We have new arrivals to the World of Warships armada!
Let’s welcome the first researchable branch of Italian cruisers.
Players who appreciate aesthetics
will admire the appearance of these classy and elegant ships,
while their combat efficiency and firepower
will please even the most sophisticated Captains.
Every in-game nation has their own «trademark» feature
that makes the gameplay for their ships distinct.
Italian cruisers have unique features as well,
with one such feature being their shells.
Semi-armor-piercing shells are new to the game
and replace HE shells in the magazines
of all researchable Italian cruisers from Tier II through Tier X.
So, what do we need to know while loading semi-armor-piercing shells?
These shells can penetrate and inflict significant damage
to areas with thin armor.
Such places include: superstructures, magazines, and ship ends.
Additionally, semi-armor-piercing shells very rarely bounce off enemy armor.
This feature allows Italian cruisers to penetrate armor
even at very sharp angles of up to 80 degrees.
While semi-armor-piercing shells can’t cause fires on enemy ships,
this is compensated for by their greater damage and no overpenetrations.
In simpler terms,
if an enemy approaches you with their bow or rear at a very sharp angle,
don't hesitate to fire at their end or superstructures.
Semi-armor-piercing shells easily penetrate destroyers
and light cruisers, dealing damage to almost any exposed area.
Even though Italian armor-piercing shells
don't differ much to those of other nations,
they can also be effective.
It’s best to load them when you see the side of an enemy cruiser
or battleship at short ranges.
Don't forget about the slower reload time of guns on board Italian cruisers.
Thus, instead of changing shell type,
it's better to fire a salvo of semi-armor-piercing shells
at a ship’s superstructures or ends,
and only after that displease the enemy with the AP variety.
We should point out that, starting from Tier VI,
Italian cruisers have 203 mm guns,
and that the higher the ship's tier, the more guns that are installed on board.
Thus, for instance, Tier X Venezia
is capable of firing a full salvo from 15 guns.
Flat ballistics and decent shell velocity
add to the convenience of Italian artillery.
Italian shipbuilders accounted for torpedo launchers on cruisers as well.
While the speed of the torpedoes isn't very high,
their range is 12 km starting with Trento!
Add to the equation their short reload time,
and you get quite useful auxiliary armament for ranged combat.
Semi-armor-piercing shells and long-range torpedoes
aren't the only things that Italian cruisers can surprise you with—
another feature is their consumables,
which you might find of great interest.
In addition to Damage Control Party,
you can install either the Spotting Aircraft
or Fighter consumables on Italian cruisers.
Regarding the higher-tier Brindisi and Venezia,
Repair Party comes in useful for restoring HP.
A specialty on the list is Exhaust Smoke Generator:
with this consumable equipped,
you no longer need to slow down to hide behind a smoke screen.
Here, Exhaust Smoke Generator acts as more of a means of defense,
rather than attack.
It's highly complicated to stop and fire at enemies
or cover your allies from behind such a smoke screen.
The thing is that, starting with cruiser Zara,
the consumable stays active for just 40 seconds,
while the smoke dissipates in ten seconds.
The visibility of Italian cruisers firing from behind smoke screens
is the same as for high-tier heavy cruisers.
Thus, before opening fire,
ensure there are no ships nearby that might spot you.
As you may have already noticed,
Italian cruisers don't have Hydroacoustic Search or Surveillance Radar.
When playing these ships,
you have to carefully observe the positions of enemies
so you don't become victim to any sudden torpedo attacks.
How can you improve Italian cruisers
to further increase their efficiency in battle?
Here, skills and upgrades will come in handy.
Forget immediately about the Demolition Expert and Inertia Fuse skills,
because they're useless to Italian researchable cruisers.
For a ten-skill-point Commander,
we recommend unlocking the following skills:
Priority Target, Adrenaline Rush, Superintendent, and Concealment Expert.
The next skills we recommend paying attention to are:
Expert Loader, Jack of All Trades,
Radio Location, and Preventive Maintenance.
Vigilance is also an important skill,
especially in compensating for the lack of the Hydroacoustic Search consumable.
Upgrades also play an important role for Italian cruisers,
especially those that improve the characteristics of their main armament.
Concealment System will also be useful for the higher-tier cruisers.
Having learned all the necessary information about the ships of the new branch,
the question arises: what tactics are best for Italian cruisers?
Constant motion and maneuvering—
and thankfully, Italian cruisers are good at that.
Monitoring the map, ranges to enemies, and constant combat awareness.
Using semi-armor-piercing shells
when firing at enemy superstructures, ends, and destroyers;
using armor-piercing shells when an enemy cruiser turns her side towards you
or a battleship comes close.
If it's time to disappear,
you can do so without slowing down by using Exhaust Smoke Generator.
Having mastered these aspects of playing Italian cruisers,
you'll bring not just great profit to your team in battle,
but also feel pure pleasure from playing the new ships.
Italian cruisers in World of Warships act as a breath of fresh air
that will make Captains see gameplay with this ship type in a new light!