Source: WoT Blitz EU portal
When will we see China?
All tankers who kept asking this question can relax, because China will take its place in the game in the next version! The branch of Chinese medium tanks will appear first, containing 10 vehicles with the well-armored 121 at Tier X. This article will give you a brief overview of the new vehicles. Let’s start.
Everything Begins with Renault Again
The first 4 vehicles of the new branch are light tanks from different countries. They represent France, the U.K., Japan, and the U.S.A.
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Tier I — Renault NC-31
This is already the fourth modification of the famous French tank represented in the game. There are slight differences between the siblings produced by Renault, but overall their gameplay is similar. You can select between two guns. The classical 37 mm one deals 40 hit points per shot and penetrates 40 mm. The machinegun has 15 shells, penetrates 23 mm, deals about 120 hit points, and is perfect for close-range battles and lighting fires.
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- Tier II — Vickers Mk. E Type B (560 experience points)
Vickers was born in Great Britain. It possesses medium tank mobility, very thin armor, and a great armament set. The obvious choice will be the “top” Tier IV gun, which can deal 135 hit points per 1.3 seconds. It will take about 8 seconds to reload the 3-shell drum. The other 2 guns have no drums but deal more damage per shot. - Tier III — Type 2597 Chi-Ha (2,340 experience points)
This is a Japanese tank with medium mobility and a penetrating “top” gun: 81 mm and 60 hit points for an armor-piercing shell. A relatively low silhouette and a good gun depression angle make Chi-Ha notably comfortable for battling in hilly areas. - Tier IV — M5A1 Stuart (4,800 experience points)
And this is an American light tank, a quick and stinging scout. The M5A1 is the improved version of the M5 Stuart that can be found in the American branch. Under the flag of China, you’ll meet a vehicle with a higher maximum speed, a more powerful engine, and better armament. The M5A1 Stuart is great at maintaining speed and remains undamaged when circling slow vehicles — take advantage of this!
Legendary Tank and its Legacy
At Tier V, we say goodbye to light tanks and move on to medium tanks. Up to Tier VII inclusively, they are based on the universally recognized legendary vehicle — the Soviet T-34 and its modifications.
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- Tier V — Type T-34 (13,080 experience points)
The Chinese version of the T-34 is quite similar to its Soviet twin. The Type T-34 turns a bit faster, but has 10 hit points fewer and its maximum speed is 1 km/h lower in comparison with its unique original. In other respects, you receive a great medium tank with sloped armor and great mobility. There is also an awesome 57 mm puncher gun available — everything will be perforated! - Tier VI — Type 58 (28,000 experience points)
Under this name, an equally legendary vehicle is hidden, the T-34-85. And while the Tier V tanks are quite similar, the Chinese Tier VI vehicle loses to its Soviet option. The Type 58 is the “pre-top” Soviet T-34-85. But if we forget about comparisons and just click “Battle!”, the Chinese tank will show its best sides.
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- Tier VII — T-34-1 (57,820 experience points)
Beginning from this tank, Chinese vehicles become more authentic. For example, the T-34-1 existed only in blueprints and was one of the options for modernizing the T-34-85. The vehicle received a lower hull, a rounded ricochet turret with 170 mm front armor, and a 100 mm gun that appears only at Tier VIII in the Soviet medium tanks branch. In terms of dynamics, the T-34-1 doesn’t stand out from other medium tanks, but deals the largest damage per shot — 280 hit points for an armor-piercing shell.
Chasing the Master Model
The Chinese Tier VIII-X vehicles also had their Soviet inspiration. This time, we are talking about the T-54 — a universal combat machine with a low silhouette, a very strong turret, and great mobility. In the game, the Chinese versions of the T-54 are notable for their powerful large-caliber guns that are more typical of heavy tanks and tank destroyers.
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- Tier VIII — Т-34-2 (105,000 experience points)
Both by its tier and battle style, the T-34-2 is most similar to the T-44. For this tier, the vehicle has weak hull armor. Its strong hemispheric turret is 180 mm thick in its front part. Like its Soviet rival, the T-34-2 gives us two guns to choose from: a slow and powerful 122 mm gun and a more quick-firing 100 mm gun. If you like flexibility, choose the quick-firing one. But if you want to prepare yourself for playing a Tier X vehicle, 122 mm is your choice! - Tier IX — WZ-120 (175,000 experience points)
This is a researchable analogue of the Type 59 with a more powerful engine, improved suspension, a stronger turret, and a very large Tier X gun. This gun has a large dispersion when moving, but it aims quite quickly when it stops. Its depression angle is only 3 degrees but, as compensation for this inconvenience, you can deal 400 hit points per shot and penetrate 220 mm armor. The WZ-120 is the last tank in this branch on which you can play with a standard quick-firing gun — the “pre-top” Tier IX gun will provide less damage but better rate of fire characteristics, however don’t expect it to be highly accurate.
Tier X — 121 (275,000 experience points)
The main vehicle of this branch is a modernization project for the Type 59. It would again be suitable to compare it with the U.S.S.R. tanks because the construction of the 121 hasn’t changed much. If compared with its Soviet colleagues, the 121 has thicker front armor and powerful armament, but its dynamics and gun stabilization are worse.
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The gun is the main peculiarity of the 121. It provides 400 hit points per shot — the highest single shot damage among Tier X medium tanks. Another record of this gun is the quickest aiming time at 2.7 seconds. At the same time, the dispersion during movement remains quite large.
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This tank requires a commander who can take complete control over the situation: it`s necessary to remember its long reload time and small gun depression angle, because of which many tricks typical of medium tanks will not work for the 121. What will work is a Platoon with a more quick-firing vehicle, the tactics of mobile tank destroyers, and support from “heavies”.
The 121 tank offers unique gameplay, which is something between tank destroyers, medium, and heavy tanks. Find the correct way to play this new Tier X vehicle and you are guaranteed to have lots of victories!
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