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As I look at params of premium ammo for it seems it's only worse than standard.

enter image description here

                     Standard: Premium:
       Penetration:  60-100    56-94 (Worse!)
       Damage:       83-138    83-138 (same)
       Caliber:      76        76
       Splash:       0         0

Is there some hidden parameter that makes it better? Range? Trajectory? Travel time? Or is it simply an omission of the authors? Is there any point to buy it ever?

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3 Answers 3

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Penetration values for AP shells are for 0-100m. After 100m, the penetration falls off. Penetration values for HEAT (and HE) shells are true any range. At longer ranges (>300m), you are actually getting a higher effective penetration. SPGs like the SU-26 are often firing at these longer ranges.

Note that HEAT and HE shells are not normalized like AP/APCR shells, so HEAT and HE are less effective against angled or sloped armor.

See https://wiki.wargaming.net/en/Battle_Mechanics#Penetration_Mechanics and https://wiki.wargaming.net/en/Ammo for references.

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    While this is correct, the actual stats on the prem ammo still seem like a mistake. We dont know the exact penetration loss over distance on the AP shell, but I would assume the difference on actual penetration is so small that it doesnt warrant these stats.
    – Kemu79
    Commented Sep 19, 2013 at 10:23
  • It is definitely a little odd now that I look at things more closely. Using some assumptions, I come up with a break-even point between AP and HEAT at about 300m. I'm going to revise my phrasing above.
    – Granger44
    Commented Sep 19, 2013 at 20:45
  • @Granger44 Normalization is not related to bounces. These are different things
    – spyder
    Commented Sep 25, 2013 at 4:27
  • I was referring to the ricochet mechanics and not bounces. From the wiki: "If the normalized impact angle of an AP or APCR shell on the target's armour exceeds 70° (80° for HEAT), a ricochet (a specific variant of a bounce) occurs...." In other words, it uses the angle after normalization to determine if a ricochet happens. Granted, I should have said "angled and sloped armor". However, normalization also decreases the effective armor by moving the impact angle closer to 90°, so it should also affect bounces to some degree.
    – Granger44
    Commented Oct 3, 2013 at 19:25
  • HE shells doesn't bounce so angled/sloped armor does not make a difference.
    – Adam Arold
    Commented Dec 2, 2015 at 13:40
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First of all I would like to correct some errors in the previous answers:

Note that HEAT and HE shells are not normalized like AP/APCR shells, so HEAT and HE are less effective against angled or sloped armor.

This is true for HEAT but HE shells can't be bounced thus normalization wouldn't make a difference. Please note that it is possible that you hit with a HE shell for no damage but it does not mean that it is a bounce.

If you check on tanks.gg you will see that there is no difference in soft stats between AP and HEAT shells. The only difference is the HEAT shells have less penetration than the AP shells.

Please note that using HEAT is less effective since the HEAT nerfs and this is especially true for arty because the accuracy of arties is abysmal and you can easily end up hitting the tracks.

You should use HE in most cases when you play arty and only use AP in some special situations where you know that you will probably be able to hit your target.

So to answer your question: there is no point in buying HEAT for your tank.

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  • ...so, back to the original question, is there any point to pay the gold for HEAT?
    – SF.
    Commented Dec 2, 2015 at 13:49
  • Added a conclusion to my answer.
    – Adam Arold
    Commented Dec 3, 2015 at 0:19
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HE shells can still do damge if you don't penetrate. It also has a greater chance to cause module/crew damage.

In general it's better to use AP rounds, but if you manage to sneak behind a target and shoot at their backs (where armour rating is usually lower than even the most modest of HE rounds), you can do more good with HE rounds. Just remember to switch back to AP as the target will most likely start to turn back towards you :P

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  • This doesn't provide an answer too the question as the HE ammo available for this thank is not premium, the question is about the premium ammo verses the non-premium.
    – Xenox
    Commented Oct 23, 2013 at 20:19
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    ...also, good luck sneaking behind a target with artillery.
    – SF.
    Commented Oct 23, 2013 at 22:26
  • Meh I always get thrown off by the name with "HE" in it... Was thinking HESH. Anyway, HEAT is supposed to be higher pen than AP with AP-like damage. So not sure why this tank has weird HEAT shells
    – Populus
    Commented Oct 24, 2013 at 14:55

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