In terms of dpm, ships like Atago or Zao pretty much suck compared to same tier competition. Obviously, most IJN cruisers play around their improved HE damage, but the proper use of AP when given the opportunity supplements the core concept of IJN cruiser gameplay, which is alpha damage over dpm. Catch a target offguard and they have little time to angle or duck into cover before the shells arrive.

Zao adds one thing ontop of the already strong package: shell speed. Intercepting enemy cruisers that are unsuspecting can yield great results. Edinburgh enjoys little advantage over Atago, Neptune gets straight outspotted by Ibuki). At this point, these cruisers become AP threats because they combine their broadside power and accuracy with the ability to outspot many cruisers or to spot stealthier cruisers almost at the same time (e.g. Mogami, Atago and Ibuki have respectable concealment. Myoko can basically slap careless Fijis around that think their cruiser is the boss of T7 by just nuking it with 10 AP shells straight through the bow. Only Pensacola matches that, but Pensacola lacks the IJN accuracy. Myoko also has a 10 gun broadside, which is absolutely devastating.

IJN AP isn't actually that special as a shell (compared to German improved damage, USN and RN improved pen angles, Soviet penetration), but it's mostly due to the characteristics of the rest of the ship,įurutaka overmatches same tier cruiser bows, so AP is often more used than HE.Īoba and Myoko should note that at their tiers, RN cruisers can still be overmatched by 203 mm guns. Just as a note, while the IJN cruisers get improved HE damage and fire chance but not AP, for general usage, any ship from Furutaka and up benefits a lot from knowing when to use which type of ammo.

World of warships atago release