RN Battleship Line - Predictions

[CobaltBlade95]

I have just been scrolling through the various RN battleships that have been built for her, and upon comparing it to the Kriegsmarine line, I came up with a potential line, starting from Tier III, and including only actual ships that were built and comissioned. Here goes:

 

Tier III: HMS Dreadnought

 

Tier IV: HMS Bellerophon

 

Tier V: HMS Colossus

 

Tier VI: HMS Iron Duke

 

Tier VII: HMS Queen Elizabeth

 

Tier VIII: HMS Nelson

 

Tier IX: HMS King George V

 

Tier X: HMS Vanguard (last battleship in history to be built)

 

Interestingly, these battleships are rather similar to the US Navy branch. Up to Queen Elizabeth, most BBs retain their typical post-WWI design. Only with Nelson (like North Carolina), BBs get a modern design.

 

It would certainly be hard for WG to choose how to compose this branch, since there were so many famous BBs into the RN. I'll love to see how they figure out the British and German DDs, since the latter were all named "Z-XX"

 

If you would like to suggest any changes to this list, feel free to do so. Game on, captains!

[Kapitan_Wuff]

I am always excited about new ships, and RN BBs are defiantly something to be excited about.  I'm most curious (and worried) not about which ships will be selected, but with their "flavor".  

[Special_Kay]

I'm not sure King George V will work at T9. She's slow and 14" guns will struggle. On the other hand, she's better armoured than any other T9 battleship.

 

Also,

If you find yourself asking "what would a ______ Navy ______ line look like," then this is always your first stop:

 

What we know about Ships

[Swine_007]

They aren't a bad selection but ... Queen Elizabeth at T7 is unlikely as Warspite ( her sister ship ) is already at T6.  

I would more expect somrthing like 

 

T3 - Dreadnought

T4 - Orion

T5 - Iron Duke 

T6 - Queen Elizabeth

T7 - Nelson

T8 - KG V

T9 - Vanguard 

T10 - Some paper design 

[GrandAdmiral_2016]

Remove Bellerophon from the list, move everything else down a Tier (QE and Warspite are from the same class and Warspite is already a T? Premium), and add Lion (essentially an improved KGV with triple 16-inch turrets, and actually laid down) at Tier 10. That evens the RN BB line up with everyone else.

[mr3awsome]

Bellerophon isn't enough of an improvement over Dreadnought to warrant a new tier. 

Colossus is a tier 3.5. 

Orion would be the more likely tier IV. 

Drop the Iron Duke-KGV section down a tier. 

Vanguard is a tier VIII, being a tier IX with tier VI guns. 

 

[DoomStomper]

I am always excited about new ships, and RN BBs are defiantly something to be excited about.  I'm most curious (and worried) not about which ships will be selected, but with their "flavor".  

 

Warspite will be the only one to have AP shells. 

[CobaltBlade95]

Remove Bellerophon from the list, move everything else down a Tier (QE and Warspite are from the same class and Warspite is already a T? Premium), and add Lion (essentially an improved KGV with triple 16-inch turrets, and actually laid down) at Tier 10. That evens the RN BB line up with everyone else.

 

Having checked the stats again, I have to agree. Colossus looks more like a Tier 4.5 rather than 5. We'll have to see what paper designs they can add past Vanguard, since I could fine none. A few paper classes in between the Orion and Nelson is all I could find so far though

 

Edit: I had to quote mr3awesome on that one. My mistake

[Dunk_Master_Flex]

This is much better.

 

Tier III - Dreadnought

 

Tier IV - Orion

 

Tier V - Iron Duke

 

Tier VI - Revenge/QE

 

Tier VII - Nelson

 

Tier VIII - KGV/Vanguard

 

Tier IX - Lion class design

 

Tier X - Later Lion class design with autoloaders? (Pretty sure I saw something on the forums about that, not sure.)

[TabbyHopkins]

Lol, Vanguard with her 8 15 inch rifles at T10? OP, pass the peace pipe. Vanguard at best will be T8, and honestly I predict her to be a T7 premium. KGV and Nelson are hard to determine who goes where. Nelson with her 9 16 inch guns looks similar to Izumo, but has a 21 knot speed...and, I'd have to double check, but being the first treaty battleship, I expect she would have lackluster AA. Could be wrong, don't feel like wiki'ing it. KGV comes in at 28 knots, very sturdy armor, but 14 inch guns. Who goes to T7, who goes to T8? Honestly I think it will be Nelson at 7, KGV at 8. Nelsons 21 knot speed kills her competativeness at T8, IMO.

 

9 and 10 are up in the air. Will they use Lion? Will they use N/G3 (forgot which one was the battleship and which was the battle cruiser). Hard to say. I'd like to see Lion, regardless.

[Dunk_Master_Flex]

Lol, Vanguard with her 8 15 inch rifles at T10? OP, pass the peace pipe. Vanguard at best will be T8, and honestly I predict her to be a T7 premium. KGV and Nelson are hard to determine who goes where. Nelson with her 9 16 inch guns looks similar to Izumo, but has a 21 knot speed...and, I'd have to double check, but being the first treaty battleship, I expect she would have lackluster AA. Could be wrong, don't feel like wiki'ing it. KGV comes in at 28 knots, very sturdy armor, but 14 inch guns. Who goes to T7, who goes to T8? Honestly I think it will be Nelson at 7, KGV at 8. Nelsons 21 knot speed kills her competativeness at T8, IMO.

 

9 and 10 are up in the air. Will they use Lion? Will they use N/G3 (forgot which one was the battleship and which was the battle cruiser). Hard to say. I'd like to see Lion, regardless.

 

You are pretty spot on there.

 

Nelson should be Tier 7.

 

Vanguard or KGV could be Tier 8, the one that isn't put in the tech tree will be a premium.

 

Lion class designs were abundant and easily modifiable, so they will most likely be the Tier IX and X. The older designs will need a hell of a load of refits.

[CobaltBlade95]

Lol, Vanguard with her 8 15 inch rifles at T10? OP, pass the peace pipe. Vanguard at best will be T8, and honestly I predict her to be a T7 premium. KGV and Nelson are hard to determine who goes where. Nelson with her 9 16 inch guns looks similar to Izumo, but has a 21 knot speed...and, I'd have to double check, but being the first treaty battleship, I expect she would have lackluster AA. Could be wrong, don't feel like wiki'ing it. KGV comes in at 28 knots, very sturdy armor, but 14 inch guns. Who goes to T7, who goes to T8? Honestly I think it will be Nelson at 7, KGV at 8. Nelsons 21 knot speed kills her competativeness at T8, IMO.

 

9 and 10 are up in the air. Will they use Lion? Will they use N/G3 (forgot which one was the battleship and which was the battle cruiser). Hard to say. I'd like to see Lion, regardless.

 

I was thinking briefly that Vanguard could've been played like Minotaur does at her own T10. Fast, relatively agile, and with QF smaller caliber guns. But then again, I now remember why Scharnhorst and Gneisenau are T7. Armor will be lacking way too much. My original list didn't consider Lion or the N/G3s because I was listing built and comissioned ships, which Lion wasn't. 

 

Sorry if the list was a little shabby. I had a couple of beers whilst I made it up. No peace pipe here though hahaha

[mr3awsome]

Having checked the stats again, I have to agree. Colossus looks more like a Tier 4.5 rather than 5. We'll have to see what paper designs they can add past Vanguard, since I could fine none. A few paper classes in between the Orion and Nelson is all I could find so far though

 

Edit: I had to quote mr3awesome on that one. My mistake

Colossus fits better against Wyoming than New York. Unfortunately Orion fits even better. 

 

There are paper designs, but I didn't discuss those as the focus was on built & commissioned ships. 

 

 

[Lord_Magus]

Colossus is a tier 3.5. 

 

Orion would be the more likely tier IV. 

 

Orion is basically Iron Duke with bad secondaries. Seems a bit too strong for T4.

 

I was thinking briefly that Vanguard could've been played like Minotaur does at her own T10. Fast, relatively agile, and with QF smaller caliber guns.

 

Vanguard didn't have fast-firing main guns though. She had literally leftover WW1 guns of the same model as Warspite. The idea was that she could be completed faster than a Lion-class would be by using the turrets removed from Courageous and Glorious to convert them into CVs. That's not a ship that can compete with Yamato, Montana and Grosser Kurfurst.

[CobaltBlade95]

 

Orion is basically Iron Duke with bad secondaries. Seems a bit too strong for T4.

 

 

Vanguard didn't have fast-firing main guns though. She had literally leftover WW1 guns of the same model as Warspite. The idea was that she could be completed faster than a Lion-class would be by using the turrets removed from Courageous and Glorious to convert them into CVs. That's not a ship that can compete with Yamato, Montana and Grosser Kurfurst.

 

Agreed now. 380 mm BL Mk1s won't compete with 420 and 460 mms. Dipping the hand into the paper design barrel is going to be unavoidable, it seems. At least to cover T9s and 10s. Now I'm getting curious about the possible CV branch. Good ol' Fairey Swordfishes ftw 

[Dunk_Master_Flex]

 

Agreed now. 380 mm BL Mk1s won't compete with 420 and 460 mms. Dipping the hand into the paper design barrel is going to be unavoidable, it seems. At least to cover T9s and 10s. Now I'm getting curious about the possible CV branch. Good ol' Fairey Swordfishes ftw 

 

Every nation used paper designs for Tier X besides Japan.

 

The Lion class seems like the most likely option, seeing how there was multiple iterations they could piece together how they like.

[Special_Kay]

I do hope they will name them Lion and Lion II instead of something made up. Not holding my breath for that, though.

[mr3awsome]

Lord_Magus, on 28 October 2016 - 07:34 PM, said:

Orion is basically Iron Duke with bad secondaries. Seems a bit too strong for T4.

 

The main guns are also weaker. It works. 

[Lord_Magus]

I do hope they will name them Lion and Lion II instead of something made up. Not holding my breath for that, though.

 

Probably the T9 will be named Lion, while the T10 will be picked from Temeraire (2nd Lion, actually laid down), Conqueror and Thunderer (3rd and 4th Lions, never laid down).

[mofton]

Ok, so I think many others have made some good points on tiering, as with the German line there may be design-only ships at T9/T10 (4 of 6 T9/T10 BB in game are paper to some extent). You can't just put the latest at T10 otherwise Tirpitz would be T10. 

It would certainly be hard for WG to choose how to compose this branch, since there were so many famous BBs into the RN. I'll love to see how they figure out the British and German DDs, since the latter were all named "Z-XX"

 

If you would like to suggest any changes to this list, feel free to do so. Game on, captains!

No one's raised this point before that I remember and it is an interesting one. Although the Z-XX convention was used only for ships built in WWII, and the preceding Z1934/A and Z1936 classes did get names the WWI ships were V-XXX, G-XXX or S-XXX and the Elbing class of interwar 'Flottentorpedoboot' and other ships were T-XX. A possible premium, the captured Dutch ZH-1 would continue that trend.

 

Maybe that's just how it'll go in game. The designs used for T9/T10 can have invented names if needed. I don't know if like U-boats some had nicknames which could be used?

 

I am always excited about new ships, and RN BBs are defiantly something to be excited about.  I'm most curious (and worried) not about which ships will be selected, but with their "flavor".  

Flavor is overrated unless it comes naturally. With BB's in particular, 14, 15 and 16in guns, direct contemporaries of some foreign ships, some oddities, some good secondaries, some bad, some mixed HA/LA batteries. A move from worse armor and bigger guns, to smaller guns and worse armor perhaps. 

 

T3-T5/T6 are a good progression, after that - a bit funky

 

Lol, Vanguard with her 8 15 inch rifles at T10? OP, pass the peace pipe. Vanguard at best will be T8, and honestly I predict her to be a T7 premium. KGV and Nelson are hard to determine who goes where. Nelson with her 9 16 inch guns looks similar to Izumo, but has a 21 knot speed...and, I'd have to double check, but being the first treaty battleship, I expect she would have lackluster AA. Could be wrong, don't feel like wiki'ing it. KGV comes in at 28 knots, very sturdy armor, but 14 inch guns. Who goes to T7, who goes to T8? Honestly I think it will be Nelson at 7, KGV at 8. Nelsons 21 knot speed kills her competativeness at T8, IMO.

 

9 and 10 are up in the air. Will they use Lion? Will they use N/G3 (forgot which one was the battleship and which was the battle cruiser). Hard to say. I'd like to see Lion, regardless.

Nelson's were designed for 23.5kt so not quite so Colorado-ish. Her armor as reminded to me recently is pretty fantastic. 14in belt is great, 0.5in better than Colorado but the deck is exceptional - 6in to Colorado's 3.5in. Lackluster long-range AA with only 6x 4.7in's in the HA battery.

 

I remember someone saying something about penetration on her 16in's - N. Carolina does punch through about 50% more at short range. Light shells.

 

I hope for a nice, sensible Lion with my brain. My heart hopes for some insanity with hilarious turret arrangement!

[Kapitan_Wuff]

 

Warspite will be the only one to have AP shells. 

 

If that were to happen I would know WG was trolling us.

[Chief_Runamuck]

 

Warspite will be the only one to have AP shells. 

 

LOL The rest will fire "semi-HE"

[Lord_Magus]

It's a pity the Nelsons had fixed submerged torpedo tubes, which means the only BB ever to actually torpedo another BB won't get her torps in-game.

[BrianDavion]

It's a pity the Nelsons had fixed submerged torpedo tubes, which means the only BB ever to actually torpedo another BB won't get her torps in-game.

 

unless they break from their eistablished policy to give the nelson something special just for that acheivement

[Lord_Magus]

Imagine if premium Rodney does get her fixed torps, lots of people will be showing full broadside in an attempt to use them.