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Welcome back to another update in the BEST series! Today I will be going over the seemingly bland pallet that is tier 8 mediums.
I will provide my own thoughts on the "best" tier 8 medium tanks and I apologize in advance if your favorite tier 8 medium 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/86324-best-tier-8-medium/page__fromsearch__1
*Note: Reviews are done in the style of WoTLabs.
What do you think is the best tier 8 medium? Let me know!
~DMG
Full Potato Division
T-34-2 - The T-44 attempted this concept before, with the players being able to mount a 400 alpha gun on a medium tank. Sadly, the T-34-2 does not improve upon this concept as the gun requires you to stop moving to take advantage of the only redeeming quality of the tank: a stellar aim time. The armor is poor and the DPM cannot compete with other mediums. That's saying something, considering tier 8 medium DPM is a not an upgrade from tier 7 predecessors.
T-34-3 - Essentially a T-34-2 that makes credits. This tank is only one spot higher purely because of premium profitability. For reasons why, simply read the prior review on the 34-2. A piece of trash that makes credits is still a piece of trash.
T26E4 SuperPershing - A tank that has simply been powercrept, the SuperPershing can no longer adequately stand up to todays metagame threats. This tank is very outdated, and I'd even consider putting it at the lowest ranking possible in the lowest division. You have -10 degrees of depression and a barely adequate gun. Sounds like any other tier 8 medium? Does this have any strengths to it? No. The armor sucks. The roof is consistently penned. The armor plates on the front are not effective at ricocheting shells. They don't even stop HEAT rounds like they are supposed to. Mobility is slug-like compared to its peers. I've been saying this tank needs to be fixed and also given buff for over a year. It is long overdue.
Centurion I - Unlike every other tank in this division, the centurion has outstanding gun handling and penetration. -10 degrees of gun depression (sounds familiar?) will allow you to put that quality to work. That being said, there's nothing else that is redeeming. It is a faster Caernarvon still with mediocre mobility when placed against its class peers. It has noticeably less DPM than the Caernarvon, and will lose in any trading situation. 190 alpha does not cut it on a tier 8 medium when trying to fight against Russians or Americans. Think what kind of nightmare you will have against tier 9 heavies. 190 alpha on standard rounds against an ST-1? Sure... you might penetrate, but you're getting punched for a lot harder. This tank is meant for holding hull down locations, but it is in the wrong weight class. The mobility is barely adequate for tier 8, and the profile is enormous. For Christ's sake it doesn't even have HESH.
AMX Chasseur De Chars - The AMX CDC is purely an uptiered Dracula. It may have a better gun tier for tier than the T6 Dracula, but it lacks in many other categories. The Dracula's gun isn't even all that awful though, so I never saw why CDC fanatics used this as some sort of selling point for this HE barn. The acceleration is poor compared to the T6 Dracula. The profile is enormous compared to the T6 Dracula. It does have more HP, but I guarantee you that HP is going to vaporize as you lack T6 Dracula sideskirts that magically absorb HE rounds. You don't get that instant track repair either, a quality specific to the T6 Dracula. The Dracula is a tier 7, and already does a lot of the things the CDC does, but better. If you're thinking of getting similar results in CDC as you did in the T6 Dracula, well let me inform you... the guns only get bigger as you go up tiers. You have been warned.
T95E2 - Does anyone actually know what this is? I see so few of them. That being said, a cupola that large is a serious first red flag for why this tank is so low on the charts. The hull armor is somewhat weak and it is not a hull down tank by nature despite having good gun depression. Just because you could mount a damn eagle on the tank when attachments were sparsely introduced does not make it good. Jesus WG. I take that back, don't blame WG, just feel sorry for the morons that bought it. Or beat down on them Your choice.
Play For Fun Division
M4A1 Revalorise - The French were like the Chinese this time. They took someone else's tank and slapped a bigger gun on it. 310 alpha puts this tank in the play for fun division. There is nothing at the tier like having an accurate, high alpha medium that has -10 gun depression (<-- I'm getting sick of writing this phrase) at tier 8. That being said the tank is a tier 5 M4 chassis with a big gun. This means very frail armor that is weak to HE. You are quite potentially a one shot for all 960 average HE tank destroyers. Keep in mind that just because you are at tier 8, doesn't mean you have the armor to deal with HE. Even a KV-2 has the opportunity to 1 shot this vehicle, and the Ravioli doesn't even see that in the +1/-1 system.
T-44-100 - You know how kids climb in cardboard boxes and imagine they are driving a car? That's how I feel with this tank. It even looks like it. This tank was very easy to get, but what a disappointment. You get some cardboard version of an actual T-44. Mostly everything is the same. You do get some spaced armor on the sides, but who the hell is firing HE or HEAT at the side of a regular T-44 anyway? A pointless addition considering the 44-100 loses the gun handling and mobility that the T-44 has. Whatever, at least you can feel like a kid again when you pay real money to mount your hot wheels camo. BeAt ThAt!
59-Patton - Another god damn tumor. Really? The 59 Patton would be a super OP tank if it didn't have an uwu bulge on it's turret. Actually, maybe its a good thing that it does have a balancing factor. besides the cupola, the turret on this tank is pretty tough, and the hull is also decent. It takes the pre-buff M48 turret, and blends it with a Type 59 hull. That's a pretty decent combo in the armor department. The gun is adequate. It packs stellar DPM, but the penetration can be a shortcoming. Utilizing calibrated shells is a viable option, but then you take a DPM drop. Might as well drive an Indien-Panzer at this point. At least there is no tumor.
Panther 8,8 - This cat received a much higher review in my previous listing, but it has fallen by the wayside. A fantastic gun and adequate mobility cover a decent ampunt of sins, but the lackluster armor profile and large profile in general means you are going to pay with some HP if you poke the wrong way. Don't get me wrong, this tank can be more easily played at a high level than any of the tanks in the potato division, but it is unforgiving. After 3 successive buffs, this tank is still on the weak side. Apparently introducing ridiculously OP fake tanks seems to be the norm nowadays. Sigh.
Panther II - Speaking of the Panther II, I'd place it barely above the Panther 8,8. People say this is the worst tank in the medium class at the tier, but it trades a little bit of gun handling for some more armor. The armor is workable, and it is E50M-esque in the sense it can ram lightly armored tanks for massive damage given its top speed. Actually, the armor is good enough to even side-scrape a little, a luxury the 8,8 cannot afford. The drop off in gun handling from the premium 8,8 is barely noticeable for myself, and most of you don't have a developed enough palette to really notice the difference. It's a solid tank, just get it out of stock.
FCM 50T - More of an E50M at the tier, the FCM 50T is a fantastic rammer with a large bulky profile and a decently high DPM gun. Even the penetration is good. The armor on both hull and turret is not the best, but it can bounce shells occasionally. Think of it like a CDC that is a little bit more based for brawls against other mediums and lower tier heavies. The reason why this ranking is so far up from the CDC is because the tier 8 meta demands that you are able to outplay heavy tanks. The FCM does this a little bit better aside from less mobility when compared to the CDC.
O-47 - A mecha tank that was sold for $50. I guess it's fun to play? It has a decent rate of fire, adequate armor, and typical medium mobility. it's kind of bland for having such a different initial concept. Want to know why it is not in the next division? it's boring, and more importantly you can shoot both the ears on this tank for reliable penetrations. Hull down really isn't an option with this tank, severely limiting its ability on the battlefield.
Lorraine 40T - A new spin on the 50 100, the lightly armored Lorraine brings clip potential and medium like mobility allowing the driver to clip out on stupid noobs that aren't firing HE for once in their damned lives. It has a 4 shot autoloader, which really goes away from the standard 3 shots, but this is not all great. While you have more clip potential, it also does mean that you have to expose longer to maximize the DPM of the tank. This means that as you circle heavies, you are more prone to be on the receiving end of an HE round. It's pretty easy too, considering how large the tank is. The Lorraine 40T does have -8 degrees of gun depression, which is much better than the 50 100, but all being said it is a premium tank I would pass on until WG buffs the above average mobility or poor gun handling.
T69 - A baby T57, the T69 is a decent medium. It has acceptable mobility, and if you are good at managing a clip this tank can really dish out some damage. The HEAT penetration is stellar, and with calibrated shells you will be able to dump out 675 alpha quite comfortably each burst (standard rounds). The intraclip is quick, and -8 degrees of gun depression allow you to get shots off that you normally wouldn't in a Russian medium. That being said, -8 is NOT -10, so don't expect to be a fantastic ridge line fighter as you lack the flexibility and turret armor to compete with tanks like the Indien-Panzer. The armor can troll a few shots and it really is a nice progressive learning experience if you are trying to get the T57 Heavy and/or new to autoloaders. While the T69 is decent, it's not something I would keep, or even buy in the first place.
Stat Padder Division
STA-1 - I was pleasantly surprised at how good this tank was. I would describe as a slower leopard 1, at tier 8. The gun is fantastic. You boast extremely high penetration, with high medium alpha. -10 degrees of gun depression (CTRL V) allows you to put fantastic penetration and high alpha (second only to the ravioli) into play. The armor is not great, but I did say it was like a leopard 1. The mobility is enough to get around the battlefield, and usually the gun depression covers any weaknesses in the mobility department that would prevent you from getting shots across the field. The tank is a decent pick-up for experienced drivers that are getting the STB-1. Whatever you do though, make sure you try and free XP past the nasty part of the line that is tiers 1-7. Shut your mouth and delete what you wrote, the Chi-Ri undoubtedly sucks.
Panzer 58 - The Mutz wasn't as OP as I thought it was going to be, but it's still good. Consider it a lower profile, slightly faster Indien, with a weaker turret. In terms of subtle differences in taste, you trade some dispersion to get a quicker aim time, so if you are able to stop and aim the Mutz is perfect. That being said, I am not one to stop and aim in medium tanks. Properly played, I don't think anyone should be doing this either... in any medium tank. -10 degrees of gun depression is EXACTLY LIKE EVERY OTHER MEDIUM AT THIS TIER. Sorry, had to get that out of my system. Blah blah blah shots off, good opportunities for damage. The penetration is a carbon copy of the Indien-Panzer's so at least you should have a decent time of doing damage. The cupola's on the tank can be annoying, which does not compound well with stopping to aim so drivers can maximize previously said good aim time. It's a good tank, but there are better ones available in the tech tree. Hooray for saving money!
M26 Pershing - Despite being a victim of powercreep, the M26 Pershing is still workable in the current meta. The APCR penetration allows you to punch through any target you will face at the tier, and the -10 degrees of gun depression will allow you to work most ridgelines. The gun handling is decent, and so is the mobility. It is enough to get to medium locations in a timely manner to use your pretty strong turret to good effect. It is important to run a rammer on this tank so that your mediocre DPM is mitigated to a certain extent. Overall, a good tank, but it seems there is a large disparity between the quality of tanks in this division and the next one higher.
T-54 mod.1 - This was a very hard choice. Unfortunately the Mod.1 found itself at the top of the penultimate division. Most people are probably scratching their heads right now wondering why a T-54 armor profile that sees tier 7's is no longer in the most elite of company. Consider how the meta has changed. The introduction of the VK 100.01 P gave players a proper option for an armored heavy tank. I would argue this hurts the mod.1's popularity and resulting usage as the VK 100 will more reliably bounce shells than the mod.1. More importantly, consider some of the new TD's introduced. The WZ Fake Tank has more than enough DPM and penetration to slice through the 54 prototype. The Skorpion G laughs at the mod.1's profile with 246mm base penetration uncalibrated! Without making it sound like I'm actually making a sales pitch for some OP tier 8 tanks, the 54 mod 1 is now just on the other side of OP as higher penetration, more armored tanks have been introduced. All that being said, it's still a good tank. What holds it back statistically for me is the -5 degrees of gun depression and poor mobility. If it didn't have these drawbacks though, it would just be a better T-44. Good on WG for attempting to balance a tank that destroyed the meta for well over a year.
Purple Division
T-44 - "But DMG, the T-44 sucks." Wrong. The T-44 is a 54 mod.1 that traded a little armor for mobility and gun handling. More importantly the T-44 has a wonky -7 degrees of gun depression, allowing you to pull off some seriously stupid sh!t on unsuspecting noobs while hull down. The mobility is classically Russian medium, 140-esque. The penetration can be an issue at times, but at least you have the mobility to get to flanks to mitigate said lackluster penetration. The gun handling is more than enough and the 280 alpha strike can win out in trading situations, bar heavies. The camouflage rating on this tank is also decent, which compounds upon its stellar mobility. The T-44 is one of the few mediums at tier 8 that can comfortably COD heavies with its specific combination of mobility, low profile, and armor. People talk about how the ammo rack is awful and use it as a deterrent to skip this tank. I can count on one hand how many times I've been ammo racked in the T-44. It's not as bad as people say. If it does happen... so what? You could get ammo racked in any tank at any time? A bright return to the times of old, the T-44 is one of those timeless classics.
Indien-Panzer - Only dropping one spot on the power rankings, the Indien-Panzer is still a fantastic tank. Nothing has changed about it, and that is for the better in this case. It still has high penetration to deal with the new influx of heavy armor. It has enough mobility to still play a medium role. It has enough armor and HP to shrug off WZ fake tanks for a little while. It has the side armor of a Tiger 2! That's insane! It has a beak hull like a high tier American medium/heavy, so it is very good to use on ridge lines with its- wait for it- -10 degrees of gun depression! As I've noticed from the first rankings list I wrote for tier 8 medium, more and more people keep hopping on this bandwagon. Justifiably so.
Type 59 - I would argue the Type 59 is more T-54 than the T-54 mod1 is. The mod.1 does have some secret weak points that drivers can exploit, but the Type 59 turret is just the gold standard of tier 8 medium. The hull is similarly fantastic, and you have -7 degrees of gun depression to beat down on noobs. This means you are a T-44 with more armor and can play a more defensive role when necessary. You are less prone to be the victim of a rush. You are able to abuse many locations with a strong armor profile and decent gun. The standard/premium penetration is a little higher than that of the T-44, so it is relieving being able to more consistently penetrate targets. The other gun stats and mobility are not as good as the T-44, but since the Type-59 is a nice blend between the T-44 and the T-54 mod.1, it is a combination that you don't want to miss out on playing.
Edited by Dark_Magician_Girl, 25 February 2019 - 12:27 AM.
