Chapayev is a light cruiser with really heavy fists.
This ambitious representative of the Soviet branch is full of surprises:
useful for her Commander and distressing for her enemies.
As a matter of fact, there are 12 surprises in each salvo.
Chapayev is currently the only light cruiser at Tier VIII,
and she has to compete with heavyweight warriors like
New Orleans, Mogami and Admiral Hipper.
While the latter can be viewed as armor-plated knights,
Chapayev is a rather skillful archer.
The Soviet cruiser will be in trouble when it comes to a close engagement,
but at long distance she can challenge any type of ship,
from destroyers to battleships,
raining on them with a hail of shells.
Chapayev's main point of pride is her accurate artillery.
The relatively low caliber of her guns—152 mm—
can seem like a serious drawback at first.
But that first impression can be deceptive:
the low caliber is compensated for by a great combination of the artillery's superb range,
rate of fire, and accuracy —
other Tier VIII cruisers can only envy Chapayev for this.
The ship's 12 guns can fire 7.5 rounds per minute.
And this is coupled with excellent ballistics and grouping of shots!
In other words, firing Chapayev's cannons is like firing a machine gun with sniper accuracy.
And even if the enemy realizes the danger in time,
it’s almost impossible to get away from this Soviet cruiser.
In top configuration, Chapayev's guns can reach the enemy at a range of 17.3 km.
And the Surveillance Radar consumable will light up all enemy ships at a distance of 11.7 km,
depriving destroyers of a chance to hide behind a smoke screen.
Even another Soviet Tier VIII ship, Premium cruiser Mikhail Kutuzov
cannot compete with Chapayev in this capability.
Mikhail Kutuzov has Hydroacoustic Search with a detection range of 4.44 km,
but it is far behind Chapayev’s radar.
Another advantage over the Premium cruiser is lower detectability.
Chapayev can get almost one kilometer closer than Mikhail Kutuzov before being detected,
which may be quite useful in battle.
In certain conditions, Chapayev can counter ships of any type.
The most important thing is selecting the right shell type.
Experience has shown that when the range is within 14 km,
players should switch to armor-piercing shells and try to hit the citadel.
At a greater range, it is more efficient to hail the enemy with high-explosive shells.
As for the Commander, besides such typical "cruiser" skills as Situation Awareness,
Basics of Survivability, and Basic Firing Training,
it is worth mastering Advanced Firing Training and Preventive Maintenance.
And to make high-explosive shells more effective, you should also look to the Demolition Expert skill.
With this perk, several good salvoes will set the enemy battleships on fire.
Of course, burning out battleships with HE shells is a long and dangerous affair.
But Chapayev has a nice trick up its sleeve for just this occasion.
In top configuration, the cruiser's range of fire is slightly over 17 km.
But with a camouflage, the Concealment System upgrade,
and the Concealment Expert skill,
Chapayev will be detected from about 14.5 km when she is firing.
As a result you have a safe zone of about 2.5 km.
From there you can fire while remaining unseen by the enemy,
which means you are invulnerable to return fire.
In this case, only enemy aircraft can ruin your plans.
Chapayev boasts pretty good anti-aircraft guns,
and with the top hull configuration they are one of the best at Tier VIII.
However, this may not be enough when facing the impudent
and enduring squadrons of Tier VIII aircraft carriers.
To improve your chances, you may as well master the Advanced Firing Training skill
and mount the November Echo Setteseven signal.
Torpedoes are also available on Chapayev —
they are powerful, but have an extremely low range.
With a range of only 4 km, they are basically a last resort.
If the enemy managed to get that close,
it's a strong sign you are really in trouble and should launch the torpedoes.
In all other cases, stay at a long range and leave torpedoes as your last option.
In terms of size and maneuverability,
Chapayev looks more like a battleship than a cruiser and is an easy target for the enemy team.
Having mediocre maneuverability with a large turning circle,
the ship might be unable to dodge an artillery salvo or enemy torpedoes.
Of course, Rudder Shift Time decreases in the top hull configuration,
but we still recommend looking to the Steering Gears Modification 2 upgrade.
It can partly reduce the lack of maneuverability.
Long-range artillery,
poor maneuverability, and short-range torpedoes —
all this suggests that Chapayev should not be sent to the front line unless there's an extreme need.
This is further reinforced by the drawbacks in her armor layout.
When compared to her predecessors in the branch,
Chapayev has much better protection,
but she should still avoid sailing into the heat of battle.
The cruiser's citadel is located high above the waterline,
which makes it quite vulnerable.
If you expose the ship's side to enemy fire just once, you can lose plenty of hit points.
Chapayev is a sniper cruiser and a great support ship.
She won't survive very long on the front line,
against attacks from several enemy ships and air squadrons.
But by staying on the second line and concealing the ship properly,
you can utilize the cruiser's key strengths —
her superb rate of fire and artillery range —
and burn out the enemies without any threat to yourself.
Destroyers, cruisers, battleships —
Chapayev can find a way to defeat any of them.
Just keep your eyes open and don't spare any shells!