There are nine tier VI tank destroyers in the game (by patch 9.22):
- SU-100
- Jagdpanzer IV
- Nashorn
- M18 Hellcat
- M36 Jackson
- ARL V39
- Achilles
- AT 8
- Churchill Gun Carrier
- WZ-131G FT
I am not a fan of the slow british fortress TD line, where you find the AT 8. The Jagdpanzer IV looks good, but it’s gun has to low penetration. The Churchill Gun Carrier is nothing but a joke, even if the gun has great penetration. The ARL V39 is the worst tier VI TD. This leaves the SU-100, the Nashorn, the Hellcat, the Jackson, the WZ-131G and the Achilles. Many of these are quite good. The Hellcat would have been the clear winner before it was nerfed in patch 9.3, because it was overpowered before the nerf. It’s still quite good, but now you have to choose between three different play styles to identify the best tank.
If you are a mobile or aggressive player, the Hellcat is the best one. The Achilles have a higher damage per minute, but since the gun has a lower alpha damage, you need to find a position where you can fire multiple shots without recieving return fire. It also has only 5 degrees of gun depression. On some maps it will do very nice, but on city maps it can be a challenge. I think the Jackson is better than the Achilles, but why choose the Jackson instead of the Hellcat? It’s slower, and even though it’s hull armor and the damage per minute is better, the Hellcat wins in the “mobility TD class”.
The remaining three TDs (WZ-131G, SU-100 and Nashorn) are very different from these. The SU-100 has a monster gun, if you can hit your target AND penetrate. 175mm of penetration is very good in a tier VI battle, but not so great in a tier VIII battle. The WZ-131G has slightly better penetration, but less alpha damage. The DPM is better. The gun mantlet armor on the SU-100 is great, but the rest of the front armor is only slightly ok. The WZ-131G hasn’t got a lot of armor. Basically, the WZ-131G is ok, but not great. It cannot win here, even if the camo rating is quite good.
The Nashorn has an excellent gun, with the best damage per minute and high penetration. Both the aim time and accuracy are excellent. The drawbacks are it’s armor and mobility. It is a “glass canon”, meant for sniping from distance. With a good crew, camo net and even camo paint, it can do the job. However; fewer and fewer maps are suited for sniping.
If you are an aggressive player, choose the Hellcat. If you are more of a second line player, following your heavy tanks at some distance, choose the SU-100. I recommend the SU-100, since I have a lot of turret-less TDs and is familiar with the play style of these.
Pros:
- Very high alpha damage at 390 hp.
- Good penetration at 175 mm
- Can bounce some shots from the front
Cons:
- Long aim time (2,8 seconds)
- Low accuracy (0,41)
- Low rate of fire
- No turret makes it vulnerable if it gets tracked
Have look at an Ace tanker battle where you can see the strengths and weaknesses of the gun: