War Thunder throws ten nations and three vehicle classes at you from the main menu before you've even fired a shot, and most of what kills a new account isn't skill — it's spending Silver Lions and Research Points in the wrong order. Here's how to set up your first few hours so you're not grinding a bankrupt garage by tier three.
Pick one nation and one vehicle class first
Don't split your Research Points across Germany, the USSR, and the USA in your first week — you'll be researching everything at half speed and mastering nothing. Pick one nation (USA and USSR both have forgiving early ground trees; Germany and the USSR are strong early in the air) and stick to a single vehicle class — Aviation, Ground Forces, or Fleet — until you've cleared at least the first two tiers. Each class has its own separate progression and its own Silver Lions economy, so spreading thin across all three at once just means you're bad at everything simultaneously instead of competent at one.
Understand the three battle modes before you queue
Arcade Battles (AB) matches you using the battle rating of your top three vehicles with roughly a 1.0 BR spread, gives you a lead-indicator reticle for aiming at moving targets, and lets you respawn multiple times per match — this is the easiest place to learn maps and vehicle handling. Realistic Battles (RB) locks you to a single vehicle or a smaller lineup matched on that vehicle's own BR, strips out the lead marker, and forces you to fly or drive back to an airfield or spawn zone to rearm and repair instead of respawning freely. Simulator Battles (SB) removes ally markers and kill confirmations entirely and, for aircraft, locks you into cockpit or gunner view with the most punishing flight model in the game. Start in Arcade to learn vehicle stats and map layouts, then move to Realistic once you're comfortable — RB is where most of the active player base and the best Research Point payouts sit.
Learn what Research Points, Silver Lions, and Golden Eagles actually pay for
Research Points (RP) are earned every match and go toward two separate pools: Vehicle Research, which unlocks the next vehicle in your tech tree, and Module Research, which is spent on modifications and upgrades for a vehicle you already own — the two pools don't overlap, so researching a new tank doesn't touch the RP you've banked for engine or ammo upgrades on your current one. Silver Lions (SL) are your working currency — they buy the vehicles you've researched, pay for ammo and repairs after every match, and fund crew training. Golden Eagles (GE) are the premium currency; they're not required to progress, but they let you convert RP between vehicles, buy premium vehicles that earn bonus RP and SL, or skip crew training costs. As a new player, treat GE as something to save rather than spend on convenience early on.
Respect battle rating when you buy new vehicles
Every vehicle has a Battle Rating (BR) that determines who you're matched against — current top tier reaches BR 14.7 for aircraft, 12.7 for ground vehicles, and 13.0 for helicopters, but you won't see any of that for a long time and shouldn't rush toward it. Repair costs scale sharply with BR, and a single death at a high BR can cost more Silver Lions than several matches at low tiers, so stick to BR 3.0 or lower while you're still learning a vehicle class. Research and buy vehicles in order down the tree rather than jumping to whatever looks strongest — later vehicles are gated behind earlier ones for a reason, and skipping ahead with Golden Eagles just puts you in matches you're not ready for.
Train your crew skills in the right order
Crew Experience Points are earned automatically from your RP each match and go toward skills for the crew currently in that vehicle. A level-0 crew has real, match-losing limits — they can't reliably spot enemies past roughly 800 meters, and a gunner can't traverse the turret and elevate the gun at the same time. Prioritize reload speed first for tanks (it's the single biggest DPS swing available to you), then put points into repair skill for every crew slot, and vision/spotting distance after that. If Silver Lions are tight, uncheck "automatic repair" in your vehicle settings — your crew will still repair the vehicle for free over time between matches, just slower than a paid instant repair.
Play flanks, not front lines, while you're still learning
With an undertrained crew and an unfamiliar vehicle, a head-on fight against an experienced player is a coin flip you'll usually lose. Use the first few tiers to learn flanking routes on each map instead of holding a front-line trade — your crew's spotting and turret-traverse limitations matter far less when the enemy doesn't know you're there yet. Combine that with completing your daily tasks, which hand out consistent SL and RP bonuses on top of normal match rewards, and your account will be funding its own progression well before you hit a tier where repair costs start punishing mistakes.