GNEISENAU

Country
German

Class
Battleship

MMweight
7.0

Obtain Method
Tech Tree

Arena rating

D

PVP rating

A

Gneisenau’s strength is not in its main guns. Gneisenau has fast reloading guns and sufficient caliber to overmatch other ships, but the accuracy is terrible and it only has 6 guns. Gneisenau’s firepower is so low, that some MMweight 6.0 battleships can easily outgun it. However, Gneisenau has side torpedoes and long range secondary guns that can melt other ships relatively quickly.

Gneisenau has the best armor in its MMweight. Gneisenau is the only battleship that can’t be overmatched by 406 mm caliber guns. A bowtanking Gneisenau is very hard to sink, unless there are multiple enemies attacking it. Gneisenau has turtleback armor that prevents it from being citadeled at close range. Gneisenau has very long damage control duration, short damage control cooldown, and short repair cooldown. This tankiness makes Gneisenau capable of leading the push against higher tier battleships.

Gneisenau has very fast speed for a low tier battleship. The maneuverability is bad, but at that tier there are many battleships with even worse maneuverability. Gneisenau actually can outmaneuver the enemy and dictate the engagement.

Gneisenau has big size and bad concealment. This makes Gneisenau vulnerable at long range. The AA is bad, so just pray that the enemy CV ignores it.

Playstyle

Gneisenau should not be used for sniping. At long range, not even half of its guns can hit and penetrate. Not to mention it has big size so the enemy can easily hit it. The ideal engagement range is within 9 km. Gneisenau has good armor, fast speed, good secondary guns, and side torpedoes which makes it a monster in close combat. It’s a good ship to push the enemy formation because the front armor is very strong. The fast speed makes it capable of chasing the enemy.

In PVP, use islands as cover, sail to one flank, and push together with bots (not ahead of them) so they are the ones who get shot instead of you. If possible ask your teammates to support you from the side. Shoot broadsiding players first. You can let your secondary guns kill the bots. Always angle against enemy players. Alter your sailing direction and speed. When the range between you and the enemy is < 6 km, prepare to launch your torpedoes. Because it only has 3 torpedoes per side, one strike might not be enough to sink the enemy. In that case, turn and launch your torpedoes from the other side. Secondary guns will help you burn the enemy down.

You should equip secondary battery enhancement module and secondary enhancement crew skill to increase its secondary battery range. Its secondary guns can set fires and inflict a lot of damage, especially if combined with flood from the torpedoes.

In global arena, getting close is almost impossible. To save you from headache, don’t choose German ship in arena. If you meet a CV in PVP, just play like usual. Kill the bots in the process. If possible, kill some players too. You will die quickly, but this will give time for your ally CV to carry the match.

Is it worth to buy?

Gneisenau is strong and fun to use in PVP. It’s also very beginner friendly. At low tier, there are not many good players, so having a good ship really helps winning battles. Of course, it doesn’t work in arena just like other German ships.

Gneisenau is a tech tree ship. You just have to grind to get it. No need to spend money. The top tier of German battleship line (H42) is also very strong in PVP. If you like rushing you should get Gneisenau and continue grinding to get H42.

Strengths
Good HE penetration, fast reload, good secondary guns, good bow armor, has turtleback armor, has side torpedoes, good speed, long damage control duration, short damage control and repair cooldown.
Weaknesses
Only 6 guns, bad accuracy, high air drag, low damage, large size, easy to get burned, bad maneuverability, bad AA, no fighter plane.
General playstyle
Pushing, brawling, bowtanking
Preferred fighting range
Short range

Recommended Build

Equipment
Slot 1: adv. disaster retardant module
Slot 2: steering gears enhancement module or engine enhancement module
Slot 3: secondary battery enhancement module
Consumables
Slot 1: elite damage control
Slot 2: elite repair
Crew Skills (after basic skill)
Captain: boost morale – hull protection – artillery warning
Gun: secondary battery enhancement – crack gunner – high speed aiming
Engine: steering master – quick shift – adv. quick shift
Damage control: emergency flooding – buoyancy reserve – extinguish
Torpedo: excess charge – engine maintenance – weak point attack

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