From the very beginning of the game World of Tanks, high-explosive fragmentation shells were an excellent alternative to cumulative and sub-caliber shells. It was enough to hit the target to inflict damage. It didn't matter where the projectile landed, whether it was the turret, hull, tracks, or rear part - damage was always dealt, more or less, depending on the mechanics.

Even heavy tanks with excellent frontal protection suffered from large-caliber "gifts". Another feature of this type of ammunition was the guaranteed fire starting when hitting a specific area. A significant number of medium tanks would always catch fire when hit in the last third of the hull from the first or second shot.

These unpleasant characteristics of high-explosive fragmentation shells spoiled the impression of battles. And in the 1.13 update, a new damage mechanics for such shells was introduced. So, what has changed?

• The era of "just hit the enemy" has passed. You will have to aim for weak spots. Unfortunately, that's the case. Now, when a projectile hits, artificial intelligence will take into account the thickness of the armor. The thinner the steel protection, the more damage it will cause. And vice versa. Therefore, hitting the enemy tank's gun mantlet will result in minimal damage, if any at all.
  
  Of course, splinters will still form inside the vehicle upon impact, and damage caused by them will also be counted. But the main thing is that all fans of "booms" and "derp guns" will have to aim as accurately as possible and hit the weakest spots. Although, how to do that with the KV-2 and its "fantastic" dispersion, remains unclear.

• Screens, tracks, and wheels - additional tank protection. With the 1.13 update, the significance of previously useless shields and other objects has increased exponentially. Previously, any screens served only as decorative elements or added realism to the combat vehicle. What's happening now? High-explosive fragmentation charges hit the screen and explode.
  
  A thin sheet of metal or mesh absorbs all the explosion's energy. Then, armor of the vehicle is encountered on the path of destruction, which receives a weakened impact. Essentially, the explosion occurs outside the armor plate, and it will not sustain devastating damage. A special coefficient is introduced to calculate the damage.
  
  For example, if the screen thickness is twenty millimeters, the fragmentation charge penetrates it but continues moving. In the process, it loses 60mm of its armor penetration! Considering that almost all high-explosive shells do not have significant armor penetration, in the game it will look as follows: "HE hit the screen," "HE did not damage the armor." The same situation will occur when hitting tracks or wheels. If there is no armor behind them, the enemy vehicle will not receive damage. Even derailing a track will not be as easy as before.

To provide players using high-explosive fragmentation shells with guidance, developers have introduced new target marker colors. When switching to sniper mode during a battle, you will see a red indicator. Shooting at this spot is meaningless, as no damage will be dealt. Yellow indicates that some damage will be inflicted on the enemy vehicle, but it will be insignificant. Green speaks for itself: not only can you shoot, but you should shoot. The maximum possible damage will be inflicted on the enemy.

How to use high-explosive fragmentation shells in the new conditions?

It is worth noting that for some types of guns, these shells are no longer the primary choice. Shooting at the enemy silhouette visible through bushes is pointless! Weak spots need to be targeted. However, it is not advisable to unload all the shells into the garage. They can still be useful for:

• To reset base capture points. In this case, the main goal is to inflict any damage.
• To finish off an enemy vehicle with minimal hit points remaining. It doesn't take much to destroy a low-health tank.
• To immobilize an enemy by damaging their tracks. Although it may seem questionable, stranger things have happened in battles. An immobilized enemy will become an easy target for allies.