After the SU-101, you will get to the bulky Object 263. Seasoned players still know it from the old days when it used to be a Tier X vehicle before it made space for the Object 268 Version 4. Now, as a Tier IX tank, it has kept the speed and armour but other attributes changed significantly.
Gameplay
Similar to the previous vehicle, the Object 263 boasts very good frontal armour. One disadvantage is that now it has a major weak spot, the lower frontal plate. Hide this part of your tank at all costs as even lower-tier vehicles can penetrate it with ease. The rest of the front, however, is extremely well-armoured and will protect you from most incoming fire, even from top-tier tank destroyers.
Keep in mind that this Soviet has an open top and is very vulnerable towards artillery fire. Also, do not attempt to side-scrape as the sides are too weak for that. So while the front is strong, you cannot angle it to increase the effective armour thickness. Other traits that carry over are good speed but really bad traverse. Rush to the front but avoid letting faster vehicles to close to you, or else you'll find yourself circled and blown to bits.
You are able to choose from two guns. Both suffer from bad accuracy but each come with their own strengths and drawbacks:
- 122 mm M62-C2: The stock gun of the Object 263. It may have a lower damage per shot and slightly worse penetration value, however, it naturally fires faster and has HEAT ammunition more capable of penetrating enemy armour.
- 130 mm S-70A: The top gun of this vehicle with a better damage per shot and good penetration value. It also comes with APCR ammunition that is only slightly more powerful than the AP shells.
Equipment
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This Soviet tank is one of the very few vehicles for which we recommend using a Toolbox. Usually, there are other pieces of equipment with a higher bonus available. But as the Object 263 is an open-top vehicle, the Improved Ventilation cannot be mounted. The other two pieces give the gun a much-needed improvement in terms of DPM and reliability.
Crew Skills
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Turretless tank destroyers like this one benefit the most from the Repair skill. Together with the Toolbox suggested above, you can avoid sitting on destroyed tracks for too long. Later on, the perk Brothers in Arms will come in handy, giving you useful bonuses in general for your vehicle (since you can't use an Improved Ventilation).
