In your opinion, what's the best tech tree for heavy tanks?

[76561199467657242]

I love the Italian tech tree because something about 20mm Nascar just delivers straight to my heart, and the later Tier II Tank Destroyers are cool (that 105mm one especially) but they do lack in big lumbering heavy tanks. I love heavy tanks like the Tiger and IS-3 because they're cool, nothing else needed. Speedy boys are fun but eventually you want to start branching off to newer things. After playing some thick armored Semoventes, I'm feeling like it's Tiger time (or whatever other heavy). So far I've invested a lot of time in the Chinese and German tech trees. If I wanted to go for heavies, what's the best choice?

[Cop Unit 12]

NOTE this is only TEC TREE VEHICLES. No premiums.

TLDR: Soviets are best, then Germany. France might have some good stuff if your willing to suffer a bit. UK is a joke like always and USA has no real heavy tanks.

Soviet. They have the most heavy's and most of their heavy's are good to op in some cases. The only "bad" heavy for the soviets is the IS2 due to its awful reload and somewhat poor armor for it's br.

Germany really only has 4 true "heavy tanks" after the br shuffle, the other heavy tanks are more or less just mediums with the heavy tank label. The Maus, tiger 2 h, Jadgtiger and Jadgpanther are the true heavy tanks in the German tec tree.

90% of us heavy tanks are overtiered and or just medium tanks with the heavy tank label. Only the 75 Jumbo to me is a true "heavy" tank due to it's current br placement.

UK's heavy tanks are like a dice roll (often against you) if they are even fun to play. Most if not all UK heavy tanks suffer from either Poor armor, poor maneuverability and or poor armament Churchill III being the biggest example, having all 3 at once. With the APDS changes the Conqueror has a gun that is only really effective at 6.0 at 7.7 if that.

France to me seems to have some solid heavy TD options. Their early "heavy" tanks are just mobile pillboxes. I would suggest you look into France a bit.

[FryingTiger]

For me the Russians are the best if you are just looking to play big tanks due to them having them relatively early in thier TT (rank 2) without getting like the T35 Premium Heavy at rank I (Even though its so fun) and a good variety of designs. Americans get fun too, but if you already have worked a portion of the German tree as you say then you cant really go wrong there either. Big Cats are certainly really fun to play.

[Gold Merchant Lev]

I think it’s a toss between Germans and Soviets. If I ever have that battle pass challenge to get X number of kills with heavy tanks. I’m immediately using the 5.7 or 6.7 German line up to do it. Keep your distance, angle well and you’re golden to get lots of kills. German reload rate is what sells their heavies to me over the Soviets.

France has some good ones but they’re too high in BR nearly 7.7 and only have solid shot mostly I think. Fun to play every now and then but not reliable like German heavies.

[spartakisteqc]

It depends of what you seek. I would say that the Soviet heavy tanks are, generally speaking, those with the best armor with the exception of the two IS-2s which have decent, but not that impressive armor for the BR. However, after the KVs, a lot of them rely on the famous 122mm A-19 artillery gun which uses two parts ammunitions and is crazy long to reload. It does hit like a high speed train ramming you at 350 km/h though.

Again, generally speaking, the German heavy tanks have the best firepower, but only the Tiger IIs, the Maus (if you got it) and the Jagdtiger (tank destroyer, but it plays like a turretless heavy tank) have armor worthy of the name. The Tiger I armor is misleading. Since it's largely flat, it will only hold if you angle the tank. If you aren't angled, it's pretty much a sluggish medium tank with a powerful gun.

In addition, at about 8.0, the Germans transition into a light armored, but high speed "meta" and they won't have much in terms of armor until the Leopard 2A4 at 10.7.

As for the Americans, they only have heavy tanks that feel like heavy tanks in between 6.7 and 7.7. And they're pretty scary at that. However, the T series are at their best staying at range and hiding their hulls because the hull armor isn't that impressive especially the lower frontplate and the machine gun port. The only exception are the T32E1 and the M103 which are almost completely immune to APCBC from the front and only vulnerable to HEAT. They all have terrible hull sides protection and a ton of ammo racks near the floor, so hide those flanks.

Their firepower differs, but it's generally high, but some of them have long reloads.

As for the other countries, the presence of heavies are spotty at best. If that's the gameplay that you seek, the British could work, but the others don't have much to offer in a consistent way.

So, my recommendation would be to go for USSR, Germany or USA. What you will choose will depend on your preferences. USSR is the country that has the most heavy tanks in its tree and they consistently are well armored and armed, but you're plagued with slow reloads with the 122mm. The tech tree around them also favors armor on the medium tanks.

Germany are the better ones for long range gunnery, but the heavy tanks appear suddenly and disappear as suddenly as they first came about.

USA has some very poweful and annoying heavy tanks, but like Germany they suddenly disappear and don't come back.

[Mirage]

Russia has actual heavy tanks, US as well, Germany only the Tiger ll and that's more of a medium in playstyle, the Jagdtiger doesn't fit the game at all, Ferdinand can be fun.

[Shyue Chou]

I am enjoying my AMX-50 Surbaissé but it essentially has no armour to speak of.

[KNightstyleZ]

Beginners/Low Tier: France/UDSSR
Mid-Tier: Germany, Sweden, USA, Russia
Top Tier: Germany, Sweden, USA, Great Britain, France, Japan and kinda UDSSR
At least thats my point of view

[caducous]

Probably USSR, they are the most consistent throughout the tech tree with armor.

[SpiralRazor]

russian troll armor on its heavies cant be beat.

[76561199467657242]

Well I don't plan on modern MBTs cause I love my early cold war and ww2 the best. Maybe later. Soviets it is