E-25 is Worth It

This tank was removed for a reason. It's too abusable/broken for competent drivers. The combination of high mobility, pref mm to make up for a low penetration but machine-gun like gun with amazing gun handling and accuracy, and finally, absolutely INSANE camo values, make this tank one of my favorite tanks, and in my opinion, the most powerful tier 7 premium ever released.

Full Stats

Even when I first bought the E-25, and knew close to nothing about camo and outspotting mechanics, I could easily do well in it, much better than my Jgtig 8,8. The gun just felt extremely consistent and powerful in dealing out damage over time. The mobility was great, allowing me to perform long-range flanking. These easy to understand characteristics were enough to convince me that this tank was great.



And then I trained my camo crew. I learned basic bush mechanics from Quickybaby, and equipped my camo net and binoculars. Holy cow, this tank's camo is simply ridiculous. For most tanks, they can remain hidden at up to 225m away in a bush. For the E-25, you don't need a bush and they still won't spot you until about you're about 250m away, sometimes closer. Moreover, most tanks are instantly spotted the second they fire their shell, but the E-25's camo is so good that the camo rating it gets after firing its gun is almost as good as a typical tier 7 tank destroyer's stationary camo. This means you can really punish and play around with your opponents as long as you keep maintaining a reasonable distance. As long as you keep sweeping your surroundings and have good situational awareness, you can quickly become the largest threat on the battlefield. In pubs, intimidating tanks like the T29 or the IS are often targeted more often, but the E-25 has much more potential for damage dealing/carrying, IMO.

Generally, the playstyle of the E-25 is simple in theory, but hugely difficult in practice. Map knowledge is huge, especially since certain positions on maps are easily anticipated by more competent players. You have to learn new positions, and continue to revise/improvise as the game progresses. Otherwise, it's wreaking general chaos and havok as your opponent suddenly takes 3 shots in his sides in less than 5 seconds (if you have a good crew). Deadeye is a very powerful perk if you enjoy "ambushing" opponents. After you have assaulted a random opponent, it is a good idea to have a platoonmate or willing teammate to immediately follow up, as your victims are often disorientated and confused and, generally, trapped if he does not retreat. Practice spamming your shots into an enemy's drivewheel - if you get into a position where you can repeatdly track him and he cannot do much to you, your opponent is often utterly screwed. Setting on fire can be an added bonus if you aim at his rear drivewheel and have deadeye. Never directly engage an opponent unless you are absolutely sure you can come out top without taking too much damage. With among the lowest HP pools of tier 7 TDs, you have to be frugal with your HP and risk-taking. As long as you can get into a position where you can outspot your opponent, you are generally safe.

For equipment, the gun rammer is obviously obligatory. Binoculars is also generally a great idea to boost your view range and be able to outspot your opponent as well as remaining hidden. For the third equipment slot, there is a choice between vents and binoculars. Some people choose vents as boost to all stats and playstyles, but my personal preference is the camo net, as remaining hidden and harassing opponents without taking damage or risks is the greatest strength of the E-25, in my opinion; i.e., having a just a little boost in reload time, view range, and mobility is not worth trading for a huge camo advantage and large possibility of not getting spotted at all by your enemies which the camo net provides.

Crew skill choice is obvious - all camoflauge first, then swap out camo for sixth sense for the commander. After that, I recommend camo for the commander, deadeye for the gunner, clutch braking for the driver, and repairs for the radio operator. Alternatively for the second skill, you could train BIA if you want a boost all around. Otherwise, BIA would be your third skill. Repairs is not too important unless you enjoy high aggression, as if your opponent is able to track you multiple times in a bad position, you've probably been outplayed anyway, making repairs not too important.

Overall, this tank was definitely worth the buy even when it was not on sale and once of the most consistent, powerful performers that can still make credits and be fun. If it had a turret or the HP/view range advantage of a medium tank, the word OP could only fit its description.