This article is considered accurate for the current version (1.58) of the game.
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Designed for mass-production in Kraunia, this assault tank features a modular turret system for maximum versatility. The “Falchion” class features a powerful if understated, 40mm cannon.
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— In-game description
The 85K-b “Falchion” (also known as an MPT, or simply known as a Falchion) is a late-game ColonialAssault Tank designed to be mass-produced and is defined by its square turret. It is equipped with a 40mm main cannon.
The 85K-b “Falchion” has 3650 HP and is disabled under 30% health. It has "Heavy Armor" resistance: it can soak small arms fire, shrapnel, and 12.7mm machine guns, and it is immune to Flamethrowers. But heavy explosives and anti-tank weaponry are a real threat to it. It has subsystems that have a chance to be disabled by heavy explosives and anti-tank weaponry if hit specifically: Tracks: 25% (Anti-Tank Mines always disable them), Fuel Tank: 25%, Turret/Cannon: 25%. It has Tank Armor. With it, in best case scenario, penetrating projectiles only have a 33% chance of penetrating and doing damage. That chance goes up quickly if the armor is worn or if it is shot from up close, or on the side or rear from a direct angle, or with ammo that has penetration bonuses. It takes 170 Basic Materials to fully repair it from 1% to 100% health with a Hammer. Its health, subsystems, and Tank Armor can be instantly repaired at a Garage for 100 Basic Materials.
The 85K-b “Falchion”, despite being classed as a Medium Tank, can be seen as an up armored Light Tank, as it has more health and armor than a standard LT. Due to having these somewhat mediocre stats, its sole strength lies in its cheap cost, and sheer volume when produced in the Mass Production Factory. Due to its crate size consisting of five vehicles, instead of the standard three, it is possible to manufacture large amounts of Falchions, and efficiently transport them to a frontline Seaport or Storage Depot.
Due to Falchions having a manufacturing advantage over Warden Tanks, in order to capitalize on their numerical advantage, these tanks should be used en masse, where the bare minimum of crew is required to operate them. This tactic allows armored pushes to field more tanks at a time, which increases armored firepower, but at the cost of more limited battlefield awareness). All Falchion crews should attempt to do as much damage as possible before being destroyed, especially when being confronted by heavier tanks, such as Battle Tanks.
Although it is possible to use the tank without a commander, it's not recommended as it will limit your awareness on the battlefield.
Standard Equipment Loadout
Like with every other armored vehicle, the crew should ALWAYS equip themselves with a Gas Mask and multiple Filters to avoid dying to Gas Grenades. Additionally, they should bring a Hammer and Basic Materials to repair the tank. These tactics can be buffed by wearing either a Tank Uniform or an Engineer Uniform.
Tips
While the 85K-b “Falchion” can be seen as a good beginner tank, it should not be manually hammered out due to its unique production benefit, which is only applied when it is produced in the Mass Production Factory.
With the max MPF discount, as well as it making five vehicles per crate, it is possible to field 25 Falchions for every order.
If you have the necessary resources and know of facilities that can upgrade one, Falchions should be upgraded to become a 85K-a “Spatha”. This tactic is good if you want to increase your combat survivability, but not useful if the overall strategy is fielding as much armor as possible.
Trivia
A "Falchion" is a type of one handed, single edged sword typically featuring a slightly curved blade and a crossguard. This weapon was typically seen as a peasants' weapon, owing to low quality of construction.
A stencil of one such weapon can be seen on the sides of the tank.
The 85K-b “Falchion” is the only tank in the game to have a MPF bonus, which gives each crate five tanks instead of the usual three.
Historical Reference
The 85K-b “Falchion” hull heavily resembles the prototype Cruiser Mk III tank.
Gallery
The 85K-b “Falchion” from the front
The 85K-b “Falchion” from the rear
A number of 85K-b “Falchion” parked directly next to each other
The 85K-b “Falchion” introduced in the 0.42 Winter Army Dev Stream