Grinds are going pretty well. I've unlocked several Tier IXs/Xs lately. The most recent is the 60TP and the CS-59, both of which I unlocked today.
I'll probably do a Tech Tree Showcase on it soon, but the 60TP grind is kinda meh. It's medium tanks thru Tier 6, then the 45TP - which I kinda liked. The 53TP after that is a bit outclassed at Tier 8, it's really more of a heavium. I made it work by not brawling too much and either playing the MT line, or as a second-line heavy.
The 50TP at tier 9 is excellent, though, I really like that tank and had some very solid 4K damage games in it. When you get in the right situation that tank can carry, even though the armor stats aren't that impressive.
So now I have a shiny new 60TP. Haven't taken it out yet, but will comment when I do.
The VK 100.01 (P)
One of the few Tier 8 tanks I still have to grind is the VK 100.01 (P). I'm maybe halfway thru that one and...wow is it frustrating.
Let's talk about the gun...
The first issue is the gun. Standard pen is 220mm. That won't even go thru some tier 8s, and you pretty often end up against tier Xs. "Press 2" one player offered as a suggestion. Gold pen is only 260mm....better than 220, but again, you'll struggle against Tier IX/Xs.
To be fair the Chinese 110 has similar pen stats, but...it's smaller, a bit faster, and...it's the 110, which I think most people will agree is not a very good heavy tank at tier 8.
Now the armor...
It's a superheavy so the armor is godlike, right? Well, not quite. 200 on the front of the hull is nice. 230 on the front of the turret isn't terrible. But...it's flat, and there's a giant cupola on the roof. Don't get me wrong, you'll bounce a fair bit, but it's not the fortress you might imagine; ESPECIALLY given that you often see Tier Xs and every tier X, except maybe the EBR 105 and the Sheridan, can go thru the front of your turret with standard ammo.
And the mobility...
Well, it's a superheavy, so it's really slow. And has no camo. And that would be ok if the gun were devastating or the armor was formidable...but it really isn't.
So you can't flank, can't hide, can't pen, don't bounce that much.
If you're top tier you can bully Tier VI/VII tanks (except maybe the T29). If you're bottom tier...well, you're mostly handing out Steel Wall medals and letting the enemy feast off your HP.
Let's talk maps for a moment
🎵 I like big maps and I cannot lie, you other tankers can't deny...
If you follow me on Twitter you know that I often point out to Wargaming how frustrating it is that Ensk is a 600x600 map. It's just too darned small and if you're a tank that relies on camo, you're in trouble. Especially at high tiers where most tanks have 445m of view range. If you're an arty, or a glass TD...well, you're probably boned. Any LT or fast MT can drive forward 100m from the spawn and probably spot you before you can get to a corner to hide.
Other than the size I like Ensk just fine. It's got a field, it's got some city. There are some interesting angles. If they just made it a 1000x1000 map it could even be one of my favorites. But it's just a postage stamp of a map and you're basically stuffed in a phone booth. That's fine for heavies and tanks with armor and DPM. But if you don't have that...you're pretty well cooked, unless your team is very good.
On the other side of that, I'm looking forward to having some new, hopefully large, maps to play on.
GLHF!
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