12 days until Steel+Coal Discount Vouchers!

[Sir_Sinksalot]

And with that in mind I ask the question

 

What's hot and what's not.

 

We got gunboats we got torpedo boats, we got BB's we got BC's we got light and heavy cruisers, we got nasty CV's we got... we got ships with radar, we got ships with smoke, we ships with SAP, we got secondary builds, we got hybrids we got it all!!! ok that's all we got.

 

Ok so with all that in mind and personal preferences taken into consideration, acknowledged yada yada yada, which of these steel and coal ships have you played, what did you enjoy, what did you not enjoy, what would you recommend and what would you suggest avoid or maybe walks a line of somewhere in between?

 

 

[Klopirat]

Vor 2 Minuten, Sir_Sinksalot sagte:

Just 2 days until Steel+Coal Discount Vouchers!

2 days? Still mid of December for me...

[Leo_Apollo11]

Hi all,

 

6 minutes ago, Sir_Sinksalot said:

And with that in mind I ask the question

 

What's hot and what's not.

 

We got gunboats we got torpedo boats, we got BB's we got BC's we got light and heavy cruisers, we got nasty CV's we got... we got ships with radar, we got ships with smoke, we ships with SAP, we got secondary builds, we got hybrids we got it all!!! ok that's all we got.

 

Ok so with all that in mind and personal preferences taken into consideration, acknowledged yada yada yada, which of these steel and coal ships have you played, what did you enjoy, what did you not enjoy, what would you recommend and what would you suggest avoid or maybe walks a line of somewhere in between?

 

 

 

Hmm... isn't that resetting in December?

 

 

 

Leo "Apollo11"

[quickr]

Signals and upgrades get reset in 2 days, ships are mid December

[tocqueville8]

Fake news! 

[Sir_Sinksalot]

My bad, I meant 2 months. 

 

Just trying to get a heads up to help decide what to buy or not bother buying a ship at all maybe. 

[quickr]

14 minutes ago, Sir_Sinksalot said:

Just trying to get a heads up to help decide what to buy

What are your options?

 

For steel bourgogne and stalingrad are both good options. FDR if you are a CV player.

When it comes to coal, Sherman, Napoli, Neustrashmy, Black, Malta...all good picks. Probably Marceau, salem, Kearsarge as well, but I don't have those.

[undutchable80]

Gonna get my first steel ship in 6 weeks. Unless the Tromp will be Steel, I will get the Bourgogne.

[Lootboxer]

What's hot? That's easy, wait for coal/steel subs. (, I am not even sure if I am joking )

[Sir_Sinksalot]

1 hour ago, quickr said:

What are your options?

 

I'm leaning towards BB's since I play those the most but not discounting anything. Just like undutchable80 it will also be my first steel ship.

 

For steel the top contenders I'm considering most are Bourgogne, Shiki and what's also catching me eye as a "wildcard" is the Incomparable. The nation makes zero difference to me since I have several regular play BB's from all 3 of nations and 21 pointers for all 3 too. Now, if we were to purchase based on names I would go with the Incomparable since surely it's incomparable(I'll show myself out)) but seriously, not sure if that short range blapper style with non-tanky armor would be fun these days and in that regards I'd also have concerns about the Bourgogne in this new T11 era since it's also papery with lots of overmatchable sections and low caliber guns. I'd love to try those two but I'd have concerns about those two. Maybe it's not a factor and they still perform really well in the T11 meta. At least the Shiki has big long range 510mm bangers and that means it always has something to say against a target lol. That said, I wasn't enjoying the Yamato recently and move the commander to the Amagi instead so... ya... yikes lol.

 

For coal the only BB options on the table are between the Kearsarge and the Marco Polo. The hybrid CV/BB does look interesting and I'd like a try just to see how that even works and the SAP slinging Italian could potentially be fun I guess but it doesn't have the smoke gimmick which is a bit off-putting and tbh neither ship looks like something I'd want to invest 228k coal in "just to try it". 

 

DD's

 

Here's the thing and just my opinion based very loosely on what I'm encountering and perceiving during battles but maybe the best options regardless of my BB preference is actually a DD. Now, I'm certainly not opposed nor have a dislike for DD's, I just tend to not play them much in PvP modes because it's an important roll and an experience DD player on the enemy team will kick my backside off the map FAST lol! Fine, but I do like DD's and have actually really enjoyed my little T5 T-22 hydro. Why that? Well, it's the hydro, what a cheeky little game changer for a DD. 

 

So with that in mind I think I'd enjoy the likes of Black with a Radar. What a cheeky little shhh that is lol. Again, it's perception here and "grass is always greener on the other side" but it seems like with that DD you can sail into a cap that's turning red(while being aware if there's any enemy radar ships in the area), pop a smoke, hit the radar and farm the shhh out of the enemy DD with impunity lol. What's not to like? It's basically cheating. .

 

Then there's the nicely priced Sherman with it's hydro. Not radar levels of troll but none the less it will light up enemy torp efforts into your smoke, it will spot enemy DD's up to 5km away trying to escape your attack by popping smoke to save their lives as you tear into them with it's pretty ample looking guns and of course hydro lasts longer. Can also see what way a ship is approaching at the other side of an island with that 5km hydro and set the perfect line of torps instead of having to guess that ships heading when either you or it ducked behind that little island for cover prior. Nice little perks all the same.

 

Also the Marceau has caught my eye in random battles. I normally wouldn't have much interest in a ship like that. It doesn't have smoke, it doesn't have radar, it doesn't have hydro, it doesn't have torpedo reload boaster, none of that stuff but I see this DD going beast mode so often during battles. It seems immune to enemy guns for some reason lol, honestly I've seen players with this DD not even trying to evade shots and happily just trading with BB's and cruisers and not being too much bothered about it lol. Ya sure sometimes it get's wrecked but not as often as it looks like it should. It looks fun racing around gunning away at enemy ships bold as you like and being able to that like no other DD can at a glance. If Ragnar is cut from the same cloth but also features a radar, maybe that's also thrown into the mix as a strong contender worth considering.

 

 

[Hades_warrior]

3 hours ago, Sir_Sinksalot said:

My bad, I meant 2 months. 

You mean 1 (one) month  its on December 10th.

[Sir_Sinksalot]

Getting closer, now just 12 days. 

 

Any more insight anyone wants to add?

 

As you can see, I've now amassed enough Steel and Coal for any ship available(I think). Makes sense to use the voucher on a Steel ship and not a coal ship obviously, and of course, the option not to buy anything is always there too.

 

BTW, is there any news, rumors, proposals or noise about new ships being added to the Armory early next year?

 

[Sir_Sinksalot]

Btw these are the modest collection of Armory ships I've picked up so far.

 

 

My own 2 cents on potentially interested buyers.

 

G Kurfurst - Ummm... ya to be honest I think it's a decent workhorse for ranked battles if a player hasn't got a T10 ship. Not so good in randoms but in ranked that combination of tanky, hydro, secondary, large amount of fast reloading mains is actually a pretty solid combination and a more useful asset to a team than some one trick pony BB. I would recommend. Certainly not the best but definitely not the bad BB that some might suggest or think.

 

Iwami - Like any T9 ship it now suffers that bottom tier bs vs T11.5 monsters but it can fill the supporting role admirably imho with good long range capability, accuracy and the ability to slip some hard hitting long range torps into the water at caps and choke points etc. I've had great battles with this ship and it also offers a viable secondary build for the braver player though I don't personally float with that and play the more conservative traditional long range damage dealer roll. As top tier, can be a very hurtful ship and certainly gets a braver playstyle. Ya, worth it.

 

Pommern - Mmmmm... probably not "unless". Sure if it's being played in a T9 top tier comp etc but for randoms its a pretty average ship imho. Certainly not bad and can dominate lower tier ships if MM blesses you but otherwise I find the low caliber guns including the classic 105mm secondaries a bad mix for a typical IFHE German sec build commander. Problem here is that when you have IFHE which is most likely the situation when using a commander coming from another German BB, it reduces the fire % chance by half. Now, problem is, that the mains are not very powerful nor have big AP penetration nor accuracy so what that means is a reasonably viable HE slinger when bottom tier just isn't there since you've killed it's fire chance by 50%. And yet, if you don't have IFHE for a focused pyromancer plan B strategy against stronk armor your AP cant pen or overmatch(which can be a lot of targets), that means your secondary build suffers against targets with 32mm of armor which is a lot of targets around those tiers. So it's a damned if you do and damned if you don't sort of situation. But still, it's a decent ship and has it's moments.

 

Duke of York - This ship offered decent fun and commander trainer on Narai back in the day but T8 has made it far less fun. If the requirement was a T7 ship for the reasons of preferring T7 then I would find the King George a better ship which has better rudder shift which is needed to help the slow turret traverse at times and spend less time broadside to the enemy, has spotter aircraft for extra range when needed in bottom tier MM and superior main battery reload. For those deficits the DoY gains hydro instead of aircraft. There's some AP difference I think but not sure what that is. Either way, I find the King George to be a better ship.

 

Lazo - Ya, good cruiser tbh. Lots of accurate low caliber fast reload mains with long range to keep slinging hurtful salvos at targets which lack the ability to reach you with their guns. Spotter aircraft for even more range if needs be and hydro. Typical soviet instant death broadside but nothing out of the ordinary there and some shotgun ability with short range torpedo walls for some ballsy traps or yolo efforts when all else fails lol. 

[Itwastuesday]

Get bourger, it does more damage than anything. It's also cursed and never wins. Fun ship. Has the tools to function in the meta. 

 

For coal idk. I have coal and seem to have onlt choices I won't like. Bazan? Seems trash. Moskva makes me sad because it was free and I didn't bother to get it, yet it seems the best one. 

[Mad_Dog_Dante]

I was considering the Bourgogne, but I'm still not much of a BB player. When I do I like fast and manouvrable - there are enough alternative fast BB's for me to play when I do.

I missed out on the Smaland, so I decided to get the Ragnar for steel. I don't have that playstyle in my lineup yet, and it's good to share a captain with the Friesland.

[Karkong_the_Impaler]

Don't get Shikishima, that thing is entirely powercrept by that Satsuma supershit. It was a sidegrade to Yamato (and I like it better, due to the faster reload).

 

Ragnar is interesting to me but I'd probably wait for the Z-42. That seems to be a deadly mix between Sherman, Daring and Z-52 with a murderous DPM and usable torps, even though they have been nerfed recently. Let's see how much more nerfing is needed and in what state they will release it.

The usual experience is that if it's russian, it gets released in a broken state and then nerfed for years, small increment by small increment. German ships, also, just the other way around.

[Jvd2000]

With a coupon ready and enough steel: use that coupon on a steel ship.

 

Bourgogne is my favorite steel ship. Would be my no1 pick to advice favorably.

 

Also own Stalingrad, Plymouth and Shikishima. Stalingrad is solid if you play well and the reds disrespect you. But not “ fun”. Bought it at the time that WG was removing op ships and I bought it out of “ missing out” fear.
 

Shikishima has the great boom gun sound and….?

 

Plymouth is fun/ big contribution potential but requires a mindfull playstyle. Has the tools to be make the reds very unhappy but you are one mistake away from back to port.

As for what to do with your coal. Maybe pick all the lower tiers  (5-7) first. Atleast you won’t have the risk you get those from a SC/Satan crate.

 

For me it’s no longer “ ships that I want” but more to get the remaining ships as economically as possible. With 2 discount vouchers a year with one reserved for a steel ship and the remaining one for a coal ship this means that the yearly “ coal labeled “ voucher goes to the most expensive coal ship. With preferences to T10 due to incoming Santa crates.

 

So next voucher goes to Malta. ( not close enough steel)  With enough coal ( due to snowflakes) left to buy another coal ship full prize: either the Spanish or Dutch T10 DD or Iwami ( T9 BB). Black is the only other remaining coal ship but is for a T9 too expensive.

 

In addition I will try to get the 2 coal ships before opening Satancrates to limit the chance of getting a “ free currency ship”.

[wot_2016_gunner]

i'll be using my next coupon to get Moskva; (after that i'll be using June's one to get Bourgogne, by that time i'll have enough steel)

 

I'll also get both Lutjens and Kuznetsov with it.

[Hades_warrior]

11 minutes ago, wot_2016_gunner said:

i'll be using my next coupon to get Moskva;

Same.

[DDG_121]

On 11/2/2022 at 4:02 PM, undutchable80 said:

Gonna get my first steel ship in 6 weeks. Unless the Tromp will be Steel, I will get the Bourgogne.

Tromp is for COAL

[albin322]

3 hours ago, Sir_Sinksalot said:

Getting closer, now just 12 days. 

 

Any more insight anyone wants to add?

 

As you can see, I've now amassed enough Steel and Coal for any ship available(I think). Makes sense to use the voucher on a Steel ship and not a coal ship obviously, and of course, the option not to buy anything is always there too.

 

BTW, is there any news, rumors, proposals or noise about new ships being added to the Armory early next year?

 

im thinking about buying all of them with my mountain of steel 

[Stockensprotz]

My selection process is as follows: a) Is it announced for removal?  (buy those first if collector) -> b) Is it T10? (T9 is ruinied)  -> c) Does it offer a playstyle that i can not get in the techtree? (e.g. Austin) -> d) Does it look fun? (Fast reload, good angles, flat arcs etc.) -> e) Is it said to be good? (Does not mean that it actually will be good in my hands.)

[Rockstone_III]

Steel with coupon, either Mecklenburg or Incomparable.
Coal will be Tromp.

[Sir_Sinksalot]

The Bourgogne seems the crowd pleasing BB and I'm definitely leaning towards it... just sneaks to the top spot passed my previous front running Shiki. Ya that reload consumable and the ships speed. The accuracy isn't as good as Shiki but then again it does have twice as many guns and a periodical reload boost to probably more than compensate for that.

 

Question.

 

Personally I don't have much sway towards the Incomparable and I have to wonder why a player would feel that's a better pick over the Shiki?

 

Both have 6 main batteries, both have 35mm overmatch(for whatever target that's a thing compared to "just" 32mm overmatch)) but the Incomparable has a far more limited gun range of 17.6km compared to the Shiki's intercontinental ballistic missiles, plus the shell velocity drops away quickly on the Incomparable, it has slower reload and less accuracy. Same fuse time unlike the classic UK short fuse cruiser killer. It does have 10km torpedoes and hydro however and is a more agile and faster BB so... is that the attraction? That more nimble faster close quarters sort of offering compared to the more conservative less gimmicky Shiki which otherwise seems the better choice for main battery offensive capabilities?     

[albin322]

17 minutes ago, Sir_Sinksalot said:

The Bourgogne seems the crowd pleasing BB and I'm definitely leaning towards it... just sneaks to the top spot passed my previous front running Shiki. Ya that reload consumable and the ships speed. The accuracy isn't as good as Shiki but then again it does have twice as many guns and a periodical reload boost to probably more than compensate for that.

 

Question.

 

Personally I don't have much sway towards the Incomparable and I have to wonder why a player would feel that's a better pick over the Shiki?

 

Both have 6 main batteries, both have 35mm overmatch(for whatever target that's a thing compared to "just" 32mm overmatch)) but the Incomparable has a far more limited gun range of 17.6km compared to the Shiki's intercontinental ballistic missiles, plus the shell velocity drops away quickly on the Incomparable, it has slower reload and less accuracy. Same fuse time unlike the classic UK short fuse cruiser killer. It does have 10km torpedoes and hydro however and is a more agile and faster BB so... is that the attraction? That more nimble faster close quarters sort of offering compared to the more conservative less gimmicky Shiki which otherwise seems the better choice for main battery offensive capabilities?     

i dont see the need to buy shiki if you got yama. yama still overmtach evrything. if you want uniqe gameplay bourg, incomparable is the bet to go on.