Everything You Need to Know About the IS-2

Tank combat can be complicated. So here's everything you need to know the IS-2 and it's variants.

Disclaimer

This guide is based on my experiences using the IS-2 in arcade battles. Statements made below are not accurate for realistic or simulator battles.

Basic Information, Pros, and Cons

The IS-2 is the main Soviet heavy tank seen in tier IV. Its battle rating is 6.0, so it can see tier III and tier IV games regularly.

The IS-2 have a powerful 122mm main armament that is more than capable at destroying enemy tanks. It's stock round (APHE) doesn't have too much penetration, only a maximum penetration of 200mm at 90 degrees and 179mm at 500m away. The upgraded ammo (APHEBC), however, is better in every way, except for a negligible increase in bounce chance. Most tank's weak spots are flat however, so this factor is not important. You do have to aim for weak spots on most vehicles due to your comparatively low penetration. The HE rounds on the IS-2 should not be underestimated. With the ablility to rip through 36mm of armour in a 360 degree radius, it is capable of damaging lighter tanks. The power of the gun is balanced with the length of the IS-2's reload rate (27.1-20.8 seconds).

The armour of the IS-2 is unfortunately not good. It has the same armour as the tier III, BR 5.7 IS-1. Any tier IV tank can easily pen its armour.

Despite being a heavy tank, the IS-2 is quite mobile at a max speed of 42kph. When fully upgraded, it can reach this speed on flat, on or off road terrain. It is a bit sluggish when stock though. It also has a decent turret rotatation for a heavy with the help of crew points and upgrades. Its gun elevation is good for a standard tank at 20 degrees. Its gun depression, like all soviet vehicles, is poor to say the least, -3 degrees.

So...
Pros:
Powerful gun
Decent mobility
Good gun elevation

Cons:
Long reload
Gun penetration not up to standard
Bad gun depression
Weak armour

Variants

IS-2 mod. 1944/IS-2 "Revenge"
This variant has an increased battle rating of 6.7, but fixes the biggest weaknesses of the IS-2. It gains a sloped front, making the hull reasonably unpenable from the front. It also gets a new ammo type, APCBC. It has 230mm max pen while losing some of the explosive filler inside the shell. The loss only matters in some cases against certain tanks. While not major, the mod. 44 gains extra 30mm track armour on the center of its lower glacis and a 12.7mm AA machine gun that is good at knocking down obstacles like trees and fences, killing light vehicles like Hellcats, and hitting planes in Arcade for a possible free kill or assist.

Tactics

Playstyles
The IS-2 is a heavy tank with good mobility, so it should be near the front at all times. With the standard IS-2, pop in and out of cover with your good forward and reverse gears as a support heavy. You can take some hits, but don't rely on it. Use the cover to protect yourself during reloads. DO NOT confuse this with sniping. Assist better armoured heavies in knocking enemy tanks while watching their flanks and hitting targets that they aren't to maximize your firepower. You have to be close in order to knock out heavier targets. Always continue moving up with the front line. If you are the highest tier tank on your team, use the same strategy as that of the mod. 1944. With the IS-2 mod. 1944, continue being an support heavy, but if you're the heaviest unit at the front, become a main heavy and absorb shots for lighter allies as you push. Try angling your hull very slightly to increase the thickness of your lower glacis. This can expose your 115mm weakspot (90mm on standard), so use your mobility to scoot back and forth while reloading to make it hard for enemies to hit it. If you can hide your lower plate, this is less important, but scoot if possible because it is possible to be knocked out through your turret ring.

Tips

• Avoid situations that require gun depression. This includes cresting ridges, attacking an enemy climbing up a hill at you, and counter sniping across ridges.
  
• Load the round with the best penetration. Their downsides are worth the extra pen.
  
• You can try unloading some shells to reduce the chance of an ammo rack detonation, but it isn't really worth it since the IS-2 carries not many rounds to begin with and will always have racks in the turret.
  
• Try to stay below enemies. Your gun elevation can be used to its fullest while reducing the need for gun depression and the weakness of your lower plate
  
• When battling enemies that don't have rounds with explosive filler (most american and british tanks), driving backwards to let your engine and diesel fuel absorb damage. You obviously need parts to do this.

Upgrade Path

• Parts
  
• Horizontal Drive
  
• FPE (Although the new ammo type is very important, staying alive is even more important)
  
• BR-471B
  
• Elevation Mechanism
  
• Adjustment of Fire
  
• Does matter after

For mod. 44

• Parts
  
• Horizontal Drive
  
• FPE
  
• BR-471B
  
• BR-471D
  
• Elevation Mechanism
  
• Adjustment of Fire
  
• Doesn't matter after

How to Counter

The best way to counter the IS-2 is to play to its weaknesses. Force it into situations where it needs gun depression, sneak around and hit it on the sides, catch it in the open, or wait for it to fire before engaging. The weakspots of both models are shown below. The turret ring is also a possibly frontal weak point.











Depending on what gun you're using, different weakspots should be prioritized.
Any Round with Explosive Filler and Enough Pen
[1] Lower glacis is the best target, [2] upper plate (only against standard IS-2) if lower plate is hidden, [3] then turret front, with [4] the turret ring as a last resort.
When shooting the side, [1] hit below turret to knock out the turret crew, [2] front of the hull if the rest of the hull is hidden, [3] the back of the turret to hit ammo, [4] Hit mid turret to knock out turret crew, [5] hit the fuel in the back and hope you can get the fuel to detonate.
The side angled plate is the best option if it's flat to you.

Any APCR or APDS Round
Mostly aim for weakspots that contain crew (especially the gunner/loader) or ammo when on the side. Frontal priorities are unchanged.

Any HEAT Round with Enough Pen
Aim for weakspots that contain crew or ammo (basically the turret)

Conclusion

I hope you use this information to improve your tank game and benefit whatever team you're playing with. Let me know if there is something that I might have missed. Have fun!

[liamdudley007]

Is 2 may be the most overated tank ever, shoot it literally anywhere in the turret (or glaces for the is 1) with a decent gun for a free kill

[Wunder]

*meanwhile is butchering IS series in Jap Tiger H/E Hybrid*

[Gray Fox]

Step 1: go up against overtiered Tiger I's
Step 2: free kills

[Blamite Delight]

oh trust me, shooting the drivers hatch and lower glacis were the driver and fuel tanks are with my tiger II is fun, I have no issues killing these vehicles.

[The Uncleanest One]

Step 2: Hide behind allied tanks and use them as a meatshield.

[thefinity]

Step 1. Steal kills from German tanks
Step 2. ???
Step 3. Profit

[The Uncleanest One]

It's not good, the Tiger II has a better turret traverse. Also, I think that both IS's need all the mobility mods, specially brakes because in certain situations you need fast reactions and the IS stock has a slower reaction time. Also you forgot to mention the problem that the Mod 44 has. The problem with it is that you can't angle your armor to use correctly the sloped front because you expose a weak spot.

[RedTipAlpha]

wait, you think the is-2 has good turret traverse? lol it's only 8.3 degrees per second maybe up to 11

[The Uncleanest One]

Thank god someone did a guide on this tank. Maybe now I'll start seeing less IS-2 trying to be Tiger II's.