Vertical Stabilizer
The equipment that cuts the dispersion penalties for moving and traversing, turning a gun that must stop into one that can shoot on the move.
Also known as vstab, stabilizer, vert stab.
A stabiliser reduces every bloom multiplier by about a fifth. The base accuracy is untouched, so the specification sheet barely changes, and the vehicle nonetheless becomes a different thing to play.
It is worth most on vehicles that fight while repositioning and least on a tank destroyer that never moves before firing, which is the usual argument for putting optics or a camouflage net in that slot instead.
Related terms
BloomThe widening of the aiming circle caused by moving, traversing or firing, and the reason a gun's paper accuracy is rarely what a player experiences.DispersionThe size of the aiming circle at any moment, which grows with movement and shrinks as the gun settles.Gun handlingThe combination of accuracy, aim time and dispersion penalties that decides whether a gun hits what it is pointed at.EquipmentPermanent upgrades fitted into a vehicle's three slots, each improving one area of its performance.