O-I: Remote-Controlled Destruction

Commanders,

Version 9.10 brings you nine vehicles as part of the new Japanese heavy tank line to the battlefields of World of Tanks. This article, however, is dedicated to the O-I, a Japanese Tier VI heavy tank.

So what makes this tank unique?

• Firepower: You will have the choice between two guns: a 10 cm gun as part of the basic configuration or a 15 cm howitzer available after researching. Even the stock gun is quite good, but the second one is what makes this steel giant a fearsome enemy, as it can destroy most tanks of the same Tier with just a penetrating HE shot. The O-I is most effective at close and medium range, because of the low accuracy of its howitzer.
• Protection and Durability: This Japanese tank has impressive armour protection. The rear and front armour is 150 mm thick, which is quite a lot for a Tier VI vehicle. When the thick armour does not help, the tank can still rely on its high durability. With a total of 970 Hit Points, the O-I has the highest survivability of its peers, except for the Premium TOG II*.
• Mobility: The vehicle has surprisingly good mobility for its large size. The tank has a maximum speed of 30 km/h and can quickly accelerate to a cruise speed of 24 – 26 km/h. Its traverse speed of 22°/s isn’t too bad either.
• View Range: Even without additional modules, the tank's view range is 370 meters, allowing it to see most enemies in front of it. You wouldn’t need more anyway, because the O-I is a close combat tank.
• Size: The O-I is a giant Tier VI heavy tank. The size of this vehicle makes searching for cover a real challenge – for example, bushes are not suitable for hiding the enormous hull. However, such a design has its advantages: the high placement of the gun allows this Japanese tank to hit weak spots of vehicles with a lower profile (e.g. the top of the turret) in close combat.

How should the O-I be played?

When top of the list, you can easily go into close combat, thanks to your amazing armour. Because your howitzer gun is completely inaccurate and doesn’t allow you to aim at weak spots when further away than 200 meters, your best bet is to get up close and personal with the enemy. The same tactic goes for Tier VII and VIII battles - however, we advise you to be more careful as the enemy tanks and guns will be even stronger. In Tier VIII battles you have to support your allies while trying to avoid open spaces. Your armour can still deflect some shots from Tier VIII vehicles, but we wouldn’t recommend exposing your tank to enemy fire for too long. It’s a much better idea to wait for your stronger allies to engage the enemy in combat and deal damage afterwards – that way you can be more useful to your team.

Just like the Soviet KV-2, this tank relies mostly on its HE shells, because they have a very high damage potential thanks to the high calibre. Moreover, it compensates for not being able to hit weak spots reliably. However, you should carry at least a few AP shells with you, for when you are in close combat and are sure your AP shells will penetrate. Always remember, when in doubt, load HE!

In the end, this tank can be described as an E 100 for Tier VI, as both feature great armour and alpha damage.

Get yourself an O-I as soon as you can!