Vz.44-1 - Contender for worst tier 7 heavy tank

[Balthazars 210]

Okay, so I know no one likely cares about lower tier tanks, and everyone is rushing off to play the OP tier 10 before it gets nerfed, but what the heck, I started at tier 7 and am grinding like your typical average-ish idiot so why the heck not make a thread and do my usual little review.

As the title suggests, I greatly dislike the Vz.44-1 and feel it is absolutely a contender for worst tier 7 heavy in the game. Let's see how it compares to some of the other contenders for that title, being the Black Prine, the AMX M4 45 and the Tiger (P) - with the top gun it has better alpha than all of them, but significantly worse DPM, as in, tragically worst-in-class-for-the-tier DPM (1,655 base - particularly bad in comparison to the AMX which for just 20 alpha less gets 300 more DPM). Even the Tiger P is about 100 DPM better off, so while the alpha is good for the tier, you're not killing anything particularly quickly. You also get bad gun handling, more or less worst for the tier/class and about as bad as the T29.

Speaking of the T29 (it has better DPM too for the same alpha) and obviously gets a godlike turret. In contrast, this thing's turret is flat and not very thick meaning it will get penetrated regularly, especially by higher tiers, and also has a big cuploa. The hull is surprisingly okay for the tier, and will bounce a lot of <200 pen stuff if angled well, although that might also have been due to people not knowing that they needed to aim a bit early after it's introduction.

Mobility is bad, worse than all the others except the Black Prince as it is capped at 30 although it at least reaches it quite well. It also has a long hull so turns poorly. View range is okay for the class in the tier but you will be a bit blind especially if the crew is not good.

The middle gun feels like an okay alternative, as you have actual DPM if you use it, but 175 pen for 250 alpha is lackluster and requires you to fire a lot of gold because bounces are quite painful. Gun handling is also still bad with this gun as well.

40 games (all I could stomach) for 50% win rate (I was 44% for most of it but the top gun did help me improve), 1,244 DPG which is way worse than my AMX and Tiger P, but better than my Black Prince, with 345 average assist.

Overall, very few redeeming features and not particularly fun to play. Recommend skipping if one has the Free XP/blueprints.

[Expendable_Lad 753]

I feel you - I just started the line on this tank. I am in my last game or so. Free XP'd zero on it, but had like a radio from the medium line. 

Mobility is a drag, literally, especially traverse.. As you say, middle gun gives you something to work with on firepower. Armor is actually pretty solid against everything under you, so big bully capacity when top tier. Turret has like 200 effective.

You cannot snapshot with any of these guns. 

I used my daily multipliers, and a few leftover x5s to blast through it. Humbling. 28 games, 57% WR, 1400 DPG, but only like 12-14 games in it fully kitted out. 

At the same time, I had a 4.8k + 2k spotting game on Prok for 1468 base XP in a tier IX game and that was not an Ace Tanker. WTF?

[Balthazars 210]

10 hours ago, Expendable_Lad said:

At the same time, I had a 4.8k + 2k spotting game on Prok for 1468 base XP in a tier IX game and that was not an Ace Tanker. WTF?

You must be very unlucky. I got an Ace Tanker with only 1,417 base XP on 12 August, so I can only suppose that some good players have started to have some nice results in it.

[Panzergraf 68]

Aced mine with 1309 base XP on 11 August, semi-stock - I had the tracks and the second gun. Used blueprints to get the tier 8 as soon as I could, so I never experienced it fully upgraded, but the games I played in it with the 100mm weren't bad. It's not a good tier 7, but I wouldn't say it's the worst ever. I liked it more than the tier 7 Cz medium, for what it's worth.

The handful of games I played in it with the stock 88mm were absolutely garbage though.

[Balthazars 210]

9 minutes ago, Panzergraf said:

The handful of games I played in it with the stock 88mm were absolutely garbage though.

The stock 88 is a bad joke. 145mm of pen and gun handling as bad as on the top gun means you're aiming for ages for a tiny amount of damage. Plus the gold round is 200mm-pen HEAT which is a huge risk on side-shots with tracks or at a target with spaced armour, although at least I found that it allows you to kill other Vz's relatively reliably by going through the turret face.

[Panzergraf 68]

Yeah no kidding. I had like 300 dpg with that gun for my first 7 games or so in that tank.
As mentioned in another thread, I dun goofed and spent all my free XP on field mods before I remembered I was gonna go for the Cz heavies
At least the tier 10 was worth the horrible stock grinds!

[SchnitzelTruck 3,600]

I love visiting here every couple months to see what other trash has been added.

Ooof, thats a trashy tank and even trashier grind

*leaves for 2 more months*

[sr360 4,988]

I for one don’t understand why people are still grinding. I have 2000 universal blueprints and 100+ of each nation. In 2021, it is insanely easy to jump straight to the end of any line you choose to. 

[Balthazars 210]

6 hours ago, sr360 said:

I for one don’t understand why people are still grinding. I have 2000 universal blueprints and 100+ of each nation. In 2021, it is insanely easy to jump straight to the end of any line you choose to. 

I can't really explain it, but it's sort of like a bit of a challenge. I do think I have enough blueprints plus free XP to go straight to the top of the line, but I kind of want to experience what the game would be like for someone that is doing the 'intended progression'.

The other reason for me is crews. I don't have a lot of crew skill books, so I often grind the line to get the crew to a half-decent shape by the time I get to the tier 10.

[Expendable_Lad 753]

15 hours ago, sr360 said:

I for one don’t understand why people are still grinding. I have 2000 universal blueprints and 100+ of each nation. In 2021, it is insanely easy to jump straight to the end of any line you choose to. 

Honestly - it's to remember how bad stock grinds are, how easily I start tilting with them, and how bad I am when I have to figure out new, crappy tanks, for some hollow sense of success and accomplishment before I retreat back to tanks with bond equipment I know inside and out.

It's like just before you 3 mark a tank when you are at 92.5% and start tryharding, potato a few games and set yourself back another 10 before you collect yourself, relax and power through for the 3rd mark - but you're always in that valley.  

[SchnitzelTruck 3,600]

23 hours ago, sr360 said:

I for one don’t understand why people are still grinding. I have 2000 universal blueprints and 100+ of each nation. In 2021, it is insanely easy to jump straight to the end of any line you choose to. 

People play WoT because they hate themselves. Grinding is the most effective form of self harm.

[GehakteMolen 2,063]

I like this tank more as the t8 though, the t8 truly has no strength to leverage, this one has atleast pen / alpha dmg