I Surrender, I Need Help.....The Ferdinand

[Alistair]

I'm not a great tanker by any means, but I'm average/decent. I get kills, help my team, etc. Rocking a 51% win % and the like, decent damage and kills and accuracy numbers, etc, all 100% crews, all tanks with full Equipment, etc. Admittedly, I don't use consumables much (covered elsewhere).

But here is the thing. I lose every time I drive the Ferdi, and often I find I'm dying very early on. Current win % in the Ferdi....42%, my overall worst, and close to my pretty fail 45% in my Lowe (which I have more understanding as to cause).

So whats the deal, how SHOULD I be driving this thing to better use and more wins?

[Varcaus]

From shoot at it.
Keep the front forward cause oh god how do I pen?! Stay at mid/long range so its harder to flank the paper sides. Arty will go right through your flat top. Think there was some vids in this thread http://failheap-challenge.com/showth...w-ep-27-3-IS-3

[Navigator Six]

From shoot at it.
Keep the front forward cause oh god how do I pen?! Stay at mid/long range so its harder to flank the paper sides. Arty will go right through your flat top. Think there was some vids in this thread http://failheap-challenge.com/showth...w-ep-27-3-IS-3

Here's that vid: http://failheap-challenge.com/showth...l=1#post407528

[ctrlchris]

Dont watch any of my replays~~.

Always move.
People hide from you because :datgun: use this to keep moving.
If you end up 1 on 1 with somebody facehug their shit, odds on they wont pen you but you will pen them, this also stops them getting your sides.
even though you are huge you are p quick.

Ill think some more thoughts and get back to you.

[Straight Hustlin]

Not so much advice for the Ferdi but just TD's in general. Don't get tunnel vision and only focus on whats going on in front of you. With TD's you need to have good situational awareness and follow whats going on elsewhere on the map & constantly be looking around yourself when your not aiming to take a shot. Find spots that make it difficult to flank you but always have an escape plan, use it when shit hits the fan. Prioritize flankers, and be aware of who and where your team mates are supporting you from. Because you may be better off tracking that medium trying to flank you & letting your team mates finish him off instead of just putting a single round into him before he gets into cover and then potentially behind you. Keeping an eye out for enviromental damage like trees falling & houses breaking can help you get the drop on somebody. Always try to keep some form of solid obstruction or hard cover near you, so that if someone gets to your sides/rear, you can use it to prevent them from circling you and force them into your sights, hopefully before they kill you.

[Th3GoodSon]

Listen to these wise people. Remember also your front lower hull is thin as a thin thing that is very thin and easily penetrated; try to keep it behind low walls, rubble, hills... it can make a real difference

[Stormscion]

two ways to play

if top tank vs not high damage tanks ( top heavey tanks not ISUs etc ) just rush forward and lead main force and crush everything ... one on one with first shot advantage Ferdinand crushes tier8 heavies provided that it has support so dont go solo

when not top tank stay back and snipe from 500 meters

[Xiang Jiao]

I have not driven the Ferdi but from what I've seen fighting them, you should follow the advice in this thread and constantly watch for anything trying to flank you. Furthermore, a tracked Ferdi equals a dead Ferdi so you should really start buying those consumables. If you aren't using them at tier eight, I don't think you can be helped really. You will continue to suffer a disastrous fate every time you get unlucky. In 7.4, the devs are saying that there will be an increased chance of critical module damage with HE shells, so without consumables you may be twice as fucked as before. Also starting with 7.4, the small rep kit will fix both tracks at the same time, so it will be really helpful for those times you get splashed by Russian artillery and get both tracks knocked off.

[ctrlchris]

Also starting with 7.4, the small rep kit will fix both tracks at the same time, so it will be really helpful for those times you get splashed by Russian artillery and get both tracks knocked off.

I thought that was large rep kits?

Also, what storm said.
If you are top tier give no fuck roll around and explode blokes, this also makes arty less of an issue.

[Xiang Jiao]

From the patch notes:

- Changed operation of Large Aid Kit: a constant bonus of "+5% to avoiding critical damage to crew" works till the end of the battle, even when the Aid Kit is used;
- Changed operation of Large Repair Kit: a constant bonus of "+10% to repair speed" works till the end of the battle, even when the large repair kit is used;
- Now Repair Kit fixes both tracks, if they are both damaged

Currently, the large kit repairs everything damaged from what I understand (I can't remember the last time I used one, possibly beta), and the small kit only repairs one module. If you ever drove the T-50-2 and suddenly couldn't move due to track damage, half the time you still couldn't move after using the kit because it only repaired one of the two tracks you had broken.

[ctrlchris]

From the patch notes:

- Changed operation of Large Aid Kit: a constant bonus of "+5% to avoiding critical damage to crew" works till the end of the battle, even when the Aid Kit is used;
- Changed operation of Large Repair Kit: a constant bonus of "+10% to repair speed" works till the end of the battle, even when the large repair kit is used;
- Now Repair Kit fixes both tracks, if they are both damaged

Currently, the large kit repairs everything damaged from what I understand (I can't remember the last time I used one, possibly beta), and the small kit only repairs one module. If you ever drove the T-50-2 and suddenly couldn't move due to track damage, half the time you still couldn't move after using the kit because it only repaired one of the two tracks you had broken.

Welp.
Shows what I know

[Dogbeast]

The Ferdinand is an awesome TD. imho, the best at tier 8.

Once fully upgraded, it can out-traverse other TD's, has a better gun depression, faster RoF, more accurate, and better acceleration/agility than the other TDs.

And at tier 8, the 12.8cm gun is nothing to scoff at. It doesn't hit as hard or have as high penetration value as the ISU, but it makes up for it in reload speed and accuracy.

The biggest draw backs to the Ferdinand (and JT) is it's size and lack of camo value. It literally has the same camo value sitting still as it does going full speed. But to mitigate this, it has the best frontal armor of any tier 8 TD (except the T28 Prototype, which is virtually the same). And your gun traverse is wider than the ISU's so you don't have to worry about constantly moving your tank around to aim at things. When you know where the enemy is, a neat trick to do is angle your tank a little bit away from your target. A good estimate is to turn your tank enough so that you can still aim at your target, and leave a few degrees of gun traverse beyond. If he is in front of you, point your tank slightly to the right or left and leave a little bit of space beyond. This angles your armor increasing it's thickness to beyond 225mm, making your front that much harder to pen, and you will bounce a surprising amount of shots. Even if they are aimed at your lower hull.

You have good frontal armor, and no camo value. So hold the line at key junctions. Himmelsdorf 8 row, Ruinburg city center, Steppes' south western rocks, etc. When possible, lead the attack if your top tier. Once you get the feel for the 12.8cm gun and it's shell velocity, you can rape everything in front of you. Even those T-50-2's. If you already have the 12.8cm on another tank, then you should already have some experience with it.

Use hard cover. By this time, you know how each map tends to play out, so know where good spots you can go and hang out at.

When possible, platoon. It always helps to have a friend who can cover your back. Or better yet, get 2 friends in Ferdinand's as well. Almost a guaranteed win.

If you see an enemy at 600m, take your time to aim at them and shoot. Your gun is accurate enough to snipe at extreme ranges. And even if you miss, you have plenty of ammo to throw around. Don't be a noob and complain about ammo cost. It's always better to kill tanks far away than it is when they are in your face. Make them think your hacking.

[Herstal]

I have a related question: HOW DO I SHOT JAGDTIGER?!

I honestly don't understand what is wrong with me and/or this vehicle. I'm not a bad player (~56% wins overall in randoms only, ~1500 eff), i'd like to think i'm also not a bad TD driver (~59% in Ferdi, my favourite TD so far, decent stats in all others), but i just can't get it to work. My win rate oscillates around 45% after over 200 battles, so it's not a small sample that can be blamed. Current DPB is around 2.5k, a bit higher than on my E75 which works just fine. I do get kills - can't log in right now and don't remember exactly, but over 1.5 KPB, highest of all my high-tier tanks. I usually play it very aggressively, mostly at the front line or just behind it, but i did exactly the same with the Ferdi, which also worked just fine.

The problem must be with me, I see no other explanation for such a low win rate - but the stats don't confirm it. Sometimes it just feels like the JT has an aura of retardation, -50% IQ to all teammates... Only yesterday i had 5 battles where i scored 4 or more kills, but we lost anyway - and i need another 150k XP to grind to the new T10.

Is there something i'm missing? HALP PLZ.


Bonus unrelated (?) video:

[Dogbeast]

I have a related question: HOW DO I SHOT JAGDTIGER?!

I honestly don't understand what is wrong with me and/or this vehicle. I'm not a bad player (~56% wins overall in randoms only, ~1500 eff), i'd like to think i'm also not a bad TD driver (~59% in Ferdi, my favourite TD so far, decent stats in all others), but i just can't get it to work. My win rate oscillates around 45% after over 200 battles, so it's not a small sample that can be blamed. Current DPB is around 2.5k, a bit higher than on my E75 which works just fine. I do get kills - can't log in right now and don't remember exactly, but over 1.5 KPB, highest of all my high-tier tanks. I usually play it very aggressively, mostly at the front line or just behind it, but i did exactly the same with the Ferdi, which also worked just fine.

The problem must be with me, I see no other explanation for such a low win rate - but the stats don't confirm it. Sometimes it just feels like the JT has an aura of retardation, -50% IQ to all teammates... Only yesterday i had 5 battles where i scored 4 or more kills, but we lost anyway - and i need another 150k XP to grind to the new T10.

Is there something i'm missing? HALP PLZ.

From what I remember, you can't really play it as aggressively as you could in a Ferdinand. It's hull has weaker armor than the Ferdinand, and is a giant shot trap into your engine/transmission. Even tier 6 tanks have been able to penetrate the JT from the front. I remember playing my KV-3 (when it was tier 6 still) a bit ago, taking a shot at a JT aimed right at me, and I penetrated his front hull and set him on fire. I was laughing, but I can guarantee that he was raging.

I had to play mine like I play a Tiger H. Sniper at range until I was confident enough to be able to move in closer. If in a platoon with competent people, then I could lead the charge while friends backed me up.

[Xiang Jiao]

Yip yip yip yip yip yip yip yip yip yip CAP CAP CAP yip yip yip yip yip yip...

[Herstal]

From what I remember, you can't really play it as aggressively as you could in a Ferdinand. It's hull has weaker armor than the Ferdinand, and is a giant shot trap into your engine/transmission. Even tier 6 tanks have been able to penetrate the JT from the front. I remember playing my KV-3 (when it was tier 6 still) a bit ago, taking a shot at a JT aimed right at me, and I penetrated his front hull and set him on fire. I was laughing, but I can guarantee that he was raging.

I had to play mine like I play a Tiger H. Sniper at range until I was confident enough to be able to move in closer. If in a platoon with competent people, then I could lead the charge while friends backed me up.

Yeah, i'm fully aware that the JT is weaker in this regard, but i wouldn't say that my survival is the root of the problem. Sure, sometimes i do some herpderp and diaf at the beginning of the round, but it's not that often - normally if go down, i try to take some people with me :P. I try to protect the lower hull whenever possible, and always expect to be set on fire by the first hit anyway, so extinguisher is ready.

[Lusulpher]

German rng became hateful about about a month ago...

Been 1 shotting JTs with T6+ arty at least 4x a week, HE...full health, no ammorackings...
T30/T34s too.

Ferdi takes pens while angled...bounces off strong Russian sides at 100m...IS3 upper shelf is magnetic!!!!!!
T5 arty can still 1 shot Ferdi without ammoracking you.[for months now, top hit = 1200 roll]

I have put my Germans away as they also attract derp teams who expect you to lead pushes, with rng being hostile to your existence...

[Tordin Varglund]

[DHB FooFighter]

since 7.4 small kits repair both tracks if both damaged

[ctrlchris]

Bonus unrelated (?) video:

+rep
I lold irl