Commanders!
Reinforcements are here in an unusual shape of a Tier VIII heavy tank: the
VIII
Gonsalo
. This brand-new tank has made its game debut at the auction event. Never-seen-before, this vehicle is rather unusual. No, not in terms of stats, it doesn’t have an alpha damage of 2,000 or a top speed of 160 km/h. Just take a look for yourself:
Gonsalo: The Stats
As mentioned above, the
VIII
Gonsalo
is a bruiser that’s best played at mid-to-close quarters where it can really get into the faces of the enemy. The reason for this becomes clear when you see that 3.5 s aiming time and a 0.45 m dispersion. You can obviously train your crew and add equipment to make it better, but we’d suggest leaving it as it is and playing like a boxer who wants to get up close to the opponent's face. This heavy has very good gun depression at -10 degrees which will allow you to fire down upon your foes and use the terrain to your advantage.
The gun has an alpha of 440 with a standard shell and 530 with its special HE round (the Gonsalo has the option of two HE shells) so you’ll be able to do some decent single-shot damage. It's standard shell has 240 mm of armor penetration. Another fun fact is that its special HE has 209 mm of armor penetration. Combined with its alpha, the Gonsalo's gun is simply built for devastation.
The reload time, which can be improved, is 15 s, so you can deal between 1,760 and 2,120 damage every minute. The Gonsalo has enough reserves that you’ll never find yourself without a shell to load, but that reload time means you need to make sure you pick your targets well. And rely on teamwork too.
The armor is that of a heavyweight, that’s to say it can take a few hits. You won’t want to show off your sides and rear with 35 mm of protection on the hull and 80 mm and 50 mm on the turret, respectively. But your front is well-protected with 130 mm for the hull and 250 mm for the turret. This means if you can get some cover between you and your enemy where they can only see the front of your turret, you’ll be fine! But the Gonsalo is a brawler; you'll want to get right in there, as close as possible, so they’ve got nowhere to aim but your front.
For a heavy tank, the Gonsalo has decent mobility. A top speed of 37 km/h (and 15 km/h in reverse) will allow you to get out of danger if you find yourself in a sticky situation. The Gonsalo has 1,500 HP and a 380 m view range.
Below you can find a full breakdown of all the vehicle’s stats:
Recommended Setup
| Equipment | ||
|---|---|---|
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To boost the tank's combat abilities, this recommended setup aims to improve the vehicle's gun handling and reload stats as much as possible.
The Improved Ventilator raises the vehicle's overall stats by improving crew performance. It is great for bumping up reload time, accuracy, aim time, and other gun characteristics. A Gun Rammer reduces the reload time by up to 2 seconds with the right crew and consumables. And having a Vertical Stabilizer will help reduce dispersion and cut the time needed to aim while on the move.
Crew Perks and Skills
| Crew | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commander (Gunner) |  |
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| Driver | |
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| Loader (Radio Operator) | |
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Prioritize learning skills in the following order:
- Commander: "Sixth Sense" Perk
- Driver: "Repair" Skill
- Loader: "Repair" Skill
It is essential for the Commander to acquire the "Sixth Sense" perk - this should be your top priority. The next most urgent skill/perk is the "Repair" skill for every member of your crew. A heavy tank usually takes a frontal role in battle, so put survivability first by learning "Repair"!
The "Smooth Drive" skill helps reduce dispersion while shooting on the move. It also reduces the aim time needed when the vehicle is stationary.
With the most vital skills learned, consider learning the "Brothers In Arms" perk for all crew members for a good all-round boost to performance. Since the perk does not take effect until it is fully learned, it is recommended to start learning the final row of skills first to make it easier since the skills' effectiveness kicks in as you learn it. Once all crew members have fully learned the third perk/skill, you can use gold to reset the perk/skill and instantly learn the "Brothers In Arms" perk then learn the fourth row of skills again.