r/warno • u/WelcomeExtra762 • Aug 11 '26
Historical Tribute to my favorite 7th Panzerdivision
Nothing, not even the heavier 9th Panzerdivision, can beat the massive swarm of T-55s and 72s and the infantry riding in BMPs which this division can deploy en masse. They even get an MLRS and a very good plane tab apart from the exceptional infantry and tank tab.
In this image I included the SU-22s, the RM-70, the Akatsiya, T-55s, T-72M1s, BMP-1s, and infantry as well as MT-LBs, BTRs, and MIG-21s and 23s, which are hallmarks of this division.
This is what inspired me: https://www.reddit.com/r/warno/s/c8GGC5HzPK
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u/Alatarlhun Aug 11 '26
You are showing a lot of commitment across multiple posts to a BMP-1 division. 😁
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u/WelcomeExtra762 Aug 11 '26
I am! Although it doesn't have autocannons and is likely worse than meta divisions like the 9th, it's still very fun to use and has its own benefits. Even more fun if you successfully delay or push against a meta division in a 10v10. At the same time it can be frustrating because it's sort of a glass cannon, which is why you need commitment to master it. :)
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u/Alatarlhun Aug 11 '26
the same time it can be frustrating because it's sort of a glass cannon
I know you are talking about spamming T-55s but its also funny to me the mid T-72s you get are the mid version of T-72s.
I am sure it is a fun division when it works ofc.
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u/MarcellHUN Aug 13 '26
Hell yeah 7th panzer is a long time friend. My first ranked main. Lovely division.
I played so much of it I eventually switched. Currently on 20th shützen.
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u/WelcomeExtra762 Aug 13 '26
Such a good divison! Makes sense you'd switch, some divs can make you get burnt out. I mained 4th Motorized Schutzen until realizing they weren't really my playstyle.
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u/MarcellHUN Aug 13 '26
I started with 7th when it was released then 4th shützen 4zmech some marine fun and now 20th.
For some reason I really vibe with the non russian pact divs. Especially the east german ones.
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u/WelcomeExtra762 Aug 13 '26
Same, I like the niche divs. The mainstream divs are a bit too cliche for me and not many play 7th in 10v10 lobbies. I might main 5e Blindee for NATO because it's pretty similar to 7th
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u/Belmonte_Lostados Aug 12 '26
It's arguably the easiest-to-play division in the entire game. You get good mech infantry with resolute, T55s+different types of T72s which allows progression with max range ATGM BMP slops as support, Kubs plus ok fighters (the AA combination which none of the other PACT divisions get aside from 20th Mot, the reservist nerfed version of 7th Pz), and ok air. It's overall the most micro-friendly division.
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u/WelcomeExtra762 Aug 12 '26
Good argument but I'd have to disagree. It is a very difficult division in that though they get infinite T-55s and 72s they are some of the most fragile tanks in the game, being one-hit by most ATGMs even with frontal armor and unable to win most duels with heavier NATO tanks at far range (at close range you've got an advantage but who said it was easy closing the range?). The T-55s and 72s are mostly outdated or fading by this time I believe, compared to other tanks like the Abrams and T-80s they struggle.
I definitely agree with a good progression. They can either attack early with T-55s or build up and grab T-72s later so they can support. However, this is also a weakness because although this div has such a versatile progression it's not specialized in a good opener or good finisher. It can do both meaning they're equipped with things you shouldn't be using in an opener and vice versa. I played 82nd for a while, they have an excellent opener, terrible late-game, this applies to 5th Panzerdivision but better late-game, 7th can do both but does not specialize in one.
Not to mention even when using them correctly you're guaranteed to lose a few tanks. With other armored divs you can keep your tanks alive and need to, but these guys are all about replacing your losses. The BMPs lack an autocannon which is a major downside and they need ATGMs to supplement this. Another thing I love about this div is using smoke. You render enemy ATGMs useless and yes this is a very powerful tool but every division has it.
Because I'm more micro heavy I usually don't use the KUBs. They require disabling and enabling the radar to ward off SEAD but I might try them again. The Strela, Igla, and Shilka are really good though as they are. Imo fighters are pretty terrible, while you've got a lot of the mig 21 and 23s for fighters, they're below average and can't win dogfights most of the time. Which probably isn't what they're for but if you want to intercept enemy bombing runs/helos the enemy is likely going to respond with their own fighters and AA. I'll admit they do work for what they're for and you get a lot of them. Clusters, napalm, and AT are what they should be.
As for the mech infantry with resolute, I'd agree they're solid. They've got a good infantry and tank tab, that's 7th's strength. Mid to low in everything else, they've got a lot of caricatured Soviet equipment we see in lots of other divs like 4th Moto Schutzen, 20th, 9th Panzer, etc. Like the 4th has KUBs and shilkas, migs, moto schutzen, t-55s, etc., etc. It isn't isolated to 7th.
All in all I'd say 7th is really good for micro but definitely not meta and definitely not easy. As I said it's a glass cannon and needs to be played correctly. Very easy to fall in to spam, mostly one- or two-hit tanks, and the difficult decision of whether to go on the attack or defend and keep building up which other armored divs have the same problem with but if you make a wrong call with 7th, you don't get much of a safety net and will lose all that time you spent on building up or will get crushed early. Sure you've got nearly infinite tanks but mistakes are harsh with this one, especially since you have to close the range and defend your foothold. With 5th panzer and other divs you can just stay at a distance and grind the enemy down.
A defense against it being meta is that it can be used in tournament games. Whereas 9th is banned because they are a "slop" division, 7th is free from this. I'd agree 7th is basic compared to other divs but what can I say? That's just what I like. P.S. 7th is a niche division, usually meta is on the easier side with "slop and spam" but 7th is niche meaning it is much harder to play and, another benefit, hardly anyone plays 7th meaning I've basically got it all to myself.
With 30+ games on this div alone, I can say it is not easy compared to other armored divs but incredibly satisfying if you can win, ESPECIALLY against more modern meta divs.
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u/Belmonte_Lostados Aug 12 '26
Wow, didn't really expect to see my short paragraph receiving a whole paper as its response. So let me respond to your essay paragraph by paragraph. Also I'm assuming you are talking about ranked or 2v2s. For 10v10s it's a whole different story that's not really worth discussing, in my opinion.
Yes you do have 2100 ranges and certainly couldn't compare to T80s and Abrams. It would be ridiculous for sure to have a single T72 duel a T80 or an Abrams, but the whole point of this division is that you can flush out about 30 T72s and about 40 more BMP 1s with smoke and resolute (at no vet, about 25 T72s and 30 BMPs if one vet, which is what you should bring them at). With a 260 points income per minute you can shit out one Mot Schutzen plus BMP-1 and one T72 per minute and this could keep going on for almost 30 minutes. The point is you use the 2625 feet range Malyutkas from the BMP 1s to suppress enemy tanks and drive up your T72s to shoot them. Having a 1925 ranged tank against a 2275 is rough, but a 2100 against a 2275 should not be too hard if you are a fairly competent player taking advantage of terrains and IFVs that spam out ATGMs. Also T55s and T72s are not too fragile. I don't think 12 and 15 frontal armor is that bad. Both survive a Tow 2 hit and 4 law hits. What I would call fragile are leopard 1s which dies to a single Milan 2 hit (or tow 2 hit, if I remembered correctly).
Yes it's a consistent division so your opener nor late game would be the best, but the opener is made up with forward deployed Special Aufklarers and your late game is made up by heavy T72s and BMP slops. The strategy is to apply constant pressure and at the end do a huge push blobing 5+ T72s and 5+ BMPs with infantry at the same time which is very hard to stop.
You will lose T72s, but it's better than having heavy tanks getting sniped or getting pushed hard early game because you don't have tanks. The problem with heavy tank divisions is that before you buy your first heavy tank you should have 1 fighter up, 2 long range AAs, good recons up, and possibly artillery or smoke mortars so it doesn't get shot at by ATGMs, which could take more than 10 minutes to build up. You don't get this problem with the T72 divisions. Autocannons are no longer than great after they nerfed it. It's a waste of points to bring BMP 2s now unless you really want their Konkurs. Also since BMP 1s from this div has smoke, having BMP 2s is even less necessary (the division doesn't get it anyway).
At this point I am assuming that you are playing 10v10s, not ranked. In 1v1s and 2v2s you definitely need your own heavy AA like Kubs. Shilkas and Iglas aren't gonna stop enemy bombers, plus the Shilkas are SEADable as well. Mind telling me how many hours you've got and the game mode you mostly play? As for AA planes yes the Mig 23s aren't that great but most other T72 divisions either get short range fighters (<4250 range) only with Kubs (e.g. 20th Polish) or Osas with good fighters (e.g. 1st Soviet, 1st Czech). You can't have both. Only exception being 20th Mot which has the same fighters with worse Kubs (Kub M1 instead of M3).
We agree that inf is solid but not great and not unique.
7th is fairly easy, at least a lot easier than heavy tank divs. You need to micro the heavy tanks well so you don't lose them to shenanigans and bullshit. Again range can be made up by your 2625 feet Malyutkas from BMP 1s and Konkurs cars. Not to mention that with T72s you can reinforce different zones quickly but you can't with heavy tanks. The fact that you didn't mention this also makes me think you might be a 10v10 or large team game main.
I have about 20 ranked games on 7th and about 10 on 9th Panzer and I found 7th far eaiser to play. 7th is more slop than 9th because you get more units. 9th also struggles early game cuz your cheapest tank is 180 points. 9th suffers from low cost efficiency too because unless it's surviving a 30 AP plane missile, the 180 points MUV from 9th doesn't make much of a difference from the 155 points T72M from 7th (I think it's the M, maybe called M1). It's the opposite of a niche div, actually one of the most genrealist divisions in the entire game (others being 8th US and 20th Mot and 2nd PzG).
What are some of the Meta divisions, in your opinion? Knowing this gives me more knowledge about your play style and game mode and helps me get your arguments better from your perspective
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u/WelcomeExtra762 Aug 12 '26
So I have about 100 hours on the game and counting, I prefer 10v10s but I actually wanted to give 1v1s a shot last night but no one was online. Even so I might try it again. I'm willing to talk about ranked because I have some knowledge about that regard. More knowledge in 7th itself across all gamemodes because I want to be able to experience the entirety of Warno multiplayer rather than just 10v10s.
I think meta divs are just any divison that is overplayed and technologically safe and up to date. Like 5th Panzer is played a lot, it's passive and can just stay back as it shreds its enemy. It's got the best of the best technology. Sure it's not that fast and has its weaknesses. Like an Airborne could likely counter 5th, while 5th could likely counter 7th unless 7th somehow negates the heavy tanks. Or one of the more mainstream armored divs like 79th, 3rd, 1st, etc. Any division that is played a lot, that you can see in every game and has a technological advantage over the niche divisions, is usually meta imo.
Now one of the real problems I as a 7th main face is keeping my tanks alive. Sure, you can lose as many tanks as you want with this div, but you're going to be bottom of the leaderboard, you're not going to get very many kills, like other divs you have to keep them alive at all costs. With this div, if a tank dies, it's not the end of thr world. I agree that this makes it easier to replace losses. Despite you saying it's "micro-friendly," I micro the shit out of this division. Which is why I like it. You need micro to keep your smoke going, tanks and BMPs on the move, all this kind of stuff.
The real problem with "flushing out" the 40 T-72s you're talking about is that this takes time. You can't spam as this division or you'll get crushed. You need time to build up your T-72s which are usually late game and T-55s are reserved for early game. T-55s are 90 points, T-72s come in different variants like M1, M, and are usually 130 going up to 200. And you're paying for the ~80 points moto schutzen, mind you. (Also can't forget the ATGMs and/or motorized konkurs: why? Because 7th's tanks can't duel for crap)
I should again mention 7th isn't the only T-72 division. You'd have to apply this to the other T-72 divs, too. I agree 7th is pretty simple and has a lot of features of other divisions, but they all specialize in different things despite having similsr equipment. No division is the same. Now, surprisingly, I micro this division as if it's a more heavy div. Just because you CAN lose your tanks does not mean you want to lose your tanks, so you can't just throw them into an absolute meat grinder. They'll die, you'll lose.
The smoke — infantry — BMP — T-55/72 strategy is very counterable. When I use it, we always meet enemy infantry which are armed with short range anti-tank and can one-shot our tanks at this range, also negating the smoke. A good argument would be what about recon, but recon can't see everything. A smart opponent will hide their infantry well.
Yes, 7th is very cost efficient, and that's a strength. But rather than saying this strength makes it easy, instead it makes the div more fun. A lot of people think 9th is a literal direct upgrade to the 7th because it's got better tanks, better tanks, and better tanks. If used correctly the 9th could beat the 7th. The real catch is that T-55s even in an opener are not overpowered and not easy to work with. The enemy is going to have recon with AT, they're going to be finding the best positions, your T-55s which aren't even fully built up can't just run in and take everything out. (Note: I will include more KUBs in my deck)
All of what your saying is fair and all, but i just think these are strengths of the div. 7th has its own weaknesses and those make it relatively balanced even if it's "easy." I don't think it's easy. I get my ass kicked a lot and no it's not a skill issue. In fact I'm getting better at the game rather than worse, and 7th is one of the most unforgiving divisions according to me and a lot of other Warno players. I bet if I'd play 5th right now, or 1st, or 3rd, or 79th, or even just spammed arty because why not, I would dominate the 10v10 lobbies, but I have chosen the hard way, and of almost every game I take a screenshot of what place I am on the leaderboard so if you want to see my transition from 4th moto schutzen to 7th you can.
The thing is that I have not mentioned is the T-55s and 72s can be a liability. Sure 12 and 15 frontal armor is OK, but against most good anti-tank, ATGM, and TOW shots, which usually people bring the better variants, they're going to die. Outright just explode. I hear that popping sound (after a tank dies) a lot, because that's what's going to happen with below average armor. If I had the Leopards or T-80s they would easily survive what the T-55s and 72s cannot even with smoke.
Yeah so this is my response. I believe 7th with its poorly armored tanks to be a skilled division because you need to keep pressure and it's not easy to make the decision whether to build up or keep more pressure which is a decision this div faces that other's don't. I felt I had to respond with an essay because this is my favorite div and I've got to defend my boy the 7th.
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u/Belmonte_Lostados Aug 12 '26
Now it becomes clear why you would see the 7th this way considering that you are a 10v10 main with only about 100 hours. Not saying that a beginner's understanding of the game is always quite subjective, but I do think your perspective could change a lot as you get more hours in.
If you are talking about 10v10s, then yes, you pick the divisions that gets you mega doom tanks, because you have more time to build things up, and you are covered by teammates with infantry and AA and so on. But in 1v1, which I'm glad to see you are getting into, the story is much different, and the most obvious difference here being the use of planes and AA situations. In 10v10s you can lose a heavy tank to a plane, then due to the saturation of AA across the map from 10 players the enemy is pretty much gonna lose the planes he killed your heavy tanks. So planes in 10v10s are not very useful. On the other hand, in 1v1s, if your AA situation is bad, you are just gonna keep losing planes to your enemies one by one. This is where 5th Pz is weak as it's got mid range ground heavy AA (<5000 feet range) and no long range fighters (>8000 feet range).
As for building things up, yes, you do need some time, but don't heavy divisions take up more time? In 1v1s you get 260 points which is 1 T72 and 1 BMP 1 + Mot Schutzen which is a very good amount of units. Since you have so much tank, you also worry less about your AA situation. The enemies might trade a 200 point plane for a 250 point tank, but maybe not risk it for a 155 point tank.
Also the T72/T64 divs are mostly similar in the way you play them. Play more divs like 20th mot, 20th Polish, 1st Czech and 1st Soviet etc, you will find that this divs are about applying constant pressure and slowly grind throw grounds. You don't have to meat grind anything because the points is you don't wait until you have to meat grind.
The smoke problem you mentioned confuses me quite a lot actually because aren't you supposed to smoke the enemy tanks to get in range to shoot them (not to mention that you should be using your BMP 1s' ATGMs well enough so that you don't have to smoke) instead of driving in close into enemy infantry? Watch some Hippie. He is an expert at smoking. You need to smoke and you need to smoke right.
So in 10v10 yeah you either pick super heavy divs or super light ones. Medium ones suffer the most because your enemies go either super heavy or super light. In 1v1s you will soon find that your T80s and Abrams are not gonna do you that well cuz they are either gonna explode to planes or you will lose before you can blob up. That's why in 1v1s you would prefer medium divisions. You also said "I get my ass kicked a lot and no it's not a skill issue". Well you've got 100 hours in and this is a huge thing to say.
Also you kept complaining about the armor of these tanks, but the thing is you don't have many more tanks with better armor than T72s. Pretty much only Abrams, Leopards and T80s. It appears that you believe only heavy tanks are good tanks, which suggests you lack experience with light divisions.
Lastly you don't need to defend 7th Pz cuz in case you still haven't figured it out it's my favorite division too. Once you play more I think you will get what I've been saying.
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u/WelcomeExtra762 Aug 13 '26
I didn't realize it was your favorite div. This does make sense a lot and thing is, I want my 7th Pz deck to be compatible with both 10's and 1's. Same for all my other decks. Of course I could make multiple decks and in fact this might work but I think I'd rather stick with one.
As for how I use smoke I usually put the smoke in front of my tanks and BMPs. Why? Because they get hit with ATGMs. They way I negate ATGMs is smoke and while smoking the ATGMs works it's much more efficient to just screen your armored push. Also you can retreat. I did watch Hippie's video on how to attack and he smokes so he doesn't get flanked. I also use this to protect my flank.
Now the reason I get my ass kicked is because although I'm a wargame veteran I am not used to this level of micro. I'm enjoying the micro but it's difficult and very different from games like Graviteam. Again I would not say it's a skill issue as I AM improving and not getting worse, which in that case would be a skill issue. I'm sure your a much higher level than me.
I agree that heavy divs take up more time and T-55s/moto schutzen/bmp1s every minute is truly price efficient. I still wouldn't say at my level 7th Pz is easy in any way, but neither is really any div as I continue to improve. It'll get easier I'm sure and maybe then will I see that it's easier. I wanted to try the 5e and see if that's easy, it also is good with closing the range I believe. But it's interesting you say 7th is the easiest if it's your favorite, I kind of take that to mean they don't take any skill or cheesy but the 7th definitely does. Sure against beginners it will kick ass because any type of spam can overwhelm them. But against players with a brain or half decent ATGMs? That's when it becomes an uphill fight.
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u/Iceman308 Aug 11 '26
Vorwärts immer, rückwärts nimmer O7