What is the maximum view range in World of Tanks?

445 m. Equipment and skills raise your view range toward that cap; beyond it, bonuses still help counter enemy camouflage.

How much camouflage do bushes give?

Up to roughly 50% concealment for a fully dense bush, less for thin foliage. Being inside the bush (within ~15 m) applies the bonus.

Why do I get spotted when I shoot from a bush?

Firing applies a large camo penalty. If your tank is within ~15 m of the bush it keeps some cover; if the muzzle flash is hidden by a second bush (double-bushing) you can stay nearly invisible.

Coated optics or binoculars for spotting?

Coated optics for anything that moves (lights, mediums, aggressive play); binoculars for dedicated passive scouts sitting in bushes.

How do I counter a good scout?

Take map control early, shoot predictable bush lines blind with HE, keep your own lights alive, and punish overextensions — good scouting collapses without team support.

Spotting and Camouflage Mechanics: View Range Guide

The three numbers that run the vision game

View range — how far your tank can see, capped at 445 m. Binoculars (+25% while stationary) and coated optics (+10% always) raise it; most tanks sit at 380–410 m base.
Concealment (camouflage) — how hard your tank is to see while moving, stationary or firing. Firing is the big one: a shot multiplies your visibility dramatically (light tanks least, TDs and SPGs badly).
Spotting range — the moment an enemy enters your view range minus their camo, you light them. Faster shells of light: the actual formula checks continuously as both tanks move.

In practice: a 400 m view range against a tank with 30% camo effectively spots it at ~280 m. Add a bush between you and it, and your chance drops to nearly nothing.

Bushes, double-bushing and firing discipline

Bushes give up to ~50% camo (dense foliage more, thin less). A fully concealed tank 15 m behind a bush is invisible at almost any range — the classic “spotting bush.”
Double-bushing: conceal yourself behind one bush, then fire through a second bush so your muzzle flash is hidden; the shot stays nearly invisible.
The 15-meter rule: foliage within ~15 m of your tank counts as if you were inside it; beyond that it blocks your spotting through it instead. Positioning relative to the bush is everything.
Firing breaks camo — that is the trade. Good players fire, then immediately re-position or fall back 15 m+ into cover before the enemy’s return fire.

Active vs passive scouting

Active scouting (lights)

Run vision corridors at speed, poke ridges, light the enemy for your campers and leave before shells land. Works best with coated optics, mobility skills and a plan for every escape route (light tank guide).

Passive scouting

Sit 15 m behind a bush on an expected path, spot the push, let your team farm it. Lower ceiling, lower risk — excellent for mediums and TDs too, not just lights.

Vision for heavies and mediums

Even brawlers win by seeing first: optics in the scouting slot (equipment guide) plus view-range skills (crew guide) let a medium out-spot equal-tier opponents on approach, turning fair fights into first-shot ambushes.

How to actually improve your vision game

After each death, ask: “Who saw me, from where?” The answer teaches bush placement faster than any guide.
Learn two spotting bushes per map — rotate them into every game on that map until they are muscle memory.
Count enemy lights. The moment their scouts die, the map opens: push vision aggressively.
Fire less, see more. Unspotted damage is the safest damage; a forced shot that lights you often costs more HP than it deals.
Use the minimap as a sensor: allies’ spotting circles extend your eyes — play connected, not isolated.

Where vision multiplies everything else

Vision feeds damage: spotted targets are arty-safe targets for your team, flank shots for mediums (medium guide) and blindfire-free pushes for heavies. Combined with armor mechanics, vision control is the skill that separates 48% from 55% win rates more than any aim training.