Baltiless - Des Moines. Your advice please

[JapLance]

I'm still in a state of shock for how BAD this ships is. I'd rather go into a tier 10 battle with NO than this turd. There is no way you can dodge a single shell with this ship. It moves so lazy even with the second hull and rudder update that I'd take it for an Aprils Fool joke if I wasn't being citadeled every time a BB shoots at me.

 

What a piece of crap.

[Hoggbert]

I'm still in a state of shock for how BAD this ships is. I'd rather go into a tier 10 battle with NO than this turd. There is no way you can dodge a single shell with this ship. It moves so lazy even with the second hull and rudder update that I'd take it for an Aprils Fool joke if I wasn't being citadeled every time a BB shoots at me.

 

What a piece of crap.

 

Dont play it at range, it isnt made to dodge shells and kite about. Play it like an Atlanta and you'll be much better off. It is significantly tankier and robust than the New Orleans, find an island to hide your broadside and have the exposed side angled and you can have a significant impact on the game, radaring dds and slaughtering UK cruisers near cappoints., Ofc certain maps are just crapfor it and the Des Moines alike (yes i'm looking at you ocean and tears of the desert). Strongly recommend running the reload module over ranged. Just pray you have dds that want close range radar support and will offer smoke and BBs that doesnt insist on sniping from 20km.

[JapLance]

 

Dont play it at range, it isnt made to dodge shells and kite about. Play it like an Atlanta and you'll be much better off. It is significantly tankier and robust than the New Orleans, find an island to hide your broadside and have the exposed side angled and you can have a significant impact on the game, radaring dds and slaughtering UK cruisers near cappoints., Ofc certain maps are just crapfor it and the Des Moines alike (yes i'm looking at you ocean and tears of the desert). Strongly recommend running the reload module over ranged. Just pray you have dds that want close range radar support and will offer smoke and BBs that doesnt insist on sniping from 20km.

 

I used to be a guy that supported DDs in the lower tiers (up to 7)... right until the day the BBs started popping up in the MM like mushrooms. That coincided with my arrival at tier 8 with Mogami, and I learned the hard way that it was not possible anymore. At lower tiers there might be a chance since BBs are less accurate, but in 8-9-10... no way.

 

Add the current bunch of absolutely awful players, and games like this are very likely:

 

[C4PT41N_0BV10US]

Current MM and current event is not favourable for US cruisers. For solo randoms, they are a hard ship to play. However, you take a division mate, preferably with US DD who smokes you - and then it almost feels like cheating.

[Gnirf]

I find DM fun enough to invest in Premium camo.

[C4PT41N_0BV10US]

It sure is. But, play it 1100 times and it will get boring Des is second best when it comes to fun (Minotaur -> king of fun). It's gameplay is agressive, dynamic, complex and usually results with explosions (you or your targets) experienced first hand. However, after some time with this ship, you want it to perform and win games for you. And this can be hard in Des, unless you play in division with some smoke bot.

[El2aZeR]

The problem with a lot of US ships is that they're incredibly unforgiving to play. This is especially pronounced with US cruisers since cruisers in general are rather unforgiving. Any small mistake can hand you a fast pass back to port and you have little in the ways of gimmicks (aka torps, turtleback, etc.) to rely on.

Yet at the same time if you know how to handle them they can have tremendous influence on the match.

 

Imo Baltimore should get the same treatment DM got a while ago, increasing her main deck armor to 30mm. Then increase the upper belt armor to 30mm as well on both.

But that's all I'd change.

[GeorgeT1012_gt]

For the time I am at Baltimore, grinding to Des Moines. All I can say about top tier U.S. cruisers (at least that is the case with New Orleans and Baltimore, I asume Des Moines is like an upgraded Baltimore) is always escort the battleships, you are defenceless alone. Stay together with the team and be carefull, you always need to angle your armor. Be in 10-12km range so that you have maximum accuracy and also the enemy in radar range. Fire HE in most cases and set fires, demolition expert is a must. Fire AP at broadside cruisers at 10km and at broadside battleships at closer than 5km (though AP at a battleship is only an option if you find yourself very close-not recomended for U.S. cruisers). Be sure to have multiple ships on fire at the same time and don't draw the attention of the enemy (beeing closer to them than the battleships), otherwise you will end in your port very soon. Generaly cruisers are support ships, thats the way you should play them.

[Sander93]

Fire AP at broadside cruisers at 10km and at broadside battleships at closer than 5km (though AP at a battleship is only an option if you find yourself very close-not recomended for U.S. cruisers)

 

​Baltimore and Des Moines can fire AP at broadsided battleships for devastating effects at any distance thanks to the super heavy shells.

Damage dealt will be the same at 15km as it is at 5km, except at 5km you might go up slightly because of the better accuracy.

 

[Odo_Toothless]

Anyway after that how my Balti with ROF module made to me similar results like Des with range, I changed to ROF in Des too and with adrenaline rush it sipmly anihilate everything in close fights. Many ships just stop firing to hide in invisibility. You must close and pick right postion, but it pays off greatly.

[OhMyDoge]

Anyway after that how my Balti with ROF module made to me similar results like Des with range, I changed to ROF in Des too and with adrenaline rush it sipmly anihilate everything in close fights. Many ships just stop firing to hide in invisibility. You must close and pick right postion, but it pays off greatly.

 

But with only 15.8km range, DM becomes situationnal. It's not like the Minotaur, with smoke and 8.9km concealment. The Module range gives much more versatility in my opinion

[GeorgeT1012_gt]

 

​Baltimore and Des Moines can fire AP at broadsided battleships for devastating effects at any distance thanks to the super heavy shells.

Damage dealt will be the same at 15km as it is at 5km, except at 5km you might go up slightly because of the better accuracy.

 

 

I'm mostly talking about citadel hits, at 15km you won't hit the citadel of a battleship because the penetration of the shells drops with the distance. Also shells at this distance have a high arc and deck armor of battleships can take those hits. All you will have will be penetrations (red icon), but i prefer to set fires.

[Sander93]

I'd prefer 5-15k salvos of AP damage that isn't fully repairable but whatever floats your boat.

[rigawe]

Ey guys,

 

I just finished the grind on the NO. I'm actually farming credits to buy the Baltimore.

 

I'm thinking to free xp the hull and the gun (15 sec reload at T9 really?) and to buy her a permanent camo.

What do you think of the ship now with the recent buff? Is she a keeper?

Is she a NO with better DPM?

[El2aZeR]

She's great! You get awesome concealment, hilariously punchy guns and radar along with the ability to facetank 380mm shells (all other high tier BB guns overmatch you everywhere tho so you're incredibly squishy). Range is a bit lacking (less than NO) but since the stealth firing nerf it helps about as often as it doesn't since it'll allow you to fade easily after a kill.

Needless to say your AA is a giant middle finger to everything that flies, more so if you upgraded her accordingly.

 

I can only recommend using free exp to unlock the guns. Stock Balti is a bit of a pain.

[EmilyFara]

[...]

Needless to say your AA is a giant middle finger to everything that flies,[...]

 

I laughed a lot harder about this than I should've. For some reason I can already imagine the crew standing on the deck just angerly flipping off everything that flies xD.

[Ferry_25]

Played a few battles in Des Moines. Granted: only 4 thus far. My shrink won't allow me to play too much in my exposure therapy from PTSS after Lepramore. I have 10 minutes leave from the closed ward every week now. But so far I like it a lot! Finally a ship which can do something back and isn't instantly deleted when a T7 dd is looking funny at it with his pewpew guns. Glad I suffered through Baltimore.

[ThePurpleSmurf]

Played a few battles in Des Moines. Granted: only 4 thus far. My shrink won't allow me to play too much in my exposure therapy from PTSS after Lepramore. I have 10 minutes leave from the closed ward every week now. But so far I like it a lot! Finally a ship which can do something back and isn't instantly deleted when a T7 dd is looking funny at it with his pewpew guns. Glad I suffered through Baltimore.

 

That's what we all thought when we were new to DM and then we had the game when a Yamato/GK/Montana was looking funny at us and boooom 80% HP gone from 25km+ no matter how the DM was angle. 

[El2aZeR]

Played my first few games in my newly acquired DM.

Mrw I killed two broadsiding BBs (NC and Amagi) at close range in quick succession with American Piercing shells, dealing around 30k damage in two salvos:

 

 

Btw, do you guys run range or reload (or if you really hate planes, AA)? Personally I went for range, but on the other hand I never found Balti range that restricting since after the SF nerf it may actually help you stay concealed after a kill.

[Quallo_Musto]

Played my first few games in my newly acquired DM.

Mrw I killed two broadsiding BBs (NC and Amagi) at close range in quick succession with American Piercing shells, dealing around 30k damage in two salvos:

 

 

Btw, do you guys run range or reload (or if you really hate planes, AA)? Personally I went for range, but on the other hand I never found Balti range that restricting since after the SF nerf it may actually help you stay concealed after a kill.

 

I am running Range on mine. The RoF boost is nice, and I find it works well on Baltimore, but on the DM the range just boosts your utility in a game. 

Regarding the SF after killing something, I find the manouverability is good enough to dodge anything over 15.8 km away.

[Comodoro_Allande]

Played my first few games in my newly acquired DM.

Mrw I killed two broadsiding BBs (NC and Amagi) at close range in quick succession with American Piercing shells, dealing around 30k damage in two salvos:

 

 

Btw, do you guys run range or reload (or if you really hate planes, AA)? Personally I went for range, but on the other hand I never found Balti range that restricting since after the SF nerf it may actually help you stay concealed after a kill.

 

Yep, also my face with my also newly acquired Des Memes 

 

I have the reload module, just for the laughs of 4,8 seconds reload plus adrenaline rush . Has more than enough AA (of course, buff the range to 7,2 km to "extreme balance")

[loppantorkel]

I've got range now, mostly because some battles in the open you need to keep the distance and pester bbs, but I've noticed these are often the losing battles regardless of if I managed to do well in these fights or not. For me Des Moines is better in another role, so I'm thinking of switching, either AA or Reload...

 

I need to learn how to citadel bbs too..

[ThePurpleSmurf]

 

Btw, do you guys run range or reload (or if you really hate planes, AA)? Personally I went for range, but on the other hand I never found Balti range that restricting since after the SF nerf it may actually help you stay concealed after a kill.

 

Range Mod because it makes the DM much more versatile. Too many open maps and reversing BBs kinda force this decision. DM is a BB shell magnet, the second you are spotted you are pretty much doomed and the closer you are to the target the easier even the potato BBs will hit you. The reload is already so fast, that a .5s faster reload does not really make the DM stonger. I use this build on DM.

[Sander93]

 

Range Mod because it makes the DM much more versatile. Too many open maps and reversing BBs kinda force this decision.

 

​What he said. Don't even try to hit cruisers at max range because you won't, but the module is nice to have when facing slow and big battleships. IMO the reload mod is too situational and personally I hate the slower turrets.

[El2aZeR]

Thanks, guys! Gonna stick with range then.