K2

Country
United Kingdom (UK)

Class
Battleship

MMweight
10.0

Obtain Method
Tech Tree

Arena rating

D

PVP rating

C

K2 was one of the British ship designs in the 1920s. It was a large, fast, and heavily armed ship. It was designed for a “second to none” fleet ambition, but abandoned due to Washington Naval Treaty.

K2 has 4×2 457 mm guns. As the top tier ship of the British HE battleship line, the HE shells has the highest fire chance and damage in the game. K2 has two HE shell options that you can choose based on your preference.

1. The regular HE shell option has slow shell velocity (a bit slower than its AP shell velocity), mediocre penetration (lower than American 406 mm HE), and high fire chance (around 50%). This option is recommended for new players.
2. The 4000lbs HE shell option has the slowest shell velocity in the game (646 m/s). The 4000lbs HE shells have great penetration. It can even citadel light cruisers and penetrate battleships’ side armor. The fire chance is extremely high (more than 60%). Each shell that hits is almost guaranteed will set a fire. This option is recommended for players with good aiming skill. New or inexperienced player will not be able to hit any moving target due to slow shell velocity.

The most glaring weaknesses that prevents K2 from being good are slow shell velocity and bad accuracy. K2’s AP shells are as slow as American battleships, and the HE shells are even slower. The accuracy is bad for a high tier ship, mainly because it has extremely vertical style dispersion. Against a broadsiding battleship at medium range, less than half will hit. K2’s AP performance is very low due to bad accuracy. Most of the time, HE is still better against broadsiding battleships because you can set fires. Against bowtanking enemies, K2’s performance will skyrocket because more HE shells will hit and it can deal a lot of damage on top of several fires each salvo. The British HE battleship line is unique because they’re terrible at punishing broadsiding enemies but better at farming bowtanking enemies.

K2’s hull is big but it has terrible armor. The side armor is as thin as Hood. Even light cruisers can citadel K2 from close range. It’s also prone to fires and HE spam. The turning radius is average, but it has fast rudder shift and fast speed. K2 has engine overload consumable that can increase its speed to 35.7 knots. Even though it’s big, the surface detectability is very low. K2 is the stealthiest MMweight 10.0 battleship. K2 often becomes the team’s spotter in a full BB battle.

Playstyle

At the start of the match, sail to a flank, ahead of your teammates. Activate engine overload consumable if needed. Your concealment and speed will help you reach a good position at the flank before your teammates. Sometimes, you can spot the enemy first. Before you shoot, use kiting position first. You can let your teammates shoot the enemy while you maneuver. This is because K2’s armor is really bad and you need to prepare to dodge shells. Only after your position is safe, then you shoot.

K2 has slow shell velocity but bad armor. It’s better to play at medium range, between 11-14 km, at the flanks. Move together with your ally battleship because you need someone else as the main tank and punish the broadsiding enemy. Your role is to spread fires to as many enemies as possible. Use HE as your default ammunition. Pick the 4000lbs HE option if your aim is good because you’ll get more damage.

Use speed juke to dodge incoming shells. You can try this simple tactic: stay at medium range, sail at 1/4 speed when the enemy isn’t shooting, accelerate to full speed when the enemy shoots at you, reverse if the enemy shoots in front of your ship. Use engine overload if needed. K2 is not suitable for pushing or sniping. Play it like a battlecruiser.

K2’s concealment is so good, even better than some cruisers. This makes K2 a wild card among other ships. If played properly, it can ambush the enemy, burn it with impunity, then retreat to become invisible again.

CV battles are often conducted at long range, and the slow shell velocity will make K2 suffer. In addition, K2 don’t have AA to deter enemy CV. Most of the time, K2 just rely on dodging and speed juking, while hoping that the enemy CV is bad. You must sail together with your teammates so they can protect you with their AA.

Is it worth to buy?

K2 is a meme ship for those who wants to HE spam with a battleship but don’t like tanking. It’s a risky playstyle that needs good teammates. Without good teammates, you can’t do anything to carry or turn back a bad situation.

K2 is a tech tree ship, so you don’t need to spend money. In general, the entire K2 line is not worth grinding for new players. It’s for old players who just want to have fun without caring about winning or losing.

Strengths
Large caliber guns, good fire chance, good HE penetration, fast reload. Good speed. Amazing acceleration. Has engine booster. Good maneuverability. Good concealment. Good repair.
Weaknesses
Slow shell velocity, vertical style dispersion, bad accuracy, bad armor, big size, bad AA
General playstyle
Kiting, flanking, ambushing
Preferred fighting range
Medium range

Recommended Build

Equipment
Slot 1: adv. disaster retardant module
Slot 2: engine enhancement module
Slot 3: aiming system module
Consumables
Slot 1: elite damage control
Slot 2: elite repair
Slot 3: 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 – noise reduction
Damage control: buoyancy reserve – emergency flooding – extinguish

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