35 replies to this topic

[40_Percenter]

I have to say the Chrysler K has moved to numero uno on my list. It has plus armor plus plus mobility and an average gun that is fairly comparable to that on the Lowe. Combine it’s superior armor and mobility it is a beast able to run with the meds and can still slog it out with the heavies. 

[grunk69]

hahaha very nice - good read to start the day.  Would like to see a Tier 6 review next.

[DickerDallas]

40_Percenter, on 24 January 2019 - 12:55 PM, said:

I have to say the Chrysler K has moved to numero uno on my list. It has plus armor plus plus mobility and an average gun that is fairly comparable to that on the Lowe. Combine it’s superior armor and mobility it is a beast able to run with the meds and can still slog it out with the heavies. 

 

I agree.  The Chrysler K is built for being a wrecking ball against mediums.  These are not a tank to play passively and should be used aggressively as often as possible to terrorize reds that are not expecting your mobility.  

[BoomBoyGT]

AOT_Jaeger2, on 24 January 2019 - 12:31 PM, said:

 

...nah the VK. 45.02’s Armor couldn’t deflect a spitball. 

 

I once shot a VK4502A in the front of the hull with my Leopard PT A's 105mm L7 gun. I could have sworn I saw the shell over penetrate the front armor, go out the back armor, and promptly exit the map Black Goldville and travel its way all the way to Copperfield where it oneshotted some unfortunate bastard in a bush.

Edited by BoomBoyGT, 24 January 2019 - 09:00 PM.

[vvk2]

BoomBoyGT, on 24 January 2019 - 03:59 PM, said:

 

I once shot a VK4502A in the front of the hull with my Leopard PT A's 105mm L7 gun. I could have sworn I saw the shell over penetrate the front armor, go out the back armor, and promptly exit the map Black Goldville and travel its way all the way to Copperfield where it oneshotted some unfortunate bastard in a bush.

 

Was it another VK45A?

[BoomBoyGT]

vvk2, on 24 January 2019 - 09:21 PM, said:

 

Was it another VK45A?

 

Idk who the hell it was, all I know is that I could hear the screams.

[Dark_Magician_Girl]

The VK4502 A tries to do everything well, but only ends up doing it decently.  It is almost like a German E5.  I stand behind that ranking in the full potato division.

[Melissa_Durat]

Very Good DGM. Hope see you soon and with other tiers reviews. (Tier 7 would be cool) 

[MarBearCat]

Dark_Magician_Girl, on 24 January 2019 - 02:33 AM, said:

Hey everyone!  It's been awhile.  The forums are seemingly less busy, but looking through my previous BEST rankings that were enjoyed over a year ago, I thought it would be a fun write to do them over again.  The meta has changed.  New tanks have been introduced.  Buffs.  Nerfs.  The general decline in the quality of play.  In the first iteration of this specific tier and class, I said that tier 8 was largely biased towards heavy tanks.  That is still true, however the pallet of flavor for the class has grown significantly. 

 

I will provide my own thoughts on the "best" tier 8 heavy tanks and I apologize in advance if your favorite tier 8 heavy is at the bottom of the list. This is purely my opinion, and you are free to put in your input.  Hope you enjoy! (See spoiler)

 

See how things have changed! Found below is the original list for this specific topic, written over a year ago!

 

 http://forum.wotblitz.com/index.php?/topic/86118-best-tier-8-heavy/page__fromsearch__1

 

*Note: Reviews are done in the style of WoTLabs.  

 

What do you think is the best tier 8 heavy?  Let me know!

 

Spoiler

 Full Potato Division

 

KV-4 - Over a year ago, this tank was at the bottom of the list.  January 24, 2019.  Here we are again, at the bottom of the list.  The KV-4 has continually gotten worse as tier 8 meta has developed, especially with the introduction of other super heavy options at the tier.  This vehicle was fantastic in 2014.  However, everyone else had their growth spurt and are now much bigger and stronger than this ancient, obsolete behemoth.  Heavies dominate tier 8 but not in this specific case.

 

Chieftain/T95 - People loved this game for realism before tanks like the Lupus plagued the fields.  The historic aspect of these tanks piqued the interest of many players.  The Chieftain/T95 is very historic, especially with its cupola.  It's so historically accurate that tank realists across the globe jack off all the way back to the garage as their tank is blown up because of weak armor and a weapon that is an experimental knock off version of the Caernarvon.  I'll take a wonderful fantasy any day over realistic crap of actual life.  This is the same line of reasoning why people do angel dust, right?

 

WZ-111 || WZ-111-2 || Glacial 112 - It's the same tank?  3 times!  I feel sorry for whoever purchased the two already in the game. These Chinese heavies try to be Russian, but it is not the same kind of drive.  Despite some buffs to penetration and gun handling, they still aren't competitive to deal with anything that sports a hammer and sickle.  Worse mobility, nearly identical gun handling, significantly worse armor.  Do NOT buy.

 

VK4502 A - Another tank that was in the full potato division on the previous iteration of this list, the VKA hasn't changed whatsoever.  Poor penetration compared to the King Tiger.  Similar to worse mobility compared to any IS-X.  Armor that might make you ask why this is classed as a heavy,  Similarly to the KV-4, everyone else just grew up to be bigger and stronger.  It doesn't even lead to anything worthwhile.  Hard pass.

 

Play for Fun Division

 

AMX 50 100 - The AMX has seen some changes.  It used to be able to clip out hard on healthy targets.  Not anymore.  930 alpha is the most you will be doing on average to anything.  Poor gun depression, large profile (meaning bad camo), and HE-able armor make this tank frustrating to play as you try to grind for the more glorious 1200 burst clippers at tier 9 and 10.  It's one of the few clippers at tier 8, so at least it provides a more interesting drive than the VKA.

 

KV-5 - The KV-5 got a boob job.  With added soviet steel in its Russian knockers, this tank can bounce some shots frontally.  No longer are you stuck to trying to drive this in a reverse sidescrape.  That being said, she still has weaknesses in the turret with higher penetration standard rounds, and can be somewhat reliably penned in the boobs with gold.  The gun is OK, but is nothing that you would rave about.  The KV-5 may have gotten some surgery in the chest area to make it more attractive to the driver, but unfortunately her milkshakes are not enough to bring all the boys to the yard.

 

IS2-H - WG made money off of an up-tiered IS that had its turret turned around.  Slap a legendary camo on it and bam it sold like hot cakes.  Is that a compliment to their ingenuity or an insight into the average IQ of the average spender in Blitz? People of the forums, come on... there is no reason to buy this when cheaper, better options exist like the IS-5.  Same pen, but it's a rear mount.  It's not bad, but it doesn't do anything quite distinguishing that makes it stand out from the pack. The turret is slightly squishy because it is based on the classic tier 7 IS design, rather than the design of the IS-3.  Higher penetration, accurate weaponry firing gold like the Lowe or Jag. 8.8cm will normally penetrate the turret with ease.  The only special quality is that it has quite a small profile for a heavy tank.

 

IS-6 + Fearless - Yes, they are exactly the same tank if you were wondering.  The reason why this tank was special was because of the high ROF gun that it brought to tier 8 heavy.  On the first list, this tank was listed at the top, despite being in a meta of +1/-1 with other tanks starting to outclass it.  That's right, the first gun (D-30) was just that good, even in the face of growing powercreep.  The armor is still very easily manipulable, providing lots of opportunities to troll enemies and make their effective DPM go to minuscule levels.  As of January, we are fully in VK 100 season, and the IS6 is passed up for more heavily armored options that the tank will struggle to pen.  It is the end of an era for the IS-6.  The dynasty has finally concluded.

 

T32 - The T32 has been powercrept.  It's used to be very strong with a solid upper front and strong turret.  However, it was outclassed a few months back by the AMX M4 49.  It still has the wonderfully strong turret and hull, but the AMX just does it better with higher mobility.  The turret can still bounce tier 10 gold rounds, but the T32's gun has something to be desired.  The AMX does the gun better too.  It's kind of sad really, this tank should be higher on the list.  I'd recommend picking it up as it still can do some good, honest work.

 

Stat Padder Division

 

T34 + Indy - The T34 is a beloved vehicle by many wallet warriors.  High penetration on standard rounds, -10 degrees of gun depression, a strong turret.  I italicize that because the turret really isn't that strong, having numerous weak points and a large profile.  The AMX simply does it better even though it has less alpha.  This tank is somewhat mobile like the T32, but it can do work in the right situations.  In games where the T34 is bottom tier, its turret isn't all that fantastic, highlighting just how hopeless it is against higher penetration guns that reside in tier 9.  It's good, but not fantastic.

 

IS-5 - The quintessential Russian heavy of tier 8, the IS5 typifies the qualities of Russian heavies.  Above average mobility, trollish armor, especially on the side.  A pike nose that will unexplainably bounce shots it shouldn't.  Terrible weaponry, to an extreme that is disgraceful to even most Russian tanks.  The IS-5 is the extreme version of a soviet heavy tank that not only magnifies the nations strengths in tank building, but also its weaknesses.  The upside here is that it's cheap, and the legendary camouflage is top notch, so it does receive some points for good fashion sense.

 

Chrysler K - A very new tank to the meta, this tank does what the IS2-H does, but better.  A stronger turret, a larger angle available for side scraping.  The core concept is about using armor to win games, and it simply provides a healthier profile compared to the 2H.  The penetration on the gun leaves something to be desired, but it's mobility dwarfs that of the 2H, allowing you to board that armor profile into the game faster to have a greater impact on the outcome of the game.  This tank would have been broken, but due to premium ammo nerfs and the mere existence of a natural hit skin, it's a far scream and rant from SirFoch OP.

 

Tiger 2 - Many players look down upon the King Tiger as a worse T34.  When comparing turrets, the tiger is slightly weaker in this regard, however I value the ability to sidescrape heavies almost as much as I value hull down.  Being able to perform both these armor manipulating tricks is important for a heavy tank.  The T34 can only do one of these tricks reliably.  The Tiger 2 trades hull down power for sidescraping ability.  All this being said, the Tiger 2's full profile will be strong against all tier 7 guns, and most tier 8 guns.  Anything with about ~200mm penetration will have trouble penetrating the upper plate and turret of the tank.  The KT does have a cupola, but then again so does the T34.  The Tiger 2 can sidescrape noticeably better than the T34, and it does not have to rely on thick tracks, but rather stronger side armor to ricochet incoming fire.  -7 degrees of gun depression is more than enough to handle most heavies and blast enemy cupolas, and the gun is only second to the Lowe.  Something most people don't talk about is the mobility of the tiger 2.  Damn, this cat is fast for how generously sized it is.

 

Mutant EXP - The fairly unknown brother compared to the T34, the EXP can be a very abusable piece of machinery.  Boasting the strongest front profile for a heavy tank at tier 8, the EXP can frontally engage any same tier target it meets and comfortably come out the victor.  A tall profile and -10 degrees of gun depression naturally flatten the the sloped pikes of IS-X tanks, making for reliable penetrations up close.  The tank does have a little bit of a cheek weakness, but these areas are somewhat difficult to hit for average players, and should not be a deterrent for trying to play this tank up close, using the armor to intimidate reds.  The main downfall of this tank is the extremely poor side and rear profile of the vehicle.  Being tall is a double edge sword in this case, as the side armor is a blank canvas just waiting for an HE shell from an ISU-152 and should be kept hidden at all times.  The EXP is incapable of sidescraping, but stupidly poking the front like a normal braindead 42% player just works so well.

 

WZ-110 - The way it stereotypically should be,  The American is good, but the Asian is better designed.  The WZ-110 sports an actual turret that is smaller profile than the T34.  While having less alpha, the DPM of the vehicle is still decent post nerf and the armor on the front hull can troll like no other.  The Chinese took one look at the IS-3, and this time actually produced something remarkable.  This tank is the quiet, pretty girl at the dance that isn't your first choice, but you'd definitely oblige given the opportunity.

 

Purple Division

 

IS-3 Defender - The IS-3 Defender reprises its role as the first of OP premiums in Blitz.  A 3 shot autoloader that has the cLiP pOtEnTiAl of an AMX 50B will be able to drain most lower tier tanks and some same tier tanks of their full hit point pool.  The tank was "fixed" in terms of the 2 squares of armor it receives on the frontal pike, but even though said breastplates are not as strong, they can still easily troll shots.  The mobility is decent, but the gun is still troll.  -7 degrees of gun depression is uncharacteristic for a Russian Heavy, but it only adds to the OP nature of Russian bias.

 

Caernarvon - Why does everyone say this is a slower centurion?  No, this is a more armored centurion that gets more DPM.  A higher ROF than its medium tank cousin, the Caernarvon excels where the Centurion disappoints.  With 190 alpha, it seems to shred most tanks with incredible accuracy and high penetration.  -10 degrees and a surprisingly strong turret will mean you are dominating all ridge lines.  The tank does have a troll upper front plate up close, and can ricochet high penetration Russian weaponry.  I can't necessarily explain it well, but 190 at tier 8 feels so much better than 160 at tier 7.  Alpha matters, and even a small difference of 30 makes a world of difference in real world application.

 

IS-3 - Formerly the de-facto best tank at tier 8, the IS-3 still manages to rank high every update.  While it lacks the super trollish armor profile of other Russian heavies, it has more than enough to compete against all lower tier guns and most same tier guns.  The turret weak point was removed, despite it still showing grey, meaning that it is now near impenetrable, a quality not found in the IS-5 or IS-6.  However, the real selling point to this tank compared to all other Russian heavies is the weaponry.  The BL-9 is the best soviet cannon you will find at tier 8 heavy.  High penetrating and extremely reliable while only sacrificing minimal DPM, the BL-9 will slice through even tier 9 heavies with relative ease.  Additionally, the tank also feels a bit more agile compared to all its brethren at tier 8, which is an added perk.

 

Lowe - A German beauty that received a makeover, the Lowe was buffed in terms of front armor.  With a stronger front, the Lowe has been able to truly shine as a fantastic tier 8 frontline heavy.  The best gun on a tier 8 tank period, the Lowe will penetrate every target it meets with minimal aiming on part of the driver.  The side armor is good enough to sidescrape, but the mobility isn't the best.  I consider this a slower tiger 2, with a better armor profile that has the benefit of making a cubic [edited]-load of credits.  The best part?  You can just buy it right in the store.  If you're below 50% with under 2000 battles, please promptly forget what I just said.

 

AMX M4 49  - The French should be proud.  A heavy tank that has some armor is finally here, and boy is it good.  Sporting one of the best sets of traits at tier 8 , this tank brings the mobility of an IS-X, the penetration and handling of a tiger 2, the armor profile + gun depression of an EXP, and puts it all in a single tank.  All for the low price of ~$50.  Pay to win conspiracy theorists now have another tank they can cry about.  The legendary camo is a little overdone, but that is a small price to pay (~$5) because for once, the French aren't retreating!

 

VK 100.01 P - Wow.  This tank is a joke... in a good way!  Let's back up a few steps.  First, you "grind" through the Tiger P at tier 7, a tank that makes you legitimately question if Blitz developers actually play their own game.  After you finish nutting on the faces of retarded noobs in tier 7, you get to repeat the process all over again in the VK and bounce almost every shot you receive?  WG designed this tank to lead to the Maus, but it feels more like an E100 with Maus level side armor, which is probably why I like it so much.  460 alpha at tier 8 proportionally reminds me of the E100's 640 at tier 10.  The turret is supposed to look like a prototype Maus turret.  It does not have turret cheeks, but it has a cupola... that is also hard to pen?   Slow speed is the only mitigating factor of this tank, meaning that it can be easily outplayed by strong players driving mobile tanks.  While it does go faster than a T95, its mobility does remind me of the American TD a tier higher.  However, the existence of a turret makes the tank so much more flexible and allows you to manufacture shots that would be otherwise impossible in the T95.  Even the traverse rate and reverse speed is strong on this tank, allowing it to wiggle and extract itself from most bad situations.  While the tank can be outplayed, the given mongoloid nature of the players you meet will mean you will be hitting them across the face with a hammer as they try and hopelessly figure out a way to deal with you.

 

Up Voted for the Big Frenchie! 

 

Big Frenchie is like the honeybadger....he don't care....just KILL!!!!

[trogvision]

I don't see the problem with the WZ-111. I've managed to secure a 56% WR in it. My only problem is the 5° of gun depression, but I can work with that. 

[BoomBoyGT]

Dark_Magician_Girl, on 24 January 2019 - 11:05 PM, said:

The VK4502 A tries to do everything well, but only ends up doing it decently.  It is almost like a German E5.  I stand behind that ranking in the full potato division.

 

Ehhh wouldn't it be more like a German M48? And I agree, it's not really a very good tank, and you rarely if even see them.

[Jaq___]

I haven’t played the caernevaon in years but hated it back then. I’m suprised that you really didn’t care for the buffed Black Prince But seem to love it’s succesor. Are the playstyle that different now? It must have been buffed at some point because it wasn’t very good in its original state. 

[fangs58]

Great review. Glad to see my AMX M4 mle 49 rated so highly. I figured it must be good because I do pretty well in it. Some of the best money I have spent in WOTB. And thank you for making note of the plight of the T-32. It has been seriously power crept and mostly forgotten by WG. Maybe they will read this and show it some love. 

[Spekulatius]

Jaq___, on 25 January 2019 - 03:45 PM, said:

I haven’t played the caernevaon in years but hated it back then. I’m suprised that you really didn’t care for the buffed Black Prince But seem to love it’s succesor. Are the playstyle that different now? It must have been buffed at some point because it wasn’t very good in its original state. 

 

The Caern got an ROF  and I believe a gun handling buff late 2016 or early 2017. This made this formerly underfunded tank a pretty strong contenteder, at least in certain situations (ridge line fighting).

[FlammeumDraco333]

Good to see the IS-3 Defender still ranked among the best. So glad I managed to pick that tank up for free during the event.

[Gojira5475]

trogvision, on 25 January 2019 - 02:43 PM, said:

I don't see the problem with the WZ-111. I've managed to secure a 56% WR in it. My only problem is the 5° of gun depression, but I can work with that. 

 

I bought the crates and got the WZ-112-2 and my sorry butt is going at 54.57% win rate so it must work somewhat....but then I prefer heavy tanks and pretty much all of my level eight HT are at or above 50%