How does camo work in World of Tanks?

Camouflage makes it harder for enemy vehicles to detect you. It does this by reducing your spotting range—the maximum distance that enemy Commanders can spot you from. The better your Camouflage, the closer they have to be before you’re spotted.

That was a basic, compact explanation of what Camouflage is, but, like most things in World of Tanks, the underlying calculations and mechanics are quite complex. So, how does Camo work in World of Tanks? This guide will give you the full breakdown.

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What affects your tank’s stealthiness?

Many things determine your vehicle’s Camouflage level, or Camo factor. Among them:

• Base Camo, which is the natural Camo factor of your tank. Every tank is different.
• The level of your Crew’s Camouflage skill.
• Whether or not you have Camouflage Net equipped.
• The objects and structures in your environment.

In essence, better Camouflage means you’re harder to spot. You can improve your tank’s stealthiness by equipping Camo, using the environment, and upgrading your Crew’s Camouflage skill level.

The math behind Camouflage in WoT

Camouflage works by modifying spotting range. This is the formula for spotting range:

spottingRange = viewRange – (viewRange – 50) * CamoFactor

To understand what this means, we first have to talk about three key concepts: spotting range, view range, and Camouflage factor.

(Note that, although there are key differences between World of Tanks and World of Tanks Blitz, this formula is the same in both games.)

Spotting range is the maximum distance that you can detect an enemy vehicle, assuming line of sight. The minimum spotting range is 50 meters. You will always vehicles within 50 meters of you, even without line of sight. The maximum spotting range is 445 meters. You cannot detect (or be detected) by vehicles farther than 445 meters.

View range is the maximum distance a tank’s Commander can see. Note that this is not the same as the player’s view distance. It’s entirely possible that you can see an enemy that your Commander will not detect (or vice versa).

A vehicle’s view range depends on the vehicle’s turret, the Commander’s primary skill level, the usage of equipment that boosts view range (such as Coated Optics), and Commander skills like Recon or Radio Operator.

Camouflage factor is a modifying value that affects a vehicle’s spotting range. It cannot be larger than 1. A larger Camo factor results in a shorter spotting range, so the larger the Camo factor, the better. The formula for Camouflage factor is:

CamoFactor = baseCamo * (0.00375 * CamoSkill + 0.5) * CamoAtShot + CamoPattern + CamoNet + environmentCamo

• baseCamo is the natural Camouflage level of a tank. This is a fixed value assigned by the developers. Every vehicle has three states—stationary, moving, after firing—and each has a baseCamo value. For many light tanks, the moving and stationary baseCamo values are the same.
• CamoSkill is the level of your Crew’s Camouflage skill.
• CamoAtShot is a modifier that varies depending on the combination of tank model, turret, and gun of the attacking vehicle. This is used by the developers for balancing purposes. On average, this value is 25%.
• CamoPattern is the Camo bonus granted by a premium Camo.
• CamoNet is a bonus gained when you have the Camouflage Net equipped.
• environmentCamo is the Camo bonus provided by the environment around you. Solid objects (e.g., hills and rocks) provide 100% Camouflage. Translucent objects (e.g., bushes and trees) provide up to 64% Camouflage.

A simplified example

So, we know that view range is the distance a Commander can see vehicles, and spotting range is the distance that a vehicle is detectable from. Spotting range is a factor of the target’s Camo factor and your effective view range. Now, let’s put all these concepts together with a simplified example.

Let’s say there are two tanks on opposite teams. Tank A is a Renault UE 57 and Tank B is a MS-1. We want to calculate how close Tank B has to be before it can spot Tank A.

To emphasize how Camo can affect spotting range, let’s make a few assumptions:

• Tank A gets no Camo-boosting effects
• Tank B gets no range-boosting effects
• CamoAtShot effect is 25%

Calculating Camo factor

Tank A is a Renault UE 57, which has the highest baseCamo in the game at 26.85%.

The formula for Camo factor is:

CamoFactor = baseCamo * (0.00375 * CamoSkill + 0.5) * CamoAtShot + CamoPattern + CamoNet + environmentCamo

Since we’re assuming no additional Camo bonuses, we get the following:

CamoFactor = .2685 * (0.00375 * 0 + 0.5) * 0.25

CamoFactor = .00335625

Calculating spotting range

Tank B is a MS-1, which has a base view range of 280 meters.

Again, the formula for spotting range is as follows:

spottingRange = viewRange – (viewRange – 50) * CamoFactor

If we plug in those example values, we get:

spottingRange = 280 – (280 – 50) * .00335625

spottingRange = 272.280625

The final result after calculations is a spotting range of roughly 272 meters. This means that Tank B must be 272 meters or closer and have line of sight in order to spot Tank A.

How Camo affects spotting range

Now, let’s add Camouflage to the mix. Let’s reuse the same example scenario, except this time Tank A is hidden behind a single light bush that grants a 10% Camo bonus:

CamoFactor = baseCamo * (0.00375 * CamoSkill + 0.5) * CamoAtShot + CamoPattern + CamoNet + environmentCamo

CamoFactor = .2685 * (0.00375 * 0 + 0.5) * .25 + 0.1

CamoFactor = 0.1335625

spottingRange = 280 – (280 – 50) * 0.033814

spottingRange = 249.28

Calculations show that Tank B must be within roughly 249 meters of Tank A to spot it. Tank B has reduced Tank A’s spotting range by about 23 meters just by hiding behind a single light bush!

So, what happens if Tank A maxes out it’s Camo factor? Remember, Camo factor cannot be greater than 1.

spottingRange = 280 – (280 – 50) * 1

spottingRange = 50

Maxing out its Camo factor gives Tank A a spotting range of 50 meters to Tank B. What a coincidence; that’s exactly the minimum spotting distance that World of Tanks allows.

Learn to optimize your Camo factor

As we’ve learned, something as simple as hiding behind light cover is enough to reduce spotting range by several meters. In fact, environmental cover is the single most influential component in Camo factor calculations. Always keep an eye out for potential hiding spots in your environment. Even something as insignificant as a rock or bush provides cover. Experts exploit this mechanic all the time to maintain stealth when approaching enemy locations.

Of course, you’re not always going to be in a location with great environmental Camo. Fortunately, there’s a ton of skills and abilities that boost Camo factor. Unlike environmental Camo, which varies depending on location, they offer a permanent Camo bonus while equipped.

Upgrading your Camouflage skill and maxing out your Commander’s primary skill level will get you a decent stealth boost. The biggest effect (other than environmental cover) comes from skills and equipment, though. For instance, Camo Net provides a flat 10% boost to Camo factor—essentially the same effect as having a light bush taped to your tank’s chassis.