World of Warships

[Skywalker_T-65]

All I've heard about the Yorck is negative, really.

Why I'm focusing more on Nagato in my grinding for the moment.

[Venator]

I found the Nürnberg to be a bit more stressful because occasionally you will go up against Amagis, to whom you are nothing but food thanks to their awesome accurate guns and massive citadel damage.

I think time will tell what's worse - feel hamstrung by lower overall damage output with the slow turrets and slow fire, or the scary tier 8s. I'm assuming that kiting with the rear turrets and superlative range becomes even more useful than it was against t7s in the Konig.

[Venator]

AKA cashgrab for the chinese player base, offering reskinned Bensons for sale.

For what it's worth, offering players a chance to step into a rather excellent DD like the Benson without grinding up the line will have plenty of fans outside the Chinese community.

From hearsay, it will have the Benson-C hull, but at least the option of Hydroacoustic Search... presumably instead of engine boost, which would make it a very niche DD-cannibal specialist.

Edit: Didn't realize the Benson-C had Defensive Fire, HAS would most likely replace that.

[Thanas]

My problems with it stem from a few other things, besides the ridiculous 30€ for a reskinned Benson (50€ in a bundle).

1. HAS on a DD-killer ship like the benson? Sounds like a ship made for ranked. And that is on top of Tirpitz and Atago already dominating it. This will just ensure that most ranked ships will be premium ships.
2. I don't think anybody should be allowed to purchase a T8 premium unless he has - at minimum - grinded up to T6. Just bad games for everybody. I can't believe the number of idiots I saw driving her today.

[Venator]

My problems with it stem from a few other things, besides the ridiculous 30€ for a reskinned Benson (50€ in a bundle).

1. HAS on a DD-killer ship like the benson? Sounds like a ship made for ranked. And that is on top of Tirpitz and Atago already dominating it. This will just ensure that most ranked ships will be premium ships.
2. I don't think anybody should be allowed to purchase a T8 premium unless he has - at minimum - grinded up to T6. Just bad games for everybody. I can't believe the number of idiots I saw driving her today.

I take it they're already out on EU? They're not even formally announced on NA.

As for the limitations... I agree completely, but that will never happen because of the damage it would do to WGs bottom line.

[Thanas]

Yeah, to be honest I am more upset by the "buy premium or forget ranked" thing.

[Nephtys]

If all the reskinned Benson gets is Hydro-accoustic, forget it. I'd rather have the 5th gun and 25% more firepower, than Hydro-accoustic. C-hulls for US Warships are a horrible choice and aren't worth it. 3.5 auto-detect is not useful, as most 'smoke duels' I've seen are at 5 or 6km. US DDs really get mileage out of the extra gun.

[Venator]

http://worldofwarships.com/en/news/comm ... -bulletin/

Most significant changes:

Manual Fire Control for Secondary Armament
Although you can already manually set the priority target, secondary armament is by and large an automatic system. This new five-point skill significantly increases accuracy with your secondary armament, but at the cost of having to manually target it every time an enemy is in range.

Manual Fire Control for AA Armament
Just as above, taking this five-point skill requires that you manually target your AA armament, but you'll receive a significant boost you're your overall AA effectiveness.

Survivability Expert
Find yourself wishing you had just a skosh more hit points? This four-point skill is for you -- the higher your tier, the higher the HP bonus.

Torpedo Acceleration
This four-point skill speeds up torpedoes for aircraft and ships, but reduces their range. It's certain to be a Japanese destroyer's favorite. They've got plenty of range to spare!

Other Skill Changes
The already familiar "Last Stand" will now be a more accessible two-point skill. The bonuses for the "Expert Loader," "Torpedo Armament Expertise," "Vigilance," "Jack of All Trades," and "Last Chance" skills have been increased.

Also,

New Japanese Torpedo Consumable
Fans of Japanese destroyers, famous for their long-range torpedoes, are getting a new one-use consumable: Torpedo Reload Booster. It allows for a near immediate second torpedo salvo! Hatsuharu, Fubuki, Kagero, and Shimakaze can equip this new Consumable but at the expense of their smoke generator. They can't have both. It's either concealment or... torpedo-ment.

As well as improved AA if you're using team formations (oh joy...) and permanent camo (ACTUAL JOY).

[Thanas]

This is awesome but you left out the best changes ever:
- no more jet aircraft for cv
- no more 2 torp squadrons for skillway (= no more cross of death)
- massive buff to AA of 2.1km and above (= no more just circiling bombers over ships)

I wholeheartedly approve of all the changes.

Except the unnecessary Kutuzov buff but I get that this game is pay 2 win now.

[Nephtys]

AFT Nerf is apparently coming too. 137mm guns and above need not apply.

Ah well. Clearly, cruisers were doing 'too well'.

Perhaps with the arrival of this new consumable, it hints at what makes British Cruisers special: Perhaps gun reload boost? Let's throw away all those safety manuals on handling explosives and load shells faster!

[Thanas]

*Admiral_Beatty: Detonation*
*Admiral_Hipper: First Blood*
*Admiral_Hipper: Devestating strike*

[Imperial528]

I don't like the Japanese-exclusive torpedo reload. They already have excellent concealment coupled with superb torpedo range and performance, and their reload isn't slower than other nations.

Unless I'm missing something (possible given that I've only recently reached tier 7 in the release) then I don't see how this is a good addition to the gameplay, since it just makes it even easier for competent Japanese DD players to sink idiots who don't ever change course, and greatly aids them in area denial tactics.

However, I am very excited for the new secondary skill. Always frustrating to watch your secondaries open up on a target that's in spitting distance only for them to miss every damn shot by two miles.

AFT Nerf is apparently coming too. 137mm guns and above need not apply.

Ah well. Clearly, cruisers were doing 'too well'.

Well, that sucks. Good bye having any fun in the Albany.

[Alyrium Denryle]

I don't like the Japanese-exclusive torpedo reload. They already have excellent concealment coupled with superb torpedo range and performance, and their reload isn't slower than other nations.

Because they dont have guns. Ok. They have guns, but they might as well not have guns. US and Soviet DDs have guns, and can use them effectively without dooming themselves in the process. IJN DDs really cant outside edge cases where the enemy battleship is 6 KM away with less than 100 HP left. I can *sometimes* get in a gun duel with an enemy DD and come out ahead, but it is almost always because the enemy player is an idiot.

An IJN DD waiting between torp cycles is basically both useless and helpless.

[Thanas]

I think most people criminally underrate the IJN guns. Sure, their turn rate is shit, but they become a lot more tolerable with expert marksmen and post T6 you should be able of going up against US DDs. They are not gunboats, sure, but I have often fought against IJN DDs that won't even consier shooting me - when I have actually defeated US DDs like the clemson in gun battles. 2k damage per gun salvo is doable in IJN DDs.

[Nephtys]

Oh Cleveland. You never, ever disappoint. Bloody 170k damage game at tier 6.

[img+]http://imageshack.com/a/img922/1955/nFH1u9.png[/img]
[img+]http://imageshack.com/a/img923/8/jmDlDj.png[/img]

[Thanas]

Impressive, but slease resize to 1000px max width only.

[Alyrium Denryle]

I think most people criminally underrate the IJN guns. Sure, their turn rate is shit, but they become a lot more tolerable with expert marksmen and post T6 you should be able of going up against US DDs. They are not gunboats, sure, but I have often fought against IJN DDs that won't even consier shooting me - when I have actually defeated US DDs like the clemson in gun battles. 2k damage per gun salvo is doable in IJN DDs.

I have done it successfully before, but it is always very touch and go. In a US DD it tends to be an even match. In an IJN, it is an uphill battle. Granted, I am already detected at close range and at that point I am perfectly happy to use my guns (may be fucked if I do, am definitely fucked if I dont, I will pick the maybe any day).

[Thanas]

My rule of thumb is to engage anything that has less than 6k health with guns unless it is a BB or cleveland.

[Imperial528]

In my experience fighting against Japanese DDs, it depends on whether or not I get the drop on them.

If I catch them with their guns facing the wrong way and they can't easily turn to face them towards me, I can usually knock them down from full to 1/4 or dead before they can get a shot off, if my gunnery is up to par.

On the other hand if they notice in time to face their guns towards me the duel becomes pretty fair all things considered, generally coming down to who gets turret knockouts first.

[Thanas]

BTW Imperial the Albany will get a range buff to compensate for missing AFT.

[Thanas]

So I have decided that I love the New Orleans. She is now my favorite cruiser, even beating the Atago (though I do much better in the Atago with regards to Damage). Why do I love her? Well, she has got a great stealth rating (sub 10km with concealment expert), great guns and can use them while angled due to the great firing arcs of the back turrets. She is IMO the best ambush predator in the game. Any cruiser that gets within 8km is dead - and with the new maps allowing for such ambushes to occur she plays to her strengths.

She has got the rudder shift of a DD and is a very agile, small ship. Hardly do I get hit by a torp in her, something that is much harder to evade in the longer Hipper and the longer Atago. Plus, her HE is godly, great for burning down BBs.

Maybe the top place will be taken by the Hipper once I get better with her, but as of right now New Orleans is great fun.

EDIT: Also, 56% winrate in her. Not too shabby.

[Venator]

Incredibly frustrating game in the Nurnberg yesterday. Started at the SW spawn on Strait and did what you do with a top-tier Nurnberg with AFT (I'm going to drop it when the free re-spec/skill changes come out, but for now it's helpful when I'm bottom-tier instead) - played Dirty Range Scummer and chipped health off anything that came in vision range. Scooped up a DD kill in the process.

Meanwhile, our teammates at SE spawn decided to engage in some fun MAD with the enemies coming from NE. By the end of it, it was myself and a New York guarding two CVs versus their New York, a Cleveland, two CVs and a DD who started capping our (SE) base. I ran full-tilt through the back strait, but ate a critadel in the process and spent the rest of the game on about 10% hp. Our Zuiho got an amazing photo-finish dive-bombing cap reset with seconds to go, and shortly thereafter I obliterated the DD.

I immediately turned tail as their Cleve and NY were attacking our group - they finished off our NY just as torp bombers kiled theirs. I came back around the islands and shredded the Cleveland, then headed for their cap.

Despite being ahead on kills, and being in their cap at the end of the game, it ended as a draw on points - I even got a clutch-shot on one of the CVs through the north strait, but it was on full health at the time.

[Thanas]

So WG is going to release the Russian cruisers next. With the TX shooting further than the Hindenburg, having the HE of the Zao and 10k+ more health than the top cruiser before.

Yeah, balance.

[Nephtys]

And here I thought we were finally getting British Cruisers and Destroyers... :/

Also, got my ARP Myoko. Good lord, is this what I was missing by playing the Pensacola, and it's 5-6 hits away from death every game? What a monster. Flatter trajectory, monster torps, and actual not-citadel areas of the ship exist! Got dropped in a Tier9/10 game, and sank an Iowa and Tirpitz with an island ambush. What a ship!

[Thanas]

And here I thought we were finally getting British Cruisers and Destroyers... :/

Nope.

First Russian cruisers (strongest Navy in the game), then in August German BBs and maybe, maybe in Winter then British cruisers.

Because the Russian Navy is more important.