Yugumo, Smoke or Faster Reload?

[Capt_Mexib]

For the Yugumo, what do you captains like for the consumable, smoke or 30 reload on torpedoes?

I'm using smoke but radar, sonar and descant CV players make it a lot less effective.

Oh, and F3 torpedoes all the way. 

 

[Kapitan_Wuff]

Smoke is hard to beat. Even with the widespread availability of radar, smoke is still very valuable not just for your self but also your team. 

[Xeilin]

I agree.  Smoke is very useful as a multipurpose tool (that is longer lasting) in comparison to a torpedo reload that can be dodged by either a whimsical carrier or other nonsense.  Also when using the F3s I've not needed the reload to be done in a more urgent manner.

 

 

[Capt_Mexib]

Smoke is hard to beat. Even with the widespread availability of radar, smoke is still very valuable not just for your self but also your team. 

 

Yes, you are right about that. I'll always try and save a team mate if there being focused fired or ran aground. 

[Hellgrunt]

I experimented with both, Smoke is the better option.  

 

[tooboku]

One of the best things about Shiratsuyu is that you don't have to choose between the two. However, smoke tends to be favored. I go with smoke as per reasons listed above. Many BB players in the current meta will use your smoke so they can shoot from closer. There are pros and cons and since we all know the pros I'll just be the devil's advocate here...
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1) Spotting. Smoke works both ways. If you do not have another spotter, you will not be able to use your smoke offensively. If your BBs like to hide in your smoke you will either need someone else to spot for you or you have to leave the safety of the smoke and do the spotting yourself. As the ship that tends to be expected by teammates to do the spotting, it kind of hinders you from doing "your job" if you're parked in smoke. Using it for late game ambushes tends to be more of a liability than an asset since everyone is expecting it... and too many times you have no idea where your target is and it's a toss up whether you'll be able to close in for a sure hit or the secondaries will get you first. I've had better success at kiting targets from the edge of concealment rather than using smoke as a lure.

2) Radar. There will be no escape for you if you are in close proximity to a ship with radar. The rain of incoming fire will be overwhelming even if you happen to be blessed by RNG. You might put up the argument that it's for your BBs but from the distances that smoke will actually be effective from radar, your BB can usually depend on angling unless the enemy is coming from multiple directions.

3) Abuse. If you are a solo player, you may find that it's being used more to bailout your more reckless teammates. While we all make bad in game decisions from time to time, sometimes it's just better to save it for yourself. Chances are if you have to bailout a BB that rushed the cap, you're going to be outnumbered at some point and you will need it for yourself. It's going to get sunk fairly quickly anyway. Smoke will not cover enough area for the BB to maneuver to safety undetected and it's a magnet for torpedoes... which will be harder to detect when sitting in smoke. It really only prolongs the situation and it's basically a race to sink some targets before the smoke wears off or someone pops radar.

 

5) Concealment. The best counters for radar are staying out of range and using islands to block incoming fire. In fact, just parking yourself behind an island while radar is active on the other side is as effective probably an even more effective area denial tool than the wall of torpedoes it threatens. 5.5km puts her second to Kagero so the only ship that can outspot you is one that you should be able to take on in a knife fight. Learning how to stealth fire effectively tends to reduce how often you need to use smoke. I actually never use all three charges in a game - it's just nice to have that assurance.

[Landing_Skipper]

For the Yugumo, what do you captains like for the consumable, smoke or 30 reload on torpedoes?

I'm using smoke but radar, sonar and descant CV players make it a lot less effective.

Oh, and F3 torpedoes all the way. 

 

 

F3 torps make smoke essential for me. It's not hard for enemy DDs to figure out who just blew up their Yamato and approximately where you are. I find myself using smoke just to run away in Yuugumo more than any other DD. Partly because "run" is a relative term. Pursuit by a Fletcher, Gearing, or even an Udaloi simply is not fun. Those darned German BB secondaries with 9km+ range don't help either. 

[SurpriseMotherTrucker]

 

F3 torps make smoke essential for me. It's not hard for enemy DDs to figure out who just blew up their Yamato and approximately where you are. I find myself using smoke just to run away in Yuugumo more than any other DD. Partly because "run" is a relative term. Pursuit by a Fletcher, Gearing, or even an Udaloi simply is not fun. Those darned German BB secondaries with 9km+ range don't help either. 

 

Yea I use smoke the same way, just to distract to escape. I also use it to smoke our BB's in a push and torp reload on the F3's with TAE really isn't that long so I didn't even try the Reload Option.