War Thunder’s Air Realistic Battles are falling apart — and the main reason is premium vehicle abuse/spam, especially at high tiers.
Take the MiG-23ML for example. It’s a $70 premium jet, stuck at 11.7, and it is completely wrecking the balance of every single match I play. I fly the F-5, and I’m not exaggerating when I say that every game, I’m facing MiG-23MLs — and lots of them.
In fact, most lobbies are made up of 70–80% MiG-23MLs. It’s not even a diverse match anymore — it’s just a sea of the same overpowered pay-to-win premium jet on both sides. And since it’s a premium, these players don’t have to grind modules, don’t have to suffer through a learning curve, and get access to one of the most capable jets at its BR right out of the gate.
What does that mean for the rest of us?
- 9 out of 10 times I die, it’s to a MiG-23ML.
- Match outcomes are basically determined by which team has more of them.
- Skill and tech tree progression no longer matter. It’s just whoever spent more money on stronger toys.
The MiG-23ML has insane acceleration, top-tier missiles, and handling that outclasses most tech tree jets at 11.0 or 11.3. Combine that with its massive population in every lobby and you’ve got a matchmaking disaster.
This is the reality:
- Players grinding legit tech tree aircraft like the F-5 are consistently outclassed.
- Teams are now stacked with premiums, and that becomes the biggest factor in determining wins.
- Matchmaking feels like a joke. Nation balancing is gone. BR balancing is ignored. Everything is skewed in favor of mass-sold premiums.
- It’s not uncommon to see matches where both teams are almost entirely MiG-23MLs.
What’s the point in grinding anymore? Why even play a tech tree aircraft when you’re just feeding killstreaks to waves of under-BR’ed, credit card-fueled jets?
Gaijin needs to wake up and do the following:
- Raise the BR of the MiG-23ML and any other premium that clearly overperforms.
- Implement caps on how many of the same premium vehicle can be in a match.
- Rebalance premium jets to actually reflect the BR system instead of sales potential.
- Restore some form of nation-based matchmaking or better team balancing.
This game has such a solid foundation, but it’s being absolutely ruined by Gaijin’s obsession with short-term monetization. Until premium spam is addressed, War Thunder is going to continue down the path of pay-to-win, pay-to-survive, pay-to-enjoy.