combat
Penetration
Penetration (armor piercing power)
In one sentence:
How many millimeters of armor your shell can punch through at point-blank range.
What it means
Penetration is the number printed on a shell that tells you whether you'll damage an enemy or watch your shot bounce off harmlessly. A gun with 200mm of penetration will reliably punch through any flat armor plate up to 200mm thick.
How it's calculated
Effective penetration = nominal pen × cos(angle of impact). At 60° angle, you lose half. At 90° you bounce.
Example
The IS-3's 122mm BL-9 has 225mm AP penetration. Against the Maus's 240mm flat upper hull, it bounces. But against the same Maus angled at 30° from perpendicular, the armor becomes 277mm effective — also bounces. You need APCR (270mm pen) to be safe.
Why it matters
Penetration determines what targets you can damage. A medium with 218 pen struggles against tier-10 heavy fronts but mauls flanks and sides. A TD with 330 pen punches through almost anything.
Common pitfall
⚠ Penetration values vary ±25% per shot. A '218mm pen' gun rolls 164-272mm. Plan for low rolls when shooting marginal targets.
Managing multiple WoT accounts?
Anti-detect browsers let you safely grind credits on alt accounts without bans. Used by serious WoT players, crypto airdrop hunters, and account farmers.
See Dolphin browser →Affiliate link — we may earn commission from purchases
Related terms
- Alpha damage — Average damage dealt by a single shell on a successful penetration.
- Ammo types — AP, APCR, HEAT, and HE — each shell type behaves differently against armor.
- Armor angling — Tilting your armor to multiply its effective thickness against enemy shells.
Browse all WoT terms
DPMAlpha damageAmmo typesArmor anglingView rangeCamo ratingRate of fireHull-downGun depressionSpotting (vision)Ammo rackCrew skillsEquipmentConsumablesMatchmakerAutoloaderAutoreloaderDispersionAim timeRicochetOvermatchNormalizationPremium ammoSidescrapingSixth SenseProxy spottingBiACommanderCreditsBondsPremium accountWN8MoERanked