Generally, arcade flying games give the player super powers to allow them to dispatch many of your enemies quickly, and always come out on top, while the 'health' of your plane magically regenerates. Warplanes: WWI Fighters is a bit different. A few hits are enough to take you down, and there is no way to repair your plane during a mission. The enemy has strength in numbers, and shoot without hesitation.

So what can you do to come out on top, and bring home those precious rewards? Here are a few tips.

This guide is a work in progress, and if you have anything to add or suggest I would be happy to include it.

The airplanes in Warfighters all have different properties, loosely based on their real-world counterparts. You will need to use the strengths of your plane, and this will be different depending on your mission.

Hunting bombers requires speed. Bombers are focused on their mission, and they will keep flying towards their targets so long as they're not being attacked. This means you will have to chase them down. Their defensive armament can wreak havock on your plane. You will need speed and armor.

Dogfighting with enemy fighter planes requires you to dodge their attacks, and follow their turns so you can aim your guns at them. Attacking from great height is a big advantage. You will need turning speed and climbing speed.

Attacking balloons works best with flares.

Attacking 'soft' ground targets like trains, trucks and AA works well with machineguns. If you need to take down buildings, you might want to bring bombs. But you can use flares for that as well!

The enemy is dangerous mostly because they are with many. But they are not the only ones who benefit from strength in numbers. It pays off to expand your squadron early, and to bring a few pilots with you on a mission:

• Your squadmates help keep the enemy busy. This means that less enemy fighters will try to hunt
  you down, while you focus on those pesky bombers.

• When you take a lot of damage, you can switch to another plane in your squadron and extend your life, preventing the mission from ending in a premature loss.

• You might have several objectives during a single mission. If your squadron includes different types of aircraft, you can make sure you have a plane available that suits each of those jobs. Shoot the bombers down in your Junkers, then switch to the Fokker Dr.I to dispatch the fighters. Finally, use the D.VIII to bomb some ground targets.

• It's just a lot of fun to see your quadmates at work, even if they have trouble hitting a barn door!

Airplanes from World War I didn't have a lot of controls. This, Warfighters can give us these very simpel models to fly that are actually not so far removed from reality. So what are the main controls at our disposal?

• Moving the joystick left and right controls the ailerons, on the end of the wings. This will make our airplane roll left or right. You use this to start and to end a turn.

• Moving the joystick forwards and backwards controls the elevator. This will make our airplane pitch down and up. you use this to climb or to dive. But you also use it to turn, after we have rolled into it.

• The rudder. Oh, the rudder! The one thing that we can't actually control in virtual reality, because a real pilot would use their feet, and we don't have feet controllers (yet!). It is instead controlled by moving the joystick on one of your controllers left or right. You don't actually steer the airplane with the rudder. It is however very important to use the rudder when you're manoeuvring. You use it to keep the nose of your plane pointed at the horizon during a turn. Or to make a small adjustment before you shoot your machineguns, to make sure they hit the target.

• The throttle. You can use it either by grabbing the throttle lever in the cockpit, or by moving the joystick on your controller forwards and backwards. I advise the latter, so that your second hand is always free for other duties (like saluting that pilot you just shot down). The throttle doesn't really work like it would in a real airplane. In stead, it is more of a limited power boost. It is very useful for climbing quickly, or speeding towards your target, or escaping pursuers, etc. You can also use it to slow down, for example when you want to make a tighter turn or when you want to land. Keep in mind: turning tighter, is not the same as turning faster. For that, you might actually want more speed. And be careful: if you go too slow, you will stall and fall out of the sky!

The game doesn't really waste much time with training or practice or any of that nonsense, and you get thrown straight into the action. Again, there's not a lot of difference of what a real WWI pilot would experience, usually with tragic results.


To come out on top, you need to play it safe, and strike hard when it counts!

• Altitude is life. If you are above the enemy, you dictate the fight. It will be difficult for them to point their guns at you, and when they do, they lose their speed and become an easy target. In turn, you can choose when you want to attack. You dive at them, and attack with great speed. You can then use this speed to quickly climb back up to relative saftey.

• Never attack an enemy fighter head-on. They will tear you to shreds. It seems like a golden opportunity to quickly take them out, but they will pay you back in full. Remember that you are just as vulnerable as they are, and you can't repair any damage. It's better to just get out their way, and to fly around them until you have an opportunity to attack from the side or from the back.

• Switch targets often, don't focus too much on one enemy. If you're following an enemy and you're having trouble getting your guns on them, it might be best to focus on another enemy first, especially if a good opportunity presents itself. Remember, any enemy that is evading your attacks, is not attacking you. Keeping multiple enemies busy at the same time, prevents them from getting behind your back and taking that lethal shot.

• Respect bombers. Their defensive gunners can tear you to shreds in seconds. Bomber missons are some of the biggest challenges in this game, especially because you have to take them down before they destroy their target. We already talked about the importance of speed and armor. The next thing to know, is that you should attack bombers from the front, or from below. If you're above them and want to attack from behind, dive underneath them first, then pull up your nose to take the killing shot. When you start taking fire from them, quickly dive below them into the safe zone.

• Lead your targets. Your bullets won't reach their targets instantaneously, they take some time to travel through the air. Unless you are very close, try to shoot slightly in front of your enemy.

Being a pilot was one of the most dangerous jobs a soldier could have in World War One. Few of them ever becames Aces, and of those that did, not many survived the war. It is a tragic story of skill, heroism and loss. Unlike them, we can get shot down or crash and be flying again within minutes. We get to learn from our mistakes, or commit them over and over again. Hopefully this guide will give some help on how to come out on top!