Tech Tree Tuesday: Pz.Kpfw.VIII Maus

Posted a bit early or else i'll forget.

#Tier 10: Maus

The heaviest tank in the game, and in fact the heaviest enclosed terrestrial AFV ever constructed. Unfortunately it’s not actually all that good a tier 10. It’s not a great tank to carry matches in, but the sheer absurdity of the vehicle is attractive. Somewhere along the way to 190 tons it ceased to be just a tank, it’s a monster clad in steel and propelled relentlessly forward by a 1,750 HP fighter plane engine. You can't ram a Maus, you can't shove a Maus.

Playstyle: Semi-mobile Maginot Line

There isn’t much more to it than that. You spawn, you pick a direction, and you commit. You are too slow to switch flanks. You block a lane and hope that the other team doesn’t go around. There is little finesse to the Maus, merely a grinding, implacable advance. Go to the place on the map where you’ll find terrain most favorable to this, narrow choke points. You can’t play camo games, you can’t realistically flank, you are largely unable to exploit holes in the enemy line, etc. You are the 300 at Thermopylae, it is your job to pick a blocking spot and sell yourself as dearly as possible while your team gets about the business of actually winning. Rarely does a Maus win a match, but it can certainly prevent losing. Despite the weight it’s unlikely you’ll ever be able to ram anything for any significant damage, you’re simply too slow to catch anything, but you can periodically surprise a moving enemy and use their speed against them.

Pros

• 2500 HP, more than any other tank in the game (though the budget-conscious types will wince at the repair bill (don’t drive this tank if you’re not feeling spendy)).
• Above-average damage per shot for tier 10 heavies.
• Sheer weight makes you ram-proof.
• Thick armor and side skirts can bounce numerous rounds and blunt HE splash damage.
• You can use the glacis plate as a slide.
• Reasonable gun depression at -8°, though the great height and rear mounting of the turret sometimes conspire to wipe out any advantage this can convey.
• More ammo than you can realistically ever expend in a match.
• Surprisingly good acceleration thanks to low terrain resistance values.
• Surprisingly good reverse speed. 15 kph backwards. Very useful for a vehicle with a rear-mounted turret. Enables you to keep your strong bow armor pointed at the enemy without sacrificing much speed.

Cons

• You are slow. The acceleration is good, but a cap of 25 kph limits your strategic mobility greatly, and the glacial turning speed does the same for tactical mobility.
• Exceedingly large, one of the biggest vehicles in the game. An easy target to hit, if not always to damage.
• Camo is virtually nonexistent. Generally this isn’t a strong suite for heavies anyway, but the Maus takes it to an extreme, as it does so many other things.
• Long reload. Though raw DPM is rarely ever realized, particularly on vehicles like the Maus which can't maneuver to keep opponents engaged, the rare times when you are given the opportunity you'll wish for a faster firing speed.
• Armor doesn’t work as well as one would hope, particularly your turret. Well-angled, the Maus is extremely tough (though not invulnerable). Unfortunately, to fire you have to turn your turret towards the enemy and at that point a frighteningly large number of vehicles you face can punch through the armor.
• Unimpressive penetration relative to its peers.
• Cost. Tier 10s are generally expensive to run, but the Maus even more so.
• Rear-mounted turret. It does enable or enhance a couple tricks but is more often detrimental.

Setting up the tank

Ammo

With 68 rounds and a stock 14.9 second reload you simply will not fire all of your ammo. Consequently you should carry an even 30/30 split of AP and APCR with the remaining 8 rounds HE. (I think it's 68, right?) This allows you to have more of any type of round than you will fire in a match (and probably the next match, too). That said, the AP penetration is anemic relative to other tier 10s, and your long reload means any bounced shots hurt. If you can afford it there is no drawback to firing purely APCR, even if only for the velocity bonus. The long reload often makes it impractical to switch ammunition types on the fly.

Consumables

As the Maus has frontally-mounted fuel tanks and engine and a marked inability to avoid incoming rounds, a fire extinguisher is a necessity. An auto extinguisher is beneficial, not catching fire in the first place is better and cheaper than putting one out after the fact, after all. The standard med kit and repair kit are also recommended. You can’t do anything fancy with the Maus, so just keep yourself alive and plugging away. Premium versions of these items will also be beneficial. The Maus is already an expensive vehicle to operate, might as well go whole-hog.

#Tier 9: VK 4502 (P) Ausf. B

Probably the high point of the line, the 4502 (P) Ausf. B has, quite possibly, the best armor for its tier of any heavy in the game. It is better for carrying a match than the Maus as it maintains excellent armor protection while moving a good bit faster, giving it at least some ability to respond to changing battle conditions.

Uncommon for vehicles in this game, both the glacis and lower frontal plates are of identical (great) thickness. Opponents seeking to exploit this common vulnerability will find just as many rounds skipping off the lower section as they will the upper. Now this isn’t to say you are invulnerable, high penetration TD or premium rounds can still go through if you are careless, but you are about as well protected frontally as you can be. Be wary of getting flanked, though, your armor on the sides and rear will not hold up and your side profile is very large.

Playstyle: Front-line anchor and assault vehicle

You are not a sniper, a flanker, or a scout (excepting the enemies you reveal by coming into direct contact with). You need to be at the front in the thick of it all. Unlike the Maus you are just fast enough to get to and keep up with most battles, and you need to be the vanguard, the wall upon which the enemy must break while your softer team mates with greater damage output drive them back. You can, of course, take a good chunk out of the other team yourself along the way.

Pros

• Best bow armor of any heavy tank.
• Armor. No really, I can’t stress this enough. It’s nuts.
• Good damage per shot and penetration for tier.
• Large HP pool for tier (though not as inflated as the Maus)
• Fairly high weight makes for some decent ram opportunities or protection.

Cons

• Rear-mounted turret
• -5° of depression
• Slow. Not as bad as the Maus, but you won’t be outmaneuvering many vehicles.
• Long reload.
• Side profile is quite large and not well armored.

Setting up the tank

Ammo

You can’t carry the insane amount of ammunition that the Maus can, but you can still carry quite a lot considering your rate of fire. The AP penetration is a bit more capable for the tier, so APCR is not needed as often, but again it’s a straight upgrade so the more you can afford to fire the easier your life will be.

Consumables

Same as the Maus for the same reasons.

#The Grind

Tier 8: VK 4502 (P) Ausf. A

There are a number of good “heavium” tanks that inhabit the border between heavy or medium tanks (E-50 for example), but I would not place the Ausf. A amongst them. I wouldn’t declare it an awful tank, but tier 8 is awash with great vehicles, so declaring a tier 8 as ‘not outstanding’ is a significant condemnation. It lacks the powerful gun of the IS-3 or Tiger II or the durability of the T32, and is gifted with an unimpressive -6° of depression and top speed for a vehicle that doesn’t have much going for it other than its mobility.

Tier 7: Tiger (P)

Another creation of the...eccentric Dr. Ferdinand Porsche (yes, that Porsche), it was the loser in the Tiger project competition. Still, he was a friend of Hitler’s and a bunch of hulls got made anyway. Most of these were converted to Ferdinand (later Elefant) assault guns where they guzzled fuel and broke down a lot thanks to Porsche’s gas-electric drive system. One Tiger (P) served on the Eastern front as a command vehicle.

The Tiger (P) manages to have slow speed, anemic rate of fire, and an unfortunately flawed armor scheme. Like the 4502 Ausf. A it’s not the worst option for its tier, but when vehicles like the Tiger or T29 exist it’s hard to recommend, especially when the thing it sacrifices so much for (armor) is not actually that great. With a weak turret and numerous vulnerabilities on the bow armor, the 200mm armor sections often don’t convey much benefit.

Tier 6: VK 3001 (P)

The VK 30.01 (P) is often referred to as the 3001 (P)retty Awful. It remains the only German tier 6 medium able to carry an 8.8cm and it is fairly speedy in a straight line, but unfortunately it’s quite large and dumps speed in a turn faster than a shopping cart hitting mud. It’s a direct predecessor of the Tiger (P) and shares the size, but lacks even that level of armoring. I can’t say I’ve ever been impressed with the vehicle. It also has one of the worst stock grinds around.

adapted from u/stranamechty