Zao tips?

[Sinboto]

I'm close to Zao so I figured why not ask for some advice? 

 

Looking for tips for captains, upgrades, stuff like that.

[klymar8]

Congrats ! But dang it you're still ahead of me ;  122,000 xp to go yet for me on my Ibuki , 

[SeaRaptor]

The best advice I can give you is to spend your credits on a destroyer or battleship.  High tier cruisers have no role in the game as currently designed other than to eat torpedoes and citadels.  

 

However, if you are insistent, this is how I have my Zao kitted out:

 

• Main Battery Modification 1
• Fire Control System 1
• Fire Control System 2
• Damage Control System 1
• Steering Gears Modification 2
• Concealment Module 1

 

For captain's skills (currently a 14 point captain):

 

• Situational Awareness
• Expert Marksman
• Vigilance
• Demolition Expert
• Superintendent
• Basics of Survivability

 

I am debating picking up Concealment Expert when I get the 15th point on my captain.  It would certainly play to one of Zao's strengths (her stealth).  If they ever were to fix Hydro and make it useful, I might consider Jack of All Trades, so it and my heals would come off cooldown faster.  It is possible to buff her AA with the right mix of modules and captain's skills (AFT and BFT) to make it quite formidable, but with the lack of CVs right now I don't feel like it is worth it.  In the above configuration she has a small (~1.5km) window in which she can fire at a target and not be detected by that target.  

 

Her torpedo arcs are similar to Myoko's; your best use of torpedoes is either from behind cover or at close range where your target will simply not have time to react.  Zao has the fastest torps in the game, and they HURT.  Like all Japanese cruisers (save Atago), she most effectively uses this armament when fighting enemies she is sailing away from.  

 

You will have to get used to having good forward firepower and being able to go directly bow on (or stern on) to opponents as opposed to needing to angle to have good shots straight ahead.  This is a minor adjustment, but notable as most other IJN cruisers suffer this weakness.  Zao does not.  

 

Other than that, she fights very similarly to previous ships of the line.  Her AP feels better; she seems to reliably pen more cruisers for me than Ibuki did.  (I once had a 6 citadel salvo against a Des Moines at close range.)  Her HE is solid; you'll rack up lots of HE and fire damage in a typical game.  

[Crucis]

I'm in the same situation as you, Chien_Lu, working on my Ibuki.  I know that some people don't seem all that enthused about the Ibuki, but it seems like a pretty nice CA to me.  Yeah, maybe it's not all that much different from the Myoko, Mogami (with the 203's), or the Atago, but it still seems to be a capable heavy cruiser and gets the job done.  And it's nice when you're lucky enough to be able to stealth fire from around 18-19 km.

 

I'm a bit uncertain what I should take as a 5th level skill, if any.  I have perhaps about 100k XP to go before I can pick it.  I suspect that most would say to take the concealment skill.  But I'm a little ambivalent about picking a skill that seems a bit situational, since I have to say that I haven't been able to get that much value out of stealth gunnery thus far with my Ibuki's full 19 km range.  There always seems to be some hidden DD between me and my target that's spotting me when I fire, effectively neutralizing this advantage.  And I'm worried that this would remain true even with the enhanced concealment skill.  Any thoughts on this?  Anyone?

 

 

[Crucis]

Thanks for the post SeaRaptor.... unknowingly anticipating my post....

 

 

I was aware that some people suggest avoiding high tier CA's, but honestly, I've been becoming more of a CA and DD player, after starting as strictly a BB player. 

[SeaRaptor]

There always seems to be some hidden DD between me and my target that's spotting me when I fire, effectively neutralizing this advantage.  And I'm worried that this would remain true even with the enhanced concealment skill.  Any thoughts on this?  Anyone?

 

So far, this has largely been my experience.  The only other 5th level skill worth considering is Jack of All Trades, IMHO.  I think it might be worthwhile to sink those points into other lower level skills like Superintendent.

[Sinboto]

I realize the position high tier CAs are in, but I've come too far to quit now. 

[SeaRaptor]

Thanks for the post SeaRaptor.... unknowingly anticipating my post....

 

I was aware that some people suggest avoiding high tier CA's, but honestly, I've been becoming more of a CA and DD player, after starting as strictly a BB player. 

 

You're welcome.  I love DDs; I started off primarily a DD player, but was disgusted at how trivially CVs neutered them so I switched to CA's.  Somewhere along the line, CVs got hit with the nerf bat hard enough that they were not very common and DDs came back into vogue more.  After quite a number of thoroughly disappointing games in Zao, I have basically gone back to DD.

 

She's an excellent ship without a place in a high tier game.  She's too easy to kill once spotted, and if she tries to do damage she'll be spotted.  So aside from running away and hiding all game, you're very limited in what you can accomplish.

[SeaRaptor]

I realize the position high tier CAs are in, but I've come too far to quit now. 

 

I don't blame you.  And I hold out hope that eventually they'll fix high-tier game balance so that CA's have a role.  Sadly, today is not that day.  I won't sell my Zao, but playing her doesn't excite me like it once did.

[Crucis]

Thanks for the post SeaRaptor.... unknowingly anticipating my post....

 

I was aware that some people suggest avoiding high tier CA's, but honestly, I've been becoming more of a CA and DD player, after starting as strictly a BB player. 

 

You're welcome.  I love DDs; I started off primarily a DD player, but was disgusted at how trivially CVs neutered them so I switched to CA's.  Somewhere along the line, CVs got hit with the nerf bat hard enough that they were not very common and DDs came back into vogue more.  After quite a number of thoroughly disappointing games in Zao, I have basically gone back to DD.

 

She's an excellent ship without a place in a high tier game.  She's too easy to kill once spotted, and if she tries to do damage she'll be spotted.  So aside from running away and hiding all game, you're very limited in what you can accomplish.

 

 

This is why I really HATE CV's in this game.  I'm not entirely fond of the rock-paper-scissors approach.  But that aside, with others, the counters aren't all that dominating.  That is, BB's still have to actually hit CA's, and CA's can fight back, except perhaps at the highest tiers where BBs can out range them.  But with DDs and CVs, DDs have no chance against CVs, well really their planes.  None whatsoever.  DD's just don't have the speed to avoid planes, rather obviously.  And they don't even begin to have the AAA to make themselves anything more than a minor nuisance to planes.  And frankly, all a CV has to do is park a squadron over a DD and that DD is effectively neutralized, at least if it's one that is relying on stealth to do its job.  The CV doesn't even have to shoot at it.  But if it chooses to do so, the DD will get erased without much of a fight, since DD's just don't have any significant ability to fight back against those planes.

 

Personally, I think that the game is much better without carriers than with them.  And as for a counter to DD's, it's like planes.  The best counter to a DD is another DD.  And I'm OK with that.  At least a DD has a chance to fight back against another DD.

 

 

[Crucis]

There always seems to be some hidden DD between me and my target that's spotting me when I fire, effectively neutralizing this advantage.  And I'm worried that this would remain true even with the enhanced concealment skill.  Any thoughts on this?  Anyone?

 

So far, this has largely been my experience.  The only other 5th level skill worth considering is Jack of All Trades, IMHO.  I think it might be worthwhile to sink those points into other lower level skills like Superintendent.

 

Yeah, this is what I was considering as well.  Unless you're a DD that can get a LOT of value out of the concealment skill or a carrier that can get some value out of the squadron skill, I don't see a lot of great value in the 5th level skills for BBs and CAs.

 

Honestly, I don't think that the devs did all the good a job at coming up with a good selection of useful skills for WoWS.  There are too many skills that are of dubious value.  And the ones that are useful are almost "must haves" to the point that there seems to be little variation in skill builds for each ship type. 

 

 

[verkhne]

 

Yeah, this is what I was considering as well.  Unless you're a DD that can get a LOT of value out of the concealment skill or a carrier that can get some value out of the squadron skill, I don't see a lot of great value in the 5th level skills for BBs and CAs.

 

Honestly, I don't think that the devs did all the good a job at coming up with a good selection of useful skills for WoWS.  There are too many skills that are of dubious value.  And the ones that are useful are almost "must haves" to the point that there seems to be little variation in skill builds for each ship type. 

 

 

  Concealment is either really useful or not at all.... The obvious trade would be Incoming Fire and Torpedo Vigilance...makes you think! If BB  ( 14% ) and Ca ( 12% ) could trade captain skill concealment reductions would make it very nice. I do have concealment on my high tier Jpn cruisers and will reiterate about being spotted.. and smart DD drivers will maneuver to keep you spotted