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Obst
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Deutschland or Admiral Hipper? (v3)
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Many people want to get info on the advantages/disadvantages of those two ships
and the ships you will get later on in the respective branch of the shiptree.
So let me give you the main criteria (only considering the immediate
Deutschland/Hipper decision):
For the first ships in the Deutschland line, you need great gunners. This means higher
level than the ship (So at least 6 levels ahead of your BO at the time you get the
Deutschland), great base stats (11/11 in ACC/REL or even 12/11) and of course a great crew
(Lots of Veterans, Experts and of course filled up to the max with recruits).
Even though the ONF patches have made it easier for those with not-so-great gunners, it is
still a good idea to have some better gunners at hand for the Deutschland line.
You can also (it's optional for those with too much money at hand) get great crew by
buying 'Elite Accuracy Gunner's from the Shop, and then applying a Boost ('Premium
Sailor') in addition to gettings 109 Veterans and loads of Experts. However, you should
not apply those Vets/Experts before you reach the Deutschland, since the crew death in the
DDCL stage can be excessive, effectively wasting your money.
However, even with outstanding crew like that you still have to consider that the level of
the Gunners has a large influence on their performance. I'd suggest to have at least Level
51++ Gunners at the time you get the Deutschland.
With great gunners the Deutschland is very enjoyable to play, and its AA is superior to
that of both the Admiral Hipper and the Prinz Eugen.
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As you can see from the above paragraph the decision you have to make heavily
affects your later career in the Kriegsmarine.
The ships on both lines available at Lv 54 (PS line, P-Project I) and 53 (Hipper line,
Prinz Eugen) serve different purposes.
The P-Project I is an anti CA/BC/BB ship.
While the P-Pro I with Lv 59 x3 11"/54.5 SK C/34 fights at the range of BC/BB at this
level (and up to about Lv 65) it suffers from being able to carry only limited amounts of
ammo with them. However, if you want to go toe-to-toe with BB1, then use these guns.
You may also use the Lv 46 x3 11"/52 SK C/28 L or the Lv 56 x3 11"/54.5 SK C/34 D. All
those guns are very efficient. Use the C/28 L if you want more range or the C/34 D if you
want more firepower with slightly less range.
So for the PS line you really need higher-level gunners to be really efficient.
However, the P1 has to be played like a BC/BB and with only two 3x guns it is very
vulnerable to CL/CA and especially DD that get into range (also caused by the large
gap between the turrets), so be aware to change your playstyle to BC/BB very early.
However, if you succeed in this you will be prepared for the real BC/BB you will get
later on.
The P1 has the best AA space/positioning of all German ships so use this to get
down enemy scouts fast to hide your position (use the level 42 KM40 guns).
The Prinz Eugen is a CL/CA murderer.
The range of the second set Dual 8"L is equal to 11" C/34 D (mind the D) so it still
outranges all other CL/CA except for P1.
It fires faster so it is capable of dealing with rushers better than the P1 and has
better placed turrets. However, the Prinz Eugen suffers from worse AA.
The Premium CA Moltke is available to both lines, so by going Hipper you will get
both a great Anti-CLCA ship (Prinz Eugen) an a powerful BB-like ship (Moltke). This
makes the Hipper line very attractive and adds even more versatility the PS line is
lacking.
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Notes about all German ships at CA+ stage:
-Do not use the BC1 without 11" C/34 N!
-While 11" C/28 are bad at the start, you can use 11" C/34 right when you get them
with good spread
-Use your range at all times!
-Use your speed! A speeding German is better than an armored German!
-Use your AA guns!
-Use teamwork! You are no UK BB that can slaughter about everything in 2 shots, remember this!
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Then, at level 59(PS)/60(Hip) you will gain access to your first real BC, classified BB1.
For the Hipper line you get the Scharnhorst (aka 'Scharn'), for the Deutschland line you
get the P-Project II (aka 'P2').
On the P-Project II you can now mount 11" C/34 N with plenty of ammo, and you have a nice
range advantage over all other non-KM BB1 and can fight the US/IJN BB2 at equal range, but
with less powerful guns.
Thanks to the single mounts in between the triples your spread at closer-range is
better than with P1 so you can take on rushers better.
P2 has worse AA than P1 but it still good at it.
The Scharnhorst can also use the 11" C/34 N, but has one more barrel than the P2. However,
it is a bigger target and comes later. The AA is similar to P1 if not slightly better.
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Then, at level 69(PS)/68(Hip) you will get your BC2. For the Hipper line you get the
Gneisenau (aka 'Gnei'), for the Deutschland line you get the O-Project I (aka 'O1').
The O-Project 1 is impressive. The mounts for 11" C/34 L with loads of ammo, fast
(~45 knots overheat without armor and more!!!), much displacement (eg. for armor.
You will lose your speed advantage then, though). AA is great, the single AA mount on the
rear is very good and helps covering more room than on the Scharn/Gnei.
The Gneisenau is similar to O1, but with less displacement and worse AA positions.
However, both are great and the differences are negligible.
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At level 80(both) you will get your BB3. For the Hipper line you get the Bismarck (aka
'BSM'), for the Deutschland line you get the O-Project II (aka 'O2').
The O2 uses the level 82 3x14.96"oL as its main guns while the Bismarck uses the level 82
2x14.96"bL. The O2's triples have slightly less range than the Bismark's duals. The
decision between O2 and BSM is primarily a decision between more firepower with less range
(O2) and less firepower with more range (BSM). The O2 has the slightly better AA of the
two and an additional Sailor slot.
Some details about thow to use the two individual ships:
O2: You may choose between using all three of them with sufficient speed, or use only the
two front triples for an increase in speed. Or you may use the additional space for
armor... but always remember that armor is 'all-or-nothing', so when you notice that your
armor is ineffective even though you have already sacrifised the rear turret you may
consider ditching most of the armor for an increase in speed. In addition, the O2 is more
durable than the Bismarck.
Do not use any 11" guns on the O-Project II. They are not worth it. Oh, and even though
the O2 is a remodel of the O1, you may acquire another O1 from the shipyard after
remodelling your original one to O2! Therefore you may have both an O1 and an O2 at the
same time!
BSM: Here the 3x11" C/34 L are an option. They allow you to have more range than the
2x14.96"bL in exchange for less firepower and higher max angles (which are generally
harder to aim and easier for the enemy to dodge). However, the 2x14.96"bL sport a great
combination of firepower and range already, suitable for both 'All Welcome'/'Great Battle'
and pure BB room environments.
Always have guns on all four mounts, and do not mix 14.96" with 11".
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Re-evaluation of both of the lines (PS/CA):
- PS line with uber-gunners has great power right at level 47+, while the CA line
needs to wait for Prinz Eugen at 53. However, the Eugen is way more enjoyable.
- Moltke is available for both lines... no influence.
- At BB2 level, O1 and Gneisenau are totally par, all differences are 100% negligible
- At BB3 level, Bismarck and O2 are both competitive ships with multiple usable setups
So, what do we see here?
Both lines have usable ships at all stages. This is now different from the past ;)
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My Summed-Up Conclusion: Both lines are great and enjoyable. The CA-BB1-BB2 of the PS line
are slightly better in BB room environments than their CA line counterparts, while at the
BB3 stage the O2 may be slightly better in GB environments than the Bismarck due to the
O2's firepower and general versatility apart from the Bismarck's 'choose between more
range and more firepower'.
Based on all this I know that it is still hard to figure out which line to use... just
focus on what is the most important to you. Well... what is the most important to you?
Looks? Versatility? Environment-suitability at different stages? Or something else? Just
pick one :) Especially once you are past the BB1 stage you'll hardly be disappointed no
matter which line you took!
** edited by MM at request of Obst with new info for after the bb34aa patch
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