Ricochet
From the Multicrew Tank Combat wiki
Updated 19 September 2026
A ricochet is a round glancing off a plate without going in. Each shell page lists a ricochet angle, and what that angle means depends on the round.
| Round | When it bounces |
|---|---|
| AP | Always at its ricochet angle or steeper. Below that there is a zone where it bounces by chance. The zone is wide for slow shells and gone above about 1,900 m/s |
| APHE | Only at its ricochet angle or steeper |
| APFSDS | At its ricochet angle or steeper, off a plate at least as thick as its penetrator. A thinner plate can still deflect it at an even steeper angle |
| HEAT | At its ricochet angle or steeper, off any plate worth 5 mm or more |
| HE and others | At their ricochet angle or steeper, if the plate is thick enough for the weight of the shell |
For example, an AP shell at 795 m/s with a ricochet angle of 65° can start to bounce from 44°.
AP and APHE also have to pass the weight test. A heavy shell digs into a thin plate and does not bounce: a 25 kg shell needs roughly 75 to 150 mm of plate to be deflected.
After the bounce
| Round | Penetration kept |
|---|---|
| AP and APHE | Very little, often close to nothing |
| APFSDS | 25% to 90%, less for a steeper bounce |
| HEAT | 90% |
The distance flown before the bounce still counts against the penetration of solid shot.