Main Battle Tanks

The rarest and most advanced type of tank, meeting these machines on the battlefield is quite possibly the worst case scenario. There is no "best" strategy to fight them - apart from the simple tactic of not engaging and hoping someone else takes care of them. It is never recommended to attack them head-on or alone; although it is possible to defeat them if lured into traps or with a great amount of firepower.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Among the MBTs, there is little variation. Only a small number of different models are known. Even their weakest individuals are more lethal than anything the other classes have to offer. When provided with the proper means, their armour and armament is far superior to other tank models; but even an MBT who has been deprived of high-end ammunition and parts can be trusted to come up with creative ways of making what's available work for them.

Additional Information

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Very rare. Most of them were killed during the Great Machine War and the majority of the factories were destroyed or stopped producing them. The population didn't recover from these events so far, although it is believed that they are becoming a more common sight again.
In certain regions, more of them can still be found than in others. For example, there is an abundance of MBTs in the Far Lands (though their numbers have been declining over the past 10 years). Some of them leave that area and roam to the rest of the world.

Average Intelligence

MBTs have remarkably sharp minds. It is easy for them to come up with and stick to complicated tactics and strategies, and only the most chaotic battle conditions can faze them. Ironically, interactions with other classes can leave MBTs stumped as they fail to fathom the seemingly irrational conclusions they are presented with.

Civilization and Culture

Major Organizations

Can most commonly be found with Clans, but some Free Teams have managed to convince them to join them. In those, the MBTs usually assume the role of the leader. When they flock together, they often form Platoons as they are very capable of surviving without a full team.

Average Technological Level

Higher technological standards than the older models, but greatly hindered by the fact that most TRVs aren't able to maintain these standards. Very often, MBTs have to do without their more advanced systems - simply because no one is able to fix them if they break.
Some other tanks find this situation comforting, as an MBT fighting with its full capacity and ability can easily make the other classes redundant. In some places, tanks actively campaign against MBTs, spreading the fear of them taking over and treating the other classes as lesser beings.

Related Ethnicities

• Tanks

Among The Others
Sometimes, tanks of other classes are suspected to be "MBTs in disguise", when they are exceptionally able fighters. This is actually not a far-fetched suggestion - as a lot of tanks end up with AI cores that don't match their frames, it can be assumed that some factories may still be producing MBT cores but put them into other frames due to the lack of advanced parts and materials.
A trend can be observed where an MBT's frame slowly turns into an "inferior" version of itself. As parts get damaged or wear out over time, they have to be replaced. A lot of the time, only replacements that don't match the previous part's quality are available. This gradual degradation is currently the most common fate for MBTs.
However, it is also suspected that some MBTs actively choose to modify their frames into something that either is inferior or at least looks inferior - to catch enemies off guard.
Torrent (dialect)
When speaking to each other, MBTs are unconcerned about including pauses between words and omit phonemes, syllables, or even whole words. To them, it's still perfectly clear what is being said. To other machines, it becomes an indecipherable stream of sounds, thus earning this way of talking the derogatory nickname "Torrent".
If an MBT wants to allow any other type of machine to keep up with what they're saying, the MBT consciously has to slow down their speech and pronounce individual words a lot more clearly with (in comparison) emphasized pauses between words and sentences, as well as provide more elaborate context. This is usually perceived as somewhat tedious by the MBTs themselves, though being around their own kind less frequently than around other types means they are generally used to it.