114 replies to this topic

[Elukka67]

I hawen`t played with a Hetzer long my self. But i am still already avare of hetzers pros and cons! And because of all this jaggle lately about how much Hetty stinks, i decited to make a TD newbs guide to the amazing world of Hetzer! I personally think Hetzer (or Hetty) is like a school to you! You are usually helplessy under gunned, under armored and under err...  ...mobile? That is to make you tough, make you merceless, make you a predator, make you an opprotunist! If you get a chance to kill something with Hetty! YOU SURE KILL IT! But also because of its underpowerness Hetty forces you to employ unconventional tactics! Which will give you a great edge when using a bigger TD! Hetzer is ment to teach you to be unpredictable, rentless, mercless, cunning...   ...It is ment to teach you to be a tank commander!  

As for theese unconventional tactics: Hetzer`s camouflage is just superior! One guy writed on another topic that "he rammed an hetzer without even knowing there was a hetzer!" So more conventional way would be to let enemy about 50m avay of you and show what can you do to unprotected rear plating! And unconventional would be to hide in a bush, never shooting anyone just transmitting enemy movements to your team! (since hetty usually gets to fight T-6 - T-9 tanks shooting wouldn`t do any good anyvay and hetty has a powerful badass radio!!!) I call this tactic "The probe"

Hetzer also exells at defending arty! Light tanks are no match for it! Hetties hawe collected a LOAD of leo scalps! because the usuall scout will roam around your base like a bunny on coffeine! And WILL show its weack spots to you more than it is healthy!

Hetzer is not a bad tank! It just needs creativity to use! Post your succesfull Hetty tactics here to stop the Hetty sux whine ONCE AND FOR ALL!

[@maaxs]

Bush, cheap camo net, 10.5 cm with HE round BOOM dead Pz4 in one shot (100% ofc)
nuff said.

[smokntuesdays]

If you try to use the Hetzer in a realistic manner it sucks badly.   But if you instead get the 10.5 and HE like the poster above me says, it packs quite a bit of punch.

I use the same gun on my StugIII too.  

If the devs ever happen to fix HE, it's gonna suck again too.

Screw AP, Screw penetration, just grab some 400+ damage HE and take 8-10% off that IS4.

[Elukka67]

Yes it is true that if the devs nerf HE ammo, they would need to buff AP ammo! It is just ridicilous that every damn AP shot goes flying away to the OZ! But this is intimitatingly getting off topic! Hetzer with decent camo epquipment can easylly let enemies come close enough as neccecary without being detected, thus being able to deliver the 10,5cm of death and destruction straight on target! But we were wanting a good tactics about succesfully commanding a hetty on this harsh matchmaking! Loadouts are good info but what to do with the hetty once on field is the meaning of this topic!

[smokntuesdays]

Elukka67, on Nov 02 2010 - 17:24, said:

Yes it is true that if the devs nerf HE ammo, they would need to buff AP ammo! It is just ridicilous that every damn AP shot goes flying away to the OZ! But this is intimitatingly getting off topic! Hetzer with decent camo epquipment can easylly let enemies come close enough as neccecary without being detected, thus being able to deliver the 10,5cm of death and destruction straight on target! But we were wanting a good tactics about succesfully commanding a hetty on this harsh matchmaking! Loadouts are good info but what to do with the hetty once on field is the meaning of this topic!

Well, IMO loadouts are everything with the hetzer.   It's absolutely 100% worthless IMO without the 10.5 HE.  

After that I mostly just play it like I would any other sniping type tank.   Support the heavy tanks from a distance etc.    At the start of a match if the other side has alot of scouts, I'll maybe sit back and try to ambush, but usually I just roam around with the heavy tanks.  

Medium tanks I didn't have as much success behind.   They often times leave me behind, and then they die quick.   Kind of got tired of trying to support them because by the time I caught up it seemed like they were dead.   Heavy tanks don't leave you behind and they last awhile.

In general I don't find the defense/ambush angle to be very profitable.    There were just too many battles where I spent watching other people fight.    Or once you fire/show up, you are an easy target for artillery(hetzer is always a 1 shot on my SU26 and my SU5).

[Hotwired]

smokntuesdays, on Nov 02 2010 - 22:39, said:

hetzer is always a 1 shot on my SU26 and my SU5).

While that's true I've always found a Hetzer to be a fairly rubbish target for arty. It's small and skinny and while it's slow it is quite manoeuvrable. I often fire, and scuttle in my Hetzer (reverse/reverse turn behind a corner, ridge or larger tank). Also very rare to see a Hetzer roll out into the open while arty is still strong.

[TempSGK]

Hetzer sucks, but it won't suck to bad if the enemy don't shooT AT YOU SO GO IN GROUPS.

[PhoLover93]

Im a hardcore TD user, and i know how to use hetzer. But it just sucks too damn hard to be able to have fun.

Add a ''I am a good TD user but i am fairly conscious that hetzer is a steaming pile of monkey poopoo'' option to poll

[Penpenn]

My best tactic for Hetzer was getting StugIII asap.

The sloped front armor of Hetzer doesnt work consistently enough to make it an alternative method of playing with that vehicle in comparison.

Anything else than tanking tier 3 lights, Stug does better. And as a bonus it can run down scouts.

[smokntuesdays]

Hotwired, on Nov 03 2010 - 02:38, said:

While that's true I've always found a Hetzer to be a fairly rubbish target for arty. It's small and skinny and while it's slow it is quite manoeuvrable. I often fire, and scuttle in my Hetzer (reverse/reverse turn behind a corner, ridge or larger tank). Also very rare to see a Hetzer roll out into the open while arty is still strong.

I have never understood why people would think the hetzer is a rubbish target.   I certainly don't.    It's kind of like people who let a 4% vehicle go.    4% health doesn't mean they do 4% damage.   Only way I'm not hitting that 4% vehicle is if I'm sure one of my teammates is about to kill it off.

A hetzer with the 10.5 can wreck some damage, so why just sit there and allow them too shoot?  Especially when I can 1 shot it, and a properly played hetzer can take off 8-10% a heavy tank like an IS4.   It's kind of like adds on a raid boss IMO, clean them out ASAP.

[Tuccy]

I think "rubbish target" was meant as in "harder to hit"...

[Raptor]

When I was playing JagdPanther there was one battle when in face2face position at close range with hetzer he dinged my 2 shots from 88 and penetrated me twice before I killed him! Hetzer has also very good turning speed which comes in handy when you are figting fast enemy in close combat. His armour sometimes increases your lifespan more than normal but it depends on luck. Overall Hetzer is good enough to be tier IV but not awesome but still after looking at some screenshots I believe marder III will be even more crappy than hetzer so I'm still gonna play Hetzer after final relase xD

[Elukka67]

Hetzer is actually guite good sniper even with 10,5cm "DA cannon"! I was in my stantard hiding place in hill map protecting our arty! Usually when you protect the arty you do not need to search for easy targets, they come to you ! Well i surely ruined one KT drivers day: He was punishing our meds, in a good cower from arty strickes so i had nothing else to shoot i thought "what the hell" And aimed at him. I shot STRAIGHT to the view port of the driver and got "critical hit" to him (possibly wounted driver) along with punishing some nice amount of HP out of him! And the meds then flanked and pulwerized him when he tryed to figure out who shot him and where!

I may just name my Hetzer "The Hellish Hetty"  

[smokntuesdays]

tuccy, on Nov 03 2010 - 15:49, said:

I think "rubbish target" was meant as in "harder to hit"...

Not for the SU5 or SU26.   It's one of the few targets I know is a guarenteed 1 shot kill, and I never miss them because the circle is smaller than they are.

[Condemned]

I just had a face2face/tank2tank encounter with a JT in my hetzer and got his cannon down 2/3 shots, he couldnt fire back... but unfortunatly I ran out of ammo...  

still I did 30-40% dmg to a t9 tank and wouldve done more had I had not spent my ammo already, how many t4 tanks couldve done the same I wonder, not many guns will penetrate the JT straight on and do that much damage...

[Elukka67]

Condemned, on Nov 04 2010 - 09:53, said:

I just had a face2face/tank2tank encounter with a JT in my hetzer and got his cannon down 2/3 shots, he couldnt fire back... but unfortunatly I ran out of ammo...  

still I did 30-40% dmg to a t9 tank and wouldve done more had I had not spent my ammo already, how many t4 tanks couldve done the same I wonder, not many guns will penetrate the JT straight on and do that much damage...

Well when facing a JP head on auto aim is on your side! Auto aim aims to the center of the tank, USUALLY that is a crappy place to shoot at But when we are talking about JP: JP`s gun happens to be in the center of the tank! So it is auto KO to JP`s gun!  

[ed_anger]

a couple good hetzer tactics:

once your regular scouts are dead, push up! hetzers can do something useful and scout for arty too.

hetzers can act as a shield for an important tank, while still alive or dead! don't be afraid to take the shot for someone else.

need to block the middle path on lakeville? a hetzer might be the ticket!

[Djerin]

Whatever, the only viable thing to do in a Hetzer is to try and get into a StuG as fast as possible. Hetzer is just plain horrrible.

[Ambusher]

I think, there is nothing wrong with the Hetzer as a TD - it has good armour protection and a capable gun and can take on equal opponents with a pretty good chance of winning.

However, the way the game is working right now, the opponents are way oversize! During 10 test battles I undertook, I faced Tiger II, IS-4 etc. in large numbers in nine of these battles and of cause got a good beating every time. But when the opposition was fair, I practicly ruled my corner of the battlefield, taking out two tanks and damaging three without assistance.

So, until that changes, I'm gonna stick to my Marder II.

Ambusher

[das_nooblet]

Elukka67, on Nov 02 2010 - 16:27, said:

Post your succesfull Hetty tactics here

Babysit the SPGs

smokntuesdays, on Nov 03 2010 - 15:42, said:

I have never understood why people would think the hetzer is a rubbish target.   I certainly don't.

Agreed. I find Hetzers are very squishy. Never had problems hitting/killing them with either the Su-26 or my Su-5

ed_anger, on Nov 04 2010 - 17:15, said:

need to block the middle path on lakeville? a hetzer might be the ticket!

Maybe, but nothing beats a T-28 turned broadside