Commanders,
This edition of the Top of the Tree features the German tech tree branch which includes some of the heaviest and most armoured heavy tanks in the game. Don’t expect to be racing with these mobile fortresses anytime soon, though.
Follow the research line leading to the Maus and enjoy great discounts and Crew XP bonuses:
50% discount on purchase of the following German vehicles:
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30% discount on purchase of the following German vehicles:
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+50% Crew XP bonus on all vehicles discounted in the special
Your crews will be also very excited about the new toys in your garage!
These bonuses will be available from 15 March at 06:10 CET (UTC+1) until 1 April at 06:00 CEST (UTC +2).
Maus
“What does the Maus say? Ding-ding-ding-ringading-ding!”
Overview
The Maus is the biggest and heaviest tank in the game. It is also theoretically the best armoured vehicle, sporting a hull with an impressive 200mm thick frontal plate, 185mm thick sides, and a turret with 240 and 210mm thick front and sides respectively. Even the vehicle’s rear can be difficult to damage as it is protected by 160mm of steel on the hull and 210mm on the turret. In addition, the Maus has an outstanding pool of 3000 hit points, so even if you do manage to successfully penetrate its armour, you will still have a long way to go before it’s completely destroyed. Another great advantage of this German colossus is its superb view range of 400m, which allows you to spot your enemies from afar.
These great armour values come at a very high price, though; weighing around 190 tonnes, the Maus is extremely slow, cumbersome and has a dreadful hull and turret turning speed. As a result, it can be easily flanked even by other heavy tanks. Another downside of the Maus is its size – being basically a mountain of steel, this tank is very easy to spot, very easy to hit, and if there are SPGs present in the enemy team, rest assured that this vehicle will be their primary target.
The 12.8cm gun mounted on the vehicle may not be the best in this tier. In fact, it is a rather mediocre in comparison to guns of other Tier X heavies. However, it’s still decent enough on short to mid-range distances, even if you’re going for enemy weakspots.
While driving the Maus, remember that your primary role is to be the team’s shield – draw the enemy’s attention and soak up their fire while your teammates get their hands dirty! Also bear in mind that even though the armour plates of your vehicle are very thick, only the frontal plate is angled. This means that your sides don’t have the extra armour effectiveness stemming from angled plates, and are thus are easier to penetrate. Therefore it is crucial that you position your vehicle towards incoming fire in such a fashion that enemy shells will hit you at an acute angle. Doing so will maximise your armour’s effectiveness while improving the chance of a ricochet at the same time.
Due to the fact that the Maus has a rear-mounted turret, it is very effective while using the side-scraping tactic. Applying this tactic properly will minimise your exposure to the enemy while maximising your armour effectiveness. If you’d like to know more about the manoeuvre and how to perform it, check out the appropriate episode in the Tank Academy article series
Fighting on open maps is very difficult for this vehicle, especially if there are SPGs present. In such cases, stay close to your fellow teammates in order to minimise the threat of being flanked, and drive to the nearest cover as soon as possible. Only move forward when you are sure that there are no scouts or other vehicles in the area that could spot and mark you for enemy artillery.
Tank tip: please remember that the tremendous weight limits Maus’s speed to 20 km/h. However, the vehicle is equipped with a 1,750 horsepower engine which allows it to reach this limit almost immediately. Therefore we advise you NOT to bother trying to push the Maus from behind – you won’t make it go any faster. Doing so will only annoy the Maus player, waste your own time, make you stay behind when you could have been assuming strategically important positions on the map, and worst case scenario, you may also damage your own vehicle in the attempt.
In order to maximise your performance on the battlefield, we suggest installing the following equipment:
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In addition, your crew members should learn the following skills and perks:
| Crew Member | 1st skill | 2nd skill | 3rd skill |
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| Commander/ Radio Operator |
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| Gunner | |
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| Driver | |
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| Radio Operator | |
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| 1st Loader | |
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| 2nd Loader | |
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As always, please consider the setup for both the equipment and crew skills as suggestions. Feel free to experiment on your own and choose what you think works best for you.
Roll out, Commanders!
