Which Path to Take at the IJN DD Split

[pongping2002]

I haven't played the IJN DD line much, focusing on other things instead, but have decided to give it a go.  I know that the detection range for torpedoes is horrific and it has a lot of problems, but it's just what I've been in the mood to play lately.  I am at the Isokaze and am not sure what line I should go up.  I was just curious on opinions about the main line as opposed to the alternative line.

 

Thoughts?

[Ace_04]

I enjoyed the alternative line a bit more, as Shiratsuyu and Akizuki offer unique attributes of gameplay not seen in earlier IJN DD's (torpedo reload booster for Shira; gunboat style gameplay for Aki).

 

But the main line has some solid ships along the way as well, namely Akatsuki and Yugumo.  The main line stays closer to the true torpedo boat mantra that you've been used to up the line so far.  The choice is yours, so it really depends how you like your IJN DD's to perform.

[RipNuN2]

[Kapitan_Wuff]

The main line is the same boat (not literally) same style of play just upgraded every tier, if you just love that and don't want any changes then thats your line.  The alternative line is IMO the best cause the Shiratsuyu and the Akizuki are the two best IJN DDs.  The Shiratsuyu is a torpedo boat like the main line except that she can run both smoke and the torpedo reload booster... meaning she can drop 16 torps in 5 secs.  The Akizuki has some of the most fun guns on any boat, absolute machine guns, and it leads to a major change in style of gameplay from other IJN DDs.

[pongping2002]

5 minutes ago, RipNuN2 said:

Ha!  I love it!  Seriously though, my time to play is fairly limited or else I would try both.

[Doomlock]

If you want a more calculating gameplay style I think the main line is the one for you.

 

If you want a line that lets you throw 16 torps at enemies, and gives you machine guns, go with the alternate line.

[abyssofthetriffid]

Neither buy kamikaze.

[SireneRacker]

Two questions:

What do you prefer overall? A: guns B: Torpedoes

Are you ready to grind a lot? 1: yes 2: no

Now add the results

A1: Why did you choose IJN DDs, get yourself a Khabarovsk

A2: Akizuki for you, alt line

B1: Shimakaze for you, main line

B2: Shiratsuyu for you, alt line

[Umikami]

1 minute ago, abyssofthetriffid said:

Neither buy kamikaze.

This is very good advice, but hardly solves your problem! (Kami, and her sisters, might be the most competitive DD's in the game right now)

The "main" IJN DD line has some very famous and capable ships in it, Shimakaze, Kagero, and Yugumo all come to mind. These are ships whose primary focus is delivering torps without being seen, period. If, while you are playing Isokaze, you discover you love watching red ships sail blindly into your devastating torpedo spreads, this is the way to go. Be aware, though, some torpedo boats are better than others, but the top 2 ships in this line are both very playable.

The "second" IJN DD line also has some very capable ships, but with other capabilities as well. While many have (incorrectly) labeled this line as the "gunboat" line, this is substantially incorrect until the very last ship in this line, the Akizuki. Instead, look at this line as an "alternative" DD line which is still based on traditional IJN DD values.

(at least that way you won't be overly disappointed)

 

[pongping2002]

I actually do have the Kamikaze and enjoyed it enough to start going up the IJN DD tree.  I also play VMF DD, I have both the Ognevoi and Kiev after the split.  I started with US DD as a Beta Tester, but never really got into the Japanese line.  Really I am just looking for something a little different.  Thanks for all the suggestions though.

[Jiggiwatt]

1 hour ago, abyssofthetriffid said:

Neither buy kamikaze.

 

Not available for sale anymore, for good bloody reason. 

[SkyRail]

no option for "both" ?

[WhiteRecon]

Akizuki is too slow, and with stealth fire gone it's not a real destination.  Mine is fun, but I wouldn't put a bunch of time in to get it again. 

[robotdaddy]

10 hours ago, WhiteRecon said:

Akizuki is too slow, and with stealth fire gone it's not a real destination.  Mine is fun, but I wouldn't put a bunch of time in to get it again. 

 

I've got both lines to T8.  Very different style of play and both are a blast. I've been running the Kagero with TRB and no smoke - what a blast.  Got a game with 175K dmg this weekend, and another where I decimated a Yamato in one salvo - 7 torps on target.  The Aki is huge fun, going around machine gunning.  In one battle, I forgot to smoke up and still destroyed a cruiser that was 3km away.  I wondered why I was taking damage -- how could he see me in the smoke? -- only after he died did I see my smoke generator ready for action.  Talk about tunnel vision!

 

One idea: go for the gunboat line. The Shiratsuyu will be a T7 version of Kagero after 0.6.8, just a little worse detection (5.8 vs 5.5), so you can almost have the best of both worlds. The T9 BBs are as much fun to sink as the T10.  

[Sabot_100]

19 minutes ago, robotdaddy said:

The Shiratsuyu will be a T7 version of Kagero after 0.6.8, just a little worse detection (5.8 vs 5.5), 

And the speed. You have to consider how slow (for a DD) the Shiratsuyu is. You pretty much cannot catch or run away from any DD or Cruiser (and it is a loooong time trying to overtake a 30 kt BB)

[WhiteRecon]

On 17/07/2017 at 8:10 AM, Sabot_100 said:

And the speed. You have to consider how slow (for a DD) the Shiratsuyu is. You pretty much cannot catch or run away from any DD or Cruiser (and it is a loooong time trying to overtake a 30 kt BB)

Kagero, Yugumo and Shimakaze are all great ships.  Akizuki is fun like the Atlanta is fun, just sort of novelty with better options for competitiveness.  As for Shiratsuyu, after tomorrow it is just another drab IJN DD.  Someday they say they will take the line up to T10, so maybe there's hope for another great IJN gunboat.

[yaluen]

After the Shiratsuyu nerf, unless you really want the Akizuki, just go down the main line.

Question though: Besides the obvious tier difference, if you spec Yugumo out as a gunboat, how well would it compare with Akizuki?

[Sabot_100]

After the nerf, the only advantage the Shira has over the Akatsuki is in concealment. It gets crushed in everything else. You can take TRB over smoke, but expect very short (if you push your concealment) or very low scoring (long range torp spam) games. The captain can not be moved to the Akizuki without complete retraining (which is how it is now, but now you are likely to leave a good captain in the Shira).

[LaughingLupine]

The Main line is the way to go end game, Harugamo is very challenging, I'd actually say the Kit is better then the Harugamo. The Shimi still shines in ranked and Random, can't go wrong with the main line.