The great hunt begins! These Chinese tank destroyers are warming up their engines and loading their guns in anticipation of taking to the Blitz battlefield! As soon as Update 5.8 goes live, prepare yourself: these vehicles show no mercy!
Tier VI: WZ-131G-FT
Researchable from the Type T-34 for 23,700 XP.
We start off the branch with a lightly armored agile tank destroyer. It’s not got the best top speed, but its movement and maneuverability make up for that. With quick acceleration, the WZ-131G-FT can instantly top 20 km/h, and in a couple of seconds hits 30 km/h. To reach its true top speed, this vehicle needs a little less than 10 seconds.
The front of the WZ-131G-FT only offers 35 mm of armor and even with its good angling, you shouldn’t rely on it too much. Instead, take advantage of cover, the vehicle’s mobility and its firepower. The base 85-mm gun has 145 mm armor penetration but offers more than 2500 damage per minute. The “top” gun isn’t particularly fast-firing but can penetrate 181 mm and deals 280 damage per shot, meaning you can do almost 2,200 damage per minute. All in all, this Tier VI TD is such a pleasure to play, you won’t even notice how much XP you’re earning!
Tier VII: T-34-2G FT
Researchable from the WZ-131G-FT for 48,200 XP.
This Chinese TD resembles the Soviet SU-122-44 and SU-122-54. The T-34-2G FT also has good mobility and can always change direction or quickly get to a good position.
Its sloping frontal armor has a thickness of 70 mm, won’t provide great protection and can only repel shells from the weakest guns. So, the tactics of the T-34-2G FT don’t veer far from its predecessor: move, support allies from a distance and dish out damage.
The standard cannon penetrates 189 mm of armor, fires 8 times a minute and deals 280 damage per shot. With this on board, you can comfortably invest in the remaining modules and then reach the 122-mm “destructor”. The top gun deals 400 damage and can penetrate 192 mm of armor, yielding 2500 damage per minute. The T-34-2G FT will bite painfully and often—opponents might not appreciate it, but you certainly will!
Tier VIII: WZ-111-1G FT
Researchable from the T-34-2G FT for 91,000 XP.
At Tier VIII, the branch of Chinese TDs moves from the agile chassis of the medium tank to the slow, but well-protected, chassis of the heavies. Using the WZ-111 as a base, the WZ-111-1G FT has good movement and decent armor.
The forehead of the hull forms a “pike nose” and at 100 mm, it works as expected: it depends how you angle your vehicle. The WZ-111-1G FT’s conning tower is protected by 180 mm of armor, but its armor plates are only slightly angled. In the heat of battle, penetration can’t be avoided, but at mid- to long-range, the armor can block a fair amount of damage.
You’ll start off with a 122-mm gun with quite “adult” characteristics: 5.69 rounds per minute, 248 mm of armor penetration and 400 damage per shot. It also benefits from high accuracy and a quick aim time, so you won’t find yourself striving for the top gun, but you will still need to research it to move up. The “top” 130-mm gun penetrates 3 mm less armor and shoots a little slower but deals 460 damage with every shot.
Tier IX: WZ-111G FT
Researchable from the WZ-111-1G FT for 150,000 XP.
The vehicles of Tier VIII and IX have very similar names, but when you meet them, you won’t confuse them. The WZ-111-1G FT (which is Tier VIII) resembles the Soviet Object 268, and the WZ-111G FT is most similar to the ISU-152. This Tier IX beast has a high conning tower and a weapon slightly shifted towards starboard.
The WZ-111G FT boasts 200 mm of frontal armor and with its good inclination, not everyone can penetrate here. A large area in the forehead is occupied by a thick gun mantlet, which will also help save your HP pool. However, there are weak spots in the front: the lower glacis plate, the commander’s hatch and the driver’s scope will take in enemy shells without much resistance. But to hit them, you need to be close and aim well.
You’ll start off with a familiar gun as it’s taken from its predecessor, the WZ-111-1G FT. The characteristics of this 130-mm gun haven’t changed with the tier increase, only the aiming time has increased slightly. The top gun, the 152-mm cannon, fires less often. On the other hand, you’ll be able to penetrate 290 mm of armor and deal 640 damage with every shot.
Tier X: WZ-113G FT
Researchable from the WZ-111G FT for 350,000 XP.
Give a warm welcome to the top of the tree branch. Get comfortable and find out more about this powerful, formidable tank destroyer.
The chassis is borrowed from a heavy tank and the thickened armor of the conning tower significantly affects the mobility of this Tier X TD. Because of this, the vehicle ended up rather slow-paced: it quickly accelerates to 20 km/h, reaching 30 km/h in about 8 seconds. To reach its top speed (without the help of equipment), you need to find a downhill slope and just slide! But with all the improvements onboard, the movement of the WZ-113G FT is pretty nice with a cruising speed of between 34-36 km/h.
The frontal plate boasts a thickness of 230 mm and it’s angled to provide reliable protection against many cannons. In order to confidently penetrate the WZ-111G FT through this point (and not rely on the RNG gods), enemy tanks will need 280 mm of armor penetration—at least. So, anyone you come across must be well-armed or start firing Premium shells. The lower part of the hull is less protected, so it’s better to hide it and not get involved in close quarters combat at all, so as not to fall victim to circling tactics.
This top tier TD is armed with the same 152-mm cannon as the Tier IX WZ-111G FT. However, the gun has been buffed; now it boasts an increased rate of fire and faster aiming time. The armor penetration of this large-caliber cannon is enough to hit most targets without specifically targeting weak spots, and even for the most armored mastodons, there’s always HEAT rounds with an armor penetration of 375 mm. With these characteristics, almost every projectile you fire will reduce the enemy’s strength and bring your team closer to victory!
So now you know about the new Chinese TDs, get out there and take them for a spin!