I am now ready for the US Cruiser line split - Hello Baltimore

[AdmiralThunder]

Got the Baltimore today. So I now have Cleveland, Pensacola, New Orleans, and Baltimore plus their perma camos. Also repurchased Omaha a while back and will have enough XP on it to research the new T6 CL Dallas if needed. So I am ready for the split whenever it happens. 

Looking forward to playing Baltimore. Hope it is fun to play as dang it takes a lot of XP to upgrade it and then research Des Moines (325K+).  OY! 

Ship is still stock. Transferred my New Orleans Capt to it as it is the highest US Cruiser Capt I had.  Wanted to boost the AA but figured the guns are more important so I went with the following for modules in the upgrade slots...

• MAM1
• DCSM1
• ASM1
• SGM2
• CSM1
• GFCSM2

Really need to get the hull and guns upgraded but that will take time. Looking forward to the new ship and the line split when it happens. 

[tcbaker777]

9 minutes ago, AdmiralThunder said:

 

Holy Brightness

[WanderingGhost]

Damn that pic is bright.

I'm content I got to NO by the line split, by bigger thing, if IJN is anything to go by, is trying to rush train some 10 pint captains. at least.

[GhostSwordsman]

I need to get myself a Baltimore, have it researched just not purchased. But dang is it expensive, with the amount of credits I have on hand right now. Real tempting to just wait for the 'free' Baltimore I'll get since I still have New Orleans in my port. Plus, doing so might not lead to any disappointment, since Baltimore will lose her heal, and I'll probably have to 're-grind' the T9 Buffalo, so it gives me a reason to actually play Baltimore outside of enjoyment.

[TornadoADV]

It's what'd it'd be like if New York City was on the surface of the Sun.

[jmanII]

I hurried and got Des Moines for Clan Battles.  Have not been disappointed!

Repurchased Pensacola for S&G - having a better time in it than the first time around.  Using it, Cleveland, Indy, Atl and training 4 new COs for the line split.

Can't wait to try out the Helena - the closest thing to Brooklyn.

Now about that Wichita......

[Cuesta_Rey]

Does anyone have an opinion on the best upgrades to choose for the Baltimore? I chose one that gave me additional gun range (mod. 2), but wondered if that was best for this ship. Mod 3 was tempting, with faster reload and faster traverse.

What about the other upgrades?  

[AdmiralThunder]

Yes the picture is bright. Talk to WG it's their port. I toned it down a bit for you so no one goes blind. 

[AdmiralThunder]

10 hours ago, GhostSwordsman said:

I need to get myself a Baltimore, have it researched just not purchased. But dang is it expensive, with the amount of credits I have on hand right now. Real tempting to just wait for the 'free' Baltimore I'll get since I still have New Orleans in my port. Plus, doing so might not lead to any disappointment, since Baltimore will lose her heal, and I'll probably have to 're-grind' the T9 Buffalo, so it gives me a reason to actually play Baltimore outside of enjoyment.

Get the Baltimore now and you don't have to grind/buy the Buffalo. I don't think you would have to grind it though. I believe I read you won't lose researched ships though so in theory you should have the Buffalo researched after the split if you still haven't purchased Baltimore? I wasn't taking any chances though and just grabbed all affected. I am set no matter what happens now.

[AdmiralThunder]

8 hours ago, Cuesta_Rey said:

Does anyone have an opinion on the best upgrades to choose for the Baltimore? I chose one that gave me additional gun range (mod. 2), but wondered if that was best for this ship. Mod 3 was tempting, with faster reload and faster traverse.

What about the other upgrades?  

I wondered the same thing when outfitting mine. The wiki actually says nothing about optimal setups and found very little in forums. The few comments about it I found said to go for the guns so that is what I did. Was hoping to buff the AA but that stock gun range is awful so went guns instead with the aiming mod for accuracy and gun fire control system mod for range. As I posted above, FWIW, I went this route...

• MAM1
• DCSM1
• ASM1
• SGM2
• CSM1
• GFCSM2

[Sotaudi]

On ‎12‎/‎18‎/‎2017 at 5:08 AM, AdmiralThunder said:

Get the Baltimore now and you don't have to grind/buy the Buffalo. I don't think you would have to grind it though. I believe I read you won't lose researched ships though so in theory you should have the Buffalo researched after the split if you still haven't purchased Baltimore? I wasn't taking any chances though and just grabbed all affected. I am set no matter what happens now.

First, big gratz on the Baltimore.  Having that allows you to optimize the split.

As to the rest, a lot of the confusion comes from calling a lot of what is happening a "move."  Here is the way I keep it straight.  Think of most of what is happening as a "rename," instead.  If you do, you can logically separate what happens with the research from what happens with the purchases.

As to research and XP on a given ship, they are basically just renaming everything.  If you have the stock Baltimore researched, they are just renaming that research to the stock Buffalo.  Any modules you have researched on the Baltimore, will be "renamed" to Buffalo modules.  Any XP you have saved up on the Baltimore will just be "renamed" from Baltimore XP to Buffalo XP, so to speak.  The captain you have assigned to and specializing in the Baltimore is not so much "moving" to the new ship but, rather, is just having his assignment and specialization "renamed" to Buffalo.

The only exception to this is with the Cleveland.  All the current Tier 6 "stuff" for the Cleveland will be renamed to Pensacola like the other tiers, but they should additionally be granting you a researched stock Tier 8 Cleveland if you already have the current stock Tier 6 Cleveland researched.  Regardless of what else is researched on the current Tier 6, the research on the T8 Cleveland will probably just be the stock ship because the rest of the research, modules, and XP should remain with the Tier 6 Pensacola.

None of the above should hinge on whether or not you have purchased anything since this is just what happens with the research and XP.  But personally, I would have the Cleveland in port just to be safe.  For ships already purchased and in port, you should get what you have in port "renamed" (and obviously, reconfigured) to the new ship name plus get the version of the ship at the tier it moved to.

Here is what I am doing as far as ships in port goes.  I have the Baltimore having kept it when I got the Des Moines.  I have the Cleveland because, well, its the Cleveland.  I had not kept the Pensacola nor the New Orleans.  When the split happens, my port should contain the stock Tier 8 Cleveland and the Tier 6 Pensacola for having the Cleveland in port.  I should also have the Tier 8 Baltimore and the Tier 9 Buffalo from having the Baltimore in port. That would only leave the Tier 7 version of the New Orleans, which I could get from having the Tier 8 New Orleans or the Tier 7 Pensacola before the split.  I opted to buy back the New Orleans since it has that special Permanent Camo from that event a bit back.   I also purchased permanent Camo for the Baltimore and the Cleveland.

That should give me all the T6, T7, T8, and T9 CA line plus the T8 CL after when the split occurs (and obviously any ships not affected by the split in the current line) and possibly some extra permanent camos.  As to the camos, I will just have to see how that plays out, but regardless of the camo situation, I should be getting five ships for having only three in port.   Either way, having the Cleveland and Baltimore in port plus one of the other two is probably the best port configuration to get the most out of the split.

 

[Cuesta_Rey]

Regarding the split...

What is the advantage to having perma camo in place ahead of time?

The New Orleans?

I just XP'd past N.O. to the Baltimore. Should I buy the N.O. for some future benefit after the split?

PS: After just reading the above post, I take it that having my Pensacola in port before the split means I don't need to buy N.O. now. Correct?

[AdmiralThunder]

Well, have had Baltimore for over a month now and just haven't been playing it. Have been sidetracked with many other things and it has sat in port ignored for the most part. Only 3 games played in it prior to tonight. In those 3 games the ship was 100% stock and man was it brutal. Very lackluster results to say the least.

Slow guns, no range, turns like a pig wallowing in mud, etc... Decided tonight to part with some Free XP and fully upgrade the ship. Man what a difference. Especially with the reload and rudder shift. The darn thing maneuvers like a light cruiser now with a 6 sec RS and 10 second reloads are so much better than 15. The extra oomph from the improved AP is nice too.It just feels like a different ship with the upgrades. 

So after the upgrades took it out for a test spin and WOW! So much better. Had a decent game with it. Now I want to play it some more but most of the high tier players for Co-op have signed out for the night. Tons on earlier but I didn't get Baltimore out soon enough I guess. Played BB too much. Oh well. LOL

Good ship and man broadside BB's are juicy targets with that 5K AP! 

NOTE - the pink tk damage was the [edited] BOT BB ramming into me from behind. I didn't cause it LOL. 

 

[Neighbor_Kid]

I'm concerned about the Balti when it gets down tiered.. I expect it to keep it's radar, but I'm sure it's repair will be taken away. I'm worried about it losing it's range mod. If it doesn't have it, it will hurt the ship. If it does loose it's range mod, I'm hoping they will tag the catapult spotter on it. The ship will need it. It's super heavy AP if it's stays the same; the ship will perform well at T8.   

[AdmiralThunder]

I have concerns about a heavy handed nerf hammer on all 3 - Pensacola, New Orleans, and Baltimore. I can easily see them going too far with any of them. I don't have enough experience with Baltimore to really comment but Pensacola and NO JUST AS THEY ARE NOW would be better fits at the next tier down where they are going than where they currently sit. No need, other than consumable and slot upgrade changes to be appropriate to the new tier, need be or should be made. Neither is particularly good/strong at their current tier, especially Pensacola, so they need to leave them be. 

[wstugamd]

On 12/18/2017 at 12:04 AM, Cuesta_Rey said:

Does anyone have an opinion on the best upgrades to choose for the Baltimore? I chose one that gave me additional gun range (mod. 2), but wondered if that was best for this ship. Mod 3 was tempting, with faster reload and faster traverse.

What about the other upgrades?  

I took main arms 3. 

Im out ranged by almost everthing but the only thing I could hit at max range is a parked bb and that’s iffy. The Shell arcs are very Clevelandesque and float forever. I’m never going to pop a ca at 18 km with ap. 

I provide aa for the bbs and hang with them and hide around islands. With the upgraded guns and main arm 3 reload is 8.8 sec and that is where the balti makes her mark. I punish dds and ca that get inside 10 km. I love the ca that turns the corner on an island giving me broadside. Boom ap cits. Before they can turn another ap broadside and game over. 

 

I ride shotgunwith bbs a lot and the fast reload with he really burns down enemy bbs. 

The range past 10-12 km is so useless to me I haven’t even bothered to upgrade the stock range on my guns. I’m grinding hard to the DM for clan battle. I will eventually upgrade but it doesn’t change how I play the ship. 

Even on the NO I researched the range upgrade but have yet to buy. I’m saving for the DM. Money on USN ca is 10-12 km. Further than that and the shells just float. 

 

Imo get the reload mod

 

 

[MackDye]

Better get that DM because the xp on Baltimore will go down to tier 8 instead of gonig on the new tier 9. gonna have to grind twice, mate.

[Eaglenotego]

Anyone word on other cruiser classes not yet represented?  I.E.  Brooklyn, St. Louis, Alaska?  Or is WOW done with American ships?

[Sotaudi]

On ‎2‎/‎8‎/‎2018 at 12:29 PM, Mackdi said:

Better get that DM because the xp on Baltimore will go down to tier 8 instead of gonig on the new tier 9. gonna have to grind twice, mate.

This is absolutely incorrect.  The ships do not just have a name.  They also have a tier.  As such, the XP you earned on the Baltimore is not really "Baltimore" XP.  It is Tier 9 American Cruiser XP on the current US line.  As such, the Baltimore is not so much "moving" as it is simply that the Tier 9 Cruiser is being renamed to Buffalo, getting a new skin and new characteristics.  However, it will keep the XP earned on the Tier 9 Cruiser, the modules researched, the upgrades purchased, the captain, and so on.  They will just be renamed to Buffalo XP, Buffalo modules, the Buffalo Captain, and so on.  The same for where the Baltimore "moves" to.  The New Orleans will be renamed to Baltimore, get the Baltimore skin and Tier 8 Baltimore characteristics, but it will keep the New Orleans captain, XP, modules researched and so on renamed to Baltimore equivalents.

This is the same reason you will only get a stock Cleveland at Tier 9 in the new line if you have a Tier 6 Cleveland at the spit even if you already have the current Cleveland fully researched.  The Tier 6 will become the Pensacola with the Cleveland's status, including XP, captain, modules, etc. and you will be given a stock Cleveland (with a Captain with some points already earned) at Tier 8 in the new line.

You will most certainly not have to redo the work you did on the Baltimore on the Buffalo.  If you don't already have the Des Moines, you will just pick up at Tier 9 with the Buffalo where you left off with the Baltimore.

[crzyhawk]

2 hours ago, Eaglenotego said:

Anyone word on other cruiser classes not yet represented?  I.E.  Brooklyn, St. Louis, Alaska?  Or is WOW done with American ships?

Yes, the Helena is a St Louis class cruiser.

[WhiteRecon]

When?  Any ideas?

[YeOldeTraveller]

17 minutes ago, WhiteRecon said:

When?  Any ideas?

The crystal ball is clouded, but April to June seems to be the best bet.

We are starting to see early testing of the down-tiered ships, so that puts it closer than farther.

[Insolvent_Pea]

I really like the Baltimore. It is a blast too play 

[MackDye]

On 2/13/2018 at 6:55 PM, Sotaudi said:

This is absolutely incorrect.  The ships do not just have a name.  They also have a tier.  As such, the XP you earned on the Baltimore is not really "Baltimore" XP.  It is Tier 9 American Cruiser XP on the current US line.  As such, the Baltimore is not so much "moving" as it is simply that the Tier 9 Cruiser is being renamed to Buffalo, getting a new skin and new characteristics.  However, it will keep the XP earned on the Tier 9 Cruiser, the modules researched, the upgrades purchased, the captain, and so on.  They will just be renamed to Buffalo XP, Buffalo modules, the Buffalo Captain, and so on.  The same for where the Baltimore "moves" to.  The New Orleans will be renamed to Baltimore, get the Baltimore skin and Tier 8 Baltimore characteristics, but it will keep the New Orleans captain, XP, modules researched and so on renamed to Baltimore equivalents.

This is the same reason you will only get a stock Cleveland at Tier 9 in the new line if you have a Tier 6 Cleveland at the spit even if you already have the current Cleveland fully researched.  The Tier 6 will become the Pensacola with the Cleveland's status, including XP, captain, modules, etc. and you will be given a stock Cleveland (with a Captain with some points already earned) at Tier 8 in the new line.

You will most certainly not have to redo the work you did on the Baltimore on the Buffalo.  If you don't already have the Des Moines, you will just pick up at Tier 9 with the Buffalo where you left off with the Baltimore.

This all sounds amazing but i've never seen WG do it the way you describe.....EVER and i've been playing tanks and warships for a long time. WG has always done it in a way that you don't get fast and easy access to the tier x. They always and will always make decisions that make players have to play more to get what they want. WoT and WoWS are MMO's after all.

[Sotaudi]

On ‎2‎/‎27‎/‎2018 at 10:16 AM, MackDye said:

This all sounds amazing but i've never seen WG do it the way you describe.....EVER and i've been playing tanks and warships for a long time. WG has always done it in a way that you don't get fast and easy access to the tier x. They always and will always make decisions that make players have to play more to get what they want. WoT and WoWS are MMO's after all.

I started Tanks in 2012 and only stopped playing after I started playing Warships in Closed Beta, so I have been playing longer than you have.

There is nothing "fast and easy" about not taking away progress you have already earned towards a specific goal, and there is no way they would do that.  For instance if they did it the way you suggest, if you are halfway through the current Baltimore (i.e., halfway through the Tier 9 to the Tier 10), you would not just find that all the XP you earned at tier 9 towards the Des Moines is gone, you would suddenly find that half the XP you had had already earned at Tier 8 is now gone.  You not only would have to re-earn the Tier 9 XP, but the Tier 8 XP also if you wanted your Tier 8 back to fully researched, something you had already accomplished.  That is never going to happen,

As to having never seen them do it, what I describe is based on the community's consensus on how other splits have been done.  The only disagreement is that a few believe the Tier 6 replacement for the Cleveland move will be the Dallas, not the Pensacola.  Either way, that specific move completely negates your "They always and will always make decisions that make players have to play more to get what they want" statement.  Just like people with the Baltimore now will still have the Baltimore in its new position after the move, people with the Cleveland now will still have the Cleveland after the move.  Only there it is moving to Tier 8 in the new line.   That already negates the notion that the move would make people have to play more. Having the Tier 8 in the new line means you would not even have to go back to the Tier 5 to earn the Tier 6 in the new line, nor would you have to play the Tier 6 or Tier 7 because you already have the Tier 8.  Worse for your position, if they did it your way and moved the XP with the ship, that would mean that anyone who already had a fully researched Cleveland wouldn't even have to play the Tier 8 to get the Tier 9 in the new line.

Instead, what will happen is that the Pensacola will replace the Cleveland at Tier 6, the Pensacola XP will stay with the New Orleans when it moves to Tier 7, and the Cleveland XP will stay with the Pensacola at Tier 6.  The Cleveland at Tier 8 will be stock.  While that still means you can skip the Tier 6 and 7 in the new line, it will require earning the Tier 8 Light Cruiser line XP to get to the Tier 9 Light Cruiser.

Sorry, but while they may do something differently than expected, there is absolutely no way they are going to make people re-earn something they already earned.  You will not have to re-earn the XP at Tier 9 because the Baltimore moved (the same with Tier 6 through Tier 8 in the current line as well).  You will have to earn XP on the Tier 8 Cleveland because no one has yet earned Tier 8 XP in the light cruiser line because it doesn't exist yet.