Benson - the least played tech tree ship in the game?

[Rina_Pon]

Tier VIII USN DD Benson. Despite being generally regarded as a very good destroyer, it seems to be almost completely defined by the fact that it is not nearly as good as the Fletcher. As a result I almost never see a Benson in randoms. And when they do they almost never do well.

So there's not a lot to go on in terms of in terms of working out the best strategies.

I finished up Mahan with an undistinguished record. One of my lowest WR ever actually, despite doing quite well in Farragut, Nicholas, and of course Clemson. Mahan never clicked with me the same way. I suspect it was because I was overconfident, I hated the ship at first as I expected to bully around other ships like I did in Farragut and that doesn't work well at high tiers. By the end I was doing okay, but even when I pulled in big numbers it rarely translated into a win.

So for Benson, any advice on playstyle and captain skills? I assume PM/PT, LS, SE, CE for the first 10, but after that? Is BFT or AR the more viable choice for increasing DPM?

 

 

[icy_phoenix]

It depends on your playstyle. But I'm sure you can't go blazing guns with Benson. Most of the other DDs at your tier have equivalent or stronger firepower than you.

And many of them have better concealment too.

Increase in dpm would not help much. Besides, you have to take RDF.

Benson isn't a star anymore. Build your captain keeping Fletcher in mind. Fletcher can utilize full AA and full anti DD builds. Unlike Benson.

Competitive US DD end goal

AA build end goal

Although if you don't play in div I'd say don't go for AA build.

[Mechfori]

I like Benson actually. But I had to admit its certainly not the best of the best among its own peers .. as the old saying goes, jack of all trade but ... well you know .. its not the best concealed, its torpedo even after upgrade is only well OK and the range is not the best while not the worst. Its guns is no match against same tier UK, Soviet and in situations even German. Its speed is OK but do not really excel and its turning circle as well as rudder time is only so so ... I guess such mid range performance that are good at none basically mean play style demand a lot, you need to be controlling your own urge a lot as the boat just  ( usually ) lacks in some aspect of performance. As other boat captain know to exploit their boat's ability to specialize, Benson captain just need to know to step back and accept that the boat simply do not held such. In sort it need to play conservatively which I suppose why its not really popular as others ( CL, CA, BB ) demand DD to play active and aggressive and that exactly, is where Benson do not specialize

[Rina_Pon]

Early impressions:

Benson has been described as a Jack-of-all-Trades, and I'd agree to that assessment. It's a gimmick-free, standard toolbox of a destroyer, with good guns, speed, torps, consumables, and concealment, without being best-in-class in any of those. As such, it requires a lot of thinking. It's not like the course of action is automatically decided by the traits of the ship. It feels more like a Poker game, where you are constantly trying to guess the enemy's hand and switch modes as the situation demands.

That said it is a comfortable ship and handles well. Getting the most out of the excellent stealth (5.8 km) is probably the key to doing well. The torps are sluggish but the spreads are dense and devastating when they hit home. The guns are good but of limited effect. It takes a while to whittle down an enemy,  so you better make sure you can survive during the interval before you open up.

About the only thing you have to worry about as a Benson are Cossacks. They can outspot you and rough you up bad when they do.