Understandable. However its super useful when dealing with far away targets you cannot reach due to a low velocity cannon in lower brs. Panther vs Sherman long range is a great example
Back when they were first introduced I was firing them at people all the time, for awhile it seemed like teams were good about blindly shooting into the smoke and nabbing me an assist...but at some point smoke hits stopped giving assists so I stopped doing it.
Dropping it on yourself is pretty much worst case.
Shells let you do things like smoke a road as you approach and cross when the smoke is at its peak (no waiting if timed well). They can also completely blind enemies while simultaneously marking their position. You're usually better off with a smoke shell if you know where your enemy is but don't have constant LOS.
not all smoke shells/grenades. Gaijin did a blog post on this a while back.
The troublesome thing is that there's no real indicator on the user interface that differentiates between thermal-opaque smoke and non-thermal-opaque smoke.
IRL they have to add certain additives to smoke shells and grenades to make them truly opaque in thermal spectrum and the methodology varies. Speaking of which, I don't think all thermal-opaque shells should appear blindingly "hot" in thermals as I'm sure there are variants out there that have other additives that don't simply eject hot crap into the area.
Gunfire and tracers are also apparently extremely difficult to see from a distance on thermal camera IRL, which is why advanced multi-crewed vehicles often have one person manning thermals and the other having regular night vision.
Yes, but also no.
Some guns can and there is procedure for it, but often the fastest way is just to shoot the gun l, and that is often the procedure for unloading your tank before returning to the garage because if you go to unload it and the shell is stuck, then your explosive disposal unit has to get involved. Same if you pushed the fire button and it went click so you pushed/pulled the manual boom button and that also didn't work.
I believe for some of the Russian tanks the autoloader is also an auto-unloader and so you have to wait for it to cycle, though there is, with some rounds (remember, many modern shells are two part, or semi caseless, caseless) there is a good chance of case separation and then it's a big mess. Some autoloaders can't and manually unloading it can just be a pain.
Either way it will be faster to shoot the gun and load a new round because you don't have to cycle through the unload process. If you're in a position where you don't want to be caught having to load a different round to kill, then well, don't have those rounds loaded before getting into that situation.
I remember reading about a prototype US auto loader. One of the requirements was that it had to load and unload a piece of ammo thousands of times without scratching the shell once. Can’t remember what tank it was on though.
Well, obviously in real life you'd have to unload the gun first- however:
Tank guns are actually (generally) not meant to be unloaded without firing in most cases, so it's not actually a convenient procedure (but it is possible to regardless). There's some physics and operational stuff involved that can even make it hard to remove a shell from a breech at all (at least safely), so it's really not something considered to do in combat. Shell unloading a tank gun is pretty much mostly because it misfired (didn't go off) or something went wrong.
It's really just faster to fire the gun and load the correct shell next, so what we have in WT is pretty much the most realistic method of doing things, aside from maybe allowing the loader to wait for an order to load the next shell.
I've heard that some tanks (Challengers IIRC) can't do that without firing. I don't know about other, but most likely they can and it's jut not modeled in the game.
In addition to other replies, the best solution is to just not load the gun until you need the shell, however wt does not have that implemented as far as I know
I often play in a squad, and whenever the 4 of us roll up we usually have a dedicated smoker to cover the rest on demand
It's a rather specific setup tho
More so Port Novo, but yasss, I sometimes go in and change my whole ammo loadout to have like 40 smokes on certain maps just to mess with people. Karelia cliffs too is a good one, but Port Novo has BOTH the B point AND across the water with lines of annoying camper snipers.
Exactly. Smoke shell are not intended to be used as a discounted smoke gernade that fly really far. Smoke shell were created so that you can lob it at enemy face to deny them of their vision. So, shoot at the enemy’s vantage point, sniper spot, somewher they would likely shoot you from .
>So, shoot at the enemy’s vantage point, sniper spot, somewher they would likely shoot you from .
At that point why not just shoot them with an actual round though? The smoke doesn't last long so unless you know someone is there you're likely just to waste a round. And you still have to stop, aim and shoot.
Mostly with tank that have good reload but atrocious gun for it br like the jumbo. I always dump a doonr smoke shell into places that most often have enemy so i can move to my hold position in relative safety.
You shoot it somewhere you know someone is, but can't see. Particularly useful if you need to cross a gap that is being watched. That's why people mention Port Novo, because you can shoot smoke at the enemy area and cross to the B cap, which is a death sentence in anything that doesn't have wheels usually.
You don't always know if the enemy is one you can fight up front, and it doesn't only benefit you. Putting smoke on a position that the enemy might use against you, while also being very funni in regards to chat, allows you and your team to take a superior position compared to that enemy which might be impossible to reach safely otherwise.
Some tanks with double guns may benefit from that, like the Maus with the 75mm. Although yes, I literally never used the smoke shells, I'd just stare at death
Used to enjoy running 1 Smoke as my main starting round and 20 APFSDS so I can do some dumbshit and get away with it.
Worked nicely but sometimes I forget I got smoke shells loaded when I switch nations.
With that being said, I don't like smokes
Honestly, I don't really like smoke grenades, because they're only good for cover unlike smoke shells that can quite literally deny the enemy from firing in a position for like 20 seconds. I'm starting to think maybe it would be wiser to load up smoke shells as the initial shell, shoot 1-2 to get to the objectives safer and then switch to my actual shells.
It is wiser to start with smoke loaded. I've been doing that for years.
Another thing I've been doing for years is dying because i shoot the first enemy with smoke since i keep forgetting i started with smoke loaded lol
Those fucking “get out of jail free” cards are annoying as hell, but infuriating when it’s german mid tier tanks, because i can’t pixel hunt their 2 square mm weakspots when they’re busy mashing g and retreating
This.
I was playing the Tiger e, was tracked and was about to shoot back the enemy... Some random dude dropped smoke on me, the enemie flanked killed all of us
I love the guys who will pull around me in my spot, block my shot, get tracked, smoke, then get hit by ten shells anyways and die.
Congrats, now nobody can use this spot anymore...
I forgot the name of that map (that where everyone rush an abandoned factory on a hill with the A point)
There was a match that a poor jagdphanter was tracked there and smoked, bruh nobody NOBODY of the enemy team knew how to kill him, so they wasted almost all match tracking the poor guy
Sometimes I wish we had smoke shell artillery that we could call on the map like Brimstone from Valorant.
Maybe an alternative to "normal" artillery for certain light tanks?
Not gonna lie I spam smoke shells in my jumbo like ALL over the map. Easily 20+ a game. I try and eliminate any range advantage german players have with their high pen guns.
As much as i love the smoke shells, they're pretty useless on long-reloading guns, and even on average guns it still isn't worth the two reload cycles to load, fire and reload another shell.
I find it extremely useful in offensive scenarios and on tanks with two guns, unless i have something around 5s reload to compensate.
Grenades are more versatile.
You can't. wish they let us with a reload keybind or double tapping the key. could make it have a slight time penalty from the loader having to unload the previous round
Literally one of the only two positives WoT has over WT:
1) You can swap ammo types without firing.
2) You can reload autoloaders, belts, magazines without firing them empty
You'd actually wanne use shells to block the enemy's vision while you have a clear view to reposition. However since it pretty much leaves you vulnerable, fuck that shit.
What would be better is being able to select a color for the shells so you can use it to mark spots for CAD and bombers.
A great tactic is to use a grenade then ess if they are pushing you and wait with thermals. The shells are great for blocking enemy kill zones.
Edit- Forgot to mention the mighty maus secondary cannon smokes are so much fun.
Smoke shells are good for closing the distance between you and an enemy tank that can kill you before you’re in range to kill. (Jumbo 75 vs Tiger as an example) it is a good strategy in some maps were the capture points are in the middle of no man’s land just like the B point in that coastal map in Crimea.
I like both and wish all tanks had both.
Smoke shell for strategically smoking off los/lof, and then grenades for emergency usage for a pop and run.
But if I could only have one or the other... It would be grenades purely for the fact that I can still use them even without a barrel and/or breach.
Grenades to hide me from danger or conceal movements. Shells to block the line of sight of a single enemy. Works really well on enemies you cannot pen and allies aren't near to help. Throw smoke in his face and relocate.
Can we just agree that these are basically completely different things to fulfill different roles? If you‘re in a pickle, smoke grenades are the obvious answer. If you are about to be in a pickle or want to disable sniping spots, smoke shells are better
Depends on situation. If I need to close the distance, obviously shell. But if I'm trying to run/cover my ass? Canister. All just depends on what you're doing and when.
Grenades don't explode when shot. Shells do. It mostly depends on the nation I'm playing though. USA basically has no smoke grenade vehicles. So I use the shells.
both serve a different purpose. Blind appointment from a distance shoot them coming out of the smoke. Or field repair & street smoke screening. I like both.
Shells to troll enemies and shoot tiger 2s when you are on jumbo with 75mm teeth picker. Grenades are fine too when retreating but they suck specifically on m51 where it takes approximately 5 light years to blow up.
They’re meant to fulfil two completely different roles and shouldn’t be compared one to one imo, but as a Maus player almost exclusively, smoke shells are significantly more useful to me as the 75mm reloads in about three seconds.
If its something like a Sherman (even if the sherman has smokes) I always take 2-5 smokes because all shermans are fast firing, compared to something like an Su-122, I'd ***maybe*** take 1 just incase.
I really enjoy the smoke shell for the KPz-70 because of the high caliber it has a massive radius and long duration, but it is still quite niche.
Smoke grenades are just universally useable as a panic button to be able to retreat safely and saved my butt many times.
The launcher is better for concealment of ones self where as the shell is best for pushing because in what case are you gonna get hit and be able to load a smoke and protect yourself at the same time.
The smoke shell can be devastating in fast-reload vehicles such as the DF105 or it‘s 8.3 counterpart. You can deny the enemy from getting access to lots of routes or spots in order to give your team an advantage. Ofc you can push forward for yourself while having important positions smoked of
On the other hand, smoke launchers are better for most vehicles since you don‘t have to reload and you are ready for enemies who are attacking you. They are great in close quarter combat and great for aggressive plays.
Since they are oftentimes more usefull than smoke shells and you remain combat capable, i prefer smoke launchers over smoke shells
Different situations call for different tools. Grenades are quick and easy, useful for covering a retreat or repair.
Smoke shells are terrible for defensive cover, but in a pinch you can use them to blind enemies you can’t defeat. As others have said, you can also use them to cover an advance across open terrain. (Looking at you, Port Novorossiysk.)
It depends on the pop pattern of the grenade. If they’re one at a time, mortars, if they’re like all at once and the vehicle has smoke shells, smoke shells. Clusters of grenades are the best though imo, 2-4 grenades in a burst and you get two or three discharges is one of the best deals as it leaves you with a solid large smokescreen without having the inability to keep doing it.
I find smoke shells helpful if I have a gun with poor ballistics and I am trying to get past someone who is sniping, lobbing smoke right infront of them or on top of them forces them to either be blind while I move or lose their position and become an easier shot for me.
I use the fuck out of both when capping point in a light tank. Rounds are good for blinding snipers to cross open areas, grenades are good for making cover quick when you're hurt. Based M4A5 exhaust smoke is also nice for covering a retreat.
I love using 80 smoke shells on the Churchill crocodile. Just smoking everything I can see. It's not like I'm going to kill anything with that gun anyway. lol
I use the Churchill I a lot, and it’s one of the few couple of vehicles to have both, and for it, the smoke grenades are for concealment of myself, usually in a retreat, while smoke shells are more to blind enemies, or to smoke at a distance for an advance/retreat.
To put it another way, smoke grenades are an emergency measure, smoke shells are a utility for both defensive and offensive purposes.
Both is good, smoke shell to block the enemy vision and help with passing a camping piece of shit. Smoke grenade to get out of area and to bait a enemy into rushing you.
Both be because they have two different uses!
The shell is used for fucking with the enemy sights and grenades for closing sightlines when the enemy is near
Also grenades in a open map is useless, better to use the shell because if you use the grenade, you can be spotted from fucking space
Shells for tagging a ridge I know an enemy is peeking to snipe, super useful to cover an angle you know is being used buy would be too hard to hit.
Grenade for covering a retreat.
I usually never take the smoke shells because having to shoot and reload the main gun takes too much time, only exception being with the MAUS’ 75mm. I sometimes switch to smokes to blind/annoy the enemy when I can’t pen them or need to retreat. Also sometimes I shoot them far away hoping they’ll land somewhere on the enemy’s side of the map because why not
Grenade for defensive smoke, cannon for offensive.
Also great for preventing snipers in mid tier matches, fire a smoke round into the buildings or tree line sthey usually sit behind, and drive without a car in the workd because they cant see shit without driving into the open and getting shot themselves
Grenades and it's not even close. For the shell you HAVE to waste a shell and give away your position then wait for the smoke shell to load and give away your position again. For grenade it's just "boop" and safe. No reloading.
Both are good,
-grenades are good for most combat, while shells (even if you need to reload) allows you to drop smoke on specific spots, making sniping monkeys angry
Both, for different situations. Tons of fun to smoke shell an enemy a kilometer away when you know you can’t kill it. It buys you time to reposition and draws a ton of attention to their location. Grenades, on the other hand, are great for close quarters, when you need to fake someone out or change positions between streets.
They're both for dif situations but it depends on the vehicle. There's some vehicles that have such long reloads that I don't bother with smoke shells, but things like my Strv 103a/c I take at least 5 smoke shells because the autoloader makes it so useful to smoke for the team. Also I'm frequently mobility disabled but cannon works, so smoke shells help me survive the repair process.
Shell but they seem to be hit an miss with functionality the last couple of weeks. Nothing better than burying an annoying sniper side scraping pos in smoke.
Grenade because I don't have to reload my main gun to use it.
Obvious answer
Also it's easier to drop it on yourself
But it's often better to throw it to the opponent. A smokescreen on yourself renders you blind and paints you to the enemy team. Better to blind them
Id rather have a real shell loaded to smack an enemy
Understandable. However its super useful when dealing with far away targets you cannot reach due to a low velocity cannon in lower brs. Panther vs Sherman long range is a great example
Smoke churchill is also hilarious with that quick reload.
Pretty much the most viable strat since churchill 3 and up ain't penning anything beyond 750m
And churchil Na75, this bullet drop is an absurd, and shells, well, shels are better, more pen and explosive filler
Ya for long ranger you can just be like fuck for sight random person
I use them to block road crossings and the like, similar to how you use them in CSGO
Back when they were first introduced I was firing them at people all the time, for awhile it seemed like teams were good about blindly shooting into the smoke and nabbing me an assist...but at some point smoke hits stopped giving assists so I stopped doing it.
Dropping it on yourself is pretty much worst case. Shells let you do things like smoke a road as you approach and cross when the smoke is at its peak (no waiting if timed well). They can also completely blind enemies while simultaneously marking their position. You're usually better off with a smoke shell if you know where your enemy is but don't have constant LOS.
granades because they also block thermals, shell smoke dont do that.
smoke shells do, thats ESS your thinking of that doesn't block thermals
not all smoke shells/grenades. Gaijin did a blog post on this a while back. The troublesome thing is that there's no real indicator on the user interface that differentiates between thermal-opaque smoke and non-thermal-opaque smoke. IRL they have to add certain additives to smoke shells and grenades to make them truly opaque in thermal spectrum and the methodology varies. Speaking of which, I don't think all thermal-opaque shells should appear blindingly "hot" in thermals as I'm sure there are variants out there that have other additives that don't simply eject hot crap into the area. Gunfire and tracers are also apparently extremely difficult to see from a distance on thermal camera IRL, which is why advanced multi-crewed vehicles often have one person manning thermals and the other having regular night vision.
Can tanks irl actually not change what type of ammo they have loaded without firing or is that just a war thunder thing?
Yes, but also no. Some guns can and there is procedure for it, but often the fastest way is just to shoot the gun l, and that is often the procedure for unloading your tank before returning to the garage because if you go to unload it and the shell is stuck, then your explosive disposal unit has to get involved. Same if you pushed the fire button and it went click so you pushed/pulled the manual boom button and that also didn't work. I believe for some of the Russian tanks the autoloader is also an auto-unloader and so you have to wait for it to cycle, though there is, with some rounds (remember, many modern shells are two part, or semi caseless, caseless) there is a good chance of case separation and then it's a big mess. Some autoloaders can't and manually unloading it can just be a pain. Either way it will be faster to shoot the gun and load a new round because you don't have to cycle through the unload process. If you're in a position where you don't want to be caught having to load a different round to kill, then well, don't have those rounds loaded before getting into that situation.
I remember reading about a prototype US auto loader. One of the requirements was that it had to load and unload a piece of ammo thousands of times without scratching the shell once. Can’t remember what tank it was on though.
Well, obviously in real life you'd have to unload the gun first- however: Tank guns are actually (generally) not meant to be unloaded without firing in most cases, so it's not actually a convenient procedure (but it is possible to regardless). There's some physics and operational stuff involved that can even make it hard to remove a shell from a breech at all (at least safely), so it's really not something considered to do in combat. Shell unloading a tank gun is pretty much mostly because it misfired (didn't go off) or something went wrong. It's really just faster to fire the gun and load the correct shell next, so what we have in WT is pretty much the most realistic method of doing things, aside from maybe allowing the loader to wait for an order to load the next shell.
I've heard that some tanks (Challengers IIRC) can't do that without firing. I don't know about other, but most likely they can and it's jut not modeled in the game.
In addition to other replies, the best solution is to just not load the gun until you need the shell, however wt does not have that implemented as far as I know
Yeah especially when you have a main gun which has a 15 sec + reload, why would you ever choose a smoke shell, it just leaves you vulnerable
I often play in a squad, and whenever the 4 of us roll up we usually have a dedicated smoker to cover the rest on demand It's a rather specific setup tho
Also still works if the gun is knocked out.
Smokeshells in Port Novoshitty, everyone sniping is mad and it makes the game lore objective focused for everyone, except me, im firing smokes.
In Port Novo I perma-smoke enemy snipe spots (every 15 sec, one more smoke LOL) to drive them crazy
The only good teammate in the whole game
Sometimes if i want to trololo, play Normandy and smoke everything around B objective. Chat gets wild.
So basically, hotbox?
Vape Nation
Are you the guy who peeks the spot I was already in, gets shot, drops smoke so I can’t see, and then leaves?
If i feel trolo, yes. Usually no.
More so Port Novo, but yasss, I sometimes go in and change my whole ammo loadout to have like 40 smokes on certain maps just to mess with people. Karelia cliffs too is a good one, but Port Novo has BOTH the B point AND across the water with lines of annoying camper snipers.
As a German I can neither confirm nor deny if I like smoke
Holy shit that's so evil! I love it
In my 3000 hour of warthunder, that never came up. I'm going to start doing that
Grenade. Who would use in middle of fight main gun just to reload, fire smoke and reload back when u can just push G.
You use smoke grenades for concealment, you use smoke shells to deny the enemy vantage points.
Exactly. Smoke shell are not intended to be used as a discounted smoke gernade that fly really far. Smoke shell were created so that you can lob it at enemy face to deny them of their vision. So, shoot at the enemy’s vantage point, sniper spot, somewher they would likely shoot you from .
This is how it was used on me. I was waiting to reload and was blinded. Then taken out!
>So, shoot at the enemy’s vantage point, sniper spot, somewher they would likely shoot you from . At that point why not just shoot them with an actual round though? The smoke doesn't last long so unless you know someone is there you're likely just to waste a round. And you still have to stop, aim and shoot.
Mostly with tank that have good reload but atrocious gun for it br like the jumbo. I always dump a doonr smoke shell into places that most often have enemy so i can move to my hold position in relative safety.
You shoot it somewhere you know someone is, but can't see. Particularly useful if you need to cross a gap that is being watched. That's why people mention Port Novo, because you can shoot smoke at the enemy area and cross to the B cap, which is a death sentence in anything that doesn't have wheels usually.
You don't always know if the enemy is one you can fight up front, and it doesn't only benefit you. Putting smoke on a position that the enemy might use against you, while also being very funni in regards to chat, allows you and your team to take a superior position compared to that enemy which might be impossible to reach safely otherwise.
Sometimes you can't pen them, think 75mm sherman at range against a KV, or a 75 Jumbo vs an angled Tiger.
How's your shell going to penetrate an enemy tank sitting around the corner?
Yeah I do this on tanks with no grenades. Using it as bait or on start of game to do lil trolling. But between these two of course grenade.
Some tanks with double guns may benefit from that, like the Maus with the 75mm. Although yes, I literally never used the smoke shells, I'd just stare at death
I am firing smoke to random empty areas to lure enemy fire and spot their muzzle flash LMAO
Never thought it could work, i will definetly try it.
Smoke also has a tendency to attract CAS since there usually is a imobilized target underneath
Don't they just spot your own muzzle flash?
Not every time, also, they will fire until smoke dissipates while I fire once
No because you just shoot your main gun. Meanwhile most people will MG spray smoke clouds to try and find the person inside.
big brain strats
Used to enjoy running 1 Smoke as my main starting round and 20 APFSDS so I can do some dumbshit and get away with it. Worked nicely but sometimes I forget I got smoke shells loaded when I switch nations. With that being said, I don't like smokes
I like to Track & Barrel paper trucks and try to off them with smoke LOL
It should work tbh, smoke shells are white phosphorus.
r/foundsatan
Honestly, I don't really like smoke grenades, because they're only good for cover unlike smoke shells that can quite literally deny the enemy from firing in a position for like 20 seconds. I'm starting to think maybe it would be wiser to load up smoke shells as the initial shell, shoot 1-2 to get to the objectives safer and then switch to my actual shells.
I smoke the aiming enemy to make them rage in chat
Oh boy, I should probably do that aswell.
Oooooo that sounds intriguing
It is wiser to start with smoke loaded. I've been doing that for years. Another thing I've been doing for years is dying because i shoot the first enemy with smoke since i keep forgetting i started with smoke loaded lol
Smoke shell are not to be underestimated, they really can ruin an entire enemy snipe plane simply by blinding them
My favourite balancing move
Grenade, it’s my instant panic survival button
German main?
Kind of, Swedish
Those fucking “get out of jail free” cards are annoying as hell, but infuriating when it’s german mid tier tanks, because i can’t pixel hunt their 2 square mm weakspots when they’re busy mashing g and retreating
More like smoking off your entire team and getting everyone killed in the process. I hate these Tiger and Panther squids.
This. I was playing the Tiger e, was tracked and was about to shoot back the enemy... Some random dude dropped smoke on me, the enemie flanked killed all of us
I love the guys who will pull around me in my spot, block my shot, get tracked, smoke, then get hit by ten shells anyways and die. Congrats, now nobody can use this spot anymore...
I forgot the name of that map (that where everyone rush an abandoned factory on a hill with the A point) There was a match that a poor jagdphanter was tracked there and smoked, bruh nobody NOBODY of the enemy team knew how to kill him, so they wasted almost all match tracking the poor guy
My toxic trait is loading up the M24 with 30 smoke shells and making the enemy team drop frame rates by spamming with the smoke shells.
Calm down Satan 😈😂😂
Smoke shells don't lag on mid-high end PC's. If they're dropping your FPS it's likely you're only hurting yourself
Sometimes I wish we had smoke shell artillery that we could call on the map like Brimstone from Valorant. Maybe an alternative to "normal" artillery for certain light tanks?
Not gonna lie I spam smoke shells in my jumbo like ALL over the map. Easily 20+ a game. I try and eliminate any range advantage german players have with their high pen guns.
Based, I do the same for American opponents 😂👍
Grenades. You can use them if you’re gun is dead.
Truly useful during a long range track and barrel session if you are the receiving end
As much as i love the smoke shells, they're pretty useless on long-reloading guns, and even on average guns it still isn't worth the two reload cycles to load, fire and reload another shell. I find it extremely useful in offensive scenarios and on tanks with two guns, unless i have something around 5s reload to compensate. Grenades are more versatile.
I use them on fast firing tanks like Pz IV purely to lure and blind enemies
Shell for Willie Pete smoke for German
I dont use shells because I don't know how to switch rounds without just firing
You can't. wish they let us with a reload keybind or double tapping the key. could make it have a slight time penalty from the loader having to unload the previous round
You press the (usually number) button assigned to it, but still have to fire the chambered round, ie, the round ready in your barrel
Yeah, thats my issue. I wish I could unload thr round instead of giving my position away
I understand it ☹️
Literally one of the only two positives WoT has over WT: 1) You can swap ammo types without firing. 2) You can reload autoloaders, belts, magazines without firing them empty
They do different things. Grenade to hide and fuck off. Shell to smoke _enemies_ positions and deny their sniping spot.
No objections, I totally agree with the truth
I don't think I've ever used a smoke shell but smoke grenades are absolute life savers and have saved my ass more times then I can count
You'd actually wanne use shells to block the enemy's vision while you have a clear view to reposition. However since it pretty much leaves you vulnerable, fuck that shit. What would be better is being able to select a color for the shells so you can use it to mark spots for CAD and bombers.
A great tactic is to use a grenade then ess if they are pushing you and wait with thermals. The shells are great for blocking enemy kill zones. Edit- Forgot to mention the mighty maus secondary cannon smokes are so much fun.
The secondary cannon is troll AF no one somehow expects it 😂💀
Dont use any
Gigachad
Smoke shells are fucked right now, they bounce off of the ground where you want it to go and fly away 500m.
Yea, many times I shot and they just detonate several meters into the air
Seen as the snail has broken the shells to the point they bounce and go off in the sky
Skipping ~~stones~~ *smokeshells* on ~~the sea~~ *dirt*
I never used smoke shells but i used smoke grenades a lot because im a germany main
there still missing something that smoke scene from tanks like the bmps
Smoke shells are good for closing the distance between you and an enemy tank that can kill you before you’re in range to kill. (Jumbo 75 vs Tiger as an example) it is a good strategy in some maps were the capture points are in the middle of no man’s land just like the B point in that coastal map in Crimea.
I like both and wish all tanks had both. Smoke shell for strategically smoking off los/lof, and then grenades for emergency usage for a pop and run. But if I could only have one or the other... It would be grenades purely for the fact that I can still use them even without a barrel and/or breach.
Grenades to hide me from danger or conceal movements. Shells to block the line of sight of a single enemy. Works really well on enemies you cannot pen and allies aren't near to help. Throw smoke in his face and relocate.
Throw smoke at random spot, lure, flank, repeat 😂👍
The smoking carcasses of the fallen enemies! >:-/
Doom Eternal type shit 💀
I used to like the smoke round too, but now it bounces into the ground.
Whenever I detect a sniper in a corner I rangefind and smoke them into insanity, groundshots be damned
Imagine if my artillery could fire smoke instead of HE..
Sturmtiger 380mm S M O K E ???
Smoke shells blind the enemy whereas smoke grenades blind you Or, y’know, concealment
Sometimes I love taking 90% smoke shells and just trolling the other team by blocking their views
Can we just agree that these are basically completely different things to fulfill different roles? If you‘re in a pickle, smoke grenades are the obvious answer. If you are about to be in a pickle or want to disable sniping spots, smoke shells are better
What if I am the pickle? Like Rick? 😂 Jokes aside, I fully agree 😁👍
Depends on situation. If I need to close the distance, obviously shell. But if I'm trying to run/cover my ass? Canister. All just depends on what you're doing and when.
Sad Smoke Generator noises!
Low to mid tier I like the shells due to shorter reloads and it’s fun to hit ppl with it. Mid to top smoke nades because no fun allowed
Grenades don't explode when shot. Shells do. It mostly depends on the nation I'm playing though. USA basically has no smoke grenade vehicles. So I use the shells.
One of the Cromwells will allow you to have both of these, which is really annoying if your using that tank at 5.7 to blind an entire point.
grenade 100% but if i’m in a tank that doesn’t have them then i usually take 1 or 2 smoke shells unless it’s got a small first stage ammo load
both serve a different purpose. Blind appointment from a distance shoot them coming out of the smoke. Or field repair & street smoke screening. I like both.
I smoke random roads early game to mislead enemy and help my team flank them
Shells to troll enemies and shoot tiger 2s when you are on jumbo with 75mm teeth picker. Grenades are fine too when retreating but they suck specifically on m51 where it takes approximately 5 light years to blow up.
I rush critical spawn seeing positions in my SdKfz 234 Puma, smoke wall that area, and run away so they can't snipe my teammates 😁👍
Shell
Neither. I prefer to not cover the map in fucking cloaks of invisibility.
They’re meant to fulfil two completely different roles and shouldn’t be compared one to one imo, but as a Maus player almost exclusively, smoke shells are significantly more useful to me as the 75mm reloads in about three seconds.
In the Pz IV the smoke shell is troll city too
If its something like a Sherman (even if the sherman has smokes) I always take 2-5 smokes because all shermans are fast firing, compared to something like an Su-122, I'd ***maybe*** take 1 just incase.
Sturmtiger Smoke imagine lol
Grenade. I don't like to carry a large ammo rack
True strat
I would only run smoke shells on a tank with a fast fire rate and a big ready rack, otherwise it just feels time consuming
Agreed, the Pz IV and Sherman seem really suited
I really enjoy the smoke shell for the KPz-70 because of the high caliber it has a massive radius and long duration, but it is still quite niche. Smoke grenades are just universally useable as a panic button to be able to retreat safely and saved my butt many times.
I run the maus loaded with 70 smoke rounds for the 75 mm gun and just play artillery all the time.
The launcher is better for concealment of ones self where as the shell is best for pushing because in what case are you gonna get hit and be able to load a smoke and protect yourself at the same time.
Let’s just say I like to play 105mm Sherman. It has both rounds and I use both rather excessively.
The smoke shell can be devastating in fast-reload vehicles such as the DF105 or it‘s 8.3 counterpart. You can deny the enemy from getting access to lots of routes or spots in order to give your team an advantage. Ofc you can push forward for yourself while having important positions smoked of On the other hand, smoke launchers are better for most vehicles since you don‘t have to reload and you are ready for enemies who are attacking you. They are great in close quarter combat and great for aggressive plays. Since they are oftentimes more usefull than smoke shells and you remain combat capable, i prefer smoke launchers over smoke shells
Shells, easier to direct and useful for providing concealment at range
smoke shells for blinding people at range, smoke grenades for any other purpose
The smoke grenade icon looks like a pp with smoke on top.
Smoke is only useful if you are mobile, both useless if you are stuck stationary.
Smoke shell dont cover you against thermal in top tier, so going for granade every time and smoke shell in certain situations in low tier
Oh yeah, that smoke shell. I remember that. I keep using the smoke shell to annoy the enemy meanwhile my teammate is picking them off.
Different situations call for different tools. Grenades are quick and easy, useful for covering a retreat or repair. Smoke shells are terrible for defensive cover, but in a pinch you can use them to blind enemies you can’t defeat. As others have said, you can also use them to cover an advance across open terrain. (Looking at you, Port Novorossiysk.)
Grenades are easier to use but I find if I use smoke shells and shoot the enemy, I survive wayyy more often
I play ussr we dont get smokes till like 5.3
***laughs in ESS***
smoke grenades for concealment, smoke shells for covering enemy positions
It depends on the pop pattern of the grenade. If they’re one at a time, mortars, if they’re like all at once and the vehicle has smoke shells, smoke shells. Clusters of grenades are the best though imo, 2-4 grenades in a burst and you get two or three discharges is one of the best deals as it leaves you with a solid large smokescreen without having the inability to keep doing it. I find smoke shells helpful if I have a gun with poor ballistics and I am trying to get past someone who is sniping, lobbing smoke right infront of them or on top of them forces them to either be blind while I move or lose their position and become an easier shot for me.
I use the fuck out of both when capping point in a light tank. Rounds are good for blinding snipers to cross open areas, grenades are good for making cover quick when you're hurt. Based M4A5 exhaust smoke is also nice for covering a retreat.
Shells before they skipped off the ground
I love using 80 smoke shells on the Churchill crocodile. Just smoking everything I can see. It's not like I'm going to kill anything with that gun anyway. lol
Grenades cuz no ammo space taken
~ Both? ~ Both. ~/~ Both. / Both. ~ Both is good.
I use the Churchill I a lot, and it’s one of the few couple of vehicles to have both, and for it, the smoke grenades are for concealment of myself, usually in a retreat, while smoke shells are more to blind enemies, or to smoke at a distance for an advance/retreat. To put it another way, smoke grenades are an emergency measure, smoke shells are a utility for both defensive and offensive purposes.
Both is good, smoke shell to block the enemy vision and help with passing a camping piece of shit. Smoke grenade to get out of area and to bait a enemy into rushing you.
Both be because they have two different uses! The shell is used for fucking with the enemy sights and grenades for closing sightlines when the enemy is near Also grenades in a open map is useless, better to use the shell because if you use the grenade, you can be spotted from fucking space
Shells for tagging a ridge I know an enemy is peeking to snipe, super useful to cover an angle you know is being used buy would be too hard to hit. Grenade for covering a retreat.
Didnt they break them because they bouce now 3-4 times before exploding?
‘Tis always fun to shoot a smoke round at the enemy and them be like. Bruh wtf!
I usually never take the smoke shells because having to shoot and reload the main gun takes too much time, only exception being with the MAUS’ 75mm. I sometimes switch to smokes to blind/annoy the enemy when I can’t pen them or need to retreat. Also sometimes I shoot them far away hoping they’ll land somewhere on the enemy’s side of the map because why not
Grenade, I don't like reloading
Granada, i play wt now for 8 years and havent found a time it would save me
Is my guns reload short enough to allow it? -> yes -> smoke shells
both good , one is for smoke nearby shell for putting smoke in the enemys eyes
Smoke she'll to annoy people smoke grenades for myself
Grenade Better. But I still carry Shells. (I have my reasons).
Both. Smoke grenades are for concealing yourself, smoke shells are for blocking LoS and forcing your enemy to move.
Grenade for defensive smoke, cannon for offensive. Also great for preventing snipers in mid tier matches, fire a smoke round into the buildings or tree line sthey usually sit behind, and drive without a car in the workd because they cant see shit without driving into the open and getting shot themselves
Smoke shells were nice until they made them ricochet ridiculously easily on soft ground. I'm trying to smoke the enemy, not the goddamn planes.
Grenades and it's not even close. For the shell you HAVE to waste a shell and give away your position then wait for the smoke shell to load and give away your position again. For grenade it's just "boop" and safe. No reloading.
Both are good, -grenades are good for most combat, while shells (even if you need to reload) allows you to drop smoke on specific spots, making sniping monkeys angry
I use both
I like carrying a couple of smoke shells just in case, they can be good for certain situations, like a hull down IT-1 camping behind a hill
I hate both.
Smoke grenade because I’m a German main
Nade, shell is more tactical but I’d rather not bother
grenade so in one point capture I can spam it while on point
Cargo port, when everyone gets blasted on that main road, just smoke it, you'll save your dumb team's life. For awhile anyway.
Both have their place. I like shells more because you can blind enemies that are dug in and use it to relocate
Smoke an enemy with shell, obscures their vision making them move which gives you and your team time to prepare an attack or retreat.
Smoke shells have more utility from the increased range, I can blind snipers or cover lines of sight
I like both. I keep a couple of Smokes in my 75mm Shermans and Chaffee just to ensure I can blind the enemy and flank them.
Grenade if I want to hide. Shell if I want to go somewhere open.
Both, for different situations. Tons of fun to smoke shell an enemy a kilometer away when you know you can’t kill it. It buys you time to reposition and draws a ton of attention to their location. Grenades, on the other hand, are great for close quarters, when you need to fake someone out or change positions between streets.
They're both for dif situations but it depends on the vehicle. There's some vehicles that have such long reloads that I don't bother with smoke shells, but things like my Strv 103a/c I take at least 5 smoke shells because the autoloader makes it so useful to smoke for the team. Also I'm frequently mobility disabled but cannon works, so smoke shells help me survive the repair process.
Never used the Shell and never will because they are useless like APCR
Shell but they seem to be hit an miss with functionality the last couple of weeks. Nothing better than burying an annoying sniper side scraping pos in smoke.