Should a BB be using AP or HE against cruisers?

[_x_Acheron_x_]

I can never get this one right, and on a 30 sec reload, sometimes its crucial.

 

I know what to use all the time on other weapons and ships, but I can never get the right balance when trying to fend of a cruiser using a BB. Any thoughts? At the moment i'm using AP when at range and HE up close, but it isnt that effective. Certainly not as effective as cruiser vs cruiser using AP anyway.

 

What do j00 guys use?

[m4inbrain]

AP. Always.

 

Aim properly, go for citadels, you'll wreck cruisers. BBs basically shoot AP at everything apart from DDs, which you shouldn't need to shoot at all.

 

edit: you actually got it the wrong way around. You want to shoot, if anything, HE long range to be able to penetrate the deck, and AP short range to penetrate the belt (juicy damage). 

[Ryuuteimaru]

AP but it's still based on if the RNG god is on your side weather you do decent damage or not.

[Thonar]

AP. Always.

 

Aim properly, go for citadels, you'll wreck cruisers. BBs basically shoot AP at everything apart from DDs, which you shouldn't need to shoot at all.

 

edit: you actually got it the wrong way around. You want to shoot, if anything, HE long range to be able to penetrate the deck, and AP short range to penetrate the belt (juicy damage). 

 

Tell how much better HE penetrates armor on long range than AP... NOT.

[NettiWelho]

 

Tell how much better HE penetrates armor on long range than AP... NOT.

 

BB caliber HE can citadel CA and CV. AP usually better though.

[m4inbrain]

 

Tell how much better HE penetrates armor on long range than AP... NOT.

 

No idea what you're trying to say, but you use HE long range because if you hit a smokestack, which happens 50% of the time, you do at least some damage. If you hit the deck, you do decent damage. Citadels on 18+km against cruisers, i want to see you do that. Or rather, you go with your 840s on long range, i'd rather do (if at all, since i clearly said "if anything", smartass) at least some reliable damage.

[Rem3mberMe]

Well in my oppinion the BB should always fire AP shells at everything. The only exception is maybe DD, but still you need 2-3 salvos to kill a DD with HE what is pretty similar to dmg output when using AP shells (aprox. 1000dmg per hit as AP always overpenetrates DD).

The only advantage of HE shell against DD and CV is the module damage chance or chance to start fire on their decks. When you have AP loaded, it is definitely not worth switching to HE. Just shoot the AP salvo and then switch to HE. Even higher tier CVs are easily killed with AP shells. You can score nice citadel hits into engine room of the CV. 

[Ew_]

id say, at long ranges definetly HE if there are no other targets but cruisers. Its easy to do 6-10K dmg with HE and criticals/fires, and the cruisers suffer a lot from it. AP is too much RNG at say 16-17KM.

[m4inbrain]

id say, at long ranges definetly HE if there are no other targets but cruisers. Its easy to do 6-10K dmg with HE and criticals/fires, and the cruisers suffer a lot from it. AP is too much RNG at say 16-17KM.

 

This. And with BB reload, you actually have a decent chance of fires, and they can't "heal" it away as BBs can.

 

Can't give +1 anymore, sadly.

[Aerroon]

BBs should use AP against cruisers as evidenced by this video:

[Ew_]

That video very bad and not thought through, its all at super close ranges where AP wrecks everything (but DDs).

We are talking long ranges here, where AP isnt accurate enough and citadels on cruiser doesnt happen that often.

[Fi_8_8_8_8]

Always AP for me. Since you're long range shots on CAs will be in the air for so long it'll be very likely for the CA to see it and maneuver appropriately.. Since that is the case I rather take a double chance..so that if he keeps going the same way..I want to hit him with full AP chance to one shot him if not..np..I shoot the BB behind him..and wait for him to get closer 

 

[indycar]

AP. Always.

 

Aim properly, go for citadels, you'll wreck cruisers. BBs basically shoot AP at everything apart from DDs, which you shouldn't need to shoot at all.

 

edit: you actually got it the wrong way around. You want to shoot, if anything, HE long range to be able to penetrate the deck, and AP short range to penetrate the belt (juicy damage). 

 

what he said

 

[BDubzZz86]

AP > HE on a Battleship...even at long ranges...

 

HE is a waste on a BB unless there's only DDs + CVs left. The reload time is just too long and from medium-short ranges (as can be seen from the video above) AP will wreck almost anything. 

[riulassher]

I'd say AP against anything that exposes its side, HE against destroyers.

 

HE also seem to work better than AP against properly angled battleships, APs will just bounce...

[naksahdus]

 

With BB, use AP, except:

 

1.Against DDs, like said, better destruction of engines etc with HE.

2.Against angled BB, like said, when you see that AP just keeps bouncing.

3.Against CV, for some reason this was not yet said, fires prevent plane launches, and with your BB you don't want CV launching planes.

 

Against Cruisers, use AP now, last weeks patch seemingly brought back some damage to AP, works slightly better again. Before it was extremely broken doing only those 830-1000 hits, or even no damage hits. Now it seems to work better. Against maneuvering cruiser, better wait it to give best angle for most hits, unaccuracy is still a problem for BB guns.

 

[rvfharrier]

With BBs, always fire AP except when shooting DDs. To the people talking about shooting at angled BBs, do not reload HE just because your target is angled. Your reload time is 30 seconds. By the time you've wasted a salvo loading HE your target has likely changed course and could be presenting his broadside to you, whoops! You can still do good damage plunging through the decks at mid-range even if he's angled and if you're in a close range duel and he's angled, simply hold fire. Angle yourself so he'll bounce if he fires some of his guns at you and when he turns to present his broadside (which he most likely will), then you fire. All in the timing.

[ttchip]

3.Against CV, for some reason this was not yet said, fires prevent plane launches, and with your BB you don't want CV launching planes.

 

It was not said because it's not worthwhile. If you have the option to fire at a CV, you might aswell try to kill it. AP does a magnificent job killing carriers through their incredibly oversized citadels. Torching carriers is a cruiser's business.

[_x_Acheron_x_]

cheers guys.

[SBS]

 

It was not said because it's not worthwhile. If you have the option to fire at a CV, you might aswell try to kill it. AP does a magnificent job killing carriers through their incredibly oversized citadels. Torching carriers is a cruiser's business.

 

I agree. Using HE in a BB against CV is just not worth it. The chance of fire is just not big enough, and the reload it too long to keep the fires up. It is much better to just try to get citadel hits on him and kill him faster.

Especially with higher tier CV which are big targets anyway. And the later tier CV got a decent amount of armor, so HE doesn't do as much damage as it could.

[HectorBarbossa]

I use HE only for first shoot, after shoot only AP shels, even on DD's, no time for reload when some DD is close like 5km from my BB

[killer999death]

Flat trajectory on Kongou ----> Shot  an Omaha with AP rounds.    3300 damage 

 

 

Omaha shoots HE back. 4300  and reloads 4 times faster

 

 

 

\o/ RNGeebus

[Hauptbahnhof]

Flat trajectory on Kongou ----> Shot  an Omaha with AP rounds.    3300 damage 

 

Omaha shoots HE back. 4300  and reloads 4 times faster

 

 

It's funny how you always remember the times you do the least damage, but never the times when you one-shoot a Cruiser 15-20km away that didn't even spot you yet with a single salvo AP doing 30k damage

[tfioi]

 

It's funny how you always remember the times you do the least damage, but never the times when you one-shoot a Cruiser 15-20km away that didn't even spot you yet with a single salvo AP doing 30k damage

 

This^^

[Luckyio]

 

No idea what you're trying to say, but you use HE long range because if you hit a smokestack, which happens 50% of the time, you do at least some damage. If you hit the deck, you do decent damage. Citadels on 18+km against cruisers, i want to see you do that. Or rather, you go with your 840s on long range, i'd rather do (if at all, since i clearly said "if anything", smartass) at least some reliable damage.

 

Citadels at extreme ranges on cruisers are routine. Best case for penetration is either below ~1/3 maximum range or at the extreme edge of maximum range. Low range because you get low trajectory where shell hits at near 90 degree angle and maximum range because shell trajectory approaches full vertical, meaning almost any top end hit is going to hit the deck at near 90 degree angle.

 

That's why smart cruiser players will attempt to push themselves to about 2/3 of BB maximum range, which is the sweet spot that minimizes penetrations. You're still going to get random penetrations, but they won't be quite as common.