121 Guide

_Parox, on Jul 29 2015 - 14:50, said: So in honor of getting my second MOE on the 121, i decided to make a guide for my favorite tank in the game.   Aint she purty? First off, I'd like to say that this tank is NOT for everyone. It takes a bit of getting used to, like all chinese mediums, mainly because of the horrendous 3 degrees of gun depression. Seriously, its bad. Its the worst thing about this tank, but one of the only flaws.  Im going to go through the basic characteristics of the tank, and compare them with the characteristics of other tier 10 mediums on a scale of 1-10 (1 being the worst, 10 being the best) Damage per Shot : 10 Plain and simple, its the best alpha damage of all tier 10 mediums at 440 per shot. This means that it can very effectively peek-a-boom with other tier 10 mediums, and even some heavies. Damage per Minute : 5 2750 base dpm, right in the middle of the pack. better than the leopard, e50m, and m48, but worse than the fv 4202, stb 1, and russian mediums. Considering the fact that it has the best alpha damage, its interesting that it doesnt have the lowest DPM. Hit Points : 5 Its about average, at 1950. You can take a few hits, and combined with the amazing alpha, it allows you to trade shots with lots of different tanks.  Armor : 8 The infamous hull armor of the t54, coupled with a very sturdy rounded turret with 240mm of armor in the front, and a 240mm effective hull, it allows you to bully low tiers very well. The turret armor is bittersweet, as it is hard to go hull down with the limited gun depression. Another viable tactic is sidescraping, with 80mm of side armor and thick tracks. Mobility : 5 55 kph is slightly above average for tier 10 mediums, most are in the range of 50-55, there are a few that are in the 60-66 range and a few in the 40-45 range, but its by no means slow. it is capable of getting around the map fairly quickly, but the power/weight ratio is a bit lacking at just under 15 hp/ ton. The traverse speed is also very good, on par with the object 140 (although the terrain resistance isnt quite as good) Penetration : 5 It is tied for the lowest of all tier 10 mediums at 258, however it has AP as the standard ammo, so it gets extra normalization, making it more effective at shooting angled armor, but at the cost of slower shell velocity compared to the other APCR firing mediums. Gun Handling : 2 Its bad for mediums. Its slightly better than the batchat's. Camouflage : 8 Its roughly the same as the the Object 140. Its very good, however with the large gun and muzzle break it loses alot of camo firing.   So, now you know all this stuff. How can you apply it to actual game situations? Well... here was a really good replay of how to 121. It wasnt an exceptional game, but it was very good and highlighted the strengths (and weaknesses) In general, its good to find a spot where you can hide your hull without needing gun depression. For example, a spot you could use effectively in the Object 140 or even M48 will likely not be possible for the 121. However, your decent armor allows you to shrug off a few hits by sidescraping, angling your hull effectively, or hiding your hull altogether. Peek a Boom is a good tactic mainly against other mediums, but can work against certain heavies. Your mobility allows you to contest certain medium tank positions, such as they abbey on Abbey, and the hill on Mines. You also have the dpm to stay fairly competitive with other medium tanks in those positions, and the alpha to peek a boom if you get the chance to.  On an open map, it can be played for the most part like a medium, and should be played as one. On a mixed map, such as siegfried line, its up to you. If your team has a lack of heavies, it isnt a terrible idea to play the 121 as a pocket heavy.  On a city map, youre a pocket heavy. you shouldnt try to brawl with e100s and jagdpanzer e100s, but you can bully mediums/ lower tiers with your ability to play as a heavy and peek a boom. I know ive mentioned the Peek a Boom alot, but seriously, its very do able and viable in most situations.   Crew skills     Basically, this is how my skills look after ive retrained them recently. When youre going through the process:  Commander: Sixth sense, repairs, recon Gunner: Repairs, snap shot, Camo Driver: Repairs, Smooth ride, camo Loader: Safe stowage, Repairs, Camo By the time youre 50% through the third set of skills, retrain the first perk for each member to Brothers in Arms, then get the setup i just mentioned going again. Safe stowage is crucial. The ammo rack is horrendous without it, but a rare problem with safe stowage. If youre the kind of person who doesnt run premium fire extinguishers on anything, run one on the 121. The 10% less chance of getting lit on fire is very helpful with the frontal fuel tanks.   Equipment : Gun Rammer Vents Vertical Stabilizer  Its all about maximizing the DPM, and improving upon the poor gun handling. Vents can be switched for optics, but i would advise against this since the 121 is a brawler most of the time anyways, and its hilarious having the same reload as the e50m while having better damage per shot.   I hope this guide helps you, and makes you want to get a 121. It is a true beast of a tank and I feel bad for people who think that the lack of gun depression will make the tank unplayable. If you have any suggestions as to how i could improve the format of the guide, or if i left out a section that should be added in, please tell me.  I really hope to see more 121s in battle...