Have a few doubloons to spare - which T 3 - T 7 ship to get?

[Zen71_sniper]

Title says it almost all. Additional info is - I am not really a BB fan, and I have some ships already so the options are:

 

T 3: Aurora, Oleg, Campbeltown

T 5: Marblehead, Murmansk, Krasny Krim

T 6: De Grasse

T 7: Atlanta, Indianopolis, Belfast

 

Your opinions? I know that Krasny Krim is probably out and that Belfast is (logically) probably the best choice. Any other opinions?

 

Regards!

 

 

[Flid_Merchant]

Out of those picks, Belfast is definitely the logical choice. Indianapolis (post buff), Atlanta and De Grasse are also good choices. Would you consider a BB under any circumstances? There are some good choices between T5-7 (AA specced Texas can be funny if CV isn't expecting it)

(Just an edit after reading below post, all my premiums have dedicated captains, I use my 19pt Minotaur cap + flags for elite XP if I need to get another captain up to scratch.

[MeTaLMooSe]

What nation do you want to train most?

Belfast requires a specialised captain that doesn't mix with the line ships.

Atlanta synergises Cleveland unless you drop IFHE then any DD captain can drop in to an extent but at the cost of AA.

Indy works with any US captain.

Murmansk any Ru cruiser. But T5 MM.

De Grasse is obviously CA's but at a pinch Dunk.

Fun? Atlanta.

OP (if you like smoke spamming) Belfast.

Solid? De Grasse.

Forget the T3/4/5 unless reasons.

Income? Probably Belfast if you like that sort of play.

[dasCKD]

Get a Scharnhorst. Despite what the game attempts to tell you, the Scharnhorst is in fact a cruiser. A very big one, but a cruiser nevertheless.

[Strapps]

I have a Belfast but cannot play it very well, that's one I'm going to come back to. It's certainly a strong ship but IMO it requires good knowledge of higher-tier gameplay and a reasonable captain to do well, otherwise you'll get stomped when playing bottom tier. The only other ship I have on your list is the Campbeltown, which can be fun if you have sufficient situational awareness (the personal attribute rather than the in-game skill).

 

Not on your list, the Arizona is quite relaxing in the sense that it's a slow brick. Get the guns on target, however, and it's a brick swung in a sock straight to the face. I also enjoy playing the Dunkerque, a fat cruiser claymore (face towards enemy). I picked up an Ishizuchi at 50% discount this weekend and that's proven to be one of my better buys. It's a battle cruiser rather than an outright BB with "only" 305mm guns but the dispersion is acceptable for its tier and a 32% fire chance means I'm firing more HE than AP.

 

I'm hoping that there'll be a doubloon discount on prems for Gamescom as I'd like to get both the De Grasse and the Molotov. The former because it looks great and the latter because of those guns (I'm aware that both are very much glass cannons).

[Flid_Merchant]

Scharnhorst is also a good recommendation if you wouldn't mind a battlecruiser that is as much cruiser as it is BB.

[Zen71_sniper]

Thank you for your replies. That is what the forum is for!  We don't always have to be salty....  Training is not that much of priority, as  I have solid dedicated captains (14-19 pts) on RU CA line up to Moskva (TX) and RN  captains (12 -16 pts) on CA line to Edinburgh (T VIII). Didn't start USN  ( except carriers so training wise, it will not make much difference.) or KM lines at all.... 

 

I hear Scharnhorst - how similar is to Gneisenau? I have tried Gneis and it is OK, but doesn't make me too excited. But as I got Bismarck in the campaign, and doing quite OK in it, Scharn might be an option. Would captain skills be similar?

 

Dunk is a bit boring gameplay - point the bow and reverse (I can do that better in Moskva ) but De Grasse sounds good. I am enjoying T IV and T V frenchies. BTW, this would be much better choice if there are more french lines coming.... 

 

Is Indi or Murmansk fun to play? You don't see them often.... 

 

Again, thx for the feedback. 

 

Regards and have fun! 

[dasCKD]

13 minutes ago, Zen71_sniper said:

I hear Scharnhorst - how similar is to Gneisenau? I have tried Gneis and it is OK, but doesn't make me too excited.

The Scharnhorst and Gneisenau are incredibly different ships. Firstly of all, the Scharnhorst is quite significantly more maneuverable thanks to her smaller turning circle. Her guns tracks incredibly fast (German cruiser fast at 25 seconds by default as opposed to Gneisenau's 36)  and she both fires her guns more often and has more shells per salvo. Unlike the Gneisenau, missed shots don't feel like nearly as much of a pain just because you don't miss as often and, when you do, you'll have your shells up far faster. Her improved DPM means that she can gun down battleships in very quick order at close ranges and her handling makes her as close to a knife fighter as a battleship could get. Her torpedo angles are also incredibly ergonomic which means that she mixes the handling of a cruiser with the toughness of a battleship. She is a superb ship and I could not recommend her more. You just should be aware of overmatching rules and which bows your AP shells will go through.

 

As for captain skills, she needs the basic battleship pack with basics of survivability and superintendent and then you can spec her however you like. AFT and MS if you want to create something more similar to the Biscuit secondary build or concealment and EM if you want to create a hit and run super heavy cruiser and closed ranged fighter. Unlike every other battleship however, she doesn't even really need expert marksman. Her guns turns faster than most of the cruiser's guns.

[__Helmut_Kohl__]

Belfast might get hurt by the coming smoke changes. 

But my guess is that it will still stay pretty damn strong, since they won't make smoke completely useless.

[Krikkio82]

Murmansk is a really funny ship but can not (trust me, really cannot) do anything in T7 MM. And when fun becomes  frustration it's no more so much fun...

Scharnhorst is in the middle between a cruiser and a BB. Has more cruiser-ish guns than Gneisenau. I would consider her pretty funny ship

Indy looks really not so competitive

Belfast and sharnhorst are on paper most competitive choices but fun depends on what you like to do in game.

To me Leningrad is the funniest ship in game now. 

[__Helmut_Kohl__]

If you want to catch DDs pants-down and brutally murder them in a few salvos, Belfast is your choice. 

That is the best thing about it and it will not change with smoke. 

[RUSSIANBlAS]

Belfast is nice but needs 14 points in a captain to fully benefit from (CE and IFHE). 

 

Murmansk is ok, if you're not vs T7 it's nice. Be a long range HE spammer in it, just like other RU Cruisers and it performs fine. 

 

Atlanta is decent but needs a lot of learning, I doubt I'll ever play my own one again now I have a Flint. Don't just buy it, do you research into what it is (the short version it is a squishy DD with a citadel, has excellent AA and radar. You will take 25%+ damage every time a BB looks at you). 

 

Indianapolis is Meh, can work but nothing WOW about it that makes it stand out. Not far off a Pensacola with radar. 

 

Personally I'd say avoid all the others.

 

Remember: Captain training is only relevant in a Prem ship you actually enjoy playing, otherwise you are best off just playing the tech tree ship instead...

[valrond]

1 hour ago, dasCKD said:

Get a Scharnhorst. Despite what the game attempts to tell you, the Scharnhorst is in fact a cruiser. A very big one, but a cruiser nevertheless.

No, not really. It's a Battleship. I has the armor of a Battleships, but with smaller, faster guns. You won't get obliterated in one-two volleys cause the enemy BB hits 2-3 citadels.

Now, it is a fast battleships, that is why some called it Battlecruiser. Anyway, in this game, battleships and battlecruisers are on the same side, and there is a noticeable difference with regular cruisers.

 

My vote goes for the Belfast, great ship, but you have to use it right or you will get killed fast.

[MeTaLMooSe]

I'll just extend my opinions from Negativvv's.

 

Belfast - Yep needs a high skill cap. It's good but you need to be on the ball and not fumble the multitude of keys like I do regularly. 'smoke.....smoke......SMOKE..... ping ...ping....Boom...'

 

Murmansk - An OG that I completely forget about sometimes. A blatant Ru OP Omaha but betterer and good fun.

 

Atlanta - I love her. I sometimes get those absolute monster games and sometimes get a dumb cv driver. She's fragile and everyone wants to kill you. But when you get in cover and hold down LMB and just hose its absolutely hilarious. I guess you know what's it's like being on the receiving end. It's like peeing in the snow!

 

Indianoplis - Was utter meh now ok'ish. I'm playing her a little more now it's been buffed and I'm grinding Pensa. The Radar is on the wrong hull. It's useless for your slow RoF guns but still a team asset if you can sneak in. It's otherwise a clumsier Pensa with more range. I love the US 203 SH shells though.

 

Sharnhorst - Cruisereque manouvrerability but trollish guns. Torps, AA and secondaries. I don't play her much now but I will return to boost her stats as she deserves it.

 

De Grasse - Like a Budyonny really. Great little ship and handy for operations.

 

Texas and Arizona are slow bricks with great broadsides. one has AA the other armour. Probably more for the collection than fun.

 

Ishizuchi - Only T4 but the best £5 you can spend. Baby Amargi flamethrower.

[Dampfboot]

If you like a challenge go for Indianapolis, I think it is quite a good ship now with the recent buffs, even with just 11 point captain. You have to be on your toes all the time though. But it can decide games at that tier quite easily with that 9.5 radar.

[dasCKD]

29 minutes ago, valrond said:

It's a Battleship. I has the armor of a Battleships

Tell me then, how thick does a ship's armor have to be before it's considered a battleship? Where is the cutoff point where a ship definitively stops being a cruiser and starts becoming a battleship?

30 minutes ago, valrond said:

You won't get obliterated in one-two volleys cause the enemy BB hits 2-3 citadels.

If your citadel gets hit 3 times in a Scarnhorst then, for all practical purposes, you are already a foot in your grave. The thing that protects the Scarnhorst is her armor layout, but then by that logic the Hindenburg is also a battleship.

31 minutes ago, valrond said:

Now, it is a fast battleships, that is why some called it Battlecruiser. Anyway, in this game, battleships and battlecruisers are on the same side, and there is a noticeable difference with regular cruisers.

Which matters exactly naught, because no matter how much armor she has she still plays like a cruiser. From a player perspective, she is effectively one. It's the same reason everyone calls the Khabarovsk a cruiser. She is, in her function in the game, a cruiser. For the same reason, the Scarnhorst is a cruiser. She handles like a cruiser, she plays like a cruiser. If you attempt to play a Scharnhorst like a true battleship or even a battlecruiser, you'll end up at the bottom of the ocean very quickly.

[RUSSIANBlAS]

5 minutes ago, dasCKD said:

Which matters exactly naught, because no matter how much armor she has she still plays like a cruiser. From a player perspective, she is effectively one. It's the same reason everyone calls the Khabarovsk a cruiser. She is, in her function in the game, a cruiser. For the same reason, the Scarnhorst is a cruiser. She handles like a cruiser, she plays like a cruiser. If you attempt to play a Scharnhorst like a true battleship or even a battlecruiser, you'll end up at the bottom of the ocean very quickly.

 

Hmm I have to disagree, the Scharn is a battleship. She plays like one and there is no reason why you can't get huge 100k+ carry games using AP only. Aslong as you don't get pounded at long range you can get in close with secondaries, torps and the guns to put the hurt on. 

 

However, I think Scharn is best utilised by leaning more on HE at longer ranges then switching to AP at 10km or less when your guns will perform like any other BB weapon. (It's something to do with the velocity of the shells I think). 

 

Scharn doesn't play like a cruiser as you simply do not need to worry about being deleted randomly or needing to dodge, you can invite fire onto your angled belt and laugh at the enemy. Even T10 Cruisers like Moskva will struggle to do that. 

[Amon_ITA]

Guys, Scharnhost is a battle cruiser.

 

The German way, but always a battle cruiser.

 

British battle cruiser give up armor for speed but maintain B.B guns.

German battle cruiser give up guns for speed but mantain armor.

 

[Exocet6951]

Oh the list you gave, unless you go for the obvious Belfast, if you want a solid all-rounder the De Grasse is your best shot.

AA that can be qualified as passable, some torpedoes, a tad faster than average, decent firepower with enough range to be useful even on tier 8....
It's a solid pick, but it won't be particularily exciting.

Indianapolis is ok, but since it's the Pensacola v2.0, you have to ask yourself if that's what you actually want. She's not fit for everyone, to say the least.

 

Atlanta is, similarily, a love or hate ship. If you're unsure about her, if you see videos of her spamming her rainbows and don't think "I want to catapult HE shells, this is my new goal in life", chances are you might not like her that much.


As for lower tier, well income will be lower and there's a chance you might get a bit bored of the cardboard tier5 Omaha clones with the notoriously unforgiving tier5 MM, or bored of the sluggish and generally pretty bland tier3/4 pre-dreadnought cruisers, which are mostly just there for History's sake. 

[Flid_Merchant]

Fact is, Schanrhorst is almost a BB but it's weaknesses are more pronounced. All the BCs under the BB title have weaknesses as far as being a BB is concerned, just not always as oblique.

[__Helmut_Kohl__]

Scharnhorst guns are not a weakness, they are a strength. 

 

Sitting at Tier7, Scharnhorst should push even more aggressive than Tirpitz and get super close to the enemy. 

A high rate of fire is perfect to fight cruisers and DDs, while the penetration at close distance is still good enough against BBs. And you still got your torpedoes...  

[Admiral_Noif]

1 hour ago, MeTaLMooSe said:

Atlanta - I love her. I sometimes get those absolute monster games and sometimes get a dumb cv driver. She's fragile and everyone wants to kill you. But when you get in cover and hold down LMB and just hose its absolutely hilarious. I guess you know what's it's like being on the receiving end. It's like peeing in the snow!

^this

[jss78]

To me these always depend a lot on what captain you're bringing.

 

I find Marblehead to be much stronk with a DE+IFHE Cleveland captain. 

 

Oleg+Aurora would probably be nice with a Russian DE (+IFHE) captain. Plus these low tier premiums are so cheap you can just get them for historical flavour.

 

Belfast is a great choice no matter what, at tier 7 it brings a unique tool-set, and of course is generally OP.

[Mydgard]

Scharnhorst is one of the best ship in this game, in her tier he f*ck anyone. A real predator.

[Asakka]

I would take Atlanta or Scharnhorst. 

 

Atlanta is pretty and Scharnhost is just awesome