Continuation from the [guide] knowing your Pact tank viewtopic.php?f=12&t=15957 Which also provides basic overview and info on tank usage and the guide itself.

This time we focus on Nato Your usual advantages are: Higher accuracy and better Stabilizer, better secondary weapons and side armor, specialized tanks and many freaks. Your usual disadvantages are: Lower RoF and lower HE, no atgm, high price, less tanks in a deckslot, difficult support, more terrain usage needed.

About the last 2 disadvantages. A tank is always as strong as you use it and what it confronts. Playing Nato without any tank is possible. You will have to keep an eye on keeping them alive and calm from the RoF and ATGM of Pact, as well as keeping them supplied with your limited supplies and providing air cover with your anti air units, finally watching out for the arty. You do have to do this as well with Pact tanks but with Nato this will be essential and maybe more difficult. Usually when operating in open terrain you will suffer catastrophical losses due to ATGM and overall the environment isn't very Tank friendly.

Categories are:

Light tanks, price range 0 - 45p cost, gun range of 1900m in some cases 1500m, frontal armor lower than 4
Medium tanks in the price range 50 - 90 which field a gun range of 2100m, armor 4 - 7
Heavy tanks in the price range of 100+ which field a gun range of 2200m, armor 7 - 10
And of course the exceptional freaks, which how the saying goes "The exception proves the rule."

Light Tank:

Leopard 1 - 1A3

The Leo, good old german engineering. Natos cheapest true Tank and also stronger than Pacts equivalents mainly the T-62 and T-55 etc. The AP power of 5 is enough to hit any Pact tank into his side armor from max range. The RoF is significantly better than the one on the Marder VTSi. This is also your main decision when choosing the Leo 1. Trading more armor and RoF and variants ad higher cost for the lack of speed and side armor on the Marder. The Leo 1 rivals also the Patton line. Leo 1 can proof useful in holding the line, fending off armored attacks, when the terrain is well used even T-80s have to be cautious. Its slightly too costly for vet and the lack of a useful secondary hurt it. The later versions have improved armor and AP, the 1A3 is the first one to have bad stabilizer. Leo 1 series is overall badly stabilized till you pay a fortune for a normal one.

AMX 30

The french tank ideology demands a fast tank, sadly this fast tank does not hit on the move. The Accuracy is excellent while standing. The Armor is sufficient to protect it from low tier attacks. An overall good tank in its price range, disable the gun for the autocannon becoming a great threat for enemy helos and for becoming the best armored autocannon carrier. The high speed lets it outrun the enemy. For 40p not really a cheap tank but justified by its performance.

Patton - RISE

The early Pattons are a fairly priced and fairly stabilized tank line with a powerful gun and HMG, which is mostly hurt by its lack of gun range and the not so spectacular armor. The Patton AOS is already Normal stabilized while the RISE grants mostly mobility and a better Gun but not a better stabilizer. All of them are quite costly compared to the cheap tanks that Pact can field. It also rivals the Leo 1 especially later. You will want to fire on the move with this tank as its the main strength, in other aspects the Leo1 and AMX are slightly superior. Not as cheap as the Leo1 but accessible.

Chieftain MK. II

A slow moving rock with a gun strong enough to hurt a T-80 from max range. The weak secondary and the very slow speed are its main disadvantages. Works best in combination with a forest or hillside. It is not powerful enough to defend from a treeline due to insufficient range. This tank line lacks a cheap version for emergency or spam.

E1 Starship

A tank which main attribute is its overall bad performance at everything. Cheapest tank with an ATGM for Nato. The HMG instead of the Autocannon on the later variant kills it, can't recommend it when not in a very dire situation. A modified Patton without its advantages for questionable differences.

E2 Starship

Feel funky and harness the power of both mediocre gun fire and mediocre autocannon fire on a mediocre tank. Overall an improvement of the E1 and mainly used for the "Starship-Effect", the atgm is there but ain't great by far.

Sheridan

Costs slightly more than the Starship and is also an ATGM tank. Its great speed and HE 4 make up for the overall lack of performance. The armor is very low making it vulnerable to arty and all other threats. The ATGM is what you're looking for with this tank which isn't all that great but gets better with the next variant. Its also small rendering it hard to hit in theory. Has very limited Ammo for the gun. Its rivals are the Starship, MBT-70 and the real ATGM vehicles such as the Jaguar. The next sheridan got a Shillelagh-C atgm aiding to its ATGM purpose, also with the Sheridan line is the M8 AGS available making it an unike and versatile deckslot.

Marder VTSi

Classified as a vehicle it is a mobile gun and in this case also an armored one. The RoF is horrible, apart from that you get what you pay for. Its similar to the Leopard 1 with the main advantage of being much faster Off-road. Vetting can aid a lot to its performance. The price of 20p is cheap the availability is however with 12 very limited. Thanks to the 2 side armor quite well protected from arty.

AML Lynx

A non-armored fast hitting mobile gun. Being the cheapest gun apart from the RR makes it fairly interesting. it is also fast and small and wheeled therefore perfect for sneak attacks. The AP HEAT is too low to engage enemy tanks with 5 Armor and also insufficient against Buritos from up front. The low availability limit its use. Vetting aids a lot to its performance and is even with high vet dirt cheap. The mortar on the other AML is a nice bonus. Be aware that you lack fast long range AA to cover it.

RR

The recoilless rifles for Nato. RR have the least in common with a tank while being a mobile gun. Both the jeep and M113 have a better AP of 7 than Pact and feature better atgm on later variants. The M113 is the more armored one with more ammo trading mobility compared to the jeep. Vetting can help a lot as the accuracy is terrible the price however is a bargain. Due to the absence of HE they can not fire at infantry or FOB.

Medium Tanks

Leopard 1A4 / 5

A pity, the price increase has put them at the same cost as the later Patton tanks while being inferior in the Tank relevant aspects. The Leo1A4 and 1A5 are decent tanks overall with the 1A5 having nice Operational Range of 650km and overall slight improvements. If you need the low tier Leos they can be considered as an available bonus. The lack of a useful secondary and questionable efficiency against Pact tanks and Nato alternatives make it hardly desirable for the new price.

AMX 30 Valorise / B2

Upgraded AMX 30 with a better gun range and accuracy as well as slightly more AP. 2 Acc and +5p are the difference of the B2 to the Valorise. This makes them excellent snipers but be aware that the AP of 6 is insufficient to attack heavy tanks and will have difficulties against high tier mediums. Just like the AMX 30 they are not stabilized but are still speedy. They don't have the "Starhip-Effect".

Chieftain MK 5 / 10

A better armored and very accurate upgraded Chieftain. It is still extremely slow Off-Road. The lack of a stabilizer makes it similar compared with the AMX while having none of its advantages. It is better armored and got more AP. The MK 10 is finally Normal stabilized got slightly better armor and accuracy in which its already great. Its however outclassed by various Nato tanks in most aspects and tasks.

M60A3 Patton / Super Patton

Having the same gun as the Abrams is nice since its great for a medium. The price is decent at 60 and thanks to the Good stabilizer the cheapest well stabilized tank available to you, only T-80U can hit this accurate on the move. The sidearmor got upgraded compared to the RISE which aids to its flanking capability, it can also serve as a frontline tank to engage light and medium opposition, you will have to deal with some losses due to ATGM however, and 60p isn't something you want to lose so its not an expendable tank. The Super Patton is a further upgrade with the same gun as the M1IP Abrams, the question is however aganist what you will use it as the availability with 4 is limited and similar priced tanks on Pact side have slight advantages over it. If you want something better than a M60A3 but dislike the Abrams try it out.

M8 AGS

Comes with the Sheridan line while not being a Sheridan in any way. Another freak with a freaking high RoF of 12/min and a freaking low armor of 3 for the price of 70p. Using this tank successfully requires quite a lot of skill. The trick is to keep it alive while letting it fire as often as possible to harness the powerful RoF. This is more difficult since you have to stay away from trouble and trouble is were you need your tanks. The low armor and mediocre AP power don't fair well at dealing with other Mediums and the first hit might be the last one. The speed and accuracy and the Good stabilizer coupled with the RoF predestine it for flanking, and messing up inferior enemies. Rivals other tanks in the 60 - 80 point range, makes more sense when you like the Sheridan as well.

AMX 32

Used to be a heavy tank which already tells us that were dealing with a very powerful tank here. Its offense capabilities are excellent as well as all its other aspects except Armor and the mediocre Normal stabilizer. For 80p a beefed up AMX 30 with the heavy tank range and 10 Acc 9 AP for only 80 points and 8 available. Does NOT come with the AMX 30 line and as well does not have the Starship-Effect or any alternatives. Keep it alive by using the terrain to manage its low survivability and you got an excellent tank.

MBT-70

The incarnation of a Jack of all Trades. The main advantage it provides is the flexibility as well as the nice performance for its price range. Its one of the few ATGM carrying tanks of Nato with the Shillelagh-C being fairly decent. It also features the Starship-Effect so it can fire both gun and autocannon. Another star is its great RoF of 10/min makes it the second fastest shooter. You can engage light targets with the Autocannon, medium targets with the gun and heavy targets with the ATGM and even have short range AA capability. Thanks to all this you can neglect most of Pacts advantages while bringing in some exclusive to you. The downsides are the Bad stabilizer and the lack of a cheap alternative however grants access to a heavy tank the Kpz 70. It is also quite supply intensive.

Heavy Tanks

Kpz 70

German predecessor of the Leopard 2 and related to the American MBT-70 it is a mix of both. The weapon is the same of the lesser Leo2 while also delivering the Starship-Effect of the MBT-70 through its Autocannon turret. For only 110p a versatile combination that once its in gun battle can take on Pact heavy tanks when superior in number or lucky however the low armor of 7 is quite a drawback and you will notice it when an AP 11 T-80U hits you. Since its the only Heavy coming with a Medium and Heavies have questionable use it can be a middle way.

M1 / M1IP Abrams

Basically a more expensive Patton with more sidearmor. Having the 2100m medium tank range, low AP and frontal armor for a heavy its at the borderline. Its fuel consumption is horrendous and speed mediocre at best which doesn't make it all that great for flanking. You will want to flank with it however since it lacks in all other aspects when facing actual heavy tanks, for the brute work there are far more viable options. Doesn't make much sense with the Patton line as they port the same gun. The M1IP is an upgrade in most aspects but still has the same cannon range and core characteristics.

M1A1 Abrams

An upgrade compared to the other 2 Abrams in its line it features a very good gun worth of a heavy tank and also Excellent stabilized. Apart from that it suffers from the same drawbacks as its predecessors and the 9 front armor are a big drawback in both ATGM and Gun battles. It is also slower than the other 2 Abrams further hurting its already not so grate flanking capability. It can not take on a T-80U due to less AP and front Armor, it can try and be lucky however.

Challenger 1

The Rock, a tank which main selling point is its Armor. The front is a 10 the side an 8 the rest also high. Since the front isn't more armored than other respective Heavies its Armor is questionable. Speed and weaponry also add to the survivability of a tank in which the challenger also lacks. The stabilizer is only a Very Good one which while better than any Pact Stab is slightly worse than the best Nato got to offer. The speed and Secondary weaponry are abysmal. You are limited to 8 individuals and got no alternatives available with this slot. Without ATGM from Pact hard to break and highest protected from cheap guns.

Leopard 2 / 2A1

Leo2 puts its strength into its gun and frontal armor and overall balanced performance. For 5 points more you can get the upgraded 2A1 which has improved armor. The Gun is sufficient while the secondary weapons and the rather poor armor of 5 on the sides leave quite something to wish for. It will need protection from both aerial threats and flanks as well as from being overwhelmed or sniped. The great speed of 70km/h renders it a capable hunter. For 125p rather costly for what it does.

Leopard 2A4

10 10 10 Excellency, the supremacy of the 4 ten. Thats what comes first into mind. This highly effective combo of 10 Acc 10 AP 10 Frontal Armor and Excellent stabilizer combined with all the advantages of the previous version make this a top notch tank and with 4 available with its predecessors a big rival for all other heavy tanks. Its drawbacks are the rather high point investment into a single unit, the survivability and limited numbers. Keep it alive and let its gun sing.

Puh thats it with the Tanks. its time to wake up and read the rest from where you fell asleep or better play the game and enjoy for yourself .