How do I play Fuso and New Mex in T7 and 8 battles?

[Grand_Commander_LuXun]

I am doing OK with the Kongo, I got both the NM and  Fuso. However, it sucks that T6 gets up tiered all the time and I am having trouble playing them in T7 and T8 battles. The maps are a lot more complicated (ex: Shards, Two Brothers, Land of Fire, with much tougher opponents. NM is agonizingly slow. I have also noticed that the higher the tier, the WORSE the quality of teams. There are a lot more one sided slaughters and people tend to advance slowly or not advance at all. I'm really lost here. What should I do? I am thinking of perhaps staying at T5 for a while and getting the NY or Texas. I like a ship that is decently durable, can brawl, with decent dispersion.

[Grand_Commander_LuXun]

WG for goodness sakes please stop abusing T5 and 6.

[CapnCappy]

Try not to show broadside. Angle, slow, reverse even.

 

At range, aim for enemy BBs mid-belt with AP or switch to HE and set them on fire. But concentrate on cruisers. You're still a cruiser murderer.

 

Basically you play conservative. Fuso is going to be seen almost immediately, so maybe half speed and keep changing direction. She's a glass cannon for a BB but she's faster and has incredible firepower.

 

NM is more tanky so maybe 3/4 speed and shoot at cruisers.

 

If there's a CV in the game, stay near other ships, especially cruisers.

[awiggin]

Only a matter of time before the elitists roll in and tell ya to "get gud"...

 

[alexf24]

T5 and T6 have been in a rough spot for a while.

The question is  how do you play an Omaha or a Königsberg in PvP? They get deleted fast.

I play T5 only in Coop and T6 omly Arizona, Bayern, Buddyonni and Anshan, which sometimes have a chance but it is tough.

[pewpewpew42]

IKR? Man I play mostly T5-6, and the pain is real. Go back to your fav T4 for a while to lose steam for a bit, they can only see T3-5.

[Lert]

WG believes that the less 'comfortable' MM in T5 and T6 is worth it for having more comfortable MM in T3, T4, T7 and T8. Especially the latter used to be the whipping boy, often uptiered to fight in T10 matches, with many complaints about that, too.

 

I'm not saying that I agree, some of my favorite ships are at tier 5 and 6 and I don't play them nearly as often as I used to but that's the answer WG gvies.

 

As for how to play NM and Fuso? As support. Don't be in front, be second line. Use your range, keep well angled. If they're shooting at you, show an angled side and lure shots into your angled belt instead of the bow of your ships which they'll just overmatch. Stay near larger targets if you can, let them take the majority of the heat. Keep moving, keep wiggling, keep turning, keep making them work for their damage.

 

Target priority also helps to get the damage out. Shoot at broadside targets rather than 'soft' targets - you're going to do more to a broadside Bismarck than a bow-on New Orleans.

 

Don't be afraid to use HE against higher tier battleships either. Burning their DCP helps the team, and you can stack some very nice damage that way.

[Lampshade_M1A2]

If you're in the NM pray harder to RNGesus for your shells to land somewhere in the vicinity of what you're shooting at.

[Grand_Commander_LuXun]

Thanks for the advice guys. Perhaps I should play Tier 7 for a while, since it's a lot more likely to be top tier? Which T7 BB would you recommend for a fairly inexperienced player of average skill?

[Mavairo]

I am doing OK with the Kongo, I got both the NM and  Fuso. However, it sucks that T6 gets up tiered all the time and I am having trouble playing them in T7 and T8 battles. The maps are a lot more complicated (ex: Shards, Two Brothers, Land of Fire, with much tougher opponents. NM is agonizingly slow. I have also noticed that the higher the tier, the WORSE the quality of teams. There are a lot more one sided slaughters and people tend to advance slowly or not advance at all. I'm really lost here. What should I do? I am thinking of perhaps staying at T5 for a while and getting the NY or Texas. I like a ship that is decently durable, can brawl, with decent dispersion.

 

The NM is still somewhat formidable against T7s and 8s, but your position on the map is absolutely critical on those games. If they spawn you too far from the battle line, your best hope is to flank on your teams "weak side" and hope their best BBs didn't spawn on that same side, or that their team is not on that end in force. You are too slow to play catch up to your teams strong side.

Fuso... I'm so sorry, so very sorry. Shes just a floating Sh!tbox imo. 

[vak_]

slow, reverse even.

 

In a Fuso? That's a great way to eat 10-15k salvos from other BBs.

[Lert]

Thanks for the advice guys. Perhaps I should play Tier 7 for a while, since it's a lot more likely to be top tier? Which T7 BB would you recommend for a fairly inexperienced player of average skill?

 

Gneisenau is a very strong ship, but relies more on player skill and awareness. Colorado is a solid if uninspiring ship.

[Grand_Commander_LuXun]

Would you recommend Scharnhorst or Nagato for a beginner?

[vak_]

> How do I play Fuso and New Mex in T7 and 8 battles?

 

1) Stick around with the fleet. Especially if there is a carrier on the map. Yes, even if the fleet is doing dumb things.

2) NM can still tank damage while angled, so it's okay to be kind of in the front. Fuso should be in the rear. However, being in the rear does not mean that you should sit in the back of the map and snipe at max range.

3) Don't be afraid to use HE when prudent -- e.g. against a bow-on NC.

4) Zigzag more often, the long-range torpedo threat at higher tiers is much greater.

[vak_]

Would you recommend Scharnhorst or Nagato for a beginner?

 

I wouldn't.

 

(1) Scharnhorst teaches the player all kinds of habits that are not readily applicable to other BBs. Plus it truly shines when it brawls (as in, inside ~6-8km), and proper BB brawling is probably the hardest BB skill to master.

(2) Nagato has mediocre armor and only eight guns. You must know how to angle and maneuver well, you must make your shots count.

 

Arizona is a much better introductory premium BB, honestly. Forgiving armor, 12 guns, slow enough to not get into trouble easily. The MM is a bit wonky right now, but it's not a big deal. Texas is also a good beginner's BB, but current MM setup will make you bottom tier very often.

[Lert]

Would you recommend Scharnhorst or Nagato for a beginner?

 

I could recommend Colorado for a beginner. Scharnhorst relies more on the player's ability to recognise when to push and when not to, and ammunition selection vs target priority. Nagato has a lower skill floor I would say, but it too relies on proper angling and not overextending.

[Captain_Dilbert]

Would you recommend Scharnhorst or Nagato for a beginner?

 

I'm confused, why are you asking about how to play the Fuso at T6, and then asking about the T7 Nagato?  If you have not figured out a successful strategy for the Fuso, you should hold off on going  further up the tech tree.

 

Regarding playing the Fuso, you really need to protect your citadels, especially when you are up tiered.  Before you press WWWW, figure out where you want to go on the map.  I have found that it is better to sail latterally at the begining of a battle so when I begin to push towards the enemy I have better angles.  If you just WWWW at the begining and then decide you need to go left or right you expose your broadside, which is death in a Fuso against T7 & T8 BB's.  When selecting targets (especially when I am up tiered) I focus on what I maybe able to sink in a single volley, then look to which ships are showing broadside, and if I get past those parameters I look for the closest cruiser.  If your only target is an angled BB and you have AP loaded, aim for their superstructure, and if you think that your next volley will be against the same target, switch to HE.

 

Much of the above holds true for the NM, except that in the NM your initial directional decision can be critical.  For instance if you are on the Fault Line map and spawn west of center and you decide to go towards the A cap you can get out of position easily and you don't have enough speed to easily correct.  Also, keep reviewing the mini map to make sure you have support.  You may think that several ships are going your way, but 5 minutes in you find out that you are all alone, and that is disastrous. 

[Kerrec]

 

I could recommend Colorado for a beginner. Scharnhorst relies more on the player's ability to recognise when to push and when not to, and ammunition selection vs target priority. Nagato has a lower skill floor I would say, but it too relies on proper angling and not overextending.

 

Really?  Every "How to play Colorado" guide or video I've seen or read has stated that the Colorado needs to be within 10-14km to be effective.  German BB's are faster and love to get in close.  21 knots in a Colorado won't let you escape once you've closed to 10-14 km, so you're committed if that happens.  The Colorado might come out on top in a point blank brawl with a German BB with some top notch playing, but it'll be crippled to the point of needing to play extremely safe until one or two cycles of repair party can be completed.  German BB's are too hard to citadel at close ranges, so it's a slugfest and the Colorado is at a disadvantage in that situation because of slow speed, slow gun traverse and inferior secondaries.

 

I also found being bottom tiered in the Colorado taxing, mostly because of it's 21 knot speed.  I found I'd be in the thick of it for 2 or 3 minutes in any given match, then I'd be trying to get back to where the battle moved to.  It got so frustrating that at the end of the grind I played extremely aggressive, pushing the middle so I had a chance to stay relevant the whole match instead of having 2 minutes of action and then nothing.  In the end, it averaged out.  Playing aggressive like that got me killed most of the time (low survival rate), but gave me the occasional successful high scoring match that evened out my statistics.

 

Some people seem to find the Colorado fun.  But I hated it.  

[StoneRhino]

Fuso up tiers really well like a slow armored Ichizuchi with range and a ton of hp. Spam he and kite higher tier bbs and use angling. You are much tougher bow on angled than stern on angled but you want to be headed away. Also your armor is better at mid/short range than long range.

 

If you can, buy a Ichizuchi and practice in t4 and apply what you learn to the Fuso. Those fast firing 14s set fires better than most CLs and the fast firing 12s on the Ichi are boarder line broken.

[Lert]

Really?

 

Yep.

 

1) Colorado doesn't overextend, it's too slow to

2) Colorado has a far more even footing in terms of firepower than Scharnhorst / Gneisenau, as does Nagato

3) Colorado isn't as dependant on proper angling and positioning to survive incoming fire  as Nagato

4) Colorado is far more forgiving of mistakes than Nagato

5) Colorado can more easily defend itself against aircraft

 

As for being most effective at 10 - 14 km, so is Nagato. Scharnhorst and Gneisenau 'need' to be even closer.

[Captain_Dilbert]

 

I could recommend Colorado for a beginner. Scharnhorst relies more on the player's ability to recognise when to push and when not to, and ammunition selection vs target priority. Nagato has a lower skill floor I would say, but it too relies on proper angling and not overextending.

 

I play IJN and USN DDs and BBs and am in T8 in the BB lines and T9 in the DD lines (also made it to T8 in both IJN and USN CAs) and the single worst move up in tier was from the T6 NM to the T7 CO (T5 Minekaze to T6 Mutsuki is a close second, but that is more because the Minekaze was, until today, just AWESOME).  You don't get much, if any HP buff, you go from 12 guns to 8 guns, and you are still slow as heck.  The Colorado, IMHO, is the ultimate grind ship.

[Fog_Heavy_Cruiser_Chokai]

Neither are bad. My highest scoring game was in Fuso fighting up two tier... my second in New Mexico fighting up to tiers. If you play smart, you can put on the hurt. I sunk two Ncals and a Myoko in my New Mex second bests game... it was fun. Angle, play smart, still use AP generally.

[centarina]

frankly all BB need to stay at 10-15km   except german BBs if they are pushing together with others.    HE is useful at times when BB target is nose in.    take your time and aim well.   biggest issue with colorado and NM is the lack of speed.  I have very similar stat with all 3 tier 7 BBs  but   colorado has lowest WR  .   I seem to do better in faster BBs in terms of WR.    I   I also like all 3x  t8 BBs a lot.     

 

I find that german BBs are most forgiving line.

[Grand_Commander_LuXun]

So I guess I should master the Fuso first?

[Breeze200]

When you find yourself bottom tier in your T5 or T6 ship, think to yourself, "What would I do to that puny ship if I were top tier?".

Then, avoid that scenario, best possible. Profit.