To Hizen or not to Hizen for 7800 doubloons?

[tangofan]

I've read some threads about whether it's worth it to grind for the Hizen, but these were from November, before the ship even was released. Since I'm well on track to get to phase 22 just by playing, I'm wondering, if it is actually worth it to spend 7800 doubloons for the last four phases, assuming that I reach phase 22.

Here's my situation and what I've researched so far:

• From reading and watching several reviews the Hizen appears to be a "balanced" (aka meh to average} ship.
   
• The price of 7800 doubloons (not counting the grind, since that's would be already done) is cheap for a tier 9, but would still be too much for a ship that might end up as a port decoration.
   
• I'm a relatively low-tier player (tier 5-6 in the USN line and tier 4-5 in the IJN line) though I have a few premiums (mostly through crates and missions): Texas, California, Massachusetts, Georgia, Strasbourg, Duke Of York, October Revolution, Mikoyan, Yahagi and Kaga. So I don't have any premium IJN ships, except the Kaga (and the Yahagi of course, which I got as part of the Hizen grind).

So - with the understanding that the Hizen is a pretty average ship - would there still be value in spending the equivalent in $32 USD? I don't mind spending the money, but I'd hate to spend it for something that I won't like to play. I understand that I'm too low tier to really appreciate her now, but I wouldn't mind to spend the doubloons, even if it will be a while before I can really use here in PvP and just use her in co-op for now. 

Also is there any other value in spending the doubloons for the Hizen that I am overlooking?

[Colonel_Potter]

Definitely worth $32. Would be kinda silly to grind all the way to 22 and not get it in my opinion.

I have it, but have only played a couple of games in it so far because I've been busy doing other things. It seems decent enough, well worth the money. 

You can also use it to train your IJN captains.

I say get it. I highly doubt you'll regret spending money for it.

[WarStore]

I spent the initial 5k thinking it was one of the hybrid ships, but it was just a meh boat. Then the rework came and I tried asking for a refund, unsuccessfully.

Ultimately, it is up to you if you think the ship suits your playstyle, but I wouldn't recommend it. High tier gameplay is a mess right now.

[Taylor3006]

If you play co-op I would say no, it isn't worth it. Slow moving, slow firing BBs don't normally do well in that mode. 

If you play PvP then I would say it depends. Big gun BBs are doing well with the new meta but it requires you to stay in the back unspotted and sniping. If that kind of play appeals to you then it may be worth it. The real problem is your tier. There are far better ships to get for that kind of money and jumping into tier 9 games where you will meet tier 10 ships almost every game, could be painful. I think since you are asking that you probably already know it isn't something you want. 

[Nishimura_1]

worse accuracy,armor,pen,reload than izumo. but if you are a ship collector yes get it.

[Estimated_Prophet]

1 hour ago, Taylor3006 said:

If you play co-op I would say no, it isn't worth it. Slow moving, slow firing BBs don't normally do well in that mode.

Co-op’s the only place I’ve played it. Avg 65k damage, highest 167k.

Not particularly caring to use it in Randoms. It’ll likely get five games there, and that’ll be all.

[Efros]

Find something else to spend your dubs on. 

[contag10n]

Having a T9 premium, even a mehbote, is a handy thing. 

• Good credit earning, even in CoOp, esp with premium time.
• With the new Commander skill rebork you can retrain all of your lower tier IJN boats much faster with a T9
• Offers quicker credit/XP etc. earning for missions, especially if you run it in randoms

If this will be you only high tier IJN premium, it is a very good price. I picked it up on my almostFTP reroll and will use it for the above. 

[tangofan]

7 hours ago, Taylor3006 said:

If you play co-op I would say no, it isn't worth it. Slow moving, slow firing BBs don't normally do well in that mode. 

If you play PvP then I would say it depends. Big gun BBs are doing well with the new meta but it requires you to stay in the back unspotted and sniping. If that kind of play appeals to you then it may be worth it. The real problem is your tier. There are far better ships to get for that kind of money and jumping into tier 9 games where you will meet tier 10 ships almost every game, could be painful. I think since you are asking that you probably already know it isn't something you want. 

Thanks so much for your feedback. You are right that I'm looking for a reason why I might want the Hizen.

I understand that I'm too low-tier to fully appreciate the Hizen right now, e.g. I wouldn't play her in PvP right now, but once I level up further I would. Which premium ships would you recommend for about 8k doubloons? I'm assuming we're talking about tier 8 max at that price point, correct (which is admittedly the only reason, why I'm considering the Hizen, that is that the price is cheap for a tier 9 premium).

[tangofan]

 

7 hours ago, Colonel_Potter said:

Definitely worth $32. Would be kinda silly to grind all the way to 22 and not get it in my opinion.

I have it, but have only played a couple of games in it so far because I've been busy doing other things. It seems decent enough, well worth the money. 

You can also use it to train your IJN captains.

I say get it. I highly doubt you'll regret spending money for it.

Thanks so much for your feedback. The grind actually came pretty naturally with my normal play, so I'm not considering the sunk cost of that. That's why I'm only looking at the future utility of spending those doubloons.

Re. IJN trainer: I have the Kaga and it seems that with the new commander skills rework and the separate skills by ship type any ship can now train any commander of the same nation. For the same ship type of course it still matters whether the commander build is typical for for a different ship type it wouldn't matter.  So - assuming that is correct - I wouldn't even need the Hizen as a captain trainer. Though I don't know how good a CV is as a captain trainer in general...

[Fel0niusMonk]

4 minutes ago, tangofan said:

Though I don't know how good a CV is as a captain trainer in general...

If you can play CVs well, they're good at it.  If you can't, then they're terrible.

[iBrowEcc0]

with deadeye, it should be decent in random?

[Taylor3006]

33 minutes ago, tangofan said:

Thanks so much for your feedback. You are right that I'm looking for a reason why I might want the Hizen.

I understand that I'm too low-tier to fully appreciate the Hizen right now, e.g. I wouldn't play her in PvP right now, but once I level up further I would. Which premium ships would you recommend for about 8k doubloons? I'm assuming we're talking about tier 8 max at that price point, correct (which is admittedly the only reason, why I'm considering the Hizen, that is that the price is cheap for a tier 9 premium).

It really depends on which nation you enjoy playing and what type of ship (ie battleship, destroyer, carrier, etc) that appeals to you. Personally I would hang on to the doubloons, get a really good feel of the game and then make money decisions. For instance, when I started playing, I loved destroyers because they were fast. After more time in them, I realized I preferred cruisers & cruiser play so all of the premium destroyers I bought, sit unused in my port, money wasted. This is really a decision you have to make. What really helped me decide on where to go and what to get, was grinding up to tier 6 for each type of ship of the US line. At that point, I had a pretty good idea of what I liked playing and helped focus my purchasing decisions even though I had just thrown money at the game willy nilly trying to find premiums I liked using. 

If I had to pick one ship for a new player who just had to buy something, I would say Tirpitz. She is a battleship but is pretty fast, fairly maneuverable, has fast firing (although not particually accurate) guns, torpedoes, and decent secondary armament. She is a pretty solid ship and has been out so long, she can often be found for sale at half price. She has enough health where you can make mistakes and survive them. She plays well in co-op and PvP.  

[b101uk]

I would say she exemplifies a solid average ship, neither good or bad in any area in any stand-out way and well worth the 7800 doubloons even if you just play co-op.

 

with regards to IJN commander training I would say she would serve you better than Kaga in that roll, especially in a co-op environment, as she will yield XP more easily.  

[HazeGrayUnderway]

Understand Hizen is a very average ship.

It'd be a waste to get this far in Dockyard and not get her.

She's really worth only being a collectible at this stage of the event.

There's also the sentiment that one mentioned earlier that you could save your money for something else more worthwhile.  I'd like to throw a reminder that ITA Battleships are coming around soon and there's Premiums associated with them.  There is a Premium Tier IX ITA BB named Marco Polo, a 406mm 3x3 SAP Battleship.

[HamptonRoads]

One thing you might want to consider is going on the Public Test Server and trying the Izumo. There are differences between the two, but at least you might be able to get a feel for the ship.

[SkaerKrow]

If you think that you're going to keep playing WoWs through 2021 and beyond, drop the money and finish your Hizen grind. She's a tier IX premium which typically cost about $80 USD, she makes good credits, she can train your IJN commanders, and she's a decent ship to boot. Though her maneuverability and protection aren't special, those guns really can do work.

[HazeGrayUnderway]

Before one drops the money on a Premium Ship, you have to ask yourself this:  Are you actually going to use it to make the cost worthwhile?  Or will she be a Port Queen only to be taken out when something like Snowflakes come around, i.e. once or twice a year, the anniversary and holidays?

[tangofan]

45 minutes ago, HamptonRoads said:

One thing you might want to consider is going on the Public Test Server and trying the Izumo. There are differences between the two, but at least you might be able to get a feel for the ship.

Thanks, that's a great idea. I already have an account there, so I'm going to take a look at the Izumo. At least the research grind there in the tech tree is extremely reasonable.

[tangofan]

42 minutes ago, HazeGrayUnderway said:

Before one drops the money on a Premium Ship, you have to ask yourself this:  Are you actually going to use it to make the cost worthwhile?  Or will she be a Port Queen only to be taken out when something like Snowflakes come around, i.e. once or twice a year, the anniversary and holidays?

Well, that's exactly what I am asking myself and that's why I created this thread to get some input on how to determine that.

[Ensign_Cthulhu]

2 hours ago, tangofan said:

Though I don't know how good a CV is as a captain trainer in general...

The fact that a premium CV can now cross-deck a DD, cruiser or BB captain because you can spec into CV skills without disturbing the other build(s) is a big advantage for those who might have got a premium CV as their one and only premium ship (in a particular nation) from a supercontainer or some other lucky drop. However, the way a CV player has to think about how and where they put their ship and the potential danger if their flank falls is still very different from the way a surface-ship player has to think about it, and while it will put commander XP on your captains, it arguably won't reinforce the lessons you need to learn to drive those other ships while you're doing it.

If you want a higher tier non-CV IJN ship that you can grow into (and it's good that you recognize your limitations in that matter), and particularly if you are interested in climbing the IJN battleship line, I'd say go for it. Hizen is probably more representative of Japanese high tier battleships than Yahagi is of mid-tier Japanese cruisers, and she will be somewhat more forgiving of mistakes. You'll stand a better chance of surviving your first serious F*-up and going on to do something useful in the remainder of any particular battle.

[HazeGrayUnderway]

45 minutes ago, tangofan said:

Well, that's exactly what I am asking myself and that's why I created this thread to get some input on how to determine that.

Then you're in doubt and I'd say cut your losses and save for something that actually interests you.

Why pay $30 for something you're not going to use?

If you like the game and want to support it, you can still do so and wait for something else down the line that is actually useful to you.

[DrHolmes52]

11 minutes ago, HazeGrayUnderway said:

Then you're in doubt and I'd say cut your losses and save for something that actually interests you.

Why pay $30 for something you're not going to use?

If you like the game and want to support it, you can still do so and wait for something else down the line that is actually useful to you.

This.  I have like 60 ships (not including below tier 5), and I already have ships I don't play.

[CeJay]

Keep in mind that for the 7,800 dubloons you also get 10,000 coal, 2,000 steal, a mega santa gift box as well as the ship, port slot and 10 point captain.

[DocWalker]

4 hours ago, HazeGrayUnderway said:

Then you're in doubt and I'd say cut your losses and save for something that actually interests you.

Why pay $30 for something you're not going to use?

If you like the game and want to support it, you can still do so and wait for something else down the line that is actually useful to you.

Sounds like pretty good advice, @tangofan ... if you really want something, you'll normally know that feeling.

This is one Dockyard event I had no interest in ... did not hear many good words on Twitch streams about the ship ... and really didn't find it's looks appealing ... even so, the events have been ticking off like clockwork just by playing the game.  That's great ... take the 2 free ships and other goodies and go about your day.

Like @DrHolmes52indicated above ... I already have too many ships that sit in port and never get played ... even more so after the skills redo.