Premium Ship Review: Leningrad

[LittleWhiteMouse]

The following is aimed at new(ish) players looking to find a little more information about various ships from events, for premium currency or for real-world cash. The goal is to allow players to make an educated decision before parting with their time and money and to find premium vessels that suit their chosen style of play, whether that is competitive, cooperative, or simply for fun. The idea here is to elabourate on information not commonly available through reading statistics and provide some (heavily) biased anecdotal evidence to encourage or dissuade you from making your purchase. The usual disclaimers apply: everyone knows the Matchmaker clearly loves me because I spend money so that's why I occasionally get really good games, not because I have any particular skills of note.

 

Other articles in this series:

• Ships for Doubloons: Smith, Sims, Atlanta, Texas, Saipan, Tachibana, Atago, Ishizuchi, Aurora, Molotov, Mikhail Kutuzov, Emden, König Albert, Tirpitz, Campbeltown, Warspite,
• Limited Release Ships: Fujin, Kamikaze, Katori, Yubari, Gremyashchy, Leningrad, Diana, Murmansk, Krasny Krym, Imperator Nikolai I, Anshan, Lo Yang, Marblehead, Indianapolis, Arizona,  Prinz Eugen, Scharnhorst, Dunkerque, Blyskawica
• Gift & Reward Ships: Albany, Arkansas, Flint, Iwaki, Mikasa,
• Arpeggio of Blue Steel Ships: Kongo, Kirishima, Haruna, Myoko
• Non Premiums:  Gneisenau, Bismarck, Iowa, Isokaze
• Condensed Reading: Mouse's Quick Summary of Premium Ships

 

Without further ado:

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Rocket Powered Stalinum

 

Quick Summary:  The Leningrad is one of the fastest destroyers in the game; she's even faster than the Kiev.  Her gun DPM is on the low side with slow turning turrets and bad fire angles but she makes up for this with a good, medium range torpedo armament.  Finally, she has good stealth ratings -- a rarity for late-tier Soviet destroyers.

Cost:  Undisclosed at the time of this review.

Patch & Date Written: 0.5.11, September 26th & 27th, 2016.

 

Closest in-Game Contemporary:  Blyskawica, tier 7 Polish Destroyer Degree of Similarity:  Clone / Sister-Ship / Related Class/ Similar Role / Unique   I wanted to compare the Leningrad directly to a Soviet destroyer but I had to be honest with myself -- she shares more in common with the premium Polish Blyskawica than her Soviet sisters.  She has low DPM, slow turret traverse, decent torpedoes which she can fire from stealth and an impressive top speed.

 

PROs:

• Large hit point pool of 15,200hp.
• Armed with five Soviet 130mm naval guns with great ballistics.
• Powerful AP shell, quite capable of landing citadels on cruisers at close range with 2,500 alpha strike.
• With the proper Captain Skills and camouflage, she's able to stealth fire her guns with a 1.39km concealment window.
• Excellent torpedoes with an 8km range at 60 knots, allowing her to stealth fire while stock.
• Ridiculous top speed of 43.0 knots.  With a signal and engine boost, this caps out at 48.7 knots!
• With her high top speed, she can lay down more smoke clouds per consumable than IJN Destroyers.

 

CONs:

• Anemic High Explosive shell damage of 1,600hp and lowest HE DPM of the Tier 7 Gunships.
• Deck elements restrict the fields of fire on her number 3, 4 and 5 turrets.
• Slow turret traverse at 6.5'/s.
• Long torpedo reload of 92s.
• Enormous turning circle for a Destroyer of 690m.
• Smoke clouds have shorter duration than USN or British ships.
• Gun sounds are from the dual-gun turrets of the later Soviet DDs rather than that of a single barreled turret. Nitpicky, I know, but it annoyed the heck out of me.

 

The Leningrad is a gorgeous model with lots of details cluttering the deck.  Unfortunately, this clutter (namely in the form of 76mm AA-guns) gets in the way of your gun angles.

 

I was delighted to be handed a premium destroyer to review.  I was even happier to see that it was Soviet.  The Russians have been hurting for a premium destroyer for like ... ever.  The IJN have had the Fujin, Kamikaze R & Kamikaze along with the Tachibana.  The Americans have the Sims and Smith.  Even the British have the Campbeltown.  While I would like to see a German destroyer trainer at some point, I don't think anyone could argue that the Russo-Soviet tech tree has been in need for one for quite some time now.  Whatever plans that Wargaming may have had for filling this gap with the Gremyashchy had to be shelved due to her over performance.

 

 Of course the question becomes:  Is this another Gremyashchy? 

 

Options
There is nothing special at all about the Leningrad's module, consumable and camouflage options.

 

Consumables:

• Damage Control Party
• Smoke Generator
• Engine Boost

Module Upgrades:  Four slots, standard Soviet Destroyer options.
Premium Camouflage: Tier 6+ Standard. This provides 50% bonus experience gains, 3% reduction in surface detection and 4% reduction in enemy accuracy.

 

Firepower

Primary Battery:  Five 130mm guns mounted between five turrets.  Two superfiring forward, two superfiring rear with the fifth gun rearward facing between the bridge and forward funnel.  They have a range of 11.6km.

Torpedoes: 53-39 mod 2 torpedoes in 2x4 dorsal launchers

 

The Leningrad is a clumsy gunship.  She has slow turret traverse with a lot of deck clutter restricting her fields of fire.  The two combined can lead to some frustration with the lay of her rifles, making it difficult to track targets and discouraging you from touching your rudder at all once you've got an enemy in your sights.  Any veteran destroyer player knows this is dangerous and not really practical -- moving on a predictable course is as reckless for destroyers as it is for other ships.  You will often find you're firing with as little as one gun and struggling to bring the others to bare.  She can fire a maximum of two guns forward and all of one directly to the rear.  It's only when giving your broadside that you can manage all five (with better rearward arcs than forward).  This can make knife fights with enemy DDs especially dangerous and the Leningrad feels vulnerable in these situations.

 

The HE DPM disparity between the Leningrad and the other tier 7 gunships is telling, even before you factor in the problems with gun handling.

 

• 135,000dps - Mahan B-Hull
• 130,909dps - Sims
• 115,200dps - Kiev
• 109,846dps - Blyskawica
•   96,000dps - Leningrad
•   63,000dps - Hatsuharu A-Hull

 

Fortunately, the Leningrad is a rather stealthy ship -- at least for a Soviet Destroyer.  Even with the 2.0km concealment penalty found on the Soviet 130mm guns, the Leningrad is fully capable of firing from stealth with a properly trained Captain.  With Concealment Expert, she can stealth fire at targets from a range 12.5km.  This unfortunately predicates you acquiring Advanced Fire Training  to extend her reach out to 13.9km to take advantage of this as she doesn't have the reach while stock.  To compensate, the Leningrad can fire her torpedo armament from stealth right out of the gates even without Captain Skills.

 

The Leningrad has modified version of the 59-39 torpedo with traits to make any Soviet captain smile.  They have an 8.0km range with a 60 knot top speed.  They hit for 15,100 damage each -- the same as the stock Kiev torpedoes .  With her pair of quad launchers this is up to 60,400 damage per salvo which is impressive.  While this 8.0km is nice, it's not perfect by any means.  This is still on the short side.  Making attack runs places the Leningrad in harm's way.  She's likely to be spotted not only by spotter aircraft and screening destroyers but also radar-equipped cruisers.   Still, if you can run the gauntlet, you can score some nice damage on the Red's fatties.

 

The Leningrad has a good bit of versatility, both with her guns and with her torpedoes -- at least in so far as picking on capital ships.  You'll struggle a bit more against destroyers in knife fights, so she can't do it all.

 

Summary:

• Poor gun handling coupled with lots of deck clutter makes gunnery kind of uncomfortable, especially while under maneuvers.  It's really hard to bring all of your guns to bare.
• Really hurting on DPM for a gunship -- even worse than the Blyskawica.  These two traits make her really bad at knife fighting other destroyers.  Be careful about being spotted early.
• Her good stealth rating means that with a properly specialized 15pt Captain, she can fire from stealth in open water.
• Even with a novice Captain, she can fire her torpedoes from stealth.  Just be careful of their shortish range.

 

Rivals: Blyskawica The Blyskawica is, on paper, the better gunship.  Despite a longer reload, she has higher DPM with her seven rifles.  Unlike the Soviet destroyers, she doesn't suffer any additional concealment tax when firing her guns.  This allows her to fire from stealth from open water, even while stock.  A Blyskawica with a fully trained Captain is a dangerous hunter, with an enormous stealth-firing window that can be as large as 1.7km to 4.0km depending on skill choices.  She's also no slug, with a 39.0 knot top speed which is respectable.  In short, the Blyskawica has more guns, she's tougher than you, she's reasonably fast and her torpedoes are almost as good.  Be careful. Advantages:   Seven-gun broadside which can lead to some pretty nasty alpha-strikes from single volleys.  She doesn't suffer from gunnery stealth penalties like the Leningrad.  She doesn't struggle to bring her guns on target either.  While not as fast, she is considerably more agile.  The Blyskawica has a larger hit point total than you too. Disadvantages:   The Blyskawica is slower than the Leningrad.  Missed salvos with her main battery hurts her DPM quite considerably with her longer reload.  If you can successfully evade even a single volley, you can to tip the scales in your favour in a gunnery duel.

 

The Leningrad shares a lot in common with the Polish destroyer, Blyskawica, not the least of which is the ability to fire medium-range torpedoes from concealment.  The Polish ship edges the Leningrad out on gunnery performance while the Soviet destroyer has a superior torpedo armament.  They trade many traits this way -- closely comparable but different.  The Blyskawica has more hit points.  The Leningrad is faster.  The Blyskawica turns better.  The Leningrad is more stealthy.  And so on.

 

Maneuverability

Top Speed: 43.0 knots
Turning Radius: 690m
Rudder Shift: 3.7s

 

Rocket butt.  That's what this thing is.

 

The Leningrad is one of the fastest ships in the game.  At her tier, nothing can touch her.  She has a half knot speed advantage over the Kiev while maintaining the same level of "agility".  All of this speed comes at the cost of an enormous turning circle for a destroyer.  While not as bad as some of the higher tier Soviet DDs, her 690m turning circle is pretty terrible.  Thankfully she answers her rudder rather quickly.  It should be noted that even with a large turning radius, the Leningrad is still fully capable of out turning her turrets without modifications and/or Captain Skills.

 

Slowest Destroyer Turret Rotations in the Game:

 

• 36.0s - Gremyashchy
• 36.0s - Gnevny (Slowest VMF)
• 30.0s - Kagero (Slowest IJN)
• 25.7s - Hatsuharu
• 22.7s - Leningrad
• 18.6s - Kiev
• 18.0s - Blyskawica
• 18.0s - Clemson (Slowest USN)
• 12.0s - Mahan
•   5.3s - Sims

 

This list should really put into perspective how difficult it is to make evasive maneuvers in the Leningrad while returning fire.  Not only that, but you must keep her gun arcs in mind too.  The Leningrad can only fire a single gun towards her rear quarter because of the deck mounted 76mm turret on her stern which obstructs her #5 gun and the funnels which block her #3.  While evasion is important, remember that dead targets can't shoot at you.  Compromise between evasion and putting shells down range.

 

Durability
Hit Points: 15,200
Maximum Protection: Up to 16mm.

 

The Leningrad has a healthy stock of hit points, coming in just behind the Blyskawica at tier 7 as the highest total on any of the Destroyers.  This gives much needed durability, particularly when being engaged by other enemy DDs.  Otherwise, expect the same sort of fragility as other destroyers.  Expect to lose weapon mounts and modules constantly while under fire. Stock up on Juliet Charlie signals or install Magazine Modification 1 to mitigate unwanted detonations.

 

Rivals: Kiev The Kiev is a frightening gunship.  She's functionally just as fast as the Leningrad with the similar handling.  They're both armed with the same 130mm mounts, but the Kiev has them carefully laid out with ideal fields of fire and better turret rotation.  In a duel, she can throw her ship about and bring her guns back on target much faster than you can.  But the Kiev isn't a stealthy ship, nor does she boast as many hit points as the Leningrad.  This gives you the detection advantage against the Kiev and this is a pretty substantial bonus.   Engagements should be limited to hit and run tactics if you want to play to your strengths -- hit them hard and early and then break contact before she can coordinate a reprisal.  Alternatively, just keep her lit for your team while keeping yourself hidden. Advantages:  The Kiev has an optimal gun layout and gun performance.  She can go evasive and still manage to track her targets most of the time and hit them at any range.  Lastly, there's only a half knot difference in speed between her and the, great speed as the Leningrad. Disadvantages:  The Kiev has an enormous surface detection range with torpedoes that are limited to self defense ranges only.  She's inherently fragile with an unimpressive hit point total.

 

Concealment & Camouflage

Surface Detection Range: 7.6km

Air Detection Range: 4.3 km

Minimum Surface Detection Range: 6.63km

Concealment Penalty while Firing: +5.9km (vs 13.92km gun range)

 

The Leningrad sits on the cusp of having good concealment.  When I first looked at the Leningrad, I got excited to see such a nice concealment rating on her -- it was quite unexpected for a Soviet destroyer.  That is until I really started looking at it.  Here's how she ranks up to the concealment values (without camouflage) of the other tier 7 destroyers

 

• 6.7km - Hatsuharu
• 7.6km - Sims
• 7.6km - Leningrad
• 7.7km - Blyskawica
• 7.9km - Mahan
• 9.0km - Kiev

 

The Leningrad doesn't look too bad when you place her in that line up, right?  However, the tier 7 destroyers have some of the worst camouflage ratings in the game, tier for tier.  Only the Hatsuharu has a camouflage rating that's anywhere near passable.  These ships all regularly face tier 8+ destroyers with a 10% reduction to their surface detection rating.  Plug this in and they're running into the likes of the Lo Yang at 6.6km surface detection range, or the Fubuki with 6.3km, and that's omitting a further reduction from Concealment Modification 1.  It only gets worse if they have a 15pt Captain and you don't.

 

The excess of a 7km surface detection range on the Leningrad isn't bad.  It's on par with or better than the other gunships with which she competes.  For a Soviet destroyer short of the Gremyashchy, it's very good. You can fire your torpedoes from stealth.  With an experienced Captain, you gain the ability to do the same with your guns too.

 

A special mention should be made towards her Smoke Generators.  Without going into too much detail, high speed destroyers can put out more "puffs" of smoke than slower ones.  This allows the Leningrad to put out a maximum of ten clouds of smoke if they're moving flat out.  Comparable IJN destroyers can only lay out seven.  While this smoke doesn't last as long as the USN equivalents (by a long shot), this can provide an enormous blanket of concealment for your team if used correctly.

 

This Bayern barely managed to claw its way out of its own deployment zone when it came under torpedo attack from an unspotted Leningrad.  Without a proper screen of destroyers or aircraft, the Leningrad can and will make early stealth-strikes against your team's capital ships.  She's able to make up to 48 knots to get into a position and launch pre-emptive attack runs.

 

Anti-Aircraft Defense
AA Battery Calibers: 76mm / 37mm / 12.7mm
AA Umbrella Ranges: 3.0km / 3.5km / 1.2km
AA DPS per Aura: 7 / 26 / 14

 

The ranges might look a little backwards on her AA mounts, but trust me -- I double checked them.  Those 76mm guns are a real pain on the Leningrad.  Not only do they provide only a paltry level of DPS, they're also the gun mounts that obscure the lines of fire of your #4 and #5 turrets.  They don't even have the decency to provide some secondary firepower.  The nerve!  Overall, her AA looks decent for a destroyer, but it's nothing really to write home about.  It takes forever to shoot down a same-tier aircraft.  Though maybe that's noteworthy in of itself.  She can shoot down enemy aircraft, even if it does take a long time.  Unlike the USN Destroyers, you can't pad your numbers with a Defensive Fire consumable, so you're unable to accelerate it.

 

You'll be leaving the Leningrad's AA off most of the time and when you do have to turn it on, it won't hit hard enough to drive off enemy planes.  You really need to watch out for aircraft in the Leningrad.  They're one of your few hard-counters.  

 

Rivals: Sims The Sims is a duelist.  Her 127mm shells do not retain energy well and have a lot of float time at range.  However, they are incredibly rapid fire with a starting 18rpm per gun with an amazing turret rotation time.  In addition, the Sims is the most agile American destroyer in the game and reasonably quick besides.  If the Sims can get in close, she becomes increasingly dangerous so keep the range opened up between you and this expert knife fighter.  Also beware her "water mine" torpedoes -- they're so slow they won't arrive when you expect them to and you can find yourself taken by surprise by their belated appearance. Advantages:  The Sims is agile as all get out with ridiculously fast turret rotation -- the Sims has no trouble keeping her guns locked on target while throwing her ship about.  Coupled with her fearsome rate of fire (which can be bumped up to in excess of 20rpm per gun), the Sims is the most dangerous knife fighter of her tier. Disadvantages:  Her gun accuracy suffers at range due to the "float" of her shells.  Nowhere near as fast as the Leningrad, allowing you to dictate engagement distances.

 

In higher tiered games, aircraft carriers become increasingly important for locking down enemy destroyers.  The Leningrad is no exception, with it's excellent ability to stealth fire.  Carriers should endeavor not only to keep her lit, but make attack runs on the Soviet destroyer.  Her large turning circle makes her about as agile as a light cruiser -- so don't be shy of trying to land torpedo hits.  Don't worry, her flak looks more frightening than it is.
 

Overall Impressions

Skill Floor:  Simple/ Casual / Challenging / Difficult

Skill Ceiling:  Low/ Moderate / High / Extreme

The Leningrad isn't going to be an easy ship to love -- not if you don't have a 15pt Captain to place in her right from the start.  Concealment Expert makes or breaks this ship where the skill floor is concerned.  While she can launch her torpedoes from stealth even with a novice Captain, it's not easy with only a 600m window to do it from.  She's easily foiled by enemy destroyers.  She doesn't duel with them well.  Enemy aircraft, particularly torpedo planes, are a real danger to her if you're not careful.  And let's not forget her awful gun handling, which can be an insurmountable challenge for many players.

Once you have your ducks in a row and she's properly equipped, the Leningrad is a nasty little boat. She has the potential, once the screening elements of the enemy fleet are neutralized, to farm an absolute truckload of damage.  Your skill in this ship will dictate if you can handle the one-off encounters with enemy gunships, aircraft and radar equipped cruisers to help create your own opportunities to excel.

 

Mouse's Summary:

• Having Concealment Expert, a 15pt Captain Skill, makes playing this ship so much more fun.
• The Leningrad has a well balanced mix of gunnery and torpedo strengths.  While neither are amazing in of themselves, combined they give her flexibility -- something that other destroyers cannot readily boast.
• Her turret handling really is awful.  Ugh, that rotation speed.  But UGH, that deck clutter.  "Why won't that gun fire!?  Oh... right.  It's those darned 76mm guns turrets again."  Chasing or being chased in the Leningrad is not a fun experience with so few guns with which to shoot.
• The sound mismatch of two shots going off from the Leningrad's single barrels really, really bugs me.  Apparently I've been using sound feedback all this time to count how many of my guns have fired rather than count shells.  So I'll think I've fired four shells but instead only two are aloft.
• Without enemy destroyers or carriers to keep her in check, the Leningrad is one monster of a ship.  No one can catch her.  And she can fire from stealth with all of her weapons with a well trained captain.  This is a recipe for disaster for game balance.
• Boy is she fast.  She's faster than an elf dancing on a mailbox.

 

My first impression of the Leningrad when it dropped into my harbour for testing was:  "Wow, this thing looks overpowered."  It looked like a Kiev with more hit points, better camouflage and better torpedoes.  This put a lump in my throat as I feared the coming cries of Soviet-bias throughout the various corners of the internet.  It's not fun reviewing overpowered ships.  It requires a lot more work to ensure that I'm reporting things correctly and how they influence the meta.

 

I find it especially ironic that ships like the Kharbarovsk are being nerfed and then a premium ship is released that mirrors their old performance.  There are three balance checks which keep the Leningrad in line -- destroyers, carriers and her dependence on a highly trained Captain to excel.  If they're not present, then there's nothing that keeps this ship from over performing.  She's too fast to be caught.  And she won't be seen unless she makes a mistake.  The Leningrad can fire upon capital ships with impunity so long as she maintains a 12.5km range for her guns and a 6.6km range for her torpedoes. 

 

Now this sounds rather damning (or it may have some players wanting to buy her immediately), but let's keep this in perspective.  There's nothing the Leningrad can do that the Blyskawica doesn't already do herself.  The Blyskawica has slightly better guns and slightly worse torpedoes.  She has more HP and agility but less speed than the Leningrad.  If you consider the Blyskawica OP, then the Leningrad is more assuredly overpowered too.  If you find the Blyskawica to be a balanced ship, then so too is the Leningrad.  I personally feel that the Blyskawica is an excellent destroyer -- maybe even a little too good.  I feel the same about the Leningrad.

But, man, is her gunnery uncomfortable.

 

Rivals: Hatsuharu The Hatsuharu is the destroyer you keep hoping the Matchmaker will stack you against.  She's so much slower than you are.  She's under gunned.  She's fragile.  But damn her, she's also stealthy as all get out.  A properly specialized Hatsuharu can have as small a surface detection range as 5.7km.  That's an enormous potential disparity between her spotting you and you getting eyes on her.  It's about the equivalent of the stealth difference between your Leningrad and the Kiev.  Thankfully, you've got the speed to close the distance on the Hatsuharu and lock onto her.  As bad as the guns on the Hatsuharu are, you must respect them.  While you do outmuscle her in terms of DPM and you do have more hit points to keep yourself safe, a well played Hatsuharu can still chew through your health with alacrity if she has the intent to sell her life dearly.  This can leave you in rough shape for any follow up encounters. Advantages:   Incredibly stealthy.  The Hatsuharu's torpedoes are powerful enough to easily one-shot you and they might be on as short a reload as 30s.  Her guns are nice and accurate with a flat trajectory. Disadvantages:  She has poor gun DPM, a low hit point total and a low top speed.  She should be meat on the table for you if you don't mess this up.

 

Would I Recommend?

The Leningrad will not convert someone who loathes destroyer game play.  Let's get that out of the way right from the start.  She's very much a Soviet destroyer at her core style.  She's fast.  She doesn't handle well.  She's got some great guns.  It should be noted that she really only comes into her own with a 15pt Captain at the helm -- the same for many tier 7 destroyers.  Without that?  It's a bit of rough sailing.  And some people will just abhor her for that slow turret rotation.

 

• For Random Battle Grinding:

Eh?  There's a fun bit of duality here.  If you have a 15pt Captain, the Leningrad will farm experience credits like a champ.  If you don't, you've got quite a bit more work ahead of you to make her compete.  This makes her a bit of an odd training ship, what with needing a good Captain to facilitate getting good results.

 

• For Competitive Gaming:

Yes, but with a caveat.  She's going to struggle to win destroyer duels.  But that's not why you take her.  She can do the spotting for your team if you don't have a carrier.  And unlike Soviet destroyers, she's stealthy enough to get away with it, being able to light most same-tier enemy destroyers before she's seen in return.  So not only are you getting to cap points first, you're going to spot the enemies coming to stop you before they get there.

 

• For Collectors:

Historically, the Leningrad-class didn't have an auspicious career.  Still, she was built in steel so there's that going for her. 

 

• For Fun Factor:

Well, I had fun in her.  But if you dislike sloppy turret rotation and large turning circles, you may want to keep away from this one. 

 

Rivals: Mahan The Mahan is a work horse.  She can do it all.  She has great torpedoes.  She has similar guns to the Sims (with a slightly slower rate of fire).  She's got a bucket load of hit points too.  What she doesn't have is great speed or amazing agility.  While the Mahan is certainly more nimble in a turn than the Leningrad, she won't spin donuts the way the Sims can.  The Mahan is also one of the slowest of your counterparts at tier 7.  What she does have is five gun mounts spitting out 15rpm each.  This puts her at the top of the list when it comes to potential DPM.  Like the Sims, these are effectively short ranged when engaging enemy destroyers.  She won't be able to hit you at range unless you're dumb and move predictably.  If the Mahan catches you at short range with an intent to sink you, you're in trouble. Advantages:  The Mahan has a truly versatile armament with the ability to put more shells downrange than any other destroyer at tier 7.  This comes coupled with reasonable stealth, decent agility, and a healthy amount of hit points.  Beware her torpedoes -- she can launch 12 total. Disadvantages:  Slow as all get out and unable to dictate the combat range as a result.  In addition, she has a larger surface detection range than the Leningrad, so you'll always see her first.

 

Did I mention that planes are the bane of the Leningrad?  I think I did.  Well, let me say it again -- planes wreck the Leningrad.  Keep her lit and she loses a lot of what makes her great.

 

Outfitting your Leningrad

Recommended Modules

You should be reaching for a fairly standard selection of modules here for your Leningrad.
 

• For your first slot, I cannot recommend Magazine Modification 1 enough to destroyer Captains.  This will reduce the amount of times you get detonated significantly (by 70%!).  Even if you were being detonated as much as 1 game in 30, this would reduce this down to 1 game in 100.  I'm of the firm opinion that if you get detonated in a destroyer and you haven't taken this module, it's your own darned fault.  I don't want to hear about any complaints.
  
  For those that like to live dangerously, or for those trying to farm more Juliet Charlie signals for the next season of Ranked Battles, then by all means:  equip Main Armaments modification 1 instead.  Keep in mind that unlike other high tier Soviet destroyers, the Leningrad's guns are each mounted in their own turret.  This makes having a turret knocked out a lot less crippling than it would be for an Ognevoi, Kiev or Kharbarovsk, for example.
   
• For your second slot, you've actually got a choice.  While Aiming Systems Modification 1 looks like the no-brainer, do consider grabbing Main Battery Modification 2.  This will hurt your DPM (dropping it from 96,000 to 91,200) but it will add some much improved functionality to your slow turret traverse.  Consider it an alternative if you can't pick up Expert Marksman as a Captain Skill.
   
• At your third slot, take either Steering Gears Modification 1 or Propulsion Modification 1.  Pick whichever one you loathe having busted on you most (I go for Steering Gears, myself).  Note that if you don't have the Captain Skill Last Stand, then Propulsion Modification 1 is the best choice.
   
• And lastly, take Propulsion Modification 2.  This gives you an instant jump up to a 5 knot speed from a standstill which is incredibly handy if you're the type to sit in your smoke (and you'll want to occasionally sit in smoke in the Leningrad -- especially while training up Concealment Expert).  I find this much more handy than Steering Gears Modification 2 which would only provide a 0.74s improvement to your already fantastic rudder shift time.

 

Recommended Consumables

If you take premium consumables on your premium ships, you can find it really eats into your credit earnings.  So be careful about loading up on too many.  This goes doubly for anyone not using a premium account.  Still, they can provide a significant survival (and thus performance) boost.  It's up to you to decide if every 22,500 credits spent will earn at least that and more back on a per-game basis.
 

• Out of any of the premium consumables you might take, I strongly recommend taking a premium version of your Damage Control Party.  This drops the reset timer from 60s down to 40s which can save your life.  This is especially important if the Captain your training on the Leningrad doesn't have the Last Stand Captain Skill.
   
• A premium version of your Smoke Generator is nice to have.  Not only does it provide a faster reset timer (160s vs 240s) but it also provides an additional charge for you to play with.  I do find that the value of this diminishes when your Captain takes the Superintendent skill which also provides an additional charge.  It's rare where I find myself using all of my smoke charges.  However, if you don't have Concealment Expert trained yet, you'll need your Smoke Generator much more often, so it may be worth while if you're still training up your Captain.
   
• I don't really foresee a reason to take a premium version of your Engine Boost consumable.

For signals, the Sierra Mike signal is amazing.  The 5% boost to your top speed translates into 2.15 knots further exemplifying one of the Leningrad's primary strengths. 

 

Recommended Captain Skills

 You're going to be grabbing fairly standard skills for a gunship destroyer in the Leningrad.  Her torpedoes are good, but probably not good enough to consider taking some of the torpedo-specialist skills.

 

• For your first slot, Basic Fire Training is hands down the best choice.  This increases your rate of fire per gun from 12rpm to 13.2rpm (a DPM increase from 96,000 to 105,600).  You can bet every other destroyer you face will have this too so don't fall behind.
   
• At tier 2, there is one must-have skill and two interesting skills.  Take Last Stand immediately.  This is an absolute in any destroyer.  There are two skills to consider after you unlock a 15pt Captain -- Expert Marksman and Torpedo Armament Expertise.  The former will increase your turret rotation speed down to 20.0s for a 180' rotation.  The latter skill will reduce your reload timer on your torpedoes from 92s down to 82.8s.  I would only consider the latter if you fancy yourself quite the fish monger.
   
• At tier 3, Superintendent is probably worth the most currency to destroyer captains, providing an extra charge of both their Smoke Generator and Engine Boost consumables.  Vigilance is also quite handy to have, though I put a lesser value on it.
   
• At tier 4, you're again spoiled for choice.  There are three skills to consider grabbing.  Most will probably reach for Advanced Fire Training.  This increases your range from 11.6km to 13.9km and opens up the ability to begin firing from concealment.  If you prefer to live dangerously, you could also go for Demolition Expert to increase your chance to start fires with your shells from 8% to 11% per.  Lastly, for the competitive scene, Survivability Expert will add another 2,800hp and make her considerably more resilient in a knife fight.
   
• And lastly, it's again a no brainer:   take Concealment Expert as soon as you can in your Leningrad.  This drops your surface detection range, with premium camouflage, down to 6.6km.

[Lert]

[SgtMajorBuzz]

Must have it! Thanks LWM!

and Lert

[The_GoDDfather]

Tier 7 Gremy in the making imo. If you have a Gremy, your captain will love this ship.

Dedicated Gremy captain:

Lvl 1: BFT

Lvl 2: LS, EM

Lvl 3: VG

Lvl 4: AFT

Lvl 5: CE

[JojoTheMongol]

This this isn't OP unless you have an experience captain?

 

[Lert]

This this isn't OP unless you have an experience captain?

 

No, it's not OP because it has horrible gun arcs, horrible gun handling and a very long torpedo reload time.

[The_GoDDfather]

This this isn't OP unless you have an experience captain?

 

Like the Blys, to a degree, yes.

However, I'd argue this Blys is perfectly balanced, as it takes forever to get a 15pt captain on the Blys. (Looks at my stats; "What a no-life")

[Raptor_alcor]

Well, I'd love to get this when it comes out, doubt I'll have the money for it, makes me sad. 

[Lert]

Like the Blys, to a degree, yes.

 

Uh, no. Blyskawica has excellent gun arcs and handling compared to Leningrad.

[IceSerpen7]

 

No, it's not OP because it has horrible gun arcs, horrible gun handling and a very long torpedo reload time.

 

IMHO it kind of depends on how easy it is to hit (and damage) when spotted - could end up being a mini-Khaba.

[Stratego89]

Up until this ship I had never once even remotely desired a premium ship in this game (other than atago but idk whether to call it a desire for obtainment or just an appreciation for a fine ship on that one honestly- but I digress). This thing... i saw it ONCE in game, and wanted it. It moves at like mach 10. My thing in games has always been speed. I'll almost always with very rare exception prefer whatever moves fast over whatever hits hard. I'll seriously never forget the absolute punishment this ship gave me for becoming complacent because I'd memorized the stats of most ships in the game to a reasonable extent and forgot to check the roster that round.

[Venom81]

So many good ships lately.

 

My wife is gonna be so pissed. Hilarious.

[The_GoDDfather]

 

Uh, no. Blyskawica has excellent gun arcs and handling compared to Leningrad.

 

It's very competitive with a 15pt captain, just like the Blys. I'd also say it's close-minded to think that firing arcs and traverse speed dictate the ships competitiveness.

[Trubil]

these reviews need to be shorter

[Lert]

It's very competitive with a 15pt captain, just like the Blys. I'd also say it's close-minded to think that firing arcs and traverse speed dictate the ships competitiveness.

 

Please point out where I ever claimed it wasn't competitive. Also, no need for personal attacks. Finally, arcs and handling does affect a ship's competitiveness, the more time you spend struggling with your own weapons the less time you spend damaging the enemy. Leningrad's strengths are in its speed, flexibility and decent torpedoes, not in its gunnery.

 

these reviews need to be shorter

 

Ok, here's a review specifically written for you:

 

It's good.

 

[kerensky914]

Another fine review, LWM.

[DoomStomper]

As always, thanks for the excellent review.

 

Those numbers look awfully tempting, even for someone like myself who doesn't play destroyers that often.  Then again, since I already own a Gremy and Blysk, it would probably be better to save my money this time around.

[Kapitan_Wuff]

these reviews need to be shorter

 

Seriously? Comprehensive and thorough are things you don't like in a review? Skimming to the clear and simple summery isn't a strong point of yours?  Great review again Mouse, great example of it being impossible to make everyone happy lol. Might pass on this ship myself.

[The_GoDDfather]

 

Please point out where I ever claimed it wasn't competitive. Also, no need for personal attacks. Finally, arcs and handling does affect a ship's competitiveness, the more time you spend struggling with your own weapons the less time you spend damaging the enemy. Leningrad's strengths are in its speed, flexibility and decent torpedoes, not in its gunnery.

 

 

Ok, here's a review specifically written for you:

 

It's good.

 

 

I must apologize, as the "closed-minded" comment was not meant to be a personal attack. The way you put it, it seemed that you weren't looking at the full potential the ship could have.

 

Now, I'll explain myself, but it will take awhile to due to my lack mobile typing skills.

   I was saying it's very competitive, not just competitive; and I'm not saying you didn't say it wasn't competitive. What I'm saying, is that it seems to be in the grey area between normal competitiveness and over-powered.

   I also agree with the fact that struggling with your own armament is a hindrance, however, I also say there are ways to overcome those struggles. Much like the Gremyashchy, it has bad firing arcs and slow turrets. You can overcome these by locking the guns and wiggling the ship between reloads. It's a dangerous maneuver, (since if not performed well, will lose you the engagement) but it's much better than sailing straight. I know the Leningrad could perform this maneuver easily, especially with the rudder shift module. This allows you to use your guns while simultaneously lessening the impact of the poor turret traverse. You can also overcome this on the Leningrad by utilizing AFT and CE. If you are not spotted while firing, you can sail a straight line at 12.5km and keep the guns on target. (Especially with EM.) This goes for the Gremyashchy as well.

   The ability to stealth-torp is invaluable, it can greatly increase you ability to dish out damage while not being able to be fired upon. I doubt I have to explain how valuable this is to you. Not to mention CE assisted stealth torping.

   The great speed will allow you to get to caps, and, using the method above, win most engagements. Especially with BFT, EM, & CE.

 

Really, overall, I find this a very competitive ship, with the potential to be OP when equipped with a 15pt captain.

[SgtMajorBuzz]

 

Like the Blys, to a degree, yes.

However, I'd argue this Blys is perfectly balanced, as it takes forever to get a 15pt captain on the Blys. (Looks at my stats; "What a no-life")

 

243? Your just getting yer Blysk good and broke in

[JojoTheMongol]

 

No, it's not OP because it has horrible gun arcs, horrible gun handling and a very long torpedo reload time.

 

 

WG really might have learned its lesson.

 

 

 

 

So it can go as fast as the Marbleheads torps?

 

 

(Srsly, buff the Marbleheads torps.)

[atPrick__]

Nice review as always Mouse.

 

Something something Soviet torpedo boat, insanely fast, great detection grumble grumble IJN Torpedo boat nerf grumble frown. 

 

Grumble, frown, QQ Soviet Bias.

 

[edited].

[Fedge_123]

Very nice review as always! +1

Am I the only one who feels that Tier VII is overloaded with premium ships?  I can barely play the ones I have now.  Be nice to get a few 6's and 8's for a change.

[Lert]

 

I must apologize, as the "closed-minded" comment was not meant to be a personal attack. 

 

Now, I'll explain myself, but it will take awhile to due to my lack mobile typing skills.

   I was saying it's very competitive, not just competitive; and I'm not saying you didn't say it wasn't competitive. What I'm saying, is that it seems to be in the grey area between normal competitiveness and over-powered.

   I also agree with the fact that struggling with your own armament is a hindrance, however, I also say there are ways to overcome those struggles. Much like the Gremyashchy, it has bad firing arcs and slow turrets. You can overcome these by locking the guns and wiggling the ship between reloads. It's a dangerous maneuver, (since if not performed well, will lose you the engagement) but it's much better than sailing straight. I know the Leningrad could perform this maneuver easily, especially with the rudder shift module. This allows you to use your guns while simultaneously lessening the impact of the poor turret traverse. You can also overcome this on the Leningrad by utilizing AFT and CE. If you are not spotted while firing, you can sail a straight line at 12.5km and keep the guns on target. (Especially with EM.) This goes for the Gremyashchy as well.

   The ability to stealth-torp is invaluable, it can greatly increase you ability to dish out damage while not being able to be fired upon. I doubt I have to explain how valuable this is to you. Not to mention CE assisted stealth torping.

   The great speed will allow you to get to caps, and, using the method above, win most engagements. Especially with BFT, EM, & CE.

 

Really, overall, I find this a very competitive ship, with the potential to be OP when equipped with a 15pt captain.

 

Fair enough, good points in there. You're also a better tin can captain than I am, so would probably better know how to make a ship like Leningrad dance.

 

Apology accepted, I'll just chalk it up to a misscommunication and phrasing misinterpreted.

 

Your tips on how to make it work are good tips. From having played / tested Leningrad though, I would still reach for Blyskawica rather than it, for general play. Maybe competitive play the additional speed would be invaluable.

 

You're right about the stealth torp capability. Honestly though, Blyskawica's torps aren't that much worse than Leningrad's, same range but slower speed, but they reload a lot quicker.

 

All in all it's a very good ship, definitely competitive, less than 'comfortable' to drive. OP? I don't think so. Maybe time will tell me wrong, and I am a BB main not a DD main, but I would still prefer Blyskawica over Leningrad.

 

Am I the only one who feels that Tier VII is overloaded with premium ships? 

 

And most of them American.

[Taichunger]

Excellent review. +1

 

Downside of Leningrad: I love my Blys!!! How can I betray her with an enemy destroyer?

I think I might have to have Leningrad on the side...