The KV85...

Bad matchmaking and terrible teams led me to sell the LTTB, the Luchs, and the Leopard and buy back my KV85.  Yes, I plan on buying back the MT25, LTTB, Luchs, and continue down the Leopard line.  (Once I research the guns on the IS, I will probably buy back the T44 as well and make my way to the T54.)  Let me just say, folks, pay attention to your scouts, they actually tend to have valuable information and when playing ops where you are supposed to damage and kill things, even more so listen to your scouts.  I was getting fed up with being in scenarios, trying to save my team, while everyone was more concerned about stealing kills and damage and not paying attention to the swarms of enemy vehicles coming up behind them.  A LTTB may not get much damage, but it's sure worth a kill in the Turkey Shoot.  In the end I decided I would have more fun having a chance at surviving or at the very least dying with pride in inflicting lots of damage.  

The KV85 is a necessary step on the way to the IS, I have to play it, truth be known, I hate it.  The turret armor is excellent, but the hull armor is the paper armor of the KV1S.  This wouldn't be so bad if it had speed, sadly the KV85 is almost as slow as the KV1.  Due to matchmaking I can only recommend the 100mm and 122mm guns and those vary based on play style or mood. 

If you have been lucking out and getting supportive teams or are in a platoon, take the 122mm, two shots will place you nicely on the scoreboard, more than that and you may be top of your team even in a tier VIII.  The reload however is VERY slow, even with a gun rammer.  That said however it is not a derp gun and can achieve some decent accuracy with it.  If you are finding yourself working alone go with the 100mm.  The speed is excellent and it has workable penetration and damage.  The accuracy is also some of the best out of your choices.  Be warned, whereas the 122mm will stop even a T29 in its tracks, the 100mm will require you to play more like a medium.  There is something hilarious about breaking other heavy tanks with the 122mm and you may find you like using it much more.  

Right now I am not running any equipment due to my intent to sell it as soon as I can afford the IS, however if it shows potential to keep, OPTICS, gun rammer, and enhanced suspension.  It gets tracked way too often and I would prefer to have a better chance at keeping it going.  

Play style: think of it as an OP medium.  The armor is much lighter than other heavies and can be penned fairly easily by just about everything you will face.  Try to flank opponents wherever possible.  As I mentioned in a previous post about my one on one in my KV1 vs. a KV85, the gun depression is terrible.  Familiarize yourself with maps and typical routes players take so you won't be caught off guard and unable to aim at a target.  Due to lack of notable speed and armor the tank is not the best as a lone wolf, so try to team up wherever possible.  

A great example was a nice tier VII match earlier today on Great Wall.  Everyone followed the lemming train around the back section of the map save for a light tank, an AT8, and myself.  Once the scout revealed that the enemy had also lemming trained the same direction but left nobody to come the other direction, the AT8 and I teamed up and slammed into the enemy flank.  Up until that time they were winning the game based on sheer numbers, but the shock of a heavy tank and an overly armored TD coming through the center gap in the wall cut them in half allowing our turreted TDs  and light to sneak in and harass their rear while I went up behind the front line of heavies and supported my fellow heavies who were getting destroyed.  

Overall the grind is proving much nicer than it was for me originally.  I am heading on the halfway mark of accumulating silver for the tank which bares the name of The Boss.