VC381

I've always said this would be a more interesting way to handle the RN BB line and would give them a unique and consistent flavor, but I don't have high hopes of it actually happening.

Well, we just got one and a half new DD lines plus another half a line of Soviet DDs coming while CVs are more or less the same since release. They might struggle to think of something unique for RN DDs to do while CVs need some love. Now, I have no evidence, but I am hoping we get CVs and BBs for RN, it would make the most sense.

Well, your win rates are good but your other stats are average. Although you do seem to play IJN DDs a lot, which props up your overall damage through torps and your overall win rate through caps/map control. Think more about target selection. Don't fight at overly long ranges or tunnel vision on targets that are clearly dodging. It might sound stupid but don't shoot when you don't think you'll hit. There is much to be gained from positioning and punishing someone who's making themselves an easy target. Especially in low tier BBs, the reload can make you lose a perfect firing opportunity if you are trigger happy at the wrong time, and the dispersion will punish you badly for always trying to snipe.

Put the range upgrade in the second slot, you don't need more range than that as you won't hit anything at max range anyway. New York has more firepower than the other two and is better armored. New Mexico same, tied for best firepower and easily best armor. The ships are juggernauts, position smartly so you are not alone but also not far from the battle, charge and dish out the pain. T8 the line does a snap-reverse in style and suddenly you have fast ships. I'm not there yet but I have a healthy respect for NCs and Iowas in any ship I play that gets matched with them. "Yamato > Montana" is one of those dumb simplistic things I wish people didn't say. Better at what? I use Yamato to farm damage in my T8 CVs, I don't go near Iowa even unless I'm desperate. I fear Montana's shotgun more than Yamato in a cruiser. There's more to this game than two BBs pointing bow at each-other seeing who pens better. Also, "what's the point?" can be asked of anything. If all the ships are to you is stats and you only grind for the "best" T10 (whatever that means), well, have fun! Since you're playing THIS game instead of more generic online games, I assume you have at least SOME interest in ships. All the US line except Montana has great history, each ship has unique strengths, play to enjoy each one.

Well, they introduced spotting damage and potential damage, how about some missions based on those like cro_pwr says?

2000 games, 4 ships rammed. I mean, if I wanted to complete the mission I'm sure I could try to pull it off, but again it seems like encouraging playing in a dumb way for the sake of a small award. I probably don't care enough...

There is no point trying to sell this game on pure gameplay value to someone who is not interested in ships as they may as well play any FPS or MOBA. The draw of this game is it merges awesome and famous ships, beautifully modelled for those who are interested in them, with relatively simple action gameplay. It's not a full naval simulation but there are more niche games for people who really want that. But these are usually cottage industry games that are very buggy and/or have bad graphics, and take a huge time investment to learn and play, and that doesn't suit everyone.

Unless you have a huge pile of free XP, but even then you need to unlock the previous ship first.

The AP is great but it's not for permanent use. Fires are still your main damage source against BBs especially higher tier ones. The bonus from SE is small and IMO only worth it on a DD. The only way you would not take DE in NO and Baltimore is if you're going for a full AA build.

Genius! Gunnery Radar - active for 2 minutes. +10% main battery range and -15% main battery dispersion. Cooldown 5 minutes.

Of course but it's still the bloody RAF

Eh, sorry to hear you aren't getting along with it, I guess some people just don't. After 56 games are you close to Baltimore? You can try it if you like just don't expect a miracle upgrade.

Off map? You mean like "we can't afford our own planes better call the RAF for air support"? The idea sounds fun but Cunningham would be turning in his grave!

I wonder something. Nelson didn't have a catapult, Rodney had one but it got removed, Hood had one for about a year between the wars, all the surviving KGV class had their aircraft facilities removed and hangar re-purposed, Vanguard never had one, Lion designs would have probably gone the same way. Furthermore, WG haven't implemented turret mounted catapults and except for four refitted QE class none of the pre-war BBs have separate aviation facilities. Both Renown class BCs did. However, Renown, Valiant, Malaya and QE also had those areas repurposed by wars end, similarly to the KGVs. So we have a situation where most RN BBs and BCs either don't have plane facilities, or might have them in a B hull but would lose them with what would likely be their final C hull upgrades. Could this be a "gimmick" of the line? No fighters or spotters but something else to compensate? RADAR maybe? Or final hull as a sidegrade forcing choice between having planes or having full late-war AA? Exceptions would be premiums that show the ship in a given fit when she did have aircraft, as Warspite does.

It's a world of difference dodging 66 knot torpedoes vs. 76 knot torpedoes. The range difference isn't that relevant because torping at 10km doesn't usually produce results anyway. I respect both DDs and probably the Fletcher is better overall, but those F3 torpedoes are the one thing I fear most in high tier games, no matter what class I'm playing. Yugumo seems strong to me (opinion from the receiving end because I own neither ship, but backed up by playing with friends who own both).

Perhaps, but I'm usually more interested in playing ships of historical significance, ships that are just cool, or just having fun. Hakuryu is more or less fiction and Midway is kind of cool but didn't actually serve in WWII, so from my point of view Taiho and Essex are much more "must have" than the T10s. Also T9 get the final module, the T10s don't really have more to offer (US one doesn't even get more squadrons). Surely at that point you just lock fighter squads and both push strikes through anyway?

To be honest blaming camping is really simplistic anyway. Bad BB players will still make the wrong decisions in position, angling, dodging, aiming, you name it, then complain their class isn't strong enough. It's not only to do with the range you fight at, like all battles are on Ocean and that's the only decision you can make.

Because if that CA has a brain he will stay a little bit further from you and dodge, you will not hit him at ~15km and he will laugh while you waste your time trying. BB camping is good for aggressive CA play, not bad. The other option (what we seem to have now) is everybody pushes to <10km, where nobody can dodge, and the BBs still choose to shoot the CA anyway...

I agree, a secondary build cruiser would be fun and in keeping with her general design principles.

Except that a Bismarck will eat 10-15k normal pen damage from an Amagi regardless of angle and will probably lose a turret if he was bow on. Yamato probably not but then again what do you expect T8 vs T10? Switching ammo is a waste of time in a BB, especially a high tier one. If you really think you can't hurt someone with AP, it's better to change target than change ammo.

Tri torp bombers I can handle and would indeed be awesome, it's my two fighter and two bomber squadrons dying somewhere random or wasting time on deck that worries me.

The PE is accurate at that range and you can get a pretty decent rudder shift on it with mods, but the turning circle is still huge so you should have eventually nailed him. PE is quite easy to citadel through the deck at long range, even if stern-on. I guess either you had terrible luck with dispersion or you weren't predicting his turns as well as you could have been. So yes, it is fairly easy for PE to burn a BB at that range but I wouldn't choose to stay in a 1v1 with one if it started firing back.

Hiryu is pretty good, I saw a few played well yesterday even against higher tier opponents. It's good to stick with it as Shokaku has the same layout without being stuck with crap planes, so once you've learned the "trade" on Hiryu, Shokaku really rewards you for it. Bag of nerves still applies though. I'm in no rush to progress but I do want both T9 CVs eventually, don't care much for the T10s. I'm a bit worried about Taiho though. I do well in Shokaku but I sometimes feel like 6 squadrons is stretching my multi-tasking, 7 might be too much for me :S

May as well throw my opinion in, the ship is fine. It's not a hard-carry cruiser but I think the other T8 premiums have really spoiled the community in that respect. What it is, for me, is a very chilled out and comfortable ship. Long range, shells stay strong to max range, easy aiming with fast muzzle velocity, fast turret traverse, fast reload, the ergonomics are just a dream. I stuck both rudder shift mods on it so even the ship handling is now smooth. There is no heal but the base HP pool is large and the armor is usually forgiving (for a cruiser). BUT you need to always be paying attention, always squeezing every little bit from what the ship can do to perform well. The ship gives you the ability to switch target very fast and reliably damage any target in your generous range but you need to USE that ability to maximize your damage and impact. You need to always be on your toes, changing ammo, changing target, looking for a weakness to exploit. It is, true to real life, a support ship, a raider and an opportunist. I enjoy it it's something different to the neck-deep adrenaline rush that is US cruiser play and that's what I wanted.

Nice game! But yes, a BB would have made more base XP with that damage. Maybe CVs are OK but BB rewards are too high? I'm still enjoying my pair of T8 CVs and getting decent games regularly, I'm not too fussed about being top of team even if sometimes I think I deserve it.