how do you think, if picking survival expert on kiev instead of advanced fire training is viable?

[bad_arcade_kitty]

kiev is very squishy...

 

kiev with aft - 12800 hp, 14,76 km range (+2.48 km range)

kiev with se - 15600 hp, 12.3 km range (+2800 hp)

 

is the second option really viable? 12.3 km is awfully short but 12800 hp is awfully squishy... ><

[Macabe]

Considering it's still not that bad with the less HP than it used to have, i'd run AT. 2.5km for a destroyer especially a gunboat is a big deal.

[poeticmotion]

I would guess it depends on playstyle. I run SE on USN DDs because I have a hard time hitting shots at max range with the shell arcs and I prefer to brawl anyway; the hp boost is more benefit to me. VMF DDs have friendlier shell arcs and better players than I may have an easier time with long-range gunnery anyway, so that would make AFT vs SE a tougher decision, but a 20-25% increase in hp is awesome for brawlers like myself.

 

(In fairness, I play gunboat DDs primarily in anti-DD role...AFT would be nice for sniping at BBs from out of detect range so it's definitely a personal playstyle decision)

[DasBootcamp]

Gunboats are really the only DD's I don't take the extra HP on. It's viable on the Kiev still due to it's module limitations but you could make the argument that it needs AFT even more for the same reason. I would stick to AFT.

[Special_Kay]

Well I've weighed in on four/five-point commander skills for the Kiev before. But if you're going into an AFT-less Kiev with your eyes open, I think you could make it work. What do you mean by viable, though? I don't doubt you'll perform worse statistically than if you had the extra range, because it will seriously hamper your ability to harass battleships when you don't have any hunting to do. I think it will still be viable though, you'll just be more of a specialist. At the end of the day if you're winning knife-fights signficantly more often, that's probably a bigger help than chipping in 15k of battleship harassment each match.

[thegamefilmguruman]

I think the real debate is DE, CE, or SE as the second lvl 4 or lvl 5 skill.  AFT is more or less necessary, in my opinion.

[Special_Kay]

I think the real debate is DE, CE, or SE as the second lvl 4 or lvl 5 skill.  AFT is more or less necessary, in my opinion.

 

Yeah, that's basically the gist of that link I posted, but I think BAK is coming from a "is it workable to try this weird thing I'm thinking of doing" sort of perspective.

[bad_arcade_kitty]

hm, well, i see

 

the less reason to rebuy kiev then, at least my tash is sturdy as is, and has a better concealment too

[centarina]

who need concealment with tashkent.  pew pew pew  .  aft+de is good on tash,  se if you would rather run ap shots.  i have aft/de on kiev. works well.

[WhiteRecon]

Heck no. Need the range. The Tashkent is bigger and harder to maneuver, lot of people hate it - I loved it.

[Gene_Inari]

I still think it's up to preference/style. Kiev is still in that middle-tier-7-weirdness where you can go up against clueless players that don't know how to handle a destroyer hidden in smoke. Personally I like to run right up to my detection range after enemy DDs are dealt with, pop smoke and nail the closest cruiser with AP shells. At 8km or less, sitting in smoke slinking AP, neither AFT or DE do anything. At that point SE come in handy when you take a few shells as your smoke starts up or ends. 

[WhiteRecon]

I still think it's up to preference/style. Kiev is still in that middle-tier-7-weirdness where you can go up against clueless players that don't know how to handle a destroyer hidden in smoke. Personally I like to run right up to my detection range after enemy DDs are dealt with, pop smoke and nail the closest cruiser with AP shells. At 8km or less, sitting in smoke slinking AP, neither AFT or DE do anything. At that point SE come in handy when you take a few shells as your smoke starts up or ends. 

 

Valid point, the great thing about this game is preference/style/options...  I like range on just about everything other than Tirpitz and DM or IJN DDs.

[Jakajan]

My two cents are a lot like thegamefilmguruman's

 

AFT is better, but I would take SE over CE for Kiev because she is a very visible destroyer. An extra 2800 hp would go a long ways to helping her survive torp runs against battleships and close in brawls with dd.

[Shadowrigger1]

Id stick with AFT, the extra range makes up for the lack of HP,   You are so fast, the added range will make it harder for any ship to hit you nullifying the need for the Extra HP to begin with.