Introduction
At Battle Ratings 10.0 to 11.3, Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs) often struggle to find their place. They face heavily armored Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) with high-penetration APFSDS and fast reload times, turning IFVs into fragile targets rather than effective support assets. This proposal aims to solidify the role of IFVs as vital scouts, ambushers, and anti-reconnaissance vehicles by introducing historical ammunition capabilities and refining modern drone/missile mechanics.
Proposals:
1. Stowage and Hull Reserve Ammunition
- The Issue: Many high-tier IFVs run out of their primary autocannon ammunition within the first few engagements, forcing them to sit passively on capture points or “J-out” due to the high difficulty of safely reaching a capture zone to reload.
- The Proposal: Provide all IFVs with reserve ammunition stowed deeply within the hull.
- Balancing: To keep it realistic, transferring rounds from the hull reserve to the primary ready-rack should require the vehicle to be completely stationary with a very slow transfer rate, simulating the crew manually moving heavy ammunition boxes into the turret mechanism.
2. Programmable Airburst/Proximity Ammunition (HE-VT / AHEAD)
- The Issue: Low-altitude reconnaissance and attack drones are a constant threat at top tiers, and IFVs currently lack the tools to consistently deal with them. There is currently very little incentive for players to actively use the automatic tracking system against these aerial threats.
- The Proposal: Give all IFVs at BR 10.0 - 11.3 access to their historically accurate programmable airburst or proximity-fused ammunition (e.g., for Bushmaster II/IV, Rheinmetall MK 30-2, etc.).
- Balancing: This wouldn’t affect MBT engagements but would allow IFVs to act as the primary hard-kill counter against enemy scouting drones, significantly improving the team’s counter-espionage capabilities.
3. Modeled Drone Storage Modules
- The Issue: Scout drones can currently be launched, destroyed, and infinitely replenished on capture zones without any physical consequence to the vehicle. Many players simply deploy them at the beginning of the match to scan one or two tanks, leaving the drone to be destroyed carelessly.
- The Proposal: Limit IFVs to a maximum of 2 or 3 scout drones per match and remove the ability to replenish them on capture points. Furthermore, these drones should be modeled as physical components inside the hull.
- Balancing: If the internal “drone storage” module is hit by enemy fire, the drones are permanently destroyed, and it can trigger a small internal fire, adding tactical risk to carrying them.
4. Scout Drone Target Locking for Spike ATGMs
- The Issue: Spike missiles currently suffer from unreliable tracking, often missing clear targets due to poor launch-platform optics or lack of contrast at distance.
- The Proposal: Allow the IFV’s scout drone to achieve a target lock identical to the gunner’s sight for Spike ATGMs.
- Balancing: This is far from overpowered (OP). Fire-and-forget Spikes can easily be countered by ESS, smoke grenades, or hard cover. Given that most IFVs only carry a maximum of 4 Spike missiles, allowing a drone-assisted lock simply makes the limited armament viable and rewards tactical coordination. With the proposed changes to drone limits and physical modeling, these drones will immediately become high-priority targets, making this mechanic challenging but rewarding to pull off.
5. Multi-Point Tracking for Spike ATGMs
- The Issue: Currently, Spike missiles consistently track and hit the exact same spot on an enemy tank (often the strongest part of the frontal armor or the gun barrel), rendering them largely ineffective.
- The Proposal: Implement a 3-point tracking logic for Fire-and-Forget missiles. The missile should randomize or allow tracking on three distinct zones of the enemy vehicle profile: the front hull, the turret, or the rear hull.
- Balancing: This accurately simulates modern optical/thermal contrast seekers that lock onto the center of mass or the highest thermal signature of a target, rather than a single pixel on the gun barrel.
Which of these IFV improvements do you support?
- Stationary hull-ammunition restocking
- Historical HE-VT/AHEAD rounds for 10.0+ IFVs
- Limited & modeled scout drones (no restock on points)
- Scout drone target locking for Spike ATGMs
- 3-point tracking logic for Spike ATGMs
Feedback and suggestions regarding other utilities, electronic warfare mechanics, or role-specific features for IFVs are more than welcome in the comments below!