Post by FormulaZR on Aug 30, 2017 1:53:08 GMT
Ah yes...the Kutuzov. The bane of T8 MM. Did you ever play the Cleveland and sit down with a wishlist? Well this is the cruiser you'd come up with if you were part of WoT Console's balancing department (kek). Let's take a quick look at this little monster.
Note: if the proposed smoke change goes into the game, a revision may be necessary. ***This change did happen, see below for edit***
The Good:
- 19.1km range. Stock. Let that sink in.
- 950 m/s HE/AP shell velocity. Faster than Bismarck, Scharn, Molotov, and several others - comparable to Duca d'Aosta. Deadly to DDs at ~11km and under, deadly to everything else at any range. You can reliably hit BBs and most cruisers at 18+km.
- Smoke. It doesn't last a long time, but it has a good bloom time. Similar to Russian DDs.
- 5x2 8km torpedos. 17k damage per torpedo.
- Devastating AA suite. And Def AA on top of that.
- 12 guns, good firing arcs, and 8 second reload.
- Good maneuverability, not typical for Russian cruisers.
The Bad:
- ??
- Not super tanky.
- Best concealment is 11.1km. Not great - but still far from the worst.
- No radar like your tech tree T8 Russian counterpart Chapayev has.
- Very little damage to T10 KM BB due to it's deck armor.
- Captain skills are not optimal for Moskva (but are good to T9).
- ??
Tips:
- It's still a cruiser with mediocre armor. Don't show broadside and don't try to "bow on" tank BBs
- Use your smoke wisely - priority target helps with this. Smoke friendlies when possible.
- Seriously, incredible range and easy to hit at range. Range is your friend. Unless there's a need, don't push it and don't be front line.
- Don't use Hydro over Def AA. You shouldn't be that close and your AA threat is incredible. You can save BBs from airstrikes who can tank damage for you.
- Don't focus fire. Remember, you are communist. Spread your fires. Pay attention to who has used damage control and set them on fire accordingly.
- Watch the world burn.
- If undetected, but in a target rich environment: pop smoke at full speed, count to 2, then full reverse. That is the max you can spread your smoke and still be in it. Fire away.
- Play "middle" supporting your DDs and your BBs. You do have to learn where you should be in a map based on MM and the game mode.
- Don't sit still in smoke. This applies to every ship, though - not just Kutuzov.
- You have the very real potential of being a priority target. Don't be a target of opportunity.
- If smoke is unavailable - or you are not in a target rich environment, learn the way of kite. Sail away from your target while peppering them with all manner of hate.
- HE is strong, but know when use AP. AP at 19.1km is dumb, but AP against a broadside Edinburgh at 9km is smart. You'll learn what AP can/can't do - but don't rely solely on HE.
- Don't forget about those great torps, but don't go out of your way to use them either.
Captain skills:
Priority Target, Adrenaline Rush, Demolition Expert, IFHE, Concealment Expert, Superintendent, Jack of all Trades. AFT/MF-AA can be subbed if the situations really call for it.
Bottom line:
Very recommended. May be the strongest ship in the game. Keep everyone at arms length and wreck face. If I don't get 140k damage/game I'm upset. This is the T8 ship that DGAF about T10 matchmaking. Can get boring.
EDIT: With the smoke changes Kutuzov did receive a nerf. Firing from smoke you can be detected at 7.7km. That rules out the old play style of charging in with your DDs and supporting from close range. It's still a super strong ship and if you get one from a crate, enjoy. Irian is a close second to this as it's basically a Kutuzov with a little range reduction and trading smoke for longer range torps + torp reload booster.
Note: if the proposed smoke change goes into the game, a revision may be necessary. ***This change did happen, see below for edit***
The Good:
- 19.1km range. Stock. Let that sink in.
- 950 m/s HE/AP shell velocity. Faster than Bismarck, Scharn, Molotov, and several others - comparable to Duca d'Aosta. Deadly to DDs at ~11km and under, deadly to everything else at any range. You can reliably hit BBs and most cruisers at 18+km.
- Smoke. It doesn't last a long time, but it has a good bloom time. Similar to Russian DDs.
- 5x2 8km torpedos. 17k damage per torpedo.
- Devastating AA suite. And Def AA on top of that.
- 12 guns, good firing arcs, and 8 second reload.
- Good maneuverability, not typical for Russian cruisers.
The Bad:
- ??
- Not super tanky.
- Best concealment is 11.1km. Not great - but still far from the worst.
- No radar like your tech tree T8 Russian counterpart Chapayev has.
- Very little damage to T10 KM BB due to it's deck armor.
- Captain skills are not optimal for Moskva (but are good to T9).
- ??
Tips:
- It's still a cruiser with mediocre armor. Don't show broadside and don't try to "bow on" tank BBs
- Use your smoke wisely - priority target helps with this. Smoke friendlies when possible.
- Seriously, incredible range and easy to hit at range. Range is your friend. Unless there's a need, don't push it and don't be front line.
- Don't use Hydro over Def AA. You shouldn't be that close and your AA threat is incredible. You can save BBs from airstrikes who can tank damage for you.
- Don't focus fire. Remember, you are communist. Spread your fires. Pay attention to who has used damage control and set them on fire accordingly.
- Watch the world burn.
- If undetected, but in a target rich environment: pop smoke at full speed, count to 2, then full reverse. That is the max you can spread your smoke and still be in it. Fire away.
- Play "middle" supporting your DDs and your BBs. You do have to learn where you should be in a map based on MM and the game mode.
- Don't sit still in smoke. This applies to every ship, though - not just Kutuzov.
- You have the very real potential of being a priority target. Don't be a target of opportunity.
- If smoke is unavailable - or you are not in a target rich environment, learn the way of kite. Sail away from your target while peppering them with all manner of hate.
- HE is strong, but know when use AP. AP at 19.1km is dumb, but AP against a broadside Edinburgh at 9km is smart. You'll learn what AP can/can't do - but don't rely solely on HE.
- Don't forget about those great torps, but don't go out of your way to use them either.
Captain skills:
Priority Target, Adrenaline Rush, Demolition Expert, IFHE, Concealment Expert, Superintendent, Jack of all Trades. AFT/MF-AA can be subbed if the situations really call for it.
Bottom line:
Very recommended. May be the strongest ship in the game. Keep everyone at arms length and wreck face. If I don't get 140k damage/game I'm upset. This is the T8 ship that DGAF about T10 matchmaking. Can get boring.
EDIT: With the smoke changes Kutuzov did receive a nerf. Firing from smoke you can be detected at 7.7km. That rules out the old play style of charging in with your DDs and supporting from close range. It's still a super strong ship and if you get one from a crate, enjoy. Irian is a close second to this as it's basically a Kutuzov with a little range reduction and trading smoke for longer range torps + torp reload booster.
