Whats the Good Builds/Playstyles for Jean Bart ?

[Sunleader]

Yesterday I got the Jean Bart :)

Been Playing a few Battles with it.

And I actually like it.

 

But I am a bit Puzzled as to how to actually Play it.

 

Its Guns are Fairly Accurate and Long Ranged.

And as its got 8 of them on the Front. It can Fire away Salvos without giving the Enemy a Broadside at all.

Gladly unlike the Description. Her Armor is actually Pretty Reliable when Bow Tanking.

 

Now my First Batch of Matches was not that Bad.

A Bit too much Overpenetrations against Cruisers and even Battleships. Which I found Hilarious considering the 38cm Guns.

 

 

Now. Its Guns are Fairly Ok.

And I noticed the Secondary Battery also tends to go off here and there.

 

 

So.

What kind of Playstyle is good for this ?

Is it worth it to Buff the Secondary Battery ?

Or Should I go more for a Sniper Build ?

 

Is it better to use it Close Range or should I rather stick to Range ? :)

[LeSnoet]

Take a tankbuild. It does have decent secondaries, however to make them work you also need IFHE. And imo that is a waste of 4 points that can be used efficiently on other more useful skills.

Btw; if you have the coal resources, get the Honore captain. Nice boosts on EM and AR, useful skills for any French BB.

[Mr_Tayto]

No idea if it's a "good" build or not, but I like to play my higher tier FR BBs as full secondary spec. Just for fun, if the meta was for something else in CBs using French ships I'd change it but I like my secondaries.

 

Best option is to check out shipcomrades captain skill calculator. On the right there's a list of potential builds with votes against them.

[Miragetank90]

My build -

 

 

 

Republique/Bourgogne captain. Same deal. 

 

Don't bother picking secondaries on Jean Bart. The range can be OK, but Many of them won't ever have angles to fire most of the time anyway. And they're destroyed very easily. 

 

You don't need to play Jean Bart and french high tier BBs in general as strictly snipers, in fact, you shouldn't. They are very strong up close, you just need to pick your moment correctly, because they don't do well under focus fire for long. 

Speaking of, watch out for cruisers if you are doing some bow tank, because they will farm you - fast. Building on what I said before, it helps not to get too close too soon and to overly rely on bow tank. 

 

 

[Redcap375]

25 minutes ago, Sunleader said:

What kind of Playstyle is good for this ?

 

IMHO mate.

 

Your a stick to an island and fire your front guns kinda play style.

 

Medium range road block and hold up flanks. Become a deterrent for the enemy.  If they have to push then they have to push past you which never ends well for the enemy (as you have cruiser killing guns and fast reload for HE anti BB spam)

 

There is a reason why all your main guns are facing forward?  Your speed boost can get you into those positions very quickly and help support the cruisers. 

 

You need somewere to hide when the HE comes your way so islands are favourt. 

 

Quote

Is it worth it to Buff the Secondary Battery ?

 

Is it a brawler? No.  Your covered in 32 MM armour at tier 9 which many many things can over match it and you have no torps.  HE spam is your greatest threat so spending Captain kills and mods to negate this is paramount.  IMHO putting secondary skills into something its simply not designed for isn't gonna help.  The secondaries are mostly at the back and exposing any of your broadsides is gonna give you a one way ticket. 

 

Quote

Or Should I go more for a Sniper Build ?

 

Tank build, not a sniper build.  So things like FP, AR, HA and CE should be your first thoughts. 

 

Your AA is very good and i have know a few clan mates build it as an AA platform (BFT and Manuel AA).

 

Quote

Is it better to use it Close Range or should I rather stick to Range ? :)

 

Medium range  

 

No seriously, medium range. Too far back you wont hit that much (unlike say the Yam with LM or the new tier 10 Russian BB, Thunderer) and the pens goes down the longer the shells are in flight. To far forwards and that 32mm will be come all too apparent with your lower-than-average HP.  Unless you just wanna spam HE which isn't great as most tier 9-10 Cruisers can do it much better.

 

You need to support cruisers with those cruiser killing guns.  That's the Jean job first, to wipe the floor with the enemy cruisers. 

 

2 pence anyway mate 

[Redcap375]

8 minutes ago, Miragetank90 said:

My build -

 

 

 

Republique/Bourgogne captain. Same deal. 

 

Don't bother picking secondaries on Jean Bart. The range can be OK, but Many of them won't ever have angles to fire most of the time anyway. And they're destroyed very easily. 

 

You don't need to play Jean Bart and french high tier BBs in general as strictly snipers, in fact, you shouldn't. They are very strong up close, you just need to pick your moment correctly, because they don't do well under focus fire for long. 

Speaking of, watch out for cruisers if you are doing some bow tank, because they will farm you - fast. Building on what I said before, it helps not to get too close too soon and to overly rely on bow tank. 

 

 

I would personally drop EM.  All your guns are forward anyway so IMHO it's a complete wist of captain skills.  I know it's a premium commander but personally i would put it on something like the Republic instead when you have rear guns.  Alsace would be better still. 

 

I would stick those 2 points on HA instead as HE is your worst enemy. 

 

The rest is solid.  PM and EL are solid choices as one is about right ammo and the other stops you from losing 1/2 of your gun power if disabled. 

 

CE is always debatable in this rework, but still a good choice for this type of ship that enjoys medium range.  If not then Man AA could be a different ticket and give you a nice supporting AA role tick. 

 

Mod selection is solid and the same as mine. 

[The_Gathering]

30 minutes ago, Sunleader said:

So.

What kind of Playstyle is good for this ?

Is it worth it to Buff the Secondary Battery ?

Or Should I go more for a Sniper Build ?

 

Is it better to use it Close Range or should I rather stick to Range ? :)

 

Havn't gotten my JB just yet, but here goes:

 

- play it like you would play the Russian bbs, but at greater range from your targets.

- use its speed to get into favorable map positions early IF the map & mm encourages such a play. Otherwise, don't - save your speed for the late game.

 

Can't really say about a secondary build - I would personally prioritize any commander skills that improves your main armament dpm and your survivability - precisely like my Russian bb commanders.

 

Imo CE is still a must, despite being nerfed on bb commanders. It will often make the difference on whether enemy ships are shooting at you or one of your team mates. My poor stats on my Russian bbs are partly due to playing them extensively without CE. Ouch.

[Blixies]

11 minutes ago, Redcap375 said:

 Your covered in 32 MM armour at tier 9 which many many things can over match it...

I didn't know that two ships are considered "many many" :)
Only Yamato and Musashi can overmatch JB.

[DFens_666]

I dont think playing with secondaries is usefull because

 

the good secondaries are facing aftward, while your MB is facing forward only.

 

Also you are covered in 32mm armor, so i would go with the usual tankbuild. Cruiser HE alpha already will hurt, no need to get cooked with too many fires at the same time (+ less flooding duration aswell)

[Miragetank90]

15 minutes ago, Redcap375 said:

I would personally drop EM.  All your guns are forward anyway so IMHO it's a complete wist of captain skills.  I know it's a premium commander but personally i would put it on something like the Republic instead when you have rear guns.  Alsace would be better still. 

 

 

It is my Repub/Bourg captain =p

 

With regards to Jean Barts' turret placement, you're right. But things aren't always so ideal in my experience where I can have my guns forward facing, turning little - all the time, especially since I manoeuvre a lot in JB and tend to close to very close late-game.

 

And it helps to counteract the effect of having main gun reload mod. 

 

 

[Sunleader]

35 minutes ago, LeSnoet said:

Take a tankbuild. It does have decent secondaries, however to make them work you also need IFHE. And imo that is a waste of 4 points that can be used efficiently on other more useful skills.

Btw; if you have the coal resources, get the Honore captain. Nice boosts on EM and AR, useful skills for any French BB.

 

Unfortunately dont have any Coal Left now xD

I was building up towards JB.

I considered getting Yoshino Instead. But Somehow I got enough Japanese Ships available to Grind.

So I went with JB cause I got Dunkerque Captain in the Azur Lane Event.

 

 

34 minutes ago, Mr_Tayto said:

No idea if it's a "good" build or not, but I like to play my higher tier FR BBs as full secondary spec. Just for fun, if the meta was for something else in CBs using French ships I'd change it but I like my secondaries.

 

Best option is to check out shipcomrades captain skill calculator. On the right there's a list of potential builds with votes against them.

 

For Fun I am pretty sure I will do that at some Point xD

But I am currently Looking for a Proper Build.

I want to use the Ship mostly to Farm Money.

And for that the Ship needs to be Capable at least.

 

 

33 minutes ago, Miragetank90 said:

My build -

 

 

 

Republique/Bourgogne captain. Same deal. 

 

Don't bother picking secondaries on Jean Bart. The range can be OK, but Many of them won't ever have angles to fire most of the time anyway. And they're destroyed very easily. 

 

You don't need to play Jean Bart and french high tier BBs in general as strictly snipers, in fact, you shouldn't. They are very strong up close, you just need to pick your moment correctly, because they don't do well under focus fire for long. 

Speaking of, watch out for cruisers if you are doing some bow tank, because they will farm you - fast. Building on what I said before, it helps not to get too close too soon and to overly rely on bow tank. 

 

 

 

Only got a 10 Point Captain to Start with.

Since I barely ever Played French.

Recommendation on which Skills to take First ?

 

 

30 minutes ago, Redcap375 said:

 

IMHO mate.

 

Your a stick to an island and fire your front guns kinda play style.

 

Medium range road block and hold up flanks. Become a deterrent for the enemy.  If they have to push then they have to push past you which never ends well for the enemy (as you have cruiser killing guns and fast reload for HE anti BB spam)

 

There is a reason why all your main guns are facing forward?  Your speed boost can get you into those positions very quickly and help support the cruisers. 

 

You need somewere to hide when the HE comes your way so islands are favourt. 

 

 

Is it a brawler? No.  Your covered in 32 MM armour at tier 9 which many many things can over match it and you have no torps.  HE spam is your greatest threat so spending Captain kills and mods to negate this is paramount.  IMHO putting secondary skills into something its simply not designed for isn't gonna help.  The secondaries are mostly at the back and exposing any of your broadsides is gonna give you a one way ticket. 

 

 

Tank build, not a sniper build.  So things like FP, AR, HA and CE should be your first thoughts. 

 

Your AA is very good and i have know a few clan mates build it as an AA platform (BFT and Manuel AA).

 

 

Medium range  

 

No seriously, medium range. Too far back you wont hit that much (unlike say the Yam with LM or the new tier 10 Russian BB, Thunderer) and the pens goes down the longer the shells are in flight. To far forwards and that 32mm will be come all too apparent with your lower-than-average HP.  Unless you just wanna spam HE which isn't great as most tier 9-10 Cruisers can do it much better.

 

You need to support cruisers with those cruiser killing guns.  That's the Jean job first, to wipe the floor with the enemy cruisers. 

 

2 pence anyway mate 

 

Erm.

32mm is Only Overmatched by Yamato and Musashi Guns.

 

I assume you mean the HE Penetration.

As its going through 32mm fairly Easily.

 

 

But Medium Range Tank Build might be an Good Option.

Indeed these Guns are Cruiser Killers. I found that out Several Times already.

These Guns can Delete Cruisers with Hilarious Efficiency.

 

 

22 minutes ago, thoso1973 said:

 

Havn't gotten my JB just yet, but here goes:

 

- play it like you would play the Russian bbs, but at greater range from your targets.

- use its speed to get into favorable map positions early IF the map & mm encourages such a play. Otherwise, don't - save your speed for the late game.

 

Can't really say about a secondary build - I would personally prioritize any commander skills that improves your main armament dpm and your survivability - precisely like my Russian bb commanders.

 

Imo CE is still a must, despite being nerfed on bb commanders. It will often make the difference on whether enemy ships are shooting at you or one of your team mates. My poor stats on my Russian bbs are partly due to playing them extensively without CE. Ouch.

 

Pls No.

I SUCK at Russian BBs lol.

 

And I am Unlucky on top of it.

I just Dropped the Sinop and Free Exped the Vladi.

Because I was having like 20% Winratio for the last 3 Days with the Sinop.

 

 

[Uglesett]

She can bowtank in a pinch, but it's not really her forté. She's fast, got excellent AA and can really dish out the hurt in a short space of time with main battery reload: In short, she's a flanker.

 

Yes, she's a bit of a cruiser killer, but those high velocity French guns have good armour penetration at close and medium ranges despite the smallish caliber, so if you can work your way around to the flank of an enemy BB she can do stupid amounts of damage.

 

Her over the shoulder firing angles also aren't that bad, so she can kite reasonably well for a ship that's all front turrets. You basically just need to wiggle enough to unmask both turrets, fire and then turn out again. Time it reasonably well, and you'll bounce most of the return fire.

 

Also, I would definitely go with expert marksman. She's the kind of ship that fairly often needs to switch her turrets from one side to the other, at least the way I tend to play her.

[Mr_Tayto]

Don't assume that a "fun build" like fill secondary isn't effective of doesn't make money. It's all about who's driving it.

[KillStealBoss]

1 hour ago, Redcap375 said:

Your AA is very good and i have know a few clan mates build it as an AA platform (BFT and Manuel AA).

Yep . I'm using those too. AA is crazy good.

[Miragetank90]

36 minutes ago, Sunleader said:

 

Only got a 10 Point Captain to Start with.

Since I barely ever Played French.

Recommendation on which Skills to take First ?

 

 

Assuming you take the same modules I do:

 

Priority Target

Expert Marksman

SuperIntendent

Concealment Expert OR Fire Prevention. 

 

Then go for the 4th skill you didn't choose ASAP.

After that, Preventative Maintenance on line 1, then Adrenaline Rush on line 2. Finish off with the Expert Loader and use your last point on Incoming Fire Alert since there's nothing else to put it in.

[Redcap375]

1 hour ago, Blixies said:

I didn't know that two ships are considered "many many" :)
Only Yamato and Musashi can overmatch JB.

 

I meant HE mate.  Soz.

 

Your a firebox basically. 

 

@Sunleader same.  HE i meant (like you rightly pointed out) 

[Panocek]

DoT reduction build with MAA thrown in just for lols, Engine Boost handles sluggishness. Bowcamping is "safe" option, at least until Wooster/Harugumo arrives, though you can bowtank your way through when dealing with single, max two BBs of non Yamato variety. I've used to play her sister as basically overinflated cruiser, or large cruiser you could say - flanking whenever possible to make use of AP, taking pot shots at broadsides which you can additionally exploit with MBRB fun button. Don't forget about HE shells for setting some fires on ships that just used their DCP, especially with mentioned MBRB

 

Now mentioning Retardieu, I haven't played her in a long while...

gib Hermes back

[The_Gathering]

47 minutes ago, Sunleader said:

Only got a 10 Point Captain to Start with.

Since I barely ever Played French.

Recommendation on which Skills to take First ?

 

47 minutes ago, Sunleader said:

Pls No.

I SUCK at Russian BBs lol.

 

And I am Unlucky on top of it.

I just Dropped the Sinop and Free Exped the Vladi.

10pt

PM AR SI CE

 

14pt

FP

 

17pt

BoS

 

19pt

EM

 

That will be my build eventually.

 

PS: I sucked in the Sinop as well, only started to get good in it and get decent dmp after 40-50 games playing it (without CE doh).

[OldschoolGaming_YouTube]

1 hour ago, Sunleader said:

Yesterday I got the Jean Bart :)

Been Playing a few Battles with it.

And I actually like it.

 

But I am a bit Puzzled as to how to actually Play it.

 

Its Guns are Fairly Accurate and Long Ranged.

And as its got 8 of them on the Front. It can Fire away Salvos without giving the Enemy a Broadside at all.

Gladly unlike the Description. Her Armor is actually Pretty Reliable when Bow Tanking.

 

Now my First Batch of Matches was not that Bad.

A Bit too much Overpenetrations against Cruisers and even Battleships. Which I found Hilarious considering the 38cm Guns.

 

 

Now. Its Guns are Fairly Ok.

And I noticed the Secondary Battery also tends to go off here and there.

 

 

So.

What kind of Playstyle is good for this ?

Is it worth it to Buff the Secondary Battery ?

Or Should I go more for a Sniper Build ?

 

Is it better to use it Close Range or should I rather stick to Range ? :)

Do what I did. go to Flambass YouTube and look at his games. He LOVES this ship and play it really well. Im usually copying his playstyles when I play JB.

[WolfGewehr]

My build:

 

 

It's my Republique captain which I also use on Bourgogne and Jean Bart:

 

AR, SI, CE, FP -> basic stuff for any BB

EL -> To benefit from Repu's insane base reload // Why not PT? Because during the good old times no such thing was needed etc. I recognise its benefits, but for me it's not a mandatory pick for BBs.

EM -> To compensate for the turret traverse with MBM. 3 on and it's an improved skill as well, making it a bit more of value.

BoS + India Yankee -> enough fire reduction, so I can use Steering Gears Mod. 2 on all three BBs mentioned above.

 

 

As for my upgrades, slot by slot:

 

Two turrets only, with mediocore protection -> boost their survival

Second slot is self-explanatory -> The two others are worthless for BBs

ASM. 1 -> I prefer to boost my main guns as much as possible

SGM. 2 -> I have already 2/3 fire reduction, so I prefer to go for a faster rudder

CSM. 1 -> Rather self-explanatory for BBs again

MBM. 3 -> Boosting my main guns once more

 

I go rather all in with focus on survival (against ships) and main guns. AA boosts could be an option if one so wishes.

 

 

For playstyles the only thing I want to say is use the whole spectrum of WASD, and I believe you to do so. Always frustrating to see Richie/JB captains use WS keys only, with worst case offenders using S only. It has all turrets in front yes, but use the mobility to roam around, don't lock yourself bow in for no reason.

[Uglesett]

5 minutes ago, WolfGewehr said:

Second slot is self-explanatory -> The two others are worthless for BBs

If you have the coal, there's a better option, though.

[Redcap375]

Pure survival build for me so:

 

EL, AR, BoS, SI, CE, FP, HA.

 

I simply find being spammed by HE my main concern, so I just reduce the amount i take as much as i can.  With flags and Mods that's alot!

 

I don't tend to take much damage from AP.  If you get suck, then your speed boost can get you out of dodge quite quick and re-locate. 

 

Same as @WolfGewehr but without the EM and HA instead. 

 

But it's a ship you can do many things with, like the whole French line to be honest.  It's probably one of the most diverse BB lines. 

 

 

 

[WolfGewehr]

4 minutes ago, Uglesett said:

If you have the coal, there's a better option, though.

 

Probably true, though I use it only for Bourgogne with her +15 % boost and higher base speed. I simply don't find it worth it for the normal BB boost, which again, is just my personal, more or less biased opinion ^^

[Miscommunication]

I also got the JB recently, and I've really enjoyed playing her - though I went through a 5 game losing streak during which my team consistently let me down...

 

Anyway, I have the Honore captain with boosted AR and EM skills, so my captain is currently set up like this. The aim is to re-use it for French BBs when I get around to grinding them.

 

T1: Priority Target

T2: Expert Marksman, Adrenaline rush

T3: Superintendent

T4: Concealment expert, Fire prevention

 

Upgrades:

Slot 1: The armament survivability upgrade. I've lost a turret several times already.

Slot 2: I had a spare Engine boost upgrade (+ 50% action time) which I find super useful, and you don't miss the fire prevention mod too much.

Slot 3: Aiming systems mod 1

Slot 4: I have Damage control Mod 2 equipped

Slot 5: Definitely concealment

Slot 6: Main battery reload - get those guns firing even faster!

 

I've been playing the JB like I play most of my BBs, following cruisers/destroyers to objectives without rushing off blindly before slowing (and often reversing) - no need to broadside or kite if all your guns are at the front. You can reverse surprisingly quickly (even for a Frenchman) using the engine boost, - another reason why I find the extended boost upgrade useful. I'll then push in or retreat depending on how my team have done with the cap (use your reload booster + HE) to kill off DDs when they get spotted.

 

Late game is where I play much more aggressively.

 

 

 

[Sunleader]

1 hour ago, Mr_Tayto said:

Don't assume that a "fun build" like fill secondary isn't effective of doesn't make money. It's all about who's driving it.

 

Oh dont worry. I dont.

In Fact some of the Fun Builds are Scarily Effective.

For Tirpitz I would never consider any other Build simply because the Secondaries are so Crazy Effective that no Buff to the Main Guns or Survivability even makes Sense.

 

But I am not such a Good Player that I can just handle any Build.

So I need something NoobProof if I want to Earn Money :P

 

39 minutes ago, OldschoolGaming_YouTube said:

Do what I did. go to Flambass YouTube and look at his games. He LOVES this ship and play it really well. Im usually copying his playstyles when I play JB.

 

Nah.

Dont get me Wrong. I watch YouTube Videos on this now and then.

But I am nowhere even close to a High Skill Level.

 

This kind Play Requires an Understanding of the Game Situation and an Firm Knowledge on almost every Ship to know the Right course of Action based on your own Capacity.

 

Thats not a Skillset I command. At least not as of now.

Taking some Pointers from them is Fine of course. Cant hurt to Look at them and Learn Something.

 

But Copying their Build and Expecting it to work like it does for them would likely end quite embarassing :P

 

 

 

 

@Everyone.

 

Well Then.

 

I can See that there is an Agreement about Priority Target as the First Skill.

I took that as well.

 

It also Seems like everyone here goes for Expert Marksman and Adrenaline Rush.

So I will take that into Consideration. Because I am currently Running Jack of all Trades.

 

On Tier 3 People seem to Prefer Superintendent as first and Basic Survival as Second Skill.

I actually did it the other way around. And got the Survivability First. Maybe I should Switch that out and wait with Survivability until I got the Extra Points.

 

On Tier 4 we seem to Agree for Fire Prevention and Concealment. Which was my Plan as well.

I also Started with Fire Prevention here. (I might not Command a Wide Understanding of Game Mechanics yet. But even I knew that 32mm will make this Ship an HE Magnet xD )

 

 

 

The Modules seem to be roughly what I already Took as well.

 

 

I am a bit Surprised about the Ship neither being Sniper nor Brawler.

So Medium Range it is.

Given that I so far Played mostly German BBs and have gone for IJN as my next Line of BBs.

This is a bit of a new thing for me.

As I am usually either Sniper or Brawler.

 

But well. Guess we will See how well I can work in a Medium Range.

 

If nothing else. I did Fight a few Succesful Battles with the JB by going into pretty Close Range. :)

 

 

 

Thanks for the Advice.

Topic can be Closed :)