World of Tanks Mark 2

[Esquire]

Think of it more as a counter to other Tier 6 tanks. That unnecessary penetration works wonders directed at a T-150 or a KV-1S that would otherwise have nothing to fear from your team - go hunting for enemy top-tier tanks, and even if you lose you'll do enough damage to come out positive credit and XP-wise.

[Skywalker_T-65]

More the T-150 and the KV-1S. I've managed to pen unwary 1S' with my Crusader. From the front...though admittedly it is rather rare.

[Skywalker_T-65]

Ghetto EDIT:

*Than* the KV-1S...darn edit window...

[Imperial528]

Victory!
Battle: Ruinberg Tuesday, January 22, 2013 6:38:55 AM
Vehicle: M4A3E2 Sherman Jumbo
Experience received: 1,054
Credits received: 21,989
Battle Achievements: Sniper, Mastery Badge: "1st Class"

This thing can flank like no one has flanked before. Went right through a hellcat near the small village, then sniped across the map to their spawn downing the health of a T1 HT and another hellcat, though someone else finished them. Also fired off a few shots on a T-34-85. Had to stop sniping because the AMX12T spotting for me forgot about their Hummel and it killed them. So then I waltzed into their spawn, stopped when I saw Hummel, the Hummel fired and hit the ground, so I killed it. Then I went into the city and finished off the T-34-85 and helped kill an M5 Stuart.

[Vendetta]

ARL-44 has a weird spot. Like most Tier 6 vees.

If you're top tier, you MUST carry your team to victory. The difference between a Tier 6 and a 4 is a massive spread. And the HP differential between a 6 and a 5 is big enough that you can really punish Tier 5s.

But the ARL-44 isn't very good at these. Since it doesn't have the flexibility and soft stats of the M6, or the overpowered Alpha of the KV-1S. It just has a buttload of unnecessary penetration, and terrible soft stats beyond measure.

I can carry teams to victory, soft stats or no (seriously, the big advantage of the M6 over it is turret traverse, which is nice to have but the M6 couples with being made of tissue paper, really tall, and poorly sloped), because it's front armour is heavily sloped and frequently bounces the 122mm derp of the KV-1S, and the "weakness" of the protruding tracks can be used the same as it is on the Churchill, to eat shells that would otherwise damage you, but the concept of "top tier" means somewhat less when you're "top tier" and there are also 8 KV-1Ss on each side, which has been most games this weekend.

[Imperial528]

The height of the M6 can actually be a huge advantage if you use it well.
For example, a lot of hull-down positions have the problem where most tanks simply can't hit anything on the other side because the slope of the hill increases as you get towards the top. However, because of its height, the M6 can stay on the gentler slope and poke its turret over the ridge to fire, and then come back down to reload, without moving much at all. The best part is that the distance is enough that if whatever you are shooting at comes up to the ridge to shoot back at you, it exposes itself much more than you are exposed to it. I have almost-killed many higher-tier tanks doing this, though usually my allies finish them or I die before I can.

It also lets you do cool things like fire from above an allied. I did this with a Churchill VII once, as I had been worn down and it was still at 100%. I have also used it to use enemies as cover (find tank that can't pen you easily, ram its tracks, poke turret above its hull, fire, retreat turret behind its turret, repeat)

Of course, if you're in a wide open field the height is quite useless. So don't go there.

[Luke Starkiller]

Victory!
Battle: Ensk January-22-13 11:09:10 PM
Vehicle: Jagdpanther
Experience received: 1,518
Credits received: 44,944
Battle Achievements: Steel Wall, Top Gun, Sniper, Sharpshooter, Mastery Badge: "1st Class"



Holy crap was the Jagdpanther worth every second of grinding the Jgpz4; I don't even have the 105 yet.

[spaceviking]

Is it just me, or did the t-28 used to be way better?

[Vejut]

T-28 used to have access to the 85mm from the Su-85B, basically, which meant it could use its decently high speed and manover to use terrain to make up for its lack of armor and depression to deliver a big alpha punch then hide. The 57mm is probably as or more accurate, but the RoF is so high you can't do that as much, especially if your enemy's trying the same thing. Or thats my impression in the few runs in it I've done since the change. They got rid of the 85mm as part of the same reason why the SU-85 lost the 100mm and the like--trying to bring the old big-gun uptiering weapons back into line after the matchmaker leveling.

[PhilosopherOfSorts]

The Chi-Ha is the only tank in the Chinese line up to tier 6 or 7 (I think) that I had any interest in playing, as its the only one I hadn't played before under a dfferant name (sometimes), and didn't like, and I'm really not liking it, either. I especially don't like that absolutely nothing in the tech tree carries over to the next tanks down the line. Probably gonna finish it out, then not mess with the Chicoms anymore.

[Nephtys]

So, the American T69 Medium Tank....

Weak armor.
Poor penetration
Awful aimtime
Bad accuracy
Low Maneuverability
Sluggish accelleration
Slow topspeed
Terrible dispersion

...yet it's my most effective tank. It's inexplicable. I don't even have it fully upgraded, but am averaging something like 2000 damage. And unlike the T71, which has a giant 'everyone shoot me for candy' sign on it, nobody wants to even waste a shell of the T69. It's ability to fall off people's threat radar is insane, and the threat of a Tier 10 TD's worth damage of autoloader within 6 seconds horrifies anyone from playing chicken with it. Goes to show that intangible stats are the most important.

I think ace tanker for this thing is somewhere in the range of 2000+ undoubled XP. I've hit 1700 undoubled and only gotten second class.

[wautd]

Got a strange matchup last night. each side had 3 Tier 8's, a couple of tier 6's and the rest was crappy tier 4's. Would have loved to be in a tier 8 in that match (currently saving for an IS-3). I was in a Churchill VII myself, couldn't hope to even annoy the IS-3 that was hunting for me, but somehow I managed to make 4 kills that match.

[Imperial528]

Victory!
Battle: Siegfried Line Wednesday, January 23, 2013 8:03:11 AM
Vehicle: T29
Experience received: 1,232
Credits received: 29,214
Battle Achievements: Top Gun

Woot woot.

I blame the enemy team being mostly composed of retards for my success. They let the T29 plugging the middle of the city get surrounded, and I placed a few nice shots in its sides, and I killed a Wolverine that drove out from behind a building right in front of me and proceeded to turn left, exposing its engine to my gun. Also got a KV-1, KV-3, IS, Jadgpanzer, T-150, and a T-50. The T-50 was fun, because it ran past me at breakneck speed and just as it was passing my track I aimed and fired, boom, dead from 100% health.

[Imperial528]

Sorry for the double, but I had to post this:

Victory!
Battle: Steppes Wednesday, January 23, 2013 8:45:30 AM
Vehicle: T14
Experience received: 1,972 (x2 for the first victory each day)
Credits received: 28,883
Battle Achievements: Steel Wall

This one was epic because I bounced 20 shots from tier Vs and VIs. I only killed an M5A1, but I nearly killed an ARL 44, an M4, and a PzIV, to get a total of 1,512 damage. Note that I was doing this mostly alone towards the end until my team showed up and saved me from the ARL 44, as I had only 40 health left. I think I'll post the replay:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/gqz1vwt1n8bus ... .wotreplay

[Vendetta]

Goes to show that intangible stats are the most important.

I know you like to talk about soft stats and intangibles as if it makes you super pro at tanks, but actually it's as narrow a view as thinking that a tank is just gun+armour and everything else is irrelevant.

To figure out the best use of a tank you have to look at all its properties, both "hard" and "soft" (which actually means "stats listed in the garage" and "only on the wiki".) and look at the map you've spawned on, and choose your approach accordingly. Gun depression is useful on many maps, for instance, but not so much on Ensk, Himmelsdorf, Siegfried Line, Live Oaks, Highway or Ruinberg because most of the fighting will take place in the flat city areas. If you have good gun depression and hill peeking ability you'll want to go to the hilly parts of those maps. But no-one else goes there so you'll actually have a minimal impact on the battle as a whole.

It's not about "good soft stats therefore tank is good" or even "good gun therefore tank is good", but about looking at all the options your tank gives you on a given map and choosing the best one based on what you know about the map and how people are likely to act on it and what enemies you are facing. It can even be as much as "I am fast so I can get to this point where engagements happen fast and take a flanking position early". That's something I frequently do in my Cromwell, getting to a position like the northwest corner of Arctic Region and getting hull down, because most tanks on both teams will only make it to their respective approach to that area and stop because they can't advance out of cover because the enemy team is there already and could shoot them. The Cromwell's high speed and acceleration means I was there first and now the enemy team has to worry about their flank and is getting spotted for my own team at the choke into the northwest area. But that doesn't work if there's a significant artillery presence because the Cromwell is vulnerable to that and it's an open target for arty on both sides, so it also matters what the force compositions are.

The "intangible" that really matters isn't just a stat that isn't listed on the tank's stat sheet, it's the skill and knowledge of the player and how they've read the individual match.

[Nephtys]

Skill and knowledge do matter, But well... this about the T69 was completely unexpected. I mean, I played a bit of the Cromwell, which is by all means a solid tank. Super fast, good gun, low profile. Poor gun depression though. And it just didn't work well for me, as enemies knew how to destroy a Cromwell. You just focus the squishy little thing, and don't let it get the DPM advantage on you by firing unmolested.

Some tanks just aren't as good as others, because not all stats are valued equally. That's what soft stats generally do, is raise the skill ceiling, while hard stats raise the skill floor. You can better beat the snot out of newbies with a flexible vehicle with massive view range and gun depression than superior armor and gun.

Even on Ensk, Himmelsdorf, Sigfried and those other city maps, there's enough spots to make depression useful. Hell, even when face-hugging, being able to shoot spots on the hull while they can only hammer your turret is really useful.

[Vendetta]

Skill and knowledge do matter, But well... this about the T69 was completely unexpected. I mean, I played a bit of the Cromwell, which is by all means a solid tank. Super fast, good gun, low profile. Poor gun depression though. And it just didn't work well for me, as enemies knew how to destroy a Cromwell. You just focus the squishy little thing, and don't let it get the DPM advantage on you by firing unmolested.

Which is where your positioning comes in. I like to put the Cromwell into positions where enemies can't focus on me without opening themselves up to two or three other tanks hitting their sides. Also, it's got fantastic acceleration which means that you can get back out of their line of fire before they can shoot. There's been any number of occasions where I've held three or four opponents back because the high rate of fire and traverse means you can punish anyone who tries to rush, even if you've just fired, and by turning to focus on me they get shot by the rest of my team.

[Skywalker_T-65]

Victory!
Battle: Siegfried Line Wednesday, January 23, 2013 3:47:16 PM
Vehicle: T-150
Experience received: 1,228
Credits received: 26,584
Battle Achievements: Steel Wall, Sniper, Mastery Badge: "Ace Tanker"

I killed two Panthers (one basic, one a PzV/M10), a T20, and a 3601 (H). I honestly think I may prefer the T-150 to the 3601 now...and I never thought I would say that. Now I have to decide which I TRULY want to keep. Because one of them needs to be sold to get me the KV-3 when that time comes...decisions, decisions...

EDIT: Also, that is now my best battle EVER. So that's nice. And my previous holder in that category was the KV-1. I guess the 'slow heavily armored' Russkie heavies are where I'm good

[Grandmaster Jogurt]

The T-150's in a pretty great spot on the KV line. It's got great penetration and damage and acceptable armour and mobility for a heavy of its tier. The only issue I have with it is that tier 6 heavies in general have proportionally small HP pools, only fractionally higher than the tier 6 mediums.

[The Vortex Empire]

I've never really been a fan of slow tanks like that. Takes too long to get to the battle, and once you pick a route you're committed. No capability to react to the changing battlefield. But that's what mediums and the IS line are for, I suppose.

[Skywalker_T-65]

Actually the T-150 isn't all that slow. About as fast as the 3601 actually.

Also:

Victory!
Battle: Ensk Wednesday, January 23, 2013 4:34:09 PM
Vehicle: T-150
Experience received: 1,136
Credits received: 28,016
Battle Achievements: Steel Wall, Sniper, Master Gunner, Ranger

Why you make me question my love of the 3601????

[The Vortex Empire]

Actually the T-150 isn't all that slow. About as fast as the 3601 actually.

Also:

Victory!
Battle: Ensk Wednesday, January 23, 2013 4:34:09 PM
Vehicle: T-150
Experience received: 1,136
Credits received: 28,016
Battle Achievements: Steel Wall, Sniper, Master Gunner, Ranger

Why you make me question my love of the 3601????

3601 is pretty much a heavy anyway, it's just a relatively fast heavy. And though I haven't driven it beyond a few battles after the Russian revision, I imagine the 3601 accelerates and handles much better than the T-150.

[Skywalker_T-65]

True...weren't they going to make it a heavy eventually anyway?

[The Vortex Empire]

True...weren't they going to make it a heavy eventually anyway?

I think it's on their to-do list, but not a high priority. Maybe it'll happen when they introduce the second med line, who knows with them.

[Grandmaster Jogurt]

Skywalker, have you tried the Jumbo? I'm a fan of the T-150, too, and the Jumbo's my favourite tank. It also reminds me of the 3601 in that it's almost a heavy anyway.