To be fair ground bots always use the 2s38. Makes sense.
1 Like
I think its fine where it is and could probably go up to 10.7 now that a lot of the 11.7s are 12.0. The thing is too powerful to be consistently facing lightly armoured MTBs like leo 1s that it can LOL pen with its APHE, let alone APFSDS.
1 Like
Going through this guys reply’s is actually like just…wow. Doesn’t use a single word that wasn’t made by an ai script. Honestly mods should just ban people for that type of garbage. They aren’t a real person if they can’t speak for themselves Edit: this guy can’t even admit he’s using ai for his arguments
@TampaxOnline
2 Likes
this whole thread is just some F- tier wallet warrior trying to ChatGPT his way into getting a notoriously overpowered premium put even lower.
Im glad my roast came first so my brain didnt turn to mush from his AI slop replies
2 Likes
Promptstitute
1 Like
Nothing he says its even true or make sense, hard to believe he actually played the vehicle (he does)
Such brave man to read the whole text wall
I wouldn’t waste a breath on reading that ai slop
i think i need to go into a care home after reading it to be honest
Waiting for mods to nuke this thread
While your points capture the moments of peak frustration when fighting a 2S38, they are based on idealized, best-case scenarios for the vehicle and a fundamental misreading of its capabilities and weaknesses. The image you paint of an unkillable, hull-down monster that pens everything is a myth, a highlight reel that ignores the vast majority of engagements where the vehicle’s deep-seated flaws lead to its instant demise. Let’s dismantle this perception piece by piece and expose the truth: the 2S38 is not the titan you believe it to be; it is a deeply flawed glass cannon whose reputation is built on exaggeration.
The Myth of the Invincible Hull-Down Menace
The idea that the 2S38 is a “menace” in a hull-down position is a fantasy that completely ignores the vehicle’s single most crippling design flaw: its abysmal gun depression. At a mere -5 degrees, the 2S38 is physically incapable of effectively using most of the ridgelines and terrain features in War Thunder. To get its gun on target from even a slight incline, it must crest the hill and expose its massive, paper-thin hull—the very part of the tank where all three crew members are packed together like sardines next to a catastrophic ammunition carousel. The “hull-down” scenario you describe is a rare exception, not the rule. For every one time a 2S38 finds a perfectly flat piece of cover to hide behind, there are a hundred other times where it is forced into the open and instantly deleted because its physical limitations prevent it from using basic cover.
Furthermore, the “crewless turret” is a red herring that only fools inexperienced players. Any veteran player knows that shooting the turret of a 2S38 is a waste of a shell. The universal kill shot is the hull. The idea that your sabot rounds are harmlessly passing through the “thin ammo belt” is not a feature of the vehicle’s survivability; it’s a symptom of War Thunder’s occasionally buggy damage model (“volumetric hell”) that affects all vehicles. For every one shell that gets mysteriously absorbed by the breech, there are thousands of others that correctly connect with the hull and result in the instantaneous, catastrophic detonation that 2S38 players are all too familiar with. Its survivability isn’t reliant on a crewless turret; its survivability is non-existent.
The “It Pens Everything” Fallacy
Your claim that it “can literally pen all MBTs frontally” is a gross oversimplification and is factually incorrect. With ~225mm of penetration, the 57mm APFSDS round cannot penetrate the turret cheeks or upper front plate of any contemporary MBT it faces. It cannot defeat the composite armor of a Leopard 2, the DU inserts of an Abrams, or the Relikt ERA of a T-80BVM. To suggest it can is to ignore the fundamental armor mechanics of the game.
What you are misinterpreting as “penning everything” is actually the high-skill (or high-luck) act of pixel hunting. The 2S38 is forced to aim for minuscule, often moving weak spots like a driver’s port, a turret ring, or a lower front plate (LFP). While the MBT it is fighting can simply aim center-mass and vaporize the 2S38, the 2S38 player must land a perfect shot on a target the size of a shoebox, often from a significant distance. The high rate of fire isn’t a bonus that makes it overpowered; it’s a necessary crutch to allow the player to “walk” their shots onto one of these tiny weak spots. It’s a weapon that relies on enemy incompetence and a steady hand, not raw power.
The Reality of Anemic Damage
You state that you “often get killed from 1-2 shots to the LFP” or that “neck shots can easily disable tanks.” You think this is an argument for the vehicle’s lethality, but you have actually stumbled upon the very proof of its anemic and inconsistent damage model.
A true, lethal tank cannon does not need “1-2 shots.” It does not need to aim for a specific “neck shot.” A 120mm APFSDS round from an Abrams or Leopard connects, and the target is gone. The fact that the 2S38 requires multiple, perfectly placed hits to secure a kill is the very definition of poor post-penetration damage. Its small-caliber dart lacks the kinetic energy and spalling effect to reliably take out a crew in one go. One shot might destroy the engine. A second might take out the driver. A third might finally hit the ammo. This is not a sign of a powerful weapon; it’s the sign of a weapon that is forced to slowly and methodically dismantle its opponent, a luxury you rarely have when that opponent can kill you with a single reflexive click. Disabling a tank is not the same as killing it, and the 2S38 is a master of assists and module damage, not the reliable one-shot kills that define true top-tier lethality.
In conclusion, the perception of the 2S38 as an overpowered juggernaut is built on a foundation of myths and misunderstandings. It is not a survivable hull-down warrior; it’s a physically limited vehicle that can’t use terrain. It does not pen everything frontally; it is forced into high-risk pixel hunting that most players cannot perform consistently. Its damage is not lethal; it is anemic and requires multiple perfect hits to be effective. It is a true glass cannon, and the arguments you’ve presented are not evidence of its strength, but are instead a perfect illustration of its many, many weaknesses.
1 Like
I used to think that the jokes about “Jons” and their intelligence were just jokes, but after reading this forum, I realized that they were not far from the truth. If you really think that the 2S38 is not a bad technique, you sign your 0.91 K/D
i assume theres some translation issues so i dont fully understand what you said
Dude, isn’t ChatGPT tired of you yet?
Ok I actually glanced through the rest of this thread. This guy deserves to be reported into oblivion for copy+pasting such useless boring AI slop all over the forums nonstop. This isn’t even entertaining. Pathetic.
Lady Im playing the ZTZ96A and 5 degree depression its not a big issue, must of the maps are almost flat, yes, yet you still have small hills or objets (also dead tanks) to do the hull down, you dont need to be on top of a hill to use the depression.
Yeah when im facing a 2s38 at hull down its not like I can shoot anywhere else, very common.
Still an advantage if it wadnt fixed after all this years, same as new bmpt.
Why would you shoot the more armored part of a tank that even 105/120mm sabots cant pen? You obviusly have to aim for driver port or LFP.
You think a 120mm sabot can pen a UFP of a t80?? Difference its that your high fire rate can hit the weakspot easier.
Once again thats why you can fire multiple shots in such short time, instead of a 7s reload tank. If you miss with an mbt you are done, if you miss with 2s38 doesnt matter try again in half a second.
In half a second later you can shoot again and kill it, not like a tank with cannon dissabled can kill you.
He is posting AI slop brother. No use even replying to it.
1 Like