EU server, MadGunna here.
For anyone interested in this game: Yes you can drive the legendary German Tiger. Try to learn some game mechanics first before you go for it. In fact I cannot in good conscience recommend racing up that tech tree to beginners at all.
First off there are five different classes of tanks: heavy tanks, medium tanks, light tanks, tank destroyers and artillery. On paper a heavy tank leads from the front, light tanks stealthily scout ahead, medium tanks flank distracted enemies, tank destroyers ambush and artillery dislodges campers. This is on paper only. There are heavy tanks that need to be played as a medium (VK4501A, most higher tier French tanks). There are lights that have the armour of a heavy (AMX40, Valentine). There is even an artillery that is a perfectly good scout (FV304). Use your brain, read the wiki, get to know your tank just a little before taking it out for a spin and loo and behold suddenly you are a better player than 80% of what's out there.
Each tank has a certain 'tier' ranging from one to ten. Tier one tanks are small tanks from before world war two, while tier ten tanks range from relatively modern Main Battle Tanks from around 1955 or experimental superheavies from world war two that never made it past the drawing board. You will almost never see tanks that are more than two tiers higher than you. Key word almost: SCOUT MATCHMAKING is a mechanic added to the game due to a lack of light tanks past tier five. Example: in order to get to the Tiger, you will need to research and play a tank called the Pz. 38nA. This is a tier four light tank. Normally tier four tanks face up to tier six tanks. BUT! The Pz.38nA gets scout matchmaking, or in other words it sees up to tier eight tanks. What is it supposed to do in battles with tanks that can simply ignore it's gun because of all their armour? As the name implies, scout. Tanks receive half the credits and experience for damage done to targets they (and only they) spot for their team. See the video below.
Let's suppose for a moment you have managed to get your Tiger. Good on you. Yet for some reason over half of your shots bounce off enemy armour while they swiftly reduces your tank to Swiss cheese. This is because having a big flat plate of armour is not enough on it's own to deflect bullets. The angle of impact is just as important as the raw thickness. This video nicely demonstrates how it works (it also demonstrates spotting in the second half):
EDIT: And now for the best part of every World of Tanks thread: Bragging!
I am a light tank nut. As in 55% of all of my games are in light tanks, most of them higher tier scouts. Oddly though it is not in the german scout line, the Pz.38 nA is definitely the better tier 4 German scout compared to the Luchs. As in, here's what happened in the first game after I bought it back:
