KV-4 World of Tanks Guide

Last update: 11 May 2016

General information

Name	KV-4
Type	Heavy tank
Tier	VIII
Armament	107mm ZiS-24: penetration 227mm; damage 320
Armoring	Hull: 180mm/150mm/90mm, turret: 180mm/150mm/140mm
Durability	1650 health points
Mobility	Top speed: 30km/h, engine: 1200HP
Role	Medium distance combat, sniper, close combat

KV-4 i.e. self propelled bunker and a giant on the feet of clay, at the same time. The characteristic feature of this vehicle is the very thick glacis plate, side armor, the huge tracks and the monstrous weight. It is also equipped with the 107mm ZiS-24 cannon, i.e. the Soviet counterpart of the cannon that the Tiger has been equipped with. This tank, due to its bulk, has a lot of flaws: it is sluggish, full rotation of the turret is the longest, among tier eight vehicles and it is a perfect target practice for artillery. Additionally, an experienced tankman can easily lay fire down at its weak points and eliminate the protection provided by the thick armor. However, after all of the modules are installed and the difficult art of driving the KV-4 is mastered, this tank can easily compete with its counterparts in the armies of the other nations.

Development, equipment, crew

The most important piece of equipment that you need to develop for the KV-4 is the ZiS-24 cannon. After you have obtained it, you can start saving up experience points for the ST-I, or buy the missing modules in the following order: suspension, the engine, the radio.

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

Optional equipment: toolbox, improved guidance system, spall liner

Skills and perks: sixth sense for the commander, repair for the rest of the crew. Then, brothers in arms for the entire crew. You can also try selecting the skills that improve on the tank's handling, like the clutch braking or the off-road driving.

Weak points

In spite of the thick armor, the KV-4 has many weak points, which you can exploit while fighting this giant. All of the armor plates, on this tank, have been situated at an angle of 90 degrees, which is why it suffices to position your tank in front of them and make sure that you hit at an angle of 90 degrees - what you now need, is only to make sure that the penetration value of your cannon is higher than the enemy's armor. This will ensure damage. Especially effective are the attacks against the rear of this vehicle, because it is protected by the measly 90mm of steel.

The turret of the KV-4 also has many flat surfaces that are vulnerable to fire. Each direct hit, at the right angle, should penetrate this tank's armor without any problems. Frontal attacks are much more risky because of the cannon armor. You should aim next to it, or at the cupola atop the turret.

It is worth mentioning here about the thick tracks that the KV-4 is equipped with. Shooting at the side of the angled enemy will, almost always, result in a ricochet, or damaging its suspension, but will not deal any serious damage, nor any drop in health points of the enemy vehicle.

I recommend that, while fighting against the KV-4, you lay fire down on the rear side of the hull: the possible fire will facilitate the destruction of this giant.

How to play...

...as the driver of the KV-4?

• Your vehicle is a sluggish steel giant. It is necessary that you are well-versed in the maps and the places where you can hide from artillery fire - otherwise, you will turn into a smoldering wreckage immediately.
• The KV-4 has a thick armor but the armor plates are big, flat and they are situated at the right angle relative to the ground, which makes it much easier for the opponent to fire a well-aimed shot. It is imperative that you angle yourself slightly, in relation to the enemy, (around 30 degrees) and do the same with the turret, right after you fire your shot - the number of flat surfaces makes it easy to penetrate, if you are looking directly at the enemy.
• The tracks of the KV-4 are very thick - you can use the side as a "bait" for the enemy shells - after you have angled the tank, by the abovementioned 30 degrees, you should be able to take the shell at the tracks, without losing health points.
• The 107mm ZiS-24 cannon is nearly identical with the one available for the royal Tiger - your tank is perfect as a sniper, and fights over the longer distances make it more difficult for the enemy to hit your weak points.
• If you are in a convenient position (the immobilized enemy, you are on a hill) you can easily ram into the enemy vehicle. The KV-4 is one of the heaviest vehicles in the fame and it will have no problems crushing any enemy (apart from tier nine and ten German tanks, and the KV-5)
• If the situation requires that, you can lead the attack and take on some of the enemy fire, which will pave the road for the other, smaller tanks.
• The KV-4 is, virtually, invulnerable to the enemy light tanks - while fighting, if you position yourself back to a wall, you can ignore them and deal with the stronger enemies in the first place.

...against the KV-4?

• If possible, attack from behind or from the side, always fire at the right angle, relative to the KV-4. If your enemy is angled towards you, you will probably need ammo of higher penetration value.
• If the penetration value of your cannon is lower than 175mm, only attacks from behind are effective. If this is impossible to do, de-track the KV-4 and get away from it, there is not much point in wasting ammo, and health, in a fight that you will probably lose anyways.
• The cupola is a quite easy target to get and any cannon of a tier eight tank is capable of penetrating it. In the case in which you fight over a longer distance, it is better to aim at the hull (unless the enemy is angled at a considerable degree - then you need to shorten the distance)
• If you have run out of possibilities, you can summon the artillery support. The KV-4 is sufficiently slow that you will often have plenty of time to relocate your self-propelled guns into a convenient position to take a shot.