Commanders,
It’s time to move away from the frontline and provide some artillery support for your peers while they are engaging the enemy in close quarters. Just make sure you don’t hit a friendly unit by accident!
If you think you can master the art of operating SPGs and providing artillery support effectively, then for the next two weeks follow the research line leading to the Object 261 and enjoy great discounts and credit income bonuses:
30% discount on purchase and 15% more credits earned with the following Soviet vehicles:
X 
Object 261
IX 
212A
VIII 
SU-14-2
Get these powerful bombardiers at 70% of their normal value and use this opportunity to earn extra credits while driving them!
These bonuses will be available from 15 November at 06:10 until 1 December at 06:00 CET (UTC +1).
Object 261
“That’s right, little tankies – run! RUN!!!”
Vehicle Overview
The Object 261 is a very unique piece of artillery and a unique Soviet vehicle on top of that. It distinguishes itself primarily with its gun, which is very accurate by SPG standards, has a fast aiming time and a relatively good rate of fire. Moreover, this SPG is surprisingly fast and maneuverable for a vehicle of its size, making relocation between shots quite a smooth process.
Of course, the vehicle isn’t free from disadvantages that affect its performance. The most obvious one is, of course, the aforementioned size. The Object 261 is almost as huge as the Tier X German vehicles, meaning that its camouflage values are next to non-existent. Moreover, unlike many other Soviet SPGs, this vehicle sports a very flat firing arc - you won’t be able to reach targets hiding behind many kinds of cover. Last but not least comes the very narrow horizontal gun arc, which forces you to turn the entire vehicle when switching between sectors, and renders the act of tracing a moving target pretty much impossible.
When rolling into battle with your Object 261, you need to mind a couple of things in order to play effectively. First of all, concentrate primarily on slow and stationary targets. If there are other SPGs besides you on your team, try covering one flank exclusively – this way you’ll save yourself some time on fixing your gun’s dispersion after moving the hull. Remember that by pressing X (default), you can lock the hull when in artillery mode and so prevent any involuntary hull movement which would compromise your aim. Also, don’t hesitate to play like a tank destroyer when the necessity arises – your vehicle is quite mobile, so if you play it well, you can surprise an enemy vehicle by jumping out from a corner, landing a powerful close-quarters blow when they are focusing on someone else, and then escape quickly while reloading. However, remember that you are still an SPG – fragile and easy to destroy. Therefore, going “TD mode” should always be a last resort.
Tank Tip: Due to the gun’s good accuracy but rather bad alpha damage, many players choose to use AP rounds instead of the regular HE shells. AP rounds boast an astonishing 360 mm penetration value, which is more than enough to pierce the frontal plates of most Tier X tanks. Even though in theory the average damage for the AP is significantly smaller than that of the HE shells, the chances of penetration upon a direct hit are much higher for the former. As a result, in practice, it may turn out easier to dish out good and consistent damage with AP rather than HE. The catch is that you still need to hit the enemy. Therefore, if you decide to use AP shells on your Object 261, you need to learn to pick your targets very carefully and attack the ones you’re certain you won’t miss (very slow heavies, immobilised tanks, enemies stuck in bottle-neck passages etc.). The golden rule is to take both types of ammunition into battle and switch between them according to the needs of the situation.
In order to maximise your performance on the battlefield, we suggest mounting the following equipment:
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Due to its size and the fact that the Object 261 is an SPG, the choice of effective equipment is rather limited. Besides the Shell Rammer and the Gun Laying Drive, the options are mostly either effectively useless or very situational. Therefore we have decided to leave the third slot empty – experiment with various devices and install the one you feel works best for you.
In addition, your crew members should learn the following skills:
| 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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| 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!
