KV-3 World of Tanks Guide

Last update: 11 May 2016

General information

Name	KV-3
Type	Heavy tank
Tier	VII
Armament	122 mm D-25T: penetration 175mm; damage 390
Armor	Hull: 120mm/90mm/80mm, turret: 130mm/115mm/115mm
Durability	1400 HP
Mobility	Maximum speed: 32km/h, engine: 750KM
Role	Close combat

KV-3 is another soviet KW series tank - this time we're dealing with first line vehicle, which is made for short range clashes. Despite a lower maximum speed this machine is more mobile than its predecessors due to the better engine. In addition the entire armor is thicker and new, more resistant turret can carry one of the strongest 7 tier cannons: 122 mm D-25T. A low accuracy of the gun combined with average mobility and very good armor and large amount of HP, create a tank that reigns in urban combat at short distances.

Development, equipment, crew

Newly purchased KV-3 has an access to the cannon developed for the previous machine - 107 mm ZiS-6, so it is worth to mount it right away. Next step is to research a new suspension and first engine: W-2IS. Thanks to that you'll be able to mount the turret and three more cannons available for this tank. Finally, I recommend developing and using the 122 mm cannon. Gun 100 mm D-10T is not bad, but it lacks fire power guaranteed by its stronger counterparts.

• Preferred equipment: Gun/Shell Rammer, Enhanced Gun Laying Drive, Improved Ventilation.
• Optional equipment: Toolbox
• Skills and Perks: Sixth Sense for Commander, Repair for the rest of the tankers. Then Brothers in Arms for the whole crew.

Weak points

KV-3 is very resistant to damages - shells often easily rebound on its armor and some hits can return information about armor penetration despite no inflicted damage.

KV-2 hull looks like its counterparts in KV-1 and KV-2, but it is a bit longer. Attacking the tank from the front, we can aim at same weak points as its predecessors: driver sight and machine gun stand. But, unlike KV-1 and KV-2 I do not recommend attacking the top front plate around weak points - if the shell hits few cm higher or lower, it will ricochet. It is better to attack bottom front plate, which is bigger and easier target to hit. When attacking KV-3 from the side, we do the same as with its predecessors. The only difference is in additional 15 mm of armor, which should be no problem for 5 and higher tier tanks. In addition, penetration of the rear part of the hull damages the engine and set the tank on fire.

KV-3 turret is completely different story: despite theoretically low thickness of the armor it is very resistant to hits and is able to stand even cannons of 300 mm penetration. When we attack the tank from the front, we encounter a very thick cannon yoke (it "eats" our shots) and the proper armor behind it, set at the very high angle - our shots will almost ricochet on it. Sides of the KV-3 turret are relatively weakly armored, but its rounded shape allows for ricochets from time to time.

How to play...

...as a driver of KV-3?

• A 122mm D-25T cannon is very inaccurate, so when playing this tank we try to fight in close combat. Shots at longer distance should be fired only at weakly armored targets.
• During the fight with lower tier opponent it is enough to set the tank at slight angle, so he can't penetrate us. In case of fighting with same or higher tier enemy, we look for hull down position to hide our weak hull and show only resistant turret.
• When shooting to better armored enemies, such as PzKpfw VI Tiger (P), PzKpfw VIB Tiger II or IS-3, we have to aim at weak points of the enemy. Due to the fact that we often fight at short distance that should be not a problem.
• If we do not have opportunity to hide the hull and we fight one-on-one, we can try to "hug" the enemy. KV-3 is able to stand many shots in that position, thanks to thick yoke of the cannon.
• When attacking stronger opponent we should remember, that 122mm D-25T cannon has not high rate of fire - after each shot, whether it is possible, we should retreat and wait until reload.

...against KV-3?

• If we have such opportunity, attack from the flank or rear, where this tank has the weakest armor. Few accurate hits and eventually setting it on fire will greatly reduce its HP.
• We do not attack the KV-3 turret frontally. These shots in most cases do not any harm. Attacks on its sides can also ricochet, but this happens rarely.
• When we encounter KV-3 in hull down position while moving same or lower tier vehicle, it is best to find another way. KV-3 is as difficult to remove from its position, as American tanks.
• If we drive good armored, higher tier tank, we can attack KV-3 frontally. With proper set of the armor its cannon won't harm us. When we shorten the distance, we'll be able to attack its vulnerable hull.
• As always we can call for artillery support. KV-3 is rather slow target, so it is easy to hit it.