I bought the Skoda last year in the Fest. And the same as some of you, I didn't know how to play it until I made important changes and decisions that now I'm able to really enjoy the tank and I'm close to get my 2nd mark of excellence. It's one of the most OP tanks in the game, but it's definitely NOT dumb proof, requires patience and oportunity seeking.
Load full premium AP shells. They have 248mm of penetration, so you are basically a tier IX at tier VIII. (with less HP). Shells have the same speed as the normal AP ones (1020m/s), so the upgrade is just on penetration. Play-style with premium and normal shells is the same. (go full gold 100%)
With full premium shells (or full gold) you can still make TONS of credits. Skoda T56 is a credit printer, the damage/credits ratio is so big that even with full premium rounds and a defeat, you can make 20K credits. Normally, with a victory, you should be able to make 70K – 100K credits per match with full premium rounds. The amounts I mentioned are with premium account, with repairs and ammunition resupply already discounted, so is full credit gainings.
The equipment that works the best for me in terms of gun handling is:
[Survivability dedicated slot] = Improved Ventilation.
[Firepower dedicated slot] = Vertical Stabilizer.
[Free last slot] = Bond Gun Laying Drive (the purple aiming speed).
You will be able to chose between [Mobility] and [Firepower] for the 2nd slot until you max your Field Modification to tier VI. (Yes, Skoda's stock gun handling is shit, so everything will go to the gun improvement).Train [Repairs] skill and [Brothers In Arms] to all your crew members. You have about 22 sec reload between magazines so if they track you, or damage a module while you are reloading, you can repair really fast. For the Loader train [Safe Stowage], because if they damage your ammo storage, you will be reloading for 45 sec 😆. For the driver train [Smooth Drive] and [Off-Road Driving] for better accuracy and because the tank is so shitty slow in dirt terrain. For the Commander you can optionally train [Sound Detection] because you will be a primary focus for artillery.
DON'T load normal AP shells. You won't penetrate anything. I mean it, ANYTHING…
Turret is strong but it has a cupola the size of the Solar System lmfao. Try to hide your cupola everytime you can. Hull is definitely not strong, so dont expose it to same or higher tier vehicles. You have -8° of gun depression, that will help you to "hide" your cupola with a rock or debris.
You can and you can't sidescrape with the tank. Front plate is weird in shape so it exposes a tiny part where you will get penetrated from time to time.
Try not to play too aggressive. Because you have 22 sec reload, and you will end up emptying your mag doing 900 damage per match and dying in the first 5 minutes like a noob. Be patient and opportunist. If you want to play aggressive, go with a team member, so in your reload he will be entertaining the enemy.
DO NOT load normal AP shells again lol. Your experience with the tank will be ruined.
Enjoy your OP tank 🥰
If you feel like the Skoda is not for you, you can go for the other beast Object 703 II, is on sale too. But only for 3 days left. I can't give you a guide on the 703 because I'm still learning how to use it. (I just bought it on monday lmfao).
