Art of Strategy FAQ

Commands

Each of the seven vehicles in your squad is a full-fledged AI-controlled combat unit. Watching the battle from a strategic view and assessing the combat situation, you can give them such commands as move, attack, withdraw, defend, and others. The basics of these orders are clear, but here’s some extra info on how exactly the vehicles execute those orders:

Move

Move: Right-click on the ground, the vehicle goes there. Simple, right? Wait—there’s a lot more complexity to that. While moving to the designated position, the vehicle will try to follow a path that has cover protecting it from enemy fire. Moreover, it will stop to shoot if there is a target available:

If the vehicle is undetected and can penetrate the target's armor.
If the target can be destroyed with 1-2 shots and the shot can penetrate its armor.
If the vehicle can inflict more damage than it will receive within the next 5 seconds.

The vehicle will shoot on the move if the chance to hit the selected target exceeds 75%.

Rush

If you double-click on a location and issue a Rush command, the vehicle will follow the shortest path to the location, ignore enemy fire, and shoot on the move.

In any case, once the vehicle arrives, it will search for cover within 25 meters of the specified location—preferably from where it can engage visible targets while being protected from return fire. If undetected, the vehicle will try to hide behind vegetation. Don’t be puzzled if you see your vehicle repositioning a bit after it arrives at the designated location—it's simply searching for an optimal spot.

Your vehicles will always check whether they can engage enemy targets and which ones to attack to the best effect. When doing so, they analyze a great range of parameters such as:

Distance to target: The closer the better.
Exposure: Whether the target has any exposed weak points.
Hit chance: How likely the shot will connect.
Penetration chance: How likely the shot will penetrate.
Enemy remaining HP: Low-HP targets are prioritized.
Base capture: Targets capturing the base are prioritized.
Auto-loaders: All other factors being equal, your vehicles will try to eliminate targets with autoloaders first.
Many other factors.

Attack

When you manually issue an Attack command, the vehicle will only fire at the designated target. It will fire immediately if it has a clear line of fire and the gun is loaded. Then it will search for cover where it is best protected from all visible targets while still able to engage them. If undetected, it will try to hide behind concealment; otherwise it will only look for cover, prioritizing ones that it can reach without losing more than 5% of its HP.

The vehicle may leave cover to make a shot if it will remain undetected, deal more damage than it will receive in return, or if it won’t lose more than 5% of its HP.

Charge

If the enemy is within 80 meters from your vehicle, your vehicle may attempt to circle around the target, and will definitely do so if you issue the Charge order by double-clicking an enemy vehicle.

In this case, the vehicle will close in on the target and circle around it if it has an advantage in movement speed, enabling it to outpace the rotation of the target’s turret. It will shoot the target's tracks if they are still intact or if it cannot penetrate the target’s armor, and will attempt to stay behind the target's gun. Your vehicle may even attempt a ramming attack if it has a weight advantage over the target and isn’t too low on HP.

You can read more about how AI-controlled vehicles make decisions and tactics you can use in the following spoiler:

Strategist Guide

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Prepare Your Squad Carefully

Before charging into battle, check your squad and defenses. One of the ways to best your opponent is to have a plan even before the battle starts. You may want to replace certain—or even all—vehicles in the squad to achieve the synergy you need. Take vehicles you know well.

Pick vehicles that move at approximately the same speed. Mixing vehicles of very different movement speeds and assigning them the same task mean they can't act as a single force and are likely to get separated and destroyed one by one. For instance, the Maus can't catch up with quick Chinese heavies when you send them to attack, meaning the Chinese brawlers would have to wait for the much slower German heavy before they can advance further, losing one of their main advantages—speed.

If you're a natural born attacker, arrange your squad accordingly. Combine quick heavies (such as the IS-7 and Object 277 or the WZ-111 model 5A and 113) and try to outmaneuver your opponent. Take some mobile tank destroyers that can keep up and support your frontline with fire. For instance, The Object 268 Version 4, Object 268 or T110E3 are all good for that role because they pack a punch and have enough armor to survive return fire. Add the Bat.-Châtillon 25 t to the mix for quick spotting and dueling power.

Even if you’re more of a defender, don't go too heavy on the slow and armored component—such vehicles are only capable of straightforward attacks, making you very predictable. Eventually you need to advance into the enemy territory, and that's much harder to do with slow and "blind" superheavy beasts. Try to have at least three vehicles with higher mobility to spearhead your counteroffensive as soon as you fend off the initial enemy attack.

Remember all vehicles available to the Strategist have equipment, best consumables, a crew trained to 100% with skills and perks set for the vehicle type they're manning, and a full rack of special ammunition (all free of change). Don't let your fear of credit costs constrain your strategic talent.

Defenses

Your defenses are an extension of your vehicle squad and should help you fulfil your masterplan. Flamethrowers and AT guns are great at fending off enemy attacks, but they won’t help you on your own offensive, while MRLs and Gun Turrets can provide fire support to your forces even on the opponent's half of the map.

Keep in mind defenses are rarely placed close to main confrontation areas where vehicles meet each other at close range. Most of them start working when one of the teams advances to the enemy’s territory.

Some defenses are self-reliant, such as the Gun Turret. It shoots across the whole map and is very likely to always have targets as long as your vehicles are operational. Even isolated, it has a decent view range of its own and can find its own targets. It will do great in any squad composition.

MRLs are in many aspects similar to the Gun Turret. They have a respectable range, albeit limited to a wide sector of fire. They're destroyed with a single shot, however, so if you pick them, it would be best to "greet" the enemy as far from your base as possible to give your MRLs more time to shoot.

Other defenses only display their full potential when coupled. The brightest examples are Flamethrowers and MG turrets. Almost all Flamethrower positions were chosen so they are protected from long-range fire and act as stoppers at narrow passages. At the same time, MG Turrets are meant to be placed to protect your Flamethrowers and make it harder for the enemy to safely outrange or outmaneuver them. Use them in conjunction!

Watchtower and AT Gun is another prime example. Watchtowers spot, AT guns shoot, enemy hit points drop, you win. Keep in mind AT Guns have a narrow sector of fire and thus protect very specific directions. Their positions are usually covered with vegetation to keep them concealed or are protected by some obstacle from flanking directions.

More Advice

Know your strengths and exploit them. If you have the speed, while the enemy has the firepower and armor, use your advantage instead of trying to get into their playing field. Capturing the enemy base is a good win condition. The opponent may be simply too slow to get back to their base in time.

In 1 vs 1, your opponent is having an equally hard time trying to track what's going on in battle. Force a dynamic, maneuverable battle upon them to overload them with decisions.

Create task forces of approximately equal movement speed.

If you see a direction is heavily defended, relocate and advance in a different one—a Strategist does not have enough defenses to cover the whole map.

Remember AI-controlled vehicles are no esports players. Heavier, more armored vehicles survive on the battlefield longer even without your direct intervention. If you want some complex maneuvers on that Progetto, however, you’d better control it yourself.

Don’t get too carried away with assuming direct control of vehicles, as you may lose the overall picture.

Combine defenses to support your grand strategy.

Check out the opponent's squad and defenses and calculate your actions accordingly. If the opponent has Flamethrowers, advancing through the urban area of a map may not be the best idea.
Check indications on the vehicle panel at the bottom of the screen: For instance, it will show whether a vehicle has been spotted—in which case it may be wise to reposition it.

Order your squad which target to shoot if you want them to focus fire.

Trick AI-controlled vehicles and defenses into shooting at you with smart positioning behind an obstacle.

Do not leave your defenses alone if you only want to defend at the moment. Supporting a defense with a vehicle multiplies its efficiency and survivability; if left alone, defenses will slow the enemy down but they will be destroyed eventually. You may choose to use your vehicles elsewhere and have your defenses buy you time to attack. In this case, be sure not to waste this precious time on keeping your vehicles idle.

Look for ways to cover whole directions with your defenses. Three AT Guns can make the top part of Airfield a dead end for your opponent, for instance, if you assign them a passive spotter. Be sure to switch the spotter vehicle into the Recon stance.

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FAQs

How long is Art of Strategy available?

Art of Strategy is available from Thursday, April 21 at 06:00 PT | 08:00 CT | 09:00 ET until Wednesday, May 4 at 23:00 PT | Thursday, May 5 at 01:00 CT | 02:00 ET. 1v7 battles will only start from Tuesday, April 26 at 00:00 PT | 02:00 CT | 03:00 ET.

The mode will be removed entirely from the game on Wednesday, May 4 at 23:00 PT | Thursday, May 5 at 01:00 CT | 02:00 ET.

Can I play the event the whole day?

No, Art of Strategy is only available for certain hours in the day during prime times:

1st Day of the Event:	2nd Day (until End of Event):	Last of Prime Time:
Thursday, April 21 at 06:00 PT \| 08:00 CT \| 09:00 ET	April 22 at 11:00-23:00 PT \| 13:00-01:00 CT \| 15:00-02:00 ET	Wednesday, May 4 at 23:00 PT \| Thursday, May 5 at 01:00 CT \| 02:00 ET

What modes are available during the event?

The event will be available in two different modes:

1v1 Strategist vs. Strategist: Available from event start
1v7: Strategist vs. Tankers: Available starting Tuesday, April 26 at 00:00 PT | 02:00 CT | 03:00 ET

How do I win battles?

Like random battles, you will need to destroy all enemy vehicles or capture their base. Destroying the defense structures is not compulsory but sometimes makes it easier to achieve victory.

Base capture takes 60 seconds and does not depend on the number of vehicles capturing the base.

What is required in order to play in the event?

To play in the event, you will need the following:

1v1 Strategist: 100 Orders (event currency) are required to play per battle.
1v7 Strategist: 100 Intel (event currency) are required to play per battle.

NOTE: If the queue time to enter battle is too long, or if the number of Strategists is insufficient, the matchmaker may allow you to play as a Strategist, even if you do not have the required quantity of Intel and Orders.

1v7 Tankers: Any Tier X tech tree or collectors tanks except the following vehicles:
- X Panhard EBR 105
- X ST-II
- X Strv 103B
- X M-V-Y
- X CS-63
- Vehicles such as trhe T95/FV4201 Chieftain and Object 279 early that are earned from various in-game activities.

NOTE: Strategists have their own separate load out. All Strategist vehicles are available for use regardless of availability and current condition of similar tank(s) in your garage. You can check the load out when setting up your squad in the Squad panel.

Are there any limitations when selecting vehicles for Strategist?

When editing the squad as a Strategist, every slot in the squad is limited to a certain vehicle type. Additionally, having two identical vehicles in your squad is not allowed.

These seven vehicles will be controlled by AI, but you can assume control of any selected vehicle at any time during battle by pressing the "Q" button.

Please note assuming control of a vehicle stops all orders given to that vehicle. Press Q again to stop controlling the vehicle.

What are the differences between each AI stance?

There are three stances to choose from in the Squad Panel:

Adapt (default Stance for all the Strategist's vehicles): Vehicles will seek cover within a certain radius of the designated position and will defend the area by firing at attacking opponents.
Recon: Vehicles seek cover and transmit scouting data to their allies, trying to stay concealed. When spotted, the vehicles will try to withdraw to cover. If no cover can be found, they will engage the opponent.
Hold: Vehicles hold the designated position and engage targets when possible. Vehicles will change their positions only after receiving a command to attack.
- When executing the Hold Stance, vehicles with a limited horizontal gun or turret arc (such as the FV217 Badger and K-91) will seek targets and rotate their hull to cover a 90° sector of fire set by the Strategist.

What are the controls and shortcut keys to command my vehicles as a Strategist?

Move: Right-click on a location.
- You can hold the right mouse button and slide the mouse to rotate the vehicle's position.
Rush: Right-click twice on a location.
- The vehicle will move to a specified point via the shortest path possible. It will fire on the move, but it won't stop to fire. Once in position, it will act according to its Stance.
Attack: Right-click on an enemy vehicle.
- The vehicle opens fire at a selected target if able.
Charge: Right-click twice on an enemy vehicle.
- The vehicle will try to get as close as possible to a selected target and engage it in close combat, flanking to attack it from the side or rear.
Withdraw: Press F, then specify location with a right-click.
- The vehicle will withdraw along the shortest path to a specified point, keeping its frontal armor facing the enemy; once in position, it will act according to its Stance.
Change to Hold Stance: R keyboard button.
Change to Recon Stance: T keyboard button.
To give several commands: Hold Shift while giving commands to your vehicle.
Cancel all command for the selected vehicle: Spacebar.

What time do the daily missions for Art of Strategy reset?

Missions reset daily at 03:00 PT | 05:00 CT | 06:00 ET

Why can’t I add a certain vehicle into my squad?

The following vehicles are unavailable due to their mechanics that add an extra level of complexity to AI configuration:

We believe the game has more than enough vehicles to exploit your strategic potential. As for vehicles earned from Personal Missions, clan activities, and other events, we decided to only allow vehicles available to everyone to make the event completely fair.

What kind of perks do reward crews have?

All crews come with Brothers in Arms as a zero perk and enough crew XP to immediately learn another perk or skill of the player’s choice.

Can I get Battle Pass Points by playing Art of Strategy?

You cannot get Battle Pass Points through Art of Strategy, but you can get still get credits and customizations by completing the Art of Strategy collection.

Can I play Tankers with my friends in platoon?

No, you can only enter the matchmaking alone.

Can I play Art of Strategy in the Training Room mode?

No, it is not supported in the Training Room.

Are the five reward crew members bound to a specific nation or role? Or are they completely free to use in any way the players want?

They are commanders bound to specific nations: U.S.A., U.K., and U.S.S.R.