Hmm... not sure if it's luck, or something else...
Well... after just one day after my latest post, WG decided to make the Common Test Server live.
Not sure why, but I felt kinda pissed for some reason. But at least I can get some material, info and statistics on the upcoming French Heavy Tanks.
There won't be another long post dedicated to them, though... I'll only be getting around to recording the replays and some screenshots for these vehicles instead and adding them together.
I can't even play the damn game properly with the 250+ ping, so I can't get an accurate 'feel' for the vehicles...
Maaaan, I forgot how cancerous the CT Server was... but at least I got what I wanted out of it.
I wanted to place some pictures here, but I'd rather hold on until I get everything else done instead.
There's still plenty of stuff to do, so I'll get around to posting about them once it's done... so stay tuned.
-Panzer Fist-
Saturday, November 18, 2017
Thursday, November 16, 2017
Not Your Typical French Tanks... Finally Arriving!
And I'm back... time to start off this post.
So, 'not your typical French tanks'... that's because they are well armored, and also coming in the next update in December.
And yeah... there's more than one tank, as it's a new branch! Not a fully fledged one from Tiers I to X, but only three new vehicles starting from Tier VIII to X. The new line will extend out of the Tier VII Heavy Tank, the AMX M4 45.
As you can see from the picture, the new Heavy Tank line consists of the AMX 65t at Tier VIII, the AMX M4 51 at Tier IX and finally the AMX M4 54 at Tier X... and I'm gonna talk about all three of these new tanks, starting with the AMX 65t.
Well, maybe not the AMX 65t as there's nothing special about it.
Okay, only a bit...
The AMX 65t is the first from the new branch and is pretty much a French 110 with better gun(s) and turret armor. It's hull armor is rather poor, so even angling a small amount will make the frontal pike nose lose it's effectiveness. There's the 100mm gun that's comparable to the one used on the AMX M4 49, and then there's the 120mm gun which has much better DMG, but suffers a longer reload time and lower penetration.
But my gut says that the 120mm will still be people's choice as the premium shell penetration is a whopping 325! You can pretty much melt any tank you meet without breaking a sweat... but you'd still have to deal with the costs of the typical Goldshell, though.
It also looks like a fake tank that WG made [like the WTF E100] but it's actually real... albeit only in blueprint form.
It even has a blueprint for it's turret, as well.
I don't really understand why they decided to place a Tier VIII Heavy Tank with a 'pike-nose' frontal hull armor design when they have the regular AMX M4 hull that they can use... plus, it's the only tank out of the rest to have a 'pike-nose' design.
They shoulda gone with this for the Tier VIII:
They could just... strengthen the armor for the frontal hull and everything would go perfectly... just like that.
Oh, and it's stock turret resembles the AMX M4 49's turret. So there's that.
And that's all for the AMX 65t. I think it's okay, but not eye-catching enough for me... but that all changes when you get to the Tier IX tank, the AMX M4 51.
Look at that impressive turret... too bad you're gonna have to research for it, though. The stock turret that you have is the upgraded one from the AMX 65t.
It might also look like another fake tank made from WG, but it actually has a blueprint for it's hull... at least, I think this is what it's been referenced from.
The armor for this tank is much more better than on the AMX 65t, but also kinda disappointing. You see, the Premium Tier VIII Heavy Tank; the AMX M4 49 has 190mm of frontal hull armor compared to the Tier IX's 180mm.
Wut. 10mm less for a tank 1 Tier higher? And there's more, as the frontal armor "shoulders" [those small side sections] are 150mm for the Tier VIII tank... and it's the same for the Tier IX. That can be a problem, but I won't know for sure until the tanks are released for the players.
Anyway, passing that little rant...
The upgraded turret looks a lot like an M103's turret, but [obviously] it's not. Seems to be called the 'TCB' turret, and there's even a blueprint of it.
The one in-game looks slightly different, but I ain't complaining. Heck, it's about time we get some new French Heavy Tanks. May just be three, but I'll take 'em over nothing at all.
The AMX M4 51 has different gun choices too, not counting the stock gun which is the 100mm from the AMX 65t. The first one is the 120mm, which functions NOT like the one from the AMX 65t.
A very long gun, but nothing beats the Panther and E50's long guns. The 120mm actually is the accurate one for the AMX M4 51, unlike the AMX 65t. As such, it will function pretty much like a sniper gun; accurate and quick to aim... reloads fairly quick, too.
Then we have the 'brawler' addition for the tank, the 127mm gun... or more specifically, the 'derp' version.
Heh, looks like a freaking chimney with that muzzle(?)
So obviously the 127mm will deal more DMG but will suffer from longer reload times and worse gun handling than the 120mm. But there's also another little special 'thing' to note about this gun, just like the 120mm on the AMX 65t.
You see, the reload time difference from the 'sniper' gun is only about 2.1 seconds... which makes it viable to use the 'brawler' gun for this tank in my eyes. Sure, you'll have the accuracy and aiming time downgrades... but for extra 70 DMG for just extra 2 seconds reload? Sign me up for the 127mm for this tank!
Also, the tank is pretty huge... about as high as the AMX 50B in height.
And now we've come to the most exciting part of this post; the Tier X French Heavy Tank... the AMX M4 54.
It may look like the AMX M4 51 from the above picture, but it's actually not. You can see notable differences in the form of where the spare track links are placed [side of tank instead of at the front "shoulders"], the packed canvas at the back of the turret and also the positions of the nation decals [behind the turret "ears" instead of directly on it]. It also has the jerrycans moved to the back and even has "ladders" at the turret sides.
So, what's so 'exciting' about this tank? Well, for starters it has a much better stock gun. It is the same 120mm from the previous tanks, but with greatly improved stats.
It's reload time is what makes it a great tank; just under 11 seconds... and that's before crew skills and equipments. That would make it like a Lowe with superb armor! The DMG is still on the low end of 400, but when you're putting out that many shots per minute you don't have to worry about DMG.
And here comes the 'brawler' addition to the tank; a 130mm cannon taken straight from an old battleship.
That might not sound so impressive seeing how the IS-7's gun is about the same thing, but the best part about it is that it deals more DMG than the IS-7's cannon.
Yep, you read that right... about 70 DMG difference.
It's reload is not that far off from the IS-7, considering that it does as much DMG as the Pz. Kpfw. VII. Same caliber, different damage...
But that's not all! Above all this it also have improved frontal armor. You can even see the welded armor slabs if you view the tank from a certain angle.
Here's the comparison between the Tier IX and Tier X Heavy Tanks:
And here's the top view of things, to make it easier to spot the differences:
The picture on the top for both sets of pictures is the AMX M4 51, and the one below is the AMX M4 54. But this is where things get very bad, very fast.
Improved armor is to be expected when going up Tiers, and the 220mm frontal armor of the Tier X beast is somewhat sufficient. But the problem lies on a different place; the front "shoulder" armor... as it's still 150mm! Which is an armor value that has been existing since the Premium Tier VIII French Heavy Tank, the AMX M4 49.
Heck, there's even a blueprint for this tank that shows that it has a slab of 280mm of armor welded on the tank.
Even if you don't have any knowledge in the French language you can see the '280 for the frontal hull. This means the AMX M4 54's upper frontal plate is supposed to be at least above 300mm.
It might seem like overkill, but it still has the cupola, lower plate and frontal hull "shoulders" as weakspots... not to mention what High Explosive ammo does to French tanks.
And speaking of the frontal hull "shoulders", that's also another problem to highlight. The comparison picture between the AMX M4 51 and AMX M4 54 shows the areas of where the additional armor slabs were welded. But I've edited the picture to better highlight the problem that exists on the Tier X Heavy Tank.
Now, it's much easier to see the problems that this tank has. You can clearly see additional armor slabs welded not only at the front, but also the "shoulders" of the tank... but why is it still 150mm?
Sure, the angle might be steeper to increase the effective armor values... but it's still 150mm of armor, even though you can clearly see that they have received reinforced armor. Even if the upper frontal plate is 220mm, I can still live with that. But the "shoulders" should at least get an increase in the numbers, too.
Hell, even if it's just 10mm of extra armor for it to be 160mm... I'm still okay with that.
Because if you're gonna go through the trouble to add in "reinforced armor" that is visible, you might as well make it feel like it's "reinforced armor"... otherwise it's just a visual failure.
But despite all the letdowns it has, I'm still gonna get these tanks... except the AMX 65t, which I'll probably sell when I have enough experience to unlock [and buy] the AMX M4 51. I'll probably even install the World Of Tanks Common Test game folders just to use them early.
Can barely contain my excitement to use these vehicles!
I don't know why, but I've always loved the French tanks ever since I've started playing World Of Tanks. It was the first nation I've played and also got the first Tier X from said nation. Guess I have a knack for those obscure or less popular vehicles from some nations, like the Chinese tanks and also some of the German vehicles to a certain extent.
I even have the AMX M4 54 as my desktop wallpaper... although it has the 120mm equipped.
It's not this one as the wallpaper, as there's another one out there. Just putting it here to show what it looks like in-game.
Many people hate that we only get 3 new French vehicles, but I personally don't mind it. Sure, it might look like just a bunch of AMX M4 45s but with different turrets and guns but at least we get something instead of nothing... like all the other tanks stuck in development hell.
Maybe in the near future they will add more, but this is what we've get for now. A month plus more to wait before I can get my hands on them...
Anyways, that's all I have for now... looking back, most of it was me ranting about the Tier IX and X's tank armor and my undying love for French tanks, and less about the actual stats and history. But whatever...
I still have some World Of Tanks replays to record and upload, and one of them is even a French tank... so with that in mind, I'll be back when it's done. So stay tuned...
-Panzer Fist-
So, 'not your typical French tanks'... that's because they are well armored, and also coming in the next update in December.
And yeah... there's more than one tank, as it's a new branch! Not a fully fledged one from Tiers I to X, but only three new vehicles starting from Tier VIII to X. The new line will extend out of the Tier VII Heavy Tank, the AMX M4 45.
![]() |
New French Heavy Tank branch. |
As you can see from the picture, the new Heavy Tank line consists of the AMX 65t at Tier VIII, the AMX M4 51 at Tier IX and finally the AMX M4 54 at Tier X... and I'm gonna talk about all three of these new tanks, starting with the AMX 65t.
![]() |
AMX 65t from WG's video. |
Well, maybe not the AMX 65t as there's nothing special about it.
Okay, only a bit...
The AMX 65t is the first from the new branch and is pretty much a French 110 with better gun(s) and turret armor. It's hull armor is rather poor, so even angling a small amount will make the frontal pike nose lose it's effectiveness. There's the 100mm gun that's comparable to the one used on the AMX M4 49, and then there's the 120mm gun which has much better DMG, but suffers a longer reload time and lower penetration.
But my gut says that the 120mm will still be people's choice as the premium shell penetration is a whopping 325! You can pretty much melt any tank you meet without breaking a sweat... but you'd still have to deal with the costs of the typical Goldshell, though.
It also looks like a fake tank that WG made [like the WTF E100] but it's actually real... albeit only in blueprint form.
![]() |
AMX 65t blueprint. |
It even has a blueprint for it's turret, as well.
![]() |
FAMH turret blueprint. |
I don't really understand why they decided to place a Tier VIII Heavy Tank with a 'pike-nose' frontal hull armor design when they have the regular AMX M4 hull that they can use... plus, it's the only tank out of the rest to have a 'pike-nose' design.
They shoulda gone with this for the Tier VIII:
![]() |
Looks weird, but it can exist... |
They could just... strengthen the armor for the frontal hull and everything would go perfectly... just like that.
Oh, and it's stock turret resembles the AMX M4 49's turret. So there's that.
And that's all for the AMX 65t. I think it's okay, but not eye-catching enough for me... but that all changes when you get to the Tier IX tank, the AMX M4 51.
![]() |
AMX M4 51 from WG's video. |
Look at that impressive turret... too bad you're gonna have to research for it, though. The stock turret that you have is the upgraded one from the AMX 65t.
It might also look like another fake tank made from WG, but it actually has a blueprint for it's hull... at least, I think this is what it's been referenced from.
![]() |
AMX M4 45 with extra armor plating. |
The armor for this tank is much more better than on the AMX 65t, but also kinda disappointing. You see, the Premium Tier VIII Heavy Tank; the AMX M4 49 has 190mm of frontal hull armor compared to the Tier IX's 180mm.
Wut. 10mm less for a tank 1 Tier higher? And there's more, as the frontal armor "shoulders" [those small side sections] are 150mm for the Tier VIII tank... and it's the same for the Tier IX. That can be a problem, but I won't know for sure until the tanks are released for the players.
Anyway, passing that little rant...
The upgraded turret looks a lot like an M103's turret, but [obviously] it's not. Seems to be called the 'TCB' turret, and there's even a blueprint of it.
![]() |
TCB turret blueprint. |
The one in-game looks slightly different, but I ain't complaining. Heck, it's about time we get some new French Heavy Tanks. May just be three, but I'll take 'em over nothing at all.
The AMX M4 51 has different gun choices too, not counting the stock gun which is the 100mm from the AMX 65t. The first one is the 120mm, which functions NOT like the one from the AMX 65t.
![]() |
Long and accurate... |
A very long gun, but nothing beats the Panther and E50's long guns. The 120mm actually is the accurate one for the AMX M4 51, unlike the AMX 65t. As such, it will function pretty much like a sniper gun; accurate and quick to aim... reloads fairly quick, too.
Then we have the 'brawler' addition for the tank, the 127mm gun... or more specifically, the 'derp' version.
![]() |
Shorter, but packs more punch. |
Heh, looks like a freaking chimney with that muzzle(?)
So obviously the 127mm will deal more DMG but will suffer from longer reload times and worse gun handling than the 120mm. But there's also another little special 'thing' to note about this gun, just like the 120mm on the AMX 65t.
You see, the reload time difference from the 'sniper' gun is only about 2.1 seconds... which makes it viable to use the 'brawler' gun for this tank in my eyes. Sure, you'll have the accuracy and aiming time downgrades... but for extra 70 DMG for just extra 2 seconds reload? Sign me up for the 127mm for this tank!
Also, the tank is pretty huge... about as high as the AMX 50B in height.
![]() |
Same size as the AMX 50B, maybe even slightly larger... and it's the same for the AMX M4 54, too. |
And now we've come to the most exciting part of this post; the Tier X French Heavy Tank... the AMX M4 54.
![]() |
AMX M4 54 from WG's video. |
It may look like the AMX M4 51 from the above picture, but it's actually not. You can see notable differences in the form of where the spare track links are placed [side of tank instead of at the front "shoulders"], the packed canvas at the back of the turret and also the positions of the nation decals [behind the turret "ears" instead of directly on it]. It also has the jerrycans moved to the back and even has "ladders" at the turret sides.
So, what's so 'exciting' about this tank? Well, for starters it has a much better stock gun. It is the same 120mm from the previous tanks, but with greatly improved stats.
![]() |
Might be the same 120mm, but is still reliable. |
It's reload time is what makes it a great tank; just under 11 seconds... and that's before crew skills and equipments. That would make it like a Lowe with superb armor! The DMG is still on the low end of 400, but when you're putting out that many shots per minute you don't have to worry about DMG.
And here comes the 'brawler' addition to the tank; a 130mm cannon taken straight from an old battleship.
![]() |
That gun is VERY THICK. |
That might not sound so impressive seeing how the IS-7's gun is about the same thing, but the best part about it is that it deals more DMG than the IS-7's cannon.
Yep, you read that right... about 70 DMG difference.
It's reload is not that far off from the IS-7, considering that it does as much DMG as the Pz. Kpfw. VII. Same caliber, different damage...
But that's not all! Above all this it also have improved frontal armor. You can even see the welded armor slabs if you view the tank from a certain angle.
Here's the comparison between the Tier IX and Tier X Heavy Tanks:
And here's the top view of things, to make it easier to spot the differences:
The picture on the top for both sets of pictures is the AMX M4 51, and the one below is the AMX M4 54. But this is where things get very bad, very fast.
Improved armor is to be expected when going up Tiers, and the 220mm frontal armor of the Tier X beast is somewhat sufficient. But the problem lies on a different place; the front "shoulder" armor... as it's still 150mm! Which is an armor value that has been existing since the Premium Tier VIII French Heavy Tank, the AMX M4 49.
Heck, there's even a blueprint for this tank that shows that it has a slab of 280mm of armor welded on the tank.
![]() |
Notice the '280' for the darkened section at the tank's front. |
Even if you don't have any knowledge in the French language you can see the '280 for the frontal hull. This means the AMX M4 54's upper frontal plate is supposed to be at least above 300mm.
It might seem like overkill, but it still has the cupola, lower plate and frontal hull "shoulders" as weakspots... not to mention what High Explosive ammo does to French tanks.
And speaking of the frontal hull "shoulders", that's also another problem to highlight. The comparison picture between the AMX M4 51 and AMX M4 54 shows the areas of where the additional armor slabs were welded. But I've edited the picture to better highlight the problem that exists on the Tier X Heavy Tank.
![]() |
Edited in good ol' Paint. |
Now, it's much easier to see the problems that this tank has. You can clearly see additional armor slabs welded not only at the front, but also the "shoulders" of the tank... but why is it still 150mm?
Sure, the angle might be steeper to increase the effective armor values... but it's still 150mm of armor, even though you can clearly see that they have received reinforced armor. Even if the upper frontal plate is 220mm, I can still live with that. But the "shoulders" should at least get an increase in the numbers, too.
Hell, even if it's just 10mm of extra armor for it to be 160mm... I'm still okay with that.
Because if you're gonna go through the trouble to add in "reinforced armor" that is visible, you might as well make it feel like it's "reinforced armor"... otherwise it's just a visual failure.
But despite all the letdowns it has, I'm still gonna get these tanks... except the AMX 65t, which I'll probably sell when I have enough experience to unlock [and buy] the AMX M4 51. I'll probably even install the World Of Tanks Common Test game folders just to use them early.
Can barely contain my excitement to use these vehicles!
I don't know why, but I've always loved the French tanks ever since I've started playing World Of Tanks. It was the first nation I've played and also got the first Tier X from said nation. Guess I have a knack for those obscure or less popular vehicles from some nations, like the Chinese tanks and also some of the German vehicles to a certain extent.
I even have the AMX M4 54 as my desktop wallpaper... although it has the 120mm equipped.
It's not this one as the wallpaper, as there's another one out there. Just putting it here to show what it looks like in-game.
Many people hate that we only get 3 new French vehicles, but I personally don't mind it. Sure, it might look like just a bunch of AMX M4 45s but with different turrets and guns but at least we get something instead of nothing... like all the other tanks stuck in development hell.
Maybe in the near future they will add more, but this is what we've get for now. A month plus more to wait before I can get my hands on them...
Anyways, that's all I have for now... looking back, most of it was me ranting about the Tier IX and X's tank armor and my undying love for French tanks, and less about the actual stats and history. But whatever...
I still have some World Of Tanks replays to record and upload, and one of them is even a French tank... so with that in mind, I'll be back when it's done. So stay tuned...
-Panzer Fist-
Tuesday, November 14, 2017
'Halloween 2017'
It's been two weeks too long...
There haven't been any updates or post last two weeks as I was busy scrounging replays for the past two weeks. Old replays recorded before the Halloween update and also some replays from the actual Halloween event as well... quite a lot gathered, and I'm gonna start with the Halloween Event first.
Looks like this year's Halloween event is much more than just a re-skinned garage. No, this time we get something new that hasn't been seen [or implemented] before in World Of Tanks.
Well, technically there were some things that got re-skinned for the event... it's only the map Kharkov [known as 'Dark Crucible' for the Halloween version] and two old tanks somewhat HD'ed for the new game modes and activities.
What are these "two old tanks", you ask? Well, they are the FCM F1 and the Char 2C... and they are actually in the game files since 2012...
That's how they looked like back then... but now, they have been revamped! Even has a special mechanic to these tanks, too.
The "new mechanics" the two tanks have are the multi-turret support. Yes, they now can use both guns! The "Franken" has a quick-loading secondary gun while the "Stein" has a rather slow-loading secondary gun, but it's a 4-shot autoloader.
Best part is that they use up no ammo, nor do you have to buy any to use them. The secondary guns follow your crosshair as normal but fires using the "Q" key, or you could double-tap the Left Mouse Button to fire both guns at the same time.
As you can probably see from the tanks, their guns function like battleships. Playing the Franken was rather straightforward while the Stein requires a bit of know-how to play it properly.
So, no more stalling and let's get right into the replays. There's the usual 15 vs 15 battles, but using only these two vehicles only. Pretty fun, probably because of the lack of arty.
A bit of a messy gameplay, but what can you expect from a City Map Slugfest...
And those were the usual battles... but we're not done yet. Oh no... you see, the multi-turret support was just the beginning. They have actually brought up another new mode for the players during this Halloween period, and that is PVE.
Yep, you don't have to check your eyes... it's really PVE mode for World Of Tanks!
It even has a little story to it... but at the center of PVE mode lies a PVE BOSS that you will have to fight alongside other 6 players to kill, and it's the "Leviathan".
Take that Stein to the side of it as comparison... it's HUGE. It's not a P1000 Ratte, but more like a German-made Ultra Sherman Jumbo? 'cause that's what it definitely looks like.
So, this boss has plenty of guns to cover it's sides and rear. It even has "mine launchers" that shoots an orb-like particle on the ground and explodes if you ran through them, stunning you BUT also locks you in place until the stun duration wears off.
The main cannon on the Leviathan actually switches between High Explosive and Armor Piercing depending on where it's aiming at the players, so it has some level of AI going on over there. But that's not all, as this tank has "minions" scattered all over the map as well... about 14 of them.
You could ignore them as the objective is to eliminate the Leviathan, but minions destroyed drops a "health pickup" that you can use to heal 350 HP for yourself and everyone alive on your team. Useful when fighting the boss tank.
But the PVE boss itself also has an objective, and that is to reach the "gateway to the mortal realm". It's like a modified 'Convoy Mode' a year back with the '100 Years of Tanks' event... so essentially you and your team are the good [dead] guys stopping the 'Gatekeeper of Tank-Underworld' from getting to the real world to wreck havoc...
So that means you and your team will have to destroy the Leviathan before he reaches this "gate". It's not that hard to take him down, but you'll need a team that knows how to deal with the boss... otherwise, it's failure for you... kinda like how one of first playthroughs in PVE went.
But the tactic is simple; kill only the minions that get in your way to Leviathan and focus fire on the boss from that point onward. Leave the health pickups for dire situations and everything should go well.
Heck, you might even be able to personally land the killing blow yourself if your play right.
But I'm still not done, as during the whole Halloween period you can do simple tasks to earn rewards! They come in these "sarcophagus" and can give you simple things like credits or consumables to expensive items like equipment.
The crew is not transferable, though... so you can't use your own crew as the tanks has their own unique crew members.
All in all, it's a great event with some new mechanics to show. Too bad it won't be used again, as this is pretty much the same as the '100 Years of Tanks' event; wheeled vehicles and 'Convoy Mode' used once and never seen again.
Sad, seeing how they can attract a lot of new players and make a fully dedicated 'PVE Mode'... but that ain't happening.
And that was pretty much everything on this year's Halloween event. I still have plenty other videos to edit and upload, but the next post will be a regular one with no videos of any kind. Just a "discussion", if you will. So stay tune for the next post.
-Panzer Fist-
There haven't been any updates or post last two weeks as I was busy scrounging replays for the past two weeks. Old replays recorded before the Halloween update and also some replays from the actual Halloween event as well... quite a lot gathered, and I'm gonna start with the Halloween Event first.
Looks like this year's Halloween event is much more than just a re-skinned garage. No, this time we get something new that hasn't been seen [or implemented] before in World Of Tanks.
Well, technically there were some things that got re-skinned for the event... it's only the map Kharkov [known as 'Dark Crucible' for the Halloween version] and two old tanks somewhat HD'ed for the new game modes and activities.
What are these "two old tanks", you ask? Well, they are the FCM F1 and the Char 2C... and they are actually in the game files since 2012...
![]() |
Old FCM F1. |
![]() |
Old Char 2C |
That's how they looked like back then... but now, they have been revamped! Even has a special mechanic to these tanks, too.
![]() |
New FCM F1, called "Franken" in-game. |
![]() |
New Char 2C, called "Stein" in-game. |
Best part is that they use up no ammo, nor do you have to buy any to use them. The secondary guns follow your crosshair as normal but fires using the "Q" key, or you could double-tap the Left Mouse Button to fire both guns at the same time.
As you can probably see from the tanks, their guns function like battleships. Playing the Franken was rather straightforward while the Stein requires a bit of know-how to play it properly.
So, no more stalling and let's get right into the replays. There's the usual 15 vs 15 battles, but using only these two vehicles only. Pretty fun, probably because of the lack of arty.
A bit of a messy gameplay, but what can you expect from a City Map Slugfest...
And those were the usual battles... but we're not done yet. Oh no... you see, the multi-turret support was just the beginning. They have actually brought up another new mode for the players during this Halloween period, and that is PVE.
Yep, you don't have to check your eyes... it's really PVE mode for World Of Tanks!
It even has a little story to it... but at the center of PVE mode lies a PVE BOSS that you will have to fight alongside other 6 players to kill, and it's the "Leviathan".
![]() |
In case you're wondering which one's the Leviathan, it's the big one in the middle. |
Take that Stein to the side of it as comparison... it's HUGE. It's not a P1000 Ratte, but more like a German-made Ultra Sherman Jumbo? 'cause that's what it definitely looks like.
So, this boss has plenty of guns to cover it's sides and rear. It even has "mine launchers" that shoots an orb-like particle on the ground and explodes if you ran through them, stunning you BUT also locks you in place until the stun duration wears off.
The main cannon on the Leviathan actually switches between High Explosive and Armor Piercing depending on where it's aiming at the players, so it has some level of AI going on over there. But that's not all, as this tank has "minions" scattered all over the map as well... about 14 of them.
You could ignore them as the objective is to eliminate the Leviathan, but minions destroyed drops a "health pickup" that you can use to heal 350 HP for yourself and everyone alive on your team. Useful when fighting the boss tank.
But the PVE boss itself also has an objective, and that is to reach the "gateway to the mortal realm". It's like a modified 'Convoy Mode' a year back with the '100 Years of Tanks' event... so essentially you and your team are the good [dead] guys stopping the 'Gatekeeper of Tank-Underworld' from getting to the real world to wreck havoc...
So that means you and your team will have to destroy the Leviathan before he reaches this "gate". It's not that hard to take him down, but you'll need a team that knows how to deal with the boss... otherwise, it's failure for you... kinda like how one of first playthroughs in PVE went.
But the tactic is simple; kill only the minions that get in your way to Leviathan and focus fire on the boss from that point onward. Leave the health pickups for dire situations and everything should go well.
Heck, you might even be able to personally land the killing blow yourself if your play right.
But I'm still not done, as during the whole Halloween period you can do simple tasks to earn rewards! They come in these "sarcophagus" and can give you simple things like credits or consumables to expensive items like equipment.
The crew is not transferable, though... so you can't use your own crew as the tanks has their own unique crew members.
All in all, it's a great event with some new mechanics to show. Too bad it won't be used again, as this is pretty much the same as the '100 Years of Tanks' event; wheeled vehicles and 'Convoy Mode' used once and never seen again.
Sad, seeing how they can attract a lot of new players and make a fully dedicated 'PVE Mode'... but that ain't happening.
And that was pretty much everything on this year's Halloween event. I still have plenty other videos to edit and upload, but the next post will be a regular one with no videos of any kind. Just a "discussion", if you will. So stay tune for the next post.
-Panzer Fist-
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
"Löwe's Stronger Alternative"
Back from yesterday's post, and it's time...
Final day of October, so I've figured I might as well put up one last post before we enter November. The tank for today's post will be the "Other-Löwe"... the Tier X German Heavy Tank; the Panzer Kampfwagen VII, or it's in-game name the Pz.Kpfw. VII.
Does this tank look familiar to any of you? Well, that's because it's the VK 72.01 (K)... or as I call it, the "VKK". The only difference is that the VKK is a Clan Wars Reward vehicle, it's pretty rare and hard to get. But the Pz.Kpfw. VII is a "regular" version that has been introduced into the game several months back to be the new Tier X for the VK Heavy Line, as the Maus has it's own lower tiers to create a mini tank branch.
These tanks in the Maus line consists of two new vehicles for Tier VIII and IX. They are the VK 100.01 (P) and the Mäuschen, but we aren't here to talk about those tanks...
But that ain't the only difference between the regular and Clan Wars Reward versions... besides having different names, it also doesn't share the same gun between each other. The Pz.Kpfw. VII uses a gun similar to that the top gun the Jagdtiger uses, albeit with less penetration and a rather long reload time. So one is a mobile E100, and the other is somewhere in between the Maus and E100 as it has armor and a sniper-like gun.
But before we go even further discussing about the tank... some replays! One of the first replays before I've decided to put camouflage on it.
That bit of trouble at the end there... was lucky that an AMX 50B was around to help with those two...
Anyways from the replay above, you can clearly see that it has the same strong turret as the Löwe... probably even better. It's alpha damage is nothing to scoff at as it dishes out 560 average DMG, but suffers the long reload time of around 16-14 seconds depending on what you equipments your tank has and what crew perks you have.
Anyways, next replay...
Helping out a fellow T95 in breaking through enemy lines. Well, not really breaking through as they was barely anyone there...
Armor on this vehicle is reliable, but it still has a rather large cupola and that infamous weak 'fighting compartment'...
What do I mean by this? Well, whenever this tank side-scrapes, it's turret-hull area can still be seen... as it's rounded and rather flat. Not to mention that it doesn't have a lot of armor there, either... which makes side-scraping in the vehicle rather problematic.
But, no matter! I've found a solution to that problem, and the next video shows exactly that.
Have you figured it out yet? No? Well then, let me tell you what the "solution" is...
Simple 'front-angling'. I'm not even joking...
You see, the upper frontal plate is 240mm thick, and the lower frontal plate is 230mm thick... plus the 'middle armor strip' [the flat section between the upper and lower plate] is about 300mm. What you got there is thick armor that can easily be turned into auto-bounce when angled properly.
Imagine playing this tank as if you're driving the AMX M4 49... you can angle in it, but don't overdo it or your sides will be shot.
You see it happen with the multiple E100 HEAT rounds that hit me in the replay above. The only thing you need to worry is when you face enemies with more than 340mm of penetration, be it premium or regular ammo... like for example; a Jagdpanzer E100's HEAT round of 420mm penetration.
Like a freaking laser cannon when it uses the 420 round...
But as I've stated, there's only so much you can angle in it before your sides can be seen. Either that, or they'll just shoot you in your tracks... and that might do damage and track you at the same time.
Funny how a tank that's designed to be a natural side-scraper can't side-scrape as it's turret hull compartment is a weakspot when you try to do that... There was the FV215b that has the same problem as this tank, but it's no longer obtainable.
Also another funny thing is how this tank looks. Those boxes at the sides make the tank look like some sort of elephant... but to be fair, they needed to differentiate the way the two tank looks anyway, otherwise it gets tricky.
I prefer how it looks like when it first entered the game. Much better... and if you ask me, they could just place those boxes at the hull sides instead... effectively covering the weak turret hull compartment like what they did with the FV215b 183.
But whatever... what's done is done.
So, to sum it all up; it's a VK 72.01 (K) with a different gun. Almost every other stat is the same and it's a regular tank, so you can research and buy it instead of earning it in Clan Wars. No E100 gun for the regular version, but I sorta prefer it that way as it reloads faster and has higher penetration for the normal ammo... so it's kinda like the Löwe, but at Tier X and tank designs got changed slightly.
Pros of the vehicle is that it has superb armor at the front of the hull and turret and a rather good gun in terms of regular ammo penetration and chunky damage it can deal per shot. Moves slightly faster than the E100, so that's a mention too. The cons? Well, it's bad at side-scraping due to obvious reasons. There's the usual cupola weakspot and the gun takes quite some time to reload and aim. Oh, and being a rear-mounted tank, you can get flanked pretty easily at the worst possible outcome; getting tracked with no way of shooting back.
So like I said, it's like the Löwe. Except in addition to usual sniper tactics, the tank trades side-scraping for frontal angling. A fair trade, I guess.
At first I sorta regretted getting this tank 'cause y'know... can't side-scrape and all that. But after noticing that the frontal armor is almost the same for the upper and lower plate, it became a monster. Gun reload and aim time is still bad, but hey... better penetration and DMG! Plus, now I effectively have two Löwe's!
And that's all for this post. The next one will most likely be on the Halloween event... should be about 4 of them to gather and everything's good to go. So until then, I'll be taking my leave. So stay tuned.
-Panzer Fist-
Final day of October, so I've figured I might as well put up one last post before we enter November. The tank for today's post will be the "Other-Löwe"... the Tier X German Heavy Tank; the Panzer Kampfwagen VII, or it's in-game name the Pz.Kpfw. VII.
![]() |
The "Reverse Löwe", another one of it's many nicknames... |
Does this tank look familiar to any of you? Well, that's because it's the VK 72.01 (K)... or as I call it, the "VKK". The only difference is that the VKK is a Clan Wars Reward vehicle, it's pretty rare and hard to get. But the Pz.Kpfw. VII is a "regular" version that has been introduced into the game several months back to be the new Tier X for the VK Heavy Line, as the Maus has it's own lower tiers to create a mini tank branch.
![]() |
The OG before the clone arrived... |
These tanks in the Maus line consists of two new vehicles for Tier VIII and IX. They are the VK 100.01 (P) and the Mäuschen, but we aren't here to talk about those tanks...
But that ain't the only difference between the regular and Clan Wars Reward versions... besides having different names, it also doesn't share the same gun between each other. The Pz.Kpfw. VII uses a gun similar to that the top gun the Jagdtiger uses, albeit with less penetration and a rather long reload time. So one is a mobile E100, and the other is somewhere in between the Maus and E100 as it has armor and a sniper-like gun.
But before we go even further discussing about the tank... some replays! One of the first replays before I've decided to put camouflage on it.
That bit of trouble at the end there... was lucky that an AMX 50B was around to help with those two...
Anyways from the replay above, you can clearly see that it has the same strong turret as the Löwe... probably even better. It's alpha damage is nothing to scoff at as it dishes out 560 average DMG, but suffers the long reload time of around 16-14 seconds depending on what you equipments your tank has and what crew perks you have.
Anyways, next replay...
Helping out a fellow T95 in breaking through enemy lines. Well, not really breaking through as they was barely anyone there...
Armor on this vehicle is reliable, but it still has a rather large cupola and that infamous weak 'fighting compartment'...
What do I mean by this? Well, whenever this tank side-scrapes, it's turret-hull area can still be seen... as it's rounded and rather flat. Not to mention that it doesn't have a lot of armor there, either... which makes side-scraping in the vehicle rather problematic.
But, no matter! I've found a solution to that problem, and the next video shows exactly that.
Have you figured it out yet? No? Well then, let me tell you what the "solution" is...
Simple 'front-angling'. I'm not even joking...
You see, the upper frontal plate is 240mm thick, and the lower frontal plate is 230mm thick... plus the 'middle armor strip' [the flat section between the upper and lower plate] is about 300mm. What you got there is thick armor that can easily be turned into auto-bounce when angled properly.
Imagine playing this tank as if you're driving the AMX M4 49... you can angle in it, but don't overdo it or your sides will be shot.
You see it happen with the multiple E100 HEAT rounds that hit me in the replay above. The only thing you need to worry is when you face enemies with more than 340mm of penetration, be it premium or regular ammo... like for example; a Jagdpanzer E100's HEAT round of 420mm penetration.
Like a freaking laser cannon when it uses the 420 round...
But as I've stated, there's only so much you can angle in it before your sides can be seen. Either that, or they'll just shoot you in your tracks... and that might do damage and track you at the same time.
Funny how a tank that's designed to be a natural side-scraper can't side-scrape as it's turret hull compartment is a weakspot when you try to do that... There was the FV215b that has the same problem as this tank, but it's no longer obtainable.
Also another funny thing is how this tank looks. Those boxes at the sides make the tank look like some sort of elephant... but to be fair, they needed to differentiate the way the two tank looks anyway, otherwise it gets tricky.
![]() |
To be fair, the only way it looks different from the VKK is the gun... |
I prefer how it looks like when it first entered the game. Much better... and if you ask me, they could just place those boxes at the hull sides instead... effectively covering the weak turret hull compartment like what they did with the FV215b 183.
![]() |
Another side-scraper that can't side-scrape. *sigh* |
But whatever... what's done is done.
So, to sum it all up; it's a VK 72.01 (K) with a different gun. Almost every other stat is the same and it's a regular tank, so you can research and buy it instead of earning it in Clan Wars. No E100 gun for the regular version, but I sorta prefer it that way as it reloads faster and has higher penetration for the normal ammo... so it's kinda like the Löwe, but at Tier X and tank designs got changed slightly.
Pros of the vehicle is that it has superb armor at the front of the hull and turret and a rather good gun in terms of regular ammo penetration and chunky damage it can deal per shot. Moves slightly faster than the E100, so that's a mention too. The cons? Well, it's bad at side-scraping due to obvious reasons. There's the usual cupola weakspot and the gun takes quite some time to reload and aim. Oh, and being a rear-mounted tank, you can get flanked pretty easily at the worst possible outcome; getting tracked with no way of shooting back.
So like I said, it's like the Löwe. Except in addition to usual sniper tactics, the tank trades side-scraping for frontal angling. A fair trade, I guess.
At first I sorta regretted getting this tank 'cause y'know... can't side-scrape and all that. But after noticing that the frontal armor is almost the same for the upper and lower plate, it became a monster. Gun reload and aim time is still bad, but hey... better penetration and DMG! Plus, now I effectively have two Löwe's!
And that's all for this post. The next one will most likely be on the Halloween event... should be about 4 of them to gather and everything's good to go. So until then, I'll be taking my leave. So stay tuned.
-Panzer Fist-
Monday, October 30, 2017
Upcoming Posts
It's just the usual "quick update" for now, so...
This just to tell y'all that the next post will be up tomorrow... and just finished uploading several videos to YouTube. I still have the recent Halloween event to get footage for and several more replays of different vehicles, about 4 of them.
Oh, and there's several other posts that needed to be made too... and they aren't World Of Tanks related. I think it's about time I've finish them off soon before it gets dragged on for far too long.
And that's all I have for now... Final October post, tomorrow. It's World Of Tanks related and it's featuring a particularly odd vehicle in the game... but I'll talk more about 'em tomorrow instead.
I gotta go sleep 'cause I got some stuff to do tomorrow in the morning...
-Panzer Fist-
This just to tell y'all that the next post will be up tomorrow... and just finished uploading several videos to YouTube. I still have the recent Halloween event to get footage for and several more replays of different vehicles, about 4 of them.
Oh, and there's several other posts that needed to be made too... and they aren't World Of Tanks related. I think it's about time I've finish them off soon before it gets dragged on for far too long.
And that's all I have for now... Final October post, tomorrow. It's World Of Tanks related and it's featuring a particularly odd vehicle in the game... but I'll talk more about 'em tomorrow instead.
I gotta go sleep 'cause I got some stuff to do tomorrow in the morning...
-Panzer Fist-
Thursday, October 26, 2017
Finally Back
Hell, it's about time I'm back here...
The latest update to World Of Tanks [v9.20.1] is now live... that means the FV215b is out and the Super Conqueror takes it's place for the Tier X British Heavy Tank... and I haven't even come close to getting it.
So yeah... sadly I won't be getting the FV215b as I was still stuck at the lower tiers. But then again, I'm glad I don't have to go through those horrible Churchill and Black Prince tanks...
And I'm not sad that I won't be getting the FV215b, as I can still get the Super Conqueror anytime I want. Plus, there's a mini tank line that's coming near the end of the year that I have more interest in right now. I'll talk more about it in another post, though.
Now that there's no more painful tank grinds to do, I'll finally have time for the scheduled videos that I needed to upload and do posts on for quite a long time. There's about 2 vehicles to cover, each having 3 videos... so obviously there's 6 to do.
I still haven't update World Of Tanks yet to 9.20.1 because there's still some replays that I need to record videos of... about 4 of them.
And I'll have double-time on all these as Halloween is rolling in closer by the minute. Don't wanna miss all the events!
So I guess that's all for now. Just an update to acknowledge that I'm back, and will have plenty to post about soon; a new mini tank branch, some new tank replay videos and if possible, recordings of the upcoming Halloween event. Tight schedule, but let's see if it works out...
Until then, stay tuned for more posts soon enough. It'll be tank replays as I need to clear some space for more recordings...
-Panzer Fist-
The latest update to World Of Tanks [v9.20.1] is now live... that means the FV215b is out and the Super Conqueror takes it's place for the Tier X British Heavy Tank... and I haven't even come close to getting it.
So yeah... sadly I won't be getting the FV215b as I was still stuck at the lower tiers. But then again, I'm glad I don't have to go through those horrible Churchill and Black Prince tanks...
And I'm not sad that I won't be getting the FV215b, as I can still get the Super Conqueror anytime I want. Plus, there's a mini tank line that's coming near the end of the year that I have more interest in right now. I'll talk more about it in another post, though.
Now that there's no more painful tank grinds to do, I'll finally have time for the scheduled videos that I needed to upload and do posts on for quite a long time. There's about 2 vehicles to cover, each having 3 videos... so obviously there's 6 to do.
I still haven't update World Of Tanks yet to 9.20.1 because there's still some replays that I need to record videos of... about 4 of them.
And I'll have double-time on all these as Halloween is rolling in closer by the minute. Don't wanna miss all the events!
So I guess that's all for now. Just an update to acknowledge that I'm back, and will have plenty to post about soon; a new mini tank branch, some new tank replay videos and if possible, recordings of the upcoming Halloween event. Tight schedule, but let's see if it works out...
Until then, stay tuned for more posts soon enough. It'll be tank replays as I need to clear some space for more recordings...
-Panzer Fist-
Monday, September 18, 2017
What Happened... again?
Ho ho Wargaming, you sure know how to keep players busy this time 'round...
Man, it's been quite some time. The update that has the Foch 155 replaced with the Foch 50 B had already arrived weeks back, and only now I'm posting about it? Well, that's all thanks to what happened just a few days after the newest updated dropped.
Apparently, the rumors about the FV215b are true [as said from my last post] in that it'll be the next tank to receive the 'Replacement Treatment'. It's pretty much a Marathon but with a vehicle going rare instead. The replacement is also true from the last post, as it's the Super Conqueror. The info became known when Wargaming Asia on Facebook made a post with this picture.
The Tier IX [or nine] Conqueror also seems to receive a few special changes, in the form of spaced armor around the frontal half of the turret. Kinda reminds me of the Pz. IV.
Looks good so far. But here's the most interesting part about the next Tier X replacing the FV215b; The Tier X Super Conqueror has this spaced turret armor with a different turret and also spaced armor for the front hull!
This would instantly be a favorite among the players as they absorb HEAT shells... which are normally Premium Ammunition for most top-tier tanks. Pretty sure APCR goes through similar to AP and not sure about HESH shells. No more gold-slinging "skilled players" causing you that much trouble! Even the armor profile of the tank in Tank Inspector Super Test seems to conform this...
You can see from the pictures that the turret is indeed different from both the Conqueror and Super Conqueror. That 'bar' on the cupola would be bait for people to shoot, but it ain't gonna do anything when hit there. [at least that's what I think]
These are just pictures I've found while surfing the web, so I won't know for certain that they are 100% accurate. Heck, even the first picture states that the information is not final... changes can occur.
This tank is gonna function much like the high-tier MBTs from Armored Warfare... armor packages around the tank to prevent weaknesses when facing the enemy, except that the armor packs are only at the front. That means from the sides and rear you're still the same as any other tank.
And this is the reason I haven't got around to post even a single update when September started rolling around. Heard that the patch for this change goes live around mid-October, so that means roughly a month's time.
Sigh... even the last replacement didn't go well, not enough time and eventually had to resort to free-exp'ing for the Foch 155... so I can't afford to do the same thing for this tank else I'll be broke before I even know it. The British Heavies around Tier VIII to X [or 8 to 10] function similar to the WZ-111 to 113 series of tanks, but with the only notable difference is that the guns are more accurate and faster firing on the British Tanks.
Just don't expose that lower frontal hull plate and your sides too much and everything should go well. Right now I'm at the Tier V [or 5] Churchill I. Still quite a lot to go through, so I'm really putting all of my time at World Of Tanks currently. Only took a break today to post something as I can't stand leaving it too long without a single post.
So why do I want the FV215b? Easy, it's a rear mounted Heavy tank, and I just love those... evidence from the Maus and Pz. Kpfw. VII... Second, it's like a rear-mounted 113... so why not? Third, it's to get the new Tier X Super Conqueror as well, 2 for 1 deal.
Not gonna sell the Super Conqueror, 'cause unlike the horrendous bad penetration of the Foch 50 B, this one's got that special something that'll attract players... and it's obviously the additional spaced armor at the turret and upper hull front.
Oh, and there's also a rumor that the 'Death Star' will get replaced... will I ever plan to get it when the news becomes real? Nope. I already have the Jagdpanzer E100, and I would also prefer to rest after these horrible grind-fests.
I know a certain friend of mine somewhere will be sad that he ain't gonna get this tank anymore, just like the WTF E100 before... what with the broken computers he has... tough luck, mate.
And without anymore to add, I would like to end it here. I have tons of battles to do if I'm gonna end up not using a single gold to free-exp my way there, so I better get back to it. See ya whenever this shizz is done...
-Panzer Fist-
Man, it's been quite some time. The update that has the Foch 155 replaced with the Foch 50 B had already arrived weeks back, and only now I'm posting about it? Well, that's all thanks to what happened just a few days after the newest updated dropped.
Apparently, the rumors about the FV215b are true [as said from my last post] in that it'll be the next tank to receive the 'Replacement Treatment'. It's pretty much a Marathon but with a vehicle going rare instead. The replacement is also true from the last post, as it's the Super Conqueror. The info became known when Wargaming Asia on Facebook made a post with this picture.
![]() |
Say goodbye to the old, and hello to the new... |
The Tier IX [or nine] Conqueror also seems to receive a few special changes, in the form of spaced armor around the frontal half of the turret. Kinda reminds me of the Pz. IV.
![]() |
The new Tier IX Conqueror. |
Looks good so far. But here's the most interesting part about the next Tier X replacing the FV215b; The Tier X Super Conqueror has this spaced turret armor with a different turret and also spaced armor for the front hull!
![]() |
A beauty, ain't it? |
This would instantly be a favorite among the players as they absorb HEAT shells... which are normally Premium Ammunition for most top-tier tanks. Pretty sure APCR goes through similar to AP and not sure about HESH shells. No more gold-slinging "skilled players" causing you that much trouble! Even the armor profile of the tank in Tank Inspector Super Test seems to conform this...
![]() |
Notice the light-blue areas around the turret and hull front. Turret cupola 'bar' has high spaced armor value, too. |
You can see from the pictures that the turret is indeed different from both the Conqueror and Super Conqueror. That 'bar' on the cupola would be bait for people to shoot, but it ain't gonna do anything when hit there. [at least that's what I think]
These are just pictures I've found while surfing the web, so I won't know for certain that they are 100% accurate. Heck, even the first picture states that the information is not final... changes can occur.
This tank is gonna function much like the high-tier MBTs from Armored Warfare... armor packages around the tank to prevent weaknesses when facing the enemy, except that the armor packs are only at the front. That means from the sides and rear you're still the same as any other tank.
And this is the reason I haven't got around to post even a single update when September started rolling around. Heard that the patch for this change goes live around mid-October, so that means roughly a month's time.
Sigh... even the last replacement didn't go well, not enough time and eventually had to resort to free-exp'ing for the Foch 155... so I can't afford to do the same thing for this tank else I'll be broke before I even know it. The British Heavies around Tier VIII to X [or 8 to 10] function similar to the WZ-111 to 113 series of tanks, but with the only notable difference is that the guns are more accurate and faster firing on the British Tanks.
Just don't expose that lower frontal hull plate and your sides too much and everything should go well. Right now I'm at the Tier V [or 5] Churchill I. Still quite a lot to go through, so I'm really putting all of my time at World Of Tanks currently. Only took a break today to post something as I can't stand leaving it too long without a single post.
So why do I want the FV215b? Easy, it's a rear mounted Heavy tank, and I just love those... evidence from the Maus and Pz. Kpfw. VII... Second, it's like a rear-mounted 113... so why not? Third, it's to get the new Tier X Super Conqueror as well, 2 for 1 deal.
Not gonna sell the Super Conqueror, 'cause unlike the horrendous bad penetration of the Foch 50 B, this one's got that special something that'll attract players... and it's obviously the additional spaced armor at the turret and upper hull front.
Oh, and there's also a rumor that the 'Death Star' will get replaced... will I ever plan to get it when the news becomes real? Nope. I already have the Jagdpanzer E100, and I would also prefer to rest after these horrible grind-fests.
I know a certain friend of mine somewhere will be sad that he ain't gonna get this tank anymore, just like the WTF E100 before... what with the broken computers he has... tough luck, mate.
And without anymore to add, I would like to end it here. I have tons of battles to do if I'm gonna end up not using a single gold to free-exp my way there, so I better get back to it. See ya whenever this shizz is done...
-Panzer Fist-
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