On the battlefields of World War II, tanks would tally destroyed vehicles with distinctive marks along their gun barrels. This was the simplest, most powerful way to identify the most effective crews. Nevertheless, it wasn't a widely-used practice – the marks couldn’t be assigned reliably, as in a big battle, it wasn't easy to tell whose shell destroyed an enemy.

The same happens in World of Tanks – when the heat is on, how easy is it to see who really “destroyed” an enemy vehicle? One might easily win an even one-on-one battle where both combatants start with the same HP, but many times a tank can finish off an already heavily-damaged tank or one-shot the weaker vehicles. Obviously, these destructions shouldn't all be considered “equal.”

Marks of Excellence

On the other hand, this is World of Tanks, a game that produces tons of real-time data. As you know from seeing after-battle reports, it's possible to record the damage inflicted by every player in every battle. How much damage is dealt largely depends on player skill -- the influence of teammates becomes secondary, unlike the amount of battles won. But a list of numbers can only be so impressive, which is why we're taking a note from those tank aces of the past and introducing marks of excellence.

These marks reward such players who have high average damage in a given vehicle. They call attention to players, showing everyone they can be the most effective tank commanders in the battle. Marks of excellence are awarded based on the difference between the player’s average damage in the vehicle and the average damage done by all players in the vehicle. In this way, acquiring the marks is not dissimilar from mastery badges. By using average damage as the parameter, damage dealt upon spotting is also accounted for, meaning that light tanks are also eligible for getting marks, even if they're not high damage-dealing vehicles.

Starting with update 9.1, these marks will be computed for every tank, putting all players on an even field at its inception. Damage stats are collected every day, with several previous days accounted for, too.

Historically, it was tank aces who got the marks on their guns, so requirements for acquiring them in World of Tanks are similarly high: getting basic marks requires a player break into the top 35% of players for a specific tank; second tier marks demand a top 15% finish, and ultimate marks are rewarded only to the top 5% of players.

Developing the Marks

Along with the physical marks, all players are assigned a rating that indicates that player’s effectiveness in that specific vehicle. The rating is calculated over a series of battles, not just one highly-successful performance. Marks are issued in a staged manner from low to high. On average, you might need to participate in 50 to 100 battles in order to earn the highest rating. To that end, only random battles are considered.

Once a mark is obtained, it becomes permanent on your stats and is not subject to removal or demotion. But, at your discretion, you may choose whether to display these marks on your tanks, switching them on or off to be displayed for yourself or other players.

National Marks

Vehicles will receive skill marks as depicted below. A number of historians and consultants were involved in the selection and placement of every mark.

USSR

Red star with black-and-white border China

Red star with yellow border USA

White star with dark border Germany

Three rings with dark border France

White ring with dark border Great Britain

White ring with dark border Japan

Red hatchet

Keep your eye out for the next game update, and get ready to show your mastery on the battlefield!