How to use a armor in BF3

=In a Tank=
==Preparing for combat==
If you're going in expecting to be using armor exclusively, pick out your kit. Engineer is probably your best choice. Bring your repair tool, you'll need it. As far as weapons go, a compact weapon for close quarters will be a good choice. When you exit your tank for any reason, your biggest threat will be enemies near by, so think defense when on foot.

As for your tank load out, consider the situations you will most likely encounter. Are you probably going to encounter many opposing tanks? [[Guided Shell]]s may be a good choice. Is the range of engagement large? Consider [[Zoom Optics]]. Will there be many foot soldiers to worry about? [[Thermal Optics]] and a Coaxil MG may be in order.

==Driving==
Although lacking in glamour, a good portion of your time will be spend moving from one place to another. Driving may sound simple, but there are a few easy things that are often over-looked.

For instance:
*Stick to roads and paths. The last thing you want is to get your tank stuck someplace and have to abandon it. Staying on roads is faster than trying to take a shortcut, too. It also prevents bumpy rides from messing with your view of what's going on around you. Roads also allow you to move faster, reducing the chance of being hit by air units and ground units alike.
*Look around. Scan the area in front for mines and traps, as well as for enemy forces.
*Over head cover is something you should plan to use. Get under trees and even inside of large buildings. Enemy air units are a huge threat mainly because it's hard to fight back against them using a tank.
*Don't drive over big stuff. Like I said before, getting your tank stuck on something is annoying and embarrassing. Just drive around.
*Use the water. If you're in an IFV, don't forget your vehicle is amphibious and can float.

==Tank v. Tank==
When it comes to tank-on-tank combat, there are a few rookie mistakes you must avoid if you want to survive. First, nose forward. The sides and rear of the tank are weakly armored unless you have the [[Reactive Armor]] on. Even so, the Reactive Armor will break after a hard hit. If your enemy makes this fooling mistake, take the chance to fire on the treads and rear of the tank. If you can, get behind them before engaging. If your have the Guided Shell equipped, make that your first shot.

The smartest thing to do is attempt to cripple the enemy tank without letting yourself be crippled. Once the enemy tank is immobilized, finishing them is easy. Take advantage of your speed to move quickly to their flank for the final blow. Watch the radar to see if the crew attempts to bail. If they do, good, fighting lone foot soldiers is easy when you have a several ton, bullet proof cannon on treads.

===Surprise Buttsex maneuver ===
The ''SURPRISE BUTTSEX'' maneuver is a personal favorite of mine. When you find yourself face-to-face against an enemy tank, see if there's enough space to drive past the enemy armor. If so, you're set. Use the boost to haul ass directly at the enemy tank, firing as you go. Don't worry if you take a hit or two, it'll pay off. Drive right past the enemy tank, turning your turret as you go, and get right behind him. Now's your chance! Take a shot right as his butt for an instant disable, an one more to destroy. Make sure to get it so it's a straight on hit to maximize damage.

==Tank v. Infantry==
While fighting foot soldiers is easier than fighting against another armored vehicle, it's still very dangerous. Watch out for engineers and support units. <strike>As of yet, C4 persists even after death, so a block stuck to your tank is a death sentence.</strike> The best thing to do is maintain a distance from the enemy and keep yourself from getting boxed in. If you're going to park yourself while, say, capturing an objective, align yourself with a clear exit path. That way, if the foot soldiers get too close or you suddenly take a hard hit, you have a way to get some distance.

All armored vehicles have a weakness, and that weakness is their enormous blind spots. Anything right next to you as well as directly behind you is difficult to see and impossible to hit. Even things directly in your front can't be hit. You must maintain a distance from foot soldiers or you will be overwhelmed.

==Tank v. Aircraft==
To put it simple, don't do it. It's generally a bad idea to try and engage aircraft while in a tank for two reasons:

1. They are out of reach. Choppers and jets fly beyond your firing arc when trying to attack you. The best thing you can do is try to get under something because if your tank becomes crippled out in the open, you will lose it.

2. They've got specialized weapons against you. The choppers are designed for air-to-surface combat. The rockets, chain guns, missiles, are all for killing shit on the ground. And so are you. All of your weapons are also designed for attacking ground targets. You are at a major disadvantage.

But you didn't come here to hear me say that. You need a viable means of fighting off air-craft. My personal favorite method is the [[CITV]]-[[Guided Shell]] combo. Equip your guided shell and have a friend lase the target with the CITV. Then fire away. Choppers are generally too slow and will get killed by the shell by either it hitting them, or crashing trying to avoid it. As for jets, they can usually out-run the shell but it will get them to disengage.

Even if you don't have the guided shell, simply using the CITV to lase enemy choppers causes many players to panic, dump flares, and take evasive maneuvers. If you want to get really fancy with your mind games, don't actually get a lock. The pilot will probably start doing all sorts of tricks to try and avoid being locked on to. Either way, they will disengage.

==One more thing==
DO '''NOT''', under ''ANY'' circumstance, abandon a '''FUNCTIONING VEHICLE'''!!!! If you do, I ''WILL'' take it and I ''WILL'' '''KILL''' you with it!!!!! Your ''ENTIRE'' TEAM '''will''' SUFFER for ''YOUR'' MISTAKE!!!!

=Against a Tank=
I didn't think it fair to only tell you how to fight in a tank, so I think it'll be worth it to also tell you how to fight against tanks.

==On Foot==
Fighting a tank while you're on foot is extremely dangerous. It's very possible to take down a tank as a foot soldier, as we are all well aware, but you must be careful. For starters, if you do not have any tools to use against tanks, ''don't do it''. Assaults and recons can not fight tanks. Engineers without anti-tank rockets can not fight tanks. Supports with no C4 can not fight tanks. Don't be stupid.

So let's start with the obvious. You're an engineer with your RPG and there's an enemy tank. Are you alone? If so, you need to play it safe. Make your shots count and stay behind some very solid cover. If the turret turns your way, assume you've been seen and hit the deck. Don't waste rockets on the front end; you need to get on its flank. Your main objective will be to disable the tank. Once disabled, you can let it burn. A burning tank has two options: bail or die. If he chooses to die, success; but if he bails... What you need to do is stick close once it's on fire. A disabled tank can't move very fast and you can easily stay close without worry. When he bails, kill him quick. If you have your repair tool, salvage the tank and use it as your own.

If you're a support with some C4, it gets tricky. The hardest part is getting close enough to plant the explosives without being killed. A tank in the open is not a wise target, because if you're seen the tank can haul ass away leaving you stranded with no cover. Observe the tank's position. If he's aligned badly as to be unable to drive away quickly, now's your chance. Approach when the turret turns away and dive in. Plant at least two blocks, but more if you can. If the tank has [[Reactive Armor]], the panels can absorb the explosion and survive. Do not approach the tank from directly in front or behind. If you're spotted, the driver will know, and run you over.

My final tip is the ''FREE TANK'' tactic. Attack the tank with C4 blatantly to scare the operator into bailing. Then, steal the tank and kill the poor sucker with it. Once dealt with, remove your blocks of C4 buy picking them back up with your interact button. If you can't plant more blocks somewhere else as to make the ones on the tank disappear.

==Aircraft vs Tank==
If you've got a jet, fighting tanks is difficult, but for another reason. The tank itself if not a major threat to you. The real threat is other aircraft trying to prevent you from attacking their team-mate's tanks. But that is neither here nor there. If you're using one of the fighter jets, bring [[Rocket Pods]] or [[Guided Missile]]s. Strafe enemy tanks with your weapons. A good barrage from the rocket pods can disable the tank, and two direct hits with the guided missile can do the same. Just be careful with your approach. The most likely cause of death in this kind of situation is overestimating your maneuverability. If you have any doubt in your angle of attack, break off and set up a new approach.

If you're using one of the anti-tank jets, like the [[Warthog]] or [[Frogfoot]], your cannon plenty powerful to fight tanks. Use the break and make a slow approach.

For Helicopters, you need to be careful. You're an easy target for the guided shell-CITV combo. Stay high and bring your [[ECM Jammer]] to prevent laser designation. Make your approaches high and steep. A good barrage of rockets can disable the tank, and with assistance from your gunner or other friendly units, a single pass may be all you need to totally destroy a tank. If your gunner has the guided missiles or [[TV Missile]], set up so he can use it. A good hit from one of those guided missiles can bring a tank down by 33%. That, coupled with a barrage of rockets, can destroy it. The TV Missile is much more powerful, and can disable or even outright destroy a tank with a good hit.
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