Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Good day, dear players!
In World of Tanks, it has already become a good tradition to add several premium tanks in every new update. Such tanks will not only introduce you to the new
nations before their release on the game servers, but also provide you with a comfortable and easy way of earning some credits and training a crew for another tank.
This update is no exception. Players will meet three new tanks. These are the first premium soviet tank destroyer in the game, the SU-122-44, the German medium
tank Pz4 Schmalturm , and the German Panther-M10 .
In this video we are going to give a short overview of all these vehicles and find out how good they are in the battle as well as their pros and cons and what is the
best tank for farming credits and training a crew.
And the first vehicle is the SU-122-44.
To begin with, this is really a valuable vehicle for experienced players, since it is the first premium soviet tank destroyer.
As a result, your crews, which are now assigned to other TDs like the SU-101 or the Object 704 , may farm credits and train at the same time after the purchasing of this vehicle.
This is a tier 7 vehicle. It has 840 hit points and all the positive features of the soviet tank destroyer branch. Let's take a closer look at each feature.
It weighs only 33 tons, whilst its engine has a full 500 horse power. Obviously, it means that, just like the other Soviet tank destroyers, the SU-122-44 has excellent
movement dynamics and maneuverability.
As a result, it lets you not only hide behind a bush, but, with more efficiency, move with your steel brethren and cover them from enemy guns.
This TD has the similar armor as the SU-100M1, the JagdPanther and the T25AT.
90 mm of frontal armor, even with a good slope, does not resist guns with more than 200 mm. Such armor can help to resist damage from the less powerful tier 5 or
tier 6 enemies, which penetration is about 175 mm or lower.
Compared to other TDs, the SU-122-44 has low range of view. Its rate is only 330 meters. Its brother, the SU-100M1 has 360 meters, whilst the JagdPanther and the T25AT has 350 meters.
It means that there is no sense in sitting behind a bush for a long time. In fact, you should move a lot.
But the main thing is its gun. You will receive fairly powerful and serious gun with quite poor accuracy.
The SU-122-44 is equipped with the 122mm D-25S gun.
Looking at its aiming speed and accuracy, it is really poor. However, your opponents will definitely be afraid of you due to your amazingly high damage per the single strike. It averages 390!
For example, neither the SU-100M1, the JagdPanther, nor the T25 AT have such a great alpha strike.
What modules should you buy?
So you should buy the Gun Laying Drive, the Gun Rammer and another module. It may be the optics or the telescope or the toolbox.
It all depends on if you'd rather stay behind a bush, move like a medium tank with allies or aggressively help in a rush with heavy tanks.
The recommended skill build for the crew is quite common. You should train the "camouflage" skill first, just because the soviet TD has an excellent camouflage factor as well.
But if you are not going to sit behind a bush, you would want to train the "repair" skill.
You know know the features of this TD, so let's suggest some tactics for this vehicle on the battlefield.
The first tactic is to be a Medium Tank. You've got perfect handling and mobility as well as a powerful weapon with bad accuracy and strong armor. You should
attack from flanks with other Medium Tanks and fight at close and medium range.
In this case, all the drawbacks of your gun will be completely negated, whilst your good handling will let you change position in time, so you'll be able to avoid dangerous situations.
In theory, it should go like this: allied medium tanks are trying to get to your enemies. And they distract them from you. At the same time, you in your tank destroyer
provide fire support to your colleagues.
If the ensuing situation is bad for your team, you should drive elsewhere. But if everything is alright, you should move a lot to avoid shells of enemy SPGs and continue supporting your allies.
In addition, your armor has a chance of ricochet even from the tier 7 or tier 8 medium tanks, which penetration is lower than 175 mm.
The second tactic is to be a true tank destroyer. If you go this route, you will have to deal with the cons of this vehicle such as slow aiming speed and low accuracy.
If you try to penetrate an enemy from 300 or 400 meters, you will enjoy total randomness, your experience and skills won't enter into it.
On the other hand, you have a perfect camouflage coefficient, so, if you have trained in this skill, you will be able to shoot enemies without being spotted for a long time. Remember this.
And the last option is to rush through a flank with heavy tanks. It is a really risky and dangerous tactic on the battlefield.
Most tier 7 or tier 8 heavy tanks have the same alpha damage as yours. So you may receive a ticket to the hangar after two or three shots. However, if you are an
experienced player, you may try this tactic.
The Panther-M10. We are happy to introduce to you, dear players, this really unique vehicle. It is the German and the American tank in one time.
The reason for this is that this tank is the German Panther, but it looks like the American tank destroyer, the M10 motor carriage. Such sneaky tactics were used
during World War II by the German diversionist Otto Skorzeny.
As a result, this vehicle has an unusual layout and traditional olive colored hull.
In our game this premium tank belongs to the German tree. This vehicle will help experienced fans of the German tanks with earning credits and training crews for other Medium Tanks.
Let's take a closer look and find out the main differences between these Panthers.
If you look into battle characteristics of the Panther-M10, you will note that it is weaker that its colleague, the common Panther.
Both of them belong to Tier 7. The fake M10 has 30 hit points more than the standard Panther. And its turret turns 12 degrees per second faster. Those are all the
positives. The fake M10 has a less powerful engine, poorer armor and it is equipped with a second-tier gun.
However, if you think that this Medium Tank is rubbish, you should wait a bit, because the developers prepared a surprise for you: the battle tiers of the Ersatz M10
are lower than of Panther has. So you will never have to fight against tanks higher than tier 8.
This means that, in contrast to the common Panther, the mimic will not have great troubles with fighting against its opponents.
And now, given you already know about his battle tier, let's look through its battle characteristics again. We will not compare it with the standard Panther.
You've got a good top speed. You weigh 46 tons and your engine rates 700 horse power, so you will not feel handicapped on the battlefield.
You are equipped with the fairly accurate and quick-fire KwK 42 L/70 gun. Its enhanced rate of fire gives you an opportunity to put out a suppressive fire and help
your allies to destroy strongly armored tanks and enemies with poor maneuverability.
Also, its good view range, which is 350 meters, may help you in a situation when you have to conduct reconnaissance.
The features like the higher rate of fire make this vehicle a support tank. No, you are not recommended to initiate a fight, and you are bad at fighting head-to-head against Heavy Tanks.
However, you can play perfectly in the second line. You should destroy enemy tracks and do critical damage to enemies by aiming into their weak spots.
As for the modules, we advise you to use a common setup for a Medium Tanks build: the enhanced aiming, the gun rammer and the coated optics. If your repair
skill is not trained, you may buy the toolbox.
The skill build is common: repair skill, camouflage skill and then everything else.
As for the gameplay tactics on the battlefield, as we've said before, the Panther-M10 is supporting tank, which has lower battle tier than the common Panther has.
You shouldn't go forward. You should fight only in the second line. Your priority targets are enemy tracks, weapons and modules, which can be destroyed with HE
ammunition and your rate of fire.
Great handling lets you change position very often. You may appear anywhere you are needed.
You will not be blind due to your view range. It does not matter if Medium tanks, heavy tanks or even TDs are attacking your team, the M10 is useful in every situation.
And the last hero is the new and, in the same time, old medium tank the Panzer 4 Schmalturm.
As you may remember, there was the old tier 5 medium tank Panzer 4 in earlier versions. It was loved due to its characteristics and ability to farm without losing
credits even without premium account
The old Panzer 4 could destroy any other tier 5 tank due to its range of view, weapon and turret with high ricochet chances.
In the 8.0 update this tank was remade. It is not equipped with the powerful weapon, and the turret remained the original with the spaced armour modules were added.
As a result, it is the typical tier 5 medium tank. It is neither worse, nor better than others.
So what did happen to the old Panzer 4? It became a premium tank and now it belongs to the tier 6. Its characteristics and layout were completely changed. We will tell you about it.
After the moving to tier 6, the Panzer 4 received the "Schmalturm" title, which it received due to the name of its fabulous turret.
Its hit points were buffed up to 730 to make the total similar to hit points of other tier 6 Medium Tanks.
Unfortunately, the Panzer 4 Schmalturm has poor maneuverability. It weighs 30 tons and its engine is only 300 horse power. The makes this tank closer to a Heavy Tank than Medium tank
The weapon remained the same, the KwK 44/1 L/70. At tier 6 you have 150mm of penetration and 135 damage mixed with great rate of fire.
Furthermore, the same weapon is found on the Panther-M10. So this Medium Tank will feel comfortable in the battles it may join.
150mm of penetration lets you easily penetrate the armor of other tier 6 Medium Tanks and the high rate of fire lets you keep an enemy deprived of a track for a fairly long time.
The hull's frontal armor is 80mm and the turret's is 120mm.
We should mention its turret. Its angles that have amazing ricochet chances as well the mantlet will save your HP a lot of times in fights behind any cover.
For example, tanks such as the Medium Tanks of the VK-series, the T-34-or the Su-85 will have troubles penetrating your turret, because it has 120mm with some angles.
Its view range is good as well. It is 370 meters. This is a good figure for a Tier 6.
The recommended module build is typical: enhanced gun laying drive, the gun rammer and another module. You may buy the telescope or the toolbox.
The first one allows you to act like a TD, if you are a low tier vehicle in a battle, whilst the second one may save you in a city map, if you play like a Medium Tank.
Just like other Mediums, train repairing, then camouflage and then everything else.
Like the Panther M-10, this is a tank of the second line, a support tank. You might miss something due to your low velocity, but this minus is balanced by your
weapon and the turret with high ricochet chances. Tanks will have troubles with penetrating your turret.
So you can move in the second line of battle just behind your team mates or defend the flanks. You should use the terrain to hide your hull behind cover. Enemies
should see only your wonderful turret.
In the same time, the accurate and quick-fire weapon lets you to keep enemies trackless, if you can't penetrate their frontal armor. They will be nervous.
Another way of using the Panzer 4 Schmalturm is to play as a TD. You have fairly accurate gun and have a good view range, so you can combine these features in battle.
You should find a bush, turn the telescope on, and wait. If less-experienced players attack from flanks, you will spot them.
We've discussed characteristics and tactics for each tank. And now we should speak about the main purpose of a premium vehicle: credit earning.
As you may know, each vehicle has its own coefficient of credit earning. In addition, it also depends on the amount of damage you deal and the makeup of your enemy.
If you take a closer look at a typical situation when you are in the middle of the tier list and shoot tanks of the same tier, you may find out that:
The most profitable tank is the Soviet tank destroyer, the SU-122-44. It is all because of its powerful gun, which is also equipped on the IS-6. It has fairly significant alpha damage.
And its awesome battle characteristics lets one not only penetrate the frontal armor of other tanks of the same tier, but also flank high tier enemies and do some
damage to them as well. So you easily can cover the cost of repairing, shells, consumables with 5 or 6 shots.
If you have a premium account, you can earn about 50 to 80 thousand credits per battle with this TD.
If the battle was successful and you've done 3 or 4 thousand points of damage, you can earn 100 thousand. You will earn from 30-60 to 70-80 thousand per battle
without premium account.
Second place belongs to the Panther-M10. This is the tier 7 tank, but it hasn't got such fascinating characteristics
As we've already said earlier, this is the support tank. As a result, you more help your allies to do damage than do it by yourself.
You can do something in battle, but you have 150mm of penetration and your damage averages 135, so you won't be as effective.
Despite this fact, the Panther can make fans of the German tanks happy, because you earn about 40-60 thousand of credits for good battle and in an epic battle you earn 80-100 thousands.
And the last place belongs to the Panzer 4 Schmalturm. Just like any other low level vehicles, this premium tank was created rather as an interesting, just for fun tank,
and definitely not as a serious credit farmer.
You earn from 30 to 50 thousands with prem account, since you have the same gun as the Panther M10, but your battle tiers are lower. You earn about 30 thousand without a premium account.
On the other hand, battles are easy and relaxing, since you will fight against low tier tanks, if you are the top tank in the battle.
So the Pz4 Schmalturm will suit players who like slow, but comfortable farming without being nervous.
These three different premium vehicles are awaiting you in the 8.1 update.
Each vehicle is interesting and fascinating in the unique way, so you should make your choice wisely.
If you want something new, you should buy the first Soviet premium TD, the SU-122-44. If you want to train a crew for the German Medium Tanks, you should
choose the Panther-M10. If you want to feel nostalgia and just enjoy yourself, you should buy the Pz4 Schmalturm.
In any case, you should definitely pay attention to them.
That is all for now. See you next time and good luck on the battlefield!