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  • Vz. 68 Squall Review – better then Blesk – World of Tanks

    Vz. 68 Squall Review – better then Blesk – World of Tanks

    vz 68 squall tank

    Let’s compare it to the tech tree counterpart, the Blesk.

    Firepower

    SpecSquallBlesk
    DPM2,1072,177
    Penetration182163
    Damage86
    Reload time19.1819.18
    Clip size100140
    Clip damage800/3.6s840/3.97
    Intra-clip reload0.040.03
    Caliber5037
    Shell velocity750900
    Ammo capacity1,6002,240

    So the Squall is using a bigger caliber gun, something like the Šelma, a 50 mm. A bigger caliber means more damage per shot as we can see and also a lot better penetration, almost 20 mm more which is quite significant.

    More damage per shell means you don’t have to be exposed as long to be able to deal a significant amount of damage. In this regard the Squall is a lot more effective.

    Shell velocity is lower on Squall, but that shouldn’t be a factor because you are definitely not going to be sniping with an autocannon tank.

    Gun Handling

    SpecSquallBlesk
    Aim time2.112.3
    Dispersion0.380.4
    … moving0.120.14
    … tank traverse0.120.14
    … turret traverse0.080.10
    Depression610

    Gun handling wise, Squall is better, but it is all marginaly better characteristics that would be really hard to notice in battle.

    What you will notice very easily if you jump from Blesk to the Squall is the horrible gun deppression at on 6 degrees compared to full 10 degrees. Therefore Squall is not nearly as flexible on different terrain as the Blesk is.

    Mobility

    SpecSquallBlesk
    Top speed55 km/h60 km/h
    Weight21 tons15 tons
    Power/weight27.1428
    Terrain resist (hard)0.290.48
    Terrain resist (med)0.380.58
    Turret treverse44.8152.15
    Tank traverse46.9344.85

    Bad news for this tank, top speed is horrible at only 55 km/h, it means most of the mediums will be arriving to positions sooner then you, hell, even some heavies are faster then you are.

    The good news is the power to weight ratio, combined with great ground resistances means you will be able to reach the top speed very quicky and maintain it easily.

    While turret and tank traverse is not bad, it’s not great either for circling your opponents while trying to unload the clip.

    Armor

    SpecSquallBlesk
    Hull armor20/20/2015/15/12
    Turret armor30/20/2020/20/15
    Health1,1001,000

    Tank is made out of paper pretty much, don’t expect to bounce any shells because most of the guns you’ll meet will just overmatch your armor. With that being said, it still has better armor then the Blesk, at least you have a bit more protections vs enemy HE shells.

    The thing I would like to point out here tho is the difference in profile size between these 2 tanks, Squall is a real chonky boi, quite a bit longer, but it is a little bit shorter.

    vz 68 squall tank armor from side
    blesk tank armor from side

    Miscellaneous

    SpecSquallBlesk
    Stationary camo18.2418.24
    Moving camo18.2418.24
    View Range380380
    Shell cost129

    Camo is pretty much the same on both vehicles and it is really good, when using good equipment and crew skills you can get a really high camo rating.

    View range is mediocre at 380 meters, you’ll have to work a bit harder to spot for your team.

    Tips

    Eventhough the tank is quite large, the camo rating is good, use it to your advantage, you can be sneaky and catch people by surprise by getting in very close and dumping your magazine.

    Autocannon tanks don’t really have gold rounds, they have rounds with higher penetration and lower damage. Switch the types of ammo as much as possible to maximize the damage to tanks with different amounts of armor. Intution will help you out a lot to switch the shell types a lot faster.

    Don’t be afraid to go 1v1 vs other light tanks, you have an amazing damage output in single magazine, especially with the HE ammo loaded.

    As the tank is quite large, be careful about getting spotted, it will be hard to disengage and you are an easy target.

    Conclusion

    Seems like an underrated lootbox tank. It is different and a lot harder to play then something like the Contradiction or DZT-159, but in right situation and in right hands it can be absolutely devastating for any enemy tank.

    Check out the review of other 2024 lootbox tanks:

  • FV230 Canopener Review – New hulldown king? – World of Tanks

    FV230 Canopener Review – New hulldown king? – World of Tanks

    fv230 canopener tank

    Firepower

    SpecCanopenerST-II
    DPM2,6282,458
    Penetration258258
    Gold Pen318 APCR310 HEAT
    Alpha Dmg420440
    Reload time9.5910.74
    Caliber120122
    Shell velocity1,050940
    Ammo capacity8040

    FV230 packs a good firepower, a better DPM then ST-II by a quite a margin, but has a bit lower alpha damage, so the double shots won’t be devastating as they can be on the soviet counterpart.

    Shell velocity is better by around 100 m/s, not a big difference, but it will be easier to snipe at longer ranges then that would be the case with the ST-II. Amount of shells you can carry is 80 which is really nice, you don’t have to worry about running out of ammo when constatntly using the double shots.

    Gun Handling

    SpecCanopenerST-II
    Aim time1.92s2.88s
    Dispersion0.320.38
    … moving0.160.14
    … tank traverse0.160.14
    … turret traverse0.120.06
    Depression108
    Elevation2020

    It’s a pretty interesting situation here when it comes to the gun handling, Canopener has actually amazing aim time and dispersion values for a heavy tank, feels more like something that a sniping medium or TD would have.

    Bad part about the gun handling are the dispersion values when not stationary, especially the turret traverse dispersion which is double then what the ST-II has. It is quite annoying when you have such a big dispersion even with good aim time, with any slight movements you’ll have to take your time again to aim.

    Gun depression is standard for a UK heavy at 10 degrees, while not as flexible as some of the tanks with 12 degrees, you are still very capable of working a ridgeline.

    Mobility

    SpecCanopenerST-II
    Forward speed34 km/h40 km/h
    Reverse speed14 km/h13 km/h
    Power/weight13.8912.12
    Turret traverse31.2923.99
    Tank traverse22.9527.12
    Terrain resist (hard)1.051.15
    … (medium)1.251.53
    … (soft)2.212.59

    Canopener feels more mobile eventhough the stats when compared are mixed. Primarily because of the better power to weight ratio and better ground resistances allowing the vehicle to reach and keep the speed a lot easier then the ST-II can.

    The only area where the tank does feel sluggish is the top speed at only 34 km/h, turbo is a must on this tank otherwise it will take you ages to reach positions or relocate.

    Armor

    SpecCanopenerST-II
    Hull armor200/100/40150/140/100
    Turret armor 260/110/70325/160/160
    Health2,4002,500

    This is the highlight of the vehicle, on paper the hull seems a lot better frontally then it is on the ST-II, but the turret is not that well armored all around as it is on the russian tank.

    fv230 tank front armor layout

    FV230 Canopener

    st2 tank front armor layout

    ST-II

    This is kinda how the armor layout looks like when you compare these 2 tanks side by side. Hull is a lot more solid on the canopener, you will need good gold rounds to get through the front part of the hull reliably.

    Both tanks have similar weakspot locations, the commander’s hatch on the right side of the turret, driver’s hatch in the middle of the hull and the lower plate.

    fv230 tank front armor layout

    All of these weakspot areas have around 200 mm of effective armor, you should be able to pen them with standard rounds from tier 8 heavies.

    fv230 tank front armor layout when using gun depression

    When using it’s gun depression, this tank is an absolute monster frontally, turret cheeks and upper plate is around 370 mm thick while the manlet is in some places over 500 mm. Only tank destroyers with HEAT rounds will have a chance penetrate this kind of armor.

    Also worth nothing is, when using the gun depression, the commander’s and driver’s hatch are no longer weakspots.

    fv230 tank side armor layout

    Side is where the armor falls apart pretty much, it’s very flat without any spaced armor, high penetrating HE and HESH shells will be able to go trough your side.

    fv230 tank back armor layout

    Rear is disgustingly weak at only 40 mm and very flat, light tanks will give you a lot of trouble if they get behind you, especially the autocannon light tanks will obliterate you.

    Miscellaneous

    SpecCanopenerST-II
    Stationary camo4.276.67
    … after firing0.771.20
    Moving camo2.163.36
    View Range390390
    Fire chance20%15%
    Shell cost1,0841,130

    While camo is not really a characteristic important for a heavy tank, it worth noting that Canopener has a horrible camo in every area, combine this with weak view range for a tier 10, most of the tanks will outspot you fairly easily.

    Conclusion

    A very strong tank, great frontal armor, very good gun handling, mobile enough to get into positions and relocate. It might be one of the best heavies actually once it gets released, if it gets released with these stats. Minor adjustments might happen before the final release.

    When it comes to how to deal with it if you face it, you can’t really beat it on the ridgeline, you just don’t have enough penetration to go through this monster, best bet is to flank it and use the HE rounds to cripple it.

    Check out reviews of other tank on this site:

  • FV229 Contender Review – New Tier 9 Powerhouse? – World of Tanks

    FV229 Contender Review – New Tier 9 Powerhouse? – World of Tanks

    FV229 Contender is a new UK tier 9 double barreled tech tree tank with formidable frontal armor and accurate gun. Aimed to be used on the ridgeline with it’s great 10 degrees of gun depression and 280 mm of turret armor, but there are some not so great things about this tank when it is fighting on the ridgeline.

    List of content

    Let’s compare it to the soviet double barreled IS-3-II which is a really good tier 9 heavy and it’s going to be a good benchmark for a newcomer.

    Firepower

    SpecContenderIS-3-II
    DPM2,4402,324
    Penetration248243
    Gold Pen303 APCR292 APCR
    Alpha Damage390390
    Reload time9.5910.07
    Caliber105122
    Shell velocity1,0301,007
    Ammo capacity8074

    DPM wise, Contender is not bad, around 100 DPM higher then the IS-3-II and that is good considering they both have the same alpha damage, so it’s not like you will have to expose yourself more to make use of that DPM.

    They have a quite similiar standard penetration, but the gold pen is better on Contender for about 10 mm, still you will have trouble fighting better armored tier 10s.

    Ammo capacity is big enough to not run out of shells by the end of the battle even if you are going to be only using double shots which is unlikely.

    Gun Handling

    SpecContenderIS-3-II
    Aim Time2.112.88
    Dispersion0.330.38
    … moving0.180.16
    … tank traverse0.180.16
    … turret traverse0.120.08
    Depression108

    Seems like this is kinda the gun handling you can expect from the tier 10 as well, with the great aim time and dispersion, but worse dispersion while moving and for turret traverse compared to the soviet counterparts.

    Gun feels snappy and you can aim for the weakspots easily, with the 10 degrees of gun depression, the tank is very flexible and made to work the ridgelines like a boss.

    Mobility

    SpecContenderIS-3-II
    Forward speed34 km/h38 km/h
    Reverse speed13 km/h15 km/h
    Power/weight13.6414.06
    Terrain resist (hard)1.050.96
    … (medium)1.251.05
    … (soft)2.211.82
    Turret traverse31.2922.95
    Tank traverse25.0329.20

    Forward top speed of only 34 km/h really screams for the use of a turbo eventhough the power to weight ratio is not bad. The IS-3-II is a lot more mobile then the Contender especially because of the ground resistances that are much better and the tank traverse.

    This kind of mobility will still be enough to get you into positions or relocate as necessary, just don’t be expect to be the first.

    Armor

    SpecContenderIS-3-II
    Hull armor165/90/40145/90/60
    Turret armor280/100/60280/150/130
    Health2,0001,800

    On paper, Contender’s hull seems to be very solid frontally and has extra 200 HP over the soviet double barrel. Turret is not as strong from all side as it is on the IS-3-II, some HE rounds could be dangerous when they flank you.

    FV229 Contender

    IS-3-II

    Frontally it’s going to be a lot harder to pen the Contender, at least when it comes to the upper plate, but lower plate seems to be quite large and more flat then for example from the IS-3-II which can pull off some bounces.

    There are 2 weakspots on the front, the lower plate with around 190 mm of effective armor

    and the commander’s hatch with only 180 mm of effective armor. Even tier 7s will be able to pen you frontally in these weakspots, they should be hidden as much as possible.

    Hull without using gun depression is around 280 mm of effective armor, while the turret is around 320 mm at the cheeks and forehead is the auto ricochet.

    While the ricochet at the top is not an issue, the one on the chin is a very big problem, because it will ricochet right into the hull and will pen every time…..

    Situation is not much better when using the gun depression, the whole chin can be easily penetrated with only 190 mm of pen guns. This is a huge weakspot and it’s really weird to see something like this on a high tier vehicle.

    The only way to resolve this can be done using the stock turret which doesn’t have the problem with the auto ricochet or the weakspot when using the gun depression. This is not optimal either because you are going to be losing a lot of stats such as 100 health, 10 meters of view range, DPM and even ground resistances.

    Side is very flat and poorly armored, perfect for abusing HE against this tank when you catch it on the flank.

    Back of the tank has only 40 mm of armor, pretty much all the HE shells from tier 7s and above won’t have problems going through.

    Miscellaneous

    SpecContenderIS-3-II
    Stationary camo5.816.45
    Moving camo2.913.25
    View Range380380
    Fire chance20%15%
    Shell cost8921,070

    Camo is bad, but that is standard for a heavy tank and is not really important, the view range is not great at only 380 meters, you will need a good crew and premium consumables to reach the max view range.

    It is a little bit cheaper to play tho then something like the IS-3-II with the lower shell cost, but having the same alpha damage.

    Crew Skills

    Commander

    • Recon
    • Emergency
    • Coordination
    • Practicality

    Radio operator

    • Situational awareness
    • Firefighting
    • Side by side

    Loader

    • Adrenaline rush
    • Safe stowage
    • Intuition
    • Ammo tuning

    Gunner

    • Deadeye
    • Designated target
    • Quick aiming
    • Armorer

    Driver

    • Clutch breaking
    • Smooth ride
    • Off-road driving
    • Engineer

    Equipment

    • Vents
    • Aiming device
    • Turbo

    Conclusion

    It’s an interesting tank, but in no way a great tier 9 heavy tank in this state, armor falls apart with many weakspots and horrible weakspot while using the gun depression. Gun is nothing special, but at least it has good gun handling. Tanks like the M4 51 or the IS-3-II are more competitive and more fun to play.

    Check out the other reviews:

  • FV227 Conceiver Review – Huge frontal weakspots – World of Tanks

    FV227 Conceiver Review – Huge frontal weakspots – World of Tanks

    The FV227 Conceiver is a Tier VIII British heavy tank that builds on the unique double-barreled design introduced with its counterpart, the FV226 Contradictious. It combines versatility, reliability, and the devastating potential of twin guns to deliver a unique heavy tank experience. Here’s a closer look at what makes this tank stand out.

    List of content:

    Firepower

    CharacteristicConceiverContradictious
    DPM2,367.892,048.07
    Penetration219225
    Damage280360
    Rate of fire8.465.69
    Reload time7.0910.55
    Caliber94105
    Shell velocity9701,000
    Ammo capacity8080
    Potential damage22,40028,800

    The FV227 Conceiver leverages its double-barreled gun to unleash devastating damage in quick succession or maintain steady pressure with single shots. The dual firing modes provide tactical flexibility—whether you need to burst down an opponent with a double shot or sustain damage output over time.

    With its solid penetration and reliable accuracy, the FV227 is effective against both heavily armored targets and lighter foes. While the reload mechanics of the twin-barrel system can be punishing if mismanaged, disciplined firing ensures consistent performance. The Conceiver’s gun also shines in ridge-line engagements, thanks to excellent gun depression angles.

    Gun Handling

    CharacteristicConceiverContradictious
    Aim time2.112.11
    Dispersion0.340.35
    … damaged0.670.69
    … moving0.180.20
    … tank traverse0.180.20
    … turret traverse0.120.12
    … firing44
    Elevation2015
    Depression1010

    Pretty good gun handling when it comes to aim time and dispersion, a bit worse for when moving and turret/tank traverse. Stats are tiny touch better compared to the contractious, but it should be a bigger difference if we take into a count how much less alpha the Conceiver has and much smaller caliber of the gun.

    Mobility

    CharacteristicConceiverContradictious
    Forward speed3436
    … hard/med/soft34 / 34 / 21.936 / 36 / 28.5
    Reverse speed1212
    Weight68,00070,000
    Power/weight13.2415
    Terrain resist (hard)1.050.96
    Terrain resist (med)1.251.05
    Terrain resist (soft)2.211.92
    Turret traverse31.2931.29
    Tank traverse25.0326.07

    For a heavy tank, the FV227 boasts respectable mobility, making it more adaptable than many of its contemporaries.This mobility lets the FV227 support teammates, flank slower adversaries, or retreat when outnumbered. Contradictious is tho a more mobile tank, better top speed, better power to weight ratio and better ground resistances.

    Armor

    CharacteristicConceiverContradictious
    Hull armor (front/sides/rear)120 / 80 / 40150 / 70 / 60
    Turret armor (front/sides/rear)280 / 100 / 60250 / 120 / 90
    Health1,6001,500
    Track repair time11.7012.03

    The FV227’s armor profile is really not very consistent, you have so many weakspots, the turret, part between the upper plate and the turret and then the huge lower plate. It is pretty much going to be impossible to hide all of the weakspots even when hull down.

    FV227 Conceiver

    FV226 Contradictious

    If we compare the armor from the front, we can see that actually the Contradicious has a lot more consistent armor, with smaller lower plate and smaller commander’s hatch.

    Commander’s hatch has around 150 mm of effective armor, while the lower plate has around 175 mm. Just like the tier 9, the tier 8 also has some weird weakspots in form of richochets that go into your hull and have a 100% of penetrating your armor.

    So if you want an easy penetration, aim for the upper part of the upper plate, just near the turret, it will auto richochet into the enemy’s hull and deal damage.

    Turret cheeks have around 300 mm and the manlet a bit less, around 290 mm. Tier 9s with premium rounds will be able to pen you easily in the cheeks.

    Situation is a bit better when using your full amount of gun depression, but lower part of the turret is exposed and again shooting near the upper part of the upper plate results in auto richochet into the hull.

    Miscellaneous

    CharacteristicConceiverContradictious
    Stationary camo5.363.48
    View Range370370
    Radio Range570750
    Fire chance20%15%
    Shell cost5201,200

    Camo is a bit better, but is not a dealbreaker, enemies will spot you pretty much as easily as the Contradictious. Interesting thing is tho the radio range which is a lot less then what should be a standard for a tier 8.

    Good thing is the shell cost, while the alpha damage is lower, it’s not 70% lower which is the difference in cost per shell. It’s a decent tank to play for free to play players.

    Crew Skills

    Commander

    • Recon
    • Emergency
    • Coordination
    • Practicality

    Radio operator

    • Situational awareness
    • Firefighting
    • Side by side

    Loader

    • Adrenaline rush
    • Safe stowage
    • Intuition
    • Ammo tuning

    Gunner

    • Deadeye
    • Designated target
    • Quick aiming
    • Armorer

    Driver

    • Clutch breaking
    • Smooth ride
    • Off-road driving
    • Engineer

    Equipment

    • Coated Optics
    • Aiming device
    • Turbo

    Conclusion

    The FV227 Conceiver is a well-rounded heavy tank with the added flair of a double-barreled gun. It rewards skilled play with its versatility, reliable damage output, and solid armor profile when using it’s gun depression. Whether you’re holding key positions, engaging in close-range brawls, or delivering precise bursts of fire, the FV227 offers a satisfying mix of power and flexibility. Just be aware you are not going to be safe even from tier 6 tanks if they know your weakspots.

    Check out our other reviews:

  • FV224 Chopper Review – World of Tanks

    FV224 Chopper Review – World of Tanks

    fv244 chopper tank from the side

    Firepower

    CharacteristicChopperT29
    DPM1,869.271,517.09
    Penetration204198
    Damage230320
    Rate of fire8.134.74
    Reload time7.3812.66
    Caliber83.40105
    Shell velocity930945
    Ammo capacity8063
    Potential damage18,40020,160

    Around 1,8k DPM is good for a tier 7 heavy tank, it’s much better then what T29 has, also Chopper has a slight edge when it comes to the penetration.

    Alpha damage is on the low side with only 230 damage per shot, you will have to expose yourself a lot in order to deal consistent damage if you are not going to have a lot of opportunities for double shots. Thankfully the ammo capacity should be high enough so you don’t run out of shells if you are going to be using a lot of double shots.

    Gun Handling

    CharacteristicChopperT29
    Aim time2.112.59
    Dispersion0.350.40
    … damaged0.690.81
    … moving0.200.22
    … tank traverse0.200.22
    … turret traverse0.120.18
    … firing44
    Elevation2015
    Depression1010

    Gun handling is beautiful on this tank, really good aim time at 2.11 seconds, great dispersion at 0.35 and decent dispersion when moving. It also has full 10 degrees of gun depression to work those ridgelines.

    Mobility

    CharacteristicChopperT29
    Forward speed3435
    Reverse speed1212
    Weight60,00064,499
    Power/weight1313.11
    Terrain resist (hard)1.151.05
    Terrain resist (med)1.251.44
    Terrain resist (soft)1.822.49
    Turret traverse31.2927.12
    Tank traverse22.9523.99

    Chopper seems to be a little bit more mobile then the T29 eventhough it has 1 km/h less, it makes up with ground resistances on medium and soft terrains. It enables the tank to reach the top speed and maintain it with decent power to weight ratio.

    Tank traverse is not the best at only 23 degrees a second and turret traverse at 31, more nimble light and medium tanks will be able to outmaneuver you.

    Armor

    CharacteristicChopperT29
    Hull armor130 / 60 / 40102 / 76 / 51
    Turret armor180 / 70 / 45279.4 / 127 / 102
    Health1,3001,250
    fv244 chopper front armor layout

    FV224 Chopper

    t29 front armor layout

    T29

    Armor is not this tank’s strong side, especially when not using it’s gun depression. Hull is comparable to the T29, but the turret is nowhere near as good as on T29.

    fv244 chopper front armor upper plate thickness

    Weakspot wise, you have a choice between the commander’s hatch or the drivers hatch in the center of the upper plate. Both spots are 140 mm thick.

    fv244 chopper front armor lower plate thickness

    Interesting thing here is that the lower plate is actually stronger then the upper plate for about 10 mm of effective armor. Therefore if you are facing this tank in a tier 6 tank with around 175 mm of penetration, you have a better chance of damaging the enemy by hitting the upper plate.

    fv244 chopper front turret armor thickness

    Turret is not really solid either, forehead and cheeks are around 180-190 mm thick.

    fv244 chopper front armor layout when using the gun depression

    While using the gun depression, situation is better, you are hiding your weakpoint on top of the turret, hull armor is now around 215 mm thick.

    You can still penetrate the tank while in this position into the driver’s hatch in the center of the vehicle because even at this angle it has 140 mm of effective armor.

    fv244 chopper side armor layout

    Side profile is quite large, flat and poorly armored, only around 60 mm of effective armor, high tier tanks will be able to pen your side with HE or HESH rounds.

    fv244 chopper rear armor layout

    Rear of the tank is much of the same, pennable with HE and HESH rounds, autocannon light tanks will demolish you if they manage to flank you.

    Miscellaneous

    CharacteristicChopperT29
    Stationary camo8.094.79
    … after firing1.821.05
    Moving camo4.052.39
    … after firing0.910.53
    View range360370
    Radio range460777.03
    Fire chance20%20%
    Tank cost1,500,0001,450,300
    Shell cost3651,009

    Actually the stationary camo is almost double as good as it’s on the T29 which is suprising as the tank is not that much smaller then the american counterpart.

    Seems like there is a trend with this radio range on UK double barrel heavies, once again it’s a lot worse then tanks on the same tier have.

    Coated optics will be a must because of the bad 360 meters view range otherwise you’ll be blind.

    Shell cost is low considering the alpha damage, good for the free to play

    Conclusion

    It’s a decent tier 7 tank with good DPM, decent mobility, great gun handling and usable armor especially on the ridgeline. There are no areas really where the tank is really bad, in our opinion it is one of the better heavies at this tier. Fighting tier 8s and 9s will be more of a challenge, they can pen you anywhere frontally and with such a low alpha damage it will be really hard to trade or even shut down higher tier enemies.

    Check out our other reviews:

  • DZT-159 Review – Best premium at tier 9? World of Tanks

    DZT-159 Review – Best premium at tier 9? World of Tanks

    Review of the new tier 9 premium, the DZT-159, in world of tanks, which on paper seems like a very solid tank, but not as good as the best tier 9 premium, Object 752. A bit lower DPM compared to WZ-120, but with great turret armor and rocket boosters, it poses a threat to same and lower tier vehicles. It brings a new way of playing medium tanks and you can have a lot of fun with it.

    DZT-159 tank

    Wargaming is not stopping with releasing new tier 9 premium tanks, just in the contrary, they are picking up the pace.So, this is the new Chinese tier IX medium tank with rocket boost mechanic. Compared to the rocket boosters equipped on the heavy tanks, these packs are shorter in duration, but there are more of them avaliable for use, 7 pops at 5 second duration.

    List of content:

    Firepower

    SpecDZT-159WZ-120
    DPM2,353.442,503.20
    Penetration260 mm249 mm
    Damage per shot440440
    Rate of fire5.355,69
    Reload time11.2210.55
    Caliber122122
    Shell velocity1,150m/s950m/s
    Ammo capacity4040
    Shell cost1,2051,065

    We’ll grab the tech tree WZ-120 as a guide, so it seems like there are some characteristics that are better such as the penetration and the shell velocity on the DZT and there are those that are worse such as the DPM, but not by much.

    I would tho prefer this kind of gun from the DZT since I value the penetration much more then the DPM and also shell velocity of only 950m/s feels clunky to snipe with on longer ranges.

    Overall the DZT’s gun is a very reliable one, hits hard, DPM is not the best in class, but you can definitely make it work.

    Gun Handling

    SpecDZT-159WZ-120
    Aim Time 2.59s2.59s
    Dispersion0.380.36
    … moving0.20.14
    … tank treverse0.20.14
    … turret treverse0.080.12
    Depression73

    Gun handling is fine for a tier 9 with such a hard hitting gun, while the dispersion values are not quite as good as on the WZ, aim time is reasonable and the best thing about this tank is the gun depression at great 7 degrees. It allows you to work a ridge line quite a bit easier and overall to be a lot more flexible.

    Quite an unusual thing that the chinese tank has a good amount of gun depression, but I guess WG thought I could be a good idea since the tank has great turret armor.

    Mobility

    SpecDZT-159WZ-120
    Forward speed40 km/h60 km/h
    Reverse speed15 km/h20 km/h
    Power/weight15.6117.05
    Turret treverse26.0743.81
    Tank treverse41.7247.98

    Quite of a slow medium actually at the today’s standards, only 40 km/h top speed and also the reverse speed is not great at only 15, makes pulling back quite slow. Turret treverse is very bad at only 26 degrees, almost half as slow compared to something like the WZ-120, tank treverse is not bad tho.

    With such a mediocre treverse you might get into the situation where other mediums can easily outmaneuver you and shut you down.

    This is all true, but let’s not forget about the tank’s main feature and that is the rocket boost mechanic. It helps you a lot to get into the position at the start of the game, or boost around the battlefield to relocate. Be aware tho, only 7 charges, each lasting 5 seconds, but they boost your speed up to 68 km/h, quite a bit more then when used on heavy tanks.

    Armor

    DZT-159 frontal armor

    This is the highlight of this vehicle, it is a lot more heavily armored then a standard other medium tank.

    Turret effective thickness is around 310 mm, even tier 10s will have a hard time going through your turret with standard ammunition, but with gold they will find a lot more success, so keep an eye at which ammo the enemy is using. Turret is very solid for hull down positions, but you have 2 commander hatches that can be penned even by tier 7s.

    Hull armor is not that great, around 190 mm of effective armor, it can pull of some bounces against lower tiers, but it is nowhere reliable.

    DZT-159 side armor

    Sides and rear are quite poorly armored, 80mm on the hull’s side and 50mm on the rear. Side of the turret has around 200 mm of effective armor, it can pull off some bounces.

    Use the terrain as cover as much as you can do hide your mediocre hull and show only a very thick turret. 7 degrees of gun depression will help you out with using different types of terrain to your advantage. If you are using your gun depression you even hide your turret’s hatches, meaning you don’t have any weakspots in that situation.

    Tips

    At the start of the game rush into the position before your enemies using the rocket boosters and catch them by surprise, but don’t use all of them at the start, leave at least 4 rocket charges for later stages in the game.

    Use rocket boosters to run away or relocate on the battlefield more quickly. Another use can can be to ram the vehicle with the less weight then you, this will also make use of the controlled impact crew skill.

    Your DPM is not high, in most cases you will lose a 1v1, stick to your teammates where they can support you while you reload.

    While you don’t have full 10 degrees of gun depression, you can’t really work every ridge line, but try to hide your hull as much as you can with the terrain, as well as your turret weakspots to deal damage effectively.

    Conclusion

    A very capable tank at tier 9, one of the best premiums at this tier and probably the best tank from 2024 christmas lootboxes. As every tier 9 premium, it earns a lot of credits, but keep in mind the shell cost is quite high at over 1,2k per shot. With the great turret and rocket booster, it add a new way of playing mediums and it is hell of a fun.

    Check out our review of another 2024 lootbox premium tank at tier 9: