New coal and/or steel ship

[Jagerbomb_2021]

I am looking to get another ship or 2 to add to my fleet. I am leaning towards DD first, BB second and cruisers last. I only play coop/operations and asymmetrical battles when available, so I'm hoping to get some perspective on how these ships do in a PVE environment.

 

 

[Wolfswetpaws]

45 minutes ago, Jagerbomb_2021 said:

I am looking to get another ship or 2 to add to my fleet. I am leaning towards DD first, BB second and cruisers last. I only play coop/operations and asymmetrical battles when available, so I'm hoping to get some perspective on how these ships do in a PVE environment.

The steel ships that I have welcomed to my Port are the Shikishima, the Bourgogne and the Gato, in that order.

So, as far as the steel DD's go, I'm not as familiar with them as other people may be.
Looks like the choice of steel DD's is between the Z-42 and the Ragnar.

The Ragnar does not have torpedoes.
The Z-42 got some "bad press" when she was still in testing.  But, if I recall correctly, most of the controversy has blown-over by now.

The Ragnar has a larger detection radius and her turning-circle is bigger and her rudder-shift is slower.

Of these two steel DD's, I'd pick the Z-42.
Why?
Because I want to have torpedoes (which are useful in Co-op) and because she seems to be more nimble.  Her concealment value is better, too.

Edited February 28 by Wolfswetpaws

[Wrath_of_Deadguy]

Of the coal ships...

Black is a Fletcher with more powerful torpedoes (21600 per torp instead of Fletcher's 19033, in the same 2x5 launchers). She can also take radar in exchange for speed boost, though honestly you'll get more use out of the boost in Co-op. If you love USN DDs, then she'll be worth the ridiculous price; if you don't, then save your coal. I love mine, like I love all my high-tier USN DDs, but I wouldn't call her an apex predator compared to some of the other options you're considering.

Groningen may lack torpedoes, but she has amazing gun DPM, and her AA is second only to the T10 Pan-Euro DDs. Great ribbon farmer (unless you're after torp hit or flood ribbons, that is). She'll play mostly the same as Forrest Sherman, in practice- drive into cap, pop hydro, smoke up, tape down fire button until there's nothing left to shoot at. If you already have Friesland, though, the only thing Groningen has going for her in that case is the Dutch flag on her mast; they're sisters, and are otherwise identical.

Khabarovsk is a fast gunboat DD with good torps (19500 per torp in 2x5 launchers); you have Marceau, so this will be familiar territory for you. Khaba's advantages are in her armor (one of the few DDs to have any worth mentioning) and her freshly-buffed heal (which you should always take instead of smoke), which combined make her quite good at surviving yolo charges. She's a very, very good bot smasher; she's probably the strongest Co-op DD for coal or steel that you don't have yet.

Bazan is another fast gunboat, with smoke and burst fire on a toggle as her gimmicks, but fairly weak torps (2x4 launchers at 13900 per torp), and no special survivability traits (such as Khaba's armor and heal, or Marceau's French damage saturation mechanics). Not the best of the fast DDs, but the Co-op meta is very friendly to fast DDs, so she'll still be pretty strong.

Neustrashimy has a superheal. That's what you're paying the stratospheric sticker price for, if you get her. Superheal is a very nice gimmick to have, especially for a DD, but it's the only thing that makes her stand out; her guns and torps are only average, and she's not particularly quick or nimble, either.

In the BB column, Marco Polo will not be a strong ship in Co-op; the choice is between GK and Pommern. Of those two, I'd go with Pommern, since she has torps and that by definition makes her the better brawler, even though her guns and HP pool aren't as big.

For coal cruisers, you already have all the good ones. Azuma can be safely ignored.

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For your coal shopping list, I'd order it thusly: Khaba, Groningen, Pommern, then whatever else. Don't buy either Black or Neustrashimy unless you have a coupon available; neither are worth full price, even if you consider them must-haves.

[Wolfswetpaws]

6 hours ago, Wrath_of_Deadguy said:

Of the coal ships...

Black is a Fletcher with more powerful torpedoes (21600 per torp instead of Fletcher's 19033, in the same 2x5 launchers). She can also take radar in exchange for speed boost, though honestly you'll get more use out of the boost in Co-op. If you love USN DDs, then she'll be worth the ridiculous price; if you don't, then save your coal. I love mine, like I love all my high-tier USN DDs, but I wouldn't call her an apex predator compared to some of the other options you're considering.

Groningen may lack torpedoes, but she has amazing gun DPM, and her AA is second only to the T10 Pan-Euro DDs. Great ribbon farmer (unless you're after torp hit or flood ribbons, that is). She'll play mostly the same as Forrest Sherman, in practice- drive into cap, pop hydro, smoke up, tape down fire button until there's nothing left to shoot at. If you already have Friesland, though, the only thing Groningen has going for her in that case is the Dutch flag on her mast; they're sisters, and are otherwise identical.

Khabarovsk is a fast gunboat DD with good torps (19500 per torp in 2x5 launchers); you have Marceau, so this will be familiar territory for you. Khaba's advantages are in her armor (one of the few DDs to have any worth mentioning) and her freshly-buffed heal (which you should always take instead of smoke), which combined make her quite good at surviving yolo charges. She's a very, very good bot smasher; she's probably the strongest Co-op DD for coal or steel that you don't have yet.

Bazan is another fast gunboat, with smoke and burst fire on a toggle as her gimmicks, but fairly weak torps (2x4 launchers at 13900 per torp), and no special survivability traits (such as Khaba's armor and heal, or Marceau's French damage saturation mechanics). Not the best of the fast DDs, but the Co-op meta is very friendly to fast DDs, so she'll still be pretty strong.

Neustrashimy has a superheal. That's what you're paying the stratospheric sticker price for, if you get her. Superheal is a very nice gimmick to have, especially for a DD, but it's the only thing that makes her stand out; her guns and torps are only average, and she's not particularly quick or nimble, either.

In the BB column, Marco Polo will not be a strong ship in Co-op; the choice is between GK and Pommern. Of those two, I'd go with Pommern, since she has torps and that by definition makes her the better brawler, even though her guns and HP pool aren't as big.

For coal cruisers, you already have all the good ones. Azuma can be safely ignored.

--------

For your coal shopping list, I'd order it thusly: Khaba, Groningen, Pommern, then whatever else. Don't buy either Black or Neustrashimy unless you have a coupon available; neither are worth full price, even if you consider them must-haves.

Apparently I only focused on the steel ships.
Now that I realize coal ships are under discussion....

1.  The Black is a fun variation of the Fletcher class, for me.  I've assigned Commander Statue of Liberty as the Captain of my Black and I enjoy her unique voiceover along with the capabilities of the ship.

2.  I've had the Neustrashimy in my port for a few years and find her to be a competent torpedo boat.
Her repair party consumable helps her stay afloat.
Recently I've seen a few people sail the Neustrashimy into brawls mode.
Based upon my observations, a well played Neustrashimy is a tough to sink contender.

[Jagerbomb_2021]

Thanks @Wrath_of_Deadguy, that's a great breakdown. I think I'll go with both the Khaba and Groningen. I have a few 21 pt soviet commanders and only 1 trained for Dd's since i don't have many soviet DD's, and only 1 premium,  the Leningrad. My Dutch ranks are filled out with various 10 to 13 pointers but I have enough EXCP to boost a few to 21 points if I so desired.