Premium T8 Cruiser, Atago or Kutuzov?

[SteelReign]

I've been eyeing these two for the past couple days now, watching review videos and whatnot and I just cant decide. 

 

I already have a Molotov and I love the way Russian Cruisers play, but I havent seen a lot of reviews on the MK since it got its 19.1km range buff. I do plan on continuing the RU Cruiser line so it'd be nice to have 2x Premiums/Crew Trainers. I like the sound of playing medium/long range out the gate and then get close/medium with smoke later on. 

 

The Atago I hear nothing but good things about as well. Great 10km torps, good concealment, great guns (20% chance of fire I hear?).....but I don't plan on doing anything with the IJN though unless someone can give me the run down on how good the IJN Cruisers are. 

 

 

[X15]

Don't get the Atago if you haven't played Japanese cruisers, its not a forgiving ship.

The MK is very good if you know how to play it, which you probably do in comparison, so I recommend it for you.

A rundown of IJN cruisers:

t2, garbage

t3, a DD

t4, a bigger DD

t5, a pocket battleship with godly guns but horrible range. Very good torps.

t6, same as above, guns are less godly

t7, DD hunter and consistent damage dealer

t8, more guns in a better layout

t9, not on the strong side, stealth fire

t10, the stealth firing napalm demon, has armor and lightning fast but shorter torpedoes

Also don't use the three letter version of Japan, it's against the rules for being a rather nasty slang.

[Estimated_Prophet]

As much as to me 'The only good Russian cruiser is a sinking Russian cruiser' is the way I feel; by what you have said  and with X15s comments, it probably is better to get the MK.

 

I've played Atago for 150 games, and so far the much touted 'amazingness' of the ship still escapes me, (to the point the 'Blue Barge' is now just a port decoration, it's captain in reserve.)

 

Better to go with a ship line you're more familiar with.

[Lance53]

There is another factor here that you don't mention, that should be part of your decision making process.   Are you currently used to playing any ships at all at Tier 8?   The competition at Tier 8 is a lot harder than what you currently face playing at Tier 6 with your Molotov.   Right now, with the way that game matchmaking is working, Tiers 6 and 7 appear to be the sweet spot currently, when it comes to whether one will face competition that is more at your own level.  If you jump ahead to Tier 8, you will sometimes find yourself facing Tier 9 and 10 ships.   And it is not just the fact that the ships themselves are at a higher Tier level.  Their captains are typically going to be a lot more experienced and skilled in playing the game too.

 

There is a new premium Tier 7 British Cruiser, the HMS Belfast, that is just about to be released together with the new upcoming British line of cruisers.   It might be worth considering, since it is only 1 Tier level above your Molotov.  

 

Here is a link to a sneak peak at the upcoming HMS Belfast, from one of the current Beta testers.   The video also has a lot of good info about all of the Tier 7 cruisers in it:

 

 

The fact that you already have a trained Russian Captain would be a plus into considering the MK, since you would have the option of moving your current Molotov Captain to it.

 

.

 

[Capt_Binkley]

Atago... meh.  Poor gun placement.  Massive citadel.  Mediocre range.  Great torpedos.

 

Kutozov... Super Cleaveland.  Better gun placement.  Great rate of fire.  Fantastic range.  Lousy torpedos.

[thegamefilmguruman]

Atago: giant DD.  If you know how to be a big sneaky pest in a cruiser, this one's for you.  OP IJN HE with forward torp arcs of good torps.  Sneaky as all get out with CE (9.1 km) and has decent AP.  Fast.  I love mine and play it quite often (my most played ship, actually).  As for Kutuzov?  Do you like HE spam at long range?  'Cause that's most of what you'll be doing.

[DerKrampus]

I greatly prefer the Kutuzov.  Its combination of good HE and AP, excellent firing rate, good anti-air, smoke and decent torpedoes make it a more versatile ship, I think.  

[CHEEZ_ON_FIRE]

Don't get the Atago if you haven't played Japanese cruisers, its not a forgiving ship.

 

Bro unforgiving? The MK is significantly more unforgiving I happen to have both and have had great games in both of these ships but I can honestly say that the Atago is a better all around ship. She's also IMO the most beautiful . Now reality is it just does everything better than the MK torops are better, guns are better( Dont reload as fast as MK), concealment better, coolness factor better . I know it's really personal preference but I would invest my money on the Atago it also just prints creds for you. 

 

[Espinoza75]

As an Atago owner, I love my ship. Kutuzov sounds more like your style and it can be a massive pain in my hide.

[Crucis]

Don't get the Atago if you haven't played Japanese cruisers, its not a forgiving ship.

The MK is very good if you know how to play it, which you probably do in comparison, so I recommend it for you.

 

A rundown of IJN cruisers:

t2, garbage

t3, a DD

t4, a bigger DD

t5, a pocket battleship with godly guns but horrible range. Very good torps.

t6, same as above, guns are less godly

t7, DD hunter and consistent damage dealer

t8, more guns in a better layout

t9, not on the strong side, stealth fire

t10, the stealth firing napalm demon, has armor and lightning fast but shorter torpedoes

Also don't use the three letter version of Japan, it's against the rules for being a rather nasty slang.

 

 

It's only an insult to the special snowflake, looking to be insulted/offended PC crowd.

 

[Crucis]

Atago... meh.  Poor gun placement.  Massive citadel.  Mediocre range.  Great torpedos.

 

Kutozov... Super Cleaveland.  Better gun placement.  Great rate of fire.  Fantastic range.  Lousy torpedos.

 

I'm hesitant to say that the Atago has poor gun placement simply because one of her 5 double turrets isn't well placed.  Oh, if your target is dead ahead, you can't get that turret on target, but that's true of may IJN cruisers as well as some USN cruisers that aren't yet in the game.  And yes, the gun range isn't great, but if you're in top tier it's not really a big issue.  And heck, it's not that bad in most tier 9 battles.  It's only a major main when you're in a tier 10 battle and there are few tier 8's on the map and it feels like everything out-ranges you.

 

The upside is that her HE hits very hard, typical IJN HE.  And the Atago has some good torp arcs.  They're not all rear facing, which is a blessing compared to the Myoko and Mogami.

 

The Atago also has great concealment, made even better if you have a CE captain in her.  She can literally invisi-torp with camp paint and CE, though the margin for error is very narrow (9.5 km concealment vs 10 km torps).

 

 

 

I will say that X15's right that the Atago is best played by people with experience in IJN cruisers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Capt_Binkley]

 

I'm hesitant to say that the Atago has poor gun placement simply because one of her 5 double turrets isn't well placed.  Oh, if your target is dead ahead, you can't get that turret on target, but that's true of may IJN cruisers as well as some USN cruisers that aren't yet in the game.  And yes, the gun range isn't great, but if you're in top tier it's not really a big issue.  And heck, it's not that bad in most tier 9 battles.  It's only a major main when you're in a tier 10 battle and there are few tier 8's on the map and it feels like everything out-ranges you.

 

The upside is that her HE hits very hard, typical IJN HE.  And the Atago has some good torp arcs.  They're not all rear facing, which is a blessing compared to the Myoko and Mogami.

 

The Atago also has great concealment, made even better if you have a CE captain in her.  She can literally invisi-torp with camp paint and CE, though the margin for error is very narrow (9.5 km concealment vs 10 km torps).

 

 

 

I will say that X15's right that the Atago is best played by people with experience in IJN cruisers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think the Myoko is the cruiser that has sat the longest in my port without moving up.  IJN cruisers are probably my least favorite line to play.  I'm sure if someone likes playing the IJN cruiser line, they will do well in the Atago.  For me, I prefer other playstyles.

[thegamefilmguruman]

The Atago also has great concealment, made even better if you have a CE captain in her.  She can literally invisi-torp with camp paint and CE, though the margin for error is very narrow (9.5 km concealment vs 10 km torps).

 

9.1km, actually.  Not all that narrow.  0.9km is pretty usable for stealth torping.

[SkyRail]

I don't know if this will convince you to get the Atago, but this is how I do in her in the past 31 days (8-27-2016 to 9-26-2016)

 

 

As for the MK ? I think I kill more of them than they kill me.

imo Atago is the best T8 cruiser right now (other than when you facing carrier, cos you have the worst AA out of all CA in T8)

[thegamefilmguruman]

I don't know if this will convince you to get the Atago, but this is how I do in her in the past 31 days (8-27-2016 to 9-26-2016)

 

 

As for the MK ? I think I kill more of them than they kill me.

imo Atago is the best T8 cruiser right now (other than when you facing carrier, cos you have the worst AA out of all CA in T8)

 

Good lordy, 109 atago games in just the last 31 days (I only have 12 for that period)! You're like me and my Blysk right now!  I'm only at 202 atago games total to your 600+ 

Still, I do rather decent in it as well:

 

I assume you have DE on yours?  I have aft because of the captain I use, so less fire dmg.  Does explain the higher plane kills, though, for me.

[SteelReign]

Man that Atago is so tempting, uts such a beautiful ship, I just hesitate so much considering the IJN nation just doesn't really strike my fancy even though I hear nothing good about it. If anything it would be purely a credit grinder for me. 

 

As for the MK, when it comes to modules, I see people recommending AA defensive upgrades (AA Guns Mod 2 brings it up to 75 AA rating) but then Ive seen people using Aiming Systems of MBM due to turret traverse and/or gun dispersion 

[EATEMM]

Really just comes down to play style. Both are awesome ships. But the Atago with the ability to heal and much better Torps give it edge. 

[Lance53]

Atago... meh.  Poor gun placement.  Massive citadel.  Mediocre range.  Great torpedos.

 

Kutozov... Super Cleaveland.  Better gun placement.  Great rate of fire.  Fantastic range.  Lousy torpedos.

 

 

Lousy torpedoes?   That is a most strange and peculiar thing to say about the Kutuzov.   Other than the Atago, what other Tier 8 cruiser would you say has better torpedoes?

 

Heck, the Cleveland does not even have ANY torps.

 

.

[Lance53]

As for the MK, when it comes to modules, I see people recommending AA defensive upgrades (AA Guns Mod 2 brings it up to 75 AA rating) but then Ive seen people using Aiming Systems of MBM due to turret traverse and/or gun dispersion 

 

You must be hearing bad information, as the standard dispersion and turret traverse speed of the Kutuzov are both very good.    No other Tier 8 cruiser has better dispersion.  And only the Hipper has a slightly faster turret traverse time.  Not enough difference, though, that it would affect a battle.

 

Both Atago and Kutuzov need to be sailed fast, with lots of defensive maneuvering and angling, just like any other cruiser.   But you should already know that from sailing the Molotov.   It is best to stay in areas that have islands that you can dart behind, and not go out into the open water, especially against a Battleship.

 

Besides the higher Tier level play that I mentioned earlier, the other big difference that you will notice with either of these ships is their much larger size than the Molotov.   Being so much larger, also makes them easier to hit.

 

.

[Roadrider7021]

   I have the Atago, not the MK. Atago or Fletcher? I dunno but one of them is my absolute favorite ship. I love the Atago. I think from user comments and my own experiences with other Russian ships, the MK is the better performing ship, especially in raw numbers and skill floor. But for pure challenge and fun, not to mention going against the current meta which is BB's, DD's, or super long range HE spammers(which is perfectly fine), the Atago is great. Yes it takes a little mastery, but when learned, it elevates T8 cruiser play to an art, which is definitely against the current meta. MK is possibly the best earning ship in the game if that's part of your decision.

[SteelReign]

 

You must be hearing bad information, as the standard dispersion and turret traverse speed of the Kutuzov are both very good.    No other Tier 8 cruiser has better dispersion.  And only the Hipper has a slightly faster turret traverse time.  Not enough difference, though, that it would affect a battle.

 

 

.

For dispersion, is a larger or smaller number better? I could almost swear the Atago had a smaller number (140ish?). I didn't mean the MK had bad dispersion, I knew it was quite good just like the Molotov.

 

So defensive fire mod? 

[Lance53]

For dispersion, is a larger or smaller number better? I could almost swear the Atago had a smaller number (140ish?). I didn't mean the MK had bad dispersion, I knew it was quite good just like the Molotov.

 

So defensive fire mod? 

 

 

Well, but when comparing a ship's max dispersion value, you have to take into consideration the max shooting ranges of the two ships that you are comparing.   The Kutuzov has a much farther max range than the Atago.   So while its max dispersion number is higher, it can actually have a tighter dispersion than the Atago, because that number is being measured at a greater distance.

 

As far as which is best for the second module, that depends on your play style.  CV planes are never going to go out of their way to attack you, unless the CV captain is naive and ignorant about the AA firepower of the Kutuzov.  So if you are by yourself, maxing out your AA is irrelevant, as planes are typically not going to bother you.  

 

On the other hand, if you want to support Battleships on your team, and fight alongside them, they would certainly appreciate you having max range for your AA Defensive Fire consumable, so you can extend some AA protection to them if they are attacked.    So the question then becomes do you want to play more of a supportive role on the team, and literally fight right beside your teammates?

 

Good CV Captains know which cruisers have awesome AA firepower.  And with the huge 300% boost that the AA Defensive Fire Consumable that Cruisers have gives them, that makes the better AA gunned Cruisers like the Kutuzov far deadlier to planes than even the best Battleships that absolutely bristle with AA. guns

 

.

[AlcoholicUncle]

I would say MK, but that is not forgiving ship, especially for those who is not familiar with high level gameplay. I'm still paying with my statistics for buying it when I played nothing above lvl 5.

I love it though.

[Komrad_B]

I don't have the Atago, but I'm well versed in IJN cruisers. I do own the Kutuzov however.. Here's my take - 

 

Atago packs a heavier punch since it has better guns, the torpedoes are better (great damage, speed and long range&in greater numbers). In fact the Atago torpedoes it seems also have a very good firing arc compared to other high tier IJN cruisers. Its frail, but has repair ability which is exceptional at tier VIII. Atago is also fast, like other IJN heavy cruisers.

 

Kutuzov is going to deal its damage over time (with HE fires) and at greater range. Its 12x 155mm guns are lasers - very accurate and the arc is flat - so its easy to aim them even at longer ranges. They don't deal a lot of damage but AP can still be useful against cruisers at shorter ranges. It shoots fast too, and as said previously it has great range. This means you can stay out of arms way and still hit targets. At close range its effective against destroyers because the guns are fast firing and precise. Torpedoes are decent when all else fails. The ship isn't really well armored but a good Kutuzov player stays out of harm's way and still manages to deal damage. 

 

Now the areas were Kutuzov really shine : it has smoke, for one, so it can pull some invisible shooting or cover yourself when in trouble. Secondly, Kutuzov has incredible AAA. And I mean it, it can decimate an a full strike from any carrier most of the time.

 

All in all the Kutuzov is effective and poweful but somewhat boring to play. I recommand it however, its a high tier super cleveland. As I said I don't own Atago but if you like IJN cruisers then it seems to be a keeper, much more so than Mogami.

[KaptainKaybe]

Disclaimer: I'm not primarily a cruiser player. I mostly juggle between battleships and destroyers.

 

I have both cruisers, and both are pretty good. Of the two, I prefer the Atago because it's stealthy, has great torps ... and is the only premium cruiser in the game with Repair Party, which means if I come under fire, I can break away to hide, heal up, and get back in the fight after. Not something I can do in other cruisers. She may have giant citadels, but as long as I stay angled and WASD a lot, I generally just take regular pen damage which can be healed back.