General understanding to CL/CA play, how to, summary

[HoChunHao]

Disclaimer:- This thread is made based on my gameplay experience in which it may differ on a per user basis. Please take this as a rough guide only as it may not be 100% accurate. Agree? Disagree? Up to you. Anything you wish to add to help me and others? Feel free to do so. This thread is also WIP and may be missing certain nations (I have not played it myself/It is not completed). Take it with a grain of salt if needed. Also, this mainly focuses on high tiers as this are the tiers I am focused on and what players are interested in the late game.

Russian CA's, alternate branch (Tallin, Riga, Petropavlovsk, Moskva) (Stalingrad: Super CA)

• Armour, Russian CA's have generally better armour compared to it's other counterparts in other nations. The presense of additional side plating, deck plating, ice breaker. Do note the tips of bow and stern is covered with 25mm which can be overmatched by 380mm and above. Space armour is also present (Riga and Petropavlovsk) which could help you in some occassions but don't rely on it too much. Citadel is well above the waterline and ships like Moskva and Stalingrad has it's citadel exposed which you can be severely punished for when misplayed. Stay angled at all times, try bait shots to your citadel and side plating while keeping angle
• Artillery, Artillery is quite nice, high velocity guns with high penetration values. Tallin, Riga and Petropavlovsk has a special dispersion calculation where at range, it's dispersion is worse compared to its counterparts and it gets better as you close the distance. Very good AP penetration, can be comparable to certain BBs of lower tiers (Petropavlovsk vs Bismarck). Also has "improved" penetration angles but don't get too distracted by it, it's not that noticeable. Learn to switch your shells, improved does not mean you should stick to AP at all times. HE damage is alright but lacking as the reload is a little longer and also its dispersion at longer ranged. Petropavlovsk has a short time fuse for its AP which is similar to Stalingrad. 
  Stalingrad can be an odd one was its considered as a "Super Cruiser". Improved AP penetration angles which is very nice (Richochet begins at 35 degrees and it's guaranteed at 25 degrees). Gun caliber of 305mm which can overmatch cruisers with 16mm plating at T9 and T10 (Neptune, Minotaur, Smolensk, Colbert).
  Moskva, was a tech-tree ship which got changed to "Special" status to make way for the alternate branch. AP penetration angles are the same as other cruiser's (Starts at 45 degrees, guranteed at 30 degrees). Accurate guns which are to be reckon with. Potent HE and AP with high velocity.
• AA Defence, very potent AA with good range. 6.6km to 6.9km max range. Ability to use "Defensive AA Fire" to boost continuous damage by +50% and flak cloud damage by +300%. Do note this does not mean you are immune to being strike, you may be lucky if they run into your flak cloud in which you may be rewarded with a fireworks show. Long-range AA range is between 6.6km and 6.9km, Mid-range AA is between 3.5km and 4km and Short-range AA begins at 3.1km which is further compared to other nation's short-range.
• Maneuverability, faster than average, with Petropavlovsk being quite an odd one out having 32.5knots max. Rudder shift is alright and can be worked with but due to the nature of RU ships being quite long, their turning radius is rather huge.
• Concealment, on average they have a larger detection compared to other nations. Tallin, Riga and Petropavlovsk can be quite stealthy in it's own class, (Petropavlovsk with full concealment can reach a detect of 12.4km). Moskva's and Stalingrad's concealment is rather huge at 14.1km.

Captain Builds, do note there will be an upcoming change to captain builds in the future

10 pointer captain build (Tallin, Riga, Petro, Moskva, Stalin). You may choose between Adrenaline Rush or Expert Marksman.

19 pointer captain build, for Stalingrad. Being a Super CA, you have a 60sec burn time, you might want this to reduce the damage you take from fires.

19 pointer general captain build. If you don't see yourself using HE often or the fire chance is sufficient, swap it out for Jack of All Trades and Expert Loader.
Again, this varies on a per user basis depending on how they play. 

Upgrades,

Slot 4 can be changed to something that suits you better, for example, Stalingrad would be better of with Damage Control System Mod 2

So to conclude, RU CAs are long range cruisers. Stay at range to provide support. But that does not mean you should stay max range at all times. Situation varies on a per game basis. HE and AP are both quite potent, so do know when to use what shell. A broadsiding CL/CA? Load that AP. Same can be said when BBs are broadsiding but armour values for different nation's may vary to please to study their armour layout and thickness. You have radar, 12km range (Tallin, Riga and Petro has 15sec action time, Moskva and Stalin has 30secs, without special modules), and please, you can still pop radar for the team, don't have the mentality where "I will only pop radar when I have a line of sight to the enemy". Keep your eyes peeled at all times, don't get caught offguard especially when you do decide to turn, or it might be a ticket back to port. Zoom out after taking the shot, look around a little as you reload, don't get too tunneled visioned in on a single target, spread that damage out. Prioritise your targets. See a DD? Take a shot on it, you have high velocity guns that make it easier for you to hit.

Russian CL's, main branch (Chapayev, Dimitri Donskoi, Alexander Nevsky, Smolensk)

• Armour, comparable to other nation's CL armour thickness. Has an ice breaker but don't fully rely on it when presenting your bow as right above it is 25mm. Smolensk is a "Super-Light" and its covered with 16mm plating all around which makes it overmatched by 234mm+, and takes damage from DD caliber guns which has a penetration of 19mm. 
• Artillery, Russian CLs are quite weird in their so called "caliber" where Donskoi and Nevsky has 180mm guns. Smolensk being a "Super-Light" has 130mm guns and Chapayev has 152mm. HE shells are potent and can penetrate same tier cruiser's. Chapayev has a 1/5th calculation (Present on T8-T10 cruisers with caliber of 152mm-155mm), Donskoi's and Nevsky's has a 1/6th calculation which grants it 30mm penetration. IFHE is needed to penetrate 32mm plating but wont be enough to pen 38mm plating which are present on USN BBs. AP is very potent when being presented with broadsides. High shell velocity gives it better penetration and makes it easier to land shells at longer ranges. 
• AA Defence, very good AA, with its long range reaching up to 5.8km which is the average. Odd one being Nevsky having 5.9km AA range for its long range. Long-range AA is between 5.8km and 6.9km, Mid-range AA to be in between 3.5km and 4km and Short-range AA at 3.1km which is further compared to other nation's CL/CA.
• Maneuverability, fast speedy cruisers that can reach up to 36 knots for Donskoi and Nevsky. Rudder shift is alright but with RU ships being quite long, their turning radius suffers at +900m. (Smolensk being an odd one given it's "Super-light" classification)
• Concealment, on average, their detection is larger compared to other nations. 12.8km surface detection for Nevsky when built with double concealment. (Smolensk given it's status can get up to 10km surface detect with double concealment).

Captain Builds, do note there will be an upcoming change to captain builds in the future

10 pointer captain build, universal for RU CL

19 pointer captain build, if you want to penetrate 32mm threshold, your fire chance will suffer. (Smolensk excluded, special build below)

19 pointer captain build, if penetrating 32mm isn't your priority and all you want are those fire

19 pointer captain build for Smolensk. Why is Last Stand there? This ship is quite prone to have its engines and rudder knocked out from high caliber HE and I am sure you do not want to be a sitting duck. If Last Stand isn't to your liking, go for Jack of All Trades. DPM Smolensk build with 3.6secs reload and 16.6km range. Refer to "Upgrades" below.

Upgrades, 

Slot 6 can be changed to range if needed if you find it lacking, varies on a per user basis. If you are in a Smolensk, reload is the better option and for Slot 4, change to Propulsion Mod 1.

To conclude, RU CLs again are also quite similar to its CA variants. Long range support cruisers. Stay at range and provide fire support, but doesn't mean you should stay at near max range at all times, situation varies on a per game basis and there are times in which you can push up to provide more support. HE and AP are very potent but you will be using HE most of the time to set fires until you are being present broadsides, then switch to AP. High velocity shells with good penetration. Can reliably penetrate CA citadel plating (exposed citadel plating, some CAs have spaced armour or turtleback so it may vary on some occassions where you could only penetrate at closer ranges or for turtlebacks, longer ranges*). You have a radar that lasts up to 30secs with a range of 12km (Except Smolensk),  and please, you can still pop radar for the team, don't have the mentality where "I will only pop radar when I have a line of sight to the enemy". Eyes peeled at all times, keep yourself at an angle, show broadside and it might be your ticket straight back to port. Don't be too tunneled visioned in, you can still zoom out from time to time to assess the battlefield. Spread your damage onto various ships, prioritise your targets, take shots at DDs. High velocity guns makes it easier to land your shells on DDs but this also varies on the player's ability to lead/predict the enemy.

American CL, alternate branch (Cleveland, Seattle, Worcester)

• Armour, 
• Artillery, 
• AA Defence, 
• Maneuverability,
• Concealment,

Captain Builds,

Upgrades,

American CA, main branch (Baltimore, Buffalo, Des Moines) (Alaska, Payto Rico: Super CA)

• Armour, armour layout for USN CAs are average. 27mm on the bow, stern, side and deck on Baltimore and Buffalo. 380mm are incapable of overmatching those plating but 406mm still can. Des Moines has 27mm plating on its bow and sterm and a 30mm side and deck plating which makes 406mm to bounce off it when angled. 457mm are capable of overmatching 30mm plating. Baltimore (slightly above) and Buffalo (almost 2x higher than Baltimore's) has an above water citadel which starts from the front 127mm mount to the back 127mm mount. Des Moines has a larger above water citadel where it begins from its front turret all the way to the back turret.
• Artillery, 
• AA Defence, 
• Maneuverability,
• Concealment,

Captain Builds,

Upgrades,

British CL, main branch (Edinburgh, Neptune, Minotaur)

• Armour, 
• Artillery, 
• AA Defence, 
• Maneuverability,
• Concealment,

Captain Builds,

Upgrades,

British CA, alternate branch (Albemarle, Drake, Goliath)

• Armour, 
• Artillery, 
• AA Defence, 
• Maneuverability,
• Concealment,

Captain Builds,

Upgrades,

German CA, (Hipper, Roon, Hindenburg)

• Armour, 
• Artillery, 
• AA Defence, 
• Maneuverability,
• Concealment,

Captain Builds,

Upgrades,

Japanese CL/CA, (Mogami, Ibuki, Zao)

• Armour, 
• Artillery, 
• AA Defence, 
• Maneuverability,
• Concealment,

Captain Builds,

Upgrades,

French CA, (Charles Martel, Saint Louis, Henri IV)

• Armour, 
• Artillery, 
• AA Defence, 
• Maneuverability,
• Concealment,

Captain Builds,

Upgrades,

Italian CA, (Amalfi, Brindisi, Venezia)

• Armour, 
• Artillery, 
• AA Defence, 
• Maneuverability,
• Concealment,

Captain Builds,

Upgrades,

 

Soon to be added, pictures will also be added.

[Admiral_Helena]

A little dumb question. Do these Russians have faster shell velocity than their French counterparts?

Edit:

This is a genuine question because I really need to have a radar cruiser. And the French have none of that.

[HoChunHao]

9 minutes ago, Admiral_Helena said:

A little dumb question. Do these Russians have faster shell velocity than their French counterparts?
Edit: This is a genuine question because I really need to have a radar cruiser. And the French have none of that.

RU CA vs French CA? Yes, they do have fast velocity. You can check at this site https://wowsft.com/arty

Artillery chart for Saint Louis, Henri IV, Riga, Petropavlovsk and Moskva. French CA vs Russian CA

Artillery chart for Saint Louis, Henri IV, Dimitri Donskoi and Alexander Nevsky. French CA vs Russian CL

[Earl_of_Arland]

Finally, a good thread once in a while

[Skarhabek]

I bet ya better make tips how to British CA because i don't see any strategy to make them work..... Also better move it in newbie section after 1 or 2 week.... Otherwise its really waste effort, since newbie and noobie need them the most

 

And in general discussion its gonna sink

 

[HoChunHao]

11 minutes ago, Skarhabek said:

I bet ya better make tips how to British CA because i don't see any strategy to make them work..... Also better move it in newbie section after 1 or 2 week.... Otherwise its really waste effort, since newbie and noobie need them the most

And in general discussion its gonna sink

I'll do my best for RN CAs, it just feels that there isnt much going for it. But it will be pointed out.

And about getting this thread move, it is unlikely for me to request this. Why?

1. Newbies/Noobies in general skip the Newcomers Zone and head straight to General Discussions, if there is indeed a question, I am more than glad to redirect them here by replying with a link of this thread. I can see a lack of threads in that section
2. And the reason to why certain threads in General Discussions sinking is because? Well, spammy irrelevant threads that are just for laughs. Or for those who ya know, just wanna make a thread for lols while it does have its purpose, it is generally not helpful. Do note I have nothing agaisnt those threads. Some fun here and there for laughs is nice to have. And it is something I am willing to live with. I am also sure there will be quite a few discussions in this thread that will keep it up on the front page for quite some time as we players might provide feedback, their experience, questions, etc.
3. I won't consider what I have done a wasted effort, can be used in the future on other threads for players to refer to if needed.

Well, thanks for the reply and your worries.

[S0und_Theif]

This is a great article.

I look forward on the rest of the nations cruisers.

 

I have 2 questions, the game will be frequntly updating and adding new ships. Will you also be updating the article time to time?

Also there is a updated captain skill comming in. Will you be continue doing this article and then update the article with post updated captain skills implemented?

 

As always cheers on your work.

[HoChunHao]

34 minutes ago, S0und_Theif said:

This is a great article.

I look forward on the rest of the nations cruisers.

I have 2 questions, the game will be frequntly updating and adding new ships. Will you also be updating the article time to time?
Also there is a updated captain skill comming in. Will you be continue doing this article and then update the article with post updated captain skills implemented?

As always cheers on your work.

Thank You,

1. Yes, I will be updating this thread from time to time but it may vary. (Whether I play the ship often enought to notice such changes in the chagelong and whether I do play said "new ships"). I will hold myself back on commenting on a ship/line in which I have no gameplay in.
2. Yes, I do plan to do so. And again, updates will only come after I get the hang of the new captain skills. I am sure everyone will have their own experiements to what suits them best. Me being me, I tend to stick to one nation and updates for other nations may take awhile. A note will be left on each nation's CL/CA

Cheers

[S0und_Theif]

Just now, HoChunHao said:

Thank You,

1. Yes, I will be updating this thread from time to time but it may vary. (Whether I play the ship often enought to notice such changes in the chagelong and whether I do play said "new ships"). I will hold myself back on commenting on a ship/line in which I have no gameplay in.
2. Yes, I do plan to do so. And again, updates will only come after I get the hang of the new captain skills. I am sure everyone will have their own experiements to what suits them best. Me being me, I tend to stick to one nation and updates for other nations may take awhile. A note will be left on each nation's CL/CA

Cheers

Awesome.

Thank you.

[S4pp3R]

You may want to repost the thread and block out the first 4-5 comments for use later @HoChunHao - there may be a character limit per post...

Great post!

[Puggsley]

I have popcorn out and vote for Japanese cruisers next!!

Boy the Mogami is a nice step up from Myoko with the different turret arrangement and extra guns all round. 

[HoChunHao]

9 hours ago, S4pp3R said:

You may want to repost the thread and block out the first 4-5 comments for use later @HoChunHao - there may be a character limit per post...

Great post!

There is? Well, thanks for the heads up. Never reached the limit before but hmmmmm, knowing most sites, there tends to be a limit. Cheers

And sorry for the delayed addition to the thread. I am quite busy IRL now with some matters that requirements my attention.
And nope, I have not forgotten about this thread

[S4pp3R]

49 minutes ago, HoChunHao said:

There is? Well, thanks for the heads up. Never reached the limit before but hmmmmm, knowing most sites, there tends to be a limit. Cheers

And sorry for the delayed addition to the thread. I am quite busy IRL now with some matters that requirements my attention.
And nope, I have not forgotten about this thread

All g mate, I know how long things like these take!!

[mademoisail]

This is a super cool post. I'll be taking notes from you when you publish the French and Italian CA's.

Looking forward to it 🙂