Progetto 46: refreshing like Italian pasta
Upload: July 16, 2020 - Last update: July 16, 2020
The Progetto 46 is a rather new addition to world of tanks Blitz. Infamously known as one of the most OP tanks on the PC version of this game, thanks to the autoreloader mechanism which combines the best of both worlds – autoloaders and one shot guns, this tank came into the game a couple of months ago. While it’s a favourite of many unicums, it’s hardly the OP beast it was feared to be. Being the twin of the tier 8 tech tree Italian tank, the Pantera, it shares a lot of similar statistics and has largely the same playstyle. The tanks differ enough to write a specific review however: some key differences make the Progetto one of the most refreshing and new-like tanks to ever hit the Blitz store.
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But what is an autoreloader exactly? Like an autoloader, it has several shells in a magazine (in this case 3), but instead of having one long reload for all 3 shells, all shells load seperately, meaning you can shoot once, and reload the 3th shell again without having to empty your magazine or reload with C (on PC) or by double tapping the shell icon (on mobile). This means you basically have both the advantages of an autoloader and a single shot gun in one tank. Using the tank as an autoloader comes with penalties of course: the DPM lowers with every extra shot you take on an enemy, and to reload the first shell again takes a considerable time for a 240 alpha shot. What makes this type of tank so strong is of course the fact that there is flexibility. You can take a 1 percent chance shot without getting punished like you would in a autoloader tank like the French lights by having to reload the whole clip.
What else does this takn have going for it? An extra degree of gun depression – 9 degrees vs 8 degrees for the Pantera, coupled with a low profile, making it an excellent ridgefighter. 240 alpha instead of 225 alpha as well. That’s nothing special in tier 8 but having a potential damage output of of 720 alpha in 4 seconds is pretty neat! With great things come bad things unfortunately as well: the pen is on the low side for a tier 8 with only 180 base pen, this can be negated a bit by running calibrated shells. This should work fine though, considering mainly Russian tanks have often less pen on their standard rounds.
Where the Progetto falls short, at least a bit, is in the speed and armor department, which are both mediocre for a medium. While the top speed is fine, the acceleration could be better. The armor is mainly located around the gun mantlet which can be rather bouncy at times, considering you use your full 9 degrees of gun depression. The front of the tank is weak but mostly HE-resistant, which can’t be said about the sides of both turret and hull. Big derpy guns will have a field day if you show too much of that weakly armored part of your tank! In the images below I’ll show you how much armor you actually have and what this means if you go up against other tier 7, 8 or 9 tanks.
A short summary of these images: the Progetto has barely armor to speak off, and will only bounce if you use it’s gun depression to it’s full potential. Even then, every bounce is due to RNG and nothing to count on. Progetto 46 has just enough armor to not be classified as a total paper tank like the SP1C, but make sure to not show those hull and turret sides to any gun whatsoever! Tactics like sidescraping are out of the question in a tank like this, that’s why I don’t even bother to show an image with a workable angle: there is no such angle. Once you’re in trouble, use your mobility to leave the scene as soon as possible!
How do I play my Italian spaghetti tank?
I have already given away a lot of the playstyle of this tank, but it never hurts to repeat myself. You have gun depression, a punchy autoreloader and subpar to non-existent armor. That means you don't go in agressively unless you can clear a tank or are forced due to your team dying. Your gun stats are good so always keep your distance unless your really must go in. That means you're not a frontline medium, and you're not meant to brawl, like a mod 1 is. Be patient at the start of the game and let your team do the dirty work. That does not mean camping or sitting in the back: if you don't have shots, you relocate. If you are too far away from the frontline you relocate. If you show you turret to shoot a tank, you wiggle and you go back into cover as soon as possible. You're basically constantly moving. If you like that kind of playstyle, this is your tank!
Equipment
I mentioned before in this review to run calibrated shells on this tank, and I stand by it. I haven’t talked much about the gun statistics apart from alpha: that’s because they are perfectly fine without vents (rammer is obviously not an option on this tank). While I generally don’t advice to run CS on a AP/APCR tank, there is more to gain with some extra pen in this case, certainly because we’re talking about an autoreloader here: the advantages of vents are rather tiny and not very noticable. I have tried bot hand getting an extra bit of pen really helps. Other choices speak for themselves: you’re a medium thus you run optics, you have little armor, which means the extra HP is more valuable.
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I personally run both EGLD and vertical stabilizer, since this is a real hit and run or hit and seek cover tank: you will move a lot and ideally never sit still. There is a case to be made for supercharge to hit long range shots more easily, but refined gun is useless on this tank, while vertical stabs are often the difference between hitting your target on the move and shooting your bullet straight to the moon. If you have doubts, feel free to try out every possibilty!
Provisions & consumables
My current load-out for provisions which I thoroughly recommend is
- Big Food. It pays for itself with better games. Don’t cheap out on this one in a premium tank!
- Big Fuel. Very important in this tank. While it moves perfectly fine stock, the added horsepower will feel much better in a paperish tank like the Progetto 46.
- Either small food or protective kit. This tank is rather squishy and being targeted by HE is a common issue. That said, I like the extra bonus of small food, but if you experience a lot of defect modules and dead crewmembers, adding the protective kit is a very viable choice.
I have a somewhat unusual recommendation for your consumables as well:
- Speed boost. Getting into a favourable position early is very valuable, certainly in a tank that can punish hard at the start of the game already. Also useful to get away fast from danger.
- Multipurpose kit: as usual, bringing crew back from the dead, putting out the flames and fixing your tracks or other modules is essential in any Blitz game.
- Second repair kit: getting tracked is being dead in a badly armoured medium. Never get into that position!
- If you want to feel more safe, you can always run med kid instead of speed boost, that’s up to you. Might be more viable if you don’t really know where to go on the map, but in that case you probably should not drive a tier 8 premium like the Progetto 46 anyway!
Is this tank meant for you?
Conclusion
The Progetto 46 is an exciting addition to the game, for average and unicum players alike. The lack of armor means you need some knowledge of both game mechanics and maps to make it shine. Personally, I would say it’s suited for people that want to learn how to play autoloaders, while not having to worry about managing their clips as much: you’ll never sit somewhere with a glacial reload like with a classic French light, making the Progetto obviously more noobfriendly. This does not mean the tank is meant for everyone: if you need armor to survive on the battlefield, you won’t like this specific tank. Russian mediums are a safer bet in that case for a first “more speed, less armor” experience. If you’re doing well in tier 8, don’t be afraid to pick this tank up, you will really enjoy it, as it’s a great change from the ubiquitous boring IS tank style, after all.
Youtube videos from other creators
Want to see more, including great mastery gameplay? Check out the following YouTubers for more.
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