Cruiser Perth

[Adm_Nate_Ellis937 195]

So I don't have Perth yet, but I am looking to buy her today. I also have 1x Smoke Mod Upgrade 1. Would Perth benefit that over Kutuzov?

Any Perth owners care to give me some feedback on the ship, what you like/dislike about her?

 

TYVM.

[SgtSullyC3 216]

Yes, use that smoke upgrade. With it, you will have a moving smokescreen that'll last for 117s. I'm about to buy my Perth, she looks like a fun ship!

Edited April 28 by SgtSullyC3

[SyndicatedINC 161]

Indeed, equip Smoke Mod, engage trolling, enjoy the tears of your enemies.

[Sharkbait_416 200]

Yep. I've had Perth since release. Smoke mod makes it much more fun to play.

[Doomlock 869]

Yep. I've had Perth since release. Smoke mod makes it much more fun to play.

 

As if a moving smoke spewing shells wasn't fun already. 

[Adm_Nate_Ellis937 195]

Do I need to go a certain speed for it to be effective? like 1/2 speed?

[SgtSullyC3 216]

1/4 speed

[MutzLivesMatter 3]

Lel free perth for me, and use the smoke mod

[Estimated_Prophet 496]

Techichnically they may be the 'same' ship... but to me, Leander has been an utterly worthless piece of garbage, (especially when compared to Emerald, whose torpedo blob I have used to successfully troll battleships on occasion...) Perth, on the other hand, I have had better success with. Having what is effectively a moving smoke cloud is its own kind of fun.

[Herr_Reitz 930]

So that's the specialty (novelty) item which makes the Perth desirable? I was looking her over in the tech tree (using the WoWS mod) to ascertain why people like her so much. I was comparing her to a Belfast and other cruisers at/near her tier. 

 

It just  wasn't obvious to me - so are there other reasons besides the 'moving smoke cloud' cause I'm curious too. 

[SluggerJackson 50]

Its horrible range makes this ship undesirable.  Sure you can move your smoke at 12.5 knots, and you have HE, and decent torps, but a cruiser with sub 14km guns at tier 6 can't compete.

 

However if you like sitting in smoke like a [edited]then feel free to buy this ship.

[Hochtaloughie 24]

Do I need to go a certain speed for it to be effective? like 1/2 speed?

 

You have to stay under about 12.5 knots (I believe) to avoid outrunning your smoke. 1/4 speed is 8 knots, 1/2 is too fast and it is possible to outrun the smoke in reverse.

 

I try to vary my speed within the smoke but usually default to 1/4 speed if things get busy.

 

You have a relatively short firing range so stocking the spotter plane is a good idea to wring a little more distance out of your guns.

 

It fires both HE and AP which is nice and she has torpedoes.

 

Anecdotally, I feel that, comparatively speaking,  she's a tier 6 version of Belfast but with torps (but not at all OP). Not a completely accurate comparison but that's how it feels when I play her.

 

She can be used to train up Captains in the expectation that more Commonwealth ships will be entering the game (HMCS Haida! Please, please, please, please).

 

 

[Doomlock 869]

So that's the specialty (novelty) item which makes the Perth desirable? I was looking her over in the tech tree (using the WoWS mod) to ascertain why people like her so much. I was comparing her to a Belfast and other cruisers at/near her tier. 

 

It just  wasn't obvious to me - so are there other reasons besides the 'moving smoke cloud' cause I'm curious too. 

 

Her smoke is the thing yes. The clouds only stay up for 10s base but the generator continues puffing for 90s. So you can either go slow and have a moving smoke, or you can have a top speed smoke sailing with your BBs and keeping them covered at top speed.

 

I've had fun with her, my first game in her was a heartbreak game doing 103k damage and 3 kills.

[crzyhawk 2,382]

Perth is deadly in the right hands.  In most hands, she's a liability to the team.  I definitely recommend the smoke mod.  She's very soft, but dances well.  get a CE captain in her as fast as you can.  You can move in your smoke at 1/4 speed, and that's very useful.  With CE captain your concealment gets down to 8.6.  She'll "oh crap" a lot of people when you decloak at pistol shot range.  Don't be afraid to AP broadside cruisers.  You can also overmatch the bows of Omahas and slam AP down their throat if they rush you.  be careful when you are shooting with Perth.  Sometimes you have to shut the guns off, and use your stealth.

[HMS_Formidable 312]

What's desirable about Perth?

She's a T6 Belfast

 

She can see outside her moving smoke cloud with aircraft and hydroacoustic.

So she doesn't need team-mates to spot for her.

 

But, no matter what I do, I can't get that new smoke generator mod!

Edited April 29 by HMS_Formidable

[crzyhawk 2,382]

What's desirable about Perth?

 

She's a T6 Belfast

 

 

 

She can see outside her moving smoke cloud with aircraft and hydroacoustic.

 

So she doesn't need team-mates to spot for her.

 

This is why I think that in ranked if it is T6, Perth is going to be a deadly opponent.  She's got a lot of tools in her tool kit, and people that can put it all together are going to be a pain in the backside to deal with.

[Landing_Skipper 232]

 

This is why I think that in ranked if it is T6, Perth is going to be a deadly opponent.  She's got a lot of tools in her tool kit, and people that can put it all together are going to be a pain in the backside to deal with.

 

I really have fun with the Perth, but Leander and Cleveland would be top choices for competitive play IMHO. 

[crzyhawk 2,382]

 

I really have fun with the Perth, but Leander and Cleveland would be top choices for competitive play IMHO. 

 

I disagree.  Cleveland will be good, but Perth brings more to the table than Leander does.

[HMS_Formidable 312]

I play both Perth and Leander all the time.

Leander feels better.

Leander ends up getting consistently higher results.

Perth is just too 'niche'

If the cards don't fall your way (and that means a lot of cards), Perth is mincemeat.

You can say the same about Leander, but just not so many cards apply it seems.

 

(aaand I just checked my stats. Perth actually gives me marginally better results. It just 'feels' a harder ship to operate)

[JJDOU3D 47]

Yes, use that smoke upgrade. With it, you will have a moving smokescreen that'll last for 117s. I'm about to buy my Perth, she looks like a fun ship!

 

I confirm it is a very fun ship. And with the smokescreen upgrade mod, the smoke screen becomes very interesting (117 seconds). Use also Jack of all trade skills (5 % reload time reduction for cool down) and November Foxtrot for another 5 % reduction in cool down, and the premium consumable of the smoke screen for again another reduction in cool down time and having an additionnal smoke screen consumable, and use Superintendent for having another smoke screen at the end of the game :-)

[HazeGrayUnderway 1,795]

Why or Why Not Perth?

 

Things to be wary about:

- Very short main battery range, this is her greatest liability.

- Not exactly tough but many Cruisers aren't.

- AA is terrible.

- Like other RN CLs, feels highly vulnerable when smoke is on CD.

- The smoke active time, i.e. how long the smoke that is dropped lasts on the map, is extremely short.  This is not a "team utility" smoke like every other smoke pattern out there in the game.  Division mates with tight communication can use it but not the random teammate.  This is not smoke you can drop for your team to camp in.

 

What she is good for:

- Very stealthy for Tier VI.

- While the smoke that is dropped doesn't last long, Perth's smoke generator pumps it out for a long, long, LONG time.  This is crucial because this is what enables her to do "Creeping Smoke" for the entire time the consumable is active.  No other ship is like that in the game, not even DDs do that.  Move Perth in 1/4 speed, pop smoke and go to town.  Creeping Smoke is a huge advantage because you are not stationary and smoke tends to invite a lot of torpedoes, it's a bit harder when that smoke is moving.  But to be sure, do this while angled and not fully broadside because skilled players will still take shots at the "Leading Edge" of your smoke as you move.

- Has the flexibility of HE+AP shell selection, something Belfast gets but all normal RN CL's don't.  Both shells are very viable, especially considering the short range nature of Perth.  If something is broadside, plant AP.  At the ranges Perth fights, it's very dangerous to opposing ships, superstructures.

- Unlike Belfast, Perth has torps.

- Does not have Radar access but unlike Belfast and RN CLs, Perth has a good combination:  Smoke, Hydro, HE+AP shells, Torpedoes, Catapult Fighter / Spotter Plane.  Yes, she can have a plane up to spot for her while in smoke, something no other RN CL can do.  Belfast has however Radar to see through smoke but the duration isn't long for normal spotting like the Catapult Fighter / Spotter Plane.  Catapult Fighters in particular are up for a very long time.

 

Perth is a big ship of contradictions.  But she has some gimmicks and as a total package, gives her user tools to do well with.  But as with any other RN CL, screw it up, you is dead.  Lastly OP, there was a recent thread about Perth and Smoke Generator Mod 1 use and IMO, it's the best fit in the game for it to go on her.  I'm loathe to use that mod on anything else.  You can see the thread here with how the smoke generator is affected with and without the mod.

Edited April 30 by HazeGrayUnderway

[Bill_Halsey 45]

The weakness of the the Perth using her moving smoke screen is this: You will be blind in some distances. Hydro will allow you to acquire torpedoes @ 2.82 km and ships @ 3.96km. A spotter plane appears to have a spotting range between 8-15 km if you are inside the smoke cloud. That means you are blind in the 4-8 km band unless there are ships outside who are spotting. One thing I've done is go to 1/2 speed just to take a peek and go back down. Long enough to decided to keep engaging (and launch torps) or now is a good time to run. You definitively have to make a decision @ the 20-30 sec mark. If you have to disengage, go silent at the 20 sec mark,  make full speed and do a 180 away or directly towards the nearest friendlies.

 

The installation of the mod 1 allows you to be aggressive in taking and contesting caps with dd's. It will depend if your uptiered because if you have T8 cruisers with radar, using the smoke cloud just  make yourself a sitting duck.

 

Now how successful can you be? Like this:

 

 

 

 

Edited May 1 by Bill_Halsey

[cheereereerios 19]

Two important negatives:

 

She's not a RN ship. She's a Commonwealth ship, so you will be training a captain up from scratch.

 

Also, the smoke cooldown basically starts from the END of your smoke. On regular ships, the smoke deploys and the cooldown starts while you are using it. But on Perth, you are deploying the smoke until the very end. You then end up with 3+ minutes without smoke iirc.  :/

Edited May 1 by cheereereerios

[Sotaudi 313]

Like other RN CLs, feels highly vulnerable when smoke is on CD.

 

- Has the flexibility of HE+AP shell selection, something Belfast gets but all normal RN CL's don't.

 

 I am sure you are aware of this since this is an easy thing to misstate, but just to set the record straight, the Perth shares some commonalities with the RN ships, but it is not actually an RN ship.  It is a Commonwealth (Australian) ship.

 

Other than that, what you are saying is spot on.

 

 

I would add one thing about the smoke, though.  You have pointed out that the smoke essentially "moves" with you because it keeps generating, so as long as you stay at 12.5 knots or less (basically, 1/4 for all practical purposes), you stay concealed while moving.  However, in any ship, you can end up exiting your smoke be it to escape some well placed torpedoes or to avoid some moro ... err ... teammate that is about to ram you, sitting behind you shooting through you at another target, etc..  With all other ships, you either have to abandon your smoke, try to stop and back up, or turn around and get back in or behind it, all usually while under fire.  If you have to accelerate out of your smoke in the Perth for some reason, you can simply slow back down and your smoke will reform around you.  Likewise, if you have to run because someone is getting too close, for instance, you can turn away from the enemy and hit the gas.  Provided no one is to the sides (or no aircraft can spot you), the smoke will continue to generate behind you and cover your escape.  If you were "de-cloaked" from by proximity, radar, or hydro, once you get beyond the detection ranges, again, the smoke will cover your escape.

Edited May 1 by Sotaudi

[HazeGrayUnderway 1,795]

 

 

 I am sure you are aware of this since this is an easy thing to misstate, but just to set the record straight, the Perth shares some commonalities with the RN ships, but it is not actually an RN ship.  It is a Commonwealth (Australian) ship.

 

Other than that, what you are saying is spot on.

 

 

I would add one thing about the smoke, though.  You have pointed out that the smoke essentially "moves" with you because it keeps generating, so as long as you stay at 12.5 knots or less (basically, 1/4 for all practical purposes), you stay concealed while moving.  However, in any ship, you can end up exiting your smoke be it to escape some well placed torpedoes or to avoid some moro ... err ... teammate that is about to ram you, sitting behind you shooting through you at another target, etc..  With all other ships, you either have to abandon your smoke, try to stop and back up, or turn around and get back in or behind it, all usually while under fire.  If you have to accelerate out of your smoke in the Perth for some reason, you can simply slow back down and your smoke will reform around you.  Likewise, if you have to run because someone is getting too close, for instance, you can turn away from the enemy and hit the gas.  Provided no one is to the sides (or no aircraft can spot you), the smoke will continue to generate behind you and cover your escape.  If you were "de-cloaked" from by proximity, radar, or hydro, once you get beyond the detection ranges, again, the smoke will cover your escape.

 

Perth is a Leander class "gamed up" by WG to be the way it is.  It also maintains the smoke generation theme, albeit differently, as her sister Leander, as no other Cruisers except these 2 can smoke.  That's why I still lump her in the RN CL family of ships.