You have finally reached the top of the Japanese medium tank line. Other vehicles of its line suffered from poor armour thickness, sub-par top speed, and mediocre accuracy. The STB-1 tackles two of these issues, and also comes with a mechanism that was previously reserved to the Swedish medium tanks.
Gameplay
Previous vehicles struggled hard because of their weak armour. The STB-1 comes with minor improvements to the angle of the frontal armour. This can result in a lucky bounce here and there, but don't count on it. Finally, it has a turret you can reliably work with, thanks to strong thickness and acute angles. Keep moving to make it even more difficult for the enemy to penetrate you.
With regards to mobility, this vehicle is similar to its predecessors. So it has good acceleration but a mediocre top speed. It did improve compared to the Tier VIII and IX vehicles though. It also has a very high view range, which doesn't do much for it, because it's a close to mid-range supporter - it's still nice to have.
Its 105 mm gun has similar characteristics to the Type 61. Of course, it has been improved quite a bit. The damage per shot is still lower than other 105 mm guns of the same Tier, but the rate of fire is even higher than before. Now, the STB-1 has one of the highest potential DPM values in the entire game. Use it to rip apart your opponents, and avoid trading shots unless you are sure you will deal more damage than you'll take. It has a good aiming time, so you won't need to expose yourself as long to take a shot, but the low accuracy won't allow you to snipe effectively.
Equipment
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We recommend the Tank Gun Rammer together with the Vertical Stabilizer, for a higher damage per minute and a better chance of hitting your opponents. Go for Improved Ventilation for a general bonus to the combat parameters. Coated Optics don't make that much sense here, despite the good view range – this vehicle is most efficient up to mid-range.
Crew Skills
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A normal choice of crew skills. After the essential Repair skill, you definitely want to go for Snap Shot and Smooth Ride to hit your targets more reliably, and Safe Stowage to balance out the weak ammo rack. Brothers in Arms is the cherry on top, boosting your combat parameters (similar to the Improved Ventilation).
