T-34-85 Guide

Once you have finished grinding the T-34, you may choose to either go over to the Soviet tank destroyers with the SU-85, or continue down the medium line via the T-34-85. As a Tier 6 medium, the T-34-85 will now be facing tanks up to Tier 8. It is very dangerous environment where Tier 8 premium tanks like the IS-6, the T34, and the notorious Type 59 run abound. In exchange, the T-34-85 retains the same hull as its predecessor, but gains a nice HP boost, a new, more heavily armoured turret, a more powerful engine, and a fantastic gun in the form of the 85 mm D5T-85BM. Played well, the T-34-85 is an excellent and highly versatile Tier 6 medium tank.



Tank Statistics
Battle Tiers: 6 to 8
Hit Points: 670 (720 with the T-34-85 extended turret)
Credit Price: 915,000
Experience Cost: 27,825 XP
Crew: 5 (Commander, Gunner, Loader, Driver, Radio Operator)
View Range: 350 m (360 m with the T-34-85 extended turret)
Signal Range: 325 m (525 m with the 9RM radio)
Weight: 32.4 tons (34.1 tons with my loadout)
Turret Traverse: 46°/s (46°/s with the T-34-85 extended turret)

Armour
As noted above, the T-34-85's hull is identical to that of the previous T-34. Since it will now be facing up to Tier 8 tanks, this armour is no longer adequate protection, and to compensate for this, the T-34-85 has more HP than the T-34. The turret is a significant improvement in armour over the T-34's. It is very well-rounded at the front, and can bounce a surprising number of rounds (I have bounced a round the 8.8 cm KwK 43 L/71 on the Tiger II before using the turret). This combined with the decent-ish gun depression makes going hull down a viable option if the T-34-85 is top tier. The turret ring is an unfortunate shot trap, however, and you will find that the turret traverse mechanism gets damaged fairly often.

Armour Layout with the T-34-85 turret

Spoiler:

Armour Layout with the T-34-85 extended turret

Spoiler:

Notable weakspots: Commander's cupola vision slits, machine gun port on the hull front, driver's vision slits.

Module Locations

Spoiler:

Of particular note are the fuel tanks running along the sides of the hull, and the ammunition rack at the turret rear. There is no ammunition stored in the hull. The engine is mounted in the rear of the tank.

Armament
The gun selection is as follows (numbers in brackets are for the T-34-85 extended turret)

76 mm S-54
Damage: 110/110/156 HP (AP/APCR/HE)
Penetration: 109/156/39 mm
Rate of Fire: 14.63 rounds/minute (15 rounds/minute)
Accuracy: 0.41 m (0.41 m)
Aim Time: 2.9 s (2.3 s)
Elevation: -7° to +22° (-7° to +22°)
Ammunition: 68 rounds (70 rounds)

The stock gun. The S-54 has insufficient penetration to be of much use against Tier 8 and some Tier 7 tanks, lacklustre alpha damage, poor accuracy, but a good rate of fire and aim time with the second turret. It was a distinctly mediocre gun on the T-34, and is definitely lacking by Tier 6 standards. I recommend using free XP to skip it if possible.

Spoiler:

85 mm ZiS S-53
Damage: 160/160/280 HP (AP/APCR/HE)
Penetration: 120/161/43 mm
Rate of Fire: 11.54 rounds/minute (12 rounds/minute)
Accuracy: 0.42 m (0.42 m)
Aim Time: 2.9 s (2.3 s)
Elevation: -7° to +22° (-7° to +22°)
Ammunition: 56 rounds (60 rounds)

This is the weapon that was historically fitted to most T-34-85s. The ZiS S-53 has better penetration and alpha damage than the S-54, but with a slower rate-of-fire and slightly worse accuracy. It is an acceptable gun for grinding XP, since it is at least capable of penetrating most higher tier tanks in the flanks or weakspots, particularly the Tier 8 premium IS-6 and KV-5.

Spoiler:

122 mm U-11
Damage: 450/370 HP (HE/HEAT)
Penetration: 120/161/43 mm
Rate of Fire: 5.08 rounds/minute (5.26 rounds/minute)
Accuracy: 0.57 m (0.57 m)
Aim Time: 2.9 s (2.9 s)
Elevation: -7° to +22° (-7° to +22°)
Ammunition: 36 rounds (36 rounds)

Like most of the other Tier 6 mediums, the T-34-85 gets a "derp" gun as an option. I am not a big fan of derp guns and their reliance on RNG, but the 122 mm U-11 is fairly powerful and is a perfectly viable option for grinding XP. At the very least, the T-34-85 does have the mobility to make it work. HEAT ammunition will also allow it to do massive damage to even heavily armoured tanks, provided the shell hits, but is quite expensive.

Spoiler:

85 mm D5T-85BM
(Requires the T-34-85 extended turret to be mounted)
Damage: 180/180/300 HP (AP/APCR/HE)
Penetration: 144/194/44 mm
Rate of Fire: 10 rounds/minute
Accuracy: 0.37 m
Aim Time: 2.3 s
Elevation: -7° to +22°
Ammunition: 48 rounds

This is the top gun, and in my opinion, is the gun that makes the T-34-85 worth playing. It is a highly versatile weapon, with respectable alpha damage, rate-of-fire and aim time. It is accurate enough to snipe from reasonably long distances, although the German 7.5 cm KwK 42 L/70 is better in that respect. It also deals a respectable amount of damage-per-minute, making it a viable weapon for brawling, if necessary. It also has good penetration for a Tier 6 medium tank gun, more than adequate for a flanking medium tank. The thing about the D5T-85BM is that it is not outstanding in any single category, but it is quite good in every single one of them. This gun is also the best gun on the KV-13 and T-43, so it is a good idea to unlock it here on the T-34-85.

Interestingly enough, this gun is basically a modified version of the 85 mm D-5T gun, which is used on the KV-1S, KV-13, and IS, that allowed it to use a more powerful round. This gun was also fitted to early models of the T-34-85, but it is nearly identical in performance to the ZiS S-53, which is probably why the D-5T is not a gun option on the T-34-85.

Spoiler:

With the D5T-85BM, I go for an ammunition loadout of 33 UBR-365KBM (AP), 10 UBR-365PBM (APCR), and 5 UOF-365BM (HE). APCR is necessary, given the abundance of Tier 8 premiums with heavy armour, while HE is useful for resetting base captures, and doing heavy damage to lightly armoured tanks like the M18 Hellcat or Dicker Max.

Mobility
Engine Power: 500 hp (520 hp with V-2-34M engine, 600 hp with the V-54K engine)
Hull Traverse: 36°/s (38°/s with T-34-85-60 suspension)
Speed Limit: 54 km/h
Power/Weight Ratio: 15.43 hp/ton (17.60 hp/ton with my setup)
Suspension Weight Limit: 35 tons (35.3 tons with T-34-85-60 suspension)

Like the T-34, the T-34-85 receives a fairly significant penalty from track friction and has a higher ground pressure than the T-34 (both hidden stats), both of which can be improved with the Off-Road Driving skill. With a 75% crew and the stock V-2-34 engine and suspension, it is quite sluggish and unmanoeuvrable. Also like the T-34, once you have researched the top V-54K engine and T-34-85-60 suspension, and the driver has reached 100%, the T-34-85 becomes quite mobile. It is not as fast as the Cromwell, but it is faster than all the other Tier 6 mediums. Acceleration with the top engine is actually better than the T-34's, due to the higher power/weight ratio. The T-34-85 also turns fairly well for a medium tank, although the M4A3E8 and Cromwell are better in that respect. Overall, the mobility once fully upgraded is easily enough for what the T-34-85 is required to do.

Review
Stock, the T-34-85 is pretty bad. It is sluggish and unmanouevrable, the S-54 gun is very underpowered, and the armour is no consolation against even other Tier 6 tanks, unless they hit the turret. Fortunately, the stock suspension is more than enough to mount every single module and equipment, and once you have the ZiS S-53 or U-11, the grind is not as painful as on the T-34.

Having played the T-34, the T-34-85 is not that much different from it. Sure, it's now a tier higher facing scarier opponents, but the playstyle is more or less the same. It is very much a jack-of-all-trades, and will adapt very well to whatever situation the battlefield offers. Unfortunately, this also means that it does not truly excel in any one particular aspect, so, like on the T-34, you will very much have to play to your strengths and opponents' weaknesses.

Against slower and relatively unmanoeuvrable tanks with heavy armour like the VK 3601 (H), the M4A3E2 Jumbo, and heavy tanks, the T-34-85 has sufficient mobility to flank them to get to the weaker sides. There are very few tanks that the T-34-85 faces which will give the D5T-85BM problems penetrating from the sides (such as the IS-6 and KV-5), and for these the APCR ammunition more than suffices.

Spoiler:

The T-34-85 can brawl in a pinch, but it lacks the raw DPM, agility, or heavy armour to do it as well as other tanks like the Cromwell, the VK 3601 (H), or the M4A3E8. There are also some very dangerous tanks that you should avoid brawling with, like the Type 59. Against them, your best option is to detrack and flank them. Due to the moderate alpha damage, the T-34-85 does not make a very good "peekaboom" fighter, although it can still do it respectably

With the D5T-85BM, the T-34-85 has the accuracy to act as a support sniper, but I feel this is not making the best use of the tank. The tank works best at medium to fairly close ranges, where it can make full use of its fairly good DPM.

Like the T-34, the T-34-85 is very much the quintessential medium tank. the way you play it must be tailored to your opponents and the map you are on. If there are a lot of heavy tanks on both teams, you should support your heavy tanks by flanking the enemy heavy tanks while your own heavy tanks pin them down. If there are a lot of light tanks, it is your job as a medium tank to hunt down and eliminate them. If your team has no scouts, you can use your decent view range and mobility to scout for the team. As a fairly fast medium tank, you have sufficient mobility and firepower to be able to shift to wherever you feel you are most needed on the map to make a (hopefully) decisive influence on the fight.

Overall, if you are used to playing the T-34, you won't find the T-34-85 to be that different. Be adaptable and know your enemies, and you will find many successful battles ahead of you in the T-34-85.

Advantages
- Good overall mobility; high top speed and good agility.
- Excellent and versatile gun in the 85 mm D5T-85BM.
- Well-sloped hull armour.
- Thick and well-shaped turret armour and gun mantlet.
- Decent view range for a Tier 6 tank.
- Fast turret traverse.

Disadvantages
- Thin hull armour.
- Somewhat sluggish acceleration (though a bit better than the T-34's)
- Vulnerable fuel tanks on the hull sides.
- Generally does not excel at anything.

Skills/Perks
My current crew skill set is:
Commander: Sixth Sense, Recon
Gunner: Snap Shot, Camouflage
Loader: Camouflage, Repairs
Driver: Smooth Ride, Off-Road Driving
Radio Operator: Situational Awareness, Camouflage

- Sixth Sense is invaluable on any tank.
- Snap Shot and Smooth Ride act like a mini Vertical Stabiliser to help reduce the aiming circle while on the move or rotating the turret.
- Camouflage allows me to remain undetected longer, helping the T-34-85 scout and flank better.
- Situational Awareness improves the already good view range.
- Off-Road Driving helps improve the T-34-85's mobility, and is better than Clutch Braking due to the T-34-85's already good hull traverse speed.
- Repairs gets damaged modules operational faster.
Other skills/perks I will probably get in the future:
- Brothers in Arms for all-round improvement.

Research Order
If you prefer flanking and sniping like me:
85 mm ZiS S-53 ---> T-34-85 extended turret ---> 85 mm D5T-85BM ---> V-2-34M engine ---> V-54K engine ---> T-34-85-60 suspension ---> 122 mm U-11 ---> KV-13/T-43

If you prefer a more close-combat style:
122 mm U-11 ---> V-2-34M engine ---> V-54K engine --->T-34-85-60 suspension ---> 85 mm ZiS S-53 ---> T-34-85 extended turret ---> 85 mm D5T-85BM ---> KV-13/T-43

The 9RM radio can be researched on the T-34. The 122 mm U-11 is used on the KV-1, KV-13, and T-43. The 85 mm D5T-85BM is used on the T-43, KV-13, and IS. The V-54K is used on the T-43.

Speed Grind (highly not recommended): ZiS S-53 ---> T-43/KV-13

Equipment
My equipment loadout is:
- Improved Ventilation Class 2 - For increased overall performance.
- Enhanced Gun Laying Drive - Improves aim time
- Medium Calibre Tank Gun Rammer - Increases the rate of fire.
Other possible options:
- Coated Optics - Increases view range, can help with scouting.
- Toolbox - Repairs damaged modules faster, if you don't want to keep the T-34-85 and demount stuff with gold.
- Binocular Telescope and Camouflage Net - If you like to play sniper a lot, and don't want to spend on complex equipment.
- Cyclone Air Filter - Only if you want to use the Removed Speed Governor consumable for increased performance.

Some Replays
Some of the many battles I have fought in the T-34-85

Spoiler:

Additional Comments
- The Chinese Type 58 is basically the same tank, but with worse gun selection, and better HP and mobility.
- You can transition to the Soviet fast heavy line via the KV-13.

Conclusion
The T-34-85 doesn't have any obvious traits that make it stand out from the other Tier 6 medium tanks, but it is a solid all-rounder with good characteristics. Anyone who can do well in the T-34 should easily find themselves at home in the T-34-85.




Originally written by Wen90

Thanks for the review Ding, im grinding the Russian medium line and at present im using this tank, your review covers it very nicely. Im actually quite enjoying this tank where most people who comment on it seem to hate it, im hoping the T7 or T8 tanks are as much fun.

finished this tank now, and a pleasant journey it was.

The T43, ive had 2 games in so far and I had to free XP the tracks and turret to get it fully upgraded, not a big investment at all.
Im yet to see T9 tanks but i have T8, i think this is going to be as much fun as the T-34-85 but im sure the big T9's are going to cause me troubles with the same gun as the T6 tank.

andy_scouser wrote:finished this tank now, and a pleasant journey it was.

The T43, ive had 2 games in so far and I had to free XP the tracks and turret to get it fully upgraded, not a big investment at all.
Im yet to see T9 tanks but i have T8, i think this is going to be as much fun as the T-34-85 but im sure the big T9's are going to cause me troubles with the same gun as the T6 tank.

The tier 9s might take your T-34-85 to the garage if you're not careful

yep thats just it, lets wait and see, I think a higher level of cunning (or hiding) may be required, this gun has the accuracy but not the pen so all that may happen is i shoot at the T9's just to let them know where i am .

You definitely can't throw around the T-43 like the T-34-85. It's generally not as powerful in its tier as the T-34-85 was at Tier 6. You have to play it as a dedicated flanker. If you get a Tier 7 game, though, it plays as a stronger T-34-85.

I thought the T-43 was alright, although it took me a really long time to get used to the step down in power it represents. Once you get used to it, it's an acceptable tank. Worst thing about it is how frequent it gets module damage.