Personal Experience: I don't like the T95, I will never like the T95. I still have flashbacks to when it had a top speed of 13 km/h and traversed like a pig stuck in molasses. Even with a predetermined bias to dislike the T95 – I cannot deny it's power. This grim reaper turtle is rightly feared when pointed in the right direction.
These were the most memorable aspects of this adventure for me;
Surprising Agility: For what it is, the T95 is horrifyingly nimble for a vehicle of it's bulk and alpha. Able to traverse rapidly and accelerate up to it's top speeds without issue. While it will struggle to flex over medium-long distances, within it's local area its a major threat.
Weak Side Armor: Above the applique armor and tracks there is a strip of 63.5mm armor. This strip of armor is highly vulnerable to HEAT shells. How weak? Here are four non-same tier HEAT shells on tanks.gg that can exploit this vulnerability: 200, 220, 250 and 280. Play around with it and find out or when new patch arrives inevitably breaking these links – Here's an imgur collection as backup.
Yes, obviously high pen HEAT shells are an issue for heavily-armored tanks that's not even news. But they don't necessarily need to be an T-54, Obj.140 or Jpze100 slapping us – This threat exists with just about every HEAT shell we can possibly see. Markers should take extra care during an engagement with HEAT equipped enemies. As one wrong moment of angling can catastrophically weaken our armor profile.
Weak Internal Modules Layout: Check it out on wotinspector or if that breaks, here's an imgur post. The issue of weak side armor is further compounded by exposed fuel tanks and ammo racks being placed right at the point of impact. While outright ammo rack detonation are rare, damaged fuel tanks and fires are significantly more common.
These three aspects of the T95 had the largest impression on me during my run. Which makes sense, we need to be constantly changing the orientation of our armor by rocking back and forth, side to side and making it as difficult as possible for the enemy to get a proper shot on our cupolas, lower plate and side armor during reloads. Failure to do so will result in significant damage by just standing still or being slapped in the sides where our vulnerable modules causing even more problems.
Even with the issues of constrained top speed, poor side armor, weak module layout, being a casemate tank destroyer and having to play in the hulldown meta. The T95 is so well-endowed that it's carved out it's own niche for itself in an unforgiving meta and universally elevates the gameplay of every type of tanker, old hands or new, strong or weak, even gamers like myself who just want to tick a box.
Turbocharger | Improved Hardening | Gun Rammer + Combat Course
Main Build Justification: The T95 when it's pointed at something is one of the most threatening machines in the game. The biggest issue is getting us pointed in that direction in the first place!
The largest issue with the T95 is the low top speed of 20 km/h, mounting a purple turbocharger gets us to a respectable 26 km/h with the added upsides of more hull traverse and a 14 km/h reverse speed. The next largest issue is getting our tracks blown off and mobility killed. Improved hardening makes our tracks significantly harder to destroy and has the added benefit of fully restoring track HP when repaired. The combat course makes a minor but appreciated improvement to our hull traverse. While the zoom turtle idea is not original, it's by far the most effective way to setup the T95 – Getting us into the fight faster, helping us angle our hull & tracks more effectively and being better able to withdraw around a corner after firing.
Gun rammer. I waffle back and forth depending on the time of week, Pink IRM is a justifiable replacement – Fully maximizing our hull traverse to a ridiculous 44.5 degrees per second for the cost of 2.3s to our reload speed which isn't that bad of a trade off. I even prefered pink IRM pre-SPG nerf in WoT 1.13 as it allowed for more effective shots and withdrawal into cover. But, unfortunately with the prevalence of large 750 alpha guns in the meta right now, the necessity of gun rammer to get two shots off to their one can't be denied.
Turbocharger | Pink Low Noise Exhaust | Optics + Optic Calibration
Secondary Build Justification: I only wanted to play this on Prokhorovka along the 1/2/3 bushes. But I'll be honest, based on my personal results I don't think it works and if it does – I don't think I am able to regularly produce good numbers. I have a sneaking suspicion it's a skill issue but who can say. Other markers might be able to find a more effective approach for the T95's secondary build option because I can confidently say I don't have any in mine.
The core setup is pink exhaust system and purple optics – The combination of the two gets the T95 a more ridiculous camo values and great view range. With the low profile, albeit wide body, we should be able to confidently prowl through the bushes.
The purple turbocharger in the last slot corrects our mobility deficiencies getting us up to a respectable top speed of 26 km/h.
I do NOT have confidence in this build on Prokhorovka. Markers are encouraged to re-evaluate my weak thought process and use it as a base line for their own ideas.
Malinovka: Standard Malinovka is an unfriendly setup for the T95, either having to content ourselves with base defense / overwatch or make a long and artillery exposed march up to the windmill on Malinovka. The culminating point on the map is simply too far away from from us to get there reliably. Encounter Malinovka is acceptable due to the shorter distance but not the standard variant.
Airfield: A miserable soul crushing experience, either hanging in the back line waiting for enemies to attack into us or pressing an attack into their TDs and SPGs through narrow choke points. We can poke every minute and a half when our repair kit comes off cooldown, but is otherwise impossible to produce reliable results on. Easily skipped.
Standard: Viable as a workhorse round for credit constrained markers with fantastic pen of 276 and 750 alpha but weaker shell velocity of 870 m/s. There are generally few tanks that can't be penned by AP that can be penned by premium. The more significant difference being the difference in shell velocity.
Premium: My workhorse round, featuring 320 pen and 1,088 m/s shell velocity. Just as capable as our standard shell with easier target leading with the higher velocity.
HE: One of the better HE rounds and comparable to the HE shell of the 60TP at tier 10. Possessing 950 alpha, 90 pen and 870 m/s shell velocity. Devastatingly effective against thinly armored enemies and still packing a decent punch against armored opponents. Were constrained by ammunition capacity, but my general ammunition expenditure is 10 – 14 rounds in a game, leaving us plenty of room to mount HE.
Crew: The T95 needs remarkably few crew skills to achieve most of it's top performance. With three crew skills we get sixth sense, clutch braking, repairs and concealment. While a more developed crew is better its not strictly necessary to perform well. Pleasant but not necessary luxuries being recon & situational awareness, sound detection and intuition.
Note: With the imminent implementation of purple improved hardening, the survivability slot can be dropped in favour of scouting if markers were successful during ranked 2021-2022.
https://tanks.gg/tank/t95?f=712251&e=16.K.12&c=5.3.L&k=0.1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.A.B.D&d=9&l=2011170
Final Form Main Configuration: With an effective top speed of 26 km/h, 38.7 degrees per second hull traverse and 536 track HP we are incredibly difficult to suppress and mobility kill. We maintain a respectable DPM of 3,074 which makes us capable of fighting our way out of a bad situation.
Unfortunately our view range is not very good – Clocking in at a weaker 436. When it comes to spotting, our camo rating will have to do a lot of work to make up for this shortfall.
This isn't the strongest mobility setup for the T95, but it comes so tantalizingly close.
https://tanks.gg/tank/t95?f=712251&e=16.y.13&c=5.3.L&k=0.1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.A.B.D&d=3&l=2011170
Final Form Secondary Configuration: Equipped with magnificent camo values and competitive view range of 506. Our ability to stalk through the bushes on the Prokhorovka 1/2/3 line should be unmatched.
Unfortunately, life doesn't always go to plan. Every time I've tried using this setup I've failed it.
https://twitter.com/paul94104875/status/1459547470166466566
World of Tanks is beautiful, but don't forget to love, live and pursue a life that has meaning to you. Whether that's literature, fitness, relationships or travel – Life is too fragile to have regrets, whatever ambitions you may be harbouring, I say go for it!
Good luck, and good hunting fellow markers.
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