So far, the most significant vehicle we’ve received from the Sakkijärvi tech tree is, of course, the star of the show: the BT-42 and The Leopard II Marksman.
Beyond that, the sub-tree mostly consists of copy-paste vehicles. While the T-55M is a solid upgrade over the standard T-55 thanks to the M1000 dart, it doesn’t really make the sub-tree feel distinct or noteworthy. The KV-1 (1942) is also a decent vehicle, but again, it doesn’t offer anything uniquely Finnish. And then there’s the dreaded Leopard 2 Marksman…
What’s really missing are the unique and fun vehicles that could give the Finnish sub-tree its own identity. Vehicles like the R-132 Viku, a T-26 with increased armor; the T-50 “Nikki” with armor comparable to a T-34; and the Sturmi, A Stug III with better all-round performance and a trollier mantlet. On top of that, when the Finnish sub-tree was added, the L-62 Anti II wasn’t even given a Finnish camouflage or renamed to its Finnish designation—despite Finland being the only operator of the vehicle. There’s also the potential for a T-34 armed with a 75 mm KwK 40.
Finland could even contribute effective mid-tier SPAA options, such as the Ford 098T equipped with the 20 ItK/40 VKT, which would sit nicely around 4.0.
And that’s without even touching on the various Patria chassis vehicles. A great example would be the Patria AMOS—a vehicle mounting twin 120 mm mortars, which would be both unique and hilariously fun. A true “bonk” machine.
The finnish could even give sweden their own 23mm Zu-23, with the Sisu SA-150 with 23 ItK/61
Here we are, four years after the Finnish sub-tree was introduced to War Thunder in 2022 with the Fire and Ice update—and almost nothing has changed. What was once a tech tree full of potential has been left behind, neglected. A sub-tree with so much room for creativity and uniqueness has effectively been forgotten.
Its a shame, it could have been something great.