WoT EU: Close-Range Freight Train: Introducing the Object 268 v.4

This is our final text in a series of introductory articles before Update 9.22 rolls out, and today we’re looking at the third major addition to the USSR Tech Tree.

The defensive nature of tank destroyers has always persuaded tankers to act with caution when joining an attacking group, often opting for a safe spot somewhere near the ally’s base. It’s the go-to approach, like with the Tortoise or T95, and it’s proven to be effective throughout the years.

To diversify the gameplay spectrum for this class, we’ll introduce a new line of Soviet tank destroyers that’ll make you rethink everything you thought you knew about TDs.

Charge!

Starting from February 7, USSR TDs will be capable of multiple battlefield roles, as the game introduces a new line of assault tank destroyers. The branch will start with the SU-100M1 at Tier VII, going through to the SU-101 at Tier VIII.

The next Tier will feature an important shift we’ve made to add balance to this line. The Object 263, which tops the current branch, will move a step down to Tier IX, leaving a free spot for the new king of the hill—Object 268 v.4.

Just like with the new mediums and heavies, all four vehicles will get rear-mounted guns, good speed countered by low maneuvering skills, and robust frontal armor.

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Firepower

The gun is especially effective in open fights and isn’t best at long-range shootouts. The penetration values are as high as 293mm with AP and 360mm with APCR. Alpha damage is 650, putting the Object somewhere in the middle regarding pure firepower. Still, you’ll be able to bite off a decent chunk of hit points from an enemy. However, the 17-second reload time will make you find cover each time you’ve fired another round, so a “peek-a-boo” tactic suits the vehicle best.

ProTip: Make sure you’re covered for the reloading time.

Armor

One of the strongest arguments for closing in on an enemy is the Object’s armor. The effective thickness of the upper plate exceeds 330mm, while the superstructure is around 340mm. But don’t get overly confident: there’s a 250mm thick hatch that can easily be penetrated by an accurate shot, so try not to expose it.

 

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The lower plate deserves mentioning separately, as it consists of two parts. The upper one is basically a fortress wall, boasting 345mm of effective thickness. The lower part actually reminds of what a common plate is like, with 240mm. So, standing far enough from your rivals will make you an easy target, and it’s another argument for closing the distance, where vehicles with low gun depression values just won’t be able to reach it.

ProTip: Always go for close fights.

Mobility

As mentioned, the Object can accelerate to 50 km/h swiftly, reminding you more of a medium tank. But low maneuverability turns the vehicle into a freight train, which moves fast with an extremely high turning radius. It means you will greatly depend on the support of your teammates, because enemy medium tanks can easily dance around you.

ProTip: Make sure you’re well covered by allies.

How to play

  • Go full ahead: Use the Object’s dynamics to your advantage whenever you get the chance. Your role is to lead the pack, guarded by your teammates.
  • Avoid duels: There’s a high chance you will fail in a one-on-one encounter, especially if your opponent is maneuverable enough.
  • Mind your weak spots: There aren’t many, when it comes to frontal armor, but an experienced tanker will surely embrace the opportunity. Play active but smart.

 

27 thoughts on “WoT EU: Close-Range Freight Train: Introducing the Object 268 v.4

  1. Wait wait wait… they make the line into \’brawling\’ TDs but then their advice on how to play them is to avoid duels?

    Was someone at WG beaten with the stupid stick one too many times? Good lord, is there no end to the stupidity that WG produces

      1. Do you know that TDs weren\’t designed to \”brawl\”? Because they have no TURRETS. Actually, not even HTs facehugged each other to death during WW2… And FYI, most tanks tried to stay away from any kind of city because it was a massive tactical disadvantage for them, because infantry with AT weapons could popup left and right.

        1. Why did you start talking about RL? It\’s WoT, has nothing to dowith real WW2 combat. And yes, you can easily brawl in TDs, you just need to have armor or turret, one of those will be fine.

          1. Because the game is based on RL?

            LTs, MTs, HTs, TDs, SPGs, all existed in WW2. Coincidence?
            Tiger I, Königstiger, Jagdtiger, all existed in WW2. Coincidence?
            AP, APCR, HEAT, HE, all existed in WW2. Coincidence?

            Drop the bullshit excuse. Just because WoT isn\’t a simulator doesn\’t mean that it has no connections to history or realism.

            And no, you can\’t and should not brawl in TDs. Sure, it works against n00bs, but as soon as you try it against a good player you\’ll get permatracked and sent back to garage.

            TDs as snipers or 2nd line support tanks. It depends on their armor and accuracy. For example, Strv.103B and Grille are snipers, while T110E3 and Jg.Pz.E100 are 2nd line support tanks. T110E4 is a big exception since it has a (semi)-turret and thus plays more like a HT.

            1. My dude, you can and should brawl in Grille or STRV, this machines are perfectly capable of that. You just need to know when to snipe and when to play aggressively. And no, WoT is extremely far from reality, because tanks are fighting at a pretty much point blank range all the time, they have HP and most of the time don’t even have historical specs, but that’s besides the point. And the point is: yes, you should brawl in TDs if you actually know, what brawling means.

              1. Pointless to discuss something with someone that thinks he already know. Ok, you go brawl in your TDs. But please never be on my team, join the enemy team instead. Thank you and bye.

                1. Maybe you should try some things before saying that it won\’t work, really. And again, you have no idea what brawling means. Understandable, have a nice day.

      2. Well when you consider the phrase \”Tank Destroyer\” and \”brawler\” when generally thinks of an assault tank like the JgPz E100, T95 or Tortoise

        All have armor + either high alpha or high DPM. This line has what? Strong frontal armor and thats it for brawling. Hell, the LFP on the tier 7 to 9 is so bad that you cant play them like the tier 10…. incidentally thats one of the issues the current 263 line has

        I\’m sorry but a \”brawler\” that cant trade damage consistantly due to poor DPM and accuracy isnt exactly a brawler now is it

    1. Yep was pretty excited for the rebalance of the tree but the traverse speed totally kills the tank…
      23 deg/s is really horrible…
      I guess \”brawling\” for WG means that you drive into a corridor and shoot at the front of HTs in close range.
      Why you would need a fast td for that i dont know…

      1. If they give back the line some DPM and accuracy the changes would probably be worth it. Something to make people with more mobility hesitate before trying to circle you

    1. You need around 340 HEAT pen and 350 APCR pen to have a chance to go through it frontally. And the upper plate is only vulnerable to HEAT on the even ground. So yeah, tough luck.

  2. \”We\’ve heard the outcry about putting the o263 on T9 and have understood your concerns, so we\’re going to ignore you, wait 2 months then just do it anyway.\” -WG

  3. \”Mind your weak spots: There aren’t many, when it comes to frontal armor, but an experienced tanker will surely embrace the opportunity.\”

    *Loads prem shells*

  4. Finally they are moving 263 from t10 to 9, 268v4 is much better and fun. Thank god WG doesnt listen to the minorities who think 263 need to stay at t10 so they can enjoy fapping in the ridge line

    1. Yay, more autistic yoloers that play with TDs instead of playing with a HT! If you don\’t like sniping, then you shouldn\’t play TDs. Now thanks to retarded creatures like you, one of the most fun TD lines in the game are ruined. Fuck you very much.

        1. Yeah, but his post didn\’t appear as a joke to me. I think he\’s serius…

  5. all this whining that never stops….. brawl in medium distances or brawl alongside other people or ur platoon and u are fine . the fact that it can brawl doesnt mean it can 1v1 always . Thumbs up to Molotof\’s post .

  6. The only tank that can 1v1 on tier 10 is the E5 because it has the armor, mobility, DPM and pen. All other tanks have some form of tradeoff. I dont know about the superconqueror, it has pretty good DPM as well and gun stats, but it has alot worse lower plate than the E5.

    I personly disslike any tanks that has too much armor because it will enlarge the gap between players who choose to use gold and choose to shoot normal ammo. I think all tanks should have weakspots and strong spots,´which can be exploited in certan situation and provide benefit in other situation. Because now, in reality only players that shoot gold ammo face tanks with weakspots. All others who shoot normal ammo can\’t even pen some tanks frontaly on the same tier.

  7. If we look at tier 8 tanks that have been introduced the last 2 years they have as much armor frontaly as some tier 9 and 10 HTs had back in the days. You can\’t simply play effective without gold ammo because many tanks are inpennertable frontaly and thanks to WG who removed many of the older maps which you actually could flank on the only option is to load gold.

  8. The playstyle is new- no other tank can haul that much armor so far forward so quickly, but even so the 263 line rework is still complete stupidity. One reason is because none of the other TDs can imitate the same playstyle, so RIP consistency. The second reason is because if you wanted brawlers, why in the hell would you play a turret-less TD with bad firepower and bad hull traverse? And the third is that the already unique and interesting 263 works just fine as-is and its line can be a thousand times more playable with simple buffs to gun depression and traverse limits.

  9. 360mm APCR ammo? It´s only got HEAT on the test server, unless they changed it WG cant even get the facts wrong in their own text.

    I still dont like the concept of this tank. With such a poor turning speed and accuracy, you can neither hold back nor can you really go where medium tanks are because you get outplayed. You can really only brawl heavies frontally, so rush into the next corridor and that´s it for your speed usage. But if you wanted to brawl heavies frontally with 650 alpha and poor dpm, you could, you know, play the 705A and get a turret, side armor and more HP to boot.
    And all that for kicking out the 263, which has a really interesting mix of support capabilities and go-full-yolo-melt-people-in-seconds playstyle. While not giving a damn what the communiy wants AT ALL:

  10. Brawling in TD.s lots of armour ok,
    No turret hmm that\’s really shit, low DPM hmm that\’s bad shit
    ,
    face off 1 v 1 against new \’Super Heavies\’ hmm ……………. no thanks!

    you need a FUCKING TURRET you dumb ass retarded fools

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