Common Scout Tanks Guide (German, US, USSR, French)

NOTE: The VK 2801 section of this guide is outdated now since update 8.4 moved the tank to tier 6 with different stats. Please keep this in mind while reading.

Introduction
Looking to buy a tier 5 scout tank? in this topic i'll try to outline the specifications of the Chaffee, VK 2801 and T-50-2 and ELC AMX. I think there is more to a scout than its top speed and traverse speed. every tank has its own advantages and disadvantages and I personally think they should all be taken into account when picking a scout tank. Because, lets face it, grinding +50k exp on a tier 4 is a lot of work. note that this post is based on my personal view of the tanks, your own experiences may differ. I would like to know which tier 5 light is the best according to you, drop your vote in the poll above

VK 2801 (Cougar)
The vehicle was intended as a standard light tank of the Panzerwaffe and a basis for antiaircraft tanks and vehicles able to ride on any terrain and railroad tracks. Existed only in blueprints.



Main Characteristics (Elite)
Hit Points 610 HP
Weight/Load Limit 25.252 / 28.8 t
Price 705 000

Crew
Commander
Gunner
Driver
Radio Operator
Loader

Mobility
Engine Power 650 h.p.
Horsepower per ton 25,75
Speed Limit 72 km/h
Traverse Speed 48 deg/sec
Turret Traverse Speed 44 deg/sec
Pivot: yes

Armor
Hull Armor (mm)
front 60
sides 40
rear 30

Turret Armor (mm)
front 50
sides 30
rear 30

Armament
Gun 10,5 cm KwK 42 L/28
Ammunition 42 pcs.
HE Damage 308-513 HP
HE Armor Penetration 40-66 mm
AP Damage 263-438 HP
AP Armor Penetration 48-80 mm
HEAT Damage 263-438
HEAT Penetration 113-188
Accuracy: 0.54 m
Aim time: 1.7 sec
Arc elevation angles: -6/ +17
Rate of Fire 7.5 rounds/min
View Range 385 m
Signal Range 710 m

Review
The VK 2801 has an unique gameplay and is very rewarding to play once mastered, Its a great all rounder capable of both scout as well as defending, braking open a flank or killing low HP tanks. what makes this tank so diverse is its 105 mm howizter gun when using HE it will do an average damage of 100 HP to most tanks and it will damage all tanks, try to find the soft spots of a tank to increase your damage and switch to HEAT shells to rain ahvock on your enemies. there is just nothing more satisfactory than flying past a heavy tank while penetrating his Armour and do a whopping 350 damage. artillery up to tier 6 can be one hitted easily using just HE with its average damage of 410 HP this will become even easier in the up coming 8.3 patch in which all artillery will receive an HP nerf making one hits possible up to tier 7. its top speed and decent acceleration allow you to switch positions easily and quickly, this in turn allows you to search for gaps in the enemies defenses or help your allies hold a flank. be aware that the circle of death technique is only possible on the slowest heavy tanks like the KV-3 speed bleeding occurs in corners so drive by shots are suggested instead. learning this versatile beast is hard though this tank is pretty unforgiving once it has lost its speed death is almost always immanent. A great and impressive cougar bible ( http://forum.worldoftanks.eu/index.php?/topic/107182-tazilons-complete-proscout-guide-with-maps-v8300-new-hall-of-fame/ ) has been made by Tazilon.

Pro's

• High top speed
  
• High spotting range
  
• 105mm HE is capable of damaging any tank
  
• One hits SPGs up to tier 6
  
• Does massive damage on penetration, i.e. french tanks and rear of american heavies/meds
  
• Tracks eat massive shells, IS-4 shells mostly only damage the tracks. I even had a game were my tracks ate an Object 704 shell
  
• The weight of 25 tons makes this scout a nice rammer
  
• Has a reverse top of 22 km/h which makes for excellent popout shooting
  
• Best overall handling, it's fast but has plenty of grip to prevent skidding and sliding.
  
• Received a huge boost with the premium ammo for credits update, increasing its damage potential greatly

Cons

• The acceleration is the slowest of the three
  
• It's the least agile
  
• It's "bleeds" speed in corners
  
• Unable to continuously circle a tank because of the speed bleeding
  
• DPS is low compared to the others
  
• Dodging of shells is quite hard due to low agility
  
• Chances of surviving a track in the open are low, due to acceleration
  
• Has quite a weak ammo rack and three hit boxes for it: the sides under the turret and the rightback side of the turret

My VK 2801
Battles played until now: 993
Win ratio: 56%
max experience: 2.574

Commander BiA 100% Sixth Sense, 79% Camouflage
Gunner BiA 100%, Snap Shot 100%, Camouflage 79%
Driver BiA 100%, Off-Road Driving 100%, Clutch Braking 79%
Radio operator BiA 100%, Situational Awareness 100% Camouflage 79%
Loader BiA 100%, Save Stowage 100%, Camouflage 79%

Equiment
Improved ventilation
Coated Optics
Gun Rammer

M24 Chaffee
The vehicle was inteded as a replacement for the M3 Stuart. The M24 enterd service in Spetember 1943. They were produced at Massey-Harris and General Motors factories until July 1945, with a total of 4,731 vehicles



Main Characteristics (Elite)
Hit Points 580 HP
Weight/Load Limit 19.90 / 21 t
Price 687 550

Crew
Commander
Gunner
Driver
Radio Operator
Loader

Mobility
Engine Power 300 h.p.
Horsepower per ton 25
Speed Limit 56 km/h
Traverse Speed 46 deg/sec
Turret Traverse Speed 39 deg/sec
Pivot: yes

Armor
Hull Armor (mm)
front 25
sides 25
rear 19

Turret Armor (mm)
front 38
sides 25
rear 25

Armament
Gun 75 mm Gun T94
Ammunition 60 pcs.
AP Damage 86-144
AP Armor Penetration 103-171 mm
APCR Damage 83-138
APCR Penetration 139-231
Accuracy: 0.39 m
Aim time: 1.7 sec
Arc elevation angles: -10/ +15
Rate of Fire 18.42 rounds/min
View Range 402 m
Signal Range 745 m

Review
The M24 Chaffee is a special and unique tank, while slow and weak at first sight in comparison to the others its awesome gun makes more than up for the lack in speed. The Chaffee combines the best of 2 worlds, it takes the viewrange an agility of scouts and the gun and accuracy of medium tanks hence its nickname mini Patton. DPM goes welll over 2000 if fully specced this is huge for a tier 5 tank. it also has the highest viewrange giving this tank 2 uses on the battle field: scouting, and killing. equip it with vents optics and a rammer or vertical stabilizer to get the most out of this tank. many playstyles suit this tank active or passive scout are both great way to use the view range, although I would recommend stationary spotting with binocs it should give you no problem spotting almost any tank within 445 meters. sniping is also a good idea when using the Chaffee, the accuracy should give you no problem with tanks that are 300 meter away. Or get up close and decimate enemies applying the carousel, even the more nimble heavy tanks can be easily circled as long as you keep them tracked. the main drawbacks however are its top speed which will make you struggle to dodge enemy fire and the ammo rack of the Chaffee, with a capacity of 60 shells and a rate of fire over 20, you will easily run out of shells in longer battles.

Pro's

• High rate of fire with good penetration
  
• Accurate gun
  
• Highest spotting range of the 4
  
• Can mount vertical stabilizer
  
• Agile
  
• Good acceleration
  
• Can turn out as a nasty surprise for the inattentive player
  
• Doesn't slide or skid at top speed

Cons

• Low top speed make it hard to avoid shells
  
• The thin armor is penetrable by any gun in this game, I did bounce a E-100 gold shell once though
  
• Highly vulnerable for HE shells since they whil almost always penetrate
  
• Relatively slow turret
  
• Chaffee has a high profile, which makes it easier to hit than its counterparts

My M24 Chaffee
battles played so far: 202
Win ratio: 58%
max experience: 2.161

Commander: Mentor 99%
Gunner: Deadeye 99%
Driver: Smooth Driving 99%
Radio Operator: Situational Awareness 99%
Loader: Repair 99%

Equipment
Improved ventilation
Coated optics
Vertical stabilizer

Video


T-50-2
The designs of the T-50 were submitted by the Construction Bureau of the Kirov Plant (Leningrad) and Plant 174. The design intorduced by the Kirov Plant was more difficult to implement, The distinctive features of the vehicle were its hull shape and a horseshoe-shaped radiator.



Main Characteristics (Elite)
Hit Points 560 HP
Weight/Load Limit 15.91 / 18 t
Price 725 000

Crew
Commander (radio operator)
Gunner
Driver
Loader

Mobility
Engine Power 550 h.p.
Horsepower per ton 34,58
Speed Limit 72 km/h
Traverse Speed 46 deg/sec
Turret Traverse Speed 45 deg/sec
Pivot: no

Armor
Hull Armor (mm)
front 37
sides 37
rear 37

Turret Armor (mm)
front 45
sides 40
rear 40

Armament
Gun 57 mm ZiS-4
Ammunition 76 pcs.
AP Damage 64-106 HP
AP Armor Penetration 84-140 mmr
APCR Damage 64-106
APCR Penetration 142-236
Accuracy: 0.34 m
Aim time: 2.3 sec
Arc elevation angles: -7/ +25
Rate of Fire 21 rounds/min
View Range 367 m
Signal Range 730 m

Review
The ultimate pure scout tank the T-50-2. it's incredibly fast and agile it will out run and outmaneuver any tank in game and that makes for a highly fun game play the main fun factor on the T-50-2 is the shells that keep slamming into the ground and the helpless heavy tank or TDs that can't keep up with your motorcycle. The gun is awesome: high rate of fire and accuracy make this the most accurate light tank at high speeds. the gun also packs quite a punch the penetration is however not so great and you'll find difficulty in penetrating the high tiers. The T-50-2 is an awesome pick up and play tank, it's not so unforgiving as it's brethren thus making it a good scout for the inexperienced player. Though mastery of the T-50-2 takes time and is not achieved easily, especially with the new physics update, it is worth the effort.

Pro's

• Most agile tank in game, nothing beats it
  
• High acceleration
  
• Almost no speed "bleeding"
  
• High rate of fire
  
• Packs quite a punch
  
• Can solo most TDs and heavies in the open
  
• If you make a mistake there is a good chance to get out of there alive
  
• Is the best at getting out of a tight spot or through the enemy lines
  
• Bounces a shot quite often due to its shape

Cons

• Lacks view range
  
• Is quite easily tracked
  
• Quite vulnerable for HE shells
  
• Relatively low damage per shot
  
• slides and slips easily

My T-50-2
Battles played so far: 154
Win ratio: 50%
max experience: 2.313

Commander: Mentor 95%
Gunner: Deadeye 95%
Driver: Clutch breaking 95%
Loader: Repair 95%

Equipment
Improved ventilation
Coated optics
Gun Rammer

Video


ELC AMX
In 1956, the French Ministry of Defense launched the ELC (Engin Leger de Combat) project. The aim was to create a light vehicle for airborne transport. The ELС AMX prototype featured a low silhouette and a turret placement of both crew members. The vehicle never saw mass production, nor entered service.



Main Characteristics (Elite)
Hit Points 400 HP
Weight/Load Limit 7.16 / 7.95 t
Price 315 000

Crew
Commander (Gunner, Loader, Radio operator)
Driver

Mobility
Engine Power 250 h.p.
Horsepower per ton 34,92
Speed Limit 65 km/h
Traverse Speed 38 deg/sec
Turret Traverse Speed 44 deg/sec
Pivot: no

Armor
Hull Armor (mm)
front 14
sides 12
rear 10

Turret Armor (mm)
front 14
sides 12
rear 10

Armament
Gun: 90 mm D 914
Ammunition 36 pcs.
Damage 180-300 HP
Armor Penetration 128-218 mm
APCR Damage 180-300 HP
ACPR Armor Penetration 186-310 mm
Rate of Fire 5 rounds/min
Accuracy: 0.39 m
Aim time: 2.9 sec
Gun angles: +15/-15
Arc elevation angles: -5/ +13
View Range 360 m
Signal Range 360 m

Review
Lets face it, the ELC AMX is a great light tank, its fast agile and has an extremely low profile and its gun can even hurt tier 8 tanks, the 90 mm gun has a great damage potential, furthermore it has the highest penetration of all the tier 5 lights. the gun comes however at a cost. the rate of fire is low add to that the long aim time the relatively low view range and the very low radio range of 360 meters and the tank suddenly becomes less attractive as a scout tank. I however chose to include this tank in this guide since wargaming and many other players consider it a tier 5 scout. over the course of 93 battles I learned that it is a great tank, especially in platoons. it is not however a good scout tank. I come to this conclusion by taking the following things into consideration, first its radio range of 360 meters will make you struggle if you scout far ahead or rush into the corner of a map. second the damage potential of this tank is very high risking to lose it by scouting is a bad idea. I would recommend playing this tank as a second line sniper, or swarmer, capturing key positions for your team. however you can use this tank for a late game arty rush.

Pro's

• High horsepower per ton ratio give great acceleration
  
• Sufficient penetration for tanks up to tier 8
  
• Lowest profile of the tier 5 lights
  
• High alpha damage
  
• Very hard to hit
  
• Can be parked along side most heavy tanks who will struggle to hit you, because poor elevation arc angles

Cons

• lowest view range of the scouts
  
• Low rate of fire
  
• Insufficient radio range
  
• Fixed turret
  
• Low hp
  
• If a shell won't kill you tank it will kill a module
  
• Very vulnerable for HE shells

My ELC AMX
Battles played so far: 93
Win ratio: 61%
max experience: 1.194

Commander: BIA 88%
Driver: BIA 88%

Equipment
Improved ventilation
enchanced gun laying drive
Gun Rammer

Video


Crewskills
Commander

Mentor +/-
This skill is not very useful for the average tanker and I suggest you leave it out because it fills a precious skill slot. if however you are planning to play a lot of battles on the same tank I suggest you get this skill because the difference it makes over 1000+ battles is noticeable. I dropped it in favor of sixth sense later on

Recon ++
Very useful skill for any light tank or tanks that wants to scout. at 100% this skill will give you a flat boost of 2% to your view range which in case of the VK 2801 will give you around an additional 10 meters of view range. the effect is only minor though and I chose to get this skill later on

Jack of all trades --
Strongly dis recommend this skill for light tanks. the occasional crew member that is knocked out can be fixed with the small first aid kit, getting more then one crew member killed in a battle whilst driving a scout tank is quite rare due to the low HP pool.

Sixth sense: ++
At first i was a strong believer that this skill was quite obsolete for the smart and calculating player. but after getting this skill I can only say that this skill should have a high priority especially on the more sluggish VK 2801. the skill overall increases your chances of survival in the average random battle. I noticed that it helps a lot to know when you are spotted because the average camping TD spots you before you spot him. so for me this skill raises my awareness when its needed the most, for example I tend to start using evasive maneuvers earlier because of this skill. It also helps greatly to anticipate incoming shells. I thank Tazilon for giving these new insights

Eagle eye: +
I really want to try this skill on a scout because it will increase your information regarding the enemy even further. there are a few downsides though. the skill kicks in after 4 seconds which is long... very long so spotting an enemy and checking his damage at the same time is almost impossible. so gathering this extra information will be hard and dangerous (if scouting isn't dangerous enough already) and then the next problem arise: communicate this information with your team. my experience is that the average team won't even respond to spots you make except for shooting at them. I've had plenty of times when I spotted a huge attack inbound for one of our flanks only the see that my team couldn't care less and didn't respond. I fear the same will happen if you tell your that the IS-7 that is blocking the flank has a broken ammo rack. but who knows...

Gunner

Armorer --
Not a great skill overall and especially bad for light tanks. the gun never is the main feature of a light tank and even with a damaged gun you can still take out arty when you get close enough, so my advice... leave it.

Snap Shot ++
great skill especially for the VK 2801 because it excels at peek a booing. mainly because this is the pure auto aim tank it also increases accuracy on while doing the circle of death which is the light tanks main trait. this skill gives 0.075% less penalty for each training level so at 100% it has 7,5% less penalty.

Deadeye:
VK 2801 --
Chaffee ++
T-50-2 +
ELC AMX +

Leave this perk. Its absolutely useless for the VK 2801, the only exception might be a VK with the 75 mm gun which kinda defeats the main trait of the VK 2801: its awesome 105mm howitzer. the reason to leave this skill should be obvious: you almost never use AP with the howitzer and death eye only works with AP, APCR or HEAT ammunition.
its a different story for the T-50-2 and the Chaffee though. I even recommend getting this skill for those tanks because their high rate of fire with AP shells. the higher the rate of fire the more effective Deadeye is, it adds an 3% chance on criticals per shot so the higher the rate of fire the higher the chances. I gave the Chaffee 2 plusses because it is also a decent sniper and tends to do more dogfights with the big boys.

Designated target +
This perk is actually quite good for scouts since it adds an additional 2 seconds of visibility to the tanks you spot. There is one condition though the tanks should be spotted within 10 degrees from your reticle. this makes the skill quite tricky to use effectively and requires a decent amount of situational awareness form the driver: you need to anticipate your spots and aim accordingly while driving at high speed trying to dodge shells. I used this perk for a while and found it hard to use to the maximum.

Driver

Clutch Braking
VK 2801 ++
Chaffee +
T-50-2 +
ELC AMX ++

Good skill to counter the sluggishness of the VK 2801, improves overall handling and agility the 5% improves the traverse speed to around 51 with vents which allows you to make sharper turns. not as good on the other 2 though they handle good enough already

Smooth Ride +
This skill is useful but it only decreases the penalty by 4% which isn't that much considering snap shot does 7,5% you should this skill but it doesn't really have priority.

Off-Road Driving
VK 2801 ++
Chaffee ++
T-50-2 +
ELC AMX +

Worth getting on the VK 2801 because this skill fixes the acceleration problem a bit. same goes for the Chaffee. the T-50-2 though doesn't really need it it reduces the acceleration penalty by 2,5% on average soil which is basically all the grass sand etc. you find on maps, in addition it gives 10% penalty reduction on swamp soil, which is basically all the water you can drive through or soil close to water, the only exception to this is the valley on Lakeville.

Controlled Impact
VK 2801 +
T-50-2 -
Chaffee -
ELC AMX --

The VK 2801 is a capable rammer so this skill should be taken in consideration since it increases ramming damage done by 15% well reducing damage taken by the same amount. the major drawback for this skill however is that it only works if BOTH vehicles are moving so its useless when you ram a stationary SPG for example. ramming with the Chaffee T-50-2 and especially the ELC AMX is out of the question due to their low armor and weight

Preventative Maintenance -
Not a really useful skill the scouts aren't tinderboxes so this skill isn't worth the slot in my opinion. 25% less chance of fire for a tank doesn't really catch fire because of its low HP pool is not worth getting if there are a ton of other awesome driver skills

Radioman

Situational Awareness ++
3% static view range increase makes this the most useful skill for the radio operator out there

Signal Boosting
Chaffee +/-
T-50-2 +/-
VK 2801 +/-
ELC AMX ++

I find this skill kinda useless even if it extends radio range by 20% in this game radio range in cumulative, so the scouts all have over 700 meter of range and the avg tank in its team has well over 500. This skill might only be handy if there is a heavy tank left in 1 corner of the map and you are in the other corner because 1200 meter is sufficient for almost all maps and all situations. If the other tank is an arty, radio range will increase well over 1400 which makes this skill quite obsolete as long as the maps remain 1x1 km. the only execption however is the ELC AMX

Relaying -
This might be a nice skill but I don't think it suits a scout... get yourself signal boosting first if you must, this skill boosts the radio range of others in your range so that's your 700 meter. since you'll find yourself at the front lines most of the time this skill doesn't really help you to get a better view of the map.

Call for Vengeance +
depends on your playstyle if this skill is useful or not. every second of course counts in a scout but if you take in consideration that this skill only works if you die, which is lets face it, not your purpose then it is not that great anymore. it could safe the game if you are trying to get arty though but die for some reason. the 2 seconds might just be the time that is needed for the successful kill. might be bit more useful for the T-50-2 due its more aggressive nature

Loader

Safe Stowage
VK 2801 +
Chaffee -
T-50-2 +/-
ELC AMX -

Safe Stowage gives the ammo rack 12,5% more HP which is quite useful on the T-50-2 an the VK 2801, especially the VK will benefit from this skill since it has 3 hit boxes for the ammo rack (just like the leopard) it therefor is the most prone to ammo racking this skill will counter that so its worth getting. I also got some feed back that the T-50-2 is quite vulnerable as well so you might want to consider it

Adrenaline rush
VK 2801 +
Chaffee +/-
T-50-2 +/-
ELC AMX --

Leave this skill be until you hit 4th or 5th skill the chances of dropping below 10% are low but most frequent on the VK because of its higher HP pool. that's why I gave the VK 2801 a plus and the other 2 +/- the ELC is mostly a one hit tank, taking this skill would be quite useless

Intuition --
It's well know that this skill is the most worthless in game and its even worse for light tanks, the reload is below 3 seconds for the chaffee and the T-50-2 so its not worth the skill because the reload is short enough anyway, not even on the VK 2801 with its 6,75 reload is this skill worth consideration

Common

Repair +
useful for rolling fast again, although you will mostly use a repair kit in those cases, and if you get detracked twice in a round there is a rare chance you will survive anyway. however this skill is useful but i tend to delay it to get better skills

Camouflage ++
Makes your tank less visible even when moving gives a huge advantage when scouting since you can get closer without getting spotted. get this skill as soon as possible (1th or 2nd skill)

Brothers in Arms +
Great skill free ventilation combine this with improved vent and your crew will permanently work at 110% (commander) 121% (rest) boosting view range rate of fire and agility.

Fire Fighting -
Not very useful and mostly not worth the skill slot because of the manual fire extinguisher. It can be useful but I reckon its not worth the skill slot

Overview
here is a table comparing the features and statistics of all vehicles side by side



I highlighted the parameters green if the tank excels on that front compared to the others. All stats in this table are for the elite vehicle, the gun on the VK 2801 is of course the 105 mm howitzer since there is no other logical choice. Things like grip and hill climbing capabilities are based on personal experience. the realizable DPM is the average DPM I got when firing the guns for a full minute on Armour of 100mm thickness without slope, note that all the tanks where equipped with a 100% crew vents and rammer. I used regular AP on all tanks except the VK2801 for which I used HE shells. what can be concluded from this comparison table

• The VK2801is the best all rounder
  
• The M24 Chaffee excels at damage and spotting
  
• The T-50-2 excels at agility and firing on the move
  
• The ELC AMX has the best alpha damage and penetartion, but struggles to compete with the others

Conclusion
So the choice all boilos down to one simple thing: personal prefference. the VK 2801, M24 Chaffee, T-50-2 and ELC AMX can all scout but each nation emphasizes a different aspect be that agility spotting capabilities or firepower. so if you were to make a choice it should be the scout that fits your playstyle the most. I would pick the VK 2801 but i recoomend you get them all since they are all great fun in their on way. I hoped this guide helped you to make the right choice and I anymore questions should arise don't hasitate to message me, be it in game or on the forums.

See you on the Battlefield,
Socius SGTA scouting and light tank instructor


Originally written by Socius

VKs stats are outdated now after it got bumped up to tier 6.

And btw...

Ding760 wrote:

Socius SGTA scouting and light tank instructor


Originally written by Socius

Somebody should have told me we have another scout instructor

Yeah Socius did excuse himself for being absent nowadays.

And I copied the post word for word except a few spelling errors.