DrMechano

I doubt our dear friend is going to be doing Clan wars any time soon. So basically its down to "what playstyle do you prefer?"

My starting quote in the Musashi is always "Well looks like the rest of you don't have to worry about planes for a while, he'll be going after me first." Though I have noticed that a number of other Musashi captains DON'T run fighter and instead spotter plane...that is largely useless on a ship with a 26km range AND no longer spots torps. Why wouldn't you run fighter instead of spotter since it is literally only worth taking if you can't take anything else in that slot?

Low tiers IF you know how to play them, the Russian DDs, good firepower and speed for their tier (as you can see they outgun other DDs up until tier 8, much better reload and bigger guns) however you can't play them as cap pushers. Russian DDs have a massive detection range and rely heavily on Run and Gun style of gameplay. There really isn't a 'best' DD, it depends on playstyle. There are three types of DD, Gun boat, Torp boat and hybrid. Gun boat DDs usually have much better guns but give up torps and concealment (the Russian DD line is a shinning example of this, great guns for their tier, very fast and nimble, terrible detection range and up until tier 8, 4km range torps which are what I describe as "self defense torps" aka only use them when a BB or cruiser is closing in on your smoke or you get the jump on someone). Torp boats are the complete opposite, guns are just awful BUT they have good concealment range and long range, hard hitting torps, engaging enemy DDs in them is not advised. Hybrids are a sort of weird middle ground which is where the Hatsu and the Shira sort of sit, they're not really good at either thing, the Shira only has 2 torp launchers meaning it can't Torp boat well enough AND its torps are spotted with enough time to easily dodge them meanwhile its guns and turret traverse are utter garbage. That isn't to say there arent GOOD hybrid DDs but the two I've played so far are just janky. From what I can tell, they took two pre-existing ships, moved them around the tiers and did virtually nothing to make them fit the idea of a gunboat line. I'd lower their reload down to at least 5 seconds, putting them on par with the Russian DDs, reduce their torps down to 6km, massively increase their turret traverse speed and bump up their detection range.

I will point out that the game will automatically do this most of the time but it can be annoying when it suddenly decides to lock onto a ship that was just passing infront of your target, that's when you need to make use of the X key.

Well at the start of the match I usually type in chat "going to hang back with the fleet, let the enemy CV get their rocket planes out of their system" or "Won't be pushing cap early, 8.7km detection range" and this is usually enough for people, a little communication goes a long way. I've not had a single report yet. In fact I've had several people go "Well duh, you're in a Russian DD, we know." Do you explain to people in chat that you're not pushing a cap just yet at the very start?

I'm enjoying the heck out of the Russian DD line, at the Kiev so far and she's definitely a keeper (got the congratulatory camo for her some time ago, can't remember when, so she's already a premium ship :D). I mean watch this replay (sure I derp out at a few moments) and tell me the ending isn't hilarious and wouldn't have been possible without the ridiculous speed of the Russian DDs. 20190303_182146_PRSD308-Pr-48_47_Sleeping_Giant.wowsreplay

Well hopefully it also makes Yamato sister players aware that they can't just derp around and expect to tank through everything, so think of it as a PSA for both non-IJN Captains and Yamato sister captains

Ah I can't take credit for the picture, that was found through a google search. Yeah not sure what the cleveland was thinking. Yes he could have taken him out with his IFHE 152mm through the nose of the Conqueror but that was a bit of a gamble on whether the Conq was about to reload or not.

It's like a railgun at ranges below 15km, past that they have worse dispersion than even the Germans so I've been told. Also they have an above water citadel which doesn't have turtleback armour nor do they have the near impervious bow with its mostly 60mm plating with only the tip being 32mm (the tier 10 only get the lower half of their bow at 50mm, which isn't much use at close range with a 460mm gun, the Moskva is actually tankier in that regard because that 50mm covers more of the middle of bow, where more shots are likely to land) and enough secondaries to turn the game into a bullet hell shooter. The Kurrywurst is actually a better brawling ship than the Ruskies by the looks of things and is one of the few ships to . Ruskies have shockingly awful secondaries for brawling ships.

See the problem you're having is that you get spotted. Meanwhile, in Soviet Russia, the DDs couldn't give a flying flook about being spotted. In fact It feels like a natural state to them...but then they are basically just small cruisers (probably why I like them so much) so sticking with your fleet at the start is pretty much the norm for them. Even baited in some rocket planes straight into the firing line of an enemy Worc a few times. I swear CVs get a bloodlust the moment they see a DD.

Ok easy to see why. The Cleveland was basically very salty and thought you stole his kill when that conquerer was probably about to kill him if you hadn't shot him. First things first. You aim your AP as if you're aiming HE. Remember, waterline for AP if you catch a ship broadside, top of the deck for HE. Secondly, that fight with the Yamato could have been a hell of a lot easier for you. There Yamato sisters (her and the Musashi) have a glaring weakness when angled the way the one fighting you was. Just below the first turret is a little cheek that despite appearances is actually flat at that angle. Now you may be thinking that would just lead to normal pens BUT it actually leads straight through to the Citadel, meaning at the range you were, you could have punched through it and hit several shots straight to the citadel and taken her out in 2-3 salvos. Notice in the picture its angled just as the Yamato was to you. I've surprised more than a few Yamato sister captains by hitting the spot and suddenly blowing them out the water at close range.

Just thought I'd upload this replay, I'm not a great Destroyer captain and I derp out massively at one point by slamming into an island but there is a great moment in it of me at 10% health vs a Farragut on nearly full health which showcases the advantages of those high velocity russian guns. 20190228_212136_PRSD207-Minsk_17_NA_fault_line.wowsreplay

Normally, I'm crap in DDs, like generally awful but thanks to a recommendation on this forum (in the "KV-2 of WoWs" topic), I decided to try the Podvoisky which I had unlocked waaaay back when they first came out and never went any higher. I saw that horrible detection range + 4km torps and shrugged my shoulders, thinking I couldn't make it work. Sure the American DDs were gunboats but they were still kind of stealthy. I wish I'd realised that the Russian DDs are basically mini-cruisers. It is kind of freeing to not bother with taking CE on a DD and just focusing on pure gunboating. There is no mistaking, the Pod is a derpy ship, great guns and hard hitting for a DD, kind either meh or awful (torps are basically there for when a BB REALLY wants to try to smoke rush you) for pretty much everything else with the exception of speed. I blitz my way through the Podvoisky with a 60% win rate in 10 battles and an average of 33k damage which does seem like an outlier compared to the 17k on server average. A small sample size I know but I'm guessing that most approach the Pod the way I did initially. Thinking I'd have to island hug, sneak up on boats and drop torps at near suicide ranges. Now I'm on the Gnevny with a 78% win rate and 36k average damage in 9 battles (again a very small sample size). So the question is, does the Russian DD gunboat line stay as fun as this or does it go downhill the further up the tree you get?

Just had hilarious moment in my Minsk where I was chasing down a Budyonny, firing at him all the way while he tried to run . I think that's the first time I've ever seen a Cruiser being chased by a DD. The amount of time where being spotted isn't much of an issue and I just keep firing has been ridiculously funny. "But captain, that BB might see us" "Who told you to get off the guns, keep firing!"

My Metal fish only want to hug things, is that so wrong?

Hey some us aren't on speed boost ALL the time...I mean at 43 knots in the minsk sometimes I don't bother with it at all...it does FEEL like I'm running speed boost all the time though.

Out of curiosity, which ship would you say was the KV-2 of WoWs. Now for those that don't play our sister game the KV-2 is a 152mm howitzer (aka a 'Derp gun') equipped tank at tier 6. Now whilst its armour is pretty crap (big old box turret) its mobility is...meh...the one thing the KV-2 doesn't care about, is being uptiered. Since it normally fires High Explosive AND hits fairly hard anyway it really doesn't care too much about armour. Sure you might only do 300 damage when the shot could do 700 if it fully penetrated BUT that's 300 damage against an opponent most tier 6 tanks would be lucky to even damage in the first place. Not only that HE, much like in this game, knocks out crew, modules, guns, all that good stuff. So which ship would you say is a midtier (5 or 6) ship that simply doesn't care if it's bottom tier and can school even higher tiered opponents?

I'm sorry sir! I couldn't remember who it was that mentioned the Podvoisky, please do not send me to gulag! But seriously, thank you man, because of you I've found my destroyer main for someone who hated destroyers, for that I am forever grateful. Would you suggest switching BFT for DE and say switching AR for LR?

I'd say get to tier 5 in the Podvoisky (shouldn't take you too long) when seems to be the start of the russian DD gunboat style. One thing I will point out is that while its concealment is terrible for DD that this seems to work to your advantage. You have the firepower to outfight most other DDs of your tier or even +1 to your tier. A common mistake newer DD players seem to make is the "Oh crap enemy DD, must fire guns!" at which point they blow their cover and as pointed out in another thread "Podvoisky is in soviet union, if you kill what is spotting you, you cannot be spotted". Current captain skills are: 1) PT (obvious for anything not a BB). 2) AR (though I would probably switch that to last stand but with AR you get some serious dakka). 3) BFT (Again might not be recommended but the -10% reload can come in handy) 4) AFT (No brainer for any DD not using 150mm guns) 5) PM (helps stop things getting knocked out) 6) EM (though I may respec out of this). It is by no means a standard russian DD build and I'm sure there are better choices, like ignoring PM and EM and taking SE.

As others have said, it would need to be fairly accurate with its 2 guns otherwise we end up with a tier 6 Mikasa situation. That has guns which are extreme for its tier (4 x 305mm guns) but god awful dispersion and range, but otherwise I'm all for it. Tell you what, give it the new Russian BBs deal. Good accuracy below 8km, mediocre upto 12km and basically pointless beyond that upto 16km. This would give it the true KV-2 experience of being fragile but hard hitting at close ranges and simply praying to RNGesus beyond that range.

So the most common complaint about Rocket planes was that there was no 'counter play' for DDs against CVs. Yet there is no counter play for BBs against DDs, yet this is fine. Yes DDs ARE meant to be BB counters, did it ever cross your mind that CVs should be a DD counter. "But we have Radar cruisers for that!" yes, we do and they're going to be getting nerfed soon as well (well kind of...) Like I get Radar is a thing but if you're going to moan about a ship having 'no counter play' to your own ship, then surely a BB captain can complain there is no counter play to YOUR ship. This swings both ways guys, yet I don't see the Japanese gunboat DDs getting slapped with ridiculous nerfs any time soon. 'But radar!" there's 1 BB with Radar and it has to be practically suicide range to use it. Face it Radar cruisers are YOUR counter but you still pissed and moaned about them because it was 'unfair' and 'offered no counter play'. For all the BBabbies that get slung around by DD captains, you've DD captains have done an awful lot of moaning recently too, hell you moaned MORE than the so called BBabbies about the CV rework. Stones, glass houses and all that.

I just want to say thank you for mentioning the Podvisky. Tried it on a whim since I've been looking for a new ship to play and yeah...I find that because of its terrible detection range other DDs will open fire on you since they see you coming which is their first and only mistake. The Podi can almost outfight tier 7 DDs and definitely can if you get the drop on them. It is the most fun I've had in a DD. I really does fit the KV-2 style. No armour, Derpy Torps (which you I can only feel my captain, when being told that the enemy was in torpedo range responding with "Wait, we have those? Alright fire them off but as soon as that's done, everyone back on the guns!"), ridiculous firepower for its class and tier. I blazed through it and now on the Gnevy which has proceed to, in its first game, almost outfight a tier 8 german DD when stock and the captain still in training, meaning AFT and BFT weren't fully online.

Yup, they're really not a good choice in the first place and only worth it if they're you're ONLY option or its between that or a fighter which in the current meta with CVs having gotten the shaft so you see them only slightly more than the you use to, is equally useless.

Pfft we both know that Russian things do not snipe, they let the hand of Stalin guide their shells. The idea was less about 'its overpowered'. The KV-2 hits VERY hard but it has a litany of faults (poor armour, meh mobility, terrible turret traverse, horrendous accuracy that's just as likely to troll you as the enemy, it fires 2 rounds per minute, maybe 3 if you're with a skilled crew) but it is hella fun though even with its faults because it can slap tier 8s in the turret for 300 damage and cares not for your heavy armour Mr Tier 8! I was curious if we had a ship that is a similar sort of playstyle in WoWs. So far, premium wise, it does seem to be the Nelson (Terrible armour scheme, kinda slow, guns can be a bit wonky but it hits hard with the HE shells and loves setting the world on fire).

Sweet Jesus...when can we get this as a premium! Lets be honest with just 2 18 inch guns that would be sheer hell to play, it'd be like a tier 6 Mikasa.