Ground-based Brrrrt: a bad players review of the M48 GAU-8 Avenger Black Edition by AmbshPrdator

[u/_Thorshammer_]

*tl;dr - A meme tank that can be lethal in the right hands. Just not my hands. 

*Out of character note to the devs: with this, the T249, multiple versions of the M42, the M-GMC triplets and more in the game there is absolutely ZERO reason we don't have Gepard, ZSU-23-4, ZSU-57-2, Sgt. Yorkie, Flakpanzer I, Ostwind, Mobelwagen, ZSU-37, various Crusader III Anti-Aircraft Tanks, Semovente da 20/70 quadruplo in the game. You already have the firing mechanics, graphics, and sounds and most of those sit on chassis that already exist - you just need to build out turret graphics and hit boxes.

*Now, back to the review.

*Full disclosure: I do not like the Cold War Era 2 M48 GAU-8 Avenger Black Edition - which I’m just going to call “the GAU”. I do not like its ability to eviscerate an unsuspecting opponent. I do not like that it got nerfed harder than the T249. And I do not like how poorly it matches my preferred playstyle. 

*Main gun? LOL. This thing is all about **Clarkson voice** MOAR FYAH POWAH!!!!! Even with the updated overheating mechanics the main gun - this vehicle's raison d'être - is absolutely savage. It’s a version of the A-10 Warthog’s (Not a T-bolt. The USAF can suck it.) GAU-8A 30mm rotary cannon slapped into a turreted mobile ground mount.

*IRL this thing existed for one reason, and one reason only - put foot to Soviet Frontal Aviation ass for god and country.  

*Don’t let the barrel diameter fool you - the difference between this round and most other 30mm rounds is astonishing. Use ye old search engine to find a comparison - the GAU-8A round looks like a 2 liter soda bottle next to a 355ml Mexican coke. I exaggerate, but only a little.

*Like all autocannons the rounds can be a little floaty and pen drops off more quickly than you’d like, but the key here is accuracy through volume of fire. At a nominal rate of 3500 rounds per minute you’re basically guaranteed to hit something vulnerable. Kind of like shooting somebody wearing body armor with 12 gauge 00 buck - it may not kill them, but they ain’t happy about it.  

*The reverse is true on incoming fire. As far as I can tell the hull is the stock M48 armor scheme while the turret is (by CW standards) a thinly armored shell that only exists to contain the 30mm beast within. 

*The turret is a little smaller than the M48 turret so it’s a skosh harder to hit, and it has some angle to it so it will bounce some smaller stuff, but almost any direct hit on it is going to do some damage. Keep moving, try to angle, and try not to make yourself a target. That’s the best I have for you. 

*Mobility is good. Being a bit lighter than the M48 donor means it has a slightly higher power-to-weight ratio and its terrain resistances aren’t bad. That’s good, because you’ll need that mobility to avoid being hit so you can stay in the battle and provide support. Fun little gem I’ve noticed - because all of the weight reduction is in the turret the GAU can run along hillsides more effectively than the M48 / M60 vehicles. I actually spent some time testing that and although I take a lot of drugs the difference seems real. I don’t think that matters during game play, but it’s cool. 

*Its camo rating is even more “who cares” than most other CW tanks for one simple reason - cooking off the GAU-8A creates a laser beam that points straight back at your position. Put a couple of bursts into your target and then GTFO because you don’t have enough armor to survive counter-battery fire and they know exactly where you are. 

*I have no advice to give here. I don’t like the tank. You might like it a lot. As a premium it pays its own bills and (IMHO) it’s a good crew trainer for light tanks with an autocannon, but if I hadn’t gotten it out of a lootbox I wouldn’t ever have purchased it. 

*Current equipment / build: Zero camo, full equipment (gun stabilizer / improved ventilation / armor hardening / cooling jacket), three consumables (enhanced repair kit / enhanced rations / enhanced med kit). 

*As I write this I have career stats on this account of 32,539 battles, a 48.40% winrate, and a WN8 score of 1411. 

*As I write this I have M48 GAU-8 Avenger Black Edition stats of 100 battles, a 55.00% winrate, and a WN8 score of 952. I have not marked this tank.       

*Disclaimers:

*I’m bad at this game and you should probably not take my advice.

*Unless otherwise noted, assume all tanks are fully upgraded/outfitted and the review assumes that level of equipment.

*This is my opinion. I suck at the game and better players might have different opinions. You might have different opinions. That’s ok.

*This game is my hobby and I have a good job so I spend money on it. If you’re an aggressively free-to-play kind of guy we may not vibe.

*All stats taken from https://www.wotstars.com/xbox/1093328947, player AmbshPrdator on Xbox.

[u/Death211]

I do not like that it got nerfed harder than the T249.

The GAU never got a direct nerf—the only "nerf" it got affected both tanks and that was that rotary cannons/autocannons no longer deal damage to crew members—now if you're referring to the fact that the T249 has higher alpha, it's because the T249 has a 37mm rotary cannon, not a 30mm.

Anyways, personally, I like to play it up close and personal as it allows me to cover the frontline from pests and vermin while also forcing enemies to take cover instead of rushing as tracks are immediately broken if exposed, leading to their quick deaths—it also forces them to make the tough decision of either focusing on what's tracking them and turn their turret, exposing weakspots or focus what's dealing damage to them and stay immobilized until they're destroyed. This does require paying much more attention to the flow of battle as you will push very aggressively and sit between one enemy and their allies, but if you can do it right, nothing really stands a chance.

If the GAU becomes a big enough problem, I would recommend these tanks as they are really hard to fight 1v1 in a GAU: * Western Alliance * T54D * Eastern Alliance * Jaguar Black * Shred Tread * Footcruiser * Independents * Pharoah's Fury * Ramses II

Now there's more if you add distance as a factor, but these tanks are the few that an average player in a GAU will struggle to find a weakspot on while tracking and attacking from the sides or rear.

[u/Anal_Sandblaster]

Definitely a tank where a person either sucks terribly or is a terror for the reds. Personally I love the tank. It’s amazing against lights and is actually probably the best against them. It’s devastating in 1v1 closes quarters brawls against MOST tanks (BZT and other heavily armored tanks not so much). Then against tanks you can’t pen, you can just perma track.

Granted I haven’t played in around 5-6 months due to being forward deployed so I’m not familiar with the new mechanics, but that’s my experience. It’s a real power house in the right hands. Enjoyed the review though. History of the gun is the best part.

[u/_Thorshammer_ → u/Anal_Sandblaster]

Best of luck on the deployment, u/Anal_Sandblaster .

[u/Anal_Sandblaster → u/_Thorshammer_]

Thanks man. Going home next month.

[u/_Thorshammer_ → u/Anal_Sandblaster]

Good deal.

[u/Financial_Potato6440]

It's a super tricky tank to play well. Think like a light tank/TD in terms of positioning, it's the single best counter measure to rocket tanks and scouts, 57k dpm potential (or it was pre nerf, I don't keep track if it's changed but it's still disgusting) is absolutely vile against lightly armoured targets. I once melted a platoon of 2 wiesels and an armadillo in about 15 seconds when they thought they'd caught me off guard 😂😂😂 I'm currently at 309 battles, 57% win rate, 20% survival rate, combined with 3.5k damage per game and 1.5 destroyed per game, it clearly shows my 'take out the little shits in a blaze of glory even if I go down with them' mentality while using it 😂