Akizuki help on modules and cap skills

[eVa_Refuel]

Got a setup question on this odd boat.  Currently i'm running two level 4 captain skills being AFT and DE.  I've got the concealment module but with the boats slow speed and rudder/turn radius I find the invisifiring window is a bit hard to keep without the targets getting too far away or too close.  I'm debating respeccing and dropping DE and just going for concealment expert but am not sure if this would be the right direction to go.  With CE and the concealment mod what is the default concealment and also when shooting?  Any ideas or help would be appreciated.  

 

Also the 2nd big debate for me is what to put in for the 4th upgrade module slot.  The rudder shift on the B hull is still a lethargic 4.6 seconds and as much as i'd like to buy the rudder shift module on to lessen this, my friends are saying the propulsion mod would be better for faster speed ups (while in smoke to avoid torps) but I wanted a larger concensus.  Thanks for your help in advance!

[saagri]

I personally use DE, AFT, and MFCAA at the moment. Without DE the HE takes awhile to set a fire. I tried CE and it is a viable option too. With CE and the Concealment Module, your detection while firing guns is only 8.9 km, 5.9 km base.

 

While there have been occasions were I missed having CE, I have been able to keep my distance from ships to invisifire them.

 

I use the propulsion mod myself but I think I like the ruddershift module better to help with dodging shells and just turning slightly faster.

[req_]

AFT/DE/MFCAA is currently the dominant commander skill setup.  It is safer to run, less susceptible to aircraft and has an extremely low skill floor compared to CE builds that run AP.  So far, the difference between the two seems to be somewhere in the vicinity of 40-50% more damage on average in favor of DE.  The ability to easily light multiple fires on multiple targets at the same time is also extremely oppressive and almost certainly influences win rates as a quickly shattered flank generally results in a loss.  Also, Akizuki is strongest when played as a CL and stays away from the conventional roles that DD assume in this game, so the absence of CE does not hurt as much as if you were a bread-and-butter DD picket/knife fighter.

 

I am not sure how long Akizuki's Reign of Fire will last, though.  I can't see the devs envisioning the damage breakdown of this ship as 90% fire damage with 700 shattered shells and the occasional torpedo hit.  At the most, it will last until the new captain skills finally arrive and players take a few days to reevaluate their options as HEAP offers a possible challenger to DE.  

 

Personally, I still use an AP-centric CE build, as I enjoy the challenge even if my statistics suffer by comparison...but I do all sorts of weird things that aren't very rewarding by the measure of the game or statistics sites.  Most people take the path of least resistance and are jumping on the napalm bandwagon for as long as it is allowed to exist.

 

As for modules, I feel that propulsion is hands-down better than rudder shift.  Akizuki makes a lot of starts, stops and reverses as she shifts around the battlefield persecuting targets, and her engine power is extremely weak for her displacement which results in abysmally slow base acceleration and massive drift.  Even with Last Stand, a broken engine(and it breaks all the time) will often feel like you don't have Last Stand at all as you struggle to accelerate or decelerate.  At least with the propulsion mod, you can mitigate some of this weakness.  I initially used rudder shift as Akizuki's is rather slow for a DD, but found out that her ability to wiggle is severely limited by her massive turning circle and substantial drift causing her course while evading to more closely resemble a BB.

[HazeGrayUnderway]

I am not sure how long Akizuki's Reign of Fire will last, though.  I can't see the devs envisioning the damage breakdown of this ship as 90% fire damage with 700 shattered shells and the occasional torpedo hit.  At the most, it will last until the new captain skills finally arrive and players take a few days to reevaluate their options as HEAP offers a possible challenger to DE.  

 

It's a bed the devs made and their mess to sort out.

 

How are you going to nerf a DD that can have 100+ hits on the same target and literally do ZERO damage if RNG says, "No fire for you"?  Even DDs can go bow on or show their stern and negate Akizuki's damage while they pick Akizuki apart.

 

The devs made a Gunboat DD that is undergunned, has a high ROF, yet with angling, can be made a non-threat.

[req_]

 

It's a bed the devs made and their mess to sort out.

 

How are you going to nerf a DD that can have 100+ hits on the same target and literally do ZERO damage if RNG says, "No fire for you"?  Even DDs can go bow on or show their stern and negate Akizuki's damage while they pick Akizuki apart.

 

The devs made a Gunboat DD that is undergunned, has a high ROF, yet with angling, can be made a non-threat.

 

Either the devs knew that it was going to be an issue and decided to let it slide with new commander skills around the corner, or they knew that it was going to happen but had no idea how to address it without causing issues for those that didn't take DE.  Without changing DE itself, the only courses of action are to either adjust the HE fire chance or do something special a la RN CL AP(but I doubt that they would do it for a single ship...maybe if they add the Fuyutsuki/Michitsuki variant for T7 and Super Akizuki for T10, much like how the Fubuki variants are in the game now).  There's also a chance that they had no idea that this was going to happen but I sort of find that hard to believe...

 

As someone that does not use DE, I generally have no issues performing my role with what I consider acceptable damage.  My gripes lie with her lack of DF as a purpose-built AA escort, battleship-like maneuverability with more drift than all of Initial D and issues that stem from how the game attempts to emulate propulsion via engine power.  As a player that focuses on escort/screen game play, it's a ridiculous state to be in for a ship that is supposed to be the best escort in the entire IJN.

 

The problem is that the Akizuki has a much higher skill floor than any other ship in the game due to her characteristics.  A CE/AFT player must know the game quite well and work many times harder to achieve the same average damage result as a 4/4/4 DE build.  Without DE, the average potato will struggle with the ship unless they are offered something that makes up for the lack of veterancy/skill(such as the proposed HEAP commander ability in the leaked trees).

[geser98]

One thing I haven't realised until recently is that apparently for he shells that don't penetrate fire chance is halved. This came from Lert so I assume its legit.

 

So for Aki without de and shooting at on-tier bb or higher each shot will have just about 2% base fire chance. Therefore it's not at all uncommon to get 100 hits but no fires. Makes it hard. I just usually go with AP most of the time.

[Arlios]

Don't play the Akizuki like a destroyer, instead, switch your mindset and play her like a british light cruiser (An arguably better one). 

 

AFT+DE is a fine choice, I use that too, but concealment expert is another great choice too since her Invisfire range is a freakin' tiny 9.6km, getting CE will drop this to ~8.9km), her AA while great isn't something i'd spec MAA into since I like to play my gunboats like gunboats. 

 

I personally went with propulsion module just to get myself out of bad situations faster, she accelerates pretty poorly because she's huge. and rudder shift isn't going to do much since she already turns very poorly for a DD. 

[MrDeaf]

engine mod only works for the first 6 knots, after which it has ZERO impact to acceleration.

I hardly ever sit in smoke with this ship, so I feel that engine mod is useless.

 

But if you are sitting in smoke often, then it could help.

[MDREB]

MFCAA what does that add to the mix. Excuse my noobness.

[saagri]

MFCAA what does that add to the mix. Excuse my noobness.

 

Manual Fire Control for Anti-Aircraft. I get the AA range increase module because the other's were useless. So with MFCAA it can shoot down planes. Not as good as a USN DD with Defensive AA Fire, but it has saved mine and other people from planes. 

[geser98]

MFCAA what does that add to the mix. Excuse my noobness.

 

Akizuki was actually designed as an AA platform. With MFCAA it can get to some 300+ DPS of AA fire. This is of course not a cruiser with defensive fire, but very respectable and can potentially be a useful escort ship.

[saagri]

To be honest, MFCAA is not really needed and you could go for maybe Vigilance since you will be seeing lots of torpedoes. 

[MDREB]

Thank you guys sounds like a possible way to go. Definitely have vig! What about upgrades, just the usual?

[saagri]

Thank you guys sounds like a possible way to go. Definitely have vig! What about upgrades, just the usual?

 

I'd still get AA range increase just to to troll with the odd CV. 

But the ship upgrades except for the concealment module aren't too game changing. 

[MrDeaf]

To be honest, MFCAA is not really needed and you could go for maybe Vigilance since you will be seeing lots of torpedoes. 

 

You could even skip SI entirely and go VG, depending on playstyle.

I mean, I hardly ever get to use up all my consumables on Akizuki.

 

Thank you guys sounds like a the way to go. What about upgrades, just the usual?

 

The usual upgrades for DDs is fine.

The alternative is using +20% AA range upgrade.

[geser98]

Get steering gears mod 2 and concealment mod 1. This way your rudder will at least shift on a non-geological time scale and you can stealth fire even without CE.

[saagri]

 

You could even skip SI entirely and go VG, depending on playstyle.

I mean, I hardly ever get to use up all my consumables on Akizuki.

 

Bruh, do you even speed boost? 

Gotta use the boost to keep up with the battle. 

[MrDeaf]

 

Bruh, do you even speed boost? 

Gotta use the boost to keep up with the battle. 

 

I do use it, but between cycling smoke and speed boost, I basically end the matches I'm in with 1 or 2 charges left on all the consumables I have.

 

However, the other problem with Akizuki, is that, even if you have VG and TAM, you're unlikely to be able to dodge the torps because of poor handling.

I totally recall running into a torp that was spotted 4km away, because Akizuki just didn't want to turn where I wanted it to.

[req_]

I'm usually out of both Smoke and Speed Boost before the end of the match, even with SI.  VG was also mostly a waste, it's marginally useful when screening because it can help spot torps headed towards the ships you are escorting that you otherwise would have missed.  As mentioned elsewhere, it is not very useful personally because you're either in position to comb torps or you're [edited] and 25% more detection will not help you in any way since the developers decided to give her ludicrously bad maneuverability.  There is not much to spend the extra 3 points on a 18 point captain on, though...I just wish 19 wasn't next to impossible so I could get MFCAA :<

[HazeGrayUnderway]

engine mod only works for the first 6 knots, after which it has ZERO impact to acceleration.

I hardly ever sit in smoke with this ship, so I feel that engine mod is useless.

 

But if you are sitting in smoke often, then it could help.

 

Most of the times I've sunk in Akizuki was being in smoke.  She can't escape fast enough, nor maneuver well enough for those "Oh ***!" moments.