FRANCE

Country
France

Class
Battleship

MMweight
10.0

Obtain Method
Tech Tree

Arena rating

A

PVP rating

B

France is the top tier ship of the French battleship tech tree line. France has the biggest caliber among all French ships: 450 mm guns. This is out-of-character, because other French battleships have lower caliber guns compared to its competitors. France’s large caliber guns combined with quick load battery consumable makes it great at inflicting massive damage in a short time. France can overmatch all cruisers except Pr66. France can also overmatch Soviet Union, a high tier battleship. France has good accuracy and the shells retain its high performance over long distances. France has no problem fighting at long range.

France has good secondary guns, with the base range of 7 km and good performance. If equipped with secondary gun enhancement module and secondary enhancement crew skill, it can reach 10 km. Secondary gun build is considered a meme build and not recommended for most players, but it’s can be fun.

France is big, turns slowly, has good citadel protection, and has high HP pool. Even though the citadel is well protected compared to other French battleships, the side armor is still vulnerable to penetration damage. France can still be citadeled when broadsiding. It’s also prone to fires. The big size and bad maneuverability sometimes make it hard to find a safe position.

France has good speed and can equip engine overload consumable instead of main gun fast reload consumable. With high speed, France can outmaneuver the enemy and reach good position quickly. You can choose which consumable you like based on your playstyle. Both are good.

Playstyle

France’s high performance guns is limited by its slow turret rotation speed and bad maneuverability. The easiest way to play France is at long range. The fast shell velocity and good accuracy makes even an inexperienced player can hit the enemies easily. In arena, the best place for France is at the center-back position. There, France can snipe the enemies at both flanks.

If you don’t like sniping, you can play more aggressively. You can sail to a flank quickly (even better if you use engine overload consumable) and create a crossfire with your teammates. You can outmaneuver the enemy and halt their advance. This approach is more risky than sniping, but with enough skill you can turn the tide of the battle and destroy a flank relatively quickly.

Always remember that France has bad maneuverability. It takes a long time to correct your course because of slow rudder shift and large turning radius. Don’t show your broadside. If you show broadside, the enemy can easily punish you. The large size also makes it easy for the enemy to farm you. Keep your ship angled or bow-on. With sufficient angling, France can be very tanky. If there are too many HE spammers or a CV on the enemy team, consider to stay at long range.

Is it worth to buy?

France is a good damage dealer that can be more aggressive depending on the situation. However, the big size and bad maneuverability is quite out of character compared to other French battleships. If you’re used to playing other French battleships, you’ll need some time to adapt to this ship. Some people will like it, some don’t. Anyway, France is a tech tree ship, which means you just have to grind it. No need to spend money.

Strengths
High caliber guns, can overmatch all cruisers except Pr66, good accuracy, fast shell velocity, good range, good penetration, good damage. Has long range secondary guns. Can choose between main gun reload booster or engine booster. Has fighter planes.
Weaknesses
Slow turret traverse speed. Slow rudder shift. Large turning radius. Bad concealment. Can be easily set on fire.
General playstyle
Sniping, flanking, bowtanking
Preferred fighting range
Medium to long range

Recommended Build

Equipment
Slot 1: adv. disaster retardant module
Slot 2: engine enhancement module
Slot 3: aiming system module or main battery enhancement module
Consumables
Slot 1: elite damage control
Slot 2: elite repair
Slot 3: elite quick load battery or elite engine overload
Crew Skills (after basic skill)
Captain: artillery warning – boost morale – hull protection
Gun: crack gunner – high speed aiming – burn the ship behind
Engine: quick shift – adv. quick shift – steering master
Damage control: emergency flooding – buoyancy reserve – extinguish

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