Eggy_Bro

So uh... We have a few new tier 10 ships out now and some more up and coming. While I'm sure wargaming is well on the case, it'd still be fun to speculate on what the legendary upgrades will be for the tier 10 ships still without them. Harugumo Kreml Daring Audacious Kleber While we're here, why not also speculate on "Alternative playstyle" legendary upgrades. Like a Yamato upgrade for brawling

Oh yeah. These ships... kek.

Maybe I need to go back and play Mutsuki more now. I feel like I'm missing something here.

Oversight on my part. Sorry. But as I said in my summary, the Grozovoi is kinda underrated.

Guess who's back with more words to write? Yep, it's me again. So first off, we need to do some housekeeping. I am an average at best WoWs player Stat-Wise. I play the game to grind upgrades and also just to have fun. In keeping with my incessant kleptomania, I have basically grinded out all the tech trees of every nation (Save for CVs. I'm working on that one still). This post is merely my opinions on how each destroyer tech tree feels to play and can be taken however you see fit. (Preferably not up your rear though. That's disgusting. I'd rather you take it with two sugars and some cream.) Okay, super serious time now. World of Warships is an ever-expanding game with a player base that grows every day. I wrote a series of posts a while back listing my opinions on various warship lines of each nation and going through the highlights, lowlights, and everything in between. With the recent updates changing the stance of the old guard and adding some new players to the board, I'd say it's time for a new set of opinions on every destroyer tech tree and how they feel to play. I'm not going to go into stats too much because other people do it way better than I ever could. Just a quick heads up, I may mention premium ships but the main line is the focus here. So here we go again - United States Navy Destroyers: United States Navy destroyers have remained the least changed throughout the history of WoWs. Since their introduction, not much has changed. They remain reliable gun destroyers with their fast firing and fast turning guns. And while their torpedoes are basically glorified sea-mines up until tier 9, they're still a fearsome tool that should not be ignored. Guns: Almost all USN DDs run 5 inch 127 mm main guns. These do about okay damage and are usually mounted in turrets with fast traverse and with good enough durability. However, their shell velocity is horrible and they arc like they're trying to reach outer space. Outside of 10km, you'd be lucky to hit anything smaller or faster than a battleship. But the high fire rate of the guns means you can spam these floaty shells out with impunity. Sometimes your perseverance might even land you a lucky hit on a very damaged target. Most of the time though, you want to be close to your enemy to be able to use your guns more effectively. Torps: USN Torps... are not very good. From low tiers to tier 7 that is. USN Destroyers only get the ability to stealth torp at tier 7 with Mahan. And even then, their range is still shorter than both IJN DDs at this tier and they travel slower and deal less damage than their Japanese counterparts. From tier 8 and up, however, the situation improves slightly with Benson, then greatly with Fletcher. Benson gets torpedoes that reach just under 10km, allowing her to torp outside of the USN radar range at this tier. Fletcher's torps are even better. While their raw damage still can't compare to her Japanese counterparts in-tier, Fletcher can output these fishes at a much faster rate. And she has two quintuple launchers. This gives her two more than Yuugumo and four more than Kitakaze (not counting TRB consumable). Moving up to Gearing, you get a choice between using Fletcher's 11.5km Torps, or new fish that have 16km range but deal less damage and take longer to reload. Back down to lower tiers, (Since this is where most new players have to start), the strategy for using low tier USN torpedos is to abuse island cover. break line of sight and let the enemy get close enough for you to use your torpedos. Once they bite, you can strike them down with devastating fire and fury. Speed and Maneuverability: United States Destroyers are alright when it comes to speed. They aren't the fastest but are still no slouch in this department. Their comparatively small sizes and shorter length compared to other nation destroyers also make them rather slippery targets to hit. They can turn fast and wiggle their cute little sterns. Additionally, the recent BBAP nerf reduces the impact battleship AP has against angled destroyers. So now you need not fear being blapped by an enemy battleship that got a lucky salvo off from sixteen kilometers away. This maneuverability also comes in handy at higher tiers where radar is prevalent and one would be hard-pressed to capture a point without at least being detected by radar once. Beating a fast retreat and dodging enemy fire in this situation is the USN destroyer's bread and butter. Armour and Concealment: Like most destroyers, the USN Destroyers have basically no armour. Everything that hits will penetrate or over penetrate. Your best bet really is to avoid getting hit in the first place. Unfortunately, USN destroyers do not have the advantage of stealth at the lower tiers. Their detection radii tend to the larger side and most of the time, enemy scouts will spot you before you spot them. Once again, the remedy for this is to use island cover, which is plentiful at lower tiers. This will allow you to detect the enemy the same time they detect you. And with your fast guns, you can react faster and fire faster than they can. Gimmicks: At higher tiers, players will be given a choice to take either defensive AA or speed boost. While speed boost gives you a potentially life-saving burst that could help you avoid incoming fire or make a hasty retreat, the USN Destroyer is one of the only two destroyer lines able to mount DFAA. Equipping this essentially allows you to point a big fat middle finger at enemy carriers looking for an easy destroyer kill and forces them to look elsewhere. A fully AA-specced destroyer is even capable of tearing enemy squadrons to shreds. To use Spood Beest or DFAA is really up to the player. Whether they feel more threatened by incoming fire or an omnipresent attack from above. Other than AA, the USN represents a pretty solid, no-frills DD experience. Highlights: Clemson (Best tier 4 seal clubber), Fletcher (Torpedo boat rivaling Yuugumo), Gearing (Perfectly balanced. As all things should be) Lowlights: Farragut (Frustrating to use sometimes), Mahan (basically Farragut but one tier higher) TL:DR: USN Destroyers are the most balanced destroyer tech tree and probably the best for new players. They don't excel in any particular role but don't sacrifice any aspect of their utility either. A thoroughly average destroyer line. Imperial Japanese Navy Destroyers (Torpedo Tree): Imperial Japanese Navy destroyers are a more torpedo focussed breed. Their fish hit hard and take a while longer to recharge. Recently though, a buff to the IJN 127 guns have seen a rise in IJN Gunnery and now, Japanese torpedo line guns, while still unable to match the USN ships for rate of fire, can actually put up a sufficient fight in close quarters. Guns: IJN Five-inch guns recently had their damage alphas increased. This means that the IJN torpedo line now has a higher damage per salvo than most other destroyers tier for tier. Their fire rate is still not fantastic and their turrets still take their own sweet time to rotate, but these new guns with flatter shell arcs than the USN guns can put up a fight in a pinch, and if you so wish, can turn you into a gunboat rivaling the Soviet destroyer tree. (Seriously have you seen Xatu run gunship Yuugumo? He actually out-damages Clevelands sometimes) Torps: Being typecast as the torpedo-centric line the IJN Torpedo tree sport these metal fish in spades. IJN ships get 10km torpedos at tier 6. And for almost the entirety of the tech tree, the IJN ships have the ability to torp enemies with great flexibility. This is due to a combination of their torpedoes' above-average range and the ships' above-average concealment. For newer players out there, here's some advice on your torps. Do not launch all of them at once. Staggering torps on a target is a great way to farm flood damage. Your torpedoes have a great flooding chance already, so if even one from your first salvo hits, the second salvo that hits will guarantee you a free flood's worth of damage which is fantastic to say the least. Additionally, Staggering allows you to attack enemy ships from different angles, confusing them and making them less able to predict where you will strike from next. Speed and Maneuverability: As Kancolle Shimakaze claims, she is the fastest. But that is not the case in World of Warships. In fact, IJN destroyers tend to the slower side. Not by much, but enough to be hunted down by most destroyers from other nation lines. Couple this with having less speed boost charges that need time to reload, and you have yourself a difficult ship to run away in. fortunately, most IJN ships are fairly maneuverable. They are also quite slender bow/stern on and make for a very difficult target to hit from a distance. Use your concealment to detect the enemy first. Always be ready to retreat and make use of your slender body to dodge shells like there's no tomorrow. Armour and Concealment: As with most other destroyers, the IJN have no armour to speak of. However, their concealment is the best tier for tier. IJN torpedo destroyers will be able to detect the enemy before the enemy detects them (most of the time and also not counting radar) Use this to your advantage and to pick your battles. Do not engage unless you can kill the enemy with reduced risk or if you have the upper hand. Rushing in headlong as a destroyer will do you and your team no good. But sitting at the far side of the map dumping torps every two minutes is also a waste of your great concealment and now somewhat usable guns. Gimmicks: From tier 8, the IJN torpedo tech tree can choose between mounting the smoke generator consumable or the torpedo reload booster consumable. The TRB reduces your torpedo reload from any duration to under ten seconds, giving you the opportunity to dump a frightening amount of torps into the water in one go. This does, however, mean you have to sacrifice the utility and teamplay potential of smoke screens. Right now at least, Smoke is the better option, allowing you to hide from aircraft and enemy ships, as well as conceal your friendly forces. This is particularly useful if you can get a friendly USN cruiser to provide AA cover for you. But when the CV rework comes, maybe the viability of hiding in smoke will be reduced. We shall see. Highlights: Fubuki (Nine torps at ten km at tier 6. Need I say more), Kagerou (Best concealment with versitile torps that can kill almost anything), Yuugumo (Just ask Xatu for the gunbote memes) Lowlights: Mutsuki (Half the guns of Minekaze and with an excruciating reload for her two triple torp launchers), Akatsuki (Bad concealment and has the same amount of torps as Bukki. Not really a great step up) TL:DR: IJN Torpedo Destroyers excel in their torpedo damage. This doesn't mean their guns are useless, however. Especially when you have such great concealment. Attack the enemy from the angles they least expect. And avoid radar ships like the plague. Imperial Japanese Navy Destroyers (Gunbote Tree): So recently the rest of the IJN gunboat tech tree was released. These ships represent the other far side of the gun argument for destroyers. Many guns with high rate of fire but with smaller shells and slower shell velocities. These ships can output shells at a terrifying rate and still come with the IJN's signature deadly torpedoes. Their concealment and maneuvering do suffer as a result, however. Putting them on the slightly higher side of the average detection radii. Guns: When you hit tier 4 on the IJN line, you are presented with a choice: Torpedo Focus or Gun Focus. Choosing guns puts you on a similar path at the start. Minekaze has more guns than Mutsuki and comes armed with faster reloading torps that do less damage. Hatsuharu has better concealment than Fubuki but sacrifices her torpedo range. Shiratsuyu is the same, sacrificing one gun barrel and one torpedo tube for better concealment. When you hit tier 8 however, there comes a radical change. Players have their 127mm guns taken, and replaced with 100mm guns. These have better initial velocity but have faster speed falloff due to their light weight and have lower damage and penetration values. The rate of fire on their guns, however, is absolutely terrifying. There's a reason why these destroyers are feared. And that's because they can shred any enemy that gets caught in their crosshairs. Torps: Gun line torpedoes at the start have faster reloads and do less damage compared to their torpedo line counterparts. At higher tiers, however, this gets flipped due to the launchers going from quad launchers to sextuple launchers. This is remedied by the higher tier boats having a dedicated slot for the TRB consumable, meaning that with the consumable, they can effectively launch a torp salvo of twelve fish at once. This goes surprisingly well with the higher tiers Kitakaze and Harugumo which have torp reloads upwards of two minutes. So reloading your torps takes as long as reloading your TRB consumable. Speed and Maneuverability: While the Gun line sacrifices little in the way of speed, at the higher tiers (8 and up) you will notice a significant increase in the turn radius and rudder shift time of your ships. This is because the IJN Gunships are longer and therefore need a larger radius to turn. Because of this, many an unfortunate soul have taken enemy torpedoes they could have otherwise easily avoided in a smaller ship. When engaging enemy ships, just be ready to dodge the inevitable panic salvo. In fact, start turning the moment you're detected and avoid the torps before they even come. Armour and Concealment: The IJN Harugumo is one of the only two destroyers that still take full battleship AP penetration. Due to her length and wide turn radius, she also presents a very large target no matter the angle you engage from. The lower tiers have better concealment than their torpedo counterparts as stated before. But tier 8 and up have larger detection radii. At higher tiers, you will be seen before the enemy and you will take fire first. Island camping is a useful strategy but with your less than stellar maneuvering, you do have to be careful around them, lest you beach and eat a torpedo salvo. That or you can do the other thing and play as a light cruiser, raining shells down from behind cover or in smoke. Gimmicks: The gunboat tree's gimmick is their guns with their prodigious rate of fire. These things are like mini-Atlantas (Well really more like the Flint). While they lack radar or any such detection device, they still shred enemy destroyers. Highlights: Akizuki (Holy shit was she special the first time she appeared), Harugumo (Brrt intensifies) Lowlights: Minekaze (Poor man's Kamikaze), Hatsuharu (Her stock torps are basically useless) TL:DR: The IJN Gun line provides an interesting new way to play destroyers. Honestly, at higher tiers, they function more like light cruisers. They occupy a line between the smaller destroyers with better concealment and the larger light cruisers with more utility. You can take these destroyers either way on the spectrum and have them focus more on close range brawling or extend their range to turn them into battleship-burning trebuchets (Like SaltedHambagga) Soviet Navy Destroyers (Light Cruiser Tree): So the Soviet destroyer tech tree has been around for a while. It is one of the more mature lines which did see a change a while back. The mainline still focusses on destroyers with larger hulls, high speed, and high-velocity guns. In that sense, they occupy the same middle line that the IJN gunboat line takes. Between actual destroyers and larger light cruisers. Guns: Soviet destroyer guns are... alright??? Honestly, they lie somewhere between the USN and IJN guns for the way they feel. Their gun velocity is good, and their shells at 130mm have decent penetration values. But at low tiers, they turn SOOOOOO SLOWLY. You really need to stay a little further back than you're used to and take your time with these ships. At higher tiers, the guns do feel better in their twin turrets that turn faster, and their velocities allow you to engage smaller targets at longer ranges more reliably. Torps: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. You serious? Okay. It's not that bad. Russian torpedos are great close range uppercut tools at lower tiers, and can actually be a cause for concern at higher tiers. But goodness are they frustrating at the start. Russian Destroyers do not get the chance to stealth-torp up until tier 8. And even then, their range is only 8km. An abysmal range that is beaten by every other line in the game. Seriously. If you play Russian destroyers to use torpedoes, You are doing something very very wrong. But nonetheless, the same advice for low tier USN DDs would apply. Abuse island cover and smoke. Bait the enemy in close, and use your close range speed fish to sink them instantly. Or miss and regret your decisions in life forever Speed and Maneuverability: Russian destroyers are the fastest ships in the game. By tier 7 they can reach speeds over 40 knots, with high tier destroyers making even Shimakaze feel osoi. Their speed does come at a cost of some maneuverability though. Russian destroyers tend to have larger turning radii due to this and their increased displacement. Your speed is an effective counter to USN ships with their slower gun velocities especially at middle ranges where you can very easily tick them off by simply out-running their shells. Armour and Concealment: One notable trait of the main Russian line is that the tier 10 destroyer Khabarovsk is the only other destroyer to take full battleship AP penetration. This is due to two things. Her size and her 50mm armour plates on her sides. Yes. She has side plates that can bounce Yamato shells. Keep in mind however that these plates are only on her side and do not cover the entire ship. So do not, and I stress this, do NOT attempt to charge an enemy battleship. Because you will take full AP damage and you will die. Horribly. As for concealment, all Russian destroyers have below average concealment values. They rival some cruisers, especially at higher tiers. You can choose to embrace this and go full cruiser or attempt to negate the downsides by speccing concealment. This, however, does cost more and there are better options honestly. At the risk of sounding like a broken tape recorder again, use island cover. It will help you reduce your concealment disadvantage and level the field against the enemy. Gimmicks: Russian destroyers at higher tiers have the option to run heal instead of smoke. This basically trades your ability to fire from stealth and hide to disengage for additional longevity in combat. Your heal can sometimes be the difference between survival or death, but losing smoke will force you to use low islands or shoot out in the open. (This is even more so because of the flatter Russian gun ballistics) Highlights: Um...... Khaba? I guess? Her eight guns made her the undisputed firepower king when it came to destroyers for a while. Her concealment, however, is on the level of a light cruiser. But her speed is unmatched by any other. Lowlights: Minsk (Leningrad exists. And is way better. It's a premium, can stealth torp, and has the same guns.) TL:DR: Russian main line destroyers require patience. You cannot be the first into the cap. But you can be the first to deny the cap. Your speed and your guns mean you can run them down or keep the fire on your enemy even after they've retreated past the middle ranges. But your torps are really lacking in range. So treat them like you would on Russian cruisers. As a last resort when enemies get too close for comfort. Keep yourself in between your friendly destroyer and your supporting cruisers. Or be a jackass and snipe battleships in open water. Whatever works, works. Soviet Navy Destroyers (Concealment Tree): The concealment tree for Russian destroyers only starts at tier 8. They do, however, provide an interesting alternative to the existing Russian destroyer mainline. They have better torpedoes and concealment but sport worse guns and slightly slower speed. Guns: Starting with Ognevoi, you get a bit of a Mutsuki kind of feel. Two twin gun turrets, one front, one back, with two torpedo tubes in between. The setup is distinctly torpedo focussed and your lacking firepower says it. You have fewer guns than the main line, with some minor differences to their firing characteristics as well like slightly lower damage in exchange for slightly faster velocity. Torps: Your torpedoes are actually usable now. They aren't exactly IJN tier in damage, but you have a great number of them to fire off and they can reach out beyond your concealment radius. This gives you more options to engage and plays more like a 'normal' destroyer. It has to be noted though that the T10 Grozovoi's torpedoes have a reload time of over two minutes. That's two minutes for five torps per launcher. Almost as long as the IJN tier 9 and 10 gunboat torpedo reloads. WeeGee pls buff Grozo torp reload Speed and Maneuverability: The concealment line of the Russian destroyer tech tree sports a slightly slower speed. But because of their smaller hulls and slightly reduced speed, their turning radii are slightly better. This makes them more suited to engaging in close range knife fights and allows them to better dodge enemy fishes. With this, you can also avoid enemy fire more easily and, with your high-velocity guns, engage them from a fair distance away. Armour and Concealment: Interesting note, the tier 10 Grozovoi has the same concealment radius as the tier 10 Daring. Both sit at 6km. And while the Daring has better turning speed and faster firing guns and torps, Grozovoi has better heal, a bigger heal pool, more damage per gun, and a higher overall speed. Honestly, it is a bit surprising that not many more people give the Grozovoi a try. But back to the rest of the line, Concealment is about average. But you will still be out-spotted by a lot of the other enemy ships. And this line being in the high tiers, you have the dreaded RADAR to worry about as well. Once again, your best armour is not to get hit in the first place. Though you won't take full battleship AP penetration so that's nice. Gimmicks: At tier 10, you get to use the following: Damage Control, Smoke, Speed Boost, Repair Party (Heal) and Defensive AA, each in dedicated slots. You have the same amount of consumables as the Worcester, which gives you a great deal of added utility on top of your already usable concealment, guns, and, albeit slow reloading, torps. While you are more limited in the number of charges you have for each consumable, the fact that you have that many things to use without having to sacrifice anything is a great blessing already. Highlights: Ognevoi (Nobody expects the Russian Torpedobote), Grozovoi (Just ask Xatu what he does with his.) Lowlights: None really. There are only three ships in this line anyway. So... TL:DR: The Concealment tree, while limited in content, provides a great alternative for those who prefer to be able to get in a little closer. You still have the option to go full cruiser, but this is a bit of a disservice to the better concealment of this line. Honestly, these ships could make great counters against Royal Navy Destroyers. But I need to do more experimenting on that front to figure that one out properly. Kreigsmarine Destroyers: Some say that the KM DD line has been powercrept to the point of obsolescence. They used to be the king of the cap, able to deny any capture point they wished to with their improved hydroacoustic that has better range and longer duration. But these days you see very little use of these destroyers. Guns: KM Destroyer guns are a bit of an odd kind. Their high explosive shells have good penetration but lacklustre damage and fire chance. Their armour piercing shells on the other hand, also have good penetration, likely over-penetrating thinner targets on full broadside while lacking the power to fully penetrate all angles. Additionally, their gun reload is close to that of the IJN destroyers. Their arcs aren't bad, being rather low but are still higher than the Soviet railgun shots. Torps: German torpedoes are once again, quite odd. They don't do that much damage and aren't that great in salvo volume either. Hitting all your torps on a battleship sometimes won't guarantee you the kill. But what sets them apart is their higher reload speed. Fully upgraded, you can bring their reloads down to close to a minute, allowing you to put out fishes faster than enemy battleships can bring their damage control back up. Speed and Maneuverability: German ships have a speed in between Russian and American destroyers. They are fast and have decent maneuvering to boot. They are a bit fatter than most other ships though. So you will have a harder time dodging incoming fire. And destroyer AP will have an easier time arming inside your hull and causing full damage. Armour and Concealment: German destroyers have a higher than average detection radius. They aren't as bad as Russian Destroyers but will be detected before Japanese, American, British, and Pan-Asia destroyers. So use islands and your smoke. Your hydroacoustic search can also help force out enemies hiding in smoke or even deny the entire capture point. Gimmicks: German destroyers have hydro. At lower tiers these help you avoid blind torpedoes aimed at your smoke screen. At higher tiers, they can be used to detect anything in a capture zone, effectively denying it to enemy ships unless they have an island to hide behind or are simply plain mad. With the prevalence of radar however, you will also have to be mindful of where you set up. Highlights: Z-52 (The king of the cap. Nothing can contest this ship’s ability to contest capture points) Lowlights: T-22 (Her guns have just the most pathetic penetration) TL:DR: German ships are like a blend of Soviet Hull, American shells, and Japanese guns. While they will lose in a straight up gunfight, the point is not to get into a straight up gunfight. Play a defensive role, using your hydro to deny the enemy from entering any key area you wish to protect. But be mindful to keep an option for retreat. Royal Navy Destroyers: The newest line in the game has players enamoured with their even higher gun fire rates. They seem to be the be all-end all of gunfighting destroyers… or are they? Guns: From the lower tiers all the way to tier 8, Royal Navy DDs run 120mm guns. These are great against enemy superstructures and unprotected bows. Their shells feel about the same as USN 127mm guns, with slightly less float. But at tier 9 and 10, you get your gun calibre cut down to just 114mm. This puts it below the standard penetration threshold for most ship superstructures, making IFHE a necessity on high tier RN DDs. Torps: Royal navy torpedo systems are in between the USN and IJN torpedo systems in terms of usability. They reload decently fast, and output a significant amount of damage on impact. The fact that you can single launch them as well makes for a frightening prospect of having ten torpedoes hitting right on a single target. Speed and Maneuverability: Royal navy destroyers aren’t fast. Additionally, these ships lack speed boost. They will be beaten to the point, and if they get into trouble, they will have to rely on their smoke screens exclusively to get out. One perk they have however, is the trademark Royal Navy turning and acceleration which allows you to maintain almost full speed when turning. This also means that when aggressively dodging while running away, you won’t lose as much speed as you would normally. Armour and Concealment: Royal navy ships have good concealment, up to the higher tiers, with the tier 8 Lightning’s 5.5km coming just shy of Kagerou’s 5.4km detection radius. But at tier 10, the Daring sits at 6km, putting her on par with the Grozovoi and only slightly beating out the Z-52. Your concealment is usable, but just expect to get detected first. Islands are your best friend once again, especially since you have Hydro to detect behind or around them. Gimmicks: Royal Navy destroyers from tier 6 can equip a unique Hydro. This version only has a range of 3km, but lasts way longer. It is useful then, as a tool for sniffing out enemy ships in smoke or avoiding torpedoes while in your own smoke. Not that you’ll have that much of an issue anyway. Your smoke screens don’t last very long, and you can only set a short screen. You do have many charges though. So you are encouraged to keep moving in between your short cooldown smoke charges. Highlights: Jervis (Lucky little boat at tier 7. A bit like Gadjah Mada, but also different.), Lightning (Like a tech tree Harekaze with great guns), Daring (A great balance of guns and torps with a small heal giving her longer staying power. Even though IFHE is mandatory) Lowlights: Icarus (Poor man’s Galant), Jutland (Poor man’s Daring) TL:DR: Royal Navy Destroyers do require a bit of adjustment to get used to their short smoke screen durations. But these ships have the most aggressive and defensive potential, depending on how you play and spec them. Pan-Asia Destroyers: At first, Pan Asia destroyers appear to be just USN destroyers with deep water torpedoes. But, the truth is… well that is actually the truth. Partly at least. PA DDs do have some unique traits of their own however. Guns: Pan Asian guns are a mix of everything. You start with some low power gun calibres, then jumping to 130mm with Fushun, back down to 120mm with Gadjah, and finally settling at 127mm with the last three ships. Their fire rates are fair, decently balanced most of the way. Up to tier 10 at least. The YueYang got shafted hard with a nerf some updates ago. Her guns now reload as slowly as the Shimakaze or Z-52. This cuts her DPM hard and with the added radar nerf incoming, drastically reduces the YY’s once notorious reputation to a mere shadow of its former self. Torps: Deep water torps are a peculiarity. They do not hit destroyers, but can deal extra damage to all other ship types as they hit lower in the hull. The torpedoes reload at a fairly decent rate, around the same as USN torps. However, Pan-Asia Destroyers actually have the ability to stealth torp from tier 6. This allow them to strike enemy ships with reduced risk. But you are reliant completely on your guns when engaging enemy destroyers. Speed and Maneuverability: Pan Asia destroyers are about average in terms of speed. They are on par with USN Destroyers with some minor differences. With their small sizes, they also have the maneuverability to dodge incoming shells with relative ease. Armour and Concealment: Pan Asia Destroyers come in second overall for concealment in most tiers, being out spotted by a small margin only by IJN torpedo destroyers. This is intentional however, as Pan Asia destroyers need that concealment to engage targets first. Gimmicks: Deep water torpedoes are a gimmick in themselves. But another apparent gimmick is the Pan-Asia Smoke. With the right skills and flags, a Pan-Asia destroyer can effectively remain concealed in smoke for almost the entire match. This smoke has a long deploy time and lasts relatively long as well. Perfect for providing a concealing screen for your friendly cruisers to make a flash slash attack. Another gimmick of the PA DDs is the ability to mount radar at tier 8 and above. This radar is limited to a range of 8.7km and only lasts for 20 seconds, but 20 seconds is all you need to reduce a confident enemy DD in a cap to a shambling wreck. And don’t get me started on using teamplay and divisions. Highlights: Gadjah Mada (A tier 7 Gearing. Great concealment, great guns, alright torps), Cheng Mu (Did someone say Fletcher with Deep Waters?) Lowlights: The low tiers (Too few cruisers and battleships to engage. And your guns tend to be weak af) TL:DR: Pan Asia DDs have good guns and good concealment, making them usable in a knife fight. But their torpedoes only strike ships larger than destroyers. Keep that in mind the next time you blind-torp a smoke screen. In Summary: USN DDs are the most balanced and best for newcomers IJN Torp DDs are great when you play the flank and get in close IJN Gun DDs are great close range shredders or long range trebuchets RU Heavy DDs are light cruisers with great guns. RU Torp DDs are underrated KM DDs do tend to be overshadowed RN DDs are also a good starting point but will require some adjustment due to their different smoke screens. PA DDs are a mix of everything, but with deep water torps. General Strategy for destroyers are to identify enemy ships, avoid those that have a good chance of killing you, moving your position accordingly, engaging enemy ships and screening your own fleet. Islands can be your greatest ally or your worst enemy depending on how you or your enemy uses them. And is, as Yuro says, the greatest difference between the skilled and less skilled players. So. That was a mouthful. I hope this helps someone who is looking to get into destroyers. And if not, I hope it was at least a good read. Until next time, Fair Winds.

Yep. That's basically what I want to suggest to Wargaming. This one's free guys

Scratch Pearl Harbour. WE NEED THIS RIGHT NOW!

So. This is not a defence of the attack on Pearl Harbour. This is just a suggestion. The idea is to have a carrier only operation that recreates the attack on Pearl Harbour by the IJN. (Though I suppose other nations 'carriers can be included if Wargaming chooses to do so) This new operation will address two things: The new CV rework The lack of any dedicated Axis Operations Firstly, The CV rework: When the CV changes hit, experienced and novice players alike will be thrown a brand new system which they will likely be unfamiliar with. A dedicated CV operation like this will be able to help players familiarise themselves with the new style of Carrier combat, as well as the updated anti-air capabilities of enemy ships. Secondly, The lack of any dedicated Axis powers operations: We get it. "THE ALLIES WON THE WAR!" I can already hear the armchair generals typing out their angry protests. But the Axis powers did still have a few naval victories. Among the most significant of these would be Pearl Harbour. The ultimate trigger that brought America into the Second World War on the side of the Allies. While the attack was tragic, it does make for an interesting operation to include into the game. It would also give us the only situation where multiple carriers can work together in a team (Unless WG removes the 1 CV per side game cap). Some Further details and spitballing ideas: The operation would be somewhat similar to Killer Whale or Narai, but with only Carriers. The enemy ships would likely be USN T6-7 battleships and cruisers (Maybe stick some other ships in there as well if you feel like it. But if Cherry Blossom is allowed to have only IJN ships on the enemy side, then it would make sense in the context of "Historical Accuracy" to have all the enemies at Pearl be USN) The primary objectives would be to "Destroy the main force" docked in port. This would probably be comprised mainly of Battleships (Maybe five. Perhaps have Arizona docked in there). After the attack, the carriers have to retreat to an extraction zone before the main enemy fleet of carriers returns. Additional side missions could include bombing airfields, shooting down enemy fighter craft, etc. TL:DR When the CV rework hits, people will need a place to both learn the ropes of the new CV mechanics and challenge themselves with said mechanics. We could do this with a fun, interesting and historically significant operation. Also, depicting the war from the Axis' side would be an interesting new take on a genre saturated with stories from the Allies. I am not discounting the Allies. I'm just saying that the Axis also has stories worth telling. Put down your torches and pitchforks. Being able to attack Pearl Harbour would certainly be cool. But this is just a suggestion. So take it however you wish (An idea, a necessity, an attack on your sensibilities and patriotism, a mushroom with a gender-switching crown, a hat, whatever). Until next time, Fair Winds.

Shorter than my wall of text. Kek.

So... this post has been inspired by a comment on one of my older posts. "Noob players who crowd the playerbase and reduce the skill level should leave." I believe is a rough interpretation of what was said. I am of the opinion that new players should be nurtured and given the chance to get better over time. I suppose most people could be of my opinion, but stay silent about it. But that just leaves the loud majority of posts berating new players who don't know any better. Now we can't solve idioticy, but we can always help cure ignorance. I'm definitely not the best player out there. I'm not even in the low unicum ranges (I think). However, I enjoy playing this game, and the communities I've engaged with have built a very positive experience. So to maintain this game's health, I'm going to make a case for Newcomers and Inclusivity. Since WoWs became available on Steam, there has been a great influx of green commanders. New players who found this game interesting and want to give it a try. The training wheels for this game, I feel, come off when a player reaches either tier 4 or 5. That is about when a player has to start playing against actual players should they wish to sustain reasonable growth. However, according to friends of mine who used to play, this is also when a lot of new players simply drop out and stop playing. (ie, they stopped playing when they reached t5) I switched over to playing against actual players really by accident when I reached t4. I had a violent shock back then. The skill level difference in playing against predictable AI versus unpredictable humans was immense. By the time I had joined WoWs though, I did have CS:GO and TF2 under my belt. So I at least understood the concept of differences in player skill. And that improving would increase my enjoyment of the game. So I persevered, eventually getting good enough to reach the higher tiers and do reasonably well. Most new players coming to WoWs though would probably be less experienced. They might not have yet grasped the concept of having to improve their own skills in a game. After all, a wide range of games are based off the concept of merely having your ingame avatar get more powerful while you yourself as a player remain relatively unchallenged. In WoWs, however, you as a player have to improve along with your ship. As you climb up the tier ladder, you will face more seasoned players with more experience with the game. They know how to manage their consumables, how to coordinate with each other and how to use map geometry to their advantage. New players need to learn these skills to be able to do well, in lower tiers yes, but especially in higher tiers. There are people out there who help. Yuro to name one produces guides on how to optimally play certain ships. Even through memes seemingly inserted purely for entertainment, his videos both show and tell players how to improve. (This does require players to actually put effort into analysing his playstyle and understanding why what he does works, but I didn't say getting gud was easy. Also honestly, Flamu's guides are very much catered to NA and don't suit the Asia meta as much) There are some out there who are seemingly out to make the problem worse. Those who chose not to learn, and refuse to take input from others. Worse still, they take any opportunity to beat down those below them, giving them the smallest sense of superiority to pad their fragile egos. These players do nothing to help new commanders who genuinely want to improve. More than likely, they will end up driving these new players away, with their perceptions of the game forever soured by a few bad apples. Bad apples will exist in any game. That is an inevitability. But for those who believe that nurturing new players should be the way to go, try as much as possible to encourage new players. Do not just give them purely positive feedback. That is a fast track to breeding complacency and causing even more potential toxicity. Try instead to give constructive feedback. Help them rectify their problematic points and teach them how to get better. (I understand that better is a subjective term. But in this game it usually manifests as higher average damage and better win-rate) I have found that certain clans are quite supportive and friendly when it comes to playing and improving. The guys over at [1-ATF] were a bit overbearing but still helped me learn how to play destroyers effectively. (Thanks) These would be the ideal kind of clan most players join first. There are some who only provide positive feedback, however. And while it preserves the player's will to stay, does not encourage them to get better. And they will inevitably get upset when someone calls them out on their apparent lack of skill. (Certain Australian clans that shall remain unnamed I'm looking at you) TL;DR, I believe that us more experienced players should help newer players and encourage them to get better. We should not drive them away, but we should also not praise them to the point of complacency. A positive community focussed on improvement and growth is the best kind of community. Memes included. This has been a long post. For those who took the time, thank you. I hope this post has encouraged you to help. If not I hope it was at least interesting to read. Until next time, Fair Winds.

Duely noted with thanks.

So... The legendary upgrades state that they expire at the end of the year. The 7.6 update states that they expire at the end of the year. But then Notser comes in and says they don't expire. What gives?

Hence why I do not want them to do something like lower the cits or add radar. There is a non-gimmick way to 'fix' the IJN lines. I just don't have the answer.

I'm of the opinion that nurturing new players and helping them learn is an overall better option for growing and maintaining the player base. But I get where you're coming from. Cue <content removed> montage. Hell you can easily find some clueless bb player sniping from the blue line almost every game. (But clueless bb players can be seen from all nation tech trees) Insults/Derogatory Comments. Post Edited. User Sanctioned. ~ADM_dude

Or how bad NA players are. Kek