Skane, Bravo WG.

[MadBadDave]

Quite rightly I’m often on WG’s back about Match maker and the lack of a coherent training / progress for noobs, as clearly highlighted with the current virus lockdown and the drop in enjoyment / skill etc.

 

I haven’t been impressed with many of WGs  directives for quite a while and the latest EU DD directives only added to the dissatisfaction; once again despite doing all directives nowhere near enough points to get the Skane, but I have to say having ground from the abysmal T5 / dreary T6 to the T7  Skane I have to compliment WG on actually getting something right, for its tier the Skane is very well balanced, I can’t stop winning in it, I don’t miss the lack of smoke and whilst the gun range isn’t great and the Torps slap instead of punching it all works, as per usual being T7 it faces T8 and T9’s a lot (cough, cough MM works as per normal),  but imho Skane uptiers well, that said it is NOT noob friendly and a lot will hate it.   Even the Perma camo’s funky instead of the usual dreary samey camo.

 

Though early days with 2/3 upgrades done and only a 12 pointer it can only get better, I enjoy playing it, and the resemblance of a smile is returning to my face, Skane’s already held a flank on its own and I don’t think I’ve had so many compliments after finishing games, I don’t think it’s been sunk once yet. 

 

So once again; Bravo WG, finally a balanced ship.

[Hirohito]

1 hour ago, MadBadDave said:

the Skane is very well balanced, I can’t stop winning in

 

Skane’s already held a flank on its own and I don’t think I’ve had so many compliments after finishing games, I don’t think it’s been sunk once yet. 

 

So once again; Bravo WG, finally a balanced ship.

1 hour ago, MadBadDave said:

 

for its tier the Skane is very well balanced

This doesnt sound like the

 definition of balanced though, just FYI.

[Humorpalanta]

Interesting. I really enjoyed T5 with the basic captain. T6 was also nice. Now I bought the T7. Have a 10 pnt cpt. Just terrible. Terrible.

[Verblonde]

1 hour ago, MadBadDave said:

So once again; Bravo WG, finally a balanced ship.

This!

I would mention though that we're still currently in the "what the h*ll is that?" phase of new ship introduction; specifically, I don't think people have got used to the rocket-propelled torps yet or the AA. Once people know how to counter Ikeas effectively (and some already do, in my experience), I suspect their effectiveness may drop somewhat.

 

That said, in the current meta, even then, I suspect there will certainly be a place for DDs with good AA and a heal...

[MadBadDave]

I’ve played a lot of ships in the 18 months I’ve been playing the game, and over half my 7000+ games were in DDs, yes I’ve only played a dozen games in Skane and yes it isn’t fully upgraded nor has it got a 19 pointer BUT it feels like Lightning when being played; comfortable, user friendly, balanced, fun and a carrier of teams.    If you look at the likes of the Albermarle (another new’ish ship), looks good but glass armour and poor range, whilst Skane has a short range it’s guns fire fast, start fires and do damage, once upgraded the slappy torps become rocket propelled and with the right skills etc can be fired every 50 seconds or so, the AA is effective, concealment is good for its tier and while HP isn’t the best Heal is a big plus, compare it to Mahan, Jervis, Gadjah and all other T7’s  is there a more balanced T7 DD ?.  
 

My last game was a very closely contested match, I found myself up against a well driven aggressive and alert  Mogami which had quickly destroyed a kiting Roon, mindful that I needed to defend a cap,  (3vs2 left), torps and then guns (to finish off the Mogami), ended the game.  The Torp reload speed contributed hugely to the kill and win, A Good T8 cruiser with good guns and torps against a new T7 DD, that’s not fully upgraded.  How many would have ran ?.  The Skane gives me the confidence.  In the same game reds had a Missouri (yep Radar), I put 2 torps into him and he never saw me, 12km torps that travel at 80 knots is a huge leveller 😉.

[MadBadDave]

Not everyone will like it, but everyone should give it a try.

[Verblonde]

58 minutes ago, MadBadDave said:

comfortable, user friendly, balanced, fun and a carrier of teams.

I think quite a few people might take issue with at least some of that!

 

My view FWIW:

• Comfortable: yes, ish, as much as a smoke-free DD can be; I did have a lot of DD games under my belt beforehand though - a typical newbie will probably have a nightmare.
• User friendly: in general, no (weak torps, slow turning turrets, no smoke etc.).
• Balanced: probably, but too soon to tell definitively.
• Fun: all kinds of yes, if you like that sort of thing, which I do. A lot.
• Carrier of teams: not a chance for me, but that's true of almost every ship I have...!

Definitely not a tree for newbies.

[Zieten]

2 hours ago, Humorpalanta said:

Interesting. I really enjoyed T5 with the basic captain. T6 was also nice. Now I bought the T7. Have a 10 pnt cpt. Just terrible. Terrible.

^this

I have rarely played a ship which felt so anemic as the Skane. I seem do be doing something terribly wrong with it.

[MadBadDave]

43 minutes ago, Verblonde said:

I think quite a few people might take issue with at least some of that!

 

My view FWIW:

• Comfortable: yes, ish, as much as a smoke-free DD can be; I did have a lot of DD games under my belt beforehand though - a typical newbie will probably have a nightmare.
• User friendly: in general, no (weak torps, slow turning turrets, no smoke etc.).
• Balanced: probably, but too soon to tell definitively.
• Fun: all kinds of yes, if you like that sort of thing, which I do. A lot.
• Carrier of teams: not a chance for me, but that's true of almost every ship I have...!

Definitely not a tree for newbies.

I totally agree re noobs and did say as such, as did I about it being hated.

 

Yes it’s new and as such many wouldn’t have played it, having played it and the many other DD’s I’ve played i feel every bad point is easily met by a good point and that the ship is balanced, is it the best ship in the game ?; definitely not, but going on WG’s recent track record feel it is balanced, games are supposed to be fun and in the current climate (game and life), it’s nice to look forward to playing a game with a ship I’m actually enjoying to play, e.g I like the Albermarle hate the name and know that if a bb farts it’s a goner, I don’t get that in a skane, I was expecting it to be as bad as the T5&6 but was pleasantly surprised, I’d also be keen to know how players feel about the Skane with a 19 point skipper.

[Vbeest]

5 hours ago, MadBadDave said:

 Skane is very well balanced, I can’t stop winning in it

 

Well said Sir! Do you by any chance are looking for a job? Because I've heard WG balance team is hiring, and you would be perfect there.

 

On a more serious note, read what you wrote just slowly...

 

Skane is almost as well balanced as Stalingrad (almost, Balancegrad has 57.37% wins on EU server, Skane just 54.56%).

 

 

 

[OldPappy]

1 hour ago, MadBadDave said:

I totally agree re noobs and did say as such, as did I about it being hated.

 

Yes it’s new and as such many wouldn’t have played it, having played it and the many other DD’s I’ve played i feel every bad point is easily met by a good point and that the ship is balanced, is it the best ship in the game ?; definitely not, but going on WG’s recent track record feel it is balanced, games are supposed to be fun and in the current climate (game and life), it’s nice to look forward to playing a game with a ship I’m actually enjoying to play, e.g I like the Albermarle hate the name and know that if a bb farts it’s a goner, I don’t get that in a skane, I was expecting it to be as bad as the T5&6 but was pleasantly surprised, I’d also be keen to know how players feel about the Skane with a 19 point skipper.

I agree from my sofar sparse experience in EU dds that they are not for beginners. But I enjoy Västerås immensely! So now I am looking forward to Skåne even more! I have a 16 pt captain ready for it. 

[MadBadDave]

3 hours ago, OldPappy said:

I agree from my sofar sparse experience in EU dds that they are not for beginners. But I enjoy Västerås immensely! So now I am looking forward to Skåne even more! I have a 16 pt captain ready for it. 

You should see a vast improvement, as with everything we all like and want different things.

 

I never compared the Skane against the Stalingrad, I just said that I think it’s balanced, for example if the torps were nerfed to 8km it would be weak, similarly if you gave it Fletcher strength torps it would be OP, take the asashio, it’s guns are compensated for by its torps, which can only hurt large targets.

 

No thanks WG doesn’t appeal; I’d instantly nerf every Russian ship, increase cruiser secondaries, give Brits more consistent AP, reduce MM to +/- 1, introduce battle royales (12 bb vs 12 bb on ocean map, 24 cvs, 24 dds, 24 cruisers, id have clan battles with T8’s, have missions for T8’s, increase rewards for co ops, introduce a decent noob oriented training program so you wouldn’t see anyone in a T10 that hadn’t played 1000 games, essentially everything we want but that won’t be implemented.    
 

Skane now sunk  (1)  defeated (2) ; ditch it 😉, 

 

Maybe with time it will be appreciated more by others.  I like it and will only get better with it, RPF will help, given that “as per usual” I faced a T9 (mogador), T8 CV which wouldn’t leave me alone and a Leningrad while surprise surprise non clan team mates play like lemmings ☹️, hardly surprising it is so far its only sinking.

How long would a Mahan or Z39 last against a Moggy, Leningrad and persistent T8 cv ?.

[HystericalAccuracy]

There are some rails on the turrets of Skane:

 

For now* they have no functionality, so i would ask if it is possible to remove them.

The only thing they do is limiting the firing angles, especially on the rear turret.

It wouldn´t break historical appearance since it is a non-existent ship.

 

*maybe they are to carry ASW-weapons later

[lossi_2018]

I dont have the balls to play random in it but it is nice to hear :)

[VeryHonarbrah]

I can happily say that the T8 is also pretty spicy. The lack of HP is the main issue, but the gun power does increase, if you keep at a 7km + range of any other dd you can fancy your chances if you know how to dodge to a decent extent. The 360 turret at the rear and the excellent gun angles makes it very comfortable.

[VeryHonarbrah]

3 hours ago, Vbeest said:

 

Well said Sir! Do you by any chance are looking for a job? Because I've heard WG balance team is hiring, and you would be perfect there.

 

On a more serious note, read what you wrote just slowly...

 

Skane is almost as well balanced as Stalingrad (almost, Balancegrad has 57.37% wins on EU server, Skane just 54.56%).

 

 

 

You do know that its current server wide is boosted because it was a new ship that was only available in an event, and in most cases good players rush up the lines before hand. Within the next few weeks it will balance out.

[MadBadDave]

2 minutes ago, VeryHonarbrah said:

You do know that its current server wide is boosted because it was a new ship that was only available in an event, and in most cases good players rush up the lines before hand. Within the next few weeks it will balance out.

It should slip down the rankings as time passes, but it does also indicate that if it was as rubbish as some say it would not be top,  only time will tell if the Stats validate my humble opinion; that unusually WG have given us not the best or worst ship but a very well balanced T7 ship, which a lot will hate, some will love and that will terrify noobs.

[VeryHonarbrah]

2 minutes ago, MadBadDave said:

It should slip down the rankings as time passes, but it does also indicate that if it was as rubbish as some say it would not be top,  only time will tell if the Stats validate my humble opinion; that unusually WG have given us not the best or worst ship but a very well balanced T7 ship, which a lot will hate, some will love and that will terrify noobs.

In general its lack of noob friendly/ forgiving characteristics (lack of smoke, super speed, crazy dps, or to an extent that good AA) means that I think it will be dragged down pretty low. Though realistically its potential is on the upper echelon.

[Bear__Necessities]

EU DD's are just fodder for CV's. Especially RN CV's and Enterprise. 

[Vbeest]

7 hours ago, VeryHonarbrah said:

You do know that its current server wide is boosted because it was a new ship that was only available in an event, and in most cases good players rush up the lines before hand. Within the next few weeks it will balance out.

 

I think that this is a myth. While there is some small effect as you described, it mostly concerns rare ships. In light of ships like Kleber (and other high tier French DDs), Venezia, most Russian BBs and some others, the ships that appeared with good statistics remain with good statistics unless directly nerfed (by the way, Kleber still oveperforms looking at recent stats). You can tell the difference even for fresh ships, and Skane is definitely on the strong side. Power creep, unfortunately, is a thing here.

[MadBadDave]

5 hours ago, Bear__Necessities said:

EU DD's are just fodder for CV's. Especially RN CV's and Enterprise. 

Nah sorry I disagree whilst trying to fend off a moggy and Leningrad that persistent T8 CV lost 19 planes, and didn’t get the kill,   Moggy went down and Leningrad got the easy one shot kill (very low HP).

 

The cv would’ve lost more planes if I’d been able to focus my AA better. Whilst it’s not Kidd, Gearing, Akizuki, Mino, & US cruiser strength AA it is effective, had it been a T6 Cv or a Kaga a lot more planes would’ve been shot down.

 

The cv player was a good player, they knew I was aiming to cap behind his allies as they moved forward, while also striking from the back, without the cv the 2 red DD’s wouldn’t have seen me, a lot of cv players tend to avoid a plane destroying ship and for good reason but this one kept coming back, because he knew the threat I posed.  As yet that game was the only one where my Skane has gone down.

 

So for a T7 DD AA is very good and on a par with my Sims.

[ImTryingButYouDontHelp]

Well, I find her funny because it's challenging. It's not OP because you need to play her well to obtain a reward. I like these kind of ships.

[HaachamaShipping]

20 hours ago, Verblonde said:

This!

I would mention though that we're still currently in the "what the h*ll is that?" phase of new ship introduction; specifically, I don't think people have got used to the rocket-propelled torps yet or the AA. Once people know how to counter Ikeas effectively (and some already do, in my experience), I suspect their effectiveness may drop somewhat.

 

That said, in the current meta, even then, I suspect there will certainly be a place for DDs with good AA and a heal...

The only thing I have yet to get used to on Ikea DDs is their speed when they speed boost. They aren't French, but they aren't slow. First salvo usually misses.

[Bear__Necessities]

6 hours ago, MadBadDave said:

Nah sorry I disagree whilst trying to fend off a moggy and Leningrad that persistent T8 CV lost 19 planes, and didn’t get the kill,   Moggy went down and Leningrad got the easy one shot kill (very low HP).

 

The cv would’ve lost more planes if I’d been able to focus my AA better. Whilst it’s not Kidd, Gearing, Akizuki, Mino, & US cruiser strength AA it is effective, had it been a T6 Cv or a Kaga a lot more planes would’ve been shot down.

 

The cv player was a good player, they knew I was aiming to cap behind his allies as they moved forward, while also striking from the back, without the cv the 2 red DD’s wouldn’t have seen me, a lot of cv players tend to avoid a plane destroying ship and for good reason but this one kept coming back, because he knew the threat I posed.  As yet that game was the only one where my Skane has gone down.

 

So for a T7 DD AA is very good and on a par with my Sims.

They don’t sound like a good CV player then. EU DD’s have low HP pool, no smoke and are nice and fat and eat rockets like sweets. And if they are lower tier than the CV, ohhhh dear indeed.

[creamgravy]

13 hours ago, VeryHonarbrah said:

In general its lack of noob friendly/ forgiving characteristics (lack of smoke, super speed, crazy dps, or to an extent that good AA) means that I think it will be dragged down pretty low. Though realistically its potential is on the upper echelon.

 

I actually think they're great for noobs and old school IJN DD players, you have to play them super passively. Stay well clear and spam torps at range, that's as noob friendly as DDs get.