A Bare-Bones Research on Stord 43

[Project45_Opytny]

Comparing with the limited "adjustments" of Scharnhorst 43, Stord 43 can be described as a completely new ship using a copy-pasted model in terms of game performance in literal scene. Her questionable beginnings (that informally publicized WG Belgrade's still ongoing troubles after the divergence between Russian Lesta and Global WG became more profound), the assignment as the final reward for the Xmas battle pass, as well as the Battle Pass's unprecedented price increase all have drawn (or been drawing) considerable discussion.

I haven't made up my mind on the Xmas Battle Pass yet, though I think some bare-bones research may be done regarding Stord 43 to at least help others make sensible judgements.

Stord 43. Pan-European (Norwegian) Tier VII premium destroyer (though in terms of modelling and historical counterpart a carbon copy of the researchable Stord), sold for 3500 doubloons as reward for the Holiday Battle Pass of Patch 12.11. Despite, or perhaps also due to all the worries and controversies surrounding WG Belgrade's production capability and the future of the game, if the concurrent Michelangelo Dockyard is ignored, the Battle Pass (the holiday "event" in essence) is stupidly easy to complete: earn at least 1500 Base XP for at least 25 days during the 35 days patch (and it is designed in such a way that any more effort beyond this threshold would have far worse conversion rates).

Among her matchmaking spread...

Stord 43 can reach a maximum surface concealment of 6.75-km. Only a very limited number of destroyers and submarines (excluding higher tiers: Guepard, Aigle, Minsk, Z-1 Maass, Blyskawica; even Mahan is slightly stealthier) within her MM spread are worse than that. Haida can outspot her from almost 1km away, Gadjah Mada from 0.6km away.

Her "standard" HP pool is also in the poorer half, though with proper build and correct circumstances she may outlast even Mogador and Kitakaze, only inferior to Adriatico, German 6-incher Oceanic gunboats and all other destroyers with access to a repair party.

36.8 kts is middling for a destroyer and she does not has access to engine boost.

Main battery DPM seems also middling (110270, salvo DPS 6800). Inferior to Vauquelin, Mahan, Blyskawica, Gadjah Mada, Sims, Huron... gun handling not great either, 18s for 180 degrees, 43/43 firing arch, ballistics is close to Lightning/Wakeful/Orkan/Bofors 120mm DP on higher tier Swedish and Dutch DDs.

Torpedoes 2*4, 7533 Alpha, reloads in 90s. 10 km range, 76 kts. "German-esque" smokescreen (that while disperse faster has nothing compensated in return).

She does have a more powerful and effective heal comparing with her peers, that can recharge a larger part of HP pool in shorter activation time at the cost of having only 3 charges with Superintent.

So it seems that her design concept is to fight a battle of attrition against her adversaries, that despite numerous poor and/or middling characteristics she may outlast her enemies?

 

And on the Battle Pass. While indeed more expensive and comes with less valuable rewards (themed commanders, ornamental items, event tokens and a... questionable new premium; no steel or RP), it is also much easier (merely 1500 Base XP, and regardless of winning or not, is needed to finish the primary part of the daily grind) to complete the chain (however, any additional progress also suffer from progressively poor conversion rate).

May experts here provide some more authoritative opinion on both Stord 43 and the Holiday Battle pass as a whole?

[Daniel_Allan_Clark]

I got Scharnhorst 43, which is what I wanted out of the battle pass.

[Project45_Opytny]

8 minutes ago, Daniel_Allan_Clark said:

I got Scharnhorst 43, which is what I wanted out of the battle pass.

For any player who plays regularly Scharnhorst 43 is in effect log-in reward. And may all of you please be a little more constructive? I want to see discussion with more details rather than the indeed true "getting S-43 is good enough".

Edited December 13, 2023 by Project45_Opytny

[Daniel_Allan_Clark]

34 minutes ago, Project45_Opytny said:

For any player who plays regularly Scharnhorst 43 is in effect log-in reward. And may all of you please be a little more constructive? I want to see discussion with more details rather than the indeed true "getting S-43 is good enough".

Sorry...but you did ask for comments on the Holiday Battle Pass as a whole.

I have yet to ever actually finish any battle pass, so the end game rewards just aren't relevant to me.

If you want my opinion on Stord?

It's a historical ship, which won't be meta defining or overpowered. It will be good in skilled hands, but if I did complete the battle pass, I still wouldn't spend the doubloons to get her.

My doubloons are being saved for a tier 8 CV, which I will play more.

[Ensign Cthulhu]

1 hour ago, Project45_Opytny said:

And on the Battle Pass. While indeed more expensive and comes with less valuable rewards (themed commanders, ornamental items, event tokens and a... questionable new premium; no steel or RP), it is also much easier

...and...

2 hours ago, Project45_Opytny said:

May experts here provide some more authoritative opinion on both Stord 43 and the Holiday Battle pass as a whole?

I'm one of those people who always waits until the very end of the battle pass before deciding whether I'm going to buy it, just to be absolutely sure that I complete it before coughing up any dubs. I didn't at first like the sharp uptick in points per stage after Scharn 43, but when I actually sat down and crunched the numbers I realized that yes, all you in fact needed to do was earn 1500 base XP a day, win or lose. That's easily within reach of a beginner with their first Tier 5 ship, let alone someone like me with six years under my belt and over 400 ships in my port. 

I also like the fact that all the steel in the Christmas Pass is on the free track. 

As for the cost: 3500 doubloons gets you a Tier 6 premium ship (current going prices between 4000 and 7,100 dubs in the Armory) and two 10-point commanders (usual going value in the Armory = 1500 apiece). Even if you take the least valuable T6 doubloon ship as the yardstick, that's 7,000 dubs value for all the 'permanent' content even before you figure in the gift certificates (enough for two Mega Santa containers, each of which would sell for 1250 dubs individually) and the coal. 

Now, you are at liberty to state that you personally don't need and/or don't want the stuff on the paid track, and that's fine - but on the basis of the prices you'd be paying for the items individually, the paid track doesn't exactly represent a bad deal. 

2 hours ago, Project45_Opytny said:

and it is designed in such a way that any more effort beyond this threshold would have far worse conversion rates

We'll see. What I get beyond the final stage rewards (i.e. Stord 43 on the paid track) is what it is. My ideal outcome will be to finish on some multiple of five certificates so I can use them all up on Mega crates. No paid crates this year; my Santa whaling days are done (got all the banned ships I want already). 

1 hour ago, Project45_Opytny said:

I want to see discussion with more details rather than the indeed true "getting S-43 is good enough".

I think it's fair for a beginner, occasional, or casual player to see the acquisition of a Tier 7 premium battleship for a (relatively) trivial amount of effort through that lens, especially given what previous ships of the same or lower tier have asked of the playerbase in previous years. I disagree violently with Daniel on most aspects of this game, but I see no need to nitpick with him over this. Anyone who wasn't around for North Cape, the Aigle and Indianapolis Marathons and the Prinz Eitel Friedrich campaign (among others) doesn't realize just how amazingly generous WG are being with Scharn 43, even if she is a slightly altered retread of an existing premium. 

1 hour ago, Daniel_Allan_Clark said:

My doubloons are being saved for a tier 8 CV, which I will play more.

Which one, out of interest?

[Daniel_Allan_Clark]

20 minutes ago, Ensign Cthulhu said:

Which one, out of interest?

Indomitable.

I miss the sling shot.

[RX160S_Byarlant_Custom]

2 hours ago, Project45_Opytny said:

Comparing with the limited "adjustments" of Scharnhorst 43, Stord 43 can be described as a completely new ship using a copy-pasted model in terms of game performance in literal scene. Her questionable beginnings (that informally publicized WG Belgrade's still ongoing troubles after the divergence between Russian Lesta and Global WG became more profound), the assignment as the final reward for the Xmas battle pass, as well as the Battle Pass's unprecedented price increase all have drawn (or been drawing) considerable discussion.

I haven't made up my mind on the Xmas Battle Pass yet, though I think some bare-bones research may be done regarding Stord 43 to at least help others make sensible judgements.

Stord 43. Pan-European (Norwegian) Tier VII premium destroyer (though in terms of modelling and historical counterpart a carbon copy of the researchable Stord), sold for 3500 doubloons as reward for the Holiday Battle Pass of Patch 12.11. Despite, or perhaps also due to all the worries and controversies surrounding WG Belgrade's production capability and the future of the game, if the concurrent Michelangelo Dockyard is ignored, the Battle Pass (the holiday "event" in essence) is stupidly easy to complete: earn at least 1500 Base XP for at least 25 days during the 35 days patch (and it is designed in such a way that any more effort beyond this threshold would have far worse conversion rates).

Among her matchmaking spread...

Stord 43 can reach a maximum surface concealment of 6.75-km. Only a very limited number of destroyers and submarines (excluding higher tiers: Guepard, Aigle, Minsk, Z-1 Maass, Blyskawica; even Mahan is slightly stealthier) within her MM spread are worse than that. Haida can outspot her from almost 1km away, Gadjah Mada from 0.6km away.

Her "standard" HP pool is also in the poorer half, though with proper build and correct circumstances she may outlast even Mogador and Kitakaze, only inferior to Adriatico, German 6-incher Oceanic gunboats and all other destroyers with access to a repair party.

36.8 kts is middling for a destroyer and she does not has access to engine boost.

Main battery DPM seems also middling (110270, salvo DPS 6800). Inferior to Vauquelin, Mahan, Blyskawica, Gadjah Mada, Sims, Huron... gun handling not great either, 18s for 180 degrees, 43/43 firing arch, ballistics is close to Lightning/Wakeful/Orkan/Bofors 120mm DP on higher tier Swedish and Dutch DDs.

Torpedoes 2*4, 7533 Alpha, reloads in 90s. 10 km range, 76 kts. "German-esque" smokescreen (that while disperse faster has nothing compensated in return).

She does have a more powerful and effective heal comparing with her peers, that can recharge a larger part of HP pool in shorter activation time at the cost of having only 3 charges with Superintent.

So it seems that her design concept is to fight a battle of attrition against her adversaries, that despite numerous poor and/or middling characteristics she may outlast her enemies?

 

And on the Battle Pass. While indeed more expensive and comes with less valuable rewards (themed commanders, ornamental items, event tokens and a... questionable new premium; no steel or RP), it is also much easier (merely 1500 Base XP, and regardless of winning or not, is needed to finish the primary part of the daily grind) to complete the chain (however, any additional progress also suffer from progressively poor conversion rate).

May experts here provide some more authoritative opinion on both Stord 43 and the Holiday Battle pass as a whole?

From what I can see, your assessment is a logical one. It's like Neutrashimy (survive and outlast) but all the odds are stacked against her. It will be hard to use her heals to maximum potential, though I feel that some of these characteristics such as concealment come from virtue of being T7. 

She will not outlast Mogador for sure, because of French saturation. It's also incredibly likely it dies without using all 3 heals, as other than her poor smoke, she also has to contend with poor speed, conceal, DPM and HP pool. At T7 she has the lowest base HP pool of all DDs, which is likely to keep the superheal from being too broken op. In other words, she cannot fight or run away to live very well, at least from visible stats. 

In any case, the Battle Pass's main highlight is not Stord 43. In my opinion the other freebies it provides, including the bonus rewards you can quite feasibly get, would make it worth the doubloons, mostly the crates.

[BOBTHEBALL]

2 hours ago, Daniel_Allan_Clark said:

I got Scharnhorst 43, which is what I wanted out of the battle pass.

She's nice imo, good OPs ship. Personally I am also wanting the steel so I can get Stalingrad.

[Ensign Cthulhu]

20 minutes ago, Daniel_Allan_Clark said:

Indomitable.

I miss the sling shot.

I have her. She's weird AF. She's good for farming spotting ribbons and bomb hits, but you're very dependent on being able to light fires to get damage. Also, the lack of torps and the RNG dependence of bombs means you can't guarantee getting a solid punch in if you need to kill something in a hurry (e.g. it's hunting you or the clock is running down). This is particularly the case in co-op. 

Ultimately it's your money, and if you want the slingshot that badly then go for it; but if I had to make a choice out of any of my T8 premium carriers to only keep one, it would be my Kaga Black.

[Daniel_Allan_Clark]

6 minutes ago, Ensign Cthulhu said:

I have her. She's weird AF. She's good for farming spotting ribbons and bomb hits, but you're very dependent on being able to light fires to get damage. Also, the lack of torps and the RNG dependence of bombs means you can't guarantee getting a solid punch in if you need to kill something in a hurry (e.g. it's hunting you or the clock is running down). This is particularly the case in co-op. 

Ultimately it's your money, and if you want the slingshot that badly then go for it; but if I had to make a choice out of any of my T8 premium carriers to only keep one, it would be my Kaga Black.

🙂

Yes, I like weird ships.

For example, I've been pleasantly surprised at how pleasurable Genova has been to play...because it's another total meme ship (<42 second reload on torpedoes!). I love my Friesland, which is also weird.

Kaga just seems to me like a boring ship...her only actual benefit is that she has big deck reserves...but I don't have issues maintaining deck reserves...and all her weapons are low damage output for tier 8 (not Implacable bad, but not interesting either). The only interesting thing about her are her big secondaries...but that's not enough to tempt me to buy her.

I like to buy premiums based on their unique gameplay.

 

[Ensign Cthulhu]

1 hour ago, Daniel_Allan_Clark said:

Yes, I like weird ships.

For example...

(snip)

I like to buy premiums based on their unique gameplay.

Oh in that case, by all means go for it.

I have tried Kaga secondaries. They didn't cut it. The ability to put up torpedo strike after torpedo strike and farm torp hit ribbons against bots for missions was the driving consideration for me, and I am well satisfied with my purchase.

[GMMF]

5 hours ago, Ensign Cthulhu said:

Anyone who wasn't around for North Cape, the Aigle and Indianapolis Marathons and the Prinz Eitel Friedrich campaign (among others)

Somehow I missed all of these during my hiatus, fml.

7 hours ago, Project45_Opytny said:

I haven't made up my mind on the Xmas Battle Pass yet

There's still time yet to decide, for me I am procrastinating on all the ship reviews + event reviews so I can't quite 100% sure on whether the 3.5k doubs will be worth it. Eventually I will make up my mind at the end of Dec. 

Based on a brief look on Uocat's review, Stord 43 isn't that great of a ship (to be honest, not many reviews of this ship can be found) and in my opinion, she's quite middle of the pack. I rarely take T7 DDs out for a spin on randoms/ops, and I don't think she will excel at either. The heal is interesting at T7 specific modes, like the bronze ranked at the moment but I have progressed through it already, so lost the chance to pit her against peers.

Overall the heal can help when fighting DDs but the dpm & dph aren't impressive at all, adding the fact that T7 DD like her face harsh environments at T7 ranked facing Haidas/Hurons/Belfasts & Indianapolis. Which won't be easy but could be manageable if one is utilizing the consumables towards his favor. I do like the torpedoes, where they provide a comfortable usage when facing ranked environment that has lots of Sinops/Gneisenaus, harassing them while forcing them to use dcp.

Personally I still rank my Huron higher than her, and will use Huron more in T7 specific modes, plus the fact that Stord 43 might require yet another different captain from my Halland (torpedo build) and Gdansk (AFT build). But for collective purpose, absolutely yes. I really like war emergency programme destroyers, having a premium version in port is a big yes.  

Edited December 13, 2023 by GMMF

[New_Jersey_prpr]

On 12/14/2023 at 5:06 AM, GMMF said:

Based on a brief look on Uocat's review

Wow, pretty surprised that he's got some viewers outside Chinese community.

[GMMF]

3 hours ago, New_Jersey_prpr said:

Wow, pretty surprised that he's got some viewers outside Chinese community.

One of the more reputable reviews in my opinion, and I like his video structure. Though sometimes the length is bit too long/he recommends too much RPF XD

[Sailor_Moon]

On 12/13/2023 at 11:44 AM, BOBTHEBALL said:

She's nice imo, good OPs ship. Personally I am also wanting the steel so I can get Stalingrad.

I have to admit, 10% and 14% fire chance on secondaries is pretty solid 👀

 

[ReDiR20]

Can't wait to unlock Stord43, probably the most interesting premium released this year. The only T7 DD with improved heal. Long range torps, decent dpm. Good DD players will abuse that heal and this will be the best T7 DD for randoms or ranked.

[BOBTHEBALL]

7 hours ago, Sailor_Moon said:

I have to admit, 10% and 14% fire chance on secondaries is pretty solid 👀

 

Yeah it defo is