Looking for a premium British light cruiser to buy

[Captn_Crap]

The british Cls are my favourite ship line in the game with Edinburgh being my most played ship.

 

I can't really decide what ship to buy looking at the insane variety of British premium Cls in the game.

 

I hope you guys can suggest me some options and help me choose. 

[invicta2012]

Throw some money at the santa crates and hope for Belfast? 

 

Either that or buy Perth and pretend it's referring to Scotland. 

[MyopicHedgehog]

Masterful sarcasm there o/p!  But yes, RN CL premium when?

[Munchboii]

2 hours ago, MyopicHedgehog said:

Masterful sarcasm there o/p!  But yes, RN CL premium when?

It's called Belfast 

[bigdoguk]

Got both the Belfast and Perth you can't get the Belfast now but the Perth is a fun ship.

[Hopeless_Guppy]

Soon to be released HMS London too I think.

[KillStealBoss]

14 minutes ago, Inappropriate_noob said:

Soon to be released HMS London too I think.

It's not a CL. London and Exeter are CA. I think they should release some T8 premium CL for the RN. 

[Yedwy]

1 hour ago, MacArthur92 said:

It's not a CL. London and Exeter are CA. I think they should release some T8 premium CL for the RN. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Swiftsure_(08)

[invicta2012]

Swiftsure or Superb would be nice, as would a Southampton or Sheffield, but the problem is that the Silver RN CLs are very good and there's not much you can do to make the premiums different. Give them anything extra and they'd be OP, and without that, why buy them? 

[Hopeless_Guppy]

Radar, Smoke and Torps, I think that would be balanced.

[BlitzThose]

3 hours ago, invicta2012 said:

Swiftsure or Superb would be nice, as would a Southampton or Sheffield, but the problem is that the Silver RN CLs are very good and there's not much you can do to make the premiums different. Give them anything extra and they'd be OP, and without that, why buy them? 

Personally I would be very happy to see Southampton in the game as my Grandfather served on her.

[Miscommunication_dept]

Be aware that the chances of getting a Belfast in the Santa crates is extremely low. I had every other ship bar Missouri when I received mine.

[Captn_Crap]

13 hours ago, Yedwy said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Swiftsure_(08)

 

I would really like HMS Swiftsure at T8:

 

 

Armament:

3 x triple BL 6 inch Mk XXIII naval guns (3 x 3 152 mm)

5 x dual QF 4 inch Mark XVI guns (5 x 2 102 mm)

4 x quad 2 pdr (40 mm) guns

6 x single 40 mm AA cannons

2 x triple 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes

 

You could give her better RoF (similar to Neptune) and better AA/secondaries to make up for the missing turret.

 

The advantages and disadvantages compared to Edinburgh could look like this:

- less turrets with lower Alpha but same DPM

- less HP (Displacement: 8.800 t compared to 10.500 t)

- slower (31,5 kn instead of 32,5 kn)

+ it's smaller (169 m to 187 m). So the ship should have better concealment and maneuverability.

+ better AA if main turrets are multi-purpose

 

I would give her the same consumables (maybe add AA-consumable).

 

No HE because Smoke and HE is a bad idea.

[Munchboii]

12 minutes ago, Captn_Crap said:

 No HE because Smoke and HE is a bad idea.

*cough* Smolensk 

[Inquisixion]

8 minutes ago, Munchboii said:

*cough* Smolensk 

and Belfast. and Kutuzov. have both and although i love my Belfast to bits i am the first one to agree that the combination of smoke, fast firing guns and HE was (and STILL IS) a bad idea. one would even think that WG have learned their lesson(s) with those ships (Belfast, Kutuzov), but then they release Smolensk and one is left with questions regarding their intelligence. howgh..

[HaachamaShipping]

18 minutes ago, Captn_Crap said:

No HE because Smoke and HE is a bad idea.

 

5 minutes ago, Munchboii said:

*cough* Smolensk 

Smoke + HE isn't inherently bad. Perth and Huanghe for example combine that, but both aren't anywhere as cancerous, mostly because there is a limit on their dpm and outside smoke they are dead fast. The reason Belfast is so insane is Smoke + good dpm for T7 + radar that pretty much goes up to detection range, giving it too many tools to influence the battle with, while Smolensk and Kutuzov on release both had great dpm combined with stupid range and some survivability gimmicks to be a threat even outside their smoke.

 

Swiftsure with only 9 guns certainly is not an issue in this regard.

23 minutes ago, Captn_Crap said:

The advantages and disadvantages compared to Edinburgh could look like this:

- less turrets with lower Alpha but same DPM

- less HP (Displacement: 8.800 t compared to 10.500 t)

- slower (31,5 kn instead of 32,5 kn)

+ it's smaller (169 m to 187 m). So the ship should have better concealment and maneuverability.

+ better AA if main turrets are multi-purpose

 

I would give her the same consumables (maybe add AA-consumable).

 

No HE because Smoke and HE is a bad idea.

Boils down to:

-lower dpm

-less survivability due to lack of hp

-slower

+a bit more stealthy

+AA is still inconsequential, but you get  some feel-good consumable to pretent that your AA actually matters.

 

If you play smoke Edinburgh, you sit in your cload and your concealment is fine anyway. If you play radar Edinburgh, your radar goes beyond your concealment anyway, you can radar whatever spots you. Never would I have thought in Edinburgh that I wanted more concealment at the cost of a turret and hp. This is the kind of crap deal that makes Perth better than Huanghe and Huanghe at least gets better guns, just less of them.

[Captn_Crap]

8 minutes ago, Sleepy_Bunny said:

Boils down to:

-lower dpm

-less survivability due to lack of hp

-slower

+a bit more stealthy

+AA is still inconsequential, but you get  some feel-good consumable to pretent that your AA actually matters.

 

If you play smoke Edinburgh, you sit in your cload and your concealment is fine anyway. If you play radar Edinburgh, your radar goes beyond your concealment anyway, you can radar whatever spots you. Never would I have thought in Edinburgh that I wanted more concealment at the cost of a turret and hp. This is the kind of crap deal that makes Perth better than Huanghe and Huanghe at least gets better guns, just less of them.

 

Just give her Neptune reload and you have higher DPM than Edinburgh. Seems like an interesting premium to me.

[HaachamaShipping]

1 minute ago, Captn_Crap said:

 

Just give her Neptune reload and you have higher DPM than Edinburgh. Seems like an interesting premium to me.

Neptune has the first version of autoloading guns. And there's no reason to give it higher dpm. As said, giving the ship HE would already make it a ship way more balanced than Belfast, that can be put at either T7 or T8.

[Captn_Crap]

11 minutes ago, Sleepy_Bunny said:

Neptune has the first version of autoloading guns. And there's no reason to give it higher dpm. As said, giving the ship HE would already make it a ship way more balanced than Belfast, that can be put at either T7 or T8.

 

Swiftsure was commissioned in 1944 while Edinburgh was commissioned in 1939. One could argue they made an artficial upgrade to the guns or better gun handling procedures leading to higher RoF.

 

Adding HE would kill what's so interesting about british Cls: Having to get close to be efficient (making better concealment indeed useful). Another HE spammer can just sail on max range not caring about pen values. I think we got enough of that in the game.

 

 

[HaachamaShipping]

15 minutes ago, Captn_Crap said:

 

Swiftsure was commissioned in 1944 while Edinburgh was commissioned in 1939. One could argue they made an artficial upgrade to the guns or better gun handling procedures leading to higher RoF.

 

Adding HE would kill what's so interesting about british Cls: Having to get close to be efficient (making better concealment indeed useful). Another HE spammer can just sail on max range not caring about pen values. I think we got enough of that in the game.

 

 

Edinburgh was commissioned in 1939, Fiji was commissioned in 1940. Chapayev was commissioned 1950, Kutuzov in 1954.

 

And the reason Edinburgh doesn't fire at longer ranges is because it doesn't have much range. The AP shell only restriction means you wouldn't gain much out of more range, but it certainly does not encourage going in close and personal in ships where half the hull is citadel hitbox and armour can be overmatched by some cruisers. Especially at tiers 8-10, where radar is prevalent. If you don't want some long-range HE spammer, restrict range to some 15 k like on most of these ships.

 

Also, sure you have to care about pen values on HE, because over half the BBs you'll face have reinforced plating that flat out shatters your shells and fires alone will not get you anywhere.

 

Or you put the ship at T7.

[Captn_Crap]

12 minutes ago, Sleepy_Bunny said:

Edinburgh was commissioned in 1939, Fiji was commissioned in 1940. Chapayev was commissioned 1950, Kutuzov in 1954.

 

And the reason Edinburgh doesn't fire at longer ranges is because it doesn't have much range. The AP shell only restriction means you wouldn't gain much out of more range, but it certainly does not encourage going in close and personal in ships where half the hull is citadel hitbox and armour can be overmatched by some cruisers. Especially at tiers 8-10, where radar is prevalent. If you don't want some long-range HE spammer, restrict range to some 15 k like on most of these ships.

 

Also, sure you have to care about pen values on HE, because over half the BBs you'll face have reinforced plating that flat out shatters your shells and fires alone will not get you anywhere.

 

Or you put the ship at T7.

 

What I meant with pen values is that the HE pen doens't change while the AP value decreases when shooting targets further away.

 

And I beg to differ about the playstyle of Edinburgh. To get most out of this ship you have to get close. The damage numbers at range are laughable. If there is a target at 15 km it's more efficent to not shoot, get close, smoke up and spam it from close range. If you are getting killed at close range you are doing it wrong.

 

There is no premium cruiser with a similar playstyle to British Cls. Why not give the fans of British CLs at least one premium which is similar? After that I'm fine with another HE cruiser.

[veslingr]

16 hours ago, invicta2012 said:

Swiftsure or Superb would be nice, as would a Southampton or Sheffield, but the problem is that the Silver RN CLs are very good and there's not much you can do to make the premiums different. Give them anything extra and they'd be OP, and without that, why buy them? 

Captain/money/freeexp grind?

[invicta2012]

29 minutes ago, veslingr said:

Captain/money/freeexp grind?

All good reasons, and although I'd love them to be in the game, you'd struggle to find a difference for them. Only the Dido/Black Prince/K-25 series of cruiser design are genuinely different. 

 

They've also served in lots of other navies, and that best suits testing and gimmicks rather than RN National Flavour; that's why we've got Perth (modified Leander), Huang He (Arethusa) already and Delhi (late war Leander class) and Mysore (1950s improved Crown Colony) class coming. 

 

So if there are RN CLs other than the small gun cruisers available you've got quite a limited choice.

 

Effingham - Hawkins class rebuilt as a 6 inch gun cruiser (with no torpedoes)

Southampton/Gloucester - could be Tier VII as replacements for Belfast

Swiftsure/Superb - Probably the latter with a notional gun upgrade to MK XV guns (same as Neptune) if AP only, or just as built at Tier VIII with HE. 

[Yedwy]

TBH i doubt more of the RN light cruisers of interwar era will ever come in game, anything below T7 seems to be dying premium wise, and it makes sense for WG actually as each new release in those tiers seems to generate less interest then the one before, also people cry out about OP premiums but when an UP prem arrives none buys it (which has sense actually) so only history enthusiasts are possible target audience and there is simply not enough of them...

[RenamedUser_92906789]

Closest thing to prem RN CL is ... Fiji.

 

You can use it in Narai very effectively and its a strong ship for its tier.

Mount a perma camo on it and KAPOW. Its a premium.

 

Ok, you can't use any captain on her, but you will be leveling captains fast if you do a simple math:

 

Fiji + perma camo (use restless fire  camo if in team of known people) + premium time + signals + a group of Narai farmers (- little cmd elite xp once captain is 19pts to switch) = profit.

If you go for the transports it gives you ridiculous +-50k cmd xp/10k FXP (depending on the signals you use).