Nation question USN vs IJN

[Rebeldad]

I am having fun with both sides but I am wondering after Tier 5 if I am better off with USN due to the better AA or keep going IJN for the added torps. Any advice would be helpful and thanks

[Jagdfan]

I am having fun with both sides but I am wondering after Tier 5 if I am better off with USN due to the better AA or keep going IJN for the added torps. Any advice would be helpful and thanks

go up both lines.  There is no reason not to.  

[TankHunter678]

When it comes to cruisers there is no particularly better line and it all comes down to personal playstyle. Further, nothing stops you from doing both.

[The_GoDDfather]

See the guide below... If you're talking about DDs...

[Legendary_Typo]

See the guide below... If you're talking about DDs...

 

I think OP's talking about CA/CL's due to the fact that he said "added torps" Which wouldn't be necessary if talking about DD's.

[The_GoDDfather]

 

I think OP's talking about CA/CL's due to the fact that he said "added torps" Which wouldn't be necessary if talking about DD's.

 

He said added, so I'd assume that meant that the following tier both have torps but that the IJN has more than the USN one, SO IDK?!?

 

[Rebeldad]

Well I like cv and dd's and yes the nippon side has torps on its cv's why I tend to like it more at the moment

But guess I should go up both sides since it seems it will be a while before another nation comes out.

[manavdharma]

I am having fun with both sides but I am wondering after Tier 5 if I am better off with USN due to the better AA or keep going IJN for the added torps. Any advice would be helpful and thanks

Alright so this how it is in my opinion. USN Battleships and Cruisers are better, But IJN Aircraft Carriers and Destroyers Are Beast. 

[Mizzerys_Fate]

It all depends on how your playstyle fits the ships.

Battleships are almost equal, so it really doesn't matter.

American destroyers have great guns & AA.

Japanese destroyers have great torps & stealth.

American cruisers great guns with fast turrets & great AA.

Japanese cruisers have slow turrets and torps.

Carriers can stop playing any time now.

[alex08060]

[IJN_Nagato]

CV's operated by competent players are arguably the strongest ship type in the game right now. So I think at the moment american cruisers are the best cruisers in the game, because of their excellent AA.

IJN cruisers have the most damage potential though, and decent AA.

 

If CV's get hit with a nerf bat, then the scale will lean towards IJN cruisers a bit more.

[illyrium_dawn]

The two sides play surprisingly differently and in a game like this, where you have mixed fleets, the two cruiser types complement each other.

 

After Tier 5, the two sides really settle into different niches.

 

The USN emphasizes weight of firepower and the ability to take punishment over everything else.  I find them tremendously fun to play since ... well who doesn't like to see firepower?  Glorious clouds of glowing orange shells flying towards your enemies.  It's the 4th of July every day in an USN cruiser.  I sometimes disparage the USN in WoWS as the "noobfleet" or the "no-skill navy" but that really applies to the Cleveland alone.  USN guns behave very differently from the IJN guns, and require different skills from the IJN guns to do well -- it does no good to spam out shots if they never hit.  However, their high rate of fire is more forgiving against skilled opponents who never show their broadsides to you so make landing citadel hits hard; the greater Rate of Fire means you can spam HE and still get reasonable results.  I also generally find the USN cruisers to simply be more fleet friendly; the "hang time" on USN shells means absolutely nothing if you have a few cruisers firing together at a target and the quality AA is superior.

 

The IJN is about nerves of steel and your skill in angling.  They're aggressive attack ships.  The IJN 203s perform better than the USN ones for hitting and they have more rifles on average, but effectively they have less firepower -- many of the guns have ... eccentric ... arcs of fire meaning that you often won't be able to shoot them all without exposing your citadel (and you're basically better off losing the firepower than exposing your citadel).  Due to their lighter armor, exposing your citadel means sinking.  The torpedoes are a nice touch but trying to create chances for torpedo runs will do nothing but lower your kill ratio.  Opportunities to use your torpedoes will present themselves naturally, just remember to use them then and you'll do well.  But contrary to what many believe, you really play IJN cruisers for the flat trajectory on their 203s, something will severely punish any enemy cruiser that shows its broadside to you.  It's scary how casually IJN cruisers can erase destroyers.  But it all requires patience - you have to be sure of your shot before taking it.

[crzyhawk]

The two sides play surprisingly differently and in a game like this, where you have mixed fleets, the two cruiser types complement each other.

 

After Tier 5, the two sides really settle into different niches.

 

The USN emphasizes weight of firepower and the ability to take punishment over everything else.  I find them tremendously fun to play since ... well who doesn't like to see firepower?  Glorious clouds of glowing orange shells flying towards your enemies.  It's the 4th of July every day in an USN cruiser.  I sometimes disparage the USN in WoWS as the "noobfleet" or the "no-skill navy" but that really applies to the Cleveland alone.  USN guns behave very differently from the IJN guns, and require different skills from the IJN guns to do well -- it does no good to spam out shots if they never hit.  However, their high rate of fire is more forgiving against skilled opponents who never show their broadsides to you so make landing citadel hits hard; the greater Rate of Fire means you can spam HE and still get reasonable results.  I also generally find the USN cruisers to simply be more fleet friendly; the "hang time" on USN shells means absolutely nothing if you have a few cruisers firing together at a target and the quality AA is superior.

 

The IJN is about nerves of steel and your skill in angling.  They're aggressive attack ships.  The IJN 203s perform better than the USN ones for hitting and they have more rifles on average, but effectively they have less firepower -- many of the guns have ... eccentric ... arcs of fire meaning that you often won't be able to shoot them all without exposing your citadel (and you're basically better off losing the firepower than exposing your citadel).  Due to their lighter armor, exposing your citadel means sinking.  The torpedoes are a nice touch but trying to create chances for torpedo runs will do nothing but lower your kill ratio.  Opportunities to use your torpedoes will present themselves naturally, just remember to use them then and you'll do well.  But contrary to what many believe, you really play IJN cruisers for the flat trajectory on their 203s, something will severely punish any enemy cruiser that shows its broadside to you.  It's scary how casually IJN cruisers can erase destroyers.  But it all requires patience - you have to be sure of your shot before taking it.

 

This is very true. 

 

For new players, I think the USN line plays easier, with the exception of the Pensacola.  Most of the rest are fairly tough and can take a beating; their extra armor allows them to survive mistakes better.  it's harder to hit things due to the shell velocity (high arc), but you generally don't get smoked hard for making a single mistake, and you don't have torpedoes to lead you into stupidity.  If you're overly aggressive, USN cruisers are a good choice because of their rate of fire and armor...at close range they are devastating. 

 

IJN cruisers require a bit more skill to play well.  Positioning and tactics will determine how well you do, even more so than USN cruisers.  With IJN ships, there are times and places to be aggressive, and times and places to back off.  IJN cruisers have more firepower available, but their weak armor and large citadels make them squishy.  Their torpedoes give them a massive punch, and their 8-inch (203mm) guns give them heavy striking power to anything who foolishly gives them a broadside to shoot at.  With 10 high-velocity guns, they citadel things very easily and punish enemy mistakes.  Their drawbacks are their own ease to eat citadels and the temptation to deploy your most powerful weapons, torpedoes.  I find TRYING to kill things with my torpedoes makes me do stupid things and die a lot.  Using them situationally when obvious targets present themselves, they can be absolutely devastating.