7 days until new coal/steel coupon... Help me with ship, please?

[WildWind84]

Hi everyone 🙂

Like I write before, it is 7 days till new cupon and in my case this should go for steel ship (with coupon I have enough steel for bb or cruiser).

Problem: Shikishima/Stalingrad or Mecklenburg (or another option - cruiser or bb)? Options like CVs, dds, and subs are out. 

Mainly BB player, enjoy in sec.bbs, but also LIKE Burgogne (I enjoy play that ship). I know that Stalingrad is very good pick, but I am honestly not sure that Stalingrad would be very good in my hands...

Captains: Lutjens - I have (sec. spec); Sansoneti - have, Yamamoto- have, Kuznetsov - haven't. 

Thanks and sorry for bad english.

[Jakeshuffle]

The Shiki and Mecklenburg obviously have opposite playstyles from each other. In my noob opinion I think you'd get more advantage using Yamamoto on Shiki than you would with Lutjens on Mecklenburg if that makes a difference to you.

[Beleaf]

I will spend some of my 2.2 million coal on a Hayate.

[Wolfswetpaws]

2 hours ago, WildWind84 said:

Hi everyone 🙂

Like I write before, it is 7 days till new cupon and in my case this should go for steel ship (with coupon I have enough steel for bb or cruiser).

Problem: Shikishima/Stalingrad or Mecklenburg (or another option - cruiser or bb)? Options like CVs, dds, and subs are out. 

Mainly BB player, enjoy in sec.bbs, but also LIKE Burgogne (I enjoy play that ship). I know that Stalingrad is very good pick, but I am honestly not sure that Stalingrad would be very good in my hands...

Captains: Lutjens - I have (sec. spec); Sansoneti - have, Yamamoto- have, Kuznetsov - haven't. 

Thanks and sorry for bad english.

Congratulations on accumulating enough steel to get a ship.  🙂 

My first steel ship was the Shikishima.  Next was the Bourgogne.  Third was the Gato.

~For a lively game with a ship that can sail into the action quickly, the Bourgogne is preferable.
~That said, if you're willing to play at medium to long ranges and have a thorough understanding of the Yamato class of ships, the Shikishima offers bigger guns which hit hard.
The guns are fewer in number, though, as I imagine you already know.
~If you prefer to brawl, then Mecklenburg is the obvious contender.

I've not researched steel cruisers thoroughly.  So, I'm going to let others chime-in with their suggestions.

Enjoy your shopping experience.  🙂 

 

[Wolfswetpaws]

5 minutes ago, Beleaf said:

I will spend some of my 2.2 million coal on a Hayate.

I welcomed the Hayate in exchage for 2 million FreeXP, back before she was changed to a coal-ship.
The recent buffs/tweaks are welcome.

[BOBTHEBALL]

3 hours ago, WildWind84 said:

Hi everyone 🙂

Like I write before, it is 7 days till new cupon and in my case this should go for steel ship (with coupon I have enough steel for bb or cruiser).

Problem: Shikishima/Stalingrad or Mecklenburg (or another option - cruiser or bb)? Options like CVs, dds, and subs are out. 

Mainly BB player, enjoy in sec.bbs, but also LIKE Burgogne (I enjoy play that ship). I know that Stalingrad is very good pick, but I am honestly not sure that Stalingrad would be very good in my hands...

Captains: Lutjens - I have (sec. spec); Sansoneti - have, Yamamoto- have, Kuznetsov - haven't. 

Thanks and sorry for bad english.

Stalingrad is a top pick most definitely. Great ship still amazing to play in 2024.

Shikishima is like a slight upgrade over Yamato, not worth the price of steel in my opinion. Mecklenburg is quite overrated in my honest opinion and also not really worth it for steel. 

You don't need Kuznetsov for Stalingrad, any normal commander works for it.

You could also get Lauria because that ship is insane and very good to play.

Lauria, Stalingrad, Bourgogne are the first three steel ships people should pick up in my opinion.

[BOBTHEBALL]

4 hours ago, Wolfswetpaws said:

~If you prefer to brawl, then Mecklenburg is the obvious contender.

Mecklenburg actually is best with a normal BB build, she's not very good at brawling and should make use of her small but accurate guns.

[MidnightPhoenix07]

1 hour ago, BOBTHEBALL said:

Mecklenburg actually is best with a normal BB build, she's not very good at brawling and should make use of her small but accurate guns.

Agreed. She can brawl if forced to, since she does have torps, German secondaries, and okay armor. But it doesn’t have GK/Preussen’s large health pool, and the main battery firing angles are painfully bad. Plus, if you want a German brawler and don’t care about having lots of HP, Schlieffen’s probably the better option.

Mecklenburg’s “unique” feature is the excellent main battery accuracy, so why not take advantage of it?

[Volron]

Gato or FDR.

Edited May 26 by Volron

[Wolfswetpaws]

3 hours ago, BOBTHEBALL said:

Mecklenburg actually is best with a normal BB build, she's not very good at brawling and should make use of her small but accurate guns.

 

2 hours ago, MidnightPhoenix07 said:

Agreed. She can brawl if forced to, since she does have torps, German secondaries, and okay armor. But it doesn’t have GK/Preussen’s large health pool, and the main battery firing angles are painfully bad. Plus, if you want a German brawler and don’t care about having lots of HP, Schlieffen’s probably the better option.

Mecklenburg’s “unique” feature is the excellent main battery accuracy, so why not take advantage of it?

Thank you both.  I don't have the Mecklenburg.

Edited to add:  I took a look at her wiki-page to refresh my memory and impressions.  The last "con" agrees with both of you.
https://wiki.wargaming.net/en/Ship:Mecklenburg
 

Quote

Pros:

• Good accuracy with 2.05 sigma and battlecruiser dispersion (rare for German ships)
• 16 accurate guns with a quick reload time and fast shell speed make it very consistent.
• Both HE and AP are usable and should be switched often.
• While the fire chance per shell is not great, due to the large amount of shells per salvo it is a decent fire starter
• 4 short range Torpedoes on each side for emergency brawling situations
• Fairly fast and a decent rudder shift make it maneuverable for a BB.
• Good German armor scheme makes the ship difficult to citadel.

 

Cons:

• Terrible firing angles, by far the worst of any Tier X BB (even the GK)
• AP shells have the lowest penetration and overmatch due to the ships small caliber 305 guns. This is somewhat made up for by sheer shell amount, but citadels will be rare against more heavily armored opponents, especially at longer ranges. AP should only be fired when a target is broadside (or against light cruisers). Salvos against angled heavy cruisers and battleships will be disappointing.
• Low HP pool.
• No Hydro (usually standard on German BB's)
• Middle of the pack concealment and range.
• Much like the GK and Preussen, the ships armor scheme makes it hard to citadel but also very easy to full pen. This combined with a low HP pool makes giving broadside very dangerous, but also must be done often due to its poor firing angles.
• Plays best at mid to long ranges. Brawling is not recommended due to multiple factors. The ship needs to show a lot of broadside to fire all guns, the low gun caliber, low health pool, low secondary DPM and no Hydro.

 

Edited May 26 by Wolfswetpaws

[BOBTHEBALL]

6 minutes ago, Wolfswetpaws said:

 

Thank you both.  I don't have the Mecklenburg.

No problem at all, we're here to help 🫡

[Frostbow]

11 hours ago, WildWind84 said:

Problem: Shikishima/Stalingrad or Mecklenburg (or another option - cruiser or bb)? Options like CVs, dds, and subs are out. 

I have the Mecklenburg and the Stalingrad.

Coming from my experiences, if you have the Yamato, I suggest not getting the Shikishima. Get the Satsuma instead if >460mm is important for you.

If you want a secondary battleship, Schlieffen is the answer. Mecklenburg is best played with Aiming Systems Mod 1 and Main Battery Mod 3, because she is best suited for longer range combat. Sixteen (16) 305mm guns with battlecruiser dispersion and 2.05 sigma is a potent package brought down only by atrocious firing angles. 

Stalingrad is a fine ship. Her AP is amazing, but do keep an eye on your flanks. Get this ship if you want a Steel cruiser. If you're not sure about it yet, hold, and try Moskva first.

Have you considered the Ruggiero di Lauria? 457mm SAP slaps really hard.

[WildWind84]

Thank you all 🙂 I would check also Lauria 🙂 Bourgogne I already have - great ship 🙂 FDR, Gato and Hayate - thanks, but ISN'T option for me. 

About Macklenburg honestly - heart says yes,,, Mind says - no. Reasons for no: already have Schlieffen, Preussen, GK. Mecklenburg with low penetrating AP and low HP doesn't seems like great brawler... Or I mistake?

Stalingrad - I have Moskva... how I was play Moskva...that isn't good in my case (still learning).

Shikishima - I already see future devstrike medal for someone, earned on my citas on Shiki... 😕 

 

Damn, choose Burgogne was easy... now this isn't easy 😕 

Edited May 26 by WildWind84

[Wolfswetpaws]

16 minutes ago, WildWind84 said:

Damn, choose Burgogne was easy... now this isn't easy 😕 

I think the Bourgogne is still an easy choice and a good one.  She's a fun ship.

My next ship (since I already have the Shikishima, the Bourgogne and the Gato) could be the Mecklenburg.
I imagine she'll do fine in Co-op and I happen to like accurate guns with long range and minimal dispersion.

This is about your choice, though.  So, do what you feel will be the most fun for you.  🙂 

[Efros]

My only coal option right now is U-4501... not happening. Patiently waiting for the next coal ship.

[Gnirf]

58 minutes ago, Efros said:

My only coal option right now is U-4501... not happening. Patiently waiting for the next coal ship.

I guess that will be more options in the future. Meanwhile it is always good to have options if a new commander arrives or some other form of resource sink.

F.e. last years Smolensk B auction or the two resource events (Champagne, Kitikami) so having a good amount of coal is never bad.  

[Efros]

43 minutes ago, Gnirf said:

I guess that will be more options in the future. Meanwhile it is always good to have options if a new commander arrives or some other form of resource sink.

F.e. last years Smolensk B auction or the two resource events (Champagne, Kitikami) so having a good amount of coal is never bad.  

My best acquisition in a long time was Defence as part of the Kitakami resource sink. I didn't go the whole hog and get Kitakami, but Defence has been a load of fun.

[YouSatInGum]

7 hours ago, BOBTHEBALL said:

Mecklenburg actually is best with a normal BB build, she's not very good at brawling and should make use of her small but accurate guns.

Agreed....  Meck's real advantage is it's super accurate guns (for a BB).  It's fast enough for flanking maneuvers but if you want to play W key wars then Schleif is your boat.

Sit just outside of detect or island cover and set fires or switch AP to broadsides.

...then maybe late game you can sail in.

If you want to know a BB's true potential as a duke it out ship.... There's 4 parameters you need to look at.... #1 ship sustain .... can it live long enough to do a lot of damage

#2 HItting DPM - function of DPM and accuracy

#3 Range - if your range is close to detect it makes you a dangerous target for small ships and gives you the ability to retreat if needed.  Schleif is near broken in this regard.

#4 Pen - Are your landed shells doing damage?  Mass used to be secondary monster but a small math change in IFHE calculations (pen went from 27 to 26mm) and suddenly took many cruisers off it's cafeteria menu and made taking IFHE too costly.  Meck is only #19 in hitting DPM but having 32mm stock pen saves it as a brawling ship. 

[YouSatInGum]

Anyway - if you don't have Burger yet...  I'd recommend that one.  Shiki is really too similar to legendary Yammy when you have other playstyles you haven't bought yet.

Among cruisers....unfortunately IMO there are no really must have options.

Even Staly has been nerfed down/power crept to shadow of itself... it's why you rarely see them in comp anymore.... it's sustain is a liability.

All the others so situational to the point of being mediocre carry ships.

I had hopes for Komissar but I haven't been able to make it work for me like it did in testing.  I don't exactly remember originaI spec, but I think they reigned in range forcing you take range mod to cut your DPM.  I guess they wanted to make it more reliant on it's rocket plane thing, but alas they are making more bad design choices by making spotting exploits a feature of that ship... i.e. playing cruiser or DD against a Kearsarge in ranked is truly a miserable experience, and from a game design perspective is an exercise in stupidity.  Having planes as consumables is truly a lazy and indefensible design decision.

 

[Itwastuesday]

21 minutes ago, YouSatInGum said:

 

 

I had hopes for Komissar but I haven't been able to make it work for me like it did in testing.  I don't exactly remember originaI spec, but I think they reigned in range forcing you take range mod to cut your DPM.  I guess they wanted to make it more reliant on it's rocket plane thing, but alas they are making more bad design choices by making spotting exploits a feature of that ship...

The finest feature of it is 12 gun soviet ap broadside. Unfortunately that is diluted by everything it gives up for the gimmick that's not itself very intresting. 

[WildWind84]

1 hour ago, YouSatInGum said:

Anyway - if you don't have Burger yet...  I'd recommend that one.  Shiki is really too similar to legendary Yammy when you have other playstyles you haven't bought yet.

Among cruisers....unfortunately IMO there are no really must have options.

Even Staly has been nerfed down/power crept to shadow of itself... it's why you rarely see them in comp anymore.... it's sustain is a liability.

All the others so situational to the point of being mediocre carry ships.

I had hopes for Komissar but I haven't been able to make it work for me like it did in testing.  I don't exactly remember originaI spec, but I think they reigned in range forcing you take range mod to cut your DPM.  I guess they wanted to make it more reliant on it's rocket plane thing, but alas they are making more bad design choices by making spotting exploits a feature of that ship... i.e. playing cruiser or DD against a Kearsarge in ranked is truly a miserable experience, and from a game design perspective is an exercise in stupidity.  Having planes as consumables is truly a lazy and indefensible design decision.

 

Tnx for all. Yes, I have Burgogne (my only steel ship currently), all TT BB ships (haven't hibrid), all coal bbs (exept Kaersage), and from RP I have Slava, Ohio (sec. spec) and Ilinois (from BB options). Right now is honestly choice between Mecklenburg and Shikishima (Lauria can wait). 

EDIT: And my clan doesn't play CB so collecting steel is hard for me (that is also 1 reason why I can't decide what to pick - I know that will pass lots of time until next steel ship).

Edited May 26 by WildWind84

[BOBTHEBALL]

11 hours ago, YouSatInGum said:

 

Even Staly has been nerfed down/power crept to shadow of itself... it's why you rarely see them in comp anymore.... it's sustain is a liability.

 

I don't know what you're taking about here, Stalingrad is still insane to play in random battles. Amazing ship when your positioning is right. Can slap all broadsides and has better fire setting chance than Yoshino. I don't know why people say she's not good when she clearly is still AMAZING and 100% worth it.

[BOBTHEBALL]

10 hours ago, WildWind84 said:

 choice between Mecklenburg and Shikishima (Lauria can wait). 

If those were my two options, I'd just wait and hope WG releases something else

[WildWind84]

Just feedbeck, thanks for all advices, but when coupon arrived I bought Shikishima.

Thanks for all guys 🙂 

[OT2_2]

57 minutes ago, WildWind84 said:

Just feedbeck, thanks for all advices, but when coupon arrived I bought Shikishima.

Thanks for all guys 🙂 

Surely an ok choice! I bought Mecklenburg today and am glad I did so. Ships, even those made of pixels, have to fit the owner and nobody else. Some of the "advices" here had been on the verge of impudence IMO. One has to respect opinions of others, which usually are as good as the own ones. Enjoy yor Shiki!