Caernarvon World of Tanks Guide

Last update: 11 May 2016

General information

Name	Caernarvon
Type	Heavy tank
Tier	VIII
Armament	OQF 20-pdr Type B Barrel: penetration 226mm; damage 230
Armoring	Hull: 130mm/51mm/38mm, turret: 165mm/112mm/90mm
Durability	1600 health points
Mobility	Top speed: 34km/h, engine: 810HP
Role	Medium distance combat, Support tank, sniper

Caernarvon breaks up with the tradition of the sluggish infantry tanks: unlike the vehicles like the Churchill and the derivatives, this vehicle is much faster, but poorly armored. It has an excellent cannon: OQF 20-pdr Type B Barrel of very high accuracy, which emulates the German cannons, and an excellent elevation arc of the cannon. Thanks to the high amount of health points, the Caernarvon is capable of fighting one-on-one duels with all vehicles of the eighth tier. Unfortunately, it also has a number of flaws, which make this vehicle not too popular with the players of the World of Tanks.

Development, equipment, crew

First of all, you should make sure that you increase your firepower, by unlocking a new turret and the OQF 20-pdr Type A Barrel cannon. The next step depends on whether you are using additional equipment: if this is the case, then you are going to need to replace suspension; if not, you can start gathering points for the new engine The OQF 20-pdr Type B Barrel cannon is not required for the Conqueror to be unlocked, but I recommend that you unlock it, still on the Caernarvon, which will make it easier to use the next vehicle.

Preferred equipment: shell rammer, vertical stabilizer, improved ventilation.

Optional equipment: toolbox, improved guidance system

Skills and perks: sixth sense for the commander, repair for the rest of the crew. Then, brothers in arms for the entire crew.

Weak points

The Carnarvon heavy tank received a completely new hull, which is a far cry from the one on the Churchill family tanks. The armoring of this vehicle is thinner than in the case of the infantry tanks, but it has been angled, relative to the enemy, which results in a similar resistance to fire to the one in the Black Prince. The glacis plate repels shells, of the penetration value of 175mm on a regular basis , but it will have problems against better ammo. The lower-front armor is very thin and, in spite of considerable angle of inclination, it can be penetrated by most shells. The sides of the Caernarvon are very weak and does not protect it against any attack. The tank, when angled, can be easily penetrated, both on the lower-front armor plate and in the side armoring.

The turret of the Caernarvon is protected with a very thick cannon armor, known from the Black Prince - shots fired at this area are bound to ricochet. The remaining elements of the front armor of the turret, can be easily penetrated by cannons of the penetration value of 175mm, or higher.

The Caernarvon is very vulnerable to critical hits. If you attack its back, you can set it on fire easily and, after you fire at the lower-front armor plate, you can often damage the ammo compartment and wound the driver.

How to play...

...as the driver of the Caernarvon?

• This tank is quite poorly armored so, you should avoid exposing the hull to fire. Your strongest point is the front side of the turret, which is why, during a battle, you should always use the hull down position: thanks to the perfect elevation arc of the Caernarvon, you can easily attack from behind elevations.
• The OQF 20-pdr Type A/B Barrel cannons are incredibly accurate and have high penetration value, which allows you to attack at a distance. Unfortunately, the damage that they deal is low (the mere 230 points) which is why, it is going to be necessary to fire at the target several times. Additionally, not always will you be able to de-track the enemy in the first shot.
• Although you should avoid taking damage, the Caernarvon is capable of winning a one-on-one duel with most tanks of the eighth tier: this is due to the considerable pool of health points and the high rate of fire of the cannon.
• While fighting enemies of the higher tiers, it is necessary that you aim at the weak points of their armoring. Fortunately enough, thanks to the high accuracy of the OQF 20-pdr Type B Barrel cannon, at the distances below 150 meters, this should be no challenge to you.
• You need to keep a close eye on the actions of the enemy's light tanks - they are capable of penetrating your side armor, which is why you should always have them in front of you.
• The Caernarvon's side armoring is so weak, that it is practically impossible to angle the tank to increase the durability of the front armor - it is possible to angle the vehicle only in urban environments, where you can use ruins to ensure protection.
• Your lower-front armor is thin and, directly behind it, there is the ammo compartment. It is necessary that you hide it even behind the lowest of elevations.
• This tank is immensely vulnerable to artillery fire - it is necessary that you know perfectly the map and the places where you can hide from self-propelled guns.

...against the Caernarvon?

• The armoring of the Caernarvon is quite poor - with cannon of the penetration value of 200mm, or higher you can target any fragment of the hull (the best idea is to aim at the front-lower armor to damage the ammo compartment). You should only avoid firing at the cannon armor, because it is very resistant to direct hits.
• As far as it is possible, you should exchange fire with the enemy, one-for-one. While on the IS-3, you will deal 390 points of damage to this tank, while the Caernarvon will return, as little as, 230. The frontal duels are quite risky, because this tank has short reload times.
• While on a medium, or a light tank, you can immobilize the enemy and pound at its sides or its rear - most shells, even if fired by a recon tank, should deal damage.
• Artillery fire is immensely effective against the Caernarvon. Each shell deals critical damage several times and, destroying the tank with one shell is no rarity also.