KV-85

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Has two good gun choices in the 100mm and the 122mm
• Good maneuverability and speed for a heavy tank
• Strong turret armor

Cons:

• Absolutely no gun depression. -3 degrees is considered none.
• Poor view range
• Poor aim time and dispersion
• Rather weak hull and turret armor
• 122mm takes as long as artillery to reload

Performance

The KV-85 is characterised by its poor armour, excellent guns and its above-average mobility for a heavy tank. Coming right out of the KV-1S, players will be right at home playing the KV-85 as they are virtually the same tank. However, the KV-85 has one of the poorest non-SPG gun depression ratings at only -3 degrees, making the tactic of "ridge popping"- or even just fighting on hills- difficult to employ without taking a considerable amount of incoming fire. Even the slightest irregularity in the ground (that you wouldn't notice in any other tank) can leave you with your gun suddenly aiming up into the air and your shot going high.

When fully stock, the KV-85 is very frustrating and difficult to play. The stock 85mm D-5T gun is wholly inadequate for its tier and will fail to penetrate a KV-1 most of the time. The tank's main advantage, its speed, can only be found in the upgraded engine, meaning that a stock KV-85 is very sluggish, and with the stock suspension, the tank is very difficult to manoeuvre. The weak armour, slow speed, and poor penetration of the 85mm D-5T gun would mean that it is very hard tank to grind, not to mention that an upgraded gun requires both the turret and the new suspension. However, the difficult grind is well worth the effort, as the KV-85 has impressive selections of guns, as well as being very manoeuvrable for a heavy tank.

When armed with the 100mm S-34 gun, the better penetration and damage should make driving the KV-85 considerably more enjoyable. With a reload time of around 7 seconds or more, an average alpha damage of 250 and an accuracy of 0.38, the tank is well equipped for dealing with tanks of tiers 7 and 8. The low alpha means that this gun is suited as a gun much like the E-25's or the Cromwell's, where DPM is its main advantage, where its good rate of fire coupled with respectable penetration and damage can lay waste to enemies in minutes. With the upgraded engine, the KV-85 essentially become a slower but better armoured medium tank that can flank slower heavy tanks and target their sides and weaker rear armour, as well as aid team mates who are attempting a push from the front. That being said, the poor alpha of the 100mm S-34 gun means that trying to "slug it out" with other heavies is a death sentence, in particular against tier 8s where the gun's accuracy and DPM is near useless due to your lack of hitpoints against them. Use it as an impromptu sniper or flanker and this tank can be very useful to the team. However, it is worthy of noting that if you are able to weave your way through enemy groups with this tank, deal damage to a multitude of opponents while using the 100mm S-34, while making yourself as difficult to pen or even hit as possible, chances are you may not only walk out with a fat payout, but also potentially an ace tanker mastery badge.

When equipped with the 122mm D-2-5T, the tank changes drastically from a flanker into an opportunistic brawler. The 20 sec long reload, poor accuracy of 0.50 and an aiming time of 3.6 seconds mean that this gun is best suited for close to point blank combat, where the gun's impressive damage of 390 will send medium and light tanks flying off the map and leave gaping holes in heavies; literally halving the hit points of most tier 6 heavy tanks. However, the inaccuracy of the gun means that the tank must get close to the enemy, where its weak hull armour can easily be penetrated. As such, it would be wise to follow another heavy tank for supporting fire and when they are shot by the opposing enemy and they are reloading, you can "pop out" and cripple enemies standing in your way with 390 average damage without fear of retaliation. In the right hands, this gun can easily cause the most damage, just watch out for misses and non-penetrations, as a single AP shell costs 1025 credits.

All in all, the KV-85 is a very versatile tank, able to be played as a flanker and a brawler. The frustratingly terrible gun depression, armour, and sometimes even the inaccuracy of guns of the tank may be and often will be a great disadvantage, but is more than made up for by the KV-85's mobility and good gun damage. Play this tank cautiously and patiently to have the best results.

Early Research

After the split of the KV-1S and KV-85, the S-34 gun is no longer needed to be researched first if seeking the 122mm D-2-5T, however, you still need the top turret and the upgraded suspension. The top engine will further enhance the KV-85's agility and will make playing the tank considerably more rewarding.