17 replies to this topic

[Maqor]

Have any experience with a Tier 4 premium? Vote whether you like or dislike any you've flown. Please comment on any reasons why you like, dislike, would buy, wouldn't fly, or would gift it to your worst enemy.

 

I chose Tier 4 because it's the only tier in Period 1 that can earn tokens for in-battle medals (Winged Legend, Kozhedub, etc.), so the tech tree variety is somewhat lacking.

[SpiritFoxMY]

You crammed all the good ones into one list and all the bad ones in the other :c

 

Basically the C-6 is a brutal sealclubbing machine that's as competitive in tier 5 as it is in 4 on account of its entire shtick being its massive 30mm derp gun that can delete tier 5s as efficiently as tier 4.

 

The He-111 H-2 is also a great premium that is superior to its tech tree counterparts in almost every way. It drops massive sticks of bombs that basically guarantee destruction of whatever you drop them in while also being decently tanky with nice turret coverage. Great low tier bomber.

 

The Ar197 is the last of the biplanes. Packing massive firepower for its tier together with excellent maneuverability and a nice brace of bombs, this thing is surprisingly formidable, being able to cap and defend effectively. It's only real weaknesses are speed and altitude. 

 

The Hurricane Ia is just a premium Hurricane I without the bombs. A decent enough fighter with massive dps AND dpm. It's not great and I probably wouldn't have picked it if it had any of the above three in its bracket but... Oh well. 

 

The Fantome is the Ar197 with all of the weaknesses and only one of its strengths. Extremely maneuverable, but slow, weak dpm, modest dps and unable to solo cap at any decent pace, its really a letdown. Not the worst tier 4 prem, but one which I thoroughly dislike, only beaten by the Ki-43-Ic which is just... Bad. It has all the weaknesses of the Fantome but Even Worse, plus it goes up like a tinderbox doused in gasoline. 

Edited by SpiritFoxMY, 27 November 2019 - 09:33 AM.

[Maqor]

SpiritFoxMY, on 27 November 2019 - 09:32 AM, said:

You crammed all the good ones into one list and all the bad ones in the other :c

 

The devs did that: the first group is available in the tech tree, the second are the "special" non-tech tree premiums.

[hoom]

I haven't particularly enjoyed the Bf 110 C-6, its certainly very powerful when you manage to land the big gun, to the point it feels bad to play.

But its pretty sluggish in handling & for whatever reason I don't seem to be able to reliably land the German sniper guns.

 

XP-36F can be pretty fun but quirky & not an easy hard-carry plane.

 

I-153 DM is basically the beta plane but at T4 where its got much tougher competition.

 

I-207/4 is similar but with optional bombs.

 

Hurricane Ia is better than just Hurricane I without bombs: its got both Airframe & Engine slot and consumables vs Hurricane I having Outboard Weapon rather than Engine.

So you can get better air-to-air performance out of the Ia

 

Don't have any of the others.

[Dapprman]

I only have two so am not allowed to vote.

I-16-19 - I struggle to get on with it.  Very agile plane, but so slow it takes forever to get to a cap zone and the guns are too weak, resulting in very little damage and hard to do much to your targets (making it remarkably realistic in all three ways if you read memoirs of Soviet pilots from the early days of the war).

HS 129A - got from a loot crate.  I really enjoy it - I've completed the German GAA route so it's very different from the high speed monsters at the top ties, however it can be rather cathartic to play and also can surprise the unwary fighter pilot out.  I like it.

Edited by Dapprman, 27 November 2019 - 12:25 PM.

[Captain_Underpants53]

Hero of the Skies earns a token regardless of tier.  I didn't vote because it wouldn't let me unless I put a vote in all 4 categories.  I felt unqualified to do that.

[crzyhawk]

I really enjoy the LaGG-3(4).  I also voted for the XF4F-3.  Let's be fair though, it took me a /long/ time to warm up to it (along with my P51H pilot and ultimate equipment.  I dont think I have ever had a game in the LBSh that I enjoyed.  I want the Hurricane Ia something fierce, but that's mostly because I like early war fighters.

[LeastWeasel]

Hmm, I can’t vote if I don’t have any dislikes? I’ve only got the Fantome and BF 110 C-6, and I like them both.

Anyways, despite a strong preference for energy fighters, I’ve got a lot of love for the Fantome. It has more than its share of limitations as others stated, but it is a punchy little blender if you can get it to a central cap point & manage the overheat on its hub cannon. I usually have my 10-point Swift pilot in it, so 2x engine guru skills gives it enough pep to give a convincing (short!) chase...

Whenever I need to drop into IV’s for token missions, I definitely appreciate having both in the hangar. Although I do wish the C-6 had a bit more climb rate :p

[trikke]

I wanted to check both 'like' and 'dislike' for the c-6.       love it when target planes fly straight, hate it when they get all twisty

 

XF4F = digital bag of pooh     

[_Panzerkunst_]

IMHO, different characteristics haven't really developed in tier 4 so it's basically turn 'n' burn all day. 

He-111 is good but so damn slow & long reload for the tier. If a bot Bf-110 follows you there's almost nothing you can do. 

Hs 129A has ok bombs but long reload and no rear turret so if anything gets behind you you're done for. 

XP-36F is the biggest disappointment to me. Thinking a true boom 'n' zoom aircraft with 23mm in tier 4 is anything but. No zoom and def no Boom, the guns heat up immediately and are poor in        dealing dmg. How can you BnZ if it takes you 2min to kill anything? While all other tier 4's can out turn you and generally keep up when you're trying to finish targets. 

Hurricane 1a & Lagg are ok but nothing to spend a lot of time in to Spec. Just not that much income worth flying only tier 4 prems you know? 

I-153 is the best IMO. Super turny with consistent MG dmg that takes a while to overheat. Those rocket boosters give it a little punch also to get up to those Spits flying above you. <o

[Captain_Rownd]

Caudron C.714 is my favorite on the list.  It only flies OK, but it's like a geyser of bullets when you press down the trigger. 

Edited by Captain_Rownd, 29 November 2019 - 03:45 AM.

[Commodore_Sailracer]

I only have the I-16-29 and am leaning towards disliking it, though it isn't specialized yet.  I really wanted to like this plane- the roll maneuverability is crazy, but it doesn't translate to doing well in a fight.  It gets out turned by stock I-17s, P.V3s, Bristol 146s, Spitfires, etc and doesn't have enough firepower to take any of those planes down before you get into a turn fight.  Maybe getting it specialized with a turn build will help, but it takes so long to get to specialized and build pilot points I don't know if it is worth the bother.

[Hardstrike]

The Ar 197 is my go to premium in T4.  Great dogfighter with a decent bomb load that reloads fairly quickly.  It's only downside is it's speed, but it's not the slowest aircraft in the tier.  But it works great both in taking and defending zones.

[LMG]

LBSh: A pretty good addition to the GAA roster, the LBSh is what I call the Russian German GAA. It sacrifices forward firepower and survivability for extreme speed, relatively fast-reloading bombs and a (very, very lacking) reargun. If you're a fan of the later half of the German tech tree line, this one's a good pick.

 

He 111 H-2: One of the most consistent bombers in the game. Its 8-bomb barrage will more than likely clear almost any ground targets in a single drop. However, its defensive capabilities are laughable at best, especially when up against tier 5. If you just want to bomb from high up, give it a try; just remember it's no B-17G.

 

Hs 129 A: Ah yes, the objectively worst GAA in tier 4. This thing has no redeeming factors. It's the slowest GAA in the tier, ties for least maneuverable, ties for worst ordnance, ties for longest reload time and has no reargun. Its only saving grace is that it does have semi-respectable guns and ties for highest health pool in the tier, so it can still do its job. If you want to get the Hs 129 A... just get the BSh-2, it's statistically better.

[LeastWeasel]

As an added, humorous note: just had someone rage at my "pay-to-win" Fantome

 

1. A lot of us don't buy our premiums, we find them lodged between couch cushions.

2. Don't turnfight a Fantome in a BF 109. Fly, like, 10 meters off the ground -  then, all I can do I shake my fist at your superior altitude. 

[legoboy0401]

I only have 3 Tier IV Premiums:

 

 

Bf-110 C-6(see above)

 

 

He-111 H-2(see above)

 

 

Ki-43-Ic: Only played 2 matches in this thing so far. I dare say, it isn't very good, like at all. It's very in the vein of the Tomahawk IIb and Mosquito FB,(a worse same-tier tech tree plane), except, while the other two were made from good and mediocre planes, is anyone really going to argue that the Ki-43-I is either? It at least has better firepower than this generally quite underpowered plane, but all the same, it's pretty bad for the tier honestly. But hey, AT LEAST IT HITS LIKE A... ...ball of rolled up toilet paper. Yeah, even with the upgraded guns, the firepower of the tech tree plane is pretty unimpressive. The Ki-43-Ic, on the other hand, hits like a feather, and is VERY difficult to get kills in as a result. But hey, at least it isn't the weakest Tier IV Fighter in the firepower category, no, that dishonor goes to the Curtiss Model 81A-1, with a whopping 76 DPS at Tier IV. As far as I've heard(I've never seen one, either bot or player, likely because it's just that bad) it apparently hits like bubbles. Overall though, this plane is, while not the weakest Tier IV premiums, it's definitely one of the most underwhelming that is still... ...playable, I suppose.

Edited by legoboy0401, 03 December 2019 - 03:04 AM.

[dragon2928]

I don't usually play T IV, but when I do the AR 197 is my go-to, for reasons others have stated.  I just got the P-36C from the event today, and maybe I'm missing something... but it seems like just a slightly worse version of the tech tree P-36?  Not sure what the point of that is.

[CorvusCorvax]

Love my LBSh.  Love my He-111.  The Bf-110C-6 is fantastic.