Iowa and Monarch both researched, which one ?

[Ericson38]

I can move into either one of these (but no both). I don't do near as well in North Carolina as I do in KGV, so which is the better move upward ? I also have St Louis researched, but not going there.

[Combined_Fleet_HQ]

Ship for Ship? Iowa

 

Line for Line? UK

 

 

Love the Iowa, one of my personal favorites to take out in randoms. Prefer her over the Montana...

 

...Monarch is meh personally, however the Monarch does lead to the Lion and eventually the Conqueror, two very powerful BBs with amazing dmg potential

 

 

Your call

[thebigblue]

I didn’t care much for N C but that was pre buff. I have mizzu and like it a lot. My deal is I don’t want to play 3 of the same ships especially if Iowa is a long grind like I have heard. Montana might be awesome but I just don’t want to grind it. 

 

Kgv was was a lot of fun. My fav tier 7 BB. I am one of the seemingly few around here who really liked the monarch. It wasn’t nearly as bad , in my opinion, as many mad it out to be. Turns well, shoots well, turrets move decently and damage was decent. It may have been “meh” compared to Amagi or Biz but it was way more fun for me than north caro. 

 

In in my opinion the Lion is way better than I imagine the Iowa could be. Now the Montana might be top of the heap right now as determined by the church of public opinion but I have a blast running around in my Conquerer. I also like the kurfurrst and my Yamato but the conquerer turns better and is still pretty tough as long as you can angle against AP and dodge torps. These 2 weapons are absolute kryptonite for upper level Brit BB.

[Panzer1113]

In the tier 8 MM world, Monarch is not very fun... Just finished the Monarch grind, got so bad free exp the last 89k.  Iowa can do things - I would suggest the Iowa

[SoftAndCute]

In my opinion, Iowa is arguably the best T9 battleship as long as you don't show your side to high caliber AP guns.

Good guns, speed, turret rotation and good AA that will come in handy since CV population may increase when USN CV rework is implemented.

[Ericson38]

So why on the NA server WoW stats page the Iowa is at the bottom  for T9 BB while the Monarch is at the top of the T8 BB group ? Even average damage is higher for the Monarch than the Iowa.

[Fletcher7_1944]

27 minutes ago, SoftAndCute said:

In my opinion, Iowa is arguably the best T9 battleship as long as you don't show your side to high caliber AP guns.

Good guns, speed, turret rotation and good AA that will come in handy since CV population may increase when USN CV rework is implemented.

  Got to agree with the second part of your post.  (I have no other tier 9's, so no comparisons can be made)

  Just one caviat:  Watch out for torpedo likey situations- the days of rofl-torpedo beats are pretty much done.   Just look at DSeehafer's latest post comparing the size of end of war battleships for the why, lol.   (VERY long ship doesn't turn like Nor-Cal or Alabama did!)

 

  For the OP:

 I'd recommend Iowa- because it leads to Montana, and that ship is WAY fun to play.   Iowa can be nasty- Montana is just plain mean in the hands of someone who loves her.

  As a BB captain, I'm assuming you like to watch enemy CV squadrons getting blown out of the sky?   Yep- Iowa does that.  So does Monty.

  I'm not high enough on the RN tree to help you there- Iron Duke is my highest tier.   Orion and Duke ARE really fun to play, though.

[Panzer1113]

For the Monarch, type of damage you do, fire damage bumps up damage numbers, but may not do too much to carry a battle since it can be repaired.  AP on Monarch under performs and the dispersion is bad.

[Fletcher7_1944]

Just now, Ericson38 said:

So why on the NA server WoW stats page the Iowa is at the bottom  for T9 BB while the Monarch is at the top of the T8 BB group ? Even average damage is higher for the Monarch than the Iowa.

  Likely because Iowa spent most of her WOWS life with a ridiculously easy to hit citadel, and was thus the favorite target of anyone in range when it was spotted.   That issue was only recently remedied.  Monarch is pretty new, extremely difficult to citadel, has that ridiculous HE, and a superheal- and likely has , on the whole, a more experienced group of players making up the bulk of it's games.

[Panzer1113]

Just now, Fletcher7_1944 said:

  Likely because Iowa spent most of her WOWS life with a ridiculously easy to hit citadel, and was thus the favorite target of anyone in range when it was spotted.   That issue was only recently remedied.  Monarch is pretty new, extremely difficult to citadel, has that ridiculous HE, and a superheal- and likely has , on the whole, a more experienced group of players making up the bulk of it's games.

Does not have super heal, ya get that at Lion

[Fletcher7_1944]

Just now, Panzer1113 said:

Does not have super heal, ya get that at Lion

  Whoops my bad.  I'm not that far up, yet and thought it did, oh well.

[Ericson38]

Is Mo better on the stats than Iowa due to more experienced captains getting the Mo ?

[SoftAndCute]

2 hours ago, Ericson38 said:

Is Mo better on the stats than Iowa due to more experienced captains getting the Mo ?

 

I consider USS Missouri (MO) a better ship because she has radar (9+ km range). She has some advantage since DD players tend to stay away from MO.

Still USS Iowa is good ship but you need to know how to properly play her.

 

Regarding the stat, Iowa has been in game since the beginning and her lower stat is partly due to people's learning curve against T10's battleships like Yamato and Großer Kurfürst.  

By the time MO showed up in game, some of the issues that affected Iowa had already been rectified and players are more experience in how to play USN BBs.

 

Regarding German BB line, skill celling is lower compared with USN and IJN lines since German BB's citadel is protected under turtle back armor.

RN BB line doesn't need that much of skills to play since their citadel is well hidden under water, concealment is great, heal is excellent, and, you can just spam HE, which doesn't require the understanding of penetration mechanics and armor profile of your enemy ships. In other words, it simply undermines player's skills and knowledge of the game.

[HazeGrayUnderway]

9 hours ago, Ericson38 said:

I can move into either one of these (but no both). I don't do near as well in North Carolina as I do in KGV, so which is the better move upward ? I also have St Louis researched, but not going there.

 

If you weren't doing fine in NC but did well with KGV, then I suggest fully pursuing the RN BB line to its fullest extent you care to go.

 

Just a word of warning, tier for tier, Monarch isn't that great at Tier VIII.  She feels... Simply deficient.  But the prizes sit at Tier IX-X.

 

The rest of the USN BB line is also great, Montana is amazing to me, but if you were not fond of NC, Montana is basically a super-sized, more powerfully armored, upgunned NC.

[AdmiralThunder]

10 hours ago, Fletcher7_1944 said:

For the OP:

 I'd recommend Iowa- because it leads to Montana, and that ship is WAY fun to play.   Iowa can be nasty- Montana is just plain mean in the hands of someone who loves her.

  As a BB captain, I'm assuming you like to watch enemy CV squadrons getting blown out of the sky?   Yep- Iowa does that.  So does Monty.

  I'm not high enough on the RN tree to help you there- Iron Duke is my highest tier.   Orion and Duke ARE really fun to play, though.

I am sort of in the same situation as Fletcher. I am not high enough in the BRN BB line to have reached Monarch yet. I am only to the T6 QE and I really don't like it. It isn't fun for me to play so I have been dragging my feet moving up the line. I actually have kind of been disappointed in the BRN BB line truth be told. Was really looking forward to it when it was announced. While not a BB main I play them a lot and I am at T10 in USN and IJN and T8 almost to T9 in KM. I guess the whole spam HE from a BB playstyle of the BRN BB's just doesn't suit me so not moving up the line very fast.

I highly recommend the Iowa. It is an excellent BB. Very fast (fastest BB in game I believe), amazing guns, very good armor when angled properly (don't show side), and the AA is just devastating when you build for it and with appropriate Capt skills. And, as Fletcher said, it leads to the ultimate prize and pinnacle of the USN BB line in the Montana which is a beast. Not as fast as Iowa but better in all else. Highly recommend it. Only real dislike I have for Iowa (and it is there with Montana too) is the mammoth turning radius and glacial rudder shift (go for Iowa's C Hull asap and be sure to use SGM2 on both Iowa and Montana to get the RS as low as it will go). Dodging torps and incoming shells, as well as maneuvering around islands, is not easy in Iowa and Montana.

I guess what really needs to be looked at is you didn't like NC. That surprises me as it is an awesome BB IMO. Way better, for me, than Bismarck and Amagi. But, if that playstyle isn't for you, or you can't make it work, then maybe going further up the USN BB line is not for you either? While Iowa and Montana are different from NC they play similar. Not the same but similar. If you have enjoyed the BRN BB's through T7 and done well with them maybe what is best for you is to get the T8 Monarch and then go for the T9 Lion and T10 Conqueror first and then revisit the USN line?

Iowa is great and highly recommend it but in the end your playstyle and preferences are all that matters. Good luck with whichever one you choose. 

 

[Ericson38]

Doing about 15K average more damage in KGV than in NC. Both ships maxed out with 13 pt captains.

[BearlyHereBear]

I think your T10 goal is the choice you make.  I prefer Conq to Monty.

[Royeaux]

Iowa is the real ship.  Everything after KGV was never commissioned.  Go paperless.

[Simuo]

On 11/8/2017 at 2:45 PM, Ericson38 said:

I can move into either one of these (but no both). I don't do near as well in North Carolina as I do in KGV, so which is the better move upward ? I also have St Louis researched, but not going there.

Follow your own playstyle. If you are doing better in UK BB line then keep escalating up that line. Your message suggests that you are using FreeXP to move up. Keep in mind that once you reach T-10, you will earn a lot FreeXP as well as EliteXP. You can still get North Carolina - it's not going away anytime soon.

[motaz87]

i have currently just finished the monarch grind and about 3/4 ways through the iowa. i like them both. the monarch is a stealthy ship with somewhat lack luster 15" guns. i played her as a support/cleanup/ninja ship. she is not a front line BB. it was well worth the grind though as the lion with its super heal and great stealth is a monster of a tier 9!!!! the iowa is no slouch but i hate the long hang time of her shells. she can flex like no other, chase down most cruisers, bow tank and shred enemy planes(not that anyone plays cvs much anymore) just do like me and grind both lines. there is no rush to get to tier 10, its not all its cracked up to be.

[HazeGrayUnderway]

4 hours ago, motaz87 said:

i have currently just finished the monarch grind and about 3/4 ways through the iowa. i like them both. the monarch is a stealthy ship with somewhat lack luster 15" guns. i played her as a support/cleanup/ninja ship. she is not a front line BB. it was well worth the grind though as the lion with its super heal and great stealth is a monster of a tier 9!!!! the iowa is no slouch but i hate the long hang time of her shells. she can flex like no other, chase down most cruisers, bow tank and shred enemy planes(not that anyone plays cvs much anymore) just do like me and grind both lines. there is no rush to get to tier 10, its not all its cracked up to be.

That is exactly the proper mentality for the high tier RN BBs.  You do not go up front and tank damage like a GK, Montana, etc. 

Conqueror has the lowest HP of Tier X BBs.

If you're frontline, the chances of you eating torps is higher and Conqueror's Mega Repair Party doesn't do s--t with torpedo damage.

Also, the 419mm turrets are flimsy.  You creep up close enough, savvy BB players will disable, destroy your turrets.  The reason is the turret face of 419mm guns are very thin and a vertical face.  At shorter ranges, BBs with powerful AP will wreck those.

If you're frontline and s--t has gone downhill, then you'll have a harder time taking advantage of Conqueror, Lion's concealment.

 

These ships are intermediate - long range support.

Like a Cruiser 

If you want to go nose to nose with people, GK is yer boat.