When new researchable ships of another nation appear in the game,
it's always an extremely remarkable event
that brings new mechanics, new playstyles, new armaments,
and sometimes even new consumables.
Often, it's the sets of such features
that determine the signature styles of newcomers in our game.
So, what about the Spanish cruisers—
what's special about them?
We'll tell you shortly!
The ships of the Armada Española somewhat follow the path
laid by their Pan-American and Pan-Asian counterparts in World of Warships.
The newcomers are the result of the cooperation of the Spaniards
with the designers of other maritime powers.
However, the main feature of the Spaniards is not their origin
but the availability of Burst Fire.
The mechanic works as follows:
press the "F" key in battle, and your ship will switch to the alternative firing mode.
When enabled, with each double click of the left mouse button,
the cruiser will fire not one but two salvos at once.
To use Burst Fire again, you'll have to wait until reloading finishes.
And the reload time is much longer compared to firing in the standard mode.
Burst Fire is available to Spanish Tier VII through X cruisers.
We already have a similar mechanic in the game.
Captains who possess Condé, Annapolis, Edgar, or Álvaro de Bazán
will already be familiar with the nuances of the alternate firing mode.
If we take a closer look at the entire branch of Spanish cruisers,
it can be divided into two nominal groups.
The first consists of light cruisers—
Tier I through V ships with a main gun caliber of up to 152 mm.
The second group, starting with cruiser Baleares,
is represented by heavy cruisers.
The main gun caliber of these ships starts from a more solid 203 mm.
A large caliber is great, of course,
but the main thing for guns is their combat efficiency,
and all is well with the rojigualda-colored ships in this regard.
Spanish HE shells have good penetration, fire-setting chances, and damage.
AP shells do their job well, too,
especially when a hostile ship shows you her broadside at a distance of about 10 km.
But Spanish guns do have a fly in their ointment:
they have a quite an average firing range.
For example, Tier II ship Méndez Núñez
can reach targets at a modest distance of only 11.8 km,
while the pinnacle of the branch—Tier X cruiser Castilla—
already covers a distance of 17.1 km with her main guns.
Of course, both she and Tier IX ship Andalucía
can mount the Gun Fire Control System upgrade and fire over almost 20 km,
but these are high-tier cruisers.
We recommend that any Captains helming lower-tier cruisers
be cautious when approaching their opponents.
Another option to slash your opponent's HP is torpedoes.
This armament becomes available to the newcomers
starting from Tier IV, with Almirante Cervera.
Yes, their torpedoes aren't that great
and have average characteristics compared to those of their counterparts,
but they're sufficient enough when you're facing heavily armored targets.
Captains of Spanish cruisers have a wide variety of consumables to choose from.
Already at Tier IV,
the standard Damage Control Party is accompanied by Hydroacoustic Search.
From Tier VI, you can substitute the latter with Defensive AA Fire.
Tier VII cruiser Asturias gets access to the mentioned Burst Fire
and is also equipped with Repair Party,
as well as Fighter or Spotting Aircraft to choose from.
Let's talk about upgrades now:
We always recommend that Captains helming cruisers with a wide range of consumables
support their allied ships.
Timely activation of Hydroacoustic Search or Defensive AA Fire
can save not only the consumable owner but many close allies as well.
We mentioned close cooperation with allies for a reason.
We recommend that Captains of Spanish cruisers stay
close to teammates and fight from the back line most of the time.
The reason is their lack of strong armor,
as well as having part of their citadel located above the waterline.
So, an early raid at the forefront of your team may well be your last action in battle.
By the way, the newcomers are reasonably fast,
which slightly compensates for their average maneuverability and concealment.
No matter how much you want to show how fast your cruiser is,
we don't recommend doing so early in battle.
How then should you act when playing the Spanish cruisers?
Try to keep a safe distance from your opponent
and land your salvos as accurately as possible.
As for the alternative firing mode, there are no strict rules.
You can fire in the standard mode throughout the whole battle
and resort to Burst Fire only occasionally,
but nothing forbids you from mimicking a hunting rifle
and firing doubles for the entire battle.
One important thing—be attentive to fast and maneuverable targets.
If an opponent changes course regularly,
you had better fire a test shot and only then switch to Burst Fire.
The alternative firing mode will be of great help
in situations where you need to finish off a barely alive opponent;
this is especially true for retreating opponents with good concealment.
Also, a double salvo of AP shells will help win a duel at close quarters,
especially if your opponent exposes their broadside at a right angle.
The Spanish cruisers are essentially
the classic representatives of their type in the game.
Their playstyle is quite comfortable and intuitive,
and Burst Fire only expands their range of possibilities!
The Armada Española is already in World of Warships!
Take the helms of these ships and show everyone what the newcomers are capable of!