We'll start the video with a question:
How would you classify a French ship
equipped with guns with a caliber of over 300 mm,
Main Battery Reload Booster, and the trademark Engine Boost?
Most of you would say that's a battleship,
and you would be right, for the most part!
But our game now has ships of a different type that fit this same description—
the new branch of French cruisers.
Large French cruisers!
Update 0.11.6 brings a new branch to the French Tech Tree—
three ships of Tier VIII, IX, and X.
Meet Cherbourg, Brest, and Marseille!
If it weren't for the cruiser icon,
the newcomers could easily be mistaken for French battleships.
And this is no coincidence.
Let's take a closer look at these three musketeers.
Their main batteries are entirely situated on their bows.
The Tier VIII and IX cruisers have eight guns in two turrets
and the Tier X one has nine guns in three turrets.
Their gun caliber is almost comparable with that of battleships.
Cherbourg has 305-mm guns, while Brest and Marseille enjoy a caliber of 330 mm.
In addition, you can effectively rain fire on your opponents
with their quite accurate secondary armament.
The higher the tier,
the larger the caliber and the number of secondary battery guns.
For example, Marseille can complement her main battery
with twenty-four 139-mm guns—
an excellent source of additional pressure at close ranges.
The armor of the new French cruisers inspires confidence as well.
The ships have well-protected sides around their citadels.
The fore and aft ends of the cruisers
are vulnerable to large-caliber salvos, though.
Keep that in mind when performing frontal attacks on battleships.
The French cruisers are also quite vulnerable
to semi-armor-piercing and high-explosive shells.
Their large size is one of the reasons behind this.
Also remember that it takes more time to extinguish fires
on these French ships compared to their other researchable counterparts.
At the beginning of this video, we mentioned that the newcomers
have the trademark French Engine Boost and Main Battery Reload Booster.
In addition to them,
you can use Hydroacoustic Search and Repair Party in battle.
By the way, you can replace Hydroacoustic Search with Defensive AA Fire
and substitute Engine Boost with Catapult Fighter if necessary.
When gearing up the new cruisers for battle,
their kinship with battleships also plays its part.
You can see a clear trace of that in the recommended skills and upgrades…
About the latter…
Install Main Armaments Modification 1 in the first slot of the French cruisers,
and we highly recommend their special Engine Boost
or Damage Control System Modification 1 for the second one.
Aiming Systems Modification 1 will be a great fit for the third slot.
In the fourth slot, you can install Damage Control System Modification 2
or improve maneuverability with Propulsion Modification 1
or Steering Gears Modification 1.
Concealment System Modification 1 will be effective in the fifth slot.
And for the sixth slot,
choose between enhancing the main battery firing range or firing rate.
If you've ever played French battleships
like Dunkerque, Strasbourg, Richelieu, and Jean Bart,
you'll get to grips with the new cruisers in no time.
High speed combined with Engine Boost
allows you to quickly get into advantageous positions on the map.
After that, act according to the situation.
If you're winning on a flank, activate Engine Boost to catch retreating ships.
It'll also enable you to move to a safe distance
if your opponents are focusing on you.
Everything is extremely simple when it comes to shooting at opposing ships.
If you see the opponent's side at a right angle, use armor-piercing shells.
If the opponent is cautious and turns their bow toward you or retreats,
exposing their stern, switch to high-explosive ones.
And what if your opponent desperately rushes toward you?
Focus your secondary armament on them to complement your main battery.
By the way, try to get the right timing
when activating Main Battery Reload Booster.
When it's active,
send several salvos to strike your target's most vulnerable spots.
Don't forget about Hydroacoustic Search.
Activating it will help you react to approaching torpedoes
and detect enemies hiding in smoke in time.
Thanks to their features and equipment,
the new French cruisers are extremely versatile.
They can compete on almost equal footing with cruisers and battleships,
and the ability to quickly change position on the map
makes them very useful ships throughout each battle.
See for yourself at the helm of one of the three newcomers!