The War Thunder grind is real, but it doesn't have to be painful
War Thunder sits in a unique spot among shooter games — the vehicle variety is enormous, but so is the research grind between tiers. If you've ever finished a match with 800 RP and wondered where the session went, this guide is for you. The methods below are drawn from community-tested strategies and cover everything from premium account math to a specific plane landing trick that can push a single session to 60K RP.
Does premium actually double your RP gains?
Short answer: yes, and then some. All standard premium vehicles come fully modified and include a built-in talisman, which grants 100% extra RP on every match. Stack a premium account on top of that and you're looking at an additional 100% RP and 50% SL gain simultaneously.
The estimated gain from this combination, based on a Rank 5 vehicle with a premium account active, sits between 10,000 and 15,000 RP per match under normal play conditions.
Talismans are also purchasable for standard vehicles if you'd rather not buy a premium vehicle outright. The tradeoff is real though: a talisman on a normal vehicle only lets you research vehicles within one rank difference. A Rank 5 premium vehicle, by contrast, can contribute research toward anything from Rank 1 all the way up to Rank 6.
Always check the repair cost before committing to a vehicle grind session. High repair cost vehicles can drain your Silver Lions faster than you earn them, even in winning matches. If you're not making back the SL cost per match, you're running a deficit.
What's the repair cost sweet spot for free-to-play players?
Based on community testing documented in the Steam guide comments, BR 3.7 to 4.7 offers the most favorable ratio of repair cost versus SL gain for players without a premium account. One commenter reported earning a minimum of 15,000 SL per match at these BRs without ever going negative, which is a consistent floor that higher BRs don't reliably offer.
The plane landing trick: how does it actually work?
This is the most specific technique in the community guide, and it works better at higher BRs. The sequence, as documented by Kamran's guide, goes like this:
- Take off from the airfield
- Secure a kill or bomb a base
- Return to the airfield and land
- Take off again
- Target enemy players or ground units
The result is a measurable RP bump at the match end screen. The documented usual gain from this method ranges from 10,000 to 60,000 RP, making it the highest-ceiling free method in this guide. Running it with a premium account or a talisman-equipped aircraft pushes the numbers further.
This trick performs better at higher battle ratings. If you're flying at lower BRs and not seeing the RP bump, try the same method at a higher tier before writing it off.
Ground vehicle tactics that actually move the RP needle
Dying in the first 90 seconds of a match is the single biggest killer of RP efficiency. The community guide makes this point clearly: minimal time alive equals minimal RP. Here's what changes that:
Flanking is the most consistent RP multiplier in ground battles. Striking enemies from angles where they can't return fire means more kills per spawn, which means more RP per match. The guide specifically calls this out as obvious but underused.
Binoculars and commander sights give you a wider field of view than your main scope. Use them to scout enemy positions before committing to a push. Patience pays here — Enemies who don't spot you will often grow impatient and push into your position, handing you an easier shot.
Is the naval grind worth it for RP?
Naval gets overlooked constantly, which is a mistake. Low BR ships produce large amounts of SL for relatively low effort, and the RP gain, while not the highest in the game, is consistent. The Steam community guide documents typical returns of 2,000 to 4,000 RP and around 25,000 SL per match at low BR naval. If your primary goal is SL accumulation to fund repairs and modifications on other vehicles, naval is arguably the most efficient path.
The naval grind is particularly useful if you're building up SL reserves to cover repair costs on high-tier aircraft or tanks. The RP won't push your tech tree fast, but your wallet will thank you.
Don't sleep on the achievements tab
The achievements tab in War Thunder contains rewards that many players walk past entirely. Reaching level 100 is one milestone with a notable reward, but the guide notes there are more valuable prizes beyond that point. The documented SL gain from achievements is up to 100,000 SL, though this is a limited one-time source rather than a repeatable grind method.
This won't accelerate your RP research directly, but it funds the vehicle repairs and modifications that keep your efficient grinders running without bleeding SL.
Putting it all together
The highest-efficiency setup, based on all available source data, combines a Rank 5 premium vehicle with an active premium account, played at appropriate BRs, using the plane landing trick in air battles and disciplined flanking in ground. That combination touches every multiplier simultaneously.
For players who can't invest in premium, the BR 3.7 to 4.7 ground range and low BR naval are the most reliable free-to-play floors for staying RP-positive without hemorrhaging SL on repairs.
For more strategies across every vehicle class, the War Thunder strategy guides collection covers specific nation tech trees, vehicle-by-vehicle breakdowns, and meta updates as the game evolves.