When to say goodbye (to the Verdeja)?

[Korvessa]

Currently playing that the 1941 DLC - Minsk (starting with the SCW) on generalissimo.
I don't have 1942 or 3 yet. But will soon.
My Verdeja (which I have given the nickname "Screaming Flea" after a favorite comic strip of days gone by) has served me well:
4 stars of experience and level 2 on all other awards.
Heroes are: kerscher, Luck & provocator.

I am playing "klepto-kreig" 9to steal a phrase) so am not using any German equipment.
I am also doing a self imposed collector (except for infantry & arty)
My other tanks are:
Kv1-40
Kv2
Somua (capture tank with overwhelm & envelopment)
Bt-7 (ditto but also scavenger)
L6-40
Neubau - thingie

I have used the trophy trait in the past - but am not doing it this time (I have more tanks than I know what to do with).

I have captured enough T-34/40 to upgrade.

So do I save good bye - or wait a little longer?
I prefer my "capture tanks" to be on the weak side - so there is more loot after combat.

Maybe I'll just make him the capture tank?

What say ye?

[VirgilInTheSKY]

Replace him with T-34 if you don't want to use German tanks. From 1941 there won't be many armour vehicles a Verdeja 2 can damage anymore.

[Bee1976]

I love the Verdeja, and im using them in all my playthroughs til the end of 43.

But, they get very very very weak in 42 and 43. They start to recieve more dmg, and even with full hard attack medals, there are many time i cant even pen enemy tanks in 43.
So i wont use him as "capture machine". maybe its possible to still get dmg out on enemy kv-85 and other tanks in 43 with 4 heros and survive it.
(envelopment, overwhelming attack, avenger, prudent) i never tried that, but it might work.

Depending on what heros i got til 42, i try to use him as "infantry buster". Ignores Entrenchment, vigilant and 1 of those: butcher/flagkiller/first strike/Rapidfire 1.5.
But he is really weak in that time of war, so i need to keep him in close combat tiles or always with at-protection.

I still dream of a phased movement hero, but i havent seen it since ages :/
Or a special hero like "tank-class"
+ 2 speed
+ recon behavior
+ prudent

and i would use my verdeja as a very resilent recon car

But to answer your question:

The verdeja becomes very weak, in 43 there is always the danger of loosing him, and he is quite useless in most missions. So if you like a perfect/good core i would put him in reserve forever You can better use this core slots for state of the art equipment. but i use him and i will use it til 45 for flavour reasons

[euramer]

I am playing on Field Marshal difficulty, and the Verdeja has taken its part in all the battles up to 43.
For a total price of 3 Cores, you have an over strengthened unit of 13,
Having done all the DLC it is maxed in awards (+3 Antitank and Anti-infantry, Steam roller and survivor)
If you add the 3 standards Heros: Tank Killer, Vigilant and No retaliation, it keeps going and is good at envelopments with its speed.

May be he will retire in some battles of 44, but for the price, he has done more than its job!

[scorehouse]

I nicknamed him the "Matador". for capture. Scav, Envelope, Overwhelm, No Retaliation. for offense. sub out Scav and No Retal for Tank Killer or Crip blow + Unyielding at 15 OS. or use one of the Envel, Overwhelm, Shock Tac with Tank or Crip then Consolidator and 1.5X. however by not having Unyielding or No Retal, u will occasionally have to pause to bring back up to full strength. the Consolidator at 20 helps delay/offset the breaks in action. by this stage, the Matadores awards and experience should be max. oh, and at 20, you can split with far less worries and maximize Scav/Trophy.

[Wagner0445]

My Verdeja still rocked every battle in my 1943 alt-history Generalisimus campaign. He has 1 Devastating Blow and 1 Tank Buster hero. It's a great vehicle and i doubt i will upgrade him ever even in 1945

[DefiantXYX]

I dont get why some guys keep the verdaja that long. Sure, with 2-3 strong heroes the tank is still ok in 1942/1943.
The panzer III J is better in every stat, it can only move 5 instead of 6. For me it makes no sense to keep the verdeja >1941.Sooner or later you should upgrade to T34/KW40 or panzer IV F/G and finally to tiger/panther.

[nexusno2000]

The Mighty V is (with Panzer General) a 2 slot tank.

With Consolditator, you get OS 20 for 6 slots.

Meaning you can use your Reduced/Zero slot heroes for something better.

[nexusno2000]

I dont get why some guys keep the verdaja that long. Sure, with 2-3 strong heroes the tank is still ok in 1942/1943.
The panzer III J is better in every stat, it can only move 5 instead of 6. For me it makes no sense to keep the verdeja >1941.Sooner or later you should upgrade to T34/KW40 or panzer IV F/G and finally to tiger/panther.

Speed 6 is more valuable than +1 attack IMO. The defense difference is irrelevant as in the late game the defense is too low anyway, so you need to attack-kill without retaliation for maximum effect.

[Bee1976]

I dont get why some guys keep the verdaja that long. Sure, with 2-3 strong heroes the tank is still ok in 1942/1943.
The panzer III J is better in every stat, it can only move 5 instead of 6. For me it makes no sense to keep the verdeja >1941.Sooner or later you should upgrade to T34/KW40 or panzer IV F/G and finally to tiger/panther.

I wont ever upgrade a gift unit. And i try to use it, even if its a waste of strong heros, for flavor reasons and nostalgia. The first gift unit, a tank that offered a lot of fun in SCW, and for me it marks the begin of a funny and nice journey. ( to be honest im kinda sad that we will meet 1945 "soon" and have to say goodbye to wagner and the capitana :/

And the verdeja can still fill a niche in AO 1942+, i mean he is fast, if you used him all the time he got some medals, and so on. With the correct heros he will still be able to play a role in 44 i think. For example, like the "Neubaufahrzeug" he is a perfect bait. Place him in an open tile so that the enemy tanks can see him, and the will come for the easy kill. A camoflaged 21cm/15cm with kloss, and lethal next to it will have a real good time.

But yes, of course if you prefer min/maxing the coreforce based on combatpower, he needs to be replaced.

[scorehouse]

I do the same except with AA. will the 21 go into AT mode automatically?

[scorehouse]

will the Russian SU's do the same?

[Bee1976]

I do the same except with AA. will the 21 go into AT mode automatically?

Yes, it will. Every unit with the "AT support" trait will protect as long as they are adjacent to the verdeja. And it will be a devastating experience for every russian tank, if you use a 21cm.
But i prefer a 15cm for my camouflage heros if i get them. Because it will defend againt soft and hard, so you can place the verdeja in a city tile to "attract" nearby infatry. But careful, if too many enemy units are in range, the artillery piece can run out of ammo and your bait gets hammered
thats the reason why i use kloss on my stealth artillery.

[Panzer73]

The Verdeja 2 has served me well until the end of 1943. The Verdeja 2 is certainly a weak tank by AO'43 standards, but it can still match Soviet light tanks, infantry and many other units. By then it should have +3 HA and SA, and may even have +2 defense (I love those RN battleships and cruisers in the Brighton scenario).

The biggest weakness of the Verdeja 2 is its fuel supply. At only 12 units it is only 2x the move points, instead of the standard 3x. If you play with the Insufficient Supply general trait (which I use for most cores), the Verdeja 2 will run into trouble in those scenarios with mud, rain and snow. Which means many scenarios in AO'41, AO'42 and AO'43

I have 5 cores in AO'43, the sixth core is still finishing up AO'41. I have different hero combinations for the Verdeja 2 in all of the cores. One addition I can make to the above comments is that you can use the Double Move hero with the Verdeja 2 for a solid light recon tank until better recon vehicles show up at the end of AO'43.

[DefiantXYX]

Speed 6 is more valuable than +1 attack IMO. The defense difference is irrelevant as in the late game the defense is too low anyway, so you need to attack-kill without retaliation for maximum effect.

Attack without retaliation cant work if you get attacked. If you protect the verdaja all the time with AT/artillery its something else, you could do this with any other unit too.
Speed is not good for me. I leads to be too aggressiv what will always hurt when you play David vs Goliath.
If you like speed you can use the T34 and later the panther.

[DefiantXYX]

I wont ever upgrade a gift unit.

Do you also use the Panzer II?

( to be honest im kinda sad that we will meet 1945 "soon" and have to say goodbye to wagner and the capitana :/

I am looking for AO 1946, a nonhistorical campaign when you try to conquer the USA

Place him in an open tile so that the enemy tanks can see him, and the will come for the easy kill. A camoflaged 21cm/15cm with kloss, and lethal next to it will have a real good time.

But that also works with other units. AI is stupid. In my current run I got some camo heroes. Combined with double support fire the AI will kill itself...

[Bee1976]

No i dont use the PZII, but i have him reserved, yes.
With the proper heros there is always a niche for old units. Gift units are not affected by limited stock. Thats the reason i wont ever upgrade a gift unit. If i decide to play limited stock in 44 or 45 with my cores i want to have the chance to throw it in. in my actual playthrough i might already need it in 43 if i am able to reach 43...

The only "old" unit i always use is the verdeja (flavor reasons as mentioned) and sometimes the neubaufahrzeug. the neubaufahrzeug is a perfect "bait" its expensive and "weak" so the ai will try to kill it with air and tanks and sometimes infantry.
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I would love a real nice and long USA campaign but im pretty sure the team wants to finish ao in 1945. Just because there is so much more stuff they can release soviet corps, allied corps, africacorps, and so on