How to survive and make contribution in a heavy tank when lots of SPGs around?

[RaidenSears 2]

As my stats are growing higher this summer, I find that the chances I am getting focused down by enemy arties are rocketing(Not that I am exceptionally good but I am better than my teammates most of the times; you know, world of tanks  ) 

My play style is the rather aggressive kind, always leading my teammates to charge at enemies and use my armor to absorb damage(esp in tanks like 110, E75, etc.) But how do you do that while effectively avoid SPG fire?

I have tried to stay behind hard covers but I find it rather boring, and my DPG will be affected by a lot.

Thank you for your advice!

[PlanetaryGenocide 676]

There's really not that much you can do about it other than hugging the shit out of tall hard cover.

[SFC_Storm 58]

Also keeping track of the arties and when they fire is key.

 

So you see a GWPanther and you want to go in the middle part of Prok. You go over the hill and everytime your spotted after you exchange fire you roll backwards in a zig zag pattern for 5 secs then start up hill back to the spot where you will peek.

 

What this does is never gives the arty longer than say 7 secs to fully zoom in, and when you back down you will accel faster than normal.

 

Now lets say he fires. He either hits or misses you probably a miss or splash, the seond you see that you play aggressive as shit for 30 seconds. This is your time to play hard. You roll up to the ridge and this is the time you actually can roll over a bit and peek. No more than 30 secs of this. Wait for the next volley and repeat. [This gets complicated with multiple arties, but you have to try]

 

So basically when he is loaded NO MORE than 7 secs ANYWHERE. I say this because in 7 secs a arty can fire a HEAT or AP round and really hurt you. Always try to be on a hill as well. I love being on the backside of a hill so that when im spotted I roll back super fast, this helps with arty and escaping enemies and luring them into your TD/cover fire. And since I play US heavies they are soooo slow in reverse and you need that. it also changes your angle verse arties with lower arc and they cant often get a clean shot. If you keep zig zagging when lit and presenting a hard target usually arty will move on, but the worst is beingthe first target hit by a newb clicker as he will then spend all game chasing that "Hit" and literally focus in on you until he s dead.

 

Remember bad clickers are super tunnel visioned. So if you are getting artied to hell and back dont be afraid to relocate altogether so when he sees your spot your gone and his pubbie brain resets to another poor bastard.

[Chiefofops 95]

Funny, I thought arty was supposed to prevent camping... LOL. The only time I'm truly safe from arty is when I'm humping a big tall building (camping). Even zig zagging has it's cons- because then you're bleeding speed, and some tanks just cant zig zag- like an Ehundo or T34. I just try to keep track of when they fire, although it's pretty hard to keep track when there's 3 in a game. 

 

edited my poor spelling...

[dirtd0g 1,181]

Arty is useless without eyes. You can also try and prioritize scouts and things lighting you, but that's difficult to do if you find yourself at the front all of the time. I am an extremely aggressive player as well, but will often wait for my pubbie potatoes to potato first thinning out the ranks a bit before I lead a charge.

[Victrix 2,299]

In the very few games I've played, Ive gotten pretty upset when im sidescraping well, and all of a sudden, lose 900 HP.. Not exactly sure what to do in this situation either, other than don't stray too far from cover, and keep moving?

[stagnate 513]

In the very few games I've played, Ive gotten pretty upset when im sidescraping well, and all of a sudden, lose 900 HP.. Not exactly sure what to do in this situation either, other than don't stray too far from cover, and keep moving?

 

Get familiar with possible arty locations, and know what corners can be hit by arty vs those that can't.  Preferably sidescrape where they can't hit.  If you are in an arty vulnerable location, make sure that you line your sidescrape up so that you can get well behind the building until/unless you know arty is aimed in (minimize exposure).  If you do get hit by arty or see arty shooting, decline the engagement, just hold the corner further behind the building so you can't get hit.

 

Any arty shot that lands next to your side will do a lot of damage even without a direct hit (thin side armor), so you really don't want to sidescrape in those positions.  You can block the corner by sitting on it, but you won't be able to trade without being really careful.

[RaidenSears 2]

Also keeping track of the arties and when they fire is key.

 

So you see a GWPanther and you want to go in the middle part of Prok. You go over the hill and everytime your spotted after you exchange fire you roll backwards in a zig zag pattern for 5 secs then start up hill back to the spot where you will peek.

 

What this does is never gives the arty longer than say 7 secs to fully zoom in, and when you back down you will accel faster than normal.

 

Now lets say he fires. He either hits or misses you probably a miss or splash, the seond you see that you play aggressive as shit for 30 seconds. This is your time to play hard. You roll up to the ridge and this is the time you actually can roll over a bit and peek. No more than 30 secs of this. Wait for the next volley and repeat. [This gets complicated with multiple arties, but you have to try]

 

So basically when he is loaded NO MORE than 7 secs ANYWHERE. I say this because in 7 secs a arty can fire a HEAT or AP round and really hurt you. Always try to be on a hill as well. I love being on the backside of a hill so that when im spotted I roll back super fast, this helps with arty and escaping enemies and luring them into your TD/cover fire. And since I play US heavies they are soooo slow in reverse and you need that. it also changes your angle verse arties with lower arc and they cant often get a clean shot. If you keep zig zagging when lit and presenting a hard target usually arty will move on, but the worst is beingthe first target hit by a newb clicker as he will then spend all game chasing that "Hit" and literally focus in on you until he s dead.

 

Remember bad clickers are super tunnel visioned. So if you are getting artied to hell and back dont be afraid to relocate altogether so when he sees your spot your gone and his pubbie brain resets to another poor bastard.

Thanks a lot!

I will hopefully try and succeed in that method ----> maybe I sometimes should play as "scumbags" to see how is it like and where do they normally locate and aim (I have S51 but that is from KV2; barely played it....SPGs are just too boring to play)

[Pocktio 730]

Also keeping track of the arties and when they fire is key.

 

So you see a GWPanther and you want to go in the middle part of Prok. You go over the hill and everytime your spotted after you exchange fire you roll backwards in a zig zag pattern for 5 secs then start up hill back to the spot where you will peek.

 

What this does is never gives the arty longer than say 7 secs to fully zoom in, and when you back down you will accel faster than normal.

 

Now lets say he fires. He either hits or misses you probably a miss or splash, the seond you see that you play aggressive as shit for 30 seconds. This is your time to play hard. You roll up to the ridge and this is the time you actually can roll over a bit and peek. No more than 30 secs of this. Wait for the next volley and repeat. [This gets complicated with multiple arties, but you have to try]

 

So basically when he is loaded NO MORE than 7 secs ANYWHERE. I say this because in 7 secs a arty can fire a HEAT or AP round and really hurt you. Always try to be on a hill as well. I love being on the backside of a hill so that when im spotted I roll back super fast, this helps with arty and escaping enemies and luring them into your TD/cover fire. And since I play US heavies they are soooo slow in reverse and you need that. it also changes your angle verse arties with lower arc and they cant often get a clean shot. If you keep zig zagging when lit and presenting a hard target usually arty will move on, but the worst is beingthe first target hit by a newb clicker as he will then spend all game chasing that "Hit" and literally focus in on you until he s dead.

 

Remember bad clickers are super tunnel visioned. So if you are getting artied to hell and back dont be afraid to relocate altogether so when he sees your spot your gone and his pubbie brain resets to another poor bastard.

 

If there's multiple arties...good luck. One splash and track is all they need for the second or third to blap you.

Or the classic 'herp a derp whats an aim circle click' mentality which somehow nets arties hits, all the time. Somehow.

 

Then again prok is a bad example, that map is bad as fuck for arty.

 

I get the pain though, if the arty has XVM I know they will priorities me. It means I'm locked down, teams are too stupid to hold advantageous positions and I can't do anything the whole game. I just sit, pinned, they get hits on me while moving etc and many many games I see the arty damage is *only* my hp. It's remarkably frustrating, when you consider my team still falls on its face despite the fact they were basically playing without enemy arty.