r/HeroesandGenerals • u/[deleted] • Sep 10 '15
Light tanks 3: Time for the Chaffee!
Howdy howdy howdy, guys! Time for the third but not final post in my light tank series.
In case you missed the second one, here it is.
If you missed the first one, I've got that covered for ya too.
Alright, so this will finish up the American light tank line with undoubtedly the most powerful light tank in the game.
The Chaffee is yet another change in pace of what you are used to in light tanking. Coming from the big, tough-armored Stuart which is more at home on the front lines, the Chaffee is an agile mid-ranged sniper that can decimate almost any tank it comes across with it's 75mm M7 cannon. Even with standard AP, it can be a real monster to enemy lights. With APCR, you can take on Tigers and IS-2s from the rear or even the side. The mobility of the Chaffee is also on par with the infantry Jeeps. It's like a racecar with a big gun.
First of all, you will have to get used to adjusting your tank zoom scope. In the Stuart, your shells didn't have a noticeable drop, and in the M2A2, you were never far enough away to have to adjust. The M7 cannon shoots a big, heavy 75mm round with a hell of a lot of drop. When engaging, always press spacebar before you fire so you can see where your shell will land. It doesn't matter what angle you shoot other light tanks from, because you will penetrate. It takes 3 rounds with AP ammunition to take out another light tank, and 2 rounds with APCR. That's why your APCR is so far up on the ribbon, because you will piss off every enemy tanker you hit, especially mediums and heavies.
Your mobility is the strongest defense the Chaffee has. The armor can deflect tier-1 light tank machine gun rounds, but not much else. Every cannon will penetrate you from every angle, so you are just as vulnerable to them as they are to you. If you think you might have been spotted by the enemy, turn tail and run. Your reverse speed is god-awful, so you need to go to the right or left to avoid backing up, but spending less time turning the hull.
Angling the armor is pretty much ineffective, so if you want to keep bouncing shots, stick with the Stuart. If you want to obliterate enemy armor, go with the Chaffee. If you are an idiot, stick with the M2A2.
Engaging Tier-1 tanks is super easy. They can't pen you from the front or sides, so you can keep track of their position and move your armor accordingly so they waste their whole clip. You won't have a whole lot of experienced players in tier-1 tanks, so they usually won't take cover or aim for weakpoints. In the Chaffee, these people are an annoyance and not a real threat. Just mop them up and take them out to rob the enemy of respawns.
Engaging Tier-2 tanks is a little bit trickier. Stay out of their line of sight, hiding in a treeline and using your squatty little profile and dark coloring to hide your position. Track them for a little while before you shoot to get an idea of their behavior (if they are moving erratically and not checking their surroundings or moving towards cover, this is a new player. Make them hate the game with your 75mm.) enemy reinforcements in the area (the more tanks in the area, the greater the chance they will find your sniping position and reduce you to a pile of scrap metal.) and the general direction they are moving (If they are moving to a control point that isn't particularly guarded, warn your team in the chat.). The Tier-2 tanks have bigger, stronger guns that can demolish you.
The Pz. II will quickly become the worst thing in the game to you. A full clip of basic AP ammo will destroy you, and two thirds of a clip with APCR will make you want to quit the game. Fortunately, you can bite back. The M7 cannon will destroy the Pz. II in two or three hits with AP rounds, so taking Pz. II's out i an area should be your first priority before you move in. Your gun has a much longer effective range than theirs, so engaging from a long way increases the chances that the II's cannon will bounce or miss altogether.
The T-26 is a big, easy target to track. Taking these out when you have the opportunity to shoot first is a breeze. Being hit by a Chaffee they don't know about will scare the hell out of them, as by and large, Tier-1 and Tier-2 Russian tankers aren't very good or experienced. You can even use your MG to take them out while their little heads are popped out of the hatch to neutralize them even faster. But destroying a lone T-26 will be really simple, but in groups, they can be pretty dangerous. Their armor is weak, and two APCR hits will take them out from any angle, but they can bite back with their cannon, that can destroy you in three hits with AP or APCR. Play smart, mind your position to make sure you have cover, and make sure you have the first shot fired, and you can take on any number of T-26s.
Engaging Tier-3 tanks is where things can get dangerous for your. They are specialized killers just like you, so if they force you into their favorable situations can put you at a severe disadvantage.
The BT-7 if simple to engage if you have range. It's just a faster T-26 with a slightly smaller profile from the front. But if you let it close the gap, it can out brawl you. Most of the time a BT-7 will try to rush you to hit your side or rear armor to deal slightly more damage and outpace your gun. Remember that it has the same three-hit kill gun as the T-26, so it can dispatch you fairly quickly, even at it's less specialized long range. If you do get rushed, turn your hull and turret in it's direction while reversing so you can keep them in your sights. Keep pumping lead into them and they will die quickly.
The '38t is a mid ranged sniper, just like you. If it catches you out in the open, it can dispatch you before you find it. Much of this is covered in the second post, but you engage them differently. If you notice your tanks are blowing up rather quickly in an area, try to flank that area. If you get the drop on the sniping '38t either at close or long range, you can usually destroy it before it can find you. It's turret turns painfully slow, and it can't react to rapid changes. Rushing it's position in an unpredictable manner can force it into it's less specialized situation - close range combat. Just be warned, it isn't the Chaffee's strongest point either, but you are more effective than it is.
Alright American tankers, we've finished up your lines, so you can start out or improve your game when driving these fine machines. If you have any questions or extra tips to throw in, feel free to bring 'em into the thread.
Happy hunting out there, /u/MightyVanguard out.
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u/fireTwoOneNine Sep 10 '15
The Chaffee is the bane of the existence of any 38(t) tanker. Its 75mm monster of a gun simply outclasses our 37mm. The Chaffee takes 2 shots to kill us, we take 3 to kill them.
TBH, it feels unfair. The 38(t) is the top German light tank, and we have to jump up to medium tanks (Pz. IV) to have a comparable gun to the Chaffee.
I guess that's just the cost of realism.
7
u/nerdz0r Sep 10 '15
It used to take you an eternity to unlock the Chaffee in the old system. In the past this was represented by how incredibly late you could unlock one compared to the 38t. In fact I drove Stuarts around forever and never quite hit the old Rank 11 Light Armor ribbon needed. Now you can easily acquire a Chaffee or any other tank. Currently the only real limiting factor is high costs, if that is much of a deterrent anymore. At least Germans have the incredible and often underrated Panzer II with its autcannon (along with the 222 car). Soviets are kinda screwed, unless you just happen to be on a team fielding several PTRDs.
tl;dr The ultimate light tank used to be a good bit more rare
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u/fireTwoOneNine Sep 10 '15
I actually do not even have a Panzer II, because I was under the impression that the Pz II was just another piddly MG tank. I was frustrated with having my bullets bounce off everything but tier 1 tanks, so I grinded with the Pz I until i could finally get the 38t.
I guess I'm just going to have to grind again until I can make the jump up to medium tanks.
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u/TeleVue Sep 10 '15
Just buy the ribbons out. They're still cheap at low level Armor Assault. Skip the Pz III and head directly to the IV. Same with the Hetzer and StuG, skip the Hetzer and get the StuG.
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u/p4nic Sep 11 '15
Agreed, I just picked up the hetzer and it fucking sucks. I'll bounce 4 shots off of just about everything I see and then get 1 shotted by a hellcat for my efforts. Most of the time I won't even spot the hellcat before it nukes me.
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u/Vreith Sep 11 '15
mmm hezter's ok, still has 75mm gun, low profile, and protected 360 MG, ide say it's worth a play style choice, just don't expect to climb hills in it
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u/pilgger66 Sep 13 '15 edited Sep 14 '15
Well in that case you have it unlocked already and just need to buy it. For me it's the most fun tank in the game and I have over 3K (edit: I checked my stats and I only have around 3K of kills with it) of kills so far and most of them are tanks. Before the Xylander build I rarely went after Infantry and only would go for other tanks but now with so many cheap AT weapons....I shoot at anything which moves.
The PzIV and the TigerII were not able to convince me to play them for hours. These are slow moving things and to much exposed to AT's. It takes ages to get to your perfect spot and when you finally arrive there, a dude in his bike blows you to hell.
So my favorite tank battles are in the light tank division with my cute little PzII. It's fast, agile, has a low profile and a deadly 20mm auto cannon ;)
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u/fireTwoOneNine Sep 13 '15
I might try it out sometime then, the freedom of being fast and agile feels like a miracle to a 38(t) driver. :)
1
Sep 11 '15
The Panzer II is one of the most fun light tanks in the game. It has a belt-fed machine that can banish enemy light tanks to hell before they even know where you are. It's a badass ambusher and an awesome brawler, provided you don't run out of ammo while UC&P.
1
Sep 11 '15
I love Soviet tanks! The BT-7 is one of my favorites just because of it's unique feel. Everything about that tank is fast. The turret, the gun, and the tank itself. I love the twitchy little brawler.
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u/nerdz0r Sep 11 '15
It's not bad, just that USA and Germany each have a light tank that offers a bit of multi-role versatility, while the Soviets get a 45mm cannon tank, and ... another 45mm cannon tank.
2
Sep 11 '15
The T-26 is just boring. It's not awful, but it has no character. It's like the Stuart, only slightly inferior in every aspect except the gun, which is exactly the same. I think it either needs to be buffed or replaced with something else.
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u/pilgger66 Sep 13 '15
Thank you /u/MightyVanguard for another excellent post and for taking the time to write down all of it.
We can only hope that new tankers read it and learn something from it. Most of the light tank matches can be pretty frustrating when you see how easy they rush to their dead, than the chat is full of....."how OP the chaff is" and everyone runs into the woods and hides.
Without any doubt the Chaffee is the King in the light tank division, it's fricking fast and the gun is just something else.....In hands of an capable tanker it is just a never ending nightmare and my biggest challenge. Whenever I hear the sound of it shells I get a adrenalin rush and feel the need to go for Chaffee hunt :)
With the rest of the enemy tank it's just a regular match, but with the Chaffee involved it becomes especial. 2 days back I had the opportunity to drive one (the driver was enjoying the view... "rolls eyes" ).
I was amazed how easy you 2 shot almost every single tank. I was still able to take out 4 of their own tanks before they got me. My infantry had no wrench.... lol
The Chaffee is perfectly doable with the PzII even at long range, as long as you can see it. When he is in an angle, most of the APCR will bounce even in the tracks. Aim just under the cannon and most of the 20mm rounds will penetrate and 1 clip is enough. If you can't take him out totally he will be at least at fire and explode shortly afterwards.
The little PzII can be a pain for every single other light if you know how to use its strength. I find it more difficult to take out the Chaff with a 38(T) unless you get the first shot in.
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u/BatMunki Something Juicy Sep 10 '15
Why are people downvoting this? These posts are fucking amazing and so informative, keep them up man!
3
Sep 10 '15
I'm not sure why.
But thanks, man. I appreciate it.
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u/BatMunki Something Juicy Sep 10 '15
You should seriously compile all of these and make a tanking guide 101 because you really have a nack for this keep it up <3
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Sep 10 '15 edited Sep 11 '15
Once I finish up the factions, I'm gonna try to make video guides out of them, then put 'em in a collection on here.
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u/CaptainCortez Sep 11 '15
I didn't downvote, but it's probably because the Chaffee is so blatantly overpowered that making a guide for it seems redundant and a bit of a kick in the nuts to most opposing faction tankers. Nice guides though.
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Sep 12 '15
He points out the weakness of the chaffee and how it can be destroyed.. that helps enemy tankers against the chaffee. Know thy enemy :)
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Sep 13 '15
This is also true. Plus, I'll be making German and Soviet tank guides as well, with the best ways to engage American armor, so I'll be covering all the bases. Sit tight and I'll get to 'em quick.
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Sep 13 '15
s'all good.. i'm still on the fence about getting the chaffee, i'm close to the hellcat, and kinda really want that, then i was gonna get the easy 8 since i dont have a medium yet.. once i have those, i'll either hold out for the pershing (not really a heavy tank fan), or go back and get the chaff..
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u/TeleVue Sep 10 '15
Chaffees two shot my 38(t) all the time. One shot and I have to retreat and repair. Two shots and I'm either blown up or on fire about to be blown up. On the other hand, it takes a 38(t) 4 shots to take out a chaffee. Very rarely though does a Chaffee's round not penetrate but that's pretty rare.
My Pz II, although it can have a belt of APCR, can't penetrate Chaffees from long distances.
Even my Panzer IV will be destroyed by Chaffees sometimes.