PzKpfw VIB Tiger II Guide 3

PzKpfw VI B Tiger II - Known simple as: TIGER 2



Main characteristics

Stock characteristics:
Health: 1600
Shell Damage: 320/320/420
Shell Penetration: 225/285/60
Damage/Min: 1524/1524/2000
Reload Time: 12.6 (s)
Elevation/Depression: 17/7 (deg)
View Range: 400 (m)
Hull Armor: 150/80/80
Turret Armor: 185/80/80
Traverse: 26/25/51 (deg/s)
Horsepower: 0.87 (hp/t)
Speed Limit: 28/12 (km/h)
Ammo Rack HP: 220
Cost: 2,450,000

Upgrade Modules:
Guns:  8,8 cm KwK 43 L/71 - Tier VIII
10,5 cm KwK 45 L/52 - Tier VIII
10,5 cm KwK 46 L/68 - Tier IX

Engines:
Maybach HL 210 P 30 - Tier VII  
Maybach HL 230 P 45 - Tier VIII
Maybach HL 234 - Tier IX

Turrets:
PzKpfw-VIB-Porsche-Turm - Tier VIII
PzKpfw-VIB-Henschel-Turm - Tier IX

Suspensions:
PzKpfw-VIB-Standardketten - Tier VII
PzKpfw VIB verstärkte Ketten - Tier VIII

Radios:
FuG 7 - Tier VI
FuG 12 - Tier IX

Crew
The Tiger II has a crew formed out of five posts: Commander, Gunner, Driver, Radio Operator and Loader.

Armor & Mobility
The armor of the King Tiger is very strong from the front, but relatively weak from the sides. It has highly angled armor and though the lower hull of the front is weaker than the rest it is still strong enough to bounce some shots at longer ranges if you angle the front of your tank at about 30 degrees. This will give the enemy a slight angle on your front axle but increases the effective armor of your front armor significantly. You're very slow and easy to out maneuver so it's best to avoid city engagements when possible unless you have teammates to prevent a person from simply hiding on the other side of buildings from you. When rounding corners do your best not to drive out perpendicular to the enemy. Instead pull out wide and give them as much of your front armor as possible to prevent them from just tracking you before you can even get your gun around the corner.

Armament
As far as which gun to use in the long run the choice is pretty obvious as the 10.5 cm KwK 46 L/68 (long 105) is by far the best gun available and is considered by some to be the best tier 8 gun overall. It has fairly high shell velocity and decent accuracy. With 225 penetration and 320 average damage it doesn't hit the hardest but it has decent rate of fire and the ability to hurt any opponent you encounter with a well aimed shot. Until you reach your first gun upgrade you'll be using the 8.8cm KwK 43 L/71 (Long 88) it has the penetration and damage per minute to perform decently in this tier, but the low burst damage can get you into trouble when exchanging shots with an enemy who hits harder and has decent cover to hide behind. The 10.5 cm KwK 45 L/52 (or short 10.5) can be a decent gun, however, its low penetration and accuracy hinders it greatly in many situations.

Review
The Panzerkampfwagen VI B Tiger II (King Tiger), like most heavies, is versatile and can fill most tasks well, but the sniper or support roles are where it will truly shine. You won't be able to play this way in every game, but it usually outperforms every other tier 8 heavy when you do. Despite this emphasis it can still lead attacks and provide close fire support but it is very sensitive to flanking maneuvers and thus should try to avoid getting encircled or committing too far without support. I would, however, recommend avoiding one niche play style and instead try to do what's best for the team from one situation to the next. If you're the healthiest and strongest tank on your team then sitting back and sniping might get you some experience but if it results in a loss then it just isn't worth it.

Advantages of tank
The Panzerkampfwagen VI B Tiger II (King Tiger), like most heavies, is versatile and can fill most tasks well, but the sniper or support roles are where it will truly shine. You won't be able to play this way in every game, but it usually outperforms every other tier 8 heavy when you do. Despite this emphasis it can still lead attacks and provide close fire support but it is very sensitive to flanking maneuvers and thus should try to avoid getting encircled or committing too far without support. I would, however, recommend avoiding one niche play style and instead try to do what's best for the team from one situation to the next. If you're the healthiest and strongest tank on your team then sitting back and sniping might get you some experience but if it results in a loss then it just isn't worth it.

Disadvantages of tank
From either side I tend to focus on the ammo rack locations to slow down this beast's rate of fire. Engine compartments are also great if you're circling one since you can slow them down and possibly set them on fire to help whittle down that massive health pool.
Firing at the lower hull underneath the driver has the possibility of harming him, the engine and the fuel tanks in the rear. If you're capable of penetration a Tiger II from the front then I would recommend that, otherwise focus on the pink soft spots if you are unable to track and circle strafe it.    
Usually, firing directly into the back of the turret is usually wise since you are likely to kill a crew member and do ammo rack damage all at once. Focus on the left side as that is where both the commander and gunner are seated.

Spoiler:

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Suggested crew skills
Commander: Repair, Sixth Sense, Brother in Arms, Recon, Camouflage
Gunner: Repair, Deadeye,  Brother in Arms, Armorer, Camouflage
Driver: Repair, Preventative Maintenance, Brother in Arms, Offroad Driving, Camouflage
Radio Operator: Repair, Signal Boosting, Brother in Arms, Situational Awarness, Camouflage
Loader: Repair, Adrenaline Rush, Brother in Arms, Safe Stowage, Camouflage

This order is suggested because when owning this tank you will want to boost its strong points as much as possible. Repair is a must for all the tanks at this tier so it goes first for all. The second round of skills will boost tour effectiveness by making you be aware of the fact that you are spotted, since long distance shots are easy to take in this tank while staying under cover. Also you will have increased chance of critical hits, a lower chance of engine fire, since it burns fast enough, a bigger view range and a better loading speed when you get under the critical 10% HP.
The third round of skills will boost all the base qualifications for the crew so you will have better loading time, better view range, better acceleration, aiming and why not, an extended radio range. The fourth round of skills will act as a helpful hand for the first three with an even bigger view range, better speed and mobility on difficult terrains and decreased chance of ammo racks problems. At this point you will get the maximum view range that the game provides if you equip the Coated Optics - 500 m. The fifth skill, camouflage, will help you use all those advantages without being spotted from even a smaller distance so you can drive your enemies crazy when they will get hit by shells with no shooter appearing nearby.

Suggested equipment
I suggest you to equip this tank with the following: Improved Ventilation Class 3, Large-caliber Tank Gun Rammer and Coated Optics. This way, combined with the skills listed above you will have 120% effectiveness on the Commander, 121% for the Gunner, 121% for the Driver, same 121% for the Radio Operator and 131% for the Loader.

Extra notes
Even the smallest angling of your hull can mean the difference between taking damage and making the shell bounce. Catch shells with your treads. You have huge tracks so if you notice someone aiming at your lower hull from range try to turn them into the shot at the last second. This can potentially save you from a lot of rounds that would otherwise cause damage.
Wiggle your tank side to side. This is something that a lot of people do in higher tier tanks but it works just the same with the rest. Simply back up drive towards the enemy while shaking the front of your tank side to side. This will increase the likelihood that the enemy will bounce, hit your track or simply miss in an attempt to hit your lower hull.
Ram the enemy whenever possible. At 70+ tons this is the definition of "heavy tank" and can still gather enough speed that you're capable of dishing out nasty ram damage to most tanks. This can really help turn the tide when you're on reload and the enemy has the potential to kill you if they get a chance to fire again. Similarly this is an excellent way to engage multiple enemies at once, especially if one has extremely low hit points.
Utilize your height. Being a very tall tank you're capable of seeing over ledges and other objects very easily. At the start of a match find a position that overlooks a critical choke point on the map to ensure that scouts are spotted and guarantee that they die quickly.
Don't be afraid to spearhead an engagement when you have support and or local superiority. You have one of the biggest health pools of any Tier 8 so try your best to abuse this when you can. Pushing on an enemy and taking a hit or two for the team will enable them to flank and finish the engagement quickly.
The flip side of being large with a low roof and side armor is that artillery loves you. They will focus on you anytime there isn't something weaker around like a French tank. Some of the highest tier artillery are able to kill this tank in one shot so it's best to avoid prolonged battles in the open.
The pros of this tank are the excellent view range, a really strong frontal armor, quite a good accuracy and good penetration. On the other hand, the cons  are the large silhouette, that makes it easy to be spotted and hit, frontal position of the transmission that lids to fire often, slow turret traverse speed and low maneuverability. I will take Tiger 2.




Originally written by Sibienii