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★ Cromwell Review: Tea & Crumpets Ninja ★


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You see me? Over here! Nope, over here now! Where are you looking; I'm right behind you! Once again, wrong spot; now here. Now there. I'm everywhere!

 

In this guide, I shall cover all of the various Pros and Cons of the Cromwell, explain the gun choices and/or performance, equipment choices, give you a general overview of its gameplay style and compare it to other Tier 10 Heavy Tanks. Let's get started, shall we?

 

Table of Contents:

  • General overview (Pros and Cons)
  • Equipment, ammo and consumable layout
  • Gun choices and / or performance
  • Gameplay style
  • Comparison to other same-class tanks of its Tier
  • Overall Rating

 

General Overview:

 

Pros:

  • Very mobile vehicle, almost as quick as light tanks
  • Great HP/ton ratio of 23.4; you'll easily be able to reach your top speed.
  • Good camo values
  • Great gun depression of 8 degrees; up to 100 degrees of traverse to either side of the turret
  • Good DPM of 2,165.93
  • Great reverse speed of 20 km/h; allows you to back off of ridges as necessary
  • Alright accuracy of .35, usually gets the job done
  • Very good APCR penetration of 202mm
  • Extremely quick turret traverse speed of 50.06 degrees/second
  • Good terrain resistance values, won't interfere with your mobility

 

Neutrals:

  • Alright penetration values with AP, at only 145mm.
  • Low per-shot alpha damage of 135, the tank relies on DPM rather than alpha
  • HP of 750. Nothing special.
  • 20% chance of fire with a fairly large engine. Fires are possible, although not all that frequent.
  • Gun elevation of 15 degrees. Not great, but not terrible either
  • Alright tank traverse of 36 degrees/second. Not all that great of a value for a tank which is so similar to a light tank
  • 360m view range. Nothing spectacular. Optics will help, but still is a bit lack-luster for such a mobile platform

 

Cons:

  • Very bad armor all around, even Tier 4's can easily penetrate you.
  • Horrendous gun handling stats in all regards
  • Can't mount a Vertical Stabilizer, so you're stuck with the appalling gun handling
  • Negative gun depression to the rear... meaning your gun cannot depress to the rear... in fact, it will elevate 2 degrees in the air. This means it's impossible to shoot at any vehicle to your rear, which can be devastating; especially when being chased.
  • Very poor shell velocity values, leading moving targets is a bit complicated
  • Very large and easy to damage ammo rack in the side. Any shell which hits it is more than capable of damaging the rack.
  • Aiming time of 2.21 seconds isn't bad on its own, but with the horrendous gun handling, it certainly will create problems

 

Equipment:

 

Personally, I mount Gun Rammer, Enhanced Gun Laying Drive and Coated Optics on the Cromwell. Improved Ventilation is also an option.

 

Recommended:

 

Gun Rammer: If you can mount a Gun Rammer on a tank, you should; regardless of the vehicle. Cromwell gets some really nice DPM with a Rammer.

 

Enhanced Gun Laying Drive: The gun handling is absolutely atrocious, and your aiming time is nothing spectacular. Since you can't mount a Stabilizer, you're stuck with those very poor values. If you need to stop to take a shot, the gun can take a very long time to aim in; often long enough to let the enemy relocate before you can get a shot off. An Enhanced Gun Laying Drive can help with this, but the Cromwell still struggles. Regardless, better than nothing.

 

Coated Optics: The Cromwell is a very mobile platform with quite a fair amount of camouflage. However, it has a very mediocre view range of only 360m. If you mount Optics, you won't be put at a disadvantage with the View Range, but you're still not going to be at any kind of advantage. Without Optics, the Cromwell loses any kind of scouting potential.

 

Optional:

 

Improved Ventilation: If you feel as though the Gun Laying Drive really doesn't do much for you, Vents are also an option. Alternatively, you could replace the Optics with Vents if you don't like to scout in the Cromwell. Either way, be careful. Replacing something for Vents may very well put you at a disadvantage with the Cromwell.

 

 

Ammo:

 

My ammo layout on the Cromwell is 37 AP, 22 APCR and 5 HE. 

 

The Cromwell's penetration with AP really isn't anything special, thus needs to carry a fair number of APCR rounds. The HE is practically useless, the only reason I currently have 5 HE rounds is because of the Scorpion's still lingering around. Once they become very rare again, I'll probably drop the HE count to 3; perhaps even down to 0.

 

 

Consumables:

 

For Consumables on the Cromwell, I use a Small First Aid Kit, Small Repair Kit, and Automatic Fire Extinguisher. 

 

Small First Aid Kit: Cromwell's crew occasionally dies, so a First Aid Kit should be used.

 

Small Repair Kit: The Cromwell's ammo rack is horrendously weak, and very easy to damage - having a Small Repair Kit to put it back into action is absolutely necessary.

 

Automatic Fire ExtinguisherCromwell's engine is very large and fairly easy to hit. With a 20% chance of fire, you will be putting the Extinguisher to use every now and then.

 

Alternate:

 

Large Repair Kit: The ammo rack can be a huge issue at times, at least if you want to play aggressively. Replacing the First Aid Kit with a Large Repair Kit isn't a terrible idea. However, be warned that your crew will die every now and then; so it's a reward vs. risk assessment. Don't replace the Fire Extinguisher, otherwise you'll most likely end up regretting it.

 


Guns:

 

The Cromwell's gun is a very fast-firing 75mm. It relies entirely on DPM.

 

Below, I've compared the Cromwell's 75 mm to the VK 30.01 (D)'s 75mm. On the left is the Cromwell, on the right is the VK 30.01 (D). A blue value is superior, whilst a green value is relatively tied.

 

Guns:

Rate of Fire:         16.04                        (14.22)   
Aiming time:        2.21                          (2.21)
Accuracy:             .35                            (.34)
DPM:                   2,165.93                   (1,919.81)
Penetration:         145/202/38             (150/194/38)
Damage:             135/135/175           (135/135/175)  

Shell Velocity:      785/981/785          (925/1,156/925)

Soft Stats:           .24/.24/.14             (.23/.23/.16)    
Ammo capacity:   64                             (79)

 

The verdict? The Cromwell's gun is practically identical to the VK 30.01 (D)'s gun, although it does excel in DPM. However, the clear contrast in shell velocity is also very visible. All in all, the differences balance out to make them fairly equivalent in effectiveness.

 

75mm Vickers HV:

 

The Cromwell's gun is a great DPM gun, excellent for picking apart opponents at close range, especially whilst circling them. Unfortunately, shooting on the move is exceptionally horrendous due to the poor gun handling; which also makes aiming take quite some time after initially stopping your vehicle. It's a fairly good gun, but has its very glaring flaws.

 

 

How to play it:

 

The Cromwell is a very mobile vehicle, but doesn't quite have the mobility nor camo of a light tank. It also has rather mediocre view range, thus even though it seems like it should be able to perform a good scouting role, it really can't come close to any light tank in that regard. However, Cromwell isn't just limited in that regard. Your very poor gun handling makes shooting on the move, even at fairly close ranges, very difficult. Cromwell essentially has to snipe, or circle vehicles at close ranges.

 

The Cromwell does have great mobility, and you certainly want to put it work. Shooting on the move isn't possible, so you'll have to wait for opportunities and try to flank vehicles at very close ranges, and circle them. Do be warned however - if you need to get away from a vehicle you're circling, shooting behind you is absolutely impossible. Your gun cannot depress at all to the rear, and in fact will raise itself in the air. This only further serves to limit the Cromwell's potential. 

 

Essentially, you'll have to wait for the right opportunity to flank and circle an opponent. You must make sure that he has no backup, and you also must keep an eye out for the enemy's lights or mediums; as you don't want to let them begin chasing you away, as that will end very poorly for you. However, that's still not all. The Cromwell also has a very large and fragile ammo rack in the side, and very large engine in the rear. This makes circling opponents even the more risky, as if the opponent manages to get their gun caught up to you, your ammo may go out. In addition, being chased down by a vehicle is also even worse, as not only can you not return fire as you try to escape, but they can fairly easily take out your engine.

 

When top Tier, circling isn't all that necessary, as you typically can easily play a close range support role, or simply out-spot your opponents. However, when you're facing higher Tier vehicles, especially Tier 8's, your options are rather limited indeed. Not only will you find yourself needing to fire quite a few APCR rounds, but you also have severely restricted scouting abilities, lots of risks associated with trying to circle opponents, and a low pen DPM gun which you can't really put to use unless you're sniping at the sides of vehicles. Even then however, especially at longer ranges or against heavies, you still may very well need to fire APCR. And when you relocate, it takes so long to aim in originally, that sniping also is complicated unless you have someone spotting for you.

 

All in all, you have to stick with allies, capitalize on any opportunities you find and be very careful if you want to be able to circle vehicles and put the gun to optimal use. Otherwise, you very well may simply have to play a heavy sniping role until an opportunity arises. You can try scouting, although be aware that you're not going to be all that effective in that regard unless it involves popping over ridges.


Comparison to same-Tier Medium Tanks:

 

HP: Average. 750 HP is fairly average for a Tier 6 medium tank. It's nothing special, but not bad either.

Armor: Bad. Cromwell? It has armor? Hmm... strange, I never noticed it there. Your armor won't block much of anything; even a Luch's 3cm autoloader can punch through you fairly easily, even if you try to angle.

Mobility: Very Good. The Cromwell is the second-fastest Tier 6 medium tank. The Cromwell B is actually more mobile, due to significantly better terrain resistance values.

DPM: Very Good. The Cromwell has very good DPM, only surpassed by the A-43 and all 3 of the American mediums.

Penetration: Good. Cromwell's AP penetration is fairly mediocre. Your APCR penetration is very nice however.

Alpha damage: Bad. 135 alpha damage is very low for a Tier 6 medium. This is why the Cromwell relies on DPM rather than alpha.

Aiming SpeedAverage. 2.21 second aiming time is very average for a Tier 6 medium. However, keep in mind that only one Tier 6 medium has a worse value than that... it's average, but at the same time close to the bottom.

Gun Handling: Very Bad. The Cromwell has the second worst gun handling out of all Tier 6 mediums, not including the Cromwell B. It makes shooting on the move exceptionally difficult, and even can severely complicate sniping.

Accuracy: Very Good. .35 accuracy is a rather good value, and tied for the fourth highest of all of the Tier 6 mediums.

Shell Velocity: Worst in Class. 785m/s shell velocity isn't just a very bad value, but actually the worst in class shell velocity. Your shells don't travel very quickly at all. Even the APCR feels rather sluggish for an APCR round.

View Range: Bad. 360m View Range is rather mediocre, and is also below average for Tier 6 mediums. However, considering the Cromwell's mobility, it suffers even more than some other vehicles with that poor View Range.

Camo Value: Very Good. The Cromwell has rather impressive camo values for a medium tank, although they do fall short if you want to fulfill a scouting role. You still can scout, although you really won't be all that effective.

Battle effectiveness: Good. The Cromwell all in all can make its impact on the battlefield. The gun's DPM and tank's mobility does give you quite a nice bit of potential. Unfortunately, many roles which you may want to snipe simply are very hard to fulfill due to the Cromwell's many downsides. Scouting is very limited due to mediocre camo values for a scouting role, rather mediocre view range and not all that great traverse speed. Flanking and circling vehicles is also complicated, as you have to do so at very close ranges if you want to hit your opponents due to your horrendously appalling gun handling. However, the traverse speed can also complicate things; which gives way to your fragile ammo rack and very large engine being shot at. In addition, if you need to get away from a tank you were trying to flank or circle, you won't be able to shoot at it; your gun can't depress at all to the rear, and in fact is pointing upwards! Also, retreating will make your engine an easy target. If you're escaping in a perpendicular path, then your ammo rack can be shot down, and you still can't really shoot at the enemy due to the horrendous gun handling. The Cromwell is a rather awkward vehicle, which seems as though it should have ridiculous potential, yet turns out to be limited just enough in practically every way to complicate any role you may want to take. Even if you want to try to snipe, the poor gun handling will once again find a way to complicate things. Cromwell either has to be really close or really far away. It either has to be sitting still and sniping, or up close with allies providing support fire.

 

Overall Rating:

 

6.5/10 (Good)

 

The Cromwell really isn't all that special of a vehicle. It's fast and has great DPM, good camo, reasonable accuracy and great APCR penetration. However, your AP penetration is subpar, your accuracy is put to waste with the horrendous gun handling. Your gun handling also takes a lot away from the mobility advantage, as you have to be very close up to your opponents if you want to be able to hit them reliably, if you intend to move around. Your mobility in theory should allow you to circle vehicles, however it's very risky due to a fragile ammo rack, large engine, traverse speed which isn't all that great for circling, and your absolute inability to shoot to the rear.

 

It's a tank which wants to have a lot of potential, but has just enough of various downsides in relation to those desired roles to complicate things. However, the Cromwell then has a multitude of crippling weaknesses which makes any of those potential maneuvers rather risky indeed. The tank seems to be one which should be able to scout, however in reality doesn't quite have the view range or camo. Circling vehicles seems like it should be an easy thing to do, although your exceptionally poor gun handling, negative gun depression to the rear (meaning gun can't depress, and in fact is stuck pointing up), fragile ammo rack and large engine means it's a high-risk tactic, and is best done with allies.

 

Close range support fire and peek-a-booming over ridges is really what the Cromwell is best at, but it needs allies. It should use the mobility to relocate, but attempting to circle vehicles is risky unless you have backup. Scouting is possible, but is also complicated and only should be done in smaller confines; of only portions of the map. Other than that, you can do a decent job of sniping; although you very well may need to shoot APCR.

 

All in all, the tank has a fair amount of potential, and can still do rather well in combat, although it can be very inconsistent or difficult to play at times. It's not a very forgiving vehicle, and its battle effectiveness honestly can be heavily influenced by RNG; whether or not you lose your ammo, engine, whether or not your shells can hit or not, and how the enemy sets up. Cromwell is best used as a support tank, and can do well, but is rather situational as well.

 

Thanks for reading! I hope this guide was helpful! I genuinely wish all of you the very best of luck and fun, both in real life and on the battlefield.

 

(The queer British medium driving by!)

 

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