When War Thunder started selling premiums, you got a lone tank, plane, or ship and tried to wedge it into an existing lineup. In 2023, Gaijin rolled out “collection packs”, bundles of three premiums that share almost the same Battle Rating (BR), arrive fully upgraded, and spawn together in one match. They all also come with 1000 Golden Eagles and 15 days of Premium Account.
The debut German pack, Two Fronts, sold so well that U.S., Soviet, and British equivalents quickly followed. However, many might not have enough money available to buy all three, so a decision has to be made.
What War Thunder WW2 Multi-Vehicle Pack Should You Get?
So, which bundle is worth your $34.99? We discuss the content of each one to give you a better perspective.
German Engineering — Two Fronts Pack
This pack comes with two Tiger H1 tanks and an Ostwind II self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (SPAA), and is one of the more thematically interesting packs.
The “Two Fronts” title refers to how these Tigers come from Germany’s two main fronts. The Tiger Ost is covered in logs, possibly to deal with the USSR’s intense mud, and the Tiger West is camouflaged in preparation for hedgerow ambushes.
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+ 12It sits at a 5.7 Battle Rating (BR), which Germany has a strong non-premium lineup for. However, the Tiger H1 is considered a noob trap, as its flat armor profile is easily penetrable to those who do not play to the Tiger’s strengths. When in combat, the Tiger is strongest when angled, that is, the hull slightly tilted against the enemy to make the armor profile thicker.
click to enlarge + 12The Tiger’s 88mm cannon, however, will not face much difficulty with enemies at its BR range, and I’m a sucker for its Pzgr round that will instantly kill anything it penetrates.
The Ostwind II is a solid SPAA, with two cannons that fire relatively slowly, but are staggered to ensure you still get maximum coverage. The two 37mm cannons will destroy any plane it hits directly.
click to enlarge + 12Buy if: you love heavy-tank dueling and want to learn classic Tiger tactics and can stomach subpar teams.
Skip if: you prefer YOLO charges—poor angling equals instant hangar.
American Arsenal — Hell on Wheels Pack
Visually, I love how the tanks in this pack are decked out. As a liberation force, the USA did pack their tanks with all sorts of stowage, loading them with fuel cans, bags, and anything they could load, they did.
click to enlarge + 12That’s where my praise for the pack ends, though, as I find it rather oddly curated. In Realistic Battles, none of these three vehicles sit on the same BR – the M18 is 6.0, the M4A3E8 is 5.7, and the Skink is 5.3.
click to enlarge + 12The Skink is mediocre, as its cannons lose muzzle velocity too quickly to hit aircraft reliably. The other two pack vehicles are really good, but with the caveat that they are good separately in their own lineups. The M18 Hellcat is a tank that rewards players’ map knowledge and flanking ability, with its speed and strong cannon. The M4A3E8 “Easy Eight” is also a tank suited for mobile warfare, helping you get the first shot out in any engagement with its suspension and gun stabilizer.
click to enlarge + 12Buy if: you already grind U.S. Rank III and want extra Shermans and a flanker for existing 5.7–6.0 decks.
Skip if: you need a plug-and-play lineup fresh out of the box.
Red Thunder — In May ’45 Pack
The theme of the pack itself is fascinating, with tanks that are painted and modified in late-war configurations as the Soviets advanced towards Berlin. This also differentiates itself through having a vehicle that doesn’t have a tech tree equivalent in the Hanomag SPAA.
click to enlarge + 12The T-34/85 was the USSR’s workhorse, and for good reason. It was fast, it packed a punch, and in this pack, it’s seen tons of conflict. It’s modified with armor skirts salvaged from knocked-out enemies, which give it extra protection. The IS-1 heavy tank included is a solid and strong tank that teaches IS-series tank gameplay well. Both tanks have a good cannon, which while lacking raw penetration, performs extremely well against angled surfaces and contains a good amount of explosive filler. Both perform well at 5.7 BR.
click to enlarge + 12The Hanomag SPAA is an anti-aircraft half-track captured from the Germans, but differs from the tech tree variant in the use of 20mm cannons instead of 15mm cannons. Muzzle velocity and penetration is lost, but the larger caliber turns hits into kills.
click to enlarge + 12Buy if: you want a textbook intro to Soviet mid-tier gameplay and a unique collector SPAA.
Skip if: you demand maximum penetration stats; these guns trade depth for explosive filler.
Empire’s Resolve — Echoes of Overlord Pack
I do have some bias, as the Sherman VC Firefly is my personal favorite tank. There’s just something about how it was crudely engineered to fit the 17-pounder cannon. The Firefly included here has extra armor salvaged from a Tiger it has knocked out, sending a clear message to its opponents.
click to enlarge + 12The Avenger is an agile tank with the same cannon as the Firefly, allowing for quick flanks with effective firepower. The Crusader AA Mk II is a decent enough (if unremarkable) SPAA, with twin 20mm cannons, sitting at a lower BR (4.0) than the Firefly and Avenger.
click to enlarge + 12Out of all the packs, this sits at the lowest BR (4.7), where the tanks included can penetrate anything they face. However, this is the hardest pack to play. Even if the cannons are strong, they are solid shot, meaning that the post-penetration damage is relatively weaker if you hit empty spaces on enemy tanks. The 17-pounder also bounces like crazy when stopping, and while you can kill anything you face, they can kill you just the same.
click to enlarge + 12Buy if: you want to learn classic British solid-shot tactics—flank, pick modules, disable, finish.
Skip if: you’d rather slug it out face-to-face; these are glass cannons.
Final Verdict — Pick Your Playstyle
Every pack embodies its nation’s signature feel: German engineering, American mobility, Soviet tenacity, or British precision. Choose the style that matches how you like to fight, and you’ll head into battle with three fully-spaded machines designed to do exactly that.
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