As you should be aware by now, in the indeterminate future Wargaming is planning to modify the tech trees by removing several tanks and shuffling others around.

Their motivations for these changes, by what I've been able to gather, are threefold: make the tech trees more aesthetically pleasing and less confusing to navigate, better differentiate the roles between classes, and make branches more thematically consistent.

To that end, what if instead of slimming the tech trees down, all classes were extended to Tier I? It would solve the problem of differentiating class roles immediately by segregating them. As branch themes are closely tied to classes, the earlier branches can begin the better an idea players would have about the branches they're starting, grinding, and will inevitably end. Furthermore, this will inherently allow for branches that are easier to navigate and allow for easier expansion to them.

So imagine instead of one bloated tech tree, each nation had up to five smaller and focused tech trees, catering to specific playstyles. Naturally not every nation would be able to accomplish this (the US will not be able to do low-tier heavies, for example). But I believe this would also address the problem of confusion Wargaming has created over removing tanks in their pursuit of remedying confusion over tech tree navigation.

Players are used to having all vehicles accessible via the tech tree. There has already been a lot of confusion over the removed tanks being placed into a "Special Vehicles" tab. (Just look at this subreddit. I can't imagine the forums.) I imagine this problem will be a lot worse when the silent, more ignorant majority gets their hands on these changes. They may see tanks missing from the tech tree and assume they're gone for good. By keeping all tanks in one place, this can be avoided. The solution is to make the tech trees easier to navigate, not by slimming them down, but by adding negative space.

On top of this, Wargaming is making low-tiers more enjoyable to play. The incoming HP buffs aren't going to fix all of their problems, but it's a sorely needed step in the right direction. It makes little sense to artificially limit the availability of these tanks when they're working on fixing them. Additionally, it's just good business sense to keep players grinding as much as possible, and slimming the tech trees runs antithetical to that.

So what I've gone and done is made some draft tech trees for France, Germany, UK, USA, and USSR. These changes extend the classes to Tier I and flesh out existing branches to try and make them begin as early in the trees as possible. Some things will be shuffled around, some other things will be removed (and put into the Bonds Shop because that thing needs more use).

I'll post these trees in order of what I think will incite the least to most vitriolic reactions, because y'all are animals and I love you. I'll also add some comments on what I think are the most noteworthy changes. Assume all down-tiering or up-tiering includes appropriate rebalances for the tanks. For reference, I'm using the tech trees as they exist in 1.17.

Tech Tree: United Kingdom

Noteworthy changes:

• The heavy tank branch is extended fully to Tier I
• Lend-lease vehicles are removed because they're redundant (literally US copies)
• Firefly is reclassified as a tank destroyer
• Separated the medium branch from the light branch

Tech Tree: USA

Noteworthy changes:

• Dropped the Pershing and M46 Patton a tier. The Tier X (M48 Patton) is renamed to M48A5, and a new "M48 Patton" reflecting early versions of the tank fills the hole at Tier IX
• Dropped the M41 Bulldog, T49, and Sheridan a tier. Removed the derp and Sheridan turret from the T49. A new Sheridan, reflecting the production vehicle, replaces the Tier X
• T1 Heavy is renamed to T1E1. A new "T1 Heavy" reflecting the very early specifications enters at Tier IV
• The T57 Heavy is moved into the bonds store and is replaced by the T77, which is a T54E1 with the T57's turret
• Bumped the M41 HMC and M44 up a tier. Added new SPGs leading into the M12 that focus on accuracy, whereas the tanks leading up to the M44 focus on firing rate

Tech Tree: USSR

Noteworthy changes:

• Completely modified the light tank branch except for the Tier X. Most were down-tiered, others were replaced. The T-54 ltwt. is changed into a Tier VIII medium tank
• The Obj. 140 is nerfed into a Tier IX medium tank, to better reflect its development as a competitor to the T-55
• Obj. 430 II is restored to its former glory and moved into the bonds shop. The K-91 is renamed to "K-91-1" and is dropped a tier. The K-91-2 is the new Tier X, which is essentially the same tank but with a 122mm gun
• The Obj. 263 is restored to its former glory at Tier X and moved to the bonds shop. The Obj. 268-2 replaces it at Tier IX in the tech tree

Tech Tree: Germany

Noteworthy changes:

• Down-tiered all German heavies except for the Maus, Mauschen, and VK 100.01 P. The "E 100 PBA" is the new Tier X of the second line of heavy tanks
• Removed the Pz. Kpfw. VII and VK 45.02 B and added them to the Bonds Shop
• Replaced the VK 30.01 D with the VK 30.01 P
• Down-tiered the Panther II, E 50, and E 50 M. The E 50 M is renamed to "Weserhutte Panther." The "Weserhutte Tiger" now ends the branch at Tier X. It is essentially an E 75 given the "E 50 M treatment" and should behave more like a Russian heavium
• Down-tiered the Ru 251 and Rhm. PzW., creating two distinct light tank branches in the process. The "Leopard PT C" and "VTS 1" should both have auto-reloaders
• Shuffled around low-tier SPGs into two distinct branches: one that does more damage and one that is more accurate. Both are slow

Tech Tree: France

Noteworthy changes:

• Restored the ELC AMX bis to its former glory and buffed it to Tier VI
• Replaced the AMX 30 B with the AMX 32. This is the same tank, but with spaced armor over the front of the mantlet for added protection
• Transformed the elite version of the B-C 25 t into the "B-C 25 105" and added it to the Bonds Shop. This tank is replaced by the Char Futur 2, which is functionally identical to the B-C 25 105 except it would have better camo due to a lower profile
• Added the AMX CDC as a regular Tier VII medium tank. Not sure how compensation should occur for the premium tank, but the premium clearly can't be buffed because of its unique playstyle. Down-tiering it sounds like the most sensible option, plus it can fill a hole in the branch
• Removed the B-C 155 55 from the game. Take away one of the shells from the B-C 155 58 and drop it a tier. Replace it with the GCT AUF1 at Tier X which would be functionally identical to the former Tier
• Stretched the entire line of French wheeled tanks to Tier I
• Replaced the premium EBR 75 (FL-10) with the EBR AMX. This is the exact same vehicle, but with the turret model of the AMX 12 t. I think we can get away with this, don't you?
• Placed the new EBR FL-10 (former premium tank) at Tier IX. It can have a three-shot 75mm autoloader or a two-shot 90mm autoloader; the same guns as the AMX 13 90 but minus one shell
• Replaced the EBR 105 with the EBR FL-12. Same as the previous vehicle but with a three-shot 90mm autoloader.
• There is now a second branch of wheeled tanks that lacks the "rapid mode" ability. These vehicles are slower and less maneuverable, but have better gun accuracy and penetration

Yes, I know wheeled tanks are a contentious subject. These changes involving them are assuming Wargaming does something to fix their issues and makes them more attractive to play and play against.

Feel free to ask me any questions and I'd be happy to answer or clarify. I do hope WG considers this, if not these changes specifically than at least the idea of extending the classes to Tier I.