Commanders,
This edition of the Top of the Tree special will be quite unique in character - this is the first time in its history that it focuses on self-propelled guns!
Follow the research line leading to the Bat.-Châtillon 155 58 and enjoy great discounts and credit income bonuses:
30% discount on purchase and 30% more credits earned with the following French vehicles:
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Use this opportunity to earn extra credits while driving these sneaky ‘arties’ or get them for 70% of their normal value!
These bonuses will be available from 1st May at 07:10 until 15th May at 07:00 CEST (GMT +2).
Bat.-Châtillon 155 58
“Trust me, I’m a postman – here’s your airmail!”
Vehicle Overview
Within its class, this little vehicle is truly one of a kind. It is small, fast, has a turret and, most important of all, is equipped with an autoloading system! As a result, this SPG can relocate easily, switch between targets without the danger of moving the hull and resetting the aiming circle and can also fire a total of 4 shells in 5-second intervals. Combine this with its reasonably accurate gun and fast aiming time and you get yourself an SPG which will annoy the enemy to no end.
Despite these wonderful traits, driving this particular SPG requires the consideration of a few drawbacks. Firstly, the turret’s traverse speed is extremely slow, so it may take some time to switch between targets which are far away from each other. Secondly, even though the reload time between shells is quite rapid, replacing a whole drum requires a painful 80 seconds to perform. Needless to say, you are completely useless to the team during that time. Lastly, the alpha-damage potential of the gun is ridiculously low for a tier X SPG – hitting your target will make you feel like you are driving a tier VIII arty again, which can be quite frustrating at first.
How do you make this vehicle work then? It’s quite simple actually…
First and foremost, do not think of yourself as one of the main damage dealers on your team. Instead, try to approach this SPG as a support vehicle – finish off damaged opponents, concentrate on soft targets like medium tanks, enemy SPGs and lightly-armoured heavies. Don’t hesitate to focus on the suspension of the harder enemy tanks. When reloading the drum, always communicate with the team that you are doing so, that way they can adjust their tactics temporarily.
In the occasional situations when there’s only artillery left on your team, consider assuming the role of a scout and spotting the enemy vehicles for your heavier SPGs. You are small, fast and nimble, so you can use these traits to act as an effective passive scout and maybe turn the tide of the battle in your team’s favour. In such scenarios, cooperation between you and the remaining SPGs on the team is crucial, so make sure that the other SPG drivers are aware of the plan and are ready to engage the enemies you may spot. However, please remember that your primary role is to provide artillery support, so engage in scouting only when it’s absolutely necessary.
Tank Tip: While driving the Bat.-Châtillon 155 58, consider using the Strong Coffee premium consumable. Even though it’s quite a costly thing to use (an additional 20,000 credits on the resupply bill after each battle), having a 10% bonus to your crew’s skills can help a lot in reducing the dreadful drum reloading time, which, in turn, will give you the chance of dealing more damage in battle.
In order to maximise your performance on the battlefield, we suggest installing the following equipment:
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| Camouflage Net | Enhanced Gun Laying Drive | Binocular Telescope |
In addition, your crew members should learn the following skills and perks:
| Commander/ Radio Operator |  |
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| Gunner | |
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| Driver | |
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| First Loader | |
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| Second 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!
