Learn the maps, not just the game
Every map has two or three positions per spawn that decide the match. Heavy tanks go to the brawl corridor, mediums to the flexible middle, tank destroyers to the lanes with long sightlines. Open the map in the garage, look where the fights happen and start every battle with a plan for where your class belongs.
Angle your armor
Armor thickness is only half the story. Hitting a plate at an angle makes the shell travel through more steel and can bounce it outright. Keep your hull at roughly thirty to forty degrees to the enemy, hide the lower plate behind terrain and, in a turret fight, wiggle so the enemy never gets a flat shot at your cupola.
Understand spotting
View range, camouflage and bushes decide who sees whom. Firing from inside a bush removes most of its concealment, so pull back a few meters after each shot. If you are spotted and nobody is shooting at you yet, you have a few seconds to move before artillery arrives.
Carry both ammo types
Standard rounds are cheap and enough for most targets. Premium rounds cost credits but go through heavies that would otherwise bounce you. Load a mix, switch when you see a target you cannot penetrate, and never spam premium at thin targets: you waste credits for no gain.
Crew skills that matter
Sixth Sense tells you when you are spotted and is the single most important perk. Brothers in Arms boosts every crew stat. Repair, Camouflage and Snap Shot follow. A full crew with three skills on a tier VIII tank is often worth more than the next tier of vehicle.
Review your battles
After a loss, ask one question: where was I when the team collapsed? If you were alive and far from the fight, you learned something about positioning. If you were dead early, you learned something about patience. Watch replays of your best and worst games, not the average ones.
FAQ
How many battles does it take to get good at World of Tanks?
Most players see real improvement after a few thousand battles, but players who review their own games and study maps improve much faster.
What is the most important crew skill?
Sixth Sense on the commander. It tells you when you have been spotted, which saves your vehicle more than any other perk.