Guide [Issue 49] The Ultimate Guide to Thunder

[Thekillerpenguin 1,731]

 

Thunder is a common weapon at all ranks. It unlocks relatively early in general, especially at M3, where it, along with Isida, is the first M3 turret unlocked. It's popular for a reason- hefty power, excellent range, good reloading speed, and splash damage make it a versatile and devastatingly effective turret in the right hands. Let's take a look at it in detail to see how its damage dealing capabilities can be maximized.

 

The History of Thunder

 

Thunder was not present at the very beginning of Tanki Online, as the only four turrets available originally were Firebird, Smoky, Twins and Railgun. It was introduced as a "Tier 2" turret along with Ricochet and Freeze, powerful weapons that were generally superior to the original Tier 1 turrets. Thunder was designed as an improved Smoky, with significantly higher damage, the ability to damage multiple tanks at once, and much better range. This early incarnation of Thunder was capable of destroying Hornets in two hits! This came at the cost of self damage, a slower reloading speed, higher unlock rank, and of course a more expensive price. But these hindrances weren't very significant, and Thunder became one of the most popular turrets for high ranking players. Viking-Thunder was considered one of, if not the best combinations in the game.

 

After the rebalance and graphics updates, Thunder's damage was reduced heavily to balance it out with the other turrets. It was now usually a 3 shot kill against Hornets, but to compensate, the reloading time was reduced by a large amount. Since then, Thunder's stats have been adjusted a few times. Its reloading time has been increased slightly, its damage buffed by a small amount, and its splash damage adjusted a few times.

 

Basic Stats
 
Throughout M0-M3, Thunder retains some key characteristics:

• Thunder deals a lot of damage. While it's not as much as that of Railgun, it's comparable but lower than that of Hammer.
• Thunder has a decent amount of impact force. It's not as much as Smoky, but you can still feasibly deflect light hulls and destabilize airborne targets.
• The reloading speed is slow compared to Smoky, but less than that of Railgun. The rate of fire is quite decent for the most part.
• The range is quite good. Thunder can still do good damage at long distances, and at extreme ranges the minimum damage is still enough to destroy heavily damaged enemies.
• Thunder deals splash damage in a fairly large radius around the point of impact for its shots. The splash damage is a lot less than the damage of direct hits, but it's perfect for damaging clusters of enemies and can outright destroy weakened foes.
• The rotation speed is a bit on the slow side, but decent enough for medium ranged use.

 
Pros and Cons
 

Pros:

• Thunder's damage per hit makes kill stealing in Deathmatch mode quite easy.
• The splash damage is perfect for crowd control at a distance. Firing at the central point in Polygon CPs when it is clustered with enemies will often net you many kills and assist points. It can also be used to destroy targets who are hiding in cover.
• The rate of fire allows you to switch between enemies reasonably quickly.
• Thunder's shots hit instantly, which gives you an edge in close to medium ranged combat against Ricochet and Twins users.
• Damage dealt is very consistent compared to Smoky, which deals a lot of its damage through critical hits, which depend on chance. Thunder is very reliable.

Cons:

• Thunder's splash damage can injure yourself at close range. While this can be mitigated with the use of heavy hulls or a protective paint, it's still a downside, especially when you are low on health.
• Thunder's damage per second is, compared to the other medium ranged turrets, not that good. It's about the same as that of Smoky, but unlike Smoky it less than advisable to use at close range due to the self damage, which means that you won't be able to deal maximum damage when used at a safe distance. It can be outfought by Vulcan, Ricochet, and Twins in an even fight.
• The recoil, while not as bad as Railgun or Hammer, is still worth being wary of when using Wasp and Hornet. It's useful for stabilizing yourself during jumps.
• Thunder protection is quite common at medium and high ranks. Many popular paints such as Emerald and Prodigi have Thunder protection, so you may not always be able to deal optimal damage.

Possible combinations
 
Let's see how Thunder does on different hulls.

 
Thunder-Wasp
 

An unorthodox but surprisingly good combination in skilled hands (looking at you, Trom). Thunder-Wasp is not a very common sight at medium and high ranks, seeing as how M2 and M3 Wasp unlock fairly late and Thunder is not a very popular choice for light hulls. While perhaps not the best combination for flag capturing, it's a highly mobile tank with good abilities for offensive and midfielding use.

 

How it does in different gametypes:

• CTF: Thunder is nice for clearing out cluttered flags, but if you have to engage anyone at close range, you're in trouble due to the self damage and Wasp's low health. You can run flags if you can eliminate all nearby opponents, but don't expect to survive being ambushed by, say, a Firebird on your way in or out. It's best used in a support role- you can rapidly get into position to bombard defenders from afar, which will help out any friendly flag runners. You can also chase down enemies who have your flag.
• DM: Not optimal for DMs. While it's good for kill stealing due to its rapid speed, it will lose to a large number of combinations in a one on one confrontation. There are no teammates to help you out and no safe territory to retreat to in DMs, so this is of limited utility.
• TDM: Still good for offensive use, but enemies will be less likely to cluster up due to the lack of flags.
• CP: Nice for bombarding cluttered points, but not so good for actually capturing them due to the low health of Wasp. Switch positions frequently if you can to avoid being destroyed.

Special Notes:
If you are fighting against many enemies with close range turrets, this is a good combination to use. Wasp can outrun almost any hull in the game, allowing you to stay out of the reach of Firebirds and Freezes while engaging them.

 

It also has some use in parkour, as Thunder's explosive rounds provide some impact force.
  
Thunder-Hornet

 

A rather uncommon combination that most of us have nevertheless encountered. It's quite mobile and packs a punch, but similarly to Thunder-Wasp, lacks the health for sustained direct combat. It's best used in a similar manner, but Hornet is versatile enough for direct assaults as long as you have some buddies with you- if you're in the very front of a charge without Isida support, you'll be torn to shreds.
 
How it does in different gametypes:

• CTF: Not horribly effective as a flag carrier, but well suited for support and good for midfielding and defense. You can help clear the way for other teammates to grab the flag, distract opponents, and chase down enemy flag carriers.
• DM: Similar to Thunder-Wasp in DMs, but perhaps a little better since Hornet is more durable- you may not have to kill steal all the time.
• TDM: About the same as Thunder-Wasp here.
• CP: About the same as Thunder-Wasp here, but it will be easier for you to hold a point.

Special Notes:

Not much to note here.

 
Thunder-Hunter

 

An excellent, versatile combination that can hold its own in many maps. It's not as popular as Thunder-Viking, but there are still quite a few users of this combination at all ranks. Hunter provides balanced protection and speed, allowing you to attack, defend, and midfield at ranges both medium and long. The health is also high enough that self damage won't be a huge issue, although it's still worth using a protective paint. It's my second favorite Thunder combination.
 
How it does in different gametypes:

• CTF: You likely won't be able to capture flags with this, but its survivability lets you defend, attack, and midfield quite well. It's good for frontal assaults, so you can draw fire away from allied flag carriers and generally be present on the battlefield. The beauty of Hunter is that you can switch between roles as the situation requires, which goes well with Thunder's mostly versatile nature.
• DM: Decent in DMs, although I still recommend the use of heavier hulls. Hunter-Thunder can fight with most light hull using opponents on equal ground at medium range with some skill, but you should still strive for kill steals.
• TDM: Good here. Use as you would in CTFs in general.
• CP: Good if you want to stay in the sidelines and bombard the point while still being able of coming in to capture in emergencies, although in that case you may want to use something with a bit more health.

Special Notes:

Not much to note here.

  
Thunder-Viking

 

A classic, commonly found at all ranks due to Viking providing a robust and stable platform to fight with. It's useful for most things that you would use Thunder-Hunter for, but its speed is usually too slow to run any flags with. It seems to be a popular combination for druggers- a Viking with Speed Boost has just enough speed to get to places quickly, while an upgraded Thunder with Double Power can outright one-shot unprotected light hulls.
 
How it does in different gametypes:

• CTF: Useful for generally being a thorn in the sides of your enemies. You can stay back to defend your flag, clear the way for other teammates, or just wander the battlefield- Thunder-Viking is a formidable combination in a 1v1.
• DM: Good here, since the extra health helps a lot. Just watch out for close range weapons- Viking is too slow to run away for very long from them.
• TDM: Use how you would in CTFs.
• CP: A popular combination for capturing and attacking enemies. Not as effective as, say, a Thunder-Mammoth at camping in one spot, but good if you want to roam the map.

Special Notes:
M2 Viking and M2 Thunder were components of the infamous M2 Medium Kit from past years. While most users of it have ranked up since then, you may still occasionally see medium ranked players with Prodigi or Emerald from the kit.
  
Thunder-Dictator

 

My favorite Thunder combination due to its looks and its utility. While not quite as common as Thunder-Viking in my experience, it can be just as effective when used correctly. It can take a lot of damage before going down, which compensates for Thunder's somewhat lower damage per second and lets you camp in a single place for longer. It also helps with your close range survivability- you may not be able to run from your opponents, but you can fight them off enough for you to survive for a little bit afterwards.
 
How it does in different gametypes:

• CTF: Defense and midfielding, but probably the latter since Thunder's DPS isn't particularly high and Dictator's a bit too slow to chase enemies down. Excellent for distractions due to Dictator's formidable size and visibility.
• DM: Pretty nice. Lots of health for 1v1s, still quite decent for kill stealing due to the OK speed.
• TDM: See my notes for this combo on CTFs.
• CP: Similar to Thunder-Viking in CPs, but it's well suited for camping. On Polygon CPs, I like to hide on the shelf or on top of the wall that the shelf is located on- there are plenty of places where you can pop in and out of cover to blast the point with high explosive divine intervention. You can also move out to capture the point when the coast is clear.

Special Notes:

Dictator mounts its turret on the very back of its hulls, so you should consider driving backwards in close quarters.

 
Thunder-Titan

 

Not that common, but mostly because Titan isn't very popular. A good combination for campers, but Thunder's range means that you don't really need to get close in order to deal damage, so the speed isn't as useful. I'd personally roll with Mammoth if you just intend to camp.

 

How it does in different gametypes:

• CTF: Defend and midfield, but due to Titan's slow speed you might not be able to get into battle very quickly.
• DM: Good. You can win against almost any other light or medium hull combination and can sustain a lot of damage before going down. Heavy hulls are generally the best to use in DMs for a reason.
• TDM: Similar to how you would use Thunder-Titan in CTFs, but there's less of a rush in TDMs, so the low speed isn't quite as hampering.
• CP: Good for camping and great for holding down a point due to Titan's durability. Just watch out for Firebirds, Freezes, and Isidas.

 

Special Notes:

Not much to note here.

  
Thunder-Mammoth

 

If you see Thunder mounted on a heavy hull, chances are, this will be it. Seen in the powerful Bulldozer kit, it's hard to kill, hard to drive, hard to dislodge, and easy to get kills with. Slap on a paint with Thunder protection and you can practically ignore self damage. Compared to Thunder-Titan, it's even less mobile, although the extra health is very helpful.

 

How it does in different gametypes:

• CTF: Sit on your flag or around it. Clustered attackers will feel the pain. You can also wander to the outer reaches of your base to damage incoming or midfielding enemies, but don't get too far into enemy territory- while you can win against many combinations, you'll get into a lot of trouble if you get swarmed, and Mammoth is too slow to run away from anything.
• DM: Pretty great for the same reasons why Thunder-Titan is good in DMs.
• TDM: See my comments for Thunder-Titan in TDMs.
• CP: See my comments for Thunder-Titan in CPs.

Special Notes:

Not much to note here.

 

Thunder Tactics

 

Utilize the splash damage whenever possible: This is one of Thunder's key strengths- without it, it's worse than Smoky. Aim for clustered opponents whenever possible, unless you have more pressing concerns. You'll often get kills, double kills, or even triple (!) kills from doing so. Even if you don't destroy any of the enemies, they will all be weakened for either you or your teammates to clean up. This is nice for attacking enemies with Isida support- the healing target might be able to be repaired, but the Isida won't. I like to switch to Thunder when the enemy team has an Isida train, since Isidas involved have to focus on healing each other and therefore waste their energy.

 

Memorize the number of hits it takes to destroy different hulls: This can be very useful. The numbers below assume that you are at medium range, since the damage drops off at longer distances.

• Wasps: Usually 3 shots, possibly 2 if you're lucky. A few micro upgrades will allow you to two-shot non-upgraded and unprotected Wasps of the same modification.
• Hornets: Usually 3 shots. Micro-upgrading will also let you two-shot vulnerable Hornets, but you'll need more compared to two-shotting Wasps.
• Hunters: Usually 4 shots.
• Vikings: Almost always 4 shots.
• Dictators: 4-5 shots will do the trick.
• Titans: Roughly 6-7?
• Mammoth: 7-8? I unfortunately haven't had a lot of experience with using Thunder against heavy hulls, so the numbers for Titan and Mammoth are mostly guesses.

 

Be wary of opponents at close range: Thunder is the only turret in the game that will reliably damage yourself when used up close. This is why it should not be used as a close range weapon and also why you should try to escape if an opponent closes the distance. The extra self damage can lead to your destruction. Note that many opponents trying to get close to you will not be looking out for mines, which will give you an edge in combat.

 

You can also equip a Thunder paint to minimize the danger to yourself. The 50% of Emerald is very nice for this, but even the 15% protection that Sandstone offers is useful.

 

Assorted Tips:

• If you need to fire at a target continuously, hold down the spacebar. If you keep your aim on target, there will be no delay between the reloading completing and you firing, which can give you an edge in Thunder duels.
• Splash damage can be used to hit targets behind cover- for example, if your target is hiding behind a wall and there is another wall close behind them, you can shoot the further backwards wall to damage the enemy.
• If you have a hull that can "tip" easily (such as light hulls or Hunter), you can fire at the ground to damage enemies around corners if there are no walls behind them to shoot. Few expect it.
• Thunder is fairly stealthy as far as medium range turrets go. On maps like Lost Temple, you can hide in shrubs to attack enemies.
• If you really don't want to damage yourself at close range, you can damage your opponent by shooting a nearby prop or wall. If done properly, you won't hurt yourself, but you will still do reduced damage to them.
• Coordinate attacks against clustered targets with friendly Thunders- two or more Thunders shelling the point in Polygon CPs can turn the entire area into a death zone.

Thunder against other turrets:
 
This will tell you what to do if you're engaging other turrets in combat.

 

Against Firebird:

Probably your arch nemesis at close range. Firebird deals a lot of damage per second, which Thunder doesn't hold a candle to. The self damage puts you at a further disadvantage, so retreat from Firebirds when possible and utilize mines.

 

Against Freeze:

Freeze is less deadly than Firebird in terms of raw damage per second, but Freeze users often circle-strafe their targets, and when combined with the constriction effect, it will be hard to hit Freezes. Retreat (pop a Speed Boost if necessary) and use mines.

 

Against Isida:

Isida's self repair lets its users (who generally use light hulls) survive at least 3 shots, and you may be dead before that happens. Fortunately Isida does not debuff you in any way, so you can run away more easily. Otherwise, treat Isidas as you would Freezes and Firebirds.

 

Against Vulcan:

 

 

Vulcan has a higher damage per second than Thunder and also hits instantly, so it can be a major threat on open ground. However, it requires a constant line of sight to deal damage, something that Thunder doesn't need. When engaging Vulcans, find cover and take potshots at offending Vulcans. They won't be able to retaliate very well if you pop out of cover quickly, and the splash damage can hurt nearby Isidas.

 

Against Twins:

Twins projectiles are rather slow, don't travel very far before dissipating, and are easy to dodge at medium range, so you should be able to best Twins users if you stay away. Taking cover also works quite well.
 
Against Ricochet:

Ricochet has superior damage per second compared to Thunder, but it has the same weakness as Twins and Vulcans, the need to have a constant line of sight. Taking cover is your best bet, but remember that Ricochet projectiles travel faster than those of Twins and the bouncing effect can hit you behind cover.

 

Against Smoky:

Smoky has roughly the same average damage per second as Thunder, but it is much less reliable. If you get hit by a critical (or two!), you might lose out, but if you only get hit by standard shots you should be able to win. Thunder also has better ranged damage.

 

Against Hammer:

Try not to engage Hammers at close range for obvious reasons. At medium range, the damage drops off significantly, so be sure to hit them before they get close.

 

Against Thunder:

Thunder duels are actually kind of boring in my opinion. Winning is mostly determined by who has more health, since Thunder's relatively low impact force compared to Hammer, Smoky, and Railgun makes deflection mostly a non-factor. Hold down the spacebar to maximize the rate of fire and make sure you land your shots.
 
Against Railgun:

Thunder can be quite effective against Railguns, as the per-shot damage of Thunder is quite high, so you can hurt Railguns whenever they pop out of cover to fire. Be sure to look out at long range- Railgun doesn't have any damage dropoff, but Thunder does.
 
Against Shaft:

Thunders can annoy Shafts at long range, but not by very much. A skilled Shaft can figure out where you are and end you if you're out in the open or otherwise easily visible. Medium range fights are your best bet.

 

 

That's all, folks. Do you have a strategy for Thunder that isn't listed here? Did I make a mistake? Did you remember to spam Remaine's quiz with nonsensical answers? If you have an answer to any of those questions, post them as a reply. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time.

 

 

Edited July 24, 2017 by Hexed

[Zenyth 6,494]

Good guide, I'm still new at Thunder so it helped. :)

[DragonOfStorms 2,706]

What a great read! I liked this article, even though I don't use Thunder on this account (my main). Now to answer your questions:

1: I don't think so.

2: Probably not, Lham is a good editor :P

3: Can't :( I have no Google account.

[BSG-62 512]

Dictator-Thunder FTW!!!!

[Royalworld 1,269]

Ovrerall, I agree with the article. However I don't think thunder hornet is uncommon.Anyways, The 1 on 1 comparisions are good.

And you could've added how to drug with thunder too.

[Randinu_the_cool 154]

Nice guide I normally don't comment  on newspapers but i bought thunder m2 and Im not used to it so this tips helped me a bit. :)

[AriTank13 2]

Very useful article, I'm new to thunder and I'm hopefully buying the bulldozer kit in the Iron Days sale.

[Dead_Men_Dont_Bite 2]

I have to agree to all of you...Very useful. have It M1 in my garage. :)

[Dead_Men_Dont_Bite 2]

Very useful article, I'm new to thunder and I'm hopefully buying the bulldozer kit in the Iron Days sale.

New to thunder. Not to critizize, but how did you get to that rank???

[Time 57]

Nice work :O

[Podey_the_Buster 87]

Great and in depth article! Hope we can find a few more soon, especialy on Shaft!  :P

[Thekillerpenguin 1,731]

Great and in depth article! Hope we can find a few more soon, especialy on Shaft!  :P

I wrote one a little over a year ago. I hope you find it useful. :)

[AshsPikachuDwij 1,035]

Nice post...Is there any post about using firebird or smoky?They are my main turrets.

[BR1N6.M3.TH3.H0R1Z0N 16]

Nice,i use thunder mostly with dictator in poly cp :D

[RGstorm 3]

this issues main topic was :

WITH THUNDER BASICALLY KEEP COVER

i think when versing other hulls you can use the impact force accurately.i am a skilled thunder and i think you could improve this ALOT

 

freeze:

​try hit them when they are coming as when a freeze approaches they usually take a straight route.you can get a few shots into them and as they have no self buffers you can either kill them before coming close or plant a mine and go a bit forward. the freeze with circle you and absent mindedly step on the mine.

 

firebird:

simmilar to freeze but they dont usually circle you and you can kill them effectively with thunders okayish turn speed. 

 

railgun:

with railgin usually use skills used in xp and bp exept be more of a camper and shoot all your shots when he has just shot. use the recoil when his hull is turned and be sure to use that splash damage.

 

thunder:

you pretty much had that covered

 

smoky:

you can try killing him with straightforward shots but use that splash damage to kill and make sure to use that recoil ass effectively as possible when he does his 4th shot.

 

hammer:

yeah basically kill him before he gets close

 

izida:

its pretty obvious

 

ricochet:

he has pretty low range so stay away and use a good hull for big damage.

 

twins:

you had that covered

 

vulcan:

you had that covered

 

shaft:

try get a bit closer to them to make sure that impact force is effective.take cover and use your splash damage.ignore him and keep your hull from leaking out of cover.

 

hull choice: and low levels viking and hunter and dictator are your best choice but as buldozer kit is avalible and mammoth m2 be sure to use mammoth and thunder for a very good d/l

[I3eg-For-Mercy 1,102]

Good Article :)

[impossiblewolf 0]

Ovrerall, I agree with the article. However I don't think thunder hornet is uncommon.Anyways, The 1 on 1 comparisions are good.

And you could've added how to drug with thunder too.

Thunder hornet is definitely not uncommon, at least when you are in the Warrant Officer and Lieutenant ranks that I generally play with. And by the way, if you are wondering how to drug with Thunder, use double damage only right before firing, double defense if you are fighting a close range turret to minimize self damage and damage taken from the enemy. Only use speed boost if running away from a close range turret and your hull is slower than theirs, or if you are running away from the enemy base with their flag in CTF mode. Also, as mentioned in the Tanki V-Log, use a repair kit only if you have very low health, or right before a high-damage per hit turret is about to hit you and you are pretty sure you won't survive the hit.

[Jwimmer 2,835]

Thunder M3 on Double Damage (mine has 7/50 MUs) takes 3 shots to kill an M3 mammy, so 6 or 7 without DD. Im not sure about Titan, because I rarely see an M3 in battle

[Da_boss_of_u_all 0]

thanx it helped me!!!!!! :P

[NewbieCake 3,067]

Imo, M3 is probably the worst M3 turret in all of Tanki. Too many shots to kill something. Kind-of disappointing..

[Bugs.meeny 1,013]

As a thunder user, I say +1!

[fordmustang12345 3,910]

I know that you guys don't want the guides to be too hard but in the next guide can you include something like “pro tips for the slightly experienced tanker" cause the tips and stuff in the guides just aren't effective enough or are ones that most of us have already used (what would make it even better would be to make it a collaboration from the entire reporter staff . Ya know get tips and tricks from everyone)

[TTK_229 1,080]

I really like thunder, have almost 50 hours clocked with it. I usually do midfield, especially on Rio ctf. I just got to the top spot on 3 different rio matches, and captured several flags. also usually get high kill ratios. Thunder FTW!!!

[TTK_229 1,080]

I once met Christianss, his kill ratio is like 7.95 or something. only uses thunder.

[Infinite_Maelstrom 0]

Thunder is my only gun (other than smokey). I use it with hunter, and find it very effective to drive off bridges or ledges and fire at unsuspecting enemies on the way down. the advantages of this are a) no one is really expecting you, b) your thunder will have partially reloaded by the time your opponents can return fire, and c) the recoil from your shot will stabilize you as you fall.  Other than that, good tips, and I hope at least someone finds this useful! ; )