One of the nastiest little customers you'll meet on the battlefield, the Premium Tier VII German Tank Destroyer E 25 is replete with characteristics that make it a stealthy killing machine. This article takes a fresh review of an older Premium Tank to see just how it stacks up in the World of Tanks meta today...
The TLDR Section
Pros:
- Available for Public Sale again! - Excellent concealment characteristics, particularly concealment rating after firing
- Excellent travel and rotational mobility, with good acceleration
- High Damage-per-Minute
- Precise main armament with short aim time and civilised dynamic dispersion
- Competent forward scout if Light Tanks are unavailable or knocked out
- Crew compatibility with desirable vehicles from the tech tree
Cons:
- Lowest Damage per Shot and Standard Penetration of any Tier VII Tank Destroyer's top gun
- Expensive to run if flanking opportunities are unavailable to offset poor AP penetration
- Available for Public Sale again...
"They said they'd never sell it again!"
Firstly, before the keyboard warriors start mashing away, let's try and clear up a popular misconception - specifically the suggestion that WG took E 25 out of the premium shop promising that it would never return. Indeed it's true that they took E 25 out of circulation in early 2015, acknowledging that the vehicle was a popular choice to the point that the infestation of "Hitler's Cockroach" was starting to have an adverse effect on the ecosystem of games. However as anyone can see from the release below (check it out yourself at https://worldoftanks.eu/en/news/general-news/e25-withdrawal-sales/), WarGaming did not close the door completely contrary to popular opinion. This was also a decision made at a time when the breadth of game content and vehicle choice was nowhere near what it is today. Moreover the decision was made 7 years ago, and quite frankly when you consider the longevity of most games and the ability for a game meta to change over time through mass addition of content, is it reasonable to ruthlessly hold a developer/publisher to account over a content decision from so long ago? In any case, after a number of appearances as special event rewards including Holiday Ops 2019 Large Boxes, E 25 made it's return to the Premium Shop sales cycles from January 2020.
"What are you expecting to destroy with that?!"
Initially the gun stats don't look particularly inspiring. Shot-for-shot, E 25's 7,5cm PaK L/70 is the weakest "top gun" of any Tier VII Tank Destroyer with 135HP per shot punching through just 150mm armour with Standard AP and 194mm with the Premium APCR. In spite of this, it provides one of the highest DPM's of a Tier VII Tank Destroyer with a base output of 2,700HP/min as it can throw a shell downrange every 2.88 seconds. It does this rather precisely as well, owing to a base dispersion of 0.29m/100m and aim time of just 1.44 seconds. The gun has a reasonable range of vertical travel, achieving -8°/+15° and while the firing arc of just 24° appears limiting, your rotational mobility and rapid aim time generally take care of this.
"Make sure you get their good side..."
Sub-par penetration characteristics means E 25 will often be looking for opportunities to engage enemies in their flanks, which presents another challenge of getting into a position where flanking shots are viable. Fortunately E 25 carries a powerful 740hp Maybach engine which provides the second-highest power-to-weight ratio (28.14hp/ton) and second-highest forward/reverse speeds (65kph/20kph) available in a Tier VII Tanker Destroyer. Another outstanding characteristic is its rotational mobility of 44°/sec, meaning E 25 won't get encircled unless the enemy knocks out a track.
"Become one with the boosh..."
Becoming flanking support often means playing away from your support, but it's E 25's ability to stay hidden while doing the dirty work that's particularly outstanding about this vehicle. At class and tier, its stationary camo rating of 25.14% surpasses all Tier VII Light Tanks and is only surpassed (and barely!) by the Chinese T-34-2G FT whose poor mobility is likely to relegate it to a more conventional tank destroyer role anyway. 15.05% concealment on the move is well in excess of medium tanks at-tier, while its extremely low profile will limit the ability of the enemy to catch sight of E 25 through undulating terrain. The truly outstanding characteristic however is the concealment rating after firing of 8.82% which significantly reduces the chance of being spotted while loosing repeated shots into enemy flanks. By comparison, most vehicles struggle to maintain a concealment rating over 5% after firing. This is extremely handy because E 25 lacks the big calibre and big damage to fire and retreat to cover on the reload, and therefore needs to maintain uninterrupted fire in order to have an equivalent battlefield effect.
While base viewrange of 360m is average among Tier VII Tank Destroyers and low for a Tier VII Light Tank, the combination of concealment and mobility means that E 25 can be an effective scout (either actively or passively, but preferably passively) when it's not trying to spot its own food.
"No Armour for you..."
This is about where the fun ends for E 25 however, since its primary survivability characteristic is not getting seen in the first place. At the extremes of hull-down play, its 50mm armour plate will only offer ~85mm effective protection while its low profile, 35mm side and 20mm roof plate make E 25 highly vulnerable to overmatching, high explosive shells and artillery attack.
To this end, shooting engagements with the enemy at short-medium ranges should only be carried out with a high degree of confidence that you'll remain hidden or that any threats downrange will be destroyed before they can respond with fire. Distance is E 25's friend, noting you have the accuracy to capitalise on it and the mobility to obtain optimal position to do so.
Crew / Equipment Setup
There are a number of ways to set up E 25, and neither are really right or wrong. In terms of crew, your commander is the most important crew member as they will be solely responsible for achieving peak performance on vision and concealment. Don't be afraid to use those Personal Training Manuals to get your Commander to a 5-Skill Position, since your other crew members will be highly combat-effective with just Camouflage and Brothers-in-Arms.
Equipment setup will be directly proportional to a players confidence in remaining hidden. I've opted for a setup comprising Gun Rammer, Coated Optics and Low Noise Exhaust in order to improve rate of fire, maintain vision on the move and enjoy a flat camo boost to really drive up that concealment on the move. With such a high base rate of fire, there is a strong argument for skipping the gun rammer in favour of other equipment such as Improved Ventilation or Vertical Stabiliser. Binoculars and Camouflage Net are also viable choices for newer E 25 operators who prefer a less mobile and more passive playstyle.
In terms of directives and consumables, greatest utility will be found from further enhancements to concealment particularly when you have the confidence to start firing and keep firing at a penetrable facing without being seen in turn
E 25 in today's meta
The introduction of wheeled vehicles into World of Tanks has threatened key aspects of the playstyle of E 25, particularly its use of forward flanking tactics to overcome its poor penetration values. This can make it difficult to realise its ability as a damage dealer without the use of Premium APCR or playing more passively to provide a vision screen for your team until the wheeled vehicles can be cleared from the field. Once that's achieved, it's back to business as usual by which time you should have a good idea as to where you can head to do the most good.
While it's a most enjoyable to play in its own right, it is also a compatible crew trainer for: - Tier IV JagdPanzer 38(t) Hezter - Tier VI JagdPanzer IV - Tier VIII Rhm.-Borsig Waffenträger. - Premium Tier VII Krupp-Steyr Waffenträger
- Premium Tier VIII Kanonenjagdpanzer 105
It is worth noting that the compatible premium vehicles noted above do offer a more traditional Tank Destroyer playstyle while also being available for gold straight off the Tech Tree. There is a strong argument however that the lack of nuance compared to E 25 does run the risk of reducing the fun factor particularly for those players who are confident in their concealment and mastered the art of "Crouching Cockroach, Hidden Sniper". The shortcomings of its main armament are well-offset by a concealment and mobility that make this a very fun tank to play, and despite its age E 25 remains a solid achiever in the World of Tanks meta today.
Gameplay
See Also
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