Tech Tree: Object 268 - What Was Once the Rich Man's Foch

Today, we'll be going over the other Tier X Russian destroyer: the Obj 268. We'll start at the SU-100 SU-85B and go all the way to tier X.

In my opinion, this is probably the easiest TD line to grind and probably the most idiot-proof. It's basically point at the enemy and shoot, and you'd be surprised at how many bounces you get when you're shot. More on this later.

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Tier 4: SU-85B. What was once a rather overshadowed tank (especially by the pre-5.5 Hetzer) but is not that bad of a TD now. Disclaimer, I haven't actually played this tank (I skipped to the SU-85 using the old tech tree layout (if I remember correctly), so my info may not be entirely correct.

Stock grind: Like every other TD, this is based around the gun. The armor isn't good (it can be penned by a BT-7 art) and the mobility is meh. However, it has amazing penetration at 130 mm.

Positives: Great gun with awesome penetration, fairly good mobility

Negatives: Rear armor is next to nonexistent, and your gun depression is only 5˚.

Playstyle: Since I haven't actually played this tank (like at all), I can only give basic pointers. Play it as a second-line tank (like every other TD), and snipe in it if you're not sure. Also, camp bush in Fort Despair (with every other Tier 4 medium and light) to succeed easily. Seriously though, your armor scheme isn't great and you're basically a gun carrier.

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Tier 5: SU-85. Sorta like a STuG but with better alpha and longer reload.

Stock grind: With the nerfs and changes of lower tiers from 5.5, the tech tree has been modified. I can't remember the research order (I played this tank last in 2017), but you should go for the gun. You also have surprisingly good mobility (like a STuG) so you should try to get the engine. Of course, this is optional but still good to have.

Positives: Nice alpha, nice DPM, and fairly good penetration

Negatives: Your armor is more troll than anything else

Playstyle: This is a good introduction to the SU-100, although it functions more as an assault tank than a sniper. You have good alpha so you can knock off decent amounts of HP from enemies. You also have higher DPM than the STuG, so you can get into 1v1 battles and come out on top (usually). Your mantlet is also troll, so use it to bounce shots.

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Tier 6: SU-100. One of the strongest tier 6 TDs (in my opinion) with nasty alpha, great penetration, and fairly good mobility.

Stock grind: The 122 mm gun was my preferred gun, due to the high alpha as well as the more than adequate penetration. There is a smaller option that has the same penetration and higher DPM at the cost of lower alpha, but I always found huge alpha guns to be easier to run. As a result, go for either to 122 mm or the 100 mm, and you should be fine. The 122 mm prepares you better for the higher alpha of the rest of the line. I'd recommend the engine as well, because it helps with the mobility, and tracks can't hurt. The last two are optional if you don't plan to grind both Russian TD lines, but they're highly recommended.

Positives: Nasty alpha with more than adequate penetration; bouncy mantlet; fairly good mobility; gun handling isn't that bad

Negatives: Your armor is really only good enough to prevent getting full HE damage from 122 mm guns (from the front only); you have a really weak ammo rack that will get damaged a lot; you have enormous bloom when traversing and moving.

Equipment: Rammer and CS are pretty optional, depending on which gun you pick. The extra penetration doesn't hurt for the 122 mm, and the rammer can help you play it as an assault tank. I'd recommend camo net, and the rest are up to you. Take some HE rounds for wiping out low-health tanks (you can splash for lots of damage) and a few APCR, with the rest AP.

Playstyle: This is where the two guns determine the playstyle. With the 122 mm, you should snipe and wipe out large chunks of the enemy's health. With the 100 mm, play it as a second line tank and let your heavies take the damage while you pump out a ton of DPM. It's not a bad tank, and the 122 mm is quite fun, but it's not a great tank either.

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Tier 7: SU-152. Ah yes, the infamous derp tank.

Stock grind: You should play the tank with the stock 152 mm gun (which it gets for whatever reason). However, you need to make sure you get both 122 mm guns, otherwise your stock grind will be miserable for the ISU-152. I'd suggest keeping the tank, so make sure you get the engine and tracks. They make it much more mobile anyway.

Positives: An enormous alpha with hilarious HE penetration; troll mantlet; not bad mobility; pretty good HEAT rounds; penetration on AP isn't that awful at the end of the day; very troll mantlet; special RNG given by Papa Stalin.

Negatives: Your gun blooms larger than the state of Texas; some shots don't even go in the same zipcode as the tank you're aiming at; against some superheavies, you'll struggle to pen (ahem ahem VK 100.01 P)

Equipment: If you decide to be a masochist run the 122 mm gun, then you should get the rammer to play it as a fast-firing sniper (like the ISU-122 S). Otherwise, use CS to get your HE pen to nearly 100 mm (which is awesome) and your HEAT pen higher. You don't have great ammo capacity, but you should load up a lot of HE shells (you can always splash). Take a few AP for the sides of some tanks that have enormous tracks (or spaced armor).

Playstyle: With the 122 mm mounted, you play this as a sniper. I won't discuss more because you're playing it wrong anyway. With the 152 mm mounted, you run this thing as a second-line tank, and help your team by landing enormous loads of Soviet justice into your enemies. Not to mention, aiming is a secondary requirement because Papa Stalin watches you from heaven and guides your shells into the enemy. If a tank is completely red (like the VK 100.01 P), then fire HE to knock off a good amount of his health.

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Tier 8: ISU-152. All hail the BL-10.

Stock grind: You MUST get the BL-10 first. All other things can take a back seat. If you didn't already research the two 122 mm guns that the ISU-152 can mount, then go back to the SU-152 and grind them out. When you're stock, I actually advise running the 152 mm derp gun, because of the versatility of HE. Also, the APCR penetration of the 122 mm guns is quite bad. I understand that it sucks playing against tier 9 heavies with a tank that has a whopping 135 mm of AP penetration, but splash them and hope for the best. Getting the BL-9S is optional, although I'd advise holding out for the BL-10. Get the engine and tracks after (if you want to keep the tank).

Positives: 286 mm of AP penetration (that's amazing btw); troll mantlet; fairly good mobility; highly troll mantlet and tracks; special RNG given by Papa Stalin

Negatives: Your armor isn't that great (you can get HESHed by the Cent 7/1 from the front); your gun bloom, while not as large as Texas, is along the lines of Montana (so not great); you have 20 rounds.

Equipment: I, surprisingly enough, ran it with CS because of the boost to HE (which pays off in spades), but it's not necessary. You can run it with rammer if you play more aggressively, so up to you. When I played it, I took only 1 APCR round (because of the amazing AP penetration), took 5 HE (for splashing), and the rest AP.

Playstyle: You point and you shoot. That's really all there is to it. You don't have the mobility to play it as an assault gun, you don't have the armor to frontline, and you don't have the gun handling to shoot on the fly. If you ever do get into a one-on-one situation, then stick your enormous mantlet in the face of the enemy tank. Wherever the red's gun moves, you move your mantlet with it. You'd be amazed at how many bounces you get.

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Tier 9: Obj 704. An ISU-152, one tier higher, with the weirdest armor profile to ever exist.

Stock grind: None. If you don't have the BL-10, go back to the ISU-152 and get it. The engine and tracks help the mobility, but they're not necessary.

Positives: You have the weirdest armor profile of any tank in the game (besides a 268), with patches of spaced armor on the back and sides (it looks like a turtle shell); gun is still very competitive; more ammo capacity than ISU-152; gun handing seems slightly better.

Negatives: You're based on an IS-3 or IS-8 chassis, so you're not as fast as the ISU-152; your armor in the front isn't great; your traverse is kinda bad; the tank itself was rather boring to play; you lose the Papa Stalin RNG

Equipment: I ran the tank with CS, because your DPM is fine and the extra HE pen makes for very amusing moments (like nuking a Conqueror above the side-skirts). You have more ammo now, but you also face Tier X tanks, so take 5 APCR, a good number of HE rounds, and the rest AP.

Playstyle: I found this tank to be rather boring because of its no-longer-insane gun, but it should be played as a sniper. Your traverse is pretty bad, and you're speed is nothing great either, so it's not meant to be played like a Foch. You also don't have much of an armor profile (except for the back and sides). One other thing is that your tracks will eat so many shots from the front, and your mantlet is even larger than the ISU-152's. Same thing goes for 1v1 situations.

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Tier 10: Obj 268. What was once the ultimate Tier X 152 mm TD, but got overtaken by the "slightly" overcooked Foch 155 with its autoloader.

Stock grind: None.

Positives: Your frontal armor is incredibly troll, so much so that most Tier X mediums will have to resort to HEAT to penetrate; you have spaced armor on the sides and some on the back (if I'm not mistaken); you have a whopping 303 mm of AP penetration and 380 mm of HEAT penetration; your mobility isn't bad either; the legendary camo looks sweet.

Negatives: Your gun isn't the greatest in handling; you're not that fast in acceleration and your traverse is meh also; your DPM is pretty good but not great; Papa Stalin doesn't support your RNG anymore

Equipment: Run rammer because it's meant to be played as a sniper/assault tank. Everything else is up to you, really.

Playstyle: This is meant to be played as a sniper in the beginning, and use its speed to support the mediums for cleanup. You use the 152 mm gun to wipe out chunks of the enemies' health and, with your excellent pen, shots will rarely bounce. Keep in mind, your shell velocity is not great, so you should account for tanks' moving out of your aim circle. You can also duel with mediums because of your troll armor, and you can sidescrape as well due to your spaced armor. This has been overshadowed by the Foch 155, but that's not the object (pun totally intended) of my post.

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A general note on this line is that it's probably the easiest line for a newer player to pursue. These tanks have a very high floor, which makes it more enjoyable for newer players. I found the 263 to be more fun overall, and it seems to have a higher skill ceiling (due to the accuracy of the gun paired with the speed), but don't let that deter you from getting the Obj 268. Even with the recent buff for the Foch 155 that made it pretty overpowered, the Obj 268 is still a great tank and can really shine in the right hands. But, if your shots keep on missing, then don't forget that you can relocate and even play it as an assault tank, with good amounts of impunity.

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Hope you guys enjoyed the Tech Tree guide, and please leave comments below if there's anything I messed up on.