All 2026 Birthday Sale Packs Ranked - War Thunder Tier List

Overview

The reviewer ranks the sale packs separately for beginners, intermediate players, and veterans, using letter tiers from S (best) to D (worst). A vehicle’s value often depends on player experience: some are forgiving and easy to use, while others reward specialist skills. The reviewer gives no overall numerical scores.

Tier key: Bgn = beginners; Int = intermediate players; Vet = veterans.

Aviation

Pack Rating (Bgn / Int / Vet) Main points A-10A Early C / C / C Usable in air and ground battles, but mediocre at both. Vulnerable in air realistic battles and struggles to attack ground targets under heavy anti-air defenses. F-4S Phantom A / A / A Its poor reputation is undeserved, according to the reviewer. Strong Sparrows and BR decompression make it a powerful beyond-visual-range (BVR) fighter for its rating and a good aircraft for progressing through the US tree. Su-30MKK C / A / A Recently improved PL-12 missiles make it very strong. It is also useful in ground battles and for progressing through China. Its radar is a weakness, and the reviewer advises avoiding BVR fights when uptiered. F-16 Netz D / C / B Excellent flight performance, but it lacks BVR weapons—a major disadvantage. Experienced players can still make it work. JA 37DI A / B / C Upgraded AMRAAMs are powerful and easy to use, making it a good beginner aircraft for learning BVR. Its poor flight performance becomes more limiting as players gain experience. MiG-29 Sniper D / D / D Has only two BVR missiles, followed by short-range P-60s with poor countermeasure resistance. It is outclassed by nearby Flankers with more BVR missiles and P-73s. Future BR decompression may help somewhat. Mirage F1 B / B / A Underrated, with two Magic II missiles that can score easy kills when used well. Its BR 12.0 matchups are relatively comfortable. L-39 ZA B / C / C An unusual, beginner-friendly aircraft. Its fast missiles make it useful in ground realistic battles, though more experienced players have better choices in this lineup. K-50 helicopter B / B / A Dangerous despite lacking fire-and-forget weapons. Its very fast Vortex missiles have proximity fuses that can hit aircraft, and its 30 mm cannon uses APDS ammunition. German MiG-21 bis SAU B / B / B The reviewer personally likes it, while acknowledging that players are divided on it. F-5C D / B / A Excellent for disciplined energy fighting: above 400 mph, it retains energy well and can set energy traps. It loses performance badly when slowed, and its missiles are mediocre, so accurate cannon aim matters. P-51D-20 B / D / D A reasonable US pack choice for complete beginners. The reviewer personally prefers the P-47. Su-25K B / A / A Enjoyable and useful in both air and ground battles. Effective air combat requires good energy management. Alpha Jet A B / A / B Works in both air and ground battles, with powerful SAP and APHE ammunition against ground targets. Some dislike its flight characteristics, and the low-mounted gun can be hard to aim. Its lower BR offers less scope for veterans to use advanced techniques. Wyvern A / B / B A versatile attack aircraft for air and ground battles, and described as inexpensive. Tornado IDS D / D / D Essentially limited to bombing bases: it has no guided air-to-ground weapons and flies poorly. The reviewer considers it a bad choice for grinding an entire tree through base bombing. Japanese premium Apache D / D / D Very vulnerable to ground-based air defenses, particularly Russian line-of-sight SAMs and autocannons, and likely to be destroyed before contributing. The reviewer says it is not worth the cost. NF-5A B / S / S Described as an improved F-5C, with better engines and missiles, and close to overpowered. The reviewer recommends it for experienced players. The Mirage F1 is another option for progressing through French aviation.

Ground

Pack Rating (Bgn / Int / Vet) Main points ZTZ96B C / B / A A mobile MBT with good armor and a powerful gun that can compete with top vehicles such as the Leopard 2A7 and T-90M. Its 6.7-second reload and armor that cannot withstand sustained fire make it demanding for beginners. T58 A / S / S Essentially an M103 with a 155 mm gun and 2.6-second autoloader. Extremely powerful at close range in skilled hands, though its high BR means facing APFSDS and laser rangefinders. BMPT-72 S / S / S A T-72-based vehicle with very heavy protection, spall lining, an unmanned turret with twin 30 mm autocannons, and missiles that can be fired from cover. The reviewer still considers it overpowered despite a BR increase and a corrected ammunition-detonation issue. Diesel Tiger S / S / S A Royal Tiger with an improved engine and extra tracked armor around the turret. Its strong frontal armor resists American 76 mm and Soviet 85 mm guns. Mobility is surprisingly decent for a 70-ton vehicle, and its long 88 mm gun reloads quickly for its class. T29 A / A / A Designed to fight Tigers; its 105 mm shells do devastating damage when they penetrate. It is balanced and forgiving, but often faces 8.0 vehicles at its 7.0 BR. Compared with the Royal Tiger, it has a slower reload and more vulnerable frontal areas. CV90 105 B / A / A Highly mobile, with a powerful, fast-firing gun and reconnaissance to help with progression. It has almost no armor, making it demanding for beginners. Somua SM B / A / A Compared to a Royal Tiger with a 100 mm autoloader: mobile, well protected, and powerful. Its 7.7 BR brings frequent HEAT and sub-caliber threats. It has only solid-shot ammunition, and reloading takes a long time after the ready rack is exhausted. It is still considered a convenient grinder. M1 KVT D / D / D The reviewer calls it the weakest pack for its BR. It is mobile and well armored, but its gun is very weak, especially when matched against T-80s. IS-6 A / B / B More balanced at its current BR than when it was released. It has a very long reload and poor gun depression and elevation angles, but devastating post-penetration damage and unpredictable armor. Easy and fun for beginners; experienced players have better options. Leopard 1 120 C / C / C Not bad, but not particularly strong at its BR. The reviewer sees better alternatives. T-72 AV TURMS B / A / B Has excellent thermal sights, and future BR decompression may benefit it. Limited mobility and unreliable armor are drawbacks. It is forgiving enough for intermediate players, but beginners may struggle at the BR, while veterans may want more mobility. Marduk Lovis A / S / S An underrated 8.0 light tank with a laser rangefinder, 105 mm gun, and five-second autoloader. Its sloped armor and module layout give it respectable survivability. K9 VIDAR C / C / C A thermal-equipped, laser-rangefinding high-explosive vehicle that can be fun, but is outperformed by many tech-tree options at its BR. The reviewer also notes that it lacks a high-velocity radio-fused anti-aircraft missile. Object 120 B / B / B A specialized sniper with very light armor, making it poor for close combat and small maps. Not recommended as a main vehicle for grinding, but a useful addition to an 8.0 USSR lineup. Challenger DS C / B / A More of a specialized sniper because of its poor mobility and weak hull armor. This version is among the strongest Challengers at its BR, with a sturdy turret, fast reload, and powerful gun. Type 61 B D / C / B HEAT-FS at a relatively low BR is its main advantage. Its armor and mobility are poor: the armor can stop some solid-shot rounds but offers little real protection otherwise. Not recommended for beginners, though the reviewer notes they once earned a nuke using the tech-tree version. Vickers GBT 155 B / B / B Mobile for its type, with a fast-reloading HE-VT shell that can also shoot down aircraft. Its survivability is extremely poor.

Overall verdict

The reviewer’s strongest recommendations include the BMPT-72, Diesel Tiger, and T58 for ground, and the F-4S, Su-30MKK (for experienced players), and NF-5A (especially for experienced players) in aviation. Packs rated D for everyone—notably the MiG-29 Sniper, Tornado IDS, Japanese premium Apache, and M1 KVT—are generally discouraged.

Several vehicles are worthwhile only for players suited to their playstyle. The F-5C rewards energy-fighting skill, while the Object 120 is best treated as a lineup addition rather than a primary grinder.

Speaker perspectives

The video features one reviewer. They note divided opinions about the German MiG-21 bis SAU, while personally liking it. They also acknowledge that some players dislike the Alpha Jet’s flight characteristics.