[Top 20 Tips] Foxhole Battle Tank Guide

Ironclad declarations of might and power made manifest.

Battle Tanks, colloquially known as BTs, are a class of heavily armored tracked combat vehicles that are the mainstay armored vehicles of Foxhole in the late-game stages of the war. On the field, their nigh-on impenetrable armor and powerful cannon make them a force to be reckoned with, as their presence alone can single-handedly turn the tide of battle. 

Battle Tanks are one of the greatest expressions of force in the game. They are the heaviest armored combat vehicles in the game, second only to the Super-Heavy Tanks that are the penultimate armored vehicles to ever exist at present in Foxhole. The presence of even a single Battle Tank can provide an enormous boost to the fighting strength and morale of the allied faction.

Large and cumbersome, but wielding an extremely powerful main cannon, Battle Tanks are designed to duke it out with the armored vehicles of the enemy force. They can take an astounding amount of punishment, and return it twicefold to the enemy, rendering lesser tanks null with one or two direct hits from its cannon. 

Despite their expensive production cost and appearance only in the late stages of the war, Battle Tanks are vitally important to the health of the current war progress in Foxhole.

Here are a few key reasons why Battle Tanks are significant when appearing on the frontline:

• Provides significant firepower on the battlefield
• Its presence can intimidate enemies, and inspire allies
• Can take punishment and dish it out as well
• Can assault and siege enemy defenses easily
• Its 75mm cannon can eliminate lesser enemy armor with 2-3 hits

In this guide, we’ll teach you 20 tips and tricks on how to best use and exploit the awesome war machines in Foxhole that are Battle Tanks!

Tip 1 - Size and Power

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Battle Tanks are large and terrifyingly powerful armored vehicles that can single-handedly break a siege and overturn an armored enemy offensive with their presence alone. In comparison to other lesser tanks, such as the Devitt and Kranesca light tanks, Battle Tanks are almost twice as big and four times as potent.

When a Battle Tank arrives, friendly or otherwise, local channels will become abuzz with either cries of lament or howls of joy! Experienced enemy tank crews will think twice about fighting a Battle Tank, even if they have an overwhelming numbers advantage since a single direct hit from a Battle Tank’s main weapon can heavily damage even assault tanks.

Battle Tanks are biiiig. On most fronts, they’ll take up the entire width of the road with their sheer enormity. You can use the Battle Tank’s sheer size and intimidating arsenal to suppress enemy troops and armor, as well as use yourself as a bullet sponge to protect the less armored friendly vehicles along your tank line. 

Tip 2 - Value the Battle Tank

Battle Tanks take an absurd amount of time to build and field. Currently, the shortest construction time for a base Battle Tank is 18 hours. Let that sink in.

Remember to take a moment to appreciate the effort behind every Battle Tank you encounter. Whether it’s on your side or the enemy’s, each Battle Tank represents a significant investment of time, resources and dedication behind it by numerous people behind the scenes.

That being said, while using one, keep in mind the effort your fellows put into its construction and be cautious about risking the Battle Tank in dangerous manoeuvres that might waste the vehicle before it can even be used for its primary purpose.

Tip 3 - Master the Variants

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In the current state of Foxhole, there are about six Battle Tanks; three tank variants for each side. There are the two main Battle Tanks designed specifically for tank combat: the Flood Mk.1 for the Wardens, and the Lance-36 for the Colonials. 

Then, there are the specialized variants of the first two, designed with asymmetry in mind: the Juggernaut Mk.VII Flamethrower Tank for the Wardens, and the Lance-25 Hasta Tank Destroyer for the Colonials. Each variant can be built on the same facility structure as the first two Battle Tanks.

Recent updates introduced two mobile artillery platforms using the Battle Tank chassis: the Stain Mk.IX, and the Lance-45 Sarissa.

By knowing the different Battle Tanks, you can strategize accordingly to what variants you encounter. Wanders should watch out for their Colonial Battle Tank counterpart and the Lance-25 Hasta. While for the Colonials, they should be wary of both the Flood Mk.1 and the Juggernaut Mk.VII as both have the 75mm cannon mounted on them to counter.

Tip 4 - Seize Every Opportunity to Strike

Battle Tanks are built to withstand heavy enemy fire and engage multiple enemy tanks simultaneously. A single Battle Tank with a competent crew can fight an overwhelming amount of enemy armor at the same time, and have a good chance at winning the engagement.

Despite their size, Battle Tanks are surprisingly nimble. They can accelerate quickly, catching enemy tanks off guard when they think they can be sneaky and take a potshot at you before quickly retreating out of your supposed reach!

In personal theory, a Battle Tank can comfortably duel 3 to 5 tanks at once that are below its category. This is thanks to its 75mm cannon that has superior range and firepower compared to smaller, weaker tanks. So don’t hesitate to punish the enemy when the opportunity arises, as the Battle Tank can shrug off more than a few hits with barely a scratch. Unfortunately, with only an effective range of 30 meters, you'll have to get in close and personal with the enemy tanks to pop a shot off.

Tip 5 - Wardens: Speed and Armor

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The Flood Mk.1 Battle Tank, also known as the Flood, is the mainstay heavy armored tank of the Warden Empire. More armored than a Silverhand assault tank, and more heavily armed than a Lordscar tank destroyer, the Flood is a force amplifier in the ranks of the Warden armored line-up.

The Flood is perfectly capable of engaging both infantry and heavily armored vehicles with its armament consisting of a 75mm turret-mounted cannon, and a 12.7mm hull-mounted machine gun. Try not to use the main gun on infantry unless absolutely necessary, as it takes a few seconds to reload the main gun leaving you relatively defenceless against any enemy tanks aiming to take advantage of your downtime.

Unlike its Colonial counterpart, the Flood has less overall in exchange for more armor and a faster on-road and off-road speed, allowing it to ricochet tank fire more often and move faster than what many would assume for a vehicle of its size. The Flood is extremely durable despite its less overall health compared to the Lance-35, and an experienced battle tank crew can more than easily battle several light tanks at once and have a good chance of surviving the engagement.

Tip 6 - Do Not Be A One-Man Army

Broken down to its base level, Foxhole is played and designed with teamwork in mind. Through teamwork, wars are won. Therefore, no matter how skilled and experienced you are, never crew a Battle Tank or any armored vehicle alone.

In Foxhole, you cannot do everything by yourself. You can’t be the commander, the gunner, the driver, and the engineer all at once. And even in the case that your Battle Tank might be fully crewed, you cannot win a front alone with a single vehicle.

Victory in Foxhole can only come from the combined efforts of hundreds of players, both on the frontlines and behind the scenes. Help your team, and they’ll help you!

Tip 7 - Death Before Dismount

When you’re crewing a tank or any other armored vehicle, there’s a golden rule you must remember and always follow: never let the enemy capture your vehicle, no matter what.

“Death before dismount”. Many veterans will echo that saying when asked. It is better to have your vehicle get destroyed, rather than have it fall into enemy hands. If you get disabled in any vehicle, you fight to your last breath. To be prepared, always carry 2-3 gas filters on your person in order to prevent enemies from gassing you out of your Battle Tank and stealing it.

An additional tidbit to this tip is that you should always have someone in the tank at all times. If you end up getting killed while outside of the Battle Tank, the crew inside can quickly switch seats and pull the Battle Tank back to safety even when there’s only one crew member left. This ensures your vehicle stays out of enemy hands and keeps your team safe!

Tip 8 - Arm Yourself Frugally

The inventory space of Battle Tanks are quite limited, even more so since the last few updates to Foxhole overhauled the inventory system of many armored vehicles and tanks to better reflect the overall new state of the game. The Battle Tank for both sides have 2 dedicated ammo slots that can hold 15 75mm shells and 30 12.7mm magazines, for each gun on the Battle Tank.

Arm for the level of fierce opposition you expect to face. It is advised to bring no more than 12 tank shells unless you expect to be constantly firing the main gun, while you can comfortably fill the 12.7mm magazine slot with up to 30 magazines. 

Additionally, one of your crew members should also be carrying a can of Heavy Oil, which is the fuel source of the Battle Tank in the case that your fuel tank ruptures and you need to refill it to remain operational after repair.

Tip 9 - Beware the Night!

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Foxhole immerses the player in a simulated day and night cycle that can dynamically change the battlefield environment by changing the lighting and visual range of sight as each day turns to night then repeats. A single 24-hour day in Foxhole takes 1 hour in real life. By that metric, 1 in-game hour lasts 2.5 minutes in real life.

Daylight starts at 6 AM and ends at 6 PM. Night time lasts for the time beyond that, reducing the player’s line of sight significantly gradually until it reaches its smallest value at midnight. This makes for a dynamically changing battlefield that can provide infantry with ample opportunity to execute maneuvers to push and recuperate while daytime is still far away.

For vehicles and tanks, nighttime is by far the most dangerous time to fight. Aside from reduced visibility around your vehicle, it also prevents you from spotting danger such as tripods, enemy infantry, and emplacements until they are within your line of sight. You can't see the enemy, but they sure as hell can see you.

Additionally, while you cannot see enemy infantry, they can see you and your vehicle quite easily, making it relatively easy for enemy anti-tank infantry to flank your Battle Tank and disable your tracks.

To mitigate risks, park your Battle Tank somewhere safe within range of allied defenses when night falls. Wait until daylight before returning to fight the enemy with your Battle Tank. This ensures your tank and crew remain protected until conditions improve.

Tip 10 - Colonials: Aggression and Health

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The Lance-36, also known simply as the Lance, is the main Battle Tank of the Colonial Army. With thick armor plating and a destructive firepower output through its 75mm cannon, it can withstand a lot of punishment in exchange for a slower top speed in comparison to its Warden counterpart. In the ranks of the Colonial tanks, the Lance is employed with an aggressive playstyle in mind, designed to shock & awe enemy positions all the while taking enormous amounts of punishment and remain operational.

As the absolute workhorse of the storied Colonial armour division, it is the pride of any respectable Colonial frontline that is graced by its presence. When manning a Lance Battle Tank, it is advised to play it aggressively, getting in close to enemy vehicles and using its 75mm main cannon to score direct hits on subsystems before backing out despite sustaining damage.

For this method of fighting to work effectively, you should always have an escort of infantry and allied armored vehicles alongside you to support your charge and playstyle, drawing enemy fire to your vehicle instead of your allies as you can take punishment and dish it out in return just as easily. In exchange for less armor and speed, the Lance has more health than the Flood and can take more enemy fire before being disabled.

Tip 11 - Know the Battle Tank’s worth

On an objective level, a player is worth only a single soldier supply or shirt. A Battle Tank is multiple days or even weeks worth of effort condensed into a single vehicle that is prized for its power to turn a battle from a retreat to a counter-attack. That being said, and it has to be said frankly: the Battle Tank is worth more than your life.

If a Battle Tank is decrewed always try to recover it while working with other soldiers on the field. Destroy it if recovery is utterly impossible, as it is better to lose weeks' worth of progress by your own faction’s hands than to watch it get captured by the enemy and repurposed against your frontline. Be prepared to have allied armor and anti-tank crews focus fire on a captured Battle Tank to ensure it can be used against you further!

Tip 12 - Vigilance is Key

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When entering a frontline, scout ahead first on foot with a pair of binoculars to survey the battlefield. Take note of the environment, enemy positions, and potential threats. This simple precaution might be tedious, but it can mean the difference between victory and defeat.

Pay special attention to mines that can impede your movement and dips and rises in the terrain which can slow your Battle Tank down and prevent you from firing straight. Enemy armor should be your primary target and threat beyond the first two.

Remember, the Battle Tank is designed to combat enemy tanks on a superior level. In truth, a Battle Tank might only have three enemies that can truly counter it: arrogance, overwhelming enemy fire, and another Battle Tank. And maybe the nuke. Maybe.

Tip 13 - Plan An Escape Always

Always have an escape route ready on hand. In the event that your frontline collapses due to some external factor outside of your control such as enemy artillery opening up, or a huge enemy offensive on the other side of the region splitting your forces in half, you’ll need a route ready to be able to follow to get you back safely behind allied defenses as quickly as possible.

However you cut it, if you have friendly infantry behind you, you’ll have to run them over in the event that you are retreating. The Battle Tank is worth more than them hundredfold, and in the etiquette of infantry-tank combat they shouldn’t be hiding behind a tank in the first place especially in Foxhole. 

Plan ahead, stay alert, and be ready to act quickly to make sure your Battle Tank lives to fight another day.

Tip 14 - Prioritize Key Targets

Battle Tanks are more than just big guns meant to fight other big guns; they’re also super useful for other roles! They’re great at taking down enemy defenses, especially with their powerful 75mm cannons which can make short of any defensive line below Tier 3 bunker complexes.

That being said, you should always take into account which targets to prioritize first!

If you want to focus on allowing your escort infantry to reach enemy lines safely to bring the fight to them, you should turn your gun towards dismantling anti-infantry pillboxes and garrisons that can target friendly soldiers. On the other hand, you should also coordinate with other armored tanks on your line to destroy anti-tank defenses by targeting a single piece at once to destroy it before it can fire back.

Tip 15 - Understand Your Battle Tank

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Battle Tanks have had a tenuous history in Foxhole. They have existed far before the game ever left early access, and were removed initially for balancing reasons before being reintroduced with the logistics overhaul. 

While retaining their late-game presence in the Foxhole wars, the new logistical overhaul of the game has made it significantly more time-consuming to field a single Battle Tank without proper coordination and dozens of people working behind the scenes.

It is vitally important for any tanker worth his salt to know the limits of himself, his crew, and his Battle Tank. Experienced players within the crew should prioritize positions in the Battle Tank that ensure the vehicle’s utmost survivability and effectiveness in combat. Veterans should focus more on filling the positions of Driver and Spotter, while newer players should be allowed to man posts such as the Gunner, Loader, or Engineer as those require less experience and attention to detail.

While the strengths of Battle Tanks are a long list, their weaknesses should also be taken note of. Like any armored vehicle, they can trigger mines and have a 100% chance of having their tracks crippled. In addition, just like any tank, they have thinner armor on the sides, top, and rear as opposed to the front, making it relatively easy to penetrate them in those locations. While their track subsystems are crippled, they cannot scale up hills without being fully repaired.

Battle Tanks are also slow relative to light tanks, but are faster still than the Super-Heavy Tanks. 

Tip 16 - Communicate

Talk with your crew. Simple as that. The beauty of Foxhole is the immersive local voice chat that allows dozens of players to all talk at once seamlessly, simulating the chaos of war by the barking of orders under enemy fire.

Microphones are the basis of good communication in Foxhole. While text chat exists, in the heat of battle it takes too long to communicate through such a channel. Communicate with your crew via voice chat, and you’ll do better than those that don’t. 

Tip 17 - Tailor Your Loadouts

Currently, there are about 11 types of uniforms in Foxhole. For any tanker worth their salt, the tank uniform is the best uniform for the crew of a combat-capable vehicle such as the Battle Tank. The tank uniform gives reduced encumbrance for basic materials and allows gas mask filters to stack up to 3, allowing you to load yourself out accordingly.

While some crew members of your Battle Tank can carry items specific to their role in the vehicle, such as a can of Heavy Oil for the driver, and a pair of binoculars for the commander, there are some essential items that every crew member should collectively have. These essential items are a hammer, a radio, a gas mask, 3 filters, and as much basic materials as they can carry without being encumbered.

Recommended Battle Tank Crew Loadouts:

• Commander - Tanker's Uniform
• Driver - Tanker's Uniform
• Secondary Gunner - Engineer's Uniform
• Main Gunner - Tanker's Uniform
• Engineer - Engineer's Uniform
   

Tip 18 - Know Your Targets

The art of using a tank is all about identification and threat assessment. A keen-eyed commander will typically be surveying the battlefield constantly while their crew waits patiently, keeping an eye out for threats or any opportunities to take advantage of a gap in the enemy’s line. Through an experienced commander, Battle Tanks can engage and focus threats effectively while leaving lesser targets to other armored vehicles and escorting infantry.

A Battle Tank specializes in tank-to-tank combat more than most other tanks below its category. It is meant to take punishment and dish it out as well in equal measure. Therefore, Battle Tanks should primarily focus on destroying other tanks, with enemy field guns as secondary targets, and then structures and emplacements as tertiary targets. 

Enemy infantry should be ignored or targeted lightly with the hull-mounted machine gun, as it is a waste to use the expensive 75mm tank shells on infantry when a machine gun is more effective at dispatching any unruly anti-tank teams.

Tip 19 - Strength in Numbers

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While a Battle Tank can turn the battlefield single-handedly, if it is left alone it can just be as easily picked off by infantry and overwhelming fire as any other. For this reason, Battle Tanks just like all tanks become stronger when they are part of a group, and group strategies amplify and concentrate a tank’s power tremendously.

A key tactic in armored fronts is when tanks line up tightly next to each other. Battle Tanks can also do this. This tactic makes it harder for enemy forces to target the sides of your armor where it is weaker and makes it so that the armor line can share a similar effective range allowing multiple tanks to focus fire on one enemy tank and kill it almost instantly.

Tip 20 - Adapt and Overcome.

At the front of the battlefield and amid combat, Battle Tanks will thrive under such conditions when crewed by experienced players. Adaptability and flexibility in threat assessment and combat maneuvers are extremely important to ensure your Battle Tank survives to fight another day. It is often better to play safely along your frontline’s allied positions than to charge recklessly if you are without any armored vehicle support.

By being able to adapt to changing battlefield conditions such as heavy artillery and changes in the weather, a quick and flexible mindset can prove essential to overcoming such challenges and allow your Battle Tank and crew to fight another day on another front to win the war!

Afterthoughts

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While this guide covers some essential tips for tank warfare and how to use the Battle Tank in Foxhole, there’s always more to learn and discover on the field and in other guides as well. Through countless hours of gameplay, I’ve learned some valuable insights into how to use tanks effectively and I’ve compiled the most essential and underutilized ones in this guide for your enjoyment.

Admittedly, I’ve lost my fair share of tanks and armored vehicles due to simple mistakes such as not knowing basic tanking etiquette or simply not knowing better. However, I can say that these experiences have taught me how to be better at tanking as a whole while also enjoying the game in its many aspects!

I hope this guide will prove useful in using a Battle Tank, but this guide can also be useful in crewing any other armored tank provided you already have a foundation on tank crewing and action. Perhaps then, we’ll even see each other on the battlefield!

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