Are the PIATs worth investing in?

I've started playing UKF recently after the 2 year break but I find that the Bren guns and especially the PIAT are incredibly lack luster. For an lmg I though the Bren would have a bigger impact. I was also wondering, since I haven't experimented very much with them, can the PIATs hit a moving target? They look like a just lob slowly in an ark or can they "track" their targets?

IMO piats are quite strong. It's really a decent extra AT capability! Just make sure you have some regular AT guns(BritATGs seems quite strong to me as well). Then you should have no trouble. Just 1 ATG that is well placed should get you really far in the lategame if you have 1-2 PIATS to support.

This is usually what I end up with (almost every game lel...)

Yes, they can fire at stuff that moves. Regarding the bren-gun. I usually dont end up putting it on that many squads cause I use munitions very ability/mine based. But the brengun assures that you win a LOOOOOT of ingagements with your basic infantry. They are really good to boost your infantry with. #AxizRekt

They are my best ranked army, but I have only played 15 games, so Im still at a learning curve. But I hope this helps anyway!

They aren't as good as double schreked Pgrens but they definitely pack a punch. Mostly I find its the accuracy that is an issue. Since they are lobbed they seem to be less accurate. But a couple of double piat-ed squads will send most medium armor running.

I find if you have the special weapons regiment and use the supply truck... Just having vickers K lmgs on 5 man tommies will be enough to stop your enemy from getting armor way after you get your first churchill/comet.

They are quite cost-efficient on 210 manpower 5 member engineer squads.

But I would never upgrade IS with them, because of 2 reasons:
a) IS is more expensive
b) IS get horrible reload penalties when out of cover. This means that they are bad at chasing tanks.


I would use them as a bit better bazookas, that are very good suplement in your army roster because UKF lacks snares and close range mid game AT (unless you go AC)

They are awesome. I think it was the most recent patch that makes piats now home in instead of just being lobbed. I came from usf faction when I switched to brits... these things are so much better than zooks. They do great damage against even medium tanks. I highly suggest using them on at least one engineer. You won't regret it

Patch notes for reference:

March 2017

• Gave PIAT homing projectile, if there is no obstruction between the PIAT and the target
  
• PIATs have the same accuracy as bazookas for ranges between 0 and 30
  
• Range reduced from 45 to 30
  
• Damage reduced from 120/80 (penetrating hit/deflected hit) to 100/25
  
• Munitions cost increased from 40 to 50
  
• Fire-aim time reduced from 2.4 to 0.625 (reduces delay to fire)
  
• Post firing aim time increased from 0 to 1.25
  
• Reload time increased from 4.5 to 5.75 (same as bazooka)
  
• Increased scatter, so that PIATs in indirect-fire mode are unreliable (especially when the user is suppressed)
  
• Adjusted scatter offset, so that misses are centered around an immobile target
  

December 2017

• Range from 30 to 35
  
• Far accuracy from 0.038 to 0.025
  
• Mid range from 15 to 25
  
• Accuracy and penetration adjust to remain unchanged between range 0 to 25
  

How accuracy plays a role in a homing weapon, I have no idea.

Ah it was March. Definitely a nice change though. I think there is still a chance to miss with them even if they are homing. Idk maybe I'm wrong. I think it looks really cool when shrecks or zooks miss and blow up the ground around them

It depends, I find it's usually worthwhile to have at least 1 or 2 piats on an engineer squad just to discourage players from diving your AT guns since Brits lack of snare means all it takes is one opportunity for a lone tank to do a lot of damage.

Brens and Piats? Lackluster? are you using them whilst moving? The bren is so good right now it's about to get nerfed. 2 brens on infantry sections are really good and are your anti blob, brens knock squad members down like dominoes, especially from cover and at long range. They are very expensive to equip every section with however, I often end up not getting them and preferring to spend my munitions on artillery so I agree in that respect as Tommy sections are pretty good anyway. Try sticking Tommy sections in a trench on a capture point and you are literally unpushable.

Brens on commando sections also allow them to be used whilst moving which is hilarious and gives commandos good long range and melt people close quarters, commando brens are really good for finishing retreating squads as well.

Piats used to be amazing which might be the issue, they are still good now as they are guided but yeah, they lost their obscene damage. I use them in urban scenarios where 6 pdrs can't get good sight lines. (top points of Lorch assault) as garrisoned they are just at guns that can't killed, get a range increase garrisoned too. Other than that, 6 pdr all the way, it's so good there's no reason to use piats most of the time.

So yeah, Brens defo worth the investment providing they aren't just shelling you out which happens in most team games, and Piats yes if need be but the other British AT is so much better it's often a waste. (It's not that Piats are bad, It's just the 6 pdr is stupid good and so is the firefly so why bother)

Brens and Piats are terrible.

You are better off with the AEC and PAC combo and using engineers as budget commando's to rush people as the infantry section kill things.

UKF completely lose their early game if the bren carrier dies, that's normal though.

This is the same way for all Allied factions, our shreks completely suck but I'd say the mortars and light vehicles keep us in the game.

Watch some high level game replays and you’ll see that almost everyone uses BRENs because they are excellent, while PIATs are used less. Mostly I believe this is because BRENs are so good, it is better to invest munitions in getting two on every tommy section, not because PIATs are actually bad. If you need extra AT, get PIATs. They’re pretty ok at backing up an AT gun, but shouldn’t be relied on as your only AT. Combo them with the AEC to snare and protect flanks to enable your AT gun to do work. Lots of mines are a must for Brits as well. Mines win games.

PIATs are friggen terrible, worst hand held AT in the game. You have to get right up next to the vehicle you're attacking and then they bounce or miss more than any other AT like that. Never ever have I seen bazookas or panzerschreks preform so badly. That said you should still get them and put them on your Royal Engineer sqauds because its all you get for hand held AT as Brits.

Brens used to be awesome. That's why Axis cry babies moaned and got them nerfed into the akward and dumb state they're in now. It used to be important to get double Brens because you needed them to counter vetted Axis infantry and elite non-doc infantry like Obers and Panzergrens. So they nerfed the Brens but did they nerf the Obers and Panzergrens or their OP grenades? NOPE!