Questions about Kongo

[Camo68]

I've just got the Kongo as I wanted a change from DDs, and I'm not that enthusiastic about ranked this season. So far love it, being able to take a lot of damage, not be vaporised in two salvos, dealing Citadel hits and watching CA's swarm over the wounded ship. 

 

I have a couple of questions though

• What % main battery hit rate is acceptable?
• When do you use HE on cruisers? I've been pretty much exclusively using AP but on extreme angles damage is pretty poor. Do you switch over or just continue with AP?
• Are there any particular strategies that you find helpful for maximizing damage (I understand where to aim, more map positioning, intercept vectors etc)?

[1Sherman]

Now, I have yet to play the IJN BB line, but here's what my experience on the American line thus far has taught me.

1: Expect that if you aim properly and the enemy does not reduce speed or turn, to usually get between 2-6 hits per full broadside.

2: NEVER use HE when in a BB and you're against cruisers. Wait for them to give a broadside and then citadel them into oblivion.

3: Wait until your target is exposing a broadside. Map positioning and intercept vectors do not matter since you're playing against random, unpredictable enemies.

[SkyRail]

I've just got the Kongo as I wanted a change from DDs, and I'm not that enthusiastic about ranked this season. So far love it, being able to take a lot of damage, not be vaporised in two salvos, dealing Citadel hits and watching CA's swarm over the wounded ship. 

 

I have a couple of questions though

• What % main battery hit rate is acceptable?
• When do you use HE on cruisers? I've been pretty much exclusively using AP but on extreme angles damage is pretty poor. Do you switch over or just continue with AP?
• Are there any particular strategies that you find helpful for maximizing damage (I understand where to aim, more map positioning, intercept vectors etc)?

 

- Don't really know what is considered acceptable, but some players can average 30%, I even see one did 34%. I can only do 26% for my kongo and 28% for my ARP kongo

 

- Kongo's 356mm type 91 shells is pretty effective when dealing cruisers. A normal penatrate, non citadel hit can cause around 1020 damage. I don't see the need to use HE on cruisers unless you want to disable their modules. I tried to citadel a bow on cleveland using my Kongo AP shells, and everyone knows cleveland is almost the toughest cruiser you can meet in the Tier 5 Kongo. However, I also did disabled an Omaha's engine 3 times in a role using Kongo's HE and made him a sitting duck.... so HE or AP, its your choice. generally speaking, AP do more damage tho.

[Camo68]

 

3: Wait until your target is exposing a broadside. Map positioning and intercept vectors do not matter since you're playing against random, unpredictable enemies.

 

 

. However, I also did disabled an Omaha's engine 3 times in a role using Kongo's HE and made him a sitting duck.... so HE or AP, its your choice. generally speaking, AP do more damage tho.

 

Its mainly for what I think is a peculiar situation where a CA sails directly at me, I think that they are trying to do a torp run on me, but I don't know why on earth they think this is a good strategy (this has happened in 4 games so far). I get 3-4 salvos in by the time they get into range it's just frustrating only getting 1000 odd damage at a time. When they get in range 4-5km they swing their broadside to me in preparation to launch and they get sunk

 

Thanks for you comments I think I will just continue with AP.

[TenguBlade]

Its mainly for what I think is a peculiar situation where a CA sails directly at me, I think that they are trying to do a torp run on me, but I don't know why on earth they think this is a good strategy (this has happened in 4 games so far). I get 3-4 salvos in by the time they get into range it's just frustrating only getting 1000 odd damage at a time. When they get in range 4-5km they swing their broadside to me in preparation to launch and they get sunk

 

Thanks for you comments I think I will just continue with AP.

A cruiser going for a torpedo run is asking for trouble, especially an American cruiser.  What I see most of them doing is turning as soon as they're in range to unleash their torpedoes; all I do is slow down as soon as they get in range, then fire into their citadels.

 

I think my hit rate is at about 25% in Kongo; I don't really have issues with that, though, since most of my hits are citadels.

[DanielLeary]

- Kongo's 356mm type 91 shells is pretty effective when dealing cruisers. A normal penatrate, non citadel hit can cause around 1020 damage. I don't see the need to use HE on cruisers unless you want to disable their modules. I tried to citadel a bow on cleveland using my Kongo AP shells, and everyone knows cleveland is almost the toughest cruiser you can meet in the Tier 5 Kongo. However, I also did disabled an Omaha's engine 3 times in a role using Kongo's HE and made him a sitting duck.... so HE or AP, its your choice. generally speaking, AP do more damage tho.

Kongo's AP rounds do 10,200 max damage.

An Overpenetration (Shell penetrates the armor on the side closest to you, continues to travel and penetrates the armor on the other side prior to detonating) does 10% of the max damage (1,020)

A normal penetrating, non-citadel hit that does not overpenetrate does 33% of max damage (3,366)

A penetrating, citadel hit does 100% of max damage (10,200)