Am I the only one who’s had enough of the T58 in War Thunder? This American heavy tank isn’t just overpowered—it’s breaking the game’s balance, and it all starts with its absurdly fast autoloader paired with devastating shell aftereffect. Since its debut in Update 2.49 “Tusk Force”, it’s been ruining lobbies left and right. Worse yet, it’s not just dominating its own BR—it’s even popping up in top-tier lobbies and holding its own, and there’s tons of clips online proving just how ridiculous that is.
Let’s get into the numbers because the facts speak for themselves. The T58 sports a 155mm T180 cannon with a 6-round drum autoloader—and a 2.6-second short reload. For a 155mm heavy tank gun? That’s not just fast, it’s laughable. It outpaces even some medium tanks with smaller calibers, but the real kicker is the aftereffect. Its T152 HESH rounds hit with insane overpressure that deletes crews in one shot, while the T267 HEAT rips through armor like it’s paper. You don’t get time to react—one peek from a T58, and you’re either blown up or your crew is knocked out before you can line up a return shot.
I’ve lost count of the matches where a T58 rolls in, dumps 6 rounds in under 15 seconds, and wipes my entire squad—all thanks to that reload and unforgiving aftereffect. Its mobility is just the cherry on top, not the main issue. This 66-ton tank has an 810 hp engine, hitting 34 km/h on roads, which is more than enough to let it reposition quickly, close gaps, or fall back after spamming its drum. It doesn’t need god-tier mobility; the reload and aftereffect are already broken, and the mobility just amplifies that unfairness. Even if its 200mm turret armor isn’t impenetrable, good luck landing a shot when it’s spamming those 155mm shells every 2.6 seconds with that brutal aftereffect.
The worst part? It’s a premium vehicle—paid or event-grindable—so it’s everywhere in 8.3 lobbies, and now even seeping into top-tier matches. You’d think the 30-second long reload after emptying the drum would balance it, but no. T58 players just peek, dump all 6 rounds, then use that decent mobility to retreat safely and reload. No counterplay, no skill—just spam, delete, repeat. This thing doesn’t just bully 8.3 lobbies—it’s crashing top-tier matches and outperforming tanks that should be way out of its league, and the community’s flooded with videos calling it out.
Compare it to other 8.3 heavies: most have 8-12 second reloads per shot, and none come close to this burst damage or aftereffect. Even in top-tier, where most tanks have better armor and firepower on paper, the T58’s burst and aftereffect let it punch above its weight. Hell, it’s so broken that I’m half-joking when I say the U.S. should scrap the whole Abrams program—forget the M1A2 Cs and AbramsX prototypes. Why waste resources on modern tanks when the T58 can roll into top-tier lobbies and outperform them with a 1950s design? This thing’s more effective than any modern Abrams variant in the game, and that’s a testament to how unbalanced it is. It doesn’t just outclass peers—it breaks the entire balance of both its own tier and higher ones. Going up against it isn’t fun—it’s frustrating, and I know I’m not the only one who feels this way, judging by all the viral clips.
Gaijin needs to nerf this thing ASAP—before we start a petition to get the U.S. Army to restart T58 production. Whether it’s slowing down the short reload, reducing the autoloader capacity, or toning down the overpressure on HESH rounds – something has to give. This tank isn’t just strong; it’s a joke that’s ruining the game for everyone else, and its absurdity even makes a mockery of “modern” tanks like the Abrams in the game.
Who else has been steamrolled by that 2.6-second reload and brutal HESH overpressure? Who’s seen those top-tier T58 clips and thought “this is not okay”? Am I overreacting, or is this genuinely one of the most broken vehicles Gaijin has added lately? Drop your horror stories and takes below—let’s make some noise about this.