I finally got my hands on a FV215b.

Like the Conqueror, the FV215b trades a lot for a great gun. Unfortunately it is a niche tank. It will do great in pubs. In CW, its usage won't exactly be stellar.

Strengths

-Mantlet is very strong.

-Frontal turret is quite well protected, unlike the Conqueror. There are only two small 203mm cheek spots that can be penned by the enemy easily.

(Despite the Conqueror's turret being weak, its turret profile is actually excellent.)

-Frontal upper hull is strong.

-Side upper hull is 101.6mm, sloped inwards (approx. 45 degrees). It can get nice bounces.

-6mm spaced armour on the side hull. If you get lucky it can nullify penetrating HE. HEAT generally goes through anyway.

-6.9 RPM

-326mm APCR round for premium shell, rather than terribad HEAT. The additional 14mm HEAT pen for other 120mm guns do not make up for the unreliable HEAT mechanics.

-120mm penetration HESH round. Unfortunately HESH's usefulness is limited due to shitty HE mechanics, and limited ammunition capacity.

-Gun has the best soft stats in the game for heavy tanks. Only a few guns (100mm U-8TS, 120mm on Tortoise) beat its handling. Even then, the Tortoise only beats it on dispersion on turret rotation.

-High HP count at 2500HP.

-Shares the same crew layout as the Caernarvon and Conqueror, so it avoids the lol3skilluselessradioman.

-Cupola is STILL a trap. Except now it's even stronger.

-Very maneuverable for a heavy tank. It's faster than the Conqueror (even with more weight) due to magic tracks.

-Turret and hull turn very fast, so it's less liable to getting circled.

-Strangely pleasant 410m view range.

-...Less ammo rack issues.

Weaknesses

-but you might as well tow a fire truck with you. This tank is probably one of the most flammable tanks in the game. Any frontal hull penetrations can result in a fire.

-Frontal lower hull is made with scones. It's the exact same thickness as the Conqueror.

-Only the upper side hull is 101.6mm. The lower side hull is still 51mm, however the 51mm part are completely covered by the 25mm tracks+6mm side skirt (82mm total).

-Horrible turret ring placement means sidescrape is extremely hard to pull off.

-Despite having the same gun depression as the Conqueror, the rear mounted turret means it can't abuse it as much. If you drive backwards, you can abuse it, but your hull is paper, so yeah.

-Large target for clickers.

-Ammo capacity is very low.

Armour Scheme

http://i.imgur.com/WxpjDO0.jpg

Equipment

Vertical Stabilizer|Gun rammer|....CO2 Fuel Tanks

Yeah. Fuel tanks. This tank's so fire prone, an equipment is required or else it burns to the ground every other game.

The whole British heavy line either has fuel tank problems or ammo rack problems. Brilliant design chaps!

Crew Skills

Commander|Sixth Sense|Repairs|Fire Fighting

Gunner|Snapshot|Repair|Deadeye|Fire Fighting

Driver|Preventative Maintenance|Smooth Ride|Repairs|Off Road Driving|Clutch Braking|Fire Fighting

Loader|Safe Stowage|Repairs|Fire Fighting

The skills are to improve survivability and gun handling as much as possible. Preventative Maintenance...well. Safe Stowage is not required, but it helps. This tank is the first I've ever advocated for fire fighting skill.

Ammo Load

20 AP|14 APCR| 1 HE

I lowered the AP count because there are more tough targets in tier 10. 20 is still enough, but 4 extra APCR won't hurt.

Consumables

Standard Loadout. Auto fire extinguisher is required unless you feel like burning.

How to play

-Pretty much the same as the Conqueror, except now the turret's is much stronger. Now it can actually sit hull down and just shrug off incoming fire. Tier 10 heavies and mediums will have a tough time penetrating the turret. Tier 10 TDs won't though. Cupola still laughs at enemy fire. However, you should still raise your gun to maximum elevation during reload, in order to prevent enemies from firing at the cupola.

-Find dips in the terrain, and/or hills to hide your hull. If you can do so, your upper hull can take quite a bit of firepower.

-You can take the lead better, but still don't be front line.

-Do not sidescrape. Your side armour has poor placement, and can easily be penetrated.

-Use your own dead teammates as shields if possible and stay clicker safe, just like any other tank.

-Relocate as needed. FV215b is fast enough to change position if required. It's fast enough to make it back to base to stop cap in most cases.

-Be a second line sniper.

-Small dips can be useful (like the WZ-111 Model 1-4) to increase your effective armour.

-Its on the move accuracy is good, so use it if you like.

-Don't waste shells on blind shots, unless you are absolutely certain they are still there.