War Thunder's First 10 Hours: How Not to Go Broke

War Thunder’s economy is generous to patient players and brutal to scattered ones. The first ten hours set the pattern: accounts that focus stay solvent and unlock steadily, while accounts that spread thin hit a wall where every match loses money and every new vehicle feels unaffordable. The rules below are the whole plan.

Rule 1: one nation, one line

Pick a single nation and stay on its main ground or air line. Research does not transfer between nations, so every nation you touch is a separate grind from rank one. Two nations at 50% progress is worth less than one nation at 100%. The nation selection framework helps with the initial pick, and the first vehicle checklist narrows the starting ride.

Rule 2: cheap vehicles, low Battle Ratings

Your first vehicles should be ones you cannot lose money in. At low ranks, repair costs are small, so even a bad match nets close to zero instead of a real loss. Resist the pull of the shiny vehicles several ranks up — their repair bills are sized for players who survive in them reliably, which is not you yet.

Rule 3: buy few modifications

Modifications are where new players quietly hemorrhage Silver Lions. Each vehicle offers a long list of upgrades, and most of them are not urgent. Buy the ones that change how the vehicle fights — mobility, gun handling, ammunition — and leave the rest until the vehicle is a keeper. The modification priority guide sorts which is which.

Rule 4: survive first, score second

Your reward scales with activity and survival. The new-player instinct to chase every fight is the fastest way to an empty wallet. Play passively, use cover, let the match come to you, and bank the reward. Kills are a bonus; staying alive is the income.

Rule 5: no premium purchases yet

Premium vehicles, premium account time, and Golden Eagle conversions all cost real money, and none of them fix the actual problem at ten hours in, which is unfamiliarity. Learn the game first; the economy pages on this site will still be here, and you will understand them better.

The ten-hour checklist

Hour	Focus
1-2	One nation, first vehicle, learn the results screen
3-5	Second and third vehicles in the same line, buy only impactful modifications
6-8	Build a three-vehicle lineup at a comfortable Battle Rating
9-10	Check your SL trend; if it is flat or rising, you are on track

If your balance is falling by hour ten, the cause is one of three things — high Battle Rating, early deaths, or overspending on modifications. The recovery plan page walks through the fix.