Help with first premium ship.

[Harvin87]

Hello captains, 

I would like your input in regards to what to acquire as my first premium ship. I have over a 1000 battles already and I was thinking about buying a ship. I'm most successful in DDs so I'm considering something T8 or up, excluding the French DDS because I know it's a special line and I would like to grind it first to get a feel. 

 

I like gunboats like Mahan but I also enjoy playing kagero and torpedo boats, so maybe a cossack? In my mind it has the lead as of now, but any recommendations on maybe a good hybrid with fast guns and good torpedoes? 

 

Help appreciated! 

 

BTW, the only premiums I tried were some 24 hrs rentals for Roma and Conqueror. 

 

[Bratoev]

Can't go wrong with the Cossack. A close contender although you will have to grind a captain is the Haida. Beautiful boat.

[BrusilovX]

5 minutes ago, Bratoev said:

Can't go wrong with the Cossack. A close contender although you will have to grind a captain is the Haida. Beautiful boat.

Could not agree more with the suggestion of the Cossack - it's a decent DD.   The only downside is the one set of torps but as a RN DD you can single fire them.

 

The only DD I like more at the tier is the HSF Harekaze - it's not on sale although if you ever see it available I'd suggest spending some money on it (it was available again for a short period a while ago so it may re-appear at some stage).

[K82J]

Its not T8, but i can recommend the T-61, probably the best DD at T6. Cossack is very good too, 8 guns and fast reloading torps.

[TeaAndTorps]

@Harvin87 If you're enjoying gun-focused USN DDs, Kidd might be a good shout. Heal and DefAA are useful. Generally I think it's a good plan to think about captain compatibility – choose a premium you already have a good captain for and/or can use to level up commanders for a tech-tree line you enjoy.

[Beastofwar]

If you haven't already you can grind the honorable service campaign for a free Shinonome, 3 launchers x 8 km at T6. It is not for knife fighting other DD though.

 

For me of all the premium DD's i have the  Asashio, Kidd and Friesland stand out. The first for ninja like stalking of BB trying to avoid DD-DD combat, second for killing other DD while being somewhat unatractive for CV to attack, and the latter in a (AA) support role.

 

That said, some of the tech tree DD are my favorites, not the premiums per definition. I dislike the Cossack because of it's single launcher. Somehow i always need the second ( or even 3rd )  laucher that is just not there.

[Karasu_Hidesuke]

22 minutes ago, Beastofwar said:

If you haven't already you can grind the honorable service campaign for a free Shinonome, 3 launchers x 8 km at T6. It is not for knife fighting other DD though.

 

For me of all the premium DD's i have the  Asashio, Kidd and Friesland stand out. The first for ninja like stalking of BB trying to avoid DD-DD combat, second for killing other DD while being somewhat unatractive for CV to attack, and the latter in a (AA) support role.

 

That said, some of the tech tree DD are my favorites, not the premiums per definition. I dislike the Cossack because of it's single launcher. Somehow i always need the second ( or even 3rd )  laucher that is just not there.

 

Of those, Friesland is the last one I would get. No torpedoes, no stealth, the AA is situational and you really have to know how to aim well and how to do knife fighting with this ship.

[Pururut]

I think you should wait until Wargaming decides whether to go with the proposed changes regarding destroyer AA and stealth vis a vis planes. Otherwise I would suggest Kidd.. as a CV main it is one of the few DDs that is a headache at the start of a match due to its defensive AA. 

[Panocek]

Cossack is excellent ship for playing for the objective and 7 smokes lets her thrive in CV matches too. Struggles a bit when it comes to quickly dispatching BBs though due to only 4 fishes on board.

[RenamedUser_92906789]

You want to use the premium ship to level up your captain.

So ... pick a ship with that in mind...

[Daddy_Abdew]

Kidd or Loyang 

[Beastofwar]

38 minutes ago, Karasu_Hidesuke said:

 

Of those, Friesland is the last one I would get. No torpedoes, no stealth, the AA is situational and you really have to know how to aim well and how to do knife fighting with this ship.

 

Situational as in there isn't a CV present in every match ? True. But the AFT and BFT skills boosts it's main guns as well, and guns are all it has.

 

The last slot has an AA module in it for me. The guns already have range enough with AFT and even more "air hang time" of the shells is not desirable. The guns also could fire even faster but they are already extremely fast, to a point where better aiming is probably more effective.

 

Used as a support DD ( or mini cruiser ) you dont need true DD concealment. You just have to forget you are alotted a DD slot. Sadly the team rarely does......

[Procrastes]

I'd recommend you to get the Cossack and the T-61 for starters. That will get you a very entertaining tier VIII ship whose only real downside is that she's a bit lacking in the torpedo department, along with what is possibly the best all-round tier VI destroyer currently in the game.

 

Or if you really want a good all-round torpedo boat/gun boat hybrid at tier VIII specifically, you could get the Lo Yang instead. 

 

Best of luck, Captain @Harvin87!

[Yedwy]

2 hours ago, Harvin87 said:

Hello captains, 

I would like your input in regards to what to acquire as my first premium ship. I have over a 1000 battles already and I was thinking about buying a ship. I'm most successful in DDs so I'm considering something T8 or up, excluding the French DDS because I know it's a special line and I would like to grind it first to get a feel. 

 

I like gunboats like Mahan but I also enjoy playing kagero and torpedo boats, so maybe a cossack? In my mind it has the lead as of now, but any recommendations on maybe a good hybrid with fast guns and good torpedoes? 

 

Help appreciated! 

 

BTW, the only premiums I tried were some 24 hrs rentals for Roma and Conqueror. 

 

Cossack

[Karasu_Hidesuke]

6 minutes ago, Yedwy said:

Cossack

 

It seems...

 

Cossack takes it all.

[dommo77]

Orkan, if you like a challenge 🙂

[SirTrami]

Hi,

 

i just can tell you Cossack is a strong ship but hard to play special of fast reload and the shells how fly in big loops.

 

Do you a favour and buy a T5 or T6 Premium. You have more experience on Torp DDs then on Gun DDs. 

 

If it should be a dd.

 

T5  Hill

T6 T61

T7 Haida or Z39 if you level German Commanders

T8 no

 

T5-T7 Premium Ships are a for Free in some Missions. Maybe you should try to get Graf Spee this you can use with a survival Germen BB Captain and this ship is for free. Just play this ship like a BB with "NO" Armour.

[Verblonde]

10 hours ago, Harvin87 said:

Help appreciated!

I've had a quick look at your stats; although your battle count is quite low in any one ship, you have a fairly diverse selection (IJN, US, KM, RN, and Ikea); if this is your first premium, I would suggest getting something from one of these nations (but not necessarily from any of them - see below), mainly because of the ability to train captains. I would also suggest picking something that you're confident you'll enjoy playing a lot, as (to get maximum value from your purchase) you'll need to. With that in mind:

• IJN: the best (IMO) premium is Harekaze, but it's only occasionally available; do get one if you ever can. Asashio can be an excellent earner, but you're almost entirely limited to scragging BBs (and the occasional CV that does something stupid) to make your rewards. Of the rest, the freebie Shinonome is probably the best, but you do have to do the campaign to get it. If it were me, I would perhaps avoid the IJN for a first premium purchase (unless the Harekaze turns up again).
• US: if you want T8, you basically have to get Kidd; she's very worthwhile, but only having one torp launcher does reduce your damage output - she's very reliant on your team shooting stuff that you spot. On the up-side, you have (for a DD) excellent AA, and you get a heal which can be extremely helpful. Nice dakka too - she's more or less a Feltcher at T8.
• US (again): if you're not totally wedded to T8, Sims might be worth a look too - she has the advantage of playing almost exactly like the silver line, only with the slow 'swimming mines' (which got a lot more useful when the range was buffed slightly a while back), so captain overlap is essentially 100%. BTW when Black is made available for coal, it's worth getting her too: smoke/radar, the slowest torps in the game (they make limpets look nippy), but she's a premium Feltcher - one of the better DDs tier-for-tier.
• KM: T-61; probably the best DD in the game tier-for-tier. I know she's T6, but any discerning KM DD driver needs to have one if possible; smoke/hydro and a nice balance between torps and dakka. Z-39 is a very similar beast a tier higher, although she has the larger guns, so BFT will only boost her AA, not the dakka. Put a coal hydro mod on both.
• RN: Cossack, Cossack, Cossack, oh and Cossack. Did I mention Cossack too? Besides being a Tribal (what, you need more?), she's excellent: great concealment (5.5 km, versus Kagero sisters' 5.4 km), RN smoke and defensive hydro (216 secs run time if you mount the coal mod), superior dakka, and 10 km range on the torps (even though you only have one launcher) is very helpful at times. You also get an engine boost, which the silver equivalents don't. The only real down-side is her AA, which is entirely awful, but that's less important than it might be as you get the RN smoke.
• Ikea: I wouldn't get a premium one of these as a first purchase; they're a bit 'niche', but if you're liking the silver line then perhaps reconsider when you've got to higher tiers with them. At T8, your only choice is Orkan (which I love), which is more or less a Lightning, only with no smoke, a heal, and only one torp launcher (although the torps are very fast, albeit very anaemic on the damage front). You also have Smaland at T10, but she's prohibitively expensive (2 million free xp) for most players, and Friesland a tier lower, but she's exceptionally niche (no torps) so another poor choice for an early purchase. Blysk at T7 used to be fearsome, but she's been rather powercrept these days, although at least she has a silver line now to take a decent captain from.

TL;DR: buy Cossack (unless Harekaze returns) if you must have a T8, but (to echo others) be mindful that she isn't 'easy mode' - you have to make use of the guns to do reliable damage and that has to be done judiciously, to avoid getting focused by the opposition, and your anti-CV technique needs to be good too.

[Harvin87]

17 horas antes, Verblonde dijo:

I've had a quick look at your stats; although your battle count is quite low in any one ship, you have a fairly diverse selection (IJN, US, KM, RN, and Ikea); if this is your first premium, I would suggest getting something from one of these nations (but not necessarily from any of them - see below), mainly because of the ability to train captains. I would also suggest picking something that you're confident you'll enjoy playing a lot, as (to get maximum value from your purchase) you'll need to. With that in mind:

• IJN: the best (IMO) premium is Harekaze, but it's only occasionally available; do get one if you ever can. Asashio can be an excellent earner, but you're almost entirely limited to scragging BBs (and the occasional CV that does something stupid) to make your rewards. Of the rest, the freebie Shinonome is probably the best, but you do have to do the campaign to get it. If it were me, I would perhaps avoid the IJN for a first premium purchase (unless the Harekaze turns up again).
• US: if you want T8, you basically have to get Kidd; she's very worthwhile, but only having one torp launcher does reduce your damage output - she's very reliant on your team shooting stuff that you spot. On the up-side, you have (for a DD) excellent AA, and you get a heal which can be extremely helpful. Nice dakka too - she's more or less a Feltcher at T8.
• US (again): if you're not totally wedded to T8, Sims might be worth a look too - she has the advantage of playing almost exactly like the silver line, only with the slow 'swimming mines' (which got a lot more useful when the range was buffed slightly a while back), so captain overlap is essentially 100%. BTW when Black is made available for coal, it's worth getting her too: smoke/radar, the slowest torps in the game (they make limpets look nippy), but she's a premium Feltcher - one of the better DDs tier-for-tier.
• KM: T-61; probably the best DD in the game tier-for-tier. I know she's T6, but any discerning KM DD driver needs to have one if possible; smoke/hydro and a nice balance between torps and dakka. Z-39 is a very similar beast a tier higher, although she has the larger guns, so BFT will only boost her AA, not the dakka. Put a coal hydro mod on both.
• RN: Cossack, Cossack, Cossack, oh and Cossack. Did I mention Cossack too? Besides being a Tribal (what, you need more?), she's excellent: great concealment (5.5 km, versus Kagero sisters' 5.4 km), RN smoke and defensive hydro (216 secs run time if you mount the coal mod), superior dakka, and 10 km range on the torps (even though you only have one launcher) is very helpful at times. You also get an engine boost, which the silver equivalents don't. The only real down-side is her AA, which is entirely awful, but that's less important than it might be as you get the RN smoke.
• Ikea: I wouldn't get a premium one of these as a first purchase; they're a bit 'niche', but if you're liking the silver line then perhaps reconsider when you've got to higher tiers with them. At T8, your only choice is Orkan (which I love), which is more or less a Lightning, only with no smoke, a heal, and only one torp launcher (although the torps are very fast, albeit very anaemic on the damage front). You also have Smaland at T10, but she's prohibitively expensive (2 million free xp) for most players, and Friesland a tier lower, but she's exceptionally niche (no torps) so another poor choice for an early purchase. Blysk at T7 used to be fearsome, but she's been rather powercrept these days, although at least she has a silver line now to take a decent captain from.

TL;DR: buy Cossack (unless Harekaze returns) if you must have a T8, but (to echo others) be mindful that she isn't 'easy mode' - you have to make use of the guns to do reliable damage and that has to be done judiciously, to avoid getting focused by the opposition, and your anti-CV technique needs to be good too.

Thank you and everybody for the excellent analysis! 

I think I'll get the Cossack and there's also a high chance of getting de Z-39. I have 10 point captains on both nations in reserve so I would strech their legs in co-op to re-train them!

Thank you guys!

[Bratoev]

I kinda missed it in the OP. Get the Roma if you enjoyed it. Its a good BB with awesome if inacurate guns.

[Harvin87]

1 hora antes, Bratoev dijo:

I kinda missed it in the OP. Get the Roma if you enjoyed it. Its a good BB with awesome if inacurate guns.

Yes. I played the Roma for a couple of days some months ago and I liked it. I was thinking of maybe buying it in the near future but now I'm going to wait to see the new littorio to see what's up. 

[Bratoev]

28 minutes ago, Harvin87 said:

Yes. I played the Roma for a couple of days some months ago and I liked it. I was thinking of maybe buying it in the near future but now I'm going to wait to see the new littorio to see what's up. 

I saw one CC a while back with an Imperio. It was Roma with SAP and smoke. Looked like an absolute joyride.

[Verblonde]

4 hours ago, Harvin87 said:

also a high chance of getting de Z-39

Whilst I wouldn't try and dissuade you - Z-39 is (IMO) excellent, there are a couple of things to have on your radar:

• If you care about such things, T-61 is probably better tier-for-tier.
• Z-39 gets the big KM DD guns; this can be a good thing (I usually run them when available on the silver line, fwiw), but is 100% matched with captains from only a couple of the silver line ships (T6 and T8, I think). That said, most of the time, I run my 19 point BFT captain on Z-39 and it works fine - so, not a biggie.
• Z-39's hydro is longer-ranged than T-61 though (5 km versus 4 km).

BTW if you have the coal, a hydro mod is an excellent idea (on Cossack too, come to that); it bumps Z-39's (and T-61's too) run time up to a full two minutes...

[Ocsimano18]

2 hours ago, Bratoev said:

I saw one CC a while back with an Imperio. It was Roma with SAP and smoke. Looked like an absolute joyride.

That's a concept ship for testing SAP and smoke on a BB. Not an actual upcoming ship. Maybe as the basis of the new Italian BBs.

[Yedwy]

1 hour ago, Ocsimano18 said:

That's a concept ship for testing SAP and smoke on a BB. Not an actual upcoming ship. Maybe as the basis of the new Italian BBs.

I wouldnt be so sure about that m8