PzKpfw VI Kingtiger

Description
German heavy tank. Armed with a deadly gun and thick armour designed to withstand allied guns.

History
The Tiger II was the successor to the Tiger I, combining the latter's thick armour with the armour sloping used on the Panther medium tank. The tank weighed almost 70 tonnes. It was armed with the long barrelled 8.8 cm KwK 43 L/71 anti-tank cannon. The chassis was also the basis for the Jagdtiger turretless Jagdpanzer anti-tank vehicle.

Usage
Due to the King Tiger’s eye-watering price tag of 2400 MP, it is likely to never be used under standard game settings except in much larger games where a player can afford to spend as little as possible until late game. However, you get exactly what you pay for - the King Tiger is, without a doubt, the most powerful armored unit in the game, rivaled only by itself and its casemate cousin, the Jagdtiger. Sporting the monstrously powerful KwK 43 gun, equipped with three machine guns and over 170mm of effective frontal armor, the Tiger II checks all boxes in firepower and protection. Although it does pay dearly in mobility, it still boasts a somewhat respectable top speed and turn rate that tends to catch flankers off-guard.

When playing with a King Tiger, your priority will almost always be the destruction of enemy armored vehicles or to at least deter them. However, the 88mm High-explosive and triple machine gun load out allow it to lock down entire swathes of the map with unprecedented might.

Playing Defensively
The King Tiger is best at locking down and securing an entire flank, making it all but impossible for your opponents to use their own armored support. Although your armor is impressive all-round, it is exploitable. Seek to eliminate most if not all targets at near-max range, and only close in if it is positively safe to do so. When facing other super heavy tanks, prefer to deter their advance rather than go for a kill. Forcing the enemy to reveal themselves to you first is an excellent strategy. Always remember that the #1 threat to your vehicle is enemy infantry. This is true at all times. A King Tiger requires a strong supplementary force to be successful.

Playing Offensively
Despite being suited to the defensive, it is still possible to play the machine in an offensive stance. This is especially applicable in open maps where infantry cover can be spread out more generously, and unfavorable in urban settings for the same reason. As always, ensure you have a very strong supplementary force to protect it. In all other regards, it plays much like the Commonwealth Churchills - move up very slowly with infantry, using your powerful weapons to suppress and cut down enemy troops. Cover all possible infantry flanking routes - a single rocket could send your investment to the bottom.

Counterplay
Facing a King Tiger can be daunting, as there is no clear-cut solution immediately available. However, the first step is obvious - knock out the tracks. This can be done in several ways, with the most reliable but most expensive option being using a heavy tank of your own to sit at a relatively safe distance and target the tracks. Artillery can also be used, albeit only high-caliber or special artillery is viable as even the tracks can prove troublesome. After this is accomplished, flanking the immobilized target is needed to claim a kill; most medium tanks have a gun that can penetrate the King Tiger’s armor from the side (flat-on), and all launchers can penetrate it from the sides or rear. Never attempt to fire at the front. Remember that only shots into the hull/engine can kill the vehicle. As the Commonwealth, you can equip a pair of Saboteurs with PIAT launchers and sneak behind enemy lines using their overwhelmingly good stealth to crawl past enemies to deliver a shot into the side. As the Soviet Union, you can rely on the 203mm special artillery to eventually deliver a direct hit onto the tank, almost guaranteeing a kill.