Japanese culture cherishes an important concept: Miyabi.
It means to polish one’s craft and remove all impurities
until one reaches the highest form of elegance.
One look at the Japanese battleships,
and you’ll notice this idea permeating their design and firepower—
they are deadly machines in the form of pure elegance.
The Japanese Navy has welcomed
three new members to their proud battleship fleet:
Tier VIII Yumihari, Tier IX Adatara, and Tier X Bungo.
These notable new ships have just left Early Access,
allowing players to research them in the Tech Tree.
Captains who love playing Japanese battleships
are going to particularly love the new additions to the nation’s fleet.
Let’s see what unique playstyles they bring to the table
and how you can benefit from them best!
Feast your eyes on Yumihari.
This ship was the pinnacle of design at the beginning of the 20th century.
After the Russo-Japanese War,
the Japanese government set out to build a new line of ships
as part of the Eight-Four Fleet Program from 1916 through 1918.
She was the product of an improved design based on Kongo,
but after some improvements to the original idea
and the addition of a 5th turret, the Amagi-class ship was born.
The majestic Adatara and Bungo were supposed to be constructed
to turn the existing plan into the Eight-Eight Fleet Program,
but their construction was canceled
due to the outcome of the Washington Naval Conference.
However, these ships have been given new life in World of Warships,
meaning that you can experience the brilliance of their design
in virtual sea battles!
Like all Japanese battleships,
the three new ships excel when it comes to their main battery artillery.
They boast large-caliber guns with a high firing range
and quite good accuracy.
Yumihari and Adatara have damage output
that’s slightly on the lower side
due to the fact they carry eight main battery guns,
while Bungo can inflict significant damage with her 10 main battery guns.
These battleships fire highly effective HE shells
that are perfect for long-range attacks,
but their AP shells have low penetration characteristics.
Nevertheless, you should switch to them
when your opponent is showing their broadside—
be sure to aim for the citadel.
As for their secondary gun damage output,
we can say that it’s pretty decent overall.
The advantages of these Japanese battleships are additionally enhanced
by a unique consumable that’s characteristic of this Techline:
High-Precision Spotter.
This consumable not only increases the firing range
but also boosts the ships’ accuracy.
What sets these beauties apart from their same-tier counterparts
are their concealment stats.
You will have to take advantage of this
as these battleships have small HP pools
and their armor is nothing to write home about.
There is a reason they received the “battlecruiser” moniker.
You have to play them more carefully
as their survivability is on the lower side for a battleship.
Chances are that you’ll often be using
your Damage Control Party and Repair Party consumables.
An additional problem for this line of ships
is their poor anti-aircraft defenses.
Just like other Japanese battleships,
Yumihari, Adatara, and Bungo are easy targets for aerial assaults.
You might get tempted to replace High-Precision Spotter
with Fighter to boost their AA defenses;
however, this would mean missing out on the awesome advantage
of the unique High-Precision Spotter consumable.
It's better to bolster your anti-aircraft defenses
by sailing next to teammates
who can shield you from aggressive aircraft.
Finally, all three ships sail at quite an average speed,
but they do perform in this respect
slightly better than their Japanese battleship peers.
All three ships will make good use of the following list of upgrades:
Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1
Slot 2: Damage Control System Modification 1
Slot 3: Aiming Systems Modification 1
Slot 4: Damage Control System Modification 2
Slot 5: Concealment System Modification 1
Slot 6: Main Battery Modification 3
As for Commander training,
any skills that improve the ships’ survivability are bound to help.
Be sure to invest some skill points
into Emergency Repair Specialist, Consumables Specialist,
Gun Feeder, and Concealment Expert.
You also can’t go wrong with Adrenaline Rush.
From all the characteristics we’ve listed, it becomes apparent
that players should avoid close-quarters combat skirmishes
due to the ships' low HP and vulnerable citadels.
Conversely, they shine at medium- and long-range combat
due to their concealment stats and exceptional firing capabilities.
Position yourself in the right spot,
and don’t hesitate to back off
if you come under fire and things are getting hot.
You can inflict a considerable amount of damage
with effective HE shells from a distance,
but if you find yourself in enemy crosshairs in close combat,
switch to AP shells and gun for the citadel.
Don’t wait any longer:
log in to World of Warships
where these magnificent ships are waiting for you.
Try them out and discover the new capabilities
that the Japanese battleships offer—
jump into battle and demonstrate your skills
with Yumihari, Adatara, and Bungo!