We guess that hardly anyone will be surprised
when we state that Japanese ships are quite popular in our game.
They are simple, efficient, and easy to learn.
But will the new branch of cruisers from the Land of the Rising Sun
be able to boast of possessing such qualities?
You'll get the answer to that shortly!
Even with a cursory look at the new cruisers,
fans of accurate ship classification would call them light cruisers
and would be right to do so—
their gun caliber doesn't exceed 155 mm throughout the entire branch.
As their tier goes up, only their number of guns increases—
from just six on Tier V cruiser Agano to as many as 18 on Tier X cruiser Yodo.
As for the firing rate, haste isn't the way of these samurai!
In other words, the new Japanese ships are clearly not the fastest shooters
when compared to their counterparts.
We can describe the armor penetration characteristics of their HE shells
and chances of starting fires as similarly modest.
The parameters aren't the worst, but they are far from breaking any records.
In addition, starting with Tier VIII cruiser Shimanto,
the damage their AP shells can inflict is also not that great.
When it comes to the new cruisers' firing range, it's quite solid.
For example, Tier VII ships and above
can fire over a distance of more than 16 kilometers.
However, the image of these Japanese warriors
would be incomplete without long-range torpedoes!
Shimanto, Takahashi, and Yodo
can reach the targets at distances of up to 15 kilometers.
But Japanese torpedoes have special features.
Firstly, starting from Tier VII,
the newcomers' torpedoes have turning mechanics
similar to those of the second branch of British battleships.
Secondly, Japanese light cruisers can deal heavy damage with their torpedoes.
This feature, however, has its price—
a modest travel speed.
Like their counterparts from the neighboring branch headed by Zaō,
the newcomers have good concealment.
It's important to improve this feature
with the help of modifications and Commander skills.
Good concealment is vital
in situations where you need to carry out surprise attacks
or disappear from sight.
You'll resort to the latter quite often,
since the survivability of the newcomers
is an extremely controversial aspect they share.
While you have a decent HP pool
and Tier IX and X ships are equipped with Repair Party,
the ships' weak armor won't allow you to endure focused artillery fire for too long.
Consumables will help the Japanese cruisers
deter unwanted attention from enemy aircraft.
They have the power to somewhat boost the cruisers' modest AA defenses.
The Tier V ships and above can use the Fighter consumable,
while Tier VI ships and above
can fend off the opposing aircraft with Defensive AA Fire enabled.
Commander's skills and modifications can also improve the ships' characteristics.
As for the modifications, the set you can see on your screen will work effectively.
You can, of course, always choose an alternative set if you prefer!
For example,
you could improve Hydroacoustic Search or Defensive AA Fire with the second slot.
In the third slot,
you could boost the torpedo tubes instead of the main battery.
In the fourth one, you could replace Propulsion with Steering Gears
to improve your ship's maneuverability.
In the last slot, you could scale up the firing range
or further improve the torpedo armament
instead of the firing rate of the main battery.
How should you play the Japanese light cruisers?
Select a target that will allow you to shoot
from all of your main battery guns at once.
Fire from behind the cover of islands
if the map and situation allow you to do so.
With every salvo, keep in mind the following rule:
"The more hits per salvo,
the higher the damage
and the probability of setting the opponent on fire."
And make sure to keep the slow reload time in mind!
When shelling your opponent,
stay alert about your surroundings
and promptly react to intel from the Incoming Fire Alert skill
if your Commander has it.
Cruisers that frequently engage the opposition
often become easy targets for heavy shells.
Avoid dueling with light cruisers of other nations if possible,
especially at close quarters.
They can easily outplay you thanks to their higher firing rates,
and even if you emerge victorious from such a skirmish,
you risk losing a great deal of HP.
So, if an opponent is increasingly threatening you with focused fire,
it's better to use concealment and retreat.
Staying safe in this way will ensure
that your cruiser can still pose a danger to opposing ships.
And this is primarily thanks to their long-range torpedoes
that can inflict massive damage.
Try to predict your opponents' next moves
to make your attacks as efficient as possible.
It's also important to be familiar with the main directions and Key Areas on maps.
This knowledge will help you unleash
potentially effective "blind" torpedo attacks.
By the way, to avoid catching torpedoes in the same way,
you can equip the Hydroacoustic Search consumable instead of Defensive AA Fire.
Overall, the pace of gameplay for the new Japanese cruisers
can safely be called "busy."
You have to frequently change position,
sometimes interrupt your artillery fire,
and constantly carry out torpedo attacks.
Knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of opposing ships
will be of great advantage in battle.
It will allow you to better understand when you should engage in another shootout
and when you should operate stealthily.
The new branch of Japanese cruisers isn't the easiest to master, frankly speaking.
That's why Captains who excel playing these ships
can be called masters of the cruiser art.
Are you interested in competing for this title?
Then take the helm of one of the light cruisers from the Land of the Rising Sun
and show us what you've got!