AdmiralPiett

This non-apology is as underwhelming as it is unsurprising.

Minor updates and additions. Added "Execute Against Japan": The U.S. Decision to Conduct Unrestricted Submarine Warfare and The Origins of the Second World War in Asia and the Pacific.

Devonshire is one of my favourite cruisers in the game. Exeter is also right up there.

French secondary builds are trash. Little direct damage and they don't hit anything. I run a secondary build on Amagi and Kii in a desperate attempt to stave off boredom, and they can be fun but also the accuracy nerf hit them hard.

FP if you can only take one imo, which is most people as CE + Deadeye are standard on most BBs these days.

It is handy on no-concealment + full SAP/HE damage "lighthouse" builds. I run it on Yoshino, Trento, and Zara. It is a niche build that doesn't work for all cruisers.

I'm not much of one to self-promote, but here is an extended video on the Action of Bougainville on 20 Feb 1942 that people here may find interesting. We mention it briefly in the broader video, but we really dig in here. February 1942 in the central and south Pacific is overshadowed by later events, but it was rendered a historical footnote only by a few yards (both in this case, and even closer for Enterprise).

The line overall is in good shape in my opinion. Outside Mogami, which could use a range buff. Kuma: Strong. Furutaka: Really strong. Aoba: Decent Myoko: Decent Mogami 6": No comment. Haven't used it much in years. Mogami 8": Weak, tbh. It is ultra squishy AND low DPM for the tier. Not a great combo. The low range makes this worse. Ibuki: Weak, but not terrible. Zao: Decent, but definitely not a top tier X cruiser.

As a joke I started running secondary builds on Amagi and Kii, but they're actually a lot of fun so I think I'll keep them. Though fun =/= good since WG bricked secondary accuracy.

I love it on Yoshino, Trento, and Zara. I'm still toying with it on Algerie.

Nice work! I'll probably be running boring, standard survival on most of the IJN line. Maybe dead eye on my Royal Navy given their concealment. Maybe. They might end up survival too. I insist on secondaries for my French, Kii, and Amagi because I hate myself.

Actually punishing them for poor play would be a start. You have to actively try to run out of planes on the vast majority of them as it currently stands.

Secondary builds are weaker. They should bump the accuracy up on manual secondaries. Investing almost all of your captain skill points and one of the most important module slots to still barely hit anything with the secondaries is baffling. Particularly given how good concealment - dead eye build is in comparison.

I kinda wish Wargaming would get better at putting out Japanese premiums that have synergy in their gameplay design. It is a recurring theme for Wargaming to put out a ship with so many internal contradictions in capabilities that it doesn't have a role. The guns on Hizen have poor sigma and middling penetration, so you want to play closer. OK, fair enough. However, you're coated in 32mm "plz farm here" plating, have a vulnerable citadel, meh main belt, and a very slow reload. That all pushes you to play further back... where your gun accuracy and penetration is thoroughly underwhelming.

Yeah, I just took it out as a "free resets, YOLO" type game. Then realize how well it synergized with Yoshino. Your concealment is 16.9km, which ironically means if you are playing safe then you can still conceal. BUT you get the increased HE alpha, and the reload boost if you are operating within 16.9km. Plus you increase your game impact, because you spend far more time spotted and being shot at by the enemy. My potential damage per game has gone up significantly, and shots that were meant for you are shots not aimed at whatever questionable teammate is broadsiding in their Iowa or whatever. The super rudder shift mod in place of the concealment module makes dodging a breeze at Yoshino's typical operating ranges.