It wouldn’t be fair to assume all HSTV-Ls will have Talismans on them or people will want Talismans on them, so I’m giving this to the 2s38 as it’s guarenteed to have premium benefits.
2S38 isn’t a free vehicle which is a massive disadvantage on it’s own.
I don’t see why would any of this matter when comparing vehicle performance lol.
The other person placed an emphasis on it as it was an advantage, which I stated it does have, I never said it was the primary factor that contributed to the 2s38 being far superior to the HSTV-L.
Because I’m looking at all factors, and it’s still a factor, even if it is a relatively small one compared to things like fire rate, having 3rd gen thermals, survivability, or ammo count.
Being premium has no impact on in-game performance of a vehicle, you won’t have boosted stats because of it.
Post-pen survivability surely isn’t better on 2S38 though.
In what way is the post pen survivability better on the HSTV-L? it has less interior space, there’s less space for spall to go that won’t hit the crew, and the fuel tank doesn’t protect it to the degree the tank on the 2s38’s does, not to mention hits on the unmanned turret rarely result in significant damage.
The reason why I think HSTV-L has worse post pen survivability than 2S38 is due to how compact it is.
When a round penetrates the HSTV-L it is bound to hit fuel, crew, ammunition, traverse, breech, or other critical functions. Unlike the 2S38 there is very little “void space” where a round can simply pass through without hitting vital components.
The 3 in a row seating configuration in 2S38 can be advantageous when hit from the side, as getting shot in the middle or toward the rear will not result in any crew loss.
Edit:
Also note the 2S38’s fuel tank coverage in the front, which effectively works as a spall liner. Compare the size and coverage to HSTV-L.