Several vehicles are overtiered due to missing features that became standard at higher tiers. They struggle significantly in their BR range despite being statistically placed correctly. Three examples from the French tech tree:
MARS 15 (8.3 BR)
No stabilizer (standard at 7.7, 8.0+ across other nations)
Poor suspension causes massive gun bounce even after stopping
Optics unreliable post-stop due to lack of stabilization
Loses engagements to M41 Bulldog at 800m+ due to these mechanical disadvantages
Comparison: Centurion (7.7 BR), Sheridan (8.0 BR), Type 74 (8.3 BR), Type 59/69 (8.0 BR) — all have stabilizers or better suspension, mobility and armor.
Result: Overtiered by design flaw, not balance
AMX-13 (HOT) (8.3 BR)
Core vehicle is 7.0-level tank
ATGM system is unreliable below 200-300m (minimum engagement range)
Cannot penetrate reliably T-54 or Leopard A1A1 at close range despite 8.3 BR
Oscillating turret causes same suspension issues as MARS 15
No usable commander optics (deactivated on roof and makes vehicle easy as an HE target)
Result: Missile system bumps BR without compensating for vehicle weakness
AMX-30 SPAA (8.7 BR)
Lost APDS ammo years ago, reducing effectiveness dramatically
Was 7.3-7.7 BR before successive nerfs pushed it to 8.3, then 8.7
Now at 8.7 without APDS while Russian ZSU-37-2 (7.7) and ZSU-23-4V have equal or higher pen values AND radar
New Chinese SPAA has 86mm pen at point blank + better armor, sits lower BR
Result: BR never adjusted downward after ammo removal
Why Vehicles Stay Overtiered
These aren’t balance successes — they’re abandonment. Nobody plays them (90%+ attrition). They’re so frustrating that the playerbase self-selects out.
Proposed Solution
Implement BR matchmaking caps for overtiered vehicles: set a maximum BR ceiling to prevent worst-case uptier scenarios.
Example: MARS 15 caps at 9.0 matchmaking max (won’t see 9.3 T-72, MBT-70, etc.)
Why This Works
Vehicles like these ones mentioned stay at their listed BR (no dev rework required)
Prevents unplayable uptier situations
Preserves balance at their assigned BR
Precedent: Similar BR-related adjustments have been made historically (SPAAs receiving BR changes, certain vehicles getting matchmaking adjustments…) This continues that pattern of addressing viability issues.
Alternative Solutions (if capping is impractical)
Lower BR:
MARS 15 → 8.0,
AMX-13 (HOT) → 8.0,
AMX-30 SPAA → 7.7 or 8.0
Mechanical fixes: Add suspension stiffness at least to MARS 15, activate commander optics of AMX-13 (HOT) and straighten ATGM trajectory
Combination: Lower BR + mechanical tweaks
Why It Matters
These vehicles represent sunk-cost frustration for players who grind them. A matchmaking cap or BR adjustment gives them viability without punishing players who already researched them.
Should overtiered vehicles receive BR matchmaking caps or BR adjustments to become viable? (Select all that apply)
No changes needed (please provide your reasoning in detail)
0voters
COMMUNITY INPUT
If you have other examples of overtiered vehicles that fit this pattern (missing features, poor matchup, low usage), please share them with vehicle names and BR. The more documented cases, the stronger this discussion becomes for developer review.
If this thread gains community support, I’ll resubmit it as a formal Suggestion in the appropriate category to reach the development team directly🤙
those don’t help if you can’t land shots reliably. At 8.3, every other tank has a stabilizer. The MARS 15 bounces wildly even post-stop, so that good ammo is wasted if your gun isn’t accurate.
Comparing to MBTs is relevant because at 8.3, that’s what you face in uptiers and downtiers. As mentioned, you don’t fight M41 Bulldogs; you fight T-72s, Leopards, T-55, Centurions and others alike. The Sheridan has 12sec reload, yes, but it also has stabilizer + better mobility + and a laser guided missile launcher at 8.0. The MARS 15 has none of those compensating factors.
The point: good ammo doesn’t matter if you can’t use it effectively due to mechanical disadvantages. That’s the overtiering issue
the AMX-30 SPAA lost APDS ammo years ago. That changes its BR justification completely.
It can’t effectively counter tanks anymore (which it could with APDS), so the “defeats 8.7 CAS” capability doesn’t compensate for being helpless in ground combat. That’s exactly why a BR adjustment is needed.
dude… Shilka versions already exist at 7.3 BR. So yes, SPAAs CAN be at those lower BRs. That actually proves the point… the AMX-30 S DCA at 8.7 without APDS is overtiered when lower-BR Shilkas exist with better capability and pen.
good ammo means nothing if you can’t land shots due to lack of stabilizer. Every other 8.3+ tank has one, even 7.7 tanks. That’s the imbalance.
I think a lot of these struggle more from the over compression of the ~7.0 to 9.0 window
Over this window we see a majority of the meaningful (from a gameplay perspective) improvements start to appear broadly in the tree, including stabilizers, darts, ATGMs (competitive ones at least), lrf, thermals, significantly deadlier autocannons, ERA, commander over ride, etc (it’s not the first appearance for all these, but the frequency spikes in this BR window)
I think that it puts the devs in a tough spot from a balance perspective because they have to try to get a handle on all of these different improvements occurring while also dealing with varying playerbase skill between different operator nations. Adding an extra two steps in this window would probably be the best bet,
Nothing is BR’d for its average capabilities, nor should anything be. SPAA will always be BR’d for its best capability, and AMX-30 DCA is 8.7 in SPAA capability. APDS doesn’t matter, and if the enemy’s in your spawn, RIP.
And no, there is no radar-tracking Shilka at 7.3.
The fact you already can’t hit 8.7 CAS that has to get within 2km to effectively hit targets…
Working around stabilizers is something you should’ve learned from BR 1.0 BTW.