Is the USS Des Moines worth buying?

[TacticaLee]

Finally unlocked the Des Moines after the horrid grind to it from the Baltimore. Just want some thoughts from the community on whether or not the ship is worth getting.

 

[Noshiro_]

DM is the baltimore with a much better ROF. If you didn't like the DM playstyle, then you probably won't like DM

[Doomlock]

DM is a great cruiser, I highly recommend.

[Goliath654]

DON'T DO IT!!!!!! every CV in the game will be eternally grateful.

[Gandariel]

+1 for DM.

 

 

[MrDeaf]

You will think you have All the AA in the world

Then a Midway will one shot you with AP and barcodes

[212thAttackBattalion]

Punishing AP, super high ROF and quite stealthy with good Radar.... get it, 10/10 Cruiser.

[Rolkatsuki]

I see them alot in CWs, high dpm & radar are its defining traits for it,

its bow is 27mm thick instead of the usual 25mm so you are capable of bouncing ap shells fired from 15 inch guns, its just sluggish when accelerating. 

[Amracil]

I believe it has a bigger citadel than Baltimore. So you never want to show your side. But everyone I know that has played it tells me it is a lot of fun. Bow on, she is very tanky. I have a ways to go in my Baltimore grind, but it is a definite future purchase.

Respects,

Am

[Drunken_Shooter]

That Ap hurts so much that BBs need to focus you because you can rek them as much as they can rek you.

 

[desmo_2]

I am 50k EXP away from Des Moines.  I am quite enjoying Baltimore and having some very respectable games with her.  However, she really took some time for me to come to grips with.  I absolutely dreaded playing her until I got her fully upgraded.  I don't know why, either.  Sure, fewer hit points, shorter range, etc...but I understand how to play USN cruisers.  I enjoyed Pensacola and New Orleans.  Regardless, I have now reached that point with Baltimore, also.  If you can get a destroyer or two to work with you and provide you with some smoke cover, you can push caps with them, use radar, and punish any red DD that you meet.

If Des Moines is a faster firing, tankier Baltimore, I'll get along with her just fine!

[shadowsrmine]

5 hours ago, GeneralJoeyelee said:

Finally unlocked the Des Moines after the horrid grind to it from the Baltimore. Just want some thoughts from the community on whether or not the ship is worth getting.

 

What I'm grinding for................Unfortunately my good PC a desktop went kerplunk the other night leaving me with this old slow laptop   Oh well    PS  ATM  still on the New Orleans   :-(

[Kapitan_Wuff]

Why would you grind a ship you thought was horrible if you didn't intend to get the next ship in the line? 

[Bill_Halsey]

High ROF.  AP is punishing to other CA's. The only CA that is more maneuverable and better AA would be the  Mino. Hydro +Radar for DD hunting. Her acceleration is lower than most CA's. It's  my CA of choice for clan wars. 

[HazeGrayUnderway]

DM is a faster firing Baltimore with better Radar.  If you didn't like Baltimore you will hate Des Moines.

 

Personally, I didn't like DM at first.  She was my first Tier X Cruiser.  But after more experience with the game, she is my favorite Tier X Cruiser and one of my most played ships when I division.  DM fills lots of capability gaps for division play that the other Tier X Cruisers simply cannot do.  In a DD-DM-BB combination, she is freaking amazing.

[901234]

High skill requirements - positioning [weak armor when shot by BBs with guns larger than 383mm] and gunnery [travel time of shells] 

- If fulfilled the ship is insane

[TugboatCommander]

Going to go along with other suggestions and say yes. The ROF and the performance of the AP is fantastic. Solid AA as well. It's also a preferred ship for Clan Battles if that should ever be your thing.

[Wye_So_Serious]

Baltimore, in its current form is not a grind. Pre-ROF buff was not fun most of the time.

That said, Des Moines is a great ship but requires, as previously said, a high level of skill- of which I am not pretending to possess.

IMO Cleveland, Atlanta, Baltimore and Des Moines all suffer from their success. I can't think of any other cruisers (Minotaur or Zau maybe) that usually attract as much attention and desire to be removed from battle by the red team than those.

[broats]

DM is very fun broat just don't get deleted your first 2 or 3 games like I did. It is NOT a brattleship.

[Exciton8964]

If you don't like Baltimore, you might not find DM enjoyable either.

But since you already grinded through, you really should give DM a try at least.

[RubbaDuckee]

Plays like a super Cleveland. Learn to use cover on each map and enjoy farming

[Gavroche_]

I've had matches in the DM where I've died in the first 5 minutes and still managed 168k damage and top of the scoreboard. That's how insane the DPM is.

[HazeGrayUnderway]

Tier X Cruiser Capability Checklist

Des Moines

[X] Need for a decently stealthy Cruiser.

[X] Need for AA power.

[X] Need for Radar Cruiser.

[X] Need for a DPM Cruiser.

[X] Need for a Radar+Hydro Cruiser.

[X] Need for a long range spamming Cruiser.

[X] Need for a decent handling Cruiser and not a whale.

[  ] Need for a torpedo capable Cruiser.

[  ] Need for a long range sniping Cruiser.

 

DM can annoy BBs big time if it has island cover and will spam the hell out of them at long range.  But smaller targets at range is a problem for DM.  Ease of long range gunnery with smaller ships, and lack of torpedoes are the big capability weaknesses of DM.  Otherwise she has an answer for most things the team, division needs.  Even a BB trying to come around the corner of an island to kill a DM thinking it's going to be easy because she lacks torps will be in for a very rude awakening.  DM AP and her reload rate is so dangerous that BBs often get surprised by it and sunk.  The fun part is CHARGING the BB with DM and getting inside their turning circle, planting point blank American Piercing shells at high rates while the BB turrets and BB turn rate can't keep up.

 

Even as a Cruiser Main player like myself using something like Hindenburg, an awesome Cruiser BTW with powerful torpedo armament and fast guns, I have deep reservations coming around that island corner where a DM is waiting.

F--K NO.

Despite my guns, Hindenburg armor, torpedoes, DM's shells and reload speed, lethality at short range is a big equalizer.  It can easily go either way, very quickly.

[HazeGrayUnderway]

I love this Cruiser, my favorite Tier X Cruiser though Hindenburg is fairly close.

Spoiler

 

My Double Strike was on a Kii and Montana, both in bad condition late in the match.

The ship is valuable because it has answers for so many situations.  IMO, one of the best Division Ships in the game because she fills so many capability gaps for the Division.  The powerful Radar and stealth to get in position to use it is magnified even more in Division Play when you have players you KNOW you can rely on will smack the target that you Radar.  Random players insist on shooting at some Yamato 18km away and not the threats I just exposed within 10km of the team.  In Division Play with voice comms, that's not a problem because you coordinate proper use and maximize effectiveness.

[LancerUlysses]

The first time you citadel a Yamato to death in your DesMo you will begin to understand....