of vehicles and get tossed into a match with up to 31 other strangers flying roughly comparable aircraft. There is also a stupid experience point based system that unlocks new things, just like every game since Call of Duty 4.

What's the best nation / plane?
Seriously every nation has several great planes, and every plane works really well so long as it is behind another plane and shooting bullets into them. Figure out what you like to do (shoot planes, drop bombs, whatever) and unlock planes that do that. Try to play every nation a little just to get a feel for them, but never be afraid to research and unlock things simply because they look cool.

How are you guys doing all these crazy maneuvers?
Bind controls to the keyboard and use that so your camera doesn't go crazy and you can do exactly what you want rather than what the instructor thinks you want.

Also, in case you're coming from one of those other games, please note:
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO FLY THE PREVIOUS PLANE TO UNLOCK THE NEXT ONE. FLY YOUR FAVORITE PLANE(S). UNLOCK ALL THE PLANES.

When you first log into War Thunder you will be prompted to choose a starting nation out of the five available; United States, Germany, USSR, UK / Commonwealth, and Japan. The only impact this choice has is which nation's starting premium vehicle you receive. Russia's premium "Zhukovsky's I-153-M62" is the "best" due to its broken tiering but is by no means a requirement. Each of the starter premiums can also be purchased for less than $2.00 of premium currency if you decide you want a different one.

Controls
Unless you're planning to fly in simulator mode (discussed later) you should leave your control type and mouse usage set to "Mouse Aim". Modifications I suggest you make to the default scheme include:

Aircraft Control
Main Control Axes
Rebind the throttle axis away from W/S. Shift and control are good alternatives.
Set "Hold Throttle for WEP" to no.
Set pitch axis to W/S.
Mechanization
Consider binding keys to control flaps up / flaps down, instead of using toggle flaps. This will give you finer control at the expense on an additional key. I use F/V respectively and rebind toggle flaps to a distant key since I no longer use it.
Ensure you have a reachable key for air brakes if you plan to dive bomb, especially in realistic battles.
Camera Control
Ensure keys are bound for external view, virtual cockpit, gunner view and bomber view.
Tracking Camera: Enemy locks your view to an enemy while held and is extremely important - I use it so much it's bound to right click, but anything accessible that still allows you to fly with keyboard controls will work.
You may find it convenient to bind a key to look back / look down.
Sense of flight should be at least 50%, more at your preference. This will create a rocking / buffeting effect when your plane begins to stall or overspeed, helpful if you aren't focused on your speedometer.
Miscellaneous
Aerobatics smoke is important to troll your opponents, make sure you bind it.
Instructor
Turn every option off here.

Mouse Aim
Adjust aim control sensitivity and aim sensitivity to your own personal preference and mouse sensitivity. I use 35% and 25% respectively but differences in mouse DPI, system settings and your own preference may result in wildly different numbers here.
Ensure mouse smoothing is off.

Common Controls
Basic
Bind keys to tactical map and statistics to help you navigate and metagame, respectively.
Binding a key to leave the vehicle allows you to graciously quit in RB, avoid watching your aircraft flat spin to the earth for 45 seconds, and give people team kills whenever they nick you with light machine gun fire.
Lock Target is important if you listened to me and bound a key to "Tracking Camera", as you will track whatever target is locked. Middle mouse is convenient for this.
View Controls
Since I've already used right mouse for tracking camera, I assign zoom to Z, where I can reach it while still flying with the keyboard.
Mouse look activation should also be accessible - hold it down to look around you without making your plane have a small seizure.
Voice Messages
You don't need a control to message your squad, only your team.
Setting four favorite radio messages will make them available in the quick selection dialogue - I recommend "Attack my target" for callouts, "I'm attacking my target!" so you can accuse people of killstealing later, "Follow me" to report your own position, and "Cover me" so your teammates will continue to ignore your plight.

You may also wish to proceed through the individual controls and verify they are to your liking. Some options which are by no means critical but may be nice to have at some point are separate fire bindings for cannons and MGs (along with a "fire everything" button), an easy to access rocket binding, and if you enjoy bombing then keys for opening bomb bay doors and "drop bomb series" to dump everything explosive out of the aircraft.

Other Game Options
Main Parameters
Guns targeting distance (m) is a global default convergence range (discussed later!) and can be modified on a per aircraft basis. In general 300 meters is a safe setting which you can extend outward for specific aircraft or with more experience.
Vertical targeting is also a global default and in general should be off. It will also be discussed with convergence later and you can make the decision to modify it.
Aerobatics smoke type is an important setting since the default white is not very good for trolling. Wingtip purple is an excellent choice, or with your friends you may decide to fly red, white and blue or some other combination. Let your creativity run wild!
Autopilot for gunner and bomb sight modes should be set to "always".
Automatic aircraft rearmament on the airfield should be on.
Units are up to you, but this guide will typically use km/h, meters, kilometers, m/s, and °C.
Join already going battles is optional - it will place you in games with less waiting but will rarely bring you into matches at a disadvantage due to starting late. This is usually only a problem in ground forces games as you have many more options when flying. In general it's safe to leave this on until you're frustrated by it.
Graphics
This is not a tweak guide! Play with the settings or find someone to help you if you're worried about every last FPS. This game is very well optimized though so you shouldn't have many issues even at higher settings with older or less powerful video cards.

PostFX Settings
Not a tab but a button in the lower left of the game options window, PostFX can be adjusted to increase contrast, helpful for spotting undetected targets in realistic and simulator battles. Adjust until you find a setting that looks and plays well for you.

Interface
Crosshair is personal preference but something with a focal point can be helpful for aiming and a shape that isn't a circle will help you to distinguish your point of aim from your mouse aiming cursor.
Crosshair color should be as highly contrasting against blue skies and brown and green terrain as possible.
Indicated air speed should be on.
Maximize the damage indicator scale unless you have a small monitor / resolution, to allow you to easily identify damaged components.
Show leading should be on.
Show indicators should be on and set to "for all"
Indicators nick (player name), enginery (vehicle type), and distance should be set to on. Title is optional.
Fuel, ammo, and temperature indication should be set to always.
Enemy nameplates should be as contrasting as possible, often a neon pink works better than the default red.
Display aircraft damage should be set to yes.
Sound
Ensure that engine and gunfire volume are prominent however you set up your mix. This will help you hear unnoticed enemy planes approaching and firing on you.
Consider muting radio chat volume to avoid hearing the radio spam that is common in many matches.

Arcade battles (AB) are a relaxed or cartoonish approach to War Thunder, depending on who you ask. AB mode uses a less realistic flight and physics model which generally allows for greater maneuverability and energy retention, and allows all control types. Maps are also smaller and feature closer spawns, resulting in fast action and chaotic merges. Both teams can be composed of planes from any nation, allowing for fights between allied or even same-nation aircraft.

Other features of AB include:
Air spawns allow a player to get into action almost immediately.
Unlimited ammunition through use of in-air reloading. At player discretion or when emptied or jammed, weapons will enter a reloading state. Smaller caliber weapons like machine guns reload faster than large cannons, and bombs and rockets take even longer. When the countdown is complete, the weapon is reloaded.
All views allowed.
Players can fly out as many aircraft as they bring to the match.
No risk of damaging the aircraft or its components through excessive speeds or G-forces.
Enemies are highly visible even from long ranges and will show indicators when detected.
Enemy aircraft will display lead indicators within 700 meters, showing a rough estimate of wear to aim.
A few mission types (with several maps for each) are available in AB. Ground strike requires aircraft to destroy ground targets like armored cars, tanks, and pillboxes in order to drain enemy tickets and secure a win. Domination maps have one or more uncontrolled airfields which are captured when an aircraft touches down on them. The team with the most controlled airfields will drain the enemy's tickets. Air domination is almost a pure team death match experience, and features a single airborne control point in the center of the map that can only be captured once all enemy forces are destroyed or driven away.

Realistic battles (RB) are a combination of simulator's more rigorous flight model and many of the quality of life features found in arcade, set in historical battles with restricted teams. This mode has largely become the most competitive as it has a decent learning curve while still being accessible to pilots without flight sticks or other accessories. Most missions have one or more objectives that are usually ignored in favor of attempting to eliminate all enemy aircraft, which ends the game immediately.

Features of RB include:
Most missions require most planes to take off from the runway, and there is a lead time of several minutes as both teams climb and get into position.
All views allowed.
Only one aircraft spawn is allowed per match. You select your aircraft by choosing it in the hangar view before queuing. Damaged aircraft can be landed on friendly airfields or carriers to repair and rearm.
Limited fuel and ammunition. You must return to base for more.
Flying too fast (usually as a result of a steep dive) or pulling back too hard on the stick will cause your wings to rapidly abandon the rest of your aircraft. You will often have a brief warning before this occurs.
Lowering your flaps or gear at high speeds may also result in the rapid shedding of said modules.
More advanced engine management. War Emergency Power (WEP) can be used indefinitely, but engine overheating is now possible and will damage your aircraft.
Enemies will often remain undetected (visible as "dots" but not highlighted or on the map) until they are much closer.
No lead indicator.
Combined Arms Realistic Battles
Accessible through realistic tank battles, combined arms matches allow players who do well in their tank battle to then use aircraft from another hangar slot. All the features of RB are still present but indicators are completely eliminated for enemy aircraft, requiring players to spot dots and chase them down. Allows for high level griefing when you unleash multiple tons of high explosives on players in heavy tanks.

Unlike AB and RB there is no "standard" way to access simulator battles. Missions must be accessed from the events menu and are usually one of the following game types:

Enduring Confrontation
Enduring Confrontation (EC) is one of two constantly running simulator battle modes. Games are typically multiple hours long and allow join and drop in progress. Unlike other modes which have a singular set of objectives at mission start, EC presents a dynamic battlefield with shifting front lines, multiple airfields, and a number of changing objectives. Fighters may be called on to attack or defend AI bomber formations or reconnaissance aircraft, and of course engage aircraft flown by enemy players. Bombers and attackers will be able to attack strategic points, aid ground forces attacking or defending objectives, or strafe convoys behind enemy lines. Achieving several objectives may push enemy lines further back and allow the seizure or destruction of one or more of their airfields.

EC is divided into five different eras of aircraft to keep match-ups fair and prevent post-war jets from bouncing interwar biplane designs. This mode is exclusive to aircraft and has a unique spawn system allowing for infinite respawns of all aircraft so long as you can afford to pay their repair fee up front, with some caveats based on their battle rating. Aircraft with low battle ratings for the match can spawn without a point cost while aircraft at the higher end of the bracket will need to be paid for with spawn points, earned through battle activity, and may also be restricted on a timer. Because of the match requirements, there will never be a situation where you cannot spawn at least one plane.

This mode is often considered the more difficult of the two, as all players will be flying and focused primarily on threats in the air. The larger map and lack of focal point may make locating enemies frustrating, and it is less likely you'll be able to ambush a player focused on ground targets.

Tank Simulator Battles
Similar to CARB, tank simulator battles allow player controlled aircraft and tanks to fight on the same map. This mode has a small zone for tanks to battle and a much larger map for the aircraft to use. Airfields are often some distance from the battle area, allowing ground forces to disperse and avoid being bombed in their own spawn area. Due to the focal tank battle area, aircraft are usually easier to find and engage, and are often focused on ground attack missions so can be a good target for beginning simulation players. The major downside to flying in tank simulator battles is they are first and foremost missions for tanks. Some games you will fly for the entire match and not see another aircraft.

Unlike Enduring Confrontation, spawns are restricted

Features of SB include:
Most missions require most planes to take off from the runway. Because of prominent engine torque and joystick control, takeoff can be very difficult for new players. Most players elect to remain closer to the ground (<3 km altitude) to help detect enemy aircraft, but there is still a substantial lead time before meeting enemy forces.
View is restricted to cockpit only once aircraft is in motion.
Controls are restricted to a physical joystick or a highly unintuitive mouse control.
Spawn limits are based on match type. Enduring confrontation allows unlimited spawns of multiple planes while tank simulator battles restrict the player to a single spawn of any allowed aircraft.
Limited fuel and ammunition.
Same flight model as RB, but without the game's virtual instructor feature to stabilize the aircraft. This results in far more stalls, spins, and other departures from controlled flight.
Enemy aircraft do not show any indicators and friendly aircraft will only display indicators at extremely short range (<900 meters), either on screen or the tactical map.

United States
American aircraft are very similar to many Americans in that they are extremely heavy.

Their fighters are characterized by powerful engines, excellent durability, large fuel and ammunition reserves, and an excess of wing mounted .50-caliber heavy machine guns. These features limit their acceleration, climb, roll, and turn rates but also grant them excellent energy retention, high top speeds and the ability to deliver large volumes of fire and take shots at longer ranges to harass or even destroy fleeing targets.

American bombers continue this trend, featuring solid armor and robust designs, a plethora of defensive turrets with good coverage also equipped with powerful heavy machine guns, and reasonable bomb loads. American forces lack dedicated ground attack aircraft outside of a few naval dive bombers, and instead impress fighter or bomber airframes into the role. This creates monstrosities like the P-47D, which is an excellent high altitude fighter that can also be equipped with 2,500 lbs. of bombs and ten rockets, or the PBJ-1H, a navalized B-25 which retains all the defensive guns and a 2,000 lbs. bombload but also incorporates eight forward firing fixed heavy machine guns and a 75mm cannon in the nose.

The United States also has arguably the best premium aircraft tree in the game and features iconic aircraft from most nations. The German Fw 190 and Bf 109, the British Spitfire and the Japanese A6M Zero are all present along with a collection of prototype designs like the pusher propeller equipped XP-55 or the twin-engine Grumman XP-50 which lives up to its name of "Skyrocket".

Germany
The German fighter tree has a heavy emphasis on boom and zoom and energy fighting tactics, making them ideal for players who like to fly high, go fast and swoop in to destroy targets at their leisure with some of the most effective cannons in the game. Germany also has several heavy fighters which are challenging to use against other aircraft but can be effective improvised ground attack platforms. Like the United States, German fighters are not terribly agile, though their lighter construction and center-mounted armament generally allow them better acceleration, climb, and roll rate.

German bombers and attackers are not terribly effective - generally every airframe has at least some glaring defect with its defensive layout which can be easily exploited and most aircraft are relatively underpowered, restricting their top speed, acceleration and maneuverability. If left alone however, German bombers can do serious damage. Even the lowly Ju 87 R-2 can bring a 1000 kg bomb, and the He-111 H-3 can bring twice that payload, both at a BR of only 1.7 (AB)!

German ground attack is somewhat better than its bomber fleet but still has many questionable options. For example, the Ju 87G series for omits bombs for two wing-mounted 37mm cannons with only 12 rounds per gun. The combination of an underpowered engine, low ammunition capacity and convergence issues associated with outboard weapons make this Stuka almost useless. Meanwhile, the Me410 B-6/R3 is a capable airframe that brings two 30mm cannons with 120 rounds per gun capable of nearly the same penetration as the 37mm at typical engagement ranges, along with two 20mm offensive guns and two 13mm defensive turrets.

Soviet Union
The Soviet Union is a generalist nation with two distinct fighter lines throughout most of the game. Compared to each other, the Yak series is slightly more agile and the LaGG / La series is slightly faster, but both must play against their opponent's weakness to do well. In general Soviet fighters have acceptable armament, usually one or more nose mounted cannons but suffer from low ammunition capacity and thus demand good marksmanship and fire discipline. The benefit of this is lowered weight, especially in the wings, allowed for good climb and roll rates and excellent acceleration. Soviet fighters tend to suffer more in the late game as the aircraft they face become more specialized and pilots play to their strengths, but early to mid game a good pilot can dominate in Soviet aircraft.

Early Soviet bombers are not very effective. The SB 2M series suffers from a small payload and poor defensive weapons, the Ar-2 is too heavy for precise dive bombing and its bombs are too small for anything else, the IL-4 brings a better payload but retains the terrible defensive situation, and the Pe-2 is a strange combination of ground attack aircraft, dive bomber and conventional bomber that does none of these things particularly well and is actually best served by eschewing bombs altogether in favor of rockets. The Pe-8 is the first bright spot in the Soviet lineup, capable of a massive bombload (including a single 5000 kg bomb), good defensive coverage and excellent durability. The Yer-2 ACh-30B (E and L) is also excellent for its ability to scream past enemy interceptors in a dive and release up 500 kg of ordnance on a target.

Soviet ground attack is a sore point as well. The near legendary IL-2 is not very effective in game due to the lack of shaped charge bomblets for antitank use or sufficient lighter targets for strafing with cannons and machine guns. Both it and the Pe-3 are best used for rocket attacks over other methods of engagement. The BB-1 and Su-2 are acceptable for their BR, acting more as light fighter-bombers than ground attackers, but their small payload still hampers their efficacy against armored targets. Most Soviet fighters are also of limited value against against ground targets, with most carry no bombs or very limited payloads.

United Kingdom
The British fighter tree contains one of the most versatile turnfighters in the entire game, the beautiful Supermarine Spitfire. A variety of models are available, from the prewar Mk Ia all the way to Griffon engine equipped postwar Spitfires like the Mk 22 and 24. Hurricanes are somewhat slow but acceptably agile gun platforms, mounting up to a dozen .303 machine guns in the wings, Typhoons are heavy but powerful energy fighters also capable of competent ground attack, and their successors are just as useful in that role but even more effective in the air. The British also have access to the Beaufighter, a twin-engine heavy fighter adapted from a bomber airframe packing four nose mounted 20mm Hispano cannons at a surprisingly low battle rating, and later the Mosquito and Brigand, potent ground attackers. Overall the British tree has aircraft that fill nearly every niche, but unlike generalist Soviet aircraft British vehicles are far more specialized for their roles and when played to their strengths very dominant.

The British also have an acceptable lineup of bombers, though most lack any sort of real defensive armament due to the lower risk of enemy air attack during their historical mission of night bombing operations. However most of their bombers do come with impressive payload options - the Hampden can bring 4,000 lbs. of bombs at BR 1.7, even the earliest Wellington can equip the impressive 4,000 lb. "Cookie", excellent in CARB matches to completely obliterate a capture point, and the Halifax, Stirling and Lancaster can bring up to 12,000, 13,500, and 14,000 lbs. of bombs respectively. If you can avoid enemy fighter attention these bombers are more than capable of clearing every strategic point off the map in a single run.

The British premium tree is a collection of aircraft including the American F6F Hellcat, P-51 Mustang and PBY-5a Catalina, Australian designs including the very agile Boomerang, even more Spitfires, and the Wyvern, a turboprop powered contra-rotating propeller equipped ground attack aircraft mounting an arsenal including four 20mm cannons and options for 16 rockets or 3,000 lbs. of bombs.

Japan
The Japanese aviation tree is somehow one of the best kept secrets in the War Thunder community, and it contains some of the best aircraft in the game. Japanese vehicles in general are lightweight and highly agile, able to climb quickly and outturn anything that isn't a biplane. In exchange for this they are very fragile and early variants are undergunned or lack significant ammunition reserves. Japanese battle rating assignment and repair costs are also questionable for some planes, both far too high in some cases and surprisingly low in others. Japanese teams attract some of the more experienced players in the game and you can usually expect more support and success when flying with them.

Japanese fighters are dominant in RB and more than hold their own elsewhere. Their excellent climb rate allows them to have an altitude parity or advantage over most of their opponents, preventing them from being bounced with impunity, and their turn rate allows them to easily destroy any enemy who finds themselves low on energy nearby. Most players are too impatient to outclimb the Japanese aircraft or to extend from a bad situation, and will often foolishly engage in a turnfight. Some of the best examples of Japanese fighters include the iconic A6M2 Zero, the faster and better armed Ki-100, or the amazingly nimble Ki-43, especially the -III otsu model.

Japanese heavy fighters are more limited by comparison but there are still a number of good choices. The Ki-45 lineup has one of the earliest "bloop" guns in the game on the Ki-45 otsu, which sports a nose mounted 37mm at a BR of 2.3 (AB). The Ki-45 tei is one of the few fighters to be equipped with "Schräge Musik", upward firing angled cannons that allow it to engage in surprising circumstances. Later models continue the trend of powerful centrally mounted cannons, high speeds, good energy retention and surprising agility but are still a definite second-best when compared to Japanese single-engine fighters.

Japan has only a few dedicated ground attack aircraft. Early options are slow and lack significant payloads but are highly agile. The B5N2 is the first aircraft with appreciable bombs, but it isn't particularly fast or agile and has pitiful defensive weapons and no offensive armament at all. The B7A2 is a significant improvement, agile enough to dogfight even many dedicated fighters with its dual 20mm, fast enough to not spend the entire mission getting to the target, and equipped with a bomb sight and dive brakes.

Japan does have a tremendous advantage in torpedo bombing over other nations. Many of their attackers (B5N2, B7A2) and larger seaplane bombers (H6K4, H8K2) are equipped with one or more powerful torpedoes, which can be dropped from higher altitudes and at higher speeds than their allied counterparts, while still retaining good speed in the water, an appreciable two kilometer range and solid damage.

Japan's level bombers are more numerous but the line itself is hit or miss. Early examples include the unimpressive Ki-21 but also the monstrous four-engine H6K4 seaplane, a highly durable aircraft with impressive defensive armament (including a 20mm turret) capable of delivering 1600 kg of bombs at BR 2.3 (AB). This is followed by the G4M1 and a string of Ki-49s, remarkably average medium bombers with limited payload for their battle rating. Finally the G5N1 is capable of hefting a respectable 3200 kg and the G8N1 can manage 2400 kg but also comes with a defensive armament of six 20mm cannons and four 13mm heavy machine guns across six well-placed turrets. In general Japan is a much more rewarding nation if you choose to pursue their fighter aircraft instead of attempting to conduct ground attack.

Japan's premium tree has a mashup of American and German aircraft, including the a B-17, F4U, Fw 190 and Bf 109, along with prototype or limited production runs of their own aircraft, like the A7M1 and Ki-100-II.