T54E2: Swimming with a shark might be dangerous!Upload: October 4, 2020. Last update: October 5, 2020.
Introduced as a crate tank with the painful drop chance of 3 percent per crate, without being available so far for either money or gold, this tank is a rather rare sight on the Blitz battlefield. I got my hands on it because I really wanted the tank and actually got for once lucky on a crate event (that does not happen everytime!).
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People who have got the tank can use this review if they don't know how to play it, people without the tank probably can learn how to defeat it!
This tier 8 American heavy tank is often referred to as 'The Shark' and that's not only due to it's legendary camo. This tank is a true force to be reckoned with. Boasting a great turret with very small weakspots and great gun depression makes this is a great T32-like hulldown beast. The 105 mm main armament deals 310 damage per shot with a DPM around 2300 (fully equipped, including rammer, more about that later in this review). This makes it one of the higher DPM heavies at this tier, higher than the similarly equipped Tiger II, T32 and WZ-110, only slightly edged out by the E75 TS. Good pen and accuracy, and great mobility are the cherry on top for this vehicle.
What's the tank the Shark shares most characteristics with? In my opinion, the T32, the tech tree American heavy in tier 8. And in this comparison, it gets quickly obvious that the T54E2 is the (much) better tank. It has like been like this for a while now: new premium tanks that are better versions of tech tree tanks, and that's no different in this case. The T54E2 has better pen, better accuracy and aiming time, more DPM, more mobility and trades a part of the excellent turret armor of the T32 in return. In practice, the T54E2 still has great turret armor which makes this hardly a fair trade-off. Not to mention the HE-damage: the T32 gets the regular 400 alpha for a 105 mm while this tank receives 440 alpha with the same caliber gun.
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The armor profile: it's all about the turret
What's more interesting, is the armor profile. Not only for those who have the tank and want to know how to position themselves, but also for people who have to fight and want to know more about the weakspots. The turret and upper plate are very strong, and the weakspots on the turret can be mitigated by using the full 10 degrees of gun depression. The lower plate is small but weak, even though the rounded shape can bounce a shot or two, but don't rely on it! The sides and especially rear are, in true American fashion, very weak and HE targets for bigger guns. In the image below I have listed some armor values, both on paper and effective. That way you can both effectively play the tank, as well as fight it yourself!
The T54E2 has a very weirdly shaped hull, resulting in very funky angles and a lot of bounce potential. Even the lower plate isn't always an easy pen. The upper part of the lower plate is very weak, while the lower and side parts are trollish. The upper plate can only be penned on flat ground by high pen guns, like tier 9 TDs or some tier 8's using gold shells. By going hull down you can hide the cupola which isn't HE-able but weak nonetheless. I didn't make pictures for the sides and rear since those are very weak, hide those at all costs! This is not a tank you should try to angle, because people might pen you through the drive wheel. Always keep the front pointed at the enemy.
How to play this heavy beast?
The tank's characteristics basically give away the playstyle (and to be fair, I did too): always hull down! This makes it one of the easier tanks to play in tier 8 actually, keep your lower hull hidden and show that monstrous turret. Unlike the T34, this tank can do well in the open as well, as long as there's no crossfire since your sides won't bounce anything, apart from a lucky shot on your tracks. The upper plate and even lower plate will bounce plenty of shots from most tier 7's and a considerable amount of tier 8's. You don't only have your armor going for you, the tank is equipped with a very punchy gun with decent DPM. The top speed of 40 km/h with a good power to weight ratio for a heavy tank makes it versatile as well: changing the angle on the battle doesn't take ages like in some other heavily armored tanks. Going with the mediums can result in nice results, however, be aware that you will be susceptible to fast flanking lights and mediums, with a very average traverse under 30 degrees per second.
The playstyle doesn't really change against tier 9 tanks. The main difference is that your upper plate will be an easier pen for more tanks, certainly high pen TD's. Going hull down should mitigate this little flaw. There's nothing more to say about this tank in it's current form, it's a literal beast!
Equipment
The T54E2 mainly relies on it's armor and DPM, and already has very good accuracy, both when standing still and on the move. This means that equipment is more or less your own choice. I would however advice the following: Rammer, because you're driving an AP/APCR tank with very little benefit from Calibrated Shells. Your pen is really average for the tier, and with some aiming, you shouldn't have any issue penning any tank you can meet on the battlefield. Defense System, simply because I don't run the protective kit, and this tank isn't a rammer by any sort. Optics, because you shouldn't try to camp in a heavy tank. Besides, the camo rating is rather bad (8 percent) which means you can't rely on bushes anyway. |
EGLD, because your shell velocity is fine and you should play this tank frontline and not from a sniper position. Same reasoning for the Vertical Stabilizers: this is a frontline tank, and to avoid shots in your cupola, you will have to constantly move, blooming your aiming circle. HP or armor buff is up to you, but I choose the extra HP, because most of your armor is not going to be penned anyway. Improved control to get your turn rate above 34 degrees per second. This way you will be able to fight COD more effectively. The last two slots aren't very important, but you should probably take Toolbox and CBS.
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. This is a mobile heavy tank, and fuel does not only improve your speed and acceleration, but also your traverse speed.
- Small Food to further improve all statistics. There is no need for a protective kit in this tank, you don't have a weak ammorack and your crewmembers should be decently protected by your defense system (equipment).
My recommendation for consumables is the following:
- Adrenaline. Once you're getting pushed you will need to up your DPM, certainly if you're in a situation versus multiple vehicles. Want to cheap out? Use a small med kit instead.
- Small repairkit. This tank heavily relies on it's armor. Being tracked in the open is the worst what can happen to you, certainly when a big derpy TD is aiming at your squishy sides.
- Multi purpose repair kit. A must for every tank in my opinion. Usable for everything, including putting out the occasional fire.
Is this tank meant for you?
Just like for the Progetto 46, I would like to present you a path to follow if you consider buying this tank. For this heavy tank with a straight-forward playstyle my recommendation is fairly simple: as long as you have some experience in tier 8, and aren't a terrible burden on your team there (less than 45 percent WR), this tank should work for you. Some prior experience in the American tech tree heavy line will certainly help to master the hull down technique, which is very important to do well in this vehicle.
People with great stats might find this tank a bit too easy to play. Those players probably know they don't have to buy another heavy tank, but I added a small disclaimer in pink anyway. Medium lovers have a ton of other choice, like the Progetto 46 and the Chimera. |
Conclusion
This is a tank for everyone, as long as you have some prior experience in tier 8. Not because this tank is that hard to play, but just like with any tank, is some experience about what you can face in higher tiers, think about weakspots, reload times etc, very important to succeed. Being on the very strong side of the current balance in Blitz, you basically can't go wrong with this tank. Now it's only waiting until it will be available for gold or money for a decent price, nobody likes crates after all. Just go hull down and let the gun sing: that's all there is to this tank!
Blitz official channel & other sources
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More of a visual type? Here's the introduction video coming from the Official Blitz channel. Make sure to follow that channel to be up to date with newly introduced tech tree and premium tanks, and of course other changes to the game. The armor visual in this review was made thanks to the armor profiles on Blitzhangar. Want to compare this tank in depth with the T32? Tank Compare is where you find all the necessary information!
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